We haven't really been doing much these last 5 days other than going to the park every day and the swimming pool once. We have met a very nice family who lives in the quad of apartments where we're staying. They are from Poland but had spent years in Canada and the husband some time in the States, so they both speak very good English. Last night they had us and the kids over so their daughter, who is younger than Kasia, could play. Bartek did his best with all the barbies but I don't think he was really into it.
Anyways, the great news is that I called our attorney Agnieszka, this morning and she said the passports are ready and that she'll e-mail me our schedule for tomorrow to go pick them up and do whatever else we need to do. Yahoo! We're coming home Friday!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Updates & More Pictures
Ok, you asked for it!
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!
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!
Monday, August 3, 2009
The family resemblence is Amazing!
Everyone has said how amazing it is that the kids look just like us. I've noticed it in Bartek & Jeff but not so much with Kasia on the first trip. But now, the resemblence is so prevelent, I don't know how I missed it.......
Wait for it.......
We are family!
Wait for it.......
We are family!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Our First 72 Hours
When your trip starts off at the ticket counter and the agent says, "Did you know your flight to Chicago has been Cancelled", you have to wonder how the rest of the trip is going to go. We were fortunate in that it went fairly smoothly from there.
We arrived in Warsaw on Friday 7/31 approximately 2:15 pm (on time)and grabbed a taxi to our apartment, where we met our "landlord" to get the key and internet access (Bless him for internet access.) At 6:30 we met our attorney to get our train tickets for our trip on Saturday and found out we were to leave the apartment at 5:45 am to get the 6:35 train to Szczecin. If you know me, you know I'm not a morning person. Well there's no clock/alarm of any kind in the apartment so I went to bed and Jeff tried to stay up all night (gotta chuckle here because if you know Jeff you know he's not a night person...what a pair). Anyway, Jeff did manage to set the alarm on the tv but it turns out we both woke up around 3:00 am and stayed up until it was time to go to the train. It was a very relaxed 6 hour train ride where we rode 1st class in a 6 passenger car/berth (?). Jeff caught up on some of his sleep here.
We got to Szczecin where we were to meet one of the other attorney's, Maciej, who was then to drive us another hour to meet the kids. I have to interject here we had a "moment" when Jeff decided he had to use the rest room and decided to get back on the train to go since there was a toilet right inside the door. When the conducter blew the whistle and the train doors closed just as Jeff was coming down the stairs zippering his fly. I almost died because I could just see myself waiving him good bye as the train pulled out. Lucky for us the conducter was right there and opened the doors so Jeff could jump out. Phew!
So then we get in Maciej's car and drive another hour to a restaurant parking lot where we were told we'd be meeting the kids. This wasn't what we were originally told but who cares, we were meeting our children!!! Every time a car pulled in we said, "is that them, is that them?!". Ten minutes later they arrived, and barely cracked a smile. Hmmmm, no midgets singing, birds pulling banners, magic dust.... ooops I guess that was my little fantasy reunion. I did get hugs and kisses so that was even better!
We then got back in the car and drove 7 hours back to Warsaw. Did I mention Maciej doesn't speak any English either? So there was very little talking, a lot of sleeping, picture taking and more sleeping. But we were finally together and a real family of four. Alelleujah!
We arrived in Warsaw on Friday 7/31 approximately 2:15 pm (on time)and grabbed a taxi to our apartment, where we met our "landlord" to get the key and internet access (Bless him for internet access.) At 6:30 we met our attorney to get our train tickets for our trip on Saturday and found out we were to leave the apartment at 5:45 am to get the 6:35 train to Szczecin. If you know me, you know I'm not a morning person. Well there's no clock/alarm of any kind in the apartment so I went to bed and Jeff tried to stay up all night (gotta chuckle here because if you know Jeff you know he's not a night person...what a pair). Anyway, Jeff did manage to set the alarm on the tv but it turns out we both woke up around 3:00 am and stayed up until it was time to go to the train. It was a very relaxed 6 hour train ride where we rode 1st class in a 6 passenger car/berth (?). Jeff caught up on some of his sleep here.
We got to Szczecin where we were to meet one of the other attorney's, Maciej, who was then to drive us another hour to meet the kids. I have to interject here we had a "moment" when Jeff decided he had to use the rest room and decided to get back on the train to go since there was a toilet right inside the door. When the conducter blew the whistle and the train doors closed just as Jeff was coming down the stairs zippering his fly. I almost died because I could just see myself waiving him good bye as the train pulled out. Lucky for us the conducter was right there and opened the doors so Jeff could jump out. Phew!
So then we get in Maciej's car and drive another hour to a restaurant parking lot where we were told we'd be meeting the kids. This wasn't what we were originally told but who cares, we were meeting our children!!! Every time a car pulled in we said, "is that them, is that them?!". Ten minutes later they arrived, and barely cracked a smile. Hmmmm, no midgets singing, birds pulling banners, magic dust.... ooops I guess that was my little fantasy reunion. I did get hugs and kisses so that was even better!
We then got back in the car and drove 7 hours back to Warsaw. Did I mention Maciej doesn't speak any English either? So there was very little talking, a lot of sleeping, picture taking and more sleeping. But we were finally together and a real family of four. Alelleujah!
Friday, July 31, 2009
More Painting
Kasia's Before picture :
I didn't think I could put Barteks' room on display without sharing what i did in Kasia's room. It's so pink & girly.
Kasia's room after:
I didn't think I could put Barteks' room on display without sharing what i did in Kasia's room. It's so pink & girly.
Kasia's room after:
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Countdown Begins!
Well, I've gotten Bartek's room painted, their bathroom painted and now Kasia's room painted. I'm done painting for quite awhile!
Tomorrow we leave for Poland...wahoo!!! In 2 days we'll be with the kids again. And then we'll be praying that there's no delays with the passports. If everything goes as planned, we'll be home with our children on August 14.
Tomorrow we leave for Poland...wahoo!!! In 2 days we'll be with the kids again. And then we'll be praying that there's no delays with the passports. If everything goes as planned, we'll be home with our children on August 14.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Explanation.
Ok, as I invite those of you who have shown an interest to continue viewing our blog, I thought I'd post a brief explanation.
We were contacted via regular mail, by Kasia & Bartek's aunt. She found our address via the internet, so we decided to but restrictions on who can view our blog. As harmless as her contacting us and inviting us to stay at her house with the kids when we pick them up may seem, we don't need the kids to have any feelings of guilt about leaving relatives behind. We'll keep in touch with their aunt & grandfather but through the correct channels.
We received our return dates on Friday, and now know that we'll be leaving on 7/30...arrive in Warsaw on 7/31...pick up the kids on 8/1...and stay until 8/14! They will be in our arms in less than 2 weeks! We are blessed!
The blogging continues!
We were contacted via regular mail, by Kasia & Bartek's aunt. She found our address via the internet, so we decided to but restrictions on who can view our blog. As harmless as her contacting us and inviting us to stay at her house with the kids when we pick them up may seem, we don't need the kids to have any feelings of guilt about leaving relatives behind. We'll keep in touch with their aunt & grandfather but through the correct channels.
We received our return dates on Friday, and now know that we'll be leaving on 7/30...arrive in Warsaw on 7/31...pick up the kids on 8/1...and stay until 8/14! They will be in our arms in less than 2 weeks! We are blessed!
The blogging continues!
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