Alive

Check it out!! It will center this time!! Yipee.

So, we made it from home to Zap in less time than it took us to get from home to Kyiv last time. We took the overnight train and thought it was great. A little warm at first, but nothing crazy. It probably really helps that I was suuuuuuuuper tired.

After arriving in Zap, we loaded up for a 3 hour trip to a camp in a city called Berdyansk where the kids are. This drive was GORGEOUS!!! I tell you, I'm loving the Ukrainian countryside. Just imagine miles and miles of sunflowers. That is one of the big products here, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil and they have the fields to prove it. The roads were pretty crazy, worse than on our 6 hour trip from Kyiv to Zap last time, but we were in a mini van this time and I was sitting in the back. It was like being bounced on a trampoline for 3 hours. Luckily, I love trampolines, so it's all good. Our driver is named Zheniya and he does a great job. Never once have Huz or I feared for our lives. And, he avoids potholes which Huz appreciates:)

Once we arrived at camp the boys came charging out to meet us. Again, a joyful reunion. And for all you who were here in the winter and spring, you have no idea what kind of smells you missed out on, or the magnitude of dirt. The boys have had only one bath while they were with us and it's going to take about 500 more to get the dirt from the camp off of them.

Camp seemed pretty great at first. We met several of the leaders, older teenage kids who work at these camps during the summer. Great kids, great with the orphans, etc. Then, after being there for about 20 minutes, it was "quiet time." As in everybody go to your cabin and lay down and be quiet for two hours. Even the oldest kids. Yeah, that doesn't really go over well with any of the kids who are over the age of 1, and that's in any country. Lame. So, because it was quiet time, we weren't allowed to do anything. Sure, there were ping-pong tables and soccer fields and tons of kids around (there is more than one orphanage at this camp), but we were resigned to sitting on a bench with our boys and a couple other rebels who were willing to risk punishment for not taking their afternoon nap. b.o.r.i.n.g. Good thing last trip was so great, cause this one is not going to be that.

The orphanage director messed up on her paperwork that gave us permission to take the boys from camp back to Zap for court, so there was all this legal crap we had to deal with. Finally we were able to get a few things notarized to meet the requirements of the 'quiet time' enforcer and leave Berdyansk. With us was a woman from the boys orphanage who had to 'accompany' us due to the paperwork discrepency. We were really grateful to her for being so willing to come with us, but in retrospect she was probably fighting all the other workers to come just to get out of 'quiet time.' I will add that travel is very costly. Pretty sure our driver can just retire now.

We were able to stay in the same apartment that we rented last time and for that we are grateful. It's nice and we are fairly familiar with the area.

We bathed the boys and went to bed after a fun evening of being together again. Miraculously BoyOne liked the clothing that I bought for him. All except the court outfit which I knew he wouldn't like. Now, don't go thinking that I brought him church clothes. Nope. These were a pair of Hurley shorts and an American Eagle t-shirt. (everything I buy is always on sale...). The problem was that the shorts were like regular shorts and all that orphans like to wear are basketball type shorts. That will remedy itself when he gets to the states and sees that other shorts are acceptable and popular. Thank the heavens for BoyTwo. He is so darling and could care less about his clothes. He was happy as a clam to be with us and play with his red robot that I brought him from America.

It is rainy, cruddy, cold weather here. Bummer. At least it is only supposed to last the NEXT FIVE DAYS!!!!!! I'm planning on taking an endless nap:) It is four in the afternoon here and I honestly thought it was seven. I am so very tired. It is dark already, and it has been a really, really l.oooooooooooooo.n.g. day. More later. Enjoy the pictures. Captions underneath.

I miss my darling girls. A lot. Such a bummer that travel is so expensive or I'd have brought them all along!! What I wouldn't give to feel their little arms around me and kiss their little cheeks.

It's kind of hard to tell, but this is the bath water prior to BoyTwo's bath. Notice that the water is the same color as the yellow soap. Gross.

Sideways train picture. Sorry. I forgot about the whole sideways thing and most of our pictures are sideways. I will try to remember... If it looks like Huz takes up the whole compartment, it is because he does:)


While we were waiting for our train to leave on Saturday, we took a tour of the lavra. Pretty cool. Especially if you like looking at dead bodies and walking through dark caves holding a candle while priests jump around from dark corners and dart back and forth. This is a sphere made from decorated eggs. I know there is actually a name for these special eggs, but I'm having a hard time remembering my own name, let alone the egg's name. So this giant sphere is about 5 feet and made with these eggs. It was beautiful. All the pretty colors and designs. Loved it.

The cathedral at the lavra. Very beautiful.

I threw this one in because I am homesick. I am missing my girls (did I already mention that?!) and the good weather. My girls decided to go 'camping' one day and loaded up the barbie jeep with their sleeping bags, flashlights, chapstick and books and drove out to the back yard where they set up camp. It was so cute. It was one of those things that reminded me of how blessed and happy I am to be able to have children.