Anticipation

We're doing great - working, gathering things here and there for the trip...

• Our bag is packed for the orphanage with toys, vitamins, stuffed animals, clothes for the munchkins to try on, questions for the caregivers, paper, crayons, markers, bubbles, beach ball, foot measuring chart and the photo books. It's really heavy!!
• We've painted their bedroom a really pretty, calming blue called Prairie Sky. I'm soooo looking forward to decorating it.
• Today will be a clothes shopping day - we'll figure out exactly what we'll wear and what we need to buy.
• The airfare is purchased. We're very fortunate to be on a non-stop from Houston to Moscow- an 11 1/2 hour flight.
• The house/dog/bird-sitter is in place (thanks Jeanette!)
• The hotels are reserved.
• The Visas have been applied for - should be receiving them next week.
• Our rides to/from the airport are set (thanks Olga and Ira!)
• I've had to update a couple of docs: Our Psych. Eval. Doc's license expired so I had to get a new copy of it, have it notarized and apostilled. Our I171H doc expires in July so we had to be re-fingerprinted and I'm still waiting on that approval doc. This is the only thing I'm a little bit nervous about. Also, since we're registered in Tyumen and Ark, I had to write a letter saying that we want to have our dossier removed from Tyumen (so that another family can get registered there). This, of course, has to be notarized and apostilled.
• The 2nd portion of our dossier is due within 2 weeks of us getting back from trip 1. It's completely together and notarized and so I'll go have all of these docs apostilled next week.

We had a great 4th of July with our friends Olga and Ira. Hope all of you had a great one too!

In two weeks we'll be on a plane to Russia. YAY!!!

Oh, and the CD is great! I've now learned/memorized how to say don't cry, it's ok, you are so handsome/beautiful, you are so smart and a bunch of colors! It's pretty cool -