She is doing better. She slept most of the afternoon. She played with Jaryd while he was there and ate some supper. I have been giving her some antihistimine for the runny nose. Hopefully this will be over soon.
We are going to take Jaryd to see Jacob and Kailyn tomorrow afternoon. I will post some pictures of them being reunited. Jaryd has not seen Kailyn since she was 2 months old. He doesn't really remember her. We have shown him pictures, but that isn't the same as seeing them in person. I can hardly wait.
We'll talk to you tomorrow.
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Alyssa Update
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 11:07 AM 2 comments
No Post
Sorry about not posting yesterday. We got home from taking Jaryd back to the Internat and Alyssa threw up twice in the parking lot of the apartment. We usually come directly to the internet after we take him back. But, change of plans. She spent the whole night wretching. She is still really quiet and still today. She also has a bad runny nose. The stomach problems seem to have ended. The other day when we got to the Children's Home Kailyn had a diaper on. I wonder if she had the same problem. Yesterday she had a really runny nose. So it was probably inevitible that we all get this. Kevin went by himself this morning to see Kailyn and Jacob. I stayed home with Alyssa. I sure missed seeing them. They got to play inside because it is still cold. I am taking a quick break from Alyssa to do this post. Kevin will come and check his e-mails after I am through.
Have a great Sunday and enjoy the post I had ready for yesterday.
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 4:03 AM 1 comments
Things are kind of settling in to a real routine around here. Now that court is out of the way and things are pretty much a set schedule. Jaryd felt a little better yesterday. He didn’t want to go to the park though. He only wanted to play on dad’s phone. Kevin will be lucky when he gets home if his phone is still programmed. Hopefully he will feel better today.
We had to play inside today because the weather was rainy and cold. We got quite a bit of rain over night. It tried to clear here after lunch but just moved back in again. I am glad we went a head and brought those clothes for warmer weather. Kailyn had a really runny nose today. I hope she is not getting sick. She seems to have a runny nose a lot. Jacob was quite the musician today. He wanted to play with all the things that made music.
Kevin is tired today. He can’t seem to get caught up on his sleep. He and Alyssa are both on the couch sound asleep. That is good for both of hem.
One of our drivers, Sergi, is no longer with us. We had a new guy today. His name is Slave. Alec rode with us this morning to introduce us and to show him what to do. Alec is so responsible. I cooked chicken again last night and made him a plate to take to him when we took Jaryd back. I also made peach pie again and we shared that with him also.
We took peach pie for snacks again today and Kailyn and Jacob loved it. I am going to find out about Jacob’s allergies. I want to know how allergic to tomatoes and oranges that he is. I don’t want him to need an epi pin and me not have one. A lot of foods that we eat have tomatoes in them and I don’t want to give him an allergy attack. The oranges aren’t such a big thing.
Debbie called this morning and I so enjoyed visiting with her. Shohn calls every day and we find out about them. I think the wedding plans are progressing. The wedding will be very soon after we get home.
Breanne is moving back to El Paso while we are here in Ukraine. She got a job and her brother is there this weekend moving her things back to El Paso. She will have to go back and stay with a friend for a couple of weeks until her two weeks notice is up. So, all of my chicks will be near the nest again.
That’s about all for today. Talk to you tomorrow.
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 4:01 AM 0 comments
Friday, August 29, 2008
Here is a short movie of the kids. I don’t have any pictures of Jaryd for the last couple of days. We had to play inside today with the little ones because it was raining. Not much rain but enough to water the dry ground.
Jaryd did not feel well yesterday. He had a sore throat. We looked in his throat and his tonsils were almost completely covering the back of his throat. We are going to have to get him to the ENT as soon as we get back. I think that the adenoids and the tonsils are interfering with his breathing and his hearing. He probably has fluid in his ears too. His speech seems to suggest that this is the case.
We are continuing our Ground Hog Days. We seem to keep busy just doing our daily routine. The time in the afternoon is good for Kevin to rest. I can tell that the trip is beginning to wear on his health. Please keep him in your prayers.
We got news yesterday that our Pastor does not have cancer. Praise God. We had heard the news while we have been here that he might have had thyroid cancer, but the biopsy proved that was not the case. He still has some issues to work through so keep him in your prayers. His name is Pastor Dave.
By the way, the coffee was great this morning. Never knew you could miss a good cup of coffee so bad. Kevin said this morning he would kill for McDonald’s. That is really bad. I really miss some chips and salsa. Maybe some good green chile enchiladas. Kevin says the best business opportunity is to put a McDonald’s here. There aren’t any in Kirovograd, but there are plenty in Kiev.
We will not be returning for that venture. We have enjoyed our time here. We do miss everyone terribly and we are ready to be home. But, we are doing okay. One more full week of visiting and then we will be starting on the next phase. We can do this. Thank you God for patience.
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
PS Drynawynn please know that I did not intend to upset you in any way. I have done as you have asked. So sorry. You can e-mail me at dianehuck@aol.com
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 4:55 AM 8 comments
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A new day
We will be staying in Kirovograd during our 10 day wait. We will actually not pick them up until the 9th of September. We have to travel about 2 hours away to get the birth certificate for Jaryd. The other two kids were born here. So we will wait until that is done to pick them up. We will do the travel on the 8th. So the 9th, they are ours. That is my dad's 81st birthday. What a better birthday present could you get. Three new grandchildren on your birthday.
We went to the "SuperWalmart" today. I got a coffee maker. I am so excited. We have been making coffee by pouring hot water over the grounds and waiting for them to sink to the bottom and drink the coffee off the top. What a pain. I will have real coffee in the morning. I know this seems like such a little thing to get excited about, but I am exicted.
Our driver went in with us and helped us do some shopping. He is so helpful. We stocked up again and didn't have to push the stroller full of food home. It was great to have the cab to take us home.
All the kids are great today. Jaryd had a sore throat. We told his teacher so that could have the nurse check on him. I am sure we are going to the ENT when we get home. He has some tonsil and adenoid trouble. But nothing that can't be taken care of really easily. English is slow but coming along. Jacob and Kailyn were a bundle of laughs this morning. We just enjoy our time with them so much. All three kids started playing together this morning. That was fun to watch.
Talk to you more tomorrow.
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 11:34 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Court
We are going to go and visit with Jacob and Kailyn this afternoon and then pick up Jaryd at 5:00. We will keep him until 8:00.
We are elated. Talk to you more tomorrow. Here are some pictures from court.
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 6:28 AM 11 comments
Ukranian dinner
We were given a wonderful surprise last night. Our driver Alec had our other driver Sergei bring us to his mother and father-in-laws house. We returned home too late to post, but on with the story. We arrived there and were greeted by the whole family. Alec, Oksana (his wife), Irina (his daughter), and his mother and father-in-law. We walked through a wonderful grape arbor on our way to the house. They had a awesome swing hanging from the trees. They tried to get Alyssa to swing in it, but she was a little scared. They then showed us their rabbits. They probably had 30 or 40. They raise them to eat. They also had chickens and roosters. Alyssa enjoyed seeing the animals. We didn’t tell her about the eating thing.
We were then invited in to sit down for dinner with them. We had cucumbers, tomatoes, rabbit stew, fresh bread, wine made from their grapes, and they tried to get us to have some vodka, but we said no. The wine was great. Then they served a watermelon fresh from their yard. It was so much fun. We truly felt welcomed into their home. What a great experience. Something we will never forget. We then had to go. It was getting late and Sergei needed to go back to work. We took Alec and his wife back home on our way back to our apartment. Thank you God for sending us Alec. We went through a lot of drivers before Natasha was comfortable with one for us. The minute she met him she knew that he was the one. We are so grateful. He is trying to learn English while he is driving us. I would recommend him to anyone that has to come to Kirovograd.
Enjoy the movie.
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 6:27 AM 0 comments
We are going to court tomorrow at 11:30. That will be 2:30 in the morning back home. If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night, say a little prayer. We are not worried; God has been so awesome through this whole thing that I am sure he will not leave us now. We just talked to Sasha and he is coming to be our interpreter. That is great news. We will not get to visit Jacob and Kailyn in the morning, so we will probably try to see them tomorrow afternoon before we get Jaryd.
This morning’s visit went well. We were a little late. Our driver was a little late picking us up. But, they were ready to see us. It is so heartwarming to get those wonderful hugs when we get there. We always take a snack and a drink. That is their favorite time of the morning. It seems as though Kailyn is already looking a little healthier. She had a pair of 12 month pants on today and she had a hard time keeping them up. But they can’t be any smaller or they would be too short. Her foot is a size 5. I brought some shoes with me and she can wear the 5’s rather well. She has a narrow foot. So do the boys. That is a little different from all us fat foot people. But the toe shape is the same as ours. Kailyn’s foot looks like my mother’s. She will be able to wear the shoes that I had bought for Alyssa that were always too narrow.
We have been telling Alyssa that if she were too noisy the neighbors were going to come over. When we were coming home from the internet the other night, a man opened the door next to ours and glared at us. He was only dressed in his underwear. Alyssa came in and said “Is that the neighbor?” To which we replied, “Yes.” She makes us be very quiet now. She doesn’t want to see him again. Me either. She told Jaryd about him yesterday.
We have been cooking all of our meals. I know those of you who know me well are a little surprised at this statement. We did go out yesterday for some pizza at lunch. That doesn’t seem to be Jaryd’s favorite food so we are trying to cook things he would like at home. For those of you yet to come, I would recommend if there are certain spices that you like that you bring them with you in some zip loc bags. It is very difficult to find those here. We have just about depleted our comfort foods. I wish we had brought more. (Fruit snacks, Breakfast bars, and oatmeal) We are finding some others that we like, but it is not the same. They don’t have breakfast bars here. I have found some cereal that I like, but I am out today. I will need to pick up some more.
Thanks once again for all the wonderful comments. They keep us going. I am so amazed at how close you can become to someone you have never met. I cannot wait for the day to return to El Paso and meet the Payne family. We are both in Ukraine right now and have never met in person. God is so AWESOME.
Keep those comments coming.
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 6:24 AM 1 comments
Monday, August 25, 2008
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 11:41 AM 6 comments
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 11:10 AM 4 comments
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Posting with Jaryd
Jaryd is here in my lap watching me type. He wasn't really happy about bringing him to the internet. He has warmed up. I showed him the blog and all the pictures. We are going to go back home and cook supper in a minute.
We had a good visit with Kailyn and Jacob. Then we came home and ate left overs. Then we took a nap. Kevin wasn't feeling the best today. He seems to feel better now. I think he was just tired. He is trying to keep up with everyone and that takes a toll.
Won't type long. Jaryd is bored. Talk to everyone soon. Sure miss you. Lisa, that will be the best when we can get them together.
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 8:06 AM 4 comments
Friday, August 22, 2008
Same old Ground Hog day
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 11:02 AM 4 comments
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Change of Date
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 11:20 AM 3 comments
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I went shopping and got them some things for the trip home. The black shorts you see are too big, but he will grow into them. I still need to get both boys some shoes. I have plenty of things with me that I brought for Kailyn. And I got the right sizes in the suitcase. God had his hand in that too.
Alyssa is watching amovie while we are posting. We went down to the open market today. That was a lot of fun. I have never seen so many vendors. Not even in Juarez. It is amazing. We will probably do that again with Jaryd. He would enjoy it.
Sorry for the late posts. We are alittle busy with kids. I finally got a few more pictures downloaded. Kevin is still doing pretty well. We rested most of the afternoon yesterday. His hips were bothering him quite a bit. God is blessing him. He could not have made this with out God's intervention.
We are feeling blessed. I can't believe I am going to be mom to six children. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought six.
Our driver is working on his English. He is really trying. Not as many people here speak English as in Kyiv.
Better go
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 11:12 AM 5 comments
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
English lessons
We started today trying to work vigilantly with all the children on their English. It is going to be easy with the little ones. They pick it up very quickly. Dad and Jacob had a little hard time with the language road block today, but they worked through it quickly. We had Jaryd for four hours tonight. We had an hour of English lessons and then we went to dinner. Our plans were to go to a toy store, but he wanted to go to "dom" (home). That was fine with us. He really did not want to leave when it was time for him to go back to the internat.
We have two drivers. They work two days in a row. Then we get the other one back. They have a schedule and if we have any changes our translator calls them and tells them what we need to do.
It has been a good day. We spent the afternoon resting. It is amazing how much energy three more children takes. But, God will provide. He always does. He has provided so amazingly through this whole trip.
Thanks for all the posts and the prayers. They are working so keep them coming. It is amazing to hear from everyone. We can't believe how many people are posting that we have never met before. So many people that have such a love for our family and we have never met them. It brings tears to our eyes every time. What a blessing this adventure has been to all of us.
The pictures don't seem to be able to post today. I will try again tomorrow. Sorry
Kevin, Tammy, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 11:26 AM 0 comments
Monday, August 18, 2008
Court
We went to a pre-court today and we were given pre-approval to adopt the children. We were then called later in the day and told that our final court would be on Friday 22 at 10 a.m. WOW!!!! That is five days earlier than we thought. Praise God. There are a few small things that need to be done that will get this finished up but all the ducks are in a row to get them done. Or should I say God already has that planned.
We need to say a big thank you to our Home Study Social Worker and Our personal USCIS agent who went above and beyond the call of duty to get all of our paperwork changed for three children. We are already finished with that update. We also need to say a big THANK YOU to Breanne and Shohn for working so quickly to help us get it all done. We couldn't have done this with out you guys. And my dad. He was our other angel. He knows why.
We took Jaryd for dinner tonight. That was fun. He is a great kid. We were visiting with the small children and they called and said we had court. So that was very short.
That's about all for now.
Talk to you guys again tomorrow. Alyssa is ready to go.
Tammy, Kevin, Jaryd, Jacob, Alyssa, and Kailyn
C. Crew we would like to have those pictures. My e-mail is dianehuck@aol.com
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 9:48 AM 8 comments
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Another day of visiting
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 5:41 AM 9 comments
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Great Visits
We are having a great time visiting with all the children. Jacob and Kailyn we usually see in the morning. We tried on Friday to see both of them twice a day and we just couldn't stand up to the schedule. Alyssa was really tired and so was Kevin. We have been seeing Jaryd in the afternoons. Next week we will be allowed to take Jaryd for three hours every day. We are going to do some English classes at this time with him. We will also make sure he eats dinner with us every evening. He cannot go and see his brother and sister until September 1 when the quarantine for Chicken Pox is lifted. He doesn't have them and we have been staying outside. We are not afraid of Alyssa getting them becuase she has been vacinated.
It was been busy getting some paper work finished up. This system here works a little differently than some regions, but we have all the connections. They have been wonderful.
We are still hopeful for a court date on August 27. Please be in prayer for that. I do not question it because God has been so wonderful in all the other matters. He has brought everything through in such a timely matter while we have been here.
Thanks for all the comments. Keep leaving them and we will continue to post. I was going to post pictures today, but the computer I am on won't take my zip drive. I will try a different computer tomorrow.
Tammy, Kevin, Alyssa, Jacob, Jaryd, and Kailyn
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 11:22 AM 2 comments
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Pictures
Jaryd playing in the playhouse with Alyssa
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 10:25 AM 6 comments
Questions Answers
There were a lot of questions on the comments on the blog and we would like to let you know some of those answers.
Are they in the same Children's home?
No the little ones are in one and the oldest in another. They are not very far apart.
How often can you visit?
We can visit twice a day. We are going in the mornings to the younger ones and then to see Jaryd in the afternoon.
Are they siblings?
Yes they are siblings. Several couples wanted to adopt the younger children without the older child, but the director would not allow them to be split up. She is so happy that family wants all three of them. We would not think of splitting them up.
We had a wonderful visit this morning with Kailyn and Jacob. They are both technilogically proficient. They can handle the camera and the telephone with ease. Kailyn is a little strong willed. Imagine that in our family. Jacob is allergic to oranges and he does not eat tomatoes. Sound like some other family members you know. It is hard to believe we will need 9 chairs at church. This includes the new daughter-in-law. We will visit with Jaryd this afternoon. We will update you on that later. Kailyn and Jacob both are calling us Moma and Papa and calling Alyssa by name. Kailyn did not want us to leave this morning. That was quick. I think she just didn't want to quit playing.
Please be in prayer there is one couple with an appointment today and I know two more that have an appointment on Monday. Please keep them all in your prayers.
Please remember to be persistent at the SDA there are children here.
We will try to post more pictures later.
Patricia, please e-mail me at dianehuck@aol.com
Tammy, Kevin, Alyssa, Jaryd, Jacob, Kailyn, Breanne, Shohn, and Randi
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 3:42 AM 5 comments
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
We are in Kirovograd. We are about 3 ½ hours from Kyiv. We have already started the process to adopt. We hope to have court sometime around the 27th. If this is the way it works out we should be home sometime around the 15th of September.
Things are looking very good. We have a new apartment here in Kirovograd. It is very nice. The only bad thing is that we are on the 5th floor. No elevator.
Alyssa is very excited. She wants to know if we can bring home five of them. I don’t think that is advisable. I think three is enough. She doesn’t understand we have to wait a little while to be able to pick them up. She wants to pick them up now.
Yana(Kailyn) is potty trained. She probably only weighs about 15 pounds. I think she probably wears a size 12 months. Possibly 18 months, but no larger. Igor(Jacob) probably wears a size 4T or 5T. He is very thin but about three inches taller than Alyssa.
Illia(Jaryd) I am not sure what size yet. I am not up to date on those sizes. I will check on that.
Kailyn’s hair is very blonde. This tends to look a little brown. She has brown eyes.
Jacob’s hair is also blonde and he also has brown eyes.
Posted by Kevin and Tammy at 9:20 AM 25 comments