USA here we are...

Well we are back in America and we love every minute of it. Just to catch up on a few things, we left Khmel'Nyts'Kyy on Friday, October 5th, with Ashlyn and that day went straight to Kiev. It was a crazy day with leaving the baby home, packing up everything we had in our little cabin, and then the 4 hour car ride (mostly on very bumpy roads) back to Kiev. We arrived to Kiev just in time to get out little ones to bed. The following Saturday and Sunday was extremely nice because it was the weekend and we didn’t have to do anything. No baby home visits, no hurrying to get somewhere, no walking 6 miles, etc. We just got to do whatever we wanted and be a family. We even had a chance to eat at a McDonalds in Kiev. It was the best McDonalds I think I have ever eaten. Sunday we did go to church with a guy I knew as a kid (he grew up in the church where my grandparents attend). It was very fun actually going to church and participating with Christians (even though the whole service was spoken in Russian) from another part of the world.

The rest of the week in Kiev was spent either sight seeing or doing work with the American Embassy. We actually were done with absolutely everything on Wednesday, which was a full day early. I know that a day early doesn’t seem like much of a big deal, but with everything we learned while we were there regarding adoptions, we should still be there even today, a whole week later.

We flew out of Kiev to London on Friday, October 12th and there spent the night. The times coming in and out of the Ukraine and then on to Houston didn’t really match up, so we enjoyed a short evening in London. Saturday morning we left London and went straight on to America. Both Caleb and Ashlyn did so good on our flights. There were others around us commenting to us on how well they did. They played, watched movies, ate, and even slept on the flights. Once we got into the airport, Ashlyn went through immigration and received her U.S. citizenship. Yeah!!

This week has been really good. We have been to church twice, shopped for clothes for Ashlyn, unpacked our suitcases, did laundry, and Caleb has started back to school. Monty and I both have been sick at one point or another this week, but all in all, it has been wonderful being home. We love having English spoken on the television, going to Wal-Mart and buying whatever we need, having soft toilet paper, and having the water that comes out of the faucet ready to drink. (With our time in the Ukraine and climbing a mountain in Colorado, Monty and I have brushed our teeth with bottled water for almost 2 full months.) We are excited to see what God has in store for our family here in the USA.



Thanks for all of your prayers concerning us and our adoption.