First 5 days!

I guess it might be time to update our loyal followers so you don't think we have fallen off the face of the earth!  It has been a busy week.  Ana jumped right into our family life without a blink!  We have been busy with our usual activities plus dr visits, school visits, hair cut, and a couple of shopping trips with finally today's trip being a success!

The only real issue we have had is clothing.  Ana likes tight, 2 or more sizes too small and Jim and I say no.  This has led to a few "battles" over google translate.  Last night was the most intense but the most effective.  Today we went to the mall after the drs and bought a couple of things that are both mom and Ana approved!  Last night's session on the computer ended with - you have to say yes to some clothes or go naked!  She decided to say yes!

Our plan was to keep Ana home this week and start school next week.  However, she had different plans.  By last Friday she was saying - Mom, school?  I want school!  So, we decided if she is feeling like she wants to go - she should go.  Tomorrow is the big day and she is beyond excited!  She will shadow Mary Beth tomorrow and start her own schedule on Thursday.  She has her bag packed and an outfit that is parent approved!

It is amazing to me how brave she has been.  I know how all of us felt while we were in Ukraine.  We didn't speak the language, we thought the things they did were strange and we were uncomfortable most of the time.  She is so excited about jumping right in and trying everything.  She has made some connections with our friends and with Mary Beth's friends.  She can't wait for school, dance class and to play basketball!  I would be scared to death.  She can hardly contain her excitement.  Mary Beth has also been great with showing Ana what to do, looking through the yearbook to point out friends and teachers and just being a great sister.  I know in time that Ana will become more independent and have her own set of friends and interests  but right now I am enjoying seeing the girls forming a close relationship.  I can't imagine my life withour my sister - I consider her one of my best friends and we talk almost every day.  I am so happy that our girls will have the opportunity to enjoy being sisters!

Seeing Ana's smile, enjoying her hugs and hearing the excitment in her voice when she talks about everything she wants to do and be here in America has made the past week unforgetable!  Can't wait for what's to come!

WE ARE HOME!!!!!

That's all I have to say right now.  Going to sleep for the next few days!!!!

Last Day in Ukraine

Well, it's official. I picked up Anastasia Michelle Raabe's official immigrant Visa up today at the Embassy. We have plane tickets for tomorrow and we will be home. Both of us are excited. I can really say that this whole process went very smoothly. We had our concerns and our little difficulties, but overall I would not have changed anything. Unlike some others who have come before us, we have not had the problems and frustrations that some of them have had. We have listened to many of the people that have gone through this journey and learned. But mainly, we listened to what God was telling us.

I feel God lead us down paths that we would have never followed unless he was directing the way. After reading an article that my friend Ken wrote this morning, I feel God directs the way by combined rational thinking as well as that sub-conscious bump that leads to a perfect harmony. It is that gut feeling as well as thought provoking questions answered along the way that lead us down the "right path", God's path that is set for us. A perfect balance that makes ones life and the lives around them joyous and thankful for what has been achieved.

As I look back on this time, I am much more aware of what FAMILY really means, and why I value it so much. I have been blessed by a wonderful family, wonderful friends (too many to count), prayers from people from all parts of the world, and especially my God. As Ana and my family finish this short journey and travel into the new and unchartered waters of a family of 7, I pray that we can live up to our fullest potential. My prayer would be that we provide not only a loving and fulfilling life for my children, but that we can provide inspiration to our community (everyone we know) to show that God's love abides until the end!

Thanks to all for following. We could not have done it alone.

Love the Raabe's - Jim, Michelle, Kyle, Ana, Mary Beth, Keegan, and Kelton!!!

PS - See everyone in the STATES!!!!!

Off to Kiev!!!

Well it's been a long wait but in about 2 hours we will board the train and Ana will spend her last few minutes in Mariupol. Both of us are so excited to get on our way. Not sure what tomorrow will be like, I just hope that it will go smoothly and we will finally feel relief. It has been a long and strenuous journey. And I also know that this is just the start. I'm sure we will forge a lifetime of memories and this will just be a small part in God's grand scheme of the adventure. We are packed and ready to go and have about an hour before Kostya gets here. So, I think we will head out for a walk to the local bakery and exchange some money so we can leave.

Yesterday brought confusion and laughter. We have been communicating fairly well with google translate, itranz (app for the iphone), and hand gestures. But, yesterday was pretty funny. I called Kostya to translate for me that I would take Ana to the park that she had been wanting to go to since we arrived in Mariupol, however I had no idea how to get there. Ana would have to take me. So he translated that and she called us a taxi, and we were off. When we drove by the amusement park I looked back at her and she just looked at me funny. So I went with it, because she said she knew where we were going. At last we came to the park that we had been to before for the Azovmash basketball game. Now I was really confused. I paid the driver and we started walking. Right up to the Ice Skating Rink. LOL!!!!! She wanted to ice skate the whole time and couldn't figure out how to tell me. So we had an hour and a half to blow before we could skate. We walked around the park for a while, went to the Azovmash ticket window to see if I could buy her a shirt, watched 7 brides get their pictures taken, and then went skating. I thought she was going to be a good skater since this was the place she wanted to go. Boy was I wrong! She only fell 5 or 6 times and didn't let go of the wall for anything. I thought I was going to be bad, since I haven't had hockey skates on for over 20 years. I looked better than 90% of the guys skating and didn't fall once. It was a lot of fun and we laughed sooo hardd!!

We came back to the apartment and did our nightly stroll out to the store for ice cream. Back for dinner and off to bed. Oh and some skyping with Karina and we skyped Michelle and the kids 3 times yesterday.

So now to the next part of the trip. I might not be able to update you for a while, but, stay tuned and pray for us!!

Anastasia Michelle Raabe!!

Wow, where to start today.

We have been waiting for this day for such a long time now that I don't know where to begin. I feel that I have been so blessed by God that words can't describe the emotion of the day. With each birth of my children, a tear of pure joy came to my eyes. Only the joy that God can provide to his children. I remember the day Kyle was born, I just stood there in awe of the magnificent gift that God gave to Michelle and I (in fact I almost passed out). The same with Mary Beth when she came so fast I thought she was going to fly across the room. And then the big red face of Keegan screaming at me, knowing that he was the smallest out of them all. Then finally thinking that I was actually going to have to deliver Kelton and seeing his little nose and quivering lips. I thought this was all behind me, until today. When Ana walked (skipped) down those gray steps of the Orphanage today all full of smiles and cheer, I knew that I had saw God one last time! My heart skipped a beat and a tear came to my eye again, and I knew that all of the hard work up until this time was all worth it. It was meant to be, and it was truly another gift from God. As she took the roses that I had stopped for earlier in the day, I think her face was going to have a smile permanently etched in. It was amazing!!

The day started out by waking up at 6am so I could get the apartment cleaned up and ready for the landlord to show it to another renter. I have gone 4 weeks of not feeling sick in Ukraine until this morning. I felt terrible. So, I took some tylenol, drank some water, and started my day. I called Kostya and told him that he was going to have to call me a taxi because I just didn't feel good enough to walk, and I was off to Court. When I got there Kostya came out of the doors and told me he already had the court order. It was time to go get the Birth Certificate. So we walked to the next office down the street. Only to be told that the court order was not an official one. Back to the Court Office. Got an original court order then back to the Birth Certificate office. Meanwhile I was not feeling very well. We left that office and had to head to the Social Workers Office (had to stop by McDonalds because Kostya is always hungry) then we walked to the SW Office. On the way, I grabbed some roses for Ana. Thank goodness Kostya was with me because I almost bought a half dozen - big mistake. In Ukraine it is tradition that you only buy an even number of flowers for funerals - boy that would have been hard to explain - lol... After the SW Office, we decided to walk to the Orphanage to pick up Ana. Wrong again, this Orphanage Director has just about tried all of my patience by now. So she made us sit down in her office while she lectured me on how to raise Ana. I understand being concerned for the children, but, this lady went over the top. She basically told me that if I did not raise Ana her way she was going to be lazy, a couch potato, and a miserable child. I sat there and smiled. After that, she told me that I did not have all of the paperwork she needed, that Ana's account only had 600 uah ($80) in it, and that she wanted me to donate it to the orphanage. If it wasn't donated it may take a couple of days to get it. Not only did she make me pay 200 uah yesterday to take Ana to lunch for an hour, she was now telling me that I needed more paperwork and she wanted Ana's account. So, back to the Birth Certificate Office, then back to the Social Workers Office, a talk with Kostya, then back to the Orphanage. I really wanted to take Ana's account just for sheer spite, but I conceded and donated it. After Ana and I went to the bank to sign the account over to the orphanage, the lady that was with us wanted me to hand the cash over to the Director. I just handed it to the lady and started waiting for our taxi. So at that point in time, the Director comes out to meet us in the parking lot, said something to Ana and I, then Ana proceeded to hand the roses that I bought for her to the Director. Wow, talk about a mix of emotions, again thanks to God for giving me patience, I just smiled. I think over the years, God has really been helping me with this one!! After all, this was the outcome!!!!!





Next Fun and Exciting Part of the Day!

As soon as we got back to the apartment, which Ana really liked, we called home. It was 6am and Michelle wasn't even out of bed. But, I had to call, I was so excited. You should have seen Ana's face when she saw Michelle on skype. Again, a smile that I don't think can get any bigger... After we talked to Michelle, we called Karina before she went to school again all smiles. Not sure what they talked about but, I think Evon(Vanya) to them, was mentioned a few times. Then she called some of her friends from the Orphanage on their cell phones, until being the mean Dad that I am had to stop her so she didn't use all of my minutes. We vegged out for about a half an hour and then went for a walk. Well, I thought this girl was lost until she asked me where the Automobile garage was that Michelle had taken a picture of when she was here. I took her to the garage and her eyes lit up. She made me hand her the iphone and the first thing she did was tell me she wanted to get ice cream if that was ok. OF COURSE IT WAS OK!!! So we had some ice cream, a soda, and I bought her a pack of gum!!! WooHoo for Dad being the guy... After we came out of the store, Ana wanted to take a walk.


Now comes to the tough part of the day!!

If you were not teary before, this part is where you will be. At least I was and it was really hard to hold them back and to keep a smile (because I knew I had to). We started walking down the street not but 3 blocks from where Michelle and I had been staying and Ana pointed to a building and said this is my school. I replied, you go to school here now? She said no, my old school and then asked for my phone again. She called Kostya, muttered some words and then handed me the phone. Kostya proceeded to tell me that this was the school that she went to as a little girl when she lived with her Mom and then asked if I was ok with walking around her old neighborhood while she reminisced. I said of course as long as she wanted to. I also told Kostya to let her know, if she wanted any pictures I would take them for her. So, I took a pic of Ana at her old school and we were off again. She asked me if I wanted to see her house. I said if you want to. She proceeded to take me back into some apartments and pointed. That's my house. Ok, I'm starting to get a little teary. All I could think about was these places didn't look too bad and the people looked fairly well off. Why Ana? Why would someone let this gift from God go? I asked her which apartment she lived in and she pointed to about the 3rd floor. At this point in time I was starting to feel a little awkward. Was her Mom going to see us there, etc??? So we walked a little further and there was an old man and woman sitting on the bench. The woman said Nastya and Ana smiled. She said this is Nina. Nina talked to her a little and Ana explained that she had a new Dad and Mom and she was going to America. The lady started getting teary. Ana just smiled the whole time and then when the lady asked if she had seen her real Mom or Dad (that was about the only thing I could pick out of the conversation), Ana got a little angry. The lady started talking to someone else that was passing by so Ana decided to make a break for it. About a minute later Nina called, Nastya and came up to her and hugged her and let her know that she loved her and Ana would always be in her heart and wished Nastya a good life in America. She also told me Thank You. Just like that the conversation was over and we walked on. I asked Ana if she was ok and she looked at me with that smile and said she was good, asked me if I was good, I replied yes and we walked right on out of that apartment complex. I asked if she wanted a pic and she quickly said no! I really wondered what she was thinking. It truly broke my heart knowing that someone could give up something this good......

Now for the End of the Day!

We came back and I can't say that I cooked the best of meals tonight. We ate some meat raviolis, cheese, and bread and she is watching some Russian TV while I am typing this.

Sorry for the long post!!

Quiet

Wow, what can I say but I miss the noise. Until today, I had not spoken to anyone with the exception of Skype and a couple of phone calls. Kostya showed up today and is staying the night. I will tell you that when you are living in a foreign country by yourself and not only is the language different but the alphabet too, it is lonely. With the exception of Saturday we have really only seen Ana about 2 hours/day which now I am finding just a little crazy. I think I am ready for this trip to be done!! I will post some more later today since it is already 3am here.

Last full family day in Mariupol

Today was the last full day for the kids and I in Mariupol. It was eventful to say the least!

The day started out sorting through 3 weeks worth of stuff and packing for the long trip home. When we were ready to leave to go see Ana, we called Kostyia to get a taxi. The taxi arrived and we all piled in, just like we have done for the past 3 weeks. I could tell the driver was not happy and he kept holding up 5 fingers. We figured he was upset that we had 6 people. Jim called Kostyia again to talk to the driver. After a heated conversation - at least from the body language of the driver, the phone was handed back to Jim and Kostyia told us to get out of the car he would call for another. We got kicked out of the taxi!

During our visit today, a group of boys Keegan and Kelton's age were having a phys ed class. They were playing soccer and Ana asked the teacher if the boys could play. They had a great time playing with the other kids and, typical for here, the kids loved playing with American boys! I found some English learning apps for my iphone (which is staying here with Jim) and showed them to Ana today. She loved the games and saying all of the English words. Hoping that English comes pretty quickly for her!

We decided to walk home from the Center so we could get tacos one last time. Everyone stopped at the taco stand and Kelton and I walked to Mc Donalds for his dinner. The lady at McD's must have remembered me or else I just looked American - she said "hi". When we met up again I found out that it was a good thing we got tacos today and didn't wait until tomorrow. Our English speaking Ukrainian Taco guy was working his last day today. He is going to another stand in the city. Jim had a good conversation with him today. It was very interesting to me that he told Jim he speaks very little Russian - enough to run the stand. He has lived here for 10 years and at home his family speaks English and Arabic. We were so lucky to find him while we are here because it made it an easy place to order food. He always had a smile on his face when we walked up to the counter!

After stopping at a playground to eat our dinner we continued our walk home. When we realized that it was already after 6 and we would be pushing it to make it home before dark, we decided to try a bus again. We remember the numbers that went past our apartment so we waited for one. The busses were so crowded tonight. There was no room to move at all let alone breathe. It is not often that I feel like I might pass out but I was not sure I was going to make it through the ride. It was a very hot day here today - one of the hottest we have had and with all those people crammed on the bus it was stifling. I was very happy to get off and get some fresh air!

Back at the apartment, all four kids played outside for a while. Jim and I skyped with my parents who took care of fed -xing some paperwork to us today and then we tried to finish up everything here that needed done.

Tomorrow we will visit Ana for a little while and then the kids and I will get picked up to take the 2 hour, indy 500, van ride to the train station. We will ride the train overnight and catch our flight out of Kiev on Sat.

The kids have had enough of being here and all this togetherness. They are ready to get back to America and our family and friends. I think Jim and I have had enough too. However, it is going to be really hard to leave Jim behind tomorrow afternoon. In our almost 18 years of marriage we have been apart for a week or more only 4 times! I worry about him here waiting out the rest of the 10 days for Ana. I will feel better after next Friday when I know that he has Ana with him and they are on their way to Kiev.

We have decided to get the quick passport for Ana so that Jim's time is lessened here. So it looks like they will get to fly home on the 28th! A week earlier than expected!

Not sure how much internet service the kids and I will have between here and home Saturday night. Jim will be taking over the blogging and pics on facebook now. I will be just like the rest of you, at home waiting for him to post something!

What we are thankful for/What we miss

What are we thankful for in Ukraine?

*Ana - the reason we are here. We can not wait to be home and spend time as a family but have enjoyed the family time we have been able to spend here with Ana.

*Our kids - We had many people tell us this would be a mistake but I have to say that we would not do this any other way. Not sure how Jim and I would have made it 3 weeks without them. We felt that it was really important for our family for everyone to experience Ana's culture and see how she has spent the first 14 year of her life. The kids have had some life changing experiences here - things that they will remember forever

* Kostyia - we are so blessed to have a facilitator has great as Kostyia. He has been wonderful through the entire process here, speaks very fluent English and has become a lifelong friend. We can not wait until he brings his family to visit us in America!

*Liliya and Michale - It made the past 2 1/2 weeks go faster to have friends in the same town.

* Skype and Internet - I don't think we have ever relied on it more than we have here

* walking out the door and buying milk - Having never lived in a city (except for Jim) it has been nice have all the things you need right outside your door or just a short walk away

* chicken and perogies - our main diet here

*Pepsi - those that know me well know that I can not live without my pepsi. It is a little harder to find than Coke here but it's here!


* Soccer - so thankful that the boys could find friends to play with here to run out some energy! Plus it has been like a Ukrainian Soccer Camp for 3 weeks - lots of practice!

* American Music playing in the taxi and in stores!

* The cost of living here- Amazing! I can't believe what I walk out of a store with for such a small amount of $. Also, out to eat costs us less than half of what it costs at home. For the most part, everything here is cheaper with very few exceptions. And as far as Americans making so much more than people do here - it is all relative. We could live here for far less than what we need to survive at home.

* Our family and friends encouraging words and prayers back home - it has truly kept us going!



Things we miss from home:

* Family and Friends

* Emma and Zeb - we are sure they proably think we are never coming back!

* School - the kids are ready to go back and I am ready to get back to teaching

*Washer, Dryer, Microwave - Doing luandry for 6 in the bathtub for 3 weeks is not a fun task. Jim has taken on most of this responsibility.

*Paper Towels or any decent paper products! - A family of six can not live without Bounty!

* A big house and backyard with grass! - There is not much grass here at all - mostly weeds and dirt.

* American TV - The Tv here has been on less than 5 times

* Knowing what I am buying at the grocery store - like the 3 times I bought ketchup instead of spaghetti sauce or the pork I bought when thought it was steak!

* A kitchen that has all the utensils and pot and pans that I need - and my electric stove!

* Driving our own vehicles and roads with lines on them! - I will never complain about Kyle's driving again! I can't wait to get in the suburban and have some control over my life - instead of watching it flash before my eyes every time I am on the road!

*Dance,Soccer, all of the events that make our life crazy at home!

Court!

It has taken me a full day to blog about court because I just don't know what to say. The emotions yesterday were overwhelming. We have been through a stressful year to get to this point and it was such a relief to hear Kostyia translate that the court was granting the petition to adopt.

When we got the courthouse, we waited in the hallway for quite a while. Our hearing was delayed while Michale tried to get back in to see the judge after Friday's unsuccessful round. Happy to say that she was successful on Monday and now has a son, Evon. While we waited, Ana and I played games on my iphone (how did I function without that until 3 weeks ago?). When we first went in it was just all of the people for the court, Jim, Kostyia and I. Ana waited outside. It took place in the judge's chambers so it was very laid back, we all sat around a table - but it was still unsettling. The judge asked us some basic questions, Where do you work? What do you make? Tell us about your house. They were all surprised that we had all of the kids here with us and were very interested in what our kids thought about the experience (our 4 were still at the apartment sleeping). Some of the women (it was all women including the judge) asked us some other questions - are we from a religious sect since we have such a big family - I loved that one expecially since I finished reading the book, Stolen Innocence about Warren Jeffs and the FLDS in Utah. They asked we why wanted more children, how we were going to care for them all and if we thought there would be any jealousy (I answered no because that is what I knew they wanted to hear but - really? Have any of them ever been part of a family?)

Then, the judge read through some of the submitted paperwork and asked the representives to give their opinions - the social worker, the orphanage representative and the SDA rep. During this time there was major construction going on right outside the door, everyone was kind of laughing and judge went out and yelled something in Russian. Next, the judge's cell phone rang and she went out to the hall to take the call - the reps just kept talking - it was rather amusing! They called Ana in and she gave her memorized speech from the director. The words were obviously not her own but what the director wanted her to say (remember that there is an issue here about those who support hosting programs and those who do not).

We were asked to step out into the hall again and wait. In about 10 minutes we called back in and told the adoption was approved and on the 11th day we could take Ana from the Center.

It was a surreal moment. Tears, smiles, laughter. Ana was on cloud nine. We picked up the kids at the apartment and went back to the Center. The director was all smiles and extremely friendly today. She took us upstairs to show us around (Ana already did that but we just pretended that we hadn't seen it) and then allowed Ana to go with us for pizza. This was a big deal for Ana she jumped up and down and hugged the director saying thank you thank you.

It was a nice walk to the restaurant with all of us. I can't wait until we are free to do that whenever we want! We let Ana pick the pizza that she wanted from the menu and we ordered a couple other pizzas. Kostyia ordered French Fries - I don't think any of us have been so happy to eat fries as we were yesterday. It has been 3 weeks! I think Ana ate about 5 pieces of pizza! Then we walked to get her picture taken for the Embassy and back to the Center for the party.

The kids preformed at the party with dancing and singing - it was very good. Ana sang a solo that she dedicated to me - priceless. Check the vidoes out on youtube (tyronesoccer). Ana's group all wished her something - good luck, a happy life, etc. Ana is very well liked at the Center and you could tell by the tears and hugs that were given. Everyone seemed honestly excited for her even though I am sure they are wishing it was them. A couple of the younger girls were teary during most of the program.

We took a couple more pics and came back to the apartment after a long, exciting and exhausting day!

Today's agenda - visiting with Ana afterschool and shopping for some things to take home.

Sunday

Last evening and this morning we spent time watching videos of 9/11.  MB, Keegan and Kelton had never really watched any of it and so it was quite a learning experience for them.  It is really strange to be in another country on this day while we think about how our world changed 10 years ago.  I really wanted to hang an American flag today from our apartment.

We spent the day visiting with Ana - we played ping pong, basketball, soccer and took lots of pictures.  I just love the group of girls (and boys)  Ana  spends most of her time with.  There was quite a successful hosting program over the summer and many of the kids will be living with their forever families in Utah soon.  We tried to explain that Utah and Pa are not very close to each other but maybe at some point the kids can see each other again.  At least they will all be in the same country!

One girl, Vika, really touched my heart today.  Her English was amazing and we had a great conversation. She is going to a family with 7 siblings.  She will pretty much be in the middle at 14.  She just loved Kelton and told me how much she likes little children.  We talked about how she could be a teacher one day and I told her that's what I do.  She asked some questions about it and said - I think that is what I will do.  A beautiful girl with a good heart and great personality.  I was so happy to hear that she was waiting for her family.

Ana tried on some clothes for me today so I could see if I have the right size for her.  We will have to provide her with clothes on the day she leaves.  I think they will do however, I'm pretty sure the mall is calling us already and we are not even home yet!

We walked to and from the orphanage today.  On the way back we stopped at a big market that we had not been to yet.  It even had the signs with English underneath.  I knew I liked it right away.  There were many more choices compared to our little market by our apartment.  And we even found paper towels.  Not sure how this family of 6 has survived for over 2 weeks without paper towels!

We took the kids to the circus today.  It was 3 hours long and on hard wooden bleachers - we were sore when we walked out!  It was entertaining.  We understood about 90% of what was going on and enjoyed many of the American songs they played in the background - We Will Rock You, Mission Impossible.

Then we checked out the new pizza place by our apartment.  More American music - Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull.  It is so nice to hear English once in a while!  The pizza was not anything great but we were starved (since the tuna noodle casserole we made before the circus ended up in the garbage - the mushroom sauce was not what we were expecting).

It was our first night walking back in the dark.  We have made sure we have been home before dark every other night.  We made it safe and sound.

Tomorrow is the big day!  Court is at 9:30(2:30AM your time).  Ana is very excited!  We will post as soon as we are somewhere with internet.

Finally a new post!

It has been a few days - sorry for our loyal followers :)  We have had a blah couple of days.  Just questioning how this process actually works and why we are feeling so down.  Things are better now.  There are no answers for how this works.

So, today we were supposed to meet our friends at the Center at 10 am.  I woke up, looked at my phone and realized it was 10:30 (again!)  We only have a week left to get this schedule down so I say we just stop trying!  Luckily we skyped with them and they hadn't left either!

Kyle and Kelton walked to the bakery to get some treats while the rest of us got ready.  After our visit we are heading to  our favorite taco stand and all of us plus Liliya and Michale will head to the beach.  I guess the circus will wait for tomorrow.

Keegan has not felt well the past couple of days.  We had a big talk about not touching everything in sight - the handrail, the elevator buttons, etc and using hand sanitizer.

Please pray for Michale as her court date on Friday did not go as planned.   She hopes that things get better as this next week starts. This, of course, makes us a little more nervous for our date on Monday.  Our facilitator has assured us that ours will go smoothly but we still worry.  I'm sure Ana is worried.  She was supposed to sing and dance at Evon's party yesterday after court.  I am not sure why they told the kids it wasn't going to happen on Friday but I'm sure she is wondering if she will get to have her party on Monday.

After talking with our agency director last night I think it has pretty much decided that Jim will travel to her house (about three hours away) when the kids and I leave Friday.  He will help her with the work she is doing in the orphanages there.  This will be a good break for him when we leave.  She lives in Florida but will be coming to Ukraine on Monday for a month long mission trip.  Then, he will come back, pick up Ana, finish what needs done in Kiev and come home!

a blog to look forward to in the next 24 hours - my what I am thankful for here and what I miss from home.  I have been planning this one in my head for some time now!

A Date at the Notary and Birth Certificate Office - Woo Hoo!

We were all up by 9 today!  That is an accomplishment.  It is amazing how a trip to the beach can motivate this family!

No bakery today :(  Cold cereal to the kids' dismay.  We loaded up a backpack with snacks, drinks and towels and hiked to the corner to meet Liliya and  Michale and the kids were off.  They had the "you need to listen" speech at least 20 times.  I have to say that I was pretty worried about how they would behave but it turned out to be a great time for them.  And for us it was a nice break.

For almost 2 weeks,  we have been together as a family in an apartment.  So it was nice to spend some time just the two of us.  Of course, it was to meet Kostyia at the Notary and then to the Birth Certificate Office for paperwork.  But it was still peaceful to walk down the street for a while and not have to count heads every couple of minutes.

When our work was done, we had planned on meeting up with everyone at the beach but we could not get in touch with anyone. So  we decided instead of taking the chance that we would pass midway on busses, we would enjoy some quiet time at a French Bakery. The three of us sat outside and had some wonderful pastries and Jim finally had some coffee - after going over a week with out.  We had a good talk about different cultural issues and about our families.  It was some nice down time.

We met the kids back at the corner and the entire walk back to the apartment was filled with talk about the fun at the beach.  So happy they could go and have a good time.  Back at the apartment, we changed clothes and jumped in the most interesting taxi ride yet (until the way home - read further).

 I love when Ana first comes out to greet us everyday.  She is so excited and always tells us if school was good or bad that day - most days it is good, thankfully!  For the past couple of days she has had gifts for me.  One day a picture she painted, yesterday a flower she made by folding a bunch of little pieces of paper, and today she had a zip loc bag full of the things she made with the bend a roos after we left yesterday - a bracelet for me, a penguin for Keegan, a couple of hearts, a bee and a hive.  She is very creative, something we heard both at our SDA appt and from the director.

We learned   a couple of things today from Ana:  Gym class is her favorite class.  Why?  Because she doesn't have to do anything. Mary Beth decided they were destined to be sisters with that comment! We asked, through Liliya, if she had to change clothes and she said no.  So we made sure that she knew that was something she would have to do at home.  Then as she was looking through the pics on my iphone, she saw the church that I took pictures of since we pass it everyday on  our walk to see her.  She said - my church on Saturdays.  We are going to try to surprise her at church this week!  As she was talking to us we noticed something written on her hand.  It ends up that it was words for English class that she could not remember for a test today!  We had a big talk about how that could not happen at home.  How she could get into a lot of trouble if she did that at school.  Hopefully, it sank in!  I realized today that she thinks she has to choose just one thing to do when we get home.  She kept saying basketball and I said you can dance and sing too.  She couldn't understand that she could do all those things through school or the dance studio.  I had to say each child's name and what they do - Kyle - sing, soccer, Keegan - soccer, basketball, baseball.

When it was time to leave I went to get in the taxi and realized it was the same driver as earlier.  Even though I have blisters on the bottom of my heels today (not sure why - I have walked further other days) I just wanted to walk and not get in the car!   He did not disappoint in providing us with an exciting ride!  We pulled out in front of a truck, almost hit some people crossing the street and Keegan hit his head against the window at least 4 times from the brakes being slammed.

We came back to our usual playground soccer game and dinner.  The boys at the playground today really wanted to practice the English phrases they know with our boys - My name is, What is your name?  I am ____ years old.  How  old are you?  Please, Thankyou, Hello, Goodbye.  It was fun to watch them interact today.  And, the "American Boys" won the game tonight!

Our Tuesday

Today we decided that in order to avoid the "getting tired of the close quarters" event of yesterday, we would get up (which still wasn't until almost 11) and had outside for our day as soon as we could get everyone going.

We headed to our favorite bakery first.  The lady there knows us now.  The kids were disappointed that there were no doughnuts today but they found other things they liked.  We stopped at the nearby park first and played for a while.  Then headed in the direction of downtown - thank to Liliya for showing us this!  It is a long walk.  We stopped for some Cokes and water, found another playground - nicer than any we have been to yet, took in the sights - especially the goats (posted on facebook!).  We made our way back to the Ukrainian taco stand since the kids could not stop talking about them.  We past quite a few on our way, now that we can recognize the picture, but we know the one we went to yesterday has an English speaking guy.  He was happy to see us again today.  The boys sat on stools by the window and watched him make our tacos today.  He also explained where we needed to take Keegan's Coke cap that has a winning code on it.  Keegan is hoping that he wins the soccer ball but we have to go to a market and match the code to see what his prize is.  He can't wait!

After our lunch, we continued walking toward the Children's Center.  We did learn that walking and eating tacos is not any easy task for any of us - but especially Keegan and Kelton.  They were a mess - all over their faces, shirts and shorts.  Oh well, they enjoyed it!

We had been walking around town for over 3 hours when we finally got there.  I was just glad to sit on a bench for a while.  Today it was Jim and Keegan and Kelton's turn to start the visit.  MB, Kyle and I waited on a bench outside.  They played cards, a little soccer and made things with Benderoos.  Half way through the visit, the kids switched places.  It was a smooth transition.  K and K ran out and Kyle and MB went in.  Apparently, it was not ok with the security guard - he came over yelling and Liliya said he was mad because kids were running back and forth and there  needed to be some direction to what they were doing - not just running in and out.  Honestly, whatever.  If that is the only problem that you can find when all they did was switch places then it is really not worth my time to even acknowledge it. Can you tell that I am just getting tired of all of the nonsense rules that really, in the end don't even matter?

We brought a taxi back to our apartment and the boys played soccer for about 2 hours.  Mary Beth and I walked to the market to get a few things we were out of.  We all showered - again.  It is really dusty and dirty here.  I think the boys socks are not even coming home with us - they are so disgusting.  We can barely get them clean at this point.  Everyone looked like they had a dirt tan today!

Mac and Cheese for dinner and then just relaxing - reading, homework, a movie and now time for bed.  Tomorrow we had planned on the beach with Liliya and Michale but now Jim and I have to do some paperwork with Kostya so our four kids are going with them without us!  I have given the speech at least 4 times tonight about what I expect with their behavior. We will meet up with everyone when we go to see Ana at 3.

We did learn today that we got a Monday 9:30 court date.  We are very happy about this since it is even a day sooner than we thought.  But our friends got a Friday court date and we came a day ahead of them.  They have also already been told that they will get the 10 day waiver.  It is just so frustrating here.  We have paid these people an extra $2000  to line their pockets and keep things moving and it seems like we still get taken advantage of. We have held it together pretty well over the past week and  a half but this incident has really bothered both of us.  I think we are ready to be done here with this process.  The bribes, the connections between the director, the social worker and the judge is just more than we can handle at this point.  We are enjoying our day to day adventures here but being in the middle of this corrupt, political process is more than we want to deal with or even have the energy to deal with anymore!

Hopefully, tomorrow we can get more answers about the waiver, etc.  Koystia will be back in town with us tomorrow morning. Please pray that the process goes smoothly and maybe we can feel some sort of peace about all of it.  Ana is getting anxious.  She keeps asking us when we can all leave for America. We can't wait to get her home!

Monday

I'm behind a day in our blogging it is already 11 am on Tuesday here but I realized that I did not write anything about yesterday.

Another day of getting up too late... We were all out of bed around 11. Of course, part of the reason is that Doug finally figured out the problem with Mom and Dad's microphone so we could finally skype with them at 1 am! As hard as I try to get us off this schedule of staying up half the night and sleeping until noon, I just don't think I can!

The 3 boys and I walked to the bakery to get some more goodies for breakfast (lunch?). The lady remembered us from the day before and was very helpful. She only had 3 doughnuts left :( So we bought those and I wanted some of the pastries by the register but she kept holding her nose and saying no, no. She picked something from behind her that looked good so we got those and were on our way back. Everything was delicious. We also had watermelon - we can buy it right outside our apartment door for $1! And grapes - I have very spoiled kids who are used to seedless grapes. I don't think they have ever had grapes with seeds and they are not thrilled about it!

We did the daily homework battle but accomplished quite a bit. However, I think yesterday was one of the first days that everyone had just had enough of each other - constant arguing, teasing. It was the first day where I really felt like - what was I thinking?!!!. We decided to walk to see Ana again and that must have been the break we all needed. Things seemed better when we got there.

The director made a rule that only one of us and 2 kids can see Ana at a time. We did this on Thursday and Friday last week. On Saturday and Sunday Kostya said not to worry about it. The director had given us the paperwork we needed from her for the adoption and she wouldn't be there anyway. Monday we decided that 3 would go in and we would switch in an hour. I went in to sign the book and get Ana. Our friends Michale and Liliya were already there waiting for Vanya. We all headed outside. Visiting outside is so much nicer than being stuck in the bird room - first, I hate birds. Second, there is more freedom when we are outside. Soon it started to rain and Jim and Keegan and Kelton were stuck on the other side of the fence while we were under a roof. Liliya suggested that he just come in, the director left for the day. He did and we had another great visit. The rain stopped and Ana brought some friends outside. We played soccer, some card games, painted nails and Ana went crazy with the pictures again!

She was promised by the director that we could walk to a small amusement park last week. Everyday there is a reason why we can't go. She gets more disappointed everytime. I am hoping that one of the days this week, they let us go.

We decided to walk with Liliya and Michale towards the downtown area. We had a great time and Liliya introduced us to Ukrainian Tacos - kind of like a wrap at home - with chicken, cabbage, garlic sauce, cheese, mushrooms - pretty much any filling you can think of. They were delicious! And the best part is - as Liliya was explaining the choices to us, the guy at the counter started talking to us in English! Definitely a place we will return too! We walked some more - I think we had a total of 3 1/2 walking hours yesterday. Finally we realized it was still pretty far back to our apartment and Liliya helped us get a bus. She got on the bus and talked to the driver and told us 2 stops. To me, 2 stops means get off the second time the bus stops, right? That's what we did even though things did not look familiar. The entire bus was yelling no, no! and laughing at us, of course. One more stop and we were right in front of our apartment building! We visited with our puppy friends and came inside to relax. We even went to bed early (10 pm) hoping that we could get a better schedule. However, it is now 11:19 Am and we are all just starting to move around! Reality will be hard on the 19th!

A Wonderful Sunday!

Today we actually got out of bed a little earlier than in past days. I think everyone was up by 9:30! We got ready and took our crazy taxi ride to see Ana. When we got there, the security guard went in to tell her we were here. When he came out, Jim was trying to ask him about the book we see him reading everyday - it was the Bible!

Ana came out and then went right back in to tell Vanya and Michale DelGrosso that we were here. Soon they joined us on the playground. We took some pictures and did some catching up. Then we were bombarded with a bunch of kids. It was so much fun spending that time with Ana and all of her friends. I know that it will be really hard to leave with Ana and know that all those other kids are hoping for the same outcome for themselves! There are so many sweet, loving kids looking for families. If you are at all interested in adoption, let us know. We can tell you about some of the kids and refer you to the best agency and facilitators around!

We played Uno with a whole group of kiddos, played soccer, took pictures and talked the best we could with all the kids. Some of them have siblings at the home - one sweet girl has 4 sisters! I felt really sad for her knowing that it would take someone with a huge heart, house and wallet to adopt those 5 girls! Ana was so excited to introduce us to everyone and I think she took over 50 pictures with my iphone! We gave her some of the bracelets we were selling and she couldn't wait to hand them out to her friends and show them her name on them!

Jim fixed Michale's computer and she and the kids woke Freddy up around 4:30am! He looked a little shocked on the computer waking up to a phone call with all of the kids staring at him!

We have decided the weekend visits must be the best! It seemed so much less structured and the kids all wanted to interact and did not seem like they were afraid that they would get in trouble for it today!

When the visit was over, we told Ana 3:00 tomorrow - after school. Then, we decided to try the hike back to the apartment building. We stopped at a playground, saw lots of dogs, and took in the sights. It took us about 45 minutes.

We came inside, gave the boys their 2nd shower of the day (everything here is dusty, sandy, dirty - after they are done playing they are digustingly dirty!) and started a late Sunday lunch. We used the leftover chicken from last night, added carrots, mushrooms, fresh herbs from the market and perogies! It was so good! I think I am finally getting used to cooking in this kitchen (especially when we can only use the stove top - Kostyia will show us how to work the oven when he comes back this week). By this time it was after 4. We were planning on surprisng Ana with a second visit today but realized that we were all tired and needed some down time. The kids watched a movie while Jim and I got caught up on the computer and skyped.

Soon, it was time to make another trip to the market - this time to buy another soccer ball. The other one was pretty much destroyed in the past 3 days. We left it at the orphanage so the boys could use what was left of it. We walked to a store with new toys that we found the other day but just as we walked in, the man kicked us and everyone else out. They were closing :(. On the way back towards the apartment and to the used toy store we went to for the first ball, we found an amazing bakery. We stood there forever trying to figure out what we actually wanted. We finally made our choices but I am sure that we will be back there tomorrow! Everything that we brought home was wonderful!

We tried to check on the orphan puppies on our way back but this time the mom was there and not too happy about everyone trying to see her puppies so we kept walking. Back at the playground some familiar boys and some new boys were waiting to play with the new ball! The boys had a great time breaking in the new ball and were filthy again!

3rd shower! Ready for bed, desserts, tried to skype with my parents (no luck - something is wrong with their microphone), and, right now, the movie - Cheaper by the Dozen - offering us some great laughs!

It was such a great day all around - time with Ana, time with her friends and Michale, and time together in the apartment. There is a part of me that is enjoying this time with no real outside reponsibilities besides spending time with Ana and taking care of my family - no meetings, no work, no practices. But I have to say that I think we are all starting to miss home a little. We love to have comments on facebook, emails and skyping! It keeps us going more than any of you realize! Thank you for being such great supporters of our family!

Yesterday during our visit with Ana we made up a game to learn English words. I am amazed at how many words she can read! We wrote down words and handed them out. Then, after I said go, everyone would run to the item named on their slip of paper - tree, flower, brother, tire. It was a lot of fun and helped Ana to learn some new words (even though she could sound out most of them she could not associate it with anything). I think we are making great English progress already and I am excited about how easily she is learning.

When we got back to the apartment, we decided to take a long afternoon walk. We walked for about 3 hours. We bought a yo yo and a soccer ball, bought some food for dinner at the markets and played on the playgrounds. It was a great afternoon.

Back at the apartment, the boys played with their soccer ball. Soon, other boys were coming around. Our boys said "English" and they said "Ah, American Boys!". The one's name was Nikita and I didn't get the other one's. The four played for a while and then some older boys game. The 2 younger ones were quick to tell the older boys that these were American Boys. One of them said " Hi my name is Andre" Soon the others were saying their names and they asked "football?". I said " America, soccer" and they laughed and said, yes - soccer. Soon they divided into teams and were playing an all out game. Keegan scored 2 goals. Kelton fell a few times and each time, there was a boy there to help him up and brush him off. It was so heartwarming to watch the interactions. Andre, came over to me a couple of times and asked me some questions in English. When it was time to go. We said soccer, tomorrow. And they all said - yes, tomorrow and all yelled bye. I'm sure they will be waiting for the American Boys tomorrow!

Inside we peeled off dirty sweaty clothes, had some mac and cheese and canned corn (that we couldn't open the day before) with cookies, and mushroom flavored chips and ice cream for dessert. We are going to have to go back to get more chips today!

Our sleeping and getting up schedule is so off. First, we stay up late to skype home. Which means that we are really tired when we finally go to bed. Second, the apartment has 2 bedrooms with no natural light. So, if the door is shut you have no idea that it is daytime. Today we slept until 10:30 am again. Not sure what to do to fix our sleeping pattern or if I should. It seems to be working for us! I just feel guilty that when we crawl out of bed half the morning is already over!

Leaving for the orphanage at 1 today. Taking some more English words with us to play the game. The boys are already asking to go find some kids to play soccer so I am sure that will be on the agenda, too. They are putting up a circus tent less than 1/2 block from us. We are hoping that the circus will be here soon! Looking forward to seeing it.

The Amazing Race - Raabe Style

Where do I start?

When we left to get our SDA papers, we met up with the Shawley's and Michele DelGrosso.  We also had another opportunity to talk with the couple we met from Kanas the day before.  We left the SDA and needed to stop to have some copies made.  That stop took a little longer than expected so we had to go very quickly(which is not hard for our faciliatator - he is teaching us speed walking!)  back to the apartment, finish packing and get out the door.  The taxi came to pick us up and it was - throw your stuff in, hop in and let's go!  I whispered to the kids that it felt like we were in the Amazing Race.  Off to the train station.  I can say that I will even appreciate Kyle's driving and be even more thankful for the use of seatbelts in America when we return!  The ride was crazy, fast and at times, I thought extremely dangerous!  We flew threw the city, swerving in and out of non exisitant lanes, squeezing through spots that I just closed my eyes until we made it through.  We were watching the clock the entire time hoping that we made it to the train.  With the crazy driving, we actually made it in time to grab, you guessed it, McDonalds, to take on the train.  Then through the train station - up and down stairs, lugging our bags, trying to keep up with Kostya and trying to help the kids keep up.  We were tired and sweaty by the time we made it to the train.  Because we had a big group, we were in two seperate cars for the night.  We ate our meals, sweated some more and tried to get some sleep.  All four kids slept but the three adults were up most of the night.  It was loud and bumpy and not very good for sleeping. 

We stopped in Dontesk and took another very interesting van ride to Mariupol.  I just closed my eyes!

Mariupol finally!   We were so exahusted by the time we arrived that I barely even took in my surroundings. The Amazing Race was still on. We left our bags in lockers at the station and headed to the social workers office.  Did some work there, headed to the notary, and finally got a chance to eat something.  We had some pizza at a local restaurant downtown.  Then the waiting starts, the director did not want us to come until 1 then after that an hour later.  I don't think we finally got to the orphanage  until around 3.  She was very nervous that the social worker would find out that Ana stayed with us last summer but our facilitator said he would not lie about it and whatever problems they had between themselves, needed to be worked out between them.  It was an interesting relationship. 

We finally got to see Ana.  She was so happy to see us.  We looked at pictures, and remembered her stay with us.  The kids visited with her while we went to the director's office to meet with all of the "officials". The director asked Ana if such a big family would suit her and she laughed and said YES!

Another taxi ride to our new apartment.  Like everyone else that has been here has realized- the outside of the buildings are awful but our apartment is very nice - three bedrooms, lots of room for us to live for 3 weeks.  By this time we were starved.  Jim went to get our bags from the station, then a trip to the market and finally bed..  No one woke up until aftet 10 am!

We have spent the past two days visiting the orphange and exploring the area we are staying in.  We have been to some open markets, found some playgrounds and are getting better at finding our way around.  I will write another post about our visits with Ana.

I think that sums up the past few days of the Raabe adventure. WARNING:  I am feeling very passionate about the next subject right now - read at your own risk!

 Everything is still going relatively smoothly besides the fact that is doesn't matter what your situation is or what country you live in, using children for your own personal gain is wrong.  The bribes, the promises are all wrong.  People can defend it by saying that the country is poor, etc.  However, using the children to get something you want is never right. And holding their future hostage until you get your personal needs met is even worse. It does not earn our respect.  I am not doubting the love of the kids but the using the children is unacceptable. And it doesn't look to me like any of the officials we have met with are starving or lacking much of anything.  And the cost of living is so dramatically cheaper here - everything from eating out to food at the markets is dirt cheap.  We spent $15 dollars at the market yesterday and got 2 packages of ice cream, fudge topping, cones, 3 bags of frozen perogis, pepsi, juice, sprite, 2 loaves of bread, 3 cans of corn and a package of napkins.  That is bascially less than $1 per item.  Stopped at a stand on the way back and spent $1 on a huge watermelon!  With that said, the director and her friends just made a lot more than that off of us today (enough to do that for more 100 days)  and if she asks for that with every family - how much extra is she making off of the kids?  Add that to the renting of her apartment to families visiting the orphanage and I would have to say she has a very lucrative on the side business off of the children.  (Sorry, didn't sleep last night thinking about the meeting we had to attend this morning which went well, I guess, by the standards of those lining their pockets with our money!)

A Great Day!

First, I am sure you are all wondering about our SDA appt. It was quick and painless. Jim and I both felt relieved when we saw Ana's picture on the file the lady brought out. We pick up the paperwork today and travel by train to the orphanage tonight. It will be a long 16 hour ride but worth it when we get there!

We have been touring the city with our facilitator - who is wonderful! And for those who have been wondering if I am eating anything - so far the food has been great with, unfortunately, great desserts, too and a facilitator who loves dessert! So much for me thinking that Ukraine would be my magical three week dieting plan!

We have met some interesting people on this journey so far. First, the man from Germany who started a conversation with us on the bus to the airport terminal. His family attempted to adopt from Ukraine years ago. Unfortunately, it was not successful but he was very interested in our story.

The Kanas couple that we met briefly at the SDA yesterday and then saw and walked with a little bit down town last night. A very nice couple with two kids at home and adopting a teen from a hosting program. We exchanged info and blog addresses.

Our facilitator. We are so lucky to have someone helping us that is so competent in the process. It is also helpful that he speaks English very well and it there are no communication issues. I love hearing about his family (3 boys, 2 of them are almost 1 year old twins, and his wife).

The man at the playground. He heard me speaking English to the boys and started a conversation. He is from Atlanta but is living here with his wife (extremely young) and their 9 month old baby. He was very helpful in providing me some tips about some snack choices and other places to see and eat in Kiev.

I have tried to post pics twice but I am having trouble. I will not get to work on it again until we arrive in Mariupol - no connection on the train. Sorry :( I will put a few up on facebook until then!

Thanks for your prayers and support. It means so much to us to know that we have so many people at home praying and thinking about us. For has bumpy as the journey has been to get to this point, so far, the process here has been very smooth. Of course, we are just at the beginning...

A Must Read Blog!

Not even sure where to start.  Currently, I am sitting in our Kiev apartment with four kids sleeping amazed that we made it here.  I will try to do this story justice but not sure I can!

Friday:  By noon on Friday Jim was calling Delta to be sure that our flight from JFK was still on for Saturday  eve.  He was assured everything was still as planned.  We spent the eve getting everything finalized and ready to go.  Soon, we started getting messages about JFK closing down.  My mom called, Jim's mom called we kept saying our flight was still on.  The last call from my mom started the panic attack.  JFK was closing at noon  NO FLIGHTS!  We starting trying to call Delta right away and skyping with our adoption director. 
About four hours later, we finally were talking to a representive with hope of flying out of Pittsburgh, when she disconnected us.  At 3:30 am I call and get back into the que to wait for a real person again.  At the same time looking for any available flights on the computer.  It was decided between our facilitator and director that if we could not get there by our appt date on Monday there was no use trying to come later in the week.  We would have to ask for a new date which could be within days but could take a couple of months again.  We were determined to get there but between exhaustion and the stress of it all, we were starting to lose hope.  There was alot of praying and crying involved during this all nighter!

When we finally got the chance to talk to someone at Delta again, it was around 4:30 am.  None of the flights we suggested worked, they were either booked or had connecting flights with other airlines.  Delta would not let us change airlines for a weather cancellation.  The rep suggested that Boston would be our only choice.  I was crying by then and asking him why he would even think of sending us up the east coast.  Jim was on the other line with very little patience.  While we tried to convince him that there must be something else, the seats dissappered.  Doomed.  Finally he found a late night flight out of Boston.  We decided there was no other choice.  Jim called a couple rental places as we tried to figure out how to get to Boston.  No luck with a rental that would only be one way and big enough for us.  Went to bed, after 5 am.  deciding that we were probably going to have a drive in front of us and that we needed a little sleep before we figured it out.  Up before 7 and back on the phone.  Talked to Delta a few more times and had different reps tell us different things, feeling more frustrated.  Finally a van was found from the State  College airport.  We had the kids up and all of us showered and out the door in less than an hour.  Jim's mom went with us so she could drive the suburban home.

We left State College, tired, stressed and sure we would be turning around half way because of a cancelled flight.  It was 11 am.  None of us had even ate breakfast but the kids were so good about it all.  They knew this was so important.  By 1:30 no one could take it anymore and we had to stop at a McDs to eat.  Then back on the road.  I spent most of the time checking the flight status and talking with Delta.  Oh, and getting expert advice from Jen about airport stuff!  We arrived at the rental place around 7 and were through security and in our terminal by 8.  Unbelievable!  I think we were all just amazed that it actually happened.  I know that so many people were praying for us by all of the encouraging texts, calls and fb messages.  It worked!

Our flights were uneventful but without much sleep.  There were so many babies on the flight to Paris that sleep was next to impossible for everyone.  It was so much fun to watch Keegan and Kelton on their first place ride.  I loved listening to their conversations!  The many meals on the plane made up for the little food we ate on the way to Boston.  They fed us dinner at midnight and breakfast by 5 am!  The Paris flight was a much quieter and we all took a small nap and ate yet another meal ( although even Kyle didn't eat much of it so you can imagine how much Kelton MB and I ate!).

Another roadblock during the trip was that our facilitator had to cancel his train tickets to met us in Kiev when he thought we were not going to make it and then he couldn't rebook.  So he did arrange for a driver (two drivers!)  to pick us up at the airport.  They spoke little English.  It was kind of unnerving when they pointed to JIm to get in one car with 2 kids and me in the other.  Keegan and Kelton rode with me with no seatbelts (those that know me know how well this went over).  Kelton was asleep by the first 5 minutes!  We stopped and exchanged money, talke with our facilitator a few times and came to the apartment.  Once again, those that know me well will be wondering what I think of the apartment.  It is really nice.,  I was prepared for the way it looked on the outside - dumpy, old.  But the inside is perfect - even the bathroom - the first thing MB and I checked out!

We spent the eve walking down to the town square.  We ate( at McDs again - tomorrow's goal with  our facilitator is to get groceries!) and walked around the square.  It was very nice, lots of fountains and things going on.  Then back to the apartment for showers and bed


Our SDA appt is tomorrow at noon.  Please pray that this goes smoothly.  It is where we will get Ana's referral and approval to go to the orphange. 

Pics to come soon!  Our friend John sent us an email when we were on the way to Boston yesterday that was so inspiring.   One part said - more things have gone right with this than wrong.  It seems like we were always running into roadblocks along the way - with yesterday by far being the biggest - but it has worked out everytime and sometimes even better than they way it should have been!  We are blessed!  And we can't what to see Ana!  Too tired tonight to add pics but will do so soon!

Almost time!

I can not believe that next week at this time we will actually be in the same country as Ana!  We have worked so hard to get to this point.

This week will be filled with packing and repacking, making list and making more list and trying to get everything ready for school.  Not sure there is going to be enough time in the week to get everything done but I know that I will breathe a sigh of relief (those of you that know how I am not looking forward at all to flying will smile at that part I am sure)  when I sit down on the plane.  At that point, whatever we packed or didn't, what I did or didn't get done at home, and whatever my sub has to figure out for herself will just be what it is.  

I continue to feel so blessed by all of the people willing to step in and help us with last minute things or while we are gone and even the offers for when we return. 

Please watch the blog often for updates while we are away.  Mary Beth has asked if she can write some of the blogs while we are there so be on the look out for Mary Beth's thoughts on the trip!

Reality

OK, here goes.

Before I write about the stress of the past 5 days, I would like to make it very clear that we are still very excited about adopting and bringing Ana home. However, I think sometimes we all sugarcoat the details or just don't tell the bad parts. So, along with all the good that has and will yet come out of this journey we are taking - the adoption process causes a lot of stress: emotional, family and marital, financial.

We realized around Thursday last week that between Kyle's two surgeries and the expenses involved there(thank you PSU for changing our insurance this year!) plus other expenses (a laptop to stay connected to home since we both use ones from work, luggage that was easier to get around Ukraine than we what had, tickets that were more than we budgeted for (by over $1000)) we were about 7-8 thousand dollars short of our goal. This was an enormous concern and made for a very bad weekend in the Raabe house.

I think that for 4 days straight, Jim and I had more intense arguments than we have ever had. What do we do? What can we sell? Then of course the fights about what we would sell - the old suburban? Jim's tools?Add that to the fact that for quite a few years we have lived debt free - until we bought the suburban last year. We worked hard to get there and have enjoyed the less stressful life that brings. Every time we add on more debt, I think the stress level has been rising.

In the end, we added more debt, found more receipts for our flex benefits, had more money in an account than we realized and were handed a check today by Jim's coworker. We would still like to have a little more of a cushion than we have to go to a foreign country but in the end, I am happy to say that it looks like we will just make it. God is Good! Sometimes it is just hard to see it at the time.

Beyond the financial stress, there is the emotional and family stress. The process is time consuming, demanding and draining. There were times that I wondered how in the world we were supposed to have jobs and kids and be able to complete everything. Even through last week when I was spending hours looking for plane tickets or when Jim spent hours trying to convince CheapTickets that the mistakes on the tickets were made by them and they needed changed for free. I often felt stress about the time it was taking away from the kids and away from our jobs just being so consumed in getting to the end. Obviously, our kids have survived and so have our jobs but there were times when I just didn't think we would make it through.

It seems like I am the only one in the family experiencing "the being away, in another country for 3 weeks stress." And then coming home without Jim and dealing with the back to school/work, getting caught up, fall activities chaos for the weeks that he is still in Ukraine. The kids and I get back on a Sat. night. That Sunday, jet lag and all, we will have soccer, major grocery shopping, school preparing with back to the routine on Monday - should be interesting! I am stressed and feeling so much anxiety about every part of the trip (except for the excitement of finally seeing Ana!). And about every part of getting ready for the trip - school work, packing (can't even think of it right now!), cleaning the house for someone to stay and take care of the dogs, school shopping, the list goes on and on...

We also found out that Jim's mom's back surgery has finally been scheduled for August 30th. We will not be here for it or for most of her recovery.

Whew! There it is. I know that in a few months, once we are all home as a family, we will look back and not much of this will matter. But right now it is real and stressful and hard. But the end result will be worth all of it and more!

Please Pray!

We have a date!

My head has been spinning for the past 24 hours.  We found out late yesterday afternoon that our SDA appt is August 29th.  YAY!  We are so excited to finally be going.  It will be a year since we said goodbye to Ana.

So much to do.  The 29th is the first day of school.  So this means the kids will all be missing the first couple weeks of school and I have to write a book for a sub to start the school year off with 3 year olds.  It should be interesting to say the least.  Someone said to me today - "Well, at least you will miss all the crying in the first week!".  I hadn't thought of it that way - and there is always a lot of crying!  But those first weeks are so important in building our K3 classroom that I'm sad to miss it.  I just hope I can give the sub enough guidance and info to survive it - the first weeks are brutal!

But, we can't wait!  Trying to find tickets and feeling lucky that we have a month's notice.  Definitely less expensive that way.  Making arrangements for everything else that needs done before we go.  Lots to keep us busy over the next couple of weeks.

Please pray as we try to decide if Kyle will be able to make the trip with us.  His ACL surgery is August 1st and the dr said he will be ok to travel but we are starting to worry that it will still be hard for him to get around and Ukraine is not that best place for that!  But we need to decide before we actually know what he will be feeling like because we need to purchase tickets.

So happy to finally be able to share this news with all of you!

No Date but...

Still no date to report but we did spend over an hour skyping with our agency director today and feel good about it.  If we were to predict a date it would be around the week of August 21st.  But, we know how predictions go in this process.  The good news about this time frame is that Kyle will, most likely, still be able to go since his surgery is August 1st.  The down side is that the first couple weeks of school will be missed by 5 of us.  The first weeks are so important in understanding the teacher's expectations and  routines and I really don't want the kids to miss them.  Plus, I do not want a sub to start my school year.  So, even though it puts us even later, if I could pick an ideal date at this point it would be after we were in school for a week or two.  But, the perfect date would be tomorrow!

With no date it is hard to make any travel plans although, we do have some things we can work on while we wait - getting some clothes for Ana, figuring out how to pack 6 of us to fly 1/2 way around the world, trying to get the house more organized in order to survive with 5 kids.  We also have some important decisions to make regarding Ana's birth certificate, school, who is staying behind if the process takes longer than expected.

Sometimes it is the little things that make such a difference about how you are feeling.  We have been pretty down about how long this process has been taking us but last week I received an email from  a friend who also teaches the middle school Sunday school class at our church.  He has been researching a Bible that Ana can use during Sunday School time.  I don't think he realizes how much it means to us that others are trying to prepare for her to be here too. 

Just knowing that there is an entire community wanted her home as much as we do is such a blessing to us.  Thank you!