Adventure Camp!

We have 4 of the pre-teens/teens going to adventure camp...Seems the boys are having a better time then the girls..but they need to finish and follow through and I think they'll be glad they did..It is so neat all that they do there..The 1 st day was biking & wall climbing..yesterday more wall climbing and canoing & fishing..today not sure what they were doing, but they needed their rain ponchos..It just started about 2o minutes ago..so they're prepared..

Getting some stuff around the house done..inside & out..We made a fence to block the kids from being able to enter the pool area through the gate..Our pool guy accidentally left if open ..Uh OH! My 2 older girls with Downs found one of the younger ones near the low end..very scary..so we have finished our make shift 6 foot fence to block off that area..Also we are adding smaller wire fence to the chain link fence so they can't climb it...These little monkeys can do amazing things.. shocking & scary sometimes..

Need to go up in the attic today to find the goggles..Our pool will be ready maybe by the weekend...hope the weather will be good..

Having a good summer ...

Been so busy with the kids & Life..haven't had much time for blogging..just enjoying. Our pool is almost ready for swimming...we got a late start this year..but soon enough it'll be ready. Also off to Florida sometime this summer with all the kids & some of their friends..Should be a fun trip...Marco has blended right in like he was always here.. He is speaking English pretty well and is hoping to lose the accent..."Lose the accent" has become a joke around the house along with "It's just impossible"..you have to say that with a thick accent for it to be authentic though!..

A couple of Marco's friends will be coming to PA soon and we will meet up with them for a visit..Also a teacher..This is so exciting that they will be within an hour from us..who would have ever thought! We are so happy that he can see them. He has transitioned so well that this will make for an an more secure feeling for him knowing her can see some old friends from time to time..a couple more are being adopted..one in CA..far but maybe he can email with him when he gets to America. This can help the other boy during his transition.

Please Help the Duekes bring home Katya!

Katya has some real medical issues that need to be addressed and needs to get to America for proper care...Please help this self-less family raise the last of what they need to break her out of the orphanage forever!

Every day this little boy comes up to me and talks & talks... I don't understand his language, but he is asking me questions, and saying something very adamantly. I know what he's saying... he wants me to take him home with Cole. The director said he wants a family desperately. He calls me Mama and my husband, Papa. It's tearing me up!

He wants what his friend, Kolya (my Cole) has. Someone to visit him, and bring him toys, and take him away from the groupa to play tag and hide and seek. A dad to wrestle with and throw a ball. He wants so badly to belong to someone!!!

Today Yulia said that our son was supposed to have been transferred, but the director kept him there b/c we were coming for him. He also kept Sasha and his friend Danyl, because a family had committed to them. But no one's coming now, and Yulia said there is "a man from the church" who will take these boys to live at a monastery! Sasha doesn't want to live in a monastery! He wants to play soccer and baseball, and ride a bike! I've mentioned him time and again on this blog and on facebook, but I'm flat-out PLEADING for this boy's future now! His and Danyl's.

It's not too late to start the process to bring them home! The director WANTS him to have a family! As far as I know he still thinks one is on the way... and I'm not about to tell him differently. Sasha still has a chance if someone will just step up and say, "I want him! He's my son!"

Life is Good...

Been very busy living life over here...All is going well with Marco..He fits in as if he always was here...doing well in school and we are very proud of him and all the kids.

We are looking forward to summer and this weekend kicking off the summer for weekend trips tot he beach. We will be taking a vacation in July to Orlando to do our usual Disney trip & maybe even Universal. Otherwise the pool is all we need and the beautiful tropical resort to relax and enjoy the many amenities. We will return there again at Christmas at our timeshare and see our family who lives there.

Getting our home in order for summer...opening the pool next week and doing some landscaping around the house done too. I have been without my own washer for a few weeks and looking forward to replacing that..but in the meantime throwing mega clothes away..Becoming minimalists as much as possible with a large family..The only thing left to heave is more clothes..Otherwise we live pretty simple.. I need a sign no hoarding allowed LOL.

All the kids are doing well and transition seems to be at a minimum. Everyone seems to have found their place and getting along fine. Can't ask for anything more..

Kelsey the Miracle Baby

Beautiful Inspiring story we can relate to..
Praise God

Been a while....

Well the statement holds true ......No news is good news!" Marco is doing very well and we are all happy he is fitting in. Everyday brings something new but all is going good. We have been busy spending time together and enjoying the kids. The great weather has allowed us finally to do things and get out of the house. Had a nice time at the beach yesterday and Saturday the kids loved the Animal/Snake farm local.

Today the Sears man is coming to fix our 2 broken washers...and a dryer..OY! That has been tough and expensive going to the laundromat! I am grateful for the simple things in life.

UKRAINE ORPHANAGES: MYTHS V. REALITY (MOMCAST PODCAST)

check out a great blog I stumbled upon...

http://stringsattachedministries.wordpress.com

The Boy From Baby House 10

Patricia Heaton raising awareness for Reeces Rainbow..Please follow on Twitter

For years and years, companies have sought out and paid exorbitant amounts to get just the right celebrity to endorse their product.

Some turn out great, some bizarre, and some are just plain memorable.

Do you remember Bo Jackson, Bo Diddley, and a host of other big-time athletes, peddling for Nike? (here)

How about Gene Simmons & son pushing Dr. Pepper? (here)

And who can forget the classic Mean Joe Green Coca-Cola commercial? (here)

A good cause can always use the momentum and support of the right celebrity endorsement.

And Reece's Rainbow is no different.

Reece's Rainbow is an International Down Syndrome Orphan ministry committed to adoption, advocacy, outreach, and aid for children born with Down Syndrome, as well as other special needs.

Started by former Atlantan Andrea Roberts, the organization has recently made national press via People magazine, but is still seeking to gain further ground and reach more people on both national and international levels.

Just this week, actor Patricia Heaton stepped up and helped that effort tremendously, when she began backing Reece's Rainbow via Facebook and Twitter.

To have a well-known celebrity like Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle) backing them was great news.

Pictures from our trip to Virginia Beach...

Virginia Beach

Spent a couple days in Virginia Beach a little while back. We got to visit with the Daulton Family, who I must say we loved and have so much in common with. Dave Daulton speer headed getting Pastor Sasha from Ukraine to visit his church to take them on for support for missions. We had a wonderful time with them all and hope to do it again soon. Also met with Sherry white & kids..another great family who is in the process of adopting and traveling soon.

Home on the range...

Glad to be home more now...Ruben is working the day shift...So I am a house wife again! I have been so busy preparing for the adoption and working during the day that I need to stop that pace for a little while..so home is good..I had a fruitful morning already...I have the flylady.net on my mind..but didn't follow her daily digest faithfully yet today..One thing she says is to get fully dressed every day..so I have showered & dressed and all the kiddies are up & fed while I straighten up. For those of you not familiar with flylady.net...check out her website..she has some great info for mothers to use to help keep your houses in order..I need this Big time...They take on room at a time for about 4 days and just work on that..I think the goal is after a month you can have a finished house..Here I have to start over every couple days LOL But it does help me.

Marco is doing well..each week we get a little further in teaching him new things and rules in the house...We have learned that he can not or should not have soda & caffeine LOL Shortly after he morphs into a silly, wiry, buzzing child that cannot hear well! Soda is not usually on our menu, but since I am on weight watchers, there is diet soda here to help fill me up! I know it's not healthy..but it's a way to feel full..Every time I get a hold of myself through eating better...it seems to get the rest of my life into some order..maybe it's because I can stay awake all day LOL..Before I was eating way too many carbs and calories and border line diabetes would just knock me down..either to a chair or a bed for a nap.

Haven't been posting much but will try more now that I am home..It gives me a break from the cleaning..Woo Hoo! My other break will be spending more time with the littles and Ben who still home schools & is also sick.....Today I have 5 littles home for sickness...They will manage to tear up the house though if I turn my back..right now they are not moving..Oh I spoke to soon..Lillia is out of her high chair with a glove on ready to start some trouble!

Going just fine...most of the time ...

Well I got firm for the first time yesterday morning and it helped...Marco needed to hear that from me, because he has a new attitude..A good one! He came home from school a new kid..So happy..it's working! I was reminded of this psalm yesterday while cutting Pastor Thornton's hair...verse 4 in particular...Please pray with me for Marco to become the boy/man that we hope for him. He has many many great traits and respect for things we Americans don't...but he is also 13 YIKES! Can't say I didn't expect it...just keep laughing & take it as it comes...I am reminded from time to time by God, when I slow down enough to listen...that it's not about me...eeesh!

Unless the Lord Builds the House
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children [1] of one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. [2]

Marco Loves School!

I am so relieved that Marco like school...His first day was yesterday and when he came home he was like a little boy...He was jumping on the trampoline saying "I did it! I did it! He rattled off his classmates who were from all over the world..China, Bulgaria, India, Honduras, and a few other places..He learned to spell his name in Hindi..then today in Egyptian...he got to draw...He is learning about the weather and having a good time. I am so happy for him and for me LOL...What a relief. He knows more English than I thought and he is learning more everyday. While I was working with him I saw how much he knew, all the letters and sounds...numbers and their words..colors...he can read in English with a heavy accent! And he can type on the computer what he want to get at...and he can write some English. SO he is well on his way to being an American! His social security card should be coming soon and his certificate of citizenship from the president of the United States!

Busy, Busy Busy

Having a busy time settling in and transitioning..Trying to keep Marco busy with new things other than the internet and xbox although it's every teen's fav....
Limiting this feels right to us.
Last night he experienced the laundromat and how many clothes I take at one time...Our other washer has a problem now...easier to just take it anyway with the amount I have. Not cheaper that's for sure...

Marco will start school this week with his twin sisters. They will show him around and take the bus in with him..He will have a teacher that will stay with him most of the day until his English is good. He will go in the 6 th grade which is where he was in Ukraine. He seems about at that level. The structure will be good for him and to see that America is not just about internet, eating and xbox! LOL

Praying for a smooth transition and for him to learn English quickly so we can have better communication. School will be the fastest way to get that accomplished. He also needs some new interests like sports. Doesn't seem to have much interest in soccer, more of a bent towards basketball. During the summer I will send the kids to adventure camp at Stony Acres and I am looking for some other day camp ideas that are local.

Pictures from Party for Marco...

We are having a great time molding & weaving Marco into our family...He is doing great and we are so grateful to be home together to make memories.

Moving right Along....

Marco is doing great..he is moving right along into his school work. I found a great website that has worksheets in Russian & English. The worksheets cover the basics, food groups, body parts, rooms & their contents, plants etc...One column is Russian, the other is in English to translate and the next column is blank for him to write the word in English. He writes very good...He can knock 5 pages in a less then 10 minutes, so he's doing well. Ruben is the Math teacher here...he has been doing fractions with him. Also doing great, doesn't even need the scratch paper on most problems and does them in his head....He is learning about the United Sates, today they will make a topical map from dough and then paint it & label it.. He is learning everyday about our family routines and the children. Yesterday we had a talk about Down Syndrome and being a little more understanding & gentle when playing with them. He asked me which children had Down Syndrome..so I liked that! He didn't know for sure which ones. So the one I was referring to was Amelia..she is high functioning and doesn't take any poop from anyone. She is a great judge of character too...if she doesn't care for someone, it's usually because there's something about them that is undesirable or crooked LOL Maybe they can use her down at SARPD.

All in all we're having a great time with Marco and can't wait until his party on Saturday. He knows about it, but not the details. He will be very surprised because of where it is and all the people & music.

Marco in Kiev

Here is a picture our translator sent us from her camera It was taken at the Water Museum in Kiev.

This is it!

So here we are! This is reality...So far not bad...He is adusting ok..we are getting caught up on our sleep..The language barrier is there but we can communicate for the most part..Haven't had to use google translate too much yet... He likes Ben's toys...They are also playing some computer games and TV games..Play station 2 etc...

He loves the dogs & trampoline is the favorite so far I think out of everything he's doing..He & Benjamin followed me up into the attic today..so that was interesting to him..They found some Hess trucks and took them down...He still likes action figures so we have some of that...

Marco has a pretty good appetite and eats what we have here. So easy that way...I tried to explain we will do some school work today..learn English and do some math to start..I can show him geography type videos for now and we'll wait on history..Think we will start with Pennsylvania! That way we can visit some of the things he learns. Ruben is showing him multiplication cards and he knows them..just the English is hard, but he can write it too.

All is good and not many complaints...Still needs to put the toilet seat down. That's about it right now!! LOL

We're Finally Home!

Glad to be on the ground is more like it! What a landing...Very very windy yesterday in Newark...I am petrified to fly and even more so now...So will only travel on the ground..maybe ocean..but not in the area where I read about the pirates in USA today..they are out of control too like the wind..LOL

I am already up & showered in case Marco is on the Ukraine time schedule as well...but he slept on the plane some and was up playing games with Benjamin for a few more hours after I passed out. I need sleep to remain sweet..LOL So I am ready for him if he gets up..it's 4:56 am.

When we arrived last night I think he had culture shock..I tried to keep it all calm... but that is kind of hard with 11 kids, and 5 dogs..they were all so happy to see us and it was something else!...I think he is a little unsure of everything.

..He is also not used to seeing kids with Down Syndrome..They were never in schools with him and were taken away after a few days old.. They are known as afflicted children in Eastern Europe as some of you already know, and have many labels that are negative. Some even believe they are cursed..So we will be undoing and detoxing his thinking from many false teachings around here. Once he sees the love the children give us he will get it.

He is young enough to melt right in with lots of love and patience which I will need prayer for, so all you prayer warriors out there get busy and thank you. Simple things like, don't forget to wash your hands after the bathroom, and use soap & shampoo when you shower.. I have heard these things from American mothers , so I think there's hope! LOL

I'll be back later..Going to start making food for everyone...because I know the bed is going to be appealing to me in the next few days for naps. The jet lag and time difference usually take a good week to get back to normal.

I'm coming home I've done my time....

Will fly out of here 5:35 am....Be in New Jersey by 3:40 pm. Very happy about that!
Had a marathon day again getting the Visa...but we did it! Just had dinner with Mary & Blake...I will really miss them...We had a lot of fun and laughs...I feel bad leaving them but they have contacts & friends here in Ukraine...I will pray their process goes as quick as ours did...
Please visit the Eli Project and donate to their ministry...
I will blog when I get home! Well...maybe the next day! For now I will be packing...
Dosvedanya!

One for the Road!

We had enough time to do some hair! Gave Shelley a color & some hilights before she left to board the plane!

Saying Good-Bye...

Been busy over here, no time to blog yesterday...Had some visitors, The Burman's..it was nice to meet another American family adopting. They will have 5 special needs kids when they are finished. Their children are adorable. It was funny here while all of us including Marco were on electronic devices talking at the same time or making noise..All contacting family or playing computer games..

Yesterday while the Burman's rested in our apartment, Marco & I were out with Natasha taking care of passport stuff/ pictures needed to be enlarged so we made 2 trips to the US Embassy and then met with the Man who took care of Marco for 3 yrs while he was younger. What a sweet man. You could see he really loved Marco and it was a little emotional when we parted our separate ways. I am so glad we had the difficulty with the paper for the passport so we could meet this man..He gave us a foundation to work with and also provided some kind of roots fro Marco from his Homeland. His father is probably alive here some where and so if he ever asks we have his name and picture. We promised Aleksander that we would write to him and send pictures especially the ones above..He really responds well with men. He will have lots of time with his brother & Father once home..I think we will be putting in a basketball hoop and slab of black top! This is his favorite sport and Benjamin too...Also Dad is a good teacher because he grew up in Manhattan and one of the favorite game of the kids there too.I guess "football" is not on the top of his list anymore! Although he can run down the players name quickly.

Went for lunch in Kiev and flea market in Svet Ochin today..

We found this guy very interesting with his skin head hair mohawk and cork screw beard..and strange earring on the other side..not sure what he represents at his age...

This morning we went to apply for the passport & get Marco's photo done..So we are hoping for the passport by Thursday earlier enough to get a 3:00 appointment at the US Embassy...No longer can you have your appointment & get the visa in the same day. This we can then get Friday and take Marco to see the Doctor and be able to fly home Saturday 5:35 am~!! Here is also a picture of the metro.

Then we met with Mary & Blake for lunch and took the metro to Svet Ochin to hit the flea market..It was so so cold..we bought some scarves...We managed to have some laughs though despite the cold..Here is a picture of the people I drove crazy for the tights for my girls..They have very thick tights here like in Russia when we were there back in 2005. The man from Afghanistan translated for me a few times with the lady who had the tights..He is so nice & funny..He is here with his wife && son..He so much wants to go to America..I guess it's hard to get a visa to go...At least he is out of his own country...I am sure he is thankful. I find it amazing how people are the same all over the world..We also met a nice couple at Marco's orphanage adopting a little girl..Marco speaks Italian so they had a very good conversation & he tried to communicate with me & for me...this was funny..Then my translator came over & translated for Marco to me...a train of languages..They were so nice & very much like us...trying to get the info on this little girl and how her personality was..I love to meet people and talk to different people from all over the world..

Biological Mom & Dad

Here is one photo I tried to take a picture of to show you Marco's bio parents...The flash was causing a glare, it made a ray of sunshine from heaven on his mother..

Brown Bread Bun at McDonalds here...Very tasty & healthy!

Official Gotcha Day!

Today was our official Gotcha Day! The pictures are in the wrong order..We ate at McDonalds to celebrate..this was Marco's choice. We brought candy , chocolates, cake, fruit and beverages for the farewell party but the kids were in school yet...So we left it for them to have afterwards...Marco was anxious to leave, so off we went to Kiev to pick up the country tax code which was ready already! So tomorrow we go to the passport office to have Marco's picture scanned and they will tell us when we can pick it up! We may be flying home Saturday if we can get it by Friday morning and then have our US Embassy appointment. The Doctor's clearance for Marco might also be done Firday...Will update on this tomorrow...Meantime I got him off the computer. and on the TV checking out sports & now snakes! I call him Computer Hog and he laughs! He looked up the translation and it is Computer Swine...Funny to him..

Aleksander...

This is the wonderful man who took care of Marco for 3 years after his Mother died....He is a very nice man. He also gave me pictures of Marco's mother & father and of his wife with Marco when he was a few years younger. Also more information about them..I am so grateful we needed this paper from him so I got my questions answered..We will see him this week in Kiev for him to say good-bye to Marco...what a happy ending....

Care Takers at Baby House in Vorzel...

I am finished with Baby House #1 hair doos...here are some of the ladies I did while there...I will go to Baby House #5 on Wednesday with Pastor Sasha...Looking forward to seeing the ladies from where my Milena & Lilli Luda are from...

Sunday....

Hello from Kiev...got a cab this morning and went to Almaz church...you can visit their one website in English..almazgo.com
It was nice to be amongst other believers and I enjoy their service very much..Today the other Pastor preached and I had a translator again but this time through a mic in my ear...State of the art! Afterwards I hung out for a while and met a few people who came over wanting to speak English and meet me. They had heard of me through pastor Sasha and because we adopted from Vorzel region three children with Down Syndrome..These people work during the summer with the mission teams translating and helping. They have an English group that meets every Saturday night, so they want me to join them and speak English and eat! So we may go to this...I will have Marco with me starting tomorrow for good! So he has called me from his cell phone I got him..and I can tell he is very excited..He is going over the schedule and the family members and pets in English..What ever we can't figure out in English..we try it in a little Russian or Italian..A dozen or so words from each language and you can put together a paragraph! So we have some laughs over these silly conversations we are having.

This Saturday Almaz Church is having another large Conference...so I may be going if we are still here! There is a possibility we could travel home Saturday, but with the new twist on the passport issue I think it will be Tuesday March 1 st or 2 nd for sure..Looking forward to landing in America..We will bring Marco's sealed envelope from the US Embassy to Immigration and they will process him as a US citizen at that time...Once he hits US soil he is automatically a citizen..Soon after they process his papers..we will receive his certificate of citizenship in the mail with a letter from the president welcoming him to our Country. He will hold dual citizenship until he is 18 years of age and then can choose which one he wants. I have a feeling it will be America.

Marco's room at the orphanage and having Lunch today in the kitchen on his floor..

Friday...

Yesterday I was picked up by my adoption team and headed to region....What a full schedule we had...we were able to get there early and drop off Marcos original birth certificate to get replaced, but they wanted a few things notarized and we had to come back...so we ever so carefully walked on the ice to find a cafe...finally found one to kill some time..had some great ideas and discussed them for vacation tours, adoption and Euro Nannys... when I get back I have some advertising to do..LOL
We ate and laughed and then made our way over the ice hanging on tight to each other not to fall...picked up our documents and birth certificate and headed back to the city and applied for our tax code and stopped at the passport office to get the latest info there...So today Natasha & I traveled back up to region today and started the passport process which has a new paper needed before we are okayed for the passport...SO when we got there Natasha fought her way into the office...wow..while I waited I met a man I saw at the flea market 1/2 way back towards the city..What a nice man..Not sure what country he is from..maybe India...He was very helpful while I shopped for tights with the lady next to him...He speaks pretty good English.. So I promised I would buy something from him for helping.. I bought this little collapsible chair..tiny thing...he was this office for something to do with his passport too. He said it is hard to get his family out of the country..

I feel bad for the people trying to make a living here..I really don't know how some of them survive ..They make $100-500 per month for most average careers..$3-500 is with an education...and the costs of things are the same as home for the most part...very hard on the people here..Many die young from the stress and no insurance and not able to get health care they need.

Which brings me to today...we thought we were going to have trouble with the passport because Marco was not registered anywhere as far as an address..the office told us we would have to try to go back to the house he lived for some time after his mother's death..This was a scary thought..what if the person was not the same and moved..what if they would not cooperate....our nice cab driver took us there and waited...we found it! A little house with a fence in the village where Marco was born...I took a quick picture before we got to the door..which then opened quickly..we were nervous..we heard a dog bark..we were afraid he would be mean...
Out stepped a tall thin weathered man about 60 years old...Natasha went on to explain why we were there with her brief case in hand,,I know this looked intimidating, but we were more intimidated then he was...He was a gentle man and was willing to help us..what a relief...it was so cold waiting outside his door while he looked for his papers..He then came back and told us they were down the street at a friends house...
So off we went in the taxi and picked up his folder....He was leary at first he said but he was fine once I started to cry...The questions I was hoping to get answered came from this man... I needed to know how Marco's mother died and when and why...These answers could help me mother him and nurture him from what I figured was a painful past. Sure enough I heard the words I really didn't want to...His mother died at 32 years old of TB....He was with her when she died and was crying and crying saying what will I do now....I lost it at that point...I was broken thinking of a 7 year old boy crying over his mother's dead body so discouraged... I now know what he needs from me and his new Papa...He seems to be pretty well adjusted despite his past, but we at least have some information to work with while we love him and help him develop into a stable young man... He is a doll..He not only is a gorgeous child, but he is a loving child and a respectful, helpful boy. We are looking forward to get him home with the kids while we all start nurturing his spirit that he so long deserves and needs. His mother was also homeless..so they lived with her friend when she died . This is when this man Aleksander and his wife took Marco in. His mother's friend ran to his house to call the ambulance and then they went over to console Marco... Marco lived with them for the next 3 years..Later on Aleksander's wife took ill and could not care for Marco and they put him into the orphanage. Soon after, his wife died. He didn't want to invite us in he told us later because he said there has been no woman cleaning here since she died..We assured him that was ok and we understood..

Aleksander came with us to the passport office to try to settle this problem and walked into the building and could not see...it was very dim..common for offices here to save electric. He later told us he has glaucoma and needs cateract surgery. They do not have medical insurance and to get this surgery will cost $800. I thought that was pretty reasonable considering the prices in the US..Not a lot for us but for them it is out of their income range and he probably won't get the surgery anytime soon...I can't imagine not being able to see well and he operates some equipment for one of is jobs and parking cars for another..Sounds like a Tricky Tray fund raising event for Aleksanders eye surgery in my future...

On our way back from our busy cold day we stopped off to see Marco and bring him lunch and a cheap cell phone so he could call me and play games. He called me earlier..This was comical..I know about as much Russian as he knows English...we managed to talk a little and then he had something to do...so he will come here for good to be with me on Monday! Gotcha Day.... We will pick him up after we meet with Aleksander again trying to get to the bottom of the address problem. This problem is a first for our team, but all will work our fine they said.

I am exhausted and so I will be going to bed early and sleep in tomorrow. Be back then for more details...

Been running...

Well I am back finally I can rest..I have been so busy and that is good..Last I blogged was Thursday.. I went to Pastor's house for dinner..I had a great time..Also had Nadya there form their church..She translated for me at the orphanage during the summer while I did hair..
She is a doll..Had great lasagna Olya made with turkey... and a very interesting desert pastry that was also very good.
Helped Pastor set up an American blog...www.almazchurchorphanoutreach.blogspot.com
So please check it out..I also set up a chip in for a huge need they have.. This need is for a vehicle to fit their whole family...They now have 4 children and not enough room in the car for them...and while he started to drive me home..the back door was not secure..so this is not safe. They are trying to have a work van converted from Germany which is the cheapest way to go. They will add the windows & the seats to it. This van will also be used with their church and picking up missionaries form the airport.

Fun Filled Day Today!

Well I thought I would not be doing much today..it turns out it was a great full day...My landlord came and showed me a fews things about the apartment and brought me a knife..I only had a butter knife...

After this I made my way up to the metro platform to meet Mary & Blake Malone...
We took the blue line and went to Dominoes Pizza where I was treated to lunch..yes Dominoes..Just like home! Well then we walked around looking for the street to St. Andrew's Church and the SDA so Blake could pick up some souvenirs...I think we missed it so we took that monorail thingy that goes almost straight up! And I survived..LOL Was pretty short and we were at the top close to where we needed to be..

I met up with the salesman from the booth of many bargains! Picture attached for those coming soon..buy from this guy....Funny guy and speaks English...We tried on some Fox hats as you can see in the pictures also..Don't Mary & I look smashing?!

I bought my usual key chain and passed on the $100 hats...we proceeded to walk up the street and stopped at a few more places to check out their items and ended up in a quaint coffee shop for some cheese cake and tea...We really needed to warm up too...It got really cold when the sun went down...

We got a nice walk in today, like everyday...and we then went our separate ways until Saturday...we will head to the orphanage and see if the inspections are over...
Then we will stop off at Marco's orphanage and visit him...and head back to Kiev..

Enjoy the pictures from today...I am headed out now to dinner at Pastor Sasha's house and will blog some more later...