We have made it home!  We are so glad to be here with our new family!!  This has been an amazing journey.  I haven't been able to update like I had hoped, too due to time and availability of the internet, but it has been great.  I was suprised when I saw how few posts I had done.  It seemed like I was always doing them!!  Anyway, thank you for following with us!! 

 

Last time I wrote, we had just gotten the children from the orphanage.  It was a little scary, to be honest, to take them home and know that they would be ours forever and ever!! What if they don't like us?  We had had several 2-3 hour meetings, but what would happen when they were with us ALL the time? We couldn't believe how good it would be.  Luckily, God had chosen the children for us.  Chelsea and Cody really settled in well with our family and the family we lived with.  They very easily would come and sit on our laps and give hugs and kisses.  They would just smile and play like they had been there for years.  Cody is very shy!  He will engage well, but usually gives his beautiful shy smile and lowers his head giggling.  It is so endearing!!  They five kids spent the last few days in Lugansk swimming in the pool.  We also had our wonderful friend Denis take us to the park.  We took the kids on several carnival type rides.  Cody loved ALL the rides.  I hope that I can download the pictures because they are unbelivable!  He would scream in fear and then scream with delight just seconds later.  He couldn't get enough of the adrenaline it seems. He was very excited and ran from place to place.  Chelsea wanted NOTHING to do with the rides!!  She wanted to watch Mikey ride the power wheels.  She spent the time hugging on Thom and I and walking hand in hand with us.  She is quite the young lady!! She laughs so easy and is readily pleased.  We only had a couple of days in Lugansk before we headed back to Kiev.

THE TRAIN:  If you have never been on a train in Ukraine, it is deffinately something worth doing.  We decided to take the children back to Kiev by over night train.  We had a wonderful send off from Iina, Denis and Sasha. Lianna, Marina and Anna said good bye at the house.  We were all in tears as we said good bye. It was so hard to say good bye to our new family.  We will surely miss them!!  I have very much fallen in love with Lugansk and hate to leave it, but know that we will be headed home soon, and this is a huge step forward.  Tommy, Jessica and Mikey were amazed!  We played games and ate the dinner that our wonderful Lianna packed for us. 

Sorry, I have to cut this short, but I will write more later!

 We have been home since the 18th and been having alot of fun!!!  It is amazing how a trip can change your life completely!!  We have had just over a week of adjusting and getting to know each other.  A lot has happened since my last post, so I will try to tell all as usual. 

I will start with NOW since that is the most important!  We are really settling in as a family.  It is much better than I could have dreamed!!!  All the kids are still getting along well.  Mikey has been jealous today of Cody and Tommy spending time together.  It's quite cute but sad at the same time!!  Cody is VERY attached to Tommy and Tommy loves him a bunch!  Cody and Mikey have been playing cars and building blocks like crazy.  They are very good together.  Unfortunately he has quickly become a game freak.  I guess it is a boy thing.  He does like the leapster, and it is helping with his learning.  He is still shy but so cute!!  His shyness is in his talking mostly.  When he talks, he covers his mouth with his hand.  He doesn't like to try to speak English because it sounds so funny to him.  He always laughs if he says a word.  The one word he knows very well is "ice cream".  He uses it VERY often.  It's good since it is over 100 degrees outside!  He is getting used to his name now and readily answers to it.  He is especially fond of Babuska and Dadyuska!!  He uses any excuse to go with them or spend time with them.  When we go to their house, or he sees their car he cheers with all his might, clapping and singing!  They love it of coarse!!  Because of all the problems in the past, they were rightfully hesitant about our adoption before we left.  They are very happy that I did not listen to them and that we perseveared in our quest!!  They love our new children a tremendous amount! 

Chelsea has been a suprise for me.  I thought that she would be a great child and would fit in well, but I was not thinking that it would be this wonderful with her!  She is always ready for a hug, cuddle or kiss!  She is happy, laughing and helpful all the time!  I love her sooo much!  We dance and sing, laugh and play all day long!!!  She is a prize for sure!!  I can't believe that they are ours  It seems impossible.  I love her spirit and how much she loves us.  First thing in the morning she comes running in with hugs good morning!  She is always watching for "Daddy" when we come home and is dissappointed when he is not here.  When he does come home she goes running for him with her arms wide open.  Ready to be scooped up in a hug!  She is a gem!  No matter what I am doing, she is always right beside me.  Right now she is sitting in the chair next to me, head on my shoulder, relaxed and practicing her reading.  She has been reading EVERYTHING in sight.  She is great at the letters and sounding them out.  She has a hunger for knowledge.  She does everything with zest.  If I am cooking, she is chopping, stirring, fixing.  If I am cleaning, she is sweeping, washing, cleaning right beside me.  She always says, "Moi Mommy!" (My Mommy!)  She seems happy to have a mom and not have to be in charge!  She is amazing...did I say that already???

We have had quite a homecoming!  Our family and friends put on a dinner and pie auction for us.  It was a wonderful success with so many friends and loved ones wishing us well and supporting us!  We had my favorite teacher that I never had, do the auctioneering for us.  He was a load of fun!!  My friend Cas framed many of her own photographs to use for auction.  They were amazing!!  Our friends at Dr. Massy's office were there and supportive as ever.  They have been amazing in their support of us.  We love them a tremendous amount!  Girls, and Massy, we missed you terribly and thank you for your enthusiasm!!  My dear friend Jeri.  We have been best friends for 36 years!  You have been so faithful and supportive.  We all love you very much!  There is a funny story here...  Jeri and her family came to support us as usual.  After the long drive, they spent the time entertaining our children, all 5, and making sure they were safe as we ran around busily at the dinner.  Jeri and Donna were helping every where, and Jose, Jeri's husband, was hanging out with Cody.  I guess Cody could sense what a great "football" (soccer) player that Jose is.  He would not let him go all night!  At the end of the event, he was hanging on to Jose's neck and sheepishly said, "Mama!  Etta Papa!"  He wanted to have Jose for his daddy!  Now I know how these poor kids must feel being "shopped for" when seeing if they will match the family.  When I explained to him that he could only have one family to live with, and one daddy, he happily came back to us as his parents and said good-bye.  I know that he is waiting to visit though.  There were so many other wonderful people who helped us with the dinner, I can't even begin to name you all.  Please know that we were very blessed by your giving, friendship and prayers.  Last week the children are quite the stars.  We had an interview for the news paper that was in last Saturday's paper.  Anita did a wonderful job on the story!  Bless her heart, she has really put up with me and not returning calls since I have been home.  She also did a television interview on the family for a local TV show.  We are hoping to shed some light and get some help on the Child Trafficing situation that we were involved in.  We really want to help the children as best we can!!!  The community has really embraced the children and we are so thankful.  Tommy, Jessica and Mikey have been thrilled to be home and with their friends doing all the summer type things.  Jessica left yesterday for church camp.  Her first time ever.  She was really looking forward to it!  Tommy started football practice and is doing very well.  When we first came home, we went to see his closest friends.  He is really blessed to have great friends!!  We were especially excited to see Cody.  This is the wonderful boy that inspired our Cody's name.  He was very proud and happy that we named our son with him in mind!  I hope and pray that our Cody is as wonderful a boy as Tommy's friend!

LEAVING LUGANSK --I have to tell you I have been very homesick for Ukraine!!  I didn't realize that I would leave half of my heart there!  I knew that we were blessed to be in the situation we were in.  I didn't know how much I would miss it until we came home!  As you know, we went to Kiev on the 11th of July (Tommy's birthday) to wait and finish the adoption.  It was so very hard to leave our new family.  I couldn't even look at Lianna or I would have broken down in tears.  My wonderful Denis had taken me to develop pictures at the last second.  He was always willing to indulge me in whatever I needed to do.  After some coffee and last minute shopping,  he went with us to the train station.  He and Iina waited with us until the train came and took us, unwillingly, away from our new home and family.  The kids and I were so sad to go, but anxious at the same time!  We had a great train ride back to Kiev.  What an experience!!  We left our Iina in Lugansk to clear up the passport mess.  If you don't know, a couple days before our final court date, the whole process in Ukraine changed AGAIN!  It is always something!  Apparently, the government decided that they would no longer issue the old style passports.  They knew this was coming for several months.  In typical Ukraine style, they pulled all the old passports from the offices and did not leave the new ones to be used.  MANY people are still stuck there waiting for the passports so that they can take their children home!  But as God does, he managed to bring our wonderful hostess, Marina back just in time to save the day.  She made several calls to many of her high contacts and worked hard to get our passport issue resolved.  When we returned to Kiev, we were told that they were able to get passports, legally, and that they would be done soon BUT one of us would have to return to Lugansk to sign for them.  We decided that I would go back and Thom would stay in Kiev with the kids.  Our good friends Olga and Granny came to Kiev to help Thom with the kids while I was gone.  We met them the first time I went to Ukraine in  2005.  Luckily they were there because Thom got terribly sick and was in bed the whole time I was gone!!  As for me, I was the lucky one who got to go back home, I mean to Lugansk, and play.  The flight to Lugansk was crazy!!  There was almost no rubber left on the tires of the airplane!  I kept praying that we would land without popping them!!  As we approached Lugansk, there was a lightning storm.  Unlike American planes, we flew right through it!  There were lightning bolts right off the wing of the plane!  I kid you not!!  Not even a second between strike and thunder!  They went from next to us to the ground, under the plane, over the plane...Every where!  It was amazing! 

When we got to Lugansk, Iina was there to meet me (at 10:30 pm).  I was really suprised when our Denis was there with his great big smile, welcoming me back home!  It was a homecoming I will not forget.  I couldn't believe how good it felt to be back!  We travelled the next day to Sevierdonetsk, did the paperwork and returned to Lugansk to pick up the passports.  You can only imagine how wonderful it was to have them and know that we could go home with our children!!!  I think I was as happy as when the court gave us the children in the first place!  So we went back to have an unforgetable night with our friends in Lugansk celebrating our victory!!  Absolutely amazing!!!  Iina and I left early the next morning for Kiev. 

When I got back, I was suprised to see that Thom was really not doing well.  He was sooo sick!  I am so thankful that Olga and Granny were there to help while I was gone.  It was wonderful to see them again!  They were able to get to know the kids and they love them all very much!  Our Olga is getting married in October and I will do all I can to go!  I am so happy for her!  In Kiev the mosquitos were horrible!  It was so hot, and there was no Air Conditioner, so we had to have the windows open for air.  Unfortunately, that let the mosquitos in.  Poor Mikey was eaten from head to toe by the mangy things!!  He looked like he had a horrible case of the chicken pox!  He was miserable!  We spent the last day going to different museums and such.  We went to the Military museum.  IF YOU EVER GET TO UKRAINE THIS IS A MUST!!!  My life will forever be changed by this WWII display.  I couldn't stop crying as we walked through it!  I found out that the building just outside our kids' camp was an old concentration camp.  We thought it was, but it seemed unreal that it could be!!  I stand in awe of the museum and what it stands for.  Really you must see it!!!

After our busy and emotional day, we met our great New Yorker friends at TGI Fridays.  We had a great time and drank a Margarita in celebration!  It was soo good to see them.  The fact that we met up was almost a miracle!  She is the one I asked you to pray for.  After we left, she accepted a referral on a sweet girl and is in the process of adopting her.  What a blessing!!  I pray that it goes fast for her!  I then spent the next two nights saying good bye to my great friend Iina.  I am soooo sad that we had to leave her.  She is truly a gift from God!!!  Anyone who needs a GREAT and HONEST faciltator, you couldn't go wrong with her!!!  She is TRULY special and gifted!!  She made this experience one to remember, nearly making up for all the horrible things that happened in the first 3 years!  We love you Iina and miss you TERRIBLY!!

Well, another long entry!  Can you imagine how much I talk in person?  I have 3 more stories that I will tell later.  One is about "The Dead Lady"  another is the crazy plane ride back and finally MY TOY BEAR!  Always an adventure waiting for us!!!

Well, we finally have our kids!!  We are so thankful and happy!  I thought that I could never smile as big as I did yesterday...and I smile ALOT!  We picked up Chelsea and Cody yesterday.  There were many tears from the caretakers and all were a little nervous but they are ours at last!! Cody's care taker said, "please don't hurt him!"  Can you imagine??  I couldn't believe that she would think such a thing!!  After all we have been through to get to where we are, they are a deep treasure!  I can't believe how much we love them already!!  Jessica and Chelsea are inseperable!!  They even slept together last night.  So did Mikey and Cody...all hugs and smiles!  You wouldn't believe how big the dinner table was!!  Our hostess Marina returned from Michigan yesterday, so she was there with a toast to family and health!  Chelsea put her necklace on right away and has not taken it off.  I know that I am not going in order, but there is so much to say, and so much that happenned.

OK---

THE MEETING: We went to the orphanage and had a wonderful meeting with the director and Assitant director.  Mikey is in  love with the Assistent Director!  He played and played with her.  It is amazing because he has been terribly shy most of the time!  It was the 3rd time he saw her and the second time he ran to her and jumped in her arms.  She is very sweet!!  The director is wonderful as well!  I can't say the same for the lawyer, he doesn't smile and isn't friendly.  Oh well, there has to be one!  We signed the papers and headed to the camp to get our children!!  Thom and Tommy stayed behind do to lack of room.  Jessica and Mikey wouldn't hear of waiting to see their new brother and sister and needed to be there for the event.

THE CAMP: Sasha drove the 30 minutes to the camp, joking about the roads and his driving.  He has actually learned where the potholes are!  So we get to the camp and our 2 favorite older boys come out to greet us and take us to the kids.  We went to go get the kids and Chelsea was not in her dorm.  So we went to the other dorm, and she wasn't there either!!! My heart was out of my chest!! Finally we found her in Cody's dorm with the caretakers.  The caretakers were in tears and it was obvious that Chelsea had been too.  AS the caretakers talked with us, I started crying too.  Their loss is deffinately our gain, but it is hard to know that we are taking away children that they love so much.  It was certainly a bitter sweet day.  Anyway, when she saw us she started smiling and came straight to me.  She seems to have closed that chapter and started on the new one of her life!  Cody was shy as always.  He eagerly came to me with his cute little grin.  He told Iina (formerly known as Star) that he was happy to be with his new family and that it is OK to be leaving the caretakers.  They were all smiles as we pulled away from the camp.  Then I looked up and saw our 14 year old friend, the boy, in tears.  I was moved!!  Was he crying because he too wishes to leave with a forever family?  Because he would miss the kids? US? Happy for the kids?  I don't know, but it is a picture that will stay with me for a VERY long time.

GOING HOME:  So, on the way home, it was wonderful.  Chelsea was exhausted and just wanted to put her head on my shoulder and hold my hand.  She looked so peaceful and happy!  Cody was on my lap and very allert.  He was watching everything with so much wonder and amazement.  The word "WOW" is deffinately a universal word!  He was amazed the most when we came out of the hills and he saw the valley below us.  Everytime he would relax and lean against me, he would see something and sit straight up again and talk excitedly.  I wish I could understand, but I know in my heart what he was saying.  When we got home, our wonderful Lianna and Anna had dinner prepaired for us.  Marina, our host, had returned.  We had a great meal with Kognac for toast.  (Luckily this time it is only the second time we were expected to drink!)  We were all so happy!  Then it was time for a rest.  We said good night and headed up stairs.  Iina came up a bit later to talk about today.  She said that it was the first time she saw a bit of panic in my eyes.   She was right!  I was in a very fancy house, not childproof by the way, with 5 kids in a large but confined area!!  How could I keep these excited, exhausted children from celebrating until all hours of the night??  Everything was new and wonderful for us all!  Cody and Chelsea took turns finding Thom and I's laps and plopping confidently down on them for a cuddle and kiss.  It was amazing!!  GOD IS TRULY WONDERFUL AND FAITHFUL...NOT TO MENTION SMART!  We definately consider this a match made in heaven!!  Finally, we had them cleaned up, PJs on, and in bed.  The girls wanted to sleep together and so did the boys.  You should have seen the hugging that was going on!!  Somehow we all fell asleep.

TODAY:  Our friend Denis, the taxi driver, met us to fairy the Hobbs clan wherever we desired.  We could have been anywhere but we decided to go to the market to get swimsuits for the kids.  He then took us to the park with the kids rides for some out door fun.  The children had a blast!!  Chelsea is not very daring.  She wouldn't ride most of the rides, but she enjoied screaming with the others.  Cody is a daredevil!!  He will try anything!! (And yet he's shy???)  He squeeled in delight at the little roller coaster.  Then they did one that goes high in the air and side to side.  He would scream in fear one second and squeel with delight the next.  We didn't know if we should stop the ride or not.  At the end he clapped.  Then he and Jessica and Tommy went on the Yo-yo and everything else.  It was a great day!  Now they are swimming in the pool at the house.  I ran out so that I could post for you guys. What a time it has been with so many blessings!!

PRAYER NEED: We know that we have been tremendously blessed in this process, and couldn't ask for more or better.  However; we have a  prayer need.  As I said last post, we have had issues with the tickets.  TOMMY'S TICKET IS LOST IN CYBER SPACE!~!!  I think the travel agent screwed up AGAIN!!!!  I am trying to get ahold of him and Delta and will keep trying as soon as I leave here.  Thom is still very upset that he is letting his work down.  They haven't called, so I hope they are OK.  We are really trying to get back.  Being stuck for extra time is not fun.  Please pray for tickets to open up so that we can go home!! IF  NOT, we will make the most of it and spend time bonding...maybe it is another of God's Blessings?!

Love, The Hobbs'

Hello, I am sorry that it has taken me so long to update the blog.  We have had some issues that took alot of time to work out.  When I did get to the internet, there were errors and I couldn't post.  So we are here now and lots to tell!

 

We have visited the camp several times since my last post.  We continue to have great times with our kids, getting to know them and bonding.  It is going very well!  Chelsea comes up very easily to wrap her arms around me and rest on my shoulder.  It is very sweet!  She is still trying to get Mikey, but he is playing hard to get.  He thinks it is funny....she is going along with it for now.  It is so wonderful to see her grab Jessica by the hand and run to discover new things or introduce her to friends or caretakers.  It is a great gift for the soul.  Jessica is still very in love with her sister.  She made 2 new friends at the camp.  She is having a great time!!  Cody is such a sweetheart.  He is undemanding, always smiling and shy.  He is VERY happy when he is with us.  He plays well with the other kids and seems very comfortable.  He shares very easily and seems to be friends with everyone.  Mikey is very much in love with his brother and loves to play ball, army men and any kind of game they can think of, especially water guns!!! 

The kids at this camp are amazing.  They are so friendly and easy to like.  There is no pounding on each other or really rough play here.  It is a great place to be and visit.  The care takers are wonderful and very much in control of the children.  I have been taking notes!!!  Tommy has made friends with 2 great boys.  When we get there, they shake his hand and they are off on adventures.  They all play well with the little kids, unusual for boys that age I think!  And they call the orphans here "wild children, unable to be tamed"??? What, they must not be in the camp with the kids!!!  They are truly remarkable!!

The lead caretaker visted with me yesterday.  She often stops by to tell me good things about the kids.  This time she spent a lot of time telling me how much she loves these two kids and how they are her favorite.  She tells me what a great help Chelsea is...we have seen it already.  She said that she is always happy and friendly to everyone.  She is especially fond of all her caregivers.  She tells me that Cody is the best boy she has met...he is kind, courteous, sleeps through the night, eats well, plays well with the other children and more.  She tells me how lucky we are to get these 2 kids.  I AGREE!!!  She then says how lucky they are to have us.  She has seen the pictures of our amazinrsg family and friends.  She knows the children will be surrounded by love...This makes her cry!!  She bawls and appologizes for her tears.  I am so thankful that she tells me about the kids and that she is friendly and loving and in charge of my children's care for the last 22 months.  They have been in good hands!

Yesterday we had a celebration for Chelsea and Cody's classes.  We brought cookies, juice, balloons and gifts.  Cody's class was first.  This is the group I have gotten to know so well.  I wish I could find homes for most of the children in this group!  Cody is very excited to hand out his precious gifts to his friends.  We had the Kelly Barbie dolls for the girls and cars for the boys.  WOW is a universal word by the way.  He was so proud to give his friends gifts.  They had fun with their little celebration.  We didn't have time for a game, but they wouldn't know the difference.  We took a ton of pictures and gave many hugs and kisses over and over!  It was a dream!!  I am praying that at least one of the girls is available for my friend to adopt.  Please pray with me... she will be a remarkable mother and the child will be very blessed!  It would be great to have the children stay in touch and be friends.  Now I only need to find 15 more people!!! (Just kidding, kinda'.  I promise not to hound anyone! Except maybe one of my best friends that wants to adopt and needs some encouragement!!! Hint-hint!)  The kids got really loud at one point, you can imagine 24 kids having fun!!!  The teacher clapped her hand several times and the children immediately went to whispers.  (Did I mention I am taking notes?!)  They left after more hugs and kisses and a chorus of "PA-ZHA-LU-STA!!!  DAS-V-DAN-YA"

Chelsea's group was next.  They came in very happy, sat down at a seat, hand in their laps, talking quietly.  What a change!  They accepted their goodies, ate with enthusiasm and were confused when I gave them 2 balloons and asked them to blow one up.  After the treats we played a game.  They got into 2 lines and cheered each other on as they ran to a chair and popped their balloon.  They were all laughing hysterically!  Yes I have pictures of that too!  Chelsea had already given them all the gift of a stuffed animal on a keychain.  They were cute and the kids really liked them.  I think they would have been happy with anything.   They all said "thank you" and left for lunch.

So it was time to go...again!  It is getting harder and harder to leave them!!!  It is aweful!!  Chelsea used to be very good at minding her teacher and leaving right away...now she finds excuses to stay with us and linger.  We love it!!  She has to wear her necklace while we are there and takes her time taking it off and putting it away.  She also has to get a hug from Mikey, that is a job in itself!  Cody just smiles and shyly turns away to leave...his eyes begging to stay, but he wouldn't dare go against a request!

THE GOOD NEWS IS WE ONLY HAVE 2 MORE DAYS UNTIL WE TAKE THEM HOME FOREVER!!!  We will go Monday morning to sign our papers of responsibility and then go to the camp to pick them up for a last time!!  YEAAAAAAAAH!  We are all very excited!  Last night it finally hit me that it will be soon.  I had a hard time getting to sleep...I feel like a kids at Christmas time!!!  Today I laid out all their clothes to see what we had.  I got all teary eyed again!  Life is good!!

We fill our days, when we don't go to the camp, with trips around the city and eating...eating...eating!!  I had always heard that this is the 20 pound diet!  Well it may be, but I will probably gain 20 instead of losing!!!  Our cook, and wonderful friend!!!!!, Lianna is keeping us very well fed.  She is very observant and learns quickly.  Much quicker than us apparently!  We love her cooking, much better than the resteraunts.  I HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS FUNNY STORY!!  We realized that what we don't eat comes back in a meal or two either the same or changed slightly.  They don't believe in throwing things away that's for sure!  As with anything, there are things that are not quite to our taste.  Since we realized that if we don't eat it, it comes back, we have this funny thing.  She makes a wonderful crepe!!  Instead of breakfast it is served as a supper, or desert.  The crepe is filled with cottage cheese and raisins.  It is very wonderful, but not so much to our tast.....SOOO we eat them all as to not have them at the next meal or so...We are SMART!!!  But, what this tells her is how much we like them!!  She makes them very often...to please us!!  How do you tell a wonderful person, who gives you all that she has, that we don't care for cottage cheese???  So, we have learned to like them and eat them with a smile on our face!  Last time, she let us fill our own crepes.  It was great fun.  She hasn't made them in the past couple of days.  We will see what comes tonight though!  She does everything with so much love!!  She reminds me of my mom.  She makes the food by hand, even grinding her own hamburger!!  She never stops cleaning and cooking.  She won't let us help her at all.  I try to sneak to clean the dishes and she will come up and say so sweetly, "Angela...PLEASE!" and give me a pouty look.  Anna, her niece, does the same thing.  I had someone tell her that I would like to help her, she works so hard.  She only says that I will have ALOT of work to do when I get home and that she wants to take care of our family, her family, while she can.  She enjoys it.  She has truly become a great friend!  You know me, match maker!! I am going to be actively searching for a husband for her.  She will make someone a great wife!!! She has agreed to let me help her find someone and hopes to find someone that is near us, and friends with us, so that she can be close to us.  I have some really good ideas!!!!  I would love for her to be near us!  She is one of the biggest blessings we have had here!  She is beautiful inside and out!! 

Another blessing has been Denis.  He is our English speaking taxi driver.  He has also become a good friend.  He is young, 30ish, and very sweet.  He reminds me somewhat of Thom's brother Charlie.  He has a great heart and is always happy to help.  He made me a CD of Ukrainian music that is in English and Ukrainian.  It is a great CD and was made with alot of love!  We have been so lucky!! I am certain that we will remain friends for a long time!

So, why haven't I been blogging lately?  We have had our first REALLY BIG snaffu (sorry guys, my spelling is gone, and there's no spell check! At least not without deleating everything on accident).  Thom was scheduled to go back to America with Mikey and Tommy on July 5th.  We found out that they did not arrange the tickets and the 5th was sold out, so our travel guy got them tickets for the 7th.  A couple more days in Ukraine, no big deal!  BUT... the guy messed up and didn't get the tickets!!!  We tried EVERYTHIN possible and impossible (as they say in Ukraine) to get them home!!!  You won't believe it, but they are stuck here until the original tickets are good on July 18th!  Thom has nearly had a heart attack several times.  I am serious!! He is sooooo upset that he is letting his work down!  He would try to swim back if he could!  We are all upset as this means we will be here an extra week, waiting for our tickets.  Who would have thought that that would be our problem.  Usually you have to change the tickets to wait for something else.  They were only for a 5 week stay too!  This time seems like a lifetime though.  We are truly ready to come back.  Thom keeps saying that there is alot we can do on those days.  He even said that it will be a great chance to show the kids their culture before they leave.  Can you believe that he is the optomistic one?  So I know that this will be a blessing and that God has something good in store for us...it will just be a bit longer before we can come home.  AT LEAST WE WILL HAVE ALL 5 OF OUR KIDS WITH US!!!!

We love you guys and miss you terribly!!!

Love from the Hobbs family

 

 

 

 

I want to tell you something silly that happened.  It's not an adoption story persay, but it is one of our many adventures!  When  we were here last time I was dropped off by Sasha and planned to be home by 8pm.  I knew that I could call Denis, an English speaking taxi, to pick me up.  We had used him several times before.  By the way, he is wonderful, inexpensive, good person, and a great travel guide!  So, I walked to the photo shop to get the pictures for the blog (second trip).  As I was walking back it was pouring rain and I was wetter than a dog getting a bath!  Everyone stared at the crazy American.  When I was done with the blog, I called our taxi.... No answer....after an hour and many calls, no answer. So I called Iina.....no answer......10 min. busy.........again, again.......now it is off.  2 hours after starting to find a way home, I am scared and don't know what to do.  By now it is very dark and still pouring rain.  Our house is about 5 miles away.  We had walked as a family, during the day, but this is at night, in the rain, with only my son, and heavy gifts we bought!  I couldn't explain to anyone where I live.  I had the address that I had used many times before, but no one could understand.  I didn't have any other phone numbers for the house, our cook Lianna, our driver, Sasha, the other members of the team...no one!!  The workers at the Internet Cafe called several cabs, but no one would come because they couldn't tell them where I needed to go.  I tried to flag down a cab, but couldn't get one to stop....they always had before.  Finally there was one in the parking lot....but he didn't know either.  I tried to tell them that I know where our house is, if someone will just take me....nothing...no one understands...we are stuck and I am getting panicked....No one is coming to get me, I don't know how to get home, it's raining and pitch black!  Finally, a nice, VERY TALL young man talks to me in broken, but wonderful to the ear, English.  I explain that I know where to go, if someone could take me.  He says that he has a car and will take me.  I AM SCARED to get in the car with a stranger, but what do I do???  So Tommy and I follow him to his car and get in.  It is a very small car and he is a really tall guy.  His legs go above the stearing wheel and he can barely reach the clutch.  I find out that he learned English in school and that he is a professional basketball player in Odessa, Ukraine.  (Suprise!  He is literally over 7 feet tall!)  He said that he has been all over Europe and that he has an agent negotiating contracts in America for when his contract is over in Odessa.  I am in awe, but more, I am relieved to be going home.  He is going in the right direction, very slowly....stopping every 100 feet...popping the clutch...is it here?  NO, it is WAAAAY up there on the right....We finally get to the house and say good bye, what a nice guy! 

We go inside and everyone is frightenned and yelling at me for being gone so long....I am nearly in tears over the ordeal and tell what happened.  It turns out that Denis is sleeping, and not working that day, Sasha was scared to death and mad at me....Lianna was pacing and grabbed me, hugging me when I got home and Thom wanted to kill me.  The big question everyone asked?  Did you get the basketball players autograph?  AFter te initial shock, I can laugh about it.  At the time it was terribly scary!  Stuck, in a country where I can't communicate, and cut off from anyone who knows me!! 

Now when I come to the Internet Cafe, before they let me come in, they make sure I have prearranged for a ride home!!

Suprise!  We went to court today.  I found out only Yesterday and did not have time to post.  So our amazing Star (her real name is Iina and she has given permission to use her name,  she says she prefers Star though).  So Iina is the miracle worker.  Well actually she would agree that God is the Miracle Worker, she just does His work and asks for prayers.  I won't tell details as this is a public forum and I don't want to get anyone in trouble for the speed of our blessing.

This morning at 6 am we woke up and got ready for our trip to CeberoDonetsk ( pronounced Sevier Donetsk), where the orphage is.  We arrived to the court at 8:30 and waited for the kids.  When they got there, we changed their clothes.  Our new daughter wore a pretty green top with a jean skirt.  It matched Jessica's outfit...wich they both loved!  Our son wore a red, white and black motorcycle outfit.  He loved it.  I think they would have been happy in anything!!  So when it was 9, we went into the court room.  It was a very small room with old wood, theater style seating, that wasn't bolted to the ground.  IT WAS HOT!!! 

Before it started, Iina asked our little girl about her new American name: Chelsea MaryAnna Hobbs.  SHE LOVED IT!  She giggled and said that it is beautiful.  We explained that the Mary is after her Babuska Mary Lou.  She was happy because she had already fallen in love with her photo.  She likes having her name.  The Anna is after Thom's mom.  She liked that as well.  She repeated the name over and over, smiles and giggles...She loves it!  That is the perfect name she thinks.  Then she asked our little boy about an American name: Cody Alexander Hobbs.  He smiles wide and said he loves it.  We explain that we love the name, and it is also one of Tommy's best friends name.  He was happy.  He would be happy with anything I am certain!  So with that done, we waited for court to start.  I had heard that it would be very short as the decision is often decided before the hearing...this is a formality.  This judge takes his job very seriously, although he joked alot.  He asked very good questions of Thom first.  I was so proud of him and his answers.  When were you married, How much do you make, what is your house like, what is your car like? how much is petrol, how large is the gas tank in your car?  Yes, you make enough...as if that were the key to it all!  When asking why we adopted he said that we have always wanted to adopt a child, or children and give them a chance for a loving family.  We wanted our own as well, but we always knew we would adopt.  How about your marriage, how long was the cerimony?  WHAT???? 1, 2, 3 days?  Thom, "The first one was small and short.  We then had a very large wedding later. (Get this answer, without prodding!!!) Everyday has been a celebration since!"  They all laughed.  When the judge asked Iina, she said that it is true.  She asked how many people do you know that are married 18 years and still kiss, hug, and hold hands.....because they want to?  The judge said NONE!  Then it went on, and on, and on.  They talked to me, nothing great.  The jurors were watching every move of us and especially the children.

A GREAT part was when one juror had to ask, "Who are the adopted children and Who are the biological children?  I can't tell!" 

Then the judge called up our little Cody.  He was sooooo nervous as he is VERY shy!  He managed several DA's to questions by the judge, but would not look at him except when he let out a shy giggle and looked down quickly.  My heart was scared for him!!  Then he called Chelsea.  She went bounding up with smiles...Da, Da, DA!  More that I didn't understand.  Sistra, Dwa Brat!  DA!  She said that she loved our family the minute she saw us.  She explained that she was VERY happy about her new sister and 2 new brothers.  The judge said, but there are many brothers and sisters in the orphanage.  She gave him a look like, are you serious?  This is so different!!! But she wouldn't say anything.  When he asked Iina, she replied that it is true, you wouldn't believe it, but it was love at first sight for all of them.  Perfect from the beginning.  They replied that they could tell.  Kids don't just play like they were on command, it is real!  They took a recess and came back with the verdict, "The kids will be adopted by us...they will have their names changed, we will be named as their parents, they will keep their birthdates and places, CONGRATULATIONS!!!".....Cody came over to stand with us, followed by the other 4.  It was PRICELESS! 

We celebrated at the Cafe and a while later they went back to the camp.  It will be a LOOOONG 10 days, but they will be good days!  We are all very happy.  We gave Chelsea a special necklace for her special day.  It has a white gold heart inside a gold heart.  This is to symbolize that her life, heart, is surrounded by our love, hearts.  There are 2 diamonds inside her heart to stand for her new Mom and Dad.  There are several precious stones to symbolize how precious she is to us.  She really likes it....but not as much as we like her!  My Cody...suddenly he feels free to run and jump in my arms with his arms squeezing my neck.  He makes eye contact while I hold him, giggles his shy laugh, and looks away as he squeezes harder.  A match made in heaven all the way around!!!!

THANK YOU GOD FOR ALL OUR BLESSINGS!!!!

The ever growing Hobbs family

Hello to you all!  We got to see the children again today.  It was a wonderful event as usual.  When they came out our new daughter went running straight to Jessica, calling her name.  She gave her a big hug and nearly forgot about the rest of us!  She and Jessica are bonding VERY well.  They are like two new best friends!  They greet each other with big hugs and then hold hands, or have their arms around each other for most of the rest of the time.  They can not be seperated, what ever it is that we do!  For those of you who know us well, you know what a gift this is to us!  This was a very important conection.   And God in all His wisdom, chose exactly the perfect sister for her!  She is connecting to all of us as well.  Mikey is still shy around her, but she won't give up!  I hope this continues!  As for our little boy, he is wonderful.  He came running out of the camp giving hugs and kisses to everyone, making sure not to miss anyone!  He is a true charm!

We only had an hour with them again, but every minute is priceless and we are thankful!  We started by showing them the album of our family and friends.  They were very excited!  They had seen pictures on the camera before, but not in the album.  They giggled as they explored the album over and over.  Then we had them try on the outfits that we bought them for court.  Our daughter was giddy and giggling.  She loved it!  Especially when we told her that Jessica has the same outfit!  I don't know if it was the outfit or the thought of adoption in the court that made her so happy, but we will take her happiness any way she gives it!  It's all good.  She is a size 10/12.  As for our new son, he loved his motorcycle outfit that Mikey picked out.  It fit well, but the jeans we bought were too big.  He is a size 6/7.  He is much quieter, but you can see the joy on his face.

We played Uno, blew bubbles and watched a movie.  They weren't much into the movie (good by me).  They wanted the interraction more.  What great kids!  So we played, took pictures and bonded some more.  Our time was much too short, but when it was time to go, they obeyed the caregiver and left without problems.  Big hugs all around and a cheerful, Dasvadana until Zaftra! (Good bye until tomorrow!) 

We headed back to the little town the orphanage is in to sign some papers at the Inspector's office for court.  You know me.  I can be a little, uh, well needy, demanding maybe?!  I asked to go to the cafe.  Our wonderful Sasha just smiled, patted Thom on the back and said, "No Worry, No worry, It OK!"  (He seems to do this alot!)   They have no water with out gas/ bubbles, in the whol town!  We were very thirsty and thought that Iced tea was the answer.  Star explained to them about Iced tea.  They didn't get it, but she is a pistol and won't take no for an answer.  The waitress finally figured it out, tea, with sugar, over ice, LOTS of ice!!!  She thought we were crazy, but it was soooo good!  We had a great lunch and then met the Italian family we saw a couple days before.  We talked for a bit and exchanged some experiences.  I explained to them about my reaction when the children were taken from us and why I cried.   They said they love their son and are VERY happy with him.  We had a good laugh and I feel better about the Italian thing.  They seem to be great people.  I am sure we will see more of them.

When we went into the cafe it was sunny and cool.  When we left it was raining.  When I say raining I mean HUGE drops the size of quarters and lots of them!  Sasha drove us home 2.5 hours with great skill.  A hard task for here!  When we got here, he took us to meet his wife, what a beauty!  Then he took us home, we drank a little coffee, then he took Tommy and I too the Internet Cafe.  He is such a good sport!  I can't believe how God has blessed us with such great people!  We lovingly refer to each other as our "family".  We have Lianna (cook, and friend), Anna (college student, cook and friend), Sasha (driver and "BRAT", brother), Star (facilitator and friend) and our large family of 7! 

I am often moved to the point of tears as we go through our day, knowing how God has really blessed us and our trip.  Today, especially, I have had to wipe away the tears of happiness.  It was a HUGE leap of faith to "go blind", but I am soooooo glad that we did!  I could never have done this great of a job on my own!  Only God is this good, to fill our needs and desires so perfectly.  We have truly been blessed!  I want to thank you all for your support!  The emails and phone calls are priceless and very much appreciated!  I know things are going well, but it is due to the huge network of prayers and thoughts on our behalf from you guys!  Please, keep them coming, we are only at the half way point!  Important things are still to come.  Thank you also, to our "new" friends.  We are encourage by your words and can't wait to meet you when we get home!

The Hobbs Family

     Hello to you all!  Thanks to Laurel, I can now navigate my way through this blog and update you!  We have had the most amazing time!  God has truly blessed us!  We went to visit our kids yesterday.  They are now at a camp that is about 35 minutes farther than the orphanage.  So we had a two and a half hour drive.  It was well worh it.  The kids came out with their usual huge smiles!  We spent a glorious hour playing games.  Twister was a HUGE hit!  We had several other kids come out of the camp to see what we were doing.  Our wonderful driver, and friend, Sasha, found an enormous beetle that delighted us all.   We all held it and couldn't believe it!  Our two new children especially like the bug.  Yes, we can post pictures of the beetle.

     I am just amazed at how these children fit us.  God sure knows what He is doing and I am glad that we waited for His timing.   We are celebrating the lives He has brought to us!  These two angels are deffinately meant to be part of our family!  Jessica is bonding to both, but especially to her new sister.  Mikey is still "buggie" over his brother.  Tommy likes them both but is especially fond of his new brother and can't wait for him to play video games with him.  These two miracles are all smiles and giggles.  You should have seen them playing Twister!  I'll post the pictures after court.  They could not laugh hard enough!  We also played Uno.  It was amazing how fast they picked up the rules, we left out the +2, skip and reverse.  They are counting in English and learning their colors.  It is great!  Unfortunately, we only had an hour to bond.  It is just so great to be able to be with them, even for the one hour!

     So what now?  As our new daughter said, "How quickly can you do the documents?"  Our wonderful Star is in Kiev doing the paperwork.  She thinks she will have it Monday and then she will be back for court.  Possibly Tuesday.  Then our 10 day waiting period stops.  This is just in case we change our minds.  NOT!!!  Then we will bid fairwell to our new Ukrainian family that hosts us and return to Kiev.  It will only be a couple of days and then we will board the plane for our entry to America with our two new American Citizens!!!

     Thank you to all of you for your emails and posts!  We look forward to them every day.  If you would like short email updates, and more private detail, please email us at hobbs4@ocsnet.net.  Thank you for visiting with us!      The (getting bigger) Hobbs family

Dear loved ones,
This has been an amazing journey!!  A huge thanks to Laurel for helping me with the blog so you can
share it with us!!  Please pass it on to anyone who would like to share it with us!

We met our angels and can't believe how good God is!!  We immediately fell in love with them!  They
look like they are biologically ours.  It is uncanny!  We spent 2 hours in the van with them, it
fealt like 20 minutes!  I reached back to touch our shy little boy, not wanting to move to fast...
(you know me and my love of hugs and closeness!) and couldn't quite reach him.  He noticed my
attempt and moved over the 2 inches to receive my touch!  It was wonderful!  Our FABULOUS
facilitator, a true gift from GOD, asked if he wanted to sit on my lap.  He sad Da!  After a few
minutes Mikey had to make sure there was still enough room for him on my lap so he joined us! 
Mikey is in love with "my new brudder".  He has cried every time we left him and just wanted him
back.  He wants him to live with us forever NOW!  Our little boy has blonde hair (same as all our
kids) and blue eyes with a great big smile that errupts easily.  He is shy, like I said, but is
open to our family at the same time.  He wants the love and attention but is unsure how to ask or
assert himself.  Tommy says, "He is exactly the brother I was hoping for...and more!  He is
amazing!  I love him already!"

As for our girl, she is a very tall 11 year old with grey, blue eyes and hair the exact color as
Jessica's.  She has the same freckled face and sparkle in her eyes.  She has the same skin color
and they deffinately look like sisters! (I wish I could send pictures! I will keep trying.)  She is
very sweet!  We gave her a stuffed pegasus and she held it close and kept kissing it.

THE BEST PART:   Our facilitator, I will call her star...(the story of the starfish on the beach)
talked with our new girl alot, asking questions about what she likes and so on.  Our girl asked
about the adoption process and what was involved.  Then she said, "How quickly can you do the
documents?"  She is as anxious to be a part of our family as we are to have them.  Star told her
that Jessica has always dreamed of a big sister.  Her answer was, "How can this be true?"  She is
affectionate, pretty, happy...just wonderful!!!  When she was getting her picture taken she would
always call for Jessica and wrap her arm around her. 

We brought bubbles, balloons and cars.  They were great toys!  The kids play VERY well together! 
So does the biggest kid, Thom.  He echoed the sentiment of instantly loving these kids!

THE SCARY PART:  Most of you know our dealing with "THE ITALIANS".  It is hard to trust the
process, especially when there is an Italian who will stop at nothing to get what they want, even
if she, he is not available!  SOOO, as we were playing with the children, and our wonderful Star
was hard at work away from the orphanage, the assitant director, who told us about our kids 3 days
before, came outside.  She called our wonderful new children over to her and walked with them to
the Italian couple who were waiting with a boy and their facilitator.  They introduced our kids to
them with a happy exchange and started to walk to a taxi.  I took off after them as soon as I saw
her going to the Italians.  You know me, mother hen!  Thom started yelling...I won't quote him as
it wasn't very nice but appropriate and full of passion.  He took out the camera and started
snapping pictures of the people stealing our kids!  I was told not to follow, but didn't listen. 
They got in a cab and left, with the Italian facilitator!  The assitant director came to me smiling
and explaining that the doctor was taking the 3 children (mine and the Italian's) to the hospital
to get the medicals done quickly.  She explained to me in her sweet broken English, as I cried,
that the children are ours and there is nothing to worry about.  Star confirmed this when she
returned.  Exhausted, we left to go to a cafe.  When we returned from our errands I followed Star
into the orphanage.  As I passed the room where our kids were, our little girl ran out
calling "Mama, Mama!" and gave me a huge hug!  Our little boy was close on her heals yelling even
louder!  I was extremely relieved, to say the least!  They asked about the kids and Papa.  They ran
outside and all was good in our world again.

Needless to say, we are ALL very much in love with each other and happy with the chemistry!  Star
is working at lightning speed to get this done.  She is doing a great job!  She is an awesome
Christian lady with God as her focus!  It feels so good to have her on our side, taking care of
us!  We brought the kids to show them what life in Ukraine is like with all the struggles.  Instead
they have been treated to many of God's blessings!  We have been guests of a lovely woman who left
for Stearling Heights, Michigan (Thom's home town) the day we arrived at her house.  Coincidence?
Hmmm!  She is very gracious and WONDERFUL, a word I have used alot, I know!  We are in a 3 story
mansion with a swimming pool, cook, driver and country club priviledges.  I know, the hard life! 
Our cook as fast become a great friend!  We have been to the private park/ lake twice.  It is a
beautiful place to relax, eat and swim.  The people here have been absolutely wonderful, from our
hosts to the people on the street.  We have truly been blessed with a great experience so far.  I
am sure that your prayers and good wishes have had a lot to do with it!  PLEASE leave comments on
the blog.  As Laurel said, it is great to read them and is much easier than email, although not at
all private!  The private emails are great as well!!!  God has truly blessed us, and I pray that it
will continue!  We love you all and look forward to introducing our new kids to you SOON!!

Angela

Hello Friends and Family of the Hobbs!

I just got off the phone with Thom. They met their two kids they hope to adopt today. Thom said they are perfect! Praise God!!! He said they are adorable and they look just like their 3 bio kids! All 5 kids got along well. The entire family was able to ride with the kids from the train station in Lugansk to their orphanage in a different city. The Hobbs and their facilitator were able to get most of the adoption paperwork done today to proceed with the process! The kids were only at the orphanage a short time today before taking off for another camp! The Hobbs will go to the camp to visit the kids again on Friday. They sound VERY EXCITED and said they will e-mail photos soon. We won't be posting the photos on the blog until after the court date, but I will e-mail them to all that are on the e-mail list.

 

If you sign up for an msn account, you can leave Angela and Thom and the kids messages here under the comments section. I know from personal experience inUkraine, that it is WONDERFUL to read lots of comments and prayers of support on the blog. It's easier to read the comments here on the blog than to open idividual e-mails due to the computers being so slow in Ukraine. So, please show your support to them by leaving comments.

 

Blessings,

Laurel Boylan

God's Waiting Children, Inc.

559-316-4823

 

Hello!

I am Laurel Boylan, Director of God's Waiting Children, Inc., the agency that Angela and Thom are working with for this adoption. The Hobbs are having technical difficulties accessing their blog from Ukraine (all the directions on the screen come up in Ukrainian!!!). If they are unable to post updates, I will post them here for them as I'm in touch with the Hobbs or their faciitators almost daily. If any of you have any questions I can answer for you about their trip, please feel free to call me at 559-316-4823 or e-mail me at laurel@godswaitingchildren.com.

Laurel Boylan

 

 

We have really been blessed on this trip.  Right off God reminded us that this is all about Him and
to trust that He is in control.  We were on our way to a short important trip,  when we realized
that we forgot our very expensive camera on the plain.  Our wonderful facilitation team tried to
smile and tell us that the would find it, we knew better.  So we said a prayer for blessings for
the purpose of our "very important trip", for clarity and wisdom.  We prayed for God's guidence and
release of tension.  Then we prayed to get our camera back and not loose the hundreds of priceless
photos on our digital chips.  As soon as we said "amen" the phone rang and it was our facilitator
telling us that somehow, someone turned in the camera.  He said that it was amazing, it should have
been taken.  I said that it was God's way of telling us that He is in control of EVERYTHING!!

We have our referral and have travelled 12 hours by car to a region near Russia.  We are very
excited about the prospect of who God has chosen for us.  The girl had a huge smile in her SDA
photo, and the boy had a great smile in the orphanage photo.  The children are on vacation at the
sea for a few more days, so we will not be able to meet them until then.  We are anxious but feel
that God has provided this time as a family to have fun and relax before the craziness starts. 
(Wait, I thought we were already there??)

God has provided very well for us!!  We love the facilitation team!!  They have set us up with a
WONDERFUL "cottage".  The owner is a Ukrainian doctor who has a son in America.  She is a FANTASTIC
christian woman!  WE were sad to see her only for a few hours before she left for her, convenient,
3 week trip to, you guessed it, Sterling Heights Michigan.  Thom's home town!!!  She loves America,
God, and Americans who help the orphans!!  She is amazing.  Only the best from God.  We are in a 3
story home with a swimming pool, yes a POOL!!  We have the whole third floor.  There is a large
Beautiful garden with a Saint Bernard.  He doesn't care for us yet but you all know me and dogs!! 
We'll be friends soon.  There is a cook and house keeper to "provide everything we need", and don't
need.  Yes, this is a gift from God!!!  We don't want you to think we would be any less blessed in
a hovel, but we will take the gifts and blessings that God provides for us, with out grumbling of
coarse!

Today is Jessica's birthday.  We are going to get her a cake and fireworks, hopefully, to celebrate
with. 

God's blessings to you all!  We love you and miss you!  We will send pictures when we can...We
still need to see them to take pictures!


Angela

 

 

We will meet them (the kids) at 6am tomorrow at the train station here in Logansk.  If it goes well,

they said they will work quickly for us.  We are really excited.  Thom hasn't said alot. Today he said

 that he is nearly sick.  He said that tomorrow is a HUGE day for us.  It is like when we went to the

 hospital to have our 3 bio kids.  He said that he feels just the same.  That it really is the same concept.

I didn't think of it that way.  It makes sense though. We will see Inna again tonight.  We like it best when

she is with us.  She is fun and we like her alot.

We thought we would bring the kids so that they would have a great appreciation for what the
Ukrainians go through here.  Well, they aren't getting a true story for sure.  We have been
Marina's guests (the home owner) at the "country club" style park with cabanas and a lake with a
fine sandy beach!!!  Though life huh?  They have the most amazing pork bar b que!

Well a couple more hours!  I can hardly contain myself.

Blessings to you and your family,
Angela