Peace that Passes

This trip was about peace.  Aaron and I really wanted to know what we were supposed to do about Vlad, and we expected answers.  We figured one of two things would happen; either Vlad would completely change his mind, or he would continue to say "no".  We were prepared to accept either outcome.  We did not expect to see Vlad walk out of the doors of the orphanage and receive our answer before he said a word.  As soon as we saw his blue eyes, Aaron and I both fell in love.  We knew without a doubt that we were looking at our son. 
I hesitate to write about everything that happened in the 5 1/2 hours we spent with the boys at the orphanage.  From outside appearance, we didn't make much headway with Vlad.  However, in our hearts we know big changes happened.  The day started out without him really even wanting to be around us at all and stayed completely on the outside of all of the action.  He wouldn't take the gifts we bought him, turned his head every time I tried to take a picture, and basically did everything to shut us out.  By the end of the day, he was playing soccer with Aaron (silently, but we take small victories), he was sitting beside me and looking at pictures, and even posed for a picture (with his arms uncrossed!).  We came to receive peace, and that is exactly what we got.  Vlad may not be ready to accept it yet, but he will be an Alfred soon!
His brother is another story all together.  That boy is a ball of fun and energy!  Artyom is constantly ready for action and steals the show.  He has such an open and happy personality, but I can already see that he is going to keep my hands full! 
We left Ukraine with excitement and eagerness to bring these two precious brothers home.
Sorry about the delay, but internet in our hotel was unreliable at best!

 Vlad (in black) at the beginning of the day.  He turned his head as soon as the camera came out.

 Vlad at the end of the day!  You may not be able to see it, but that is, in fact, the beginning of a smile.

 Monkey in a tree!

He was eating ALL day!

From Ukraine with Love

We arrived in Ukraine on time and without much incident!  Our first night's sleep was amazing!  Considering we had been up for 30 straight hours, I am not sure either one of us even turned over in our sleep.  It is about 9:00 on Friday morning, and Aaron and I are eating breakfast before we meet our lawyer and leave for the orphanage. 
Here are a few things I have learned in the 20 or so hours that I have spent in Ukraine:
1. People cut in line.  It seems to be an accepted practice, and no one but Aaron and I even appear to notice.
2. You know the B.O. in the bathroom is bad when it, up until that point, it WAS the worst smell I have encountered in bathroom.
3. Lanes on the highway are merely a suggestion.  (We were thankful that God has provided us with a driver that knows this and doesn't seem to be phased by it)
4. You can get lost really quick on your own in a country where you can't read the street signs.
5.  Aaron stays pretty calm when getting lost in a foreign country.
6. 26 hours of no sleep and a fifth floor apartment can make you get on an elevator that is smaller and more precarious looking than normal circumstances would allow.
7. Sidewalks double as parking lots...watch out!
8.  The Ukrainian military men look like extras from a Juan Claude Van Dam movie.
9.  Just because someone charges you to use a public restroom does not mean they are selling something anyone would want to buy.
10.  Don't judge too fast what the worst smell in a bathroom could be because apparently in Ukraine, they charge to let you smell the worst!

Well, we are off!

Can't Wait!

The countdown has begun!  Aaron and I leave in five days for Ukraine to meet  the boys!  I can't explain how I am feeling because honestly, I can't tell you if I am super excited or scared beyond sanity.  I think it is a mixture of both, and that makes for some very interesting mood swings!  Our flight leaves Wednesday at 3:45 pm Texas time and we arrive in Kiev on Thursday at 1:10 Ukraine time.  Hopefully my nerves about the trip to the orphanage will eclipse my fear of flying. 
Trent and I made a trip to Austin yesterday to get "most" of our papers apostilled.  There were a couple of minor snags, but everything seems to have worked out fine in the end.  We will hand deliver all of our paperwork to our lawyers in Kiev.  The official translation has been ordered already because we scanned all of our dossier papers last week.  We should have some sort of date estimate sometime in the next couple of weeks (that was as vague as I could make it).
I can't wait to post pics of the trip!

About half of the papers we took to Austin

Trent in front of the Capitol