After almost 6 months of waiting.......

Thursday night we decided we needed to go to bed earlier because we would be getting up earlier to head to the orphanage! After prayer together with Natasha, we headed to bed! I'm not sure what good it did, b/c Jarrod and I both tossed and turned all night! I could sleep for the excitement of going to see our girl! Around 3:30am we both woke up and couldn't believe it wasn't time to go yet!

 5:30am came around on Friday morning, and it was time to arise! At that point I was actually sleeping good, so I didn't really want to climb out of bed....yet I did! We started getting ready! We walked out the door at 7am, on time, woohoo!! We prayed when we got in the car for our day and for favor! These pictures were that morning before leaving the apartment!

We arrived at the inspector's office, and I personally inside had much anticipation! I wasn't quite sure what to expect or what we should say, or what was really even going to happen! Let me just say, that I am so thankful for our beautiful friend Natasha! Without her we couldn't and wouldn't be walking on this beautiful adoption journey that God has brought us to!! After a little while in the inspector's office, we were headed to the orphanage!

We've watched before a clip called "road to Matveevka", so we knew it was a bumpy road leading to there! With a few butterflies in my stomach, we turned on this road. I wasn't sure what this was going to be like, if it was going to be real formal, how Yulia was going to receive us (after all it's been almost 6 months), how any of this was going to play out! So we parked our car and headed up to the front of the orphanage.


When you arrive at the front of the main park of the orphanage, there are double doors that walk you through a foyer before walking into the hallway of the orphanage. We stepped through those double doors into the foyer, Natasha and the inspector already in the hallway, and I hear these running footsteps! I look up and it's Yulia running at us full force, not even allowing us to get into the hallway. She has the biggest hugs I think I've ever received! She went from me to Jarrod, then a big hug to both of us! She told me not to cry, which surprisingly I didn't!! I was just caught up in this moment of sheer excitement that we've been reunited with our sweet girl!

After a couple of moments of talking, we were taken up to an office. Honestly, I'm not sure what all took place! Maybe I was in this moment of "being in lala land"!! The director did talk to Yulia about what was going on....making sure she understood that we were adopting her and making sure she wanted to be in our family! She verbally told them "dah", meaning yes she wanted to be in our family! Oh how this made me smile!! Some paperwork was done, and Mama Natasha held our hand ever step of the way!!

After a bit, we were ready to leave the orphanage, and Yulia was allowed to come with us for a little while! We were so excited that we get to spend some time with her! So we headed out!

On the way home, well our home for now, was one of the sweetest moments!! Yulia was tired, her train had arrived at 3am from camp. (I now look at the timing of Jarrod and I waking up, and I think it was probably around the time she arrived at the orphanage.....I LOVE God's timing on everything). At one of our stops I motioned to my lap to see if she would like to lay down and sleep. She said "dah", and laid her head over in my lap, while I played with her hair and she fell asleep. I will have this image in my mind forever! It was a sweet mommy/daughter moment for me! I'm not sure she understands the blessing that this moment was for me, but it made me see more her desire for me to be her mom! I told her she was my baby, and she grinned and shook her head yes!

We made it back to the apartment to hang out! We had a snack, a new favorite of our, sliced cucumbers. After we were finished, she grabbed the two plates on the table, took them to the sink and started washing them, along with the dishes that we left after breakfast when we ran out the door. I told her she didn't have to, but she wanted to! This was just a sweet blessing to see that she wants to help! I'm sure we will have our days, lol, but we are savoring these moments!!

We went to dinner a little later, then came back to watch a little tv, play on the computer a bit, then play cards before bed! Jarrod got an "I love you" out of her first, but mine came a little later! It was sweet moments, even the big hugs before going to sleep. She's right where she's meant to be in our arms!!

We have only begun the process. Things were delayed a bit, b/c she was a camp, but we are running now! We will remain here in Ukraine for a few more weeks, and we pray the Lord's favor on every step of this process!! Our children at home are still doing well! We miss them like crazy, but we know this will all be worth it! Yesterday just proved that more and more! We still have a long journey ahead of us, even after we leave Ukraine! We will learn to operate as a family more and more each day! Praying that in God's perfect timing, we will go from Jarrod and Amy to mama and daddy!

Thank you for taking the time to enjoy our lives with us! We covet prayers and most of all we wish for God's perfect plan to be executed in our lives!! Bless you all!!