A Picture Perfect Park Party

Part of the fun of having so many families in California this hosting period is the ability to get everyone together for some fun! Today a few families got together at a park for some old fashioned fun! The sun was shining and it couldn't have been a more picture perfect day to play at the park. Prepare yourselves for a picture heavy post...

Nastya showing her chaperone, Andrey, pictures of her time in America. He works at her orphanage and she was so happy to see him!

I'm so glad I brought all the Plasma Cars, the kids had a blast. Especially Zhenya. He rode all around making car noises and giggling!

 

Zhenya gets a little push from his big brother Sasha.

Nastya was also a big fan!

 

After a friendly game of "bumper cars". 

Nastya tries to race her "Papi" with a little help from Roland. 

 

 

A little 3 on 3 game of basketball. 

These guys played hard! Dads versus kids...not sure who won but they all had fun!

Sasha is flourishing in America. 

 

 

 While the boys played basketball the girls managed to find a hummingbird that was having trouble flying.

 

Someone had the brilliant idea to give him a little juice. 

Nataliya really liked holding the hummingbird. 

After a little juice he was able to fly away! 

All lined up by age to hit the pinata!

Nastya, Nataliya, Vitaliy, Zhenya and Sasha. Zhenya is a goofball if you can't tell. The three on the left are from Ukraine and the two on the right Latvia. Thankfully they all speak Russian so they were all able to chat. 



This joker, who is 6'1 tried to cut the line claiming he was small. 

I loved watching their faces as the little kids hit the pinata. 

 

Vitaliy fell earlier this week and had to get 9 stitches. Ouch. It didn't slow him down though!

Greg didn't make it easy on the big kids!

 

Pinata hitting is serious business.

Andrey even got in on the action. 

Nastya modeling some of the pinata loot!

One good looking family!

Zhenya is such a character. On a random side note, he lives at the same orphanage with Dzintars and is actually wearing one of the shirts I sent back with Dz:) 

Check out these cuties. Everyone thinks Nastya and her host sister Samantha look a like

Thanks to the sugar rush from the pinata candy they had some energy left to duel in soccer.

Nataliya has really taken to her youngest host sister:)

Sasha tried to hide from my camera and swing at the same time...

 

till he lost his balance and nearly fell off backwards.

There was lots of giggling by the afternoon. We're pretty sure they were making jokes (possibly about us) in Russian ;)

The whole crew!

 

 

We were missing quite a few of our Southern California families but we had a blast with the ones that could make it! It's so fun seeing the kids now versus when they stepped off the plane. Where they quiet, timid and slightly fearful then it was all LONG gone now. They have settled in with their families and they are all thriving! I'm so blessed to be a part of such an amazing ministry!