getting closer!

A week from today we will be flying in the same country as Sophie and Ben. Finally. and I can hardley wait!

thanks patrick

patrick from Golden rule got us pretty darn decent fares with no change fee. in fact it is EXACTLY the flight I wanted minus the change fees if we need to change dates. We tried finding fares online and it was very annoying because you would be quoted a fare and then when you say buy this ticket they would say this ticket has gone up in price. EVERY SINGLE TIME! so the 1000 dollar ticket suddenly became a 4000 dollar ticket! that is just wrong!!! several sites did this to us. We contacted gotorussia.com who we used for our last adoption 5 years ago. they were supposed to get back to us and as yet havent. so again I say THANK YOU PATRICK AT GOLDEN RULE TRAVEL. the flight does not leave msp until a little later in the morning AND it gets into my destination city at a decent hour as well. and on the way back we wont land here in MSP at 10pm or midnight. Home is a good two hours from the airport. so getting in, exhausted, at midnight then trying to drive home wouldnt be pretty. this works out much better. we would be driving in daylight hours. that helps.

so tickets? CHECK!
on to packing!
and buying!
and preparing!

I realize now that there is a lot of waiting

even when you think that you are done waiting there is more waiting to be done. Until they are home safe and sound you wait. first you wait for the homestudy to be done, for the background checks, for the dossier documents, for the BCIS(or whatever moniker they go by these days) then you wait for dossier to arrive in country. wait fot them to be submitted. wait for a date. wait for someone to get back to you about flight schedules. wait another week to travel. then get there and wait a few more days to see them. wait to come home. wait to go back again. wait to finish up all the loose ends. wait to travel home again. and then. THEN! FINALLY! You have what you have been waiting on for so long. You have your children, all of them, your family, your home, your pets, your cars, your LIFE. and you forget all the "labor pains" and waiting.....until the next time. I KNOW there were lots of waiting times when we adopted in the past. but somehow, like labor pains, I just cant seem to remember them. or they just dont seem as excruciating as the waiting is this time. I am sure at the time, it was incredibly difficult to wait. this time we are so much wiser, but yet the waiting is the hardest part.

I can not believe I am about to be a Mama again. Eric is about to be a Daddy again. I taught Ethan to say brother in Russian. so he can tell Ben they are brothers. he really got into that. these kids are SO LOVED and SO WANTED!! but I do not wait well. You would think by now I would have learned how.

crazy crazy crazy crazy

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

this is so crazy! I have so many things to do I dont even know what to do first. so I thought "hey I know! I'll blog awhile!" so here is where are. besides crazy. Got a date of the 8th. which means I will miss #1 son's 15th birthday on the 11th. darn. But we can have birthday before or after. he isnt a sentimental kind of kid, now my daughter on the other hand would probably break out in tears at the thought of missing her birthday(even though it isnt really MISSING it ist just MOVING the celebration!) so anyways back to the plan. We have two different agencies working on tickets for us to see what we can come up with. planning to leave 5th or 6th and return home 22ish. depending on when court is. Lydia had court just about a week after meeting the kids. so if THAT happens that way coming home 22nd works out fine. but of course all is at the mercy of the country as we all know.

so things I need to do. too many to think about. = )
this weekend we need to butcher the chickens.
cancel boys eye appt on the 22.
cancel campground reservations since we wont be camping laborday we will be
flying instead(in labor to have two children!)
pack my bag
get an adapter for plugging laptop
get a computer cover-neoprene sleeve
find someone to care for the cats
buy snacks (do international flights feed you anymore?)
still would like one more outfit
remember to pack the toys and photo albums.
oh and taxes, find copies of those.
and of course you know that we live in the middle of NOWHERE and have to drive an HOUR at least to get to a store to get what I need.
OH!! call orthodontist for toothbrushes he promised to send
family reunion luncheon this weekend(when I should be butchering chickens)
and probably a million other things I cant think of right now.
oh yes, camera, pack camera!! and get new mem card!!

advice? thoughts? what to pack/not pack? planning to pack light, I figure 4 bottoms, 4 tops gives me 16 outfits and a dress four court. Trying to keep it to a large backpack I have.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE



did you get that? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. september 8. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

ohmygosh that is little over a week away!! talk about short notice!!

well its Wednesday and I still havent heard anything. nothing. nada. zippo. zilch. Just a whole bag of zero. gosh sometimes the wait is unbearable! and I am pretty close to having a temper tantrum here!! (will it help at all if I do? probably not. sigh)

I will just keeeeeep waiting.

hoping for news soon!! sick with anticipation!!!