It's a............new nephew!

Most of you know that my sister Kathy and her husband Tim are currently in the process to adopt a 9 year old boy from the Ukraine. You can read all about her adventures here . Make sure you read up from the bottom though! This past weekend we were all able to go down to the Fort to meet little Ivan (whose nickname is Vanya). When we arrived he dutifully shook our hands and repeated after Kathy and Tim our names. Then he went back to quietly playing with his cowboys and Indians (I said that just for you, Kathy!) and his cars. I admit that we are a tad overwhelming when you first meet us. And we brought our dogs with us too which certainly didn't help. After awhile Vanya came back to hang out with Mama. I pulled out some Playdoh for him to play with alongside Aaron. He loved the Fuzzy Pumper Barber Set (who doesn't?) and made some funny creations. If show the little guy how to do something once he knows exactly what to do. Who says there was a language communication barrier? You can ALWAYS communicate through play! After lunch we all went outside and my brother and his family showed up. We played football and tickled poor Vanya (who definitely did not seem to mind) and played keep away. Keith tried to play soccer with him but Kathy and Tim's dog Teagan wanted nothing to do with that. The soccer ball belongs to HER! The boys enjoyed our Rocket Sprinkler (thanks, Stacey!) and so did Teagan. I'm not sure if the boys or the dog had more fun. You'll notice our dogs stayed away from the water. (Wimps.) The rest of us got pelted with the water a few times, too! We took lots of pictures that day. Aaron and Vanya each took pictures with our cameras too. Future photographers perhaps? After a cookout for dinner we headed outside for a family photo opportunity. As small as our family is, we're spread out enough that we're really not together very often for photo ops. Here are the.......HurDecBots! Vanya leaves this upcoming week to head back to the Ukraine. As you can imagine Kathy and Tim are very sad that they have to send him back. But God willing, in 7 months or so they will go to the Ukraine themselves and bring him back here for good. And if that doesn't make you smile (or cry) then I don't know what will. Maybe this video will do the trick.


More pictures later!