"So, how do I do it?"

A day without the kiddos -- in front of the Freedom Monument in Riga (an appropriate backdrop, no?)

Saw this book in a store window. Apparently, Zoe is already famous in Latvia.

Zoe taking new friend Dominik for a spin

At the Daugavpils Fortress -- Russian outpost overrun by Napoleon, then Nazi concentration camp, now civilian apartments

Favorite daytime activity: strolling Dorita through the apartment

Latvian Leggos

Little Junie skyping!

Barnes Fam

First Days...

Daugavpils Universitate, where Steve is lecturing

The gals aboard our big-as-Texas stroller

The Soviet-style dormitory where we spent the first 2 weeks


The balcony of our new and lovely flat overlooks the town's Catholic church and a pretty public park.

Our first days in Daugavpils were spent in an old Soviet building--the university's dormitory--as we searched for an apartment. Life has picked up since moving into Mihuelsas 68-9, a flat with a pretty view and just across the street from the outdoor bazaar and "Ditton Nams," the town's version of a shopping mall.

Zoe and Mary June are thriving. They love the daily walks and gobs of family time, not seeming too bothered that English is hard to come by in the streets.

I need to add a picture of our August attire: long johns and winter hats!!! The days warm up sometimes, but we never leave the house without an umbrella (there's daily rain) and a warm jacket. Poor June's bald head always needs covering up...