October 19th.... a very special day

We've been meaning to blog for a few weeks, so we have missed the exact date of October 19th. It's a very special day for us. October 19, 2009... that was the first day we met Maks and Fin! We left the states for Russia on Saturday, October 17th, arriving in Moscow on Sunday, the 18th. This was our first of 4 trips to see the boys before bringing them home. From Moscow, we travelled several hours to the town of Murom, where their orphanage was located. On Monday, October 19th, 2009- we met for the very first time- Maksim John and Griffin Mikhail Kilchenstein! I can still remember anxiously waiting in that room... the door opened and 2 women came in with the boys, dropped them off and ran out. It was so surreal... both Maks and Fin were crying and afraid to look at us! We sat on the floor, at their level, trying to make them smile. With the help of bubbles, they were laughing in no time. From then on during each of our visits, they always had a smile when they saw us. Here is our first family picture, taken in that very room of the orphanage, where we met them!

We have had a lot of fun fall activities!

 

 Enjoying the FRUA (Families of Russian and Ukranian Adoption) Fall Roast Out

Playing soccer. Well on the swings after soccer. ;-) ha!

 We are leaving in 2 weeks to drive back to Baltimore. Although the road trip will be long (24 hours of drive time, not including any potty breaks and such), it will be somewhat of an adventure. Our plan is to take 3 1/2 days to make the trip- all of us, Buster included. On our way, we'll stop in Durham, North Carolina to visit the Keeneys! The boys will meet their new baby cousin Olivia for the first time. Arriving in Baltimore on November 27th and staying until mid-January. We're looking forward to spending the holidays with friends back East and our families, catch a few home Ravens games, ski in Snowshoe, WV, take advantage of some free babysitting from the grandparents (oops, did I just say that?) and have a little R and R with our parents and siblings! We'll also be celebrating our 1 year anniversary of being together! The 5 of us can't wait! Mark, Colleen, Maks, Fin and Buster