Things I Will Miss about Mariupol and Ukraine in General (in no particular order, except for the first one!)

1 - my "roommates" Brandon and Katie! They have been so generous to invite me to stay with them, and we have had so much fun!

2 - Grivna. It's pretty, and is really fun to spend. It feels like play money! :) (I'm sure Scott will really appreciate that one)

3 - Euro-Techno music. Are there radio stations at home that play this music? I can't imagine being in a car without it! (hehe)

4 - watching The Office every night. I don't know where I have been, but that show is so funny!

5 - sleeping 'till 9am (I know, L-A-Z-Y, but it's SO NICE!)

6 - Cherry Perogies (mmmmm)

7 - fruit juice (faves include pineapple, mixed berry, cherry, peach, green apple, pear)

8 - tea and cookies (this is a daily ritual here...often twice a day. I think we should embrace this custom in our family so Halle will feel more at home :) hehe

9 - the crazy driving. It really is fun - like a carnival ride. I don't want to hear any more comments about MY driving at home...

10 - the Coca Cola - it's made with real cane sugar here (like the Dublin Dr. Pepper) and it is soooo good.

11 - the weather. (just kidding. For this Texas girl, it's like eternal winter here - I have the tan to prove it!

11 - people-watching. It's fascinating - from the model-thin women in their 5-in. stilettos, to the babushkas shuffling along with the canes and their plastic bags, to the children dressed like little eskimos in the 50-degree weather...never a dull moment!

Last Friday in Ukraine?!?!

I hope to be home with Halle Grace by this time next week!

Good news from the Embassy today - they received our updated approval! Since Scott went through Kiev to sign his part of the paperwork before leaving, the forms have already been filled out...they just need Halle's medical check and some signatures! :)

Our plan now is for Oksana and me to run around like crazy on Monday, hoping to all the birth certificate and passport paper work done. You would think that shouldn't take all day, but yes it will, and that will be much quicker than in most regions. When we're finished, we'll go to the orphanage to say our good-byes, give gifts, get Halle Grace out of that "orphan wear", and out of that orphanage! What an amazing moment that will be - to drive out of that driveway for the last time, with Halle beside me!

Halle Grace and I will spend the night at Brandon and Katie's (and yeay- they can translate! :) Then the two of us are on a plane to Kiev at 7:20 on Tuesday morning, and straight to the embassy. This gives us plenty of time to get everything finished at the embassy, and do a little sightseeing too! So...if there's space for us on that Thursday morning Delta flight, we'll be on it!

Today was so funny with Halle Grace! She was all about her imagination. We spent the morning outside (finally!), pretend-fishing with long sticks in the rain puddles. We would catch the "fish" (soggy, muddy leaves) and pile them up, and she would get so excited to see how many fish we had! This entertained her the entire visit! This afternoon, while inside, she found a little packet of sugar in my purse and asked what it was. I thought I knew the Russian word for sugar, but I guess not because she didn't know what I was talking about. So I told her it was for coffee or tea (I know those words in Russian...aren't you impressed?). She got all excited and said something about coffee and groupa and "be right back". A minute or two later, she appeared with a tea cup filled with water. She called it her "coffee" and was so proud of herself. I sprinkled some sugar into the water and stirred it with a pencil. She sipped it just like a little lady and sept saying how tasty her coffee was! So funny! Puddle-fishing and a tea/coffee party all in one day - visits don't get much better than that!

Welcome Home at the Airport

This is Scott posting.

We would love to have a crowd to meet Julie and Halle when they arrive. I know it is a little early to know for sure when they are coming, but Plan A has them arriving on April 10 (Thursday) at 8:24 pm on AA flight 487 from JFK.

Some have asked if we only want family at the airport. The answer is that all are welcome. Dates and times may change and we will try to communicate changes as we learn them.

If you plan on greeting them at the airport, please send me a note at scott.hinshaw@aa.com and include your name and cell phone number. We may also have a meet and greet where people can meet Halle later on.

Last Thursday in Mariupol

I just love saying that.

For our visit this morning, Halle and I colored and created a giant paper chain (thanks Elizabeth!). She also put great effort into crumbling cookies and raisins into her yogurt to make "yogurt soup". Look out Racheal Raye!
This afternoon, she had a little tummy ache, so she laid in my lap and we watched a Little Einstein episode on the laptop (thanks to the Doves - great idea!).

Things to do tomorrow...
1 - Call the embassy to check on the status of our updated I171-H approval
2 - check in with our facilitator (she's working her magic and trying to get us to Kiev on Monday night instead of Tuesday night. Hoping that works out!!! LOVE that woman!)
3 - visit Halle Grace (it's been rainy all week, so we've been inside working on puzzles, crafts, and games. Tomorrow's activity - make puppets and put on a puppet show)
4 - start shopping for orphanage gifts for caretakers, director, etc. Probably chocolates, champagne...the usual around here.

Keep the comments coming for the comment awards! Ya'll are the best!

ThE CoMmEnT AwArDs

I am announcing the first ever "Comment Awards"...(or the Commies).
Comment away!
Winners will receive a special virtual-trophy (a "Commie"), and the grand prize winner (1 only) will receive a small Ukrainian nesting doll set - brought all the way from Ukraine in my suitcase! :) Good luck and let the games begin!
Here are the categories:

- best idea of things to with Halle during our visits

- best "Hang-in-there, you-can-make-it" comment

- best frivolous news from home that I might be missing

- most inspiring poem (there is already one nomination in this category - see the Whatley's poem in the last post's comments :)

- wild-card category (in case there is one I love that doesn't fit within the above categories... :)

Last Wednesday in Mariupol

I can finally say that! Today is day 8 of our 10-day appeal period. I think I mentioned before that day 10 is a Friday, which means we won't be able to start any paper work until Monday. The goal is to be on a plane to Kiev with Halle Grace on Tuesday night. :)

Today, Katie and I took the bus to downtown Mariupol. It's about a 30 minute ride from the section of town where we are. They have a huge outdoor market, plus an indoor "mall" (that term is used loosely here). It was so much fun shopping and exploring. We also squeezed in lunch and a coffee break. This little coffee shop has lattes served with a scoop of ice cream! We had them with chocolate syrup too, and they were sooo good! I don't miss Starbucks at all. The cappuccinos and tea here are amazing!

Visiting Halle is getting tough. I'm tired of leaving her there at the end of our visits. She cried and pouted when I left our last two visits. I'm just ready to get her OUT! I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we still have 5 more days of visits... fast forward PLEASE! I don't mean to complain. We are so blessed to have found her and I love seeing her little smiling face each day. I am also blessed to have found Brandon and Katie as well (check out their website!). Life is good. But I'm just ready to get on with the show!

Again, thanks for all of your comments and emails. They feel like little pieces of home and they bring me so much joy! :)

April 1

During our visit this afternoon, Halle and I went outside because it was so nice out! It was cloudy, but close to 60 degrees. We were big rebels because I didn't make her wear her hat. We got in trouble later, when a caretaker spotted Halle outside without her hat on! Come on, people! We had fun making "salad" out of anything green we could find...mostly new spring weeds and some pine needles. It was delicious! :) hehe
I've taught her to sing the chorus of Jesus Loves Me, and while making salad, she started singing it! How sweet is that?

Here is a picture of Halle and her little friend, Vera, who is being adopted by an American mom from New York. Yes, that thing on Halle's head is a bow, and yes it is attached to her hair! This is what bows look like here, and it just cracks me up! She came down all spiffed up this morning after a dance recital of some kind. She told me about all about it, but unfortunately, I have no idea what she said! I just smile and nod my head and say "da" alot... :)

This is a fun picture from our little "dress-up" visit yesterday. She is such a ham for the camera - loves to pose and then look at the picture on the camera LCD. Such a girly-girl!


And I'm finally uploading pictures from the Morning Market that I posted about earlier. The first one is a long row of vendors selling potatoes and onions. These are major staples here. I've never eaten so many potatoes in my life! The second picture will be a mystery to Americans, as bags are free with purchase everywhere at home. Here, plastic bags are something you buy and reuse - they can be precious commodities. They are a sort of status symbol as well it seems. My favorite vendor at the market is the third picture. It's one of the many places you can buy those stilettos that make Ukrainian women who they are. Everyone wears them here - and the gaudier the better. It's truly a sight to behold! (you can click on the pictures to see more detail - I know you want an up-close look at those boots! hehe)