Less Than 24 Hours Til Court!

Can you believe this?! We were sitting at a stop light and there it was! We knew this would be the picture for today's post.

For those of you who took a stab at guessing where the picture was taken from the last post ... McDonalds!

So, court is less than 18 hours away now. We are so thankful for all that has transpired so quickly. Well, so quickly if you only look as far back as the last week! We have no idea what to expect. Our facilitator will arrive back from Kiev tomorrow morning and she will walk us through how things proceed. One thing we do know already, God is in control. Another thing we are fairly certain of is that Tony and the girls will not make it back in time for school and work as originally scheduled. Apparently, we are in a region that requires both parents sign for passports, and passports cannot be requested until after birth certificates have been received, and ..., and ..., and ..., etc. But, God is in control! And, by the end of the day tomorrow, we will know a whole bunch more than we do today. Thanks for hanging in there with us this far. It is getting exciting!

Several of you have asked us how the boys are doing, do they know, what they're thinking, and so on. Yes, they know! They will be with us in court tomorrow. (That would be something you could pray over. I am sure there will be a lot said about them, their birth family, etc. that they will have never heard before and could be painful for a child to hear. We will probably know very little of what is said given the language it will be said in. Also, there will be questions asked of us as well, questions parents usually don't answer with their children present. So, pray the Holy Spirit be in control of all that transpires; what is asked, what is answered, who hears what is asked and answered, ....)

Back to your questions about the boys. The boys are doing very well. Slava seems very cool and collected about the whole thing. He is very smiley, clumsy, and loving as always. Jen is anxious and excited out of his mind! He is constantly counting days on the calendar. At our last visit he had a lot to ask, some to say, and he was a little giddy. He asked for more batteries for his camera and he asked for our address to give to his friends. He also said when we get to California he wants to play soccer. He is clearly making plans to leave and arrive!

We are also making plans to leave and arrive! It seems our favorite past time has become conversation about what we will eat when we get home. McDonalds and Italian will not be on the list (nothing personal Altamuras)! Mexican with plenty of chips and salsa will be first! Fried chicken and mash potatoes will follow! Erin insists Top Ramen will remain, she is alone one this one. Panda, Taco Bell, and Quiznos have all been mentioned. Someone mentioned a full Thanksgiving dinner although the conversation quickly became more about the pie that follows the traditional dinner (yes, that is a hint Mom!).

Love to all of you! Please keep sending us emails. We love hearing about what is going on with you guys!