Coming Home!!

We are spending our last day in Kyiv with all the other families! We have all successfully completed the process of adoption and will be boarding our plane back home early Friday morning. We have to leave our apartment at 2:45 a.m. and our plane is scheduled to fly out at 5:30 a.m. We will arrive at the Indianapolis Airport with very tired but excited Thomas children at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening. Wow!! I really feel as if I have been in some kind of "out of body" experience since I have been here. As I have said in past blogs, I am positive that God has sent His angels to watch over us during this process. I am more confident than ever that this all was God's Will. At my desk at work I had posted these words: If God brings you to it, He will see you through it!! I will be glad to see all my family and friends at the airport and breath a sigh of relief when we land on American soil! I will never forget where my beautiful children came from and what they have been through in their lives!! Until we see you again, we love you all!!!
Todd & Lori Final post from Ukraine!

Here are the new additions to the Thomas family! Today we were at the orphanage for a very long time. We were dropped off at 12:30 and then we could not get a hold of Natasha to send a taxi. The kids did not eat and there was nobody around to tell them to go eat. I seen several older children outside smoking. We had tons of kids visiting with us today as well. Which was fine but a few of them were getting into our things and once again there was no adult supervision around. We ended up calling another guy named Viktor to call us a taxi. We still have not heard from Natasha and it is 5:00 p.m. Weird!! Today we were able to visit with a boy named Max. For those who know Griffan, it was one of his good friends. We gave him a piece of paper and he wrote Griffan a note! Then Oksana wanted to write him a letter too as well as a letter to Luba that was also adopted and is living in Indiana. Max stayed by our side the whole day wanting hugs and kisses from us. Then he said Alison, Jayson and Max to America!! It is really time for us to go because I am becoming way to attached to the children. I even told Todd I would stay that additional time to bring Oksana or Max or Denise home!! AHHHHHH!! Help!!

Introducing Alison Iryna Thomas and Jayson Oleksiy Thomas

These pictures are from the very first day that we met the children. We have tons more, but my batteries went dead on my camera and I was unable to download them to the computer!! So these are not the best pictures but at least you can now put a face to the names!! We love you all so very much and can't wait for you to meet them. They are totally different from each other. Jayson is really short, Alison really tall. Jayson sometimes very serious, Alison pretty much never serious! Kind of remind me of Brandon and Trent's personalities! Hope you enjoy the pictures. See you all in five days!!!

Some more pictures of random things

The first picture is a dog that we named "garbage dog" He was down by the Cherkassy museum. There are numerous dogs roaming the street of Ukraine. Cats as well. Tricia purchased a bag of cat food and was feeding any dog or cat that we passed along the way. The next picture is after we climbed the big hill by the museum. At the far end of the table is the Alderink family. Ellen, Jessica, Becca, Mike and Doris. On the left is Tammy and Dennis Peters and then Tricia and Brad Helton. If you would like to see more pictures from Ukraine go to alderink2010.blogspot.com

Walking

I like walking! Great exercise!! But I prefer to walk on solid ground. Since we have been here we have walked on several inches of snow, a solid sheet of ice, dirty slush and now water puddles everywhere. The taxi driver's fear no evil!! We were coming back to Shpola (shit-hole-a)today and our driver was a maniac!! He was flying through very deep water and I was praying in the back seat for a total of one hour for our safety. Has no one here heard the word HYDROPLANE!! It is amazing to me that we do not see tons of wrecks. The taxi driver that brought us back today is the same taxi driver that the other Indiana families have been using in Cherkassy. His name is Sergey and he is a super nice guy. He kept trying to have a conversation with us but we had no clue what he was saying. It didn't seem to matter, we just would laugh. We went to see the kids today after not seeing them for a week. They were happy to see us, but there was no place to spend "alone" time today. We were in a room with 10-15 other children. There was a missionary group from a Cherkassy Baptist church there today playing games and singing with the kids. We were able to spend time with a couple of our kids friends. Jayson's friend was Denic (Denise) and Alison's friend was Oksana. If I could stick both of them in a suitcase and bring them home as well...I WOULD!! Such beautiful children. Oksana was teaching us how to write our names in Ukraine and Denic just kept smiling at us. I am taking our camera Sunday to get some pictures of them. Maybe we will be able to find these two homes!! I have no clue if they are available for adoption but if I could just show their beautiful faces to others, maybe, just maybe someone could find it in their hearts to give those two a chance! Sunday will be our kids last full day in the orphanage. A place that they have known for four years. I am excited to be getting them forever on Monday morning but sad too. We are taking them from very close friends which they consider a family! I am sure there will be tears. Most likely from me. Wishing that I had a bigger home and a larger income to be able to bring more than just two children home!! When we were leaving our kids kissed us went on their way, but Oksana walked us out to the car, hugging me the whole way. She was trying to tell me something as I was getting in the taxi. I think she was asking if she could come too...to America :(

Missing our kids!

We are missing our kids back home and the kids in Shpola. We left Sunday to Cherkassy and return to Shpola tomorrow. We have been gone way too long and we miss them greatly. I miss my big hugs from my Trent and my Brandon's quirky little smile that he gives me. I miss the biggest dimples on the prettiest little blonde you have ever seen and just like my Trent, my Jayson gives great hugs!! Our kids, all so different but with the same last name!! God is Good!! We are a blessed family. I know that there will be many challenges ahead of us and even days that we will second guess our decision to go on this journey. But on those days those dimples and big hugs will get me through it!! We did not get the kids today, looks like it will be Monday. We should get everything done in Shpola on Monday and head back to Cherkassy that afternoon/evening. So that means only a few more days are needed in Shpola (Thank Goodness). I have been really sick for a few days but am feeling better now. Nothing worse than being sick away from home!! We went shopping today for the kids so that they will not be too angry with us for leaving for awhile. We purchased a little stuffed dog and bunny that are holding hearts and say "I love you". They are also musical and say something but I have no clue what. I am hoping it is "kid appropriate" whatever it is!! We are now just killing time before meeting everyone for dinner. After we are done at the Internet Cafe we will head over to McDonalds to get coffee and use the restroom(can't find restrooms everywhere like in America). When we first arrived in Ukraine I thought it was very clean. Now that the snow is melting I am realizing that it is actually pretty dirty! It is wet and soggy here and I think that is why I ended up with a head cold. My shoes are not waterproof and my feet got very wet!! Everyone take care and we will see you in a week!! WOOT WOOT!!!

I am sick

It is Wednesday, February 17, 2010 and we are at the Internet Cafe after spending the morning at the flea market and eating lunch at McDonalds. We purchased a hand painted picture from some lady off the street and another pair of gloves for Alison because I gave the other pair to a little girl at the orphanage. I woke up in the middle of the night last night feeling miserable. I have a head cold and feel very tired and worn out. Yesterday Todd and I along with the Helton's went to a museum here in Cherkassy. It was a nice museum with alot of history but of course we could not read anything so it made it a little hard to understand. We also climbed a very big hill to a statue that overlooked the river here in Cherkassy. The climb up was not so bad but we really didn't think about how we were going to get down once we got up there. It was solid ice and quite steep so I just set on my big butt and slid down. A little cold, but it worked! There were tons of people on the river ice fishing. The plan is still to get the kids this Saturday. We made arrangements for our flight to be on Friday, February 26th so that we would have enough time to get the kids passports, medical clearances and whatever else we will need. If all goes well we should be at the Indianapolis Airport on Friday the 26th at 6:30 p.m. If this changes we will let you know. We should be flying with all the families that are still here. The Heltons, Doris Alderink and Tammy Peters along with eight little monsters!! Hope to see you very, very soon!!

Back In Cherkassy

We arrived last night to Cherkassy! We got to eat pizza and then sit on an actual couch, watch a movie and eat ice cream!! This afternoon, I was able to soak in a nice hot bathtub and shave my legs (oh how wonderful)!! We are now at the Internet Cafe with Brad and Tricia Helton. We met the Helton's back in June as they were hosting a little boy the same time we hosted Olena. We have been on this journey together and have bonded a wonderful friendship with them that Todd and I hope will last a lifetime. They are adopting two very handsome young men. We are staying until Thursday or Friday so that we do not have to spend too many nights back in Shpola. Right now we are being told that we should be able to get the kids on Saturday!! We then will head back to Cherkassy to get their birth certificates and spend a few nights there. This is when both children will be taking the longest bath's of their lives. After we recieve their birth certificates we will then head to Kyiv to get their passports and medical clearance to head home. We seen the kids on Sunday morning and told them we would not be back to see them for a few days. You could see the pain in Jayson's eyes when we were leaving. Even though we gave them calendar's to mark the days left in the orphanage, I think there is still an uncertainty that we might not come back to get them. We are not able to post pictures until they are completely ours which will not be until we are heading to Cherkassy. At that point I will have no way to download the pictures so I am afraid that everyone will just have to wait and meet them in person. We only have a few short days left on this journey in Ukraine! The rest of the journey will begin in Fairland, Indiana!! I hope you will all come along for the ride!!

Todd & Lori

Pictures of the Kids!

Well, certain body parts anyways! Still cannot post pictures, Sorry! The first Picture is the back of Alison's head. The second is Jayson hiding during a pouting session. The third is Jayson's foot and Alison's leg. The last one is Natasha and I. We are standing in Shpola at the exact center of Ukraine. If you are lucky, I might post more body parts tomorrow! We will be heading to Cherkassy again on Sunday and stay til end of week. I will try and post when I can!!

The Challeges of Today

There were so many challenges I don't know where to begin. I guess the best part would be when we woke up because it was the best part of the day. We got up around 8 and spoke to both of the boys back home. Trent answered the phone 1 a.m. in the morning and said that him and Brandon were cleaning because they were having friends over Saturday night. We both had good conversations with the boys and all "seemed" well back home. So, at 11:00 a.m. we went to get Jayson and Alison to bring back to the apartment. We decided to have lunch here today. Pretty much everything we made or bought was nasty. Very dry bread, ham, what we think was bologna, chips, and some strange noodles. The kids ate it, me.....not so much. We discovered that five hours in this apartment was too long!! We had them change into their jammies for the day. Jayson's were too long, Alison's too short but they loved them. We thought that would eliminate some of the stench (not so much)!! I then decided to brush out Alison's hair in which she whined about the whole time. It was in knots and so very dirty!! I then think I seen lice but could have been my imagination!! Nonethe less I am calling Natasha tomorrow and telling her to have the orphanage treat both children immediately! The kids watched a few movies but then they began to get bored with that. Let me just say that there is only so much you can do in a one bedroom apartment with a kitchen the size of a closet!! Alison was jumping on beds and Jayson messed up the computer. It took all afternoon to get that fixed. I have to say that I was a bit relieved when it was time to take them back!! They are good kids but they are not used to the freedom they had and had a hard time minding us or understanding us for that matter. On the way back to the apartment it was freezing rain and the taxi was all over the place. He dropped us of at the cafe and because I am a dumb dumb head I forgot it was Saturday. A wedding!! Of course!!! So it is freezing rain and no cafe to have dinner so off to the yummy pastries with the mystery meat. Mmmmmm Mmmmmm!! Stopped at store to get chocolate!! Walked one mile home on solid ice and pouring rain. Oh yea, Pedestrians do not have right of way here so while crossing the road, if I would have slipped and fell, I would be dead!!! Obviously that did not happen or I would not be typing right now. So to end this wonderful blog. The chocolate that I so desperately needed was a bad choice. The chocolate taste like chocolate but has the consistency of dust!! While typing this I have realized that all these challenges were nothing compared to what Jesus went through for us!! He died on that cross for me, I think I can bear some bad chocolate and freezing rain!! Love All! Todd & Lori

All Dressed Up And No Place To Go

As usual we got up this morning several times and tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. We just messed around the apartment until the taxi picked us up at 11:30 a.m. Today was a special day. The kids had a school program and we were allowed to attend. When we arrived Wee Man the Commander(Jayson) was waiting outside for us all dressed up in a suit with a bow tie and he escorted us into the classroom. Alison along with the rest of the class came into the classroom and took their seats. The girls all had on new uniform skirts with their hair in ponytails and one gigantic bow rested on top of their heads. The director of the orphanage was watching along with some other spectators. One gentlemen came in and set down, looked at us and grinned and then spoke to the teacher. When she responded back to him I heard Americana so I just smiled at him and waved and everyone laughed. The program seemed to be regarding the geography of Ukraine. The teacher would ask the class questions and the kids would raise their hands to answer. Jayson had his hand up for every question. Alison only a few!! After a few 10 questions, Jayson tried to answer yet again and the teacher pushed his arm down to give other students a chance. It was too funny!! After the program, the kids looked so cute we decided to take them to dinner. So off to the favorite diner we went and yes, you guessed it, Jayson ordered for us again. He takes good care of his Mommy and Poppy!! We have plans to return to Cherkasy for a few days to visit our other families and get a few gift for some people here in Shpola that have been so kind. This will also make this 10 day waiting period go a lot faster! We will keep you posted on our return date. We love you all!! Todd & Lori

Just some random thoughts!

I could really use nice fresh, soft Wonder bread right now. I hate the bread here. It is dry and course and makes me choke! I want a toilet that you can flush all day long because it never fails that I have to go the the restroom when we have no water!! I would like to be able to sit on a couch or chair and watch a television with one hundred stations full of whatever I want (comedy, horror, reality) I would like to be able to do my laundry whenever I want and not have to walk around the apartment looking for radiators to put the clean clothing on to dry. I would love to have an actual glass to drink out of(with ice).I would like to go to the grocery store and actually know that when I buy milk, it is really milk.
I would like to have all of my family here so that when I start feeling like this they can hug me and say they love me. BUT what I can't complain about is my GOD who has been here every second comforting, loving and supporting me. I feel His presence wherever I go and He never stops reminding me of the many blessing He has given me and that are yet to come! As you notice through this blog I said the things I wanted, not the things that I actually need. Because I need nothing. God is all I need. God before family. God before work. God before want. God before Everything. Thanks for listening.... Lori

Lost in a Time Warp

I seriously feel as if somehow I was dropped off into the 1950s. Even some of the cars could have possibly been made in that time frame. Have you ever seen the movie "The Christmas Story"? Well, that is the type of town we are staying in. You will see everyone pulling sleighs with their children or groceries on them. When you go to the grocery store here you have to purchase bags to take your items home in, most people bring their own. Our taxi driver (who is very nice by the way) seems to know everyone! Today while we were stopped at a train track he rolled down his window and another gentlemen walked over extending his hand for a shake and then said "privyet" (hello) to Todd and shook his hand as well. Everyone knows that we do not belong here. Not because we are American's but because we do not live in this town. They have accepted us and are now used to seeing us at the diner, grocery store and walking the streets. For two days straight we have had the children with us while walking around town and I am pretty sure they have figured out by now why we are here!! Now, to discuss smells!! When you walk into the front door of our apartment building you are hit with the wonderful smell of very strong cat urine and then a hint of sewer!! Today we had the kids stay for a few hours in the apartment. We love our children dearly, but quite literally, they STINK!! They are back at the orphanage now and our apartment still smells. Please note that they only shower once a week(if that) and I believe that is on Friday's. I am not sure how often their clothing is washed but I will tell you that we have seen them in the same clothing since the day we first met them. Today, Alison took off her boots and her tights were totally black on the outside!! I so cannot wait to get them bathed and in clean clothes!! On the bright side, I got both of them a spinning toothbrush and when they seen them they could not wait to brush their teeth! So at least for today, I know their teeth are clean and fresh!! We went to our diner today with the kids and Jayson took it upon himself to order our meals! He is so funny!! We had a greek salad, borsch soup, some type of battered pork and wedged fries! It was pretty good!! They were acting up a little at the diner and we had to get on to them several times but I think they are just so excited to be out of the orphanage, away from their teachers that they are unsure what to do with themselves. Well, day 10 down only 9 more to go!! Dosvidania for now! Todd & Lori

We are Family!

It is official. As of 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10,2010 we became the parents of a beautiful young lady named Alison Iryna Thomas and a handsome young man named Jayson Oleksiy Thomas!! Court went very smooth. Both children were present and asked if they wanted to be our children and come to America. Jayson was answering the questions before the judge even got them out of her mouth. Alison was quiet for the most part and just smiled the whole time. I had to do most of the speaking today because the Judge addressed questions to me. She asked why we wanted to adopt and I simply told her that we wanted to give these children a chance at life and a loving family. Then of course I started crying which made the Assistant director of the orphanage cry, the Inspector cry, and the Judge! After is was over Jayson just hugged us over and over while Alison acted a little nervous. We then took the kids and the Assistant director to lunch and the director thought we needed a glass of wine to celebrate. Everyone in this town has been so supportive of our adoption and very kind to Todd and I. It is amazing how you can build such close relationships with people without even speaking the same language!! We will be able to get the children on the 22nd for good and then fly home a few days after that. Even though I am very ready to come home, a piece of my heart will stay here in Ukraine! My heart will stay with the people I have met and the children that I have loved and comforted while I was at the orphanage! I wish each and every one of you could experience what Todd and I have on this trip. These children in the orphanage are amazing, beautiful and wonderful little human beings!! I now know that my heart will always ache for these children and my passion will drive me to do whatever I have to to help them!! Thank you everyone for going on this journey with us and supporting us in this decision even if you did not completely understand it!!
More post to follow!! Love You, Lori & Todd

Groundhog Day part II with a twist

We headed off to our restaurant only to find out that they had a wedding party there and were not serving "regulars" tonight. So we had two choices. We could go into the grocery store and attempt to buy a few things to make back at our apartment or we could go to this little store that had pastries filled with who knows what and call it a day. Our choice: pastries!! We ordered several different types in which she warmed up in the microwave. They were not horrible but not near enough food for two people who had not ate all day!! So, we went to the grocery store as well. There we managed to get butter, cheese spread that I think is mushroom flavored(I will let you know later) and Lays potato chips. Tomorrow I am taking Jayson's little book with me and pointing to the pictures!! So we did not waste enough time on the clock today. It is just now 6:45 p.m. here and we are once again staring at the wall. I think I am getting God's word out and doing a little studying. Not sure what Todd will do! I do think we might have some water now so showers will be a must!! Natasha (our facilitator) called and said that we would know by 11:00 a.m. Tomorrow if we will have court or not! Nothing like waiting for the last minute!! She said that the paperwork needed for court is in Kyiv now but the SDA did not have it as of today. PLEASE PLEASE PRAY!! I am really ready to come home!!

Just another Ground Hog Day

Today...Hmmmmmm...what did we do?? We woke up, ate stale dry bread with Nutella(this is like a chocolate spread)which was a good taste about 10 days ago but now, not so much. Had a cup of yummy instant coffee with sugar cubes and creamer. Took a shower(oh, wait a minute)did not take a shower (no water). Sorry, I was dreaming there for a little while(lol). Waited on our taxi driver to pick us up at noon. While waiting Todd watched yet another episode of Scrubs while I tried to decide which one of the three television stations I wanted to watch (fell asleep instead). Finally we left for the orphanage and played with our kids. Todd,Jayson and Alison played Memory and then they played Nintendo DS for a little while. I think Jayson was not feeling well today. His cheeks were red and he felt warm. Now we are back at our apartment killing time until we eat at our favorite restaurant(the only)!! Last night we ordered our food by ourselves (Well, not really)we called Natasha and had her tell the waitress what we wanted. However I was able to tell the waitress we wanted bread and butter and tea!! WOOT WOOT!! Will see what happens tonight. One of the ladies that works with Lydia (her name is Tatiana) gave both of our children books. Alison's was about the Wizard of Oz we think and Jayson's has pictures then the English word and Unkrainian word which has helped both kids with their English. We practiced with them today on a few words. As far as we know we still have court Wednesday. We still have heard nothing on the Interpol so keep praying for a miracle!! I think after court we are taking a movie and popcorn to watch with the kids. Seems our time with them keeps getting extended!! I think the Assistant director is starting to trust us now (maybe even like us)!! Oh!! I am way happy because I can now get on facebook which kills some time and keeps me connected with things at home. Love ya All!! Todd & Lori

Back home again in Shpola!

Hello everyone! We are back in our small town Shpola. We enjoyed our stay in Cherkasy but missed our kids too much so we came back. I have to say that I did miss this town as well. Cherkasy is a very busy place. There were people everywhere and they all seemed to be in a big hurry. The sidewalks were filled with ice and snow and people push and shove to get by. They have no consideration for the elderly and you seen very few people smiling. However, we did love meeting up with the other Indiana families and talking about our experiences and our children. Our apartment there was very nice and I was able to take a bath everyday!!!:) So now we are back to the reality of no running water, two television channels and one restaurant. The streets are quiet and so much calmer here. It has a certain charm about it that I seem to like. We have meet some amazing people on this journey. My only regret is that we have no way to communicate with them to share our love for their country and the love of God! I ask everyday that God uses my hands, feet, eyes, ears, heart and soul to somehow reach these people. I can only hope that they see the love of Christ through me. When we spoke to Natasha this morning, she said that she called the orphanage to tell the kids we were coming to see them today. Losha stated that it had been too long since our last visit. When we pulled up to the orphanage both children were standing at the end of the drive waiting on us. Their cheeks were all red and fingers frozen. We have no clue how long they had been standing there waiting. We didn't even make it out of the taxi before they ran in our arms!! We spent our time with them playing games and simply loving them. I just can't wait for everyone to meet them. They are some pretty remarkable children but that is just how there Momma and Poppy feel about them, we will have to let you form your own opinions I guess. Our court is still scheduled for Wednesday and we were suppose to hear something today about Interpol but that has not happened. First they said we would hear something last Friday, then today but nothing has been said. We just keep praying and try to stay positive. God has kept me very calm through all of this!! He is an amazing God!! I didn't think anyone could keep me calm (lol). Well, we are off to our restaurant by ourselves tonight. Natasha is not coming back to Shpola until court. Let's see if we end up with the food we order without Natasha's help. Should be interesting. Yesterday in Cherkasy there was not English speaking waitresses to help up so instead of saying Chicken we would act like a chicken. Instead of saying pork we would act like a pig. Well, you get the picture. It was pretty comical to say the least. Love you All Todd & Lori

In Cherkasy

Hello!
Sorry we have not posted for awhile. We left early on Thursday to visit the kids and then we headed to Cherkasy. What normally would be a one hour trip took us three! The roads are horrible due to all the snow here. We have a one bedroom apartment on the sixth floor with running water and 12 channels on the television. I think we have died and gone to Heaven!! This town is very busy and people about run you over trying to get wherever it is they are going! We had a big mac which was one of the highlights of coming to Cherkasy!! Enjoying visiting our friends and shopping. We will return to our little small town Shpola on Monday and even though the accommodations are much to be desired, we are starting to miss the kids and can't wait to go visit them again. Our court date is still scheduled for Wednesday and we have heard nothing on Interpol so right now we are assuming that it is all a go!! KEEP PRAYING!! We will post again when we return to our other apartment. God Bless and enjoy your snow!!
Todd & Lori

P.S. I miss you too Petunia! I hope work is going well!! Please fill me in on all the details! Love ya

The first picture is were the children at the orphanage have to go to the restroom!! The rest are a few pictures of when we were in Kyiv! I can't post any of the children until they are ours but as soon as that happens I will!! Love you all

These are some pictures of the apartment we have been staying at in Shpola. We decided today that we are packing up from here and moving to Cherkassy for the rest of our stay here. It will mean that we can't visit the kids everyday but that is o.k. because they are in school anyway. The first picture is our bedroom. The next two are the toilet and bathroom. They were in two separate rooms that were smaller than the closets in our kids rooms at home.

Another day in Shpola

We spent the whole morning with the kids today. They were able to leave the orphanage and we went to get their pictures for their visa's and then went shopping at the "outside" flea market. We bought both children new boots and some tights to wear underneath their clothes. Also purchased a really cute hat for little missy and some gloves for Losha to wear at the orphanage. Ira is so easy going, she never asked for us to buy her anything and was very appreciative of what we got her. Losha on the other hand wanted everything and pouts when he doesn't get it. We went to lunch with them, had pizza (not like American Pizza trust me). Losha is a little pig!! It was nice getting them out from the orphanage. Tomorrow we are going to visit them early and then we are heading to Cherkassy to spend time with a few other families from Indiana. The kids won't be happy because we won't see them everyday but we have to get away from here for awhile and they will have the rest of their lives with us. POOR KIDS!! Tatiana is telling us that the Interpol thing should be resolved in a week. Not sure what that means really but we will hope for the best. I am not sure if I will post while we are in Cherkassy because we would have to go to the Internet Cafe to do so. So until next time Puka!

Todd & Lori

More news from Shpola

Our first court date went very smoothly. The assistant director of the orphanage told the judge that she felt the kids would be happy with us and that there has been no visitors for the children in the four years they have been there. The inspector also stated to the judge that she felt the kids would benefit by us adopting them. That we could take care of all of their health issues and place them in a safe home. The judge then asked Todd a few questions like Why we want to adopt? What are the names of the children we want to adopt? And, why from Ukraine?? Todd did a great job answering these questions and the judge then issued our final court date for Wednesday, Feb. 10th @ 1:30 p.m. She said if the Interpol has cleared us by then she would move our date up ASAP. She was a very nice judge and very supportive! Now, on to the kids! We visited late today because of court and they did not expect to see us. We watched them as they ran from the school building to see us!! Then I hid in another room to make them think I was not there. Ira found me and squealed "Momma" and then giggled for awhile. We had such fun with them today tackling and tickling but then......Losha got mad at Ira while playing and he bit her but my sweet daughter did not cry at all....she just bit him back!! This did not make our little boy happy at all. He put on his shoes and tried to leave the room but I would not allow it!! Then he started crying very hard. I really think it was just all the emotions that he has built up inside him. He once again said "When can I go Home" When we got ready to leave the orphanage I gave him a little tin with some mints in it and he perked right up. Keep praying that Interpol is resolved and that we can come home soon..VERY SOON!! Oh yea, we have water!!! Time for a shower! WOOT WOOT!!!!

No Good News!

Well, we are on day three without any running water for shower's, flushing toilets or doing laundry. I could practically braid the hair on my legs and I smell like....well, we won't get into that!! We still have had no good news on the Interpol. As a matter of fact, we have had NO news! Seems no one here can give us an answer on how long it could take. We get one answer from America and another from Ukraine!! It might be that we will have to come back home before our actual court date and then return when Interpol has been cleared. If this happens past my 12 week Family Leave we will not be able to come back to get the kids. So, we will be out 30 thousand plus dollars and kidless!! Our hands are tied!!! So sad for the kids! They are wanting to come home and be in our family forever. How do we explain to them that this might not happen now?? I am not even looking forward to seeing them right now. Anyways, we have our first court date @ 2 p.m. today and I hope more information will be given to us then. Until next time, God bless and we love you all! Todd & Lori