Wedding Bells Are Ringing

Hello Everyone,

We have had a very good day. We started out with our usual routine; breakfast at 8:30; taxi at 9:00am and then off to the orphanage to visit with the boys. The boys are about to go stir crazy. None of the kids have been able to go outside and play because of the rain and being too cold.

We wrestled; played and the boys ate pears. Today I gave them sugar free gum to chew to see what they would do. They both chewed it but it was a little hot for Micah (spearmint). Luke spit his out and wanted more but when we wouldn't give him more he whined to his caregiver (see picture above) and she went and got him more. Oh well, that's the language barrier. Micah got in trouble several times but in the end he always ends up laughing and gives us both big kisses.

We left the orphanage and started hearing car horns blowing. There were cars behind us going to a wedding. On top of the car are wedding rings and rest is decorated with flowers and streamers. They were bringing the groom to the wedding. Tola pulled over and told us to take pictures. There were actually 3 weddings going on. We got there just in time to see the groom carry out the bride and kiss. Everyone was holding up flowers instead of blowing bubbles or throwing rice. I have another picture of the traditional wedding bread called korovay. I will have to add that picture later because the button for adding pics stopped working.

We went to a toy store that Melissa and Rick found. It was really neat and the toys are pretty cheap. We got a few more things for the boys so they will have plenty to play with when we get back to Kiev.

We left the toy store and went to the supermarket (see pictures above). There are 3 stories. On the 1st floor there is a cell phone place, ATM's and a supermarket. You cannot carry anything into the supermarket that you bought somewhere else or carry in a backpack. Ladies are allowed to take in their purses. You have to lock up your things in a locker. There are security guards standing up from to make sure you don't bring anything in. You have to purchase bags or brings them with you like our Aldi stores. After you check out you can bag everything and go to your locker to get anything you may have locked up. On the 2nd floor there is an electronics store. This is where I bought me a hairdryer for about 12.00 American dollars. They have clothing stores, jewelry and a health and beauty aids store. On the 3rd floor there is a casino and restaurant.

Mom and Betty- we have added a picture of Tola our favorite driver. Don't fight over him ladies!

Tonight after dinner we went out from to see a little puppy that was in a box in the vestibule. She looks like a lab. Melissa fed her some mystery meat and she gobbled it all up. She has 6 toes on her back feet. I don't recall that being normal. We will try to get a picture of her tomorrow if she is still there. Also, a cat came up and James stratched her head. She wouldn't go away. She was so pitiful because she could not even meow. While we were sitting there several people kept coming outside and everyone was trying to feed the puppy. A man came out and said something to me in Russian and grabbed my hand to help me stand up. I don't know if he was saying I was getting dirty or if he was saying my backside would get cold but as I was wiping off my pants he brushed his hand across my backside to help me. I was gropped by a Russian senior citizen. We all laughed about it.

Well it's time for bed and James is sitting here trying to get one of the boys toys to work. We think we realize now why they were acting like they did not want us to buy it at the toy store. Also, why it was marked down 20 grivna.

Aultman's- I can picture Las Brisas and I can't wait to go there when we get back home. I miss Mexican food!

Jon and Pam- Let me know about the Auburn game. I hear you also have some news.

FWC- We miss you and wish we could be there worshipping with you tomorrow.

Chris G- James keeps trying to pick you out a girlfriend.

Love and miss everyone,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Feeling Much Better

Hello everyone,

Let me start out by saying a BIG thank you to everyone that prayed, commented and called. Pastor your calls always mean soooo much to us. I began feeling much better not too long after you prayed for us. My cold is better and I give God all the glory. We are also feeling much better about our court date. Sometimes life throws you some curves but God is right around the corner to straighten your path. We will go to court on Monday at 9:30am which will be 1:30am Alabama time. Natalya will come here Sunday and we will go thru some questions they may ask. Don't worry I have given James strict instructions to only answer questions and not to elaborate. (ha ha, that's a little joke for everyone that know him very well). We will start our 10 day waiting period on Tuesday. On the 11th day we can pick up the boys and then we get their passports and medical exams. This usually takes 3-4 days (as long as there are no missing signatures). We thought about getting the taxi driver's signature, the girl at the supermarket and someone from the pizza parlor to sign something. Just kidding!

We are hoping to be out of here and on our way home by October 8th and maybe sooner.
Also, a word of advise for anyone planning a trip to adopt and you are flying Northwest they have an adoption discount. We did not know this and they are saying that since we did not take advantage of this when we arranged our flight we cannot get it now. So be sure and ask about it when you plan your flight.

There are several pictures today of people we interact with on a daily basis. The lady in the white coat with me(and my red nose) is over the dinning hall. She is so sweet. She came by one day and James had not eaten his carrots and she pointed to her eyes and told him to Kushai(eat). While I was not feeling well I did not go eat and she told James (by motioning) to take me something to eat. The lady in the pink sweater is the Assistant Director at the orphanage. She is the first one we met on our first visit. She is so sweet and attempts to speak English to us. She is actually getting pretty good. The lady in the red sweater with red hair is the accountant here at the hotel. She will hunt you down when it is time to pay. She was not very friendly when we first started staying here but now that she has learned we are adopting she smiles and is very friendly. You will notice all the grivna on her desk. That is our rent money for the next week. We go in and point to a calendar how long we will stay and she writes us a receipt. Also notice the board they use for counting.

Today we went to visit the boys and it started out with Luke watching Buzby and eating peechyana (cookie). I went downstairs and got Micah as he came back from dance class. When he arrived on the scene it became very noisy and of course he starts wrestling and screaming with James. The director came in and said something to Micah. Next thing the Assistant Director came in and told the boys to come with her. She also wanted us to come with her. I said "See James you got us in trouble".
She took us to a big playroom with lots of nice toys and said "Play". The boys had a blast. This is where they hide all the good toys. They ran from toy to toy playing. Luke loved a computer that was shaped like a turtle. Micah kept playing with a metal top. They both took turns on the rocking horse. Luke got out a Dr's kit and took everything out then placed all the pieces right back where they belong. He is so smart! He also took all the magnetic numbers and letters and put them on a board. He was so proud. Meanwhile; Micah was busy taking the batteries out of a toy to see how it worked. Again, Mr Inquisitive.

Today was the 1st time the boys saw James without his goatee. They didn't even notice. Maybe because it is already starting to grow back. Yeah!

The pictures of all the woodwork are handcarved and are in the 1st room of the orphanage. They have so much detail and are beautiful.

I must tell you we have learned to have fun on our cab rides. One of our regular driver's Tola carries on a conversation and we have no idea what he is saying. We finally figured out today that he was saying he is a grandfather. One was just born yesterday. James sits up front and makes up things. This morning Tola said something and James replies yes I've shopped at Dillard's but I've never worked there. We all just laugh and have a good time and Tola laughs with us.

It is still rainy and cold but Praise God we finally have heat. I actually hang our clothes over the heaters in our room to dry. Don't worry they heat with hot water only so nothing will catch on fire.

Good news for Melissa and Rick. They will have their court date on Friday the 26th. I so glad we have had each other to lean on.

Moms- thanks for your phone calls and supporting us yesterday. You don't know how much it means to us.

Kenny- James is looking forward to a bar-b-que when we get back. Just promise us no mystery meat! They even put it in our soup today. Yuck!

Again, thanks to everyone who has commented. I wish we could email you back but we pay for the internet by the minute.

All our love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

No Court until Monday

We are saddened to say that we will not have our court date until Monday. It seems once again there is some other document that needs to be signed. This document is just to say the SDA does not have to be present at our hearing.

I can honestly say we are going thru a whirlwind of emotions right now. I have stayed in bed all day due to being sick. James stayed with me due to the Polcia encounter yesterday. We had Natalia to called the orphanage so they could explain to the boys why we would not be there today. We have prayed all day and were expecting to hear that we would be going to court tomorrow. Instead we find out due to one other form that someone did not get signed means we have to wait another 3 days. This means that it adds 3 days to our stay.

I know all of you are praying for us but tonight especially we need your prayers. We will not give the devil a foothold to bring us down but right now we are both needing some TLC. It's one of those times that you just want to climb up in your mommy's lap and have a good cry. We love you all and cherish your prayers and comments.

Open Up It's the Policia!

I guess I should start out by explaining the 1st picture. No, you are not seeing things. That is James! What started out as trimming up his mustache and beard turned into shaving it all off. He messed up his mustache so he decided he would try something new. Needless to say I have never seen my husband without his goatee so this was a little bit of a shock to me. He plans on growing it back but I think he looks younger. At least I was honest about why he cut it off. I could have said he has gone crazy!!

Now to explain the title of today's blog. I have a cold again and was not feeling very well so I did not go out to the orphanage today. James had been gone about 10 minutes when I heard a knock on the door. I asked who is it and they said "Policia". I thought maybe they had the wrong room. The 3 of them showed me their badges which meant nothing to me since I cannot read Ukrainian. He asked to see my documents. I told them I only speak English. He said passport please. I showed them my passport and they wanted to know why we were in the country. I explained we were here adopting children and we were waiting on a court date. He said ok and they left. I went and looked out the window and saw all 3 get back into their car. I was a little shaken and had no way to contact anyone since James had the phone. Finally Melissa and Rick came back from visiting their son and we called James. He in turn called Sasha. Sasha felt everything was ok and that someone here at the hotel was just wondering why we were here so long. You can only stay in the country 90 days at a time so I guess they thought we had been here that long. It sure does feel like it. Anyway everything is ok and we did not get interrogated by the KGB.

When James arrived at the orphanage the kids were all upstairs watching a magic show. James was able to go in and the boys came to sit with him. All the kids were dressed up and each received a balloon. James said all the kids were clapping but Micah. He sat there like he was trying to figure out the tricks. He is inquisitive and wants to know how everything works. There is a picture of a real pretty little dark haired girl on here that I would also love to take home with me. She always comes up and gives us a hug.

After the show the guy came out and asked James if he enjoyed the show. James was surprized because the guy spoke Russian during the entire show. He said to the guy you speak English and he said I hope so since I'm from the United States. They were here with a group called helpthechildren.com.ua. He is from San Diego.

James was able to go back to Luke's room and get a couple of pictures of him by his bed. He gave Luke a cookie that is chocolate over marshmellow. He took a picture of him picking off the chocolate and eating it first. Luke was very sad that Papa was leaving so James had to call Natalya and get her to explain we would see him tomorrow. He understood and gave James a kiss and said Paka (bye). I was happy to hear that at least Luke asked where I was. Micah is always too busy to notice things.
James said he went downstairs to say bye to Micah and he never looked up from his balloon he just kissed him real quick and said Paka.

This moring our taxi did not show up so we waited a long time and Natalya had to call us another one. While we were waiting one of our regular drivers (Tola) came in to the health resort to get some type of treatment. He could not believe we did not have a taxi so he tried to call us another one. We told him we needed to go to the pharmacy to get medicine since I was sick. We pointed at my throat. Before I knew it he was taking me to the back past what looked like exam rooms. He took me to a nurse (at least I think she was) and pointed to a machine for a breathing treatment. He said something to the nurse and she grabbed a mask. I said nyet, nyet, nyet. (no, no ,no) I don't need a breathing treatment. Tola was just trying to help me but we all had a good laugh that I almost got gassed.

Our papers did not get signed at the SDA today so we are praying that it gets done tomorrow. We need to have our court date by Friday or it will extend our stay by another week. I don't think we can take 3 more weeks. We just want to get home and bond with our boys and see our family and friends. Please be in prayer that it gets signed tomorrow. We know God will not put any more on us than we can handle but we need to get home!!

Kenny, Martha, Allison - thanks for your comments!

Mom- tell Kyle we show his "brothers" his picture and repeat his name to them.
Grandma- we are told you are opening up a toy store. Ha ha

We love and miss you all!

Penny, James, Luke and Micah