We're Back!

I can't even to begin to tell you about the journey so far. It would take more time than any of us have. We left the states one week ago today and it feels like a month ago. Today is a good day. I can not say the same about others. It has been hard. I will gather my thoughts and share them with you another time. I know you want to know about the kids, all of them. Taylor and Tanner are the proud big brother and sister of Timur and Natalia. I am so glad they are with us. It has been an amazing time together. I can honestly say the very best part of our days is our visits with the kids. We visit from 10am-Noon and 4-6pm everyday, even weekends. The time goes by quickly. We have brought a "goodie bag" that we keep them entertained with. It includes: books, bubbles, wands, rattles, coloring book and a teething ring. We could have brought so much more. They are thrilled with what we have brought but I can tell with time they will want something new. Today, Natalia found my water bottle. She took it out of the bag and handed it to me. She wanted a drink. I opened it and put it up to her mouth. She took little sips and panted in between. She even knew to put the lid back on. We must have done this for 20 minutes. She is potty trained, wearing panties. I did not want her to have an accident so we distracted her with something else. She potties before she comes to see us and then when she returns to her groupa. She is very smart and loves to sit in your lap. You can tell she is loved on, she's sweet and effectionate. She has only been in the baby home less than a year. She actaully lived with her mother until she passed away last year. Irina says she came from a proper home. We are blessed to include her into our family. I am so glad God placed her into our lives. I can not imagine her being moved to an institution anytime now. God's timing is always perfect. Timur is just a sweetheart. He's more than I could have imagined. HE is the reason we are here. When I first saw him I cried tears of joy. He was just sitting on the floor of the room when we walked in. I swept down and scooped him up. He loves Wayne's glasses. We have to take them off before Wayne can hold him. Both of his eyes are crossed. He has low depth preception. He grabs at your face until he finds you. He loves for Wayne to rock him and tickle him. He has the cutest laugh, from his belly. He uses his army crawl to get anywhere. He will pull up to you and cruise along the furniture. It will only be a matter of time before he "takes off." We will get his eyes checked when he gets home. Hopefully after a set of glasses he'll be able to see better and have the confidence to "take off." There is so much more I want to say but we have to go for now. We are stitting in a cafe waiting for our cab to take us to our visit with the kids. It is raining today. Not a good day for walking. We are in the center of town and the orphanage is about 15 minutes from here, and a good 20 minutes from our apartment.
Thank You for your patience with us. Trust me it has been hard on me not being connected to many of you. Keep your prayers coming.
Blessings,
Meghan