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After spending the day cleaning up the house I left for the airport around 9pm amid snow showers and light rain. Their flight was already in the air so I knew nothing was likely to go wrong at that point. They arrived a few minutes late and we greeted them with smiles and hugs. After waiting a while four our bags (and did we mention there were a lot of them?) we headed for the van! Once we loaded up, the boys were too excited to sleep much on the way home. We finally arrived home around 3:00 AM Sunday morning. The kids got up and said hi while we prepped the boys for bed and then we all slept for a few hours.

Our first flight was a success and we are now sitting at the airport in Frankfurt waiting for our connecting flight. The boys have done well so far. We got off to a rough start with vomit and upset tummies prior to leaving the hotel, but once we were at the airport everything was smooth sailing. Gabe cried momentarily when I told him we were going to Germany first, but once I assured him that America was our next stop, he was a happy camper! Jesse and Eli were so excited they could hardly contain themselves. I wish I had taken a picture of their faces at takeoff. Pure joy. Priceless! Excitement, exhaustion and nerves also resulted in a lot of drumming, but so far, so good! Meanwhile, Richard's perspective and update... When I talked to Val at 0430 ET this morning she said that the boys actually did fine once they got to the airport. They were escorted through security, onto the plane and got the same escort off the plane in Frankfurt and between gates. I'm hoping...

This will be a quick update because I have to be up in less than 3 hours to start getting everyone ready for the airport. The past two days have been great. As Richard mentioned yesterday, everything went well at the embassy and as a reward for their superb patience (there was a lot of waiting involved) and excellent behavior, we took another stroll to the store and are pizza for dinner. . . .again . After lots of late nights and early mornings, the boys actually slept until 8 this morning. We laid in bed and snuggled and watched cartoons as long as we possibly could before heading downstairs for a late breakfast. Today we took the boys on a walk to the center of Sofia. We had a great time,took lots of pictures and eventually ended up at McDonald's for lunch (not my first choice, but the boys really wanted to go). After lunch we went looking for luggage. I have never adopted a child who came with any personal belongings. These three boys have so much stuff we had to bu...

Sorry everyone, but I don't have much of an update today. The good news is that everything went well at the embassy. The bad news is that back here at home the internet went down at our house this morning and hasn't been back since - So I ran some errands (grocery shopping) this evening and I'm chilling at the neighborhood McDonalds for a bit before I go back to my home-without-internet. Val didn't do a post tonight because she's woefully behind on sleep and she couldn't find her tablet so she took the easy way out and went to bed. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have the internet at home again and I'll be able to post more pictures. As of right now, everything is on track for them to hit the friendly skies early Saturday morning. Stay tuned...

Today was our free day (free from official, adoption-related activities that is) so, I spent the day spoiling my babies. We enjoyed a lazy morning and a late breakfast before hitting the streets of Sofia. We stopped at the bank to exchange money and then proceeded to the grocery store where I allowed the boys to pick whatever they wanted. They were thrilled at the prospect, but before they chose anything for themselves they picked out something for my mom and I (and were so thrilled to give it to us after we returned to the hotel). Once they had loaded the basket with chocolate milk, candy, sweets, juice and other fine delicacies, we checked out, then stopped to grab some pizza before heading back to the hotel. This afternoon we had the privilege of having lunch with Alayna's birth mother, Didi and grandmother, Violetta, and their friend Natasha. Didi made some amazing desserts which we all enjoyed while we skyped with Alayna and she brought gifts for the whole family. ...

Have I mentioned how much I love these boys!? Because if I haven't, let me tell you, I am head over heels, crazy in love with them! Today was a very busy day. We were up at 6am and out the door for medical appointments by 7:20. I was a little nervous about how the boys would fare since they have all been through so much medically, but they all did just fine with only a few tears during blood draws and mandatory (yes, mandatory. . .don't get me started) immunizations. After the medicals, we returned to the hotel to relax for about an hour before meeting Manuela Maleeva (founder of SwissClinical that has provided medical care and prosthetics, orthotics, love and friendship, for Jesse and Eli for many years) for lunch. We had a wonderful time with her and Jesse and Eli were sad to see her go (but relieved to know that she is only a skype call away). We spent another hour or two relaxing and resting in our room and then took a walk to the store to stock up on water, j...

What a day it has been! Full of ups, downs and in between. I woke up in Ruse to a sweet boy who was physically ill from anxiety. Gabe did not want to leave his foster mom and grandmother and I understand why. They are both wonderful women who have given themselves completely to his care over the past 2.5 years. They have loved him so deeply and so well. If only all children could know such love. It was a very tearful goodbye and the grief of this separation will be felt for quite a while. I was certainly not Gabe's savior today, but a strange lady who took him away from a wonderful life with wonderful people. It will likely take awhile for him to see me as mama (and not the catalyst of his grief), but we will get there, one day at a time. Gabe cried for about an hour after we left, The fell asleep. When he woke we listened to his favorite Bulgarian children's songs on YouTube and bonded over a shopska salad (which I ordered for myself and he ate most of)! My mom we...

Hello friends! My mom and I made it safely to Bulgaria this afternoon. All flights were on time and uneventful and all of our luggage made it intact and I consider that a successful trip! We settled into our hotel and then skyped with Jesse and Eli who were with Manuela Maleeva for prosthetic and orthotic fittings. They are enjoying their final days with friends and are excited to start this new chapter of their lives on Monday. Tomorrow morning I will travel to Ruse while my mom stays in Sofia to prepare for her trip to Stara Zagora on Monday. I will be spending the night with Gabe and his wonderful foster mom, Viara as she shows me the ropes and turns them over to me. It is such a privilege for me to be able to spend this special time with Gabe and Viara.  On Monday morning, Gabe and I will say our goodbyes and head back to Sofia while my mom heads to Stara Zagora to retrieve Jesse and Eli (who will head back to Sofia on Monday afternoon). By Monday evening, I will ...

One common question we hear as adoptive parents is "how did you know that was the child for you?" or "why did you pick that child over another?" - while on the surface these questions are innocent enough, it does bring up the fact that the answer probably isn't as simple as the individual asking it thinks it is (especially when the person asking it hasn't adopted before). We have now adopted 10 children, and the story behind each adoption is as different as each child. In a few cases there were "lightbulb moments" that convinced us that a specific child was meant to be part of our family however in other cases, the "selection" of a child was based on criteria that we were considering including age, gender, special needs, etc. Regardless of how the child was selected once the process is complete that child is as much a part of our family as every other child. Attachment and personality may create challenges, but the commitment to that chil...