Hubby and Nate in Ukraine

So, do I win the award for taking the longest absence of any other blogger from posting?!  Surely there is some sort of medal available... or at least a gold star.  All kidding aside, I DO hope to continue blogging, just maybe a little less often than before.  After all, this blog is a virtual scrapbook for my children as well as a connection to countless friends that I love all over the globe.  So, here we go... let's dig back into this blogging hobby...  

Hubby and our 9-year old son Nate are in Ukraine on a 15-day trip right now to run our annual Teen Camp. The rest of us stayed behind in California, mostly because I am now 23 weeks pregnant {but more about this pregnancy in another post}.

We have all been missing Ukraine, but Nate has expressed his feelings about it the most.  We thought the best medicine for him would be to make this trip with his Daddy.  Since hubby is the one behind the camera, most of who you will see in these pictures of their first few days of the trip will be Nate, Nate, and more Nate.  I'm his Mama and I'm missing him, so I don't mind his cute smile plastering this post.

{Below}: Here they are during a layover, in a hotel in the capital city of Kiev, enjoying breakfast.  Nate's meal consisted of a crêpe, (brown) boiled egg, slice of cheese, buckwheat, and a glass of milk.  You can't get any more Ukrainian than that!

{Below}:  This is a picture of the menu, from which Nate made his breakfast selection.  If you take the time to read it, it really is quite entertaining.  The "pancakes with sour cream" on the Ukrainian portion is really referring to crêpes (like you see on Nate's plate), and, yes, they do typically eat them with sour cream!  {I'm wondering how many Americans have visited Ukraine and ordered pancakes, expecting our thick pancakes with sweet maple syrup, only to receive crêpes with sour cream and wonder what went wrong?!} 

I am assuming the "scrambled kranch with vegetables and bacon" on the American portion is referring to scrambled eggs.  I speak Russian, but I have never heard eggs called kranch.  The price (which is typed in the lower right hand portion) is nearly $10 a plate.  Good thing hubby is not a fan of breakfast!

{Below} Hubby kept Nate entertained with his i-phone on the long trip over, and part of Nate's amusement was using the camera app to take random pictures.  This is one of Nate's shots... a photo of the hotel bathroom in Kiev.  (Yes, it is common in hotels to have to hold the shower head yourself while you are showering.)

{Below} What?!  A Domino's Pizza in Kiev?!  I am impressed to see the line-up of delivery motorcycles out front too.  Why, oh why, was there no Domino's when we lived in Kiev?  Of course, if we were still living in Ukraine, this Domino's would still do us no good since we lived hours away from the capital city, but just the thought of having it "so close" (14-15 hours away by train) would have been a treat....

{Below} Nate reading his Bible in our home, sweet, home.

{Below} Hubby celebrated his 35th birthday in Ukraine.  The kids and I here at home were sad to miss spending this special day with him, but some of our precious Ukrainian friends threw an evening party for him. Unfortunately for me, he managed to keep himself out of the pictures...

{Below} Nate is never bored.  His creativity keeps him entertained all hours of the day...

{Below}:  David's favorite drink in Ukraine - Schweppes Indian Tonic water.  I guess he liked this drink the most because I would never, ever steal a sip from him, and he would get the whole thing to himself.  Ha! And, yes, sandwiches are always served open-faced in Ukraine.

{Below}: Nate asked his Daddy if they could please follow tradition and eat at our favorite Ukrainian pizzeria for his Sunday afternoon lunch.  Looks like he got his wish... and his own personal-sized pizza! Yummy!

I hope you enjoyed these pictures and this small glimpse into their trip so far.  Teen Camp starts today, and we covet your prayers.  From the reports I am hearing, it looks like it will be well-attended and sounds like it is going to be a fantastic week!  I will update and post more pictures when I receive them...