Жатва!

Sunday was the harvest celebration at the church we attend here. It was very beautiful, and we really enjoyed having Julie here to share the day with us.

Asya getting babushka candy
I wish I had gotten a photo of her as she toddled back with her prize! No, I didn't let her eat it, but she was thrilled with the wrapper.

Jaan saying his poem
He did a great job! He messed up a little, but no one else noticed. I don't think he knew that he was supposed to be nervous, until we get there and all the older kids were saying how nervous they were. He and Sophia (the little girl next to him in the photo) clung to each other, but he dropped her hand right before he started talking.

By the harvest display

Cake!After a long day at church, we come home to find a folk music concert going on right under our windows. The electronics store across the road was having a birthday party, with the street blocked off and a stage set up. Somehow our children got late, short naps, even with all the noise. Will and Julie went back to church for a youth fellowship time. When everyone here woke up, I took them out to see the festivities. Soon most of the youth joined us out there. At the end of the concert, the store brought out tabletop-sized cakes and started giving away pieces. We weren't going to try to wade through the crowd, but little Larisa (holding Raia's hand in the photo above) saw how Jaan and Raia wanted some, so she grabbed them and dove in. Everyone tried to talk her husband into helping her, but he said she could hold her own. And she did. She came out with four plates of cake. . . but no Jaan! She panicked and fought her way back through to get him. And then, since we were right outside our building anyway, we invited the youth to come in for tea. So, we finished a nice day with more fellowship.

(Some of the photos above were taken by others: Julie and another girl from church.)