Looks like we made it...

Well, we made it to Moscow. Our hotel is simple, but nice. Tomorrow we have our physicals, and then we meet our friends Pasha and Lena. We are looking forward to having some time with them before we leave for Krasnoyarsk tomorrow evening. (Friday) MaryEllen is feeling a little better, and we are getting some sleep off and on. Last night I woke at 3:00am and couldn't get back to sleep so I got up and exercised. We took two naps today, and hope to sleep tonight.

Eating has been interesting and humorous. The menu had two items we got a good laugh from. They were fried spicy chicken fruit, and lula of lamb. We were not adventurous enough to order either one yet. Some things like "stake" we can figure out on our own. We just remember we are the guests here, and we are the ones who speak a foreign language.

We are looking forward to Monday when we get to see our girls again. Many have said that court is nerve racking, but we trust that The Lord is in control over all things great and small.

We did some shopping today for some trinkets for the girls when they get older. It just seems like something nice to tie to their heritage. Also, we didn't have anything else to do today. At least the Ruble is favorable to the dollar these days. Much better than when we were here in Dec.

Thanks for all your prayers. We are now going to dinner and listen to some jazz in the hotel restaurant. We will check back in later.

Leaving, on a jet plane

Did you ever notice there is a song about everything? We are getting packed up and ready to go. As it turns out, we will get to see our friends from Vladimir on Friday, and we are excited to fellowship with them again. We are able to bring some things with us for them as well :) MaryEllen has a cold or something she contracted over the last day or so, so she is going to the Dr. this morning just to be cautious. I am still feeling fine after my travel haircut. We are a little anxious about not having everything we will need. I'm sure we can buy most things we would need though. Our small group had a surprise send off for us on Sunday night, and we really appreciated their thoughts and prayers. Everyone has been very encouraging for the most part. Lots of free advise, if you know what I mean? This is the last blog from the states. Next stop Moscow!!!

Counting the days

We are getting closer to leaving. One week to go. We are taking care of all the things that need to be done when one leaves on a long trip. Someone is taking care of our house, mail will be stopped, etc. Bills are paid up, utilities turned down, jobs are scaling back. All we can think about now is getting our girls home. We can't wait to see them again.

We leave on the 24th for Moscow, and stay there for a few days to get physicals from the Russian Gov't. Then on Friday the 27 we fly to Krasnoyarsk. We will visit the girls on Monday the 2nd, and then will go to court on the 3rd. If all goes as planned, we will get the court's approval, and the girls are ours, sort of. Then starts the 10 day waiting period, during which we will go visit the girls a few more times hopefully. On Saturday the 14th we will go pick up the girls for good. That is commonly referred to as "Gotcha Day". We will have some more official work to do in Kras for a few days, and then on Wednesday, March 18th we will start our journey home. We stop in Moscow for a few days to get the girls' visas and physicals, and then head home on Saturday the 21st. All these dates are somewhat tentitive, but we are praying that everything goes well and we don't have any major hickups.

We tried to get an apartment in Moscow on the way back, figuring it would be easier than a hotel with the girls, but that week is the busiest in Moscow all year due to a huge convention. Oh well, I guess a hotel will have to do. Other plans for our trip are coming together. We have the girl's clothes layed out, and MaryEllen is getting herself packed. We are not able to take very much because of weight limitations on Siberian Air. They only allow 40 lbs, so we are trying to keep everything light. These last few days will go quickly. Pray, pray, pray.

travel plans

Things have been moving at a fast and furious pace these last few days. We sent for our visas, booked our flights (got great rates, praise God), and are putting together the paperwork to take with us. I think we will need a separate suit case for the paperwork. We are only allowed 40 lbs. each on Siberian Air, so we are trying to pack as light as possible. The charge for being over is several dollars per pound. What a scam. We had a scare today after thinking we had booked the wrong flight, but it was booked correctly, and all is well. I don't know why I get so worked up over a couple hundred dollars :)

The days are flying by, and there is still so much to do. We have been working on gathering things for some time now, but it is hard to believe we will be leaving in less than two weeks. Our departure date did change from our original plan because AA does not fly to Moscow on Wednesdays. So, we will leave on Tuesday and relax in Moscow for another day. Who knows what we will do. We can't afford to shop, and wouldn't be able to carry our loot due to weight restrictions anyway. We may be able to leave some stuff with the coordinator in Moscow.

Work is very busy for MaryEllen and me, so that adds to our stress. I can't wait for the girls to be here so we don't have this stress. I'm sure it will be replaced with other stress of being a parent. We are just reminding ourselves that in a few weeks all this will be over and we will step off the plane in Chicago. The process will be over. Its not that bad, but emotions run so high at times, and I am a guy. I can only imagine what MaryEllen is going through. We have really be great help for each other. It seems when I am stressed she is calm, and when she is stress I am calm. What a team?

We will be checking email daily in Russia, so hearing from you all would be a huge encouragement. Just click on the email link on the right side of this page.

Now we need to get together gift bags for some of the people who we will be in contact with, as well as the caregivers of the girls. This is not required, but is a custom in Russia and much of Europe. We are again trying to keep things light. Thanks for supporting us in this process.

Oh, Boy (Girl)!!!

We just heard this afternoon that we will be traveling to get the girls on Feb. 25th! We are so excited! Everyone said that the wait between trips is the hardest, and we found that to be true also. However, it all seems worth it. Now we need to get visas, tickets, and other packing for our trip. We will be gone just over 3 weeks, 10 days between court and gotcha day (March 14). It looks like our trip will overlap some of our new internet adoption friends, so that will be nice. We will arrive in Moscow on the 26th, see the Drs. on the 27th, and then on to Krasnoyarsk. Monday the 2nd we will visit the girls again, court will be on the 3rd, and then we wait again. We plan to do some shopping for essentials for the girls during that time, and who knows what else. It will probably depend on the weather. Please pray for visas and ticket process, safe travel, health for MaryEllen and me, and for the court and other details of the trip.

The grandparents all have the DVD of the girls, and loved watching them interact with us. That seems like a good way to relate the two generations. I will try to update again when my feet come back down to the earth.

It is Tuesday, and we are still waiting impatiently for a call that our court date is set. I have talked with several people who are getting court dates, so we are hopeful that our is coming soon. In the mean time we are trying to stay busy getting things ready for our girls. We have settled on a child care agency, and the people there seem to be very nice and care for the children. Equally important, they seem to really be interested in helping the children learn all they can at their own pace. Settling on an agency is a big relief. On to the other items on the list.

MaryEllen received a diaper bag from a friend, and she is intent on packing it up so we are ready to travel when the call comes. We should have a couple weeks to pack, but there is going to be so much to do in the little times we will have. The more we can do now the better.

Last Thursday we received word from our agency that they needed a power of attorney for the coordinator in Kras to represent us before the judge, so, we got the signatures and notary, and I drove to Springfield to get it apostilled. It wasn't so bad. Just an afternoon drive in the country. We hope that there are no more of those trips to Springfield, but we will do whatever it takes to get our girls home as quick as possible.

The toys are starting to pile up, and the closet is beginning to fill, thanks to many generous friends and family. We sent video of the girls to the grandparents, and so far they loved it. Still waiting to hear from MaryEllen's parents. I'm sure they are going to love seeing their grandchildren on tape for the first time. They are not up to date with technology, so we bought them a little portable DVD player so they can see the girls. I think they will like that.

I will try to update every week from here on out, even if we don't have any news. We hope to hear something in the next week or so, but who knows. Thanks for your prayers and support.