Today is the Day!!

 
Today is the day we have been working toward and waiting on.  In a few short hours we will leave for Luga to go get our sweet Josie and she will be ours forever!  I am so excited I just can't sleep any longer.  It is definitely the same type of excitement we had on the early mornings as we were leaving for the hospital to go have our boys. We were told that the orphanage is going to have a celebration in Josie's honor.  We are going to stop by a grocery store to get some cakes for the party.  What a special day for her!  This is the best Valentines I could ever imagine. 

As happy as I am, I can't help to feel a little sad for our girl for all the changes that she will go thru in the next few weeks.  Josie’s life as she knows it will soon be completely changed.  I can't even imagine being in that place where everyone and everything that you once knew are suddenly gone forever.  I know that we will give her all the love that she needs to help her thru this time and that in long run it is by far for the best.  As we walk around the city of Saint Petersburg we see street people and can't help to wonder if they once lived in an orphanage.  There is just no help for these people that need it so badly.  It really pulls at our heartstrings.  We have grown to love Saint Petersburg and all of Russia.  There is such beautiful culture, the sights are absolutely spectacular, and there are so many wonderful people.  But most of all, we love Russia for the wonderful gift that they are giving our family.  Our sweet girl!  She is without a doubt the missing piece to our family.  I can't wait to get her home and introduce her to our boys. 

I'm very excited that my Mom and my sister Megan get to share this special day with Chad and I.  This is both of their first trips oversees and it has been a fun adventure already.  Chad has been here since Wednesday but Megan, Mom and I just got here yesterday.  We walked around last night and saw some beautiful sights.  Boy was it cold and we are told it will be getting much colder.  It was -17 yesterday and was told it will be -37 for the next few days.  That is not wind-chill temperatures either.  We thought Kansas had been cold last week but it has nothing on St Petersburg type of cold.  

Well Paka Paka for now.  The next post, we will be official parents to our girl.  We have actually been her official parents since court now it will be real and she will be in our arms forever.