woodsadoptionjourney

The Latest from the Woods'

2007-06-22T18:41:00.000-04:00

Wow! Time has flown by the past several months!! We have made the big move to New Jersey. Bill came out to Morristown 2 weeks ago and the boys and I have been here for one week. He’s busy adjusting to his new job while I am busy unpacking boxes and keeping the boys out of trouble.

I’m going to back track a little to my last day of work at Summit. What an emotional day for my co-workers and my students:( I worked as an elementary teacher at this school for the past 8 years. I’ve made so many friends during this time and taught many wonderful students. For our end of the year party, we had a red carpet event and presented each student with a special award that shares something unique about them. When we began the ceremony, the tears started flowing (girls and even the boys)! By the time we reached the end of the awards, nearly everyone in the room was in tears. I don’t think there were too many dry eyes. I will never forget my last day at Summit. I was truly blessed to have worked with the staff at Summit and all of the children I’ve had over those 8 amazing years!

We spent our last weekend in Michigan with family. A great time was had by all! We spent Saturday afternoon at the beach with my mom, sister, niece and nephew and my aunt and uncle. The kids had a ball! The water was too cold for swimming but the kids took off their shoes and waded. Well, that wasn’t enough for my niece! She decided to strip down to nothing and swim in her birthday suit!! Her delighted squeals were precious, although my sister didn’t think so. Because she stripped down, Lawrence and William thought it would be a great idea too. I managed to get them to stop at their shorts and they spent the rest of the afternoon frolicking in the water and sand in their underwear. Neither of them had ever been to the beach, so I had to let them enjoy feeling the sand on their skin. I have many pictures and video clips to cherish forever. Mom, Aunt Sandy and Uncle Mic, thank you for putting the picnic together. We all enjoyed ourselves.

The following week after school got out, I had 2 more staff days. Bill was already in New Jersey, so I needed to find a sitter for the boys. My wonderful sister came down for a visit and watched the boys and her 2 kids in my classroom while I worked. Bless her heart! She had the patience of a saint! The first day, all four of them were wired and she was exhausted by the end of the day. The second day was much better because they had worn themselves out the previous day. The 2 little ones spent their evening chasing and taking down the 2 oldest. They were a riot! They kept high-fiving each other and saying, “We got ‘em!” Thank you, Lisa, for watching my angels!

Now, to the move! We left last Thursday for New Jersey. We traveled through Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and into New Jersey. The boys were fantastic travelers considering it took 11 hours to get there! The construction in Pennsylvania was awful. They had their portable DVD players, lots of movies and backpacks full of toys. William slept about 3 hours and Lawrence never slept a wink. He doesn't like to miss anything. Lawrence was a great big brother and helped William out when needed. We stopped a few times for potty breaks because of course neither of them had to go at the same time and we also stopped for lunch. I’m grateful they were good for the drive!

We are all excited about what’s to come here in New Jersey! The boys love their new home and are looking forward to all the things to come! Lawrence can’t wait for school to start. He just finished kindergarten and he’s ready for first grade! Sooner or later, he will understand what summer break really means and maybe not be as excited about the start of the school year!

Sorry this had been so long! I will be trying to update every other day and share the little things that happen in our lives. Feel free to post comments and keep us posted on life back in Michigan!

Peace & love,
Kelly, Bill & the boys

Just Over Two Months Home!

2007-03-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how quickly time goes by! It's already been two months since we returned home from our trip to Ukraine. Life has become quite different in a very rewarding way.

The boys are keeping Bill and I very busy. Lawrence has been in school (kindergarten) for almost 6 weeks now and is doing absolutely wonderful. His teacher and his classmates are impressed with how quickly he is acquiring the English language. He can already recite the ABCs, recognize them out of order, and knows quite a few of the letter sounds. He can count to 30, which is what he needs to do for kindergarten. He still needs to work on colors and shapes, but we know those will come soon. Lawrence is very eager to learn and please Mama and Papa.

Last week, we were driving somewhere and we asked him what something was in Russian. You could just see his little brain working hard to figure out the right word. He couldn't think of the Russian word and said, "Pa Russkie, chi choot), which means Russian, a little. He's already forgetting a lot of his native tongue. Although we are saddened by this, we want his English to progress with the intent of coming back to the Russian later on.

William has been going to preschool for 2 weeks now and seems to have mixed feelings about it. Some days, he's very excited about going. Other days, he cries and tells Papa he wants to stay home. He just goes 3 days a week for half a day. His English has really started to pick up in the last week or so. He also has started taking more of an interest in knowing the ABC song. We listen to a lot of Wee Sing CDs in the car whenever we go somewhere. He loves to sing! Some of his favorites are "Three Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed," "Skitta Ma Rink," and "Bingo." He has started counting out objects up to five and he's been working on colors.

Today, we took the boys swimming with two of their aunts and two cousins. We asked the boys if they had ever gone swimming before (plavich). They said no, but they were very excited about putting on their bathing suits and jumping in the pool. Lawrence was slightly hesitant about exploring the pool, but eventually got over that. William, on the other hand, has absolutely no fear! He loved the big slide so much, that he decided to get away from dad, cut in front of about 4 people and go down all by himself! Yikes!! He ended up being fine, but I certainly didn't like seeing him go down alone. He did have a life jacket on, so he never really went underwater at the end of the slide. Both boys were exhausted by the end of the 2 hours we spent at the pool.

Until next time, peace & love to all!

Kelly

Mid-Winter Break

2007-02-20T20:39:00.000-05:00

This past weekend and the week so far have been awesome! My nephew spent all of his mid-winter break with Aunt Kelly and Uncle Bill. He had a blast hanging out with his new cousins. He ended up going home and telling his mom he wants a little brother! My sister said no way! She's happy with two kids.

Since we've had so much snow, we decided to take the boys sledding. They had so much fun the first day, we went a second day. All of us took turns flying down the hill. Lawrence and Willliam had no fear whatsoever. They each took turns zipping down the hill on their own with Mama or Papa not too far behind, of course. Papa decided it would be fun to give Lawrence a big push. Well, he zoomed down the hill and then about half way down he hit a huge bump and flew off his sled. We anxiously waited to see if was okay or if he would stand up with tears. Well, the second one happened. He was crying because he had a pretty bad bloody nose. We got him all cleaned up and he was right back at sledding. The bloody nose didn't stop him from doing more sledding!

The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun and our boys just loved spending time with their cousin. There will be more sleepovers in the future, full of lots of laughs and good times!

Poor little William was inconsolable tonight. He fell asleep kind of late for a nap so I had to wake him up to eat some dinner. I sat him down at the table and not five minutes after sitting him down, he says he has to go potty. Well, he really had to go and barely made it. He had some difficulties with his aim, probably because he still wasn't completely awake yet. He hit the floor, the toilet seat, and his pants, so those had to go. I decided not to put more pants on because he would taking a bath soon and be putting on his PJs.

I put William back in his seat at the table and the next thing I know, he's sobbing. He wanted new pants and refused to eat his dinner. I carried him upstairs to his bed so he could relax and maybe go back down to eat. While he's relaxing, I go ahead and get their clothes ready for school tomorrow. William starts crying even more! I'm confused and a little frustrated because I can't figure out why he's crying. I finally get him calmed down enough to try and talk him through why he's crying. Turns out, he's upset about a combination of things: he wanted new pants, no school, and he'd rather be home with mama! That just melted my heart!

Any way, things continue to go well! We love our boys to pieces and they are really starting to more comfortably show that love back. We are blessed to have these boys in our lives!

Peace,
Kelly

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T21:04:00.000-05:00

Today is the boys' first Valentine's Day with us! It was an even better day because Lawrence and I had no school because of a winter storm that came through over night. The boys each got a Valentine from Mama and Papa. Then, they spent the afternoon with Grandma & Grandpa and Papa, while I stayed home and cleaned the house!

When the boys all came home, I had prepared a Valentine's Day chicken dinner. We ate dinner by candlelight. It was quite romantic! Lawrence and William were mesmerized by the candles, but eventually William blew them both out. We all enjoyed ourselves and left the table stuffed. Then, it was time for their bath and bedtime.

Bill has been doing alright as Mr. Mom. Some days I come home from work and the house is a disaster: toys scattered across the floor, dishes in the sink, and unfinished lunches sit on the table. Other days, the house is picked up and the dishes are done. He sometimes gets frustrated because the days get long and he doesn't always know how to fill the day, but he's enjoying this bonding time with the boys. Life will be different when he starts his new job, so he loves this extra special time he has with the boys.

This was a wonderful day and we can't wait for more Valentine's Days together!

Peace,
Kelly

My First Day Back to Work (Not Quite!)

2007-02-05T20:08:00.000-05:00

Today was supposed to be my first day back to work after taking off ten weeks for the adoption. I spent last night getting my schoolwork together, packing my lunch and picking the day's outfit. I set the alarm for 5:30a.m. and finally went to sleep.

I awoke at 5:30, dragged myself out of bed, and was just about to get in the shower, when my phone rang. It was my car pooler, Melissa. She had the best news, "School is cancelled!" My teaching partner called also to share the good news. I couldn't believe it. I'm supposed to go back to work and school is cancelled due to severe cold weather. The Midwest has been hit by an Arctic blast and the temperature this morning was -5 degrees and -25 degrees with the wind chill. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold also but not as cold, so my guess is that I'll have to work tomorrow:( I think the high is supposed to be around eleven degrees.

I enjoyed spending one more day at home with the boys. We spent the day playing games, reading books, and just hanging out. Bill rough-housed with the boys for a bit, too. They love being tossed around and up in the air by Papa. Tomorrow will be Papa's first day as Mr. Mom! I know all will be well, but I'm not sure what the house will look like when I get home;) I wonder how long William will cry before he wears himself out. He is very much a Mama's boy and isn't ready to hang out at home with Papa all day. Bill bought some earplugs to save his ears from the screaming because our little guy has a strong set of lungs! I don't worry about Lawrence because he goes to school in the morning and he loves hanging out with Papa. William tends to give Papa grief about things and not me, while Lawrence likes to back talk to me and not Papa.

I'll have Bill post next time and share his adventures as Mr. Mom and a top ten list!

Peace & love,
Kelly

Oh My Lord!

2007-02-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a lot of fun! We started the morning with a trip to the post office to get the boys' U.S. passports. Bill had to take this on by himself, while I had an eye doctor's appointment. After my appointment, I had to run over to the post office and sign the paperwork. We had no idea how William would do with the passport picture. Fortunately, the lady had some candy and that's all it took for him to smile and take a great picture. Lawrence loves smiling, so he had no problem getting his picture taken.

After the passports, we had an appointment at Wal-Mart's Portrait Studio. Again, we had no idea how well this would go. Much to our surprise, the boys did wonderful and mom spent way too much money!! I can't wait until the pictures come in 2 weeks. They both had the most darling smiles in all of the poses, so I had to order portraits of each one. I justify buying so many by saying that this is their first set of professional pictures. I'll be better next time and not spend so much, right?

After the pictures were done, we went home and waited for grandma, Aunt Lisa, Dante, and Imani to arrive. My mom, sister, and niece and nephew came over Saturday for a visit. We spent some time at our house and let the boys show off their new toys and games. Then, we went to an indoor playground near our house. The kids spent about 2 hours running around, climbing ladders, and sliding down the slides. We went out to dinner and then came home. We played musical cars with the kids after dinner. We ended up taking Imani home, while our boys rode home with Grandma and Aunt Lisa. Well, they both get very excited when they see an airplane. They scream, "Samalyot! Samalyot!" My mom and sister didn't know this and when we all got home, they told us William kept shouting, "Oh my Lord! Oh my Lord!" They couldn't stop laughing. Well, it was even more funny when we told them what he was really saying. They started laughing even harder.

The boys continue to adjust very well to everything around them. They love being with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins and vice versa. They bring smiles to our faces as well as the family and friends they encounter. They are truly a blessing and we feel so lucky and honored to be their parents! Life is so good!

Peace & love,
Kelly & Bill

Lawrence's First Week of School

2007-01-27T08:19:00.000-05:00

Lawrence started school this past week. He attends half day kindergarten. We have been talking about school for the past 2 weeks preparing him for his first day. We talked about Dad's school, visited my school (I'm a teacher), and visited his school. We'd been counting down the days on the calendar. He was so excited to finally start! Only once did he have second thoughts, that we know of. We were discussing school one night at dinner. He thought everyone would be speaking Russian and was a little shocked to hear that it would all be in English. He got past this and was okay.

Bill stayed with him all morning the first day. Lawrence really didn't pay much attention to him, though. He settled right in with the rest of the class and went about his day. One little girl spent most of her day showing him around, making sure he knew what to do. The next day, I stayed for about half an hour. Then, on Friday, I walked him to his class and left. What a big boy!! We're very proud of him and how he is adjusting to his new school!! He always comes home and tells us he was a good boy at school.

He absolutely loves his classroom, his teacher, and especially being around other kids. I think he was missing being with the friends from his groupa. He can write his first name with a little prompting and is working on his last name. He can also sing the ABC song and recognizes quite a few of the letters. He can almost count to 20. He can recognize a few colors. He's got some catching up to do, but I don't think he will have too many problems. We just have to keep up his positive attitude!

William likes being home with Mom, but that changes next week when I go back to work:( I start back at my school next Monday and Bill becomes Mr. Mom!! I can't wait to hear how his days go. It will give him a taste of how my life will be when he transitions into his new job and I stay home all day. Things will probably be a little rough at first for him, but they will run smoothly after awhile.

Each day and every day the boys continue to amaze us with what they know! They understand more and more English every day and add several words to their vocab. We are full of joy and happiness and are very blessed to have these boys in our lives. Bill and I are always worn out by the end of the day, but it's all worth it!!

Peace,
Kelly

P.S.

The first picture is of Lawrence's first day at school. The second is of the family at their Welcome to the Family party and the last is of them in our yard after an ice storm.

So Much to Say, So Little Time!

2007-01-23T22:07:00.000-05:00

Since our last post, many wonderful, exciting things have happened! I'll start with our trip to New York City. Many of you know Bill has been working on an MBA at U of M for the past 4 years, I think. This past fall, he went through the recruiting process to search for a new job. He ended up with three offers, one that would allow us to stay in Michigan, one that would take us to Cleveland and the other to New York City. Because of our adoption, he couldn't make a final decision until these last 2 weeks, when he would be able to visit the offices.

Okay, that all being said, this brings us to our trip to NYC. The company offered to pay for Bill and I to fly out on January 12 and return January 13. I wasn't about to leave my boys, since we'd only been home 2 weeks. He spoke with people at the company about the cost of the tickets, so we could pay for the boys to come with us. To our surprise, they paid for our family to visit NYC, see his office and his possible future boss showed us around some neighborhoods in New Jersey.

The flight there was uneventful. The boys were excited about flying on a "samalyot," airplane again and didn't seem worried that maybe we were sending them back. The boys and I had lunch together and hung out in the hotel room until we needed to head to the office to meet everyone for dinner. I wasn't about to go out and explore the city with 2 kids who barely understand me! I didn't want to risk losing them.

We spent Saturday with Bill's future boss (by the way, he accepted the job at SMCG!). His boss showed us around some neighborhoods in New Jersey. We thought they were very nice and we could live in any of the ones he showed us. We will be headed to New Jersey in June after school is out. We're very sad to leave behind family and friends, but this is a great career opportunity for Bill.

The trip home was another story!! Our flight was scheduled to leave at 5:30 pm. Well, we didn't get on the plane until 6:3o pm. Okay, we finally are going home. Wrong! We sat on the runway and waited for take-off for 40 minutes. This did not bode well with William. He started screaming and talking as loud as he could. The plane was silent and dark except for our little guy! Thankfully, he fell asleep shortly after take-off.

What would be a post without some humor? The boys of course have kept us entertained. Here's a sampling of some of the happenings that have made us smile:

Both boys are fully potty trained, but William, a.k.a. "Picasso," is still working on his wiping technique. After reviewing the process with William, Bill returned to the bathroom to see the boy doing his paper work. He was showing proper form, except for one detail: his sweater tail was firmly wedged between the paper and his intended target.

Bill tried to explain where the grandfather went that was pictured in the photo album that we took over to introduce them to the family. Since he had passed away, Bill pointed skyward, hoping the message "he's in heaven" got through. Later that night, however, it was clear that it did not: when Bill said "OK, time for bed" and pointed upstairs, both boys jumped up and down in terror yelling "NO! NO! Grandfather's up there!"

In the next post, I'll talk about Lawrence's first week of school!

Peace & love,
Bill, Kelly, Lawrence, & William

Tuesday, Jan. 9

2007-01-09T21:02:00.000-05:00

I am posting 2 entries today so be sure to read this one and the one after it. The next one goes back to our last days in Ukraine and the first few days at home.

We've been home almost 2 weeks now! Time goes by too quickly! We've been busy running to stores, buying clothes, more furniture for the bedroom, and various odds and ends that are needed for the boys. I bet the boys think the only thing Americans do is get in the "mashina" (car) and go to the "magazin" (store). Lawrence and William don't seem to mind and there haven't been any tantrums, yet.

Overall, we feel like the boys are adjusting to their new family very well. They are very affectionate towards us and wake us up each morning at 7:00 a.m. with a very loud, "Dobre Utra!!" translation, Good Morning. Then, they hop into bed with us and shower us with hugs and kisses. We love it, despite the fact that it is too early in the morning!

We are working on establishing daily routines. We spend the day playing games, going outside, reading books, and watching their favorite movie, "Aladdin, King of Thieves." We'd like to get the little guy to take an afternoon nap, but so far that's hit or miss. The oldest doesn't necessarily need one (he's six) and William wants to do whatever big brother does. This may change when Lawrence starts kindergarten in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, he'll have p.m. kindergarten, then we can put William down for a nap while big brother is at school.

Our dog, Bosco, is getting better aquainted with having two kids running around and making a lot of noise. Normally, we have nieces and nephews over for a weekend and then they go back home. These kids are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Lawrence adores Bosco. He helps take care of him and always gives him hugs. On the other hand, William, plays really rough with him, sits on him, pulls on his tail, lips, and just about every other part you can imagine. Luckily, Bosco is a very gentle, well-behaved dog and does not react to any of this. We've had him since he was 6 months old and put him through obedience training, which included desensitizing his body to all the things that William does.

Bill & I talked about how Bosco would react to having kids in the house before our rugrats arrived. He's very protective of us and figured he'd probably start watching over our children when they arrived. Boy, were we right! He no longer sleeps on the floor at the end of our bed. He either hops into bed with Lawrence or he sleeps on the floor between the 2 boys. He has been my baby for a long time, so, at first, this saddened me a little. Now, though, it makes me smile that he wants to be with them and make sure that they are safe. Bosco is their guardian dog.

William got his stitches out a week ago without much fuss. The cut healed well and we've been applying Mederma for Kids to minimize the scar. Each of the boys have doctor's appointments in the next 2 weeks. They should go okay because the University of Michigan Health Care System provides translators if needed. We'll have one at their appointments. They also have dental appointments. That should be fun!

Well, we are going to try and post once or twice a week to keep everyone updated about the boys. We feel truly blessed and are so grateful to have 2 wonderful sons! We have to say thank you again to everyone who shared kind words and shed a few tears with us along the way. Family and friends kept our spirits high while we were gone. Now, we look forward to everyone sharing in the lives of our boys and watching them grow up with us!

Peace & love,

Kelly & Bill

Post Written, Dec. 30

2007-01-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We are all home and in one piece. It's been a while since the last post, so I'll go back to when we arrived in Kiev, last Tuesday morning.

We arrived in town at 7 am and met the landlady at the new apartment. William was vocalizing so strongly his need for the toilet that Elena just asked the landlady to take him quickly. She must be a mother, because she didn't hesitate. We caught up to the two of them, and discovered a very nice apartment. This one was by far the best one yet. My favorite feature was the bed—a real bed, not a bed-like cot. There was plenty of room for the boys to play, also. It was located right downtown near Independence Square (we highly recommend this for folks heading over their in the future).

We only had time to freshen up before we had to go to our doctor’s appointment. The boys were tired and cranky, but we got through the process alright. The boys were pronounced healthy, except for a few minor problems that were in agreement with what we already knew about.

Our next visit was to the embassy, where we would obtain their travel visas. It was a long process, because they were operating on a reduced staff due to the holiday. I was feeling worse and worse, but figured it was just sleepiness. After we finally got the visas at 2 pm, I realized that I was, in fact, becoming sick. I had muscle aches, fever and chills.

When we got back to the apartment, I had to go straight to bed, leaving Kelly to juggle both boys, who were very cranky. I awoke around 8, to find the boys bouncing off the walls and Kelly climbing them. We calmed them down by getting them into the bathtub for their first bath. They loved it! Since then, they’ve begun begging for baths the minute they wake up. They also really like to brush their teeth! This leaves us with the very curious dilemma of whether or not to ever utter: “if you’re not good today, you won’t get to take your bath!”

Even though they had been up for so long, they still had a lot of fight in them when it came to bedtime. Lawrence asked to sleep on the couch, and we accommodated, but that only lasted for five minutes after William started sleeping with Momma and Poppa. His little brother is a kicker, though, so Lawrence ended up at the foot of the bed by morning.

Wednesday:

This was a fun day, because it was our first full day with the boys all on our own. We made an appearance outside, visiting some stores and letting the boys soak it all up. Independence Square is the vibrant heart of the city, alive with pre-New Year’s celebrations, shopping and socializing.

Thursday:

This was our last full day in the city, and we hired the driver and Luiba for a few hours to buy souvenirs. We visited the vendor stalls near the SDA, which cater to souvenir seekers. We found some beautiful Matruishkas and embroidery, as well other stuff. We also found some more clothes for the kids, and visited the beautiful Christmas tree in the square.

While we were souvenir shopping, Kelly had her heart warmed when Luiba took William back to the car because he was cold, then returned to let us know that he was crying because he missed his Mama.

Friday:

The big day: we had a 3 hour flight from Kiev to Amsterdam, then an 8 hour flight home, followed by customs and immigration. The boys were a handful, especially since we had two seats at the front of the 747 and two at the rear, and both boys preferred to sit next to Momma. William hit a rough patch where he had a full blown tantrum for half an hour. William slept for only 2 hours, and Lawrence none at all, so they were very cranky. Lawrence was very interested in the map that showed where the jet was on its flight path, and kept pointing to the end of the arrow saying with genuine excitement, “America!” then hugging me.

When we finally landed and made it through immigration and customs, it was 7 pm local time. Kelly’s mother and sister were there to pick us up, and thus got to meet the boys first. At home were my parents. They had prepared sloppy joes and snacks. Kelly’s family had fixed up the boys’ room, even doing some painting for us. We had a lot of fun introducing the boys to their new families, as my three sisters showed up during the next three hours.

We soon, however, had a new test as a family. William was spinning around in the living room and fell over, hitting his head on the coffee table. He gave himself a deep cut on the bridge of his nose, right between his eyes. Kelly showed great nerve as she tried to calm William as the blood streamed down his face. My parents agreed to watch after Lawrence while we went to the hospital.

We went to the emergency room, where William was terrified. He screamed every time someone came into the room and whimpered when they left. I’m not sure what he was saying, but he kept repeating something over and over that ended with “good boy.” I think maybe he was saying to us that he’d be a good boy, if only we’d go home. It was not a pleasant time for him, as his temperature was taken (not orally). The doctor also was interested in the rash on his hands, and said that he had to be naked. You all know by now that unless there’s a bath involved, William isn’t too enthusiastic about getting undressed. Both of these involved Mama and Papa pinning him down while the doctor worked. The hardest part turned out to be the stitches, of which William received three.

The rash turned out to be scabies, which is an infestation of mites that is very itchy. Because it is highly contagious, the doctor recommended that we all apply the curative cream that very night. The cream had to be applied to every nook and cranny from the neck down, and left on overnight for 8 hours. This also meant that we had to wake Lawrence up when we got home from his much needed sleep.

This was a short cranky night of sleep, but we all survived!

Peace & love,

Bill & Kelly

2006-12-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Today is Tuesday, and we are safely in Kiev. The last of the process went off without a hitch, and we are legally a family. We are so very happy, and relieved all at once. We are right now full time parents, and are learning how to feed them, bathe them, put them to bed, etc.

The trip back to Kiev was quite the adventure. Because New Year's is the major holiday here, there was no chance of getting train tickets or plane tickets. That left...driving. We asked Zhinia if he wanted to squeeze a drive across the country into his day around his two jobs, and he said yes. Because the day was jam packed with paperwork and running around town, we didn't start leaving until 7 pm. After multiple potty breaks and getting some snacks, we were headed out of town around 8. Since it was snowing and traffic was slippin' and slidin', we knew it would take longer than the stated 8 hours. We didn't have a lot of extra time, because we had a doctor's appointment at 8:30 the next morning, which is a required step before obtaining citizenship for the boys.

We could tell you about the trip, but I think the boys would have the more interesting perspective. Here's what I think they would say, I think, if they could write in English:

William:

It started off as a perfectly normal day, and I was quite happy playing with my friends and caregivers. I was wondering where Mama and Papa, which means "play friends who come twice a day to give me snacks," were. They showed up late, and started talking some nonsense about taking me somewhere forever. I didn't know what to do, so I thought I'd cry and scream for a bit. The director tried to tell me to stop, but I was really upset, especially when she said she needed to change me into some new clothes. She got me naked, but I put up quite a fuss, and she had to give me to my caregivers to get me dressed. After I had them on, I liked them though, so I stopped crying for a little bit.

After that, everyone started talking about leaving again, and I started crying again, but then they said all that I had to do was go for a walk, so I needed to put on my coat. Everyone said goodbye, and were making a big deal about going for this walk. Then they took me outside, and there was...a car! Treachery! I was duped! There wasn't going to be any walk, I WAS leaving! By golly, this really upset me, and I let them know it! They forced me into the car, which was too small for all of us--my brother, me, Mama, Papa, Elena and the driver.

The driver started playing a movie on his little TV in the car, and this was pretty good. I don't know what it was, but Mama and Papa called it something like "A Shark's Tale." I liked it so much, I forgot what I was crying about.

We left the orphanage, and stopped to buy some snacks. Papa gave me crackers and juice, and everything seemed OK, except I started to get a tickle in my tummy. After a while, it got worse, and I tried to tell Mama, whose lap I was on, that the crackers were asking to come back up. She just looked at me funny, but when the crackers DID come up all over her, I think she understood. The crackers kept coming up all night long, but Mama understood and kept catching them with a plastic bag.

I was very excited about all the lights outside the window, and riding in the car, but eventually I fell asleep, and stayed that way until the sun was coming up. I hope these people don't make me sleep in a car at my new home!

Lawrence:

I couldn't wait all day, and was so excited! I couldn't even eat breakfast or lunch! When Mama and Papa finally showed I was smiling all over! My little brother was crying and acting like a baby, though. I was sad when I had to say goodbye to everyone, but was happy because, like the director told me, I was going somewhere new with a new Mama and Papa, and life would be very happy for me (even if my little brother has to tag along...)

The car ride was fun, but my little brother puked all over Mama, as well as all over his new clothes. It smelled so bad, which is maybe why I threw up all over Papa and HIS pants and MY new clothes. The crazy ride in the car didn't help, but I felt better after we stopped and cleaned up.

I was very excited, and stayed awake a very long time, but couldn't help it. I eventually fell asleep on Papa's lap.

(Bill writing)

It was a cramped and hot ride, bouncing all over the place. Zhinia got lost a few times, as the roads do not bypass cities, and it is difficult to drive cleanly through unless you know your way around. It's funny, we were driving straight from the country's second largest city to its largest, but were on dirt roads on several occasions. Go figure.

We don't have too much to worry about these next few days, and plan on relaxing and getting some souvenirs.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and we can't wait to see you all in a few days.

Peace and Love,

Bill, Kelly, Lawrence & William

(Maybe) Our Last Post!!

2006-12-24T08:48:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Today is our last day to worry about an appeal, so knock on wood. Yesterday was very nice, as the boys had their going away party. The director arranged a special party so that the two grupas could be together. We assembled in the cafeteria, and provided oranges, cookies, candy and juice for all of the children (about 30 between the two grupas). The director herself led the party, asking children to come up front and recite Christmas verses. After that, she asked for volunteers from Lawrence's classmates to offer Lawrence well wishes. Children said things like "to your good health" and "listen to your Mama." Lawrence himself finished the process by reciting a poem, and inviting the children to eat their treats.

Afterward, we had our translator translate the poems, two of which appear below. (I think there was something lost in the translation).

We are with our friend Katya who has a big cat
Make from the cat fur a snowman
In white fur coat with coals instead of eyes,
Smiling like heÂs alive
The snowman looks at us
We give him the sweeper to sweep
So he can take away the snow
And he can go along the street like a sweeping man snowman

(This one kind of creeps me out...I wonder if it's meant to scare children into good behavior)

Snowman, snowman, youÂre used to the cold from your childhood
You put the pan very quickly on your head
Your eyes are coal
And here in your mouth is a carrot, your pride and beauty
Snowman, snowman, youÂre used to the cold from your childhood

(HUH?!?!?!)

While Lawrence was standing during this whole process, William was sitting and crying! The caregivers couldn't persuade him to join his brother. Apparently, he's not quite up to speed on what is happening to him, but he does understand these parties, and that children disappear after them, and that this one is for him! Whereas Lawrence has had a pretty good understanding and has been asking questions and getting excited, it just suddenoccurredred to William what's about to happen! He was pretty scared, and couldn't be comforted (except by cookies). Our translator later asked him why he was scared, and he replied that he was worried that because he is so small, Mama and Papa will love his brother more. He's been resisting everything, including trying on the new clothes we've bought him. The eight hour flight from Amsterdam to Detroit is going to be a barrel of fun!

We tried some more interesting food. Two nights ago we had dinner with our translator and driver. I had recently heard of "salo," a national favorite, and wanted to order a small plate, simply to take a picture of it, and then to let the two natives eat it, because they claimed they were big fans. However, when it arrived, they successfully persuaded Kelly and me to try it. It was OK, but was hard to enjoy with the knowledge of what it was. Kelly, however, actually managed to eat a second piece.

We finally got some snow, and it looks like we'll have a better chance for a white Christmas than the folks back home. It's getting colder by the day, but it still feels like winter back home, so it hasn't been any problem whatsoever.

If we make it to the end of the day, then we finalize the paperwork on Monday, and the boys will be our sons legally. The last bit of work is in Kiev, at the embassy where we will obtain permission to have them enter the US. This might very well be our last post, so we want to thank everyone who has been writing to us and working hard back home in preparation for our return.

TOP 10 THINGS WE'RE GOING TO DO THE FIRST WEEK WE GET BACK

10. Turn an empty room into the boys' bedroom
9. (Bill) Reacquaint himself with his couch
8. Wear some cotton! (we're wearing synthetics for quick drying after washing)
7. (Kelly) Hug our washing machine, and swear to never leave it again
6. (Bill) Start teaching Lawrence calculus (physics can wait; don't want to overload him...)
5. Shop for boy stuff (if the grandmothers haven't taken care of everything already)
4. Spend half a day going through our mail
3. Hide all the breakable stuff from William
2. Introduce the boys to Jasper and Bosco
1. Watch some football!

Peace and Love,

Bill and Kelly

PS: Oh...what is salo, exactly? Raw bacon.

Friday, Dec 22nd Post

2006-12-22T06:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family

Today has been a pretty good day so far. We talked to the director finally with a translator (another couple's), and learned a bit more about her concerns. She's not mad or disappointed in us at all, but does want us to discipline the children more. We are comfortable with her telling us this, but we were very surprised to hear what she meant in particular terms. She encouraged me to tell them that if they're not good I'll take them outside and leave them there (apparently she frequently tells them this herself), or that I'll throw them out of the plane. She also encouraged me to buy a good belt for their butts. Kelly and I do not feel sorry for a minute that we've not taken these extreme measures, and are not at all surprised that the children perceive a lack of discipline from us, given what they're used to.

The boys were also very good this morning, especially after receiving "The Talk" from the director. Lawrence seemed to enjoy sitting on my lap the whole time, and William was relatively quiet as well. We scored a minor victory with him last night when we for the first time were successful in persuading him to give his borrowed items back to their owners at the end of the afternoon visit.

In other good news, we have secured an appointment at the embassy for Tuesday. This wasn't supposed to be difficult, but it's nonetheless nice that we got it squared away, especially since they will be operating with a reduced staff and for reduced hours.

Kelly and I are very excited that our translator has arrived in town. She's the one that encouraged us to get out and enjoy ourselves. We're paying her $35 per day for a couple of days of shopping to get stuff for the boys and for souvenirs. Of course, we'd be happy spending time with Stalin if it meant killing some of the boredom! We expect that she will also take us out at night, too.

Either tomorrow or Sunday, we will host parties for each of the children's grupas. We've learned from some of the other families that have preceded us that this consists of fruit and candy and some token presents. Each of the children will stand up and wish the departing child something nice, like: "I hope you grow as big as Papa," or "I wish you good health." If they allow it, you know I'll have the video recorder rolling!

Lunch was interesting, yet again. I thought I ordered a steak hoagie (I should have known it was too good to be true...) as depicted in the picture I was pointing to, but received instead a wrap filled with chopped hot dog, ketchup and mayonnaise. I can't complain about the large beer I received for fifty cents, though.

Since our translator is here and we'll be shopping during the times between visits, we will probably miss a day or two in posting. Also, we'll be traveling to Kiev on Monday, and aren't sure how often we'll be posting once we're there.

TOP TEN MYSTERIES OF UKRAINE

10. Why do all buildings have multiple doors, but all but one are locked?
9. Why can you see ice on the river and women's' bare legs on the same day?
8. Why are all trees painted white at their base?
7. Why is it impolite to cross your legs, but not to spit anywhere outside that you like?
6. Why are there no traffic laws?
5. What happened to all those cool big furry hats you see in the movies?
4. Why do nearly all women wear fancy leather spiked shoes and boots?
3. What exactly do they put in the sausages here (besides horse, of course)?
2. Where does the hot water go between 11 pm and 6 am every day?
1. Why is Ukraine fascinated with dance music, but we've not heard a single BeeGees song, the greatest dance musicians ever?

We hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas preparations, and once again would like to thank everyone for writing to us and giving us well wishes. If you don't hear from us until then...MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Peace and Love,

Bill & Kelly

The Countdown Continues: 8 Days!

2006-12-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We have written two posts today this one and the next one about the trip to the monastery.

Wednesday was probably the most difficult day with the boys that we've had. Artem was very physical with a couple of the other children in the play room and Artur refused to listen to us. Boy did they ever test our patience and push the limits!

Because Artem refused to keep his hands to himself, I removed him from the group and set in the hallway with him. He proceeded to scream at me, take swings at me with his fists and spit and cough on me. I took it all in stride, however, and ended up having to send him back to groupa kicking and screaming. Not exactly how I wanted to end the evening:(

Artur had 2 tough visits. In the morning, he chose to take off out of the room so he could show his friends some pictures he took. He's not allowed to leave us until the caregivers come pick him up or he needs to use the restroom. In the afternoon, he came back with a big smile and told Papa that he was sorry. That made Bill very happy. By the end of the visit, though, Artur had resorted back to being a stinker and he also was sent back groupa crying, too:(

The director was very frustrated because our translator was not with us and we couldn't communicate what had transpired in the play room. We got our translator on the phone and they exchanged words. Later, our translator called us again and told us that the director needs us to be more strict and set limits. If only she had the full story and knew that is what we were trying to do.

We went back today and the morning visit went well! When the boys saw us, they had big smiles on their faces and seemed very glad to see us! We know that there are more hard days to come, probably more of those for awhile with a few good ones in between. We love these boys with all our hearts and will do whatever it takes to build a relationship with them and let them know we will always love them no matter what.

Well, I have almost run out of time! Until tomorrow!

Peace & love,

Bill & Kelly

Adventures at the Monastery

2006-12-21T07:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

(Bill writing)

Today is Thursday, but I'm writing about our trip to the monastery on Tuesday. This is a long post, but contains no information about the boys, so feel free to skip it! We will post separately about the boys.

This is not our best post, but perhaps our most entertaining. Read on...

We were picked up at 7am, because our driver, Zhinia, told us that there was a lot to see there. (As far as where "there" is, we're not exactly sure, but think we drove north to get there). We slept most of the way there, but our driver stopped 30 minutes before reaching the monastery so that we could get some drinks. I ordered coffee, and had learned to ask for "coffee Americana" in order to receive a normal sized cup of Joe; otherwise I'd receive something about the size of a double shot. Apparently the Ukrainians associate large servings with Americans...go figure. There were some folks peddling some wares there, so we browsed a bit. The most interesting stall was one that was selling dried fish, which included everything you can pull out of the ocean, including stingrays! Yum!

After that, we finished driving to the monastery; all told, the drive was 2 1/2 hours long. We quickly decided that it was worth the drive. The monastery was a collection of buildings laid out on the sprawling grounds in a symmetrical pattern, each complete with onion domes. There was a fancy stairway up the nearby hill, which itself was ordained with a lot of onion domes. Atop the hill was another nice church-like building overseeing the picturesque Donetski River Ravine. The whole area was limestone, and it was exposed on the hill near this last building. There were several old caves and tunnels that had been carved into it, with several openings toward the river.

There was another hill nearby, with a statue of someone named "Artem" atop it. We still don't know who this fella is, but we think he's some sort of national hero, as the statue was built in the 1920's. It really doesn't fit in with the monastery, but is interesting in and of itself. Across the river was a large park. We first toured the monastery, visiting several buildings and admiring the ornately painted undersides of the main frontal arch. Kelly had to wear a head scarf, which is required out of respect. We also entered the main church, where a service was being conducted. I once again showed my foreign-ness when the attendant at the entrance said something to me a few times, then said, "you don't speak Russian, do you?" He then told me that I was on the female side of the church (see, not everyone thinks I resemble a girl!). I stayed near the entrance of the place, so he later started up a conversation with me, telling me that monks were chanting the most sacred part of the service at that moment, the Eucharist. I thought he was hinting that I should leave, but realized I misunderstood his intention when we were leaving and he said, "you come see us again, OK?"

After touring the grounds, we took a drive up the hill with the statue on it. There were other monuments near Artem, commemorating World War II. The statue was probably 20 feet high. There was a magnificent view of the monastery from up there as well.

After this, Zhinia drove us to the other hill, where we walked to the hill-top building. It was closed, but we still got to enjoy the view. Next we went back to the car, where the driver pulled out a flashlight and told us we were going to visit caves. "Oh splendid," we thought, "we're going to have another jolly trip under the church and see some more tombs, and we'll be done lickety-split. Smashing good fun!"

Not exactly. First we started walking away from the church down a narrow hiking trail. It soon started going down in a hurry, reaching some levels of steepness that required very careful foot placement. We actually went all the way down to the river, and reached a little building that we guess was someone's house. Zhinia yelled to it, but nobody came out. Nonetheless, we followed the trail around it, having to hold onto a chain link fence at certain points. The trail became insane after that...reaching points where we were transversing 45 degree slopes, with some very crude footholds in the clay surface. On the plus side, there weren't that many other tourists (OK, no-one)--apparently they were all doing something sane at the time. (Kelly didn't think that observation was too funny when I said it at the time).

We really had no idea how far away the caves were, but after we observed that we'd been on this crazy trail for AN HOUR, we wondered if Zhinia knew what the heck he was doing. At one point he said what could only have been an expletive, leaving us to wonder what he said: "[expletive], I thought that cave was around here!" or "[expletive], where the [expletive] are we?"

OK, folks, let's recap, shall we? We are in a foreign country, and do not speak the language. We are somewhere in rural Ukraine. We are with a guide, who does not speak any English. We hadn't seen another soul for an hour. We didn't know where we were going, be we knew that we started walking from a point where there was a perfectly good car with a perfectly good heater, parked in a perfectly good parking lot that was perfectly level. At any point, one of us could easily slip and slide into the river 20 or so feet below, whacking a tree or two on the way. I was half expecting to hear that banjo tune from that certain Burt Reynolds flick at any moment...

Enough with the drama, already. We got there finally. At that point we stopped and had a crude conversation using our translation book. I said the following two words in Russian, intoning them as a question: "return--different?" Zhinia said yes, and pointing to the way we had just came and said the Russian word for "beautiful"--apparently, we had just taken the scenic route.

The cave itself was half way up a hill, reachable by getting up a slick slope of clay. Fortunately, someone had constructed a crude ladder out of logs that reached ALMOST to the top. Near the top, I slipped and fell, muddying myself all over, but was no worse for wear otherwise. The caves proved to be interesting, if only to make one stop and think of all the hard work that had gone into carving them. There were hallways and rooms, all precisely carved, thankfully to a height of a little over six feet tall.

The return trip was uneventful, as we walked along farmers' fields. We next went to the park that was across the river from the monastery, where Zhinia treated us to a barbecue. He had a small square grill, into which he placed wood. He lit the fire, and took me down to the river for fishing. I'm not sure what we were fishing for, but it was called "Shooka." Zhinia would point to his teeth after each time he said the word, so apparently shooka have some good choppers. It will have to remain a mystery to me, because the only thing we caught was some seaweed and a ball bearing pack.

After the wood had burned down to coals, Zhinia got to work. Dinner was pork kabobs, which he'd been marinating in something that smelled great. He told me that it was lemon juice, mayonnaise and spices. Mayonnaise--of course, what else? It was very good tasting, however, and the three of us had no problem eating it all. We were entertained by one of the many stray dogs that came up to us. He was a small dog, but could pack away the pork!

After this, Zhinia asked me if we wanted to see a 600 year old oak tree that was nearby, and I couldn't say no. It was...a, um...big tree. Yessir.

After that, we hit the road, and we both fell asleep. We made it home in one piece and went straight to bed!

Peace & love,
Bill & Kelly

Nine Days Until Home!

2006-12-20T08:10:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

(Kelly writing)

We were back to visit the boys today! It was hard not seeing them yesterday, but they had a fun-filled day anyway. The director had asked for no visitors yesterday because the governor of Donetsk was coming to inspect the orphanage. In addition to the governor visiting, the children had a very special visit from Saint Nicholas. We saw pictures of the visit and all of the children looked so excited!

I'm not going to say much about the trip to the monastery yesterday other than that it was absolutely breath-taking! Bill has planned out in his mind what he wants to say about our adventure, but he's registering for classes right now on the computer next to me. He will type it up tonight and post it tomorrow.

I have been very homesick this week and am very ready to return home. It's not that I'm not enjoying myself, because I certainly have been enjoying the food and sight-seeing and everything else about our trip. This is just a hard time of year to be away from friends and family. I love everything about the holiday season and this year will definitely be one Bill and I never forget!!

We are in the home stretch right now!! After today, we are counting down 4 days until the 10 day wait period is over. We will complete paperwork here in Donetsk on Christmas Day, pick up the boys and fly back to Kyiv. From there, the boys have to go through a medical exam and then we go to the U.S. Embassy to finalize the paperwork. We will have 2 full days in Kyiv for sight-seeing and souvenir shopping and then we fly home on the 29th!!! We are eagerly counting down the days 'til we set foot in Michigan!

Peace & Love,

Bill & Kelly

6 Days to go!

2006-12-18T07:58:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We will not be able to visit the orphanage tomorrow, because the director is having an important visit from the government tomorrow, and doesn't want the chaos. We will be visiting a monastery that is 2 1/2 hours away, and barbecuing on the way back, so we won't be able to post until Wednesday.

Our driver insists that we be there early, so we'll be getting up at 6am, which should be tough because we've gotten used to getting up at 9:30 (um...well, Bill gets up at 9:30, Kelly gets up at 8:30). We've seen some pictures of the place and are excited to see it, although we'd rather be with the 'lil guys, of course.

We had a very nice dinner yesterday with an American couple that are leaving with their two sons for Kiev today. It was a strange coincidence, but they were looking for almost the exact same thing we were: a boy and a girl, ages 2-6. As we say ourselves, they say that the two boys they chose "jumped out" and it was an easy decision for them. By further coincidence, they were at the adoption agency 2 weeks before us and were shown Lawrence and William! We said "thanks for not choosing them," and all had a good laugh. After all the wait, delays, heartache, uncertainty, we are at present so attached to these two boys, who very much feel like OURS, that we wouldn't have it any other way. It's funny how things work out...

Bill was brave today and got a haircut by one of the Ukrainian "hair masters." Not only was it a good cut, it was a great cut! It only cost $6! (I wonder if our translator will still think I look like her girlfriend now that my hair is a proper length...)

Our lunchtime entertainment was giving movie quotes to our driver to see if he could name the American movie. He's a bit of a movie buff, so he got most of them. He even has a DVD player installed in his car.

In the spirit of the movie theme, here's our top 10:

TOP 10 MOVIE TITLES THAT COULD BE INSPIRED BY OUR TRIP TO UKRAINE

10. Coming (Back) to America
9. Bill & Kelly's Great Adventure
8. Eurotrip II
7. Band of Brothers II
6. Boys in Tights
5. Lawrence of Ukrainia
4. Dude, Where's My Russian / English Dictionary?
3. Groundhog Day II
2. From Ukraine With Love
1. Three Men and a Kelly

Peace and Love,

Bill & Kelly

Sunday Posting

2006-12-17T06:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

7 days to go! We are starting to be treated differently at the orphanage, since we've made it past court. We also suspect that the caregivers are talking in more specific terms to Lawrence and William about their new family, because Lawrence has been more and more interested in looking at the family album, and has started to memorize everyone's names. He's also giving each of us a kiss when he leaves. Kelly also completed the sweep by getting a "Ya-teeb-ya-lyoo-blyoo" ("I Love You") from Lawrence. The only name William has yet memorized is Uncle Dean, so he appears to be the early favorite.

Hey, Brooklyn, thanks for the email! We can't wait to bring "Larry" and "Bill" home, as well. We can't wait for you to help them learn English. As soon as we get measurements for the boys, we'll post them. Our best guess right now is that William is a size 3t, and Lawrence is a 5. There have been many offers for help from home, but the two grandmothers have mobilized and taken care of everything we can think of. We appreciate all the offers for help; if we can think of anything else, we'll post it! If you want to see if the grandmothers can think of anything, by all means call the nearest one.

Yesterday afternoon we went to a botanical garden. It was closed for the season, but after our driver slipped inside and found a caretaker and gave her 20 greevna ($4), we got the grand tour. It was interesting to see all the tropical plants packed into several atriums, in the middle of Ukraine in the winter. We went before lunch, and were kind of hungry, and had to resist the temptation to help ourselves to some of the oranges that were growing in there!

We had another nice dinner out last night. We really like the European service. In America, your waiter serves multiple tables and stops by at random intervals. At the places we've been to, they serve a smaller number of tables, or only one, and wait nearby until you need them. We haven't ran into a server yet who wasn't patient in trying to help us decipher a menu in Ukrainian or Russian. It's also nice not to have heard "is everyone saving room for dessert?" even once.

Speaking of service, it's kind of ironic, but the worst two incidences of service we've ran into is with two American companies. The first was with Northwest when we were trying to buy return tickets for the boys. The cheapest quoted price was for $2700 apiece. After asking about several different dates and finding none cheaper, the service attendant finally informed me that for one-way fares, there are no discounts. Huh?!? She did not have a reason for why this was, and seemed impatient that I dared probe into the source of this lunacy. I then asked her what the round trip fare would be, and she said "$900." I'm finishing up business school, but still can't imagine why half a trip would cost three times as much as the full flight. I asked if there would be any reason why I wouldn't just buy a round trip and not take the second half. With a cold 'how dare you' tone of voice, the attendant informed me that: "If that's what you choose to do, then this airline can not stop you." The punchline was when she asked me on which date I'd like the return flight! I re-iterated that we had no intention of flying the boys back, when she said "I know, but I still need a return date." Apparently, she needed help picking a random date...

The second poor service isn't as entertaining, but shouldn't surprise anyone. We were in a hurry yesterday, and decided to make a rare visit to McDonald's for lunch because we knew it would be quick. They totally messed up the order, giving Kelly a large regular Coke instead of a medium diet, and me no drink at all and missed one of my burgers. You have to admire McDonald's for making their service standard across the globe, I guess. Lunch was pleasant, nonetheless, as it was nice out and we ate in Lenin Square. There is a large Christmas tree that was constructed using a frame much like the ones we use for our artificial trees, but it was used with real branches, so that it looks convincingly like a 30 foot tree.

TOP 10 THINGS THAT ARE HURTING

10. Bill's back from roughhousing with the boys
9. Kelly's pride when she uses one of those "hole in the ground" restrooms
8. Our ears after a 2 hour play session with 13 kids and 12 adults in a small room
7. My head after asking 4 people where the matches were in the grocery store (to light our stove)
6. Bill's faith in the BCS
5. Kelly's hands after wringing out the laundry
4. Kelly's scalp after her hair gets caught in the blow dryer
3. Our appetites after being introduced to horse sausage
2. Our whole bodies after a night's sleep in the two cot-like beds (only 6 feet long, much to Bill's displeasure).
1. Our hearts every time we have to say "Pah-kah!" ("Bye!") to the boys

Peace and Love,

Bill & Kelly

Friday 15th

2006-12-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

(Bill writing)

We had lunch with our driver and translator today. It was another interesting culinary experience! For some reason, the driver thinks I like beer, so he brought some sausage from home that the locals there eat with beer. It was very strange looking, but I tried it. I didn't like it, but Kelly had some, and said it was "OK." I asked our translator to ask why it was very dark (it was as dark as pumpernickel bread), and he said in Russian "because it is made from horse meat." That wasn't exactly on our things-to-do-before-we-die list, but we can now say we've had horse.

Our translator has told us that we need to enjoy Donetsk, because we are young. She grilled the driver on places we can go, and we've agreed to a short list of activities: the circus, a botanical garden, an upscale mall, a regionally famous restaurant, and a beautiful monastary that is 2 1/2 hours away. Even though the driver has two jobs (cabbie by day, security guard by night), he seemed eager for the extra hours, so it looks like everyone is happy, including Bill, who is being hit hardest by the cabin fever.

I was humbled by our translator today. She said that I could pass for Ukrainian. She went on to say that she had a friend that I looked an awful lot like. I said, "Handsome fella, is he?" to which she laughed and said "It is woman!"

Say...speaking of our translator, does anyone wonder why we had her in town? It's because we had our court date today! And...we're (almost) parents! We've just got to make it through the mandatory ten day wait period before it's official. We have to obtain plane tickets, but we will fly home as early as December 28th, depending on the flight availability.

We were expecting a different experience than that of an American court, of course, but it was surprising nonetheless. We had a judge that was known to be quirky, and indeed he was. He definitely enjoyed his place of power and was very theatrical and comical. There were two jurors in the room, and he often had side jokes with them. He also made fun of me for not speaking when he expected me to. I also showed some serious breaches of ettiquette, for which the judge was quick to chastise me. I rested my foot upon my knee while sitting, which happens to be a gesture that is considered very rude in Ukraine (crossing at the knees or at the ankles is the norm). I also spoke to the judge, saying "Da" ("yes") to some of the questions, instead of speaking in English to the translator. Lastly, I shook the judge's hand when we were done, with noticeable displeasure showing on his face. I also embarrassed Kelly by handing her her secret stash of toilet paper from her purse when she was standing and getting misty eyed. Luckily, Kelly kept her composure the whole time, and must be why the judge thought we could be parents to these two boys.

The "courtroom" was a small room that was actually the judge's chambers, and was tightly packed with the proud parents-to-be, our translator, the inspector, the social teacher, the two jurors and the judge. When we were asked to stand, there was only room to stand and then take one step forward.

The judge was very thorough, and our appointment took one hour (they usually take much less), after which the judge and jurors deliberated. We already had a good feeling, because during the process everyone was relaxed, and the judge was making jokes, such as "Now you're not going to only feed these kids Pepsi Cola and chips, are you?" and "you're going to learn how to make borscht, aren't you?" When we were let back into the chambers, the judge spoke so fast and with a lot of legal jargon, that we got to a point where he told us we could leave and neither of us were quite sure what the outcome was. Out in the hallway our translator told us the good news.

We've been holding out saying their names until we made it through court. The oldest is named Artur, and we've decided to honor Kelly's father by naming him Lawrence Artur Woods. The youngest is named Artem (pronounced Art-yoom), and will be re-named William Patrick Artem Woods. (OK, Pat, you can finish those stockings now!)

Kelly is crying even as this is being written--it's been a very emotional day for us. We are going to open a bottle of Ukrainian champagne to celebrate today's success, but We still need everyone's thoughts and prayers, as we can be over-ruled if any family members show up during the 10 wait period.

{Friday 15th}

Since it's been two days since the last post, I'll write about this morning while I'm sitting here. When we got to the orphanage, the social teacher told us to go up into the theater, where we found a play in progress. There was a troop of ladies performing a puppet show. It was very cute, because the kids all sang along at certain parts. There were several occasions where the leader asked for volunteers to get up and recite little poem snippets, and Lawrence tried hard to get selected each time, finally succeeding on the last opportunity. We have no idea what he said, but we were beaming with pride. William was allowed to leave his classmates and sit with us, where he was a handful, to say the least. At the end of the performance, each kid got a gift bag with a Santa on it; they were each excited to receive a small stuffed animal toy, 4 juice boxes, a box of cookies and a BIG candy bar. William kept his in his grip the whole time he was playing with us!

Peace and Love,

Bill & Kelly

2006-12-13T07:38:00.000-05:00

Friends and Family,

Not much to report this afternoon. Still no final word on whether we have court tomorrow or not. By the next time we post, we possibly might have already been there! We'll have to wait and see. We did see our first few snowflakes today, so we have to quit bragging about the nice weather.

The director came into the playroom when all the kids were very active and it was very loud. She said something in Russian, which we didn't understand, but I'm sure it meant something like, "I can't believe these kids are running all over the place!"

Francessca, we can't believe you had your Mom make borscht! Now that's some good research! Glad you liked it. We'll have to get the recipe from you, because we want to make it at home. Also, Brianna thank you very much for the kind words. You both made us smile today.

Kelly and I couldn't take the cabin fever any longer last night and ventured out of our apartment down to the corner, where we found a small grocery store. There wasn't much that looked too appealing, but we found what we thought were miniature pizzas. After warming them up back home, we were surprised when we tasted them. We don't have any idea what you call them, but they were sort of like donut-bread, topped with mayonnaise, ketchup, chopped ham, and cheese (Francessca, we dare you to try that one!). Ketchup, it seems, is treated as some sort of exotic topping here, even though you can find the regular ole Heinz bottle at a reasonable price in the grocery store.

Bill had fun buying some electronics today (camera and flash drive). At first he had to check out at a traditional cashier. Then he had to take all paperwork to another desk where they did something concerning his credit card, and he had to sign some form. Then he had to go another desk where he signed more stuff (who knows what), being attended to by two gentlemen. There he was handed the goods. On the way out, he was stopped by two security men, who thoroughly went through the contents one more time. Sheesh!

Today's top 10 list (could easily have been top 100!):

TOP TEN TIMES WE SEEMED LIKE WEIRD FOREIGNERS

10. When a street vendor said something and Bill responded with, "Porcupine! Taco Bell!" (don't ask...)
9. When Bill bought a "case" of beer (they only sell them singly here; what I had was a shipping box!)
8. Having to ask a police officer how to dial a public phone (and tipping him $10!)
7. When Bill asked the driver "Tee-gah-lohd-na?" for several days at lunch time which means "are you hungry?"--to a girl
6. When we were at McDonald's and Bill ordered a quarter pounder, which they don't have
5. When we showed confusion that you have to make a deposit to use a shopping cart
4. When we asked for butter for our bread (mayonnaise aplenty, but no butter to be found)
3. When we laughed when a soup at a restaurant was described as "containing marine parts"
2. When we thought that a pedestrian crossing meant that we had the right of way (how silly of us...)
1. Sitting in the internet cafe, wearing casual clothes, drinking Coke Light (Diet Coke), speaking English

Peace and Love,

Bill and Kelly

2006-12-12T08:10:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Today is Tuesday, and we just found out our court date will probably be this Thursday. This is great news, as this is the earliest day that we could have gotten it. Happy days!

This would make the day that we get the boys legally...Christmas! That's the 3rd weird coincidence so far:

Oldest boy's birthday: 9-1-00, the same as Kelly's father
Date the boys entered the orphanage: 10-17-05, which was our 7th anniversary
Our Gotcha! Day: Christmas (maybe)

Kelly just had her best day yet here in Ukraine yesterday (warning: tear jerker ahead...) Kelly said "Ya Teeb-ya Lyoo-Blyoo" ("I love you") to the little one, and he paused, then said it right back! She's been walking on air ever since. He's said it a few times to both of us since.

It still amazes me how much these kids share. We got the older one some stickers, and he played with about 3/4 of them. When I took him back to his class, he took the remaining stickers, and had just enough to give one to each of his classmates. He was the hero of the day, as everyone was very excited.

Yesterday between visits we visited a neat monument, probably 60 feet high, commemorating the victory during WW 2. We also communicated to the driver that we wanted to be dropped off somewhere downtown so that we could walk around, which was nice.

I had another chuckle today learning about the food here. They are crazy about mayonaisse over here, with it being included in a lot of dishes or as a dressing by itself. Curiously, however, there's never any butter. We were at a nice cafe today that had an English menu, and I noticed butter was an item on the menu. Since we had a basket of bread, I ordered some butter. The waitress told me that it would be a 10 minute wait...while they made some!

Just to be fair, here's today's top 10 list:

TOP 10 THINGS WE DON'T MISS FROM HOME

10. Buying gasoline
9. Hearing local news from Detroit
8. Waiting to go to Ukraine
7. Snow (We're sure it's coming, though)
6. (Kelly) grading papers
5. McDonald's (because there's plenty of them here)
4. Pesky traffic laws
3. (Kelly) getting up every morning at 5:30 am
2. Having to drive ourselves
1. Christmas advertising since Thanksgiving

Peace and Love,

Bill & Kelly

Sunday the 10th

2006-12-10T06:37:00.000-05:00

All,

We're killing time today, since only afternoon visits are allowed on
Sundays. Cabin fever is creeping in, but it's not too bad yet.

Here's the schedule we've settled into:

8:30 get up
10:00 meet our driver to take us to the orphanage
10:00 - 12:00 meet the boys
12:00 - 3:00 get groceries / blog / eat lunch
3:30 - 5:00 meet the boys
5:30 - eat dinner / play computer games / watch 24 / read

We are starting to miss the days of Kiev when we were free to walk around. Downtown is safe here, but we don't think it's safe walking around our apartment, and we only have the driver from 10 - 5:30.

The older boy is taking an interest in his potential family. Whenever one of the children take out a photo album, he asked us for his so that he can show his family off. He also was very pleased when he asked for and received pictures of us so that he could keep in his locker and show to his classmates. As far as the little one, he's main interest is the Bosco pictures and destroying the book.

We've learned that we've got to keep a better eye on what the younger guy has been eating. We bring raisins, yogurt, cookies and juice, and all other parents are bringing snacks as well. As we mentioned before, all these kids seem to have been trained to share, so all the food collectively becomes a community buffet of sorts. Yesterday the doctor warned us that he got a tummy ache after our morning visit, so we'll have to keep his hands away from all the food.

Since news is slower these days, we thought we'd start something new.
When we get around to writing one, we'll add a TOP 10 list for fun
(anything to kill time...) Here's the first:

TOP 10 THINGS WE MISS FROM HOME

10. Buildings with thermostats (it's hot everywhere!)
9. A kitchen with a full set of cookware and tools
8. Public toilets that you don't have to pay for
7. Non-Dance music (that's all they play here!)
6. Our mattress
5. Charmin
4. The Purple Room (Kelly's classroom)
3. Family & Friends
2. Jasper! (our cat)
1. Bosco! (our dog)

It was nice to hear from Brooklyn, glad you approve of the ages. We can't wait to ask you to help teach the boys how to speak English.

Lisa, it was nice to hear that you had a good birthday; it sounds like the fellas gave you a nice day.

We would love to hear some news from home, if anyone wants to update us
on the goings on.

Peace and Love,

Bill & Kelly

Saturday Update

2006-12-09T07:45:00.000-05:00

(Bill writing)

Dear Friends and Family,

Still no update on our court appointment. As a refresher to all, there are three more periods that we have to go through. The first is the mandatory 5 work day wait while the paperwork is submitted to the SDA in Kiev (it was submitted Friday morning). The next is the wait period until our court date, and the last is the mandatory 10 day wait period after court (court proceedings take 1 day). We are starting to suspect that we will return in the first or second week of the new year, but who knows?

We learned that the children are taken care of to the point of perhaps overdoing it. This morning we picked up the children, and the oldest had full winter wear on, including a second sweater, a coat with hood, a hat, leggings and winter boots. I assumed that this meant he wanted to go outside like we've done the past 2 days for a few minutes, but when I was asking him if he wanted to go out, he kept replying "nyet." Luckily, another couple's translator was there, so I asked him to ask the boy about the get-up. Apparently, the caregivers put this outfit on in preparation for playing INSIDE (even though the temperature is kept at a toasty 80 degrees or so), because this morning was shower day, and they think that a damp kid runs a higher risk of getting sick, even well after the point that he is dry. Since the boy was so wrapped up, I suggested to him that we go outside for a bit (this is really so that I can have a chance to cool down), and we proceeded to ask the director. She made it clear that kids can't go outside on shower day, so that was that!

Yesterday we got some "parental counseling." The older boy was being particularly mischievous, so we asked the social worker to talk to him. She did...and she also talked to us. Through gestures, she told us to be firmer with the children, illustrated unmistakably with a shaking fist. It was well intentioned, because when we arrived yesterday for the second visit, I jokingly shook my fist at her and she laughed. I tell you, it's tough being disciplinarians when it's our first week on the job, we are packed in a room with a bunch of other parents, are being observed by the orphanage staff, and can't communicate with the boys! (I can almost hear all the veteran parents out there laughing at us).

Sorry for the cliche, but I think the weather is worthy of mentioning. It has been cold enough to require winter coats, but warmer than usual. In fact, Donetsk had the warmest November recorded since 150 years ago! Thank goodness...hope all the Michiganders are enjoying the snow! We haven't seen any yet, but I'm sure it's coming. We have had a couple of days that were remarkably foggy, making the car rides home at night particularly entertaining.

There are currently 6 families visiting the orphanage, including a new couple that starting coming yesterday for a 3 year old girl. There is a Spanish couple, for which I am sometimes recruited to speak with using my shaky high school Spanish. Kind of sounds like a joke, doesn't it? (A Spaniard, American and Ukrainian walk into a bar...) The father in this family has been the mayor of some city near Barcelona for the past 16 years. The remaining families are American, including a pair from Battle Creek that live near where Kelly taught during her college internship!

(Kelly writing)

Our most important message of the day is...HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA! Wish we were there to tell you in person! Hopefully Dante and Imani aren't too much trouble today.

I want to give a loud shout out to the PURPLE ROOM and the ORANGE ROOM! You guys rock. I love hearing from each of you, and hope you are enjoying reading the weblog. Has anyone found Donetsk on a map yet?

We are being introduced to some interesting food. We've already talked about the local stuff, but the packaged food is also interesting. We've had a variety of interestingly flavored potato chips: chicken, onion, bacon, crab, shrimp, salmon and Swiss cheese. Coke products are the only kind of soda you can find, and Diet Coke is called "Coca Cola Light." We just bought some coconut and cherry juice mix for the kids. In short, most of the things you can find back home are here, including the brands, but they've been altered slightly for the local people.

Whew! That was a long entry, hopefully making up for not entering anything yesterday. We miss everyone and can't wait to share more good news.

Peace and Love,

Bill and Kelly

Day 4 in Donetsk

2006-12-07T07:35:00.000-05:00

All,

We got the grand tour by the director yesterday. This orphanage is AMAZING! It could easily pass as a daycare in the US. Our translator has said that it is the nicest one she's ever seen. The director seems like a woman who cares about the children very much. There are four "classes," called "grupas," in which children of similar age play, eat and sleep together. Each class has a closet room, where each child has their own locker. There is a play room, with cabinets bursting with toys. We were probably most impressed with the bathrooms, which were very cute. Both the sinks and toilets were green and shaped like frogs, miniaturized for the shorties. There was also a small auditorium of sorts, with a stage and (believe or not, folks) a chandelier! Overall, everything was very clean and neat and tidy. The whole building is in the process of being updated with new modern vinyl windows. This orphanage appears to be the life's work of the director, and you can tell she is very well liked, because the children run up to her when she enters the room.

You would think that these kids would be very selfish, but quite the opposite is the truth. They all share as much as possible! When we first met the director, she got out some candy for the boys; yesterday the little one remembered where she got it and asked the director for more when we were in her office. He got a small fistful, ran out of the room into the common play room, and gave one piece to each of the other kids! This is normal for all the children; whenever the receive something, they share it with the others.

The older boy made us very happy when he asked us for pictures of us to show off to his classmates. Then, this morning, the younger one asked for one as well. He gave it to his caregiver, who placed it on a shelf for all to see. The younger one really is getting attached to us. He cried a lot when we left, hugged my leg and wouldn't let go, repeating "Papa, Papa!"

I had my first lesson in going potty yesterday (not me, I'm an old pro--with the kids I mean). The little one was doing the "gotta go!" dance, so I took him to the bathroom. It occurred to me on the way that I had no idea if he was potty trained or not, but (thank god) he knew what he was doing! Whew!

The older one wanted me to go outside with him today, so we had fun. Of course, the caregivers insisted on him putting on two layers of winter wear, first.

Kelly and I are being cautious, and do not want to share names or pictures until it seems likely that the children will be ours. The two major hurdles that remain are getting through court (in which a jury has to approve us), and making it through the 10 day wait period, set aside for anyone to appeal the court's decision. Please everyone bear with us during this time.

Peace and Love,

Bill and Kelly

Wednesday Post

2006-12-06T07:50:00.000-05:00

All,

We had our morning visit today. We found a new weapon in keeping control of them...FOOD! I thought I could eat, but after seeing the little one scarf down a banana and a half, there may be a new eating champ in the family!

Both are getting more comfortable with us, and are starting to explore and find where their limits are. Today the older one kept finding interesting objects and running out into the hallway (where he's not supposed to be) to show his friends. I would call after him, to no avail, when one of his caregivers tracked him down and laid down the law, which straightened him up. I can't be too hard on myself, though, it's only my second day on the job!

Our translator has been working very hard for us, and is keeping the whole process on schedule. As it has gone with other couples' adoptions, there are numerous quirky problems that crop up with the paperwork, but our translator has been driving our case through the bureaucracy. She'll be leaving us tonight to go back to Kiev, so it's Kelly and I on our own! However, our new driver here is pretty good, and is willing to walk with us to stores and help us out. He helped us find ga-ROO-shkees (toys) this afternoon. Donetsk is a big city, so we shouldn't be bored for a while as we spend our afternoons between visits exploring.

We miss everyone very much, and were overwhelmed by the number of emails we received since yesterday (84). Keep 'em coming!

Peace and Love,

Bill & Kelly

PS: Mom (Sue) we received your email about your work email address, but have been receiving an error message when we've tried to use it.