What we've been doing these last few days.....
Saturday: Picked up kids
Sunday: Got lost coming out of Old Towne Square (sound like our trip to East Berlin, mom?)
Monday: We were to meet Maciej again so we could get pictures taken for the kids' passports & visas and their medical exam. We met Maciej at 10:00 just so he could tell us our appointments were cancelled (We have no telephone and they hadn't gotten our email address yet). Do you know what it takes to get 2 kids and a dawdler fed, washed and ready?! Anyway, this meant we were on our own, so we had 2 very bored kids and nowhere to go.
Tuesday: Met Maciej at 10:00 again and went to little kodak store to have pictures of kids taken and then off to the Doctor/Dentist office. It's a 2-fer deal! Anyway the medical exam was more like a horse auction, height/weight/check heart & lungs and look in Bartek's mouth. Another day of boredom, but at least we bored them with walking while looking for things to do.
Wednesday: Met Maciej at 10:00 (feeling groundhog day-ish here), went to some official Polish office to apply for kids Polish passports. This is where I ask for many, many prayers that the passports are processed on a timely basis and we're able to leave on time! We found a large park with a very small playground. It was for kids more Kasia and younger so Bartek.....still bored! But he did find some apperatus that interested him and took a while to figure out. Takes a lot of weight shifting, hip swivelling, and hanging on as you spin around. I have video but don't know how to post. Oh well.
Thursday: Agnieszka (yeah Ag speaks English!) Took us to the US Embassy where we had to take kids' new birth certificates and other fancy official looking papers, swear about something (official asked Jeff & I to raise our right hands, and since Bartek and Kasia were with us they decided to do so also. Very cute). So we're done with paperwork except getting the Polish Passports, which we'll take back to the US Embassy to give them a copy and then we're done!!!!!!!!! And just need to wait to go home to CO.
We went to a place on the University of Warsaw campus called the Hula-Kula which is a mini mall with an arcade, bowling alley, day care center which allows anyone in to play, and a large indoor playground. Only problem was, the larger kids area (for Bartek's size) was closed until 4pm and we got there around 12:30. You guessed it....Bartek's bored! He and Jeff did play some arcade games and threw a game or two of darts while I watched Kasia, but much to be desired for Bartek. So home we go to make lunch, watch Monster's Inc (they're getting used to watching English since we brought a Spongebob video which we've watched several times now). Back to the small park for about 2 hours, this time with some success in entertaining Bartek! Mission accomplished!!!!
Tomorrow and everyday going forward we have to call Agnieszka in the morning to see if the passports are ready and if so one of us needs to go with her to pick them up and then drop them off at the US E.
A little observation here about my kids:
Bartek is a whiner and a pouter and very headstrong. We have our work cut out with him, especially that he's older. But he is very sensitive, caring, helpful and inteligent. He is going to be a wonderful son.
Kasia is very happy, outgoing, loving and idolizes Bartek. She can entertain herself with just about anything and makes friends very easily. She is going to be a wonderful daughter.
The following pictures are as follows:
1-2 Kasia loved our family "outfits" so much that she continued to play with them on.
3-7 A few of Old Towne Square, Warsaw, Poland
8-11 A few of my adorable family
12-13 Enjoying some ice cream
14-17 The Park (pictures aren't the greatest but you get the gist, I hope)
18 What, who's the third kid?!?
Well, I hope that holds you for a few days! :) Keep on blogging!
7 comments:
My favourite part in this post was where you described you and your husband raising your hands to swear, as your kids do the same. That must have been a Kodak moment there! I'm sure this memory will forever make you smile.
Sounds like the end is coming near and soon you'll be on your way back with your new family.
By the way, Bartek's personality sounds identical to my eldest. And your daughter's personality is identical to my daughter's. We'll have a lot of stories to share, that's for sure...
Thanks so much for the update...I'm sorry I was being such a nag :) You four are just so much in our thoughts, prayers and hearts and when we don't hear from you, we (OK, OK...I) start to worry. Have a great rest of your trip and we can't wait for you to get home!!
I think our child is a combination of both of yours. Darling, happy, pouty, headstrong, etc. The list could go on forever! We love him no matter and are already proud that he's our son! I think a trip to Old Town sounds like a blast! HOwever, I'm thinking getting there might be hard for us. We haven't gotten up the nerve to try the bus or tram. Our Polish is terrible! Any advice? Love the pics! Your children are beautiful!
Ahhhhhhhh........ a trip down memory lane! I can't wait for the kids to see the picks and share your journey. It is great for them to know that there are more Polish kids, much like them, coming "home". Enjoy your time in Poland. A trip to the zoo may be fun!
You are getting so close to coming home! Yay!
Chris loved the zoo and the swimming emporium outside of Warsaw. Both spots would work for your two kids. We also hit almost every museum in Warsaw. Not all of them were hits, but it took some time off the clock. Oh! And both my boys loved the mall - we never bought anything (except groceries), but we spent hours at the malls!
Love the pictures- so much fun!
I'm impressed your paperwork has gone so smoothly. Ours just keeps dragging along. We were told if we didn't get the passports on Thursday they wouldn't be processed again until Tuesday.Yuck, yuck. Loved the pictures.
Have a fun trip home!!!!
Don't worry, the whiney, pouty, headstrong traits go along with the age group. At least what I can see by my son. Thank God it's a small part of who they are!!!!! Spongebob, does he get the kids to smile?......how does he dooooo that? Hang in there mama and tata, you'll soon be home!!!!! 7 more days?
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