A Trip "Home"

Oksana enjoying a DQ treat before Zhenya's cello recital

I've just returned from a delightful, 11 day trip to visit my family-for the first time since our October marriage! It's rather difficult and certainly not wallet-friendly to travel from our home to theirs, but thanks to my parent's generosity, it became possible to do so!

 

Eric was able to travel with me and spend the weekend as well as Memorial Day in the Midwest. It was such fun to travel with him, and to celebrate the graduation of 2 siblings and the birthday of 1 more while he was there. It felt odd but right visiting my parent's home with my husband!

 

Sadly, on Tuesday, he had to head back to work, while I got to stay for another week with my family. I'll be honest, it was exceedingly, excruciatingly (am I conveying my point well enough?) hard to separate from Eric for the first time since our marriage 8 months ago, but I was thankful he was willing to let me have the time with my family. I definitely enjoyed the opportunity!

 

We played games, went for walks, baked brownies, read aloud, talked, laughed, and just lived life together. On top of that were a few special treats: Zhenya's cello recital, breakfast with John, and a surprise baby shower!

 

I took shamefully few pictures, but thoroughly enjoyed the time with all my siblings: there may be a lot of them, but they each have their own unique personality and special talents, and it was so fun to catch up with them after so many months!

Here's a sneak peek...more to come!

Last but not least was a fun maternity shoot with my mother, who has diligently honed her photography skills over the last few years in a way that puts me to shame and blesses me all at once! We had a blast trying out different locations, laughing over awkward poses, and capturing this sweet season as God knits together the little life inside me.