First day home

Once again I am still behind....trying to get caught up! I wanted to share some photos of their first day home!

We arrived in Charlotte at 9:30 local time. Vito was waiting at the airport with a rose for each of us. They were a little sleepy but pepped right up when they saw tata and then they were wide awake when we got to the car to meet Scooter for the first time. He was hugged and kissed over and over and told "I love you" about 20 times. When we got home they thanked us for Scooter about 30 times. Even though it was 3am their time they ran around the house looking at everything thanking us over and over again. They finally feel asleep around 11:30pm local time. The next day was filled with exploring the house more. Putting on the princess dresses we had bought for them, riding their bikes and scooters and playing with the neighborhood kids. Oma (Vito's mom) came over to meet the girls. Of course she got a warm greeting from them, they are such warm and loving girls. They played with oma, she sang to them, we had lunch together and just spent some time getting to know one another. After she left we went practiced quiet time. The girls had to either look at books or do puzzles in their princess tent. It was suppose to be 30 minutes....but was more like 10. I guess we have to start somewhere. Then it was time to put on the princess dresses on for Halloween and let me tell you that was the most exciting thing ever. We went to a neighbors house for pizza and then off to trick or treat. The girls had such a great time. Thanks Caroline and Everett for being such good friends and teaching them how to say trick or treat! A couple of time I walked up to the door with the girls and when they they were asked who they were dressed as...they would just tell them their names. It was priceless.

Patrycja giving Scooter his first big hug!


Had to try on the dresses before bed the first night!

Scooter coming to say good night :)


Finally we don't have to play outside without the girls anymore!
Trick or treating with Caroline and Everett.

On our way home

I know that we have been home for over a week now....however I wanted to share some of the precious pictures I took on our way home. Considering the circumstances.....10 hour flight, 3 hour layover and another 1 1/2 hour flight to Charlotte.....the girls did great and we made it home safe and sound.

Getting ready for our first flight.....10 hours from Warsaw to Chicago!

Running off the plane! First time in America!

Us with our bags....the girls were the best helpers ever!

Passports are stamped.....girls are officially citizens!

Looking at our plane in Chicago!

Second family visit

Girls sang happy birthday to me in English...it was priceless!

We were blessed again to have more family come to meet the girls last week. My parents made the long trek from Idaho to Warsaw to meet their new little grand daughters! The girls warmed right up to them and have been playing non-stop. My mother has been such a great help. She brought learning activities for them, craft projects (yesterday they decorated the apartment in Halloween) and she even made them each a little princess dress and brought them little pink dress up shoes (of which they love.) We have visited Old Town, played at the park and had a great time just hanging out! It has been great to have them here! Since we are leaving earlier that expected they will travel to Krakow after we leave and then on to Italy for a week! I am happy they will get to see more of Europe!

We are on still scheduled to leave Saturday. We picked up their passports on Wednesday...and boy were they excited! Patrycja did have a little melt down when she noticed that my picture was in color and hers was not (Poland used biometric photos) she ran to get her coloring pencils to makes hers like mine. She cried when I told her under no circumstances can she write on her passport! Could you imagine getting to customs in the U.S. with a marked up passport! Yesterday Magda took us, along with Jim and Dominik to the US Embassy for our exit interview. It was very uneventful and everything was perfect with our paperwork. We returned to the Embassy at 3pm to pick up their Visa's! We are now officially official and we are free to leave Poland...what a wonderful feeling!

We have truly had a wonderful time here in Poland....it is something that will always be special to us and the girls....one day we will return so we can relive some of these priceless memories!

First family visit!

We were so blessed to have Vito's sister, her husband and their 4 kids come to visit us in Warsaw. They currently live in Germany so after a couple of train rides and a plane ride they made it to Warsaw. It was an amazing 4 days watching the girls with their new aunt and uncle and 4 new cousins! Needless to say the girls were in heaven. They made necklaces with the girls, painted their fingernails, and taught them "if your happy and you know it clap your hands" only our girls sing "clap your feet"...I know it will come soon. We walked the streets of Warsaw together, fed the birds in the square, went out for ice cream and played in the park. The girls were strong when we had to say good-bye...even though I saw little tears in Karolina's eyes. We explained that we will see them again and again because they are family! It was truly a wonderful 4 days! Thank you again Schosek family for blessing us with your visit!

As for the details of coming home! Friday we went with Magda (always a treat for the girls to see Madga...they get so excited) and applied for the girls Polish social security numbers, took their pictures for their passports and visa's and visited the Embassy Dr.

Monday we applied for their passports and today we hope they are making the passports. Vito also left early Monday morning...the girls had tears in their eyes when they woke up and found out he had already left. Once I reminded them that he was going to see Scooter they smiled and felt better. Still praying to leave on Saturday!

How time flies!

Wow! I can't believe our time in Warsaw is slowly coming to an end. We had originally been told we could possibly be here until Nov 18th but since our appeal period was shortened and we can get our paperwork done before 2 of their holidays we could be home as soon as Oct. 30! I have already thought about what the girls could be for Halloween.
So we will land at 10pm, meet Scooter for the first time, see their new bedroom and toys, wake up play on the playset outside, have Oma(grandma) over to meet them, and later dress up in costumes and walk the neighborhood asking for candy-Welcome Home!
The girls are doing great.....they have the cutest personalities ever. Karolina is so sweet and kind. Always concerned about others can count to ten in English and is learning the ABC song---we hear it about 100 times per day! Patrycja is so animated and loves to talk with her hands. She love attention and is always singing and dancing. She is adventurous, loves to play with the big kids and loves to show you her cartwheel.
Until about 1 week ago Patrycja would tell everyone she is 5 (she is 4) Karolina is 5. So after about an hour of her crying I finally showed her all of the official documents (which of course she can't read) that states she is 4. She has finally come to terms that she is 4 and is now ok with it. We explained birthdays and that she will have hers when we get to the US and that is when she will be 5. The adoption books didn't prepare us for that one.
We are having so much fun learning more about their culture and seeing their beautiful country. We have seen so much of the city thanks to Vito learning the transportation system. We either walk, take the trolly cars or the subway. The girls still love the trains.....we are going to have to find them some trains to ride on when we get home! We had a great day at the Warsaw Zoo. I think we have been to the Zoo 5 times since we got to Poland-more times than either Vito or I have been in the past 10 years. But the girls love it and it gives us a chance to be outside running around with them.


Karolina flying down the slide at the Warsaw Zoo
Patrycja collecting leaves to feed the ponies
A first for Karolina to feed the animals!
Watching the gorillas!
Wondering whether they should run from the peacock!