Easter and Kaz Friends

Charleston was in full bloom for a beautiful Easter season. We enjoyed coloring eggs, attending 2 egg hunts and exciting visits from 2 other Kazakhstan adoptive families we know through blogland. More on that below. Milo had lots of fun, despite being under the weather and occasionally becoming Mr. McMoodypants. Thankfully he is back to his old self and actually seems even sweeter than before.

I took a million photos during the past week. On with the show!

Oh how I love this boy.

Stylin' and profilin'

Headed to the Easter egg hunt/picnic organized
by the local adoption agency that did our homestudy.
(A Chosen Child)



Asking daddy for a hand up. Soon he will be asking for a twenty.


Like something right out of The Little Rascals



He wears pink well. (So does his daddy.)

I can't decide whether to cut his hair or let it
grow out into a shaggy surfer look for the summer.
In the background you can see a part of the huge playset that
daddy and friends worked hard on putting together this weekend.
It's almost done...photos coming soon!

Enjoying the fragrance of his first hyacinth,
mommy's favorite spring flower.

Pulling his beloved Radio Flyer

Simply scrumptious!

He loves to jump off of any elevated surface
he can find, no matter how slight the elevation.

He loves his dinosaur tent.

But he would never try to destroy it.

Or would he???

Our first visit from a fellow adoptive family was from Kristi & Mieke (Mee-cah), who have been home from Kaz about a year. Kristi is such a neat person who works as an expatriat for the US government. She will soon move to Uzbekistan for a 2-year tour working for the State Department. She will be in familiar terrority since this country is just south of Kazakhstan. Kristi and Mieke stopped by on their way to Florida to visit family. We spent a few minutes at home and then were off to enjoy a great morning at the Middleton Place Plantation Easter Egg Hunt. It was a positively picturesque day, and the kids were so stinkin' cute together.

Milo and Mieke making beautiful music.

Heart and Soul

Little Monkeys

A great day for a picnic

Carrots for the Easter Bunny

What a gentleman


I didn't get a good photo of Kristi, so here is
one I copied from her blog. Aren't they darling?

The second family to visit us was the Ruley family, who stopped by for lunch on their way home to Florida from a wedding. Andrey and Alyona (Alone-Ah) were adopted about a year ago and are siblings. They are absolutely adorable and loads of fun! Matthew and Suzanne are such nice, interesting and multi-talented people. They are musicians and vocalists too, so we have lots in common.

The Lovely Ruley Family

Alyona, Milo and Andrey became fast friends.

Alyona was such a nurturing sweetie.

Milo "helping" Alyona on roller skates.

I'm not sure how much help he was!

Cute Andrey loved playing with Milo's toys.
They share a passion for cars, trains and such.
(The stackable toy bins are from the Land of Nod,
and are one of our favorite purchases.)

I love this photo of Matthew and Suzanne.


The two diva mamas

Frank and Suzanne chatting after lunch

We always love meeting fellow Kaz families in person. There is a special bond that is shared by this close-knit group of people. We have followed each other's journeys and continued to stayed in touch through the months/years since our adoptions were complete. I am ever grateful for the love and support we have received from them. Their encouragement, advice and compassion are priceless to me, and I feel as close to many of them as I do with my longtime friends.

It's remarkable to watch these beautiful children grow up and see how well they do once they have loving families to call their own. We look forward to seeing many more of them in person at Kazapalooza this year!

Much love,
Regina, Frank and Milo