Sunny and 60 in Balta

I'm sorry that the first set of photos yesterday didn't show up like they did on my end when I posted. I'll try to fix that the next time I'm here at the Internet cafe with our thumb drive.

Yesterday it was close to 60 degrees and sunny here, so we took the kids outside to play soccer and tag. They had a blast and we had lots of other kids from the orphanage join in. We're not allowed to take the kids off the property without their care worker, who has been sick for the last week. The room we were in for the first week with the kids was pretty small and narrow, with enough room for a desk, table and a few chairs. It was pretty difficult to play in there very much. Then, we were moved to a larger, classroom size room downstairs, which is much more conducive to doing things with the kids. It was filled with tables and chairs, which was good for doing puzzles, playing with play-doh, etc. But, it's great to be able to take the kids outside.

The orphanage has a big field with goal posts at either end of it for soccer, but the field is just dirt, so it's still muddy from the snow and ground thawing in many places. D really likes soccer. A plays for a little while then wants to do something else. She actually just prefers picking up the ball and running with it, but then, that's not really soccer, is it? :) When she does that, D yells at her a little bit, but he doesn't get too upset with her.

The other kids who joined us seemed to have a lot of fun playing as well. They all seem like good kids, and it's sad to realize that when our kids leave in a couple of weeks, all of the other kids will be staying, without families of their own.

So far, their interactions together seem pretty typical of kids their age, and we haven't seen either one get really upset with the other. We hope that's the case going forward! They do well playing together, well playing alone, and well playing with others. They also do a good job of sharing all of their treats that we bring for them.

On another subject, my sister-in-law ordered furniture for A's room yesterday. I'm so excited to finally be getting to some of the fun home stuff. We hadn't done anything before we left, as we didn't know what we were getting. I'm so glad we didn't either, as we were expecting much younger kids. We're going to put Scott's old bed back up for D, as he's big enough for it. Then I'll find some cool ways (I hope he thinks it's cool) to decorate his room as well.

One of our neighbors has been great about talking to the local school about what we'll need to have to enroll them when we get home. We hope to put them into school the week after they return. We'll give them a week to get adjusted to their new environment, and to doctors, dentists, etc. School's going to be tough for them for awhile, but ultimately, it's what's going to get them speaking English the fastest. Fortunately, we are in a great neighborhood with lots of kids, so they'll start picking things up pretty quickly. I can't believe all of this stuff is finally happening!

I'm actually going to be flying out this Sunday, March 2nd, to get things ready at home. I'm happy to be going home, but will miss seeing the kids during the 2 weeks until they arrive. Scott is under strict orders to take lots of photos in my absence :) Our dogs, though, will be very happy to see me again. Fortunately, they've had great care through another friend staying at our house.

Scott and the kids will definitely be home for Easter though, which will be awesome. I had totally written off Easter this year, but now we'll be able to do some things, although they are a bit old for an Easter egg hunt. I'll have to figure out how they celebrate it here, and try to incorporate some things.