10SEP Solid Day

For the very first time here in Kirovograd (say that ten times really fast), we finally felt like it was a normal day.

Our facilitator Yuri went back to Kiev last night so we were finally all alone in our apartment above Sergei, Vova, and the landlady (unrecognizable name). No more having to tiptoe around in the mornings or quietly make breakfast while Yuri rests in the living room on the sofa. We are finally all alone to fend for ourselves in this beautiful, thriving, and friendly part of the country (drip, drip goes the sarcasm).

We had our normal daily breakfast of gruel, bland porridge, and for a special treat - a mealy apple with negative crunch...MMMM, MMMM. Seriously though, we had some good cereal and all its accompaniements like oranges and yogurt. Not that any of you care, but if you're getting excited about what we're eating, you need to see a therapist. I'll get you mine off speed-dial.

The boys were in great spirits this morning and dressed a little better. We are still itching to get our hands on them and find them some clothes that aren't quite as ill-fitting. At least their clothes are VERY fashionable as you can see from the six thousand pictures we posted on the site via Snapfish.

We played inside this morning and began the introductory period to Douberly Discipline Part 1. We discussed basic techniques like how to live off 80% of your income while giving away 10% and saving the other 10%. They nodded their precious little heads in complete understanding which permitted us to move on to quantum physics as applied to sharing toys with friends and siblings - lovely little angels these two.

They actually did seem to grasp the idea of sharing and they also possess a compulsory understanding of the values surrounding the novel concept "please" and its bedfellow "thank you." You know, these two were so fast on the uptake today that it made me wonder if they are already plotting my ultimate demise as soon as we get back to the States. I mean, who's to say they aren't loyal to the now-defunct Soviet cause and just can't wait to strike a blow at the evil Capitalists? Anway, please forgive my lapse into Red paranoia - Alex and Andrew are stunning us daily with their ability to learn quickly and make us happy to the point of tears. They are truly great kids.

This afternoon, we went outside and took a walk-about around the "school" grounds. It is actually a pretty nice facility. There are several areas in utter disrepair, but with all the playgrounds - let's just say the kids will never go without outdoor physcial activity...weather-permitting. We managed to catch up with the Israeli couple and their adopted son Yakhil. The Israeli couple are of Indian descent and possess that natural olive skin-tone. Yakhil is about as Caucasian as they get - complete with fair hair, fair skin, and bright blue eyes. In other words, he is a perfect fit for his new family. Tell you what folks, I don't care if these kids were fluorescent green, they each and every one deserved to be loved.

Anyway, the boys continue to eat bananas and whole grain animal crackers at something approaching the speed of light - probably a harbinger of dark days ahead of us at the grocery store. They are picking up quite a bit of English...let me translate that for you. They are already calling us Mommy and Daddy - heart-melting as you can imagine. The transition will be so much smoother than either of us ever dreamed.

Tomorrow we are going to the Guardian Council which should rubber stamp as Category 3 - Silly Americans Who Want To Double Their Kid Count and Give Our Tourist Economy a 3.7% Boost. After tomorrow's hearing we should have a much better idea of when the "Gotcha Day" will be when we can bring these rats home with us for the first time to sleep under our roof. Oh, the places will we all go and the things we will do. After "Gotcha Day," we are still staring at an approximate week before we can clear visas, passports, and the such to enable us to navigate through customs and immigration upon our return. Seemingly trivial stuff, but very important if I ever want these two to be counted in the census as good God-fearing Independent thinkers skeptical of all things government.

Thanks for soldiering through this mess of a posting. It has been too long since any of us could sit around in our underwear and entertain the masses. Gotta love wireless.

Check you later.....