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!!!