Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Last night in Vlad

We are waiting on our load of laundry to finish so that we can pack the last of our things. We are very excited to be leaving tomorrow. Of course we will cherish the memories and the friendships we have formed, but there is no place like home! We are going to miss Ryan, Sandy, and Bodi. They have been such a blessing to us while we are here. We will also miss little Victoria and Jennifer. They will always hold a special place in our heart as we shared some life changing events together!

Today we ran errands and went to the doctor. An interesting thing happened when we were all done. Irina told us we would be taking another van home because she needed to stay downtown with the driver. Not a problem. I led Blake to the other van and he stopped dead in his tracks and yelled NYET! I tried to pull him toward the van and he pulled back. This was odd as he is easy going about everything (other than the crib). Justin picked him up to put him in the van and he started crying hysterically and clinging to him. Irina heard him cry and instantly came over because she thought it was unusual for him. Her face fell instantly and she said, “Oh no, this is the same van that the baby home has. He thinks he is being taken back.” I was instantly in tears with him. There was a part of me that was relieved to see that he truly does not want to go back, but the other part of me was so sad for him. Irina explained to him what was going on and that we were not going back to the baby home. He calmed down, but he was stone sober and alert the entire way. It wasn’t until we got out of the van at the hotel that he smiled again and would talk to us.

The potluck was a success. There was quite an interesting array of food. Below is our attempt to get a group picture of the children that are here now. In the picture are Walker, Victoria, Blake, and Bodi. Blake brought a baggie of fruit loops to give to each one of them as a parting gift.


Earlier in the day Blake and Victoria took to reading Time Magazine. I think they are up to date on the swine flu, President Obama’s latest events, and the controversial topic of sex education. I believe they are ready for their US citizenship!


Our flight is 8.5 hours long but we are gaining back part of the 16 hours we lost coming to Vlad. I am sure our internal clocks are going to be quite confused. Of course I am getting pretty sick with a sore throat, draining sinuses, etc… I think I will start the antibiotics we brought along just in case. We don’t know yet what our internet access will be in Moscow. We hope to be able to update the blog from there.

Paka for now!

10 comments:

Joel and Clarion said...

Safe travels! You remain in our prayers!

Nancy said...

What a great group of kids! I hope your trip to Moscow is great!

laura hippen said...

hi its laura. havn't had internet so just catching up. i am so happy for all of u and hope we can see you soon. safe travel and all our love and prayers.

cheryl (aunt booger) said...

blake i hope you like the plane ride to moscow, flying is great. enjoy the zoo. heather and justin the pictures were cute. have a safe trip and enjoy your time in moscow. see ya soon.

Amy said...

oh my heart just broke listening to him crying hysterically not wanting to get into that van! he knows his new life is wonderful!!

have a safe trip!!

Carey and Norman said...

I hope your flight to Moscow went well. I enjoyed reading about your last day in Vlad (it brings back memories). I loved how Blake was upset about the van. What a smart little guy! Just glad that he was comforted and understands that he is going home with you forever!

Cute pictures too!!

Unknown said...

Great Pictures! Wow the van thing...tears. Have a great trip home. We are heading through Moscow on Monday on our way to Vlad. Hope we have as good a trip as you guys have had! Hes such a cutie!

Ken and Gloria.

Clarese said...

Poor baby! How hard it must have been to see him so upset! It sounds like he is really ready to head home with his family :)

The pictures are wonderful! Thank you for sharing.

hipchick said...

WOW, I sure dont miss those pink chairs in the White Rabbit room. Safe travels guys.

Eric & Becky said...

Welcome to Moscow! Hope the flight went well. We are just sitting down to eat dinner. If you are staying at the Holiday Inn the food is not to bad. They have a good breakfast. Hope to hear more soon.