11 days!!

We have 11 days until we leave. I'm so excited , but I'm stressed out at the same time. I never thought you would have to do so much to get ready to go on a trip. I have always just took what I wanted to take. This time I have to watch everything so close because we can not take alot.
I'm also stressing about the kids staying at home. My mother-n-law will be watching them, but she just had a major foot surgery and can not even walk. I'm afraid she will have to much work on her hands. The back up we had decided not to come and help at the last minute. I'm just praying that God heals Mema fast and she is able to help out without getting stressed out!!
Tomorrow my youngest son Christan is having surgery. His testicles never came down. So I guess they have to go into his stomach and pull them down. I know he is a bit afraid, but he is doing well for the most part. I think he is more embarrassed more than anything right now. I'm sure he just wants it to be over with!!
I'm going to put all my kids to bed now. They are making their Christmas list since we are not going to here for Christmas. This year is going to be very hard for all of us, but we will have the best Christmas gift of all in the end!!

TRAVEL DATE FINALLY!!!

We finally got out travel date. December 9Th is the day we go to court. So we are planning on leaving around the 6Th. We are trying to be home on Christmas eve from our first trip, but we are not sure about this yet.
The 2Nd trip Tony, and my oldest daughter are going to bring the babies home. I know this is allot of work for the 2 of them, but I am not able to go the 2Nd time around.
I'm so excited that we are finally about to leave.
The weather there is suppose to be very very cold so we are going shopping this weekend to buy stuff for the weather. I'm not sure if we will find everything we need here in San Antonio because it just doesn't get that cold here!!!
We are taking my kids with us. I know allot of people gave us allot of good advise and we did think about not taking them, but in the end my baby would be miserable without me, and I would be without her. Therefore we decided to take our older child to help out with her if we are not able to take the younger one into the court.
I think Its a good bonding experience for all of us, even the new babies. Our kids at home can not wait to meet there new sisters and brother!!
Thanks so much for all your advice, and for everyone that has prayed for us along this journey. It has been an exciting experience that is about to get even better, Thanks, Leah

Monday

Well, I thought my husband would be happy that my brother decided to help pay for my daughters to go, but he still thinks that taking them is not a good idea.
He thinks that they will be fine here, and that they will learn from it as well. I do think he is right , but I also know that they will never have this experience again.
My husband first concern is that everyone has said that the cars are so small there and that me, My husband and 3 kids will not fit into one car.
I have not been there, so I really don't know. If anyone reading this has been there, and knows more about this, would you please respond and tell us if taking them all would be worse for traveling??
I was so excited about taking them, but now I'm back where I started. Feeling sick to my stomach about leaving them behind.
Please pray that My husband comes around to wanting them to go as well. I know if its not meant to be, its just not.
Thanks so much in advance for your advice, Leah

Gallstones??

Well, Im throwing up again today. This makes 3 months now that I have been doing this. The Dr.s finally said it was Gall stones. I had no idea to even look into this!!
Now Im trying to get it fixed fsat so that we can travel soon.
Good news though, My brother said he would give us 3,ooo so that we can take my other 2 daughters that have been so depressed about us leaving.
This makes me feel sooo much better about leaving. I know I wont have to stress the entire time about how she is doing!
Im trying to get her a passport really fast though. Im just praying that we get it here in time before they send us our date.
We are praying we know a travel date for Monday, so only a few more days!!

Ready to go

Im ready to go now!!!
Im just waiting and waiting!!
I check everday as soon as I get up, then every ten minutes or so through out the day, but still nothing.
Please God let me go get my babies. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE, to be home at christmas with my other kids so we could celebrate together!!

Wow, These pictures turned out alot bigger than I had expected. Anyways these are few of our Halloween pictures. The first one is my oldest Faith. She is the biggest helper I have ever had. She adores children and has the same heart for them that I do.

The second picture is Haily, Grace, Emma, and Noelle. Behind them is Gracies friend Emily. The last picture is Noelle with Emma.

I did a horrible job of taking good pictures this year because I was running around trying to chase kids everywhere.

We are still waiting for a travel date. We still think it will be sometime in the next couple weeks that we get a date to travel.

Now we are just trying to figure out what to do about Christmas. We know that Tony will not be here, because he will be in the Ukraine with my oldest daughter. I don't know if we wait to celebrate until they get back, or just go ahead and celebrate.

We are packing away trying to get everything ready to go. I thought I had all my bags packed until Tony told me that I had to use a duffel bag and not a suitcase. Now I have to re pack everything.

Ill post as soon as I have news of when we travel. Thanks for reading!! Leah

Getting packed

Evey thing is coming together here!
We are still waiting for the H1N1 to settle down in the Ukraine and get a travel date, but we know it will either be in 2 weeks, or 3. We are excited that we might be traveling with another couple. That gives us someone to hang out with some of the time we spend there.
I never thought I might be over there at Christmas. That puts a lot of pressure on me now though. I'm trying to think, should I go out now and try to buy all their gifts before I go since I may not be here at Christmas. Or, should I not worry about it, and buy the gifts later and celebrate when we get back. I didn't think I would have to think about all of this!!
I don't want the kids to have to wait for us to come home though. I wonder how cold it will be there to. I don't do cold weather very well!!! I don't even own clothes for cold weather! I'm hoping i can just take a huge coat and be o.k.
We are trying to get our bags packed as well. The papers say not to take big suitcases because they will not fit in the cars, but that's all I have. I guess we will have to go buy duffel bags.
I am excited that most likely all the babies will be home for Christmas!!
I'm also going to try to get with the Torres family and plan my will, just in case. I just watched the movie passengers!! Not a good movie if you are already terrified to fly!!
Thanks everyone for reading our blog. Pray that we get a travel date soon!!

YEAHHHHHH!!!

Well, Our paperwork was officially turned in!!!
This means now that we will soon get a travel date. We would normally leave 2 weeks from Monday, but the Ukraine has stoped travel due to the H1Ni virus. We will trust in The Lord that this will not stop us from bringing our babies home.
Vanessa, Elisa, and Arthur, we are coming to bring you home!!!
We still need a name for Vanessa, and Arthur. We want Russian names. So any ideas would be great!!
I'm finally getting my excitement back. This is getting all to real for me. The plane is a little freaking me out again, But I know what ever happens , is meant to happen anyways right??
I'm going to start packing a few things to help get me excited again!! I think it will be very cold the first of December right?? I don't even know if I own clothes for weather that cold!
Well, I'm going to run. We need to figure out if we are going to do anymore fund raising. We just realized all the money we borrow from our 401k we will have to pay on the entire year, because we don't get reimbursed until nest year from My husbands work. We were not expecting that! Its all good though. We will figure it out. We have this whole way through!! Thanks guys!

No news

No news again today. We are still waiting. I will write as soon as we hear something. As for Elizabeth, I do not have your email. Please email me because I want to know what you know. Thanks so much tbarch@prodigy.net, Leah

Waiting again

Well I got the email I have been waiting for today. I have been reading other peoples blog about the Ukraine shutting down due to the H1N1 virus. Today I got the email that said they would be closing for 3 weeks. They were suppose to have all my paperwork translated today, but still no word.
My husbands back ground check expires on Tuesday so if its not turned in, we are going to have to re-do it all over which will take months.
Ive done well along the way staying positive, but now Im crashing. I feel everything, and everyone is working against us. I just keep praying that they were able to get everything turned it, because I'm not sure what we would do if we have to re-do months and months of this again. These poor babies need a home now, not 6 months from now. Please keep us in your prayers. Leah