Deanna

Deanna
What's a birthday party without balloons?
Cecil, dressed as the (intimidating) buffalo, chasing Vera
Hiding from the buffalo

There is a new addition to the Eshelman family. Cecil and Tonya (Cecil is American and Tonya Russian) adopted Deanna from an orphanage. Deanna joins 9 year old Timothy Eshelman and 8 year old Vera Eshlman.

Above are pictures of Deanna's 7th birthday party. The party had a Western theme. Deanna, Timothy and the other children dressed as Indians, Cecil dressed as a buffalo, and Vera dressed as a clown.

Congratulations Cecil and Tonya! The two of you are officially outnumbered by children!

And Deanna, this is our prayer for you:

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make his face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

Welcome home Deanna!

Below Zero

Oh the weather outside is frightful (and very much below zero) and beautiful ice sculptures decorate Lenin Square in downtown Khabarovsk.

Have you seen the I Love Lucy episode in which she is locked in a freezer? We too have (seriously) experienced eyelashes that freeze!

Aaron, a native Floridian, is throughly enjoying his first winter and can only laugh when hit by a cold gust of wind.