Ooh La La!!!

We have had a great couple of days. Yesterday, we headed to an orphanage 1 1/2 hours away. What would normally be an enjoyable car ride through the beautiful Ukrainian countryside was comprised due to 4 fully grown individuals crammed into the backseat of a Camry. One of which the kids refer to as "The Hulk":) Not that I don't love my daughter and sweet friends, but being that close in the backseat for that long is not something I would normally choose to do! When we finally made it to the town the orphanage was in, we stopped by a store to buy candy for the kids. I felt like I had a partial epidural and literally could not walk for a few minutes while my leg and foot woke up. I was sitting in such an awkward position in the car that my whole right leg fell asleep. It was all worth it to get to visit with these sweet kids, though. The orphanage we visited is very small, only 30 kids, and it is being closed soon due to its small size. The kids will all be sent to different orphanages. Most will go to another orphanage not too far from here that was described as not being very good. The social worker told us that these children will be picked on since they will be the newbies. Several of the children begged us to find  families to adopt them, and it is my heartfelt prayer that somehow, some way, that will happen. Their sweet little faces and warm hugs will be etched in my head and heart forever. 

Today we had lunch with L and her parents, our dear friend Natalya who does more for all of us than we could ever describe, and another sweet couple that arrived yesterday to start the adoption process of their 2 children from A and L's orphanage. We then all traveled to the orphanage to visit with the kids. We decided to take the trolley bus, to which my daughter said, "Trolley bus?!? Nyet!!" She is already too spoiled to ride the trolley bus:) She hitched a ride with Natalya and  our new friends while I rode the trolley bus with L and her parents. It really is not bad.

It was so neat to be with A and L as they visited the place they called home for most of their lives. We bought candy to take with us, and A and L enjoyed passing it out to all of the kids. To see these girls return to the orphanage with their new families brought up so many emotions for me. I couldn't help but stop and thank the Lord for bringing these special girls into our lives and saving them from a life of pain, loneliness, and depravity. What a blessing to know that they do not have to stay in that place. To know that a wonderful, love-filled life awaits them!

 Sweet kids at the orphanage

After our visit to the orphanage, we all headed to the children's park to walk around, and then to a traditional Ukrainian restaurant. My food was delicious...I can't say the same for some of the others. Some kind of meat filled gelatin was ordered along with cold meat jelly, rabbit of some kind, and I heard talk of cow tongue although I don't think that was actually ordered. I stuck with chicken and potato pancakes topped with onions and mushrooms....delicious!!

 Girls and Natalya taking aim 

 Anyone else find this bearded head with bright red lips a little creepy?!?

 Interior of the restaurant 

There was a deejay at the restaurant, and dancing soon broke out. A enjoyed dancing and singing at the top of her lungs. She convinced L's daddy James to join in the dancing. It was so much fun to watch. L and her Mama Jamie joined in a bit as well as our new friends. I kinda felt like we were at a wedding reception that had been going on for a couple of hours...you know, at the point when everyone starts thinking their dance moves look REALLY good:)

 Lookin good James and A!!!

After dinner, we took a LONG walk home to our apartments. We cut through the semi-deserted children's park, and L and A decided to jump on a trampoline that is there. They had so much fun jumping on that thing. Further down the path is some kind of random stage that they decided to jump on and do cartwheels. Did I mention that A has on a dress today?!?That did not deter her from doing cartwheels or jumping on the trampoline. The park was not very well lit, so I guess that is a good thing in this sense:) As A would say, "Ooh La La!!!". My daughter is hilarious. She is so full of life, always joking, singing LOUDLY, and talking...like non stop, all the time!! And about every other thing she says is "Ooh La La".

We had such a wonderful day with the friends that we have made here in Ukraine. How blessed we feel to be making these life long bonds and sharing such fun memories with friends from the US...all the way over here. 

Tomorrow we are heading to Sevastopol, a town on the Black Sea that has a lot of historical sites. We are looking forward to our next adventure!