Friday September 4, 2009

Hi everyone,
Its been so long since I have been able to blog it feels weird. So I am sure most have heard by now but Jeff and Madison are leaving around 9PM ET ( 4AM Ukraine time) for the airport in Kiev to start the journey home. Finally the journey to bring our angel home has arrived. When we title the blog we probably didn't see it as a journey but gosh what a wonderful journey it has been.
Webster defines the word JOURNEY: as something suggesting travel or passage from one place to another As I reflect back to the beginning the journey symbolized the actual act of traveling to the Ukraine to get Nina. Just zoom over there meet some people, pay some money , sign some papers, make her love us and zoom home back to normal life...wow I should have really read the definiton before. Our journey has taken us to a place Jeff and I have never been before as a married couple not just in the since of to new places but as a couple who since before we were married having always had Josh we got to experience things other couples did before children, that was nice. I got use to it to tell you the truth. Even though during the day we had Madison we still had alot of time to just be a couple and talk and laugh and just be relaxed with each other. Our Journey also took us from one place in our life to another. The place we were at was lets raise these children and get one with our lives the place we are at now is lets watch our children grow up and make our life in which they always want to share it with us. Then the Madison journey...wow Jeff Gordan has taken us on so many car journey's to get this little girl. The trip to the sea to meet her, the trip to Madison's home town to seperate her from her previous family, the trip to Yalta to give her a day at the beach, the many trips to the courthouse, the trips to the orphanage and finally the trip to the airport to leave. There has been so many obstabcles that have been placed in front of us and times when we really thought our hearts were physcially breaking if we ask ourself was it worth it and would we do it again absolutely we are going to.. we have a little girl still there so our job is not done and she begged Jeff to not forget her and please come back so no matter what we will be back to get her. Jeff's heart broke as he left the orphanage for the last time saying goodbye to Tonya and watching Madison cry as she left her siblings and friends it truly was bittersweet. Jeff and I will never be the same people we were when we left and for that I am thankful. It has made us softer and more apprecitative and able to prioritized the important things in life and truly disregard the things that are trival and unimportant. So I ask for prayers for safe travel as Jeff and Madison arrive home. I also want to say thank you for your emails and comments many days it was those correspondenses that kept our heads held up. They will arrive on Sat at 5:23 pm and all is welcome to come to the airport to welcome them.

I also thought I would give a total talley of the Dziedzic's at 1011 Gagel it is
1 Dad (Papa)
1 Mom
3 Sons
2 Daughters ( 1 legal 1 pending)
1 Daughter in Law
1 Pending Daughter in Law ( just waiting on the invite from Trev)
1 Grandson ( Eli)
4 Dogs
1 Cat
2 Chincilla's
= 17
Wow.....Christmas is sounding expensive but fun this year...
Love
Jeff , Donna, Madison, Josh, Trevor, Zach, Allison, Tonya and Diane

Thursday |September 3rd

Ok dont be to judgemental Im on a computer in a internet cafe and the keyboard is in Russian and something else.We went to the poassport office on wensday and they told us it was there but we would have to come back at 5:55 and if they could get it signed we could have it if not tommorow. Well we got and it has been a mad dash ever since, finished packing run by Gargarina and tell Tonya goodbye and Madisons brother and run to the airport. Well not even the airport was without chaos, we arrived and tryed to checked in and our flight was supposed to be from Simferopol to Kiev but they had us going from kiev to Simferopol, try to explain that with a language barrier. Thank goodness for Oksana and Donna, I had to walk away it was about all I could take. We finally boarded our flight at 9:10 and arrived in Kiev safley and by the time we found our apartment and got to bed it was 12:30 and we had to meet Gayla at 7:30. We have been to the U.S Embassey and completed our paperwork and have a meeting were we should recieve the last thing we need before we can travel. So if all goes well 24 hours from now we will be booking flights for Saturday morning and we will finally be out of here. I do not have the luxury of internet in my apartment so the blog will be slow. I will be turning it over to Donna and she can keep everyone up to date on our travels. It is hard to believe that we will have Madison home in a little over 48 hours. She enjoyed the flight to kiev, she has never flown and she really likes Kiev. Well that is all I have for now I will see everyone at home soon. (I hope)
Love
Jeff and Madison

Tuesday September 1st

WOW four days till opening of deer bow season in my great state of Kentucky. If you told me I would not be back in time for that when I was getting ready for this trip I would have laughed at you. And here it is! Well today was another eventfull day, the passport did not show up,SURPRISE SURPRISE!!!! How do you write that so it sounds like Gomer Pile? Well like I said no passpot, but they recieved something today, THE CEILING! The ceiling feel in on the passport office, can you belive that one. In all of the Crimea there is one lady, one office, and the ceiling falls on it, the computer, the desk, camera and all. I would have paid good money too see that, I have allready paid good money I just wish I got to see the show. Well I am keeping the faith because I not only have God on my side I have two women who can do anything and they are Galya and Oksana, if there is a way to deal with it they will. I dont even ask I just sit there and shut up because I know they will figure it out. When I first heard of the ceiling incedent I was on the phone with Oksana while I visited Tonya and I said how are you today and she said a little worried. Now when Oksana says a little worried I get concerned because she does not get to wound up over much but when we got done talking about the ceiling she was laughing. I dont know how this one will work out but I bet it will be good. God must have bigger and obviously longer plans on me staying in Ukraine. By staying longer I did get to see two sweet little girls leave Gargarina and we went out and had dinner to celebrate. They will be living in California. I have become freind with their new parents and they are great people, they may even be moving to Kentucky with his job. He had to go home a week ago because of work and since, he has had some health issues that are really taking a toll on him. He does not know the extent of his condition but the doctors are concerned as is his wife, who is still here in Ukraine. So if you will please say a prayer for Ron and his family, he needs it right now and so does his wife with traveling home with two new daughters and alot on there minds. I will keep you up to date about Ron and his family. I spent the better part of the morning trying to sleep in, that is hard for me to do but I made it to 7:30. Madison and I tried to stay busy and not think about the passport and we left about 1:00 and went to the market, you walk around the market by the time you fight the crowd you burn a good hour. We headed to Gargarina at 2:00 to visit with Tonya and her brother. We left there at 5:45 to go home and get ready for dinner and celebrate Sidney(Ulia) and Riley (Oksana) leaving Gargarina and their new family. We got home and that is the extent of our day I hope tommorow finds us with a passport in hand. (I just went and pryed the remote from my little girl hand and gave her a kiss on the forehead and turned off the tv, thats a first) I pray this find you all well and remember Ron in your prayers.
Love
Jeff, Madison & Tonya

Monday the last day of August

Hey everyone,
It is hard to believe as of today I have been here 55 days and looks like one or two more to go.
No passport as of yet and I have heard nothing, trying to be patient. I have waited 55 days what is a few more hours a or a day or two. We hung out at the apartment the better part of the morning trying to figure out if all this stuff will fit in two bags. Madison has no concept of how they handle your bags and it can be dificult to try and make her understand. We went to Gargarina to let her tell Yauri goodbye he was leaving for school about sixty kilometers away and I wanted her to be with him and the rest of the siblings as much as possible. I would have went sooner but they have been very strict on visitation times. I had asked the caretakers if I could take Tonya and Madisons two brothers about 100 yards down the street to a restraunt that you can see the back door to the kitchen from the front porch of the orphanage and they said absolutely not, I don't understand there thought process sometimes it is difficult to figure. So we stayed there and let everyone visit as long as they could, finally the van pulled up and about 15 boys and girls got in, all have graduated and are going on to what is equivelent to high school, so they go else where for that part of there education. So Madison told her brother good bye and that was sad and of course her other brother was sad because in a few short days he will be there by himself with one year of school before he is reunited with Yauri. We went around back to sit in the shade and visit some more and I noticed four boys I have never seen before, so I watched them and they and four others go over the back wall and come back fifteen minutes later. I watch and a small crowd starts to gather and it is the usual suspect that are allways up to no good. So ten minutes go by and the have 2 large 1.5 liters of beer and are smoking ciggaretts and I think to myself I could not take three kids 100 yards away to eat and there are 15 smoking and drinking on the property and theese people are sitting on there buts allowing it to happen. The longer I sit there mader I got and then Lanna(the Translater) shows up at the wrong time so I take her to the caretakers and ask them if they are going to get off their butts and do there jobs. That is around about what I told Lanna, but I know she would not say that, so who knows what she said but about six women get up and go around and break up the party. Of course the are apologetic because they are emmbarased that some one pointed it out, but I at that point I really did'nt care if they liked it or not. I will probably pay a price for it one day when I come back, but they seem to be as much a part of the problem some times as the ones out doing theese things. There are a lot of good caretakers here that really care about the kids that have a real intrest and will sit and spend time with the kids and then you have the ones that are putting in the time for a paycheck. Those are the ones that tend not to be in your favor because you are taking there job security. I have heard that a couple of times and its hard to keep your mouth shut when you have days like yesterday. Five years ago I would have probably gotten myself in a lot of trouble yesterday, and I may have but nothing like before. It is hard to sit and watch some of theese kids go down the same road their parents did that put them here and they have no idea or they do and dont care. I tried to talk to a handfull afterwards and several really seemed to understand and others laughed it off and walked away. I was told you cant save them all and I know that but it can be hard to watch these kids and see them struggle with the things that get thrown at them. Don't take this the wrong way all these kids are not bad , but there are some and they can drag others down with them. Well I have vented enough and I probably have said way more than I should have, but thoose of you who know me well, know sometime I just dont care and somethings need to be said. Thank you for letting me get thatoff my chest. Hopefully Tuesdays post will be a little more inspiring.
Love
Jeff, Madison & Tonya

August 30 Day at the beach

We got out at 8:30 and picked up Tonya and made the 60KM drive to Sevastopol to the beach. The girls had a great time they would get in the water for an hour and a half at atime. Madison got a little to much sun and Tonya cant get enough. That girl get darker by the min, it is unreal the change in 5-6 hours. I of course got to much myself but that is normal. They had a sunscreen battle. Madison asked Tonya to put some on her back and she squirted a line of cold sunscreen on her and it was on. Before it was over they both were covered and Tonya rolled Madison in the sand and she was as mad as a wet hen. They get along great and I have never seen or heard a cross words, but if it was going to happen I figured this was it. To my suprise she gave her a funny look at headed for the water to rinse off. She came back and they went on with their normal way of giggling and laughing. We had lunch at the beach and left for home at 4:45, we had to get Tonya back at 6:00. Madison and i have a lot to do the next couple days. The new passport should be here Tuesday or Wensday so we have to be ready to get a flight from here to Kiev so we can finish paperwork at the US Embassey and then find a flight home. So we are in the hurry up and wait mode, I am getting good at it. Two month oo it is starting to make me a little crazy. well like I said, it will be shaort and the water and sun has drained me I've got to get to bed.
Love
Jeff ,Madison and Tonya

August 28-2009- Yurai, Madisons Brother

Well it is Friday night once again and as you know I will be missing another game. We play Central Hardin who is a 6A team and we are a 2A we are a 3 point favorite acording to the goofball at CJ. Its a guessing game for thoose guys. GO COLTS.....Well we had another great day, the one and only showed up for work today and did her job so we will have a passport in a few days.(one and only- read yesterdays post) We left out of the passport office and went back to the apartment and made lunch and studyied English, Madison learned a few new words and so did I. I told her what a frown was and she told me alot of words I will never learn. She is all girl no doubt. We really had a good day, we went to Gargarina at 1:00 so I could look at two wash machines that were broke and visit with Tonya. The wash machines were the easy part it was crawling with kids today, I dont know where they are coming from. I have seen in the last 3 days 60 plus kids I have never seen before. School starts next Tuesday . Madison, Tonya and I are sitting there and a group of boys I have never seen walk by and go in and Madison says that is my Brother and I look and he is not the same kid from before, I say that was not Alex and she says no that is Yurai. When I got here we had a referal for Madison and Alex but he is 14 and ran away from school the week before summer break, and from what I hear he does it once or twice a year. Yurai is 16 and he apears to be a good kid, he graduated in May and will be going to State school next Tuesday. When he graduated they would not let him out and made him go to summer camp so he ran away from there 3 or 4 days before we got here. He went to his brothers house who is 19 and stayed with him until it was time to go back to school. These kids have sibling that are in the same home with them and they know they are family but they dont seem to look out for each other like most kids do, Madison knew her brothers were out on the streets the whole time we were here and she never mentioned it or talked about it and if you ask they are not really concerned. If you find a sibling group that has a child that is 3-4 years older than the others it tends to be diffrent but if they are seperated by 1-2 years between each they dont take care of each other as much. It is a diffrent world when you are struggling to survive and exist in a world that is not very Loving or caring. Well I got Lanna the translater and Madison and went and found both brothers because I wanted to meet Yurai and talk to him and Alex, they did not realize Madison was leaving in 4-5 days and I wanted to let them have a chance to talk to her before she is gone. We had a good conversation, Alex and I talk almost daily so it was mostly Yurai and I and he had alot of questions and I asked about a way Madison could communicate with him and he didnt want any part of that at first and by the end of our conversation he gave me his address and seemed eager to hear from us and Madison. It is hard to understand what theese kids feel and go through and what is going on in their minds. After you talk and find out each situation you start understanding why they act the way they do some times. It is a very diffrent world for them and for most the future looks bleak. When I arrived there was a couple sitting on the bench and I did not stop and talk I needed to get to the washing machine before they closed the building. So when I got back and met them I found out they were from Italy, Scicily to be exact and they had a referal for two sisters that didnt really want much to do with them. So I asked the two girls why and they said they are not American, i told them Italy was a great place and a family was the most important thing not where they were going. I stopped and thought abot it and ther has been 5 familys there in the last two months and all were from the U.S. so I guess they thought they needed to go to America. Everyday is a new experience some good some not so good, it has been a long two months and it will take a lot longer to digest all of this. Tomorrow the girls and I are going to act like it vacation time we all need a break so off to the beach, and like I said yesterday the blog will be short and to the point from here till monday.
Love
Jeff , Madison & Tonya

Thursady August 27th waiting and more waiting

This place cracks me up, I thought things at home were crazy but this place has one person and one person only who can process paperwork for a new passport and they sent them out on an errand at 9:00 am and their car broke down so they never made it back to the office. And what makes it all a little crazier is I will apply for the new passport and they send it to Kiev and Kiev will mail it back so I can take it back to Kiev and apply for a visa, See a trend here? There are a half million people or better in Simferopol and they have one person. Well my plans are to head to Keiv early next week and get home by kick off for the rival game against Holy Cross (your heart they dont fire their coach again for a butt kickin ) Cougars. Not to mention it is a home game and that makes it even better, I wil get to see a lot of my freinds and the game, what more could one ask for. Well we have had a good time today, we hung out at the market waiting on one and only passport lady and had lunch out with Tonya and took her back and waited some more and finally said to heck with it and walked back to Gargarina to see Tonya and let Madison visit with some of her friends. They treat her like a movie star or something when we arrive I guess its because they know sooner or later we will show up for the last time and that will be it, and I dont even know when thats going to happen. They gather around her and greet her and finally they spread out and it gets back to normal. I took pictures of Tonya and her sisters today and they are cute little girls they were born 1 year and 4 days apart, last week they both had birthdays, eleven and ten if anyone wants two beautiful girls that need a family. They had a family wanting them and found out there were three and some thing happened. We will adopt Tonya and that should really help their chances. Some people just dont want a older child. Tonya and Madison are inseprable they hang out together all day. This will be our last weekend in the Crimea and we are going to Bakhchysarai(Bachsary) Saturday and the beach in Yevpatoriya(upitoria) Sunday. Saturday will be filled with Castles and a lot of history and a little hikeing from one place to another in the hills.
Sunday will be a lot of fun, I have not told the girls yet or I would never get them to go Saturday.
Monday I will do a little packing to make sure all the stuff will fit in the bags.(this is the part where I need more prayers) My wife likes to shop and so does Madison, enough said. I should have a lot of pictures by Monday and will send them out first of the week, I will update the blog over the weekend but it will be short and to the point because we hope to stay busy so the time will pass.
Love
Jeff, Madison & Tonya

Madison has left Gargarina!

Today was the day, I got up early and Jeff Gordon picked me up, we went to the court house and got the paperwork at headed toward Upitoria. When we got there we sat down with a lady who found her original birth certificate in the register and proceded to change it well about an hour into the process she made a new one and we proofed it and she had the birth month as July and not June, I was about to lose it. Its not that its abig deal for most people but the way thing are here that can be a deal breaker. When I got there they were making a big deal out of the fact that Donna and my marriage license has October 28 as the wedding but it was not registered until November 7 a whole 9 days later. So the had to look at the master book and make phone calls because if that was right and our court papers were wrong......you got it, we go back to court and get all the document changed and that would take at least a week or better. Well they made the mistake and the master had June, so I could start breathing again. I wont sleep good till I get her home and lock the doors. We finally got out at 2:00 and raced back to Simferopol so the minister of law could sign the birth certificate and we could make the changes to her passport.

We finally made it to Gargarina at 5:00, I had not seen the girls all day, I had told them I would be late, but I would be there. When I got there they both were waiting for me with my usual big hugs. We had Madison going away party and she was very happy, they sang and danced and I bought two cakes and juice and they had a good time. Well about 7:30 I said lets go home and she gathered her stuff and was ready in no time, we were out of there. It was sad leaving Tonya but we will be back there in the morning to closeout her file at the orphanage. I will go to Gargarina every day to visit with Tonya so Madison will still see her friends. We came back to the apartment made some dinner checked e-mail and she wanted to watch her tv show and I am beat. This has been one of the greatest experinces of our lives, it can be trying at times but very well worth it when things start coming together and now we are going to do it again with Tonya. We must be crazy, we are crazy, crazy about these kids. I cant wait to get both of them home and get back to a normal life, as normal as it can be with five kids and a grandson on the way.
Madison and I have a lot to do tomorrow so we better cut it short.
Love
Jeff, Madison & Tonya

Tuesday August 25-2009 Glorious Day

Well folk's the MADNESSis over, as of 5:00pm Simferopol time(10:00 am est) no one contested our adoption and we are headed to Eupitoria to get our new birth certificate.......WOW WOW and....WOW... I dont really know what to say. I talked to Oksanna at 4:57 and she had just talked to the judges clerk and all was good and I told Madison to make sure she told all her friends that tonight would be her last night there and she had the biggest and most beautiful smile I have ever seen on her face. Tonya was sitting next to her and they gave each other a big hug. We will be having a PARTY at 5:30 Wensday at Gargarina and then we wil get all her things and off to the apartment. We will apply for a passport and a visa and then we head home. This has been the longest journey Donna and I have ever experienced outside of the normal thing family's do (wedding, pregnancy and anniversaries) in 10 years when Donna and I look back and this time it will seem like 10 minute in comparison to all the memories we will have and the changes that will take place from now till then, but we will never forget the children we met and the lives that have changed. I wish I knew the words that would describe the experince we have had, to spend time with these kid everyday and talk and play,andto see their everyday life, I pray they all end up with a family that will love them, but I know a lot of them wont. Well I have to cut it short I'm back on the road again to Upitoria and lots to do, this time will be more enjoyable than before, I will have more later and I will have some help writing this tommorow night, I can't wait.
Love Jeff, Madison & Tonya

Monday August 24

Today was an ordinary day, walked to Gargarina and got the girls and called a cab because Madison did not want to walk so I gave in and got us a ride. We went to the apartment and droped off the back pack and went to the market and gathered things for lunch and dinner.
We came back and made lunch and the girls ate and went to watch tv while I cleaned up the kitchen. After watching tv for an hour I told them it was time to shower and study English, well the shower was no problem but English is starting to be a little bit of a challenge. Madison is very persnickity (I love that word) about being clean, she never get dirty. Her feet do sometimes but she will stop and wash them, so a shower is no problem. Tonya gives me no problem about the shower either. I finally sat them down to study English and they sat and giggled at each other for a minute or two and for part of the English lesson we called Donna and they talked to her so that works and they dont even realize it. They went back to giggling and watching tv. We ate dinner and got an early start on our walk back to Gargarina and took our time getting there. The girls had ice cream and listened to music on my I-phone on the way. If you would have asked me six months ago if I thought I would ever have little chick music on my I-pod I would have laughed at you. I guess I'm a push over. My boy's are gonna have my butt when I get home! I can hear it now, you were so tough on us and look at you with these girls. That's OK I was raising men not young women so they can handle it, or they better get used to it. Well that's about it for today, twenty four hours from now we will be in the clear, pray the prosecutors don't do anything crazy and 6:00 pm Tuesday comes and goes uneventfully for us and we will be home soon.
Love
Jeff, Madison & Tonya

Idependence Day in Ukraine Aug 23

Well it,s been another WILD weekend in Simpferopol!....HA HA Went to Gargarina this morning at 9:45 marched upstairs and asked the care takers for the girls and said I,d like to bring them back at 6:00 and they looked at each other and said DAH(yes) and looked at me and said DAH(yes). I thought to my self that was to easy I should of said 8:00. Well we headed out for the market, we got invited to a cookout and we needed some things to take. We had a good day, played outside, Tonya helped me with some of the cooking and prep of the food. The girls had a blast, they played all day and should sleep good tonight. Three days from this hour I will be leaving Gargarina with Miss Madison in tow after her going away party with her friends and that will be the last time she ever spends a night or another day there. They have been good to her and I apreciate that, but I just wish there was no need for such a place. I am counting the hours and minutes, the only down side is the limited time we will see Tonya. If all goes well we should be leaving Simpferopol by next Tuesday or Wensday a week the 2nd or 3rd and headed for Kiev and getting our visa to go home. That about does it for today.
Love
Jeff & Madison

Saturday August 22

Walked into Gargarina today at 10:00 am located the girls and walk into the assistant directors office asked if I could have them all day and she said no problem. There is no ryme or reason on how they do things, it is day to day on what they might say. Yesterday I was told one hour a day of visitation and only with a translator present and at 3:00 pm we walked out of there with 3 hours to go to the park with their permission and on our own. It's real easy to get frustrated sometimes but you have to remember when you come here, you play by their rules and they can change them when they want. What they do not realize is their day's to play are getting very limited. Tuesday of next week is just around the corner. Well we stoped to get something to eat and went to the apartment and they watched tv and I started cleaning. I have not been here much since Donna went home I spend my time at Gargarina or walking around sight seeing. It was getting a little rough and I was mopping the floor and Tonya comes in and try's to take my mop and I say neit(no) and she get,s real demanding about the mop. So I sit down and start typing on the translator and ask her about cleaning and cooking. Cleaning is not her favorite but does not mind it, cooking is some thing she really like to do, so I told her she could help me cook lunch tomorow and she liked that. They are getting ready for a big election in the Ukraine and the politicians are running around Simpferopol today campaigning and it nothing like at home. We walked by the Parliment Building on the way home and they were holding a rally, then they get in 20 cars or so with huge flags and play loud music and cause traffic jams everywhere. I'm on the nineth floor and can see a large intersection out the window and they have gone through it at least four times. People blowing horn in approval and others screaming the unthinkable. Sunday is Independence Day in Ukraine a big three day weekend, the holiday is observed on Monday, all it means to me is one more day with no Independence and 11 day wait instead of 10. I sit here and type and then look at it and say to myself, man thats not nice and remove it and turn around and do it again two minutes later. I think some of being here with nothing to do or not being constructive everyday and doing the same thing is starting to get to me. I,m really missing my kids and Allison, Diane, my dogs and my life in general. I cant wait to get home and see how big Allison is, and by the way the newest addition to the Dziedzic family after Madison of course will be a BOY, Mr.Elisha Nash Dziedzic. Oh and I,m missing Donna to!HAHA..... Madison and Tonya had a huge pillow fight today and when they got done thier hair was sticking up every where, no sheets blankets or pillows were left on the bed, they had a blast. I have three son,s and not having any girls these two play pretty rough and dirty, hair pulling, slapping and so on it was wild but all fun. Well its 11:05 here and 4:05 at home three and half hours before the drop of the green flag at the Bristol night race I sure hope my wife or friends read this and DVR it for me. HINT HINT

Love
Jeff & Madison

Friday Night Football GO COLTS

GO COLTS BEAT WESTERN
Good luck Zach I'm proud of you.
Love Dad

Friday August 21 Another great Day w/ Madison

Hey everyone

I walked by the river today, nothing out of the ordinay to report there. I arrived at Gargarina at 9:00 and there were kids every where, I seen 7-8 boys 3 blocks before I got there and of course they recognized me and started waving, and all the locals at the bus stop look at you like you have two heads it's funny to watch there reactions. For some crazy reason they would not let me take Madison until 3:00 today so I said ok and I will just hang out and play with the kids. I wish I could still hang with the kids I'm sore as can be. They had rope for jump rope and a couple blow up beach balls and the jump ropes wooped my backside BIGTIME. It has been years since I used one. I have been taking a girl named Tonya when I get Madison to go with us, and her and Madison get along great, Tonya's English is either a little better than her's or she is not as shy using it as Madison.
We have had a lot of fun and it make's it a little easyier for Madison to express herself because Tonya does'nt feel akward using English and she's more willing to try. I recieved a e-mail from a couple we now that are working on an adoption here and I told them if they wanted I would be honored to convey any thing they wanted and they composed a beautiful letter to her and I took it today and read it to her and the translator and to be able to read each line and listen and see the response was one of the most incredible things to see. This girl has a beatiful smile and to see her light up at each high point and know she is truely happy and the look of relief of knowing someone will be there and love her and care for her is amazing to see. I can't wait till the day I see her walk off the plane when she gets home to Kentucky. I finally got Madison and Tonya and we headded for the park and they rode a couple rides and we got a paddle boat that hold 5-6 people and paddled our backsides off for an hour. We took a bunch of pictures and sat in the shade and talked some. I told them tommorow was English day and of course they looked at each other and laughed. I have made it a point to learn one or two Russian words every couple days, so I can point out that if I can learn and put up the effort they can and it is working but I'll be the first to say Russian is not easy. Tonya has two younger sisters who are being adopted next month, but they can only take two and they want younger children so Tonya is giving her consent because she knows that is best for them. I wish I could bring her and about 10 others home with me. Well I don't know what the holiday is but Monday is one here so it's a three day weekend and the down side to that is it adds one more day to my waiting period. We did go by the courthouse and proof read the document that will go to the town Madison was born in to get her new birth certificate. I will probably have to change the name of this blog to the Madison (Nina) Tonya blog soon she is with us so much anymore and you will hear a lot more about her. I have a list of people who have reqested I send them pictures and that I dont post on here, if anyone wants to be on the list send me a e-mail and I will add you to the list.
jeffdziedzic@yahoo.com
Love
Jeff, Madison and Tonya

August 20 Great Day with Madison

Woke up this morning earlyier than my normal early, got ready and headed out. I have been changing my route to the orphanage every other day for diffrent scenery and today was beautiful, sun comes up at 5:00 and the temperature until 11:00 or 12:00 is perfect even on the hot days.
Took pictures of a WW2 memorial, along with a tank that no denying had been in the war, it had bullet marks all over it. The last two days I have run into someone I know, well let me clarify that, they are people that I met here but when I thought about it I realized I have been here way to long. When I finally leave I will have logged about 60 plus days here and as frustrating as some of those days may have sounded here on the blog it really has been a great time and an experience of a lifetime. I got to Gargarina(orphanage) at 8:00 this morning which is really early but I sat outside and watched the staff change and the older kids come out first and then younger and so on, and you think of going to work some days and its the same old thing and you some times get in a rut, and these kids do the same thing all day long sun up to sun down. They don't really have a lot to do, toys don't exist, they throw rocks, play in the dirt. They have a play ground that is fairly well maintained . Its just sad to look at them and see this child who we would normally look at back at home and think grade school, high school, college and wife, family and all the things that lay ahead in life and these little people just keep doing the same thing everyday hoping some one will give them a chance at a family. Finally my Madison comes out and I feel a little guilty because I,m only taking one and if I could I would take 10, but I get my big hug from her and she is happy to see me. We sit in the shade and watch everything and wait for the director to get there so we can get permission to leave. We walk back by the river and stop and ate lunch and went to the apartment to study English and Madison takes a shower and we have a good Russian/English debate on whether we are going to have a Russian speaking day or English speaking day.
I lost again, she does good with English but she does not want to use it here, she say's when she gets home then she will speak English. So my Russian is getting better by the day. We headed out at 5:15 to walk back to Gargarina and get there by 6:00 and I sit there until 7:30, play with the kids and head back to the apartment. We have 5 days and we should have the new birth certificate and then apply for a passport and on to Kiev for a visa. Well that's enough for today and tomorrow is looking about the same, maybe ill change my route again and there will be something new to tell or maybe some one new to run into. HA HA
Love
Jeff & Madison

Wensday August 19th

Hey Everyone

I am finally back on line, the computer guy came today and I have a new hard drive and this thing is like a Cadillac again. Sorry it has been so long since the last post, I have been to one internet cafe and it was misreable hot and all I did was check e-mail to make sure ther was nothing important and got out. As most know Donna went home Saturday morning (your friday night) and the first day or two was kind of a bummer being alone, I know I had Madison but her English is not the best and she will clam up and you start to feel alone. The time Donna and I had here was great, we have never been able to spend time together like we did here in twenty years of marriage, it was really nice. Since she has been gone I have been walking to the orphange instead of a cab, anybody that knows Donna know's she does not like to walk and not the 3 mile from here and back. I have been taking a lot of pictures along the way, whole lot more to see walking than riding. Madison has been great, with Donna gone it makes her interact with me more which has been a very positive thing. She has never know a father or a man for that matter in her entire life, she does'nt even remember her mother. Some where some one has put in her head that men are not good, men in this country are looked at diffrrently than in the U.S. or most other place's in the world. The women her are very strong and work hard and tend to take on the role that most men at home do in the family. I'm not saying all family's here but it seems like alot. She has really opened up and we are having a ball at the park and studying English. We have spent a litlle more time at the orphange lately because she was with us for eight day's straight from Sunday the 8th to Sunday the 15th and we had a good time. Well this Friday night will be the first football game I have missed in a long time. If anyone needs something to do go out to Western H.S. and root for the Colts for me. GO COLTS Well I have alot to catch up on and I promise to get back in the routine of doing the post, Thank all of you who read it and for all the prayers.
Love
Jeff & Madison

Sunday August 16...We have a daughter...

Hi everyone,
Sorry for the delay in posting. Jeff's computer crashed on Thursday. So we have been without any computer or internet...We had court on Friday and it went great...They granted us the adoption and now we have to wait until the 25th to pick up her new birth certificate and then apply for the passport. That will take around 7 days and then 2 day in Kiev and home.. Hopefully by the 1st of Sept. I had to come home. So many things going on and I felt as though I needed to get back to work..I hated leaving..it was awful on me and them..I spoke to Jeff and he sounds downs because he is alone as Madison had to go back to the orphanage today. I am looking for volunteers to go be with him...ha..actually he has plenty of room. I would love to go back with him but I was afraid to push my luck with work..Anyway we will post and Jeff will give you details if he gets his computer fixed but for now just know we are in the home stretch.
Love
Donna and Jeff

Wednesday August 8, 2009 Court Cancelled Again

Hi,
I was always taught if you don't have anything nice to say dont say anything at all. So I guess the title is as much as you get. We are supposed to go Friday at 4pm we are now hearing so we will be ready to be there. Madison and her friend are doing great. They are a joy to have around though I suspect we will be having to take her friend back soon. Madison was dispappointed about court as we all were...I guess it like the old saying goes...good things come to those who wait...well we are waiting....and trying to smile..honestly if she wasnt with us we would probaby be so stressed and depressed right now it would be hard to carry on..but watching her sleep and knowing she is safe and happy is keeping us going and Jeff and I are pulling off of each others strengths and somehow we are coping...I can remember a time when this sort of thing would have pushed us to our brink....but now we just shake our heads and try not to question. A funny story we decided to take the girls for lunch since we were all down and so we have been letting Madison just order and then we do ( it embarrasses her if she has to help us Americans) in public. So we got to the restaurant and the girls ordered and the little one was saying a whole lot but it seems like it takes alot of Russian words to make up ours so we werent concered...then Jeff and I ordered...well here comes the waiter and he sits down a huge plate in front of the little girl and it was pancakes with caviar...I thought Jeff and I was going to have a stroke..then Madison saw our faces and she started fussing..well then Oksanna took a bite and guess what??? Didnt like it so she attempted to scrape it off and only eat the pancakes...well we told her no she ordered it and so she had to eat it....it was funny...she is so cute...you cant even get mad at her...she and Madison tried to eat it but I was scared it was going to make them sick so we told them they didnt have to...then french fries and then a large pizza....I tell you we have been feeding teenage boys forever and this little girl can eat just like them...if her metabolism ever slows down she will weigh 300lbs...ha...Thats really all I have to say today or atleast right now..we will post later.
Love
Donna & Jeff

August 11 The day before the BIG DAY 2

Well here we are again with all the excitement and anxiety of what kind of craziness can they come up with next. We go back to court tomorrow and we are as ready as we can be, we have clearance from everyone but the Pope.... HAHA The judge has looked at all the paperwork yesterday and was pleased but she will have time to sleep on it and who know's the mood tomorrow. We have had a blast with the girls the last two days, we went to the park and they rode about every ride they had. They are averaging 2 baths a day and 6 meals, Oksanna's weight is about fifty pounds and eats about that a day also. Madison will eat whatever is on her plate and dont ask for much more but she is a hardy eater, she does like her snack food. They got up this morning made their beds, cleaned, swept and mopped the floor in Madison's room all before 9:00. I told Donna she could learn a thing or two from them......HAHA I can't publish her response but I will post the pictures of my black eye and her bruised knuckles....HAHA... If you don't have a sense of humor on week five you wont make it through this adventure. Thats what we keep telling ourselves anyway. Zach has his first football game in a week and a half and I know I wont be home for it. It will be the first in 5 years or better that I have missed, but he and I know its worth it in the end. It's hard to believe he only has two more years till graduation. Allison and Josh have a big day of there own coming up next week, we will find out if the next new member of the Dziedzic family is a Mr. or Miss Dziedzic. Then there is Trevor who all on his own registered for his freshman year of college and then on top of all 12 credit hours he is taking, he has a new job. We are very proud of them all. Then we can't leave out all the OLD peoples contribution, without them none of this would work. We have so many people that have helped us one way or another I dont know how we would ever think of trying this without them, so to all of you who are sending e-mails, comments on the blog and all the prayer keep it up it is working and it means alot to us.
Love
Jeff & Donna

Monday August 10 Second straight day with the girls.

Hello,
So we are now finishing are 2nd straight day of having Madison and her friend...Wow that little girl I thought was so quiet and shy...not....she has come to life...they have laughed, played, bathed, ate, watched tv, played cards with us, ate, listen to IPODS, shopped, ate and read...oh and bathed some more...ha...oh and ATE...I honestly dont know where it is going...Jeff said Madison is going to come home 40 lbs heavier than we met her...but thats not true..she always eats everything you put on her plate..and snacks in between...Jeff has a new little friend...I think it is funny...she watches everything he does...right now she is watching him cook...he calls her peppy le pew...it was an elevator incident...lol...she tried to blame him...he blamed her...Madison and I suffered....they cheated us in cards...ha...we were playing go fish and they were saying half in English the other in Russian ...guess who won??? They asked for macaroni for dinner tonight so Jeff is happily making it....We found out from Oksanna that we got all of our paperwork that the judge requested and she went to the judge and she agreed to see us Wed morning...yeah..so that means our 10 day wait should be up on Aug 24...weekends dont count...so by the last of Aug she should be hitting US soil...yeah.....We took them to the book store today and they bought birthday cards for a friend and 2 books and monopoly( which now they refuse to play with us) so Jeff and I are making up our own names of properties and railroads as we cant read and there is no JAIL...They slept till 9 this morning which is a real treat for them because they have to be up at 7am every morning even in the summer....they also had cold cereal Cocoa Puffs this morning and loved it...I gave them friut also.....Madison wants no part of the kitchen which I totally understand...ha...but her friend is interested...so that makes Jeff happy that he has company in there...I did start the laundry this morning and they were both watching every move I make they were amazed...I just heard Jeff say NEET...to many cooks spoil the stew and she just stormed out of the kitchen...ha...We have decided that our daughter can very much take care of herself...she is tough if she has to be and wow the temper...I have heard Russians have bad tempers but let me tell you...she will be fine around her brothers....I asked her if she missed school and she said no....she dont want to go back but I am afraid she will have to tomorrow...atleast her friend will...so we will see...Its been wonderful weather and the dogs must be on vacation because I have only had to contend with 300am phone calls and not the 517 dog fight...so thats nice...today at 1030 Jeff said "hey its time to call some people and wake them up,,who do you want to start with? We tried Zach but he didnt answer and neither did Josh". Jeff did wow the locals with their own recipe of stuffed peppers...he put his own touch on it and they were impressed...they wouldnt leave...ha..just kidding we love Oksanna and Jeff Gordan they are great....I do want to request that a few prayers are said for Dasha (oksanna's daughter) she is having some sores and swollen lymph nodes and 2 surgeons in the last 2 days dont know the problem so I am trying to research it myself and I gave her a name to ask the doctor to culture and see but she is very worried and Dasha is feeling bad..so just some prayers they figure out what is wrong and fix it because her mama is worrying and not sleeping and that worries me...Well thats all...except we again want to say a big thank you to Galya and Oksanna we could have never done this without them..they truly have a place in heaven..and they are wonderful to have working for you they do such a great job....we could not ask for better people...So I will close now and get back to the girls and see what they are into ...it has made the days go faster having them here all the time.
Love
Donna and Jeff

The Weekend

Hello everyone,
Well Saturday started out by Jeff going and picking Madison up at the orphanage because we over slept and our ride was here 5 minutes after we woke up..So for the sake of not scaring the driver and Madison to death I sent Jeff...When they got back Jeff came in and said we have a happy little girl today and he was right she followed him in and she was all smiles...All day she was happy and joking and talking just like we turned a corner. We went out walking for a while and to the grocery to get stuff for dinner and then back to the apartment to relax. We watched TV and played solitaire and she stole Jeff's pillow and thought it was funny...Its nice to hear her laugh. We told her that if she wanted we would take her bowling tomorrow and she could invite a friend if the director at the orphanage will let us have another child. She said she would really like that and so we said ok....We had to have her back at 700pm and when we pulled up there were so many kids there and she told us that the rest of the kids had come back from camp on Saturday...so she got out and was greeted by some friends we have never met. We told her bye and that we would be back on Sunday at 12 to get her and her friend. She said ok.

This morning we were woke by Oksanna she was already at the orphanage and called to let us know that they were allowing us to keep Madison for 2 nights..So we picked her and her friend up and went bowling...They were so cute. Neither had bowled before and her friend probably only weighs 65 lbs soaking wet and she is 11. Much smaller than Madison...she is also being adopted...She picked up a bowling ball that weighed 16 lbs ha...it was funny....anyway Madison has a competive nature about her...she did good...she got 2 strikes...she also made it hard on papa...thats what she calls Jeff.....He ordered them french fries and cokes and ice cream...Its funny because we will say something and Madison's friend looks at her and Madison tells her what we are saying so it just goes to show she knows what we are saying...ha...so we brought them to our apartment and they got their baths and put clean clothes on and Jeff is making dinner and the girls are just chatty Cathy's...we havent heard Madison talk this much in a month...so we are going to try to talk them into putting on a show or dance for us later but Madison is refusing....as usual...but her friend...thats a different story...so we will see which one wins....we are excited about having 2 days of not going back to the orphanage we think it will be good for her and us and her English...We are also excited that she can sleep in tomorrow and not be woke at 700...we plan on having her a nice breakfast for her when she wakes up...As I type the music is blaring in her room and possibly the teenager is coming out...ha...She did give Jeff the please can I have it look with sad eyes and head cocked to one side...lol....I am sure all you dad of girls know the look...putty in her hand....it is SAD.....She is also singing now and she sings great....really great..she has a beautiful voice...so I am sure we will have plenty to write about in the next few days so we will just blog every so often so you dont miss anything...it will be nice to sleep knowing she is safe with us......Thanks and keep praying because we will be running around getting paperwork the next few days so we can get to court Wednesday....

Friday August 7, 2009 Court Postponed

Hi,
We got to court waited 2 hours and found out the judge who has never done international adoption wanted more paperwork from Madison's hometown. The inspector tried to reason as did Oksanna but the ruling stood. We have a tenative date for either next Wed or Fri...We are all disappointed here and our kids at home...we are all ready to be back together...Thanks for the prayers.
Love
Jeff and Donna

August 6, 2009..Tomorrow is the big day...we hope

Hello all,
Well our day started out with Oksanna calling and waking us up to tell us she would be here to get our passports and immigration information because she found out late yesterday that we need Ukrainian Police Clearance. Now I know most of you are thinking the same thing all of us our that Interpol should cover the Ukraine...I dont know the answer we are just doing what they are asking for...here is the catch...if we do not have this clearance by 3pm August 7th then we go ahead and go to court and then when we get the paper we have to go back to court and start our 10 day waiting period over again..UGH...So they told Oksanna to check back at 12..she did nothing...they told her to check back at 4...she did nothing...so we have 1 more chance in the morning at 11 to check...please pray it is there......we need this to go through the first time...school is going to start at home and football games...and work...and work....we just need to get home....Other than that we decided we were not going to sit in the apartment and watch TV all day so we picked Madison up and brought her back so she could take a shower and put medicine on her rash, then we headed out and we walked her for 3 hours...shopped alittle and ate lunch and then just sight seen. It was nice but so hot I thought I was going to sufficate at one point....have I mentioned how I hate to walk...Anyway we got back to the apartment and we practiced English and then let her turn on the movie....she did come up to me today and say I am thirsty....and she always says thank you now...so that might not seem like a big deal but it is so nice to hear her voice...we can go hours and never hear a word...ha...but we are sure she knows what we are saying...she laughed alot today...which is good..sometimes we wonder what is really going through her mind....We did find out she became an aunt...her oldest brother's wife just had a baby...so her sister went to the town they were born in to help out....I feel sorry for her sister because it seems like eventhough they have had a bad family life...she seems to be the one to try to hold them all together as much as possible...it is sad but again it just shows her strength and the love she has for all of them....I guess she was the mother to them all when the real mom wouldnt do it....When we got ready to take Madison back we told her this time tomorrow she will be our daughter....she just smiled real big and it was nice to see her happy....she has had a bad couple of days because of the rash she is very self conscious and she doesnt want us to look at it or help her...I guess that just comes from never having anyone to help her when she is sick or hurt...she thinks she can only rely on herself.....she did let Jeff cut her pizza today...2 days ago he tried to help her cut chicken and she got angry....we didnt even think that she has never used a knife...she didnt know how ...another thing she didnt know how to do was tie her tennis shoes...she has never had shoes that tied...how sad....she also let Jeff do that for her..but her release of her defenses and to ask for help doesnt come easy...she just dont know how to depend on anyone...today alittle girl came up to us at the orphanage and she had fake fingernails on 4 fingers...they were real long and red...she is 11...while she was standing there one fell off and Madison made a gross face as she picked it up and pressed it back on...I didnt understand the face until our translator laughed and said she was holding her nails on by chewing gum out of her mouth...talking about improvising.....Give that girl a home and family and she will do something with her life..ha...We let Madison know we would be back in the morning early to get her bring her back to get a bath and get ready for court...and ofcourse take pictures...she is getting tired of the camera also..lol....we tell her the grandparents get mad at us if we dont send pics....Well please pray tonight we really need that paper in the morning...we will let you all know how it goes.....hopefully the next time we blog we will have the countdown started....
Love
Donna and Jeff.

Wednesday August 5. 2009...WE GOT A COURT DATE

Hey everyone,
Well the day has not been without some trials and tribulations. We started out by going to pick up Madison at 1100. When she came out to us she looked bad and she felt clamy...then Jeff noticed on her arms a rash, well she never wants you to look at anything so I try not to pry and I also didnt want to make a big deal because I didnt want them not to let us have her and put her in the hospital. So I waited till we got in the car and she lifted her arm and she was covered in a rash...I mean covered...I had Oksanna ask her what it was and the doctor told her it was allergies and gave her pills...I have no idea what they are but she has them. She says they dont itch but I think they do she just wont complain. We went to the express mail place to pick up our papers for the judge. Then we went to see our favorite judge...He wasnt receptive to Oksanna's visit. He wouldnt even talk to her. So she came out...very frustrated and told us to go on home she was staging a sit in...ha...girl after my own heart...So we stopped at the supermarket to get some items and then to get tomatoes at the open market and home...It was a miserably hot day today...I honestly can say today is the first day it was hard not having air conditioning. We came in and I told Madison to get in the shower and clean herself and this would probably do her skin good. She did and then I have some cream that I helped her put on and she did it very willingly. We then talked about what are plans were today as far as practicing the 5 sentances she was taught yesterday, I would roll her hair and she could watch THE MOVIE...She is very happy here except if you make her practice English...she tends to get very disgusted if we make her repeat...we can tell this by the massive eye roll that accompanys the louder pronouciation. I also told her today to say thank you to dad and she did and then rolled her eyes behind my back..then Jeff laughed so I couldnt even get on her....At 2pm I couldnt stand it anymore and I called Oksanna....she was in tears...the judge wanted more paperwork and gave us a court date for Aug 19. I told her not to cry it was not her fault we would deal with it...She said NO....and she is AWESOME..she found another judge to take our case and we have court................................................FRIDAY AUGUST 7 2009 ....yeah.........We are estatic...so is Madison and so is Oksanna...poor girl....so that helped the day and then it was time to leave so we went outside and was waiting for our ride and let Madison call Luda and it is so nice to hear her talk and laugh because she is so silent with us unless we make her and then it frustrates her so we dont do it to much...our attitude now is she will have to soon enough and she is able to learn and that is all that matters....Jeff and I decided to take a walk this evening now that is has cooled off and kinda reflect on our trip and our plans for the next 2.5 to 3 weeks....we will let you know how that comes out....So we are thankful for the prayers and it seems, atleast for today, we are closer to getting home with our Madison...and seeing our babies at home...ha...Thanks again and we will keep posting everyday....
Love
Donna & Jeff

Tuesday August 4th The Phone Call

Hi everyone,
Well we started the day off early. We went and woke Madison up in her room at 7am because we had to have her back at 8am...That was a bummer but we were happy she got to stay. She is very pleasant in the mornings and she made her bed and folded her PJ's and was ready to go by 730. We left her in hopes we could go back and get her this afternoon. Jeff and I were exhausted. We are so ashamed to say but we came back and laid down and slept. Its not like us but I guess between the stress, the time difference and trying to talk to the kids at home in the evening we just havent been gettting good rest. So when we got up we called to see if we could go get her and bring her home to make dinner. They said yes we could have her until 8 if we fed her. Deal....We got her home and we decided before we put that movie back in that we needed her to work with us on some English. So we did she learned 5 new phrases today..She did great. She also read her emails. I decided I would cook dinner tonight....well lets just say Madison and Jeff were working on the computer and I wanted to listen so I forgot about the chicken frying and all of a sudden she pointed to the hall and it was smokey so we all ran to the kitchen and you couldnt see anything and we all ran out coughing and she and Jeff were laughing about how bad I cook and I told her to follow in my footsteps and she will never have to cook a meal...Lesson 1 of 100 from Mom. Anyway I managed to pull it together and we had a good dinner and she watched her movie and she managed to say Thank you in English all day which is an accomplishment...not because she cant because she wont...She started watching the movie and we got a PHONE CALL from Galya saying that we have INTERPOL CLEARANCE and it should be here tomorrow. Yeah....that means we can go to the judge and ask him for a court date...please all prayers tonight that he gives us one very very soon....we need it...we need to get home to our family, friends and jobs. After that we just goofed around with her and then it was time to take her back..that is the worse part of the day but hopefully not much longer...she is so ready to go...and we are so ready to bring her home.
Jeff and I are feeling especially light hearted tonight because we hope tomorrow will bring good news. So many day's now with no news has been hard. We have depended on each other and emails and Madison and of course home to help us keep it together. Some days are good for him and bad for me and it switches. We are just thankful we havent had any horrible moment's on the same day. Ukraine couldnt handle it. Plus as bad as it is for us we just think about everything she has endured and our bad days are nothing. So I will close now and hope we have great things to report. Now...Just a side note about yesterday...I was gone from the apartment all day and managed to only have to find one tree to lean against...HAHA
Love
Donna and Jeff

August 3rd Yalta

Hello everyone,
Well we set out for Yalta at 8:00 am . We have never gotten her this early but when we arrived she came right down and was ready to go. We made another stop to get Oksanna before we set out. Jeff Gordan asked us how we do in the car as far as getting car sickness and we said we would be fine but Oksanna brought medicine just in case...I thought how bad could it be....well..it was curvy and beautiful. We stopped a couple of times on the way there to take pictures of the view. It was awesome.

When we reached the top there were 6 or 7 observatory there and the view down the other side was amazing. The far side next to the sea falls off real fast and at the foot is Yalta and it is an amazing city. Iwill post a few pictures at the bottom of the blog. On our way down the mountain we stopped on the side of the road and fixed lunch. Jeff Gordan suprised us with pork, potatoes, tomatos and alittle grill to cook it on. Then on to town.
The beaches in Yalta are not what most people think of when you say beach, there is no sand its all rock, very small smooth river gravel type rock thats not to bad to walk on. It will burn your feet like sand. The water is beautiful, the wave's alot softer than the ocean. Madison has never been to Yalta, she has only been to Feodosia which is very nice but not the same as Yalta. She loves the water, I saw a large group of jellyfish and told her to stay away, so she swims up and grabs one goes to hand it to me. The jellyfish here do not sting, they look the same but not the same misreable results when you come in contact with one. We took lots of picture and then we all laid out for a while and enjoyed the relaxation, had dinner (left overs from lunch).
We left the beach and walked through town to find the Catholic church that was having a concert that night. It was a organsit and flutist who did ovatures from Bach, Mozart and many others that we couldnt understand their names. We sat on the front row because this was something Madison had picked to do. The concert was wonderful. We left the church to walk on the warf and look at the lights and boats. Madison was in awe. She got her picture taken with a pirate and by a fountain. That is all she asked for. She wont let us buy her anything except food. Not like when our other children were younger and take them somewhere like a carnival they would have wanted to play games, buy stuff and eat...ha...We wanted to be back by midnight because our elevator shuts off between 12am-6am and Donna refuses to do the steps so she would have choose to sleep outside. We started home and Madisons said she wasnt tired but we were not even out of Yalta city limits and her head was bobbing so Donna rested it on her shoulder and secured it for the ride back....Oh did we tell you we got to keep her last night....SUPRISE...we got back to the apartment and she went straight in and got her PJ's on we brought with us and told us night and she was out like a light...I was glad because we didnt know how she would do being away at night from the orphanage...The only bad thing is we had to have her back at 8am this morning so we feel like we are missing a day with her but it was nice to go wake her up this morning and see that pretty smile....We are going to go see her now and we will post more later today about our today visit.
Love
Jeff and Donna

Sunday August 2nd Lessons Learned

Hi,
So today when it was time to go get Madison I wasn't feeling well so Jeff headed off by himself to pick her up. I felt guilty by not being there but I just wasn't up to it. I asked him to give me about an hour to get myself together and make the bed. When they knocked on the door she came through and gave me a big hug and then went straight to the computer to plug up her IPOD. ( her bday gift). Jeff checked the usage time and she has it going all night long. He asked her and she said yes. So it is dead by the time we get her every morning and she has now learned how to charge it. She showed us yesterday how she wanted her hair so I went to the market and bought some curlers, magazine, ice cream and the mistake. Let me explain the mistake that went over well with her and we looked like heros but not so good for us. There is a all girl Ukrainian band who also has its own TV show. I would asume kinda like Hanna Montana in the states. As I was walking through the market I saw this movie with the band on the cover called byaet kpyto Panltku 3 ce3oh ( 50 cepnn) so I bought it. When I handed to her she lit up like a xmas tree. Dad and her had been watching mama mia together but she handed to him and mama mia was history....It wasnt for about 2.5 hours that we finally got suspicious of how long the movie was and the fact she hadnt blinked the whole time. So we got on the handy Russian to English translator and typed in the title and to our suprise we bought the entire 50 episode series of season 3 of the hottest Ukrainian TV showing running right now. There you have the big mistake...We could not peel her from the TV..We finally paused it for her to take a shower then it was back on...she watched it all the way through the great lunch Jeff fixed and we paused to read emails and practice English. So dad says there is going to be a limit because he felt mistreated today....his lip is dragging...Jeff and Madison went to the market today and bought stuff and made real mash potatoes with fresh garlic, real butter and sour cream, stuffed peppers, greek salad and fresh bread. It was delicisious. The tomatoes here are so sweet same flavor as home but sweeter and wonderful. We have only had meat twice in a month so Jeff is fixing chicken tonight because I think some protein will help my mood and health. Veggies are good but this girl needs some meat... We are going on a day trip tomorrow and it doesnt have anything to do with the adoption because we are still waiting so we thought we would go see Yalta and we get to have her all day and into the evening we are so excited. Look out beach here we come...actually the beach is only half the trip the mountains, the sunset and the zoo there. She is looking forward to it. She has never been and we bought her a beach towel and she asked if she was going to get to wear her new suit ( that Connie gave her) and use her towel. We told her ofcourse. Zach is sick at home but I know he is being well cared for but thats hard and could be why I am not feeling well. The mom in me feels like I am letting him down not being there but he is fine and understands and Madison told him hi today and he said she sounds like Luda...I like it...ha...Trevor, Josh and Allison are doing well and we are so proud of Josh and Allison they have really stepped up to the bat and we know they will be great parents. Trevor starts college in a couple of weeks. Good job Trevor we are proud of you. I pray I am home he has been stressed about how to do everything...I think they are realizing just how much we do. Zach's first football game is the day after school starts and he is trying to get everything he needs ready for that the annual family potluck was Saturday and he said it was weird not having us there but he hing out with some of his friends and their parents. I am just proud he has gotten past the fear from the broken femur last year and has decided to play. Our parents are all great and have been a life saver we could not still be here if it wasnt for you all, we love you and appreciate everything you do...all of you....I told Jeff the other day I needed to get you all some sovieniers to take home and he said we are a granddaughter...ha...The rest of you thank you for your continued prayers please dont quit if anything maybe say an extra one for a quick court date. Thanks for reading...we will be home as soon as we can
Love
Jeff and Donna

Saturday August 1 Relaxing at the apartment

Hi everyone,
Hope this finds you all well. Our day started out very early this morning as the neighborhood dogs believe they are roosters. The sun comes up here around 5 am and between 510 and 517 there is the daily do fight. I sounds awful but obviously they live for another day because for 9 straight now some dog walks in another dogs yard and it is on...If it isnt the dogs its usually Zach to chat or Trevor to ask me something...no telling what I have said yes to because it takes me a minute to gain my composer. They talk just long enough for me not to be able to go back to sleep. Its ok I love hearing from them anytime. So our car was to be here to get us at 930 like usual to pick Madison up. She told us yesterday she just wanted to hang out at the apartment and take a shower, do her nails and hair so that was the plan. We just wanted to stop at the market to get a few things we needed. As we were walking out we got a call from Oksanna asking us if we would pick up a couple of things for the school they had requested. We did and then we went on to pick her up. She was waiting for us when we got there. Always ready to go. She hugged us and we got our directions on what time she had to be back and we were off. We went to the outside market to pick up dinner and some yogurt for Madison. She found a CD she wanted so we got that and we headed back..Again as the last few days she ran in took her shoes off and went and got some socks.. then pounced on the bed and started reading. I told her if she wanted to go ahead and take her shower while dad cooked and I mopped the floor then we could get her hair in rollers. She was happy too and was in there for 40 minutes..lol...when she came out I rolled her hair while she took off her old nail polish and then while we waited for her hair I polished her nails...then we finished her hair and she looked like a doll...she just kept looking at herself....dad made lunch and she ate stuffed peppers and salad. She loves salad with mayo. She doesnt like coke or fish...then she and dad loaded her new CD and established a email address so her brothers and grandparents can email her. She played solitaire on the computer she is just still very gun shy with the keyboard. We sat and watched a movie and she tried her new bathing suit on it fit and she loves it. We chatted on the computer with online translation and it gave us a chance to ask her questions about her life, school and her feelings on leaving her friends. I asked her if she is sad when others get adopted and she said happy for them but always want a family of my own. I also asked if she feels like she will miss it and she said no. Lots of information that really helps Jeff and I know what she is thinking since she cant verbalize it. Once while she was typing today a pop up came up on her screen and I was in the kitchen with Jeff and she yelled "mom" I went runnig. Her voice is so soft until she needs it to be something else. The days go so fast when we have her and soon it was time to take her back and she didnt really want to but she got up and put her shoes on and grab her goodie bag dad puts together everyday for her that consists of a juice drink, cookies, chips, gum and pistacios. She says its for her to sit around and talk to her friends in the evenings and its fine with us knowing she has something to snack on. We drove her back, checked her in and told her we would be back in the morning be good and we love you...she always smiles so sweet. We came home ate more peppers because my husband rocks in his kitchen skills and now I am updating the blog and he is snoring...Hope all is well and we are going to see if she wants to take us to the church she gets to go to if a certain caregiver is working on the weekend. If she does then we will let you know how it goes.

Love
Donna and Jeff

PS. One funny story...I was fixing Madisons hair today and somehow I got it all mangled and tangled in a huge knot around the roller. It was stuck ...Jeff and I was both trying to get it loose but he was scared he was going to pull her hair and I was scared we were going to have to cut it out. The look on her face in the mirror looking at us idiots trying not to panic was priceless she was hating me right then and Jeff and I were laughing and he was saying this is why God didnt give you a little girl look what you have done...so we got it out but a huge mess of hair came with it and I was pretending like I was a ventriliquist saying...go throw it away dont let her see it...( sometimes I think she knows what we are saying she just acts like she dont so she dont have to answer us.LOL) anyway I didnt want her to see it or the adoption would have been off....ha..So when I got it done she looked so pretty and she just kept looking at herself and Jeff was joking and said well tell her goodbye because when she gets back and her friends tell her hair is pretty in the front but a hole in the back that will be the end of it...ha...there wasnt it looked wonderful

Note from Madison

Dear brothers and grandmothers and the grandfathers
I too want you come now. I very much looking forward to it. I love you.
Madison

Friday July 31 Hair day

Hi

Well we were excited today because we got to have Madison from 10 - 6 today.. We waited for Oksanna and Dasha to get to the apartment then we left for the internet place. Our internet quit working sometime on Thursday...we could not figure it out...so we made our 5th trip in there with the laptop to find.....they had cut our service off...how funny...we went over the megabytes we bought...eventhough we thought they said unlimited...oh well we are back up and running. So after we left there we went to the orphanage and picked her up. Every morning we have been waking up to someone frying bacon so we decided we were on a bacon hunt we wanted to make Madison BLT's. So we went to this awesome market where we picked up bacon, bread, mayo and lettuce. We already had the tomatoes. When we got back to the apartment we invited Oksanna and Dasha up for lunch. Dasha is 2 and she loves Madison...Oksanna told her the other day that she was going to the market to get fruit and she said " I know where you are going, you are going to the Americans and then to Nina and I am going too". Ha she is so funny. Anyway they accepted. It is so nice to see how relaxed Madison is now at our apartment. She comes right in takes her shoes off and goes to her room gets her socks. Today with Dasha here she was pretty busy entertaining her. I fixed lunch...I do appreciate presliced bacon you get at home but I managed and we all ate. We havent found anything Madison truly wont try. Jeff is spoiling her by making her fresh squeezed lemonade everyday but she can use alittle spoiling. Jeff and Madison walked down to the market to get some minutes for the phone and came back with her favorite gum, cookies and soft drink. It is good for them to have daddy/daughter time. Anyway when our company left it was time to do hair. I brought color with me so I got it out and put the cap on and she looked like a professional...seriously she never missed a hole to pull my hair through. Then when that was done Jeff gave her a tshirt to put over her clothes, she donned the plastic gloves and Jeff mixed up the ingrediants. She is quite the perfectanist...she went strand by strand making sure each were covered...when she finished she sighed and fell back on the bed. It was time to take her back and my head still had a plastic bag on it. So we asked her if she wanted me to go also or just dad cause I didnt want to embarrass her in front of her friends and her eyes got big and she pointed to dad...ha...so I hugged her bye and off they went...with goodies in tow. We bought her new flipflops last week and when she got here today they are already so dirty so I asked her if she wanted me to wash them...she shoot her head yes and I was in the restroom running the water and she came in there and was pushing her bracelets up and I said no I will do it thats what moms do and she looked at me and smiled and hugged me and went back to watching tv...
The traffic was horrible today because the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was coming through town today headed for Sevastpol. There were more policemen and roadblocks than you can imagine. People were protesting at the parliment building. Finally at about 7pm we saw out our window the stream of police escorts and motorcade go down the street. Hopefully today will be better. Speaking of seeing things out our window. It was football (soccer) night again at the stadium and we were just reading and working on the computer when people stated parachuting down out of the sky...it was cool...pre game activities.
Still no real news except a meeting did occur between the SDA and Interpol and they are trying to resolve the situation quickly so we can get a court date. 4 other families are also affected. We will keep you informed right now we are going to try to enjoy the weekend.
Love
Donna and Jeff

Thursday July 30, 2009 Still waiting

Hi,

So the news is pretty much the same...nothing...this is our 6 day of not moving ahead at all...getting very frustrated and then the fact that we couldnt get Madison again until 3pm makes our days so long just waiting for everything. News and Madison. We picked her up and took her to see Ice Age 3 maybe still dont know...It was a great movie I think....It made her laugh and that is all that matters. She was dressed cute today and when she came up to hug us Jeff noticed how good her hair smelled and her face is already clearing up also. That made us feel better...After the movie we took her to buy her some tennis shoes so she would have something to walk in that had support..She has never had a pair...she picked out some cute ones. Then it was time to take her back. She sat and stared out the window in the car and our driver (Jeff Gordan) asked her what was wrong and she said " I dont want to go back I want to go to America now with mom and dad". This made it extra hard to take her back ...We told her it wont be long and she wont ever have to go back...She said she hasnt except for camp spent the night anywhere else in 5 years. That is so sad...but true. We dropped her off and ran to the market and then home. Jeff made us an awesome greek salad for dinner...he can cook anywhere..and I think I can live on it....
What I did think I would do tonight is give an insight on my experiences her in the Ukraine that I just will never get use too.
1st - Restrooms. I will send a few pics to all that are interested but you should have been a fly on the wall the first time I had to use the restroom outside of my apartment. We had driven 2 hours to the town Aloyna was in school at and I drank tea on the way there. So I asked Oksanna to see if there was a restroom in the inspectors office in this town.. She did and directed me to it. You should have seen my face when I walked in...couldn't find the light ( they are all on the outside of the doors) it was so dark I almost fell in this hole in the floor. Finally I opened the door and looked outside and turned the light on...well I should have left it off...The hole I almost fell in someone expected me to pee in....I just stood there...staring...almost laughing and honestly talking to myself about this could not be possible I must be on candid camera. Now dont get me wrong I have used outhouses in my life but atleast you can sit if you can get the fear out of your head of something biting your bottom, but this I had to stand, stradle, aim and fire....all the while holding on to nothing except your pants....not easy for a 40 year old woman with a weak bladder...so I accomplished this and began to look around for the charmin....not....so now I am trying to stradle, hold my purse in my mouth, dig with one hand to find a tissue all the time trying not to drop my pants or fall in the hole...lesson learned...dehydratation cant be any worse....I got out of there and I told Jeff that I think I just used the bathroom somewhere I wasnt supposed to and he said " no that is where you where supposed to ". Whatever. The next trip to the town we stopped along the way for Jeff to take pictures and Oksanna and I choose the side of the road...1 chigger was better and I had a tree to lean against.

2nd Doorways. I guess because of the time when the building were built around here every door you go through or out has a threshold something another on the floor...it dont matter where...I dont have to tell you how many times I have managed to trip and almost fall going through every door in the Crimea...I just cant make myself understand...they will be there....pick up your feet...my big toe ( as if it isnt ugly enough) looks like a weeble wobble that just got back from the war zone....I have seen toes on 80 year old men look better than my toes from stumping it on the thresholds.

3rd Driving. I dont and will never understand how these people drive...there is no rhyme or reason...Jeff and I was bored the other day and I was like lets go rent a car and be crazy we can just drive like you always wanted to at home but no you will GO TO JAIL...these people drive on the sidewalks, get out in the middle of the road to work on their cars, honk, honk, honk, honk and honk the horn...they show no mercy on the horn you could be 2months or 100 years using a walker....get out of the way or you are getting honked at....seriously I feel sorry for some of the pedestrians...and walking is just taking your life in your own hands...you might be walking down the sidewalk and all of a sudden here come a 1939 souped up station wagon on 2 wheels coming at you...move he is honking and you shouldnt be on the sidewalk....its crazy I just laugh now...I cant say anything I just pray I dont die and laugh
Well thats all for today I have many more...
Love
Donna and Jeff

Wednesday July 29..No news yet

Hello all,
Well it has been a pretty good day. Jeff started out by going to the electronic market with his new friend and our driver Alec aka Jeff Gordon. Then they came back to get me and Oksanna. We were going to the orphanage but we were told we couldn't see Madison until 3pm because they had an inspection for the next 2 days. Madison called asking where we were. She has gotten very use to us being there after breakfast to get her. She wasnt happy when we told her not today. So since the other families are leaving tomorrow one of them asked if they could store their clothes they brought for their daughters and another suitcase at our apartment until they came back and we said yes. So we went and picked those up and one of the suitcases was the size of the Kia itself but we somehow got it in. So we went back to the apartment and put my tennis shoes on. ( dont see many of those around, thats how they know we are American because Jeff wont go anywhere without his tennis shoes and levis shorts). We walked all over the Crimea I think. It felt like it for all of you who know how I absolutely depise walking. It was a nice day though and we walked and sight seen for a couple of hours. We havent really had a chance to do any of that because we have been so busy. Jeff got his little girl a single long stem pink rose and some cookies and a birthday gift since we were not here on her birthday. It is so funny because you cant get her to take anything as far as money from us. She actually dont like us to even spend money on her at the market I think she wants us to know this isnt about things we can buy her it is about family. We got to the orphanage at 3pm and they let us have her until 6pm. We got her to the car and gave her the gifts and she was really happy. Then we left there and went to look for her a homecoming outfit. I told her I wanted her in a dress and she told me a skirt yes a dress no. Ha...set me straight. Anyway we found one actually Jeff picked it out and it looks so cute on her. She told us this is the first time in her life she got to go to a store and pick out her own clothes and try them on to see if they fit. She looked like a doll. She has been breaking out on her nose with little bumps so we stopped at a store to get clearasil and I told her how and when to use it and she said she would. I asked if she needed anything else and she asked for shampoo and conditioner, soap and I asked her if she knew what deodrant was and she was confused so Oksanna explained and she said she would like some so we got her teen deodrant. She was very happy. We then went to get her something to eat and then back to the orphanage. Each day it is harder to take her back there. It is so depressing but I keep telling myself she doesnt know any different and its only for a short time longer. She told us the other girls that mother left yesterday because of the problems were in there beds last night crying that she probably wont come back and get them. We seen them today and they were both so so sad looking. Madison said she told them that she will be back dont cry. As we arrived back to the apartment Oksanna got a call from Aloyna asking her to ask us if she could have some money for groceries. We said yes I am trying to just do what is right in our hearts by helping a child who has no parents...thats the way I have to look at it. She just left and she really is a good girl. She thanked us for taking Nina and she told us Nina was happy and loves us and thats all she wants for her sister. I do believe her. Madison called while Aloyna was here and I think she was happy we were helping her sister. Well thats all for today. We are taking her to the market tomorrow to buy her some food and then we will get Madison at 3 again and she wants to see ICE AGE 2...that should be interesting in Russian...ha Jeff and I decided we would make up our own story line....glad no one can read our minds...ha...We are waiting on a call from Galya. The SDA in Kiev invited Interpol to meet with them today to develop a plan on how they are going to handle families already in country to complete their adoptions. We hope to hear soon so I will know if I am coming on home for a few weeks or finishing this pretty quick...we will let you know as soon as we do.
I want to tell our boys and family we love you all and we miss you all and thank you for keeping it all together when we are unable to...we wont do this to you again.
Love
Mom and Dad

Tuesday July 28...Hard day

Hello everyone,
I guess I will do the blog today since neither of us feels up to it. So bear with me if it is not upbeat as usual. Jeff is having a really rough day and has already laid down for the evening...he said he was not tired but he isnt talking much.
We are having some long days. Not so much in hours as in stress levels. There have recently been some changes to the laws and there are requests for paperwork that we are trying to obtain in order to get a court date. There are several families over here right now and one had already gone to court and was on thier 10th day and 23rd hour after court and ready to leave for home when the adoption was protested by the prosecutor, plus the other 2 couples that had court date for Thurs and Friday of this week were cancelled and they will give no more court dates until we meet these requirements. Galya, Oksanna and SDA are all trying to figure it out but it seems like a dead end everywhere we turn. The other 3 families are leaving this week but they have a different facilitator who has advised them to do this. With hopes of coming back in the next 20 days or so. The word is SDA will have a plan by Friday so at that time we will decide who is coming home or if there will be a quick court date since our 10 days before court will be already served. I just dont know...
Then to make a bad day worse....we had to tell Madison's sister this morning our decision about her adoption. We wanted to do it away from Madison but by the time we got done at the court house she was already with Madison at the orphanage. We know it was the right decision but it is so hard to disappoint and hurt children who have had a lifetime of disappointment. Madison cried and that was heart wrenching to us. She just laid her little head on her sisters back and they cried and we cried and nothing we said right then sounded like a good enough excuse to hurt these children. Again we were and are at peace with our decision it was still hard and depressing. So now that we have brought everyone down I will sign off.
Please keep praying and emails and comment make days like this alittle more bearable.
Love
Donna and Jeff

Monday July 27

Well its been another wild day of running all over. We have been to every corner of this town trying to get our paperwork finalized. Still no court date. Oksana & Galya are working their tail off trying to get all this worked out. If there were two people who can get it done I know they will. We need lots of pryers for us, Oksanna, Galya, and Nina (Madison). Donna needs extra she has been BAD lately.HAHA Madison rode her first escalater today and her eyes got real big, she liked it once we got off. Well its been a rough one and maybe there will be more and better news tomorrow. The good news is it has finally cooled off the bad news is when Donna was doing her last minute packing and unpacking at the airport in front of the whole world the jeans got left at home. Good night and God Bless
Love
Jeff & Donna

Sunday July 26 Relaxing Sunday in Ukraine

Hi all,
Well I had some bad dreams last night I guess in the back of my mind i was worrying if after Madison slept on the news about her sister would she still greet us like always. So we had a cab come and get us this morning so Oksanna could have a day off. She deserves it. We arrived at the orphanage at about 10:30 and went inside to check her out. One of the children went upstairs to get her and she came running down ready to go and ran up to Jeff and gave him his usual morning hug and mine followed. We called Oksanna to tell her we were going to the open market to shop for dinner and then we were spending the day at the apartment. The market is CRAZY on Sundays. Jeff had his first experience at almost getting pic pocketed. We were buying a magazine that Madison picked out and he said he felt the cellphone being taken out of his back pocket, he swung his elbow and hit this old lady that had her hand in his pants. She was not happy and even though we couldnt understand the cursing in Russian we are sure that is what was being said and she was ticked off and Madison's eyes were big. Madison was not impressed with the crowd at the market and just picked a magazine and a pair of earrings and was ready to go home. We walked home and she sat down and started reading ( as usual) her magazine. Then we worked on the computer a little and she decided she wanted a shower and for me to fix her hair. So she went into her room and picked a new complete outfit and to the bathroom she went. Well any of you that know Zach knows how he loves his bath time....competion has arrived. The water ran for atleast 20-25 minutes before the princess emerged. Then I introduced the hair dryer to her and she acted as though she had never seen one and asked me to do it. After the girlie stuff she was ready to watch a movie and eat some of her dad's lunch he prepared. She loves pasta and dad's cooking. I asked her if she liked to cook and she is my daughter. She snarled her nose. HA. We took her how to play UNO and she likes it. We had to have her back at 1800 so we decided we would go get a pizza before the cab arrived and we typed out on the computer and had it translated what kind of salad we wanted. When we arrived at the restaurant she grabbed the menu and started looking at it. Jeff made his fingers in the motion of typing and said " Remember we typed it at home" and she said " I DONT KNOW" LOL our first experience with a pre teen attitude. We shut up and let her order our dinner and we got Pizza with shrimp, fish and mussels on it and you better believe we ate it with the fear of backlash if we didnt. No joke it was good but it cracked us up. She definetly knows English if she wants to. She asked yesterday if she could have cookies to keep under her pillow because at night before bed she and her friends sit and talk and they would like something to snack on. So we let her pick out some at the store. When we got her back to the orphanage she gave us our usual hugs and kisses and her and her midnight snack disappeared to go hide them. We decided we would walk back to the apartment approx 2.5 -3 miles as the day ended up being very nice temperature wise. It was nice except the mussels, shrimp and fish pizza made the nice stroll a gallop for 2.3 miles. LOL...we made it though with no mishaps. Hope all is well and we love the comments and emails so please keep it up it is nice to have that connection to home. We are very blessed to have this experience and opportunity to be where we are at and to have people at home helping us take care of our love ones there. We miss you all and cant wait to bring this special little girl home. She is amazing. God has truly blessed us so many times in the last 20 years.
Love
Jeff and Donna

Saturday July 25 Invitation for dinner ( Ukrainian Style)

Hi everyone,
We started the day off by going to the orphanage to see if we can have Madison. The lady was nice enough to go ahead and tell us today that we can have her today and tomorrow all day. We were then invited to dinner at a friends and her husbands house Ukranian Style. We had the best stuffed peppers I have ever tasted and pork over open fire, with grilled veggies and salad..It was awesome. We sat around and talked and ate until it was time to have her back at 1800. We got her back and checked her in and now we are going to try to watch a movie again tonight but as full as our bellies are it could be a 3 part series. LOL.
We found out how strong Madison is today when we had to have our first serious talk with her. Throughout this process we have met and spent time with Madison's sister. She wanted to be adopted and we actually started the process but along the way we ran into obstacles that even through prayer we couldnt overcome. We had to tell her today that we had decided not to adopt her sister and it just about killed us and Oksanna but Madison understood and said nothing has changed for her and she stilled wanted to be our daughter. I hope after she goes to bed and thinks about it she will still feel this way but it is the best decision for us, our family and as her parents the best decision for Madison. We prayed alot and didnt sleep much but we are at peace with our decision. She is a tough little cookie and more mature than most 16-17 year olds I know. I guess she has had to be and thats ok because with the right tools and lots of love she will go far in life. In 2 days she has read over 264 pages in her 2nd book and she probably hasnt had more than 6 hours alone to do that all together. Tomorrow we are letting her choose if she wants to go to the zoo in Yalta or the beach but I think she is leaning toward the beach ....it is her age... Hope all is well and thanks for following along on the roller coaster of emotions.
Love
Jeff and Donna

Friday July 24 Another good day

Hi,
Still no court date. We didnt get the paperwork we needed today but we will Monday. We went to the hospital to pick Madison up today and found out they released her to the orphanage. She has had a sinus infection and evidentally that will buy you hospital stay..anyway we went to ask if we could have her again today and we were told yes as long as we have her back by 1830. So we came back to the apartment and watched movies and folded laundry and then Jeff made us lunch and served it to us as we watched TV. He is a great husband/dad. She also loved his pasta salad she had 2 servings. She also got to talk to Luda today on the phone and she just chatted away. We introduced her to the computer and she loved it. She typed all of our names, address and other words. Its good for her to keep the alphabets familiar. Each day is getting easier and easier with our language barrier and her being comfortable with us. She has always been comfortable but now you can tell she feels more comfortable around us and her surroundings. The hardest part of the day is when we have to take her back. We wish she could stay with us all the time. Nothing planned for the weekend, except to hopefully get her each day but you never know who will be working at the orphanage, they all seem to have their own rules on visitation. But we will pray.. She said she is almost done with one of the books we gave her yesterday. She loves to read. Jeff had an opportunity to go fishing on the Sea but turned it down because he would rather spend his time visiting with this little girl who has stole his heart. He said he would love to just squeeze her...but I am sure that would freak her out..ha...so he has to squeeze me...Ok thats all today....Hope all is well
Love
Jeff and Donna