weekend

Last weekend was sooooo relaxing for us, only me and amir in the house, my sis with her husband went camping for three days. Amir and I went to bazar on saturday and bought gooseberries which amir found amusing, he was excited to buy it but refused to try. I love gooseberries, they are so sour, and I crave anything sour right now. Apparently gooseberry doesn't grow in the Phillippines, Amir called them small watermelons because of the stripes and colour:):):)
On sunday we bought this baby which weighed 17 kg!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor amir had to carry it all the way to home! Thank God it was downheal most of the way! I wish I could help him but for next 5 months I have my own watermelon to carry around..hahahaha
My watermelon is growing so fast, since last week it kicks me every day, I loooooove sensing its movements. since we were relaxing most of the time last weekend, we spent some time talking to the baby, each in our own language. amir felt its kick once, but afterwards every time I would call him to feel it again, the baby would stay quiet:):):) I didn't really want to post a picture of naked tummy, but due to demand of some friends in comments, here it is. I am entering the 5th month this week.
Happy me
Amir is demonstrating half of the watermelon we ate, which by the way was delicious! it was huuuuuge!!!!!!!!!!!!

baby's picture

following the tradition of posting ultrasound pictures of babies on blogs, i am herein posting a first pciture of our baby made a week ago. although the baby is still very small and it is hard to see anything there, we all saw the head, and i even managed to see little fingers on his(?) hand.

dinner out last night

i am soooooooooooooooooooooooooo huuuuuuuuuuuuungry!
Kazakh money
painting on the wall of the first cafe we tried to have dinnner at

Amir is being silly...happy!

Can you tell there are two of us on this picture????????

Amir has worked for a month now, yesterday he got his first salary, yey! We met up after work and went for dinner to eat on it. First place we came to was really nice, we had eaten there before and liked their cooking, but unfortunately there were people smoking all around us and this restaurant didn't have a non-smkoking area. I cannot bear smoke since i got pregnant and we decided to go look for another place close by. I was sooooooo hungry that our searvh didn't last very long, hehehe... We stopped at a fist place outdoors where people were still smoking, but there was not many of them and it was outside, so the smoke didn't bother us much (me and baby). I ate like a preggy, two portions:):):) couldn't move afterwards, but was happy! Amir ordered pork in a clay pot, he said it was delicious, I couldn't try it any more:) The weather now is amazing in Almaty, usually it is very hot during these months, but this year, it's hot during a day and it's raining almost every night, so it's so fresh at night while we sleep. I think it was by my order the weather is being so pleasant on me cause I don't really like continuoes heat... especially now...

Living for two

Last week was my first ultrasound appointment after which i had a complete realization that I am carrying a human being inside me and that I am living two lives at the moment. All this time I knew I was pregnant but wasn't fully realizing what is going on... (may be cause my belly is still smal. Although I was trying to take a good care of myself, say prayers as much as possible and was having some simptoms, I cannot say I was pregnant mentally, rather more physycally. After I saw a little spine and ribs, little foot, head, I think I even saw a hand on the pictures, I couldn't believe it! Like I just learned that I am pregnant! So interesting how my mind was absolutely separated from my body and from what was really going on... So interesting that I needed this visual evidence to enjoy and try to understand my state for this months and... upcoming yearssssssss:):):) Amir was there too and so was my sis, they were sooooooo excited! I wish this visual connection to my baby would last a bit longer, next time I will ask them to show me everything possible, and hopefuly we can make a video as there will be much more to see:):):)
p.s. Ultrasound showed that everything is OK so far... thank you all for your prayers!

During the week-long project of reaching out to our neigbours we found out that in the building we just moved in lives this Israeli family of 6 people - a couple with their daughter, son-in-law, grandchild and their old mother. We were so excited to meet each other on our way back from the grocery store, i saw the woman's smiling radiant face, she was holding this beautiful baby in her arms and coming out of the buidling, i immediately felt some kind of connection and an impuls to come and start a conversation. It was so easy, i asked if the baby is a girl or a boy, what is his name, after i heard the name i raised a question about his nationality, she said they are jews. next followed our exclamation that we used to live in Israel serving at the Bahai World Centre. She was so happy to know that, she said they go there often, in fact, Eliran (adorable child, her grandson) was born there three months ago. She had been to Haifa and visited the gardens together with her family. We meet once in a while in a yard when she walks with Eliran. Now, me and my sis with our husbands are eager to teach them the Faith, although i still have this thought in my mind that we shouldn't teach jews and i try to remind myself that this rule is applicable only INSIDE Israel.

kids who attend children classes in one of the regions of almaty where we had our teaching project recently
this region is basically a village with all its features:)...

me and my sis are enjoying a company of our devoted new friend Ryzhik
watch out! sheeps are crossing the road!...

doors are opening for the Message everywhere
Ryzhik is posing for the cam

one two three, family shot! Amir was still counting when the cam did its job

Amir was serving as a cook during the project to feed teachers of the Faith

beautiful flower in one of the visited houses' gardens

~good news~

As I am leaving work for a nice productive weekend, I thought it's time to share with you the news of our family. Before we were just a married couple, now we are a family:):):) God willing, if everything goes well, our baby will arrive at the end of this year/beginning of the next. If you have a little time, say a little prayer for the little one....

~good news~

today was a day of good news for us. to make long story short, two days ago i have left my bag with ALL my documents together with my cell phone (all contacts are there) and a bank card in a taxi... we were very upset as to find it in 2 mln people city is not an easy task. my cell phone died and i couldn't even call a taxi driver hoping he would pick up my phone... needless to say how mad i was at myself. two days later, today, i got a phone call from my mom, someone had found my bag and wanted to return it to me. miraclously, they were able to turn on my cell nad find my mom's number! I was soooooo happy! then my dad called and said that Amir has gotten his residence permit!!!!!!! yey! it will arrive in almaty very soon! and he will be able to work, yey!!!!!!! anyway, more good news to come in coming days!!!!!!!!!!

we have moved to Almaty and Taha is already working. it was truly a blessing, we arrived in Almaty on monday, on the same day she had an interview, and on wednesday she started working! such luck. Amir had few interviews already and everywhere they were interested in hiring him, but because his residence permit is not YET (!!!) ready, he is enjoying his time exploring the city, visiting different places, meeting local Bahais, etc... who knew it's going to take so long! we certainly didn't expect it. well, another test to deal with:):):):) we are staying with my sister and her husband here, andthe third sister is also with us, so we are having a lot of fun together! will post pictures soon.

married for one year

this picture is one of our favourite ones.

"A good marriage is an intimate and loving relationship which gives both partners security, friendship, companionship, support, comfort, and deep love that penetrates every aspect of life. None of this can be achieved without work and sacrifice. Marriage may be compared to a plant that requires daily nurture, daily attention, daily care and cultivation. It will not develop of its own accord; only as effort and will are exerted will it grow and mature. For a marriage to succeed, both husband and wife must be committed to its success. They must build an enduring love relationship that is centered in the heart of their consciousness. Their relationship must be nurtured with the water of loyalty and love.

A pilgrim who visited 'Abdu'l-Baha reported that the Master spoke to him of marriage, saying:

The greatest bond that will unite the hearts of man and wife is faithfulness and loyalty. Both must exercise toward each other the utmost faithfulness and loyalty and not let any trace of jealousy creep between them...The man and his wife must dedicate their knowledge, their talents, their fortunes, their titles, their bodies, and their spirits, first to Baha'u'llah and then to each other. Their thoughts must be lofty, their ideals luminous, their hearts spiritual, and their souls the dawning-places of the rays of the Sun of Reality.... Their hearts must be spacious, as spacious as the Universe of God."

read more here http://bahai-library.org/essays/marriage.ruhe.html

spring time

exactly two years ago we were doing ruhi 4 in haifa with my flat mate as a tutor whom i miss very much. the group was soooooooo nice! i am thinking of it right now because it is a spring time and we are doing ruhi 4 here. content of a book is so springy - new Revelation, Divine spring time! it reminds me a lot of our studies of the life of the Bab and Bahaullah within the Holy Precincts in akko and haifa! plus amazing spring in the holy land, oh, i miss everything.... happy coming Ridvan!

Kakenova

just to inform those who have my name written as Kakenova-Daumar anywhere in their contact lists may want to change it just to Kakenova. Apparantly and unfortunately i cannot change it to a double name here...:):):) won't go to the details...

these days are the days of transition from winter to spring. one day it may be warm, snow melts, sun shines, birds warble. the other day snow comes again. yesterday snowflakes were huge and were falling as if winter doesn't even think of giving the turn for spring.
my little cuties are singing a song with me at the English class
we were learning emotions, i asked them to make an angry face!
sabina

Hot tea Samovar at NawRuz celebration 22 March. It is a National holiday in Kazakhstan just like in all Central Asia countries.
crafts sale at NawRuz celebration
walking around with my auntie! the weather was very nice!
Kazakh Yurtas (traditional houses) were spread out all over the central square of our little town. Inside you could see the traditional furnishing, try traditional food, like NawRuz Kozhe, a dish made only during this holiday, watch traditional rituals and listen to traditional songs.

Trip to Astana

the last day of the Fast we spent in Astana - the new capital of Kazakhstan. Although Amir doesn't have a permission of permanent stay and a right to work here as yet, we got an interview in one of the companies and decided to go and explore it. My dad happened to go for a work trip there and we took this opportunity to get a free ride with him:):):) These pictures are from the green house of the company that is interested in Amir, and some sites of just 15 years old, still under construction Astana.

some pictures

in January we went to the village to visit our relatives, it was so windy and snowy on the way that we found it difficult to drive. at one point i was scared we'll get stuck somewhere, but after i saw this guy walking along the road ALONE AT SUCH WEATHER i thought i am a complaining sitting-in-a-comfortable-warm-car coward...hehehehe
this picture was taken on our way back, we left at sunset time... so beautiful!

it was nice to see we are not alone on the road!
this is a picture of my grandma's Persian carpet hanging on the wall at my uncle's house in a village we visited. even i remember it, and i was only 5 when my grandma passed away.
every morning we have a sunlight in our kitchen which makes it look so happy:):):) i wove it!
this note was placed in the sink by my mom when our kitchen sink got broken and we weren't aloud to use it. she didn't know how to get our attention and had wrote in Russian "don't turn it on" and for amir "stop" - probably the only word she could come up with in English for warning... hahaha soooooooooooo cute!
my beautiful cousins from the village with amir

amir is currently helping my uncle here to repair a flat. i went to their work site yesterday and took some pictures. here is my uncle, putting glue on tile and posing for the cam

their little entertainer - radio
amir is checking on how even the tiles are
poor plants got all white because of dust
these tiles are waiting for their destiny to be fulfilled
work is in progress

.... cute couple
hammering
have you ever seen a hanging switch????????
he is having fun!