Summer Daze!

Whew!  I cannot believe that summer is more than halfway over already!  It seems like we have been going non-stop since we brought our little ones home, I haven't had enough time to enjoy it yet.

Our oldest 5 children headed off to camp this week-- I miss them already!  I know they are having a wonderful time though, and they look forward to this week all year.  It is a Christian camp and the kids always come back with a renewed zeal for the Lord which is incredible to see.  The counsellors are fabulous and really care about these children and their walks in life.  There is lots of Bible study and lots of outdoor fun.  Can't wait to see them at the end of the week and hear all about their experiences!!

So with them gone, that frees me up a little to spend some extra fun time with the 4 I have left at home. As you probably know we have been hosting a wonderful young lady, Luda, from Ukraine for the past week.  She will be here until mid-August and we are enjoying every moment we have with her!!  This girl has gone from a little shy and introverted, to full-tilt in just a couple days of arrival!!  :)  She is spunky with a ton of energy, she loves our other children and adores the little ones!  She really tries to please and is so, so sweet.  Still breaks my heart every time I think of her in an orphanage, with no parents, no one to truly love her and care for her like she deserves.

But while she is here she has been having tons of fun, and is being lavished with lots of hugs and kisses.  I can tell her need for a mommy and a daddy.  She clings to us, snuggles up in church, comes down to kiss us goodnight, and my room is always her first stop in the morning.

She loves to help me in the kitchen with preparing dinner or baking a treat.  She has no problem helping out with the chores around the house either, and she begs to feed Atticus at dinnertime.  I have barely held that child in the past week, she won't let me!!  :)  She has accompanied us pretty much everywhere.... the post office, grocery shopping, the chiropractor, the optometrist for Charlotte's glasses, you name it.  I think she has gotten a pretty good idea of what life is like so far here in America.

We have been trying to do some fun things with her while she is here.  The pool has been a huge hit and we try to go a few times a week.

We also got to have some fun in the sun at another pool last week!  The sweet Erikson family who is hosting Yulia, one of Luda's friends, invited us up for a swim day.  Luda, Yulia and Anya were reunited for the afternoon and really enjoyed hanging out together.  That was fun to see!!

Yulia definitely remembered Schuyler from our time in Ukraine!

Tim had also been dying to take her for a motorcycle ride since she arrived.  Well a few days ago she got to experience her first time on a motorcycle!  The verdict??  She hated it!  However, that seems to have changed because since then she has been begging him every day for another spin!  Too funny!!

She held on SO tightly and would NOT let go!

We headed out to IKEA this morning too for breakfast.  It was three of her favorite foods-- eggs, bacon and potatoes.  That made her happy, which is good because we have been hard pressed to get her to try much in the way of American food.  She is pretty picky and usually won't even try something if she thinks she won't like it.  But eggs are a huge hit, and ice cream of course.

Also made a pit stop to Tim's office after IKEA.  She decided to play a little dress-up with his safety gear.

Wearing Daddy's hard hat with style!!

We are probably going to head to the pool again this afternoon if it doesn't rain, and then tonight it is off to the soccer fields for Grayson's first practice of the season.  As for other plans.... tomorrow is movie day, we might try a little miniature golf this week too, and she will also have her first experience with horseback riding!  Can't wait for that one.

We have also scheduled her a trip to the dentist this week, which she really needs.  (She even lost a tooth while she has been here! The Fairy brought her one American dollar which she was quite happy about)

Then Thursday it is back up to Ashboro to see her friends from Ukraine again at the Zoo!!  Hopefully it won't be too hot.  While we are there we are also hoping to see some children we met while in Ukraine-- Radion and Kolya!  They are being adopted by a wonderful family, The Hamiltons, and are here visiting them for the summer.  It will be really nice to see them again, and this time with their new future family!

So, lots going on.... as usual!  But stay tuned, more to come!!