The Cluttered Pantry

Sunday today, mostly sunny, but the sun comes up late, stays low, then departs early—throws the bodyclock off….that, and the waiting. For what? Well tho the adoption happened on Friday, the kids are all still staying at the orphanage, and we can’t see them on the weekend—no visiting during weekends. That means we’re all [...]

It’s official. Zhanna Natalya and Elena Catherine are officially Henderson’s
The very very very nice judge, with no objection from the district attorney nor from the representatives of the Ministry of Education has waived the ten day wait!!!!
We are waiting for Sean and Sandy to finish their court appearance and then we are off to [...]

What a whirlwind of a day! We awoke in moscow Wednesday morn and ventured into the gray skies towards the mall. Some walking, some shopping, some caffiene, then back to hotel for late checkout, $8 cokes with complimentary second-hand thick cigar smoke, then out into the bumper-car experience that is moscow rush hour [...]

So, the delay turned out to be a problem with the wing which after many yellow vested mechanics came and banged around on It was fixed to the satisfaction of our pilot (who kept going outside to check on the progress in person.).
In the end the magic tail winds wisked us through the sky over [...]

Hmmm. If youvlook at the two flight path Fotos you’ll see that we still haven’t taken off. Same number if miles left to go but local time has shifted a bit.
It doesn’t seem to be a good sign when dudes come outside on the gangway to watch the repairs. But, we will say [...]

We’re off! On our way to the airport on a rainy rainy Chicago day.
The men made of dirt are putting the finishing touches on the master bath (no more closet sized shower to bump our elbows in!)
Bobbi’s mother has brought a big bag of yarn and the most adorable winnie the pooh she made [...]

Six days until we fly off to go get the girls, the list of things to do is silly long and we are super busy with the business.
To keep the stress levels down we’ve resorted to playing with all the new toys, I think the dogs will actually be grateful to have the girls here [...]

So, the final touches are being put in place for the playroom and nursery. The light fixtures came in today and are now illuminating the space perfectly, so no more action required from the men made of dirt.  I spent the afternoon placing decals on the walls to create little fun scenes for the [...]

16 days until we fly out to Moscow. It’s raining cats and dogs here in Chicago, so the combination of being stuck indoors and what I can only describe as some sort of nesting instinct has led to a case of house scrubbing the likes of which this big home has never seen.
As I crawled [...]

You say it’s your birthday? Well it’s my Birthday too! (man that song will be stuck in my head for the rest if the day.)
What a joyous day. Today, Jordan proves that it is possible to survive being a teenager and celebrated his 19th birthday! Our long standing tradition of [...]

Getting ready for our return to Siberia includes everything from the mundane; purchasing plane tickets flexible enough to deal with the uncertainty of the potential waiving of the 10day wait by the court, choosing a baby carrier that will allow each of us to carry a 20lb child and luggage through a really crowded airport- [...]

Quick and thrilling update, on my birthday—we got our court date! We leave Chicago on sept 29, go to court in Chita on oct 3, and return with our girls on 23 oct….just in time for halloween!!! Trick or treat?! We say—TREAT!!!! More as it develops—

I love birthdays… Especially the ones that start with adorable husbands who sneak out early to get fresh pastries and espresso to wake up the birthday girl with.
Earlier this week Mark surprised me with a lovely ring made up of the birth stones of both girls, Jordan, and the mama and papa. We [...]

Remember that feeling of nervous energy mixed with excitement that you used to feel the week before Xmas? You know, when you kept checking the calendar and wishing time to move faster?
That is where we are now. In the grand scheme of things waiting one more month to go back to Siberia to finish [...]