One last day in Moscow

Hello All -

One last day in Moscow, and we are on our way home!!! Here is a quick overview of our last few days in Moscow. Saturday we did go to the Moscow zoo. Very different than Toledo. Different types of animals, and the buildings and cages were not as nice. The boys seemed to enjoy seeing all the animals. On Sunday we went to Arbat street. It is the main street for souvenirs and neat little shops. It has no room for cars, so you can walk slowly. People do not have the right of way over here, you always have to be watching for cars. They drive very fast, and also park on the sidewalks... This makes pushing a stroller a lot of fun. Today we went for another walk. We went to the Bolshy Theater, the old KGB headquarters, and warmed up in the GUM dept. store. It was cold today, about 20 degrees C. This will be our last post. Tomorrow we went all our paperwork back from the Russian embassy. We have a 3am wake up call on Wednesday for our trip home. We are hoping the boys fall asleep on the flight to Amsterdam, and we pray we get some extra seats on the ride home to DTW. The attached pictures are from the Moscow zoo and a church in Red Square. Also my little Hun. (as in Attila the Hun)

Thanks again to everyone for the prayers, kind words and emails. Also for all the help with the animals at home. There is no way we could have done this without every one's help. Sergei can't wait to meet everyone. Please brush up on your Russian.....words like, No, drop that, please don't throw that, do you have to pee pee, etc :)

Love - Rick, Marcie, and Sergei

Moscow Update

Hello All-

Sorry for the delay. Internet access in Moscow is very expensive, and I am not able to log on everyday like in Kras. It's about $15 per hour. Everything is very expensive in Moscow. Our airplane ride from Kras to Moscow went pretty well. We started Wednesday at 345am for our ride to the Kras airport. Sergei was sleepy, but was fine for the hour ride to the airport. Flying domestically in Russia is an adventure. Long lines, no computers, poor service. When we checked in, they could not find my ticket, and had Marcie and I not seated together. After but an hour, and an additional 1,300 rubbles for over weight baggage, we were ready to go. We were told to ask when we got on board to try to sit together. Luckily that did work out, and Marcie and I could sit together. Sergei did very good on the plane. He watched the take off, ate a little lunch, and fell asleep for about 3 hours. The plane left 45 mins late because they could not get one of the engines started "technical delay". The flight time was just under 5 hours.

Once we arrived it was straight to a medical exam for Sergei, as required by the US Embassy. After the exam it was off for pictures for Sergei's US visa. Sergei is currently a Russian citizen with a Russian passport. He will not be a US citizen until we arrive in Detroit, and he gets his passport stamped. Finally to the hotel at about 2pm Moscow time. Time change between Kras and Moscow is 4 hrs, so the boys were a bit off schedule. Sergei has adjusted fine, and is back on schedule.

Thursday was a day off, and I spent most of the day in search of diapers. Millions of people in Moscow, and no pampers. They don't sell them in a grocery store, you need to go to a special pharmacy store. We found a nice place to eat and off to bed. We have a stroller in Moscow, so long walks are not a problem.

Today (Friday) we had to go to the US Embassy to get Sergei's visa. Everyone at the embassy was very nice, and the place was packed with adopting families. (At least 20 couples) We also went to Red Square to get some pictures with the boys in front of some landmarks. We went into a store that had Russian Olympic hats and shirts to look for souvenirs. Hats were over $50 each. Yikes.... People here would go crazy if they ever went to a Wal Mart.

Tomorrow we are going to try to go to the Moscow zoo. The weather is much cooler here, and it has been raining off and on. The h0tel room is a great improvement from Kras. There is 400% more of everything (including the cost :) Big beds, space, pillows, soap, and I don't have to use a hand towel to dry off after a shower! The bathroom is as big as the last hotel room. Very exciting.

The attached pictures are; the 3 of us in front of St. Basil's, Sergei standing in the center of Moscow, and our ride from Kras to Moscow. (Boeing 767 this time, we stepped up a couple decades from the last trip)

We are counting down the days until we come home. Only 4 more days.

Love - Rick, Marcie and Sergei

Our Last Day in Krasnoyarsk

Hello -

Today is our last day in Siberia. We depart on Wednesday morning for Moscow to start the last step in our journey. Sergei is still a good little baby; eating, napping, playing... Last night we borrowed a stroller and took the boys out to eat at a restaurant that was way on the other side of town. They seemed to really enjoy the stroller ride, and behaved very well at the restaurant. Sergei has become quite the chatter box, and gets lots of smiles from people we meet. We also stopped at the court house on the walk back for a group photo. Today we will need to repack, and again figure out how to get all this stuff to fit in two bags. Next post will hopefully be from Moscow, and I can let everyone know how the airplane ride went. (this will be a good test for the long ride home)

Love - Rick, Marcie and Sergei

Our last weekend in Siberia

Privet-

Today was our last weekend in Siberia. Only two more days until we fly to Moscow. Today was very much like yesterday. Couple snacks, a few diapers, and we are ready for bed. Sergei was very good today and is starting to talk up a storm. We are all ready to get moving on the next step in this adventure. Tomorrow we start packing :) Attached is a photo of the happy family. Sergei says "Hi" and he can't wait to meet everyone. Thanks for all the kind messages.

Love - Rick, Marcie, and Sergei

Day 1 with Sergei

Hello All -

Day #1 with Sergei went very well. It was a day of firsts; first trip with us in a van (beep beep), first professional photo (for passport), first dining experience in a restaurant, first nap, first play date in the square, first bath and currently first bed time. So far so good. He is a very good little boy. Because the rooms are so small, (especially with a crib) we have taken over the sitting area on floor #6 and turned it into a play area. We spent the afternoon playing blocks with Sergei's newest friend Maksim. We also tired doing laundry for the first time in the sink, which was a real treat. The sink is about 3 inches deep. Oh, did I mention we woke up this morning to no cold water? Hot water, yes; cold water, no. This makes taking a shower a very quick adventure. The water gets very hot, very fast. Another thing you can't get in Siberia, cold water and ice. Go figure. Hope everyone is well, we are off to bed as a family. Good Night (spock-oy-noy no-chee)

Love, Rick, Marcie and Sergei

ps - I will post pictures of the happy family tomorrow. I was unable to get the photos downloaded today (I was a busy dad!) Attached are a couple photos of Kras, one of the clock tower they call "big ben" and one of our hotel.

Tomorrow is the big day

Hello all -

Tomorrow morning is the big pick up. One last trip to the orphanage. The judge signed the papers today, and the 10 day wait ends tomorrow. We leave in the morning, and after picking up Sergei, we need to get all his important paperwork (birth certificate, etc) Today we went shopping for baby food stuff (not just nacho chips and salsa) Something called fruit and juice. The boys were very good today. I can't help thinking about what Sergei's first car ride, plane ride, meal in a restaurant....is going to be like. Our passports were taken for some paperwork things, so we were under house arrest in the hotel. We had the newest couple go out on a beer run. Beer is much cheaper in the grocery store, 18 rubbles; out on the square it's 50 rubbles. Attached is a photo of our favorite brand. And one of Sergei at snack time. Wish us luck tomorrow :)

Love - Rick and Marcie

Day #?? - 36 hours until Sergei

Hello -

Today was our last Thursday in Siberia...yes, we are keeping count. Everyday closer to next Wednesday is a milestone. Our day started out at about 7am. Our orphanage visit today was in the morning. We all like it in the morning because it is cool outside, and the boys are not too tired or cranky. Sergei was a wonderful little boy as always. The California couple have two older boys, and they love to run and climb for the entire two hour visit. We are glad Sergei is laid back, so he might be easier to travel with. After our visit we went to a "KFC". We all tired the chicken, and it was sort of like home. It is very difficult to order anything in the city, as very few people speak any English. Any restaurant with a picture menu is popular. Or my other trick is just to order what the person in front of me ordered and just point. I did this yesterday in the square out front. I ended up with a "hot dog" roll up, two "hot dogs" wrapped with hot mustard, ketchup, and some white sauce we thought was mayo (but wasn't). After lunch we went home for an afternoon nap. At 6pm we met in the square for a piva (beer). Beer is cheaper than Voda (water). After our afternoon drink it was off to a restaurant we heard had spaghetti and lasagna. Moma Romas was awesome. Marcie and I with two other couples were very excited. We are going back for lunch :) We have met a total of 4 other couples staying at the hotel, with rumor another came in today. We are going to try to meet the newbies tomorrow. Show them around, and make them buy us beer. Our other money making scheme is to charge people to get their picture with an American. We are a bit of celebs in the square. Lots of looks. Could be that I haven't changed my pants in over two weeks.....The picture is of Sergei's first ride on a teeter-tauter. He does not get to play with it because it is on the bigger kids side of the yard. We get to play anywhere we want until the other kids come out, then we are stuck in one area. He had a blast, as you can see.

Love - Rick and Marcie

Day #15 - Our last Wed in Siberia

Hello -

We are getting really close now. Today was our last Wednesday. Next Wednesday morning we get to fly back to Moscow. We get Sergei this Saturday. Two more visits and we get to bring him home...well back to the hotel. Yesterday Sergei said his first English word (that we can understand) He opened his picture book of the family, pointed to a picture of Marcie, and said "mama". It was very sweet. Tonight we might treat ourselves to a sub at subway. It's kind of the same.... Often our discussions with the other couples end up with "what are you going to eat when you get home?" I'm not sure what's going to be my first meal, but I know it will get washed down with a Mt. Dew :)

Love - Marcie and Rick

Day #13 - Rainy Monday

Hello from my tiny hotel room -

Our second Monday in Kras was cooler with some rain. We meet another couple today that are adopting two boys from the same orphanage as Sergei. They are from Santa Barbara, CA. They arrived on Sunday for their 2nd trip. We had some time today at the end of our orphanage visit for the 3 boys to play together. It was very cute. We also showed them around the city with all the nice places to shop, eat, buy groceries, etc. Due to the rain, and the fact we are all very tired, we skipped the square and are going directly to bed.

Good Night - Love Rick and Marcie

Day #12 - Sunny Sunday

Hello - Not too much to report today. The weather was nice again, and the streets were full of people. We spent the morning watching a movie on the laptop and didn't make it out of the room until after noon. We did some more window shopping to kill some more time. There is a music system throughout the city that plays relaxing music downtown and in the square out front. While we were sitting out front people watching, I heard a very familiar song start playing...."let it snow, let it snow, let it snow"... I couldn't believe my ears. Christmas in July? Do these people really want it to get cold again? Our one and only meal on Sunday was very good. Marcie had some delicious salmon, Keisha and I had BBQ chicken, and Dave tried the reindeer. I guess he was moved by the Christmas song. Dave and Keisha are the couple from Traverse City we are traveling with. Attached is a picture of the childrens store downtown. Monday we get to see Sergei again :)

Love - Rick and Marcie

Day #11 - Saturday in Siberia

Greetings from Siberia. Today we spent the day walking around the city (again) We found some interesting stores and did a lot of window shopping. The fashion over here is indescribable. Lots of dress socks and sandals. We did find a few things that were exciting. First I discovered nacho chips and salsa....and it was good! It's amazing how salsa and chips can turn your whole day around. We have been trying some different things to eat, some good, some not. They use a lot of dill on their food. Everything is covered in dill. They also grill a lot of meat and potatoes. We also eat in the room a couple times a day (bagels, oatmeal) There are food stands just about everywhere. Another exciting event today was I found a store that sold Mt. Dew. The whole city is Coke products, and it took almost a week to find it. Unfortunately the recipe must have been lost in translation, because what I thought I was going to enjoy was terrible. I was very disappointed. Of well, there is always beer....they drink a lot of beer over here. I managed to order a couple different kinds and they were pretty good. I also got a "Red Bull Cola" for free in the square today and it was not good. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer :)

Love - Rick & Marcie

Day #10? I've already lost count...

Hello from sunny and warm Siberia. The weather is very nice. It gets hot during the day..near 30 C. Our last two visits with Segrei were very fun. He is definitely recognizing us and is all smiles. Besides the visits, the days are very long. We spend most of our time trying to stay awake during the day so we can sleep at night. The square out in front of the hotel is always packed with people until 2 or 3am. It's a festival that doesn't end. I think 8 months of snow will do that to people. The TV here is very interesting. We have 20 channels, 17 in all Russian, 1 in German, 1 in French and our only English speaking channel is The Bloomberg Channel...100% stock market talk...... After this trip I am going to get a job as an investment banker. I now know more than anyone should know about the overseas markets and the effects of the US dollar against the Yen. We have seen the Russian version of "Married with Children, The Nanny, and Cash Cab". I spend a lot of time watching "Friends" and "Spongebob Sqaure Pants" dubbed in Russian. Help! The picture attached is of one of the bridges here in Kras.

Love - Rick and Marcie

DAY #8 - Checking out Kras

Hello Everybody - Thanks very much for all the kind words. We love reading them every night before we go the bed. The next 10 days we get to visit Sergei for a couple hours in the afternoon. (except weekends) Today before our visit we explored the city of Krasnoyarsk. The city is very big with a lot of old soviet looking buildings. We found a grocery store, a Subway sub shop, a "Kentucky Fried Chicken", and a very nice children's store. I attached a picture of one of the interesting items at the grocery store. The visit with Sergei today was great. We got to take him outside and we no longer have anyone watching us. We had him laughing and babbling. I also found a toy hockey stick and he showed me a few of his moves. He also recongized Marcie as his "ma-ma". It is sad to leave him after the visit, but everyday we get closer to bringing him home.

Love - Marcie and Rick

Day #7 -- Court

We are now parents of a 10,100 gram, 77.5 cm bouncing baby boy :) The judge approved our adoption! We now have a 10 day waiting period before we get him for good. After a sleepless night, and a few nervous hours at the courthouse, the judge, prosecutor, director of the orphanage, and a couple other people said yes to our request to adopt Sergei. Over two years of collecting paperwork, running to Detroit, calling St. Croix, etc.. all came down to one judge and us sweating in the basement of a building in Siberia. Thank you to everyone for their prayers. :) The picture is of the happy parents in front of the courtyard.

Love - Rick and Marcie

Day #6 - Our visit with Sergei

Today we got to visit Sergei for the 1st time in 6 months. It was great to see the little guy. He is much bigger than the last visit. He is taller, walking and has a bunch of teeth. He was a little shy at first, but warmed up to us pretty quickly. I even had the chance to play a little catch with a baseball. No hockey sticks... Tomorrow is the big day. We leave for court at 9am Tuesday. That will be 9pm on Monday for you guys, so make sure you say a little prayer before bed. :) Some of the questions are tough and to say I am nervous is an understatement. I didn't take a lot of photos today because I was working the camcorder. I did attach one picture (although not a great photo) I will post more once the hard part is over.

Love - Rick & Marcie

Hello from the future...

From the Kermlin to Krasnoyask in 13 hrs. (couple hour ride to the airport, 4.5 hrs in an airplane, and another 4 hr time change) We are officially 12 hours ahead of Michigan. The flight from Moscow was rough. Lots of turbulance, and the "chicken" made me ill. We are just settling in our hotel room for an 18 day stay. Tomorrow (Monday) we get to visit Sergei. The attached pictures are: A really big canon inside the Kermlin in Moscow and a picture from my seat on the way to Krasnoyarsk. The pilots, I refer to as Mavrick and Goose decided not to watch the weather radar and fly thru a bunch of big storms. The bright red spot in the picture I believe is a burning oil well? It was the only signs of life between Moscow and Kras. Hope everyone is doing well.

Love - Rick and Marcie

We Made It...

Hello - only a short 11 hour plane ride and we arrived in Moscow. We left the house at 6pm on Wednesday, and made it to the hotel at 8pm Thursday night. Our flight on KLM was nice. They lost both baby strollers (ours and our friends) but dropped them off this evening. Today we spent all day (Friday) at the American Clinic. 7 doctors and 4 hours. So far so good. Tomorrow we take a red eye flight to Krasnoyarsk. The medical work we did today is required for court on Tuesday. The weather is cool and rainy. Although any time not at the clinic was spent inside sleeping. I will try to log on again once we arrive Krasnoyarsk on Sunday.

Dasvadanya! Love Rick and Marcie

2 Days and counting.....

Only 2 more days until we leave. We are currently trying to figure out how much stuff we need to pack, and how we are going to get it all on the plane. We are leaving on July 9th for about 30 days... Click the map to see where we are headed.

Welcome to Our Story

We are going to post here to record our journey to get our son. If you don't know, we are adopting a son, Sergei, from Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Krasnoyarsk is in the heart of Siberia. We started our journey on April 18th, 2006. Our first trip was in January 2008. Once we arrive in Russia we are going to try to post as much as we can and keep everyone updated on our progress.....