Together Forever

(Posted from an email sent to family & friends)

Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 2:18 AM
Subject: Updates



Here's a picture of the four of us leaving Baby Home #12 in St. Petersburg for the very last time! This was taken on Sunday (October 21st), just after 9:00AM.

Prior to leaving the orphanage, some of the caregivers gave us our disposable cameras that we had left for them to take pictures of the boys with in between our two trips. They also gave us some of their toys, including their favorite teddy bears, that we left with them on the first trip. Finally, they wrote the boys a letter. The letter is written in Russian of course, but I later had one of our translators interpret it.

The letter reads as follow:

Dear Roman & Sergei,
We heartly congratulate you and finding parents who love you so much. Be polite and respectful. Be proud of your parents and make them proud of you. Love your brother. We want you to grow up strong, happy and healthy. We all wish you to become a very good person.

With love,
Caregivers of the 6th Group
St. Petersburg, Russia
Year 2007


In the other great news department, we have the boys' US visas! Now, we only have to register the boys with the Russian Consulate later today. That will finally be the very end of the mountains of paperwork it took us to get to this point. Actually, our translator is doing the paperwork at the Russian Consulate so we don't even have to leave the apartment if we don't want to. Afterwards, we are free to leave Russia at any time! We just have to wait for our Saturday evening flight to Amsterdam. On Sunday we're off to Minneapolis and then, home sweet home! We really are ready to leave now and even checked for flights leaving today and tomorrow. For only $16,000, the six of us can leave early. I guess that won't happen. Hopefully everyone feels better tomorrow so we can take in some sight-seeing to pass these last few days away.

My mom had the flu Tuesday and Wednesday and I've had it yesterday and today. I'm beginning to feel a bit better after having spent the last 18 hours in bed. Thank God the boys slept good last night for the first time since they're been with us. It made it much easier for Jess. My mom and dad have also been of great help. I've been virtually useless the past day so having my mom and dad along has been a Godsend.

That's all for now.

Pat & Jess