Fun swimming hole....

Our new favorite place to swim. Nice clear, cool water, beautiful cliff views and a waterfall. What could be better?

The King and I

Vlad and I. He feels like a King in America, but has such a lovely, humble spirit. God Bless America for our freedom. Vlad is only 9 years old, but he knows what freedom looks like.

Really, this picture is for Sab who wanted to see a recent picture of me. See you at the table, Sab.

Up on the mountain today

My "Summer Son"

Well, it has been less than a week, but things are going so well with Vlad. He is such a great little guy. He is learning some English (sandwich, good-night, no, coca-cola, and a couple more). I am learning some Russian and we are managing to communicate. He is very good natured and has a great sense of humor. He loves grilled cheese sandwiches and cereal. He won't try many new foods, but I always ask. I like to tease him and ask him if he wants salad (he does not want salad!). Yesterday we ate in a restaurant and he kept saying he wanted a sandwich. I assured him that he would get one. When my broccoli came, I told him here is his sandwich! It was very funny. He loves ketchup and thinks it is great to dip things in it.

He had a water gun fight with Michael & James. He got to drive's Keith lawnmower, "the big blue machine" and of course, he loves video games. He gets tired of typing things on the translator, but it is a good way to talk.

We are keeping life as normal as we can - we don't want him to think Americans only pursue fun all day long. We do plan to take him to a few sights, but not make it an every day thing. We are taking many pictures for him. He loves the trampoline and especially when Keith and I get in with him. He thinks that is great. Everything delights him - such little things! We are really enjoying him.

Little does he know, he gets put into the chore rotation starting today............

This is an American sandwich of boys, with a Belarussian in the middle!

Vlad is here!

We got in LATE last night - 2:00am! Yikes, we never willingly stay up that late. They had been traveling for 29 hours, so can you imagine how tired they are??? Vlad is adorable and I can't wait to get to know him. I try to speak with a phrase book, but Russian is a very difficult language. I am not even sure if it is possible for me to make those sounds....... We are in for an adventure. He is still sleeping and it is 9:30am. Poor little guy!

I'll post a picture when I can. Please keep all of us in your prayers.

The boys are back in town!

Well, we all survived a week of Chris & Andrew going to Summer Bible Camp at Fall Creek Falls, TN. I had mixed feelings before they went, but ultimately felt peaceful. It gave me lots of quality time with Michael & James, and for the most part, we had a very nice time, just the four of us. Michael & James are not real good at doing their jobs, and it was certainly the element of the week that wore me out the most. Michael did pull through during the times that I needed him and I am very proud of him for that. He filled Chris's slot at the store and carried groceries for my customers. We were very busy and he did a great job. He insisted that it was fun - I say that is a great attitude to have! Yesterday we got in a large truck shipment (over $2,000 dollars in cases) and he helped enormously. James tried to help some, but was more interested in opening up boxes with his knife.

The boys got home around 4pm and I had prepared a nice homecoming meal for them. I made jambalaya, freshly sliced peaches, watermelon and a spicy cold bean salad. It was very nice to have the family together again and to hear all about camp.

Thank you, Lord, for keeping the boys safe and for giving me the peace that a mother needs when her children are away. I praise You for it all.