Playdates

We had several really great playdates in October.  We went to Lydia's house one day, and another time Lydia and Danielle came to our place as well as Slava and Oksana.  Lots of kids and lots of fun!

Lydia was reading one of her favorite books to Isaiah while they shared a seat

Slava and Lydia took turns in Isaiah's bicycle. 

Isaiah showing everyone the fun places to play.

Unfortunately the best pic that I got of the 3 of them together, they were just so busy!

Little People, Big Fun

When we returned to St. P, I was really looking forward to getting together with my friend Danielle and her little girl Lydia.  Last year, Danielle and I were able to have rather regular playdates for the kids, which meant some nice mommy time for us, too--quite a blessing so far from home.

Thankfully we didn't have to wait too long before getting the kids together again.  They both hit the park full speed, communicating very well what they wanted to do!  Lydia and Isaiah get along really well.  I think Lydia even seems to understand some that Isaiah needs some help to do things, which can be really fun for both of them it seems; for instance:

There's nothing quite like having a buddy to fly high in the sky with!

And Isaiah LOVES watching Lydia go down the slide.  Just imagine the biggest smile possible and laughter that would hurt your sides, and you've got his face pictured in your mind.  He's not quiet ready to try the slide solo yet, but we did figure out a way for them to "race", which they both really seemed to enjoy!

Rewarded Anticipation

We looked forward to lots of things this summer for our time in the States.  I especially looked forward to playtime for Isaiah with other children.  He was so happy to be around kids so much this summer--first his cousins in Baton Rouge, then kids at the different churches we visited, not to mention all the wonderful playmates in CA that he met!  So here's Isaiah enjoying some of his special friends, some new, some not new but maybe not remembered, but all really fun!

Isaiah with some of his Slawson cousins, Nevil and Jake (although Jake is a Reaves by surname)

My friend Anna and her 3 year old little girl Emily came and had dinner with us one night at the Nott's.  Anna is a very special friend and Emily is a really great little girl.  

She and Isaiah have a lot in common, including a love for music that they shared with us that evening.

I think they both really love "outside", too.

Emily got a short guitar lesson from Thomas.

And here Anna and I are with our wonderful children!  Thanks for taking the extra effort to come out to "the middle of nowhere" just so we could have some special time together, Anna!  I can't tell you how much it meant to me to be able to talk with you face to face!

Another special treat was having a meal with the Hendersons, where Lala gave Isaiah some of his first, now favorite foods.

Eating his first catfish

And if you look very closely, you can see the remnants of his first oreo on the corner of his mouth.

Playing with Bo, who introduced Isaiah to Thomas the Train and all his friends

With Bo and his little sister Mary Claire, both lots of fun!

When we went to NC, I was very much looking forward to meeting my friend, Ginger's little girl Bella.  Bella will be a year old in September (ooh, I hope that's right--it's hard to remember dates when you weren't there for the beginning!).  She's an amazing little girl, and lots of fun!  Being able to see Ginger enjoying her daughter so much was just as much fun for me, too.

Pausing from play to get a few shots

I even got to hold Bella for a moment!

They had a great game of chase

And we tried a "baby swap" for a picture, but Bella wasn't too sure about her mama holding anybody else!

And then we went to CA, where we met tons of new friends.  As you might have already seen we got to spend an entire day outdoors (besides travel time, of course), enjoying the sequoia trees and then a beautiful lake.

Isaiah sporting his swimwear with one of the girls we met.

Then he was showing her sister how to open and close doors when we got back to their house.

He wanted to be in on all the action!

And when we got to church on Sunday, he was very pleased that everyone was there all at once.  Unfortunately I don't have many pictures from Sunday, which is really sad because I just don't have the words to express to you how much fun Isaiah had.

And when we met my friends David and Cathy, Isaiah got to play catch with Silas and some other little boys at the park.  He was having so much fun that he didn't even want to come to his mama!  (that is really rare!)

Last year I really wanted to find Isaiah some friends to play with fairly regularly.  Now having seen him enjoy the other children so much, I really want to find him some playmates.  Please pray that God will increase my language and open the hearts of some Russian mothers to give us opportunity to build relationships, and of course, not just for Isaiah's sake, but for the spread of the kingdom as well.  God has given Isaiah this amazing personality, and I know that He can use Isaiah's happiness to give us opportunities to be a witness of His grace!

Celebrating Friends

Isaiah's friend, Lydia turned 2, and we were very happy to be included in her birthday celebration.  Lydia is a wonderful little girl, very gentle and kind.  Isaiah enjoys playing with her, especially when she runs from one room to another and he gets to chase her!

The party started at the park near Lydia's house, which was a big hit with all the kids.  Isaiah's favorite part was, of course, the sand box.

Here's the Birthday Girl, herself, enjoying some fun in the sand.

Isaiah enjoyed his first time to play with bubbles.

"What ya doin' over there?"  Isaiah loves to watch the other kids playing around, too.

Lydia's mom made an amazing cake, which was fun to look at and to eat after the yummy sloppy joes that she made.  I had forgotten how good sloppy joes are, and certainly didn't expect to enjoy some in Russia.

The amazing and delicious caterpillar cake!

Lydia successfully blowing out her candles.

We are very thankful that God is providing friends for Thomas and me, and some wonderful friends for Isaiah as well.  He loves being around other kids, and we praise God for providing even in this area!

First Playdate in Russia

The Lord has blessed us with some great friends in Russia.  We are really excited that some of our new friends also have children!  Isaiah and I enjoyed a wonderful day earlier this week with our new friend Lydia and her mommy Danielle.  The two kiddos enjoyed playing, sometimes actually with each other!  It was so much fun watching them and getting to know Danielle better.  We hope to make this a somewhat regular activity, if there is such a thing in Russia.

Taking a break from playing catch to just sit and play and pose

Lydia worked really hard to show Isaiah how to color

And Isaiah was a good audience, but he wasn't quite into coloring yet

Lydia and her sweet mommy Danielle

This was Isaiah sneaking a glance at Lydia