Friends are a gift from God

Well, we have 3 days before we leave and it is becoming crunch time. My wonderful friend Laura came over today and helped me get the memory books for the boys started. I am so thankful for great friends who have different talents than me! She is awesome! We are putting together a book for each of the boys with our pictures, the kids pictures, grandparents, pets and what the house looks like. We hope that the orphanage will let the boys keep it and look at it periodically so they can get to know what we look like. We just want them to know we are coming back for them. I cannot imagine what goes through a 3 & 1/2 year old's mind when someone like us comes and spends a lot of time with them and then unexpectedly leaves them again, especially one who has been abandoned before. To know that someone is thinking of them and that even though we had to leave doesn't mean we will abandon them, we hope, will instill a sense of hope and excitement in them. We are getting excited. There are many details to finish up here so Mom doesn't have such a tough time with Erin and Sam. We want her to be able to enjoy just being grandma. I cannot express my gratitude to those who have offered their help and to those who are helping. You do not know how much that means to us. An adoption involves many people and those who are supporters are half of the process. So from all of us THANK YOU! The journey is not over of course but a lot of the hard work is done. We will be leaving at 10:45 AM from St. Louis and flying to New York on Friday. I believe we have 2 hours between flights and then we depart for Moscow at 7:10 PM. That flight is listed as being 9 hours 35 minutes + 1 day. We will get to Moscow and have a relatively lengthy layover and then board our plane for Vladivostok. That flight is listed as 9 hours + 1 day. Wow! I've never traveled 20 hours and gained 2 days before. That also means we will be losing on the way back. I guess it is entirely possible to leave your place of departure and arrive at your destination at almost the same time you left?!? My brain can't handle it right now!! I will do my best to keep my blog updated while we are there. Since we are adopting 2 children that are 3 hours apart in different orphanages I don't think we will have quite as much down time as some adoptive parents but we will do our best. I hope to have plenty of pictures when we get back.