Meet Alina

The true Alina was shining through brighter than ever today. Back in the indoor playground, she appeared to be in her element when she and Seth began kicking a ball back and forth accross the room. Although the ball was 4 feet in diameter (and at one point knocked her over) she had impeccable form which was apparent to eveyone as she dribbled the ball. We immediately began talking about the possibility of her playing football (soccer). When asked if she wanted to play in the states, she emphatically shouted "Da! da!" Kostin piped up that he wanted to play as well after demonstrating his somewhat awkward form. Blythe had Denara tell Alina she was a very athletic girl and that mama is proud of her, to which she replied "I'm not a girl, I'm a boy!" Alina does seem to have an amazing blend of being the girly girl with a fashionable purse and being extremely athletic and agile in most physical activities. The way sports leagues fill up in West Hartford, it's a good thing we found this out early. We do feel that this is the true Alina opening up to us. On our first day here Kostin was just as giggly as he is now, but Alina was quite shy and wary. Now she seems truly at ease being spun through the air by daddy. What a difference 2 weeks make!

Have we mentioned the giant pillow barrel in the indoor playground? We didn't get alot of pictures yesterday, but this has got to be the most popular item in there. It's quite versatile. You can stand it on end, stuff it full of children, and then put a cap on it and listen to them giggle non-stop. Alternatively, you can lay it on its side, stuff it full of children, and roll it accross the room (again with the associated giggling).

It was actually quite chilly outside today. We spent most of the time in the indoor playground (primarily tickling the children - this really is their favorite pasttime). When we did go outside the kids were in sweaters! The automated bubble gun made another appearance today, though the other children on the playground seemed to take it stride this time. How quickly new toys become passe.

We have to sign off a little early again tonight. Our hotel internet was down all afternoon, but we did want to make sure we got this post out before the end of the day. We finish bonding in 2 days, and we really can't believe how fast the time has gone. More again tomorrow.