Kindergarten Graduate!

     Our Ella is officially a kindergarten graduate!  It was so fun to be there for the graduation celebration.  She was so cute and happy as she said her lines, danced, sang, and participated in various games.  This video clip gives a little taste of it.  =)

        Ella's teacher said that she didn't need to be at school that morning because all of the girls would be at the salon, getting their hair done and it would be boring with all of the boys.  I had made an appointment at the salon for Ella, too, but she was adamant that she didn't want to go to the salon!  She cried and begged me to do her hair.  So what's a mom to do?  I cancelled the appointment, prayed for wisdom, and learned about rag curls on YouTube.  Her hair normally doesn't hold curls at all, so we were all pleasantly surprised by how well these worked!

      All of the girls were so cute in their gowns and fancy hair.  Kindergarten graduation is a very big deal!!

Ella's class

    
 
     Ella and this boy won a competition for rolling up this ribbon the most quickly.  Ella got the idea to bend down and put it on the floor, and it made it super-fast!

 

     After the program, the kids let helium balloons up into the sky to symbolize their growing up.  They also had a special tea time (with special foods) for all of the kids.

 
     Here's Ella with her 3 teachers.  Anneka had these teachers, too, in kindergarten, so she joined in the picture.

     There was a little bit of a sad moment when we realized that Ella's teachers had thought she would return again in the fall (as kids don't usually go to 1st grade here until they're at least 6.5 or 7).  They had thought they would have her another whole year!  They didn't present her with a diploma like the other kids who are going on to first grade.  But all worked out in the end and Ella got a diploma, and she was able to say her goodbyes.

     Ella, we are so proud of you for jumping into kindergarten in a second language and for being brave with the other kids by playing with them.  It is such a joy to watch you learn and grow!

Family Weekend

          Before the craziness of summer set in, our family took a long weekend to get away and spend some fun and relaxed time together at Lake Baikal.  We realized that while we get to do many special things, we don't often get away just our family.  So this was a treat for us all!



     The tourist season on Baikal is very short.  We went in mid-June, and we were the only people staying at a little cabin on the property.  Meals were included with our stay, which we all really enjoyed!

     It was still too cold for all-out swimming, but we played and played on the beach!

 Sand and water make the best playground in the world!

 

     I found some water guns before we left, and packed them.  It made for some fun water fights.

Enjoying snuggles on the beach with Ella

     We were gone for 3 nights, and on two of the days, we had rain.  But there was a game room that we played in.  I didn't know Ella knew how to play checkers!  She was GOOD, too!

Checkers with Chess Pieces

     Leif had plans to be in a village on Father's Day, so we celebrated a week earlier.  The kids found fun presents for him at a little store, and we all had a great time celebrating their wonderful Papa!

We ventured out a little after the rain.

Flowers they found on a walk... and a little playground

    My sweet cuddly guys!

     On one of the rainy afternoons, we drove down the road to a hot springs.  We made the kids get out of the water every few minutes because it was pretty hot, but they all loved it, and it was the perfect activity for the day.

     One of Leif's Father's Day presents was a volleyball, and we all hit it around on the beach. 

The kids really love burying people.

Funny little dumplings

     We played hide-and-seek on the grounds where we stayed, and Anneka hid up here, on the beams of this picnic area.  I did not see her AT ALL.  I'm glad it supported her weight!

Father's Day Cuddles

Sand Face!

Another Sand Face!

     Anneka really wanted to make a sand face of Mr. Art (her science and math teacher).  =)

     We're so thankful for this time we had to be together and energize a bit before the summer rush!

Our Six-Year-Old Sweetie

      Oh, how we love our Ella!  What a gift it is to celebrate her and her life.  She's six, and we've enjoyed each age with her, praising God for her life and for making her so wonderfully. Ella is such a brave little girl and often thinks of others' feelings.   She is creative and artistic and knows exactly how she likes things to be done.  She's loving and funny and such a delight.  Happy birthday, dear Ella!

 

       Ella awoke to presents from her family and a skype call with her grandparents.  

      We went on a little family vacation for a long weekend before her birthday at Lake Baikal, and we gave Ella a choice to stay at Baikal for her birthday or to go to kindergarten on her special day.  She chose kindergarten!  They have a special tradition where they sing a song and lift you up on a chair and you get to pick your six favorite people.  So, Ella went to school and chose her favorite freinds and passed out candies for everyone! 

     After a lunch of chicken pot pie and crepes (Ella's favorite foods) we picked up her best friend Anya (and her Papa) and went to a local amusement park.

     The kids had fun on the dragon roller coaster...

and rolling around in this water wheel...

     And eating ice cream!  Ella doesn't like cake, so she asked for candles in ice cream instead of cake.  It was a bit windy and tricky to keep the candles lit, but Leif was able to keep them lit until she blew them out!

There's nothing like ice cream on a hot summer day!

I love watching the joy on the kids' faces!

It's so much fun to fly an airplane!

     There's a great ferris wheel at the park that gives a great view of the city.  The girls were so cute talking excitedly together in Russian!

Friendly Faces

Riding Above The World

     Anneka and Leif rode on one of those huge swinging boats.  Anneka both loved it and also was gripping onto Leif very tightly!

     Next to the amusement park is a nice playground.  The kids played in the sand there for awhile.  I met a nice lady and had a good conversation there as the kids played.

     We finished off our day with dinner out.  Ella ordered a hamburger.  She LOVES hamburgers!  When we make them at home she usually eats TWO of them.  I don't know where they fit.  =)  We had fun telling each other funny stories.

     As we were leaving, the kids got to choose a toy out of a special machine.

     And the very next day, Ella lost her first tooth!  We didn't know if she'd be 5 or 6 for her first tooth, as it was loose for so long! 

What a gift to celebrate such a special day with our special daughter!

Connections

     Even though I lost some pictures off of my phone, I still have some pictures from these past weeks to share some of the things we've been a part of.  The mother church that our current church was planted out of is making their building bigger to accommodate all of the people who've been coming.  They will soon have an indoor bathroom with a real toilet, which is always a bonus.  ;)  Leif was able to help one day with some construction.  It's a great time to connect with others while working side-by-side.



     In light of what we shared in our last blog post, we are wanting to be more deliberate with our focus and time.  We partnered together with our friends Erdenei and Ira to invite some of our Buryat friends from English Club to a barbecue.  Erdenei and Ira live in the same village as these guys, and it was so neat to see them hosting all of us and reaching out to these new friends. 



     It was quite cold outside, so we squeezed into their one-room living space for dinner and conversation.  It was a really nice time for all.

     Martina was so great to keep all of the kids overnight during the barbecue, which was especially wonderful since we got home after 11:00!  They loved all being together.



     The next day was Nathan's birthday party at a new trampoline place in the city.  All of the pictures I took of the kids were on Martina's camera!  But Leif took this one of me.  At first I didn't think I would jump, but I acquiesced and ended up loving it.  =) 


 
     Here are a couple of pictures from the ladies retreat we had this spring.  The theme was God's grace.


 

     I really enjoyed many great conversations with these ladies and could see that the Lord was at work in each of our hearts!



      Anneka ended up having one more performance after her "last one".  It was for Kid's Day.  Even though her costume was the same, this time she wasn't a crying doll, she got to be a smiling doll.  =)  She had new lines, also, which she had to learn the day of the performance!  She and Ike are done with school now for the summer.  Ella is in high gear right now, practicing regularly for her kindergarten graduation performance.