Nikolai

A year ago, we were leaving for Russia for a little town called Kudymkar in the Perm Region of Russia. Waiting for us in an orphanage, was our precious child Nikolai. In the past year, he has had many new experiences. The biggest (for him), other than adjusting to American life, was learning to ride his bicycle.

He received the bicycle for Christmas from Santa and finally decided to learn how to ride. Originally, he was afraid to ride because he would fall and he didn't want to get hurt. Personally, I thought that showed a lot of forethought. But, his daddy was determined that he was going to learn how to ride. Dennis spent many hours helping him with the delicate art of balancing, starting, and stopping. At last the proud moment arrived when he could ride his bike all by himself. I don't know who was the proudest - Dennis or Nikolai!