Day 20: Getting things done!

Court is on Thursday and that night I fly to Kiev (same price as an overnight train ride…WHO KNEW?!) to file papers Friday morning with the US Embassy. We need everything ready before I go because if I leave Kevin in charge of getting the boys clothes and goodbye gifts, it could go bad pretty quick. We are feeling the time crunch over here.

I spent a good 4 hours trying to book a ticket home (Kiev to Paris) and it must be officially summer because weekend flights are getting booked really fast. I will finish the paperwork Friday in Ukraine and leave Saturday for Paris. I will leave Paris Monday at 6am and hold my girls that night! This was the cheapest way to go and I will not have internet or phone service, so wish me luck! Kevin will take over all blogging duties so harass him on FB to stop FacebookIng and to blog!

The boys were so much fun yesterday. We played our 1 hour soccer game, did an English lesson and then busted out the new watercolors we found today at the grocery store. The boys loved it and so did we. Sergei says he is ready for court (Max is too young to attend) and Kevin and I are getting nervous. We cannot let the jury or judge know that we met Sergei last summer. So we need to get our story straight and then practice the scene from A Few Good Men , “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!” Okay…we will probably just sit there, quietly wringing our hands together and trying to get through each question without getting thrown out of the courtroom. Court goes two ways…good or bad…pray for good.

(Sergei and Volva in a traditional Ukrainian photo pose)

Busy days ahead…we will update faster this time but our internet was terrible and I had to get the plane tickets, sorry to make you wait! Love you all!

Day 19: Photo-Montage

Somehow Sergei got out of school today because of his neck injury.  Neck injury and no school – I should have a picture with a brace but he seems fine.  Back in the old США that may not work as well but here is was nice to have a cooler morning to play soccer with the boys and we were able to have a little more time with them as well.  What follows are some fun pictures from the week…


How big brothers take pictures





Mr. Muscles



Cheeeeeese!

Cause we're bad ass wrestlers.

Our favorite shirt.

Nastia Morford!

шах и мат

Day: 18 Best Worse Day Ever!

Mother’s Day in Ukraine…Well our dear friend and Russian translator from the summer program Jerrylynn, coined the phrase,  “this is the worse/best day of my life” and I am going to steal it. It describes my emotions perfectly. This was the Best Worst day ever…

Worse Day: It is Mother’s Day and I have five kids but not one in my bedroom early this morning to snuggle in my bed wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day.

Best Day: Went to the tinny tiny Catholic church Kevin found today, didn’t understand a word, and cried all the way through. God loves us so much and he gave our family this miracle. No other way to put it, what is happening is a miracle.

Worse Day: Walked into the orphanage gates to see a caretaker looking after 8 little ones about 1-2 years old and watched as she yelled and pulled one off the ground hard. The cries of that baby broke us…No Mama to hold and love her tonight.  

Best Day: Sergei and Kevin played soccer with the big boys and had a blast while Max played soccer with me. Another kid wanted to play with me and Max but Max said no…he just wanted me! I gave that kid a candy and sent him on his way; he was happy and so was I. Can you say bonding break through! I carry tons of balloons and suckers with me so every kid I see at the orphanage always gets a little something.

Worse Day: Cried about leaving Max behind when I leave for the US…everyone he has loved leaves him.

Best Day: Took my nap today and woke up to see a beautiful 11 red rose bouquet from Kevin. He tried to buy me 12 but 12 is bad luck here, so the flower lady refused.

Worse Day: Walked in the park and saw beautiful little girls dancing while three old ladies walked arm in arm singing a beautiful song in Russian. Kevin and I looked at each other with our eyes full of tears…we miss our girls.

Best Day: Went on a 5 mile walk to dinner (I thought it was closer but I was wrong!) ate a nice dinner with my sweet, kind, thoughtful and loving husband and grabbed a taxi home.

TIPS FOR TRAVELING FAMILIES

1.       We packed one carry on each and it has worked out great. You have a lot of moving around to do so it has been nice just having 1 bag each to lug up the 4 flights of stairs and stuff in the train, cars and taxi’s. We packed clothes for the boys and are buying their shoes here. We also bought a backpack here for Sergei so he can have a carry-on. I am leaving all the clothes I can of mine behind for the orphanage, which will also give me some room for my souvenirs.  We packed travel size everything just to get us here and then bought full size shampoo, hairspray, etc. from the market. I also left my hairdryer and curling iron home, bought both here with European plugs for $27. Bring a converter if you pack your stuff from home and check the volt requirements…we blew a fuse in France!

Other families have brought more and had no problems as well. We just liked have no bags to check the ease of it. If you are thinking about just bringing one bag, just know you can.

*ANYTHING YOU NEED, YOU CAN GET HERE! Clothes, contact solution, tampons, shampoo, Tide..

2.       Bring a reusable grocery bag. Bethany suggested this and she was right…we live out of it! We bring ours to the school every day stuffed with cookies and activities for the kids, love it!

3.       Woolite Wrinkle releaser spray. There is an iron in the Mariupol apartment but it is just handy for that first week you are living out of a suitcase.

4.       We did not bring gifts for the staff from home. We just took that budgeted amount and are purchasing the items here. It has been fun for Sergei to tell us what HE wants to give and then it give Kevin and I a good excuse to get out and about and practice our Russian!

5.       Cards. I bought a few packages and am letting Sergei write a letter or note to anyone he wants to say goodbye to. I am also using these as my thank you cards for the staff and our facilitators.

6.       Clothes: It is HOT right now. You can pretty much wear anything here (most of the women decide to wear almost nothing at all) so whatever you bring it will be fine. Make it comfortable and easy to wash. Summer dresses and skirts are in style here and are cool in this heat. I bought two long ones (I have to be able to play soccer in mine) and am wearing them constantly with t-shirts. Men: Shorts and t-shirts are fine. Kevin found a pair of Khaki shorts but we have seen denim as well (could not talk Kevin into them). Just remember if you go denim, to roll the short at the knee. If you HAVE denim shorts this may be your last opportunity to wear them without being laughed at!

7.       Bring a week worth of little activities to do with your kids from home. After that you will have time to get settled and can go out and pick up little games and knick-knacks for the rest of your trip.

8.       Go out with the idea that everyone speaks English. It is really true so if you must comment on the mini-skirt aka: “That is not a skirt…where is her mother?! Holy shizzz… SHE IS THE MOTHER!” should be whispered under your breath, just like in the US.

9.       Sleep! If you are tired…SLEEP! This adoption process is very emotionally draining, sleep helps a lot. We both take a nap everyday (30 mins to 3 hours). It is okay…don’t feel guilt, just do it.

10.   Kevin and I eat breakfast and lunch here in the apartment and try to go out for dinners.  Dinners run us between $5 to $15 for both of us. It is fun to try something new and it is just fun to get out together. We walk every night up to the park in our neighborhood and get an ice cream and sit on the benches to people watch and talk. I have ordered some weird stuff here and there on accident but we always have fun.

11.   Kevin has been my personal guide! He knows all of his numbers in Russian and knows how to pronounce all the Russian letters…this has help us a ton. He can read a little bit and has NEVER mis-ordered like me. If you don’t have time to learn before you go…you will be fine, it is just fun.

12.   Don’t drink the milk.

13.   Find your church and go. It calms the storm.

Have fun, enjoy your time with your spouse, relax, pray, cry and laugh…it is the adventure of a lifetime!

Day: 17 Dostavanya (goodbye) Mama Mia’s!

When I say it is hot and humid here in Mariupol, I think I forget to mention the pollution in this town. Mariupol is a steel making town and the factories line the coast and fill the air with dirt, grit and grime. You can actually TASTE the pollution if the wind is blowing your way, gross. Today was hot, humid and pretty polluted so we played for an hour outside with the boys and their new soccer ball until Mama and Papa cried “mercy” and then  headed inside.  Sergei started writing good-bye and thank you letters to the staff at the orphanage and important people in his life. He also picked out what gifts he wanted to give each one. Kevin and I are trying our best to make sure he gets to say goodbye the way he wants.  The letters and gifts will go out the day we leave, that will be a happy but sad day for all of us. Little Max helped us write on each envelope and seal some up. He was wearing his orange striped shirt again today…not cleaned. Bringing new shirt tomorrow!

(English class, learning the word tie. Max and Sergei love their Papa!)

Well to lighten the mood of this blog entry… we went to our favorite restaurant in all of Mariupol tonight! They have internet and really great pizza, dinner for us both is usually around $7. This was our last night because while Kevin was using the restroom, a group of kids had to go as well. They all pounded on the door and then the owner flipped the lights off on him from the outside..…do I even need to finish the story? He really wasn’t in there for more than 2 minutes but kids can put the pressure on anyone. Guess the owner should have sided with the American who eats there every night. After Kevin told him in loud English how rude it was for him to turn the lights off (it really was, he didn’t even turn them back on, just flipped them OFF and the last place you want to be is in an Ukrainian bathroom in the pitch dark!) so we paid our bill and left. What can we say…we will miss you Mama Mia’s! In defense of “just laughing it off” we are crazy people over here, it is VERY STRESSFUL so we lived and learned!  I will miss that place….  

Day:16 We have a court date!

WE HAVE A COURT DATE! YAHOOOO!!!! We will be in court on the 17^th of next week. Our facilitator says the odds of it happening are 90%, we are still waiting for a final approval but we feel like everything is on track. YAY! It is so awesome to write that! Once court is finished I (Becky) will head back to Kiev and go to the US Embassy to fill out some papers and then head back home to the US…not sure what day I will be back yet but I will figure it out this week and keep everyone posted. (Mom I promise to call the minute I figure this out) Kevin is going to stay in Mariupol for the 10 day waiting period. The boys have to stay at the orphanage at this time but Kev can still see them every day. After that, all three of them with our facilitator, will travel to Kiev to finish more paperwork. Still praying that our 10 day waiting period is waived….

(This is the raw chicken store across the street from our apartment, can you find the three dogs and one cat in this picture? There are lots of both in this town but they seem to get along.)

Kevin and I had fun this morning trying to find shoes for Sergei to wear home. He is a 14 year old and knows what he likes. Good thing Kevin is with me because he keeps reminding me they are not baby girls. With that being said…we did get Max theeee cutest Ukrainian soccer jersey to wear home. You may have thought I only have taken pictures of Max one day, since he is wearing the same shirt in EVERY photo. Well unfortunately that is not the case…he has worn his orange striped shirt every day since we arrived! Don’t even try to count the days; just know it is A LOT! Today he got a new shirt which is probably why they told us we couldn’t play outside; he has to keep it clean for 2 more weeks. Max loved the chess set we brought today and played great with us. He was counting in English and Russian and is one smart kid…he is going to do just great back home. I think he is going to adore his sisters not to mention the jumpoline, now if we can just get him there already.

We skyped with Aunt Sarah and the girls this morning then played with the boys, had two bites of the mystery lunch I bought at the grocery store (deep fried liver and onions) and went for a walk at the park where Kevin shot every target at a carnival booth with an AK-47. Fun Friday in Mariupol, Ukraine. Why TWO bites you might be asking yourself…first bite wasn’t so bad. 2^nd one though I knew something wasn’t quite right.

Love you all! Rachael….I think you are right from heaven! Thank you!!!

Day 15 - Wrestling

Okay people it is hot over here…the poofy coat I bought at the Costco back in October specifically for Ukraine is going to be donated to the orphanage. It is hot and we packed wool sweaters and long warm pants. I gave in to the heat and bought two t-shirts at the local grocery store. They are definitely supermarket t-shirts since one has a sparkly high-heel on it and the other has jibberish.  I think it was designed to look like an English style sports team but it doesn’t say anything in any language. Look at me, already embarrassing my kids wearing “weird” clothes…it is like I am a pro-mother already!

We hit the orphanage this afternoon and it was just too hot to go outside. We played a few English games and explained that in Ukraine it is bad luck to whistle indoors but in the US it is bad luck to open an umbrella indoors. We did both anyways.  After stuffing the kids with cookies and bananas (Yep it is how we roll over here…I will bribe Max anyway I can) we got to watch Sergei wrestle! It was so much fun! The instructors came in and all the kids are respectful and quiet and listened to their coaches. The little scrappy kids (yes, even littler than Sergei) were a hoot to watch. They grin ear to ear the whole time and are like wet noodles in each other’s arms. We watched Big Sergei, our Sergei, Volva, Andre and Ruslan (all kids from the summer program) wrestle! I am so ready to be the Mama of my boys! I could have watch them all day (Max wasn’t quite as into it as me). He had fun siting on Kevin’s lap playing Fruit Ninja.  Can I get an Amen and a Halleluiah for phone games please! J He loves playing with the big boys and wants to be a big boy yesterday! Kevin and I sat just one bench over from Sergei (literally 3 feet) but we kept seeing him peek over out of the corner of his eye to make sure we were still there. Sergei…we will always be here, every minute, every day, every year of your life… we will always be here.