The party

This is what having a sixteen-year-old has done to me...not only am I a drooler now, but I have bug eyes to boot!
Sarah Beth's "big" present--her best friend, Anna, came in from St. Petersburg for her party. She was totally and completely surprised. (For the surprise moment, look at Marc's blog, where he posted the video he shot of Sarah Beth and Anna.)
Her cake--Jungle Camp's Favorite Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting--with all those candles!!!

This is a brief respite in the saga of our trip to Kiev. I don't have much time, because I'm headed out for a little bit of "mommy" time alone--a precious commodity for me. But I wanted to let you know that Sarah Beth's sixteenth birthday party went off last night without a hitch. Fifteen or sixteen kids came, and they had a wonderful time. We had little pizzas, chips and dip, a nacho bar, and chocolate chip cookies and cake. Because Sarah Beth is 16 going on 90, they watched Gilligan's Island and The Andy Griffith Show. Most of all, they laughed and had fun together. I especially appreciate that several of the kids left this morning for Uganda on a mission trip, and I'm sure they had a million things to do besides come to S.B.'s party. The big surprise of the evening was Sarah Beth's best friend, Anna, who lives in St. Petersburg. Her parents, Nancy and Mel, drove from Petersburg (a 10-hour trip on a good day, which Thursday wasn't) on Thursday and dropped her off. Lots of people worked hard to keep her a surprise, and she is here for the whole weekend. They stayed up late last night, giggling and whispering and laughing. Sarah Beth said it best--when Anna walked in, she said, "This is so much better than a puppy!"

I was nervous about the party. It was the first "real" girl/boy party we've ever had. It was great. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it again--the mk community in Eastern Europe is like the best youth group you can imagine. They're the kids you'd hand-pick for your children. I love them so much, and I'm so honored to be "Aunt Kellye" to a whole new group of nieces and nephews. It really is a special thing to be part of the missions family.

Well, that's not much of a blog, but I want to get on the road to where I'm headed. I love you all for caring about Sarah Beth's birthday, about the way the kids are adjusting, about our new life here. I am so honored by the commitment many of you have made to praying for our family. You are a vital part of what we do. Wherever you are in the world, I hope you are enjoying an easy Saturday, and that you have leftover queso to enjoy. Blessings to you and yours!

His,
Kellye