Russia's Equivalent

Mrs. Beaver:

Yesterday, on Veteran's Day, an annual tradition took place here in America; the President laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, outside Washington, D.C.

Russia has a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well, pictured here:

Our family had the opportunity to see this Russian monument this time last year when we spent several days in Moscow finalizing, Daria, Alexander and Oksana's adoptions. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is just outside Red Square and sits in the protecting shadow of the Kremlin wall.

Here's a bit more context for the Tomb:

While we stood and watched on the cold, cloudy November day, we were privileged to see the stately changing of the guard:

The solemn ceremony looked and sounded like this:

In the area near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a large fountain topped by four massive steeds.

That time of year the fountain was empty so our newest Russian horse lover, Daria, climbed on for a photo.

Next all twelve of our children, three of them brand-new to the mix, posed in front of the beautiful sculpture. If you've been a long-term reader, this picture may look familiar. We used it as the introduction to our blog for quite a while after we returned from Moscow.

The picture now qualifies as a favorite family photo because it brings back such sweet memories of our precious opportunity to explore Moscow together--as a FAMILY! What a generous gift the trip was from a glorious, loving God!