We miss all of you more than you know...Happy Thanksgiving!

As our day is coming to an end, most of you are sitting down to carve the turkey and spend quality time with family and friends. We so want to be there with you! We tried to celebrate Thanksgiving here. It was non-traditional, and very disappointing.

For starters, we searched and searched for a place to eat dinner. We found a new restaraunt on the European highway just outside town called Casa de Campo. It advertised as an authentic Argentine steakhouse.(Fogo de Chao instantly came to mind...although we didn't expect all you can eat meat since beef is really hard to get here)  Since we have been craving steak, (only had beef one time thus far and it was not very good) we jumped at the opportunity to dine as a family. When the waitress came for our order, it took three meat selections before she did not say, 'Nyet' (no). How can you be a steakhouse and not have a ribeye or NY strip? In the end, most ordered chicken. I guess this is the penalty for not sticking to traditional turkey! (We have not found it on a menu here at all...)
Fellowship was great as we were joined by Derek, Tanner, and Conner from San Antonio. (Tamara, we hope you made it back home safely.)

We wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!!! Enjoy the pictures from our celebration, as well as the cars I mentioned yesterday.

One more important update, our court date is Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have made progress and can share some good news....Nikolas has been released from the 'hospital' AND we received the signed separation documents from the local government where Nikolas was born!!!!!
This was a huge milestone to overcome. Many thanks to all of you for your prayers!!!!

Before yesterday, we were struggling a bit with the emotions of all three kids. (plus ours) On the Nikolas front, we were getting very angry, not only because he was in the 'hospital' and no one could explain what, if anything, was being done, but he had not showered or changed clothing (this was day 7). I know everyone reading this is bewildered (as were we). How can a hospital allow patients to go without bathing, etc? What we began to understand through discussions with our facilitator is how economically challenged this country is...the country debt is so extreme the goverment controls the power in an effort to conserve. Therefore, the hospital does not have the means to generate hot or even warm enough water on a daily basis to allow for patients to shower. (Even if this was possible, the building and plumbing may literally be pre-war.) Obviously, this is hard for us to understand, but it also explains why things are so dark here at night. The street lights are very dim and typically, there are no lights in the stairwells in any buildings. One good thing that is very apparent, is that Ukraine must have the world's greatest mechanics....I have never seen so many older cars on the road and being used daily. I will post a few pics soon...the abulances remind me of something you would see on M.A.S.H.

Back to Nikolas: Our facilitator made arrangements for us to take him out of the hospital for a few hours. We took him back to our apartment for a hot shower, clean clothes and a welcomed meal of meatballs. He was so happy and thankful, he cried when we had to return to the hospital. The tears were flowing and it took everything we had to keep from a river developing from our eyes, too. He kept saying he was ready to go to America and go home! Again, we are very thankful for everyone's prayers as they got us through this emotional time.

Next, we were questioned again by Svitlana. She seems to have a legitimate fear of being left behind. I think it stems from the fact that she is already 16 and knows one element of the law which states she is now of age to not be eligible for adoption. We have tried to explain, as has our facilitator, that because we are also adopting her younger sibling, her adoption is legal.(I think the roadblocks we have incurred with Nikolas have become, in her mind, reminders that nothing is final until the court hearing.) In an effort to lift her spirits, we took her bowling on Sunday. The bowling alley was very American. (Brunswick lanes) Unfortunately, the American music videos playing overhead were not sensored. I learned the true words to many songs. Hopefully, she did not understand all the bad words! In the end, what matters to her is the court date.

Later, we met up with our newest friends, Tamara and Derek, for a round of chaos at the orphanage. (The are from San Antonio and are here to adopt two boys who are absolutely adorable!) Kevin and Derek were the catalysts to all the happy yells and fun that evening. We had our kids and many others involved in the fun. (Of course, Tamara and I had to corral them every now and then...especially when an Italian family appeared and seems to be shocked with our loud following.)  When it was time to leave, Kateryna cried and had to be pulled from my arms.

Saturday evening, we were invited to dine with Alla and her mother at her mother's home. Although there was eight of us, she cooked for an army! Check out the many authentic Ukrainian dishes on the table...this feast was full of additions. About every five minutes, Alla or her mother would jump up from the table and bring over another dish and say "Try this!" (This was alternated by her mother reminding Kevin and Derek that real men drink Vodka...how could they say no to the hostess?)  When is was time loosen our pants, it was time for dessert! She said she made a cake, but in reality she made a cake and about six other desserts!Not only will I never forget the food as it was good, I will never forget the company. Alla and her mother are so enveloped with love for the children, their adoption must be bittersweet. We were told over and over again that night how wonderful Sveta is and how lucky we are to have her as a daughter. As the evening came to a close, I told Alla's mother that it was her turn to be treated to authentic local cuisine in Texas and that she should accompany Alla on the next hosting trip. I told her that if she didn't make it for a host trip, she is expected to come to America for Svitlana's wedding! Kevin immediately chimed in with "well, that's not going to be for at least 15 years, so you should plan to join Alla on a hosting trip!!!" As we all laughed, we toasted and raised our glasses (yet again!) to our new family and friends.

Construction delays...sometimes the Contractor knows best

We are sitting here at Coffee In reflecting upon the last two days events. We now know we are delayed with moving forward, at least a week, perhaps more. Yesterday, we were irritated with the potential news of a delay. While we stewed with the inevitable, we were brought back to reality with a very real event. We witnessed the horror of a child being dropped off at the orphanage by authorities. All we knew, at the time, was a child was in immediate need by a heartbreaking cry.

Background: We were sitting with the girls at the orphanage. We saw a white van drive away and asked Sveta if this was the process for a child to be taken to the hospital. She said no. About 20 minutes later, we saw the van return. At the same time, the majority of the boys were outside playing soccer. We heard a cry of a child and I assumed a younger boy had been hit by a soccer ball or had broken a limb, something very serious because the crying would not stop or subside. Moments later, we noticed children trying to peer through the director's door to see what was going on. We knew something was different and wrong. We then watched, as a child was escorted past us down the hall towards the dormortory section of the building, sobbing uncontrollably. The poor girl had been picked up by authorities from her 'normal' environment and brought to the orphanage as a measure of protection. At that moment, our delay seemed so minor compared to the horror this child just experienced. Obviously, the daily situation this child was in was far worse! The cry was something I will never forget!

Today, we were angered with the news we are delayed with approval for Nikolas due to the recent elections. Once again, our wants were minimized with a reality more important. We were visiting Nikolas at the hospital with our facilitator. One of the nurses asked why Americans were in the hospital visiting a child. (The nurse was not aware of international adoptions and found it very strange that people would travel across the world to adopt.) As soon as she understood our intentions, she immediately asked me if I wanted to hold a baby that was left. I was unsure what she meant by left, but welcomed to see a newborn. Once I held sweet little Alexandra, I learned her mother had abandoned her. She was less than a month old. I am guessing she was around four pounds. Her skin was perfect. She had been crying and was fussy. As soon as the nurse put her in my arms, she opened her eyes to my American baby talk. She has beautiful blue eye and was focused on the stranger holding her. I asked Nikolas, jokingly, if he could be a big brother to her. Soon, she was asleep in my arms. I wondered if this was meant to be as her name is Alexandra. (Alexandra was on our list of girl names for the last ten years!) I questioned our facilitator on the process of this child becoming eligible for adoption. She indicated that there are many, many Ukrainians that are in line for a baby and the timeline for adoption eligibility. I knew instantly my role was to calm her at the time and some other mother was meant to be blessed with her. What an experience! Again, this child's needs were far beyond our need to get home!

So, we wait and pray for good news soon!  We miss you all and LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

Many Prayers are NEEDED

As I mentioned, all is well with the process for the girls. However, we have followed the same exact procedures for Nikolas and have been denied. Our side recites the law and officials recite another clause in the law. Unfortunately, the law is VERY vague. It basically states a child under guardianship can be separated from an older sibling (one who has 'graduated' from the orphanage) if there are unusual and extreme circumstances. (I am paraphrasing) However, no examples are cited, thereby, allowing all kinds of interpretation. In addition, government officials in charge are newly elected and do not have power of authority until the 25th of this month. (yes, sounds crazy!) So we must wait!

We are confident our team will make inroads and provide good news soon due to the power of prayer! In the interim, Nikolas sits in a 'hospital' bored to tears. We visit him daily. He is a quick learner and loves problem solving. As soon as he understands the alphabet and phonics, he will easily adjust to his grade level. (Jennifer- if you are reading this, I am sure your hosting and teaching helped greatly!)

The picture I posted should make you laugh. Kateryna (Katya) has a wonderful personality. She is a talker! (if we could only understand what she says...hopefully US doctors will help) We are teaching her how to draw and count to 10. She is smart. As an example, we drew a smiley face and she pointed to her eyelashes to remind us we forgot to include these, along with hair. Once we made these adjustments, she then copied our drawing to the best of her ability. It was also her first time to view a "pop up" book. Each time she turned the page, her response was a joyous gasp of excitement. (It didn't matter how many times she turned the page.)

Sveta continually asks for reassurance that she is coming home with us. The delay is causing some anxiety. Keep in mind, her life experiences, thus far, are not equal to an American teenager. She is about poise and harmony. One of our focuses with her is for her to understand she does not need to parent the younger kids.

Today, we wait and spend time with the all three!

The Divine Architect at His best again!

The last couple of days have been unpredictable to say the least. On one day we drove to Moline which is where the girls are from. The purpose of the trip was to persuade the local region officials to support our petition of adoption.

To give insight on the process:
The local (where we are) officials must support the adoption as they are the current guardians of the girls. In order to do this, the orphanage director and elder siblings must also support. Next, the regional officials from the area in which the girls were born, must also support. In this case, the region where the girls are from is so small, the officials are not familiar with the international adoption process. For this reason, they initially declined to entertain the petition. (ignore it) However, our facilitator suggested we jump in the car and show up unexpectedly to provide faces to the story. We did. This resulted in a regional commission to be formed and a meeting to be forced that day to question our intent. (similar to a court hearing) While we were asked only a couple of questions, (I am sure it was because our facilitator set the stage appropriately), the questions posed were legite. Do we have bio children? Were we prepared for lifelong challenges should Katya not be medically cured? In the end, we were told we were noble people for coming across the world to adopt needy children whom no relatives were willing to support. It was a wonderful experience to see the vote as unanimous in our favor and witness the appearance that the commission voted on the best interest of the girls! We parted with many Thank yous and God Blessings!

Now for Nikolas:

God supplies the mortar as we continue to build...

As I mentioned, our focus yesterday was Nikolas. We thought it would be a nice surprise to bring along his biological brother to the hospital for a visit. As we understand, they truly do not spend lots of time together, but we observed when they are together, they love each other very much.

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog, Nikolas's brother is enrolled in the local trade college studying to be a chef. When we called (technically our facilitator called him due to the language barrier) to extend the invite, his brother was so pleased that we want to have a relationship with him and that we consider him to be part of our family, he invited us to come to the restaurant where he works so he could cook us a special pizza. We were thrilled he felt comfortable enough to want us to dine with him and to accompany us and asked him to make Nikolas a pizza for our hospital visit.

While at the hospital visiting, things seemed very easy. Looking back, it was the common love for Nikolas that solidified this long term relationship. We pray that his brother stays focused on his personal goals and that he achieves his dreams. He has so much drive for a child that has grown up in an orphanage and is truly a courageous young man. He is a great inspiration for Nikolas!

Sweet 16!

Sveta's first birthday party: I am posting pictures from her party here in Ukraine. While this was a celebratory event, a few thoughts to share to give you a perspective of how different things are here and how little things, we probably take for granted, are never experienced by orphans.

*When asked "What kind of birthday cake would you like or what is your favorite kind of cake?" Her reply was, " I don't know, I have never had a birthday cake."

*When asked "What would you like to do to celebrate your birthday?"
Her reply was, "I don't know, I have never had a birthday party or celebrated my birthday."

*When purchasing a greeting card here, the envelope does not come with the card, it is an "add on" cost AND the envelope is not the same size as the card.

We had a great time and followed pizza and cake with a round of ice skating. Unfortunately, Nikolas was stuck in the 'hospital' so he was not able to participate. Therefore, we are spending all day today with him. Enjoy the pics!