The Scoop

Hey Everyone!

Sorry it has taken us so long to post something new. The past week has been full of uncertainty. We just didn't really know where to begin or what to say. But now .... things seems to be getting very exciting!

Here's a recap.

Last weekend we went to visit the boys and to the circus, as planned. We enjoyed both!

Monday, it was back to work. We began driving from government office to government office to collect documents. We had expected that by the end of the day we would have everything we needed to move on to the next step in the process. The day ended quite differently though. At about 5:30 p.m. we sat in an inspector's office waiting for our driver, facilitator and the inspector to return from the prosecutor's office. A short time later our driver and the inspector returned, but no facilitator. We drove the inspector home and then the driver gave us a note from our facilitator. It said she had left urgently to Kiev. We had no idea if this was a personal emergency or something related to our case. At about 11:15 that night, the phone rang and we found out that she had left because she had a serious health issue which she didn't yet feel ready to disclose. There were going to be some tests done and she would know more later, probably on Wednesday after noon.

Tuesday, we stayed at the apartment and did laundry, schoolwork, and read. We were of course also wondering how things were going to unfold the next day.

Wednesday, we did most of what we had done Tuesday, except Tony and Natalie decided to take a walk. Late that afternoon we received a couple phone calls. We were heartbroken to find out that our facilitator most likely has cancer. We were shocked. She is a wonderful, young, married gal without children. We think the cancer isn't life threatening but does certainly bring with it a possibility that she will not be able to conceive children. She will be beginning treatments Monday. Please keep her in your prayers.

Thursday, our new facilitator arrived. She also is a wonderful, young, married gal. She got right to business Thursday putting in an 16 hour day even on the heals of the 10 hour train ride. We stayed at the apartment as she raced all over the region gathering documents. We met up with her for a late dinner (at a new to us restaraunt, thank goodness!) and she gave us the scoop. We felt immediately that we were going to really like working with her.

Friday, she went one direction and we went another. By the end of the day we finally had all of the documents we needed to move on to the next step of the process. There are just a few loose ends that must be taken care of over the weekend and then sent on. Our facilitator returned to Kiev Friday night to spend the weekend with her husband and son, and to create the necessary petitions for us to move forward.

One person we haven't told you about is our driver! He is FANTASTIC! He is a very kind, gentle, and considerate person. Each day he takes us anywhere and everywhere. Often while we are waiting in some office he will go buy treats for the girls. Anything we mention we want or need he gets for us, maps for Tony or a protractor for Natalie, he is on it. Also, he stays with us when we go into stores or to the bank. He is always looking out for us! He has gone far beyond what you would expect from "a driver." While we spend today and tomorrow doing whatever we want, he will be driving to all the same offices picking up the outstanding documents and then getting them to Kiev. We are talking 100s of miles of driving each day. Our only complaint is that he will never eat with us! We invite him every meal, he always says no!

This morning, we have heard from our facilitator. Our papers have been submitted in Kiev! What needs to happen next is that the boys' official health reports and vaccination records must be added to our file first thing Monday morning. Then, we need approval from the office in Kiev no later than Wednesday morning so that we may proceed to court Wednesday afternoon. Otherwise, we will have to wait another week to go to court.

So, that's the scoop on us. Keep those emails coming giving us the scoop on you!

The posted picture was taken during Tony and Natalie's walk on Wednesday. We think you might be surprised to hear where they were when they took it. Before we tell you, any guesses?