A day in the country side

Yesterday we all set our alarms for 5.00 AM. We were intending to get up and make it out of the house by 5.45 in order to catch the 6 AM "bus" ( it was really a van) to the country side, in the village of Berezeni.

The girls were extremely excited to have their first "bus" ride and also to see/meet their 2 great grandmas. Maile had actually met them for the first time when she was 7 months old. At that time Audrey was only in my womb.

We got to the bus station only to discover that the 6 AM bus had been "canceled" only because the driver didn't make it there that morning...and since he is pretty much his own boss, well...there was no one to complain to. I just had to explain to my sweet 3 1/2 year old that the bus she's been waiting for had been "stuck on ice cream mountain" and that the wonder pets were working on rescuing him.

Lucky for us we were able to get on the 7.30 bus, both girls beaming with excitement. The trip over was only about an hour an half. Maile kept reminding me with each stop that she wasn't ready to get off.

We were welcomed right away by my parents who had gone there the night before and by my dad's mom.

Right away, when we entered her courtyard, the girls noticed there were chickens everywhere, and they could touch them and feed them and play with them.

My grandma also had a dog who had recently given birth to these 2 adorable puppied. Needless to say my girls were in heaven. My sister even played with them.

While the girls enjoyed romping around, exploring, their papi started grilling some meat on an improv grill, that looks nothing like a "weber", while my sister Dana and I enjoyed the beautiful weather.=)



We had lunch outdoor, which Maile called a "pic-a-mic" (a picnic) and enjoyed being with each other. Several times during our lunch Maile cared to remind us how much she loves her great grandma despite the fact that she didn't understand a word she was saying. Such a sweet sweet girl. It was great to watch her interact with them and seeing how polite she was, and cuddly. She also said to me during lunch ( while she's looking down at the kitty laying next to her foot): " Mommy, this kitty really loves me and she wants me to be her owner but I can't live here forever"...Hahah!! I was just beside myself. This little girls just makes me laugh so hard. She is such a funny character.
Next up, we headed down to my other grandma's house ( my mom's mom) with Maile holding papi's hand half the time and riding on his neck the rest of the way there. These 2 have become quite inseparable.When he's not around, she always always asks for him...not so much my mom but always him..I often wonder if she's just looking at him as the male figure that she is missing in her life right now.

We got to my other grandma's house, and we were also welcomed by 2 of my aunts, one who lives just down the street from my grandma and another one who had been visiting and keeping my grandma company for the last few months. It was great to see everybody and kind of "show off" my 2 treasures.They had certainly heard a lot about them but seeing them in person was just the icing on the cake.

My mom's mom is the old lady on the left...my dad's mom is the one on the right. I have so much respect for these 2. They have worked so hard their whole lives and you can see it on their faces.

By the time we left, it was almost starting to rain, but all in all we had a fantastic day.

We got back to my parents house and we were joined by daddy on Skype as we read the girls their bedtime story and prayed together.

What a perfect ending to an absolutely beautiful day.