We have a court date!

October 28th at either 2 or 2:30. So we were approved here in this city as well and we are still moving forward!! It has gotten a bit chillier today, so it is the first day I have not sweated my behind off each time we walk in a building. The first visit today Marina spent with my mom and then we came at the end, just to change things up a bit. Marina did well but at one point got very stubborn and would not budge from sitting on the floor in front of the door so the staff finally had to haul Marina back to her room. Then we got there a few minutes later and she got to come back out, so we all went out side to the play ground, where you will find the best photos to date! For the second visit, just Tully and I went because Evan was taking a hard nap (more on lunch later but it delayed the nap long enough so that Evan slept right through the second visit and did not go at all)...Anyhow we went to play with Marina, and I think it was the hardest I have laughed since we have been here. Marina took us to the play ground and conjured up a game with the beach ball where Tully would sit on the merri go round, and I would stand in a very specific place and Marina would kick the ball to me, then I would go sit on the merry go round and it would be Tully's turn. seriously, Marina must think we are the two most special needs people she has ever met. She would fuss and fuss in Ukrainian and then finally get us by the hand and pull us to where we needed to be, according to her rules. If Tully delayed too long or did not stand in the right spot, then he would lose his turn and Marina would make him sit down. Finally she would just get so fed up with us she would sit on the beach ball and just look at us, like we were completely daft. Given that we cannot speak Ukrainian, we are certainly the ones who appear most disabled in our little family group! When she saw her group of friends walk by around 5:30 she was never so relieved to have her language barrier restored and threw us both kisses and hugs and skipped off to play with her current set of siblings, the other children. we do not interfere with this as we believe she will struggle immensely when we come home, even though it is the very absolute best thing that could happen for Marina given her options in about a year or so. In the mean time she can enjoy the best of both worlds.
So, as for lunch, we first walked through the open air market outside since the day was gorgeous and the 4 of us moseyed around checking out the skirts, both on the hangers and on the girls. It is hard not to admire both. These women are the most beautiful in the world so far that I have ever personally seen. I am not going to post any photos here, you can come over and adopt your own child or you can take my word for it. I would opt for choice number one. It is far more amazing than I can put into words. But I digress. Lunch I finally had to call in the cavalry and concede defeat that I could not find pictures of what I would LIKE to have for lunch because we were in some Ukrainian pub with no english menu and only photos of 10 different kinds of sausages fixed that many different ways. We decided to be brave and sit down and take our chances. It was the right choice.AFter calling our facilitator to speak with the waitress we were off and running and finally had our first bowl of Borscht here. If you like dill at all, you would have liked our lunch. It was amazing. (Bouquets of dill garnished our plates, in America we use sprigs, so I gathered it all up and stuck it in a baggie and brought it back for potato salad). Anyhow we had a wonderful time and then finally left the mall, to head back here. Evan and Gram had diverted to a dvd store, to get movies that play in the dvd player here in Ukraine. (ours were all out of region except for the 20 old black and white Alfred Hitchcock movies I brought.) Mom and I went back to the mall after 2nd visit today and took the little mini computer and the magic jack and she began calling folks, starting with my dad. She has only been able to call ME for the last week and that is probably not what she had in mind since I am right here. The only place the Magic jack works for now is at the mall with the free wifi since it is so strong there. Tully is elated as now he feels he can watch the eagles play if we go to the mall on sunday night. Nice to know what it would take for Tully to ask if we can go to the mall....duh, it would have to be a dang football game! So I have yacked and yacked here, maybe it is time to upload my family photos from the day. I will say that if I get to upload video clips I will post the one of her bossing me and Tully today. You can feel sorry for us then:) God has been most amazing and gracious to us this journey and we are very grateful for the prayers that have gotten us to this point.
Love, us.