2 down, 2 to go! ;) We picked up Julian today and it is so nice to have him with us! I came to the internet cafe by myself to type this up and when I left Alina was showing him how to flush toilet paper down the toilet. :) (In the orphanages and many other older toilets it is thrown in the trash can.)
We had a very hot and long car ride. First we went to both orphanages and we picked up the director at Julian's. So Kostya, Kevin, Alina and I all sat in the back seat of a Lada driven by our facorite taxi driver. Alina was on my lap and it is a very hot day! The camp where he was is about 2 hours away. We arrived and all the kids came running to greet us and the director. Julian hugged his sister and went straight to his Papa. So sweet. Alina was so happy to see him she just held his hand and kept touching him and smiling, like she didn't believe he was there! We got to hang out with him for about 10 or 15 minutes and a caregiver whisked him away to shower him for us. We were taken to eat lunch with the director. The children had just finished up lunch when we arrived and were all headed to their rooms to rest. After we ate Julian reappeared in the outfit that we brought for him to wear home (thanks Uncle Jeff and Aunt Melissa, the clothes fit great and are so cute). We wanted to take some pictures with his friends but they were all resting. We got a few pictures and walked outside to leave. All the kids were hanging out their windows to say good bye to Edik and the rest of us. I got some pictures of that. They are too cute! I feel like the whole process has been crazy with him. Poor kid will have very few pictures to look back at.
He is so sweet and cute! He sat in Papa's lap all the way home. Alina slept in my lap next to him and they held hands and chatted the rest of the time. I can't wait until we are all together tomorrow for the first time.
Tomorrow we will go to the oprhanage to pick up Lily and Tate and throw parties for their groupas (and Alina's). Then we will take them home with us! Saturday we are leaving on the train for Kiev. The tickets were all sold out for tonight, tomorrow night and all weekend. Kostya was telling our taxi driver and he said he could get us some because he knows someone who works there. Each cabin holds 4 people so we are buying 8 tickets for the 6 of us so that we have two cabins to ourselves. Both Alina and Julian have been on the train with the orphanage before and both want to sleep on the top bunks again. By the way, since we have spent so little time with Edik he has no idea we are going to call him Julian. We will add it in slowly like we have done with the others.
Also, I accidently erased all the wonderful comments everyone wrote us yesterday. Thank you so much. I read them and somehow I deleted them, I think. Thank you for all your kind words. :) I better go. Papa is home with the kids and they are probably waiting for some dinner. I will try to post more pictures tomorrow. Hopefully one of the six of us all together!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Home Stretch!
We are in the home stretch now. We will be picking up Julian tomorrow and the other two on Friday. We got the passports today and I think we have driven all over Lugansk and Stakhanov five times in the last couple days. We accomplished what usually takes several days in just a couple days. We have met some very helpful people along the way and can't believe some of the mountains that have been moved for us. Amazing to see God working and have so many prayers answered. We are headed to Kiev this weekend where we will relax as a family and then start our final hurdles on Monday. If we can get tickets then me may be home late next week!
I can't wait to see the reunion of Alina and her brother tomorrow. She told Kostya today that she saw him a while back when both orphanages were at the circus. She had to wave from very far away because she could not get to him to say hello and she was so happy to see him that she cried. I am glad she will be able to join us to pick him up tomorrow.
I can't wait to see the reunion of Alina and her brother tomorrow. She told Kostya today that she saw him a while back when both orphanages were at the circus. She had to wave from very far away because she could not get to him to say hello and she was so happy to see him that she cried. I am glad she will be able to join us to pick him up tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
They're Ours!
Kevin and Kostya arrived safely back in Lugansk on the train yesterday morning. Since then it has been running around all over the place getting paperwork for the new birth certificates and passports. We spent the whole day in Stakhanov, the city the kids were born in getting their new birth certificates. We are still working on the passports.
Today is the day that the kids officially became ours! We will always celebrate July 15 as our Family Day, the day that we became a family, legally. The kids have been ours in our hearts long before we even met them. :) It also happens to be Kevin's dad's birthday. Happy birthday, Bill! We got you four grandkids! How about that? Remember before we left home and you said, that we should get more than two or three kids? ;)
Tomorrow or the next day we should be able to see Julian again and bring him home with us. Since we have only met him once it will probably be a little bit strange for him to come with us, but his sister is with to to help with the language and transition. I feel bad that we are turning his little world upside down on such short notice, but there was no other way to do it with him at camp. We are so excited to see him again and all three kids are happy they get to see their brother again soon. I don't think they have seen each other since late last year. It will be so much fun to finally be all together one day soon!
I am opening the blog up again to everyone. I wanted to keep it private until the kids were legally ours, but now I hope that more adoptive and preadoptive parents will be able to read it, along with anyone else who wants to. :)
Today is the day that the kids officially became ours! We will always celebrate July 15 as our Family Day, the day that we became a family, legally. The kids have been ours in our hearts long before we even met them. :) It also happens to be Kevin's dad's birthday. Happy birthday, Bill! We got you four grandkids! How about that? Remember before we left home and you said, that we should get more than two or three kids? ;)
Tomorrow or the next day we should be able to see Julian again and bring him home with us. Since we have only met him once it will probably be a little bit strange for him to come with us, but his sister is with to to help with the language and transition. I feel bad that we are turning his little world upside down on such short notice, but there was no other way to do it with him at camp. We are so excited to see him again and all three kids are happy they get to see their brother again soon. I don't think they have seen each other since late last year. It will be so much fun to finally be all together one day soon!
I am opening the blog up again to everyone. I wanted to keep it private until the kids were legally ours, but now I hope that more adoptive and preadoptive parents will be able to read it, along with anyone else who wants to. :)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Our Weekend
It has been so hard to blog having Alina e all the time. We come to the internet cafe and I get her situated and then I only have a little time to check emails before we have to go. Getting pictures on the flash drive, getting here, loading them up, and finding time to write is crazy! I just found her a Barbie website where she is able to change doll outfits and stuff so she should be good for a while. ;)
Speaking of Barbie... Alina got a Barbie DVD. You can buy bootlegged DVDs everywhere here (even at the supermarket). They sell them on the side of the road for about 10 grivna (just over $2) each. Each DVD has about 10 movies on it. I have picked up several for the kids since they are in Russian. Alina loves them and I am glad to have a break from Enchanted. Alina knows how to navigate the computer and she likes to watch the same couple scenes over and over. I love the movie too, but I was so sick of watching that gross witch feed Giselle the poison apple! So now we have tons of Disney and Pixar Movies, and pretty much every children's movie that has been out in the last few years. And Mama has a few minutes of quiet a day. :) I love Alina, but hanging out with just an 8 year old who speaks little English talk about kitties all week would drive anyone nuts. Tomorrow morning Kevin and Kostya will arrive on the train. I am so happy to finally have adult, English speaking conversation (without talking on the phone). I know Alina is excited about having Kostya here to have someone who understands her without having to play charades. ;) I know they will both be impressed with how much English Alina understands. I know I am excited to have Kostya to help me explain things to her that I say all the time. (You can't have only yogurt for dinner, you can't tell mama what to do all the time, etc.) If you think about it, please pray that Alina will continue to bond with Kevin. Things were starting to get better before Kev left and now they will likely have to start over again.
The weekend, in pictures:
Alina has been carrying her "Keaton" Webkinz around in this backpack for days now. This is in front of the pizza place the other night while we waited for our pizza and salad.
This is our countdown of the days until Papa and Kostya return.
Alina throwing a coin in the fountain at the park. She first did this a couple weeks ago. She was looking at a fountain and I gave her a coin and she had no idea what to do with it. Luckily Julia explained. She turns around and makes a wish and throws it over her shoulder. (I wonder what she wishes?)
This is Alina in front of the mall the other night. In the basement is a nice, large western style supermarket where we like to shop for specialty foods. Alina likes some things that I am not sure how to make or what they are so it is nice to get them at the deli there. There is this fish salad she loves that they sell there. Anyone who knows me knows I am not going to be making that one once we are home! ;) The top floor of the mall is the Children's World store (clothes and toys) and the arcade we go to often.
We went to a park by the orphanage yesterday that has carnival rides.
ALina was so surprised she could see the Lugansk River from the Ferris Wheel!
I spent the weekend with just Alina since Julia doesn't watch her on the weekends. I saw the little ones late this afternoon. Here are some pictures from last week:
Lily tries for the first time to write her name in English. She can already write her cryllic letters.
Not too bad. :)
Last Saturday after Kevin left, Julia and I took ALina to the skating rink for the first time. She did great and was skating alone by the end. She loved it. We will have to get her some rollerskates once we are home.
Uh... Have I said how much I am looking forward to having Kevin back? Maybe I can blog by myself. As sweet as it is to be called "Mom," Alina says it every 15 seconds as she changes one piece of her virtual Barbie's outfit. She mde me look twice while I typed that sentence! It is hard to fake excitement when the Barbie's flower on her hat changed from purple to pink. ;)
I am very aware of the typos and missing words in this post. For some reason I can't edit the post though. :( Sorry.
Speaking of Barbie... Alina got a Barbie DVD. You can buy bootlegged DVDs everywhere here (even at the supermarket). They sell them on the side of the road for about 10 grivna (just over $2) each. Each DVD has about 10 movies on it. I have picked up several for the kids since they are in Russian. Alina loves them and I am glad to have a break from Enchanted. Alina knows how to navigate the computer and she likes to watch the same couple scenes over and over. I love the movie too, but I was so sick of watching that gross witch feed Giselle the poison apple! So now we have tons of Disney and Pixar Movies, and pretty much every children's movie that has been out in the last few years. And Mama has a few minutes of quiet a day. :) I love Alina, but hanging out with just an 8 year old who speaks little English talk about kitties all week would drive anyone nuts. Tomorrow morning Kevin and Kostya will arrive on the train. I am so happy to finally have adult, English speaking conversation (without talking on the phone). I know Alina is excited about having Kostya here to have someone who understands her without having to play charades. ;) I know they will both be impressed with how much English Alina understands. I know I am excited to have Kostya to help me explain things to her that I say all the time. (You can't have only yogurt for dinner, you can't tell mama what to do all the time, etc.) If you think about it, please pray that Alina will continue to bond with Kevin. Things were starting to get better before Kev left and now they will likely have to start over again.
The weekend, in pictures:
Alina has been carrying her "Keaton" Webkinz around in this backpack for days now. This is in front of the pizza place the other night while we waited for our pizza and salad.
This is our countdown of the days until Papa and Kostya return.
Alina throwing a coin in the fountain at the park. She first did this a couple weeks ago. She was looking at a fountain and I gave her a coin and she had no idea what to do with it. Luckily Julia explained. She turns around and makes a wish and throws it over her shoulder. (I wonder what she wishes?)
This is Alina in front of the mall the other night. In the basement is a nice, large western style supermarket where we like to shop for specialty foods. Alina likes some things that I am not sure how to make or what they are so it is nice to get them at the deli there. There is this fish salad she loves that they sell there. Anyone who knows me knows I am not going to be making that one once we are home! ;) The top floor of the mall is the Children's World store (clothes and toys) and the arcade we go to often.
We went to a park by the orphanage yesterday that has carnival rides.
ALina was so surprised she could see the Lugansk River from the Ferris Wheel!
I spent the weekend with just Alina since Julia doesn't watch her on the weekends. I saw the little ones late this afternoon. Here are some pictures from last week:
Lily tries for the first time to write her name in English. She can already write her cryllic letters.
Not too bad. :)
Last Saturday after Kevin left, Julia and I took ALina to the skating rink for the first time. She did great and was skating alone by the end. She loved it. We will have to get her some rollerskates once we are home.
Uh... Have I said how much I am looking forward to having Kevin back? Maybe I can blog by myself. As sweet as it is to be called "Mom," Alina says it every 15 seconds as she changes one piece of her virtual Barbie's outfit. She mde me look twice while I typed that sentence! It is hard to fake excitement when the Barbie's flower on her hat changed from purple to pink. ;)
I am very aware of the typos and missing words in this post. For some reason I can't edit the post though. :( Sorry.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Names
I waited to post the names because we are still breaking them in with the kids. I am calling the kids by both names for the most part. These will be their legal names but we are giving them the choice to be called their given names. The first names were names that fit them, the first middle name has special meaning to us, and the second middle name is their given name. The names are:
Sophia Elizabeth Alina
Julian Marshall Edward
Liliana "Lily" Grace Ilona
Tate Jameson Igor
We call Ilona and Igor "Lily-Ilona" and "Igor-Tate" for now. Lily already answers to just Lily and they know who Tate is. I call Alina, "Alina," "Alinka," "Alinkatushka" (her favorite, I made up by combining a couple nicknames - she corrects me if I call her something else), and Alina-Sophia. If you ask her what her name is she will answer in a thick accent, "Sophia Elizabeth Alina," but when I try to ask her is she wants to be called Sophie or Alina she says, "Yes!" :)
Sophie and Julian aren't names that we had talked about before we came but they just fit them. We had only played with them once when we had to pick them. That part was crazy. Tate and Lily were names we were already planning to use. We had no other boy name that we really loved. A second girl was going to be Eva. Alina was nearly Eva, but it didn't suit her. We will see what sticks once we are home and what they choose once they start school.
Sophia Elizabeth Alina
Julian Marshall Edward
Liliana "Lily" Grace Ilona
Tate Jameson Igor
We call Ilona and Igor "Lily-Ilona" and "Igor-Tate" for now. Lily already answers to just Lily and they know who Tate is. I call Alina, "Alina," "Alinka," "Alinkatushka" (her favorite, I made up by combining a couple nicknames - she corrects me if I call her something else), and Alina-Sophia. If you ask her what her name is she will answer in a thick accent, "Sophia Elizabeth Alina," but when I try to ask her is she wants to be called Sophie or Alina she says, "Yes!" :)
Sophie and Julian aren't names that we had talked about before we came but they just fit them. We had only played with them once when we had to pick them. That part was crazy. Tate and Lily were names we were already planning to use. We had no other boy name that we really loved. A second girl was going to be Eva. Alina was nearly Eva, but it didn't suit her. We will see what sticks once we are home and what they choose once they start school.
Blogging in Pictures Again
Another one with a kitten at Julia's.
Alina supposedly naps in the afternoon (all the kids at the orphanage do) but she has yet to nap for me. Instead we do something relaxing after we eat lunch in our apartment. Yesterday we made these butterflies to hang above the bed. There are about twice as many there now. I am not sure what the cape is about. Maybe she was trying to look like a butterfly herself?
This is from last weekend at the arcade. She loves the trampoline. We both love this picture because of her crazy hair!
This is the kind of playground equipment that the U.S. no longer allows since it is "dangerous." It is really fun!
Alina with her Caesar salad and juice last night at Silver. Every night she asks, "Cafe? Andree?" Andree is her favorite server there and he speaks English very well. By the way Kev, Andree says hello. :)
Can you tell how close these two are? They posed this one and a bunch of other really cute ones themselves.
They have lots of fun together.
It is hard to show personality in pictures but these two give you an idea of what a silly little guy he is.
And this one is for dad. I think you have 4 soccer lovers, Kev! Do you like the way his tongue is out, Jordan style?
Okay, more tomorrow.
Love from Lugansk,
Krista
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
