Today was a day the girls have been looking forward to all week since they got to go to an amusement center for the afternoon. I have never been to one of these facilities and the joke was on me! All I can say is that it is Chucky Cheese on Steroids. I don’t know who was more exhausted at the end of the day (the adults or the children.) I will remind myself in the future to never rush from work in high heels and spend the day chasing the kids all around the facility. By the end of the day I could have cared less if I even owned a pair of shoes…

Natasha kept watching the kids who were being propelled into the air with a trampoline and wires attached to them which literally took them almost up to the 30 foot ceiling. She was observing at first and then the courage and desire to “strap in” finally got the best of her. It reminded me of when I was a kid and I would go on the rides at the 4-H fair. You wanted to see your parents as you passed by on the carousel for comfort. Natasha was fearless as long as she knew there were people on the ground rooting her on. She also reminds me of a little gymnast and believe she would really enjoy that kind of activity.

Natasha and Nina also had a wonderful time with the bumper cars and spent most of the afternoon ramming each other until I was sure they would both come home bruised from the speed of impact. Natasha also found a machine where it picks up candy and drops it in the box for her. Somehow she figured out the rhythm of the machine so that she kept getting candy and it didn’t take any money off of her card. She just squealed when she realized she had found the scam that would give her unending amounts of chicklets, candy necklaces and bubble gum. Nirvana to most kids her age.

The other rides cost money and the only time we saw the kids come near us was when “you guessed it” they needed to refill their cards. They would beg and plead for “more money” and pizza. So for now we relented and just let them enjoy the day. My pocketbook along with Nina’s grandmother are both substantially lighter today but we both agreed that it was probably the best time Natasha has ever had in her lifetime.. So what’s a little cash for a memory like that… I’m beginning to like Ramen noodles and so I’ll just have to make it up on the back end…

It was back to my house for a sleep over and lots of Russian food still to be devoured.
Judy’s package from Texas arrived today and Natasha noticed it under the tree. I told her she had to wash her hair and let Jo cut it before she could open the package and so she said “no” for awhile but then curiosity got the best of her and off she went to take a bath. The package was filled with everything a little girl could imagine (hair clips, purse, shampoo, compact, bows and bangles, a bag with pictures of me when I lived in Texas and more girly girl things than you could imagine.)

Natasha is starting to pull back as she knows Sunday is fast approaching. She is attached to Nina but the rest of us are now only getting a glimmer of her personality. She is guarded and wanting to know why she has to go home at all. Do we not love her???
If she only knew just how much we do…..The package from Judy soothed her soul that evening but she’s so conflicted with what is happening to her that your heart just aches for her. Jo, Donna and Jeff Dziedzic and myself will all be sitting down with her on Saturday to try and help her better understand the process and to let her know that all the kids hosted have to return to the orphanage. We want her to know she should never give up hope that she will return to us. She has to have faith. We all have to have faith that somehow this will have a happy ending. Nina will be critical in interpreting for us and helping her understand just how many people are on “Team Natasha.”

The hosting program requires the children to go back to the orphanage and potential parents will then start the adoption process which typically takes 3 months and two trips over to the Ukraine to sign papers and get a court date. Maggie of Frontier Horizon is well equipped to answer any questions potential parents may have and can help anyone navigate the process. She has adopted from the Ukraine as well and has a particular love of these children. Her dedication to this program ensures that it goes smoothly.