Fun Weekend

Our Christmas plans tend to change daily. This year we had planned to visit family in Missouri for Christmas, but after some wise counseling from a dear friend we decided to stay home to avoid disrupting Justin's sense of home. So this weekend we had Grandpa and Grandma Collins, Uncle Matthew and a few aunts (Jessie, Martha, and Marie) here to visit. Justin did very well, and made a very good impression on everyone...as long as you don't consider his after church episode. This is still an area we have a lot of problems with and haven't quite figured out a solution. Justin does very well in his class during Sunday School and church and leaving his classes are not a problem. The problem starts with putting his coat on to leave the church building. He screams and fights all the way home and then about 45 minutes at home. He has done this every Sunday. Eating out after church is no longer an option (I guess you can call it a money saver?).

After the Christmas program Sunday evening we went to Pizza Hut for some dinner before my family had to head back home. I had forgotten to take pictures over the weekend, so I made up for it at dinner. My family also surprised us with a financial gift of over $160, that each of them helped raise by selling calendars. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Just this weekend we have received several gifts to help out with our adoption expenses. Thanks so much!!!

Justin on the stairs

Justin on the stairs
Originally uploaded by akersgkajm

This is how Justin always goes down the stairs. I just had to share it.

5 weeks at home

It is hard to believe that we have had Justin home for 5 weeks now. Yesterday we got his certificate of US citizenship, and now we can apply for his social security card. We also need to get him an appointment for an international adoption doctor to get his blood work done. A couple of weeks ago we mailed all the documents needed for our agency to register Justin with the Russia consolate. Most agencies require the adopted parents to stay in Russia a few days extra to get this done.

We put up our Christmas tree up last week. Justin had a blast helping out; although, he seemed to think all of the ornaments should be in the same place. There is one spot where there are at least 4 of them together. He rearranges them daily.

Justin had a dental appointment today to fill his cavities. They gave him some sleepy medicine, and he did very well. After we returned home part all went downhill quickly. He was very dopey, and being Justin, he wanted to get down and run around. He tried hard, but just couldn't keep his head off the ground. He was getting very angry about that. So I finally decided to put him down for his nap. He fought for an hour, but he is now resting very well. When he gets up, he should feel normal again.

We have gotten a lot of snow this year. Yesterday we got about 4 inches. Joel and Melissa tried to talk Justin into sledding with them, but he would have nothing to do with it (I guess he had too much of snow in Siberia!). In the evening our family went out and shoveled a couple neighbors' driveways for them. Justin seemed to enjoy helping, but he still would not touch the snow. He is like his mama who does not like getting cold.

Justin is talking more, he seems to be adding new words weekly. You have to listen to him very carefully to pick up what he is saying even though they are only one-syllable words.

Here are a few pictures to enjoy.

In rare form?

Ok, so today was one of those days. Justin started out his same old hipper self, going a mile a minute and into everything. While I was fixing lunch, Justin started crying on the stairs. Joel tried to comfort him, which didn't work. So I knew something had to be really wrong. Justin just does not complain of being in pain. I picked him up and he cried even harder, then I noticed he was holding his left arm. I sat and rocked him some (which he never lets me, he just can't sit still that long). After a while I set him in the chair to make some phone calls, and he just sat there holding his arm and being as quiet as a mouse for 30 minutes. One of my calls was to Geoff to ask him for help, I just wasn't sure what to do. Geoff came home and figured out it was Justin's elbow that was hurting. During this time I am rocking him again and he falls asleep. So we call the doctor and we get sent for x-rays. The x-ray tech told Geoff it could just be "milk maid arm", so he made Justin's arm lay flat with his palm up and that put his elbow back in place. After that, Justin was his normal self.

Geoff watched Justin for a little bit for me, so when I came back on the scene Geoff told me Justin was in "rare form". Meaning, Justin was in to everything and never still. I just laughed and told Geoff, "that is the normal Justin".

Overall, we are all doing much better. Geoff and I are trying to get back into the mindset of a 2 year old. Going from having an 8 year old as the youngest to having a 2 year old, has been a big challenge for us. I now remember why MOPS was so important to me when my kids were that small.

Just wanted to show off a picture of our family that was taken last week.

Dentist Visit

Well, it was that time of year for our whole family to visit the Dentist. This time we had a new family member with us. So for the occasion we brought the camera to capture his first dentist visit. He actually did very well for them there. It did help a lot that there was a TV on the ceiling with cartoons on. I (Karey) didn't get to see him during his visit, instead I was having my teeth cleaned a couple of chairs down. So my lovely daughter Mandy went with him and took the pictures. It did take a little coaxing to get him to open his month, but once the lady demonstrated what she wanted him to do, he was good to go. The dentist stopped by at the end of his cleaning to see his month full. So the verdict was, my little Russian has 2 cavities. Now we are trying to debate where to go to get them filled. My dentist suggested a pediatric dentist or bringing in an anesthesiologist. Most likely we will go with the pediatric dentist.

Justin overall is doing much better. These last 2 days we have had small 10 min battles. I find out today that he loves to dance to music. It was a lot of fun watching Joel and Justin dancing together today. I will have to video tape it next time to show.

Happy Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this season. Justin is doing so much better this week. We now average one major battle a day, which lasts about an hour. Tuesday it was bedtime, Wednesday going potty before bed, and yesterday it was nap time. Geoff and I put the kids to bed last night, then about 10 minutes later Joel came downstairs with Justin to say that Justin couldn't get to sleep. Geoff just walked them both back to bed and tucked them in. Justin was proud of himself for talking Joel into getting up. We have no idea how he did it, since he doesn't say much English, but he did.

We had unexpected (should have been expected) company on Tuesday, Jeff and Rhoda Phillips and his family. We had called them the day we got back from Russia, and they told us they were driving through and would visit. We'll blame it on jet lag and we didn't mention it to the kids, we forgot about their visit. On Tuesday evening we were finishing up dinner and the door bell rings. Low and behold our friends were standing there. Good thing they are really good friends. They got to see my house at one of its worst, and we had to go out to get them something to eat. It was so good to see them, though. Our kids were shocked and loved the visit. We all stayed up past mid-night playing games.

We didn't get to spend Thanksgiving with family this year. Geoff's mom was on call and my family took off for Florida to spend it with Lynette and her family. So we had a family from church over for food, fellowship, and football.

First full week at home

Now I know no one usually posts during the first week home. It is hard to find something positive to say. Justin has done so much better these last couple of days. The first several days I felt I told him "NO" all day long. The worst part was he would just turn around and smile, then do it again. He is definitely making sure that I stay consistent. Holding him in my arms for time out seems to be the best thing so far. He hates it and throws a fit for a very long time. It has been a challenge to keep his fingers out of the outlets and stopping him from unplugging everything.

Yesterday we finally had a really good day, we only had two battles, and he was very pleasant to be with. He really loves Mandy, she plays with him alot and they do very well together. Justin always tries to get Joel to build with him, and he is learning how to work together to get it done. Justin is figuring out that no one will take his toys away from him and he doesn't have to fight for everything. Melissa and Justin get along sometimes. She likes to act like a little mommy and Justin wants nothing to do with that, so they are trying to figure out how to play together.

Justin eats VERY well. He loves fruit and yogurt. Justin and Joel get a long very well when it concerns food. They seem to like the exact same thing.

Overall, we are doing well. It has been a big adjustment for Justin, but he is still learning that we are going to be with him forever.

How can I get out?

How can I get out?
Originally uploaded by akersgkajm

Apartment in Moscow

Here are some pictures we took while in the apartment in Moscow. This apartment was called the "White House Suite", because you can see the Russian "White House" out the back window.

Last days in Moscow

1st week at home

Okay, so I did not load any of these pictures in order. I am still learning how to upload pictures to a sideshow. Please bare with me. That is the reason to so many posts today.

Loving Home

We have now been home 4 full days and going strong. Justin is doing very well, and he is learning that when we say NO that we mean it. He loves to play the piano. Right now Melissa is playing the piano while Justin is singing along. He also loves to wash the dishes and build with blocks and Legos. He does not lack at all in his voice range. We call him our loud Russian.

We really don't struggle much with nap time or bed time. While in Russia we had several battles with it and won each one. I think that has helped us the most. He does throw some really good fits when told no, though. When possible we just let him let it all out and ignore him. When he notices no one is watching he quits.
I need to say thanks to Tiffany for the plate of cookies. They sure didn't last long!

Back in the USA

We finally made it home!! The flight from Frankfurt to Chicago had its up and downs. Overall, Justin did well for a 2-year old. He only slept about 2 hours of the 9 hour flight. For those of you traveling with a child, we did not have a problem bringing our bottle of Benadryl. We just made sure it was with Justin's carry-on in a plastic Ziploc bag. We did get questioned in Germany, but once they saw that it was for Justin, they had no problem with it. The flight itself was full, and our seats were not very comfortable. We had dividers between our seats that did not move. So we couldn't lay Justin out to sleep. Our flight from Chicago to MCI was most uncomfortable, due to the fact we got the very back seats in the plane that did not recline. Justin was able to spread out and sleep the entire trip. I am done flying for a very long time.

We were so grateful to sleep in our own beds again. We came home and all three of us went right to bed. However, we all woke up just a little after 5am. Justin is doing very well, he really enjoys Mandy, Joel, and Melissa. Now we need to work on his biting. He already bit two of the kids today.
Thanks so much for your prayers.

Travel

Lesson Learned
Always check the name of your airport
You can go 100 miles in 35 minutes
140 kph may not be legal, but it got us to the airport on time

Our morning started out at 3:30 am with our bags packed and waiting for the driver at 4:30 am. We had an uneventful trip to the airport with 2 hours to spare. Checked the flight status and noticed our airline was not even listed. Geoff looked at our flight information and noticed we were at the wrong airport. Our driver told us that the airport we need is 100 miles away, but we can try to make it in time.

The trip took 32 minutes at speeds in excess of 140 kph. We got to the ticket counter about 30 seconds before hearing “Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt check-in is now closing.” The ticket counter had no record of our e-ticket. We’re not sure what she and her supervisor did, but we finally got our boarding passes and were told to “make rush” to our gate. Another two kiosks to check our passports, log Justin out of the country, and we made it to the gate as the last few people were boarding. Thirty-four days in Russia were plenty, we were not looking forward to making it 35.

Justin did fairly well on the flight to Frankfurt. He played well most of the time, and the seatbelt came in handy when he didn’t. He fell asleep after we landed, for about 30 seconds before we disembarked.

Time to Go Home

Our interview at the US Embassy went very well. We met again the couple from Pennsylvania who adopted a boy from Justin's baby home. The backpack we brought for the wait in the Embassy was a hit with their child, David, and two others. They had not been warned about the wait, which turned out to be about two-hours. Justin was certainly the most rambunctious child.

There were about nine adoptive families interviewed today. The interview itself was simple and included more information than questions. We found out that Russia still has an active draft, and Justin could be drafted if he returns to Russia as a teenager. He is a dual citizen of the Us and Russia until he is 18, and then he can apparently choose to retain both citizenships or renounce one of them.

We walked to Red Square from the Embassy after our interview. It took a little over 30-minutes, and Geoff carried Justin on his shoulders much of the way. Geoff had noticed some very unmarked police cars and what appeared to be a surveillance van. Then, as we were walking along New Arbat St (a main street toward the Kremlin) the traffic mysteriously disappeared. Moments later BMW, Mercedes, etc, patrol cars, a black limo, and black SUVs screamed down the street toward the Kremlin. We are not sure who the limo carried, but when we got closer to the Kremlin police had barricades in many areas and were screening people into walkway leading to the Kremlin. We don't know what was going on, but it seems we weren't invited.

We leave the apartment at 4:30 tomorrow morning. Again, Justin chose the night before traveling to be difficult to get to bed. We hope he can be peaceful for the first 3 hr flight to Frankfurt, and then sleep during the 8 hr flight to Chicago.

We are ready to be home, and hopefully the next post will be from there.

Low key day

Justin got up earlier than usual today, so that resulted in a much needed nap before lunch. We told him he needed to go potty before we left to go outside. He decided he did not want to even try so he threw a BIG fit. After making him sit for a few minutes, I finally decided he needed a nap. He was out in 5 minutes! After nap time (2 1/2 hours later) we fed him and then took him potty. No problem at all, but it started all over when we tried to get his snowsuit on. He refused and tried his best to take it off. So I picked him up and put him in bed with the bedroom door slightly closed. He screamed and cried for a while then came out and still refused. So I put him back in bed again. After a screaming fit again he came out still crying and trying to take the snowsuit off the rest of the way. At this time Geoff and I were quite in the kitchen and out of sight. After a while he finally gave up and put his shoes on. Score one for the parents! Now we need to work on his inside voice. Geoff calls him the loudest Russian.

Justin understands Russian very well, he just does not speak any. Well, he does say "da" which is yes in Russian. On the English side, he understands: No, sit, potty, mama, papa, and shoes. Words he can say: Mama, papa and he has said Joel. Geoff keeps showing him pictures of the kids back home and saying their names.

Here is a picture of Justin trying to put his shirt on instead of taking a bath. Another battle that we need to win tonight.

PS Just had to tell you how our battle with the tub went. I took off his clothes and he screamed like mad. Put him in the tub with him screaming and crying, washed him and then dried him. He calmed down right a way. Put his diaper on for the night, then he decided to play in the tub water, now we can't keep him out of it.

Beef, Bacon, and Arbat St

We made it through another day, although today went very well. We all took a nice long walk down Arbat street. It had a lot of souvenir shops and restaurants. We saw a McDonald's, two Star Bucks and a Hard Rock Cafe. We were going to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe till Geoff saw the prices on the menu. He didn't want to spend $28 on a burger! We ended up eating at a place called "My-My" (pronounced moo moo). The picture of Justin and the cow is outside that restaurant. It was a cafeteria style place, so we were able to point at what we wanted. Geoff got some kind of side dish that really tasted nasty, but he insisted he eat it since he paid for it. Justin has been eating very well. He eats enough for an adult. Sure hope this doesn't last too long. He will eat us out of our home.

The long walk did Justin really well. He has so much energy it is very hard to keep up with him. He has definitely part of the family now. Geoff and I have already called him Joel a few times and Geoff has called him Ellis, too (our former dog's name).

We did manage to find a nice big grocery store. Food is so much more expensive here than even Krasnoyarsk. Six slices of bacon cost $3! The picture above has Justin playing with pots appearing to eye our six pieces bacon.

Good Morning

Our first night in Moscow will always hold a lot of memories for us. For dinner we finally decided on fried egg sandwiches, since we had purchased eggs, bread, milk, OJ, and refrigerated pizza. We had no oven, so pizza was a bust. Geoff started to search for oil and ended up finding a small wooded bowl with straight sides on a top shelf in the cabinet. It was full of salt and had no lid. Needless to say he ended up dumping the salt all over the floor and on Justin's freshly washed hair! We never did find oil, so Geoff had to run to the small grocery store for butter. He also managed to bring bananas too, which Justin really enjoyed. The (yes, the only) market employee knows Geoff by sight and seems to enjoy the challenge of the communication barrier.

Around 8 pm we turned out the lights and I held Justin till he fell asleep. I was surprised it only took him about 5 minutes. We laid him down and then went to bed ourselves. Justin woke up around 5am and I took him to bed with us and he went right back to sleep. It is now 9 am and he is still sleeping. The space heater is working very well and Geoff and I both feel well rested this morning. The weather is supposed to get up to 35 degrees today, so we hope to get out and see some sights. Right now Geoff is back on his research taking advantage to the peace and quite.

I was able to get Justin in the bathtub tonight with out crying. We found a cup for him to play with while standing outside the tub, then I picked him up and let him stand in the tub playing with his cup. When I saw that he was relaxed enough I sat him down. He really enjoyed the bath, and of course he figured out how to pour his cup of water out of the tub. So here is his bath time fun.

Justin just woke up, so now it is time for breakfast and a brand new day of excitement.

PS, yesterday we finally found a Subway-like restaurant that specializes in baked potatoes. The favorite topping seems fish. Geoff ordered cheese and bacon for me--Justin ate most of it.

Melt Down

As a warning, this post is long. Read at your own risk (to you schedule).

The morning started off at 3:30 am in order to catch a ride to the airport by 4:30 am. The drive for the most part was uneventful, although we did figure out that you must pull up close to the parking ticket machine (at the airport) for it to give you a ticket. When we had been seated on the airplane for about 15 minutes, Justin was already getting antsy. The first hour of the flight was a bit tense, he was talking very loudly and kicking the chair in front of him. The airline gave him a "junior pilot" backpack with some fun stuff in it. The markers were a hit, till I finally had to take them away, he kept dropping them and the kind lady behind us would pick them up. He also had marker all over his hands. After a crying fit, we decided on some good old medication. They served breakfast on the plane, which looked like dinner to me. Justin would have nothing to do with the food, for that matter I didn't eat much either. After about 20 minutes, Geoff took him to the bathroom and walked him to calm him down. By the time they made it back to the seats Justin looked exhausted. Within 10 minutes of holding him he was fast asleep. We laid him in the seat between us and he stayed their till the plane was ready to land.

We arrived in Moscow @ 8am. Our rep met us and ready to whisked us away to the Embassy. Whisked may not be the correct word, it took nearly two hours to get to the Embassy because of Moscow traffic. Geoff and our rep filled out paperwork en route, then our rep presented our documents to the Embassy. We got an invitation to return on Monday at 2pm! After that we headed to the "American doctor" for Justin's physical. Not sure why it is called the American clinic, they all spoke Russian (the doctor did speak English to us and Russian to Justin). We had forgotten the medical was included in our fee to our adoption agency, so we were glad we didn't have to spend the $500 in cash.

The doctor gave Justin a good health report and told us not to spoil him. The doctor called him the drama king. After the medical our driver took us to the apartment that we booked on our own. Let's just say the day went downhill from there. By this time we were all very tired and hungry. We walk into the apartment and were surprised that it looked nothing like the pictures advertised on the internet. Our room was called the "White House Suite" because of the view of the Russian White House (Parliament). We can see the White House from the balcony by looking to the right between 2 apartment buildings. This suit is definitely dated, and the worst part for me was that it is very cold. There was no way to turn the heat up, so we decided to go out to find something to eat. After walking about almost an hour we finally found a reasonable place to eat. Our apartment building is located in a ritzy area, and the British Embassy is just around the corner from our apartment.

The weather here is below 30 degrees. After eating we decided to head home and get Justin to take a nap. There are four doors between the street and our apartment. We got through the first three, and Geoff couldn't unlock the fourth, the inner door. The apartment manager had told us that the maid would prepare Justin's bed this afternoon, so we had assumed she had locked the inner door. He called the Agency with the apartment and they sent someone to open it. Needless to say, it just needed a big shove, it doesn't lock.

The melt down started when Geoff told Justin to go potty. For some reason he screamed and cried, after 5 minutes of nothing Geoff decided to put him in a pull-up. That really set him off, and by that time I was very tired and cold. So I took off to the bedroom for my nap while Geoff held a screaming child. Justin never did fall asleep, Geoff said he was almost asleep when he door bell rung and the maid arrived.

We have free internet (really good connection), free international calls, a washing machine, and a kitchen. During this time of thinking, the door bell rang and the guy from the agency had brought us a heater!! Geoff calls the heater my new boyfriend. I am never far from it! Geoff was going to take Justin out to a grocery store for some food. We got Justin dressed and ready to go, I had planned to stay and take a nice hot bath. I guess Justin has never gone anywhere without me, Geoff got him out the door and he stared crying hard. So I kept him at the apartment and gave up on my bath. Needless to say the grocery store near us is VERY small (smaller than our living room. Geoff came home with juice, milk, eggs, bread, and uncooked pizzas. When we decided to eat supper we noticed we don't have an oven. So now we have to think of something else.

Go West, to Moscow

In less than six hours we are leaving for the airport and then to Moscow. Justin just fell asleep 30 minutes ago, so tomorrow is sure to be an adventure in more ways than one. We should arrive in Moscow by 8 am. Then we check into our apartment, apply for Justin's US visa (he is not yet an American citizen), and then he has a medical exam. Justin is still a Russian citizen, and we got his passport today ($150). His passport pictures were about $18 (490 roubles).

We'll post again once we are settled in Moscow. For now, good night, and enjoy a picture of Justin outside today.

2-Years Old

Justin is certainly a two-year old boy. His plan today did not include a nap, but it did include finding everything we had forgotten to put above 5-feet high. Fortunately, nothing is broken.

Justin cried when we left his baby home, but after a few minutes and some Cheerios he was sitting back observing everything his little eyes could take in on our trip back to the apartment. After lunch and an attempted nap we decided to meet Todd & Lori at the mall. Apparently, children must be seated when on the bus. The fare taker scolded a teenage girl who then reluctantly gave her seat up to Karey and Justin. The weather was much too cold to walk.

The mall has two play areas and escalators! He loved both. He is not the least bit intimidated by moving stairs and could have spent all day on them.

It is now just after 7:30 pm, and Karey and Justin are sleeping. Quiet time for me to work on my dissertation. Good night.

Gotcha!

Alot has changed today, both for Justin and the USA. The US has elected a new president, and Justin has a new name, new parents, and a whole new family. He is currently learning how to use a remote. We are going to try to get him to take a nap. We just had lunch, next is potty, then nap. Right now, a nap sounds great.

Gotcha <12 hrs

After complaining about the wet soupy mess, it is now all frozen over. It was a cold day walking downtown, but it was nice to get out of the apartment. For anyone coming to Kras bus 71 goes from Karl Marks St (behind Hotel Kras) to Planyeta Mall. It is about a 20 min ride. Bus 71 also returns to Lenin St and then Karl Marks St. It costs 11 roubles each way. It also travels to 9 Maya St, for those visiting the Jones' church, although it turns right two blocks before the church.

There are several bronze statues throughout the city. Here you see the two of us hanging out with a lady we found at a street corner. In another picture Todd and Lori demonstrate what sardines would feel like on a city bus, and the final picture is of the Jones' family.

Today was Kevin Jones birthday. We stayed with their kids while they went out this evening. They have great kids, and we enjoyed our time with them. Jessica's carrot cake was delicious.

We get Justin tomorrow. More to follow...

Gotcha Day Tomorrow!

We are getting so close to gotcha day now that excitement is in the air (along with the snow)! We didn't do much at all yesterday, Geoff worked a lot on his dissertation while I watched movies. In the evening we went out to dinner with the Kippers. The restaurant had a lot of pictures, so that made it easier to order.

Today we plan to take the bus downtown by Hotel Kras to do some shopping and sightseeing. It should be a lot of fun, today is a Russian holiday "Russia--the family" day. There is suppose to be a parade, and downtown should be packed.

We do have a prayer request, a friend of ours just found out that her son has internal bleeding. The couple is due to travel here for their 2nd trip next week. Please keep them in your prayers.

Geoff had mentioned the inaccuracy of Accuweather. Fortunately for us, it is usually warmer than Accuweather's reported current conditions. For instance, Accuweather reports 26 degrees, while the TV says it is about 32. It has snowed every day for almost a week, but there has been no accumulation. The snow melts into a soupy, muddy mess.

Dinner with Lenin

We went to church with the Jones' again this morning. Sunday School started at 10, and the service was at 11. If we were to go again, we would just go to the service. The man teaching Sunday School interpreted the sermon highlights during the service, but we had no clue what was going on during Sunday School. We also got to participate in the Lord's Supper with the church. The worship leader asked when we were leaving Kras, and he said we would see each other again...then pointed up. He is right. We serve the same God.

This evening we ate with the Kippers, Oleg, and Sveta. The restaurant had a traditional Russian name that is not translatable, and Lenin and Soviet Union symbols were everywhere. The portrait above Oleg's head is actually a print of Lenin.

The picture of the restaurant's entrance has an American "stop" sign on the left. That is the first one we have seen, and we didn't see it until posting it just now.

We pick up Justin Wednesday morning, and we get to post actual pictures of his face then. Until then, you have to look at us.

American Food?

We realize we did not post yesterday. We did get to see Justin again, and Karey is visiting him now (Saturday). We had not expected to be able to visit, but we think our driver wanted to disco with her friends and needed some extra spending money. I (Geoff) am in the apartment working on my dissertation. It's not going well, so I am updating the blog.

Yesterday Karey went shopping with the Jones' (missionaries here in Kras) for boots for Justin. We rode the bus for the first time. The 1 hour walk turned into a 9 minute ride. It only cost 11 roubles (a taxi is 200). Remember the song "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round?" In Russia the wheels refers to the steering wheel. Karey's arms were sore from holding on to the hand rails, because we had to stand and the driver handled that bus like a sports car.

Last night we finally got to play spades with the Kippers. Tonight we plan to go bowling with them. The Planyeta mall has a cinema and bowling alley on the second level and a food court. There is a KFC and an "American Food" stand in the food court. The "American" food looks nothing like anything I have seen in America, and when Kevin Jones told that to the cashier she said it wasn't Russian either.

It has just started snowing enough that I cannot see across the river. BTW, don't trust the Accuweather forcast (or even current conditions) that we have on our blog. I don't know where they get their info, but the forecaster should find a new job, maybe at the American Food stand...

Karey just called, and I am going to meet her at the Kipper's apartment. Until tomorrow...

First Outing

Today we took Justin to get his passport pictures taken, and it was his first car ride. He was very quiet and only his eyes moved. We had a caregiver with us the whole time and she talked him though everything. Getting his picture taken there was scary, but he made it through without crying. When we were finished the caregiver gave him a cookie and that made him happy.

Geoff was amazed by the Russian camera. The first pictures were taken with a digital camera, but the second set were taken with an old wooden camera on cast iron tripod on casters.

Yesterday the couple from Pennsylvania told us their experience on the playground with their son and the other children. One girl was especially mean and had pushed and bitten their son to get "Momma & Papa's" attention. Her name was Marcia. Today we met Marcia. After the pictures we got to take Justin to the playground at the orphanage while other children were playing. Without being properly introduced, Geoff called Marcia by name. She kicked and bit other children to get attention. I so wanted to take her home so that she would feel loved and wanted. We got a glimpse of what bulling goes on. There was lots of pushing, kicking, hitting and biting. We will have to keep an eye on Justin when he plays with other kids back home. Both of us were usually swarmed by children, but Geoff always had a large group following him. Men that give them attention are probably rare, and they must know that we are momma and papa. How can you explain to a two-year old child that they were not chosen?

Today was the hardest day to leave Justin at the orphanage. He just stood there staring at us as we left. We can't wait to keep him for good.

On another note, we have learned that we are very thankful for our police force in the US. There was a fender bender outside our apartment around 8:45 this morning, and it was still in the street when we left at 9:40 with no police in sight. The police had just arrived when we got back at noon. Apparently, it is not uncommon to wait up to six hours for the police to arrive for an accident report. The report is necessary for an insurance claim.

Comrade

We met a couple from Pennsylvania at the orphanage today. They are waiting to pick up their 4-year old son on Saturday. Justin and their son enjoyed playing together, and they obviously knew each other. They are both dangerous with plastic golf clubs!

We found out that we get Justin on Wednesday. We would get him Tuesday, but Monday and Tuesday are Russian holidays. We are trying to get our flight out of Kras scheduled for next Friday morning. We plan to be home the week of Veteran's Day.

Veritas Fundraiser

This is a blatant solicitation to anyone in the Lawrence area who would like to attend a fund-raising dinner and auction for Veritas Christian School. The monies raised at this year’s event will be set aside exclusively for a Veritas Building Fund. For traditional reasons the event is called the Barn Party and is 21 November, at the Lawrence Holidome, and doors open at 6:45pm.

The tickets are $15 each. We went last year, and it was a nice dinner, and there are some good deals at the silent auction before dinner and the live auction afterward.

Karey and/or I will be attending, so please let us know by 10 Nov if you are interested.

Cheerios and Congrats

Todd and Lori had court today, and they are new parents!

Justin got to go outside with us today. The change of scenery was great despite the temperature. Although we did teeter totter and ride the merry-go-round, Cheerios were still the greatest attraction.

Geoff and Justin are in a small pavilion at the playground, and the playground picture is taken from the entrance of that pavilion.

Outdoor Flea Market

Many of the vendors sell the same stuff, and none of the merchandise has price tags. So far we bought Geoff a hat, Justin some stockings, and a shirt for me. We have walked away from several "10% off" deals.

Today we tried one of the food vendors. A couple of guys had things that looked like meat and stuff in a tortilla. We didn't know what they were called and ended up with a breaded and deep fried hotdog. It was nothing like a corndog, and would have been much better with some relish and ketchup--at least it was only 18 roubles (<$1).

The first picture has our apartment in the background, on the left. Notice how fat the pigeons are. We're convinced they work in gangs. Some distract he food vendors while others grab and scram.

Another day down

Today was fairly uneventful. Last night we ate with friends from Kansas who are also on their second trip. Todd and Lori are adopting from a city about two hours from here, and their court date is tomorrow. We'll let them acclimate to the time change before we challenge them to spades.

They arrived Saturday evening and had trouble sleeping. At 2am they found the KU-Texas Tech game live on one of the 13 channels we receive--too bad it wasn't a better game.

We visited Justin today and Geoff snapped this pic as he was coming out of the caterpillar tunnel.

Harvest Sunday

Today we walked 3.4 miles to a Russian Baptist Church. We walked because we didn't realized Russia daylight savings time changed a week before it does in America. We were up an hour early, so why not walk instead of paying for a cab?

Geoff had searched the internet for American missionaries in Krasnoyarsk and came up the the Kevin & Jessica Jones. We managed to get in contact with them through Skype. Anyway, today we got to meet them, they are a really neat family with five kids.

Today they had a special harvest service with visiting churches and lunch afterward. We recognized the tunes, and a parishioner translated the scripture references for us. The meal was simple mashed potatoes with meat and gravy and a mixed vegetable dish. It was wonderful--the best meal we have had in Russia! However, one of the men gave Geoff a piece of cake with "forest berry" topping that was very bitter, and even he did not like it.

Kevin & Jessica's website is www.siberianjones.com, if you are interested in their ministry. We hope to eat with them sometime this week.

9 days to go

The count down starts today for getting Justin from the orphanage. We can't see him on the weekends, so we have to wait till Monday. Geoff and I walked to the outdoor market today and bought tights for him. We have to have tights to get him. On our walk we took some pictures of the apartment building we are staying in and the outdoor market, so enjoy this little bit of Russia.

And then there were four......

We are now proud parents of 4 children!! The judge was satisified with all the paperwork, and approved our request to adopt Justin. The 10-day wait was not waived, and the judge very sternly told us "no one guaranteed the court would have no delays". However, she actually smiled when Geoff stopped her as she was leaving and said, "Vasha Chest, balshoi spaseeba," which means "Your Honor, thank you very much."

We still cannot post pictures of Justin for privacy reasons, but here is a glimpse of our new son. He will fit in well with our kids, and they can't wait to meet him. We also think Justin will recognize them from the photo album we show him every day.

Thank you all for your prayers, and we look forward to all six of our feet touching American soil.

Court Tomorrow! Fried Potatoes Today

We finally have some good news--we have a court hearing on Friday at 11am. Our reps are really postive of the outcome. Now we are just praying for a miracle to have the 10 days waived.

Here is a typical day for us in Krasnoyarsk:
6-7am wake up and talk to the kids via skype (this is the highlight of my day)
9am-10am wait for a driver to show up and take us to visit Justin
Noon- eat lunch (today we bought potatoes and fried them)

In the afternoon Geoff studies while I watch a movie, read, or play computer solitaire. We often take a walk to the market or one of the nearby malls. Yesterday we bought Geoff a corduroy driver's cap. He now looks like an official Ruskie.

Often we eat dinner with our coordinator or other adoptive American families, but since our friends left yesterday we are anxiously waiting for Todd and Lori to arrive Saturday. I hope they like playing spades!

Wednesday

We really don't have much news to post today. We did go and see Justin , he is doing very well. It looks like the rash he had is gone, now he just has a cold.

Our rep. called us this evening to let us know that the judge does like our documents, but that she would not give us a court date until she has consulted with another judge. So we are optimistic that we will have a court hearing on Friday. We also asked if the 10 days could be waived, and the judge says she doesn't have a problem with it, but the prosecutor will. So keep us in your prayers.

It is very encouraging to see how many people read the blog. Thanks so much for checking in on us and praying.

Let it snow...

It continues to flurry. There is about half an inch on the ground and it is still gently falling.

All of the documents are complete, and our rep will meet with the judge tomorrow. Apparently, she is cordial outside the courtroom and is sympathetic to our wait. We will update you tomorrow as soon as we can.

None of this has escaped God's notice, but sometimes we wish we had 20-20 foresight.

Peanut Butter

No adoption news today, we are still waiting for a document to be submitted to the judge.

But we did find peanut butter today. For those of you who are traveling to Krasnoyarsk soon, you can find the peanut butter in the same building as "Peppers". The grocery store is located on the bottom level in the Komodor Mall.

Otherwise, the weather today is very cold with some snow flurries. We are heading out to say farewell to three American families leaving for Moscow. Till next time....

Snow flurries

The first picture is of our "vault" door, the next one is of the trash receptacle on each level in the apartment building. The last picture was taken outside our kitchen window, it is an overpriced flee market.

The weather here is very cold, in the low 20s I believe. We woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground this morning, and there were light flurries all morning.

Today we went and saw Justin again. He comes to us very easily now, the caregiver lets go of his hand as they walk down the hall and he comes right into our arms. We brought the colored pencils and a coloring book with us today. He spent most of the time taking the pencils out of the box and putting them back in. We also made the mistake of letting him search through Geoff's backpack. He found all sorts of things 2 year old are not supposed to have--coins, flash drives, pens, etc. On our next trip we will bring the backpack we bought for him, which we know it is baby proof.

Last night we had Kirsten and Rob over to visit. (Today is their gotcha day!) We went to a pizza place called Peppers, played cards and ate cake at our apartment. They were a blast, and time flew as the girls stomped the guys in spades.

I have attached a picture of the door to our apartment. It is a double door, with a nice wooden door inside a vault door. We feel like we are in Fort Knox.

We have not heard anymore news about a court date. As of Saturday night, there was just one more document needed.

The three families we at with last week are leaving this Wednesday (including Kirsten and Rob). However, there is another Kansas family arriving on their second trip this weekend. We are looking forward to spending some time with Todd & Lori. They are bringing peanut butter!

Things I have observed

OK, I will will warn you right off that I am very bored right now. Geoff is trying to write his proposal while I stay quiet and think.
Earlier today, Geoff and I took a 20 minute walk to Planyeta Mall. Our mission was to find: tortilla chips, peanut butter, crayons, and a coloring book (the last 2 items were for our visits with Justin). We seached the mall and grocery store for these items and only managed to find the coloring books. They had a big selection of colored pencils, chalk, markers, and paint. So we went with the colored pencils. We have been told that peanut butter is very hard to find here. It is more of an American food, and I just had to start craving it while here! It is really funny to shop for shoes and purses. The color selection is practically limited to black and they like really large purses.
I have found that I am more of a picky eater than I thought. I have become more like my son than I want to admit, pizza has become my favorite meal so far.
Looks like we get to go out this evening after all. Just got a call from our interperter to go downtown and see some sights. I will sign off for now.

So you had a bad day...

We are sorry we have not been able to post or return all the kind emails we have gotten since court. We have not had internet since Thursday night (no one paid the bill).

We had court yesterday, and the judge was still not satisfied with the government's effort to track down Justin's mom. She is not convinced (legally) that she abandoned Justin. It is a long complicated story involving three hospitals, a mysterious apartment number, and an appearing passport.

In any case, the government has to get responses from three hosptitals and investigate the apartment building Justin's mother listed as her address. We hope this will be completed early next week with our next court hearing on Friday, at the latest. Assuming the judge is satisfied and rules in our favor, our ten day wait will start after that hearing.

Meanwhile, Geoff continues to try to learn Russian and work on his research, and Karey has already read all of her books and is now working on the movies we brought.

Thanks for your prayers.

Court Concerns

We just learned of a new concern our about court hearing tomorrow. We can't go into details, but please pray that God grants us favor with the judge. These issues are nothing our agency or representatives here in Kras could have foreseen, and they have really put in the extra effort to meet the judge's requests.

We did get to see Justin again today. The past two days he has been a different boy. Apparently his caregivers had raised his anticipation for our first visit, and he was over-stimulated even before he got to us.

He sat with us looking at our family photo album, played golf, and ate fish crackers. He did find out that Momma isn't a push-over. He took some of her papers and she would not give him any fish crackers until he returned the papers (after he took a bite out of them).

Thursday Morning

Geoff and I finally managed to sleep from 9:30pm - 5am. We had help staying up later last night. We met with three other American families for dinner at an Italian place called Mamma Roma's. It was so nice to be able to hear others' adoption journeys. Unfortunately for us, they will be leaving next week for Moscow, and they are more than ready to go!

Our visit with Justin went very well. He was in a much calmer mood. On Monday he was over stimulated, and it is hard to entertain a two-year old for two hours in one room. Yesterday we were with him for an hour and a half and we went through the picture book of our family. He sat still for about thirty minutes looking through the picture book and playing with a plastic bug. Karey would wind up the bug and it would spin and make noise. He also loves to climb and play golf. There are plastic golf clubs in the room, and they seem to be his favorite toys. Although, he tends to get carried away and starts using the clubs like a baseball bat. We tried clothes on him yesterday. He wears about a size 4t in shirts and 2t in pants. He did not like to try on clothes at all.

Our interpreter just called to tell us we will be picked up in 40 minutes to see Justin again. More to come later...

Wednesday

We have had a lot of people ask us about our 10 day wait. After court on Friday, if the judge gives us the "yes, we can adopt", the 10 day wait will start on Saturday. Right now we have flights to leave here on the 30th of October. The 10 dsay will end on that Tuesday, that is when we can apply for a passport. It usually takes 3-4 days to process. Our reps are going to see if we can get it by Thursday (our flight leaves in the evening).

Thanks so much for your prayers. We got to see God work in many ways yesterday. This was the first time a social worker never showed up for a court hearing. The head of the social services could never get a hold of her. Our rep begged and pleaded for another social worker to fill in. When they found one, their was documents to be notarized giving this social worker permission to be there. So we were thankful that our court was delayed till 2 yesterday.

Today we plan to go to the orphanage and visit our boy, then try and visit with other American adopting families. We are going to try and visit him every other day. It costs us about $40 a day to see him.

We are slowing getting use to the time change. We managed to stay up till 6:30pm and sleep till 3am. We will try and stay up later tonight.

Keep those prayers coming!!

Delayed

We arrived at the courthouse around 11 am to be early for our 11:30 hearing. The social worker was not there, and our representative had not been able to contact her in the last two days. Without a rep from social services our hearing would have to be postponed. The two hearings before ours went much longer than planned. At 1:30 we received a call saying a replacement social worker was on her way and that our hearing would start at 2. Our prayers had been answered.

Our hearing was tense. Geoff introduced himself in Russian, and we answered questions from the judge and prosecutor for around an hour. During the questioning the judge showed no emotion and was curt, at times. After our questioning we thought we were in the clear. However, there were problems with paperwork outside of our (or our representative's) control that resulted in the conclusion of the hearing being postponed until Friday.

Subsequently, we found out the the two families before us also had their hearings postponed. We had heard that this judge was the strictest. I don't know if she was having a bad day, but ours certainly could have been better.

We don't yet know if this delay will affect our return date, so please keep us in your prayers.

The Apartment

The two primary advantages of the apartment over a hotel is we have a kitchen, and it is $50-$100/day cheaper. Our apartment is on the 9th floor of one of four apartment building surrounding a quad with a small playground. There is also a paved drive around the edge of the quad where cars are parked using a shoe horn. One of the buildings has a grocery store on the ground floor.

Geoff would like to go for a run, but we haven't asked if it is safe. Just in case, he packed a jump rope. The fact that we have a double door to the hall that can be triple bolted is not encouraging.

A major disadvantage to the apartment are that we don't know if there are any Americans near us.

FYI, the sunrise is beautiful this morning.

In Krasnoyarsk

We left Moscow @ 8:30am and arrived in Kras at 5:15pm (4 hour flight & 4 hour time change). Dascha met us at the airport and then took us to the grocery store. We are staying in an apartment,and it is much nicer than I had expected. The building itself is old, as are most apartment buildings in Russia, but the inside of our apartment is modern. I love the closets the most. If we ever build, I would want these.

I forgot to mention that while we were at the hospital getting our medicals done, we were waiting with a couple and a single man who were adopting (from a different agency). The single man is a TV producer in Hollywood. His most recent show is "Kath and Kim". He is adopting an 11 year old boy--small world after all.

We did very well with our luggage. Your carry-on is not included in your weight. On our way over here from the US we were 2lbs over in one and 6 in the other suitcase. Leaving Moscow for Kras, we took out our heavy stuff (books) and put them in our carry-ons. So to the clarify the weight, it is 44lbs (20 kg) per person for check luggage only.

Today we are suppose to meet with our interperter and then head to the orphanage to see Justin. After that is lunch and then a meeting with the Minister of Education. Tomorrow is court!

Thanks so much for your prayers.

Medicals are finished!

Getting into the Hospital parking lot is very easy for Americans. All the driver has to say to the gate guard is that he has Americans with doctors appointments. Getting into the hospital you are suppose to sign in and state why you are there. Not so for Americans. We just go up to the window and say we are Americans and go right on in. It is due to the money we pay for the appointments. We pay $750 each (36000 rubles). We completed our adoption this month, so our medicals were last month. There is really nothing to the appointment. We both went in at the same time. They told us to take off our shoes, socks and shirts (bra stays on!). At this time there were 5 doctors in the room. Our interpreter was behind a screen. We were asked if we have had any surgeries, injuries and such, then one doctor checked our reflexes and eye coordination. Another one listened to our lungs and took our blood pressure. The others just sat and observed. Next came the psychologist(she also represented the oncologist), she asked what education we have completed, what we do for a living, when did we first drank alcohol, and how often do we drink. We then stepped outside the office and waited about an hour for the other adoptive parents to complete their physicals and for our documents to be signed, and then we paid. Remarkably, we saw the dermatologist after we had our documents were signed. He just asked us if we had anything removed from our skin. Then we left and headed for the hotel. Before leaving the states we had already had our X-rays and blood work done. So we just presented them to the doctors. Honestly, I am not even sure they looked at the X-rays. I think just knowing we had them was good enough. Anyway, we are stuck with them now. Geoff said we should frame them at home. The whole visit lasted about 10 minutes, but we waited about an hour for the finalized documents.

We are now on our own. Geoff has a headache (due to lack of sleep) right now, so he is trying to sleep. We plan on going out to eat later.

Moscow

We made it to Moscow, arriving at our hotel 3pm Friday (6am at home). We have slept a couple of times for a total of about 6 hours. This morning we got to tell our kids goodnight 4am using Skype. In Moscow we are 9 hours ahead of home.

Our flights went well. Just had 2 delayed flights out of 3, but we were still able to make all our flights on time.

Today (Friday) we have a medical appointment at noon. We were told that it could take 3-4 hours (with all the waiting). After that, we are on our own till Sunday when we leave for Kras.

So far, it looks like we have only forgotten a converter for our hotpot (thank goodness the hotel here had a hotpot in the room).

Thanks for all your prayers.

We leave tomorrow

I finally have time to write an update. Everything seems to happen at once. My mom (Pat) arrived safely on Sunday morning, and she has been taking care of the kids while I run around getting ready to go. Here is a list of what I have been able to get done:

Visas came in yesterday!
Photo album for the judge
Got the van fixed (engine light came on Saturday)
We received our absentee ballots (voted, notarized, and sent)
Paperwork is together and ready to travel (including 3 years of tax returns)
Plane tickets for travel within Russia purchased
Bought a hot pot
Purchased a back pack and some toys for Justin (for the plane ride home)
Got cash
Made a schedule for the kids at home
Received a winter coat for Justin (Thank you Nikki R.)
Received a snowsuit and lots of winter clothes for Justin (Thank you Tiffany E.)

I am sure I left something out, but that gives you an idea. I still need to notarize a medical POA for my kids and the ballots, and finish packing the suitcases. A friend of mine reminded me that our luggage weight for the flight inside of Russia is only 44lbs per person and that includes your carry on. We will take our bags by Geoff's office and weigh them to see how we are doing today.

Our flight leaves at 10:55am tomorrow. We fly to Chicago, layover in Germany, and finally stop in Moscow. We did get refundable tickets, since there was not much difference considering that we may have to make changes to our return tickets.

Not sure if I will post again before we leave, but I plan to post in Moscow.

COURT DATE!!!!!

We have officially gotten our court date and travel dates today. Our court date is Oct. 14.
Here is a run down of itinerary:
Leave US on Oct 8
Arrive in Moscow on the 9th
Do Medicals on the 10th
Leave for Kraz on the 11th
Court on the 14th
Leave for Moscow on the 30
Leave for the USA on November 4th

So far we have applied for our visas
gotten flights to Russia
got flights for my mom(Pat) to here

Things to do:
Photo album
Hotel reservations
Blood work
Cash
Pack
Power of Attorney for my kids here

Please keep us in your prayers. I am so excited to be able to give you all good news!
Now a few personal notes:
Stephanie and Lori- we will be waiting for you all in Russia!
Kris and Joe-hope to see you in Kraz, I lost access to your blog.

No News

Just wanted to let you know that we have not heard anything yet. All we know is, we are suppose to know of a court date by the end of this week.

On a side note, we had some missionary friends visit us over the weekend. Tom and Shelia Shidler are missionaries in Mexico and the US. We so enjoyed their visit and company.

Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to wait.

Tuesday

My sister (Lynette) had her baby on Saturday. A very healthy looking boy. With a head full of hair. We are so happy for her.

On the adoption news, nothing really new to post. We hope to hear of a court date this week or next. The judge is on vacation till the end of Sept. So the wait continues. Thanks so much for your prayers.

Good News

Got a call from our rep saying that we are done with the paper work. YEAH!! As soon as our rep in Kras gets the mail in his hands, he will get us a court date. It should be in Moscow on Tuesday and they overnight it to Kras. So we should hear something on Friday.

Just got a call from my sister (Katie) saying that Lynette (my younger sister) is in labor! What an exciting day.

Last Document !?

Although we thought we had made our last trip to visit the Secretary of State in Topeka, we made another (final?) trip today. We have hope that this is the last document needed to apply for a court date in Russia. We are still told to expect to travel in early October.

Meanwhile, Amanda is the team manager for the Jr High volleyball team, and Melissa and Joel are enjoying their Spanish class. Justin is now 2 yrs and 8 mo old. Everyone is looking forward to getting him home.

Prayer Request

I would like for each of you to pray for a friend of ours that is in the process of adopting. She traveled to Russia and had her court date. All went very well, but as you know, the verdict isn't finalized for 10 days. During her 10 days of waiting, the birth mother has come forward to claim her son. (She gave him up at birth and has had no contact with him since, almost 3 years.) After all this, it looks like my friend has lost her son. She really needs our prayers.

Glimpse of Light

We received an email from our Russian translator, Sveta, requesting one final document. We got it notarized and apostilled today (another trip to Topeka!). We hope by overnighting it to St. Louis that our last document will be on its way to Russia tomorrow.

Sveta said she expects us to have a court date in late September or early October. As soon as they get our document they will submit for a court date. Given that, we should know what our travel plans are next week!

Finding Humor

Friday we received our last document (I-171), for which we have waited for seven weeks. Our celebration was short lived when we noticed my (Karey) maiden name was misspelled. So we called Nikki (rep in KC) for help. Today we received an email version of the "corrected" document. Needless to say, this one had even more errors. Geoff's name was misspelled along with our address. I laughed so hard at this! Thankfully, we were able to get a corrected document. Thanks so much for your prayers. Now we just wait for a court date.

No News

Just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about the blog. We just don't have any news to share. We had such high hopes of hearing something last week and this week, but never did.

We do have 1 document that we are waiting on now. (have been for 7 weeks now) We are praying that we get it soon. After that, Russia should have all the documents they could possibly want. Right?

Please keep us in your prayers, it is hard not to get anxious and worry.

See how God works!

When you are going through a trial, you really don't see why delays and things happen. For the last 2 weeks I have been wondering "Why did we lose our court date, don't You want us to bring our little boy home?" Well, I got an answer to the first one today. Here is the Why....

IF we would have kept our court date, we would leave on the 3rd of September. Which would have been fine if we had all our important documents. We did receive our KBI reports this week, but we did not receive our updated Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) form permitting us to bring an orphan into the US. At first we were upset that it had not arrived, but we found out the why and can see how God worked this all out. The lady who takes care of the orphan documents was in a car accident. She was in the hospital for awhile, then was moved to the nursing home. Due to her unexpected absence a work, the CIS has had to find someone to take her job and figure out what to do. Since we have not recieved this document we would have had to cancel our flights and court date.

We still have no idea when we will get a new date. Please pray that it will be soon, and that we will receive our CIS document.

A recap

Last week was really a tough week to get through. We went from having a court date one day and losing it the next. Overall, we are hanging in there. As far as we know, the documents that must be in the judges hands for a court date are on there way to Russia now. We have 2 documents that we are still trying to get here. One is from immigrations (which we have been waiting for, for 4 weeks now) and the KBI. We were told that we should get a new court date by the end of the week. I will update as soon as we know.

On a lighter note, my brother Tim and his wife Marcy, with their 2 girls, stopped by for a visit last week. We really enjoyed seeing them and having dinner together. Sure hope my cooking doesn't scare them off from visiting again. I really overcooked the broccoli. Sorry!

One day at a time

We are truly learning what it means to take things one day at a time. We received another call today from our rep in telling us Russia is asking for another document. We needed to do another Power of Attorney for our translator to submit our documents to court. Do you get the feeling that they are just making up documents for us to do? I have had to get so many documents apostilled this week that the ladies in the Secretary of State know me by name.

Bad News

We are learning that adoption is not for the weak or faint heart. Got a call today saying we lost our court date. The judge wants our petition to court in hand before our court date (both Russian and English version). We just received our translated copy today. We got it notarized, apostilled and mailed today. Now we just wait for a new court date. Please pray that we will get it soon.

Document update

On Friday I got 16 documents mailed off to our reps in STL. Now we are just waiting on Russia to send us our petition to court (translated into English), and the KBI (Kansas Bureau of Investigation) to send us our background check.

We are hoping to get official travel dates this week. The sooner the better for our air fare. Today's prices per person is $1200. This is all looking better every day.

A rollercoaster week

Good news, we will get to keep our court date IF we get all the documents, except the KBI report, to them by the 25th. They will allow us to hand carry our KBI report to Russia. This is a BIG miracle for us. Thanks so much for your prayers.

I was able to find an MD to see the kids this Friday. My goal is to get all the documents apostilled right after the doctors appointment and in the mail to STL office. The sooner Russia gets them, the sooner we get travel dates.

Till next time.....

It will take a miracle

The good news is that we got our petition to court!! It is in Russian, but it should be translated this week. Bad news is that the FBI background check we sent off for yesterday is not good enough for Russia. We tried to get fingerprinted for the Kansas background check today, but we arrived at 4:02, and they stop doing fingerprints at 4--no exceptions. We will go first thing in the morning to get it taken care of. We need all of our documents in the mail to Russia on the 25th, and the Kansas background check has consistently taken three weeks. CHI is going to try to get ours expedited.

Other document updates:
-Kids medical: Russia didn't like our family DO, so we had to find an MD to sign off on the kids. Got the appointments for next week!!
-Real Estate license: Got them today!
-Home study update: Needed to add a statement about our first trip. Our social worker is working on it.
-Poverty Line statement for Kansas: Will receive with the homestudy.
-Power of Attorney for our translator: Working on it.
-Letter from CHI about their Kansas license: CHI is getting it.

Document update

Geoff and I managed to get our FBI request form sent off today. Please pray that we get the document back early next week. We must have all our paperwork in the mail to Russia on the 25th in order to keep our court date. Otherwise, we would have to reschedule.

Thanks so much for your prayers!!

Good News

We have received a pre-scheduled court date for Sept. 9th! No travel dates yet. Hope to get them next week.

Prayer request:
Pray that we are able to get our documents completed in time for court.
Russia is in war right now, please pray that that won't effect our adoption.

Anniversary

Today, Geoff and I celebrate 14 wonderful years of marriage. He really surprised me with a one night getaway. What I thought was going to be a dinner date turned out to be a getaway. Thanks so much Daniel and Wande for watching the kids!!

I was reading over my old posts and realized I forgot to mention that we have a new CHI rep in the STL office. Our agency is going through a lot of changes due to fewer adoptions, stricter restrictions from other countries, and of course, the economy. We now have Leslie as our CHI rep. We got her a few weeks ago. She used to be on the China team and was recently moved over to the Russia team.