Forgot to include these pix with the post I just wrote~~

Isaac in a close-up with his family photo album.  I don't know if he was kissing the picture of mom and dad or spitting on it! he he

Mama giving Roman a piggy back ride. 

Isaac just loving the piggy back ride!

Mama telling Roman "1 more turn, and that's it!"  My neck is killing me right now!

Isaac chilling after his last piggy back ride.  Love the smile!

Dad looking at the Roman's family photo album with him after his nap.  This was just moments ago.  Isaac is still sleeping.

I hope you enjoy the pictures!  I have a big lunch to get set out, so I best get going so we get to St. Basil's on time!  Lots of love, Michelle

Getting familiar . . .

. . .with having little ones again! ! !

Sure, we knew we were getting little ones, but it has been a little while since we have trained up little ones.  Our girls are 14 and 16 now, and we can talk with them about most things, they are independent, they can entertain themselves.  Not so with the little guys!  So, we are being retrained.  Nap when they nap! (I just woke up from my nap.)  Eat enough to have energy with them.  Be watchful of their every position in the apt (later the house).  Teach them to eat the foods they are being given~~watching their expression when they like something, the turn of the head when they don't want what is being offered. 

I have a story that was a blessing to me especially.  We took the boys to a doctor in Moscow the first morning that we arrived.  He spoke English.  He does a complete physical examination of the boys for the documents, etc. that need to be filed.  Roman was first and was found very healthy.  During that time, Isaac was getting somewhat restless, and I was doing my best to appease him, distract him, play with him, etc.  The doctor saw my actions, and was quick to let me know he had something that he wanted to tell us.  He said, (in so many words)"Those are crocodile tears. You have to realize that these boys have been in an orphanage.  They know how to behave.  It is sort of like a military situation where they know what is expected of them, and they do it.  If you continue to let them run the show, and you give in to their every caprice, then you will have a lot of trouble when you get home.   They will be ruling you, and not you ruling them.  When you get home, you will need to be living life, and they will have to get used to their new life."    WOWSA!  I am almost in tears as I write this.  It is difficult to know how to handle some situations for sure, as is parenting any child, but with adopted children, there is always an attachment issue that also needs to be addressed that weighs heavy in the back of my mind.  So there is a balancing act that I guess I was trying to do, and when he spoke those words to me, it was as if the Lord were saying to me,  "Do not forget that you are under my authority to train up these children, and in training them up properly, they will learn that they are loved."  I have read many a book on adoption, many on reactive attachment disorders, and the list goes on, in preparing to get these little guys under our care, and to know how to handle whatever may come our way.  You know, it is always easier to think you are prepared, but when the rubber meets the road, you wonder if you recall any of what you read.  Isaac was then checked out, and also found to be healthy.  Praise the Lord for their good check-ups, and the doctor who spoke truth to me from the Lord!  It has certainly taken a weight off of my shoulders.  Now you can catch Diester and I saying, as we go throughout the day with them, "Those are crocodile tears."  and we both know that means Isaac or Roman is just wanting their way, or attention when something else is going on.  Thank the Lord! 

Today we are headed back to Red Square!  It is easier to take walks with them, and get fresh air when we are couped up in this 3 (very small) room apartment.  Mind you, I am very thankful for it.  Small makes it easier to keep our eye on them.  Small is easier to clean.  Small is easier to stay in touch with each other.  Small also allows for more bonding with the little guys. I am also thankful for the apt, because I have a kitchen to make our meals in, and to save us a ton of money.  But, to get out, and walk, and get sunshine!  I love it!  And, we are going to try to make it to St. Basil's Cathedral again, and go inside today.  

Another thing that Diester wanted me to mention is our prayer time before meals.  It is something we do before every meal.  I know that not all families do this, but it is important to us.  So, we have started this with them, and it is so cute.  They already know that before any food is put on the table it is prayer time.  So they hold out their hands to hold hands with us, and then Diester leads us in prayer.  Of course, it is all "English" to them.  (hehe-not Greek)  They understand nothing of what is being said, but when Diester end with "in Jesus' name."  We all say "AMEN" together.  It is precious to see their eyes light up when they holler out "AMEN!"  Praise the Lord!

The boys are done with their naps, and so it is time for me to sign off.  Have a wonderful weekend!  Still asking for prayers for our trip home on the airplanes!  For me to have a peace about whatever happens!  Thank you!

May you be blessed!  Michelle

In Moscow for 2 days, and recouperating from the travel & time changes!

Okay, it probably sounds like we are taking it easy, right?  Are you kidding me?  The boys were up by 4:00 this morning, A.M. that is! ! !  We got to see the moon setting, and the sun rising all in our morning. Okay, well they had slept for 9 hours, but we were hoping that with the lack of sleep in the last few days that it would have at least been 6:00.  Thank goodness Diester and I were tired enough to get to sleep earlier than later last night.  So after we eat breakfast at 4:30 a.m.~Diester did dishes, and I played with the boys for a bit.  We then decided to go to the grocery store for some more water, and as we were walking there, we were planning out our day.  He suggests that possibly the market may not be open yet, and I am thinking it is about 9:00 by this time, and I asked Diester what time it was.  He said he thought it was maybe 7:00-7:30, and I was sure he was mistaken, so I looked at his watch, and it said something like 10:59 our time, so it was only 7:00am and we had been up already 3 hours! ! !  Okay so what to do with our day!  

We had our appt at 11:30 at the U.S. Embassy to get the visa for the boys to immigrate to the U.S., and were getting picked up by 10:45 for that.  We still has almost 3 hours to kill.   Thinking. . . how is all of this going to work?  If we don't lay the boys down for a nap, then our trip to the embassy is going to be a nightmare.  But then again, if we do lay them down for a nap, they will tired too early for night, and we will start this all over again tomorrow!  YIKES!  4:00 a.m. is just way too early for Diester and me.

The GRAND PLAN!  Give them a nap, take a nap (at the same time as the boys-hehe), go to the U.S. Embassy, come home and eat lunch, kill some time, go to The Kremlin and Red Square, (even though we had been told it was quite a distance), and then eat dinner late, so that everything else will be delayed, so that they can get to bed later to hopefully sleep later tomorrow morning.  Sounded like a plan.  Naps went well w/o a hitch.  We woke them right before we got picked up, and went to the embassy.  The traffic was not as bad as expected, so we got there rather early.  Alex, our driver, interpreter, and everything else while here, knew of a playground right near the embassy, so we walked there until we had to be to the embassy.  WELL, there were two teenage girls at this park with a little doggie.  (Don't know the breed, but it was a cute little thing.)  The boys were so excited to see this little dog, and the dog was just as excited to see them.  He was trained really well, and would calm down for the girl, and they could make the dog do tricks, etc.  (Okay, it has just started storming here, and beings that we are on the 22nd floor of this apt bldg, it is some pretting interesting lightning! you know, being right in the clouds!  :-)  Anyway, Isaac was wanting to get closer to the doggie.  He is dancing on the sand just so excited about this doggie, and wanting it to interact with him.  Roman is interested, but more interested to make sure the doggie gets nowhere close to him.  He was hanging pretty close with Diester.  In the meantime, Isaac did decide to try the slide out, and was enjoying that, as well as Roman.  Then his attention would turn to the dog again.  It was the cutest thing to watch.  (I have no pictures, because we were not allowed to take any electronic devices into the embassy, so unfortunately, this memory is only going to be in my head, and on this blog.)  But it was pretty cool to see him~no fear. . . until the dog ran over to him, and jumped up on him, and even jumped higher than he is tall.  He did back up a couple of times closer to mom, but didn't freak out.  This teeny little dog was just as wound up as Isaac.  Then all of a sudden, the dog runs up the ladder steps and went down the ladder.  Talk about entertaining our boys! ! ! Oh my! !  He did it several times, and then he even went up the slide, and back down backwards.  The tricks this dog could do!  Now no other dog is ever going to impress our boys like this one did!  Roman decided he was no longer safe being up on the platform, because he could see that this doggie could run way faster to get up and down the ladder and slide.  He was done with his sliding for today. 

Time to go to the U.S. Embassy.  Wowsa!  Lots of people there trying to get to the US!  We have heard that only about 1 in 2 actually do get a visa to travel.  They are very limiting, but apparently, with no specific rhyme or reason.  So, we get past that, and get then we are lunch.  Lunch and misc.~Now we get ready to head out for Red Square!  It was around 2:30 when we left.  We hiked there going up and down through tunnels (under some really busy roads in Moscow), and finally arrived.  It is really pretty cool.  Next time we go, we might go inside.  :-)  And the boys did great!

It was a truly busy day!  Isaac has been coughing a bit, so we are going to take it easy tomorrow.  No real big plans for outings, or adoption processing to do.   I am thankful for that.  He needs the break! 

Okay, so here is where I would like to mention, for those of you who make it to the end of my chapters, that we really struggled on our flight from Kras to Moscow.  It was hard.  Diester and I managed, and the boys' ears were not affected, however, they do not like the idea of being confined to a seat for 5 hours, nor being confined with a seat belt on.  We did all fall asleep for a bit (that is a really small amount of time).  The rest of the time, one of them was pretty much fighting the seatbelt, or fidgeting and wrestling in our arms.  It was quite interesting to say the least.  I am asking for prayers to cover the rest of our flights home.  We have one from Moscow to JFK (New York) that is 10 hours long.  And then from JFK to CVG, 2 more hours.  We need prayers for the Lord to please cover, and help us through the time in the air.  Roman did calm down when he saw us descending, and could see the landscape, and I think he was able to realize that he was in a type of "flying machina"!  Then all of a sudden, it was fun!  The last 40 minutes of the flight.  Meanwhile, Isaac is fussing in my arms.  We made it, but it would surely be nice if the next two flights went better.

Oh, it was pretty funny being the last ones to squeeze on the busthat takes you from the plane to the terminal.  The drunk lady from our flight was our greeter on the bus.  Diester became her next male victim. This turned out so funny, but there is no way that I can blog about it.  It is just too long.  Ask Diester sometime.  She was so excited to be in Moscow from Krasnoyarsk, and just whooping and hollering during the flight, then Diester got to stand next to her on the bus ride.  To make a long story short, he tells her towards the end of the ride (in Russian mind you) "See you later.  Have a nice day!" trying to ward her off; and I think about 1/2 the bus of these serious non-smiling Russians just about lost it.  The whole bus ride they were looking at me to see what I am thinking, and some of them have 1/2 smiles on knowing that he is enduring this lady, but at the end when he said that to her, they couldn't stand it no longer, and they just busted out laughing.  Of course, I am laughing the whole time too.  It was quite an unusual predicament he was in.  Bless his heart!  He was very gracious in spite of trying to shake her!

A blessing in here!  The boys are starting to interact with each other.  They really never got to play together that we can make of it.  Different groups, different play areas, different sleeping areas, etc.  And they are majorly sweet to each other.  Mind you, they will pull, haul off and hit, be mean in circumstances; but we have seen some really wonderful caring moments from them towards each other.   It is precious to watch! 

Okay, Hannah also got a burn on her leg, and is needing prayers.  Can you please pray for her?  I think it will be the 2nd time Stacey will have had to take her to the Dr. while we have been gone if they end up having to go.  She is a trooper though, and having so much fun in spite of her badly burned leg.  Stacey is a trooper too, for taking on our girls along with her family.  We have been abundantly blessed!

I better go now!  Thanks again for all of the prayers being offered up.  Any challenges we have faced so far, we have been able to deal with.  I know the Lord has been answering my prayers when I have been struggling with different issues while here.  It is incredible!    What more could I expect from our creator?  He is awesome!  Thank you Lord for taking care of us! 

God bless you all!   Michelle