Across the Atlantic to Alabama!

It's been well....busy. Exhausting. Crazy and overwhelming.

Tuesday we woke up thinking we would spend all day running around with our facilitator to get the court decree and all necessary paperwork to get Sveta from the baby house. But our facilitator did most all the paperchasing for us and we basically sat in the hotel all day getting updates about every 30 minutes! The birth certificate took FOREVER and was the one thing we waited on all day. Finally, at 5pm we got her birth certificate and headed to the passport office. We were out within an hour with her passport and then went to the orphanage. We met with the medical director and then headed to Sveta's groupa.

We walked through these doors, the same ones we have been walking through for three weeks to get to her groupa.

She was still with her groupa getting ready so I took pictures of the room where we would pick her up every day.

Her locker  - number 6

Sigh. It was bittersweet. She was so very excited and the nannies had spent alot of time making her hair perfect in about a 1,000 hair bows. She was so proud of her hair!

The nannies got her all dressed for the last time.

I don't think any of them had a dry eye. One was literally sobbing - it was so sad! But Sveta has been at the baby house since she was 5 or 6 months old. Everyone there has known her for a very long time. They call her "princessa"!

Her groupa and three of the nannies. We didn't get to say goodbye to some of her favorite nannies because they weren't there that day.

Sveta gave her friends hugs.

Oh my soul it was sweet and sad.

One little girl - the one I talked about in one of my last posts - she was crying. I wanted to scoop her up and take her too.

I am lying.

I wanted to take all of them.

I was on the edge of bawling.

Knowing that recent laws passed in Ukraine will prevent most of these children from being adopted until they are five.

I can't tell you how much of an ache in my soul there is walking away from here with this knowledge.

But we have Sveta.

We have our girl.

We will continue to advocate for all the others left behind.

Sveta's been sprung. She is a Houser! An orphan no more!

We had a long night after we left the orphanage. I will write about many things later. Thats for a whole other post! This one is all about celebrating the beginning of a new life for Sveta and our family!

We travelled to Kiev Wednesday and have our final embassy appointment later on today. We leave at 5:30am in the morning to head back across the atlantic to Alabama! It's going to be a long trip but worth it. Peyton and Paige can't wait to meet Sveta - she got to talk to them on the phone last night and it was so funny. They kept asking what she was saying! She was going on and on about something. I think she liked hearing kids voices.

Sorry this one is so short - this is the first time I have been able to get to my blog - miss Sveta is attached to me like glue usually but has actually fallen asleep for a nap right now!

Pray for us as we travel home tomorrow. We have to be at the airport at 3:30 am. OUCH. Then we have a five hour layover in Germany! OUCH again! We should be home by 6pm though!

And guess what the first food we want when we land in Huntsville?

Mexican food.

Praise God He is Good!

Happy 4th America!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We Miss All Our Friends And Family!!!
Have a wonderful blessed 4th of July!
We can't wait to make the journey HOME to the U.S.A.!!!

Tomorrow is a BIG day for us here!!

We pray all the paperwork can be done and that tonight will be Sveta's last night in the orphanage.

Yesterday we found "kinder surprise" eggs  - chocolate with a treat in the middle. Oh my goodness she shoved the whole thing in her mouth. I think she was worried either a) she would be spied by a nanny and be told she couldn't have it or b) afraid another little kid would take it away!
None the less...she loved it!

Today was an exciting day for us and Sveta...when we got to the orphanage she was all dolled up in these frilly poofy cotton ball looking bows. She was so cute!

The silly camera blurred the first picture I took of her then these had a little too much light behind them.

You can see her huge boo boo in between her eyes. Ms. Daredevil lept off a chair sometime last week while she was with her groupa!

Sveta got to see her good friend Danil again today - he was at the baby house with her until last fall and he was just adopted by a wonderful family we have had the honor of getting to know!

Danil and his mom were at the baby house saying goodbye to everyone and Sveta got to see him again!

Then...we got to take Sveta to have her passport photo done.

Oh. My. Goodness.

She was beyond amazed at all the sights.

She kept chattering on and on about "machinas" (cars) and a million other things.

It was precious.

The lady at the photo place kindly blurred out her huge boo boo in between her eyes and we ended up with a cutie patootie in poofy bows for her first passport.

We all went back to the orphanage but it was time for lunch so we had to say goodbye to her.

She looked so confused!

I almost started bawling.

But tomorrow evening we pray we can get her out of the baby house.

I have to say the timing is not lost on us...our daughter Emma's birthday here on earth was July 6th. She would have turned 10 years old, had she lived.

Honestly I am just speechless that God has orchestrated the timing like this. The first full day we have Sveta in our care will be Emma's birthday.

In Awe.

Never, ever doubt HE knows exactly the path He has you on.

Let go and trust.

So many times along this journey I have tried to be in control and through friends and the word I have been reminded its all in the Lord's perfect timing.

Sitting here 4,000 something miles from home, it couldn't be more clear to me.

Blessings from far away!

Eat hot dogs, hamburgers and watch fireworks for us!

 

Cutie Patootie From Baby House 19

Another cutie patootie in a purple sweater. She is such a doll baby and we have fallen in love with her too. Oh my soul...she needs her own mama and papa. Spunk and fire and sweet rolled into one little girl - we pray laws will either change or a family will come for her when she turns five. It's so hard seeing her everyday and getting to know her..knowing we will soon leave her.

Sveta in Summer 2011's Orphanage Couture.

Sveta with one of the volunteers who visit the orphanage. These people are amazing, loving, giving and LOVE the children. We are so thankful God has placed them in our path.

Sveta with Oksana and friend. Beautiful Oksana.

She has become so very special to us. She and a group of friends volunteer in Sveta's orphanage.

The Lord has overwhelmed us with meeting so many believers here in Ukraine.

Awe.

Amazed.

Humbled.

Our time here has been so much more than our adoption of Sveta Josie.

It's been all about Him.

The one who brought us here. Caused our paths to cross so many others.

It's a wonder we dont walk around sobbing all the time!

He has orchestrated it all.

For those of you who are behind us...keep on going. It's worth it. One minute, one hour, one day at a time. God has weaved this path for YOU and YOUR child and knows exactly the steps and timing.

Remain Steadfast.

You are not making a mistake or venturing out on some crazy self righetous adventure.

Your path is to your child.

Okay...More pictures anyone??

Hmmm...if I could just get this cell phone to call someone...

oh man am I tired of you people...got any new toys??

 No. I am not pregnant even though it looks like I am sporting a maternity shirt. No Sveta is not a cone head. Too funny.

Hellooooooo...any more fruit snacks in there?

She is our cutie patootie from baby house 19. Our little girl. Spunk and Fire.

Tearing playdough open with her teeth.

Yep. That's her.

Sveta Josie

Little One. Spitfire. Alley Cat. Chipmunk.

Loved.

Cherished.

Ours.

Forever.

We are not special. We are not stronger. We are not more patient.

We were not "called"

Please do not separate yourself from the profile of an adoptive family simply because you dont think you are equipped, called or special.

We thank God he showed us it's not about US. We are NONE of the things you would think you need to be to adopt a child.

What we are is followers.

Yep. Followers. Not leaders.

Followers.

Of One Great God.

Bad Blogger From EE

So, I was reprimanded by Renee for not posting in several days and figured I better do an update for everyone who has been following along.

Things are just kind of ground hog day... ish. Same sounds, same images of the same dogs in the street, women in high heels, cats screeching outside our window every night, same food for breakfast, same trip down the same road to the Nicolaev Baby House, same familiar sickish feeling in our stomach from eating different foods everyday.

Same comical sights and whatnot. Like...
"Does this chicken wrap smell like feet?"

"why is there mayo and ketchup smeared all over the fries?"

 "is that raw chickens on buckets at that babushkas feet?" Can that be okay???

"is that white sauce mayo, sour cream,  or kefir maybe??? whatever it is..its warm..don't eat it!"

"look at that sign..the picture has a goat on a skateboard on it with a strike through it...no goats on skateboards allowed???"

We have learned to chalk all the little quirks up to it being what it is..Ukraine. And we wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe the toilet paper.

We are thankful for one another, for humor and honestly, for the time we have spent here. Yes, its groundhog day..ish but we will likely never return here.

Well, never say never.

 We are in a routine but trying to soak as much in as we can. We walk everywhere and try to venture out and see new things. Our perspective on walking places is completely different now. "how far is that pizza place? a little over a mile? oh, thats not far - lets go!" We walk everywhere except for to our visits to the orphanage.

Our routine is mostly the same but our visits with Sveta are not really the same everyday. She always wants to do something different. Somedays its playdough. Somedays its sit and be quiet..ish. Somedays its play hide and seek, slide, seesaw and run like a maniac. She is calling us mama and papa and today we almost cried...because she said "UH OH!" and "AGAIN!" when Eli was tossing her into the air.

 But...more importantly she is seeking us out to help her with things, to comfort her. We are learning what makes her tick and she is learning who we are. We know there is a long road ahead for all of us.
We have fallen more in love with her over the tiny bit of time we have known her.

We look at her, with tears in our eyes and say "she is our child"

Somehow, by his grace God in heaven made us her parents.

Giving daddy kisses.

 We laugh over Sveta's daily hairstyles. She is always sporting some kind of multi pony tail, hair bow fiesta. This one hairstyle was particularly festive. And always, she is the cutest little thing in her orphanage couture.

                    Bobbing her head to a hannah montana song Paige had on the ipod. So cute!

When she smiles, laughs, wraps her little arms around our neck we are reminded of why we came here.

For Sveta. To take her home.

Our home. Her home.

We have four days left of the ten day wait. Four days. On Tuesday, July 5th we hope to say goodbye to the orphanage. It will be bittersweet - she has been there since she was five months old. Many of her cargivers have taken care of her since she was a baby. Everyone knows her name.

But it will be time - time to begin our life as a family.

Almost there.

Hang on Little One...not too much longer.

The 10 Day Wait Begins!

You know if you have been here, done that...that after your court hearing you have a mandatory 10 day wait before you can pick up the court decree. Well...ours has officially begun! After 10 days we can take Sveta Josie out of the orphanage! We had planned on returning home for the 10 day wait but now realize it will actually be easier (believe it or not!) to both stay and all come home together.

So...we have NOTHING for Sveta! We had clothes, pull ups, toys for the plane, etc. at home but didn't bring any of it on this trip. We have ventured out to try and buy her clothes. We are going to try to wrangle her into them this afternoon to see if they fit....will let you know how that goes...ha! !/2 a day over and no one has yelled at us today or laughed at us. Well...we did get followed in a toy store because I guess we look very suspicious. The sales girl was practically on our heels the entire time we were in the store.

Flip flops and capri pants seem to put folks on high alert here.

I have to say THANK YOU for your comments and emails. It is our link to HOME and we are so thankful to have your support. THANK YOU to everyone who donated to help with plane tickets...this has been a tremendous blessing to us.

This one is gonna be short and sweet....ending with Miss Sveta....I think Masha was saying something to her about her mama and papa...look at Sveta's face! Kind of like "Really, okay let me drink my juice?!"