Waiting.........

Previet friends, sorry, we have not posted in a while; but we just haven't had much happening with our adoption. We have been visiting with some wonderful friends here and have been attending two bible believing churches, though, and we are so excited about our new friends here. It will be difficult to say goodbye. Regarding our adoption, we are in a waiting period now and have sort of settled into a schedule with school in the mornings, lunch, naps, orphanage visit, dinner, and bed. We are looking forward to returning home and getting back to a "normal" life. (Those of you who know us well are probably chuckling about our "normal" lives.) We have one more week until we can take the kids out of the orphanage and begin our life as one family. Although Kathryn, Clayton, and Kevin are legally Boohers, there is a required 10 day waiting period which allows other family members to appeal. Although the 10 days end on Saturday, we must wait until Monday for the court to issue the documents needed to obtain their birth certificates. Kathryn and Clayton were born 2 hours away, so we will have to travel to that town's city offices and then back to Zholti Vody. This town's offices are not open on Monday, so we must wait until Tuesday. Before we can take the kids from the orphanage we must give the Director their birth certificates and other papers.

Yesterday, Clayton asked when we would take him from the orphanage. We told him, "In one week," and he was very excited! Then he asked when we would be in America- which will be in 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. Kathryn (Katya) was amazed at how long we still had. Clayton just sighed and kept smiling. After we take the kids from the orphanage we will go to the town of Dnepropetrovsk. The kids must get both country documents and passports ( this will take about 4 days, not including weekends.) Then we go to Kiev, where they will have medical checkups at the U.S. Embassy (2 more working days). After that, we can fly home. We are praying that we get to fly home as a family, but if we are not finished with all the paperwork, then Lisa, Bethany, Kenneth, Scarlett, Samara, Hannah, and Eliana will fly home on our originally scheduled date, Sept. 26 and Chris, Ericka, Kathryn, Clayton, and Kevin will leave a few days later.

Today, Kathryn, Clayton and Kevin are in another town having fun at a festival in Dnepropetrovsk. All the orphanage is there, so we will will not see our kids today. Tonight Mom and Dad will take the 10pm bus to Kiev, and they will return early Wednesday morning. They will sign papers at the U.S. Embassy, so Mom won't have to do this before her plane leaves on September 26th.