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

Dreaded "NO"

But the Lord's plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.  Ps 33:11

We are trying to remember this as a family right now.  We received news last week that Vlad has said "no" to being adopted.  The only real reason that they could get out of him was that he didn't want to leave Ukraine.  That is hard to hear when we know the reality of what Ukraine has to offer an orphaned child that is too old for the system (which he will be in about 1-2 years).  Aaron and I were already planning on making a trip to Ukraine to meet with the boys to help with any fears and questions that they may have.  We are still planning on going, and praying that it makes a difference.  We are walking a very fine line here.  We want him to choose on his own to be apart of our family.  His age is a tricky thing.  He is old enough to legally make the decision, and we don't want to push so much that he feels like he was pressured.  That could lead to problems later on.  On the other hand, it is very hard leaving this decision in the hands of a child (because that is what he is)!  We know that God's plan for these boys will prevail.  We leave on May 9, and we desperately need prayers!

On a happier note, we received some awesome pictures of Artyom last week

Introducing Vlad!

We finally have a picture!  These pictures were taken after the boys were given the letter about the adoption.  I am going to let you guess which one immediately said "yes" and was "joyful" about the idea of joining our family.  The other seems to be a little more reserved, and has remained "silent about being adopted" (our lawyer's words).  We don't see this as bad news. The older a child is, the more they will have to process and think about.  Remember also, that Artyom has met Aaron and has received correspondence and gifts from our family.  This is the first time that Vlad has heard anything about us.
This is a huge decision that he has to come to on his own.  We are praying that God will stir his heart to desire to be apart of our family and calm any fears and reservations that he may have.  I wish that we could look into his eyes and communicate the love that we all already feel for him. 
I hope it wasn't the dust....

Jinx is real!

So, I haven't written in a little bit because I have been busy redoing EVERY single piece of paper for our dossier to be prepared and ready.  I don't know if this is normal or just me jinxing myself in an earlier post, but it is starting to get comical.  We e-mailed our lawyer in Ukraine all of our paperwork, just to make sure everything was in order before we put it in the mail.  Good thing!  The list of corrections he sent back was daunting; dates wrong on this, names wrong on that, stamp wrong on the other one....(you get the point).  We have now gotten our fingerprints 3 times!  Honestly, aren't they on file somewhere after 1 time?  Also, that moment in the DPS office years ago when I changed my name and the one many years later at the passport office have both come back to haunt me.  Tara Leigh Alfred and Tara Trent Alfred are not necessarily the same person, and Ukraine will not be the one to be fooled!  Hopefully, we can get all of this in order soon.
On a more exciting note, Our lawyer should be leaving in just a few hours to drive to the orphanage to give the boys the letter that Aaron and I finally wrote.  We did change a couple of things, but it pretty much went like I predicted:  "Wanna be our kids?" 
We sent lots of pictures of the family, dogs, and the house.  I don't know why I stressed so much, but I cleaned forever before taking those pics!  I am pretty sure Artyom and Vlad won't be discussing it and say, "I would like to have a family, but did you see the dust on that coffee table?  We should probably pass"

Oh yeah, we no longer have a pink wall.  Two trips to the paint store and three coats later, we have 1 "flaming red hot" wall!

We have a pink wall

The lady at the paint store assured me that the paint just appeared pink, and that when it was on the wall it would be red.  The lady was wrong.  We have one accent wall in the younger boys' room that needs to be red to match their new bedding.  She told me the color I wanted (flaming hot red) would be too dark.  I would rather a "too dark" wall for the boys than a pink wall.  Pretty sure they would too!  Back to the paint store tomorrow because I haven't secured a "yes" from the boys about the adoption.  If they get wind of a pink wall, we are doomed!