Equal Time

Cady & Aubrie sharing the love.

And there is a little left over for Madi...

The kids have been hanging out with their cousins and loving every minute of it!

Nice monkey faces

Brooklyn & Aubrie LOVE their new little brother.

Madi gets the prize for "the most changed in the smallest amount of time"... and that is saying a lot when you are competing with a 2 month old!

Simply Sam

They Grow So Fast!

This is Sam at two months old.

He had a hard time gaining weight. He lost almost a pound when he was only two weeks old. Since that time we figured out a few things and he has made up for lost time.

He looks pretty proud of himself!

He is a very happy, laid-back child. Just what a family of 4 crazy baby-obsessed sisters need!

He is such a little man. The fixation on the moving picture starts early...

Sam I am

Samuel Stephen Hayes was born September 12, at 3:54 pm, 2008. Weighing in at 8.7 lbs., measuring 21.5 inches. He's calm and sleepy. Christine is doing great. The girls pass him around 24/7, even though he's only 3 days old. Thanks for all your prayers. We plan on heading back to Russia in the next few months, as soon as we can get all his paperwork together.

On the Road Again...

I would like to say that the kids always enjoy the time in the car as much as this photo would suggest, but...

That is what our life has consisted of for the last 3 months. We have based out of...

this house in Syracuse and traveled every weekend to a different church.

It has been exhausting, but interesting to meet all the new pastors and congregations and we look forward to continued relationship with them through the years.

This park is across the field by the church that has sponsored us for the last few months.

Between the grueling hours of school, the girls have managed to have hours of fun there.

It will be hard to say goodbye.

We have gotten to see around NY a little bit. The Hudson River Valley was breath-taking! We hope to see more (maybe even Niagra Falls) before we head out of the state in three weeks.


When in the car, the girls entertain themselves pretty well (Thank you Brian & Kirsten for the DVD players!!!).

Madi takes lots of pictures... even self-portraits that she has begged me not to post.

(I have tried to explain to her the rights I was given after the 15 hours of labor she gave me, but to no avail!)

So, "Goodbye, New York"

"Hello, Next Adventure!"

There have been requests for a picture of me in the maternity state... I am convinced that these requests could not possibly have come from my REAL friends, but in an effort to hold on to all the friends I can... enjoy it now because we are entering the camera-free months. The next you will see of me will be holding our sweet little 6 month old boy!

Next best thing to being there...

After multiple emails, bothering my dear friends on the other side of the world, I have a picture to share with you!
Stass & YanaMay 18, 2008
I wasn't lying, was I ?! She is a beautiful bride!
(Thanks for having your camera aimed and ready, Leigh!)

Missing Home...

Our very good friend, Yana, got married yesterday in Russia and we had to miss it. I know it was a beautiful wedding - they are a beautiful couple inside and out.

As I am missing Russia so much, I am going to post some pictures to show you some reasons why...

The kids were attending the International School and they had some great friends... ...as well as great teachers! They miss the fun times and I miss someone else planning and correcting their lessons!

This is Haillie Broberg... a girl I hear about almost every day from the lips of my Madi. In case you are one of the few people left on earth that hasn't heard this yet...

Madi misses Haillie.

This is the White House.
The kids would spend hours here...

...and here at the Indian House living in another world with Haillie...

...and Noah Broberg...

...and Jonah & Silas Broberg.

There is nowhere here in America that is as cool... according to the Hayes kids.

And I miss spending so much time with Jen Broberg playing Settlers and Hearts and making pizza and so much small talk that she eventually falls asleep from an overdose of me.

(We miss you, too, Mark, but have no pictures of you... and we talk to you every morning... come to think of it, maybe we actually get enough of you as it is... :-) )

And I couldn't finish without an honorable mention to India.
Who couldn't miss that face?! We haven't had any news about her and absence has made our hearts grow fonder (not cleaning up after her in 5 months has probably helped with that as well...).

Enough Already!!!!

I know I should feel flattered...

I like attention as much as the next guy...
But when you are hearing every other day that your blog hasn't changed for months and there is a rumor that you dropped off the face of the earth...
Enough already!
Thank you for the "gentle nudges". I will attempt to fill you in quickly, but for details, you should probably give me a call or use your imagination!
We spent all of November and December packing up our home in Krasnodar to prepare for 5 months of traveling in the States. Our plans are to find a new home when we return in June rather than pay rent for an empty house.
In January all our plans were turned upside down when we found out that baby #5 is coming in September. My husband now preaches "surgery before generosity" if you are REALLY serious about being done! We had given EVERYTHING away! After spending some much needed time with my side of the family in Texas, we headed to Florida in February for some vacation and time with Steve's side of the family (more of mine, too! Let's do it again, Nate & Pam!).
Completely rested and refreshed, we headed to New York in March for a whirlwind tour of the state telling anyone who will listen about our time in Russia and what we would like to see happen in the coming years. That is where we are now... In the middle of the whirlwind. I have just one more thing to share...
We will no longer have to rely on theory to teach our girls what boys are like... they will have a little brother to observe first hand!
The reason I had put this off for so long is that the pictures of all the fun are on the other computer. So, here are just a few of ordinary life that will at least help you to recognize us on the street.
The new plan is to be back in Russia by Thanksgiving. I can't think of anything I would be more thankful for!

This is the house that has been so generously provided for us to live in during the months we will be here in NY.

Here Steve and the kids are headed to the church next door to toss the garbage and play in the gym.