The Holcombe's Blessing

Micah Graduates Kindergarten

2011-05-23T19:56:00.000-05:00

A digital greeting card by Smilebox

Giants 2011

2011-05-18T21:46:00.001-05:00

Free photo slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Atlanta Trip 2011

2011-05-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

Another free picture slideshow by Smilebox

2010-12-29T21:56:00.001-06:00

Personalize your own slideshow design

Micah's 1st Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-14T21:55:00.001-05:00

Make your own digital slideshow

Braves Baseball Fall 2010

2010-09-18T14:12:00.000-05:00

Free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox

SPRING BREAK 2010

2010-03-19T21:51:00.000-05:00

Customize a slideshow design

Luke and Micah's Birthday

2010-01-31T21:02:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T21:24:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Summer Begins

2009-06-30T21:15:00.002-05:00

Our summer started out with Micah having his tonsils and adnoids out on June 16th. He did great and is finally starting to eat again. He misses his chicken nuggets. It has been so hot here the past couple of weeks they really don't get to stay outside long. They are attending summer camp where they go to school. They are having a blast and really missed it these past couple of weeks while Micah has been recovering.

They speak about 99.9% English now. Occassionally you will here them say dah (yes) or duvai. They are really in to music especially Papa's Christian rock. They love to play with their cousin Kyle. They attended Kid's Crusade at our church and had a lot of fun. Well, we will post more as the summer progresses. We have not planned any trips since we were gone 9 weeks last year. Hopefully we will get to take another long weekend before school starts back. I can't wait for them to see all the fireworks for July 4th. Happy Independence Day everyone!

A-Day Game at Auburn 2009

2009-05-28T21:22:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This was the boy's 1st visit to a college game.

Our 1st Pool

2009-05-28T21:13:00.002-05:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Easter 2009

2009-05-28T20:59:00.002-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The boys really had a great time Easter. Coloring eggs, hunting and all the candy. My brother's church had a Easter egg hunt and they got to meet all the Disney character's you see. They got autograph's and sat in the Easter Bunny's lap. They found well over 60 eggs and turned them in for candy. They look so sharp in their Easter outfits that Meme bought them. This truly was a blessed Easter!

The Boy's Birthday Party 1-18-09

2009-05-26T22:20:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Sorry for the delay in updating. Here's some pics of the boy's Birthday party at Chuck E Cheese in January. Micah turned 5 and Luke is 6.

Our 1st Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T18:28:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

FWC 2008 Fall Festival

2008-11-01T20:04:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

1st Halloween

2008-11-01T12:11:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Catching Up

2008-10-24T21:02:00.005-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Sorry we have not blogged since getting home but we have been non-stop. We arrived home last Friday night. We spent Saturday catching up on rest and enjoying all the many blessings that our family and friends have blessed us with. I will add some pics later but the boys room looks great. Well, it did when we got home. There was a closet full of toys and a back yard full. Oh and under the bed and in bins. The boys were overwhelmed and have never seen so many toys in their life. Thanks Grandma! Their favorite is the trampoline and their bicycles.

They also have a closet full of clothes and shoes. Thanks Meme! Our boys will never have to wear the same clothes over and over again. They look so cute in all their outfits.

They are discovering new foods everyday. Thank goodness they love chips-n-salsa, mexican rice, dill pickles, popeyes chicken, coleslaw, mashed potatoes and corn. We had biscuits with apple jelly and they still like scrambled eggs. We are trying not to give them so much juice. They are also eating plenty of fruit.

We have found a daycare and they will start once we get their blue slip showing they have had all necessary imunizations. We are still trying to catch our breathe. We have taken the boys to Wal-mart and Dollar General. They also went to church last Sunday. It was a wonderful homecoming. They sung "I am a Friend of God" and Micah sang right along while raising his hand. Luke was very curious about all that was going on. We had a great lunch afterwards and thanks to Rick and Teri for the spiderman toys. Luke loves Spiderman.

Well, it's getting late and I'm learning that when the boys are sleeping we need to sleep. I'm hoping to go back to work late next week or by next Monday. James is going back this Monday. Thanks B&B for all your support!

We also want to take this time to thank everyone for all your prayers and donations. Thanks to our church family for your support and a great welcome home party. Thanks Debra Holbrook, we love you!! A special thanks to our Moms and Chris Gann for all your hard work at the house. Everything looks great! Thanks Sister Kathy, Miss Margie and Martha for your daily comments while we were in Ukraine. Thanks Lifeline for all your help. Jana and Donna we love you!

We will try not to wait too long to post again. I'll have to share our pics of the boys in their Sunday best and the first time they ate jello.

Good Bye Ukraine!!! Helloooooo Alabama, USA!!!

2008-10-15T11:58:00.003-05:00

Hello, this is James, and YES we are sooooooo excited about leaving in the morning. We can't wait to see everyone. We have missed all of you sooooo much. Thanks again for all the prayers that have continually gone up, they have been awesome, we can feel them everyday and many have been answered. They have gotten us through. We love all the support from home and most of all from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We realize everyday that it has been all about glorifying Him most of all. These babies are a living testimony to the true love of God for his little children. We know we have a big adventure ahead of us with them but with a Father like the One we have in Heaven, we will definetly be blessed through the good and the not so good times. He never said it would be easy. Just look at the life of Jesus when he was on the earth and what he had to endure just to save us. And he is the Son of God! Time left on this earth is soooo short. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you. Repent of your sins and live for Him only and not worldly things. Make him #1 in your life before it's too late and you wind up in Hell burning for all eternity. This world of sin and disobedience to God is not worth it, is it?

Ok, we packed most of the morning and tried to take a little nap but we were just too excited, especially the boys. Ben came by and he told them in Russian that they were going to America tomorrow and the first thing that Luke asked him was, Are there any kids in America? It was precious. These boys get soooooooo excited just riding in a car, brushing their teeth, mama cooking a meal, using an ink pen, putting on clothes we have for them, looking out the window at cars going by, going to a grocery store and picking out what meat or dinner stuff to buy, and oh yea, taking a bath. This after Penny decided to go ahead and give them their back packs we bought them, for the trip. Well it was like you and me winning the lottery. They were sooooooo funny, I wish I had the camera out but I already had packed it. Then we went to a little grocery store just down the street and we bought our final meal in Ukraine. Guess what it was. Frozen pizza, hotdogs, and ice cream. Hotdogs and ice cream being their favorite. The pizza was for mama and papa. Rick and Melissa met us at the park earlier and they got a call that their 3 little one's passports got finished. Please be praying for their speedy departure from here also.

Well, we have to go to bed now. We have to leave for the airport at 4 a.m. in the morning here. The good Lord willing, we will be arriving at the Birmingham airport at 4:30 p.m. We can't wait to see our mom's faces when they see the boys for the first time. Thanks again for all the blog comments you've made and all the support you have given us. I hope we will get to see each and everyone of you soon and show you what your obedience to the Lord accomplished. Two little orphan boys that lived a terrible life with their birth mom, even to the point that she neglected them so bad that their little sister passed away. The government came in and took the boys out of that situation and put them into an orphanage. Their birth mom never even came to visit them, no family at all, until now. Now they have a mama and a papa, our families, our church family, and all our friends, and oh yes, 2 crazy dogs. They are no longer orphans and their names are not Volva and Oleg, but Luke and Micah Holcombe. We love you all very much and can't wait to see you.

The Holcombe Family

Coming Home!!!!!!!

2008-10-14T10:45:00.002-05:00

It's finally here. We are coming home on Thursday. We thought we could come home on Wednesday but there were no available flights. That's OK, we need a day to pack. We have been riding in a taxi with the boys all day. We went this morning and picked up the passports then off to the American Embassy. We went there and completed all our paperwork and paid our Visa fees. Since we got there before 12pm we were able to get an appointment today at 2pm. Everything went great and within 30 minutes we had their Visa's. Praise God!

Thank you everyone for prayers, comments and support! We love you all and will see you soon. We have a lot to do when we get home: apply for Social Security #s, doctor visit and get them registered for kindergarten.

Pastor and Kathy- I need a special prayer. I have been very sick today. Same symptoms I experienced before my gallbladder. Just pray that I don't get sick on the plane ride. Also, pray for our safety and that the boys don't freak out.

Moms and rest of our family- we can't wait to see your faces!

FWC gang- we will see you on Sunday!

Love The Holcombe's

Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire.....

2008-10-13T10:01:00.014-05:00

Hello everyone,

Well let me start out with some good news. We found out the boys passports are ready. We will pick them up tomorrow and take paperwork to the American Embassy. Hopefully we can also get our appointment for our interview with the Embassy tomorrow. We have several forms we have to complete there. The Embassy will issue the boys a Visa. More than likely they will not give it to us on the same day so we are planning on flying out on Thursday. We will let everyone know for sure after we go to the Embassy tomorrow. We are sooooo ready to come home.

We were able to add the pics tonight. The pictures of the buildings are some that James described to you in yesterday's blog. They have started building new buildings and restoring some of the old ones. That is chestnuts in the pics of the kids playing in the sandbox. There are chestnut trees everywhere here. In fact if not careful you will get beamed in the head with chestnuts when playing at the playground. We always start singing "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire....".

Tonight I fixed their favorite soup. Milk, noodles, sugar and butter. This is very popular in Ukraine and all the kids love it. They basically love any kind of soup. Everytime we cook they say "Ahhhh soup".

I'm feeling much better so thank you for your prayers. We stayed in all day since we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. We can't wait to see everyone. Our journey has taught us many things: patience; faith; endurance; a stronger love for one another; a strenghthened friendship; to be more humble; and a new love for our children. God has used this journey to teach us so much that has made us stronger. We also learned how much home means to us.

Luke and Micah say "Hello Hope, Caleb and Kyle. See you soon!".

Keep us lifted up for tomorrow,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Well.......Guess What? NO BLOGGER PARTICIPATION AGAIN! : (

2008-10-12T11:20:00.006-05:00

Well I had some pics to download tonight but I guess I waited to late or something before Blogger got busy. But I did get 2 whole pics on here. Penny with the boys and Jeremy (Rick and Melissa's son). Yes thats right. We did get together today with Rick and Melissa and their 3 new babies they have adopted. They are like us in that they are waiting for paperwork to get finished and straightened out so that they can leave. They have been here almost as long as we have. We have been here over 2 months now but have been guaranteed that we will be coming home no later than Thursday. Praise God....Please be in prayer for us leaving soon. Penny and I and the boys went outside behind our apartment building and played for awhile on the little playground. After that we walked a block in a total different direction from the usual. We have never been that way and it was about the same as all the rest. The town here in Kiev is built after most big cities in Europe. The buildings are different colors and have many sculptures built into them. Most are real rustic looking and look pretty cool. After circling the block we went on toward the outdoor art market about 2 more blocks away from us. Man there is sooo many paintings and artworks there, it is truly beautiful. When we were there Rick called and said that they found our apartment and we told them to meet us at the new playground. They did and all the kids had a blast together. They were all at the same orphanage together and knew one another from it, so it was a great reunion. Rick and Melissa live in Ohio and we definetly plan on visiting them someday when our boys get a little older since they live so close. After about 2 hours or so of playing, we all came back to our apartment and after they were here for a few minutes they took off to get some pizza at a shop down the street. It's the same one we took the boys to for their first time eating in a restaurant. It was great. They menu has Ukraine and American language on it. They only like it we have seen. So we don't have to play cherades with the waitress to get her to understand what we want to order. LOL

Tonight for supper the boys got to experience their first taste of spagetti. They tore it up. They couldn't get enough. The only thing was that they like eating the noodles plain without sauce. We did give them sauce on the side and they ate it also. Micah wore more on his face than what made it into his mouth I think. He was sooooo funny. We took a pic of him and his saucy mouth but of course I could not load it on here tonight. I will try to get out pics on here tomorrow. Well I know that it is Sunday and church is just getting out as I type this. I hope it was truly a blessed day at all the churches in Alabama. I can't wait til we get home. I have told Penny that we will definetly be at church (FWC) next Sunday unless something holds us up. I think the boys are ready to meet their new church family and feel the love that their mama and papa feels when we attend. We love all you folks. Keep praying for us. Keep Pastor Mark straight. I know he was wide open today. I love to watch him worship. It really does inspire me. I am fortunate to have such a wonderful man of God as my spiritual father. And of course, to have such a wonderful spiritual mom as Sister Kathy. Ya'll take care of them. I know it is a chore. LOL We I just wanted to keep saying thanks first of all to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For without Him none of this would have been possible. Next, thanks to all who have given to us, in prayer and financially. Thank you for being so obedient to God. We are bringing home the reason for God being glorified, our to once orphan boys, Luke and Micah. We say, I love you Jesus, and they repeat it every time. They are gonna be awesome for God. Hey Allan and Lea, we will have to get the boys with Hope and Martha Wallace's grandbaby and go and let them pass out tracks one night. I know that Caleb has been giving them out for a while with Pastor. That's soooooo awesome. We have a nephew, Kyle, that I know will want to go too.

Well, I am going to go now. Penny is already asleep. She didn't feel good tonight. She will be fine in the morning im sure. Pray for her also.

Have a wonderful day and night and we will talk to you tomorrow. We will here tomorrown whether we will leave Weds. or Thur. coming home. Wed. would be great, Good Lord willing. We love ya'll and remember, Jesus is coming soon. Ask him to save you, repent, be baptised, and Praise God that you are saved. --+------

James, Penny, Luke, and Micah

A New Hairdo, Amen!

2008-10-11T13:45:00.016-05:00

Hello everyone, we are laying here thinking about how we can't wait to get home in a couple of days. As you can see in the pics Mama and Papa got new hairdo's tonight. After the boy's had their bath and got their hair dried they decided Mama and Papa needed a new look.

Every night they say their prayers before they go to bed. They repeat after me or James. I love to hear them say "I love you Jesus". It is some of the sweetest words. They also pray before every meal.

Today we went to the big market to get enough supplies to last thru Tuesday night. Ben came and picked us up. He had 2 booster seats so we put the boys in them. They did great! We were afraid they would not like being buckled in but they actually liked it because they could see out better. We put each of them in a shopping cart when we got to the market. They were really good. Luke wanted to buy everything on the shelves. Micah would try to grab a few things but he would hand it to Mama. Ben helped us shop since we can't read the labels and some things you have no idea what it is. Tonight we were able to eat beef and mixed vegetables. We had no seasoning except salt and then James remembered we had Pepsi. The Pepsi caramelized in the pan and it tasted like Teryaki. The boys loved it. They would not eat any vegetables except the corn.

Rachel- we have a request. We plan on being at church next Sunday and the boys love "I Am A Friend of God". Will you please sing it that Sunday. The boys sing this all the time. They love all the songs from the Lakewood CD but that is their favorite.

Well, both boys have come in here and climbed in the bed with us so I guess it's back to getting them back in their bed and trying to get them to sleep. Their new game is to keep telling us they love us and giving us kisses so we want leave them. Until tomorrow.............

The Holcombe's

Another Day of Bonding

2008-10-10T12:44:00.012-05:00

Today was another lazy day at the Holcombe flat. We got up this morning and had breakfast. The boys like scrambled eggs and cheese toast. Luke likes to pull the cheese off of his bread and eat it. They have excellent cheese here in Ukraine. They played in their fort most of the day. Mama got busy cleaning the apartment and the boys helped. They both vacuumed and I cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. They are good little helpers.

After their naps we took them to the playground and played for a while. After playing we made another trip to the market and picked up some more groceries. They love to eat. We are starting to figure out Luke's likes and dislikes. Tonight we had some frozen pizza's and thought we were getting pepperoni pizza but it was salami. It was actually pretty good but Luke would not eat the salami. We ended up giving him bologna. For desert they had ice cream. They are getting to be more and more like their Poppy when it comes to ice cream.

Bedtime seems to really be a chore. I know this is a hard time for a lot of kids but the boys just want to giggle, play w/the covers and whisper. Eventually they will go to sleep but not until we have gone in there several times to get on to them. Hopefully at home it will be better since they will have separate beds.

They are picking up more and more on English. Luke calls Micah by his name all the time now. Micah on the other hand has to be reminded. They definitely know what the word spanking means. They also know chips, juice and I love you.

Our friends Rick and Melissa made it to Kiev with their kids. Hopefully we will get together in the next couple of days.

Moms, Marion and Karen- Thank you so much. God has used you to bless us in a big way. We love you!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are believing to get out of here by Wednesday.

Love,

The Holcombe's

Another Delay :(

2008-10-09T10:29:00.021-05:00

Well in case you have not heard we have had another delay. The boys passports will not be ready until either Monday or Tuesday. This will put us leaving around Wednesday or Thursday. We are very disappointed but we know there is a reason. God was not surprised by this and He will continue to keep His hand on us. Please pray for our finances and that God will provide for us. We were not planning on being here this long.

Today we went with Sasha to get the boy's medicals done. They were very well behaved and did everything the Dr asked them to. Micah is 103cm and 35lbs. Luke is 104cm and 35lbs. We knew they were very close in size but did not realize it was that close. The Dr wrote down some nose drops for Micah. The tube leading from his sinuses to his ears is stopped up so we had to get drops for the plane ride. He said we could go ahead and start giving them to him so he could sleep better.

We went and had more photos of the boys for the Visa's and then Sasha dropped us off at St. Andrew's. We went inside and got some beautiful pictures and video. The view from outside was breathtaking. We were able to pick up a Ukrainian flag for the boy's to have in their room at home. We also took pictures of one of the vendor's booth. While by the SDA we ran into another family from Italy that adopted some of the kids from the same orphanage. All the kids got to say hello.

Tonight Ben came by and Micah asked him when we were going home. He told him soon. Ben also said he would help us get some more clothes for the boys since we are staying longer. It is very difficult to dry clothes with a hairdryer. We hang them on the line but it is so cold it takes days to dry.

As you can see in the pics the boys like to help Mama and they love brusing their teeth and taking baths. We are very blessed to have such perfect little angels.
We love you and continue to cherish your prayers.

Sorry NO Pics. What else-Blogger Down AGAIN!

2008-10-08T13:00:00.002-05:00

Hello to everyone. I hope everyone is fine. We are doing good. We will be doing great when we get to fly home. We are soooo homesick. Today was a good day here. A little rainy but good. We did go to the office where you go here to apply for the boys passports. I have to tell you that the boys were soooo good. We where so proud of them. They got their pics made again and we filled out some paperwork and we were off to the small grocery store a couple of blocks from our apartment. We spent over 250........Grivnas that is. Which is about $50 dollars. There is 5.30 Grivnas to one of our dollars here. But the cost on stuff usually is the same just about. Well we bought some water and Coke (thats right good ol' Coke). They have a huge CocaCola plant over here also. Nestle is also a very big company seller here. We bought some bologna, cheese, and eggs. Penny has been cooking our meals and she has done a great job considering you can't read the labels here and sometimes you just hope you bought what you think you were buying. We had fried bologna and left over homemade mac and cheese and corn. This afternoon for lunch we finally got to eat some good ol' scrambled eggs. They were the best. We miss home and also home cooking. If anyone wants to cook us a good ol' homecooked meal when we get home, let us know. We will be there early. LOL We had some pics to show you Sister Cathy with the idea you gave us on making the boys a tent in the apartment. But of course the blogger isn't letting us download any. Penny pulled the comforter over the end of the bed in the livingroom and the boys were able to go under it and they had a fort and went crazy. They loved it. And so did mama and papa cause it gave us a little time to do stuff also. Thanks soooo much for the idea. Keep them coming cause we still have a few days left. Lea, Penny said that the finger paint with chocolate pudding was an awesome idea, but when you can't read the labels here you don't know what your getting so......no go. LOL They have been coloring some but they are all boy and they have to romp around and coloring last for about 15 minutes top. I can't wait to get home and get settled in so all the little ones the boys will be with in church can come over and play with them. We are going tomorrow to get their medical exams and if the good Lord see fit we will go to get the passports Friday and also have our meeting at the US Embassy Friday. Then we will be done and ready to fly out of here at 6:30AM Saturday Morning Ukraine time which is 10:30PM Alabama time on Friday night. Weird huh. Please be in prayer for us that we get to make that flight on Saturday. I am soooo ready to get back home and back to work (I never thought I would say that) and back to FWC and Kingdom Outreach. I really do miss all the family at church and in the Outreach Ministries. I know Chris Gann and Chris Hayes has really been keeping it going and a BIG thanks to them. You just don't know what it means when you are gone this long and you know that we have such a wonderful church family. Everyone is sooooo special to us. I can't wait for all of you to meet our Luke and Micah and for them to meet their new awesome family as well. They just don't have a clue how great their lives will be at home. They get sooooooo excited over any little thing. Tonight Penny was having to dry their underwear with a hair dryer (I don't think there is a clothes dryer in this country at all) and the boys were taking part by holding them while Penny used the dryer. They were soooooo excited. They get very excited when Penny start to cook and yell out AWWWWWW SOOOOUP. They think everytime she pulls out a pot or pan she is cooking soup. Thats a lot of what they ate at the orphanage. Very little on the menu there. They love to say their prayers with mama and papa. We make them simple for them and we usually say at meals, Thank you Jesus for this food and we love You, AMEN. And at bedtime it is usually, We love You Jesus and thank you for this day, AMEN. Of course they love baths (Penny told you I think) and they love to brush their teeth also. They have even learned now to pick up the toilet seat so they won't go peepee on it. They are so wonderful and they have already pick-up so much from us since we got the last Friday. And I am gonna have a time with them when we get home cause they love to used the remote for the TV. They fight over it and usually I have to put it on top of the refrigerator. When we get home papa will have to hide it so he can use it and keep them away from it. LOL We made paper airplanes and paper footballs one day and they loved it. You should have seen them trying to make there on. It was hilarious. They are sooooo funny to watch in all they do. Their is also a new game they love to play. It is Lets-ask-mama-whose-hat-they-have. They have the same Snoopy hat we bought them (they have to have the same or they will fight over one or the other, they are just like twins) at the market and we have Luke's name in his and that is the only way we can tell the difference. Its really weird staying in this apartment because the subway here is under us and you can feel the rumbling and here the sounds, but I have to say they don't bother us cause they are not loud, its just cool to here them and know that it's under us. Well I guess I have told you all I can think of right now. I hope the blogger is back and ready for pics tomorrow. We didn't have many today but really did want you to see them. Please keep us in your prayers. Remember to be Christian is to be Christ-Like. Jesus was here in the flesh to show the family of God (The Church) how we were supposted to live and we have an obligation to do what he did. If Jesus came to serve us and do the Father's will, how much more do we owe Him ourselves to do His will. Eternity is forever and ever. Don't waste time here doing the worlds will and your own, but do his. We have treasure to store up in Heaven and the Father wants to bless us now so we can use it to bless others, not just ourselves. Pray for wisdom. Listen for the Lord to speak to you in the word and in prayer. He will and you will be blessed forever.

WE LOVE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU!!!!!!!!

James, Penny, Luke and Micah

Finally Able to Download Pics

2008-10-07T08:08:00.016-05:00

It's hard to believe we have been here almost 8 weeks. It feels like we have lived here for 6 months. The pics are of St Andrew's and the playground we went to yesterday. Yesterday we we able to walk down to a better playground that was just redone. The boys had a good time. Well, at least I know Luke did. Micah woke up very ill from his nap. He finally started playing. We put them on a ride that goes around and around (merry-go-round)Micah got drunk and it was really funny.

We walked down the street to look for a market that Ben told us about. It was really small but had basically everything we needed. We were able to get enough for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2 days. I bought some macaroni noodles, cheese, milk and butter. We had macaroni and cheese tonight with hot dogs. Wow, that has been the closest thing to home cooking since we left home. Micah loved it but Luke did not. I can't believe I have a picky child when it comes to eating. Take in mind this was not out of a box. I think it is a little hard adjusting Luke to different foods. I plan on trying to buy some things to make soup tomorrow.

Yesterday Natalya came by and took their pictures for their passports. Sasha came by today and picked up Luke's original birth certificate. He is going tomorrow to apply for the passports. We will go Thursday and get the boys medicals. Currently Sasha has someone translating all the paperwork to English and will make us a copy of everything. He said there is a possibility we could get the passports on Friday and go to the Embassy on Friday. We need everyone praying this will happen so we can get out of here by Saturday. We cannot afford to change our flight plans again. We were told we had open ended tickets and it would not cost to change but Northwest still charged us.

This morning about 3 am we heard some water and went to the bathroom and the hose that led into the the toliet had come off. We started praying really quick and James found whaere to cut it off. The plumber had to come out and fix it so we stayed here all day. After he left we thought everything was fine and then noticed a puddle in the bathroom again. We had to call them to come back out. It took a while but they finally got it fixed.

Well, I have 2 little rugrats sitting in my lap as I type with one hand so I will say good-night. Luke is wanting to play pinball.

In His Love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Couple of Pics of St. Ardrews Church and then NO BLOGGER

2008-10-06T11:17:00.005-05:00

Well last night and tonight both we have had problems with Blogger. It won't even let us download anymore for now. We had some more pics of the church and of the market we went too but we did get I think two of them on here.

I hope all is well with everyone. We are great cause we are getting closer to coming home. We are very homesick and need to see our family and friends baaaaad (as one of my boss' Craig would say). I hope everyone at B&B is doing fine and I hope I still have a job left when I finally make it back. I hope all is well at Faith Worship Center and that Darlene is keeping Pastor straight (I know that is got to be a tough job at times). I just want to thank Sister Cathy, Miss Margee, and Martha Wallace for all the very encouraging words you send us. They mean the world to us. When you are this far away and very homesick and you turn on the computer and there is a comment for you left on here, wow, it is like a kid at Christmas with the anticipation of Santa coming. We love the comment and love you. Keep them up please. I'm a BIG teddy bear when it comes to hugs and you 3 are definetly in for one. LOL

Today they came by and took the boys pics today for the Passports. Everything is moving as planned and Saturday is still looking like the day we escape Ukraine. We just want to come home with our boys and get our lives started at home. It seems like we have been here for a year. Everyone here, except for a couple of folks, has been really nice to us and treated us like we live here. (But they all do look at us funny when we go out on the street or to eat, We just look back. LOL) We act like we know what they are saying and even us our own words in English that sound like what they are saying. Its a fun game we play. Just to pass the time you know. We also are watching tv here now in Kiev, but we can't make out what they are saying unless its a movie from the USA and we can figure it out sometimes. We did get out to go to a new park just down the road from us. It's like new and they loved it. After they played for a while we went on a little further and found a market that Ben told us about. It was small but it had what we needed and the boys had a blast. They have never been a store as of yesterday and they think its Disney Land. Penny said we really will have a time with them in Walmart.

Well, I'm not sure it this blog will post but I am now going to try it. I hope we can give you more pics tomorrow. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. I thought I knew what prayes where, but I only knew some, Penny and I both have learned what having a Heavenly Father and a Saviour like Jesus is all about. What true faith is. When you have no control over anything and you have to rely on something or someone, what a great feeling to know that that someone is Jesus Christ. He created the Heavens and the Earth so I know he will get us through this. Please, if you don't know Jesus, look up, thank him for bringing you into this world and ask him to save you for the eternal one, Heaven. Ask him to forgive you, save you, and then trust him and turn from your ways now before it is too late. I encourage you to read the Gospel of John if you just got saved or if you are already a Christian but have not been following Christ the way you know he wants you too. Read it and live by it. Its tough and I fall short all the time but he has always been there to pick me up, dust me off, and stand me back on my feet. What a Saviour Jesus is. I love you all. Hope to see you all real soon.

James, Penny, Luke and Micah Holcombe

Boys 1st haircut

2008-10-05T11:18:00.015-05:00

Hello everyone,

We've had a great Sunday. We got up this morning and had cereal with the boys. They love this cereal that James bought at the market. It has granola and fruit. After breakfast we started getting ready for our day in the city. We got the boys ready in their new outfits and walked a couple of blocks to the street markets where they sale souvenirs. We were able to get several neat things we were wanting to get. The boys were really good and held our hands the entire time. We tried to post pictures from the market but the Blogger stopped working so we will post those tomorrow.

On the way back from souvenir shopping we found a small grocery store so we stopped and picked up bologna for lunch. Along with a few other things. The boys of course had to have ice cream which is their favorite. They ate bologna, cheese and bread for lunch. They loved the bologna. They also love chips. The boys ate their ice cream for dessert. They did pretty good with it until they got to the bottom of the cone and it was melting so we put it in bowls and they scooped up every bite.

We laid them down around 1pm for a nap which takes some coaxing but eventually they went to sleep (so did James and I). They slept in their own bed last night and didn't wake up all night. Luke always wakes up 1st and I go get him. After a trip to the little boys room, it's off to cuddle with Mama and Papa. That's my favorite time. Micah is always 1st to go to sleep and last to wake up. He did good this morning but was a little ill when he woke up from his afternoon nap.

Ben called and invited us to go to McDonald's so we took him up on it. We got the boys Happy Meals with chicken nuggets and they only ate the fries. They would not even try the chicken nuggets. I'm glad they don't like fast food but right now we don't have a variety of foods to cook. They ended up eating a bowl of cereal when we got back to the apartment. We got to meet Ben's other daughter Emma. She is a little doll. She was very shy but no one got a chance to say much with the boys acting silly. Ben brought us back home and we had him tell the boys we would be going home soon. Luke asked Ben about the airplane and who would sit with them. Ben told him Mama and Papa.

After we got back we gave them baths (which they love). After their bath we decided to trim their hair since they will be getting their pictures made for their passports. Luke was easy, he just needed a trim over the ears. Micah was a different story. James started trimming his bangs and he got them a little too short. I tried to finish up the back of his hair. I saved the hair to put in my scrapbook.

Randy- tell Phyllis we will be making a trip to see her when we get back so she can even up their hair.

Rick- There were plenty of places to get the Ukraine running suits down by the SDA. We'll be glad to show you guys when you get to Kiev if you need us to. How are Roma, Vysa and Alona? Is the orphanage real quite without Micah?

Jon and Pam- What is going on with Auburn? We can't stay on the internet too long so you will have to catch me up when we get home. Pam how are you feeling?

Mom- Did you get anything at Homestead?

Well were going to try and get some sleep. As of right now we don't know if we are going to do any paperwork or not. Sasha said they have to go back to Boryonka tomorrow. We are not sure why they have to pick up something.

We love and miss you. Pray that we will have everything done and get to come home Saturday.

In His Love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

First Full Day With Luke and Micah

2008-10-04T11:27:00.018-05:00

Well we did it. We have spent a full day with our boys. Man are we tired! They both slept all thru the night without waking up. Micah does not breath very well when he is sleeping. His adenoids are very big so not sure if that has something to do with it or not. We will have him checked out when we get home. He snores and talks in his sleep. When they woke up this morning we were glad to see they knew they were with Mama and Papa. Luke asked where's Papa so I took him to lay down and cuddle with Papa on the couch. They woke up around 7am and all we had to feed them was yogurt but they enjoyed it.

James went with Sasha this morning and they got Luke's birth certificate. Natalya went on to Bijornka and got Micah's birth certificate. She had to wait all day and got Micah's. We found out that Luke was actually born on January 25th and Micah was born on January 18th. They are still 11 months and 3 weeks apart but at least we want have double birthday's in December and we can hit the clearance sales after Christmas.

Since we were able to get the birth certificates today this puts us on track. We will go on Monday to apply for passports and get an appointment for their medical exams and Visas. We are praying everything goes quickly so we can be out of here on Saturday. We know that's pushing it but we serve a great God.

Well, I'm back. We just spent 1 1/2 hours trying to get them to sleep. We read to them, played music and tried rubbing their backs but nothing seemed to work. I think they finally gave up. Micah falls to sleep a lot quicker than Luke.

We played inside most of the day since James was gone. The apartment we are staying in is right on a busy road so I can't take chances with Micah until he learns English better. I fixed them cheese toast for lunch but they wanted chips. We layed down with them about 12:00 and they slept until 2pm. This has been their usual nap time at the orphanage so we are trying to keep them in their routine as much as possible. For dinner we walked down to a restaurant less than a block from here. They serve pizza, pasta and salads.The menu is in both Ukrainian and English. We got the boys a cheese pizza and Micah loved it. Luke ate a small piece after it cooled off. We also ordered them a bowl of fruit with whipped topping and they devoured it. They behaved pretty good for their 1st time eating at a restaurant.

After dinner we took them to the playground behind the apartment to swing. They did not want to go inside but it was getting dark. They played all night with their toys. James fixed a bowl of cereal and the boys got to saying palease Papa. So he gave in.

Well, I think that catches you up on our day. The boys are sleeping on the pull out couch so James and I can try to get some sleep tonight. Thanks again for all the comments.

Rick and Melissa- we miss you guys. Hang in their and get plenty of rest before Tuesday. Rick don't forget to eat your mystery meat! ha ha

We are going to the open market tomorrow so pray that the boys behave and will listen to us.

In His Love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

We spoke with Ben and he invited us to go to McDonald's tomorrow night for dinner. I think this time we will try chicken nuggets if they have them.

GLORY TO GOD, WE HAVE OUR BABIES!!!

2008-10-03T15:32:00.011-05:00

Hello to everyone. God did it!! It's all for His Glory!! Praise be to our Father God and our Saviour Jesus Christ!! Without them there is no way possible this could have happened. What a wonderful Kingdom we are part of. It makes me think of a song from the Crabb Family and it goes like this, My Jesus, My Saviour, Lord there is none like You, All of my days, I want to praise, the wonder of Your mighty love. It goes on to say, My comfort, My shelther, power of refuge and strength. Wow, how true it is. Their truly is none like Jesus. We love him so much. He has been our comfort and our shelther. We have gone to Him many times during this and still have about a week left to go to him even more times. But you know what? He has always answered every prayer that we have had during this adoption of our precious babies. He has healed us. He has given us strength. He has given us rest. He has given us a shoulder to cry on. He has blessed every move we have made here. All glory and honor be to our Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ. If you have never dedicated your life to him or have wondered away from him, come back now!! He is so close to you right now that he just wants to come in and bless you and give you eternal life in Heaven with Him. Just say, Jesus, I have made a mess of my life but I know now that you will save me and change my life forever if I just confess that I am a sinner and I ask you to please forgive me now. I love you and I trust you. I now give my life to You. Thank you Jesus for loving me enough to pay for my sins by dying on the cross and then on the third day rising to Heaven to make a place just for me. I love you Jesus and Thank You for saving me.

Do it now. Your life will never be the same. Just ask me, my wife, and the two precious boys laying in the other room tonight asleep. Glory and all Honor to God!

Well now that I have said whats on my heart I want to tell you what happened today. As you may have already figured out. We picked up Luke and Micah from the orphanage today. I was a very busy day from the start. Nothing goes easy here in Ukraine. First we had to get the court decree and then regisiter it at the local registry office in Billa Servka. Well what would have taken about 30 minutes in the States took over 3 hours. We have to go to 2 other building that they sent us to. Its such a mess here. In every process you have to go to sooooooo many building to have everyone sign or notorize something. I told Penny one time that I was gonna line all the old folks at the hotel we were staying at and all the kids there and just let them start signing also. I mean by the time we were finished I just knew they would ask them anyway. LOL But to get back to the day. After that we went to the orphanage and met with the director there and of course, signed mooooore papers. But the wonderful news is that we did get to change the boys into their new clothes, lead them down the stairs and out the front door and into the car. Wow. They were soooooo happy and amazed about everything they saw. It was like they had been in prison for 2 years and just got out. They never stopped smiling and every car or truck we pasted it was, Machina (vehicle)!!!!!! They were soooooo excited. It just was like Penny and I had entered the twilight zone or something. It just didn't seem real to us and even tonight as I type this its still that way. Well we left Billa Serva coming back to Kiev which is were all this started when we flew in. It is the capital here in Ukraine. We didn't get to get the birth certificates today. We were stuck in traffic for over 2 hours. But the good news is that tomorrow the places we need to go to get them will be opened. So there again, Praise be to God.

Well after we got dropped off by our facilitator Natalia to get in Sasha's car (the director here for Lifeline adoptions) we went to were else, McDonald's and the boys got there first Happy Meal. They loved the toy the most of course. Penny and I got a burger and fries. Those were the best fries I think I have ever ate. We have ate just about the same thing every day at the hotel we were staying in, but praise be to God that we were fed every day and well taken care of.

After Micky D's we came to the same apartment we were in when we first go to Ukraine.
Its a nice apartment with a kitchen and plenty of HOT water. We have gone the past five day until today without any hot water. Well as you can see by the pics, the boys went absolutely crazy. Jumping on couches, chairs, and mostly the bed. They were completely unstoppable. Well then I was on the phone with Jana from Lifeline (she is truly family to us. Lifeline has been so wonderful to us, we love them all) and the boys decide to jump in the tub and start a bath and in went Penny, ALONE, and she messed up. They got crazy in the tub and she decided she was gonna give them both a bath without me and she realized what 2 wild boys on there first night in a tub together can muster up. LOL They were sooooooo funny and enjoyed it very much. As you can see in the pics, Micah looooooved having his hair dryed with a hair dryer. It was his first time with one. But Luke was afraid of it. You know, these boys have never experienced any of the things we take for granted. They have never had anything and everything is exciting to them. Well after all that we finally laid them down on the queen sized bed in the bedroom with us to get them to go to sleep. Well, here we go again. Try to get a 4 and a 5 year old to go to sleep when they are wound up like Pastor Mark on a Sunday morning and you got a job on your hands. Let me tell you, finally after a while they decide that sleep was good and now they are asleep with their mama in the bed and now im in the living room typing this. I think I will sleep out here. The couch folds out into a bed and their is enough room on the bed to maybe get one of my legs on it. We will try to get them to sleep in here tomorrow night but tonight was their first night away from the ophanage and their friends and we want to make them as comfortable as possible.

Well, it is almost 1am in the morning here and I have got to get some sleep. I did sneak in and get some pictures of them sleeping, I hope you enjoy them. Thanks and God Bless you all tonight for all you have done. Keep praying and talking to our Lord because dreams do come true. Here we are tonight.....The Holcombe Family. Love you all. James @--)------

Party Day!

2008-10-02T13:29:00.021-05:00

Well today was the big party day and tomorrow we pick up the boys. We will have a lot of running around to do tomorrow. Natalya picked up the court decree today and got copies so that's one less thing we have to do tomorrow. We will go to the registry office in the morning at 9am. That will stamp everything. After we leave there we will go to the orphanage to pick up the boys. We are hoping to get them before 2pm so we can get back to Kiev to get one birth certificate. Natalya will go on to Boryanka to get Micah's. Sasha has already set us up in the apartment we stayed at before and that is a blessing because we are familiar with that area and it is the cheapest apartment. There is a park behind the building and a pizza place within walking distance. Please pray for our safety tomorrow as we travel these busy roads. There are no laws in Ukraine that children must be buckled in or sit in a car seat. Luke is ready to go. He asked Natalya tonight when is Mama and Papa coming in the macheena and I go to America? We had her ask him again and he said I am ready to go in the macheena (car) and on the airplane. Micah is oblivious to what is taking place. He just goes with the flow. It will be more real to him after we pick him up. Enjoy the pics of all the kids. The picture of them mobbing me is for chewing gum. They loved the cookies. (Leah stop crying)

We love you all and next time we blog will be from Kiev. We have our airline tickets for Saturday the 11th so pray everything gets done in time and their passports go thru quick!

In His Love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Partying With The Sabaka's Today and The Kids Tomorrow

2008-10-01T12:16:00.012-05:00

Another day down and 1 more days to go. We had a good-bye party for the dogs at the orphanage today. All 3 came over to the playground we were on and what started with throwing a few bagel bites to the puppy and Rin Tin Tin brought out the other dog. The kids threw them all the bagel bites and then started giving them cereal. Before you knew it, the bag broke and cereal was everywhere. The dogs loved it! Melissa and Rick joined us with Vysa and Alona. They started feeding the dogs bread. Luke is very frightened of dogs so it was a chance for us to get him closer to them and let him feed them. We finally got more smiles than tears out of him. These orphan animals have been comfort to us while visiting with our boys everyday.

Micah was his usual self today. He has had a runny nose so I think he is a little more irritable than usual. We finally got all the kids running and sliding so he joined in. It's always difficult when you give them something and then have to take it back and try explaining you will bring it the next day. All we have to do with Luke is point to his hat and say zatra (tomorrow) and he understands. With Micah it's a little tougher getting him to agree.The weather was beautiful and we had a good day playing outside for what may be the last time.

Before we got to the orphanage we had Tola take us to the local toy store to pick up some toys to leave at the orphanage tomorrow. Oh, by the way Tola got a new hair-do. He had all of his hair shaved off. He said he went to get a haircut and they cut it too short so he got it buzzed off. We started calling him "Richard". Rick's full name is Richard and that is what he calls him. We had a really good laugh. Tola gave us all an ink pens from the Pro Credit Bank here in Bila Tservka so we would have something from Ukraine. He is so sweet. Also, when he picked us up from the orphanage he brought us a bag of walnuts from his farm. We plan on putting them in a bowl at Christmas.

Tola took us to the open market so we could get some cookies and juice for the party we will have for the kids tomorrow. We had to go to 2 different stands to get the juice and we found 1 box of the cookies we wanted but had to go from vendor to vendor looking for another box. The cookies are decorated really pretty and are very popular. While we were walking and looking the lady we bought the 1st box from came and let me know she found another box for us. That's the 2nd time something like that has happened there. That's God's favor!! While we were paying for them a man walked up and told the woman he wanted a box of them (pointing at mine). James said let's get out of here before he tries to get our cookies. I think he was going to offer to buy them from us. All in all everything cost us about 15.00 USD to throw the party. That's pretty cheap.

While we were cookie shopping Tola took Rick and Melissa to buy sunflower seeds. They roast the seeds and sell them in the market. You can sample the different ones. I could not tell a difference in the flavor except they have no salt. He also took Rick into one of the places that sells meat. He got Rick to try silo. This is pork fat but is a delicacy here in Ukraine. We did not get to witness this so when we got back in the taxi Tola said Rick silo and then he made a funny face and started laughing. We just all cracked up.

This was our last time to get to ride with Tola. I think we will miss him the most. He is a very sweet, kind and gentle man. James gave him a $1.00 bill and he loved it. He understood that we will be going back to Kiev on Friday so we said our good-byes and gave hugs. Sorry ladies, Tola is not single. He is married and has 2 grandchildren. He is 56 years old. Bila Tservka is a better place with Tola in it.

We bought 6 balls and 24 plastic Slinky's. We also brought some stuffed animals with us to give out. We will be leaving some of the toys we bought the boys like the bag of army men and the sand toys.

Tomorrow will be a bittersweet day. We can't wait to get our boys and get to Kiev but also we will miss all the little faces we see everyday. Their smiles, the look in their precious eyes and hearing them all call us Mama and Papa will forever be in our memories. We plan on praying for each and everyone of them as we go around the room and give out hugs tomorrow. Rick and Melissa will be there and they plan on taking pictures and running the video camera for us. Thanks guys for all your help! We will never forget the place that raised our children for 2 years.

We will blog tomorrow night and let everyone know how it went. Keep us in your prayers as you are all in ours.

Mom's it's getting closer and we can't wait to see your faces.

In His Love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

3 Days and Counting

2008-09-30T13:28:00.014-05:00

3 days and counting! We cannot wait to pick up our boys on Friday. The closer it gets the more excited we are. Today we started going thru our suitcases and getting things organized to pack. We have 2 more nights of listening to "Chocalatte", "Chicken Dance" and "Hokey Pokey". We can't wait to get back to Kiev for a change of scenery. Although we have very much appreciated having 3 square meals a day, we will be able to cook our own meals at the apartment in Kiev. (no mystery meat) I'm already wondering what will the boys like. Will they eat Mac and cheese like most kids? That will be the things we will figure out once they are finally with us. I'm sure we will make a run to McDonald's and TGIFriday's when we get to Kiev.

We picked out the clothes we will be taking with us when we pick them up. We also took their coats we bought today and let them try them on. We let Luke pick his out first and it fit him perfect. Micah liked his but the sleeves were a little short. Oh well, it will do for the couple of days that he will need it. The weather has been much nicer the past few days. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be around 64.

We are planning a party for both Micah and Luke's group. We are going to go to the outdoor market to get cookies that are decorated real pretty with icing. We will also take juice. We were going to get a cake but we're unsure if it will have alcohol in it so we don't want to take any chances. We brought stuffed animals with us and are planning on going to the toy store to get some balls to give out to the kids on Thursday.

Kathy- By the way, I am 100% better. I hope you got to eat a bite of breakfast. Thank you and everyone for all your prayers.

Martha- Thank you again for your daily comments. They mean so much to us.

Good news about the other couple here from Alabama. They will have their court date on Thursday at 1pm. Praise God!! Thanks for all your prayers!!

Notice the pic of our orphan puppy. She has grown so much since we have been here. James fed her some marshmallows today while we were waiting on a taxi. There are no leash laws here and stray dogs run around everywhere. I tried to take a picture of some of the beautiful flowers here but I think I got a little too close.

We are going on 3 days with no hot water. We have to heat up water in an electric pot and take sponge baths right now. Calgon take me away!!!

Well, it's about 11 pm here so time for us to get to bed.

In His Love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

2008-09-29T13:11:00.012-05:00

Howdy from Ukraine. This is your ol' buddy James bloggin again on this here plastic contraption. I shoooooo is bored and home sick. You might be a redneck in Ukraine if your soooo bored that you make up words and dance around the room singing them and your wife looks at you and says, "Have you lost your mind?" I haven't lost it yet, but my mind does stay either on Heaven and Jesus or just good ol' Alabama. Of course it is always on my lovely, wonderful, caring, sensational, and charming wife. (Just in case she reads or is watching me type this!! : ) ) And of course our 2 wonderful boys. How we love them. I can't even begin to tell you.

Well, today was a great day at the orphanage. Yes we did go today because Penny was so much better (but she is still a little under the weather, so keep up the prayers) and the sun was actually shinning and it was in the high 50's. They always bundle up even when in the 50's so Micah put on his long pants over his shorts and of course the long pants were too small and as you can see in the pics, kept falling off. Luke's pants on the other hand were way too big and kept falling down also. The clothes here are donated and they have to wear them too big or small sometimes and even the boys wear girls clothes and the girls wear boys. I feel so sorry for them sometimes that it really does hurt. I wish we could take them all home. The are all so special in their own way. I just pray every day that someone comes for them soon. The older they get they have a much less chance of getting a home. I know I've said before that many of them have called us mama and papa, they do. It is going to hurt so bad when we pic up our boys Friday and leave to never see them again. We have spent over 5 weeks with seeing them every day and spending time with them. They almost feel like ours also.

Back to the day we had with the boys. When we got to the playground there was an old lady with her goats on the other side of the fence. She has been there many times but is always watching us so I don't dare take a pic of her. They don't like their picture taking here in Ukraine usually unless you have business with them or if you ask for their permission. I did ask a lady at the outdoor market about taking her picture and she declined. I think she thought the FDA would come after here because she had pigs legs on the hoof, jack rabbits with their fuzzy feet still on and many other critters their just waiting to be supper on your table. The only bad part was that it wasn't really that cold and.......... you know the rest. Ok, I have gotten off track again. Where were we? Oh yea, orphanage. We bought the boys a new shapka (cap in english) and you can see them in the pics. They went crazy over them. They had snoopy on them with little foot prints. Maybe they will stay away from papa's cap now. Now if they will just leave my shoes alone. LOL Luke invented a new game today for us to play. It was the "Sit-on-the-ball-and-let-papa-kick-it-out-from-under-him-game". Of course it didn't take long for Micah to get in on the action and even Vysa (Rick and Melissa's little boy) got in on it. Vysa put on the funniest dance today also. It is in the pic with him on the bridge. We laughed so hard. He is so precious. We brought a chocolate bar today for the boys and Luke loved it while Micah had a pear. When Penny had it out Vysa come running up and said "Chocolate please." Well, how do you resist such a precious reguest. We always share our snacks when we have extra with all the kids. Its like giving them a new toy or a hug.

Earlier today Natalia (our facilitator) called us and told us that she will be in by Thursday so she can go to the court house to get our court decreee and then we will get to pick up the boys Friday. She called today to confirm that she talked to the court and its a go!!! Praise God!!! We can't wait. I told Penny today that visiting our boys at the orphanage is like having 2 boys in jail and all you can do is visit them and you can't take them with you. Guess what? Friday we can!!!

One more thing then I have to go. We told Luke today that we were coming Friday to get them and take them to our "doma" (home in English) and he grinned ear to ear. We also asked him if he was ready to go and he shook his head and said "da" meaning yes. We were so happy. Of course we told Micah and he just grinned and went on about his business. He has a one track mind and when his mind is on something he usually doesn't hear a word you say.

Well, we love you all and God Bless to everyone of you who helped with this entire journey. Not just financially but also for holding us up in prayer and for all that has been done to make bringing these "once orphan" boys back to Southside, AL.

Have a blessed day and keep seving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is nothing greater!!!

Love to all,

James, Penny, Luke, and Micah Holcombe

Looking So Forward to This Week, Praise God!!

2008-09-28T13:36:00.020-05:00

Hello again from Bila Tservka, Ukraine. Wow, it's been over 6 weeks since we left Birmingham and we are sooooooo ready to come home. It's amazing how much we think we appreciate what God has given us until we are away from it for so long. I think of even small things like our front door knob right on down to my favorite coffee cup. Having hot water whenever we want it and being able to go and come as we please without calling for a taxi. We really do take everything for granted sometimes you know. Wow, we have such a different outlook on things now and we realize how much more we rely on our Father and Savior in Heaven. How our faith has grown.

We sure do miss all of you and thanks so much for all the prayers and comments on here. It really does keep us going. We thank God every day for all the people that have made this possible for us. I know that all belongs to God, but I do know that you give of your own free will. So thanks and God bless you all. We love you.

Penny was gonna blog tonight but we have been in all day because she has been sick. I think it was something she must have ate. You never know what your eating here sometimes and I don't think that they regulate things very much here. Please pray for her. Your prayers for us has been answered so many times here. I can't wait to get back to give you that testimony.

The pictures here are from yesterday. They were the ones that didn't get put on due to there being so many. We truly did have a great day yesterday and praise God for it. We needed a day off from Ground Hog day. The first pics you see are of the White Church which the town is named after. (Bila Tservka means white church) And we also have a pic there off the bridge between the church and the museum we visited. The pic of the city there is looking back at the main part of town. The pic of the building that is not a church is of the outside of the museum. They would not let us take pics inside and I wish they had, it was really nice. The pic of the statue is of a guy and his last name is Timchenko (same as our boys birth name, weird huh) and he is a very famous guy (I think maybe the first president or something) here. Who knows, maybe the boys are have an inheritance here and own the town. Wow, we could be rich. No, just kidding. Before the church and museum Tola took us to a restaurant name Count of Monte Cristo and the menu was all in Russian and so we just guess at some we ordered and managed to figure out how to order chicken and potatos. It was all great food. And, the restaurant was really nice and for the first time the restrooms had toilets in them and not just a hole in the floor. (BIG improvement and we will be back!! LOL) There are some more pics of us in the big historical park and I did put a pic of a map in there. Try to read it, we did and we still don't know what we saw and were we went. But we had a great time trying to figure it out. It was beautiful. Our taxi driver, Tola, did the best he could at being our guide for the day even know he speaks Russian. We are getting very good at cherades over here. We will put the challenge out to anyone when we get back to play. LOL There is one pic of an actual Russian Mig jet that we pass buy every day going to the orphanage and we finally got to get out and take a pic of it. Also, there is a WWII Russian tank in a pic. There is also some pics of our boys from yesterday. They are so great and I never knew how much I would love them. They are a true blessing from God and I can't wait for you all to meet them.

Well, I have to go now (not like we have anything to do, but I'm getting sleepy and Penny is already asleep, it's almost 11pm here). Pray for us this week. We are so excited about it because we get our guys Friday if there are no delays. (the Lord willing there won't be, he knows our hearts) Have a blessed rest of the Sunday and goodbuy from James (Papa), Penny (Mama), James Luke and Micha Paul Holcombe.

This Was No Ordinary Groundhog Day

2008-09-27T11:14:00.017-05:00

Wow, what a beautiful day! This morning started out by going to visit with the boys. They wrestled, walked in our shoes and played with the ball. Just before we left they were getting ready to go outside and play since the sun finally came out. All the kids were excited. Tola picked us up and off we went to our wonderful day of sight seeing in Bila Tservka.

Every street he tried to turn down was blocked off by the police due to a bike race going on in the main part of the city. We took back roads to get to a huge park. It was absolutely beautiful. There were big trees, beautiful waterfalls, and swans. The picture of Tola under the sign is him pointing towards New York. All the wedding parties come here to have their pictures made. The walking trails go everywhere. They even give you a map to help you find your way around. Only problem is we could not read it so we just followed our tour guide Tola.

There was an amphitheater, I stood at one end and James at the other. I could whisper I love you and he could hear me. It was so cool. We stood there like little kids talking back and forth. There were also numerous statues and we had no idea who or what most were but Tola did his best to explain everything to us.There is a picture of James grabbing the Chinese guys beard. Supposedly this is for good luck but we don't believe in luck. We just grabbed his beard for the fun of it. As we walked down by the river it dawned on us that something was looking very familar about the area across from us. It was our hotel Dubrava. We had no idea that we were directly across the river from this beautiful park. It took us a few hours to go thru the park and we had a great time.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story and more pictures tomorrow.

FWC- We pray you have a blessed day of worship.

In His Love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Little Men Trying to Fill Some Big Shoes

2008-09-26T12:08:00.012-05:00

Happy Friday Everyone! One week and we pick up our boys. It will be here before you know it. Today the boys spent time wearing Mama and Papa's shoes. They were falling all over the place and giggling. A giggle in any language is the same (sweet to Mama and Papa's ears). They played with the flashlights for a little while. Luke kept getting his feelings hurt and kept crying because Micah has the one that was a little brighter. Also, Luke will not eat a banana with a bruise on it. He refused to eat his today because of a few bruises so Micah ate both. Micah could do a commercial for Life cereal. He'll eat anything.

We had a hard time trying to get the flashlight away from Micah when we left. I put it in my pocket and he kept searching all my pockets and even tried getting in my purse. He is a determined little boy.

The best news of the day. Rick and Melissa are official parents of Roma whose name will be Elijah, Alona who will be Annaleise, and Vysa who will be Jeremiah. The court was touch and go and they even had to call us and ask us to pray due to 2 key people not showing up for court but their facilitator came thru and the Judge awarded them custody. They are so excited. Thank you for all your prayers and lifting them up last night.

We have another big prayer request for the prayer warriors. Another couple that is here from Alabama and are in a different region were told they would not get a court date until October 17th! They sent out urgent emails and put out a message asking everyone to intercede for them that they will be able to get a court date sooner. They are going to go and meet with the judge to request a sooner date. They got here several days before we did so they are so ready to come home.

Today while waiting for a taxi at the orphanage a cat came up and was looking for some love. Sometimes we feel God sends animals to us like little angels to always lift our spirits. Mom- look real close at this cat. Doesn't he look just like Garth? We had some flavored marshmallows in our bag so I started feeding the cat one. He loved it. Now the other cat in one of the pictures is a wooden statue. I told James not to feed it. ha ha just kidding

This afternoon we went to the outdoor market. James tried to take a picture and they would not let him. The ladies were there selling chicken, pigs feet and this time there was a skinned rabbit and it still had the furry feet. That would bring a whole new meaning to lucky rabbit's foot. It looked very unlucky! We were able to get the boys each a jacket. There is one guy that sells 2nd hand clothes real cheap so we got 2 jackets for $16.00. I thought I had found me a jacket (that actually fit) when I asked the lady how much grivna she showed me a 3 and a 0 with her hand. I said dah (yes) let me try it on. Well what we thought was 30 grivna actually turned out to be 300. That's 60.00 USD so we did not get it. I think I can survive another 2 weeks.

We met back up with Rick and Melissa and had pizza for dinner. It was so delicious. We told Tola our driver nyet borsh at Dubrava. Which meant no soup at our hotel tonight. We have arranged for Tola to take us sight seeing tomorrow after we leave the orphanage. He has agreed to take 100 grivna to take us sightseeing. That's 20 USD and we will split it with Rick and Melissa. We want to get some pictures around town to give everyone a better idea of how the city looks.

Kathy- you keep us in stitches. We can just picture Pastor changing those breaks. We can't wait to get back to church and see everyone.

Pray we have hot water tomorrow. We did not have any today so we had to go European. That's means no bath to you and me. It came back on a little while ago so we got a shower really quick. Although, I'm not sure how clean the water really is but at least it was warm.

We had a full day of sunshine today. Yahoo! We love you and thank each one for your prayers and comments.

In His Love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Another Groundhog Day!

2008-09-25T13:28:00.016-05:00

Well it's another groundhog day here in Bila Tservka. Not much going on today. It was rainy and cold so we did not go outside and play. I think Melissa said we have had 10 straight days of rain. Can you imagine the sun not shining for 10 days. This is the rainy season for Ukraine and they were needing rain so they are very thankful. Don't get me wrong we are thankful for rain but when you have 2 boys full of energy you look forward to going out to play.

Today Micah got us in trouble again with his screaming and squealing. The Asst Director just walked in and handed us the key to her office. We're afraid she is going to start thinking we are trying to get him to scream so we can go play there. The boys always have a great time playing. They love the turtle computer and the rocking horse. Today Micah found a small flashlight in the backpack and so we had to find one for Luke. Thank goodness my travelon purse has a little on that snaps on the inside. They like anything that lights up. We only spent about an hour since our taxi was late.

After the orphanage we went to the supermarket to pick up a few things. They were putting out hot pizza pastries so of course we had to get them. They take pastry and melt cheese and either mushrooms, red peppers or ham on them. It's a nice change from mystery meat. James found a bottle of ketchup for the mystery meat. We will try anything to doctor it up. I found a jar of pickles that had the dill and garlic in them. Mom it's the closest thing I have had to Billy Ray's homemade pickles in a long time. We found popcorn already popped. We have not opened it yet. Hopefully it will be good. Isn't it amazing the little things that give us comfort and can make our day. God is so good.

Don't forget to pray for Rick and Melissa. They have their hearing tomorrow. We have no doubt everything will be fine. We are planning on going to celebrate tomorrow evening with a night out on the town. A trip to the local pizza parlor and the outdoor market. This time we will try to get pictures of the market.

Martha- Congratulations! Tell your daughter we are praying that she has a healthy baby and we know one grandma that will spoil that baby rotten.

Kathy- We are so glad you get chatty. We can't wait to see what words of encouragement God will give you for the day. Tell Pastor we did get his blog and tell Miss Margie we have been getting hers also.

We are down to 1 week from tomorrow and we can pick up our boys. Please be in prayer that the courts will have our documents completed by that day so there will be no delays in picking up the boys. Also pray that we have no roadblocks when we go to get their birth certificates. In this country one piece of paper can add days to your stay so we are praying against that in the Name of Jesus!

Love and Blessings to everyone,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Happy Birthday Rick!

2008-09-24T12:14:00.022-05:00

Happy Birthday Rick! Today is Rick's Birthday and we celebrated at dinner with a cake and mystery meat. We sang Happy Birthday and shared in Rick's chocolate cake that Melissa bought. Now this was no ordinary cake as none of them are here in Ukraine. Let me advise those of you that come here to visit or to adopt. Most cakes you buy here have some type of liquor in them. Also, if Ukrainians find out you are celebrating something they want to celebrate with you. There was one gentleman that gave Rick his wafer cookie and then offered him some vodka. Another man turned around and we think he was saying I'm in! Russian tradition is that they drink in 3's. They were making hand gestures as to say that Rick would sleep well tonight. I bet he would. The older man seen in the picture left to go get something and told Rick to wait. Rick kept saying nyet vodka. We finally made it out of there without hurting their feelings. I bet this is a birthday Rick will never forget.

Notice in the pictures that James has rejoined the goat club. I think he looks a lot better. Also, there is a picture of me pushing the buttons in our elevator. The elevator holds about 3 people tops but we have been able to fit 4 in there.

We finally got a picture of the little puppy. She is getting so fat from everyone feeding her. She is very unique in that she has 6 toes on both back feet. Every morning when we go out to catch our taxi we play and pet her. It reminds me of home. I miss our babies so much.

We were able to get a picture of the Ukraine flag at our hotel. Ben is going to find us one when we get back to Kiev so we can hang it in the boys room when we get home. We keep trying to get pictures of some of the birds here that are very colorful and unique but by the time we get the camera they are gone.

Chris G- notice the picture of the 2 women. James said he will put you on a flight to pick out a wife. Just kidding these are 2 of the ladies that work in the dinning hall and they are very sweet.

Today was a great day at the orphanage. Not long after we were there and Micah starting his squealing, the Asst. Director came and took us to her office again. I believe they had some more guest and were trying to hide us but nevertheless we always have a great time in there. Remember, this is where all the good toys are. Micah was acutally very well behaved today. He started putting all the magnetic numbers and letters on a board and would bring them to Mama so I could clap and say bravo (which in Russian means good job). Notice how he loves to wear James' hat. Everytime James wears one he will take it off and wear the entire time we are there.

Luke is beginning to ask for juice by saying "juice" and he loves gum so much that he will say it in the Russian name but then says "please". Grandma's make sure we have plenty of sugarfree bubble gum when we get home.

Well we are counting down. Only 9 days left before we pick up the boys. We can't wait, time seems to be dragging by but it will be here before you know it. Today we were both very homesick. Not depressed just homesick. I think mine hit after we went to lunch and the only thing on the table I wanted to eat were grapes. Then Mom called and I really got homesick. I think it is all the groundhog days. We are planning on going to the market and maybe visit the boys twice tomorrow. We are hoping the weather is clearing up so we can go back to the open market. We have a few more things we need to get for the boys. maybe this time we will get some pictures. Saturday we are going to get our favorite driver (Tola) to take us site seeing so we can get some more pictures of the area.

Linda- hopefully we will be coming home around the 8th or sooner.

Love and Blessings!

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Holy, Holy, Holy!

2008-09-23T11:54:00.011-05:00

Hello to everyone. This is James again. Penny let me on here again. Hee! Hee!
We sure do miss all of you. I guess you all heard about our court date. All Glory to God for it. It was wonderful and we now are the parents of two great boys. I guess you can call them the Holcombe boys. : ) I love them sooooooo much. They love to wrestle with me and now Penny even gets in on it. Today was a great day. We went to the orphanage this afternoon. But before we went there we went to a pharmacy for some antibiotics, nasal spray, and their brand of TheraFlu. Believe it or not antibiotics are only about a dollar here and they are sold over the counter. We had a guy in their with us that was visiting his parents in Ukraine and is from Ukraine himself and now lives in Russia. He helped us interpret what we needed to the lady at the pharmacy. Rick and Melissa were with us and told him that his English was great and that was all it took. He then tried to talk our ears off. It was ok until he followed us out to the taxi and started to tell us a dirty joke. We all jumped in the taxi and took off. Wew. Then we went from there to a toy store and returned a toy that didn't work to them and they were so nice, I think, cause they were speaking Ukraine and they could have been calling us whatever, but at least they were smiling and did let us exchange the toy. We exchanged it for a whole bag of army men (USA army men, Go red, white, and blue!!) I keep telling Penny when they mess with us here and look at us funny that I may have to call in a air strike. LOL. Just kidding of course. The only jet I want to see is a 747 headed back to Birmingham. Well, after the toy store we went on to the orphanage. As you can see by the pics the boys were just sitting down to eat in each of their rooms. Luke wanted to get up and come with us but they made him eat first and as you can see, he was none too happy. But they did finish and came together with us in a small room we have to play in due to the weather. Yes, it is still cold and rainy here. Its been a while since we have been able to go outside and the boys are going stir crazy along with us. But we have had great time to bond with them and also with the other boys and girls at the orphanage. They are such a blessing. Penny and I both continuously pray over them that they get a good home soon also. I wish we could bring them all home. Its going to be real hard to leave them in a little over a week knowing I will never seen them again. I love them all. We share cookies and goodies of all kinds with them on a regular basis. You would think that you gave them the world when you give them one piece of candy. They are sooooo appreciative and so eager to have someone love them, if only for a minute. They lots of times have called us mama and papa. It tears us up and makes us cry. They are so precious. We had a good time with the boys today. They loved the army men and the ball we brought them. But I still think most of all they like to use mama and papa for wrestling partners. After leaving the orphanage we where on the way back to the hotel (where we have called home for the last 5 weeks) when Tola our favorite cab driver took a different road and took us to a Catholic monastery with the most beautiful church I have ever seen. Tola took us inside and he got some candles and before we could get far a nun came up to Penny and Melissa and made them put on a head covering and a skirt. They were so cute. We couldn't take pics inside. They made us put up our cameras, but trust me, it was beautiful. So many painting on the walls and on the ceilings of Jesus, Mary, and St. Nicholas. It was breath taking. I'm not Catholic but I really did feel the presence of the Lord in that place. The nuns were singing and it was great. At 6 pm Tola called us over and had us light a candle and place it among many others. I don't know what it meant, but on an individual basis I can say that to Penny and I we were lighting a candle to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Well I have to go now, but remember "To be Christian is to be Christ-like." We are to imitate our Lord and not the world that is of the devil. Our home is truly were our heart is. So please if you don't have Jesus in your heart, ask him in. Then your home will be Heaven when you leave this earth (which could be in the next minute) instead of and eternity of torment in Hell. We love you all. Keep us in your prayers. Thanks to all that have emailed us. You really have keep our spirits up high and it gives us something to look forward to everyday. Martha Wallace, we love you so much. You have emailed us almost everyday with encouragment and prayer. Thank you. Sister Cathy keep Pastor straight and I know you went through a lot to get him to finally understand how to blog. LOL. We love both of the new grandmas so very much. Thanks for all you have done. We love you all and miss you very much.

James, Penny, Luke, and Micah (The Holcombe Family in Ukraine)

A Great Day, Praise God!

2008-09-22T11:45:00.006-05:00

This afternoon we celebrated by eating Pizza at our favorite Pizza place. We went to the orphanage and when we pulled up there was a big tour bus there. We went upstairs to the music room and it was full of people. We heard a familiar sound. The sound of of people speaking English but not just any English it was Southern English. There was a group of about 30 people from a church in North Georgia. They are a choir touring. There were also several people with them from local Christian churches. They came to sing to the kids, give out toys and bananas. Once they found out we were there to adopt they all started asking us a million questions about our journey. We felt like celebrities with the paparazzi all around us.

We got to sing Jesus Loves the Little Children and How Great is Our God with them. They taught the kids a song in Russian. We also spoke with a Pastor from here in Ukraine and told him we were here adopting. The most moving thing happened next. A girl came up to me and had tears in her eyes. She said she was from here in Ukraine and she wanted to thank us from the bottom of her heart for adopting their children here in Ukraine. We embraced and I told her how much that meant to me. Most of the Ukrainians do not approve of Americans adopting here because they hear or see horror stories on the TV about kids being abused and are afraid we are taking them back to abuse them. There was one such story not too long ago about a couple from Chicago adopting and abusing the kids. She said most of these people who think that, are not Christians and do not understand the love that God has placed in our heart for these children.

Micah clung to James once he saw us due to all the strangers being around. He would not let James put him down. There were so many toys the kids did not know what to think. Micah's favorite was a balloon.

God has truly blessed us. We cannot begin to tell you all the prayers He has answered since we have been here.

Martha- we were sitting outside of court about the time you were praying. We felt such peace when we walked in that room I cannot describe it. The judge was a very nice man.

Please continue to pray for Rick and Melissa. They will go to court on Friday. Also, Melissa is not feeling well so pray for her health. It has turned so cold and rains everyday and we no longer have heat.

The past 2 mornings James has woke up at 7:11. Normally we don't wake up until the alarm goes off at 7:15. He felt led to go to the gospels and do some research. He came across the scripture in Matthew 7:11. "So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him". This confirmed what a great gift God has given us thru these children.

Well the countdown is on. We will continue to visit with the boys until we can pick them up. We love you all and look forward to coming home soon. I'm so ready to eat some Las Brisas I can taste it.

With all God's Love and Ours,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

The Boys Are Officially Ours!

2008-09-22T05:38:00.002-05:00

Good Morning to all of you. We couldn't wait to blog and let everyone know that our court went very well and the boys are officially ours. When we finally got to go in it only lasted about 15 minutes. The judge asked us to stand up and state our names, birthdate, birthplace and our address. He asked us several more questions and we took turns standing and anwering. We told him we petitioned to change the boys names officially to James Luke Holcombe and Micah Paul Holcombe. He said congratulations to the new young parents. My eyes welled up with tears as I realized they are offically ours! He shook our hands and we said thank you. I said thank you in Russian and he was surprised I knew how to say that.

We now wait 10 days starting tomorrow (yes weekend days count) and we will pick up our boys a week from this coming Friday. Thank you for all your prayers, thoughts and comments! We will blog again later and post pictures.

Love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah Holcombe

Spidy Spun His Web Today

2008-09-21T13:21:00.015-05:00

Hello everyone,

We hope you are having a wonderful Sunday. It is still raining and cold here. Today we took the boys 2 Spiderman figures that light up. They were so excited. Within 15 seconds Micah broke 1 arm off of his. Within 30 minutes he broke the other arm. They loved going in the toy closet and pushing the lights on them. They would shine the light in our eyes and we would pretend they zapped us and fall down. They would giggle and Micah would pull me back up to do it again.

The boys like chewing gum so I bought some more. Luke likes to chew his and get the taste out then get another piece. That's the picture you see with his mouth open and full of gum.

Today's cab rides were very funny. We had a new driver in a bright green car. He spoke no English but he carried on a conversation with James the entire ride. Also, He kept playing some of the old Russian type music and the more James would dance or act like he liked it the louder he would turn it up. Melissa, Rick and me could not hear by the time we got out.

Tomorrow is our court day and please pray. We have no doubt everything will go fine. All the formalities may take an hour. We are looking forward to getting this part over with so we can start our count down to pick up the boys.

There is another picture of a wedding that took place right outside our hotel at the little Catholic Chapel.

Well, we need to go to bed and get some rest for tomorrow. We love you and will blog tomorrow to let everyone know how court went.

Love and Blessings,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

2008-09-20T12:47:00.014-05:00

Hello Everyone,

We have had a very good day. We started out with our usual routine; breakfast at 8:30; taxi at 9:00am and then off to the orphanage to visit with the boys. The boys are about to go stir crazy. None of the kids have been able to go outside and play because of the rain and being too cold.

We wrestled; played and the boys ate pears. Today I gave them sugar free gum to chew to see what they would do. They both chewed it but it was a little hot for Micah (spearmint). Luke spit his out and wanted more but when we wouldn't give him more he whined to his caregiver (see picture above) and she went and got him more. Oh well, that's the language barrier. Micah got in trouble several times but in the end he always ends up laughing and gives us both big kisses.

We left the orphanage and started hearing car horns blowing. There were cars behind us going to a wedding. On top of the car are wedding rings and rest is decorated with flowers and streamers. They were bringing the groom to the wedding. Tola pulled over and told us to take pictures. There were actually 3 weddings going on. We got there just in time to see the groom carry out the bride and kiss. Everyone was holding up flowers instead of blowing bubbles or throwing rice. I have another picture of the traditional wedding bread called korovay. I will have to add that picture later because the button for adding pics stopped working.

We went to a toy store that Melissa and Rick found. It was really neat and the toys are pretty cheap. We got a few more things for the boys so they will have plenty to play with when we get back to Kiev.

We left the toy store and went to the supermarket (see pictures above). There are 3 stories. On the 1st floor there is a cell phone place, ATM's and a supermarket. You cannot carry anything into the supermarket that you bought somewhere else or carry in a backpack. Ladies are allowed to take in their purses. You have to lock up your things in a locker. There are security guards standing up from to make sure you don't bring anything in. You have to purchase bags or brings them with you like our Aldi stores. After you check out you can bag everything and go to your locker to get anything you may have locked up. On the 2nd floor there is an electronics store. This is where I bought me a hairdryer for about 12.00 American dollars. They have clothing stores, jewelry and a health and beauty aids store. On the 3rd floor there is a casino and restaurant.

Mom and Betty- we have added a picture of Tola our favorite driver. Don't fight over him ladies!

Tonight after dinner we went out from to see a little puppy that was in a box in the vestibule. She looks like a lab. Melissa fed her some mystery meat and she gobbled it all up. She has 6 toes on her back feet. I don't recall that being normal. We will try to get a picture of her tomorrow if she is still there. Also, a cat came up and James stratched her head. She wouldn't go away. She was so pitiful because she could not even meow. While we were sitting there several people kept coming outside and everyone was trying to feed the puppy. A man came out and said something to me in Russian and grabbed my hand to help me stand up. I don't know if he was saying I was getting dirty or if he was saying my backside would get cold but as I was wiping off my pants he brushed his hand across my backside to help me. I was gropped by a Russian senior citizen. We all laughed about it.

Well it's time for bed and James is sitting here trying to get one of the boys toys to work. We think we realize now why they were acting like they did not want us to buy it at the toy store. Also, why it was marked down 20 grivna.

Aultman's- I can picture Las Brisas and I can't wait to go there when we get back home. I miss Mexican food!

Jon and Pam- Let me know about the Auburn game. I hear you also have some news.

FWC- We miss you and wish we could be there worshipping with you tomorrow.

Chris G- James keeps trying to pick you out a girlfriend.

Love and miss everyone,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Feeling Much Better

2008-09-19T12:04:00.020-05:00

Hello everyone,

Let me start out by saying a BIG thank you to everyone that prayed, commented and called. Pastor your calls always mean soooo much to us. I began feeling much better not too long after you prayed for us. My cold is better and I give God all the glory. We are also feeling much better about our court date. Sometimes life throws you some curves but God is right around the corner to straighten your path. We will go to court on Monday at 9:30am which will be 1:30am Alabama time. Natalya will come here Sunday and we will go thru some questions they may ask. Don't worry I have given James strict instructions to only answer questions and not to elaborate. (ha ha, that's a little joke for everyone that know him very well). We will start our 10 day waiting period on Tuesday. On the 11th day we can pick up the boys and then we get their passports and medical exams. This usually takes 3-4 days (as long as there are no missing signatures). We thought about getting the taxi driver's signature, the girl at the supermarket and someone from the pizza parlor to sign something. Just kidding!

We are hoping to be out of here and on our way home by October 8th and maybe sooner.
Also, a word of advise for anyone planning a trip to adopt and you are flying Northwest they have an adoption discount. We did not know this and they are saying that since we did not take advantage of this when we arranged our flight we cannot get it now. So be sure and ask about it when you plan your flight.

There are several pictures today of people we interact with on a daily basis. The lady in the white coat with me(and my red nose) is over the dinning hall. She is so sweet. She came by one day and James had not eaten his carrots and she pointed to her eyes and told him to Kushai(eat). While I was not feeling well I did not go eat and she told James (by motioning) to take me something to eat. The lady in the pink sweater is the Assistant Director at the orphanage. She is the first one we met on our first visit. She is so sweet and attempts to speak English to us. She is actually getting pretty good. The lady in the red sweater with red hair is the accountant here at the hotel. She will hunt you down when it is time to pay. She was not very friendly when we first started staying here but now that she has learned we are adopting she smiles and is very friendly. You will notice all the grivna on her desk. That is our rent money for the next week. We go in and point to a calendar how long we will stay and she writes us a receipt. Also notice the board they use for counting.

Today we went to visit the boys and it started out with Luke watching Buzby and eating peechyana (cookie). I went downstairs and got Micah as he came back from dance class. When he arrived on the scene it became very noisy and of course he starts wrestling and screaming with James. The director came in and said something to Micah. Next thing the Assistant Director came in and told the boys to come with her. She also wanted us to come with her. I said "See James you got us in trouble".
She took us to a big playroom with lots of nice toys and said "Play". The boys had a blast. This is where they hide all the good toys. They ran from toy to toy playing. Luke loved a computer that was shaped like a turtle. Micah kept playing with a metal top. They both took turns on the rocking horse. Luke got out a Dr's kit and took everything out then placed all the pieces right back where they belong. He is so smart! He also took all the magnetic numbers and letters and put them on a board. He was so proud. Meanwhile; Micah was busy taking the batteries out of a toy to see how it worked. Again, Mr Inquisitive.

Today was the 1st time the boys saw James without his goatee. They didn't even notice. Maybe because it is already starting to grow back. Yeah!

The pictures of all the woodwork are handcarved and are in the 1st room of the orphanage. They have so much detail and are beautiful.

I must tell you we have learned to have fun on our cab rides. One of our regular driver's Tola carries on a conversation and we have no idea what he is saying. We finally figured out today that he was saying he is a grandfather. One was just born yesterday. James sits up front and makes up things. This morning Tola said something and James replies yes I've shopped at Dillard's but I've never worked there. We all just laugh and have a good time and Tola laughs with us.

It is still rainy and cold but Praise God we finally have heat. I actually hang our clothes over the heaters in our room to dry. Don't worry they heat with hot water only so nothing will catch on fire.

Good news for Melissa and Rick. They will have their court date on Friday the 26th. I so glad we have had each other to lean on.

Moms- thanks for your phone calls and supporting us yesterday. You don't know how much it means to us.

Kenny- James is looking forward to a bar-b-que when we get back. Just promise us no mystery meat! They even put it in our soup today. Yuck!

Again, thanks to everyone who has commented. I wish we could email you back but we pay for the internet by the minute.

All our love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

No Court until Monday

2008-09-18T11:32:00.002-05:00

We are saddened to say that we will not have our court date until Monday. It seems once again there is some other document that needs to be signed. This document is just to say the SDA does not have to be present at our hearing.

I can honestly say we are going thru a whirlwind of emotions right now. I have stayed in bed all day due to being sick. James stayed with me due to the Polcia encounter yesterday. We had Natalia to called the orphanage so they could explain to the boys why we would not be there today. We have prayed all day and were expecting to hear that we would be going to court tomorrow. Instead we find out due to one other form that someone did not get signed means we have to wait another 3 days. This means that it adds 3 days to our stay.

I know all of you are praying for us but tonight especially we need your prayers. We will not give the devil a foothold to bring us down but right now we are both needing some TLC. It's one of those times that you just want to climb up in your mommy's lap and have a good cry. We love you all and cherish your prayers and comments.

Open Up It's the Policia!

2008-09-17T11:23:00.023-05:00

I guess I should start out by explaining the 1st picture. No, you are not seeing things. That is James! What started out as trimming up his mustache and beard turned into shaving it all off. He messed up his mustache so he decided he would try something new. Needless to say I have never seen my husband without his goatee so this was a little bit of a shock to me. He plans on growing it back but I think he looks younger. At least I was honest about why he cut it off. I could have said he has gone crazy!!

Now to explain the title of today's blog. I have a cold again and was not feeling very well so I did not go out to the orphanage today. James had been gone about 10 minutes when I heard a knock on the door. I asked who is it and they said "Policia". I thought maybe they had the wrong room. The 3 of them showed me their badges which meant nothing to me since I cannot read Ukrainian. He asked to see my documents. I told them I only speak English. He said passport please. I showed them my passport and they wanted to know why we were in the country. I explained we were here adopting children and we were waiting on a court date. He said ok and they left. I went and looked out the window and saw all 3 get back into their car. I was a little shaken and had no way to contact anyone since James had the phone. Finally Melissa and Rick came back from visiting their son and we called James. He in turn called Sasha. Sasha felt everything was ok and that someone here at the hotel was just wondering why we were here so long. You can only stay in the country 90 days at a time so I guess they thought we had been here that long. It sure does feel like it. Anyway everything is ok and we did not get interrogated by the KGB.

When James arrived at the orphanage the kids were all upstairs watching a magic show. James was able to go in and the boys came to sit with him. All the kids were dressed up and each received a balloon. James said all the kids were clapping but Micah. He sat there like he was trying to figure out the tricks. He is inquisitive and wants to know how everything works. There is a picture of a real pretty little dark haired girl on here that I would also love to take home with me. She always comes up and gives us a hug.

After the show the guy came out and asked James if he enjoyed the show. James was surprized because the guy spoke Russian during the entire show. He said to the guy you speak English and he said I hope so since I'm from the United States. They were here with a group called helpthechildren.com.ua. He is from San Diego.

James was able to go back to Luke's room and get a couple of pictures of him by his bed. He gave Luke a cookie that is chocolate over marshmellow. He took a picture of him picking off the chocolate and eating it first. Luke was very sad that Papa was leaving so James had to call Natalya and get her to explain we would see him tomorrow. He understood and gave James a kiss and said Paka (bye). I was happy to hear that at least Luke asked where I was. Micah is always too busy to notice things.
James said he went downstairs to say bye to Micah and he never looked up from his balloon he just kissed him real quick and said Paka.

This moring our taxi did not show up so we waited a long time and Natalya had to call us another one. While we were waiting one of our regular drivers (Tola) came in to the health resort to get some type of treatment. He could not believe we did not have a taxi so he tried to call us another one. We told him we needed to go to the pharmacy to get medicine since I was sick. We pointed at my throat. Before I knew it he was taking me to the back past what looked like exam rooms. He took me to a nurse (at least I think she was) and pointed to a machine for a breathing treatment. He said something to the nurse and she grabbed a mask. I said nyet, nyet, nyet. (no, no ,no) I don't need a breathing treatment. Tola was just trying to help me but we all had a good laugh that I almost got gassed.

Our papers did not get signed at the SDA today so we are praying that it gets done tomorrow. We need to have our court date by Friday or it will extend our stay by another week. I don't think we can take 3 more weeks. We just want to get home and bond with our boys and see our family and friends. Please be in prayer that it gets signed tomorrow. We know God will not put any more on us than we can handle but we need to get home!!

Kenny, Martha, Allison - thanks for your comments!

Mom- tell Kyle we show his "brothers" his picture and repeat his name to them.
Grandma- we are told you are opening up a toy store. Ha ha

We love and miss you all!

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Dancing with the Stars and in the Stars

2008-09-16T11:33:00.015-05:00

Hello everyone! Penny finally let me type on the blog, praise God. Just kidding. I just let her do it. She is better at it than I am. I just wanted to tell you what a great and wonderful God we have. He is sooooooooo awesome. This adoption process has been all Him. He has guided the steps from the beginning and continues to bless our every step. We get impatient at times but we pray and God gives a good talking and we get back on course. Did I say that God is sooooooo awesome. I think that I did but I will say it again. We love Him so very much for our lives and giving us our new babies. We thank him for our family, friends, and church family. We miss you all so much and thank God for you everyday. Everyone has been so supportive and loving through all of this. I truly believe that if we will give the Father our will completely he will definetly be true to His word and bless you in a mighty way. He has us. We deserve no credit. We are just human beings. Jesus Christ deserves it all. Yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I have so much more appreciation for Him now that we have been away from our family and friends so long and so far away. He has been right here with us and Penny's and my faith has grown so much and our prayer life is definetly stronger. Just to have Jesus to talk to and rely on has been everything. He is our everything. Praise be to God. Please, if you do not know how wonderful Jesus is, slow down, take time and get to know him and do His will (the Father's will). It will truly change your life. Just look up and talk to Him. He will listen and bless you. If you don't already attend a good church, go and fellowship. Get involved in a ministry and serve our Lord just buy sharing his love with others. That is what he wants. Feed the hungry, heal the sick, help the helpless. When you help them you are doing it for the Lord as well. Going to church on Sunday is great, you need too. But we are all called to do much more than that. Don't you see. He said if you love Me, you will do what I do. Share his love in all you do. His gave his life for you, can't you minister to others the way he tells us too. Read the Gospel of John then Acts. See who Jesus is so that we can try to be more like him. The definition for Christian is "being Christ-like." Are you trying to be like Jesus or just reading and talking about Him. He was born of a virgin, showed us in the gospels how we are to live, then died on a cross a horrible death to pay for our sins. But the best thing is, is that he rose on the third day and went to heaven to make a place for you and I so that if we have confessed him as our Lord and Savior when we die we will go straight to Heaven instead of what we truly deserve as sinners, which is Hell. If you are not sure right now that you would go to Heaven to be with Jesus just ask Jesus to come into you heart, give your life to him, turn from your wicked ways, and trust in Him 100% for the rest of your lives and He will come into your heart and save you right were you stand. Don't wait, do it now. Something could happen and you not live another minute here on this earth. One thing for sure is that you will die and you will go to Heaven or Hell. Ask Jesus to save you right now and He will do it. I love you. Praise be to God!

We are so blessed with 2 wonderful young boys that are full of life. I can't wait til they can speak english better so I can share the Lord with them. Our day today was a great one. The high was around 47 degrees with rain so we stayed inside. When we got to the orphanage Micah's class was going to the music room for dance and singing. They were so cute in their little tights and dance shoes. Micah was cute but I'm not sure he was into it. He kept yawning. The room was beautiful as you can see from the pics. After about 20 minutes they finished and we took Luke to Micah's room and we played inside for the remaining time. They love to wrestle with me and ride "the Big Papa" horse. I've got to lose weight and get into shape. They wear me out. How I love them. I can't wait to bring them home to meet all of our friends and family. I can't wait to dress them up for church and bring them to meet all of FWC and to hear our great praise and worship team (Micah loves to sing and dance) and see Pastor Mark's dance moves. (you know I love you brother). I miss you all. Thanks Martha Wallace for all your comments on our blog. They mean so much to us. Please, everyone, just take a couple of minutes and let us hear from you. We look forward everyday to checking our blog to see if anyone has responded. It's part of what keeps us going. Thanks so much. We love you all.

Our court date has not been set yet. We will probably hear something tomorrow. We should have it by friday. Then we will be only about 2 weeks from the friendly skies and Southside, AL.

About a week ago I was really down with the problems we were having with the adoption and I could just picture my dog Jagz jumping up in my lap. Wow how I cried. This whole thing has really made us so much stronger. Just as I was getting down I started to pray for a straight path and as soon as I did our facilitator called and gave us good news and since then its been so much easier. Have I said lately how sooooooooo very awesome our God is. To God be the glory. Please keep us in your prayers and we will see all of you very soon. We love you all.

Just wanted to say also that Paw Paw is much better today and is going home. Thanks for all the prayers. God answered them all. We praise you father.

To all the guys and you too Alison and Lindy, hope to see you all in a few weeks. I know Randy is probably sitting on the stool, knock him off for me and tell him to get to work. Allen I can't believe your leaving B&B. I need your help so we can get some work done there. I mean with Randy, Brad, and Craig.........we just can't make it. LOL Just kidding. I love you guys and thanks for everything Alison and Scott. You don't know how much we thank you for all you have done.

Well, I have to go now. Maybe Penny will let me right again someday soon. Who knows. Just kidding. My wife has been my rock. We have grown sooooo much together. You all be good and we love you. Keep looking to the skies, Jesus is coming soon. Bye for now.

Wrestle Mania

2008-09-15T11:49:00.014-05:00

Well today was another extremely cold day. The highs were in the 40's and tomorrow is the same. We went to the orphanage this morning and took the boys out to play. We stayed out about 45 minutes and had to go back inside. It was too cold. Our ears were freezing. We also took the boys the plums we got at the market yesterday and they loved them of course.

While inside, James started wrestling and playing tackle with them. They loved it. They giggled and would try to run past him then he would grab them and throw them back down on the carpet. I believe we have a couple of linebackers. Micah may even be a running back. He got past James once. As you can see in the pictures Micah had on tights (we're not sure if that was from dance class or just due to the cold). The boys started wrestling each other then grabbing each others socks and pulling on them. The picture of them ducked down behind the bench is them trying to avoid Papa the tickle monster. They kept wrestling until Luke hit the back of his head on one of those wooden benches. He cried and I had to hold him for a while. He ended up with a nice sized goose egg on the back of his head. He is OK but is scared me so I automatically started praying for the Lord to heal his head.

After we left the orphanage we went back to the outdoor market. I was able to swap the outfit we bought yesterday and get the right size. We also bought the boys several toys to have at the apartment in Kiev when we go back there. We also found another backpack. We only brought one since we thought we were only getting one child. The one we bought has a 3D picture of batman on it and it says Bat Man. Must be a knock off but the boys won't know. We found some cute little slippers for them to wear when they are finally with us.

We love the outdoor market however; it is not for people who are claustrophobic. You walk up and down what seems to be a maze of vendors selling everything from clothing to pigs feet. Oh yes, I said pigs feet. We saw a freshly cut up pig and chickens. There are yellow jackets everywhere due to all the open food. Don't worry we didn't buy any of it. I think we will stick with mystery meat. We actually love the outdoor market because there are so many different things. Basically it is a huge mountaintop flea market with twice the amount of vendors and it's all new things.

After we shopped we went back to our favorite pizza parlor and ran into the missionary's we met from Memphis. We have added a picture of them and the pizza place. We were afraid to take pictures of the market. Some people get offended having their picture taken.

We spoke with Sasha and he said we could have a court date by Thursday so we will let you know as soon as we hear back from him.

James is feeling much better so thank you for all your prayers.

Martha- I agree that I will need some girly time eventually. I actually have 5 boys at home if you count our dogs.

I have a special prayer request. My grandfather (James Chapman) was admitted to the hospital last night. We are not sure of his dx yet when I spoke to my Mom early this morning.

We love and miss everyone,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

BRRR It's Cold

2008-09-14T11:59:00.022-05:00

Greetings from Ukraine,

Today was very cold and light rain. The high was around 48 today and it will be in the 50's the rest of the week. We have looked everywhere for me a jacket or big sweatshirt but it seems that the sizes over here are a little different. I just figured I would layer what I have and will make it.

James feels better today. Please continue to pray for his sinus infection to clear up.

We went this morning to visit with the boys and it was too cold and wet to go outside. We attempted to watch the Lion King again but after a while they got into the toy closet and started playing. Just a reminder that the toys they have here are bits and pieces of toys. They would have Papa hold them up to reach something off the top shelf and when they were done they would put it back. We sure hope they keep that up when we get home.

The boys were really good today and we had a lot of fun. They also love to wrestle with James on the floor. It reminded me of Sunday's at Mom's with Kyle. Boy we will have to move the coffee table out of the way with 3 of them wrestling.

Yesterday James was unable to go visit the boys since he was sick so they were glad to see Papa today. When I went to get Micah yesterday he had a cleaning rag and was cleaning. Watch out Grandma I think we have another cleaner in the family. At least I know he would be able to work for Kim. I just don't think she could keep him focused on one thing long enough. I was excited to see them cleaning. They will be good little helpers for Mama.

The pictures of the children are from Micah's class. James also took a picture of their sleeping area.

Tonight Rick and Melissa decided they could not handle mystery meat one more time so we got a taxi and went for pizza. They loved it. It was a nice change and felt like date night. After we ate pizza we walked in the nearby market which is like an open flea market. We were trying to find Rick a toboggan but no luck. We did find the boys 2 sweatsuit outfits that have a jacket with them. After we got home we realized one size was too small. The lady spoke no English so when I held up 2 fingers because I needed two sets she must have thought that I needed one outfit for a 2 year old. Hopefully it will fit Rick and Melissa's little boy. If not we will donate it to the orphanage.

We also ran into a little lady at one stand that spoke a little English. She said she had visited the states at one time (New York) She was very friendly and we bought some plums for the boys from her.

Everywhere we go if someone realizes we are Americans they may say "hello" but that is all they can say. The children here at the hotel have started speaking to us just to hear us talk.

We have had a blessed day and look forward to hearing about our court date tomorrow.

Aultman's and Martha- Thank you so much for your comments.

Jon- what was up with Auburn? 3-2????

Kathy- you keep us laughing and encouraged!

Mom- I hope you are feeling better. We are praying for you.

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS. WE ENJOY READING THEM AND THEY GIVE US ENCOURAGEMENT.

With all our love,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

Praise God, Our Paperwork Was Submitted to the SDA!

2008-09-12T12:03:00.002-05:00

Praise God! Our paperwork was submitted today to the SDA for a court date. We should hear something on Monday when we will have a court date. Sasha said it could be on Friday but he will try to get it expedited. Whew, one step closer.

Today has been a muggy cold day. James does not feel well and I woke up with a bad headache so we took the morning to rest. We went to see the boys this afternoon. Since it was so cold we did not go outside. We stayed inside and watched Max Lucado's Buzby. Luke is very interested in videos but Micah goes stir crazy when he has to stay inside. Needless to say he kept getting into trouble.

We took them some seedless grapes today and they ate all of them. We are so happy our boys love fruit. I think we will need to plant some fruit trees since they love it so much.

Rick and Melissa came to visit their kids while we were there. Everything seems to be moving right along and they went today to get everything notarized. Please continue to pray for them.

Tomorrow the weather may be even cooler than today and possible rain so pray that we have a good day inside with the boys and that Micah will behave himself.

Uncle Mark- If you are reading this please stay safe from the hurricane.

Pam- I got the pictures of Jake. I cannot believe how he has grown. Give him a 5 month old kiss from his Aunt Penny. We love you guys!

Pastor- please have special prayer for us Sunday. Please pray for our court date and our strength. We are very homesick but we are so thankful for where God has brought us. We love and miss you and Kathy.

Love to all our friends and family,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

One Day Closer

2008-09-11T11:50:00.017-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Well to update you on our progress the paperwork arrived and was taken to the Inspector's office. We were hoping the Inspector would sign yesterday but she did not. We were expecting her to sign today but she did not. Natalya called this afternoon and they told her it would be signed by 12pm tomorrow. Needless to say we were a little disappointed but Natalya will pick it up tomorrow and head straight to the SDA office in Kiev and submit everything for a court date. She said we could have one as early as Friday. We are praying to get one sooner. After the court approves everything we have to wait 10 more days then on the 11th day we can pick up our boys. We will have to get their birth certificates, passports and medical exams. As soon as we get the passports we can come home. We are looking at being here another 3 weeks at least.

Please continue to pray for us. We are extremely homesick and miss our family and friends. I have to admit the toughest part of this is being away from home. Also, pray for James. He has a sinus infection and has felt pretty rough today. We went to a local pharmacy and got him some medicine. The security guard watched James closely. You know us crazy Americans we come all the way from the states to steal medicine. Their pharmacies are very clean and everything is behind the counter or locked up behind glass cases.

The weather is changing and it continues to get colder. I think tonight's low is 39. Tomorrow the high is around 59. All I brought was a denim jacket so I hope I don't get too cold.

This morning we spent time just with Luke. Micah was in music class. We played and threw the ball. He started getting annoyed with me sticking the camera in his face so he started making funny faces. Micah came out later and they chased each other. We took them nectarines and they ate the whole thing. They loved them.

The little girl in the picture with Micah is in his class. She is being adopted by one of the Italian families. She calls me Mama and sits with me most of the time.

I have to tell you we have a meal that we get served a lot. It is a round meat patty and you never know what is in it or what type of meat (pork, chicken or beef?) The other night we arrived for dinner and Rick's had a fly in it. The fly was dead. Even the fly could not handle the mystery meat. Don't get me wrong sometimes it is good but most of the time it gives you real bad indigestion.

Since we gave you pictures of the sunrise we thought we would give you pictures of the moon. We have a beautiful view here.

Ginger- give our love to Eli and Jagz. Mommy and Daddy miss them very much. I'm glad Eli is doing better. Tell him to hold on and Mommy will be home soon.

FWC- We miss everyone and miss church. Thanks for your prayers.

Moms- we love you and thanks for your words of encouragement

By the way, Bart Simpson has gone to the dogs. Notice the picture of the puppy chewing on a Bart Simpson doll.

Until the next groundhog day- God Bless

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

God is still in the Healing Business!!

2008-09-09T12:06:00.025-05:00

Hello,

Well we start off showing you a picture of our Moms working hard to get our house ready for the boys. Just kidding. These women are members of the Catholic Church outside our hotel and they were cutting firewood and working around the church today.

We want to share some wonderful news. We shared a prayer request for our friends Rick and Melissa yesterday. They gave me permission to fill you in on their story as a testimony of how great our God is. They had some concerns about the little boy Vysa and they shared health information with a Dr back in the states. Based on the information that they were able to give this Dr, he told them that he felt strongly that Vysa has Muscular Dystrophy. This was very devastating news to them.

They went through a lot of soul searching, much prayer and a whole lot of tears. After speaking with their facilitator they were able to get a Dr from Kiev to come today. We went to the orphanage this afternoon with Melissa and Rick. Their facilitator and the Dr were there waiting on them. The Dr studied in America and spoke excellent English. He is a pediatrician. They took Vysa upstairs and he examined him. He put him thru some extensive motor skills and other tests. The Dr concluded after his examination and after going thru the medical records that it is only a birth defect that he received when he was born. The medical records were full of documentation since his birth. His scapula was damaged and his right arm was paralyzed. Later they found out both arms were damaged.Also, he told them he is very smart and considering he has been in an orphanage for 2 years he is on the level of a 4 1/2 year old. The good news is that his motor skills have continued to improve since birth so not only does he not have muscular dystrophy but his condition is improving. We have all been crying and rejoicing. God is so good and for any of you that wondered; He is still in the healing business.

James got up early this morning and sat out on the balcony praying for Vysa and watching the sunrise. It was beautiful. Here are just a few pictures he was able to take. It was hard to choose which ones to post.

Now for our great news, the Meir signed!!! Natalya will be going in the morning to pick up the paperwork and come here to speak with the Director of the orphanage and go to the Inspector's office. She said if inspector is there and signs she will go to the SDA tomorrow as long as there is time. We realized that our delay may have been so we could be here with Rick and Melissa to be a support for them through this trial.

For any of you considering international adoption or waiting to get a referral; our best advice to you is be strong in your faith. Know who you are in the Lord. You will go thru trials and to get thru those trials you need to have a stong belief in Jesus Christ, a strong prayer life and claim the Word of God. Also, have a wonderful support system at home. Without any of this it would have been very tough to be half way around the world and do it on our own.

Enjoy the pictures of the boys. They play so well together and get alog great. If you notice they are gaining a little weight. It is getting hard for me to lift them.

Yesterday the kids wanted to pick the grapes and eat them. We think they are muscadines. They kept feeding the sour ones to us.

The puppy is getting better everyday. Her eye is just about cleared up and her nose is cold and wet. I bet ya'll didn't know James was a veternarian. ha ha

Everytime we feed the boys we have them open their mouth so we can make sure they swallowed the previous bite. That is why you see a picture of me and them with their mouths open. They are like squirrels storing up for the winter. They seem to think they have to eat everything in one bite. They love fruit, yogurt, ice cream, marshmellows, cereal and candy.

Don't you just love the shirt Micah has on? Today he looked like he was headed to Woodstock. He was groovy!

Today we were approached by a drunk. After we told him we did not speak Russian it didn't matter because we don't think he was either. He had some liquid courage. The manager came out and told him to go on. We were thankful. We would have hated for James to take him down with his Swiss army knife. haha

Thank you to everyone for your prayers. Please remember our other friends the McMullins when you pray tonight. Please pray for the health of the child they will visit tomorrow.

Jon- thank you for your comments. It touched our hearts so much. We both cried. Thanks for the song. We can't wait for the boys to all meet. Can you imagine what Christmas will be like? Toys Everywhere! War Eagle!

We love you all,

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

God's Promises Are True

2008-09-08T11:41:00.021-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday the boys found an old airplane riding toy and they played on it the entire time. They would take turns pushing each other. We have most of it on video. Micah loves it and so does Luke. Rick and Melissa's little boy Visa (that's a long i)also loved riding on it. The boys are very resourceful when it comes to finding things to play with.

We share cab rides and eat all our meals with Rick and Melissa. We have included some pictures of them and their little girl Alona (she's 6) and Visa (he's 5). We have really been blessed being here with them. We share our faith, fun times, and our groundhog days.

Please keep them in your prayers. They got some news tonight about Visa's health. We serve a great God and know that He is our healer. He is a precious little boy as you can see and we know God has great things in store for him.

We found out that the Meir did not sign our paperwork today. He should sign tomorrow when they have their weekly meeting. Natalya will go there and pick up the paperwork then drive back here to Bila Tservka and have the Inspector sign. Once that is done she can take it back to Kiev and submit to SDA for a court date. They said we could get one within 3-5 days so we are praying we have one by Friday.

Please pray for our finances. All the trips that Natalya has made to the other region has cost us a lot of money that we did not count on. We know God will take care of everything so we are not worried.

Tonight we really got into some deep prayer and we want to share with you the vision God gave James and the word He gave me. James saw a vision of a triangle and the Trinity is at the top, the boys are at the lower left corner and we are at the right corner. There is all kinds of junk and negativity going thru the the triangle getting purified. There is gold on the inside of the triangle and blue all around the outside.

We looked up blue and it is the heavens and pure. We looked up gold and it took me to Psalms 19:1-14. Its an awesome chapter.

As I prayed the word that God gave me was "My children I love you. I wrap my arms around you. I envelop you with My love. My Grace I pour out on you. Earthly powers cannot stop this. This is my redeeming love. I Love you saith the Lord".

We know God has put us here for a purpose and we know that some of the delays we have had are for a reason. When Rick came and told us about Visa we knew we are here to help support them and lift them up.

James just spoke to Sasha on the phone and he said the Meir should sign tomorrow and he has called the SDA to expedite our court date due to all the delays. Please pray they will understand and this will happen.

There is a picture of me with 3 little girls. The one closest to me is Clover. She is the little girl I told you about that brought us the cake. The other 2 are her friends. They saw us coming out to get in a taxi and were afraid we were leaving to go back to the states. I got permission to take a picture. We also passed them today and they were grinning and waving. They live nearby to our hotel.

One of the things we are trying to do is really cut back on eating. Rick is a personal trainer and he has really encouraged us to get healthier for our kids and our future grandkids. They have really been an encouragement for us.

This weekend will be much cooler due to the rain coming in. We are expecting a high of about 59 on Saturday. Yeah!!

The picture of the boys on the slide staring is when a macheena (car) went by. They love cars and planes. The puppy's eye is getting better (we think).

We love you all- please send comments we love reading them.

Penny, James, Luke and Micah

New Friends, New Faces and the Love of God

2008-09-06T12:35:00.022-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Let me say, We've never been so excited as we were today just to be able to sit down at a table and carry on a conversation in English. We have 2 new friends, Rick and Melissa. They are from Ohio and are adopting from the same orphanage. I forgot to get permission to post pictures of them so hopefully tomorrow I can post those. They are both wonderful Christians. James and Rick talked about guns today but mostly sharing our faith journey with one another.

We are able to share cab rides with them which is helping with the cost. A cab ride to and from the orphanage is $10 and we do that twice a day. It can be more if we go to the bank or market. We also sit at the same table in the dining hall. We know God placed us together to be here for one another. Please remember to pray for them when you pray for us. They have a journey ahead of them. They are also adopting the brother to the other 2 children and he is in an orphanage about 30 miles from here.

When we arrived at the orphanage this morning we were unable to get anyone to come to the front door so we walked around to the back. We spotted several squirrels in the trees. All the squirrels here are red. When we arrived to the back door Micah came busting out the door. His teacher said he saw us thru the window and said "Mama, Papa!".

I must say, James and I are getting nice farmers tans. We are outside so much with the boys. Today the boys were getting a little bored with their normal toys. There is a walnut tree that hangs over the playground. They like to climb up ond pull the walnuts out of the tree then stomp on them and eat them. They are not very tasty right now because they are not ripe.

The boys worked on the tricycle again today. We are down to 1 since the other is now torn up. They only have 2 tricycles in this entire orphanage. When they got bored with fixing the tricycle they showed us another talent we had not seen yet. They are both painters. We looked on the side of the little house and Micah had made some marks with a stick. We wondered how he was doing this and then we saw him spit on the stick and put it in the dirt. He made his own paint. They are very clever.

We went back this afternoon and spent time with Melissa, Rick and their 2 children. As usual Micah started showing off. He loves the attention. On the other hand, Luke was sharing his Cheerios and playing with the other children.

The little puppy you see in the pictures always comes around and wants to play. The boys fed him some of their cheerios. He has a bad eye infection. As you all know, James is so tenderhearted when it comes to animals. He got a baby wipe and cleaned the puppy's eye and put some triple antibiotic ointment in it. You would have thought he had give the puppy a big old bone.

After we loved on our boys we came back and had dinner with Rick and Melissa. Tonight was surprise meat and rice. We had a nice conversation and then walked down to the river. As we got closer, there were 3 little girls trying to get their bikes thru the gate. Rick offered to pick up their bikes and put them over the gate. One little girl spoke a little bit of English. We spoke with them and they let us know they lived nearby. They went on and played by the river. James decided to give them all a $1 bill. At first they would not take it but then decided to. They said thank you and then before you knew it they had picked some flowers for us. They were actually chai plants (tea). I explained to her I would save it and put it in my scrapbook. Her name is Clover. She is 13 and the other 2 girls were 9.

I talked with them and they love disney animation. They like the Spice girls and Hannah Montana. We said good-bye and shook their hands. We went back to our room to retire for the night then we heard a knock on our door. It was Clover and she had brought us a small cake. She called it bisquit. It touched are hearts so much. I hope we get to see them again so we can take a picture of them.

Jon- update me on the Auburn game. War Eagle!

Mom- Luke really enjoys taling to his Meme on the phone. Kyle was so sweet. Tell him the boys say Hi.

Love to everyone- Penny, James and the Holcombe boys

Camo Shoes

2008-09-05T06:23:00.017-05:00

Good Afternoon,

This morning we took the boys their new shoes so they could try them on. They both wear the same size and we got them camouflage tennis shoes. They absolutely loved them. Natalya explained that those were their new shoes to wear home. they understood and put their old shoes back on. It's amazing that something as simple as a pair of $7.00 tennis shoes could make them so happy.

We have more pictures of Micah because yesterday Luke's group went on another field trip. The way he explained it to Natalya is that he went to a Sunday School class. He said they did not get to play.

Micah loves roughing it up with Papa. He has shown signs of many talents. We are not sure if he will be a boxer, linebacker, mechanic (see pictures of him fixing the tricycle), musician or a comedian. Most likely he'll end up being a preacher.

There are several families adopting from our orphanage. 2 are from Italy and today we found out that another American couple will be arriving tonight. They will be staying in the same hotel with us. Thank goodness we will have someone to speak English with besides each other. Don't get me wrong, we are not tired of each other but when you are the only ones not speaking the language it can be tough.

We got some good news today. We have been waiting on some paperwork to be signed by the Meir in the region where Micah was born. I'm not sure if Meir is another word for Mayor or judge but he finally decided to stop delaying and sign the paperwork. We are praying that Natalya can pick up the paperwork on Monday; bring it back here for the inspector to sign and then take back to Kiev. We are praying to have a court date by next Friday. If so, that would put us being here about another 2-3 weeks. We are so ready to get our boys and go home.

Please continue to pray that our court date will be soon and that this Meir signs everything and has it ready by Monday.

Ginger - thanks for the comments about our furry babies. When we read about you and Jagz it made us laugh. Give my Eli some extra loving from his Mommy.

Jon, Pam and Baby Jake we love and miss you too! War Eagle!!!

Chris, Karen, Katey and Kyle- we love and miss you too! Tell Kyle hello from his Friend!

Hello to everyone at work!

Kathy- tell Caleb we can't wait for the boys to meet him too. I know they will become great friends.

Pastor- thanks for your call last night. You always lift our spirits. God answered our prayer today!! To Him be the Glory great things He hath done!!

FWC Family- Keep praying! We love and miss you!

Mitch- thanks for your comment. James has videoed the cab ride if you would like to view the crazy driving over here.

Sandboxes and Tennis Balls, Oh what a blessing!

2008-09-03T11:35:00.012-05:00

These are some pics around the castle of both of the Holcombe boys playing. But the big thing today was the sand box and the tennis balls. We went in a Shell station to buy them some icecream and at the counter was a bag of sandbox toys. We bought them and took them to the orphanage for the boys. They loved them. Almost as much as Penny. Ha Ha. When we were getting close to leaving I pulled out some tennis balls and started bouncing them off the wall and before I knew it Luke and Micah got into it and were having so much fun they didnt want to let us leave at all. We love them sooooooo very much. We always hate to leave them. But tomorrow comes and where back for another round. (from James aka Papa Bear)

There are some pictures of Micah of him pouting after he got in trouble. We don't even remember the reason he got in trouble. After he sits and pouts for a few minutes he is allowed to get back up and play and he forgets all about it.

The past few days have really been testing our faith. A committee had to come to the orphanage today and they are trying to get all the paperwork straightened out so we can go through with the adoption process and get a court date. Everyone is in our favor it's just a lot of red tape you have to go thru. They did bring gifts for the boys and they loved the chocolate.

I can say one thing, if we thought our faith was strong before it has more than doubled since we have been here. The constant waiting and no concrete answers really test not only your faith but your also your patience. Both of us continue to rely on God and know that He is our strength.

Linda Maddox- Thank you for your encouraging words in your email yesterday. It really helped both of us get thru the day.

There is another couple here from Texas and in their blog they write about another Groundhog Day. That exactly what it is like. The movie "Groundhog Day". Our routine does not seem to change very much. We get up, get ready, eat, go visit with the boys (our favorite thing), come back to hotel, eat, take a nap or blog, go back to orphanage, come back to hotel, eat, read or play rummy, go to bed and then do it all over again.

They are a lot like their Poppy. They love ice cream. I didn't get to eat much of mine after they ate theirs and took bites from mine.

There is another group of kids that came to stay at our hotel yesterday. We are having to listen to the same songs every night. All kids here love to do the chicken dance and a song called chocalatte. Oh and the Hokey Pokey. We sing these songs in our sleep.

We bought the boys some new sand toys and they had fun playing in the sand. We also took 2 tennis balls and James showed them how to bounce them against the wall. Luke looks like he will be a pitcher. He has a strong arm. Micah needs a little more coordination. We would clap and say "Yeah!". He would get so excited and giggle. He was so proud. (from Penny aka Mama Bear)

Until tomorrow, keep praying and thanking God for all He has done and will do.

Micah Loves Praise Music

2008-09-01T11:20:00.024-05:00

Good Afternoon in Alabama and Good Evening in Ukraine,

Today we spent 3 hours with Micah because Luke's group had gone on an excursion. We are not sure where. We took advantage of the time to spend with Micah. He rode his tricycle and ran and played but as the old saying goes "Music will soothe the savage beast".

I got out my MP3 player and put the earphones in Micah's ears. It was amazing how calm he got. He did not want to stop listening. His favorite song is "It's all about You" from the Lakewood CD. He also likes Friend of God. He would dance and sing. He would take the earphones out to hear me and James singing and then he would laugh and pretend to sing. He loved getting on Papa's shoulders and walking around listening to the music. That is the calmest we have ever seen him. It looks like we will be playing praise music in the house all the time.

Not only does he like music but he likes to streak. Like all little boys they will go pee-pee outside and when he is done he likes to run with his britches down. He is a character just like his Uncle Chris. He loves attention and will do anything to get it.

We walked around the orphanage and when we got back around to the playgrounds Luke's group had gotten back. He came walking up and had the saddest look on his face. You could see the disappointment from not getting to spend time with us. There are 2 pictures above of me trying to console him and Micah trying to help me. We had to call Natalia and get her to explain that we had to leave but we would return in the afternoon to play. We gave him some juice and his favorite, Teddy Grahams. He seemed to feel a little better after that.

We returned this afternoon and were planning on spending the afternoon with Luke but when we got outside Micah's group was out playing. Micah spotted us and ran to us. We took the boys over to the new playground we found yesterday. After a few minutes a little boy kept coming over and before you new it there were lots of children and families.

We met 2 families that are here from Italy adopting. One family is adopting 3 children and the other is adopting 1. The kids all played and we had to keep Luke from getting his feelings hurt from kids taking his toys. We had to keep Micah from hurting kids feelings. haha

Micah requested musica so we got the MP3 player out again. This time we brought some headphones. He shared with Luke. His favorite thing to do was walk around the track and listen to the music and he was singing his own song. Luke likes the music also but likes to play more than listen to music.

We had a good day. Please be in prayer that tomorrow all our paperwork gets completed. Our facilitator has to go back to the other city and pick up the paperwork then come here to the inspector. After all that is completed it will go to the SDA for a court date. We ar praying everything is completed tomorrow so not to delay things.

We are really home sick but we know that God has a plan and has put some wonderful people in our path.

Happy Labor Day!

Play, Play and more Play (What a Blessing!)

2008-08-31T11:21:00.018-05:00

Sorry we did not post yesterday but I fell asleep last night while watching a movie on our laptop. Yesterday it turned pretty cold. The high was around 61 and rainy. The clouds stayed out all day and it was very windy. We were able to go outside an play the 1st visit but the 2nd visit we had to stay inside.

I tried something for lunch that I've never had before "Sardines!". They were smoked and believe it or not I actually liked them. I'm starting to get real tired of the meat they serve here. It has the same taste and smells. If we had some ketchup it might not be so bad. James has started liking buttermilk. They serve it at just about every meal and hot chai (tea). The tea is good, but there have been times I really wanted some ice and lemon in it.

The boys have started giving us kisses when we point to our lips. It is so sweet. I can't tell you the feeling we get when they give us a hug and a kiss. Everyday when we come to visit they run out smiling and change their clothes to go out and play. They dress themselves and hang their clothes up every time. Can you imagine, I still can't get James trained that well. ha ha

Yesterday was tough staying inside. Micah is so full of energy and needs to express it! We stayed in and watched Lion King on the computer. Luke was really into it and the best part was he sat in our laps and we really got to love on him. Micah on the other hand cannot be still for one minute. James had to really get on to him and for the 1st time he cried. As tough as it was I think it was a turning point of him learning he does not run the show and he has to listen to us. Even his caretakers communicated he will need a switch. Before we left he was back to hugging and playing with Papa.

Today was a beautiful day. It was sunny and in the mid to upper 60's. Perfect football weather (War Eagle!). We went to the orphanage and we played at a new playground. It has a walking track so the boys could ride their tricycles around it. As you can see in the pictures there is a big castle with a slide. They would climb up the stairs and James would pretend to be asleep then just as they get to him he would grab and tickle them. They loved it!! They also like to grab each others hats and throw them out the windows of the castle then slide down to get them. It was a perfect and blessed day. We seldom had to get on to Micah unless it was to keep him from getting hurt.

We found out they love cheerios. Today was the 1st time we took them cheerios for a treat and they ate all that we brought. They look forward to their juice. We brought the packets of crystal lite and mix it up in water. So far grape seems to be their favorite. We brought pears yesterday and Micah ate all of it and when I say all I mean all.

There are 3 dogs that live at the orphanage. The picture of the puppy is one of them. He came walking up yesterday with a ball and wanted to play until Micah pulled his tail. He has one eye that looks like it has been damaged.

We played for about 3 hours. They were absolutely wore out. We did not go back this afternoon so we could get some rest and wash clothes.

Pastor and FWC family- We really miss church. We need to hear the Word and praise. James read out of the book of James today for our Sunday service. We are sitting here now listen to the Lakewood CD. James was laughing at me earlier as I had on my earphones and was dancing around the room. Wasn't it David that said "Dance unto the Lord".

Please keep praying we will get a court date soon. Everything is working out with our glitch which we knew God would take care of it but sometimes you get tested to see how strong your faith really is.

Love and Paaka (bye)

On The Road Again

2008-08-29T11:34:00.021-05:00

Well, we have had another busy day. We had to travel to Micah's birth city. It was about 2 hours away. The drives are pretty stressful. At times we are going about 120 mph. There is a lot of traffic and we had at least one close call. I'm sure that angel got his wing clipped. I don't think we've ever prayed this much for God's protection as we have during this time. Between the cab rides and the road trips our angels have been on overtime. I think they work in shifts.

The picture of the septic truck may not seem funny unless you can read Russian. Someone wrote honey on it and drew a picture of a bee. That's Ukrainian humor. Ha ha

There are several pictures above of our road trip. When we got to the government office we were asked several questions and then received some information that threw another glitch in the process. We prefer not to say what it is but all is going to work out. (Jana please call us and we will explain everything)

We were at the government office for about 15 minutes and then got right back in the car and drove back to our region. We had to go back by the Inspector's office and pick up our dossier to make another copy. Natalia and her husband drove us and when we got all the needed paperwork they drove back to the region where Micah was born.
Please pray that this does not delay us getting a court date. We are hoping to get one next week. You would not believe all the paperwork that it takes to go thru for an adoption. I don't think anyone in this country has a fax machine. We don't realize what a wonderful invention it is.

After we got back we went to visit with the boys. Their English is getting much better. Today Luke started calling his brother Micah. They are repeating a lot more English today. The picture of Luke with his finger over his mouth is because he and Papa had a secret. Papa let him drink out of our water bottle after he had finished his juice. They would look at each other and put their finger over their mouth and say "shhh".

The boys play very well together and Luke watches out for Micah. They both love grape juice and always race to see who will finish their juice 1st. We will definitely have to put pull ups on them coming home since they are not used to drinking so much. The picture of Micah's shoe is to show everyone the type of shoes the children have to wear. His toe sticks out the end of it. We can't wait to put them in their new clothes and shoes. Just think they will never have to wear shoes with holes in them again once we pick them up. Also, all the toys in the orphanage are bits and pieces of toys. They look like the land of misfit toys. Luke came out today with 1/2 of a motorcycle and was very proud of it. The tricycles need WD40 and the handlebars are twisted and need tightening but they can't be fixed.

When we went to leave today we smacked our lips and Micah gave us both a kiss and ran back into his room. We took Luke to his room and he changed his shirt and shoes and he started to back up to James to let him hug him. James turned him around and showed him how to put his arms around our neck. He then came to me and put his arms around my neck and hugged me. We truly love our boys.

We appreciate all comments, they keep us going! For those who don't know how (Pastor)
just click on comments at the end of each blog and a screen will come up for you to leave your comments.

Allison- I love the book you gave me. I have really enjoyed reading it while I'm here. James is really missing his Route44 fix.

Mom- give Big Jake a kiss and a hug from Aunt Penny, Uncle James, Luke and Micah. I know the boys will love their new things and love their Meme.

Chris G- Thank you for being Betty's substitute son while James is gone. Thank you for helping out at the house. We can't wait for the boys to meet their Godfather.

Betty- thanks for giving Eli (FE FE) hugs and kisses and holding him. Also, thanks for all you are doing we appreciate it. We can't wait for you to meet your new granchildren.

Love to Everyone!!

War Eagle Jon!!! From Penny not James
James says Go Noles (whatever)

Busy Day

2008-08-28T12:49:00.011-05:00

We had a really busy day but a productive day. We went to Kiev this morning and had some paperwork notarized. We drove back to our region and went to the orphanage to pick up paperwork from the Director. We took that paperwork over to the inspector's office. The Asst. Inspector said the main Inspector was still on vacation. She would call and try to get her to come by tomorrow to sign the paperwork.

We went to eat then back to the orphanage to visit with the boys. They had a blast playing with each other and wrestling with their Papa. Luke stayed by me most of the time because I brought Teddy Grahams today. He nearly ate the whole Ziploc bag full. I would say Teddy Bear and he would repeat it. His personality is so much like mine it is unbelievable. He is sensitive, independent, mature, and humble oh yeah and good looking. (ha ha)

Micah is just like his Papa energetic, humorous, silly, outgoing and full of personality. Oh, and cute as a cuddly teddy bear. He kept getting under James shirt and hiding today. There is a picture above of Natalia explaining to Micah not to run and grab everything that we brought it for them to play with and also to eat and drink.

When it came time to leave, Micah's caregiver told him to give us a kiss and he ran up and kissed me right on the lips and James too. We went to say goodbye to Luke and he will let us hug and kiss him but he turns his back to us. They do not get hugs and kisses so this is new to them.

Natalia received a phone call that the inspector found out that Micah was not born in the city of Kiev but just outside it so we have to go there to pick up more paperwork. We hope to be going tomorrow. Please pray that we go and get the paperwork needed so everything can get processed and we can get a court date.

As you all know, James never meets a stranger. He introduced himself to a man at dinner tonight. the man speaks no English but he came outside and showed James a fishing rod and that's all it took. We went down to the river and fished with him for about an hour. He was so sweet and even though he could not speak English we did pretty good communicating. He uses dough ball; earthworms;live maggots; popcorn; and cereal to fish for carp. Very interesting! He also put a clothespin on his line to tighten the line.

Natalia came down to the river and helped interpret. We also found out that he was a soldier during Chernobyl and he comes to the health resort for treatment from the radiation. While he is here he will rest and fish. I think James has a new fishing buddy. He gave James a lure and James gave him a new $1 bill. Natalia said James needs to sign his name to it so he will find him tomorrow and sign it.

It is getting late and we need to rest. We love you and will update tomorrow. Remember to pray we get the paperwork for Micah tomorrow so we can get a court date soon.

Pics from Tuesday and Wednesday

2008-08-27T09:59:00.014-05:00

Good Evening,

We have had 2 busy days. Yesterday we visted with the boys twice. Natalia measured them so would could go buy some clothes. Micah picked up some glass from a broken beer bottle and we had to administer some 1st aid. He will pick up anything and everything.

Luke got in trouble today for the 1st time. He picked up an empty beer bottle and was hitting it on the ground. James told him no but he ran so he got in trouble. He is so tender-hearted. He cried and cried when James got on to him. After sitting with Mama for a while he got over it and went back to play with Papa.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who prayed for me. Pastor-thanks for calling and praying for me last night. I'm feeling much better today.

We went to an open market outside today and bought the boys some clothes. When we pick them up from the orphanage they cannot take anything with them. You can exchange if you want to. We did pretty good. We got 2 pair of shorts, 4 t-shirts, 2 long sleeve tops, 2 pair of tennis shoes, sock and underwear all for around $60. You know me Mom, I'm a bargain shopper like you.

We will go to the orphanage in the morning to pick up the paperwork from the Director. Natalia's husband is coming to pick us up and drive us to Kiev. We will look for a notary and file the paperwork for a court date.

Please pray that we will get one very soon. Once we have our hearing we have a 10 day wait and on the 11th day the boys are ours. That is when we get their passports, medical exam etc.

Enjoy the pictures- those are hand carved dwarfs from snowwhite and the 7 dwarfs. There are pictures of some of Luke's friends. Also, there is a picture of Micah holding his caregivers hand going into the building to get his finger doctored. They put some kind of green medicine on it. The grapevine is beautiful that they are walking under and is full of grapes.

We found out today that Micah's birthday is December 18, 2003 and Luke is December 25, 2002. They are not even a full year apart. Can you believe we have 2 boys and both birthdays are in December and one on Christmas. We love them so much and continue to bond more and more each day.

I don't know if I will get to blog tomorrow. It depends on when we return from Kiev.