Well, today it's been four months since we arrived in America and started living as a family of seven. Things feel so normal now that we hardly remember to note these monthly anniversaries now. One month soon, I'm sure I'll forget to blog, and I imagine that the world will go on turning. :o) Our new kids certainly don't feel "new" any more. It all just feels normal and we are very very happy and thankful. Of course, Eugene and I are still exhausted and grumpy far more than we would like to be, but overall all five kids are thriving and life is very good.
This months has included:
- Beginning to nurture Lera's artistic pursuits, encouraging her in developing her love of sketching and painting.
- Volleyball camp for L&V (Vitalik got his first-ever trophy for the "Best Hustle" whose inscription made me laugh at its appropriateness in both senses of the phrase)
- End of swim team season (Vitalik won a raging wave award!)
- An overnight trip to Charlotte, where V&L picked up their official certificates of US Citizenship!!!
- A trip to the WWII Battleship in Wilmington with our good friends the DelVecchios... we also stopped by Wrightsville beach to round out this awesome day!
- Family trip to the beach to celebrate my big 4-0, our first actual vacation in over a year!
- Spencer and Heath's summer track out and the start of their 3rd and 1st grade school years
- Lera's "girls trip" to KY with Aunt Tracy, and cousins Ashleigh and Zendi ... where she met her new great Aunt Judy and Great Grammie ... both of whom adored her, naturally!
- Vitalik's day-camp at a local tumbling gym. He loved it of course, so he'll be taking a weekly tumbling class this year to work on perfecting some new flips.
- Lera and Vitalik's week of day-camp at their new middle school. We were excited to find out about this opportunity for them to become familiar with the new school in a safe and non-stressful environment just a couple of weeks before the school year begins. As I type, they are at the movies and the little brothers are jealous!
- This year's group of kids are visiting from Ukraine. As such, L&V have been able to be reunited with the wonderful missionary/translator, Natalya, and the fantastic loving social work/chaparone from their school, Gulya. Both women were naturally excited to see the kids from last year's program who are now thriving in their new families. Spaseebuh Bolshoya, Bog! (Big Thanks to God!) :-)
Here are a few photos from the past month:
 |
| Lera's first canvas work! |
 |
| Some sketches of one-eyed beauties. :o) |
 |
| Last day of volleyball camp |
 |
Chillin' w/ cousins Ashleigh and Krystin.
I particularly like how Vitalik looks like a chimpanzee in this photo! |
 |
Lera and Mason are really buddies! When she went on her girls trip, he was the only
brother who would acknowledge missing her, and he missed her a LOT! |
 |
| Vitalik and his favorite flippin' pal, Jack - as they prepare to jump and roll off the top of the playset. |
 |
| A cool new "flip off the tree" trick. |
 |
| Resting in the car during our "Citizenship Certificate" trip to Charlotte. Vitalik insists that he was not sleeping! |
 |
| New Citizenship Certificates in hand!! |
 |
| At the WWII Battleship in Wilmington |
 |
| Vitalik with enemy planes in his sights! |
 |
| Posing on the deck of the U.S.S. North Carolina |
 |
| Pretty girl on deck! |
 |
| Chin-ups on board the battleship |
 |
| Vitalik's "Hello Ba-buh" look... Such a goofball! Photo doesn't show that the bunks were stacked five or six high! |
 |
| Salute! |
 |
| Lera at the wheel! |
 |
| Lera manning the big guns! |
 |
| Our two families had so many kids we got a group discount! |
 |
| The Cline Family - Summer 2011 I really do love our crazy brood! :o) |
 |
| Kiddos posing on the enormous anchor |
 |
| Old Mom and Dad on the beach in Wrightsville... we didn't swim. Just sat on our towels and counted kids! |
 |
| Lera Catching some waves... and some sand! |
 |
| These boys just crack me up! |
 |
| What's cooler than a guy doing a back flip at the beach... yes, of course... TWO guys doing back flips at the beach! |
 |
Our friend John is so great that he thinks being the only adult
playing in the ocean with this many kids is FUN! What a guy! |
 |
| We spent my 40th birthday at Sunset beach with the KY cousins, Gavin, Megan, and Austin |
 |
| Brothers chillin' at the beach house |
 |
| Happy Birthday to me! |
 |
| What a joy to see Gulya from the kids' old boardnig school in Ukraine! |
 |
Natalya and Gulya, reunited with some of the kids from last summer's hosting program,
who are all now American citizens living with their new families! |
 |
| First day of camp at their new middle school! |
