Threefold Blessings :)

2011-08-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

our little Haddy

2011-08-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

This is my amazing family minus the one in the belly not yet out.

2011-08-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

More of You...

2011-03-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

Less of me. Set a fire down in my soul God. I want more of You. Your ways are perfect and Your love so true. I hold Your treasures and I am in awe of Your goodness.

"I will give you treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." Isaiah 45:3

Happy Birthday my beautiful Bella! You are a living example of God's unfailing love. Never forget who you are Princess.

Grace

2010-10-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

Christmas baby!

more presents :)

fairy princess

so happy

big bites!

the Christmas Eve wave

mommy and daddy

Our big little 4 year old!

our 4 blessings :)

Some things are simply easier said than done, but it's a new year and time for me to face my blog. I hate to admit it, but I haven't even been able to look at it in the last few months. It's silence however, has been screaming at me for quite some time. Truthfully, it has always been my desire to be very honest about our journey together as a family. So many times in this life people hide the difficult stuff, trying to pretend everything is okay, either so people won't judge or condemn them, or maybe just because nobody likes to admit failure. I don't really know. But I do know that in some of the most difficult and darkest moments of my life, God has done some of His best work. And His work is something I definitely don't want to hide, it's something I want to display. It is in this spirit that I openly share my heart.

When I wrote my last post, I had absolutely no idea what would soon be staring me in the face. I knew August would bring with it a big move and changes, but I had no clue just how many other changes there would be in my life. Details aren't important, and many of you already know them, but my marriage hit a crisis. Actually crisis is putting it rather mildly. In just one week, my life crumbled in front of me in so many ways. I have never felt so alone, abandoned and betrayed. I was faced with some very difficult decisions that would in many ways define my family. I had so many questions and so few answers. With only One place to turn, I ran to the Creator of this family. You see, you can't possibly go through all the paperwork and travel halfway around the world to adopt three children with special needs, come home and NOT see the hand of God move. He moved so MANY, MANY mountains to get our children home. He revealed His heart to us time and time again during our trip. Truly if you think you haven't heard from or seen God move in a tangible way in your life, I urge you to travel the road of adoption. I guarantee you will see nothing short of miracles. So with the knowledge that God hand picked these children for our family, I also knew that God hand picked my husband to be their father, and my husband. Even though I couldn't see it, I knew I just had to cling to His promises, knowing that His love for me is far greater than anything I face. And I can say that once I took my stand before my Father, again I got to see His hand move in a very dramatic way. He is bigger than the betrayal, stronger than the hurt in my heart. In my sorrow, He gives me strength. I am never, nor have I ever been alone. Thankfully, my God is in the business of restoration AND resurrection. I am seeing it in the lives of my children and now in my own marriage. Since restoration takes places in the heart, it truly is a process, and not always an easy one. This is by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and I'm sure my husband would say the same thing. It's not a road we travel down alone, and we trust that the One who is leading us knows what He's doing.

Now on to the exciting stuff:

Tati, Ana and Eli are doing amazing! I love watching them change and grow. I just can't believe these three are the same kids we brought home! Tati has started speaking more. She now says mama, daddy (didi), and bye. Of course she is really starting to pick up the first sounds of certain words, so I'm sure there will be plenty more from our chatty cathy soon. She also loves to give hugs and kisses.

Ana just turned four on Christmas Day! She went from not moving at all at the orphanage, to climbing, standing, scooting, crawling, cruising and now walking with a walker or holding someone's hand. We are really working on her confidence right now because I know she CAN walk on her own, she just won't. She also said her very first words yesterday....mama and ba (bye) while waving! Beyond that, she no longer rips her hair out (an awful orphanage behavior), and has become a much more GENTLE child. Oh, and I almost forgot, she can now feed herself! Her poor little face is rosy red and chapped from all the teething she is doing...4 teeth all at once keeps her fingers in her mouth constantly. We still have a long way to go with her chewing, but we are so very proud of how far she has come in the last seven months!

Now little Eli, he is also doing really well. He makes eye contact much more with us and really seems to know we are "his" people. He is CRAWLING, which is amazing considering the fact that he would randomly fall over from a sitting position at the orphanage because he lacked the strength. He does have a SERIOUS temper, but we are working on that one! ;) Eli has also made great improvement in the area of eating. He will chew and bite off food and with help can feed himself. So proud of my little man!

Of course, I can't forget to mention my little Bella baby, who is just getting so big! She is such a GOOD "big" sister. I just love how she loves her brother and sisters. We do of course have many, many moments, but generally speaking we are just so blessed. Our kids are awesome. And speaking of kids, God has seen fit to give us a "surprise" blessing. I am beginning my second trimester, so this summer we will welcome another brother or sister to the family. I know poor Eli is really pulling for a boy with all these girls in the house! Honestly, I am just constantly amazed at how good and how gracious our God is. He always gives us so much more than we deserve and He is always more than enough.

Love Story

2010-07-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Daring Duo

Papa and Bella Baby

Can you hear my mommy crying?!?

She can't believe her baby is big enough to ride this!

Chef Ana

Little Drummer Girl

Feed Me Mom, I'm Cute

Disney Dream PJs (thanks Gramp!)

Little Big Sis feeding Big Lil Sis

Ana's masterpiece

giggly girl

as soon as you look away mommy, I'm gonna try to eat this crayon

ohhhh Nana and Gramp - thanks for the ball pit!

livin the life

pucker up

Playing in the kitchen

Yes, we are alive and kicking!!! Posting has definitely had to take a back seat. For this mommy, juggling is something I'm still trying to get the hang of...splitting my time between four children is something I struggle with - mommy guilt is such a crazy, but real thing! It definitely isn't easy, but it is sooo worth it. Looking through these pictures of the kids, I was flooded with just how much love God has for these sweeties, and for each one of us. I know when I look at them that His love is unfathomable. He moved so many mountains to bring us to them and them to us. Our adoption story is truly a love story...a story of His love. I can't begin to describe how many times I questioned His plan. The night before our "gotcha day", I was filled with doubts. Seeing the needs of our kids and the affects of years of life in an institutional setting. How in the world would we become one family unit? How in the world would everyones needs get met? How? How? How? I'm still not sure of how He is doing it, but somehow it all fits. Each child fits. Somehow they belong, we belong - one family unit. Now that's not to say it's all roses, because it's SO NOT. But we have children who feel comfortable enough around us to whine and holler and throw temper tantrums, which is HUGE! Slowly they are learning to trust. We still have screaming and pinching and hair pulling. But we also have giggles, dancing, and LOTS of silliness! We also are fortunate enough to see a little girl, who just 2 months ago spent her entire life in a crib, who at the age of 3 and a 1/2 couldn't even crawl, now STANDING and CRUISING around the coffee table, and CLIMBING in and out of our ball pit. She also has used her first sign! Our Ana amazes us each and every day. I have no doubts she will be walking soon! And Elijah, our boy who at 2 and 1/2 was locked away in his own world, barely able to hold himself in a sitting position (we used to prop him up during our orphanage visits because he would just randomly fall over), or make eye contact for long, having to make sounds and pull/scratch at his ears till they bled just to cope...this little boy is starting to come out! Eli's core has strengthened and he can sit now without falling over! He can do sit ups and bear weight on his legs!!! He knows what the more sign means and is starting to do better with eating at the table (he has really struggled with the idea of sitting as a family and eating - he used to just scream and scream). He reaches for us and smiles at us when we pick him up and he makes eye contact so much more! And Tatiana is more and more a typical 2 year old with definite likes, dislikes and lots of attitude! She's my crazy toe breaking (yes, she broke my toe but it was an accident!), music loving, silly, stubborn girl who just happens to love food and bathrooms (oh the fun you can have with a roll of toilet paper and a potty full of water - ewwwwwwww). This mommy is tired but overwhelming blessed! :)

Long Overdue

2010-06-07T17:31:00.001-07:00

elmo in the front carrier

tati the tornado

ahhhhh :)

sweet baby cakes

soooo excited!

smiley

eli's close encounter with a frog

smiley boy (before his hair cut)

hi five ana

i loooovvve to eat!!!

just hanging out in the playroom

circling eli with the bells

Wow! I cannot believe it has been so long since I posted last. Time just seems to have flown by since we got home. And yet, at the same time, it almost feels as if our time in the Ukraine was all some very strange dream. It almost feels as if it didn't happen. But of course, we have three very loud bouncing bundles of joy to remind us that it did!

Life has been crazy hectic since we got home. It seems just as we recovered from our "Ukrainian" stomach bug (although my stomach still just doesn't feel the same), a much nastier bug took hold of our home. One that the kids managed to get through, but left me with a nasty bout of pneumonia. Yes, yes, I did say pneumonia...the stuff old people get. One shot in the rear end, some lovely steriods, another antibiotic, and I am beginning to feel like a human being again. We are praying that the month of sickness at our house is officially OVER!!! I'm certain I didn't win any mommy of the year awards recently...the tv was on more than I care to admit, but I would just like to know how in the world you mommies of many do it?!? I always thought it was hard being sick with one child...ha ha ha. Now with four kids, I have totally rethought that! :) It has been a "stretching" experience to say the least!

Beyond that we are also still minivan-less. Our minivan is in the shop...still...don't ask. It's an incredibly involved story. But the basic gist is our crew is homebound, because we only all fit together in a minivan now. So except for an excursion or two, one or two at a time, we have been home. Thankfully we have a pool, which has been a lifeline for our movers and shakers.

So, the kids seem to be adjusting really well. We definitely have our moments, but overall I think our angels are beginning to find their place, and their peace, in our home. It will definitely take time, but we seem to be working through so many issues, together. I hope to be able to share more in the coming days and weeks, our triumphs and our struggles. Such personalities in our house! But for now, I will just share some pictures of the kids...I think they speak volumes.

Two Weeks and Four Pounds - warning LOTS of pics!

2010-05-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

destruction of a playroom in 5 seconds

brotherly/sisterly love

look at me mom!

happy ana

i love watching her face change everyday

beautiful bella

ready to take on the world

tired from lots of swimming

jammies on and in the little house

ohhh...i love the water!

studly little man

is mom going to throw me up and catch me again?

i can kick like a big girl!

daddy and ana love

watch out daddy! i love to splash!

gianna the fish

tatiana the fish

swimming girls

i'm talking to you mom in russian...don't you understand me?

silly girl

i'm ready for gym class

now this is a REAL tatiana smile

woah! I've had gummy bears!!

ana on the move in her walker

okay, so ana loves the play knife in the kid's play kitchen set...scary?!? thankfully she also like the egg beater, so we think she's just a budding chef!

pretty girl

surprising but these two just LOVE each other...who'd have thought???

our little man eli

love eli's smiles and we get to see them sooo much more!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Each and every day I have the great privilege and honor of seeing this verse in action. You see, the only way to truly view exactly what Jesus did for us, is to participate in adoption. Watching the transformation of something the world viewed as useless into something so beautiful is absolutely, hands down, beyond words. Loving someone, making that commitment, not for anything they will ever be able to do for you, not even knowing really who they are or what you might end up dealing with, to the world is foolish. But this is exactly what Jesus did. He loved me and even died for me, even though I had absolutely nothing to offer him. It just plain doesn't make any sense according to the world's standards. And neither does adoption. I have to be really honest here and say that many times, throughout this adoption, I myself questioned our sanity. Adoption is scary. At times the fear seems overwhelming. But really, saving lives is scary business. And it boils down to this, yes it is hard and scary, there are just SO MANY unknowns, but YES they are worth it! Our children are worth it...every child is...every life is.

Each morning I get to see a little more of our kids former life peel away. I know it will take years to truly deal with the layers of neglect these sweet souls have experienced in their short lives. I fully realize that change, even positive change, is hard and painful. There have already been so many tears and I'm sure there will be many more. But I know that love is powerful. Not my weak, human, feeble love...the kind of love that loves for what it can get back...but the true love of a Father for His children. The love that doesn't come from my heart, but that flows from a heart that knows no limitations. A heart that beats in mine and uses my arms to cradle His beloved. So when fear overtakes my mind, and it does more than I care to admit, I rest in the knowledge that this is His plan. And I am overcome with gratitude that He would think so much of me, as to place such amazing blessings in my life and in my arms.

*** YEA!!! Anastasia and Elijah have each gained FOUR pounds since coming home!!! They both weighed in at a feeble 15 lbs, but NO MORE!!! Anastasia is crawling all over our house, trying to lift herself up on stuff, and uses a walker to explore! Elijah is kicking some in the pool and starting to wiggle around on the floor. We think once therapy starts, these guys will give Gianna and Tatia a run for their money! :)

One Week Home

2010-05-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Emotions

2010-05-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Sisters that poop together...stay together!

MMMM....ice cream high!

Beach Fun

The Beach Hut

Ahhh....paradise!

Kiddie Pool

Splishing and Splashing

Beautiful Bella

Tatia the Tornado

Sweet and Determined Ana

Little Eli

Yummy!

Pretty Girl

Ohhhh...carpet!

Pretty in Purple

As I look back over the last week, I am in awe of just how amazing our God is. I am humbled that He chose our family to go on this journey. And what a journey it has been. I have never before been so acutely aware of my shortcomings. I am so weak and my heart is so small, but He is strong and His love is unconditional. This adoption has stretched me in ways I never could have imagined. Last week, as we began our first days together as a family, my husband and I were so sick. Sicker than I can remember being in a long time. Gianna was still recovering and so my nights were often filled with rocking a throwing up two year old to sleep. The rest of our days/nights were spent caring for three scared, overtired, overstimulated children. I can never adequately thank my mom for all the help and emotional support she so tirelessly gave. Tuesday was by far one of the hardest days as George and I woke up VERY sick. In fact, I was very concerned that he would dehydrate, as nothing would stay in. Unfortunately this was also a very critical day for finalizing the paperwork needed to get home. If we were going to make our Wednesday am flight, we HAD to get our kid's visas. Somehow, someway my mom and I managed to dress the three little ones and get them to their medicals. It took lots of Emitrol and nothing short of a miracle to keep me from throwing up, both in the car and at the doctor's office. Fortunately, we got the best doctor there and our concern over something in Eli's medical history did not delay us. After two hours, we left and headed straight for the Embassy where Yulia dropped us off. She then headed to pick up George and Gianna, because throw up or not he HAD to sign off on the visa paperwork or we would NOT be making our flight. By the time she dropped George and Gianna off, several more hours had passed. The kids were DONE, we were DONE, and we had several more hours in the Embassy in front of us. At 2 pm we were told they were trying to get our visa's done that day but that we should pray. Of course, we were already praying just not to throw up all over the lady! Thankfully we did get all three visa's for the kids and all the paperwork we needed to get through immigration. After leaving the Embassy and heading back to our apartment, we fed all the kids and tried to pack up. Uncle Nicco was going to pick us up at 3 am to take us to the airport. At this point my desire to get home was somewhat dampened by my desire to curl up in the fetal position and cry. Already exhausted and now running a pretty high fever, I finally had to leave all the packing to my mom and husband. Still sleep did not come and the thought of the trip in front of us was absolutely overwhelming. Three flights, one of them over 8 hours long, only 1 hour to go through security and change plans in Frankfurt, a 7 hour layover in Chicago, and 4 children is enough to make a well rested, healthy person sweat. I will never forget how I felt as I laid in that bed. I knew God had called our family to this adoption and I knew that He was the only one who was going to get us home. So we did what we have done this entire process....put one foot in front of the other and trust that He will meet us where we are. Literally the entire trip home, we did that...just focusing on one foot in front of the other. And we were NOT alone. Every step of the way, His goodness and mercy followed. He placed people in our path to encourage and help us and even held an entire plane until we boarded. It was by no stretch of the imagination an easy trip, but we made it home! Of course, we weren't entirely sure that we would make it home even after we made our last flight. My husband's parents were so sweet as to drive our minivan to the airport and have it waiting for us. But on the drive to the airport that minivan starting bucking like a bronco. Nothing like a blown transmission to welcome you home! I can't complain though, because that minivan did get us home (of course the very next day it was towed away)!

The first few days home were nothing short of hard. We knew going into this that adopting children, with or without special needs, brings with it a whole host of problems. Orphanage behaviors such as rocking, biting, stimming, unconsolable crying, throwing, etc. Changes in diet, time changes, changes in schedules, changes in environment, whether good or bad, are hard to handle. Emotions piled on top of exhaustion and left us feeling overwhelmed. We were mentally prepared for this, but it was still really hard to walk through. Saturday was the first day where we really felt like we could take a deep breath. As brutal as it was, everyone is now on the same schedule. At the orphanage the kids were used to taking a 3 and 1/2 hour nap but didn't go to bed until 9 at night. Now no one is napping but everyone is going to bed at 7 and sleeping 13 hours straight through. Life is settling into a routine that works for our family. We know we still have a long way to go and we are by no means where we want to be, but heading in the right direction. And we are even able to enjoy the journey!

So, we are not sure yet what will happen with the memories we are left with. I think they are the most disturbing. Pictures of children so desperate for love, so in need of a family won't leave our minds. Stripping the clothes off the children at the orphanage was heartbreaking in a whole new way. The dingy old undershirts, the ratty old underwear. My daughter's tiny frame just like the pictures of the concentration camp survivors. How does this happen? Where is the church? Isn't caring for these children more important than meeting in a brand new fancy building? This orphanage struggles to provide for the 65 children we left behind. Bananas are an expensive treat the children rarely receive. And yet we have so much. I'm left with so many thoughts, but really just one question....WHERE???? Where are all the Christians? Because this is what is important to Him...

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

So that being said, I am really struggling with what we left behind. Don't get me wrong, I've never been happier to be home. I guess my heart is just much different than when we left. And really, that was my prayer before we left. I wanted Him to show me His heart and He delivered, in a very powerful way. Be careful what you ask for I guess ;)

Well, here are some pics of the last few days with the kids. Overall they are doing well. Each and everyday we get to see a little more of their old lives peel away. It is desperately hard to see how foreign soft touch and love is to our babies. They just do not know what to do with it. We know in time they will open up and allow our love to soak into their hearts. It just isn't something that happens overnight. And we are in this for the long haul! Today we loaded everyone up in the rental minivan and headed out to Sanibel Island for some beach time and ice cream. Needless to say, everyone is sleeping soundly tonight!

Thanks again to all of you who prayed us through this! We could not have done it without those prayers! Also, thank you dad for all your work around our house and the yummy goodies you left for us! And mom and dad Simons, thank you for all you have done to make sure we got home safely! We are so grateful for all the love our family has shown us!

Pics

2010-04-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

HOME Chips for Breakfast or is it dinner?!? - yummy (thanks dad!)

HOME Drinking milk with daddy

HOME scary mommy and two little ladies (the other two littles are still sleeping)

Ana's so tiny her jammies don't fit (GOTCHA DAY)

Mr. Man in his jammies

Belly Bean

Before Bed fun

First Bath - Eli

First Bath - Ana

First Bath - Tatia

First Bath - Tatia - note the lovely color of the water (that's the color it comes out of the tap)

Apartment in Kiev - Gotcha Day

Paka Paka Kirovograd!

Beautiful Kirovograd

Big Sister - Little Brother - Gotcha Day

Gotcha Day - Crazy Ride to Kiev - Tatia sleeping with Daddy

Gotcha Day - More Crazy Car Ride Pics

Gifts for the orphanage - diapers, blankets for the kids, chocolates/champagne for director

Gotcha Day - new outfits / last few moments in orphanage

After more than 24 hours of travel we finally made it home. There is just so much to share but until I can get some more sleep, I will have to let the pics speak for themselves. This week found my husband, myself and my mom very sick with four toddlers (at least they weren't all throwing up too) and so much to do in order to make it home. God is good though and somehow, someway He got us home. Updated posts will follow over the next few days.

Last Day in Kirovograd

2010-04-25T07:02:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from our last visit with the kids. Tomorrow morning our taxi bus will arrive at 8 am. We will then load up all of our stuff and head to the orphanage for the last time! We have all their outfits laid out and ready to go. Our children have spent the last few years as orphans, so they have absolutely no belongings. Everything from hair things to socks must stay with the orphanage. The plan right now is to be on the road by 9 am headed for Kiev. The drive back should take approximately 4 hours. Please pray that all of the kids (including Gianna) handle this transition well and that no one gets sick on the extremely bumpy, swervy and fast ride (last time poor Gianna had it rough). Please also pray that we will be able to get everything done at the Embassy quickly and that we will have no issues with the children's visas and medicals (we are a little concerned with a detail in Eli's medical history so please lift him up in prayer that we will not have any additional hurtles). Our flight is scheduled to leave Kiev on Wednesday morning at 5:35 am and we only have a one hour layover in Frankfurt, so there is no time to lose! Unfortunately there were no other available flights out until the 3rd of May. So we are doing what we've done this entire trip - completely trusting in God and His perfect timing! Thank you all so much for your prayers and words of encouragement. Please continue to lift us up as we enter a new chapter in our lives as we travel home and become one big family together. We will try our best to update our blog once we get to Kiev but we may not be able to...obviously our four little ones and trying to get home will take precedent.

Busy Saturday

2010-04-24T08:45:00.001-07:00

one of the lovely carpets George got yesterday

We missed our morning visit with the kids today because we just had so much to do. Katia met up with us and we hit the town! First stop was a children's store to pick up diapers (for us and for the orphanage - as our gift), wipes, shoes for the kids, and porridges. We then loaded back into the taxi and went to a different children's store in search of sippy cups, spoons, and "teas" for the kids. We also picked up another "leash" for Tatia - we have one for Gianna (thanks Auntie Joey!) and we thought it would come in handy at the airport (this way they can have some freedom and walk around but can't get too far!) After getting stuff for the kids we stopped at the photo store to get a picture of us as a family developed to leave with the orphanage (they have a book of all the adopting families) and then we stopped at the pharmacy to try to pick up some meds for little Eli. After speaking to his doctor yesterday, we found out he is on an antibotic that we need to keep him on until we can get him home and to our doctor. Strange thing about the Ukraine is that you just go to the pharmacy and ask for what you need...no prescription needed! There was a question about liquid or pill so Katia had to put a call into the orphanage doctor (so we have to go back to the pharmacy tomorrow) - Next we grabbed something to eat for lunch. Yummy pizza, borsch and beer! Last stop was the market to pick up some food and then we headed home. Gianna was DESPERATELY in need of a nap at that point. She crashed as soon as we got home and didn't wake up in time to make the afternoon visit with the kids. George and I visited with the kids and we came home to eat chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and peas....yummy! As I am typing this Gianna is busy packing up all of her stuff - too cute! I guess she has heard us talking about how we have to pack everything up tomorrow for our trip back to Kiev early monday morning! Here are some random pics from today...

this is pretty much what all the apartment buildings look like from the outside

cars

I think this is a garage?!?

Ahhh...home sweet home!

Please tell me this is NOT an ambulance :)

Driving home from the orphanage

First Family Meeting!

2010-04-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Here are pics from our first family meeting! Gianna and Tatiana immediately gravitated toward each other. It's like they knew that together they could rule the world...well at least our house ;) Anyways, Gianna enjoyed spending time with the kids but was slightly disappointed that they wouldn't follow her direction. We had to keep explaining to her that Tatiana does not understand English yet and that Eli and Ana can't walk around yet. We also finished up signing all the paperwork and spoke to the kid's doctors, so that Monday morning we can just pick up the kids and go. Tatia's doctor was really nice, however Ana and Eli's doctor just gave us a lot of attitude. You could tell she thought we were crazy and seemed mostly put out to have to

First Trip Out

2010-04-23T03:06:00.000-07:00

Eli

Tatiana

Anastasia and Tatia

This morning the kids took their first ride in a car since being dropped off as newborns at the orphanage. Katia, our translator, and Nick, our favorite taxi driver here, helped me take the three little ones for their passport and visa pictures. The orphanage had them dressed in all their winter gear. One would have thought it was snowing outside, not 60 degrees. Poor babies were sweating in the car! The kiddos did so well, but you could definitely tell they were trying to take it all in. I was so thankful to have the help of Katia and Nick. I've never seen a taxi driver be more helpful. He ended up with an armful of kids as we navigated down the stairs and in and out of the orphanage/car. He even helped hold up each child for their pics while Katia and I tried to corral the others. On the way back to the orphanage, despite our very best efforts, all three littles fell fast asleep. Since Gianna is NOT a sleeper, I must admit I was a little excited to see how soundly these three sleep!

While we were off doing passport/visa pics, George and a representative from the orphanage were at the bank closing out the kids bank accounts. Each child has a bank account that the government has been putting money into since they became wards of the orphanage. The thought is that if the child is not adopted, they will have a little something to live on once they become of age and leave the orphanage. The sad reality is that most children who never find a forever family later turn to drugs/alcohol and/or prostitution once they hit the streets. But nevertheless, it is nice that the government sets these accounts up. There is just no way of knowing exactly how much is in each kids account, but we agreed early on to give this money to the orphanage as a gift. This is standard for all Reece's Rainbow families adopting. Not only does it help the other children who are left behind, but it facilitates a better relationship for future families adopting those with special needs. And most importantly, it tells the orphanage that we truly value our babies for who they are. The interesting part about this orphanage is that they didn't just want us to hand the money over as a donation, but they had a list of things they needed. So after withdrawing the money, George has spent the afternoon riding in a large taxi bus with the representative of the orphanage, picking up all the things that they need. I'm not sure what all was on the list but there was some mention made of carpets (hence the large taxi bus!) In addition to this, we plan on buying a bunch of diapers over the weekend as our personal gift to the orphanage. We have noticed that they have a GREAT need for diapers.

Oh and as I was leaving today, I got to see another little groupa of little ones outside for a "walk" around the big green fence. Alysha, you are so right, they just stop and stare at you and it is SO heartbreaking. With the way they stop, you would think that I am a celebrity. One little boy said something to me as I smiled and walked by with Eli in my arms. Once again, I saw that little angel girl that is forever imprinted on my heart. She was not walking with the groupa, she was all by herself with one of the workers. She was closest to the gate and she just stared at me with this expression that said, please, please take me outside the gate! Oh how I wish I could save them all :(

Change of Plans

2010-04-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

We just spoke with our facilitator, Yulia, and there has been a few changes in our schedule. It looks like we will not take the kids out of the orphanage until Monday morning. Tomorrow will be another day of paperwork and passport photos for the kids. We will continue to have visits with them over the weekend and then spring them from the "joint" on Monday. We will then head to Kiev for our Embassy appointment and the kids medicals. Still on schedule to fly home Wednesday :)

Court (out of order post...scroll down to read first)

2010-04-22T02:36:00.000-07:00

At approximately 9:45 am (Ukraine), we officially became the parents of Anastasia, Tatiana, and Elijah!!!! We were picked up this morning at 8:30 am and taken to the court house in Kirovograd. Our favorite taxi driver in region, Nick, took us along with Katia our translator. Natasha, our lawyer, met us at the court house for our 9:00 am appointment. We entered a rather old building with huge ceilings and filed through a metal detector that I'm fairly certain hasn't been working in years. We then were stopped at the entrance to a stairwell to show our passports and write our names in some rather ancient looking book. Of course, in Natasha fashion, we were waved right through. I love being with her! She thinks certain things (like wearing brightly colored booties at the orphanage) are beneath her and so when you are with her formalities fall by the wayside. We were led upstairs and told to wait outside of a door. We stood there with our translator for about 15 minutes prior to being called in. During this time, our translator briefed us again on court, told us to expect lots of questions (because nobody understands why a young couple like us would want to do this ), and told us to be prepared for some strange, off the wall questions, like what kind of dog do you have? or why do you not just have biological child...are you too lazy? Apparently this judge had even told one couple that medically could not have children that the wife was just not trying hard enough! We find that being in the Ukraine never disappoints :) She also told us to hope the judge was in "good humor". Katia also prepped us for the fact that the prosecutor would probably come and that she would most likely say no to our adoption. Apparently she is known for saying no. No worries though, we were told the judge had the finally say. I must say that standing out in front of the judges chambers listening to all this made me really nervous! Finally our lawyer called us in and we all took our seats. There were two ladies sitting next to the judge, who didn't say a word the entire time. The official from the orphanage was there to read the verdict of the council and of course Natasha and Katia. Much to our surprise and delight, the prosecutor was a no show. Another lady from the orphanage was there as well, to state whether or not this adoption was in the best interest of the children. Court began with lots of sitting and standing (each time you are asked a question you must stand) and lots of formalities. Our petition was then read before the court and all the evidence showing that the children were legally free for adoption began. Again, it was so sad to hear how the children were abandoned and we even learned that Tatia's mom left a fake name, so that no one would know this was her child. Finally the part I was dreading began....questioning! Surprisingly, the judge only asked us a few questions. Why? How old is our biological daughter? What did my husband do for a job? What kind of medical care would the children receive? Then came our final question....The judge looked at us, paused and asked...do you believe in God? A loud resounding yes was out of both our mouths faster than anything. After all, He is the reason we are here. I think our judge could feel that this was not really his decision to make, but yet a much higher Judge was in charge. Definitely interesting! After the questions, Natasha showed him our photo book. I'm sure he didn't think I'd notice but I caught a few smiles out of our judge. Once he had looked over our book all of our dossier and paperwork (bound together by some sort of heavy string) was brought out and gone through. Every single agency (interpol, SDA, homestudy, medicals, orphanage etc.) was read through to ensure we had approval for "positive adoption." Both ladies from the orphanage stood, spoke about us and the children, our positive visits, and whether or not they felt it was in the children's best interest to be adopted. One lady from the orphanage almost had me in tears when she talked about how sweet the children were and how children with down's syndrome require love, love the orphanage cannot give them. Then the other orphanage official told the judge during our entire questioning before the council that we did not once refer to these children as "sick". Our lawyer then stood and raised the petition that our 10 days be waived due to the medical condition of the children and the volcanic situation. She really hammered it in that these kids need to get home! The judge then dismissed us all and said he would need to think about it. Back out into that old smelly hallway we went! Approximately three minutes later we were called in again. We stood in front of his desk as he read through "the verdict" - in the middle of reading it his cell phone started ringing with some really old bad sounding Ukrainian music and he couldn't find it to turn it off. When it stopped ringing he looked up at us and with this really funny face and said in english SORRY...ha ha I almost peed my pants!! He resumed his serious nature and announced that the children were officially ours and that our 10 day wait was WAIVED!!!! :) I must say, it was so very surreal! So, our babies are officially ours and we should, God-willing, be home on Wednesday. After court, Natasha told us that we were lucky to have her and this judge because they get along very well together. She has known him for years and this case to him was like going to the moon! I guess it was so strange to him that he just let us go! She said we were the quickest couple yet!!! Our God is truly awesome - thank you all for the prayers!!!

After our talk, George was whisked away with Nick, our taxi driver, and Katia, our translator, to drive 4 hours (2 hours each way) to get Anastasia's birth certificate. Apparently where she was born they have no heat (they burn wood) and no water...ha ha poor George!

Thankfully, Tatianna's and Eli's were here, in Kirovograd, so Natasha and I went to go pick those up and then we went to sign some other paperwork. The whole experience today was absolutely beyond words. When we picked up the birth certificate here, Natasha and I went into a really old building (that someone had to unlock and let us into), up the stairs (which I almost tripped on, but Natasha in her 4" heels managed just fine!), and then into a room that smelled like a nail salon. Apparently it must double as one, because on an ancient looking desk was even older looking nail polish and a lady doing nails...um okay?!? We went through a door, into a room with old children's wallpaper on the wall (patched with old flower wallpaper) signed a book, showed the court paperwork to a lady and then Natasha told me to leave and wait for her outside. We made one more interesting stop to sign paperwork and I was free to leave. One of Natasha's assistants (who doesn't speak english), drove me back to our apartment in a car straight from Soviet times, with a cracked windshield and a seat belt that was no longer attached and yet he insisted I put it on...strange, but who am I to argue with someone who doesn't speak English. He then drove me "home" while we listened to the Scatman (how old is that song?!?) and swerved to avoid potholes. I also got to see a dog taking a dump right in the middle of the road...nice! I must say that is much better than the dogs and cats we have seen getting "fresh" with one another all over town! I really think I will miss this place...it's like being in some really strange movie! So tomorrow at 9 am we are going to meet up with our translator, pick up some things for the kids, and then GOTCHA DAY at 10 am!!! The plan right now is to head back to Kiev around 4 or 5 pm tomorrow night. YAY!!!!! Please pray that our little Gianna is completely better by tomorrow. She has been struggling with a stomach virus since Tuesday, and while the puke fest has subsided for the most part, she is still just not 100% herself yet. :( And we have had no wash macheenin - as our landlord calls it - we have been washing by hand! The drive back to Kiev is a very bumpy one and even a strong stomach finds it difficult! Well sorry for the long post but words just don't do it justice! We are excited to get the kids and get HOME!!!!

Ours....Officially!

2010-04-22T02:23:00.001-07:00

Elijah Jacob Simons

Anastasia Hope Simons

and

Tatiana Faith Simons

A million little pieces...

2010-04-19T02:57:00.000-07:00

My heart feels like someone has taken a hammer to it. This morning, while we were waiting to be handed our booties and taken to our room, a tiny little girl, maybe 2 1/2 years old walked by us with a caretaker. She had really short hair and just kind of a blank expression on her face. First she walked by the Italian couple waiting with us (they are the only other family adopting from this orphanage right now), and then as she walked by me I smiled at her, held out my hand and waved. Immediately, she stopped and a huge smile lit up her face. She waved back at me and then she reached that tiny little hand and grabbed mine. Ah, for a moment we just stared into each others eyes. I immediately felt my heart break into a million little pieces. I instinctively wanted to scoop her into my arms and whisper mama, mama to her. We held hands for only a brief moment and the caretaker tugged her back and away they went down the hall. I just have not been able to get this little angel out of my mind since. I wonder what her story is, how she came to this place. She was so small for her age and just itching for someone to take notice of her. How I have come to dread visiting this orphanage. I know that is absolutely awful to say because that is where I get to visit with my babies everyday, but I just absolutely hate it. I hate everything about it. I hate that it has to exist. I know in my heart that these children are fed and clothed here and that most of the workers seem nice, but I just can't explain the look on these kids faces. They look like orphans. If you put them next to a child that has known the love of a parent, you would be able to spot them in a second. Yes their basic needs have been met, but the very most essential, love, they know nothing of. It absolutely rips me apart inside. I knew that this part would be hard for me. I just cannot wait until Thursday!

Our visit with the kids this morning was much better than yesterday afternoon. Tatya seemed excited to see us and she spent most of the visit with papa. She just absolutely adores him. She did give me a big hug at the beginning and she will blow me kisses, so I guess we are making some good progress there. I know we will see a huge change in her once we get her out of here. She definitely needs some guidelines because she is VERY strong willed (hmmm, now who does that remind me of?!?) Ana did really well today too. She loves playing with the stacking cups and when I walk her around she will kick the ball. I am constantly amazed at her desire to learn and her attention span. She did seem really tired at the end of our meeting today but I had her up and walking quite a bit which is obviously not something they do with her. Eli is really starting to feel comfortable with us now. He definitely knows his mama! He is as lazy as ever and just wants to be held and loved on. He loves feeling different textures on his face and has the best belly laugh! Ana and Tatya also love feeling different textures on their faces, so I would imagine this isn't something they are used to. Sad :( We haven't heard back anymore about the events of yesterday or when we will be able to take Gianna in to visit with the kids. I hope soon because it has been really hard for me to leave her during our visits. She does fine with it, but I am not used to being away from my baby that much!

Denied

2010-04-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

Our big family visit today with Gianna and my mom did not happen. Instead we were told by the nurse "kinder no", this of course confused us so we had to make a few phone calls. We were told on Thursday by our lawyer, Natasha, and Serge, one of our facilitators, that Gianna and my mom could come to the visits. When we met with the council on Friday, one of their questions to us was if our daughter had met the kids yet, so we were completely surprised today to be turned away. We immediately called our translator Katia who spoke with the nurse lady and the doctor. They told her that we needed permission from the orphanage director and she was not available until tomorrow (they have a different crew on the weekends). Katia was very unhappy and told us that Natasha (our lawyer) was going to have a few words with the director tomorrow. We also called Serge and he was more than unhappy with what the nurse and doctor had to say, but unfortunately he couldn't do anything until tomorrow either. He also told us that they didn't want us to bring food for the children anymore. We don't know what that is about because the director told us on Thursday that we could bring bananas or large cookies for the kids. We think that maybe Tatya didn't eat her lunch because Daddy gave her a few more cookies than normal at our morning meeting (he just can't say no to her pouty face!), but who knows? So after our conversation, Katia called our taxi driver back to pick up Gianna and my mom and we went on to visit with the children. I must say that after all that drama our afternoon visit didn't go so hot. Tatya didn't seem very interested in us this afternoon and had a few temper tantrums when we weren't able to share our usual snack. She knows what I have in my bag and where I have it, so she was NOT happy with us when we had to snatch it away from her. Eli and Ana seemed pretty mellow and our time with them was shortened because we spent much of our visitation time trying to figure out why Gianna couldn't come in. Oh well, hopefully all will be straightened out tomorrow and we can have our first family visit soon. Gianna handled not being able to see Tatya, Ana and Eli well, which I was a little worried about because we had been talking it up to her. ;) Sometimes being here is just so frustrating!!! What we saw when we left was really disheartening too. An orphanage worker, who looked like she ABSOLUTELY hated her job, was pushing a double stroller around the orphanage yard (literally going in circles) VERY slowly. Inside the stroller were two absolutely precious little ones (maybe 10 months old?). They looked so sad just slowly being pushed around. No one to love them, no one to snuggle them, no mama, no papa. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Suddenly I was just so frustrated. What a very sick world we live in. People spend money on new cars, vacations, huge houses...we have SO much. But here these precious children are just waiting, hoping, praying for someone to sacrifice and come and find them. I guess it's just so much easier to pretend they don't exist. And it's so much harder when their faces are imprinted in your head. I just pray that God would stir up the hearts of His people to be mothers and fathers. People whose hearts would break with what breaks His. People who would not be content with what the world says to chase after, but who would chase after the real treasures of this life.

15lbs

2010-04-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

15lbs! Can you believe this is what our sweet little Ana weighs?!? By the way, she is three and a half years old! I actually think she probably weighs a little bit less than this because when I hold her she has about four layers of clothes on her. How in the world does a three and a half year old weigh 15lbs!?! She is so unbelievably tiny and frail. Her hair is like a babies - super fine and super short. Her eyes and cheeks are sunken in and her poor tiny little mouth has only four tiny teeth, she also has a distinct smell about her. I just cannot wrap my brain around what the last three and a half years have been like for this sweet little angel. It just absolutely breaks my heart. We did have an amazing moment yesterday. We have learned in our short time with Ana that she is super smart (of course they have told us that she is the lowest function on the bunch)! She watches everything and then she tries to do it herself. I noticed this about her the second meeting we had - you just have to take the time to give her an opportunity to do it herself. So when the caretakers came in yesterday, the lady that came for Ana stopped dead her in tracks and her mouth just hung open. You see our little Ana was playing a little fisher price piano. And she was not just banging around on it, but she was carefully, thoughtfully playing it with her tiny little finger. This woman obviously never thought Ana was capable of doing anything. She just stared and stared. All three caretakers actually just stopped and stared and then shocked whispers began. You see we quickly picked up on the fact that Ana is not used to being in any of the rooms we have been taken to. She has spent the last three and a half years in a crib. I just cannot wait to see all that this little girl is capable of, the sky is definitely the limit. We just need to get this girl healthy!

Our little Eli also weighs in at a whooping 15lbs. He is two and a half years old and just a little little man. We think he probably weighed a little bit more than this before his bout of pneumonia in February based on a few of the pics we have seen. Eli is our lazy noisy little lovebug. We got to hear his big old belly laugh for the first time yesterday! He loves affection and attention but we have noticed he is super lazy!! He would much rather just be held and hugged then play or move around. Of course, I don't mind this a bit since the rest of my babies are movers and shakers. It just might be a little difficult for Miss Jan our kids soon to be occupational therapist. Of course, we also think some of this might be that he has not fully recovered from being sick. He's another little guy that will be headed straight for the doctors (actually they all will)!

Little Tatya weighs in at 22 lbs and by far is the healthiest of the bunch. It broke our hearts yesterday though when they brought her to us. Her shoes were probably 2 times too small. Those little feet of hers were just crammed into those shoes. I can't imagine how that must of felt. Every fiber of my mommy being wanted to rip those shoes off of her. Tatya is by far treated the best of the bunch. From what we have gathered she is in with "normal" kids. But there is something so profoundly sad about this little angel. I think it bothers me the most. You can tell she is used to getting attention, but it is sort of a sick kind of attention. They think she is cute and have taught her to wave, but in a way it's almost like going to a circus show...it's really heard to describe, but it is definitely not normal or healthy. We did have a bit of a breakthrough with our Tatya yesterday too. I snuggled her up close to me, took her in my arms and started dancing around with her. At first she didn't know what to do, but after a minute she snuggled in next to my chest and just stared at me. This is something I used to do with my daughter when she was a baby. I couldn't help but feel so sad. This angel never got to feel that closeness as a baby. Heartbreaking really.

I think now we really just can't wait to get our kids home. Visits with them are much harder than I imagined. We have such a short time with them, we have no control over anything about them (they are just brought to us and then taken from us), and emotionally we are just drained afterwards. We can't wait to get them home, get them healthy, and start making some memories together as a family. Well I'm off to get ready for the morning visit. We have decided to bring Gianna to the afternoon meeting with the kids. It's a little bit shorter and since we will probably be stuck inside today, we thought shorter is probably better. Also our little peanut was up late and up early...just in Gianna fashion! So I think a long nap is in order for her! Here is a video that we took of the kids yesterdays. **Blogger is not cooperating so I'll have to try again later!**

Second Post of the Day - Scroll Down to see #1

2010-04-17T03:40:00.001-07:00

Ohhh I got the orange booties today!

Blue booties for daddy

Long hot smelly hallway

where we wait after showing our permission slip

creepy mural isn"t it!?!

We go in that brown door on the left

outside of the orphanage

more outside of orphanage

old painted benches where we wait when our taxi driver gets there early (we can only go in during our specified times)

the gate (our children have never been outside of this gate)

waiting outside our apartment for our taxi

pics looking outside our apartment

babushuka

papa

Belly Bean

So here are some pics of where we are staying and the orphanage. As you can see the buildings here are all really old and worn. We are staying in an apartment on the second floor (much better than lugging stuff up four flights!) We will have to take pictures of the "carpet" in the hallway - which is more like astroturf than carpet! The couple that own the apartment live below us, Serge and Ludmila, and they are so sweet. Ludmila does our laundry for us and they come up and clean for us too. George is starting to really love it here - everything is so different here. The people watching is great! The women here are drop dead gorgeous and dress up in tight tight tight pants and short short short skirts everyday. They wear 3 and 4 inch heels on a regular basis (and if you could only see how awful the roads and sidewalks are here you would understand what a miracle this is!) and wear full makeup! When we toured Kiev with Uncle Nikko's daughter, Helena, she told us that the women dress like this because their is a 4 to 1 ratio of women to men. They also love fashion and clothes because during the Soviet Union time period they did not have access to such clothing, shoes, accessories. The driving here is something like I have never seen before! There appears to be no rules...expect drive fast, swerve for potholes (more like craters), and stop short! I will NEVER complain about my husband's driving EVER again! Life here is so different it really is hard to put into words. We are coming to love the people though and enjoy the glimpse into our children's culture.

First Morning Visit

2010-04-17T03:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from today's morning visit. We can already see some changes in the kids even though this was only our 4th visit with them. The morning visit is a little longer than the afternoon which really makes it easier to get to know the kids. We were also in a different room this time. I think it is their "therapy" room based on the kind of equipment and toys we saw. It really is so sad because everything there is so old. These kids have nothing new. Tatya ate her first banana today! She had no idea what to do with it at first, but she seemed to figure it out pretty quick...just like daddy she LOVES food! She is also quite the daddy's girl...uh oh daddy is in big trouble because Tatya and Gianna have his number! We see the biggest changes in Ana - she is actually starting to vocalize and lets us know when she thinks we aren't paying enough attention to her! This is great because she is starting to let us know that she REALLY likes us. I also left a bow in her hair yesterday when they took her back and today she came to us with the same bow in her hair! They obviously are starting to understand that we love this little girl LOTS! She also loves having bows in her hair, I guess they don't do that much with her normally. :( Eli is really starting to show his affectionate side. He CRAVES love and soft touches. He and Ana just loved the purple scarf we brought to play with today. They also love soft strokes on the face. It breaks my heart to think of how deprived these sweet children are to soft touches. Not for long though! Thursday is only 5 days away!!!!! We have decided to bring little miss Gia bean with us tomorrow. We have been waiting until the children reached a certain comfort level with us before we introduced our curly hair spitfire, but we think everyone is ready. Gianna loves to look at the pics we bring back of the kids and is really excited about meeting them tomorrow! I can't wait to have all my babies in one place together!!!

Visit #3

2010-04-16T09:49:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pics from our visit this afternoon with the kids. We are starting to get little hints into their personalities and are looking forward into seeing more. Ana is the sweetest little thing I have ever seen. She is quiet but doesn't miss a thing. I think she is just thrilled to have us around her. We can tell that no one pays her much mind. She just smiles and smiles and smiles. She is also much smarter than anyone gives her credit for - I cannot wait to see how she changes when she gets home.

Tatya is quite the personality. She is an orphanage favorite and is definitely used to getting her own way. You might think it is good and that at least she gets lots of attention, but I have to say there is something very sad about her. We were a little surprised to see her rocking, which is an orphanage behavior, I guess we expected to see more from Eli and Ana than her (although Eli does make some noises which is also an orphanage behavior- Tatya will just take a stuffed toy, hold on to it and rock. I think because everyone thinks she is so cute that she gets a lot of superficial attention. She definitely requires some boundaries, but she is our little spitfire. Once she and Gianna get used to sharing with each other, I can definitely see that they will be great friends.

Eli is just a little love. He is still recovering from having pneumonia in February so he seems mostly tired during our visits. He definitely craves and responds to love and touch. He seems pretty content with the littlest of things - like a mirror. I cannot wait to get him and Ana healthy!

We brought some plain cracker like cookies today for the kids (per the orphanage director we are only allowed to bring bananas or large cookies) and it just broke my heart. Tatya did not know what to do with it - I had to show her. Of course once she got the hang of it, the cookie was gone! Just like that! She definitely is a BIG eater and quickly snarfed down three. Eli wanted to eat it but just like tatya had NO idea what to do. He did try to put it in his mouth but was lost after that. Ana was no interested at all and even if she was, she would have to gum at it. She only has like 4 teeth. So sad :(

Prayers Please

2010-04-16T03:37:00.000-07:00

This morning we got an upsetting email from my sister. She is pregnant with twins and is expected to deliver in July (however with twins she will be considered full term the end of June). She was admitted early this morning into the hospital with contractions. Please lift her, the babies and her husband up before our Heavenly Father. It is so hard to not be able to speak with her. We are trusting that God will wrap His arms around them and bring them comfort.

**Adoption Update**

This morning we were picked up at 10:00 by our taxi driver and driven to our lawyer, Natasha's office. Our translator, Katya, met us and we went over our petition to adopt. This document describes in detail each of our children, their health and social conditions, proof that they are in deed orphans, and our desire to adopt them. It was so sad to hear about their birth families and how they were abandoned. No one has ever come to visit our children. Natasha explained to us that this not unusual and that doctors tell the mothers after birth that they should just leave the children and try for another. One of our children's birth father gave the child up, stating that it was just too hard for the mother to look at her. Can you imagine giving birth and then being unable to stand the sight of your baby?!? My heart breaks for that woman because she has no idea what she gave up. These children are more precious than gold. After we reviewed these forms and signed them, Natasha explained that we were to go and meet with the council. She had been already been speaking with the council for 1 and 1/2 hours this morning, trying to explain to them why we wanted to adopt these children. She told us we must go and stand before the council (which is a group of 8 men/women, including the prosecuter and the head of adoptions for the orphanage), they would then ask us a bunch of questions and then vote on whether or not we can proceed on to court. She explained that we must receive their "blessing" and that at court on Thursday the head of adoptions for the orphanage would get up and deliver their official ruling to the judge. Then the judge must make the final ruling. We were really nervous because the first thing Natasha said to us is, you know they have closed Russia to US adoptions? We were already aware of this and were prepared to be questioned regarding it. She told us not to expect anyone to understand and to be prepared for LOTS of questions. She then sent us off to meet with council with our translator in tow. I was a little, okay a lot, scared especially when I learned that our lawyer would not be going with us. We went to a really old building with really high ceilings and waited to be called before the council. Talk about intimidating! We went in and sat before the panel and they had all of our papers spread before them. They just started asking questions, LOTS of questions. I must say I was really nervous. It is also kind of tricky working with a translator and they were a rather serious looking bunch. At the end of the questioning, when they said they were ready to vote, I must admit I totally held my breath! BUT, we made it! We got the council's approval and we can now move forward with court on Thursday! Our Tatya (they call her Tonya) is quite the orphanage favorite, as the head of adoptions person asked us specifically what we thought of her. After the council meeting our translator took us to the market and we were able to buy food. I must say that I love their markets! They have all sorts of fresh baked breads, rolls, pastries, chocolates (soooo yummy!), and candies. I would seriously be huge if I lived here!!! We are just kind of relaxing right now before we head over to the orphanage for our afternoon visit. Unfortunately, it is cold and rainy outside. We have been spoiled with beautiful weather since we arrived, so I guess we cannot complain. Our apartment is only about 10 minutes away from the orphanage and our translator tells him what time to pick us up/drop us off and where. We really just show up and hope that everyone knows where to take us!!! Talk about a walk in faith! God is so amazing and He continues to show us each and every day how much He loves and cherishes these children. We will post more pics later and will fill everyone in on how yesterday went - it was quite a day!

**Also, we've been asked twice so I thought I would quickly go over the ages of the kids. Anastasia is our oldest - she is 3 1/2 years old - she was born on Christmas day. Even so, she is so incredibly tiny - she is about the size of a 1 year old, with hair the length of a little baby. :( Eli is next in line at 2 1/2 years old - his birthday is in October - and he is also very small for his age. He is almost exactly the same weight and height of Ana. Tatya is also 2 1/2 years old - she was born in November - and she looks very healthy. Developmentally she is the most advanced and after some time with Gia, she will be even farther! We have noticed in just 2 visits that all these children need is some love, time, and affection. Ana is way more advanced then we thought and she is just itching to learn more. I don't think they think she is capable of anything, but give her a few months at home, and she will be doing great! It is hard to hold her and think about her age though, she is soooo tiny. No three and a half year old should look like that. It is extremely hard. We are learning this journey is not for the faint of heart. Emotions run high and the reality of what life is for these kids is beyond heartbreaking. We realize after seeing Ana that she would NOT have survived the transfer to the institution, which she would be facing in just a few short months. We have also learned that there are maybe as many as 20 kids in this orphanage with special needs.