#15 - COMPLETE!! Mon, April 20, 2009

BACK HOME!

We are back home in NY since Thursday - boy are we glad!!!
Things were nice in Kiev with the YWAM missionaries, and got Stas' visa at the Embassy - everything went well.
Stas cried a bit when we were on the 6-hour train ride to Kiev, he started missing some people at the orphanage. His caregiver - but mostly, for some reason, a cleaning lady. He had her picture and cried over it, so she must have been nice to him. The tranlator and I distracted him after a bit and he was fine.
But when we got to the YWAM boat to sleep at 11pm, I came out of the bathroom and he was crying in bed over the cleaning lady - but I just rubbed his arm and said "I know, it's okay" and he went to sleep. He was quite active at night for the nights we slept there - he was dreaming a lot and sitting up and moving - not good dreams I think.
Stas really enjoyed being in Kiev and met a new friend, Daniel, the son of our missionary friends - he is also 11. They hit it off and had a great time.
So when we left the airport, he was sad about Daniel too. He cried a little when we took off.
Then he was excited and we had a 9.5 hour flight from Kiev to NY.
Stas was very excited to get to NY and to get going to see Daddy.
There was a huge crowd for immigrations, backed up in the halls of the arrival gates. Wow.
It wasn't too awful when we were able to get to the U.S. side - we had a big yellow envelope to give them for Stas and they processed it and in a month we'll receive a letter of citizenship.

We found our bags and took off to see Michael - he was waiting and Stas jumped in his arms. He was talking to Michael a mile a minute and in the car having show and tell. We were both happy to be in America!!!
We drove home and Michael had balloons tied to the mailbox - "Welcome Home", "We love you" and "It's a Boy"!!!
Stas was anxious to see Peace, the cat, and then see his room which we painted. He was excited about it and unpacked immediately!!
It was a beautiful day and after a while, Michael took Stas to see his Ukraine friends Arthur and Sasha at the park and Stas brought them candy, he was really excited to see them.
I rested and Michael and Stas spent the rest of the day together, went to the grocery store and such and worked on Stas' room. We all went to bed early, maybe 8 or 9pm!

Michael had a flight the next morning for 2 days, so Stas and Debbie did some organizing and went big food shopping and errands, and had a visit to the park again to see the boys and had pizza at their house - fun, fun for Stas.
Stas has said in english "I love America", "I love mom, I love daddy" - so he is very happy.
He is learning english fast and has decided he wants to so he can understand his friends when they can't find their russian words. SO he's been doing Rosetta Stone on the computer.
Stas got to see daddy land and help him with the airplane - OF COURSE HE WANTS TO BE A PILOT.
We took Sasha with us yesterday to the airport to see Michael take off and they enjoyed the airport. Then the boys spent the rest of the day together and Stas passed out on the floor at 9pm.

I will have to post some pictures shortly!!!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS!!!!
BUT MOST OF ALL.......THANK YOU GOD!!!!