We were blessed to have a photographer document our homecoming. I am so thankful for this, because I know we would never have the beautiful photos to remember if they had not been here. Thank you so much Eric & Jana
http://video214.com/play/JAM5YYfY5948W0ZgkenJ4w/s/dark
for some reason, I was only able to get this to work by adding the link...sorry for my technical incompetence
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Sofia
Pictures of our week in Sofia
Beautiful cakes and bakeries all over town...including a very interesting fish cake
Dinner with the Sheppard family at a traditional Bulgarian restaurant. We were very blessed to get to spend time with them. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner in their home, visiting their church and this memorable dinner!
Gotcha Day Pictures
Finally....I am finally getting things a little bit under control here at home with our new kids. I will update more, but first I want to add pictures of our trip.
We woke up to a beautiful snow covered city
Walking up to Brayden's orphanage. Feeling very nervous...
They changed Brayden's clothes. Fussed at me for not bringing him several layers and then brought him to us. What a sweet little guy!
Busting him out of the orphanage forever! What an amazing moment! How this boy's life will change
so excited that he is finally ours!
Snowy roads leading to Stephens city
Stephen and his foster mom. She was very sad he was leaving, but they knew exactly how to deal with the change to help him
Sweet goodbyes
Homeward Bound
Wow! Hard to believe we are headed home with two boys after 13 months of paperwork and imagining what they would be like.
These two weeks have been great, and they have been hard. I did blog, but they were lost. I will go back when we get home and add pictures. Stephen is a great kid, he is smart but nonverbal. He is probably on a 3 yr old level. He will accomplish a lot.
Brayden's medical issues are really a lot more than I expected. In addition to orthopedic issues I believe he has a lot of neuro issues that need taken care of quickly. He is a funny little guy and I think he likes having a mom. He is also nonverbal right now.
Both boys have their moments, but are well behaved. Both have some institutional behaviors we will have to work through. Brayden doesn't know how to play with toys. I have gotten weird looks from people on this trip for letting him play with bowls and plastic cups. I just wish I had the nerve to tell these people that he has only been out of the orphanage for 10 days and no one has ever shown him how to play. I hope he will learn to e a child soon and enjoy his new life.
I am nervous going home. I am nervous about how all the people who are part of our world will react to these boys. I know at home there will be a transition, which I pray goes smoothly. Change is always hard, even when it is for good.
Leading up to this trip, we had been very nervous about the ride home. On our first trip, Stephen was pretty busy and we had dreaded the plane. During our time in Bulgaria with the boys, they were pretty well behaved , so we were not as worried. Kids have been screaming throughout this 12 hour flight, but I am happy to say it hasn't been our kids! As soon as the plane lands, they will be the two newest American citizens!
The beginning...
These two weeks have been great, and they have been hard. I did blog, but they were lost. I will go back when we get home and add pictures. Stephen is a great kid, he is smart but nonverbal. He is probably on a 3 yr old level. He will accomplish a lot.
Brayden's medical issues are really a lot more than I expected. In addition to orthopedic issues I believe he has a lot of neuro issues that need taken care of quickly. He is a funny little guy and I think he likes having a mom. He is also nonverbal right now.
Both boys have their moments, but are well behaved. Both have some institutional behaviors we will have to work through. Brayden doesn't know how to play with toys. I have gotten weird looks from people on this trip for letting him play with bowls and plastic cups. I just wish I had the nerve to tell these people that he has only been out of the orphanage for 10 days and no one has ever shown him how to play. I hope he will learn to e a child soon and enjoy his new life.
I am nervous going home. I am nervous about how all the people who are part of our world will react to these boys. I know at home there will be a transition, which I pray goes smoothly. Change is always hard, even when it is for good.
Leading up to this trip, we had been very nervous about the ride home. On our first trip, Stephen was pretty busy and we had dreaded the plane. During our time in Bulgaria with the boys, they were pretty well behaved , so we were not as worried. Kids have been screaming throughout this 12 hour flight, but I am happy to say it hasn't been our kids! As soon as the plane lands, they will be the two newest American citizens!
The beginning...
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