They Stole Our Hearts!

When Bill & I traveled to Ukraine this past Christmas to visit Daniel, we met the cutest 5yo boy named Ruslan. He took up with us right away, so we spent a lot of time with him. When we returned in March for Daniel's adoption, we were able to meet Ruslan's older brother, Zhenya, 12yo. He had been away while we were there for Christmas. Daniel is very close to Ruslan & Zhenya, he calls them his brothers. They are the only two kids he's ever really talked about missing since leaving Ukraine.

Over the summer Daniel would call his friends at the orphanage about once a week. We would talk to Zhenya whenever we could & we found ourselves missing him & Ruslan as well. On one of our weekly calls, Zhenya asked Daniel if we could adopt him and his brother. I'd be lying if I said we hadn't already been considering it. We knew Zhenya would be coming to camp in Alabama in August, so we told Daniel to tell him we'd like to spend time while he was in the US getting to know him better. We also told him we wanted him to meet many families while here in Alabama because there may be another family God had planned for him. We spent time with him while he was here, but not so much that he didn't get to spend a lot of time with other families as well. After nearly a month here at camp, it was clear that Zhenya wanted us to be his family and we had fallen totally in love with him too.

So, here we go again! We have chosen to get back on this crazy roller coaster called adoption again! We have been so happy bringing Daniel into our family and we're looking forward to maybe twice as much joy the second time around.

Ruslan

 

 

 

 

 

Zhenya

All American Past Time!

Who would have guessed it, but Daniel loves baseball. He 1st went to the batting cages with his cousin, Chase this summer. Once he got the hang of it, he really liked it and thought he'd like to try playing. We enrolled him in a batting camp at Faulkner in July and after that he was hooked. It was very obvious from the first time he picked up a bat that he was a natural. Our nephew, Chase plays travel ball with a team from Prattville. We asked the coach if Daniel could just start coming to practices so he could begin learning the game. After 4 or 5 practices, Daniel played with the travel team at a weekend tournament. Following the tournament, he led the team in doubles and RBI's! There is still a lot he has to learn, but it is amazing how well he's doing not to have ever played baseball before in his life.

Daniel started trying for the high school team a week ago and today he goes for the batting part. I'm hoping we'll find out this week if he makes the team or not. The coach seemed impressed with him at the fielding tryouts. Batting is what he does the best, so if the coach already likes him, he'll really like him after batting practice today. Good Luck Today Daniel!

 

Finally Home!

After almost nine weeks in Ukraine, five of which were without Bill and the girls, Daniel and I are finally home! After delays in documents and our court date, more delays in documents, and multiple holidays we finally completed everything we needed to come home. Daniel is officially a Holliday and a United States citizen.

                   Finally on the plane going home!

                            

                                A long way to go!












 We flew out of Kiev at 6:40am on May 10th and arrived in Birmingham, Alabama at 6:15pm. Doesn't sound long until you add back in the 8 hour time difference. Our arrival went perfectly. First we were met by Bill, Hayden, Meme, Nana, Aunt Brooke, and cousins Chase & Kynlee. Hope was at her 1st Prom, so she wasn't at the airport. Of course she had my full blessing on that. After visiting with family for a while, our friends, The Carr's, Katya, & Stirling came. We visited with them and were getting ready to head to the car when our friends, The Jennifer's came in. Everything went so smoothly and Daniel was happy and not overwhelmed at all. We couldn't have asked for better.

   Meeting their grandson in person for the 1st time!

              Meeting his Aunt and cousins.

  After spending so long in Ukraine, I was aching for
  some Southern food! Daniel's 1st dinner in               Alabama - Jim n Nick's!

      We arrived home at the same time as
      Hope and Cade returning from the Prom!

                             Beautiful couple!

                  Daniel immediately made himself at home!

 Got to have Mother's Day with all three of my kids!







Things are really going well. It's like Daniel has always been here. His English is coming along amazingly, even though he doesn't think so. Of course there have been a few times he's mentioned missing friends, but overall he has been very happy. I can't express how happy we are to finally have him here, sleeping in the room that had been referred to as "Daniel's Room" for nearly a year before he arrived. He loves his new pet family too! He wasn't allowed pets at the orphanage and he's a real animal lover. He and our dog, Scout, have really become best buds. She slept with him in his bed a few nights, but she was keeping him from sleeping well so she's had to return to her crate. Now they just spend their waking hours together! lol

We're sure there will be challenges along the way, but so far it's been awesome!

Honeymooning, Newborns, & Time to Start Real Life

I am very excited to bring Daniel home & to rejoin the rest of our family, but I'm a little sad too. These last 4 weeks have been great, just the two of us, but I also ache to be with my husband and daughters. I can't wait for our family members to finally meet Daniel in person. They've all spoke with him via Skype, but this will be the first time they will be able to hug him & welcome him into our big, crazy family.

The last 4 weeks have been very much like a honeymoon. We already loved one another, but we've never spent this amount of time together. We're in an exotic location & sharing new experiences together. More new experiences for me than him, since he lives here, but for the 1st time he has been able to see what he wants, rather than being told where & what to do. We've got to know each other better and have become more comfortable being together.

I know his birth mother will always be his 1st love. No matter what circumstances cause the loss of maternal rights, you just can't help but love your birth mother. She brought you into this world & no matter what she's done, you will always prefer to have remained with your birth family. I hope this time with him, one on one, has given him a chance to "fall in love" with me. Just as I think daughters should look to their fathers as an example of their future husbands, I equally believe young men should look to their mothers as examples of their future wives. I pray that I am able to model unconditional love, God's love to Daniel. It's hard to understand God's unconditional love for you if you've never experienced it before. Our parent's are supposed to love us & be that example of God's love in our lives. When they fail to do that, when you are abandoned by the two people who are supposed to love you, how can you truly know what God's love feels like?

In the orphanage, when boys reach a certain age, they are denied physical touch from their female caregivers. This is understandable, because many of the caretakers are single, young women (usually in their 30's) and they don't want even the appearance of inappropriate physical contact.(I know this does happen though) Plus, these young men are starving for love and they don't want to lead them into forming romantic feelings toward their caretakers. It's unfortunate though, we all need appropriate physical touch in our lives to feel loved; hugs, kisses on the cheek, a hand to hold, & a shoulder to cry on. It was difficult at 1st when it was just Daniel & I. I would do normal things, things I do without thought with my daughters, like touch his hair as he falls asleep, touch his hand, etc...and these actions would cause him such distress. This in return caused me much distress. Is he reacting this way because he hasn't had touch in so long or has someone touched him in ways that weren't appropriate?

I felt rejected & I felt angry at the though that someone may have hurt him in this way in the past. But slowly he has initiated more and more touch and I feel so blessed to have his trust. As I woke him up this morning (which is no easy feat!), I sat beside him on his bed and he held my hand. Right now, as I type this, he is lying on the bed next to me playing on his cell phone. It has taken a while, but he is beginning to feel comfortable with me touching him appropriately. It is awesome to look back on how much things have changed, even though it wasn't that awesome actually going through it. Who knew that hugs, holding hands, and mom just touching your hair could be such a big deal? But if you've never had that or it's been a very long time since you've had that, I guess that makes it a really big deal. One thing that has helped us is watching movies. We have watched several movies where loving families are portrayed; The Blind Side, Courageous, We Bought a Zoo, etc... One thing that he pointed out to me, something I didn't really notice I guess because it's so normal to me, is how many times in these movies it showed a mom or dad touching their child's hair as they slept. It gave me a concrete example to use with him. THIS IS AN APPROPRIATE WAY THAT PARENTS EXPRESS LOVE TO THEIR CHILDREN! He got it! It all started to make sense to him. One afternoon last week, he was extremely tired & fell asleep early, around 7:30. Of course, as I went to bed around 12:00, I had to go in & make sure he was still breathing. The next morning he told me he heard me come in & he felt me touch his hair. The difference was, that this time he seemed to take much pleasure in the fact that I had done it. He was happy to know that I had checked on him before I went to bed & he liked that I had touched his head. He felt loved.  

I have shared these experiences with my husband. I've talked to him when I was struggling with my own emotions. He has helped me stay focused on Daniel's feelings rather than on my own. I had a wonderful family growing up. My parents were great examples of love in my life. They are about to celebrate 44 years of marriage in June. Daniel hasn't had that. I needed to stop thinking about how everything makes me feel and start thinking only of how Daniel must feel. Thank you Bill, for helping me remain focused on the important work I'm doing here. I'm setting the groundwork for our family in the time I'm spending here, one-on-one with our son. I've began thinking of it as those first few weeks home with a new baby. You're getting to know each other, you're forming those emotional bonds, and even though it's fun & exciting, having a new baby is work. Daniel is by no means a baby, not if you look at him physically, but in an emotional sense, in the sense of family dynamics, he's a newborn. After 10 years in an orphanage, he is having to go back through those steps of development and learn what it means to be part of a family. And not just part of a family, but an American family. Our customs, the way we interact, & the ways we show love for one another are very different than what it's like here in Ukraine.

We leave for the US in the morning. It's time to end this chapter in our new family & start the next- real life. There will now be bedtimes, chores to do, & learning how to live together as a new family of five (plus our sweet Viktor). He will have fights with his sisters about using all the hot water or him leaving the toilet seat up. He will have disagreements with his dad & I about house rules or time limits on playing xBox. I will struggle trying figure out how to cook meals large enough to feed all of us. Two teen aged boys eat A LOT! Bill will worry about meeting our new financial needs for clothing & groceries. But through all that, we will be a family. We will love each other more & more each day. We may not "like" each other everyday, but the love will only grown bigger & bigger.

It's surreal. Tomorrow night, Daniel will sleep in his own bed, in his new home for the 1st time. I feel excited & nervous about starting this new phase in our life. Over the next few days & weeks he will meet his extended family, he will begin to make new friends, attend church with us, learn more English, & I hope, feel more loved than he ever has in his life. It won't always be easy or fun, but it will always be worth it.

                        Daniel & I taking in the sites.

                                                                 Officially Daniel Ray Holliday!

               
              I get to see my girls tomorrow

Court & Hanging Out Just the 2 of Us

It's 8:00 in the morning here in Kiev. It will be hours before Daniel wakes up! But I'm enjoying sitting here at the computer watching him sleep. It amazes me that no matter how old they get, they still look like babies when they sleep.

We had out court appearance last Monday. It was nothing at all like I'd expected. I had a small panic attack right before we went in. Not ANY reservations, just the fear of the unknown. They have our dossier, basically our whole life story in a folder, and can ask any question about it. It's hard to feel prepared when you don't know what they'll be asking. I just said a little prayer that God would give me the words to say to whatever question was asked. Mine and Bill's questioning seemed like a blur to me, but when Daniel stood to be questioned, I was awed. Here is this 15 year old boy, who spoke with such self-assurance with every question asked him. He had tears come to his eyes, but he never lost his composure as he told the judge he wants to be adopted by us because we love him like a "real" family is supposed to and that "no" he didn't want to stay here to be near his brothers because he would probably end up like they have. Before we knew it, the whole thing was over. The judge made his decision right then, there was no deliberation. This adoption is approved pending a 10-day waiting period! Wow! We have a son!

                 1st Official Family Photo

I think we're the only family I know that didn't get a photo in the court room. We didn't get the cool court room with the holding cell in it. It was just a small, plain room with a place for the judge to sit up front, the jury & prosecutor in the center, and 2 rows of seats for us in the back. Everything was over so fast and the judge was up and out before we knew it! We took this photo downstairs in the court house, so we could have the Ukraine flag in the background.

                                     
                                        Daniel's birth mother came to court that morning.
                                        We were a little concerned when we 1st heard
                                        she was coming, but she just wanted to get a
                                        look at the family adopting her son. We got the
                                        thumbs up. She told him we are a good family.

 Handsome boy! He didn't sleep the whole night before court.









On the Tuesday after court, Bill and the girls flew home. He had to get back to work and the girls needed to get back to school. It's just been me and Daniel for just over a week now. We are doing good, finding our way around the city. It's some really good mother/son bonding time. I've watched so many movies that I would not normally watch! Some Kung Fu movie made in Thailand & translated into Ukrainian (neither language I speak!); a King Kong movie where he gets an artificial heart transplant, they capture a female "Queen" Kong , they fall in love, & eventually escape together; and a lot of action movies-all in Ukrainian. It's been fun though, just hanging out together.

Trolley that takes you up the big hill from the new parts of Kiev to Podol, the old town.

           This is the view from the park in old town.

       
            Kiev Zoo Park

   We asked this peacock to please show us his
             beautiful feathers and he did it!

         We had been joking all day that I was taking him to visit
          his brothers and sisters at the zoo!

              This wasn't running that day, so we didn't get to ride.









So, today is Wednesday. We are going out to find some other cool parks to look at. There are parks everywhere here! Friday we will return to Baryshevka to get final papers from court, then go and apply for Daniel's new birth certificate. Once we have the birth certificate, we can apply for his new passport and Visa. Hoping to be traveling home in the next week & a half! I am going to miss this place, but I can't wait to be home and have our whole family together!

Delays, The Holocaust, & "I love you, Mama"

Got some disappointing news Monday. Our facilitator called to say he was coming over Monday afternoon. We thought it was to go over what we needed to do for court Tuesday. Unfortunately, it was to tell us that when he'd gone to pick up our final paperwork at the SDA for court, it wasn't ready. This meant no court Tuesday. The SDA now falls under the Ministry of Family and Children, a new ministry formed at the beginning of this year. Instead of all adoption related paperwork staying in one department, the SDA, it now has to go through the ministry's office as well. Our paperwork has to pass through five people, with each of them signing off. We were missing one signature. Our facilitator was able to pick up our paperwork Wednesday and now court is scheduled for Monday, April 8th @ 11:00.

We are glad that we finally have all the paperwork and know that court will definitely be on Monday, but this puts a major strain on our budget. This means a whole other week Bill will be out of work, another week paying for an apartment big enough for all five of us, and meals for five people for another week. The good thing though is we are getting more time to explore the city and visit old friends. There are so many parks and attractions you can see for free here. We have plenty to do to fill our time. With all the snow we've had, it hasn't been favorable for seeing the sites.

This week we've gone to a huge park overlooking the Dnieper River. There are beautiful views of the city from there and interesting sites to see. The Parliament Building is there. It was the Russian Tzar's Palace when Russia's capital was Kiev. It was all covered in tarps and scaffolding for restoration, so we weren't able to get any good photos of it.

                            

             Children's Puppet Theater

                                                             


                            

                                Daniel and his sisters

         

       Big Frog in the Park

      

                  Kiev Dynamo Soccer Stadium

                                                 

        View of Kiev

                                       

                                                           Freedom Arch

Tradition here for engaged couples to put  locks on the railing.








The next day we went to Babyn Yar. It is a large ravine in Kiev where the largest 2-day massacre of Jews during the Holocaust took place in September 1941. 33,771 Jews were murdered and thrown into the ravines on September 29 & 30, 1941. Between 100-150,000 Jews, Ukrainian citizens, and gypsies were killed here between 1941-1945. It is very sad what the human race is capable of.

                         
 
                          Walking up to the main monument.

This photo doesn't begin to show how large this monument is.









Over the last couple of days, it has been obvious that there has been something on Daniel's mind. He has quit taking calls from one of his brothers. We had noticed him hitting ignore every time he would call. I was finally able to get him to talk about it last night. It was not at all what I had imagined in my head and after we talked he seemed to feel much better. I told him (through Google Translate, of course), that he doesn't have to go through things alone anymore. That's what we're here for, to support him through any problems. I told him we love him very much and he will never have to go through things alone again. When he finished reading my message, he looked at me and said, "I love you, Mama." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him that I love him too. Then I had to leave the room so I wouldn't burst into tears in front of him. It was an awesome moment that I will never forget.

Adoption is Happy & Sad

A lot of people don't realize how adoption effects a child. Everyone thinks it should be only a happy occasion. This child is gaining a family, they're being "saved" from a life in the orphanage, and they should be happy. They are happy, but you have to take into consideration also that this child is losing a lot too. They are losing any hopes they may hold of reuniting with their birth families, losing ties to extended family; brothers & sisters, their country, their language, and the "normal" they are accustomed to. Change is never easy, even if it's good change. We're asking Daniel to trust us, people he hardly knows. Trust that we will take care of him, that we will provide for him, and to love him & not harm him. That's a lot to ask of a 15yo boy that has spent most of his life let down by those who were supposed to love him, his own birth family.

We are lucky to have been able to communicate with Daniel a lot over the last year and a half. Even though it's just been weekly phone calls, we have been able to get to know him & he us. That has made our adjustment a lot easier than we have seen with some of our other friends that have adopted older children. Easier, but not easy. I often tell people that this is the hardest, best thing I've ever done. It's hard to understand if you haven't been through an adoption before. It is a complex mixture of emotions. I am so happy to have Daniel joining our family. I know ultimately we, with God's help, will be able to offer him a life of love and acceptance that he's never had before. We will be able to offer him so many more opportunities in the US than he would ever have here. It's also sad, though.

We had our 1st rough spot last night. I think that's pretty good since he's been with us for over a week now. The 1st few days here he'd let the girls make him over, he experimented with his hair style, and enjoyed his new clothes. The last few days, though, he's gone back to his normal hair style, just combed down straight over his forehead. I think mostly because he's had to wear a hat because it's cold outside & why waste time on your hair when it's just going to get messed up anyway. His hair looks really good, the way it's cut, to part it to his right. So, I catch myself (probably like a lot of mothers) reaching up and brushing his hair to the side with my hand. He usually just smiles at me, says something playful, & it eventually goes back to how he had it before. But not last night. I brushed his hair over to the side with my hand & he angrily brushed it back down saying, "I no like." Hope told him it looks better brushed to the side. Then she said something that pushed him over the edge. She didn't mean it in a bad way, but I think it just hit him the wrong way and at the wrong time. As she tried to brush it back over to the side she said, "When we get to America, this is how you need to wear your hair." Then he yelled, "I not in America, we in Ukraine!" In that moment it struck me how hard this has to be on him and it broke my heart. We've had so much fun this last week and he has seemed so eager to jump right in that I haven't taken the time maybe I should have to contemplate what all must be going through his mind. Every site we go see, is he thinking, "Will I ever see this again?"

After returning to Kiev, we all split up for dinner. Bill & the girls wanted something fast food and Daniel & I wanted Ukrainian food. It had been cold all day and a bowl of borsch sounded wonderful to me. It's just he & I at dinner and it's a little quiet as we're both lost in our thoughts. Then he burps (something I hate to say that Bill & the girls have encouraged). He laughs and says, "It wasn't Daniel, it was Oleg." He has been adamant about not using that name, he doesn't even want it as his middle name.This was the 1st time I had heard him refer to himself as Oleg since he's been with us. Even when he's telling us stories from the past he'll say, so & so said Daniel, I mean Oleg. At this moment it hits me, the struggle he's going through; leaving Oleg behind and becoming Daniel, and I began to cry. Let me tell you, it is horrible not being able to communicate about what's going on. I'm crying, Daniel's a little freaked out asking if I'm okay, and there is no way to tell him. Bless him, he had to wait until we returned to the apartment so we could sit down with Google Translate. I reassured him that he had done nothing to hurt my feelings, he didn't "make" me cry. The last thing I want is for him to feel like he can't talk to me about problems because I may break down in tears. I explained (as best you can through Google Translate) that Mom's love their children so much that when they see their children in pain, we feel it too. I told him I could tell that he was struggling with some emotions and that it's okay to be happy and sad about being adopted, that me, Dad, and his sisters will be here for him no matter what, and we love him unconditionally. He told me he loves us very much too and he seemed to feel much better.

I know this will not be the end, he will struggle for a long while with conflicting emotions. But he will not be alone, he will now have a family who loves him and will weather the storms with him. I hope in time he grows to trust us, he can begin to heal from his past, and move on to be the wonderful young man I see in him.

Becoming Mom & Dad

Daniel has known us as Bill & Kim for so long, we knew it wouldn't change to Mom & Dad over night. He has been referring to us as Mom & Dad for a long time, like, "That's Bill, my dad, and Kim, my mom." Or when he writes to us on Facebook he will address us as Mom & Dad. This is a big deal. I know it's something that can't be rushed. It's something he will have to decide to do on his own. But I'd be lying if I said that I don't long for it.
I have noticed the more time he spends with us, the more times he refers to us as Mom & Dad. Bill asks: "Where is Hope?" Daniel replies: "She's with Mom." or he may say, "Dad went to the market.", but still when speaking TO US it's Bill & Kim.
Until tonight! I don't know what changed, but I was telling him to put on another shirt because it's cold outside. Then he said, "Mom! We only going 2 meters!" It's pretty much been Mom the rest of the night. There have still been a few Kim's here and there, but mostly Mom. I'm trying not to act like it's a big deal. That I'm not just over the moon! But, I have to admit, it's hard to keep the goofy grin off my face right now! And he may go back and forth for a while and that's okay. Like I said, this is a big deal. I want him to decide when he's ready. But for tonight, I'm enjoying being called Mom by 3 children.

Witnessing a Transformation

Daniel has always had a good personality; funny and mischievous, but he's also lacked a lot of confidence. We have noticed on several occasions that he will shrink back, pull his hood over his head, and look down at his feet. NOT ANYMORE! It's amazing what the love of a family and a makeover from your sisters can do! It has been like watching a butterfly come out of it's cocoon. Daniel now walks with his head held high, his shoulders back, and yes-with a little more strut. It's what our girls would call "swagger." It has been an awesome thing to witness and I thank God everyday for bringing Daniel into our lives.

Ukraine is Awesome!

It has been a great 1st week here so far. We have had lots of snow, so that's been great for the girls. We were so worried they wouldn't get to see any. Daniel has been with us since Thursday and we've had lots of fun. I think he enjoys not having a set schedule like at the orphanage. He can pretty much do whatever he wants whenever he wants. He is having to get used to us telling him he can't do certain things, though. At the orphanage he could just say "I'm going out for a walk & I'll be back in a little while," but the orphanage is in a small village where everyone knows everybody. Here in Kiev it's a little different. He wanted to step outside the restaurant after dinner tonight and I had to tell him no. We were visiting with a friend, it was running a little long, & he was getting bored. He said no one would steal him, but I had to say no. It would be like letting your kid stand out on the streets of New York City because Kiev is that large, plus sex-trafficking is one of their biggest problems here. No way I'm letting my son go stand outside on a busy street here by himself. He was a little outdone, but he obeyed & I'm glad.

Our friend, Katya, leaves going back to Odessa tomorrow. She has been such a help to us, we will miss her so much! Thank goodness she is moving to Alabama and we'll be able to see her when we get home. Daniel is worried about her leaving. She has helped so much with communication and I know he's worried about being here alone with no one else speaking Ukrainian. We'll make it through and we'll have some good family bonding time.

He has been breaking the girls in good the last few days on what it's like to have a brother. He has hit them with snow balls, tonight he locked Hayden in the bathroom & shut off the lights, and just basically annoying the mess out them! Lots of laughing, though, and I love hearing that.

We went to a small village today near Brovary to visit Lynn & Patricia Joy. They moved here from England about 8 years ago. They felt God calling them to serve orphans here in Ukraine, so they sold all their belongings and moved here. They currently are fostering 4 children in their home, 3 girls & 1 boy. The youngest girl has severe fetal alcohol syndrome. Her parents would spend their money on vodka rather than milk. Not only did her mother drink during her pregnancy, but she also gave her vodka in her bottle as a baby. She is 9yo, but looks to be more around 5 or 6. She is precious! She is doing wonderfully living with the Joy's. It is truly an awesome thing they are doing for orphans in Ukraine.

Appointment Day!

Our appointment was Wednesday, March 13th @ 10am. Bill & I woke early and got ready to meet Valery down stairs by 9:15. After a quick metro ride to Independence Square, we walked up-hill for what felt like 10 miles. I thought I was going to die before we ever got there! We finally made it and we were even a little early. People who know me will be very impressed by that! The appointment before us ran late, so we didn't actually get called back until around 10:30. I'm not really sure what I thought this appointment would be like. A few people had said it was very stuffy & official, that no one smiled, and it was a little intimidating. I don't know if it's because Bill & I smile so much that those around us feel compelled to smile as well or what, but our meeting was anything but official & stuffy feeling. The lady who had our file understood English, but couldn't speak it well, she was very impressed at the polite conversation we had learned in Russian, and she smiled at us almost the whole appointment! It was very laid back and she only asked us two questions. 1.) How did we meet Oleg (soon to officially be Daniel)? 2.) Why do want to adopt him? We were simply honest, telling her the story of how we met at Bridgestone and that we fell in love with him and feel like he should be part of our family. She showed us his file and told us a little about his history. My favorite things though, were the pictures! They had 3 pictures of him in his file: the 1st was when he was 5yo & first entered the orphanage (precious!), the 2nd he was probably around 8-10yo (also precious!), and the last looked close to how he looked when we met him a year and a half ago. We can have the photos of him as long as we provide them with a current photo of him to keep on file. I've got to find me a 1 hour photo place around here because I really want those pictures! We go back Thursday, March 14th @ 4pm to pick up our official referral to adopt Daniel! Friday, March 15th, we will travel to the orphanage with our referral and this process will officially be up and running!

This is the sign that used to hang outside the SDA office. They have changed the name of the department now, so the old sign was removed and a new one will go up soon. We seen this sign in so many of our friends' photos, we just had to take a picture of it!

Here is me with Valery in front of St. Michael's Cathedral after the SDA appointment.

After our appointment, Valery needed to go have some copies made. He left us to tour St. Michael's while he ran to do copies. It is so beautiful, pictures don't do it justice.

 

There are murals painted all around the outside of the cathedral. They are amazingly beautiful and intricate.

This is the old chapel. The roof is wooden shingles that look like fish scales. Amazing architecture.

Statue of St. Michael in front of the cathedral entrance.

This is St. Andrew's Church at the opposite end of the same street where St. Michael's is. Valery told us that this was the original city, the two churches and that one road between them.

                              Close up to St. Andrew's Church.

This statue is in the square in front of St. Michael's. The center person is Olga, first woman king of Ukraine.