Sharpes in Serbia: April 2007

Mommy, while you were vacuuming in the other room, I thought I would help myself to a snack. Now don't cry, Mommy. It will be OK. This is when other moms will tell you that one day you will look back on this moment and laugh. That's right - just take my picture. Ain't I cute?

Last weekend, our dear friend Jelena got married and we had such a wonderful time at her wedding. She was a beautiful bride, and we are so happy for her and Budimir. Her family and friends were so gracious to us, the food and cake(s!) were delicious, and I even got Tim to dance a few songs with me.

Here are some pictures from Caleb's party. There were around 20 kids that came to Boomerang (a children's place for birthday parties), and Caleb had a great time with his friends.

Today is Caleb's birthday! Our little boy is growing up - he turns six years old. It's so hard to believe! We love him so much, and we are so proud of him. He wakes up every morning with a smile on his face and has more energy than a football team. He is excited about his party tonight; we have invited his school friends to come and hope everyone will have a fun time.

Here's a short video of Caleb and Samantha riding the motorized cars in the town center.

Three cheers for Granddaddy, Nana, Papa, Mimi, and Phillip! We were so sad to see them go this Monday morning, but we were so blessed by their visit. They brought laughter, joy, and fun with them, and we have some wonderful memories we will always treasure.

The kids had a great time at the park, and Granddaddy even treated us to some ice cream. More ice cream - yahoo! I think some of it actually got into the kids' mouths.

On Sunday, we took a different way to the park and enjoyed the scenery.

Mom, you can open your eyes now. This is a piece of cake!

Say, do you think we could switch places for just a minute?

All of us were having a nice time watching Caleb drive, and then Tim had the wonderful idea of letting Samantha be Caleb's passenger. Did it matter that no other babies were riding in the cars with their older siblings - zig-zagging this way and that to avoid a crash? Nah. She'll be fine, honey - you just strap her in.

On Saturday, we also went to the town center. In one area where the street is blocked off, they have a place where kids can drive motorized cars. Guess who has been wanting to try out a car of his own?

Can someone - anyone - please do something about my hair?

We enjoyed some delicious cheeseburgers (prepared by Granddaddy and Mr. Wayne) - one of Caleb's favorite meals. It was fun to eat outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Nana and Granddaddy gave Caleb this helicopter for his birthday, and it was a big hit! Papa showed him what to do and then decided he better get out of the way. The helicopter did end up on the roof one time (you will have to ask Phillip how it got there), but Daddy came to the rescue and retrieved it.

He's almost six! On Saturday night, we had an early birthday party for Caleb. We had his favorite cake - chocolate - and Nana taught me how to fix this homemade chocolate icing. It was delicious! It was such a sweet time, and we're just so grateful that they were here so close to Caleb's birthday.

Tim's grandparents and parents and Phillip joined us for our languages classes last week. They enjoyed meeting our friend and language teacher Jelena. We had a great time together. I think Nana did have to tell Granddaddy to behave himself a few times (notice that he wanted to sit at the table with us), but Jelena said she wished he was one of her students. She was impressed with the Serbian he had learned before coming to visit us.

More ice cream, please!

Read me another story, Granddaddy! But watch out for big brother behind you!

Today we enjoyed the beautiful weather and went to the piaca again. Caleb went to baseball practice with his dad and got to run the bases. He gives a "hello hug" to his little sister in the picture below.