Victory Day!

Today is May 9th, Victory Day here in Russia.  Today is a day to celebrate all the veterans from WWII.  It is a fun celebrated holiday.  There is a parade (not like you may think like in the States---it is more just cars driving with officials and the people in the services), balloons, flowers, and lots of people.  

 

 

At the end of the speeches given at the Eternal Flame, people come and put flowers by the eternal flame (a flame that is always burning) in memory of those who died.  Or people will find a veteran and give them flowers in honor of their service. 

 

People are lined out along the street ready to sell flowers.

 

Adalynn got a balloon.  Her first balloon from Russia.  I think she is in love.

 

Gwen just chilled and finally fell asleep as we approached home 3 1/2 hours later!

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Picnic

May 9th is Victory Day here in Russia!  It is a big celebration!  The holiday is from Sunday, May 6th through Wednesday, May 9th. (Russians worked on Saturday to make up for a working day so they can have a longer holiday weekend---more details on this interesting fact later)

Our friend A and her family invited us on a picnic today.  We were not sure what a picnic really involved.  I mean, when you think picnic you probably think a checkered table cloth, sandwiches, and a Frisbee, right?  Well, there were about 15 people at our picnic.  Friends of friends of friends.  It was a lot of fun!  Our friend, A, and her family picked us up and we all drove out to the forest (it was a woodsy area with empty places where you can have fires and camp).  Once we arrived, we waited for the rest of the people to join us. 

Gwen chilled in the baby carrier and the stroller.

 

The girls enjoyed the bubbles...

 

No, they are not playing American football and no, Adalynn is not getting ready to tackle little K!

 

 

When the rest of our group arrived, the barbeque began!  They grilled some sausage things, and we all ate them wrapped in this bread, like tortillas.  You could add some fresh dill, parsley, and green onions if you wanted.  Then there was some volleyball and soccer playing, and some more grilling of pork.  It was delicious!  My friend, A, and I basically watched our girls.  We also went on a walk and played on a blanket and talked.  Another lady there joined us as well because she is going to be a mom this fall.  Adalynn really liked her!  A is really interested in the church so we are excited to have her and her family join us for a service here soon.  

About 3 hours into our picnic, it began to rain and the girls all gathered in the car while it passed.  Then when it stopped, we all got out and ate some more!  Soon we started to hear thunder so we all quickly packed up and headed back to Vladimir. 

It was a good day!  The weather was perfect (besides the rain toward the end!), the girls were super, and Adalynn even went to the bathroom outside for the first time---like a real Russian kid!  We really enjoyed our time today!

 

Can you tell these girls had a good day?  This is a picture of them on the way home!

Blessings,

Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

Holidays

We hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day with your friends and family this week! Some people have asked if Valentine's Day is celebrated here in Russia. It is not a holiday, but it is recognized. People don't go all out like in the States, but Valentine's Day is becoming more recognized. I am sure the flower shops and candy stores like that people buy a little more come February 14th!

There is a national holiday next Thursday, February 23rd. This holiday is called Defender's Day or better known as Men's Day. This is a day set aside to honor the men who fought/fighting in the armed services. It has become more of a day to honor men in general.

Women's Day is on March 8th, which is of course one of the biggest celebrated holidays in Russia. Men's Day is basically the counterpart to Woman's Day.

We will probably not have Russian class next Thursday due to the holiday. I am not sure what we will do. We will find some way to celebrate the man in our lives---Philip! Maybe the girls and I will take him out to eat! If you want an excuse to celebrate next Thursday, just tell them it is Men's Day and that is all the excuse you will need!

Blessings,
Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen

p.s. The weather is warming up! Today the high is 18 degrees or something "warm" like that. Earlier this week we were in the negatives for temperature highs!

p.p.s. Continue to pray for our residency to be accepted by the end of March. We are praying fervently for this request. We have not heard anything yet, but when we do, you will be the first to know!