TGIF & Only 3 Days To Go...

Well 3 days left until the 10 day wait is completed. Actually since here the day is almost over we can start saying 2 days left. We're getting there. Today we hung out in the apt until about noon,then we walked up our street to this little market we found. While in there I discovered it's a bit bigger then we thought. Now we can get just about everything we need right up the street. The bigger store we had been going to is all the way up (or down) Kryshettik, and it's a pretty long walk for Jordan. We met Ira around noon and she walked to the bank with us since we were desperate for funds again. She had waited in the courthouse all morning but the Judge is very busy. She went back after taking us to the bank and was finally able to proof-read our court decree. She's not sure if we can pick it up on Mon or Tues? The 10 days will be up on Sunday, but she said sometimes you have to wait one more day? That would make it 11 days not 10. As far as I'm concerned we should be able to get it on Monday! She also got someone in Vasylkiv to open up the birth certificate office but they need to know what day we will be there. We should be able to go Mon or Tues depending on when we get the decree. There is some other paperwork that needs to be done too, but the whole thing makes my head swim. One encouraging thing she said was that since we need to pay for more days for our apartment we should only pay for 5 days instead of 10.
Slava picked us up at 3pm and we headed off to Borpka again. I think we've visited with Slava more than we visited with our other kids. It was a good visit overall. He loved the toy tools again but got rammy with them and we put them away which he did not like. Wayne made paper airplanes but he wasn't very interested in them. He liked the happy meal toy until he threw it and we took that away too. He enjoyed a clementine and half a banana and a juice box. At least he knows we will feed him! At 5:30pm we had our hugs & kisses and said "paka". At this point we do not know what day we will be picking him up. We will see him Sat & Sun in the morning.
Tonight I'm making Verenicky for dinner. Wayne found a motorcycle race on tv, it's a European race but it works for him! Tomorrow after our visit with Slava, if the weather is still nice, we will walk to souvenier street again for something to do. Sunday we may go to the circus or the zoo with Irina and her 14 year old son, Alexander. We told her we'd like to meet him plus it would be good for Jordan since he's missing his big brothers so much.

Please keep praying for us. God is showing us some things and speaking to us through the Scriptures which I will elaborate on later. Right now we're waiting for and believing God is moving to bring us all home soon! Sorry there are no pictures for this post, I'll try to do better tomorrow! We love & miss you all so much! Come on folks, pray us home! :)

Today We Rested & Visited Slava

Today we enjoyed a quiet morning relaxing in our apartment. Wayne got his courage up and walked alone down to McDs for egg mcmuffins. I'm pleased to report that he returned safely and in one piece! We did some reading, school with Jordan, and several rounds of hide-and-go-seek!

Slava picked us up at 3pm to head to Borpka. We had a very good visit with our Slava. He enjoyed the toy hammer we brought and he learned that if you bang too hard with it, it breaks into pieces. But big brother Jordan came to the rescue and snapped it back together! Every few minutes it would fall apart and Slava would call for Jordan to put it back together. It was very cute to see them interacting. We had bananas and sok which he seems to really like. I also brought a big picture book from home and he actually sat long enough to look at the pictures. He pointed and jabbered away in Ukrainian as he looked. Then we brought out some stickers and he had a great time with those. I don't think he's ever seen stickers before because he really didn't know what to do with them. So we resorted to sticking them all over Papa! My last weapon was another one of those happy meal toys that barked. He really likes this and took it with him when the visit was over. The took him back at 5:30pm; we had our hugs and said "paka" and the visit was over. During the visit one staff woman came in and gave Jordan a big hug. After she left Jordan said, "I don't know why that lady keeps coming in here and doing that." He takes it all very well. I explained that maybe she took care of him when he was little and she remembers him.

We returned to our apartment and tried out a Potato House restaurant across the street. We just had baked potatoes which were pretty good. Now we're in for the night. While we were gone the tv people came and now we have a bunch of channels, more than we have at home even! Ira called to say she will visit our Judge tomorrow to proof-read our court decree. She likes to make sure there are no errors in it when we pick it up on Monday. We will also make an application for Slava's passport, but the processing if it cannot occur until we have the new birth certificate next week. Tomorrow looks like it could be a busy day, so we're thankful that we had a quiet day today.

Some random thoughts: Slava is left handed like Jordan & Anna. We pass a cement plant on our way into Borpka. McDs french fries taste better here than they do home. We see car accidents everyday (mostly fender-benders), Jordan knows about 10 Russian words now, I don't get car sick in Ukraine, and that's all I can think of for now.

Thank you for following our blog and especially for the prayers. Tomorrow we will make the decision on whether or not Wayne returns on the 18th. So please keep praying that the paperwork next week will all come together and all the obstacles will be rolled away. We love & miss you all!

Our First Home-Cooked Meal in 3 Weeks!

Jordan & Lena

Slava "hammering"

Thank you all for praying for us, today was a much better day. The weather was a balmy 60 degrees and the sun was shining! We had a very enjoyable visit with Slava outside on the playground. He didn't find anything to throw, but he did find a little plastic rake which he proceeded to use as a hammer on everything he could find to pound on. The visit was good and we had fun. We returned to Kiev, had lunch, and walked down Kryshettik to the 5 floor "macys" so Jordan can look at the toys. He did swindle us into buying him a little battery powered red light to use with his toy cars, and I found a toy tool set complete with hammer for only 50 greevnah ($6.25). Slava is going to have a wonderful time tomorrow! We rested back at the apartment and then walked back down Kryshettik to meet Step-han from YWAM. He took us back to his apartment via the Metro (subway) which totally thrilled Jordan. For some reason Wayne didn't have the same reaction to the Metro as Jordan did...go figure! LOL. Step-han's wife, Oksana, prepared dinner for us. Our first home-cooked meal in 3 weeks! It was delicious: brown rice, chicken in tomato sauce, fresh veggies with ranch dip, pickles, and apple cake for dessert! Jordan was very happy because they have a 4 year old daugher, Lena. They had a wonderful time playing together. Wayne & I had a wonderful time talking & sharing with Step-han & Oksana. They want to have us over again before we leave and they want to meet Slava. They are a wonderful Christian family and we are very thankful for their hospitality. God is good. Step-han drove us all the way back to the apartment since the traffic at 10pm was much lighter! We are very tired, but very happy. Tomorrow we will rest in the morning and then leave to visit Slava at 3pm.

Ira says on Friday we can make application for Slava's passport, but we can do nothing else until we have the court decree which we can pick up on Monday. We were a bit discouraged to learn that the notary office where we need to make copies of the decree is not open on Mondays. And the birth certificate office in Vasylkiv is only open on Thurs & Fri, but Ira is trying to find someone in Vasylkiv to open up on Tuesday or Wed for us. I feel like, here we go again with all the obstacles blocking the way home. Please, please, pray that all the obstacles will be removed and we will have a clear, express lane out of here. Our hearts long to be home with our family. We miss you all so very much.

Iron Mama & Wild Child

Jordan is not the "wild child" (this time)!

We had an exhausting day! We walked down to McDonalds for breakfast to make Wayne happy. Then we had to return because Ira called and the tv guy was coming. We are desperate for tv at this point. Slava picked us up at noon to take us to the WWII museum which is located under the Mother Russia statue which we fondly refer to as Iron Mama. From there we hit the grocery store and tons of traffic, then off to visit our Slava. Big Slava did not stay with us for this visit because he said he had to go to the passport office (???? we are praying this has to do with Slava's passport????). At first we thought it would be a good thing to be alone with him again, but the boy was non-stop. Every toy we tried to play with he just threw (so we promptly took it away) or he used as a hammer to pretend he was hammering the wall. This got us in trouble with an orphanage worker who came in and told us to be quiet because they were trying to get the babies to sleep - at least I think that's what she said :) Then Slava discovered the sink and wanted to wash his hands for like 15 minutes. These visits are more difficult than they are enjoyable, it's sad to say. We have no control as parents yet and feel like we're being watched by the staff. We cannot discipline, other than saying "no" or "sit" and removing toys. When Big Slava is with us at least he can speak the same language and little Slava obeys. And I forgot the juice boxes in the car and the whole visit he kept asking for "Sok" which means juice. He even ransacked my backpack because he didn't believe my "no Sok" story. That will be the last time Mama forgets the sok! And to top it all off, Jordan was acting up. I think he's vying for our attention while we're trying to interact with Slava. The whole thing is very draining. We can't wait to just get him home where we are in charge and there's a million things for him to discover.



Today Irina told us that we need to visit the orphanage everyday during the 10 day wait. Apparently families are supposed to visit 2x per day. It's fine if we only go once per day, but we can't skip a day. When we visit is recorded in a book. The purpose of the 10 day wait is so if anyone wants to appeal the adoption they can do so during the 10 days. We're not concerned about family members appealing, but Irina said that there were people "interested" in adopting Slava. So we must do everything that we are supposed to do so we don't have any issues.



Tomorrow we will visit Slava in the morning, so we will all be on the playground weather permitting. Ha, no toys to throw out there! LOL. Then we are to meet some YWAMers, Stephan & Oksana and take the metro to their place for a visit. They are friends of our friends and graciously offered to spend some time with us. Stephan runs the Dental Truck for YWAM and visited our home church not too long ago. It will be nice to spend some time with fellow believers as well. That should get us through the half-way point of the 10 day wait!



Please continue praying. Pray for our visits with Slava to improve, for Jordan's behavior, for the rest of the 10 days to fly by and that no one will try to appeal the adoption, and for a very fast process at the end...we need that passport asap!



We are thankful for all of you supporting us and praying for us. We are thankful too for good health, good weather (near 60 today), good apartment with a washer & internet, good travel, and a good team helping us here.



We love you all and miss you soooo much.

3 Days Into the 10 Day Wait

Today we had a slow moving morning, then we took Jordan up to the playground. He likes it, but there were only small children there today since all the kids his age are in school. We walked down to the underground mall and had pizza for lunch and some pretty good potato pancakes. Slava-driver picked us up at 3pm to take us to see our Slava. Along the way we had to stop off and drop some documents off to our Judge. We had a pretty good visit with our Slava in the small room. He really interacted well with us today. Now we have him saying "good" and when he really gets into it he yells "goody goody"! He likes Slava-driver too. He stays with us often which helps with communication. Our Slava calls him "DA-dah" which means nice man/uncle. I just hope little Slava doesn't think that Mama, Papa, and Da-dah are adopting him! Then Jordan hopped on Papa's back to ride horsey style. Slava loved this and hopped on too! It was very cute. Little Slava's time clock kicked in just before 6pm because he started pointing at the door and intently telling Slava-driver something. So we had our hugs & kisses and said Pa-Ka (bye bye) for now. We returned to our apartment about 7pm to have tea and relax until bed.

Tomorrow Slava-driver might take us to see Iron Mama (huge statue of liberty type monument of mother russia) and the WWII museum. Wayne hasn't been there, but I visited it about 6 years ago. It will be something interesting to do with Jordan to help pass another day.

We're waiting on making a decision about Wayne returning home early. His business is really busy and they just bid on a big job. If they get it then he will have to return home, but if they don't then he will stay the duration. We should know by week's end. Wayne & Slava have a great connection and it would be best for Slava if Papa were here when we change his world forever. Jordan will remain either way because that will be best for Slava too we believe. It's much less scary when there is another little kid in the picture with you. I remember how Jordan cried when we were dropped off at our apartment the day I picked him up from his orphanage. Suddenly it was just him and this strange lady trying to drag him into a strange building. I had to carry him in and we both cried the whole way. But when we walked into our apt and there was Andrii & Anna, he calmed right down and was fine after that. And they had never met each other before that moment. If Wayne must return home, then our daughter Melissa will fly over to help me.

Please keep us in your prayers. Things are going well really, but we feel the need to be home with our other kids, work, and all those responsibilities awaiting us. We love & miss everyone. Please leave a comment, email us, or fb. We love hearing from you!

Quiet Sunday

We went to the orphanage this morning and played outside with Slava. The weather was pretty nice, so it was enjoyable. Slava enjoys the slide and the swings. He especially likes the big slide where Papa catches him at the bottom. We just have to make sure he doesn't jump off the top! He likes to copy whatever Jordan is doing, so we're trying to keep Jordan low-key...ha ha. Slava found a little green plastic toy he proceeded to use like a hammer. He pounded on everything! I think he will be pleased with our toys at home because we have an abundance of toy tools! He also found a piece of rope and a piece of wire that he pretended he was hooking up to something and working. He has a really good imagination for an institutionalized child. He says "Papa", "Mama" and "Jordan" very well now. Today he was counting in Ukrainian as he climbed each step up the slide. He was also singing a counting song while he was swinging on the swings. He's a very smart boy! We will go back tomorrow afternoon for another visit.

After our visit we returned to the apartment. We had Slava-driver come up and look at our tv. We thought maybe we were doing something wrong because now we don't get any channels. Irina sent over the movie Cars for Jordan, but after about an hour the movie wouldn't play in my laptop because it kept skipping. Bummer. We had him do some school instead, but that was not a big hit either. I wish I'd thought to pack movies :(

We are still praying about Wayne returning and Missy coming over. We're wondering if we should send Jordan home with Wayne. But I'm wondering if that will go over very well with Slava. He's used to seeing the 3 of us together (he interacts alot with Papa) and if I pick him up and it's just me he might not be too happy to go with me. We're asking the Lord for wisdom and His will. I like trips where you know when you arrive and depart. This not knowing when you can return home business is not fun at all! I guess this is where trusting God comes in, right?

As I type this everyone back home is in church. Hopefully the kids will Skype us afterward. Here it is almost bedtime. That means when we wake up there will only be 7 days left to the 10 day wait...but who's counting? I AM! Please keep us in prayer. We love & miss you all!

Saturday in Kiev

Today we sort of took a day off from the adoption process. On the weekends we can go to the orphanage only in the morning, and since we just went last night we decided we'd take it easy today. So we headed out to walk around the city and see some sights. There was something like a parade going on on the main street, Krishetyc (I'm getting better with the name). It reminded me of Veteran's Day because there were soldiers, old army jeeps, a drum corps, a marching band, etc. It was something to see anyway. We also purchased a coat for Jordan because the fleece we brought for him may not be warm enough for the rest of the trip. I'll have to get a coat for Slava too because we only brought a fleece for him, and the women at the orphanage will have a heart attack if we only put that on him when we take him! We went to TGI Friday's for lunch and then grabbed some groceries. I have a great time walking around the city, but Wayne has a nervous breakdown! City boy he's not. Give us 38 Fares Rd. any day!

We are still praying and considering if Wayne will return home early. Our daughter, Missy, can get the time off of work but our friend, Joc, cannot. We're also considering having Jordan return with Wayne...maybe. Jordan is doing great, but it's a bit boring for him. It gets dark here at 4pm, so from about 3pm on we're in the apartment unless Slava has us out at the orphanage, then we get to stay out until almost 7pm, wow! Wayne & I are content to just rest & read, but Jordan needs to be entertained. He's got toy cars, school work, and we've played a million games of go fish. He even takes a bath just for something to do! He's going thru "kid withdrawl" he misses his siblings & friends. Now the tv is not working at all, so we don't even get Russian cartoons. Ira is looking into it. And I failed to pack movies to watch on the laptop :( We asked Irina to suggest some things we can do with him since we don't know what there is out there. She is looking at getting us tickets to the circus for maybe tomorrow. The next 8 days (of the 10 day wait) can be a little slow since the only thing we really need to do is visit Slava at the orphanage. This we love doing, but it can get monotonous for Jordan. After the 10 Day things will pick up again as far as the running around goes. I pray it will be a fast down hill trip home!

So please keep us in your prayers. Pray for Jordan, for our decisions regarding who stays and who comes, for the next 8 days to go super-fast, and that the final part of the process will go miraculously fast as well, we need that passport in record time, and oh God - please get us home for Thanksgiving!

We love & miss you all!

Love,

Wayne, Sandra & Jordan