More Summer Fun!!!

JOHN MARK has had a ton of fun this summer. He attended FFA Leadership Camp at Camp Couchdale, close to Hot Springs. He just returned home from Camp Aldersgate where he spent a week at Med Camp for kids with heart or kidney conditions. He had a blast! He brought home towels in the 'to be washed' bag.....does this mean he actually took a shower, or is he learning how to keep mom happy? Let's make it look like I used the towels! The guys in the picture
were counselors and campers from Camp Aldersgate..John Mark in the white Camp shirt.

He is also staying busy on the farm with his show animals, Rocky the goat, and Miss Piggy, the pig. We've just acquired another show pig, Mr. Hammy.
John Mark works at the Hardware Store one day a week....when Jerry can talk him into it and he can fit it into his busy schedule. He says he's ready to retire like PawPaw!!!

John Mark will start summer band practice next week. Where did this summer go?

BIRTHDAYS IN JULY...2010!!!

WOW! How time flies...and flies, and flies!!! Can't believe it has been 2 years since last post. Oh, so much to do and so little time. We've been so busy making memories that I forget to share them. My youngest two just had birthdays. Luke turned 4 on July 3rd and Anna turned 6 on July 9th. Luke had a really fun carnival party, complete with games, popcorn, cupcakes, and even a carnival ride (to see all of the farm animals). We can't have a party for Luke without the animals. Anna had a swim party at Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house with many of her friends attending. We enjoyed the pool (especially the slide), a pool cake, and an unplanned trip to the barn to see the animals. Yes, Anna loves the farm too! Birthdays, for these two anyway, seem to come around way too often. I know I can't keep them little forever but these days with them are just so sweet. I love these years of sweet innocence.

Six Weeks Later......

Anna loves horses....and they love her too! This is one of her favorite horses, but she's pretty fond of my dad's miniature horses....more her size!!
We made a trip to the Little Rock Zoo for John Mark's Heart Reunion Picnic (Arkansas Children's Hospital). We all enjoyed the giraffes and elephants. Anna can name almost all the animals in English!
At home.....just acting silly!
Princess Anna reading a bedtime Bible story.
Having fun with John Mark (Bubba). She adores him, and the feeling is mutual.


WOW! How time flies....everyone has been asking, "When are you gonna put more pics on the blog?" I think....didn't I just do that yesterday? Well, it was several yesterdays ago and I apologize. We've been quite busy with our little ones and it's been a lot of fun! Our little princess loves chips, cookies, chicken fried rice, yogurt, riding horses, swimming, helping mom fold clothes (at which she's quite good), but mostly, she loves hugs and kisses. What a match! We love those things too!

We're Home!!! Here are some pictures of a Kyrgyzstan Princess!

Combing my hair at the orphanage.......gotta look good when I go out into the big world.
Dad and Anna (yes.....she's got him wrapped tight around that little finger; she's a Daddy's Girl)
Here I am.....playing at the SOS Clinic in Almaty, waiting on my appointment with the doctor.
Lookin' cool in my dad's shades.
Mom, Dad, and Anna in front of US Embassy in Almaty.....check out the mountains in the background.....and of course I was on top of a mountain after our interview with the Embassy.

(Getting dressed at Orphanage on Gotcha Day)

WOW! The last 36 hours have been a blur! Many of those hours spent on airplanes. Anna was a super flyer. I keep saying she's my "Go Girl". She loves to go! We arrived home around 9:30pm last night. Needless to say, it was quite late when we went to bed. Everyone was really excited. The "brats" (brothers) adore their sister. And yes, we're already having sibling rivalry between Luke and Anna. You can't hold one without holding the other. That's OK ....we have big laps!

Thanks everyone for your prayers in this journey. We really felt them while we were away. Please continue to pray for our family and the adjustments that we'll all make.

Love you all,

Melody

Embassy Visit....

Our interview at the Embassy lasted only 5 minutes......I was afraid for nothing. The consular asked very few questions. He asked Anna if she wanted to go to America and she grinned her biggest grin and giggled. He said, "I'll take that as a yes!" We're ready for our trip home beginning in the morning 3:45 am time here. Long trip home!

We're having trouble with phone cards so John Mark check your email ...
Love you all,
M & J

"Gotcha" Day!

Tuesday around 3:00pm here, we arrived at Tokmok Orphanage and woke up our little girl from her nap. They asked her if she was ready to go to America and she said "Dah"! That's yes of course. We drove back to Bishkek, and then to Kazahkstan border. Everything went smoothly at the border. The only question that was asked was , "A boy named Anna?" They thought she was a boy. Her hair has grown a couple of inches, she just needs hairbows! The trip from the border on to Almaty was 5 hours. Adam drove slowly because Anna was quite car sick....yes, she initiated me into motherhood, again, from the top and the bottom. Oh well, that's what moms are for. We arrived at our apartment in Almaty at 11:30pm. We all had baths, ate a midnight snack and then went to bed. We slept very well.

Today we went shopping......Anna loves shopping; she will definitely be a girly-girl. I'll have to get her Aunt Mary and Cousin Shelley to take her shopping. The prices here are outrageous.......a dollar doesn't go very far here. We also went to the SOS Medical Clinic. Anna doesn't like people in white coats. She took one look at a nurse in a white coat and had a melt down. You know, the orphanage workers all wear white coats......that could have been the reason for the crying. She tells Chinara she doesn't want to go back!

Tomorrow, Thursday, we pick up her visa from the embassy here in Almaty and then wait for 5:45 Friday morning to fly home!!!!

The boys are doing great. I hear the band concert went well.....way to go John Mark! Luke had fun with Mrs. Donna while Mawmaw and Pawpaw and JM were at the band concert.

We love you all,
Melody, Jerry, and Anna

Maple Avenue Baptist Church Donation........

Our church, Maple Avenue Baptist in Smackover, has been collecting needed items for the orphanages in Kyrgyzstan, to be distributed by missionary John Wright. We were able to collect a duffel bag full of tylenol, creams, ointments, vitamins, etc. for the children in the orphanages. The pictures are of the mission team accepting the donations from our church. Our prayer is that these items will open doors for John and Julie in their missionary efforts to help the needy children of Kyrgyzstan.