Ukraine Independence Day

Another awesome day by the sea... spent the morning once again walking the boardwalk looking for more shoes and snickers bars for the kids. We showed up at the sea camp as instant celebrities with our sandles and our snickers. Hung around for about an hour and then the "Celebration" started. We kept waiting for the Director of the Orphanage to show up and finally he did and the production started. Dancing, singing, etc and here are some more pictures...

Stas spent the morning hunting a mouse and finally caught it. So proud of his new pet and wanted to show us

He named the mouse Ashley

Hello Ashley

Independence day in Ukraine. The camp invited us to the "Celebration" which was some folk dancing, singing and other Ukrainian stuff we didn't understand

This is Stas's care group that we've become very close with

This little guy captured my heart... His name is Vova and he can't hear and seems to get special attention from everyone. He jumped up onto my lapand stayed there for the duration of the celebration. We had an instant bond because neither of us understodd what was going on but we were able to communicate just by looking at each other, nodding, pointing, etc. He had a constant smile on his face...

Vova's sister is to the left and they would come as a pair. Both beautiful children.

This was the group of orphans that were pre-schoolers or younger

Vova after he finished his performance

Dianna was recently hosted and is in the middle of the adoption proceedings. She was desperate for us to contact her "American Mommy" to tell her hello. She was so excited to be coming to America...

singing..

dancing

Ukraine Planking...

Camp Director on the left who brought in a Russian Actor for the "Celebration." We were told he was a policeman on a show like CSI Miami. All the kids knew who he was but we certainly didn't.

Stas and Dianna after the "Celebration"

The actor and my soccer buddy Kola. The actor and I had a brief conversation about all the Russian Hockey players playing in the NHL and what teams they were on. I pretended to know who they were and what teams they played on.

Stas and Vova...  the next soccer studs going thru Cave Spring

After a long day, we couldn't find a restaurant so we went to grocery store and picked up some bread, cheese, grapes, olives and beer...  

There has been an Italian family here this week who is in the hosting program and they are very much loved by the orphanage. We talked to the mom of that group who teaches english in Italy... finally someone to talk to. Their government won't allow them to adopt so all they can do is host but like us, they fall in love with the kids. So they took their summer vacation to the Black Sea just to see the kids who they have hosted in the past. Two of their past kids have been adopted by American families and they keep in touch via Facebook.

Checking out of Skadovsk today and heading back to the orphanage and then to Kherson. Before we go, we need to go pick up our stash of snickers again. The kids kids kept coming up to me and saying sneekers and I thought they were asking for some shoes...