We are keeping ourselves busy with Chris in Burma. I marked my 35th birthday on 20 July in a very similar way to the way I marked my 25th birthday - alone in a developing country with Chris away on a disaster response. Thanks for a great 10 years ADRA! This time Alesia kept me company. She couldn't understand how I could have a birthday without a party, so we made pink cupcakes instead. Keira wished me a happy birthday by getting a virus and running high temperatures for two days. So she was not interested in getting dressed to be in the photo, she was crashed out on the couch. Alesia wished me happy birthday by getting the same virus just after Keira, though she upped the ante by vomiting every hour between 9pm and 5am. So eventually by Thursday I managed to get a full night's sleep.
It has been very very hot here - over 30 degrees for about two weeks. The apartment is not suited for hot weather, so we are getting very stuffy. On Saturday afternoon we went to the river in UB with the Mission President (guy from Australia) and his family. The water was refreshingly cold. The river was lined with Mongolians relaxing from the heat, doing their washing or having a wash themselves. Alesia and Keira had fun picking up rocks and throwing them into the river.
Noni (Rhonda) sent Aleisa a face-painting kit for her birthday. We tried it out, the results are below. Alesia wanted a particular design based on one of the pictures in the book. I just did the best I could. After several requests to make it "more beautiful" she got something she was happy with. We went for a walk down the street and Alesia got even more looks and smiles than she usually does. Nothing like making a conspicuous girl attract even more attention!
