Quick update before bed...

We finally received the key documents we have been waiting for to travel back to Kyiv...the kids' passports.  Since our last post it was business as usual up through Tuesday.  Tuesday morning Luda called the passport office at 9 am to see if our passports had arrived.  The office told us that they had not yet received any passports from Kyiv and to call back at 1 pm.  Heather and I went to visit the boys with a new driver because Misha had prior appointments.  We did not go to see M as we usually do instead we returned to the apartment.  Luda called the passport office again and we were informed that our passports were here.  YEAH!

We scampered to get all of our care packages together for the orphanages and the new clothes for the kids.  Our pickup schedule had to be compressed in order to make our 7:05 pm flight to Kyiv.  We first picked up M.  Her orphanage was undergoing an inspection and her dormitory was quarantined so we were not allowed to even see her groupa for the last time.  We completed the required paperwork and left our goodies for the groupa and left to get the boys. 

The process took a little longer at the boys' orphanage largely because there were two sets of paperwork.  As we were leaving the boys orphanage to pick up the passports Luda received a phone call.  Bad news.  Another American family's passports had been mistaken for ours.  There would be no flight for us tonight.  Everyone was let down.  The kids had been excited to fly on an airplane, Luda was excited to go home and we were excited to be one step closer to home.  Waiting for an hour and a half at the Inspector's office added insult to injury but at least we had our kids now!

Our first night as a family was good.  The kids were so excited to receive their new clothes and see our apartment.  They liked their PJ's so much that they put them on at 7 pm although they wouldn't go to sleep for another couple of hours.  Each of the boys acted out a few times especially around sleep time.  Mama and Papa slept on the floor because we have no extra beds and we didn't expect to be in Simferopol another night.  Flash forward to 6:30 am, 3 sets of eyes spark to life and stomachs start to growl.  Breakfast of hardboiled eggs, bread and leftover chicken placate the little ones for a couple of hours.  We are anxiously awaiting a call from the passport office.  While we waited for the passports we took our first family walk together along the river.  It was a long and peaceful walk and the kids were tired and hungry when we returned.  Pizza and sliced tomatoes and bread sprung them to life again. 

At 3 pm we received the call we were waiting for.  The passports were here.  Unfortunately the night flight to Kyiv was sold out.  We'll have to wait until the 7 am flight tomorrow.  We will be on track to fly home on Saturday, the 21st, if we can get to the Embassy by 12 pm tomorrow.  We should land with enough time to accomplish that.  The kids keep asking when we are going to America and get super-excited when we tell them "Soon."  The orphanages both, did an excellent job of preparing the kids for the next steps in the journey.  We have had no problems so far and I have my fingers crossed that we won't have any more. 

See you all Saturday at home!