Only Savannah,Andrew and I

Derek and Luke flew out of Kiev this morning and should be arriving into Seattle in about an hour!! We miss them already and so do the boys. Peter said "Why did Derek have to leave?" This morning we went to the open air market, it is the largest in Europe. You can find everything from meats,nuts,veggies, fruits, honey, milk, cheeses,clothes,shoes, books etc. So we loaded up on fresh veggies and fruits and got the boys some shoes and more clothes. Yesterday we were able to get the boys some clothes at an exclusive toy store. I have never even seen a store like this in the states. It is located right across from our flat. We are conveniently located close to the square where you can find most things. Just down the street is a great bakery and a few restaurants. Anyway, this toy store is 5 stories and it has animatronics on every level, babies moving around in cribs when you enter, life size bears playing instruments on a stage on the second level! The top level is a huge playground and kid-themed restaurant. There are guards on every level and endless employees just standing there!! That seems to be the norm here in Ukraine, employees just standing around and not working!! What about payroll taxes-that is what I'm thinking!! The clothing is expensive, but I did buy the boys some shorts and pants there because the level of quality anywhere else is not good. Drew had a fun time jumping around on the toys and said, "Mom we have to bring the boys here."

Today we worked on flashcards with the boys after they had apples we brought for them and some fun,squishy,toy spiders!! The boys have a clan of friends who like to come out and play when we arrive, although lately we have arrived during the "silent time", so our boys have hours with just us. Their friends are very sweet kids and I pray that people would come and adopt these precious little ones. If I could, I would take more of these boys home with us. They tell us there are 43 children here but I have not seen 43. Maybe we have seen 20. Today I asked them what is the first thing they would like to get when we leave the orphanage. Viktor said clothes and Peter said toys and also Peter said he wanted to give toys to his friends. He is quite the social bug! We might have a going away party at the orphanage, but it all depends if the Director will allow it.

So the 10 day appeal process will be over on September 5! That is a Saturday and it's not clear if we can pick them up on that day or we have to wait until Monday. Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Please pray for Savannah, Andrew and I as we finish out this process and bring home our newest family members. Homesickness is starting to set in but I'm ignoring it. We have been here for 3 weeks, tomorrow. We miss everyone terrible and can't wait to see everyone's wonderful faces!!! May the Lord bless you and carry you,

Lana

Hello Everyone!

Scroll down to see bigger pictures of the boys!!

The Judge ruled today that it would be in the best interest of the children to be added to our famuly!! Now there is a mandatory 10 day waiting period and the orphanage still has legal custody of the boys, until September 5th. So after court we had to say goodbye to them as the lawyer from the orphanage took them back for lunch. No visiting today. Our facilitor Tatiana told us we had to hurry to the Notary in Kharkiv(court was in Zolachev)so we could apply for passports for the boys. Then we headed to the train station to buy tickets for Derek and Luke to leave for Kiev on the overnight train. They will fly home on Saturday August 29! We have gotten into a routine here in Ukraine. The only bummer is our DVD drive wont work so we cannot watch movies we brought. We can rent from itunes but it takes hours to download and our internet service goes in and out. Our flat is small, 2 rooms and it gets a little squishy with 5 people!! The Lord has seriously blessed us with great people to work with like, George our driver, who speaks good english. We really enjoy his company and he is so helpful as an interpreter. We are taking him to dinner before Derek and Luke leave tomorrow. Also, having the connection with the missionary families will be very consoling as Derek and Luke leave, the unity in Christ we share is truly, truly comforting half-way around the world. They are such a wonderful people!! Well please continue to pray for the growing Carlson family as we wait it out and also to get to know these little boys more and more. Bonding is really what we need prayer for and for safety in Derek and Lukes travel back home. Miss everyone and love you all!!

Greetings from Ukraine! Twice a day we have been visiting the boys. Mostly our activities are based around games, but also now we have been working on English words too. The boys would rather play all the time but delve right into the books and flash cards when we pull them out. They are using our names now! Yesterday Viktor was initiating play with Derek, which Peter had been doing the whole time so it was nice to see Viktor chiming in! Derek has been picking them up and hugging them and goofing around and they love this, they laugh and smile!! A lot
of the boys at the orphanage come out to play when we arrive, it is common for the older boys to play soccer and the little boys just run around playing their own games, but Viktor has been joining in on the soccer. Of course, soccer(futbol) is hugely popular here in Ukraine like most of Europe. There are some darling little ones here that need a home. (breaks our hearts) We noticed when we came back in the afternoon yesterday some of the kids had haircuts. All the sudden Drew and Viktor were nowhere to be found. Viktor had been whisked away for the inevitable haircut!!!! Drew was right by his brother's side, but that was no comfort, Viktor was not a happy camper. They keep the boys hair cut really short!!! I was hoping that we could take him for a haircut before they got a hold of him. Derek and Luke got plane tickets to come home on Saturday August 29! The rest of us have return tickets for Sept 10, which will probably have to be changed, or maybe not, just depending on how it goes in Kiev for passports, etc. The ten day waiting period will be over on Sept 5. Viktor pulled out a paper yesterday that had all the information written down that he will have tell the judge. It was cute to see him practicing. Again, our court date is tomorrow August 26, at 11am. All of us, including Viktor and Peter, will go before the judge and lawyers.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and comments!! Keep 'em coming! We look forward to seeing your comments!! May the Lord bless you and keep you!

I will get some close-up pictures and post them soon!!!

Hello Family and Friends!

Yesterday we had to meet with the local Chief of Administration because he has to sign off on the adoption before our court date. We felt it went really well. He wanted to look up our house on Google Earth so we zoomed down on it and it was fun to see our home. I thought about all of you at home.(miss you all) He asked (through an interpreter) the kids what they thought about the boys and having new brothers. My eyes welled up with tears as Luke explained how he was excited about welcoming them into our family. It is truly amazing how the Lord gives you this ability to love others like your own!! I know Marian has told me about this but I couldn't really imagine it until I experienced it. All I can say is this is from the Lord and it is so wonderful. I am feeling more everyday like they are really part of our family and should have always been. Peter had a lot more energy today and loved playing games on Savannah's phone. He took pictures and videos. We worked on english words and wrote their names and also I brought a puzzle of the USA, they loved it!! I was so glad to see they like puzzles. My mom texted me when we were there and I was able to tell them their Grandma and Grandpa were really looking forward to meeting them. When Peter found out is was Derek's birthday he made him a card and cut out pictures for him. They really don't look like brothers, but they are. They are very happy to be back together and are always happy to see us. The orphanage is run very well. We had to spit our gum out when we were there, no gum allowed. They said we might put it under a table!! hee hee. George, our driver, acts as our interpreter. I am very thankful for him because it would be very, very difficult without his help.

Last night we went to a yummy sushi restaurant for dinner about a 30 minute walk away, like I said before, everyone walks and we are within walking distance from the main square. There is a gigantic statue of Lenin in the square. Included in the square are many restaurants, shops markets. They are readying for a festival this weekend. They celebrate, "Kharkiv Day", when they finally kicked out the Nazi's after WWII.

I can't wait to get the boys some clothes! Our friends, Lucy and Olivia said they would take me to the market and we would be able to get many things there. It is the largest market in Europe!! I love how they sell flowers and fresh fruits and veggies everywhere!

Oh, our court date was moved to Wednesday, August 26! Then we will have the 10 day waiting period. Our whole family will have to appear before the judge on that day.

Thank you all soooo much for your prayers!!!! Our Lord continues to carry us daily!!!

With much love,

Lana

Good Morning! As I write this it will be the middle of the night at home, but we have adjusted to the time change finally! For all of you who have emailed, thank you but I cannot respond, something is wrong with my outgoing mail!! Yesterday we made all the paperwork nesessary to petition the court for the adoption and have a court date on August 27. There is a ten day waiting period and then more time for paperwork to come home!!! It is likely that Derek will come home with Luke and Savannah and Drew will stay with me. Our flat is very small, only 2 rooms. Also it is possible the boys might be allowed to come with us to the flat during the 10 period-it will depend on the Director of the Childrens House(orphanage). Last night we walked over to Olivia and David's for dinner (30 min. walk) Everyone walks here. You heardly see anyone riding bikes for exercise. Also they all carry plastic bags, you have to purchase grocery sacks, so people take their own to the grocery/market. Even the elderly are carrying bags.

We now have a new driver, George. George is a young college grad from the local Kharkov University. He graduated in computer science but really doesn't want to work in that field. He is Jewish and we really have enjoyed spending time with him. I received a call after he dropped us off and he wanted to meet up with us because he had gotten a gift for Derek for his birthday.
He is very kind. He speaks pretty good English. Not very people speak our language.

Well got to go more paperwork today and we'll go to Bible Study with the missionaries after celebrating Derek's birthday. We didn't get a chance to do that yesterday!!

Oh, we officially named the boys yesterday- Viktor Mark and Peter Seth Carlson!!

Blessings,
Lana

Yesterday we went to see the boys after a trip to the notary ( 2 hours) The days are long as it takes awhile to get out to the town where they are and now they are in two different places. Viktor is at a summer camp and Peter is at a clinic. We found out yesterday that there were some problems with the adoption going forward and also the boys have to agree upon being adopted. Well that makes sense, but unnerving, as we didn't know this was part of the process. The good news is both the boys have agreed to be a part of our family!!! I almost started to cry when I found out that the problems were resolved and that the boys will be back together in 2 more days, a provision they made just for us, so we can see them together every day!!! Meanwhile our new friends, the three missionary families, watched over Sav, Luke and Drew because we couldn't take them with us yesterday. We are humbled by the goodness of our Lord, He is mighty!!!!!!!!! When we arrived to see Peter he ran out to us and hugged me! He is such a cute little guy. Viktor is a little more reserved, although today he started to show us his silly side. The boys both have expressed interest in soccer (futbol) so today we bought them soccer balls and also for Peter, a soccer uniform, he said he really wanted a uniform. We are relying on our facilitator/translator to help us and they have been great! We now have a driver, George is his name and today was our first day with him. We all have to cram into his sedan, but it works. Darla if you are reading this you know what I mean about all the stuff that goes on here in Ukraine!! Everyone here speaks Russian and fashion is of the utmost importance!! Women dress to kill and the skirts are short and the heels are high(I mean 5-6 inches) A lot of the women look like Russian models. Our flat is too small but we will survive and Ukrainians don't have dryers. All clothes are hung dry! We are soooo spoiled in America. Tomorrow is Derek's birthday. Not sure what we will do. We have to be at the notary again tomorrow and then off to see the boys. Viktor likes cards so we have a deck of cards to take to him. He had a keychain in his pocket today but he didn't know what it was and a few cards (playing). They have so little so what they have is important. All the teenagers at Peter's place loved using their minmal English skills on Savannah. They called to her"What is your name" and finally enticed her to come over and they all bombarded her and talked and brought her a few gifts. It was very endearing. She wil bring them a gift tomorrow. Ukrainians are very relational even though they do not hug! So the boys hugging us is wonderful and they are getting better at it and used to it! We will spend another night at the missionary( Olivia and David's) tomorrow for dinner. Oh, I'll let them know it is Derek's birthday. Oh, also one thing a few of the administrators can't understand why we want to adopt because we already have children. Derek explained to them the calling that God put on our hearts and how the Bible talks about caring for orphans!! You never see families with kids our kids' age together it is strange. They are paying people to have babies because their birth rate is negative.

Blessings and Lord Willing talk to you soon!!

WOW! Much has happened since we have arrived in Ukraine and this is the first time we have had internet access! We are now at some missionary friend's house we met the first day in Kharkiv. Our flight went well. After a two hour wait to get through customs, we gathered our luggage and went out into the Kiev terminal. A thirty something guy with a shaved head introduced himself as Yuri, our escort. He wisked us and our luggage into his little car (Skota). Yuri took us to our flat. It was spacious and modern. We were exhausted from the long flight.

After a good nights sleep, Yuri picked us up for our appointment with the State Dept. Of Adoption, SDA. Yuris introduced us to Sergei . Sergei works with Orphan's Hope and he would be our translator. He explained how things would work during the appointment and told us a little about who they were going to be showing us. He really encouraged us to be open to the possiblity of adopting 3 children. He speaks very good english. When we got into the appointment room, 2 ladies talked with Sergei in Ukrainian and we just smiled. They showed us 5 sets of siblings. The first profile was of 2 boys 8 & 9 and were just adorable. We learned a bit about them and all agreed that we liked them. We proceeded to see the rest of the profiles, 2 of which had 3 children. It was time to narrow it down and Sergei and the ladies left the room for us to have a discussion. Everyone agreed that the boys were our favorite and we had a connection with them. Also, we prayed quickly before they came in for our final decision. So they called the orpahanage to find out more about the kids, but no one answered. So we left the appointment and felt so excited about our newest kids/brothers!

Now we had to wait for the referral to go to the orphanage city to see the kids. Late the next day we were at the flat and Yuri came pounding on the door and said "pack up its time to go!!!"
Yuri planned for us to go in a Lincoln Navigator with a driver, Nicolai. The city closest to the orphanage city is Kharkiv, a city in eastern Ukraine of 2 million and 20 miles from the Russian border. We left Kiev at 8pm and didn't get here in Kharkiv till 4am. Our flat is small but close to the city square.

Nicolai picked us up at 9am and we were seriously lacking sleep, but he took us to this great cafe with yummy espresso. Sitting there in a daze we noticed 3 ladies were speaking english and they noticed us and proceeded to tell us they were missionaries and they would love to help us while we are here! They gave us their numbers and we were off to see the boys!!

This whole trip the Lord has been so evident to us, just taking care of us, answering every prayer we have uttered. Just like now I am blogging from the missionaries house (flat) we worshiped with them at had the Lord's supper. There are 3 families that have arrived together in Ukraine for mission work, the last year they have been learning Russian (they only speak Russian here) and then they will start to plant churches. It was such a blessing to hear God's word preached and fellowship with the saints!!

For one year we have been praying that the kids we adopted would be in a small orphanage where they would be getting good care, and prayed for their caretakers. God is soooo good the boys come from a small little town where everyone rides bikes and the orpahange is very nice and clean, you could eat off the floor!! There are only 63 kids at this place with beautiful grounds. The staff was so friendly and showed us all around. The doctor filled us in on their health. All of the ladies said they love these boys and they just need a stable home. When we finally got to meet the boys it was emotional, for me especially. They showed us how they are learning english by counting to ten and saying a few other words. It was a precious time and we had to go to finish more paperwork.

While we are here in Kharkiv we have a local lady, Tatiana who is our translator helping us. Tomorrow (Monday August 17) we will start the official paperwork for the adoption and will be able to see them twice a day. Sergei will be here tomorrow to help us with all the documents.

So our prayer request is for the boys to feel a connection to us and have a desire to be in our family!!

Thank you everyone for all your prayers!!!!!!!! The Carlson's have felt the Lord caring for us during this amazing adventure! We love Ukraine!!

I'll be able to post now and will update tomorrow.

Blessings,

Lana