We Are Alive

I have not had internet for 5 days. Sorry to everyone who has emailed I haven't had a chance to respond yet. I finally have contact to the outside world again.

It has been fun to have the girls with me. They have been so excited to be out of the orphanage. Everyday they wake up with big smiles and say, "No more orphanage." It is so funny.

The day we took them out of the orphanage their teachers cried, their friends cried, Mary cried, but the girls and I jumped for joy and ran out of the gates cheering. Poor Mary couldn't stop crying and I asked her what was wrong and she said she was crying for all the ones we were leaving behind. It was sad but I was so happy to be taking the girls out of there that it was hard to feel any other emotion.

After getting the girls we caught the night train and went to Odessa. We spent some time at the Black Sea and our crazy translator went swimming even though it was freezing. It was nice to get out of town for the weekend.

We then went to Kiev to pick up my mother in law and send Mary home. We have been travelling on the train so much and now we are back in Dnipro working on our passport and birth certificate. It is nice to be in one place for a minute.

My mother in law has been a great sport. She came in with jet lag and then we went on a night train, poor thing. I don't think she slept for three days. She has been a huge help and the girls are so excited to have her here. It has been fun to see her excitement and shock at everything here. The Ukranians love her because she is so excited about everything they show her. Our usually grumpy driver actually gave her a special tour of Kiev because she thought she was so fun. She is scoring us big points, they always tell me how great she is.

My Ukranian friends keep asking about Mary they got such a kick out of her while she was here. They think her boyfriend Boyd has the funniest name for some reason, and Mary they are still laughing about it.

Mary took the camera home with her so we don't any of the pictures that she took. Maybe Mary you can post some from home and write a little about your experience here. I would love for the girls to have it later on.

I will try to post more later, our internet is limited. Mary you should post the picture of the breakfast the girls made us. It was scrambled eggs with tons of shells and bread with ketchup and thick slices of cheese. We wanted to gag but the girls were so proud of themselves, so we made a show of eating it and then discretely threw the rest away.

Tomorrow I get to take the girls out of the orphanage. Yeah!! We are all so excited. When I told the girls that tomorrow they would come with me and leave the orphanage forever they jumped up and down and hugged and kissed me.

It is a holiday weekend and nothing can be done on their passports until next Tuesday. Instead of staying here in this not so lovely town, we are taking a night train tomorrow and are going to the Southern part of Ukraine near the Black Sea. The place is called Odessa. Mary requested a little adventure so we are hoping to accommodate. We had to pay a bribe to the “mini moffia” as they called it to get the tickets, but hey we got them. Mary was shocked by the bribe, but I have gotten used to the system of paying to get things done. We don’t have tickets back from Odessa yet, or a place to stay but they tell us not to worry they will work it out. More bribes to the Moffia I’m sure. I think Mary will surely get her adventure.

I may not have internet access while we are gone, but I will blog when we get back. It may be a few days before we have internet again.

These are the last pictures of my orphans, next time you see them they will at least be clean and hopefully be wearing matching clothes.

This is a picture Lena drew that hangs on the wall of the orphanage in the main building.

For Wendy and Alex

My tribute to Wendy the pioneer leading the way in all of this and my friend.

First, thank you for all the shortcuts you taught me that helped me to go from home study to being in the Ukraine in a short 3 months. Thank you for answering all my dossier questions and for patiently listening to all of my concerns. Thank you for documenting this whole process and making it easier for those following. Thank you for putting together lunches and parties so we could all meet and help each other along. Thank you for being here in the Ukraine when I got here and showing me all the ropes. Thank you for taking care of me and listening to all my woes. Thank you for helping me name my girls and for sharing my first moments as a mother. Thank you for entertaining me and making the long afternoons speed by. Thank you for helping me solve all my problems, (especially stinky feet) and for patiently listening to all my fears. Thank you for chocolate chip cookies, gummy bears, taco soup and all the little things you did to make me feel more at home. Thank you for your positive attitude and your courage when things went wrong. Thank you for your listening ear and caring heart. Thank you for looking out for me and being my friend. Thank you for your encouragement and advice. Thank you for always commenting on my blog. Lastly, thank you for making me laugh. I have so many happy memories and whenever I remember my time in the Ukraine I will always be grateful for you. Many have read your blog, but I was the lucky one who got to experience it with you first hand. You are an amazing person Wendy and you have touched my life. Thank You! The Ukraine just isn’t the same without you!

Alex,

I know in the coming months and years you will change so much. No matter how grown up, cool, or American you become, I will never forget the sweet Alex I knew here. The Alex who took care of us, who ordered all our food, who always made sure we were o.k. , the Alex who worried about us and loved us, the Alex who made us laugh with his pantomimes and jokes, the Alex full of sweet hugs and cute smiles and the Alex who cooked such wonderful salads. Your pure spirit has been a witness to me of the human soul’s ability to rise above any circumstance.

Back in Dnipro

Mary and I rode the train today from Kiev to Dnipro. It was fun to be awake on the train ride and see the beautiful countryside. I loved the small farms and cute old houses.

We arrived at the orphanage and the girls attacked us. They were so excited. Lena gave Mary a huge hug and a "Hi Marrry" in her cute Ukranian accent. Sara wouldn't leave Mary alone and kept hugging her and holding her hand. I thought that was unusual as she didn't know her, but then I realized we have been talking about Mary non stop and Lena must have told Sara about her as well.


We had a fun day with the girls walking around the town, showing everything to Mary. It was fun to see Mary's reaction to all of this. This is her outside our apartment. She was surprised at how dirty, gross and disgusting the buildings are.



The orphanage was so sad and she couldn't stand it. Another little orphan girl wanted to come with us and the Director said no. She walked away downcast and sad. Mary couldn't take it and talked about how awful it was all day. I told her it is always like that and there is nothing we can do. Everyday at the orphanage I feel like I am giving a huge present to only one child while the rest sit and watch enviously. It is a horrible feeling.

Look out everyone! Mary is on a mission to find a mom for that girl.

I miss Wendy, Alex and Jeff. It is sad to go to all the places we used to go and they aren't here. It isn't the same. I have come to love this city, and my new friends here, but I also can't wait to get my girls and leave this place. This city is a constant reminder of all they have suffered.

Last night we had a girl's night out. Mary, Oxana,(our attorney), Helen,(Sodeburg's translator) and I. Mary and I have not laughed that hard in ages. Our faces and sides hurt. We laughed about everything, from Mary taking pictures of the toilet, and ugly boats to Mary's hilarious questions about the Ukrainian people and Helen's directly translated sarcasm. Let's just say they all laughed at Mary and Helen couldn't stop teasing her. It felt like our regular girl's nights at home. Helen (in the pink) had a bandage on her ear and had to cover it in all our various pictures. She was hilarious. We had so much fun!




My ten day wait, ends on Friday. I am hoping to take the girls out of the orphanage then. Two more nights. They are anxiously counting down and begging to come home with me everyday.

After the ten day wait is up, then we have to work on passports, birth certificates and visas. In other regions it is one or two days, in ours it is a week. I can't even start the process until next Tuesday because this weekend is a holiday again and they have Monday off. I will start the process on Tuesday, hopefully it will take a week, then another two days at the embassy in Kiev and then home. Who knows though! I have learned that the one thing to expect is the unexpected.

To answer your question Jen. My time frame is a little slower than Wendy's, well minus her mess with the passport. She would have gone faster than me if not for that. I have hit two big holidays, where everything shuts down, so I am going to be here 6 weeks if all goes well. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Poor Wendy! If I were you I would plan on 6 weeks and be pleasantly surprised if it takes any less. Hope that helps!

Still in Kiev

Since Jeff left I have been horrible at pictures. I realize I have only taken one. Oops! I'll have to repent and do better. We have been having great fun with Wendy in Kiev.

We heard there was a good Mexican restaurant in Kiev so with ten year old Alex in the lead we decided to ride the subway and find the Tequilla House. After figuring out the subway and finding the restaurant we were so excited for our delicious Mexican food.

Oh boy were we in for a surprise, well not so surprising, bland Mexican food. They said the salsa was hot, but it was barely mild. What a disappointment!

Wendy made up for the bland Mexican today by making delicious taco soup. What am I going to do without Wendy? I am excited for her sake that she is going home on Thursday, but how sad for me. I have become so attached to her and Alex and am really going to miss them.

She promises to keep in touch from home and help me through the last stretch.

Mary and I are headed back to Dnipro tomorrow. I am excited to give my girls a hug. I can't wait for Mary to see them and to meet my Sara.

It has been fun to have the new families here, the Sodeburg's and the Horlachers. I remember my first few days here and feeling the way they do now. It is funny how in just a matter of weeks I have made some amazing friends and feel more at home in this foreign country than I ever thought possible.

Kiev

We have been in Kiev for three days now. It has been nice to have a change of scenery, but I miss the girls. It has been great to hang out with Wendy and Alex. Our attorney Oxana also has been a great host and she has taken Wendy and I to the sauna,(what an experience). For a hillarious description see Wendy's Blog. You probably won't believe it! You will die laughing if you read it although it is a bit shocking. Wendy and I are still laughing and I am threatening to make Mary go. LOL!

Jeff left this morning and Mary came. I was sad to see Jeff go, I'm still going to be here three more weeks. Wow! I was really happy to see Mary. It is strange to see someone from my old life, I have almost forgotten how it is at home. It was good to hear about all of you and the goings on in Utah.

Mary brought us all sorts of things we have been missing. Chocolate chips which Wendy used to make delicious cookies, licore, pancake mix and a million other things we requested. I didn't know I could feel so excited about food.

Our other friends who are adopting from the Ukraine flew in as well. The Horlachers and the Sodeburg's. It was fun to see them all here in the Ukraine. We have all been talking about this for months at home and it was a great feeling to all be here finally getting our kids. What a great group of people and I feel blessed to be part of it.

We went to church today, it was Stake Conference. It was an awesome feeling to be surrounded by such a large group of LDS people in a foreign country. I felt more at home there then I have anywhere since I have been in the Ukraine. I love that calm peaceful feeling that I get no matter where it is or the language that is spoken. It was a good battery charger for me.

Wendy's Groundhog Day

Two nights ago we thought we were saying goodbye to Wendy. We saw her off at the train and I was so sad. Then the next day surprise! She is coming back. They messed up on Alex's passport and she had to come back and is going to be here 5 days longer. She was really sad about it and I felt bad for her, but I was also secretly glad to have her still around. Sorry Wendy!

Jeff had his last day here with the girls. We are both going back to Kiev on the night train with Wendy and Alex. I am going to stay with Mary and Wendy in Kiev until next Wednesday. The girls were really sad and kept begging to come with us. Unfortunately, they have to stay until the 10 day waiting period is over. They gave us both really long hugs and made sad faces. I told them we would all be together again soon. They are excited for Mary and their babushka (grandma to come.) Lena was teasing me today and pointed out the bus window and said Mary. I looked and she laughed really hard. She did the same with grandma. She is so funny and giggles out of control when she tricks me. This is our last lunch here in Dnipro with Jeff and Wendy at our favorite pizza place. The girl in the picture we picked up while we were walking down the street. The kids all knew her and she tagged along. We discovered she used to be in the orphanage but got kicked out when she was 16, so sad. Jeff was so sweet and took the girls and Alex to buy something for Wendy and I for Mother's Day. He said he wanted to make sure we celebrated it since he will be in Utah and the girls and I will be here on the real Mother's Day. I'm so lucky!

Our little gang won't be the same without Wendy, Alex and Jeff. The girls and I will be lonely here without them.