Sunday, February 28

The family is adjusting to our latest additions. The noise coming from the living room is one of happy kids. This is Garrett's first time playing WI and he is enjoying it immensely, at least that's what I think he is saying. Our challenges have been with the younger fellow. Seat belts and booster seats are foreign concepts that are now apart of his world. He bucked it at first, but is realizing there isn't another option. Food is still a challenge. He has not eaten enough to feed his little body. We have tried to have friendly food options but he continues to choose to not eat. We know that he will eventually see something that he will want to eat or be so hungry he'll eat anything. His method of operation seems to be say "no" first and then warm up to the idea. Mitchell is a good kid. He encourages his brother and helps to make him understand what is going on. Reggie has been a big hit. Earlier in the afternoon, the boys were trying to hide from the dog but he would always find them. The sound of happy children is priceless!! The girls are being wonderful big sisters! This week we will have a doctors visit and do some clothes shopping. We will go talk to the school and see about enrolling them the next week. I think they will be ready to have something more to do.

It is so nice to be home...pillow top mattresses, toilets with seats, drinking water from the tap, sidewalks free of snow and ice. The family is glad to have me home as well. It's nice to be appreciated.

As a family we talked about all the prayer support that we had for this adventure. We looked back on all the prayers that were answered...safety, process completed, new friends, new perspectives. We know that God answered a lot of them, more then we are aware of, more then we can ask or think of. How can we say thanks? I think continued obedience to the Lord and service to him is our way.

At Home

We got home a little after 8:30. Mike had prepared a banner for the Homecoming. They had balloons (blue and yellow- Ukrainian colors) too.

First Photo

Presenting, for the very first time, the Alderink family. Yes, this was the very first time EVER that all 7 of us were together. Only once in Ukraine were Mitchell and Garrett together and the girls could not be with us that day. Wow!

It is finished.

February 24, 2010

I am sitting on the floor in a three bedroom apartment with four adults and six boys. We are all either parents or sons, officially and by the grace of God. It has been a fruitful day.
We were up early and out the door before eight to get to the American Embassy. Since we are American citizens, we move to the front of the line and go right through to the security check. It looked like we were the only three families utilizing the adoption windows so we moved through pretty fast. Before they would complete the visa application, we had to get each boy a physical exam. That required getting back into the taxi and driving across town. We had more waiting, along with a lot of other people leaving Ukraine for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the US. The boys checked out okay, then back to the embassy with the appropriate paperwork. More waiting……the process was completed at 4pm. We have visas, passports, and our sons.

Wednesday came on the heels of a very busy Tuesday. After we finally got our passports at 10:30 p.m., we headed to the first orphanage. It took 45 minutes to get all the paperwork completed and personal items collected. The five boys had to be awakened as they had been put to bed since we were running so far behind. We got to Mitchell’s orphanage at 11:50 p.m. He was awake and the paperwork didn’t take long, thankfully. We had rented a shuttle bus that had room to accommodate all of our luggage and people (11) so the bumpy ride north was tolerable. We arrived in Kiev at 2:30 a.m. The two men lugged all the luggage up three flights of stairs. We had lights out a little after 3 a.m.

I am weary but rejoicing. These boys will grow up to be good men. They are loved and valued for being God’s creation. Our sons are delightful. Mitchell was a huge help today with the younger more energetic boys. His maturity and poise is heart-warming to watch.
He looks out for his little bother and encourages him to do what is right. Garret is coming out of his shell. He talks a lot and I have no clue what he is saying. Last night the brothers sat next to each other on the bus. It was the first they had seen each other in over a month. I would have loved to know what their conversation was about. It went on for a long time, a dialogue between two brothers starting a new life. Yes, I have seen defiance and I know there will challenges but just as God has been with us through this adventure, he will be with us for the future ones.

Thursday will be a play day. We have no place to go and no place to be. My plan is to walk around the city and let the boys enjoy this town. It will be an early night as we have to be at the airport by 3:30 A.M. on Friday morn.

They say apples don't fall far from the tree. I say these boys are well on their way to having it apply to them. Let me introduce Mitchell James and Garret Isaac imitating their mom.

A Reflection

It must be human nature to remember the worst situation rather then the ones that are just “normal”. You can go through a day and have people provide good, even excellent service and you don’t recall their names or positions, but have a bad experience and you will have that in your memory box for years to come. We had one of those days Tuesday. Viktor, our facilitator, enlisted the help of many fine Ukrainian civil servants to get our final adoption paperwork through the system. He had them lined up and willing to stay over until the job was completed. Due to their kind consideration, three families got their paperwork all done, in one day, up to the point of going to the regional office for our passports. We arrived at the office at 5:15. The lady in charge knew we needed six and had them there, yet, when we arrived she was out of the office at a party. We waited for almost five hours to get the passports. She arrived all dressed up from her partying a little tipsy. Let’s just say it left a bad taste in our mouths. Thus my reflection of human nature; all those folks that enabled us to achieve our goal will be forgotten, but the one that created a mess will be remembered.


A Reflection

The hallway we spent close to five hours in waiting for the passports.



The facilities available to us while we waited..waited..waited.

"Ground Hogs Day" is over!

Do you remember the Bill Murry movie "Ground Hogs Day", where he lived the same
day over and over? The Helton's and I have been living our own version for the past ten days. We get up at the same time, eat the same breakfast, walk the same icy/slushy roads, visit the same kids, eat dinner out at the same restaurants (those with English menus), and then retire to the same apartment for either a movie or the Olympics (in Ukrainian). I am grateful to say, the appeal period is over!!! We have the court documents so we are progressing through getting the appropriate paperwork necessary to take the boys to the states. Lord willing we will be on our way to Kiev this evening with boys in tow. The vehicle will have four parents and six boys plus Viktor our facilitator. Think that might be a noisy ride?? The Thomas' are already in Kiev with their two children.
Once in Kiev the boys will have a medical check-up. We take that to the US Embassy and submit the final paperwork for visas. This should all be done so we can fly out on Friday. Thankfully the Lufthansa strike has been postponed for two weeks so that will not impact us.
I am ready to introduce Mitchell and Garrett to our life in Indiana. It will be a good life!!
Thanks for your words of encouragement and your prayers. Their impact is immeasurable.
Rejoicing in the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father!!
Doris

Tools for the day.

Since I cannot show a picture of Garrett, I will show you what we get to play with during our daily visit. This grouping of toys has pretty much kept us busy for the past nine days. The Play-doh is a favorite as are the paper airplanes (the most recent addition to our antics). He consistently defeats me at the memory game. Oh, those young brains are to be enjoyed!!,

Downtown Cherkassy

You wondered what happened to AVON, well it is alive and well here. The ladies have their wares out in front of McDonald's everyday. It is pushed as a business opportunity for women. You go girl!!


This "Time Square" like video board graces the plaza across from the McDonald's and next to a shopping center along the main boulevard of town.


Ah, McDonald's, our hub. Whenever we need a taxi to take us downtown, we just say McDonald's and they know where we want to go. It has wifi so we frequent it for that purpose. The prices are not that much less then in the states, so by Ukrainian standards it is a real treat due to its higher cost. The playground has been in use even during the cold weather. I told you, these folks are hardy!!

Where's Noah??

This photo just doesn't do it justice!! The melting has begun and the runoff goes into
the streets. It is hazardous for the vehicles as the water hides the potholes. It is
dangerous for pedestrians as the water is deep and it is pretty much everywhere. The
snow/ice on the sidewalks is slush and tiresome to maneuver.

Happy #16 Jessica!!!!!!

My second child was born sixteen years ago today at 2240. It was a painful birth (aren't they all??)but well worth it!!! We are grateful to God for blessing us with her. I am hoping that the current "birth" process that I am in is fading. This one is not physically painful, just more of an on going pain as "normal" life is disrupted, familiarity is a distant memory, and we are at the mercy of a different governmental system.
Tuesday is when the real action begins. We are free to get the appropriate paperwork needed for passports then head to Kiev. There are four families, eight children, that will need to get a lot of paperwork done before we can move on. Prayer support is requested. It sounds like the day is non-stop with picking up paperwork, getting it notorized, etc.... Our goal is to get the kids on the way out of town, unsure what the facilitators plans are, they return Monday.
After we booked our tickets for Friday on Lufthansa, we learned their pilots are having a strike Mon-Thursday this week. Pray that we can get all the paperwork done and that we will be able to get our flight on Friday without any hitches.
Many thanks, Doris


This could be your place of employment. They are scattered throughout the city selling dried fruit, nuts, pastries. They are open for 12 hours.



Hats anyone???

Half way there!

We are now into day six of our ten day appeal period. It is a slower pace. We joke that it is a rest before we get the kids full time, head to Kiev, and then on to our real lives. Since there will be a group of fourteen of us, we will all have support and help. I think the children will be glad to be together as well.
Enjoying the slow lane.
Doris

Life in Ukraine-Shopping

These fine ladies were gracious enough to let me take a picture of them and their meat. I think it is pork. The building in the center of the "market" area is packed with people selling their wares. There are group into similar products as is all the market. Some have nice stands, others just stand out in the open. It is a great place to go for an anatomy lesson.






Pick your organ to eat. Some were easily identifiable, others-not so much. All very fresh, every day! Walking through the building made me feel like I had gone back in time. Can you imagine what this smells like in the summer?





A common look to the retail shops in the market area. You can walk from the hunting/fishing part to the housewares, to pets, and then on into the building in the center to buy your fresh milk, cheese, and meat.

A little story

Hey everyone this is Ellen I know I said that Mom would be the only one to blog from now on but I thought you guys would like to here a story
About two weeks ago things were looking really bleak It was looking like we would have to all leave well I felt really bad and I was questioning God. In my heart I asked if he would send me a sign that he could hear me but right after I did I said never mind you are God you don't have to show me a thing.
Not ten minutes later I was listening to my Mp3 player in my parents room when I pass one of thier shevles on that shelf my eyes saw two Pennys. I broke down and cried
See my Aunt Nini told me a while ago that she read a book about pennies and how it changed the life of a girl so much and how it reminded the girl that God loves her. So she ( my Aunt) had been picking up pennies as well When she told me that it inspired me to do the same.
The pennies always seem to show up when I am having a hard time
So when my eyes saw not one but two pennies in the heart of Ukraine I was told that God heard me and he loved me.
I told Jess and becca what happend and Jess told me she'd seen those pennies several times and was suprised I hadn't
Thought you all would like to hear that
Ellen ( once again ) signing off

We're Back

Hey Everyone
Ellen here
Well just to lat you all know of the seven members of our family 4 have made it home in one piece. For the other three they have about two weeks before we see them again I miss them all alot
But on the flight
We got up at 5 in the morning (Germany time 11pm here) the burnetts all got up to say bye Mr. Burnett drove us through Heidelberg and we did find our home this time ( whew it looked different than I remeber ) We went to the airport got on the plane it was an uneventful night Got to New york tried to find the internet but it wouldn't work. Finally after four hours we got on the plane ( no delay this time) and made it home and man is it good to back in Hoosier territory. Grandma and Aunt Nini picked us up now we will be waiting anxiously for mom to come home with the boys
thats all
This is Ellen signing off from Indy

February 16

Greetings all!
As I am typing this, sitting in the Plazma "food court" area accessing the wifi, I imagine that the rest of my family are asleep in their beds, at home. They probably had a very late night with their plane not scheduled to arrive until after 10pm.
My life is so free of demands at this point, I am keenly aware of enjoying this time because this is not "normal life". I have books, needle point, and the other couples to fill my days plus the time with the boys.

Today I go see Mitchell. With there just being the two of us, we will have to limit our card playing to "war". Thought we might look at the pictures on the computer. The time with Garret has been good. Yesterday the children put on a program for us. They were all decked out. He looked so cute in his black dress pants, vest, white shirt, and bow tie. He was all grins! We have been building with Duplo-type blocks. He likes to build robots and guns to shoot them. HHHMMMM. Yesterday I made a "grandma robot" and he even destroyed her! He isn't so keen about working on writing his letters or doing any type of "structured" lessons so, I just add them to what we are doing. I would love to post pictures, but they ask that we don't until
after the appeal period is completed.

Enjoy the day! Doris

Architectural Variety

One of many older brick buildings around town. This one looks like it is not being lived in. I like the shutters and just the character of these types of buildings.



This is a modern house.

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This is one of many apartment buildings that dot the landscape of Cherkassy. They are very utilitarian in appearance. (Looks similar to the one we are staying in.) I presume they were built during the USSR time frame. There are some newer apartment buildings that look nicer but I am sure that the price is "nicer" as well. I much prefer the older as seen in the top picture. The older buildings are made of brick and have nice masonry handiwork. Most of the bricks are a pretty orange-red. New construction have white brick which I don't find as nice.

Snow Removal Underway!

Because of the amount of snow that is here, they are clearing off rooftops. We saw on one of the taller buildings downtown that someone had a snow blower on the roof blowing the snow over the side to the pedestrians walking on the sidewalk. They all took it in stride, put up their hoods, ducked in their heads and moved on.




Heavy equipment is now moving the snow piles out. Men are busy taking advantage of the 32F weather to chip away at the snow and ice piles!

The People of Ukraine

The face of one of the many Ukrainians that has made our adventure here rich because of the human element.

Having been out of the influence of the American culture for four weeks now, I think I will make some observations of the people that I cross paths with everyday.
I have observed that they are a hardy people. No matter the age and time of day, there is life visible on the sidewalks around town. When the temperatures were bitter cold (5F) people were out and living like they normally do. In Indy it would have been a ghost town. The older folks are out in the market and bus stops with their small bags of purchased items. The women are always dressed nicely. The older/middle aged women have on their fur/leather coats and black boots. Many wear pretty fur hats/tams. The younger generation wears tight pants with a variety of colored boots-usually with high heels. Facial piercing is not commonly seen. Their appearances are well manicured. The men wear black. The older gentlemen like the fur Russian style hats. I have seen only a few people that I would classify as frumpy. The population is slender, even the employees at McDonalds!
More men smoke here then women. Fortunately no smoking is allowed in public buildings. Alcohol is a significant part of their culture as seen in the grocery stores and the trash in the snow. It is cheap and plentiful. Drunk driving is not tolerated, so we have observed drunken walkers. One middle aged gentleman had fallen and couldn’t get up due to the ice under the snow. Mike and I assisted him and he looked at us with a blank stare. He didn’t have on gloves or a hat, but he managed to meander on to somewhere. My heart ached for him, a life snared by an addiction.
Dental care is on a different level then in the states. Folks do have dental work done as seen by their gold teeth. Most folks here smile with a closed lip smile. I noticed even the kids in the orphanage don’t show their teeth when they smile.
Now that I am here alone, I am comfortable walking around alone. People are cordial. I know that we must stick out as people have said, “American” when we have walked by, but everyone has been friendly and helpful. Yesterday a lady thanked me for coming to Ukraine. I’m glad I’m here too.

Made it to Stuttgart

Got up on Friday morning at about 7:30, and, other than the 2 hours with my head nodding in the back seat of our taxi from midnight to 2am, I have not slept. (I could sleep on the hardwood floor without a mattress or pillow right now.) But, I am here on
Saturday night, in Stuttgart, with the Burnetts and 3 of my kids. More later when I can see straight again.

Wanted Snow Removal Companies!!!

This is one of the worst winters in recent Ukraine history. I am glad to be apart of all the snow for it sure brightens things up and covers all the ugly. However, I do find it easier to walk on sidewalks that are cleared. I don't enjoy feeling like I am walking in shifting sand all the time. You can see the roads are not cleared at all. The way to get unstuck is to spin your tires and hope you catch. We often see walkers-by give someone a push at the corners or in drives. Everyone shares the same challenge so they all deal with it together.



The picture shows the height difference between a cleared sidewalk of a business and the public sidewalk. The difference is at least five inches. There are several inches of solid ice under the snow. I would think a business man could make some money offering their services. The tools that are available are often shovels made of wood. We saw one that looked like it was a cookie sheet duct taped to a wooded stick.

Birth of a Family

One of the unexpected enjoyments of this adventure has been the folks we are experiencing it with that are not a part of our family. They are the Thomas’, Peters, and Heltons. For the past 2 ½ weeks we have shared a two bedroom, one bath apartment with Tricia and Brad Helton. The fit has been great. The handiwork of God!
Yesterday Mike and I were witnesses at a monumental moment in the Helton’s lives, the birth of their family. We watched as Ukraine granted them parental rights to two boys, ages 7 & 9. It would have brought tears to all your eyes as you saw the two little guys, in their Sunday best, stand up straight and answer the questions the judge asked them. Their answers were loudly and confidently “dah”. They even put in a plug about working hard on math problems (Tricia is a 7th grade math teacher). The orphanage director, who is a loving mother hen, stood quietly by encouraging them with her presence. My memories went back to when we saw them at the Indy airport in July, the day the children returned to Ukraine. They had hosted the oldest boy and he was sporting a fashionable haircut that fit his confident personality. His backpack was bulging with goodies that he was taking back with him. This was a child that had found parents, and Tricia and Brad were parents who found their kids. The road to Ukraine took them through numerous garage sales, a spaghetti dinner, and lots of packages and phone calls to the boys to assure them that their parents would be there as soon as they could. After the hearing, the judge and jury (two citizens listen to the petition and have a vote) enjoyed looking at the scrapbook that Tricia had made documenting the time with their son last summer. It was a time of great rejoicing!

Great thanks Jess

I was just reading Jessie's post and now she has me homesick but the truth is I'm split. Part of me is ready for home but the other side of me isn't ready for routine. Yes I do miss Indy I miss Reggie and all my friends ( most of whom are on that retreat right now (Lucky))and Family but at the same time I haven't been over seas in 11 years. Up until 9 months ago(yes that's how long its been since we met Mitchell) It was going to take a miracle for me to be able to come back before I graduated and well I am currently in southern Germany. ( God is good)



Thats about all I am waiting for either Mr. Burnett to bring Dad back or for everyone else to get up ( Its 8:30 local time and it feels more like 6)
Oh is there snow in Indy? ( it has snow a ton both here and in Ukraine)
Ellen for the three girls

Dads coming!!!!

Hey everyone Ellen here
I am very excited to be the oldest of three but I still have to wait for them (I envy Mom)
I am also excitted that dad is coming we missed him alot ( yes mom we miss you and the boys too)
Anyways while our parents were in court we visited our old home town Heidelberg. It was wierd to go through the town and recongize certain things but not others ( the sisters teased me mercelessly for remebering a wall)
we were unable to find our old house but well 11 years is a long time
Thats all for now
Ellen for the three girls
ps aunt Julie was right: the Olympics and Abe Lincoln's 201st birthday

What an Adventure

Two more full days and then Monday we fly home. I have to admit I am very ready to go home. I'm ready to sleep in my bed and have a routine. I'm ready to eat food and know what it tastes like. I'm ready to go back to work (I know I'm weird). I'm ready to speak the same language as the general public. I'm ready to recognize people. And I'm ready to have time alone. But most of all I'm ready to just be HOME! I have loved every bit of this trip and want to remember it for years to come. As I have heard before though, all good things must come to an end, same goes for this. The thing I'm looking forward to the most about being home is when the boys come home too! I can't wait to show them how life in the Alderink house goes. It's been a good adventure :]

-Jessie

Family Plan

Well, as of about 3pm local time, we became the proud parents of Mitchell James Alderink and Garrett Isaac Alderink.

Court took about 35 minutes during which we were asked about our motivations in adoption, ability to take care of the boys, our house, and what our girls thought about adding some brothers. Mitchell was present and the judge asked him some questions about whether he knew what this meant, how he knew we loved him, and about his experiences in our home in the summer. He was very calm and answered Yes when asked if he wanted to become our son and if he also loved us.

We were also allowed to be in the courtroom during the proceedings for the Heltons. Very cool.

It is snowing again here. I need to leave for Kiev at around midnight and am concerned about the roads. Just Pray!

I have mixed emotions about leaving. Doris remains and the job is not complete. So, I have some desire to stay here and finish and to be with Doris. But, there are other responsibilities to tend to. If all goes well, Doris will be home with Mitchell and Garrett around the end of February.

Trip to Kiev

Before I could depart from Ukraine, I was required to sign some legal documents at the US Embassy in Kiev. Since the Embassy is only open on weekdays, I had to go on Thursday. It was not a difficult trip, just taxing.

I was up at 5am (not too bad) and took a taxi to the bus station. Here, a bus to Kiev is basically an airport shuttle bus vehicle. Mine was a big Mercedes with 21 seats. With that many seats, there was no knee room! The bus was just warm enough to not require gloves and hat, so I was thankful. There were only 7 passengers on the bus and each paid 50 ghryna ($6 and change) for the trip. That is amazing to me. If I take a van taxi to Kiev, I will pay 1100 ghryna; a car taxi costs 700 ghryna (and remember, a taxi is cheap here - usually $2.50 for a ride in town).

The shuttle bus is basically a delivery truck with a van body, that is, it is built for heavy loads. With only 8 people total, there was no bounce in the springs. That, along with the poor road quality made me feel like I was riding an old wooden roller coaster for the first 2 hours. No way I was going to try to read. The last hour of road was much better.

In Kiev, Viktors friend, Jenya, who is a taxi driver, picked me up at the terminal end of the bus ride (the main train station). He got me to the Embassy where I walked straight past about 30 Ukrainian citizens that were in line and went right to the door! (Americans have first priority at US Embassies.) Inside, I had to leave everything at the security check point. Then I went directly to the visa area and talked to the Embassy Consul about what papers I had to sign. All, in all, I was in the Embassy for about 60-90 minutes.

Jenya and I went to McDonalds (the drive-thru) on our way back to the train station. Jenya was a great guy. He worked hard to talk to me in Englo-Ukraini-Russkian, or whatever it was. We got along well. I liked him.

The ride back was better. The VW shuttle van only crammed 15 seats into the same shuttle body. I had leg-room!!!! If only the roads had improved during my absence! :-)

The evening was a celebration of the Peters success in court during the afternoon.

This tired puppy went to bed as soon after he got home as possible.

The picture is from our celebration. We got fondue!

Well, we are all dressed up and sitting at McDonalds. The courthouse is 3 blocks away and we have a 2pm court scheduled. We don't dare walk back home and risk not being back in time, so, here we sit. (Correction, here I sit...everyone else decided to go shop for gloves and hats for our boys. If they don't come back in time, I have to grab a Ukrainian woman outside the courthouse to impersonate Doris and then come back into the courtroom with another woman to impersonate the Heltons. We are NOT missing this court date!!!!)

In Ukraine, on Fridays, courthouse business is done by 3pm so, we and the Heltons, must get it all done in 1 hour. That is to our advantage since the judge will want to hurry, right??

If all goes according to our tentative plan, we finish at 3pm, go back and change out of our monkey-suits :-), head to dinner to celebrate, pack my suitcase, hit the sack by 9pm, get up at around 11:30 pm (!!!!!!!), drive to the airport by 3:30 am so that Dennis can catch his flight, sit for 3-4 hours......alone......in the airport with all my luggage, then catch my flight to Germany. Oh, yeah, the drive to the airport is with 4 total people in a small Daewoo sedan. :-( (Really, if this is the worst that we face in our lives, I am getting off easily!)

The photo is from our restaurant last night. It was cold enough that several of us put on our winter coats and Doris and Tammy sat on the radiator.

Observaions from Becca's Point of View

Ah, you ALL need to visit Germany some time.
Yesterday, we went to Rottenburg (Spelling correct?) which is a city from Medieval times that has a large wall surrounding most of the city. We walked the wall (yes mom we are getting exercise) and then walked to the center of the city.
We stopped and grabbed lunch at this restaurant. It was SO good!!! Jess got some macaroni stuff, I got Sauerkraut with 3 types of sausage, Ellen got schnitzel and french fries, and Uncle Brian got some fish (:P)
After that we toured a medieval crime museum with lots of examples of the machines they used to torture people. THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! Ellen only barely made it through!
After that we started to head back to the car, then stopped and purchased a graham cracker ish ball covered with chocolate and with chocolate filling- otherwise known as a 'snowball'. YUMMY! I had to break it apart and serve it and there is still chocolate under my nails (:P) Miss you all!! -becca

More pictures ( for dad from Zugspite)

This was taken by the profesional photographer Becca


The three of us at the highest point in Germany

Oops

I forgot to show you guys some pictures

When drinking and eating do not forget God ( English translation)


The memorial in Dachau




This is a silly picture of the sises in ukraine

hey from Heidelberg

Hey everyone Ellen here
I am currently in Stugard where the burnetts live. Today we will be vistiting the place where our family used to live Heidelberg. Yesterday we vistied Rotenburg a small town that has a mideviale ( sorry for spelling) wall surrounding it.
we walked the wall and it was a pretty good hike
we also toured the torture museum which was pretty interesting and a bit gruesome. We also ate a snowball ( yes I am telling the truth )
thats about all
Ellen for the three girls
ps For my merge friends enjoy the winter retreat!!!!! ( wish I was there)
Pss who can name me the two events that happened today ( this includeds what is starting today)
Psss No the adoption doesn't count

HOMERUN!!!!!!

Homerun!!

We have our official court date tomorrow, Feb 12 at 2:30. That is what we have been waiting for!! On Saturday the 10 day appeal period begins. Once that time has passed, we do some paperwork here, get the boys, and head to Kiev to do paperwork at the US Embassy. That process will take 2-3 days, and then we head west! The four families that are currently in this region will be on the same time track. That should make it easier for us all as we will have support/company on the home stretch.
Mike will fly to Germany over the weekend and be able to fly home with the girls on Monday as previously planned. We are thankful that we don’t have to change their tickets. I will be home, hopefully, before March 1.
One more item for prayer is the passport situation. There currently is a limited supply of Ukrainian passports available. The company that prints the passports stopped that printing job to print the ballots for the recent presidential election, decreasing the supply. Now that the election is over, I pray that they resume their printing and it won’t be an issue with us. Our facilitator, Viktor, says they have eight set back for us and that he will stay on top of that situation while we have our ten day waiting period. We pray so!!
Mike’s on his own adventure today as he took a 3 hour (one-way) bus ride to Kiev to sign papers at the embassy. This needed to be done before he left the country. I am sure he will have some tales to tell. I am grateful that he has an adventuresome spirit and was willing to take it on. I will spend the day looking for clothes to outfit the boys. The second hand shops have proved to be very cost effective and the clothes are nice.

Back in Stuttgart

Here are some pictures from our excursions:

Ellen and Me posing with a statue at the church were Ludwig is buried.



Becca and her beer ;)



Ellen and Me at the HofBrauhaus.




We safely made it back to Stuttgart this evening! We started our day in Dachau and finished walking around in Munich. Dachau was sobering and gross at times, but none the less it was interesting. The only thing I was annoyed with was that it was snowing and was chilly. Munich was a nice city. I especially enjoyed our lunch at the HofBrauhaus. That place was HUGE!!!! For those of you who don't know, HofBrauhaus is a restaurant with it's one brewery and sausage making(I think). There were tons of people there, a few drunk ones, and a band playing. It was a really neat place and I enjoyed that experience alot! After that we walked around Munich and tried to see the tomb of Ludwig, the one who built Neuschwanstein, but the catacombs were closed for remodeling. We walked around some more and then finally drove home.

Feb 10 Morning

Trisha with a bag of milk?!?! All our milk comes in boxes or bags. A bag here is stored at room temperature until opened. Costs about a buck.



Here we are at breakfast. It does not matter what the date of the picture is.....we look the same everyday!!!!

OH, before I forget. Lots of the dishes in the restaurants contain prunes. The owners found that adding prunes makes for regular customers! :-)

The New Swan Stone and the other castle

Hey everyone
Here we are in Dachau today we will be seeing the old concentration camp
its strange to be here with out mom or dad And I really hope we see them soon
Yesterday we saw the two castles of king ludwig 2 they were spectacular
according to Brian burnett 90% of the days there are cloudy. We came on one of the 10% which is sunny. Also we visited Austria and took a cable car to the top of the Zugspiter ( tallest point in Germany) it was soooooooooooo clear and beautiful. cost a lot but was worth it.
thats about all
Ellen for the three girls

Neuschwanstein & Alps Pictures

NEUSCHWANSTEIN!!!!



Here's a picture of Ellen, Jess, and I at the castle Hoggenschwan (?) in English High Swan Town... (?)



Here's Jess on the observation platform near Neuschwanstein



We had a great day yesterday at Neuschwanstein even though our tour guide mumbled...
Anyway, We are going to visit Dachau Concentration Camp today. See you all later!

Lemonade In Limbo-February 9

You know the saying, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. That
is what we are doing. As Mike and I hang out in Ukraine, most of our responsibilities are gone. Except for the couple hours a day we see the boys, we are free of parental responsibilities. We both have some work things to do, but that is not all consuming, our meals are simple, cleaning minimal….really almost like a honeymoon.

Yesterday we had the time and freedom to walk around the town. We found the museum, closed on Mondays, a national monument, a couple second hand stores, the ice carving display, and got to walk to all those places in a gently falling snow. As one of the other couples commented, it was like a Hallmark moment. Perhaps this is the Lord’s way of filling our tanks for the road ahead.

Thankful for a God who knows our inner most desires!

Pictures: Doris at a Second Hand shop. Notice the height of the door!! Other is Mike at the Ice Sculpture exhibit in town.

Hey from Fussen

Hey everyone Ellen Here
Thought I'd give ya all an update
As you know by now Jess , Becca and I are in Germany right at the foot of the alps
unfortunately you can't see them due to fog so it looks more like the smokieys in Tennessee. Today we left Stutgartt at about 1 as someone didn't get out of bed til 11 due to the superbowl.
Brian Burnett took us to this restaurant that looked like it was mideval
Becca and I ordered cheesy noodles and a salad Jess orded this huge salad. Well during the meal Jess handed one of her hard boiled eggs to Becca so she could smell it well then becca wanted me to smell it on its way over part of the yoke dropped into Jessie's coke and well now she is seeking revenge
Thats about the only news here tomorrow we plan to see neiswanstien ( the castle of the crazy king
Hope ya all are enjoying the snow
Ellen for the three girls

Füssen Pictures

Mom this pictures for you! We found a shop and the playmobile was AWESOME! It wasn't too expensive either!




Ellen and I at a park near the castle here in Füssen.




Here's a picture of the three of us snuggled on the couch ready to watch the Superbowl!

Super Bowl followup

This is Doris outside our apartment door.

Finally, at 1:15 am on Sunday, we found a TV station carrying the Super Bowl. We watched the entire game on a German station called ARD "Das Erste" (channel 368 on the Eurobird satellite) with Christian Vollmer, offense lineman of the Patriots doing color commentary. (I should have known at that moment that the game was destined to be a dud!!!) Tom Nutten also commented (he apparently played in the NFL in 2000.)

We are sad; but, somehow we also feel very detached. Watching in German does not give much flavor to the game. I actually went to bed and did not think about the results. It is very weird. On the plus side, it was comical to hear all the German language flowing rapidly from the announcer's mouth and suddenly to hear "offensive lineman," or "touchdown," or "gonna go for it," or "it's Do or Die now" dropped in mid-stream.

The weather is very Blah here again. The weekend was clear and beautiful though. It is time to explore!

Feb 8 Morning

Feb. 8
I think we are in a routine, or is it a rut? Our world revolves around visiting the boys and sustaining life. It is a simple life as there are not high demands on us, especially now that the girls are in Germany. I am working on enjoying the time for it is a reprieve from the rat race of life. God’s hand is in all this, we will rejoice and be glad.

We are in this region with three other couples from central Indiana. We have been here the longest by about 5 days; the fourth couple arrived last Wednesday. We share the evening meal together at a restaurant, choosing those that have English menus, enjoying one another’s company and stories. Each couple is planning to adopt two children. We are all in limbo because of the Interpol curve ball.

Yesterday was the presidential election in Ukraine. We noticed that the candidates posters that were on a building and their tents are all gone. We never saw any evidence of voting places- no Ukrainian flags hanging around buildings or political signs out. You could not tell it was Election Day. I think Election Day in the states is more visible. The male candidate was the projected winner as of last night.

Our day today will be looking for clothes for the boys to go home in. The clothes that they currently use will be left at the orphanage. We have to provide everything for them. Mike is going to enjoy this day!!  (Note: the little squiggle to the left of the parenthesis is what the 'smiley face' in MS Word looks like when pasted here. And, NO, Mike will not enjoy clothes shopping.)

The pictures: dinner last night was tasteless pizza served at a wonderful, warm, friendly restaurant (there are lots of leftovers, Ha). The other is a photo of a young boys lips, up close, with flash. OK, it is at least different from our normal fare...... :-)