14 Days and Counting

Nothing like spending the day with Will to make everything seem better.

We have been working on passport stuff all week. We spent two days in Dnipro working on Alina's passport application, now we have been in Krivyi Rih working on Will's.

Hopefully we will get the applications submitted tomorrow.

Our tickets home are for March 14th. 14 days left in Ukraine. Yeah!! The end is in sight. If I don't make it home by then, Christy and Wendy I will take you up on your offers to come impersonate me.

Thankfully my stomach has calmed down and no more passing out. Aren't blessings the best? Hopefully it will keep me from turning into one of those ridiculous, fainting Jane Austen girls.

We were going to get Alina out of the orphanage on Mon. but we didn't have the right papers. By Tuesday she decided she was scared and begged to stay one more week in the orphanage. Poor kid! I think it is Mary, since clearly I am nice. :) We decided to get them both out next week.

So Lena hangs out with her friends at the orphanage and Mary and I spend the days in the car driving and waiting.

We have been playing lots of scrabble.


It is snowy here again this week, but thankfully, not as cold. Mary is glad.

Back to Ukraine

I have been so cursed sick. The flu messed with my blood pressure and I have been passing out again. If I eat pretty much anything my stomach gets sick and I pass out.

Last night I didn't think I could go back to Ukraine. I didn't want to drag my sick self on the plane and back to the world of snow. I was completely discouraged and ready to give up.

This morning before I left, Diane's husband, Blake, gave me a blessing. He reminded me that Heavenly Father is aware of me and what I am doing here and blessed me that I would have the strength to complete my Holy trip of adding children to my family.

I love he called it a holy trip. It reminded me why I am here. I saw Alina and Will's faces in my mind and my heart filled with the courage and desire to go back to Ukraine.

Thanks to Diane my strict diet of chicken broth and gold fish crackers brought me safely to Kiev without incident.

Me and my Chicken Broth

Diane thank you for your tender care of me. I couldn't have been in better hands. My heart is full as I think of all you did for me. I am humbled by the many ways Heavenly Father blessed me through you this week. So many reminders that he is aware of me and my needs.

I love you forever my cute friend Diane.

Germany

Sorry for not updating sooner mom. I did make it to Germany. I was going to blog earlier this week but I got the flu and it knocked me out for a few days.

Diane has been taking care of me and her sick kids. We have our own Florence Nightingale. Bless her forever for saving my life this week. Chase got it first and then Reagan, Logan and I all got it on the same day. This morning her husband woke up sick. Poor poor Diane. Hopefully she earned herself a pass this time.

Despite the flu scourge, Germany is a wonderful break from Ukraine. It is so good to see my dear friend Diane. I have missed her and her kids tons since they moved out of our neighborhood a year and a half ago.

Mary is coming today, and then she will go back to Ukraine with Lena and I on Sunday. Diane and I keep hoping she won't get a flu souvenir to take to Ukraine with her.

Jeff and Sara are home and Lena and I are so jealous.



Cute Chase

Stuck in Latvia

We left for Germany today excited to see Diane.




I went through security at Ukraine airport with a pocket knife in my pocket. I didn't realize till after. Hmm makes you wonder about their metal detectors.

A strike in the Frankfurt airport left us stuck in Riga, Latvia.

Turns out Riga is nice and Lena and I had a fun day together.



On the tram to the hotel.








Yummy hot chocolate from a local cafe.












Lena's favorite thing. An old head stone from a church. She loved the skeleton's on them.




Thanks for the free tour of Riga, Air Baltic but we really want to see Diane, so we are hoping the strike ends tomorrow.

Kremenchuk

The director was gone yeah!!! We got to see the girls. They were so cute! They loved their presents but they smiled the most when I gave them a big hug from Carlin.

Carlin I am posting some pictures for you. We had a wonderful day in Kremenchuk with Anna, she is terrific.


Orphanage pictures









They were a little nervous in front of the vice director, but when we saw them outside they were talking excitedly and checking out their stuff. They both were smiling a lot and showing their friends.





They felt loved by you Carlin and sometimes just knowing someone loves you makes all the difference in the world.





We ate lunch here.



The bed in our hotel room!

A little adventure before Kiev

Thank you for all of the comments everyone. It is lifesaving to feel your love and support. I feel so much gratitude for all of you. What dear friends and wonderful family I have.

We are on the bus headed to Kremenchuk today. We are going there for our amazing friend Carlin.

The same year we hosted Lena she hosted three kids and fell in love with them. When she came to Ukraine to adopt them, the director caused problems and she wasn't able to adopt them. She ended up getting three other kids. Isn't she awesome??

She stills loves these kids in Kremenchuk and has been heart broken about not being able to help them or see how they are doing.

We are on a mission to find these kids and give them the gifts Carlin sent. The big D there is difficult and won't allow the kids to get letters. We don't know if the director will let us see them, but we are going to do our best.

Carlin I love your huge, big heart and I prayed really hard this morning that we will be able to see the kids.

When we pulled out of Dnipro the song, "There will be miracles, if you believe" was playing on the bus. I remember standing on the stage during The Save A Child Concert with Lena by my side singing that song and thinking it would take a miracle for Jeff and I to be able to adopt her. Look at us now!!!! Funny they are playing it over here.

I am praying for a miracle today. Maybe the director won't be there. We can hope.






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Court

We woke up today to a beautiful snowy Valentines day.

Court was at one so we spent the morning shopping in the open market. Alina has been admiring this purple coat for weeks. We decided to buy it for her for Valentines Day since her orphanage coat is stinky and hammered. We hid it at the apartment for her to find after court and headed to the court house.

We waited outside for the judge with four inspectors, two directors, two jury people and our translator.

Finally the judge was ready and our court started.

We got the prosecutor Luiba was hoping to avoid. She was pretty tough. She asked Jeff and I lots of questions about being able to take care of Zhenya.

They told me he would have to be home schooled because he is too sick for school.

There were lots of questions raised about rather he would be better off in a family or in the special orphanage. There were questions about rather he would even be able to travel to the U.S.

They gave poor Alina a rough time about why she said no to the Hinkson's and why now she wanted to come to America.

Her director stood and talked in her behalf. She told the court how Alina's aunt had promised to adopt her and that is why she told the Hinkson's no. She said her aunt had not been back to visit since the Hinkson's left. She described how sad Alina had been, and how sorry she was for saying no. The cute director told the judge that she thinks God is giving Alina a second chance at a family, so he better say yes.

After an hour and a half court was finally over and the judge decided that yes Zhenya would be better off in a family and yes Alina deserves a second chance. The judge made me promise to let Alina see her brother in America. I told him no problem, we love the Hinksons.

What a perfect gift for Valentines Day. We are officially adding two new Rasts to the family.

Sitting in court I felt certain that Heavenly Father knows these two kids perfectly and he had a plan for them all along. It is humbling to realize the miracle of it all. Yes, it will be hard, because most right things are but I know loving these two kids is going to bring me so much joy.

Alina was so happy today. I got lots of cute hugs. Zhenya didn't come to court, so we didn't get to see our new son.

Alina was super excited about her coat. We exchanged Valentine's gifts and had a great evening together.


When I told Alina goodbye tonight, I showed her on the calendar when the official 10 day wait would be over and when I would come back from Germany to get her. I told her how much I loved her and how much I would miss her. She told me, " I will miss you for 10 days but then after that we will always be together."














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Court Tomorrow

We found out today that we have court tomorrow. Yeah! My heart will rest easier when I know Alina and Zhenya are mine.

Sara is going home in a few days and I will miss her. I took her on a date today and we walked all over town and to her orphanage. She showed me all of her favorite places and told me lots of stories.







She showed me how they made these ice paths to slide on by pouring hot water on the snow.


This was her favorite tree to climb.

We laughed about the picture book, which reminded me I wanted to write about what happened, it was so cool.

When Sara came to America she was sad she had forgotten her pictures from Italy, a family there hosted her every summer and December. They gave her a photo album she loved.

She begged me to take her back to Ukraine and get it. I told her I couldn't and it was probably thrown away anyway.

Over the last three years whenever we brought up the orphanage, Sara lamented about her pictures. She always wished she could get them.

Imagine her joy and my surprise when her teacher gave Sara the picture album this week.

Lena and I laughed and laughed about it. We couldn't believe she got the infamous photos.

The album is full of pictures of Sara when she was small. I love it, not only for the pictures but even more because my sweet Sara cherished it all those years as her sole possession.

Her teacher said she looked at the pictures when she missed Sara and cried.

I took a picture of a few of my favorites.




Sara and her best friend. She thinks it is hilarious that he has a mustache now.



The family from Italy





Ana