Happy 4th of July!

Max had a wonderful first 4th of July! We went to the annual Murrells Inlet boat parade. This was a no brainer since it is across the street. He had fun although he fell asleep before he could see the fireworks.

Since we have been back many people have asked why Russia. Well many things went into the decision of why we picked Russia. Below I am listing some of the statistics. I want to thank the people that have already listed these reasons on your blogs (Amanda)- Thank You!!!!

More than 700,000 orphans are living in 2,000 state-run orphanages. Of those, 95 percent have a living parent unable to or unwilling to care for them. That doesn't include the estimated 2 million to 4 million homeless orphans living on the streets and in railway stations.

Of those who are not adopted and leave the orphanage between the ages of 16 and 18

50 percent of the girls become prostitutes
40 percent of the children become addicted to drugs or alcohol
40 percent commit crimes
10 percent commit suicide
Also...

Just 1 in 10 former Russian orphans becomes a functional member of society.
132,500 children are abandoned to the state in Russia every year, up from roughly 67,000 in 1992.
Nearly 4,640 Russian orphans were adopted by Americans in 2005, down from a record 5,865 in 2004.
13 out of every 100 children adopted by Russians are eventually returned to the orphanage.
40 million children in the former Soviet Union are living in poverty.
Sources: Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Commission for Children at Risk, Human Rights Watch, European Children's Trust, Rosstat Agency