Christmas shopping in Paris

What fun!! And dang cold!! Next time, we're doing Paris in the spring...when the US dollar is up a bit more.

The boys really enjoyed their time together in Paris. Who knew that absence really does make the heart grow fonder, even between brothers. After only three nights of going at it hammer and tongs over sofa bed real estate, they started having fun. They had a great time up in the Eiffel Tower, Rhyan found seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre to be an anti-climactic experience, and Quinn discovered his sense of fashion/style was decidedly European.

After exhausting the culinary delights of Paris, we headed back to Kazakhstan for the remainder of Quinn's winter break. The boys spent their time playing the Wii and Game Cube, walking Dusty in the snow and ice along the Ural River (and Dusty was thrilled to see Quinn again), and generally charming their mother out of having to do chores around the house.

The visit was far to short, and now Quinn's back at school at SVA (where he's managing to stay on the honor roll) and Rhyan is back dazzling the fourth grade at DAIS.

Dusty is getting in touch with his Labrador Retriever roots upon discovering the joys of playing in the snow. Everytime it snows, he whimpers at the door until we let him out. He loves digging in the stuff, and that undercoat of his really comes in handy during his long walks around the neighborhood. So far, he's loving winter in Kazakhstan!

Spring break is coming up soon. At the end of February, Quinn gets to dig up rocks in Grandpa's field, out in Mountain Home, Arkansas. And Rhyan may be heading for Houston, Texas on a business trip with his dad. No doubt Dusty will be spending some time at the Atyrau Kennel Club.