Moore the Merrier

Rewind...day 30.

2010-11-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged about my final day with the children at the sanatorium, because it still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it, but with us leaving for home tomorrow and since I can't sleep because of my absolute excitement in going home, I thought I would take advantage of this time while the apartment is quiet and the boys are asleep, finally. I mentioned in an earlier post that when the boys left the sanatorium their final day they weren't able to really say goodbye to their friends, so the next day we returned to the sanatorium. Before we took the 45 minute bus ride over to the left bank I gave each of the boys 50 grivna so they could buy a few little gifts to "present" to their friends. They bought little flashlights, a football, candy and a few packages of sunflower seeds. When we walked through the fence I could hear the children inside calling out, "Bogdan, Ruslan" and then from every open window and door boys were spilling out. They all ran to eachother and embraced one another. They each have their own little group of friends, so they would stand together and hug and talk amoungst themselves. Their friends were so grateful for their gifts. They all split the sunflower seeds by filling each of their pockets and periodically grabbing a handful and then filling their llittle mouths, the sanatorium "playground" is covered with sunflower seeds, they love their seeds. They are flavorless and I personally do not care for them, but oh how the children devour them. During our visit three nurses stood within five feet of our little group literally standing guard, they each stood there with arms folded across their chests and not a single smile amoungst them. I didn't undestand why, but it was okay...they let us spend some time with the boys and then about 30 minutes into our visit they started ushering them back into the sanatorium and this is when, as you guessed it, I lost it. Each of the boys embraced Ruslan and Bogdan and a few of them just held on for a bit longer and then they came over to where I was standing and hugged me also. My little Nicholas, who I absolutely have grown to love and adore said, " please Daniella, me America, no mommy no poppy, please". How do you respond to something like that, what do you say? I simply hugged him and told him it would okay... and I hope that one day everything will be. He then walked away. The boys said their final goodbyes and then a few of them walked us to the fence opening where David and I had left our boys so many times before, but this time they were walking out with me and yet I still had to leave some behind. The children continued to stay and wave goodbye at the fence until we went around our final corner to go home. I wish I had the words to share with you how heartbreaking that day was. Each and everytime I think of these boys I have a heavy heart. Why do they need to live like this? Why can't every child have parents that love and adore them? Why? I will never be the same person I was when I first arrived in Ukraine, my life has forever been changed.

Loves and kisses!!

The boys that walked us to the fence waving goodbye.

My most adorable Nicholas. He fell a couple of weeks ago and really skinned up his little face and hands. The green you see on his face is an antibiotic they use.

I snuck a picture of the sanatorium dining room through an open window. The tables have bread and apples for the children to eat.

The sanatorium playground. These are pavillion type structures. On one of my visits we played tag like game where instead of tagging someone with your hand you would tag them with a small soft ball. We ran around these structures, they, not me, climbed on top, to avoid being tagged. We laughed, ran and dodged the ball until we were absolutely exhausted.

More of the playground. The Ukrainians sure know how to recycle their old tires. You see them everyhwere as playgound equipment, planter boxes, benches...they sure are popular.

Bogdan's buddies. (Roseanne notice the baseball equipment, they were so excited when I told them we were leaving the ball and gloves with them. Thanks for letting me give them to the boys, you're the best!)

Ruslan's friends.

The boys showing eachother their gifts and then playing with them.

Nicholas and Vladik.

Ruslan with his friends showing them each what he brought for them. This picture was taken from quite a distance, when they realized Ruslan was back they all ran to eachother. It was the cutest thing ever.

The children.

Days 35, 36, 37 & 38...whew.

2010-11-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

We made it. We are now in Kyiv and in our second apartment since our arrival late Thursday night. It is now 1am in the morning and the boys have finally fallen to sleep, it'll be nice to be back home and to get the boys on a consistent schedule, maybe then they will fall asleep at a "normal" time, I hope so...they are sure wearing me out.
We left Dniprodzerzhynsk Friday afternoon after we picked up the boys new passports, we then took the train back to Kyiv, which was a long six hour ride, but the boys enjoyed every minute of it. What's not to love...there was a television and food and then periodically a woman would push a grocery cart up the isle with sandwiches, drinks and candy and they loved rifling through the cart trying to find something to snack on. They absolutely loved the whole train experience. Me? Not so much, I was just glad to finally arrive. Afterwards while walking through the parking lot I fell in a hole, shocker, holes in random places in Ukraine, what? My white bag is a now lovely shade of brown, my left knee is bruised and I twisted my right ankle. Woe is me...
Friday morning we had our appointment at the American Embassy and that was quite the experience in and of itself. After a series of checks we were ushered into the embassy ahead of the 50 or so people waiting already. I felt a little guilty "butting" in line, but also grateful in that I knew the boys would never last waiting all day. Once inside I heard the most glorious sounds ever...English. I was able to eaves drop and understand every conversation going on around me, it was wonderful. After filling out a series of papers we were then told we needed to receive medical clearance for the boys so we were off and running again. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting checkups, shots, and blood work done and then we received the okay that they were healthy and had all the necessary vaccinations to travel and live in the U.S. While we were at the doctors the embassy called and we needed to return so that they could fingerprint Bogdan and we needed to be there by 3pm. Sooo, we drove back, RAN through security, RAN to the front of the line and made it just in time, whew. The woman helping us apologized profusely for not having us do the fingerprinting when we were there earlier. She had not realized that Bogdan was 14, he is just so little. In the same area of the embassy that we were in two other couples were there finishing up their adoptions as well. One couple was adopting two beautiful little girls, sisters, the mother was holding the toddler in her arms while the older sister was sitting close by. We chatted for a bit and the father of the little girls mentioned their little girl is also mistaken for being younger than she actually is, you see the toddler the mother was holding was actually 8 years old...she truly looked as if she were 2, if that. Such an amazing couple, I wish I had the time to sit and really talk with them, to listen to their story.
We went to the ballet, which was FANTASTIC. Translator Oksana called me the other day and asked if we would like to go it was going to be 20 grivna to attend, about $2.50. I didn't tell the boys, because first of all I didn't know how to explain to them what we were doing and secondly, I knew if they realized we were going to the ballet I was not going to get them out of the house. When they did finally realize what we were doing, you could probably guess, they weren't too happy, but they actually enjoyed it. It was about pirates, princesses, kidnappings and killing, what teenage boy wouldn't love that kind of action and I know they sure thought the female dancers were pretty cute too. It was a wonderful, wonderful evening. (Thanks Oksana).
We have our final appointment at the embassy tomorrow and if all goes well, WE ARE DONE!! Since being back in Kyiv and leaving Dnipro I am ready to go home now. Leaving Dnipro was difficult, leaving the children and the friendships I made. I will never be back. It reminds me of my mission...saying goodbye to people that were such a big part of your life, that you grew to love and knowing that you would never see them again...it was hard. But, I'm ready to go.

Loves and kisses!

George taking us to the train station. Notice where the white line is, now you know why I was a nervous wreck while sitting in his car and there are no seat belts as well, at least where I was sitting.

Driving down the lane leaving our apartment complex for the last time.

Our apartment building, we are the third apartment up right in the middle of the photo.

Okay, I had to do it. I had to feed the dogs one last time and we were going to go out in style, not hot dogs this time. I went and bought some hamburger, fried it up and added some yummy ham and a little bit of bread.

The dogs were grateful...they finished their meal in 2 minutes flat.

The girl on the left works at the cosmetic counter at our grocery store. My goal was to get her to say, "hello" and smile, and she finally did. I never did get the nurse at the sanatorium to do it though. Oh well, 1 out of 2 isn't bad. The man on the right is security, he stands there all day watching the cashiers and the comings and goings of the store.

The frozen food section at the grocery store.

My most favorite cashier of all, Anna. She was so helpful and kind to me each and every time I went in, which was pretty much everyday. She hugged me when I explained to her that I was leaving, I love her.

The produce department. Not very big.

The man holes in Ukraine. This one is filled with rubbish so you won't fall in.

This man hole is filled with a stump. I walked by this one and the one above every single day.

I started to take a picture of Bogdan while he was getting his blood taken, but he said, "No mama, off, " he was starting to cry and he was a little embarrassed, but then he realized it wasn't so bad and so he then wanted his picture taken, he was so proud of himself. Oh, how I love this boys ever present smile.

Ruslan getting his blood taken. He looked the whole time and was as brave as can be. I got a little weak in the knees though...

Ruslan's drawing of a race care, he really has some talent.

Bogdan's drawing of, you guessed it, Sponge Bob.

There were fireworks last night. Oksana mentioned it was in celebration of the Germans leaving Ukraine during WWII. This was taken outside our apartment window.

We went shopping down "Souvenir Road" and I told Bogdan that he could take a few photos while we were there. He actually took 68, these are just a few. Seriously Dave, this boy needs his own camera.

Inside the theatre where we attended the ballet. It was simply beautiful inside.

Tanslator Oksana, my dear, dear friend and the boys.

Days 33 and 34

2010-11-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Tuesday, we celebrated Babushka Luba's birthday, she turned 70 years old. At 4pm we met her out in front of the grocery store and then she escorted us the rest of the way to her daughter Lena's home. I had to really work hard to even keep up with her, she is an amazing woman. We had a WONDERFUL dinner of borsch and a potato-type ravioli, needless to say it was fantastic. Wendy and Christy this is why I don't want to leave... just yet. Don't get me wrong I am as homesick as they come, but Lena asked me to come over tomorrow and she was going to teach me how to make a few traditional Ukrainian meals. The boys simply devour what she prepares and I haven't had that much luck with what I have made them. However, she did teach me how to make her rose fruit juice and then she carefully wrapped up for me a bottle of canned rose pedals with sugar for me to take home. Anyway, we had a wonderful evening, Lena had a Russian to English dictionary by her side and I had a English to Russian dictionary by my side and it worked out wonderfully. After dinner and conversation we needed to head home, it was late and so dark outside. There are very little street lights, if any, and the sidewalks, if you can even call them that, are treacherous even in the day time. Side note...the sidewalks are unbelievable, you are not able to look up and walk at the same time, you really need to stay focused on what and where you are walking. They have manholes everywhere, but the problem is there are no covers for them. Oksana mentioned that people steal the covers and sell them, so where the cover should be there is either nothing or a giant log sticking out. Seriously, you look down the road or sidewalk and see logs and sticks sticking up about every 100' or so. Anyway, back to Babushka Luba ( I love to say her name)...as we were walking home I tripped a couple of times so she had to take MY hand and help me the rest of the way. I am sure it was a sight to see this little, little woman trying to support my 6'1" frame through the streets of Dniprodzerzhynsk. She walked us all they way to our front door and then continued on her way through the dark streets to her home. I felt terrible having her go on alone, but she insisted that we stay home, "Niet, niet, niet," she would continue to say to me. For being such a small woman, you sure feel as if you need to listen and obey her every command.
Today, we met Lena in front of the grocery store and we walked with her to her school where she has taught sewing for the last 24 years. She wanted to teach me some Ukrainian stitching and show us around her school. Ruslan was not too happy about this, but as soon I mentioned that he could take the laptop he was more than willing to go. We spent the afternoon sewing and then she took me on a tour of her school and introduced to me many of her students and coworkers. When you really get to know these people they are simply beautiful. So warm and friendly and willing to share whatever they have. Again, it is because of these friends I have made over the last week or so, that is making my going go home more and more difficult and I still am having a hard time with knowing I will never see the children at the sanatorium again. SIGH.
Well, Facilitator Oksana called last night to tell us we will be leaving for Kyiv Thursday. We have an appointment scheduled for 10am Friday morning at the American Embassy. Then she told us to make our flight plans for Tuesday, the 9th. AHHHH!! She just called and mentioned that she hasn't heard back from the passport office yet, hopefully she will tomorrow, because we won't be able to leave until we have the new passports in hand. The not "knowing" wears on you after awhile, I'm tired of not being able to make long term plans and actually have them come to fruition. We will be taking the train out of Dnipropetrovsk so please keep us in your prayers that all will go well with the passports and if not, at least I will be able to have few more days with Lena and her family...you know, we were so fortunate to meet them. With the thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands of people in this city, we came in contact with the ONLY 3 people that Bogdan considers family...tender mercies.

Sorry if this blog is a jumble of words. It's 1:15 in the morning here, and I FINALLY just got the boys to bed. They are abosolutely crazy. They are so anxious and excited to leave, they are simply giddy, they laugh at everything. They have the giggles non stop!!

Loves and Kisses!!

Babushka Luba's birthday sign made by her granddaughter Lena. For her birthday she received one white towel and a bag and she was thrilled. They are a wonderful family.

Babushka Luba and Bogdan, she hugs on him and hugs on him all night. For her birthday she game ME a photo album of pictures of Bogdan from the orphanage. (Nanette she also gave me a few for you of Benson.)

Lena in her classroom. She mentioned that in the winter time they have no heat, it really gets quite cold inside the school.

The sewing machines the children use...amazing. Yes, they work great too.

More of Lena's classroom.

Our supplies for my sewing lesson.

This is a picture of a museum that is right inside the school. It goes the history of Ukraine. They have received many awards for the work the children have done in making this museum.

I am sewing. When you visit this room they have each guest stitch a cross before they leave. I am standing by the principal, next is Olga (she translated for me) and then beautiful Tanya. Yeah, don't ask...I have no idea what is up with my hair.

This museum show the many different sewing techniques that are common in the Ukraine.

Lena, Tany, Olga and the principal ( I can't begin to say or her name or even spell it).

The gymnasium.

Another picture of the gymnasium.

Days 31 and 32. I'll get back to day 30...later

2010-11-01T03:31:00.000-07:00

Before I start I need to ask my SAC family some questions....

For those of you have been on this "ride" before and before I head home next week, I hope, I hope, I hope, what do you wish you would have done, eaten, taken pictures of before you left Ukraine? What do you wish you would have brought home, maybe a decoration of sorts, a picture? What? Also, I think I may have a little bit of room left in my suitcase if there is anything you would like me to bring home for you. Wendy, Oksana told me there is a particular chocolate that you love to cook with, may I bring some home for you? Please let me know.

Christy and Wendy THANK YOU so much for suggesting we go to the Potato House and yes we did find it with no problem at all. It was the building that had POTATO HOUSE written in huge ENGLISH letters on it, go figure. Well, after the boys said goodbye to their friends at the sanatorium we decided to venture down into downtown Dnipro, after much walking and once we arrived to the Potato House the boys decided they were no longer hungry. What? No longer hungry? It had been over 2 hours since they last ate, sigh. So we turned back around and then a miracle occurred. Just as we were walking out the front doors, I heard Bogdan yell, "Lena," what, we ran into someone he knew? Lena and her daughter, Tanya, are close friends of Bogdan's and actually considers Lena's mother, Babushka Luba his grandmother. She would bring Bogdan to her home during the holidays and on long weekends for the past 7 years, but since the orphanage has a new director she has not been able to see Bogdan for a while. In fact, over the last 7 years or so she has cared for approximately 25 children and has seen 10 of them adopted. (Nanette she asked about Benson and I showed her your blog, she cried when she saw photos of him). Lena and Tanya then invited us over for dinner on Sunday and we more than honored to go. So after church, which was sooo boring for the boys, Yura, the couple missionaries' driver drove us to Lena's home. Yura stayed and translated for us, they spoke no English and you know how well I DON'T speak Ukrainian. Yesterday was the ABSOLUTE greatest day, aside from getting the boys, that I have had in Ukraine. They treated us and fed us as if we were royalty. It was an unbelievable afternoon. We had traditional Ukrainian food and Lena made an amazing fruit juice out of roses and a little bit of fruit. Even though I had missed my most favorite holiday back home I would have traded a lifetime of Halloweens for another afternoon like we had. Bogdan, Ruslan and Tanya played the whole day away while Lena, Babushka Luba, Yura and I talked, we were all complete strangers just a week or so ago and now dear friends, isn't it amazing how life is? We have been invited back for dinner tomorrow and we are ALL anxiously awaiting for 4pm to arrive.

Today we traveled to Dnipropetrovsk for passport pictures. They say if all goes well we should have them back in 3 working days, WE all sure hope so. The boys are STILL exploring their surroundings and because of their curiosity we have lost power in our apartment twice today because they are plugging too many things in at one time. Now with the power being out again, actually it's just power to one side of the apartment, but it so happens to be the side where the kitchen is and where our heat and hot water is controlled. So now I sit and type this blog in the cold, with a washing machine that is full of water and clothes that I'm not able to open and with puddles of water on the floor from a freezer that is slowly melting. And to top it all off we just went grocery shopping today and now the food is going bad, but on the bright side it's colder in here then the refrigerator so I actually think the food just might be okay. Also the clothes I washed last Saturday are finally dry and that means I get to sleep in my pajamas tonight instead of my jeans and sweatshirt, yay. Isn't life good...

All in all we are doing just fine. As I have typed this blog tonight I have had to go into the boys room at least a dozen times to remind them it is bedtime and at this moment they are still in there laughing under their blankets hoping I will not hear them. Oh, here I go again...hold please...okay, I'm back. I think it's going to be a long night, but it's a good thing listening to them in there. Their enthusiasm is simply amazing. Goodnight...I hope.

Loves and kisses!!

Tanya, Bogdan and Lena.

Bogdan and Babushka Luba.

Babushka Luba, isn't she beautiful!!

Yura and Babushka Luba right after dinner. We had fruit for dessert, and what wasn't eaten she packed it up for us to take home.

Ruslan, Lena and Bogdan. Tanya and Bogdan have been close friends for since they were seven and five years old.

We were just getting ready to sit down for dinner.

Days 26, 27, 28 and 29...the week in review.

2010-10-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am back..my children reminded me the other day that I have now been here 30 days, not the 26 that I thought. I started my blog on the third of October, but we technically did leave on the 1st, so I have skipped a few days in the blog. Well, what a week. It has been exhausting, rewarding, exciting and sad all rolled into one...in a nutshell I traveled to Dnipropetrovsk and went to an amazing museum with a few of the missionaries serving in this area. Traveled all over the southern part of Ukraine getting birth certificates, and ending the longest 10 waiting period which culminated in me FINALLY getting he boys. (We did it Dave, they are ours). Monday we head back to Dnipropetrovsk to get passport photos of the boys and then we are are told it will take 3 working days for those to be completed, if ALL goes well. We are waiting for a background check to be done on Bogdan now, because he is over the age of 14 he needs this done under his old name of Bogdan Bohen and then under his new name of Bogdan Joshua Moore, go figure. Then once we receive the passports we will go back to Kyiv for medical checkups, paperwork to be finished at the American Embassy and then HOME!!! For those who have done this before, does that sound about right? Am I forgetting anything? We were able to get so much done on Friday and Saturday that Oksana thinks we may have shaved 5 days off our stay, perhaps we will be able to head home around the 7th or so. I am hopeful, but not expecting too much, things can and do change daily around here. The boys were officially ours yesterday morning. I was told to pack some food for them because the sanatorium wasn't going to feed them if they were going to be leaving...so sad. Anna, the orphanage lawyer picked them up for me. Bogdan arrived with a small bag consisting of a pair of pants, two shirts, a sweater, one pair of shoes, his school work and one stuffed dog. Ruslan just had the clothes on his back, it sure was not a whole lot for being 12 and 14 years of age. When we arrived home last night they were so hungry, they are constantly wanting to eat. I'm worried they are going to make themselves sick...I'm needing to really watch what and how much they eat. Earlier today Constantine brought over a tv and DVD player for the boys, and as I type this I can hear them in their room laughing at Tom and Jerry I brought from home, it's the best sound ever. Bogdan acts as if he has just come out of a 14 year coma, he touches and is amazed by everything and about every 20 minutes or so, and I'm not exaggerating, he asks me, "No sanatorium, home mommy?" I reply, "Home, no sanatorium." He still can't believe he is actually with me...

When they woke up this morning I had them scrub themselves raw and when they got out of the shower instead of putting on the nice CLEAN clothes I brought from home, they put their old filthy clothes back on, I told them I needed to wash their clothes and to change, but they still don't look any better. The clothes I brought simply drown them, but hey, at least they are clean and they smell so good.

Today we went back to the sanatorium because they wanted to "present" some little gifts they had for their friends, yesterday they were not able to really say goodbye. I will have to post about what happened, because I get so teary eyed thinking about it. I cried the whole time. These children love each other so much and they were saying goodbye to "family", it was more then I could handle....I'll write more later

Christy, after having the boys with me now for a good 24 hours, I think you now need to start a blog entitled, "Is this normal when...?" Boy do I have so many questions...any advice from you moms and dads who have done this before would be so greatly appreciated at this time. THANKS!!

Tonight when I tucked the boys into bed and kissed them goodnight, Bogdan asked me again, "Mommy, no sanatorium?" No, Bogdan you are ours...no sanatorium.

Loves and kisses xoxo

Pictures from the museum.

This is a picture of the wall in the "Dark Room". Notice in 1939, alone,over 1,340,000 Ukrainians were killed. Actually during WWII over 20 million were killed and that number doesn't even include the ones that died during the famine and in prison.

A few of those that were killed...

In the "Dark Room".

Yura, Sister Hardy, Elder and Sister Roach...love them.

This is my little Arturo. This day I taught them the fine art of playing baseball. They found this piece of wood for the bat, it actually worked wonderfully. I know I slaughtered the rules David, but they will never know.

Facilitator Oksansa and Constantine. He is the owner of the house we are renting and he was also our driver for the day. We are eating at McDonald's. They wanted American food and I wanted Ukrainian...I was out voted 2 to 1.

The boys receiving their birth certificates with their new names. Bogdan Joshua Moore and Ruslan Edward Moore, they sure have nice ring to them, don't they?

Skyping David and the kids our first night together. I tell you...I think I know what we need to get Bogdan for Christmas, a camera.

Day 22

2010-10-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day! Where do I even begin? I woke up this morning feeling quite homesick, just wanting this to be over with and to finally be able to go home. I miss everyone!! I miss home!! I even put my most favorite shoes on today, hoping they would help, no such luck.

I had a quiet morning and then it was time to get ready for my daily visit with the boys. My bus trips to the Left Bank are now becoming moments of absolute anxiety. The bus drivers are awful. Every single time I board their buses they get so frustrated and angry with me. And no matter how s...l...o...w or how LOUD they talk to me, I STILL DO NOT UNDERSTAND!! Once again, today was no different. After I gave the driver my 2 grivna he turned to me and tried to engage in converstation with me. I told him, "American, no Ukraine," and then I started to go to the back of the bus, but this time the driver grabbed my arm and then pointed to a sign. It looked something like this:

Ukridnne

20-10-2010

2.50

Rifhsibwzy

Ahhh, ooops. Apparently the bus fare went up .50. No wonder I have been yelled and cursed at since last week. How was I to know? Do I know how to READ Ukraine, ummm no. Oh, if I had only known this back on the 20th, my bus rides would have been so much more enjoyable. Well, I was still pretty upset, it took me forever to find .50, I haven't got the coins down yet, so I was fumbling in my pockets, my change purse, while the passengers were staring away at the tall, awkward American before them and while I was trying to figure out which coin was .50 the bus driver was tapping his fingers and huffing and puffing in my general direction. Why wouldn't anyone come to my rescue? There had to be someone on that bus that knew enough English to help me, but no. I wasn't able to find the right coin, so I just grabbed 20 grivna and handed it to him, this frustrated the driver even more, he now how to find me the correct change. When he handed me the money I turned around to find a seat and to my horror the only one available was right by the door. For those of you who have been here, this bus was not one of the larger ones that look and smell like they've been around for 50 years, but one of the smaller passenger vans. I sat down and the then the driver turned around and yelled something at me again. DID HE NOT REMEMBER WHAT JUST HAPPENED? I DO NOT SPEAK UKRAINE!!! He said it to me again and then waited, I did nothing and then finally a gentleman from the back of the bus stood up and came and closed the door for me, ahhhh he wanted me to close the door. Well, by this time my eyes were starting to fill with tears, so I took out my Ipod, thanks Wendy for the suggestion, and simply stared out the window. At the next stop, each person that got on or off tripped over my long legs because I was sitting right in there way. I couldn't tuck my legs anywhere and the bus was full so I wasn't able to move to a different seat, this continued to happened at each and every stop for the next 45 $%#!!*@ minutes. (Sorry Mom for swearing). Finally just as we were rounding the corner to my stop I leaned my head up against the window, relieved to finally get off the bus. I know the driver did this on purpose...he drove right over a pothole, which made me bump my head good and hard against the window. I glared at him and he glared right back. Now I have the biggest goose egg on the side of my head. Ohhh, these Ukrainian bus drivers....

I made it to the sanatorium and my day only continued to go downhill. When I walked through the doors I found Bogdan waiting for me, he ran over and gave me a big hug. He went to get Ruslan, but at that moment my most favorite nurse, actually this one really is my most favorite, and she actually has a gold tooth right in the very front, but she is not only kind to me, but the children as well. She came over to where I was standing and you guessed it...she started talking to me. Again, I DO NOT SPEAK UKRAINE! She told me the same thing over and over and poor Ruslan was having a difficult time translating, and then I had a brilliant idea...I called translator Oksana in Kyiv. Apparently the sanatorium had to do a head count of all the children, they were having an inspection by the state done that day and the children needed to be present during the inspection. The inspection was to only take about 15 minutes and they asked me to wait downstairs and the boys would be able to join me in just a bit. Well, you know how I feel about the smell inside, so I decided to wait outside until they were done. It was a beautiful day and just as I sat down our little dog that we feed hot dogs to came and sat with me while I waited. I waited for a good hour or so and then Ruslan finally walked out the door. He had tears running down his cheeks and he wouldn't look at me. He came over to where I was sitting and said, "Mommy home, Bogdan, me sanatorium." I didn't quite know what he meant, so I continued to wait. The friendly nurse came out, we called Oksana again and she explained to me that the state inspector hadn't arrived yet and it would be best if I just went home for the day. I then handed the phone to Ruslan, Oksana wanted to explain everything to him. Bogdan leaned his little ear up to the phone also, when they heard I was going to go back home, they both just started to cry and cry. Ruslan couldn't even talk and Bogdan ran to the other side of the courtyard and continued to cry. The nurse was trying to console Ruslan while I ran over to Bogdan and held him. They were so upset...Ruslan handed me the phone back and then quickly ran into the sanatorium. Oksana then told me that Ruslan didn't think it was right that he had to stay, he now had a mom and dad and he should be with them, not in the sanatorium. He told her he was going to run away later, he just wanted to be with his mom...me. They all left me standing there. I returned back to the bus stop and for the first time in a week the bus driver didn't yell at me, I had given him the correct fare this time. It was a long ride home...

Tomorrow I'm going to spend the day with Elder and Sister Hardy. David and I met them our first Sunday here. I am torn, I feel like I should go and see the boys, but the Hardys received special permission from their mission president to spend the day with me. Also, they found a translator for us who can only do the museum tour tomorrow. The boys know I will not be there, but I still feel awful.

After the sanatorium I returned home, skyped my family and now I've been crying ever since. To those of you who have done this before, hats off to you. I know I'll make it...but today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. One bright spot, I did find out about the bus fare increase...

Loves and kisses.

(I only took one picture today, maybe tomorrow)

Days 20 and 21

2010-10-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

Well, what to post tonight? I took a lot different pictures around the neighborhood and the apartment, but apparently I am only able to upload so many at a time, I will post the rest of them on another day.
Yesterday with it being Saturday and a beautiful one at that, I decided to venture out...oooooh.
I went to the thrift store and found some fun little items to purchase, nothing big. I was headed to the grocery store afterwards and on my way I passed two little babushka's selling items on the side of the road. One had socks, booties, books and an apron for sale. I stopped to look at the socks and I could not believe the price she was asking, 12 grivna, basically a $1,50 for the adult pair. They were handmade for goodness sake. I motioned that I would like to purchase them, I gave her 20 grivna, about $2.50, and then I motioned for her to keep the change. She was so grateful. After the grocery store I noticed they were still there, so I stopped by again, she had another smaller pair of socks that I had not noticed before and a set of the cutest little slippers. She wanted 15 grivna for both, so I gave her 50 and then she started to cry. She came over and hugged me and then of course I got teary eyed. I had basically only given her less then 9 dollars. She then gave me the apron she had for sale and a book also for the 50 grivna. You can probably guess I will never take the socks off and I will use the apron everyday. I was trying to ask her to make more for me, but she is not quite understanding what I want, so I will go back and see her each morning and hopefully she will have more for me to purchase. I have worn the socks ever since, they are sooo cozy and warm and yes, I did take them off when I showered today, but I put them right back on.

Afterwards I caught the bus to visit the boys. I took pictures for you Jenny inside the sanatorium, I didn't turn the flash on because I wanted you to get an idea of how dark it is in some places. It is a cold, dark building. I have learned to breathe through my mouth while inside, the smell really does over power you sometimes, but I am getting use to it. You see, when you hug the children and kiss their little heads, you smell the sanatorium. I can't wait to get them back here to the apartment to scrub their little bodies down and brush their teeth.

I have been fore warned that this would be coming and yesterday it happened. The pouting and shutting down when they don't get their way. Ruslan wanted me to buy him a sim card for his cell phone, which was MIRACULOUSLY found the day we arrived in the Ukraine, go figure. I told him no, he did need a sim card for his cell phone, when he will be with me in just a few days. I really believe a couple of the older boys, which I don't trust at all, put him up to it. They wanted the card for THEIR phones, Ruslan gave his away after they returned it to him, so why did he need a new card. Well, after I told him no, he pouted and ignored me the rest of the afternoon. The problem is, he doesn't know this is NOT my first time around dealing with pouty children. I actually found it to be quiet funny...he would sit right where he knew I would see him. If I went somewhere else, he followed, but stayed far enough away where he could pretend like he couldn't hear me when I talked to him. Bogdan and I had a great time playing baseball with the other kids, Ruslan wouldn't join us...his loss. Eventually my lovely nurse came outside and started her routine of yelling and grabbing children. She usually leaves the boys and I alone, but not that day. She came over to me and started yelling at me, why I had no idea and then she started in on the boys and then the boys started yelling at her, it was pure craziness. I just stood there not knowing what to say or do. Oh and by the way, Christy, she had on a mask covering her mouth, I think your theory about her having a crooked gold tooth or something along those lines just might have some truth to it. Anyway, the yelling went on for a good few minutes, I could tell she wanted those boys inside, so I just packed up my things and headed out for the day. Bogdan felt terrible about the nurse and Ruslan ignoring me, he was really upset with Ruslan and he told him so....I could hear him say, "sdjfkasd;flsuihi mama wiereoiious mama and pappa asdifuosifusoi mama, Ruslan." I tried to convey to him that it was no skin off my nose how Ruslan was acting, I know this won't be the last time either, but it was a bit hard for him to understand me. Bogdan snuck out of the sanatorium and followed me all they way to the bus stop, I could see him hiding in the bushes across the street as I was leaving. When the bus pulled away I saw him run quickly back home. Ruslan did not say a word when I left.

Today I was able to go to church. It was a nice and much needed break. I had a young girl sit behind me and translate the meetings for me. She is approximately 20 years old and is the only member in her family. In fact, her family doesn't even know she has joined the church. She hasn't missed once since she was baptized in June of this year. She was a cutie. Now I am home and bored. I brought 6 books with me and I have already read 5. I am trying to make the last one last a bit longer. This week I am going to do a couple of things with Elder and Sister Hardy. They are the most adorable couple missionary from Colorado. I am looking forward to having looooong conversations with them.

Love you all!!
Kisses!!

This gentlman sits here pretty much every morning. I asked for his picutre yesterday, afterwards he motioned me over to sit with him. He held my hand and he chatted with me for a good 15 minutes. I never understood one word, he was bit intoxicated so I don't think he even noticed or cared.

A closer view of my new friend.

My dear sweet Babushkas that sold me the socks. The one on the right is the one who actually made them.

The socks I purchased along with the slippers.

The book and apron she gave me.

This is the open area right before the sanatorim. The fence we crawl through is at the end of the lane and just to the right.

The tunnel just before the open area.

This is where we say goodbye to the boys each day.

Inside the sanatorium. This is such a long hall with about 8 to 10 lights and the only light ever on is the one at the very end.

This is where we wait for the boys each day.

Taking a picure of us all in the mirror. These pictures are taken around 2pm so you can see it is quite dark inside.

A few of the boys' friends.

This mural is on the wall just as they enter the "dining room".

The...grocery....store....we....go....to...everyday. Can you tell I'm getting so tired of visiting this place.

This...is...the...view...I....see...everyday while sitting inside the store I am so tired of going to, everyday.

Ruslan pouting...

Days 18 and 19, ahhh!

2010-10-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Today, 42 Ukrainian children arrive in Salt Lake City with, I'm sure, the same hopes and fears that our boys did when they first arrived. And now I sit here my apartment completing the circle that was started over a year ago when we first hosted Bogdan and Ruslan. I can't even begin to describe what an honor it has been for David and I to be a part of this miraculous journey. We never intended on adopting, but once we held them and cared for them, we were smitten. They were ours. I wish I were home to see these "new" children, what an adventure for not only them, but the host families as well.

Well, the last few days have been somewhat quiet around here. Now that David is gone the only sounds I hear are the children playing outside, dogs barking, the water heater kicking on and the sound of me talking to myself. As I write this, David is just leaving JFK and will be reunited with James and Windsor tonight, it was hard for him to leave me, but knowing the kids were waiting for their dad made saying goodbye a bit easier. It'll be nice to have him back home...and to all those of you who have had our children, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, for being there for them, when we could not. How we will ever repay you, I will never know. We love you dearly!!

The days have been filled with bus rides, going to the Materick (I know I spelled that incorrectly, but those of you who have never been here before will never know, so I am just clarifying it for those who have), feeding dogs and playing baseball. The kids have absolutely fallen head over heels in love with American baseball. Thanks Roseanne for the suggestion, even here in the Ukraine you know how to make things fun for children. If I had known it would be such a hit I would have packed enough mitts and a bat for a complete team. We just don't have enough time in our day to have them ALL play like they would like to. We will leave the mitts and ball here for the children to continue to play, I just wish it could be more.

Many of you have asked what it looks like here...it reminds me a little bit of a cross between the movies "Dr. Zhivago" and "Fiddler on the Roof". There is a scene in "Fiddler on the Roof" where Tevye is singing, "Tradition" and his daughter, who is marrying the guy from Starsky and Hutch, the 70's version, is standing on a hill side with her soon to be husband, I really think that scene was filmed right here in Dnipro. I'm sure I pass it each day on my way to the sanatorium, so by the time I arrive to see the boys I am softly humming songs from "Fiddler on the Roof". Love that movie...

Today, while returning home I had quite the scare. When I got on the bus after visiting the boys, the bus driver turned to me and said, "slkjflksjfoihdknnbboosh" and then he turned his back to me, so I thought our one way conversation was over, so I proceeded to the very back corner of the bus, I feel the safest there, he then turned back around and yelled at me "ajlkdjfosijf hifhhboosh" at which time EVERYONE on the bus tuned to look at me. I replied, "American, no Ukraine." He muttered something under his breath and then started driving the bus, while still muttering to himself. Well, I thought all was over, but no. Just up and to the left of me a man turned around, gave me a BIG, not so friendly smile, and then said, "Well, well, well." What? What did he mean? No, "well, well, well". I was terrified, why was he saying this to me? I quickly turned my Ipod on and cuddled up closer to the Babushka sitting next to me and stared out the window. Each time I looked over at him, he was smiling and whispering, "well, well, well." FREAKY!! I wanted off that bus so fast, but I wasn't going to give off for love nor money if he happened to get off when I did. Fortunately he got off way before, whew!!

Anyway, the countdown continues. Oksana told me I probably wouldn't be able to leave until around the 12th of November. But today Irina told David more then likely we should be home around the 5th, I am hoping Irina is right. Apparently, Bogdan has to get a background check done because he is now 14. He has to get one done under his old name, Bogdan Bohen and then when that clears, he will need another one done under his new name of Bogdan Joshua Moore, go figure. So the paperwork continues...

There is a huge part of me that wants to go home today, but then there is another part that really doesn't want to. I will miss these children. When you play with them, when you talk with them you get closer to them. I will forever remember these children. Today when I said goodbye at the fence two more boys joined us, they too gave me a big hug when I left and waited until I turned the corner before they turned and went back into the sanatorium. It's going to be hard to walk away that last and final day...

Loves and kisses!!!

Bogdan playing baseball. Doesn't the smile say it all?

Nicholas, he too loves to play baseball.

A few of the girls.

Ruslan and Bogdan feeding the dogs. Today we were joined by a cat. Ruslan would feed the dogs one hot dog and then he would eat the other, that boy is ALWAYS hungry.

Vitaly, we met him today for the first time. What a beautiful young man he is.

The sanatorium is surrounded on all four sides by these huge apartment buildings.

The boys sneaking out of the "dinning room" to come and play ball. Today the nurse let them join us, I think I'm getting to her. I haven't gotten a smile yet, I'm still working on it though.

Day 15, 16 and 17

2010-10-19T01:31:00.001-07:00

"The most consequential of life's episodes often begin with the simplest of events."

Finally, we are able to make contact. Soooo, it's official we are now a family of SIX. The judge "found in favor" of us adopting Bogdan and Ruslan. Wahoo! In fact, I even yelled, "wahoo" when he gave us his final decision, okay maybe I didn't yell it, but I did say it loud enough for everyone in the courtroom to hear. Wahoo!! This adoption has been no different then our other two, full of miracles at every turn.

Facilitator Oksana finally arrived late Sunday night, whew. When we awoke Monday morning she sat down with us an prepared us for what was to happen during the court proceedings. I have to admit we were a bit nervous and overwhelmed , but as we entered the court room and the judge began to talk, we calmed down...a bit. He started off by asking a series of questions...why we would adopt these boys? Why Ukriane? Where we live? Occupation? Are we criminals? Where will they attend school?...you get the idea. After he asked us questions, he would then turn to the 2 women on his left and right, ask them if they had any questions for us and then they would ask away. Then he would turn to the SDA representative, the orphanage lawyer and the orphanage representative to see if they had any questions. This continued on for at least a good hour or so. Then he read some documents and it went something like this...sidjfiosjfoia disojf disofsodi difihsoeihvid eubsdin goos David Michael Mooooooore and Danielle Tate Mooooooore adfdksjh adifksdjklksdlkfjeien David Michael Mooooooore and Danielle Tate Mooooooore and so on and so on. Oksana didn't even translate this part for us. Then the prosecutor asked us a series of questions and THEN they brought in the boys. The judge asked Ruslan, "why would you want to go to America, aren't you going to miss your friends?" "You will miss them when you are gone, will you not?" To him he replied, " yes, I will miss them, but I have a picture of them in my head, but I want to be with mommy and poppy." Then the judge proceeded to ask Bogdan questions. One of his questions was, "what are you interested in, do you like sports?" Bogdan said, "no, I prefer to read Christian books". The judge really took to Bogdan. After ALL the questions the judge dismissed us while he and the 2 other women, who we were told were the jury, deliberated for a good 20 minutes or so. We were then invited back into the courtroom. The judge stood up, addressed us and found in favor of our adoption. At that moment everyone in the courtroom clapped and then we all hugged. Unfortunately, we were not able to get our ten days waved, so it looks like I'll be here up until about the 12th of November. Ahhhhh!!! In fact, David just left a few minutes ago to take the midnight train back to Kyiv, it's about 11:30 pm here and I am already talking to myself. I don't know how I'm going to make it through this week, my imagination is already getting the best of me and I don't think I'll sleep a whole lot tonight. Wish me luck. The boys will be with me next week sometime, so it'll be nice to have them here. After court we went out to dinner with just about everyone present in the courtroom, I think everyone was there, but the judge and the court reporter, I believe we spent half our budget just on that one dinner, but oh was it worth it. It was a WONDERFUL day.

The last couple of days were spent with the boys, they were David's last two visits and he introduced them to American baseball. It was difficult in the beginning for them to grasp which hand to put the glove on, EVERYONE of them first put it on their right. After a few tosses they finally got it. After just a few short minutes the playground was filled with boys wanting to play catch with David. We were having just the greatest time playing ball with ALL the boys until you know who showed up, the evil candy burning nurse. Man, I can't figure her out, she needs to relax a bit, but I don't dare tell her that and even if I did dare, she wouldn't understand anyway. She ran out to where we were playing and started grabbing boys by their hoodies and some by the hair on the back of their heads and hauled them back in. A couple of boys did escape her grasp, but we encouraged them to listen and get back inside. Sometimes I wish I did have a piece of poisonous candy saved JUST for her, oh no I didn't just type that did I? Today when we went back to the sanatorium she did let a couple of the boys come out and play baseball, so she did redeem herself, just a bit, in my eyes. I just smile when I see her, my goal is to get a smile in return before I leave...I'll keep you posted.
David teases me each day we leave the apartment, because you see I leave with my coat pockets full of candy in one and hot dogs in the other. No they are not for me. The candy is for the kids and the hot dogs are for the dogs. Okay, I wasn't going to bring up the dog "situation" here, but I just can't ignore it anymore. I know their plight pales in comparison to everything else, but I am going to have a nervous breakdown if I see one more dog lying dead on the side of the road. I hear them crying at night outside in the cold and it is sending me over the edge. Between the kids and the dogs I am going to lose it. There, I said what I had to say and I will not bring them up again, at least until maybe my next update.
I do have to mention one final thing. When we went to visit the boys on Tuesday, the day after court, there was something different about the them, David and I both noticed right off. They were happy. During our visit, they were more relaxed around us, they reached out to us more. When we said goodbye at the fence Ruslan hugged us for the FIRST time and told us he loved us. I wonder if they were just waiting for it to ALL be final, before they would express their true feelings...I don't know.
We love you all, thanks for your words of love and encouragement. Your comments mean so much to us. Stay in contact with ME people, I am already lonely.
Kisses!!!

After our court. The judge is standing just to my right, he was dressed so casual, it somewhat surprised us.

At the notaries office just before we headed to court. I love this lady, she has been so kind to us.

The court building and the orphanage lawyer standing in front. I love her, she has been amazing with us and so kind to the boys.

At the celebration dinner, The boys ordered ravioli with sour cream. Not my favorite meal. But oh,do they love it.

I took this picture just as we were leaving. Notice all the lights, not a single one was on and we sat in the cold.

Some of the older boys playing baseball with David.

Ruslan playing catch with his buddy.

This is truly the GREATEST yogurt on the face of this earth. My goal is to eat so much of it before I go home, so that when I do, I will be so sick of it I will never want to eat it again. It is to die for. The peach is the BEST!!!

Days 13 and 14

2010-10-17T04:53:00.000-07:00

I have often heard the phrase, "Another day another dollar", or "Another day another back ache", well here when it comes to the life of an orphan it should be, "Another day another heartbreak". Yesterday we faced the stark reality of orphan life.
We first went to the orphanage for Wendy's Alex and also for Nanette. Alex wanted us to drop off a little package to his friend, Sasha and Nanette asked us to give a message to Nastya. When we arrived we found the children playing football, we inquired about Sasha and Nastya and we were finally able to locate them. (Alex, Sasha was sooo excited to hear you had sent him a gift, he was ALL smiles. He initially had a hard time reading your letter, but an older boy read it aloud to him and he was so happy to hear that you are well.) While he was reading the letter, I wanted to get a picture, but just as I was getting out my camera a barrel of a man ran over to me yelling, ghdskaeuihslui idehakboosh. Translation: "Stop, stop, stop. You do not take pictures of the children, in America you would never let me take pictures of your children, Stop! Don't give this child candy, in America you would never let me give your children candy. No pictures. Stop!!" After Oksana explained who the gift was from and why we were there he agreed to let Sasha keep the gift, but no pictures whatsoever. Well, I just couldn't leave without taking at least a few pictures for Alex, so when he turned his back to me, I quickly took out my camera and snapped a couple of shots. David stood between the man and I...he never had a clue, HA! Sasha gives his regards to you Alex. Also, Nanette we finally found Nastya, oh she is a beautiful, kind young lady. She literally beamed when we handed her your information she also had a message for you, "please tell her and Vovo I miss them, give them my regards," She put the note in her pocket, zipped it closed, patted it twice and walked away with a smile on her face. I also snuck a picture for you as well. Shhhh. don't tell.

After our visit to the orphanage, we needed to go and get an x-ray of David's tooth, just as a precaution. If the pain continued the dentist wanted to have an x-ray as a back up. I took a photo of the certificates that lined the dentist office, but David is still a no go when it comes to getting all his dental work done here, he won't even entertain the idea. The x-ray cost 15 grivna, just shy of $2.00. WOW!

Later we made our way over to the sanatorium and when we arrived we learned what happened after we left yesterday. Apparently one of the nurses was NOT happy with the candy we had given the children. After we left, she took the candy away, and told the children we were there to poison them and then burned their candy to prove it was poisonous. How burning the candy would prove that, we'll never know. Originally we had asked the director if we could pass out candy to the children, she agreed and had no problem with us doing so, but unfortunately she was not working yesterday. The nurse told Oksana, to tell us, to NEVER bring sweets to the children again and asked when we will be going home, she does not want us back. We were also not allowed upstairs to see the kids this time, and they were not allowed to see us either. They would sit at the window and yell things to us below, we didn't want them to get into trouble, so we quickly left, it was hard to walk away. We were still able to see Ruslan and Bogdan, but Ruslan felt terrible about what had happened, he was upset through our whole visit. Hopefully our visits to the sanatorium are winding down.

Well today, Sunday,we awoke to water running down the road in front of our building. Didn't think anything of it until we went to get ready for the day...we have no water. It is now approximately 5:30 and it's not looking good. Seriously? Tomorrow we have is our court day and David and I look like the grapes of wrath and smell just as bad, it will not be a good thing if we do not get water by tomorrow. A few nights back a woman from upstairs knocked on our door to tell us she had a pipe break in her apartment and water will soon be coming into our apartment and before we even had the door closed, sure enough we found water coming through the ceiling in Oksana's room. We are not sure if this is the reason for no water today, but it looks like something seriously broke, there is water everywhere outside. Wish us luck, we so need water for tomorrow.
We were not able to get a hold of the local missionaries to find the branch on the Left Bank and we couldn't afford to pay George the $50.00 dollars to drive us to the other branch so we had a quiet day inside.

As of right now our court date is still scheduled for tomorrow. We still haven't heard if it's still a go or not. Facilitator Oksana left last week and we haven't seen hide nor tail of her since then. We'll for sure keep you posted.

Oh, question: After court when do the boys come and stay with us? Is it right after or a few days later? Translator Oksana isn't sure when, she is usually gone right after court.

Today, has been a slow day and I'm afraid we still have more to come, but tomorrow should be more exciting. PLEASE, continue to keep us in your prayers.

Loves and kisses.

When we weren't able to see the children yesterday, they would knock on the window to get our attention. It was hard not seeing them, perhaps we'll be able to before we leave.

One of the many murals inside the sanatorium.

Front view of the sanatorium. We enter and exit through the door on the far right. The top window, just to the right of the front doors is the sleeping quarters for the boys. This is where the children would sit and wave to us from. The building continues for quite a distance to the left.

The many CERTIFICATES of the dentist, 17 in all. For all we could tell, they could have just as easily been menus to the local restaurant.

Nastya, after we gave her the note.

Sasha. The older boy was helping him read the letter.

Sasha and friends.

Sasha.

The train station. Our ticket home.

Our beautiful Translator, Oksana.

Day 12

2010-10-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, before I get into this blog I need to clarify something. While looking through photos that are taken each day we have noticed that they are all very similar. We are ALL wearing the same thing, the weather the looks the same and our surroundings look the same. We want you all to know that we did not take tons of photos the first day we arrived here and now David and I are on a romantic cruise somewhere in the Caribbean, we are actually here and living each day to the fullest....we just wanted to make that clarification.

Well, no one can ever accuse us of not living on the edge, we know how to get things done around here. After a restless night, David decided we needed to find a dentist and stat. We found one right around the corner, next to our lovely bus stop, so handy. We walked right in and they were able to see David immediately, much to his relief, but you could tell he was also a bit nervous. Through Oksana David was able to explain the pain and the wonderful dentist went right to work. She started the procedure with a shot, and when Oksana and I saw the needle we both turned our heads, we couldn't bear to watch, unfortunately they didn't have the grape or strawberry flavored gas that David requested, poor guy. After much drilling, cleaning and more drilling the dentist finally removed the nerve, which I didn't even know was possible, she then filled the tooth with a temporary filling and he was a good as new. It was quite the humorous situation watching David answer questions from the dentist, through Oksana while his mouth was being worked on and then relaying things again through Oksansa back to the dentist. Whew, it was quite the morning. We went to pay and the whole procedure only cost us 150.00 gryvna, approximately $18.75, can't beat that. In fact I told David maybe we should get all his dental work done while we are here in Ukraine, he didn't agree. We do need go and get an x-ray taken tomorrow and then if David is still in pain we will beed to do one more follow up visit, but as I write this David is in no pain whatsoever. No more 'Groundhog Day' around here anymore
On our way home we passed our, well my most favorite find, as of yet. My friends and family who know me best will surely appreciate this...I found a SECOND HAND STORE, a Ukrainian DI of sorts. I thought I had died and gone to heaven right then and there. David moaned and shook his head when he realized what kind of a store it was. Oksana mentioned that she had never been in SUCH a store before, she didn't like them. What? Who doesn't like a good second hand store? So I quickly agreed to introduce her to the fine "art" of shopping at such a store and she had a ball, let me tell you. She was amazed at the prices and the different assortment of items. We found nails, batteries, makeup (okay I wouldn't even buy makeup used), clothes, purses, kitchen supplies and the list goes on and on. I could tell my poor David wanted to go home, so I will plan a 2nd, 3rd and possibly a 4th trip back on my own time. Boy, our apartment is in an ideal location...close to a grocery store, bus stop, dentist and now a DI...life is soooo good.

When we arrived home tonight we read your comments from our blog and many of you asked if the sanatorium also has girls living there, well we spotted them for the first time today and they are just as amazing and beautiful as the boys. They are softer and gentler, they huddle together in small groups holding each other's hands. They apparently live on the other side or maybe even on a different floor, it is hard to tell once you are inside the sanatorium We took their pictures and posted them below. When we were leaving today four little girls approached us, we gave them some candy and took their picture, oh I just wanted to grab them and kiss them all over. Afterwards as we were walking across the yard to leave we heard something yelling at us, we turned around and we saw one little girl crying as she was running towards us. She put her little hands out and asked if she too could have a little piece of candy like her friends. I looked over to David and through my tears I could tell David was crying too, he handed her the whole bag of remaining candy and told her to take them back and to share with her friends. She couldn't believe we had given her the whole bag, she was so grateful and the thing is, there were only about 10 tootsie rolls left, but she was happy anyway. She quickly ran back to her friends and handed out what was left and as we turned to leave we heard the group yelling, "thank you," we then turned around and they were waving goodbye. When we got to the fence with the boys today our emotions simply overwhelmed us, we did not want to leave. We didn't want to leave the boys, we didn't want to leave the children. The boys hugged us goodbye and told us in their broken English, "it's okay," and I have to think that one day everything will be.

Kisses!!

Bogdan at his usual place, waving goodbye and waiting for us to turn the corner.

The girls waving goodbye. The girl in the brown, hooded coat with her back turned, is the one we gave the bag of tootsie rolls to.

These are the girls that approached us originally inside the sanatorium.

This is the little one that ran after us asking for candy. She was all smiles when we gave her the bag. Beautiful!!

A gentlemen was selling this right out of his van. Just after I took this picture a lady wrapped it up in a towel and headed for home. Yummy?

David, all smiles. This was BEFORE the shot.

David and the dentist...drill baby drill.

Nice, cozy office.

Day 11, wow, really?

2010-10-15T00:28:00.000-07:00

Day 11, in all actuality it's pretty much the same as day 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, etc...except we did it mix it up a bit today. Just to give you a little history, on the way to the airport last week a part of David's tooth fell out and it is getting progressively worse. In fact yesterday, he was getting quite sick, I don't know if the pain is making him sick or the infection from the tooth. When I touch his check, it is warm to the touch and because the pain is so bad and the ibuprofen isn't helping we decided it would be best for him to opt out of today's activities. The only good thing about him staying behind is that it gave me a chance to find the sanatorium on my own and navigate the bus system. Yes, I did have Oksana with me, but it was nice to finally figure my way around. We will try to find a dentist tomorrow, I don't think David will be able to handle the pain much longer and I am worried about the infection, we'll see how he feels in the morning.

We are starting to feel quite at home here, people are recognizing us and we as well them. The ladies at the grocery store know us quite well and when David attempts to chat with them they simply giggle, hmmm I don't get the same response, go figure. I think I now know why David likes to go to the grocery store on his own, jk.

Anyway, Oksana and I arrived at the sanatorium and the boys were quite upset to find that David was home sick, they were asking a million questions about his health, they were so concerned...sheesh, what am I? Chopped liver? Oh, they just LOVE him, and I am glad they do. PLEASE, don't any of you think I am complaining, they are just as loving with me, it's just a little "joke" David and I have with one another, it's an inside thing. I simply love to watch the "magic" that is happening before my eyes with David and the boys, it is simply wonderful.

Bogdan, is such a ladies man, he holds the door for me, holds my coat and always motions for me to go first when we enter a room, "ladies first," he states with a big swoop of his arm to move me forward, such a gentleman. Because David wasn't with us today we decided to stay at the sanatorium and play a few games my dear friend, Roseanne, gave us before we left. Bingo and Don't Eat Pete were a hit. Ruslan pulled the blanket off his bed for us to sit on and we then played the afternoon away. I wish David could have been there, it was such a FABULOUS time with them all. During Bingo Bogdan read the letters out to the boys, he would yell, "attention, B-5" then grab another chip and do the same, "attention, I-19" he was so serious. Oksana and I just kept smiling, he was way too cute for words. We brought some tootsie rolls and watermelon gum from the home to share with the boys. Once they realized I had candy, I was surrounded by grubby little hands. When I placed a piece of candy in Oleg's hand (the boy whose birthday it was yesterday) he said, "thank you" so I gave him another piece for his generosity. The other boys quickly caught on and they began to say "please" and "thank you." Ruslan was a little slow in noticing, so when I only gave him one piece he was quick to say, "pooiehosiooshka thbokspteiskehtoi," (this is what it sounded like to me) Oleg quickly reminded him to say, "thank you." Rusaln finally caught on, sheesh. Oh, that Oleg is just too adorable.

( Oh, side note...Christy, this is the Oleg that is friends with Vitaly, he asked me to send Vitaly his regards and to tell him he misses his friend. He asked me to take a picture of he and another boy, he mentioned this was a friend of Vitaly's as well. )

After the games we spent the rest of the afternoon just talking. While I was sitting there surrounded by these BEAUTIFUL children, my eyes started to fill with tears. How honored David and I are to be a part of this miracle. To be here in Ukraine at this time in our lives, amazing. Thousands of miles away from home and yet feeling quite at home here.

When Oksana and I arrived home tonight, David was no better. In fact, we will need to find a dentist tomorrow, wish us luck.

There are days we so want to go home and then there are days like today we don't ever want to leave. How do you leave these children behind? How do you go on with your daily activities knowing what you know? We will for forever be different people because of our experiences here and rubbing shoulders with these resilient, loving, beautiful children of our Heavenly Father.

We love and miss you all! Mom, please hug the kids a little bit longer for us tonight. We miss them so much!! Kisses!!

Bogdan and Ruslan stand at the fence when we leave each day. Today Bogdan walked us to the fence. This picture is taken right as we turn the corner to go home. I had to really zoom in so you could actually see him. It is hard to continually turn around as we are walking away and to see him still standing there waving goodbye.

In the boys sleeping quarters.

Some of the boys...

Oleg and his friend sending "regards to Vitaly."

Playing Don't Eat Pete. Thanks Roseanne.

Don't Eat Pete, again.

Guess what? The garbage was picked up today. It was the very first thing we all noticed when we left this morning.

Days 9 and 10

2010-10-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Andreas likened our days thus far to the movie, Groundhog Day and he is absolutely correct. We pretty much do the same thing day in and day out with slight variations here and there, but pretty much the same thing. Even the time with the boys is a rerun of the day before. Yesterday we did mix it up a bit, yay, we explored downtown Dnipro and had a great time. In fact, we met an Iranian gentleman that spent the day with us showing us the city. When we went went to see the boys today the first thing they asked why we "no show" yesterday. I thought they understood we were not going to see them that day, but once again things were lost in translation. They then told us they had stood by the window waiting for us all afternoon and yes, just so you all know, we did feel TERRIBLE when we heard this, Ruslan then said, "please don't no come again." We will for sure try.
They are anxious to leave the sanatorium and continually ask when we will ALL be going home. Ruslan hopes he will be home for his birthday on December 27, I told him for sure we would be, we better. We told them today that David would be leaving next week and afterwards they seemed to cling to him just a little bit more for the rest of the day. I think if they had their choice they would rather me go home instead, they have both really bonded with him. I think it's because he is big softy, he will do anything for them...they truly have him wrapped around their little fingers.
Some of you have asked why the boys are in the sanatorium. Well, a few weeks back they received their TB shots, and as I have mentioned in earlier posts they have more freedom and better food at the sanatorium, so they scratched the shot area to make it look infected so they would be sent there, clever. The sanatorium is like a HUGE doctors office, but I haven't seen one really sick child yet and I want to keep it that way, because what I see already is sad enough.
We go to court on the 18th, Monday. We still haven't received our Interpol clearance yet, but we did receive our clearance from social services and they sent there recommendation for adoption to the SDA (State Department of Adoptions). We are getting closer and closer, so if all goes well we will be in court Monday and David will return home Thursday, the 21st. Oh please, oh please, oh please. After court our 10 day waiting period will begin, this is to see if any family member(s) will come forward and deny our petition to adopt. Translator Oksana doesn't quite know what happens after the 10 days, and we are a bit unclear also. Facilitator Oksana is in Kyiv, so we are not able to ask her at the moment, we'll just have to wait and see what happens next. It's all one big roller coaster ride, some days we are high and other days we are low and then there are days we want to get off and go home.
I know we have said this already and we will continue to do so. We so appreciate your comments, love and prayers. It's nice to know we have such a huge cheering section cheering us on. Loves and kisses.

This is a friend of the boys, it was his 14th birthday today. The boys picked out Coca Cola and a Snickers candy bar for his present. He is such a quiet, kind young man, too adorable.

This is usually how we walk anywhere, the boys holding David's hands and me trying to catch up.

Best buddies, now brothers.

Our "groupies".

The view we see each morning when we walk out our apartment building.

Another view. Who knows when the garbage will be picked up, we've been here over a week now and nothing as of yet.

Day 8

2010-10-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

We have slowed down a bit, our days pretty much consist of me waking up at 4am, then trying to wake Dave up, with no luck and then laying back in bed until it is bright enough for me to read my book. I think I will try to find a flashlight today so my reading can start earlier. We then have breakfast and then wait until it is time to visit the boys. We found the the bus depot, which is right around the corner, lucky us, and found that bus 10 will take us within a block or so of the sanatorium. While loading the bus, Dave and I realized they are not made for people who are over 6 feet. It was quite the experience trying to fit our 6'1" and 6'4" frames into the seats. I almost had to grease David down to get him out, and while getting off we both bumped our heads good and hard...ouch, yes we are quite the dorks. After returning from our visit we make dinner and then I try to stay awake until bed time, which I fail at miserably and thus the reason for me waking up at 4 am each day.
Well, I tried to do a little bit of laundry yesterday, big mistake. I poured in a liquid detergent, at least that is what the bottle said, but after the clothes had been washing for a bit and upon further investigation I realized I was washing the clothes with an oven cleaner, nice. The clothes are a little stiff this morning, but they do smell good.
Wendy, we mailed your package yesterday, YAY! You would have thought we were mailing some illegal contraband the way the woman was questioning us. She was sniffing it, rolling it around in her hands and then stamping it. She had to stamp it numerous times and because of the tape, the ink from the stamp wasn't drying, so she would sniff the package some more and then try to find a place where there was no tape to stamp it again. After the third or fourth time of her sniffing and stamping I had to turn my head away. I didn't want her to think I was laughing at her, but it was a hilarious situation and I couldn't stop giggling. Dave and I couldn't look at one another either for fear of laughing out loud. It was so nice to finally really laugh hard, we haven't done a whole lot of it since our arrival, so thanks for having us mail it. We still chuckle each time we think about it.
We had a nice visit with the boys yesterday. David brought the laptop along and when the boys realized we had it, you would have thought they had died and gone to heaven, they were so excited to play video games. A pretty uneventful afternoon, but it was good to just spend the time with them.
A lot of you have asked to describe the sanatorium a bit, so I will try. From what we can tell it is a huge U-shaped building with at least two levels. Long hallways with rooms going off into mazes. It is quite confusing to us, so we just stay close to the boys and Oksana. The boys sleep upstairs in rooms with beds that go from wall to wall. When you go upstairs to the living quarters the smell just hits you, it's a smell of body odor, urine and food, but after a while you do get use to it. The walls are painted with vibrant colors in beautiful murals and it is clean for the most part. The boys prefer it over the orphanage, they say they have more freedom and better food there. The moment we arrive we are overcome with children, they surround us just looking for any kind of affection and touch from us, it is hard to contain the tears sometimes. When we leave we walk past the "dining room" and the children all have there little faces pressed against the windows trying to get our attention one last time, it is hard not to leave with a dry eye. Each day here makes us so much more aware of all the we have at home, we are truly blesssed and have so much.
Again, we so appreciate your comments, your love and prayers. Loves and kisses.

This is a small handful of the group of boys that follow us everywhere. Just the cutest kids ever.

We took the laptop with us today, we have portable internet so the boys were able to play a couple of online games. Bogdan's smile says it all.

Our bus depot which is right around the corner from our home.

Another view of the bus depot.

Little bit of day 5, day 6 and 7

2010-10-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

We spent the last part of the day on Friday with the boys. We went to an amusement park, but it had been closed for the winter season, the boys were quite disappointed, but it looked to us as if it had been closed since the 1950's, it was old and run down, but apparently it's quite the attraction when opened. They are always hungry when we pick them up, despite the fact they have just eaten lunch, so we usually end up buying them a little something to snack on. At the grocery store Ruslan asked for a piece of chicken and Bogdan chose potato chips, he is not a real meat eater we've noticed. There was quite the array of chip flavors, he eventually picked the salami flavor, thank goodness, the crab flavored ones looked a little nasty to us. They are open and loving when they are with us, but when we get close to the Sanatorium they are more reserved and less loving, which is okay with us, we understand. Such pressure on these little guys...
A few of you have asked where the Sanatorium is located in comparison to the the Orphanage. It is a good 20 minute drive from the Orphanage to the left bank where they are, or the right bank, or the left bank, um, hold please...okay I just found out we are on the RIGHT bank and the boys are on the LEFT. Having them there is both a blessing and a curse, they have more freedom, but we can't afford to get there daily. Tomorrow the goal is to find a bus and hopefully we will be able to spend more time with them this week. Whew, I am glad we finally found out which bank we live on.
Anyway, yesterday was pretty uneventful. We spent the day in the apartment just reading and sleeping, actually it was quite nice to not be running around all day getting documents signed and avoiding potholes. I'm sure as the days progress the reading and sleeping will get monotonous, but for now we are really enjoying it, at least I am, David is getting a bit restless though.
Today we went to church, which was so wonderful. No matter the language we felt so at home. We watched General Conference, which was great because we were not able to see it last week because of our traveling here. We originally started in the large room with everyone, but eventually they moved us to a smaller room where we were able to watch conference in English. We were in a room with missionaries that had just recently arrived and could not speak the language as of yet. We met the nicest couple from the Sandy area who had only just arrived a few weeks ago, they look as if they are still adjusting to the way of life here, just as we are. We sure didn't want to leave when it was all over...
Wendy, we will mail your package tomorrow, finding a post office is first on our list. We haven't had a chance to really explore our surroundings yet, so it'll be nice to get an idea as to where we are.
We love you all so much. It's hard to believe a week has gone by already. Some days it feels like we've been here forever, and yet it's going by fast. Please keep us in your prayers...loves!!

Bogdan and Ruslan. Bogdan chose salami potato chips over crab flavored, good choice.

A typical Ukrainian apartment building.

The boys with a couple of their buddies. The taller one is Ruslan's "protection".

Pictures in no particular order.

2010-10-07T14:23:00.001-07:00

Spending time with the boys.

Social Service Office.

Same office, different view.

Playing video games.

The lobby of the Orphange.

David and the boys, awww.

Day 5

2010-10-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it through another day, whew!
Seriously I don't know who issues driver's licenses here, but someone sure needs to lose their job. If Disneyland could create a ride that would allow you to experience sitting in the back seat of a car and driving full speed, while dodging potholes, people and dogs it would be a huge attraction. Goodness gracious it's absolute craziness. David tells me to just keep my eyes closed and put my hands in my pockets and to just breathe slow and deep while in the car.
We were able to sleep in a bit this morning, which was nice, even though I am still waking up way too early. Anyway, we had planned to visit the boys around 2pm, but about 1pm or so Oksana came into our room and mentioned we needed to leave immediately to go and sign MORE papers, sheesh the paperwork is also outrageous, but it is a necessary process which will get us one day closer to getting the boys. We went to the courthouse, but on the way we were told the judge was on vacation and it would be a miracle if there was another one there to sign our papers. We finally arrived, barely, and guess what? There was another judge that just happened to be there working, in fact Wendy, Oksana mentioned it was the same judge that signed your paperwork. YAY! We KNOW our Heavenly Father is guiding us through this whole, amazing process.
Afterwards we headed over to the Sanatorium, found the boys, which by the way they were wearing the exact same clothes and smelled just the same as they did the day before, so if the pictures look as if they were taken all on the same day, trust us they weren't. I can't hardly wait to scrub them clean and brush their teeth, ohhh. We had a few hours to spend with them and they mentioned they would like to get something to eat, so pizza was the choice made by all. While walking to the pizzeria we passed a huge crate of beer bottles, Ruslan mentioned that they use the bottles to keep warm at night. They fill them with hot water and put them around their little bodies to keep warm. Yes, it just about broke our hearts when we heard this and Ruslan could tell, so he quickly replied, "it's okay mama, no problem." They really try to diminish their living conditions, such amazing young men. Finally we arrived and ordered the boys pizza, "yummy, yummy," was all Bogdan kept saying. They devoured their pizzas and they were good sizes too. We didn't think they were going to be too hungry in that they had just eaten their afternoon lunch, but apparently their lunch consisted of 7 small, hard apples...yummy, yummy, not.
We then took them to the super market where they played a couple of video games and it also got us out of the cold. While there we bought them a little bit of chocolate to eat later and as we were checking out Ruslan asked if we could buy one more piece for his friend, he mentioned this friend of his "protects" him from the bigger boys and he wanted to get him a little something to thank him. Can you believe it? My mother hen instincts kicked in and I wanted to have him tell me who these boys were and trust me THEY would need to "hire" protection, if you know what I mean. But of course I didn't say this or act on it because it would only make their situation worse. We then walked back home through the maze of apartment buildings and trust me if you ever got lost in there you would never make it out alive, so scary and confusing. We dropped them off, gave them big hugs and then went and waited for our driver, George, to pick us up.
We ended up going to the wrong pickup spot so we turned back around and passed the Sanatorium again where we noticed Ruslan outside with a group of boys, he came over to the fence and greeted us, but was very aloof. Oksana mentioned afterwards that he has to put on a "tough" persona, because the other boys are more then likely jealous of him and his situation so he needs to act like it is no big deal. If he were to be too excited they would have to "humble" him. You could tell that he wanted to be close to us even through his tough exterior, it was hard to walk away.
We arrived back at the apartment and I fell asleep for a few hours and now I am wide awake, darn it. I want to get on a solid sleep schedule that David seems to be on with no problem. Oksana, our facilitator, went back to Kiev tonight, but we still have Oksana, the translator, with us. She and I are becoming close friends, I absolutely adore her. Before Oksana left she mentioned that the judge signed our paperwork and we are scheduled to be in court on the 18th of this month so it looks as if David will be able to make his flight home on the 21st. Apparently there is still TONS of paperwork that still needs to be finished before court, so please pray that it will all be processed and signed before the 18th. THANK YOU!!!
We love and miss you all more then you will ever know. THANK YOU for your prayers and words of encouragement, besides being with the boys it is the highlight of our day to read your comments. Thanks to those of you who have our children, we know they are safe with you, man do we miss them. Loves to all!!! Kisses!!

Our favorite picture of the day!!

2010-10-06T11:48:00.001-07:00

Pictures of day 3 and 4

2010-10-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

In front of the Social Service office.

Escalator down to the subway, it's such a looooong way down.

The Lavra.

View of the river and part of the Lavra.

Lavra

More Lavra.

Day 3 and 4

2010-10-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

We were going to go to the LDS temple yesterday morning, but due to mixup in translation we ended up visiting the Greek Orthodox Church, oops. The lavra was amazing. Spent the morning walking the grounds and then the afternoon touring Kiev, well the tour was a long and as far as our feet could carry us. I seriously believe we walked a good 15 miles yesterday. Our final SDA appointment was scheduled for 4pm and after a car ride we will not soon forget we finally arrived. While were waiting the Hales arrived and it was so nice to see them, they are a wonderful couple and all seems to be going great for them also. Afterwards, we headed to the train station, which again was an experience in and of itself, seriously everything is quite the adventure here, even a simple train ride. George picked us up at the station and brought us here to Constantines' apartment, it was about 12 am when we arrived, so it was very difficult to see the city so when we woke this morning I was anxious to see where we would be living for the next little while. Our apartment consists of two bedrooms, one bathroom, living room and kitchen and Dnipro seems like a sad, cold city. No one smiles. Wendy warned me of the potholes, our potholes back home our nothing compared to what we drove around and over today, pure craziness.
After a quick breakfast this morning we went to the social service office and was it ever cold inside. These poor women are wearing layers of clothing and trying to keep themselves warm, Oksana, our translator, mentioned that the government "decides" when the heat will be turned on and this year the day will be October 11th, but the schools and hospitals will have there heat turned on October 4th, so in the meantime everyone tries to stay warm. Unbelievable. Anyway, after signing more paperwork we then went to the Orphanage, YAY!! Apparently the boys are both in the sanatorium, which is actually a good thing for us, they are more lenient there and will let us visit the boys more often and even let us take them for a few hours after their studies and lunch are over. No words can describe our reunion, just know that it will be an experience that both David and I will NEVER forget. They look good. Just a little scraggly and a little smelly, but oh, they look good to us. They took us to a small room where we are were able to finally talk and hold each other. Ruslan would not leave my side, he was constantly holding my arm he had to always be touching me. Bogdan was the same with David. After just a few minutes it was as if we had never been apart.
(James and Winnie they asked how you both were and they mentioned how they were excited to see you both again. Ruslan told the orphange director that his big bother was cool and this little sister was fun. They have really missed you both over the past year. Oh, and they also asked about Oliver.)
After our visit we needed to get more documents signed so we headed out AGAIN avoiding more potholes along the way.
Oh, the names the boys chose for themselves are Bogdan Joshua Moore and Ruslan Edward Moore. Ruslan didn't like any of the names we suggested, they were too difficlut for him to pronounce and the ones he suggested I did not like either, they were the names of WWF wrestlers. He wanted his name to be Ruslan "BIG" Moore and I quickly shot that one down also. Finally, he decided upon Edward, which was a name we had not suggested, but ironically it is David's father's middle name and NO he is NOT named for Edward Cullen, but he will still go by the name Ruslan and Bogdan will now be Joshua or Josh and trust me it is the cutest thing ever to hear Bogdan say his new name. These were the names they wanted and we felt that they should have the opportunity to choose, except I had to take away their freedom of choice when it came to the WWF names.
Anyway, we are excited for a new day tomorrow and spending time with the boys. We love you all and are still completely amazed and honored that we are able to take this journey together.

2010-10-04T01:48:00.000-07:00

My nasty blister. Note to self, do not wear Sunday shoes to SDA appointment next time.

Church building up and around the corner from our apartment.

Downtown Kiev, Sunday evening.

Our messy bedroom. We were way too tired to truly unpack our suitcases.

Living room.

Living room and kitchen.

Stairwell to our apartment. Notice the dust on the handrail.

Second day in Ukraine

2010-10-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

Our scary, two-man elevator to our apartment.

Just returned home from the SDA appointment, which was much less frightening then we had anticipated. We sat around a small table which hit David and I at our knees, they asked a few questions, showed us pictures of the boys, gave us brief backgrounds on the boys and then we were done. We don't want to get our hopes up, but it looks as if we may be able to adopt the boys simultaneously, we have an appointment tomorrow at 4pm for another interview where they will give us our final approval.
I am ashamed to say our first official breakfast in Kiev was a quick dash to McDonalds. Here we are in this beautiful city, with different foods everywhere and we eat at McDonalds. We will venture out later in hopes of finding some authentic Ukrainian food. Any suggestions from those of you who have gone before us?
Every few minutes David and I mention to one another how amazing it is that we are on this journey together. That he and I are actually walking the streets of Kiev. We are humbled and honored to be a part of it all.

Three days and counting!!

2010-09-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

Emotions are high today. It is hard to believe that we will be leaving in just 3 days to pick up our boys. Thank you everyone for all the acts of kindness, love and support, we would never have been able to do what we are doing without you all. We welcome you to follow our journey in bringing our boys home. LOVE YOU and wish us luck. Here we go...