{end of Summer fun}

We had the blessing of bringing two brothers, Vic and Nicu over to our house for food, fun, and video games (every boys' dream!)

Nicu loved playing FIFA with Steven- although I'm not sure who had more fun; Nicu, or Steven since he finally had someone to play with!  Vic loved the Kinect and was dancing and smiling as he played.  

We went for a swim and rode bikes.

And made dinner together.  They really liked helping in the kitchen!  

Vic's creation- potato chip topped with cookie dough!

This was a really special day for us.  These brothers have a special place in our hearts and are a big part of the reason we moved here.

This month was also filled with playing outside and reading!  I challenged the kids to read all summer to earn an end of summer party- and they did a great job!  I'm proud of their hard work.

silliness

building letters

outdoor learning!

reading together

my cutie pies

We helped in another very special event- a H2H wedding!  Ioana and Alex had been dating for many years, and after finishing the Transition Program this year, they got married! It was a lovely wedding and we are all excited for their bright future together.

decorations we helped make. steven was the photographer!

gorgeous couple!

The last team of the summer brought fun crafts to do with these little cuties!  We had a great time doing artsy stuff and giving lots of attention to a small group of kids while the rest of the children got to go on a vacation to the sea!  

finger painting!

getting creative

too cute!

nothing like a good game of twister to get out the wiggles!

We even got to go bowling with these awesome teenagers!  It is so great for them to be able to spend time out of their normal environment.

To cap off the end of summer, our supergoodawesome friend from college, Emellia came to visit! We showed her the sights and visited the kiddies.

out and about in bucuresti

cuteness!

love bugs!

besties!

mani!

lots of love

It was a true blessing to see the kids we love, love someone we love, and to see someone we love, loving our kids! It was so encouraging to have a good friend here support us and experience our daily lives.

This summer has been filled with laughs, smiles, games and fun.  But there are also tears and difficult times for these kids.  Despite the hardships the kids face, they are still so loving and sweet.  They go through things that no one should ever have to face. Please pray with us that change will come for them, and justice will be brought to all children in the system.

{haley}