Finally

The fish market picture needs explanation. A truck is in the background. A man unloads freshly caught fish from the river into these tubs. The lady in the picture picks up a live fish, drops it into the bag, weighs the bag/fish, and sells it to the customer. You can still see the fish's lips moving as the customer walks away! :-(

The calendar is very interesting. It is from Spain, from a Chinese restaurant there, and it is hanging in a Ukrainian bedroom. :-)

The girls are playing cards in one photo. The other is of the dumpling (Varenyky) meal that we ate last night. Finally, more Play-Doh art.

Sunday PM

It is Mike and I sitting in the McDonald's looking on the internet, having to boot and reboot the computer to get things to finally work. The girls have gone back to the apartment with the Heltons. It is freezing rain outside so the slick areas are even more slick and everything is slushy. I like hard frozen better.

We were able to see both boys today. The older one knew about what time we would be getting there so he appeared soon after we got there. Jess and Becca worked with him to draw up a calendar of the next six months. We added birthdays, school, soccer, vacation, camp....anything we could think of to give him an idea of what is ahead. Since we don't have any confirmation on dates, we just gave a rough timeline. He studied the plans and seemed to enjoy knowing what is out there. We played UNO and laughed...he is competitive and pays close attention to how others are playing.
The little guy was just a bunch of energy today. Both of us are thinking..how can we channel all that energy??!

It is Sunday and although there are Eastern Orthodox churches around, we haven't seen
anything that resembles another denomination. Our faith lesson continues in real life. I have to remind myself to keep our eyes on the end result.

Last night our eating excursion took us to a place that makes varenyky. These were much doughier than the pasta ones we had in Kiev. They were alot of bread with not much flavor. Jessica liked hers but she had strawberry as the filling. We will not return to that eating establishment although the decor was very Ukraine.

Cemetery Ridge

The first photo is of our friends, the Helton's. We took this at a restaurant. We will try to get a better one, with their kids, after we all complete the process.

The last 2 photos were taken on our walk from McDonalds to the orphanage. It is a large cemetery. We try to walk alot because, otherwise, we would be slugs (we take taxis almost everywhere). It appears that most people have these iron fences erected around their family graves. Not sure how old these graves are...we have not seen any dates.

Thanks for the encouragement

OK, the photos do not relate to the content of the message. These are things that you get when you give PlayDoh to creative children.

Also, thanks for the encouragement you gave in your comments to "Bloggers Cramp". In fact, thanks to all who have given comments. Just like when Doyle comes home and asks if there are any new posts to the Blog, we check the comments first!!!!! :-)

Observations from Becca's point of view... with pictures

Another day come and gone here. Not much to do these days. So instead of boring you to death with words, I'm going to show pictures :) have fun

I feel like an alien!

For some reason, tonight I feel like I especially stick out. After eating at a cafeteria sort of place, we went to a near by grocery store to stock up on some necessities. We had left-over drinks so my dad stayed outside the store and held them while we grabbed food. When we were ready to check out, mom didn’t feel like she had enough money to pay so I got dad. He and I stood at the end of the line just in case. Then he went and helped mom and becca came and stood with me. Shortly there after, a guy came over and was holding buttons. He started to say stuff to Becca in Ukrainian and she shook her head no. He kept insisting and she said nyet (which is no in Ukrainian) several times so he could understand what she meant. After he kept bothering her, she went and stood with my parents in the line. I stayed there and he came around me and started talking to me. I said no too, but he kept pressing. I went to stand with mom and dad to get away from him. He came over and kept asking us. We told him no for the tenth time and left him. Oh man was he annoying! Then we stood next to the wall to wait for our roommates. While standing there, an older lady slowly walked by us and stopped. She stood there for a minute or two just looking at us. Finally she started to talk to my dad in Ukrainian. It seemed to my dad that she was just being friendly and asking about us. That wasn’t so bad, I just felt uncomfortable with her staring at us.
Dad told us that while he was waiting for us two boys stood in front of him and just stared at him. (?????) It almost seems like these people have never seen Americans and when they come across them all they can do is stare at us. Whenever we go into McDonalds there are at least one or two people who keep looking at us. I want to ask them if I have a flashing sign over my head or something that offends them because they consistently look at us. We must look funny or something. I can’t wait to get back to the States where I fit in and we all speak the same language and nobody looks at me like I’m an alien. Ahhhh just thinking about it is comforting. I am looking forward to fitting in, but I’m enjoying this while I can. Jessie

The Boys

Ok something new Dad thought it would be fun to tell you all about our new additions.
V apperes very quiet. He loves control and order. His room is neat a a pin and when we play cards he is the one who shuffles and deals. He also can catch on to games with out needing a traslation
A is quiet the opposite. Yesterday he talked to us though we had no idea what he was saying. He can play games but he doesn't quiet under stand the whole game (His favorite thing to do is show the next person all the +2 and+1 cards he has.)
Thats all the time I have
Ellen for now
Ps have two more TMNTU
The ice cream is in tubes not boxes
Sometimes one person may get thier food in three minuets and others might wait an hour.

Bloggers Cramp

OK, do all you bloggers ever get Bloggers Cramp? I am not sure how to write something everyday?!?! Things have become routine and who wants to read about routine? Just wondering.

Resolution?

Well, we are getting closer to reaching some resolution in our adoption quest. Our paperwork will be filed soon and we have a date for a preliminary court hearing. However, our Interpol background check is still hovering out there. No one knows how this will play out. For us, at least, we know that, following our court date, we can leave Ukraine for some period of time, either 10 days, or, possibly up to 40+ days. Now the days begin to look very much alike as we wait for resolution. We are in a routine now: get up, get a taxi, go to one of the boys, go to McDonalds, go see the other boy, go out to eat, go to bed. In between (for all the Northpoint teachers) we do homework. :-)

We will head to Germany just in time for the Super Bowl. The Burnett's, our friends in Germany, have made plans so we can watch the game there. For us the game will start after midnight. Somebody set the TiVo!!!!

From jessie

Jan. 28th 10 o’clock
Hey everyone! It’s Jessie! There hasn’t been much going on lately around here. Our translator has been finishing paperwork and we’ve been going to see the boys. Mr. V has been warming up more and more with every visit. And whenever we go and see Mr. A, he always greets dad with a big hug. Mr. A doesn’t do much when we visit him. He does participate, but what he does most of the time is pick on dad and giggle. He is the cutest thing. Mr. V hasn’t warmed up totally, but he’s made a lot of progress since Friday. On Tuesday we spent four hours playing Uno and Golf. I enjoyed that. Grandma F. if only you could have been there you would have gotten your fill of golf for a year. Today we are visiting V. again and might possibly go see A. later. Another family has move into our apartment and our translator moved out into another apartment. I have enjoyed having them here so far. It’s nice having somebody here who’s on the same boat as you are and experiencing the same things. It’s not easy to have someone who hasn’t done this understand. In fact, I think it’s impossible.
Last night we at restaurant that was interesting. It reminded me of a club because they had a guy singing up front, the music was loud, there was a bar, people were smoking, and it was dark. One of the only reasons we ate there was because it had an English menu which to us is sort of valuable around here. I ordered a home salad. It didn’t have the description so I had no idea what I was getting in to. Our waitress brought it out and it didn’t look too bad. It was composed of tomatoes, onions, and parsley. I have found that I don’t like the taste of parsley. Also it didn’t seem to have any dressings. I ate it, but didn’t enjoy it. For my main dish I order filleted chicken that had mushrooms, onions, and white sauce. It wasn’t too bad; I just wouldn’t order it again. Overall the restaurant was okay, but I think we all agreed that we wouldn’t go back. After the restaurant, we walked to McDonald’s and enjoyed a McFlurry. That definitely hit the spot. We are about to leave to go see V so I’m going to wrap it up. Ciao!

Photos

Pretty cool place to buy oil, huh? And, the middle picture is of the fish at the market.

Thinking

We visited with A yesterday and every time we go it’s a lot of fun. Mom’s comment was he just wants some one to love him.
Every time I walk in either orphanage I am reminded of all that I have. I have two sisters (of course bros but not just yet). I have two parents who have been together for years and have no plans on changing that. I have a big house, a laptop, a room, toys, a Wii, a dog, and tons of family members to rally behind us along with tons of friends.
Here, V and A have the orphanage and friends. They have family none of which have seen them for a long while. Nothing is really theirs even the clothes on their backs (that’s the orphanage’s property). Even the gifts we give will ultimately belong to the orphanage. All these kids want in the end is someone to love them, someone to just be there
It’s a sobering thought but one we can all think about

Blog 4 I think

Hi everyone
Its early in the morning here as I write Jess is sleeping Becca is enjoying a shower and Mom and Dad are waiting to get in. Life here as been pretty much well: go , stay go stay etc…. One day ( ie yesterday) we can be go go go but today looks like a more laid back one and hopefully we can get a lot of home work done. Later we hope to visit A
There is a slight twist today, We decided to allow another family, who is adopting ,to share our apartment and they came yesterday. They left for their first meeting with their kids about an hour ago.
Okay I have been hungry for some American food lately mainly eggs so the other day Mom and Dad got some well they also got bread so I asked if I could make my favorite egg, Toad in a hole ( possum eyes and bird in nest are a few other names) I finally made it today and well its interesting. But its good to have some American food.
Lets see well that’s about all
E/\/\eH ( my name in Ukrainian)

Observations from Becca's point of view...

I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE!!!!!! Dad and Jess went shopping yesterday for food and when they came home they had wafer things with a chocolate filling and they are SOOOOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!!! Also they had things that look like overgrown cheerios that have a sugar glaze and they are amazing too!!!!
Anyways…
Yesterday, my whole family saw the 1st Ukrainian to slip on ice! Hehehe, it was funny. Also, I fell a total of three times on the ice and probably slipped 2o times more.
Since yesterday’s post, our translator has moved out and some Americans that my parents know have moved in! Yeah!!! Americans!!!! Haven’t seen any of them since Kiev!
Right now, its still kind of early so Jess is still sleeping. Ellen is attempting to make a toad-in-a-hole while my parents are just getting up. Bye!

Doris here..

January 26th

The apartment is very quiet. I can hear the stray dogs outside barking. They can be
seen, from our seventh floor apartment, running through the construction site to the east.
They are of all sizes, shapes, and breeds. They must survive on scavenging in the trash
as we have seen evidence of such deeds in different locations.

We had four hours with the oldest boy yesterday. This time he walked into the room with a smile on his face. The facilitator was not with us to translate, so we used sign language and did fine. He consistently shows that he likes to participate in helping. We played UNO and “golf’-it is his job to help shuffle the cards and then deal them. He seems to enjoy having that responsibility. He also likes to know where he stands when keeping score. He looks so dapper in his school uniform. We continue to pray for each boy as
they process this chapter of their lives. We don’t know their histories, but God does. We pray that we have sensitivity to them.

This morning school work is in full swing. Mike has been carrying the bulk of the load as he takes care of the physics, calculus, chemistry, algebra, and biology. I am the encourager. It is great father/daughter bonding!

Words cannot express how wonderful it is to experience all this with the girls. For them to be able to see, hear, feel, smell, and touch this adventure is priceless. To deal with the different people, foods, currency, and cars, is great for them. To see that other people live, and do it well, in very different circumstances broadens all of our horizons. We have had to, on numerous occasions, walk long distances in the bitter cold (-5F) on icy, uneven, poorly lit sidewalks. They have not complained because that is reality here. Everyone in Ukraine is out and about no matter the conditions because that is how they live. You even see clothes hanging outside to dry in this cold weather.

The faith process has been good for us as a family. To remember that God is in control, that nothing comes as a surprise to him, and keeping that in mind gives peace. Ellen seems to be the most engaged in this process and she continues to be ever encouraging us to remember we serve a God who works in impossibilities.

Another Indiana family arrived from Kiev last night. They are getting their paperwork going this morning. We will probably be on the same time schedule. Our paperwork is taking longer because we are dealing with two locations. Nothing new on the Interpol check to report. We are sharing the two bedroom apartment to save money and to enjoy one another’s company.

Counting my blessings….Doris

Curve Ball - Explained

All,

OK, it seems that Ukraine has had a law on the books that requires an Interpol background check prior to setting the "court date" (the date that the court rules that the boys belong to us- just prior to the 10 day wait). NOW, Ukraine has decided to enforce the law. We have a petition in our document set that asks for the Interpol check.

The background check requires, on average, 40 days (Viktor had someone else last year that took 2 months). That has to be complete BEFORE we can even set the court date.

So, what does that appear to mean right now? (Remember, things can change in an instant here.) It appears that we may all come home on 2/15. After the Interpol check is complete, Doris and I will need to return for court. Then, I will return to INDY and Doris will complete the adoption process (2 weeks more). Again, that is all subject to change.

We hope to keep up the info flow as we are aware of changes.

Porcelain Experiences

Today after we visited V we stopped at a restaurant to grab a bite to eat. It was fairly nice and I figured the bathrooms would be pretty decent too. I found the bathrooms went inside and found the toilet to be a mere hole in the ground. UGH! It wasn't an emergency so I went back to lunch. After we finished and were about to leave Becca and I decided that we would use the bathroom for the experience so we did. When Becca came out all she said was "that was different." I would have to agree with her. I can't imagine having to use one of those all the time! Thank goodness for the toilet seat!

Okay Ellen Here

Oye I miss the internet back home where you did't have to wait twenty minuets to use the computer.
Anyways today we saw Mr. A and he lit up when he saw Dad. We had a ton of fun with him. Yesterday we saw Mr. V and he was doing well. He showed us his room his bed was so clean. We played uno with both boys though V knew what he was doing A well lets just say when we get home he needs a crash course in strategy.
Oh There is now a new curve ball so we need all the prayer we can get
Anyways good news well Tomorrow is V again and we hope to teach him golf (card game).
Thats about all
Ellen
ps I hope the colts game was awsome!!! We wished we could have watched.

Becca Here

Observations from Becca’s point of View
Aloha from freezing Ukraine! The days are hectic as usual and yet slightly boring. By the way, thank you Emma SOOOO much for those Tootsie Pops!!  They are SO yummy!!!! (Especially the blue ones)
Anyway, I am writing this from our apartment with a blue Tootsie pop in my mouth. Mom and Dad are headed out the door to go… somewhere, I don’t exactly know where. Somewhere to sign papers. That happens a lot here.
Ellen, Jess, and I are here stuck for the afternoon. Most likely we all will be doing homework. Blah…
One more thing to note, Ukrainian pizza is WEIRD! They put all sorts of weird stuff on it: corn, pickles, cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella, mayo (I think), and a lot else. We had 6 different pizza and they only cost $24! CHEAP!!!!
As of right now, Jess is making fun of me for thinking “costed” is a word and Ellen is mad at me because I didn’t get her joke. GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! Just kidding  Bye!!!

Food Encounter

So, we ventured out on our own while Viktor slept to forage for food for the family. There is a little market at the corner. They specialize in Vodka, candy, Cognac, candy, Beer, candy, Wine, and, oh, yeah, a few food items. ;-) There is a freezer just inside the door with Varenykys- think of raviolis with your favorite vegetables and/or meats stuffed inside. We ate these in Kiev with the Carey family. Very good.

Since Doris and I left our translator at home, we brought the “Lonely Planet-Ukrainian phrase book” with us to impress the locals………..they were not impressed. First of all, there were, at least, 20 varieties of Varenykys. And there were different brands (so, we were not sure if we were trying to read the brand name, the ingredients, or the low-fat claim on the front of the bag. Also, and this is my suspicious side showing, I now believe that they code their Varenykys in order to make fun of the foreigners. I am looking everywhere for “potatoes and mushrooms” and the label probably says “ground tubers with non-toxic forest fungi”. Or the ever-popular “diminutive bovine skeletal components with muscular sub-sections” (short ribs of beef).

Worse, once we identified the first item of our purchase, the lady behind the counter moved it to the cashier’s area. Not a problem except that now the cashier could no longer help other customers since we were “actively checking out”. After we finally did check out, we headed to the door….only to remember what we previously forgot…eggs. I ordered a dozen..oops, no word for ‘dozen’….just hold up 15 fingers and hope for a graceful exit. When we got to the apartment, we remember a crucial item- sour cream (like we were going to find that on our own). So, we ate our boiled Varenykys with Pork, just pork, bathed in butter. Anyone want to open a restaurant with us in Indy?

Colts

It’s weird not being able to watch my Colts game. I went thru the TV channel list and checked hundreds of channels with no luck. I found Pentagon TV and thought maybe I had a winner, but, at the appointed time, there was a special program on the Korean Conflict. So, on Monday morning, I have no idea who won the Colts game (or the runner-up game in the NFC for that matter). I have to wait until we get to McDonalds this afternoon to check the internet. 

Top 10 List 2

More Top 10 Things in Ukraine:
1. When you purchase an item in most markets, the cashier will always place your change into a little dish for you to retrieve.
2. It’s easier NOT knowing the wind chill factor when the thermometer reads -25C (-13F), but that doesn’t make your toes feel any warmer in the boots. (Last night was supposed to hit -34C in our area (-29F).
3. Varenykys with cherries and sour cream! Always a winner.

Medical Update

Becca and Jess are finishing some "I.V. Facebook". The color has returned to their faces; their moods have lightened. Doris can sleep now (that the worry has passed).

Lesson Underway

There is more to adoption than just showing up and signing some documents; I know that now. When your son-to-be actually has a life, friends, school, a favorite class, favorite food, brothers, sisters, and memories, he may not just jump into your arms. Why would a little boy leave everything familiar and go to an unknown life? Why would anyone get onto an airplane and fly off with a person who may create for them a life worse than their present one? Mr V (and Mr A, to a point) has all the above assets here. He was mobbed by his friends when we visited his former orphanage. They cheered, rubbed his hair, crowded around, and spoke excitedly to him. We were just background for a few minutes.

There is something strangely like courting to be done before all is set aright. It is a blessing, not a curse, that the bureaucratic process takes time. We have 1-3 weeks to convince 2 young boys that their future is elsewhere- that the journey is worth the cost- that something that we have felt certain of for 6 months will provide satisfaction, comfort, and security to them too. So, we bring gifts and food and play games and laugh. And, ultimately, a bond forms. And, surprisingly, not only did they need the time; we did too.

Top Ten List

The picture is of Jess and Becca during their initial meeting with Mr. A.

OK, some of the "10 things your mother never taught you about Ukraine"

1. Be careful pointing out the pretty bus colors while in a crowd! “Yellow Blue Bus” sounds a lot like “I love you” in Ukrainian.
2. When car designers say that a car can hold 4 passengers, they are referring to the 1st level of seats only. In Ukraine, every car has at least 2 levels (especially in the back seat). The motto here is: “Stack ‘em deep and move ‘em cheap.”
3. The Cabbie Motto: “We don’t need no stinkin’ lanes!” or, more simply, “Lanes are for cowards!”
4. Sidewalks are simply parking garages with no fees.
5. Everything smells like smoke.
6. Ice is the preferred surface for all streets and walkways. Hey, everyone wears spiked boots, so, why not have ice? (Ask Ellen and Becca about ice.)
7. Wanna know how the locals felt before 1991? Be an American in 2010. All eyes are upon you. As you walk thru the mall, the McDonalds, the street, the cafes, etc, all eyes follow you. Do we look that different?
8. Never judge a book by its cover. That was first applied to apartment living in Ukraine. It was later generalized to all other things.
9. Where else can you get beautiful glass and wood doors, floor to ceiling draperies, contemporary bookshelves, generous beds, laminated floors, gold plated silverware, mood lighting in the ceilings, and 1500 satellite channels along with 4 towels, 1 bowl, 4 glasses, and a small wastepaper basket to share among 6 people.
10. Cars don’t stop for you; you stop for cars.
11. Children become catatonic when separated from the Facebook lifeline for more than 24 hours. The only antidote appears to be a massive infusion of TV or French Fries.

A long summary from Jessica

Hello Indiana!
I am amazed at how cold it can possibly get here. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this level of coldness. Today we went on a long walk in search of a toy store to buy them something. It took FOREVER! Kiev had a LOT more options than we have here. Also we don’t have easy access to the internet so our blogs are going to be less often. As I was saying, we went on a long walk and stopped into a place where we could get internet and were there for a couple hours. That too took extremely long. Shortly after our internet stop we found a toy store. We also grabbed a bite to eat at nearby McDonalds. I’ve eaten at McDonalds here more than I have eaten it at home in the past two years! We bought a few toys and found that the store next to the toys sold Uggs! They were cheap too! I am very much looking forward to going back there. Whether or not I am going to get a pair is still up in the air, but I am hopeful! If they were the price they said then I could even buy a pair with the money I brought. Enough about Uggs  we finally got to meet the younger one! He was the cutest thing!! Strangely enough too he sort of looks like Ellen!! When he first came in he was really shy and didn’t say much. About half way through, Dad got him to come out of his shell. I’ve never seen my dad act so ridiculous, but I have to admit he was pretty funny. He found him pretty funny too. We showed him pictures of home and photos of when the older one stayed with us. From what I could tell, he seemed to enjoy the photos. I don’t know if they comforted him seeing that we were serious and live in a nice house. I also think it helped immensely to see his brother with us and happy. I think we will see the other one tomorrow. I am excited to see him because he knows us better. We actually had dinner with him and someone from the orphanage last night at a really nice restaurant. He was wearing his school uniform which was a nice suit. He looked really sharp. The food at the restaurant was really good!!!! I had a Caesar salad that was different than any Caesar salad I had had before. It was really good. Then I had chicken and green beans and French fries. I enjoyed that also. My favorite part was dessert! Oh, that was soooooooo good. We ordered Bananas Foster and a something else. The Bananas Foster was my favorite. The bananas were extremely good! I’ve never tasted a better banana. The other thing was ice cream in a cup with apples, kiwi, and oranges; it was almost like a parfait. Except instead of yogurt it had ice cream and the ice cream wasn’t melted or anything. Enough about the food and on to the dinner, it was awkward to be entirely honest. We couldn’t talk to him because he doesn’t know English and the translator was talking with the person from the orphanage. I felt bad because we all wanted to talk to him, but we couldn’t. So that was about it for dinner. And that’s all for tonight. Goodnight!!!

Meeting Mr. A

Hey everyone Ellen here
Yesterday we ( well the sisters and I) finally met Mr. A. He is the cutest thing ever. When Mom and Dad first met him they got only a few smiles out of him yesterday Dad got him to laugh soooooooooo many times that everyone was laughing. We have a picture but that will be shown at home
Today we will get to visit Mr. V. and I am very excited. We saw him the other day but it was different almost a bit awkward ( we were in the nicest restaurant I’ve ever seen so that might have been a factor). I hope to get a few more smiles out of him today.
Oh to the few Northpoint kids glad you had a snow day. The weather sounds great at home. It is well below freezing especially with wind chill!!!! (-23 C today)
Ellen for the family

Ps. On the 10Things mom never told me about Ukraine travel:
It’ ok to park on the side walks
Get out of the way there are no pedestrian rights (if you are not on an official cross walk then RUN).
I never knew cherries and pasta went together with sour cream.
Pss. GO COLTS

Observations from Becca’s point of View2

From friday
We have finally arrived in our region. After a 4 hour car ride, we came to a junky, 9 story building. I was thinking “Oh snap, we have to stay here?!” We rode up the elevator and came up to a junky level with steps falling apart. Well the guy in charge of the building opened the door to our apartment for the next several days. This place is awesome! They have some nice couches ( one that folds into a bed) a Panisonic TV, it has 2 bedrooms, one for mom and dad, the other for our translator, a kitchen with really nice, although pink, cabinets. We are kind of in a scatter brain mode because we only got here ,at the most, 30 minutes ago.
Not much else is going on. We are about to eat dinner so see ya later!

Observations from Becca’s point of View

(This is from thursday )
Ugh, not much sleep last night (Wednesday night to Thursday morning) and I am exhausted. We went on another looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong walk today. This time we actually bought souvenirs. We also checked out that church with the bones (St. Sophia) and wouldn’t you know it, Thursday is the day that they close down all the buildings. Yeah, so the long and the short is we didn’t see any bones. But while we walked around in the cold around the church, we saw some pigeons and named the Cheddar, Colby, and Jack. After that, Jess and I named every pigeon we saw after a type of cheese. Other than the first 3 pigeons, we had Blue, PepperJack, Swiss and Cottage. 
Not much is happening currently. We got some amazing souvenirs! You all will be so envious…
Right now, Jess is sitting across from me, humming and doing homework. Ellen is reading/talking to Mom and Dad. Funny, because Mom is trying to read and Dad is trying to sleep. Somehow I get the impression Ellen is basically talking to herself…
As you all know, I am mad at you because of your warm weather and will see you all later!

Doris here..

My thighs are still thawing out. It is cold! Thankfully the sun has been out the last two days. The Ukrainine people are hardy and go about their business without regards to the cold.

Both places of residents for the boys are nice. Comfortable, clean, and kid friendly. The officials we have crossed paths with are nice, they smile, we shake hands. Since we don't understand much, we assume the conversations are "normal". Occasionally we will ask Viktor, our facilitator, what they are discussing so we at least know the subject. We just have to trust everyone involved.

Nice having the family here..thankful we can experience this together.

Random Thots

Sorry we have not been able to update. The updates may not be so frequent now that we are out of Kiev.
Here are some pictures:
The car is my new favorite, the Colt! OK, so we have had these in the states before.

The kitchen is a picture of our current 'crib'. The green door is the outside door. What a contrast!

Internet access is difficult to find and costs by the hour here. We are considering buying a modem card in order to get more access time. Also, we are all typing like maniacs in order to finish before Viktor returns.

We met Mr. A and Mr. V together yesterday! They were a bit frightened, but, if you put yourself in their shoes, it's easier to understand.

gotta pass the baton to Doris. Look for our future list "10 things your mother never taught you about traveling in Ukraine". :-)

Observations from Becca's point of view...

Ugh, not much sleep last night (Wednesday night to Thursday morning) and I am exhausted. We went on another loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong walk today. This time we actually bought souvenirs. We also checked out that church with the bones (St. Sophia) and wouldn’t you know it, Thursday’s the day everything’s closed. Yeah… the long and short is we didn’t see any bones. But while we walked around in the cold around the church (temp. unknown, we think the board that displays it is wrong because it almost always has -10 °C) we saw some pigeons. Jess and I named them Cheddar, Colby, and Jack. After that, every pigeon we saw got a name that is a type of cheese. Other than the first three, we had Swiss, Cottage, and Blue. Cottage was the funniest. He stuck his chest out and bobbed his head really hard. :D He was good for a few laughs.
You know, its really weird writing this at 3:40 PM Ukraine time and knowing that back in the U.S.A., school hasn’t started because its only 8:40 AM… Weird…By the way, for those of you who go to school with me, by the time you get out of school, I’m probably asleep. :O
Can you tell I am running out of topics?  Not much is happening currently. We got some amazing souvenirs. You guys will be so envious, just kidding.
Right now, Jess is sitting across from me humming and doing homework. Ellen is reading/ talking with Mom and Dad. Funny because Mom’s trying to read and Dad is trying to sleep. Somehow I get the impression Ellen’s basically talking to herself… 
As you all know, I am mad at you all for having warmer weather than the Ukraine. See you all later!!!

Doris weighs in...

I would ditto Becca’s comments. We are on the seventh floor of the building.
We have a nice view of the area to the south. The sun is low in the sky, but at least we
see the sun! We can see more apartment buildings, some still under construction. There is a pack of dogs that seem to run the area, we can hear them barking. We haven’t seen much human movement. The temps are to get to -25C..below zero in F.
We are awaiting a phone call from someone in Kiev, she is waiting to get our
referral to go see the boys. She will fax it here, then only Mike and I will go with the translator as we would need two taxi’s for all of us. We are not close to either orphanage so we will be dependent upon taxi’s to get us around.
The ride down was not bad. It was a two lane highway with snow blowing across the road. The driver was concerned about black ice and chuck holes. As in other parts of
Europe, you have to be an aggressive, but safe driver, for which this gentleman was. We had three stops on the way, two for him to get his nicotine fix, outside of the car, and the other for a bathroom stop. We had to buy something to be able to use their nice restroom, so Mike chose Milka, German chocolate. I good choice!
We need to find a grocery and internet café. We have consumed most of the food we packed with us. An internet café may be more of a challenge as this is not Kiev.

Observations from Becca's point of view...

We have finally arrived in the town where the boys are. After the 4 hour car ride, we came to a junky, 9 story building. I was thinking “Oh no! We have to stay here?!” We rode up in the elevator and came up to another junky level with the steps falling apart. Well, the guy opened the door to our apartment for the next few days and, I have to admit, it is almost nicer than my house! They have these really modern, pink cabinets with modern appliances in the kitchen. They have a nice bathroom. There are nice couches and a Panasonic TV. There are 2 bedrooms. One is for Mom and Dad, the other for our translator. We are kind of in a scatter mood because we only got here, at the most, thirty minutes and are trying to get settled in.
Not much else is going on. We are about to eat dinner so see you later!!!!!!!!

blog from kiev ( from Ellen)

Brrrr here it is freezing and I mean freezing we just took a walk and well I have yet to entirely thaw out (I miss being so hot that you always wanted to be cold) right now mom and dad have just returned from an errand the sisters are playing with the souvenirs we got and after this I will once again read my book
We tried to see the church with the bones of some saint but they were closed one day of the week (Thursday) and it just so happens that is the day right now
It’s really hard to remember exactly what day it is .Its Thursday but It feels nothing like one (I should be in school) that’s about all
Ellen for the family
P.S. (for Abbi)
Abbi I hope you are enjoying your party!!! I wish I could be there with you to celebrate

Sorry for the wait

Sorry everyone I know its been a few days we had limited internet access in keiv and now in the new place
On this update we made it to our region and have seen both Mr. v and A in fact mom and dad took V to see A ( Made everyone happy)
Though poor mr v he had no Idea that we were here. " deer in head lights: were my parents words.
Thats about all for me as We have to share between us
Ellen

Waiting on a Referral

This church is one of the famous churches here in Kiev. I am sorry; I cannot remember the name (I think Doris will later). We went on a long walk (Becca says it was a looooooooooooooong walk) around Kiev on Wednesday to get some exercise and see some sights. We saw 2 churches and lots of souvenirs. We still hope to see the church with the caves/bones.

Jess is standing in front of the dairy case. The 1.5% milk in the box was so rich and thick! We love it.

As for our "curve ball" yesterday, it may be resolved soon and may not change our schedule too much. Check with Doris' mom for additional details ;-)

Finally, the last photo is from the McDonalds where we email and blog. This post is short so that we can get home and pack. Our van will take us about 10 blocks from here where we can chill in someone else's apartment until our referral appointment later today. After that, it's off to our region!!!!!!!

From jessi

Right now its 8:43pm and I’m really tired. They have a lot of snow and ice here. As I type, there’s a car stuck in the ice outside our apartment. In a day, there are at least 10 or more cars that get stuck on our street; they aren’t there for a while though. Apparently our street is one of the worst. Only the brave ones drive on it. The snow never melts here because the sun never shines. And when it does it only hits the tops of the tall buildings. It doesn’t get into the streets. There is literally like 3 inches of ice just sitting on the side roads and on parts of the sidewalks around here. It’s REALLY slick. It’s also really cold! Today we think the temperature was -10°C. Dad said that’s about 14°F. That doesn’t sound cold, but if you experienced it you would think differently.
It’s funny to think back on to Indiana and all of you guys and think that it’s only early afternoon for you. We are about to go to bed as you are enjoying your afternoon. It’s funny, hen we get up you guys have just been asleep for a few hours. I was amazed at how easy it was to transition into the time zone. We just had to stay up late the first night and then we would be on the schedule.
Tomorrow I am hoping to do some shopping, but I’m not getting my hopes up too high because we’ve heard that the prices are extremely high here in Kiev. I think I might have to wait until Cherkassy. We heard that they have Ugg boots that are only $75!! I am really hoping for a pair, but mom doesn’t seem to think the same. That’s all I’m going to write for tonight! Keep praying!
-Jessi

Observations from Becca's point of view...

Since our last post, we have lived through another day in Kiev. Unfortunately, I am ready to come back home… sort of. So far I haven’t exactly enjoyed walking around, through, and under Kiev. Dad has an estimation on how far we have walked total in Kiev: 10 miles. :O Actually Mom, Dad, and probably Jessi have walked more like 15 (Ellen and I are home bodies). This is fairly exhausting in -10 ° C (14° F) weather, which is the norm here.
On the flip side, we have had some happy moments.  Yeah!! To my personal credit, I created my own card game! That goes to show you how boring it can be. Another example is we had dinner with some of the Americans we mentioned in our last post. That was a lot of fun. We went to a small Ukrainian diner. Dad had a REALLY good soup. Mom had ravioli-ish pasta filled with mushrooms and potatoes and topped with fried onions. Jess had the same thing as mom. Ellen had a pea soup and I had the ravioli-ish stuff too, but mine was only stuffed with mushrooms and topped with the fried onions. For dessert we had the same ravioli-ish stuff with cherry filling that you top with sour cream. Personally I found it disgusting. Jessi like it.
This morning was a lot slower. Mom and Dad had another appointment so Jess, Ellen and I stayed home and packed for our trip to the other town. Right now the TV’s on but no one is really watching it. Dad is asking me why I am on the computer again and telling Jess how hard it is to take videos in slow motion, Jess is half-listening to dad, Ellen is talking about something, and mom is getting stuff out of the bathroom.
By the way, the have really good milk here!
Anyway, keep enjoying the warm weather (for which I am envious of you all) and keep praying! See you sooner or later!!!!

The picture above is our view into the courtyard behind our apartment.

We are here in Kiev with 2 other families that we have come to be acquainted with during our adoption journey. Each is at the end of the process and both will probably leave by the week's end. We called yesterday to setup a dinner and learned that they were all going to see a dolphin show here in Kiev and invited us to join them. We met them near the McDonalds and went to their apartment to wait for the drivers.
Doris, the kids and I went together with our non-English-speaking driver in a small Chevrolet car (yes, 4 passengers sat in back where there was room for 2.5 people). The other 2 families and their driver (8 people in all) got into a Opel car. 2 of them were children (7 and 10 years old), but, that was tight fit!
To make a long story short, traffic was bad!!! We crept through the streets for over 3 hours and never made it to the show. As our bladders expanded, the car seemed to get smaller :-)

Dinner

So, we went to a food court under Kiev and ordered food from "McFoxy" which is interestingly enough, a chicken place. :-0 The counter lady spoke english. Jess asked for a chicken sandwich. OK. "Would you like cheese or pickles?" Can I get both? "No." OK, I would like Pickles. (She got cheese instead and no pickles!!) I worked hard to read her name on her badge and finally offered up, "your name is Tatianna, right?" Came the reply, "No, I am Angelina. This is not my name." OK; enough of that. This reminds me of the old joke, "Does your dog bite?............."

A few pictures

Here are some random pictures of whats happening here. Enjoy!!!

Curve Ball 1#

There's been a curve ball and a bit of a delay to get into the region. Prayers are extremely appreciated especially right now. We will update you as much as we are allowed when something happens.
-Jessi

Observations from Becca's point of View :)

There are a few things I have noticed about Kiev:
1. Christmas lights are up… still,
2. There are a lot of smokers,
3. Everywhere smells like smoke,
4. All the women wear fur,
5. It’s COLD,
6. They have good bread and REALLY good juice,
7. They have McDonald’s (YES!),
8. and the showers are extremely hot,
Just a few basic things.
The planes rides were eventful.. On the flight to Frankfurt, Ellen threw up. Thankfully I did NOT hear it but did notice Ellen holding an air sick bag. On that movie we had TV’s too! We watched “Love Happens”, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” (that one showed while we were sleeping) and “He’s just not that into you”. On the flight to Kiev, Ellen threw up again, this time in the bathroom. Also on that flight I almost threw up. I have decided that I don’t like plane rides.
We got to our apartment alive (we had a very insane, very bumpy, and very alarming car ride to it) and settled. We have 2 bedrooms that hold Mom, Dad, and Ellen. Jess and I got the couch in the living room. But, we had to go to bed around 11:00 PM Ukraine time, 4:00 PM American. (  ) Since we were so tired, we got up around 11:00 AM, 4:00 AM and that was REALLY nice…
As of right now, Dad’s asking from the bathroom for a hairdryer (????), Mom’s reading “To Kill a Mocking Bird”, Ellen is reading some weird book, and Jess is checking crossword answers with Mom. I am, of course, blogging thought before I was reading “Gone with the Wind” (blah).
See you all later (in warmer weather, I hope)

Everything so far...

It’s Jessi!
We have made it to the Ukraine!!!! And I’m already ready to go home. Not really, but it’s very different here. I find going out in public sort of intimidating since we don’t know the language. Most of the people here know some English, but aren’t very good at it. We get our point across either way. Last night we went on a walk because if we stayed here we would all have fallen asleep. We found out where the internet café was and picked up some water and other necessities. For dinner we had McDonalds! I noticed that they didn’t have nearly all the menu items that we had. Anyway it was really good. We walked back home and watched TV. We had to stay awake at least until 9:30 otherwise the jet lag would be really bad. That was really hard! After sitting down for a little while you began to sort of doze off. Mom was the worst about it. We were going to try and stay up until 11, but nobody was going to make it. Today we started off at 11 and are right now working on every ones showers. Dad’s the only one left and Ellen just got out. Mom is currently in a good mood (so says Dad). Becca is taking pictures and dad is writing out the pronunciation guide (????). That’s about all for today. So long Americans!

plane ride and destination update

Hey everyone Ellen here

Man after we all finished bloging in New York Dad decided we should take a walk and well the long and short is that we realized we were at the wrong terminal and had to find ours. we walked half way around the building to learn that we had to take a shuttle to our perspective flight station .waited for about and hour there got on the plane a half an hour before take off and took off two hours later.( ugh)

The overnight flight was ok though after breakfast I gave it all back. (Yuck!!!)

Since we were late we rushed for our final flight just in time but it was pretty rough. During the flight, I gave them back all the sprite I drank and all of us were happy to get off that plane. We met mom after customs and we were met by our driver who drove us around Kiev (it‘s beautiful…that’s about it)

Ellen for the family

JFK airport update

Hey, this is Jessi! We have safely made it to the JFK airport in New York. My overall impression of this airport is that it's very dirty. Right now we are happily watching the Dallas vs. Viking game. There's not much else to do around here. The plane ride here was smooth, but the plane was tiny. We could not see much from the plane windows because it was cloudy the whole way. Here in New York its rainy and cold. Our plane to Frankfurt leaves at 7:15 and dinner will be served on the plane. I am excited about that! That's all to say for now!

New York

Hey ya all from the big apple ( actually I can't see the big apple at all) Everyone around us is watching the vikings vs cowboys
the flight here was ok ( made me a bit claustrophobic) a bit bumpy from what we can tell mom go off ok we now must wait for about 3 1/2 hours for our flight to germany.
here in New york its raining cats and dogs and looks pretty gloomy
well thats about it
Ellen For the family

Step 1 Complete

First, thanks to all our friends that came around us last night and prayed for our safety and success. You may never know what that means.

OK, second, prayer works. So far, we have crossed 2 major thresholds. Delta checked our bags thru to Kiev which means that we can probably make our connection in Frankfurt. Also, after a casual check of Ukraine Int'l Airlines revealed significantly lower baggage limits (Michael, why was that not checked on Friday?!?), there was a flurry of activity in our home to condense, then condense again, and finally, to condense our gear. We made it. Our bags weighed 43.5, 43.0, 42.0, and 42.0 pounds (for the 4 of use on UIA; the limit is 44.0).

Waiting

So here we are FINALLY at the airport waiting around.
Mom's writing thoughts out in a journal, Jessi's texting, Dad's trying to figure out where to eat, and Ellen is complaining how I always get to blog. :) Hehehe...
Thankfully with few tears we left Aunt Nini, Grandma A., and Grandma F. We are all checked in and , praise the Lord, our bags are checked all the way to Kiev even though we are still in Indiana. YES! Hopefully in a little bit we will have some more pictures up. See ya'll later! -Becca

Ok Now we leave

hi everyone this is Ellen
ok just a quick up date
we have yet to leave for the airport due to packing problems
all three of us have had to rearange our backpacks and suitcases multiple times
Everyone is a bit on edge now I personally will be glad to get to the airport
Hope to leave in about ten minuets
Ellen for the Family

Off we go!!!!

Today's the day!
We have all finally finished packing clothes, books, snacks, and misc items. Dad, Ellen, Jess, and I are leaving at 1 o'clock while Mom is leaving at, I think, 1:45. We fly to New York, then Frankfurt, the Kiev, while Mom flies to Chicago, then Dusseldorf, the Kiev.
As you all know we are gonna try to update this blog as much as possible. So KEEP CHECKING IT!
Okay that's all I needed to say! Check back with you guys later!! -Becca (by the way, the reason this is so boring it because it is my first post, the more I do, hopefully the better I'll get :)

Tutorial Posting

I have had my tutorial as to how to add to this posting.
The packing continues.
Wanted to share some specific prayer requests as we embark on this adventure.
1. That we make all our connecting flights. Mike and the girls (we are flying separately) have just a two hour lay over in Frankfurt. Will have to change planes etc...
2. I am flying alone, which I have done before, but not my favorite thing to do. (Mike and the girls have round trip tickets, mine is a one way-humanitarian fare.)
We trust our heavenly Father in all things..He IS faithful.
Doris

Trial Post

OK, so I have never done a blog and a bit disarmed by the proposition. I feel like I am doing impromptu speaking to a large (albeit, friendly) crowd. So, to break the ice, I am doing a "Trial Post"!!

As I was getting ready for work, I thought that maybe some of you would enjoy the state-of-our-packing so here are the photos (for practice's sake):

Doris is the photo with the 3 crates. Jesse has the organized piles. For Doris, each crate has its purpose and the overall size of the crate limits the amount of stuff she can take. There is another small pile of food to the left. Very organized. As for Jesse, some apples will not fall far from the tree.













Ellen of course has her book list made out. She has figured all the angles and borrowed several books and is ready! Oh, yeah, she still has to think about clothes. Ellen has the added problem of finding a place for Reggie while still meeting the luggage limitations!

Becca and I are similar......we, at least, know where to find a suitcase if needed.

Greetings!

Welcome to the Alderink Blog!!