A girls' afternoon and a boys' afternoon

Since Cindy didn't have any visitation today either, we took advantage of a much milder day to get out. The girls went one way (shopping!) and the boys (Sven and the 4 boys) went the other (sliding) before all meeting each other at the Pizza House. Cindy and I bought some souvenirs and gifts to bring back home.

I am still pondering a question that Cindy asked me today..."What did I actually prefer about Petro life?" I immediately said uninterrupted family time. We are together pretty much all the time here.... I don't know when we'll have that again. But, what about the city itself? I guess the most obvious answer is: Anna! Sure, this city doesn't have lots to offer for entertainment or interesting architecture and you really have to look hard to find stuff to do....but in the end...what do we like most about Petro....it is where Anna has lived for the last 20 months and because of that, will always be near and dear to our hearts.

So, here are a few random pictures of Petro from yesterday. Some explanations: The beautiful snow sculpture is of a tiger since 2010 is the year of the Tiger. In fact, most of the stuff you find in shops around town are tigers. The beautiful marble mural is actually just the facade of a local grocery store! Can't see that often back home...art in grocery stores. The large painting on the side of the building is quite meaningful to us. The children featured on the photo are actually the same children that Anna and I say "privyet" to every day...their pictures hang in the playroom at the baby house. I'll never forget those beautiful faces. The children have now left...hopefully to loving families!!