In case you missed these on Instagram (and some others that didn't get posted there either...), highlights of our family time this past April.
Once a month we get together for a big play date at the Park in Tirana with our friends in the home-schooling community. Here the kids are posing with the Wiersma brothers...
One Saturday after wrapping up our program in Metalle, we decided to continue the fellowship over pizza and puzzles...
We were able to finally complete a 1000-piece puzzle we started back in February! We get the puzzles framed and hang them as wall art. Currently we are working through a beautiful series by artist Greg Olsen.
Ellie continues to enjoy practicing speaking and writing in Albanian. Oh the places she could go if we could get her real lessons...
Another afternoon we made a quick trip over to Durres to visit our friend Luli before he left for several weeks of ministry in the Balkans...
Spring time means a new Fanta flavor which Reni enjoys as the occasional special treat. I think the current special flavor is called Dragonfruit???
During their study of the French Revolution in school, the kids made us Quiche Lorraine for lunch. Yum!!!
No reason behind the photo below except this kid is too cute for words. I mean, check out that hair. And if you could hear his voice... he sounds like he's just sucked in helium. It's fantastic. Especially because he's so well behaved and acts like he's a grown up.
Oh April in Shqiperia... it's so beautiful and green!
So John has been 'adopted' by our friend Endri. Whenever John is here, Enri is usually close by, challenging him to something, like push ups.
Oh, and that damage to our building... that's what happens when you have an incredibly wet winter. The moisture in the ground works its way up through the walls and tries to find a way out. Lovely, isn't it? It needs to dry out completely before we can replaster and paint.
Last month I attended two funerals...
The kids painted faces on rocks one day for art class. I really don't think Reni had any idea that he was inadvertently mimicking a famous painting until I showed it to him later...
Spring is also plum season. The village boys know Reni loves these and usually stuff their pockets with extras for him from nearby trees. If you ask me, they are quite sour/bitter, but he can't eat enough of them.
My friend Lumi brought us a generous cutting from her hydrangea bush. Aren't those gorgeous?? I want a bush like that in my yard!
I was proud of their execution of this paper craft after our study of Creation. (And I enjoyed it too!)
This flower shop has been around our old neighborhood in Tirana since before we moved to Albania in 2013, but I finally got around to taking Ellie's photo in front of it this past month (at her request)! It's unusual to find this spelling over here...
We have dear friends who moved to Kosovo three years ago. We hadn't seen them since last May (2017) Between our summer visit to the States and their winter visit to the States -- we couldn't make a visit any earlier. They came to Albania for two days and we enjoyed some special time together! Reni calls them his "best" best friends.
Spring time has brought a re-emergence of critters in our garden which Ellie enjoys catching and examining.
Reni decided to build a holder out of Legos for the remote control to their bedroom heater. It swiveled and was held in by move-able clips. He was pretty proud of himself.
Spring time means lots of blooms! Eda poses with a lovely bouquet gift from her students.
These were my floral gifts from Reni...
My friend Arjana is a grandma! We had fun meeting her new grandson, born a month early. He was so tiny!
Our volunteer, John, had a birthday this month so Nathan took him caving to celebrate. It was fun to explore a different side of this country we are less familiar with!
Looking forward to what May brings!
