I'll spare you some of the ugly times we experienced at the customs when entering into USA but it certainly wasn't a short process. However, what kept my overly tired boys going was the knowledge that they would soon meet babushka and dadushka! They had seen their pictures in our photo album and always wanted to identify them.
Well my father had arrived when the plane landed and waited an hour and a half for us then decided that we must have missed our plane and returned home. So he was certainly suprised when I called asking for a ride home in his van. Ruslan and Valik waited as best they could. The pointed at every woman walking around the airport saying "babushka?" Finally they arrived? Two little kids sprinted down the aisle and lept into their arms. I could tell how happy my mother and father were to meet them. Dad gave each of them a pair of sunglasses, which they had been asking us for since Lugansk! A big hit! They even wear their glasses to bed!
Arriving home was so much fun. They wandered around our house amazed at the size of it. I thought they'd fall right to sleep, but no. They are so curious about everything. Nick and I gave them a bath and got them into their pajamas hoping that would help get the idea into them. Then little Valik found my closet and came out to entertain the family dressed in my high heels. We finally got Ruslan and "Valentina" to lie down and end our arduous day of travel.
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4 comments:
Welcome home! That's a really sweet homecoming story with Nancy's folks, and your adventure has been really fun to follow. Looking forward to meeting the boys (and seeing the rest of you - it's been a while)!
Love,
Stacy and Mike
Welcome back! I'm sure it feels good to be back in a place that is familiar and (most) people speak the same language as you.
I'm looking forward to hearing more about how the boys transition into your household.
Love, Jenny
Well, welome back. I thought for a while you were not going to post anymore. I notice that most of the other adoptive parents in Ukraine simply quit posting once they are at home. But I checked today, Saturday, 31st. and there you were.
The plane certainly appears to be a DC2 or DC 3. America continued to send planes and other military supplies to Russia during the war. They had a lot of P-40s (the Flying Tigers plane) which they christened the YAK something or other. I had an older friend, a merchant marine, who sailed into Archangel with convoy ships loaded with Military stuff for the Russians several times. I know for you cold-war guys it's hard to imagine but US and USSR were total allies as long as Hitler was alive. All of that stuff is still remembered front page stories to me. There were even a number of movies about our valient allies, the Russians. Ones I remember well from the war years had Dean Jagger in it as a doctor-malitiaman in it, and one with Gregory Peck leading a militia close to German lines. It ended with his band being overrun with German tanks, fighting them off with a couple of Tommy guns.
To Ruslan and Valik, Welcome Citizens to America. I'll be around to see you as soon as I can.
I just finished getting caught up on the blog entries. Collin said it best, "WOW" haha.
Will definately continue to be in prayer for you guys and looking forward to seeing you soon!
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