Home and Happy!!!

Hello Everyone!
We arrived home on Tuesday, September 15 just in time for Savannah and Andrew to go back to school, an answer to prayer! The boys are in heaven as they explore their new home. They have been sleeping in their new beds(bunk)very well and for the most part the transition has been very good. I am ever so thankful to be home again with my husband and Luke and to have Derek parent with me these two extra Carlsons. As we start from scratch with basic training up in the Lord I have felt the prayers of the saints. It has been amazing to see how the Lord has carried us all the way back to America! Thank you all so much for your prayers on our behalf and I know we will need them all the more as we transition here at home! I'll post more later, don't have the time now.

Praise God and God Bless America!!

Lana

Got Passports, Train to Kiev Tomorrow

We have the boys passports and we are leaving tomorrow on the train to Kiev! In Kiev on Monday the boys will have medical exams and go to American Embassy for Visas. It is possible we could fly home as soon as Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. I can hardly believe we are this close, I felt it would never happen!!! I miss my family and friends so much and this is the toughtest transition time for us all. We spent the day at our missionary friends house and Denyce appreciated the company as her husband Rob is out of town. So we will say goodbye to this place we called home for almost 5 weeks and amazed at how the Lord has been merciful to us and answered the many, many prayers even being able to leave right when school starts!! I can't wait to see my husband and son and the rest of my family and friends!!!!!! My sweet daughter and son have been such an incredible blessing and I can't imagine doing this alone. I might not have internet service in Kiev so this could be my last post. So if you don't hear from me that is why!!

Again, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your prayers, encouragement and comments! I look forward to them at the end of my day.

Pray for me to be able to get tickets to fly home for all of us.

Blessings in Christ,

Lana

Waiting For Passports

Trying to find things to do to pass the time as we wait for passports. Once we get them, off to Kiev by train, then medical exams and American Embassy for visas and Lord willing, fly home on Wednesday September 16!!! After a long, hot day at the zoo, our missionary friends Rob and Denyce called and invited us over for dinner. This is how the Lord is sustaining me. I was sooooo thankful as our flat is two rooms and it is hard to keep them preoccupied with only a few things to do and the language barrier doesn't help, but the boys are using more english words. George hasn't gotten back to me on tutoring, so that has been a bummer. Anyway, the much needed encouragement of being with english speaking Christians, who speak Russian and can talk with my boys was the boost I needed. We visited and the boys played with all the toys and seemed to be content. We took the metro home, all by myself, with help from Rob's directions! Today we will spend the day at Rob and Denyce's!! I am so happy about the plan!! Tatiana will call me today if the passports are ready, we have been praying it will be so. If not, they will be ready on Monday and we will leave for Kiev on Tuesday and hopefully arrive home on Friday September, 18!

Thank you sooooo much for your comments and prayers, I look forward to them as they bring me to tears, longing for home and all my family and friends.

Please pray for perseverance and expedition of paperwork!!!!!!

I love you all and can't wait to see you!

Lana

Officially Ours!!

WOW! What a busy day started at 7 am and went to Zolochev to get papers from court, then to Dgergichev to get birth certificate for Peter and then to Kharkiv for Viktor's birth certificate then to about 5 different departments for other various things then on to Zolochev to pick up boys! As we arrived the boys were at the door
in their new outfits, they were so cute-no longer orphans, but American boys!!!!! I signed lots of papers and gave the Director chocolates and cookies and juice for the children and said farewell! It was emotional saying goodbye to the caregivers and some of them cried as they said goodbye to the boys, but everyone was also joyful!!

After we left orphanage we had to apply for passports and get passport photos and photos for Visa. Kharkiv is a big city of 1 1/2 million and the traffic was horrendous, but we were able, with God's help, to get it all achieved and all our paperwork went to Kiev on the 11pm train last night!! This will enable us to be able to go to Kiev possibly this weekend and have medical exams on Monday and American Embassy on Tuesday and fly out Wednesday. If not, hopefully flying home on Friday next week! Please pray that our passports will be done this Friday.

Back to yesterday, sorry for the jumbled entries but all the kids are up and trying to get this done. We capped off the night at McDonalds at about 8pm. They were so excited to have Happy Meals, they have only been there once. Before we headed to our flat they played on the toys at McDonald's. I was so tired and had a splitting headache. Ukrainians don't stop for food so we went all day in about 90 degree temps with no water or food and no air conditioning. The boys were so hyper and into everything when we got here to our flat. They would not settle down. Finally after about 200 no's and very firm demeanor they got into bed but would not go to sleep until I got into bed with them. I hardly slept a wink, but they did!!

Anyway, happy to have that day over!! George will come tomorrow and tutor and today I am getting these kids out of here to go to the zoo!

Please pray for Peter's eye (infection) I got antibitics last night for him. Also we need prayer for expedition for passports and for me to parent these little ones in a way that pleases the Lord and will be affective for them and Us!!

Love in Christ,

Lana

I will fix pictures tomorrow!!!

Last Night At The Orphanage!

Today the boys asked a lot of questions about what we will do tomorrow. This is their last night at the orphanage! They seem excited to go with us tomorrow. Tatiana, our facilitor, said I couldn't take Sav and Drew tomorrow so they will spend the day at Rob and Denyce's(missionaries).George has never had banana bread so Savannah will make him her killer banana bread over at Denyce's. Our day will start early, 7:00am- that's early for us here in Ukraine. First, we will head to Zolochev(orphanage town) for some papers and then to Dgergachev where one of the boys was born and then to Kharikiv where the other was born for birth certificates. The new birth certificates will have Derek and I as their parents! Isn't that crazy? Then back to Zolochev to pick up boys and take them to apply for passports and get their photos!!! This will be an all day adventure traveling at least 150 mies. Today we took them their own outfits to wear tomorrow,as I have said before,the clothes they wear are owned by the orphanage. Also, we brought 2 backpacks with us, one of them we bring with us everyday. I told Viktor he could have the pack we have brought everyday, it is Drew's pack and it looks brand new,( 2 yrs old LL BEAN lizards all over it)he has taken ownership of the pack& that is goodasthey haven't seemed to respect gifts very much. I told them we would be doing some fun things as we wait for the passports to be processed(one week), like going to McDonald's. They have only been once when they were in the orphanage in Kharkiv last year. So today they said, "Can we go to McDonald's tomorrow?" Of course!! I can't think of a time when I will be this happy to take my children to McDonald's!! There are many things to do here and George said he will be glad to help us. So the plan is for him to tutor in our flat in the mornings for one hour and then off to the park etc. Here in Kharkiv they have a Dolphinariam that's what they call it. It is a show with Dolphins and also they have a large zoo.

Peter has pink eye or an infection that has made his eye all red and puffy. They are treating it somehow, but it has gotten worse. I told George that he needs antibiotics and he said they wouldn't give this to him until a last resort. I can't wait for Dr. Crawford to take a look at him. When we arrived today Viktor had caught a mouse and Savannah about lost it!!! She hates mice! I told Viktor what the mice do to the cherry trees during the winter, how they eat the roots and kill the trees. I explained that we have to spread poison to help control the mice population and protect the trees. Viktor said I will help Derek spread the poison. These are all signs of him bonding to our family. Both the boys sit close to me and they seem more and more like they fit right in with us. Viktor loves Savannah, he is always enticing her to chase him.

All I can say is the Lord is so good to His people and we are so blessed to be able to bring these boys home with us as new members of our family!!

Thank you for your concern and prayers for us!!

Blessings,

Lana

Under The Weather A Bit

Hello Everyone! I caught what Peter had and haven't felt very good today, so we didn't see the boys. I asked George to let the orphanage know. They don't use the word "orphanage" in Ukraine. It is called a children's house. They always look at you strange when you say orphanage. Russian cannot be completely translated word for word into english. I asked George(our driver) to tutor the boys next week while we are here in the flat waiting for the passports. He was delighted to do so! I am so happy. George is really good with the boys and I will write down some phrases that the boys will need once we leave that they can be working on. The American dollar is going up, it is almost 9 to 1. When we arrived it was 8 ghrivnas to 1 dollar. The economy is not very good here in Ukraine. Hence, we continue to enjoy low cost meals for dinner!!!
Another thing we are loving is chocolate-especially Drew! European chocolate is the best! So tomorrow the boys will spend their last night as orphans!!! Praise the Lord! We cannot wait to bring them home. Some of our conversations lately with George have been about Washington state. I am so thankful for the beautiful place in which we live, actually the amazing country we call our own. Our friendship has grown with George and I am convincing him to visit us. He says he misses Derek and Luke too! So my point is, I have been intentionally trying not to think about home ,so as to avoid homesickness, but as we started to tell George about all things we would show him when he visits, I longed for USA!
Many of you have not been able to post a comment-sorry about that! When I followed other people's blogs I had the same problem. I kept on trying and sometimes it would finally work. Blogger must have a problem with this. Thanks Carole,Tracy and Julia for your comments and also Sandi!!! Love you all and I am so thankful for the people the Lord has blessed our family with!! Tuesday, September 8 is the transition date and the first night they will spend with us-Please pray for them as they leave what they have known for 2 years and become Carlson's!

Blessings,

Lana

Only 3 More Days!

Yesterday we didn't see boys because our driver had a wedding. We did laundry, played games and took a walk to the square and also a sroll through the park. Andrew found a playground and also met some new friends. One of the boys could speak english and invited Drew to play with them. It started to rain so we headed back, but not before we stopped to pick up items for dinner. At a little store on the main street we bought fresh veggies and fruits. Four zucchini, 8 cucumbers, 5 bananas, 1 liter of 100% nectarine juice, 6 tomatoes and 1 packet of seasoning all for under three dollars! We cooked up some penne pasta, fresh basil, fresh tomato, salami, olive oil and some seasoning and voila! this along with a cucumber salad and it was a delicious northwest dinner!! It tasted so delicious as you cannot buy anything in restaurants like this. Europeans go to the market everyday to buy fresh bread and a few items they need for dinner. I can understand as they don't bake like we do and so many here in Kharkiv live in apartment buildings up several floors without elevators. Couldn't really go to Costco and back up your car to the building and take 10 trips up and down. The boys seem more like mine everyday. Drew played hide and seek for hours with them outside. On Tuesday, September 8 after we get their new birth certificates and passport applications done, we will take them with us forever!!!!!! Viktor has been so happy as he plays and spends time with us. Peter seems to be bonding a bit more. I know that it is the prayers of so many people for us here in Ukraine that is making the difference in this amazing journey of adoption. I never would of thought 5 years ago that we would be doing this....amazing! Thank you, thank you everyone for your support and love. Can't wait to bring these precious boys home.

Blessings,

Lsna

Countdown to September 8!

We are just counting down the days until Tuesday Sept 8 when we'll get birth certificates, apply for passports and pick up the boys at the orphanage!!! They will stay with us for the first time on Tuesday evening and we'll stay for another week waiting for the passports to be processed. Please pray for an easy transition for all of us! Tonight we spent the evening at Lucy and Mike's(one of the missionary families) house for a small group time. How wonderful to sing God's word and be around all their cute kids! They also sang songs in Russian while we just observed. The windows were open so hopefully neighbors could hear the singing in their language! Peter is better. Some of the othere kids in the orphanage are sick now. I'm praying we all stay well. More trips to the snack shack for Drew as Viktor cheered him on! Tonight we borrowed Dominoes from Lucy and we will take that for us to play with the boys. Thanks for your comments! Especially hearing from Darla was exciting!! Can't wait to talk to you!!

Blessings love you all!!

Lana

Cold and Rainy....Again!

It sure doesn't feel like Wenatchee with the weather- it is cold and rainy still here in Ukraine. Just another day in the orphanage visiting with Viktor. Peter is still sick with fever and sore throat. No more texting for us. AT&T didn't put us on the international plan like I set up before we left, so our bill is way too much and Derek is working with them to get it all figured out!!

Tatiana told us today she is working like crazy to get us to Kiev by Sept 15 and we'll have to be there for 3 days before flying home. Tuesday Sept 8 we'll obtain the birth certificates and apply for passports and pick up the boys at the orphanage!!!!!! They will spend the night with us for the first time! Derek and I thought about sending Savannah and Drew home on Sept 10, our original return date, but Derek really didn't feel comfortable doing it. So, they will remain here with me and continue to be my support.(Plus I love being with my kids) I have 2 full sets of clothes for the boys and one pair of shoes for each of them. The clothes in small shops and markets are of low quality so I didn't want to spend too much money on them but I will have to buy more as we will be here in Kharkiv for one week and a few days in Kiev. They won't be taking anything with them from orphanage, they don't own anything. We will have to bring clothes with us on Tuesday to pick them up. Some orphanages have going away parties for children, but I'm not sure if that will happen here. When we come to visit we stay out of the way and under the radar. Drew went on his cookie buying adventure across the street and Viktor now expects it! That is okay as we like to bring the boys a little something everyday. Peter asked for a tablet and pen so we brought those for the boys today. Viktor immediately started drawing. The boys are very close, which I'm very thankful. Viktor was in and out of the sick room where Peter was today. Viktor talked to Derek and he was so happy-he wasn't shy at all he took the phone and said, "Derrrek, Derrrek!(with his Russian accent-rolling of the R's)I told Viktor what to say in english and he copied me! He is getting to know more english words but it is still very hard to communicate without a translator. Yea for George our driver/translator! For any families waiting to adopt from Ukraine I would love to communicate via email or telephone! Leave your email on our blog and I will get back to you.
This is such an amazing journey that we have been on and I am humbled by God's grace to us while here in Ukraine. We have been overwhelmed by the wonderful people who have made this experience unforgettable. I pray that many would submit to the calling of adoption as there are so many precious children that need mommies and daddies here is Ukraine. Please pray for Peter to get well and the processing of our passports goes very fast!!!

Blessings,

Lana

Cold and Rainy!!

Our visit with the boys was very good today. They are getting more comfortable around us all the time. UNO and I Spy books continue to be the games of choice! Viktor talked like crazy today using some english but mostly in Russian. When George isn't around we can still communicate a little. Across the street from the orphanage is a little shack, and I mean a shack. Two days ago we found out it was a little shop that sells cookies, ice cream, chips etc. Drew got ice cream for everyone yesterday and today Viktor said, "Andrew cookies please", so of course Drew went down to the snack shack and bought .25 cents worth of cookies which was enough for 5 people to have several cookies each. Food is very inexepensive here. When we came back after lunch Peter had spiked a fever of 102! We stayed outside (that is what we do everyday)unless it starts to rain, which today it did-it poured! Viktor said he wanted to talk to Derek, I had promised to call Derek today, so we tried and only got voicemail. Viktor left a message. It was so cute to hear him talk in english. Actually, we tried Derek at home first and Viktor talked to Luke for a minute. My mom helped Luke move from his room into the guest room! Luke's old room has bunkbeds so it will work perfect for the boys! Apparently Luke loves his new room! Thanks Mom!! Peter's fever came down with some medicine and he seemed to be doing fine, but I decided to get us out of there-I want to stay well!!

We picked up some beautiful lilies for the Director today as it was my, "Please forgive my boys." They boys took apart the squishy, stretchy spiders we brought them and proceeded to throw them on the ceiling. It is really fun because the stuff sticks to walls. They made a mess so we are banned from giving them anything. She was very happy about the floweres and gave me a hug and kiss. She personally decorated and designed this orphanage and it is very nice. I wasn't too happy with this behavior but I already have 2 other boys and just like Drew said one time, "It just looked like so much fun", after the question, "What were you thinking?" Viktor and Peter have only one more week there.

This is the timeframe for our departure:
September 5th- 10 day waiting period is over, but can't get boys until we get new birth certificates which won't happen until office is open Tuesday, Sept. 8 and apply for passports hopefully on that day. It will take at least one week for passports. Leave for Kiev after get passports and have medical exams and visit to American Embassy- all fly home!!! So please pray for passports to be ready soon as possible.

I really look forward to comments from everyone!!! They keep me uplifted and going!!

Thanks Annette,Lori, Mom and Natalie! Also, Lori thanks for having Derek and Luke over and Mom for taking care of Derek and Luke too. Love you all so much!

Lana