As summer comes to a close....

I can't believe it's almost over. Daniel starts Kindergarten in 2 weeks!! We have really had a great summer. We've seen this little boy just blossom before our very eyes. His English is picking up in leaps and bounds. His confidence is increasing and we can see that he feels more and more secure in his new home. And what just really thrills my soul is when I can see that he is just overcome with happiness and he throws out his arms and says, 'Mom, Big Hug!' and then he says, 'I love you!' What a sweetie! God is so good and we just can't stop praising Him for blessing us so richly.

Last week we went with the neighbors and their 2 little boys to the zoo after work. They have late hours for members and free carousel rides! Check out this big boy:

Did I mention he has grown at least 2 inches in just 4 months? He is still a skinny little thing, but is shooting right up. We look back and those pictures that we have of him while we were in Ukraine and it doesn't even look like the same little boy. I guess the Love of a family, lots of playing outside and french fries will do that to you! (when we are trying to decide what to have for dinner, he will say, 'Mom - me like it cheeseburger, french fries and tea.')

This past Sunday was my Birthday and we rented a paddle boat and took him out on the lake. He had already been on the Belle of Louisville, but now we told him we were going on a mylinkey (little) boat. It was great because he sat in the middle and was the captain in charge of the steering wheel. It was cute seeing him learn how to steer. We would tell him to head towards the bridge and after awhile he would say, 'Oh no, me go that way!' (totally the wrong way) and we would show him again how to correct it. I think he was getting the hang of it by the end of 2 hours. And he also got his first 5 star terrain geocaches!! Congratulations Sergeant Squash!