Saturday, Sunday and Monday

Well, there has not been much to report since court on Friday.  Luda headed back to Kyiv on the train Friday afternoon, so we have been using hand signals and writing some things down to communicate with the orphanage personnel and the locals.

Saturday and Sunday we did our weekend visiting routine, which includes going to see Aidan and Callan from 10-12 and then Mollie from 12:30 to around 3.  It has gotten much, much colder recently, so we've had to play indoors during our time with the kids.  The boys have a lot of energy, so we have to amuse them inside with puzzles and crafts.  Mollie is on an extended fall break because of the Swine Flu (4 weeks), so some of her groupa plays with us and we do crafts or puzzles.  Mollie, Andrew and I skyped Assumpta and Charlie (Andrew's parents) on Saturday from the orphanage.  It was cute, but I am not sure if she entirely understood what was going on.  Saturday after visiting with Mollie, Andrew said "I really could eat McDonalds".   I said sure and told Misha (our driver) McDonalds.  I thought it was an universal language all on its own.  Apparently not.  I had to call Luda and tell her to tell Misha to take us to McDonalds. I must have been saying it a bit too Americanized or something.....McDonalds was a MADHOUSE.  It is right beside the train station and everyone must have been traveling on Saturday afternoon.  No place to sit.  We had to eat outside and it was very, very cold.  Oh well, it tasted great!!

Sunday we visited with the kids.  The boys seem more and more reluctant to go back to the groupa after our time together.  They try and run away when we are walking to their rooms at the orphanage.  Callan likes to go limp and melt like a puddle on the ground.  I try to pick him up and explain we will be back tomorrow and that we love him (ya te-ba lu-blu).  We get to pick them up from the orphanages next Tuesday, so hopefully that time passes quickly and we can be a family and get them started on the Hirschmann Family Routine.  Mollie continues to be loving and gives big hugs and kisses to Mama and Papa.  Especially when she is in front of her groupa.  We stopped at the Supermarket on the way home and Misha dropped us off.  We unpacked the groceries and headed out to Pizza Celetano.  Today I had a pizza with cheese, mushrooms, tomato, and green pepper.  It was crispy and cheesy and delicious.  Andrew was courageous and got cheese and salami.  He said the salami tasted like deer bologna (we all know Heather did not try it).

Today it is really cold and was actually flurrying.  Today we started our weekly routine of visiting Mollie from 2-4 and the boys from 4-6.  The lobby was really cold at Mollie's orphanage, so we were invited to play in her groupa's area.  The caretakers left and I used that time to take a few pics of her living quarters.  From 2-4 is naptime for Mollie's groupa so all the kids were sleeping (or pretending to sleep) except for Mollie.  I am amazed that 7-8 year olds take naps from 2-4 in the afternoon.  School in the USA won't be having siestas.  We looked at pics on the computer and shared our picture book with some of the other caretakers who were around. 

The boys visit started out a little crazy.  The assistant orphanage director brought the kids to the playroom from their groupa, but Aidan was crying.  When she brought them in, Aidan walked away into a corner and Andrew went and picked him up.  He really started crying and the assistant director came back and took him back to his groupa.  Apparently, she had made him wear the wrong sweatshirt and he was upset.  He seems to have a fetish with certain clothes and constantly tucks his shirt in and gets all upset when his tights and underwear and two tucked-in shirts all get bunched up and annoy him.  I think he will be happy to have some properly fitting underwear when we pick him up from the orphanage and when we go home.  I think Grandma H is picking up undies, t shirts and socks for the kids (yay, no more tights, especially pink tights with flowers on them).  We bought some balloons and watched a bit of the movie Cars on the laptop.  That held their attention for most of the time.

We headed home and prepared Andrew's Greek salad and spaghetti with marinara and sausages.  It seems like our appetites are finally back.

You asked for pics of the Simferopol, so here are a few.  I get worried about looking like a tourist (even though I know we do) and taking pictures of everything.

Nice building near our apartment

Park across the street from our apartment - Remembering those killed in Afghanistan

St. Nicholas, under construction

Pedestrian only street with TWO Pizza Celetanos!