Trying to Catch Up...Still!

There is only one way to catch up... I have to stay up later than everyone else, download hundreds of pictures, sort through them, post them, and then caption them. This will be another picture post.

By the way, we finished up at the U.S. Embassy today so we will definitely be home on Thursday! Our flight leaves here very early in the morning on Thursday, we have a few hours of layover in Munich, and then we get to Charlotte at about 3:30 in the afternoon! Home! The kids are so excited. They can't wait for the plane. Lily says she is a little scared, but excited about the plane. The older two can't wait. I bet Tate will be scared, but he goes with the flow so if we all act cool then he will too. The kids are going to be so tired when we arrive. It will be 10:30 at night for them and they will have woken up at about 4 in the morning. By the time we get through immigration/customs stuff and then get home and get acquainted with the house... who knows! We would LOVE to have anyone who wants to meet us at the airport. The kids will be tired and so will we but we can't wait to introduce them to everyone. Email me if you would like to know our flight info.

Picking up where I left off...


Next morning Julian Edik (what we are currently calling him in the name transition) is greeted by some of the orphanage mamas who can't believe how big he is! Poor kid had lipstick kisses all over his face. :D


Alina helps serve the food to her groupa for her party. For some reason she did not want to actually join them for the party, she wanted to be the hostess. :)



Then the four of us moved next door to Lily's groupa. Alina-Sophia explains to Lily what is happening. I think that it was a special moment for the sisters. I know she told her about the train, Kiev, the airplane, and going home with us forever. Lily was so excited. She kept running up to me and smiling and giving me the tightest, longest hugs. She is such a sweetie. I brought her a new dress to wear that Alina and I picked out for her. She put it on and joined her group. She loved her party!





Some of her cute little friends. You see all these sweet little faces every day when you visit the orphanage. They call you mama and run to tell your kids that their mama is their to see them. You wish you could take them all home.


Washing her hands for the last time in a little sink.


Drying her hands on her towel. That is her toothbrush and cup above it. Each child is assigned a color and shape and their things are labeled with that symbol. Even the littlest kids who can't read know which things are theirs.


On her bed. This little room reminds me of Madeleine. "In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines..."


This is her little locker. The kids all have one. The room just before the main room where they play and eat is kind of a mud room where they hang their coats and keep their slippers and anything they might own. Hers usually contained the little Keaton dog we brought her and a few things Alina gave her. Alina gave away most of her things to her friends. :)

Maybe tomorrow I will actually finish catching up! We love you all and miss everyone. We can't wait for you to meet the kids. They are so much fun and such sweet kids. They are changing every day and becoming more and more comfortable in our family. It is so neat to watch.