Hot July in Memphis!

July has been Hot and Dry!

Well, not much rain, but VERY humid. There is little if any breeze in the afternoon, and you're drenched in sweat as soon as you leave the comfort of the air conditioner. After all, it is summer in the Midsouth.

Again, we have to ask ourselves: Where has the time gone? All we can say is that it's flying by and there are only a few more weeks of summer vacation left, but we're going to pack in as much fun as we can!

Once the temperatures started hitting 90+, both the kids started complaining about how hot is is here. Taking a daily look at the temperatures back in Petropavlovsk is still a habit. Daily highs there are usually only slightly warmer than the Memphis lows, but this past week they have been hitting the low 90's while we have been hitting the 100 degree mark. Stifling! Another interesting Petro factiod is that on June 21st sunrise was at 4:42am and sunset at 10:06 pm. That also accounts for how short the days were in November when we were getting ready to come home. Despite the complaints about the heat, we don't seem to recall hearing them complain about how cold it was in January (at least not in Memphis!)... 8-D

We took in several fireworks shows in honor of the 4th. Several suburbs coordinate their shows so that there is opportunity to see more than one. Bellevue Baptist put on a great show June 29th. We met up at the school parking lot where Cathe teaches and had an unobstructed view. Several other families and friends we know took advantage of the show, so everyone had fun while waiting for the show to begin.

There have also been a few opportunities to dress up for dinners and church events. David and Kate like to come to an occasional event, but when given a choice a pizza and a good movie usually wins out over boring adult conversation. Fortunately, we have a couple high school students and an ever growing social network, giving us the opportunity to get out for some occasional mom and dad time.

We are truly amazed at how much progress the children have made and how much they have changed in such a short time. Looking back at photos from October and comparing them to today's photos, it's as if years have passed as we have grown into a family. Even Bob is happier to have someone to always play with!






In addition to playing with friends and savoring the occasional invitation to go swimming, we have also taken in a few baseball games. David took a few minutes to have Rocky Redbird sign his baseball cap.



This past Tuesday, July 22nd, we had the honor of taking Masha and Svetlana (our translator and attorney from Kazakhstan) out to the ball game as well. They came to the states to meet with some agency representatives and to visit as many families as they could fit into their busy schedules.

Although we know how much progress the children have made in just 8 months, we don't see the day to day growth since see them every day. Both Masha and Svetlana were beyond amazed! They have stayed in touch with many families over the years, so they have see children blossom in their new families, but never so much change over such a short time.

In addition to the baseball game, we went across the street to look at the Peabody Hotel fountain where the ducks swim every day. The ducks actually live in a penthouse on the hotel roof and are brought down to the lobby at 10 am. The red carpet is rolled out, defining a path from the elevator to the fountain. When the doors open, the ducks waddle down the carpet and hop into the fountain. The process is repeated in reverse at 5 pm. Masha had to try on the duck footprints for size before we headed up to the roof to see the ducks and take in the evening view.

The highlight of Svetlana's visit was a "reunion dinner" at Grisanti's on Thursday before her return to Kazakhstan. (Masha will be traveling around a little more before heading home). Lynn, who was Masha's first client, came as did Amy who has used Svetlana's services when adopting from Pavlodar. There was also a couple whose dossier is now at the MFA, hoping to receive their Letter of Invitation any day now. Svetlana's daughter and Katya who translates in Uralsk were also with us. It was really a neat event and we took well over two hours out of our hectic schedules to visit and relax.

Stray observation:

Remember the "For Men" chocolate bars we mentioned back in October? (Oct 5th and 27th posts have photos...)

We were in the "World Market" store by the mall and found the Yorkie Bar ("It's not for girls"). Both are made by Nestle'. Yorkie has a Wikkipedia entry and you can even Google a "For Men" tv advertisement.