Monday we got more snow and it was absolutely beautiful. We walked to a different market than before in search of some breakfast cereal. We have only been able to find corn flakes so far and we wanted something different. As we walked we admired God's gift of snow which looked like shimmering crystals in the sun! At the market we had a very nice woman help us and she showed us a new cereal which we have enjoyed. Our kids would especially like it because it is like Corn Pops the size of cheese ball chips. Tuesday it snowed during the afternoon and evening, but thankfully it started after we had walked to the orphanage. We think total accumulation is now about 7 inches. Today was the coldest day walking to the orphanage. We typically enjoy our uphill 30 minute walks on the road through a forested area but today I thought my nose was going to freeze and that was with my scarf over my nose! The high was supposedly 27 degrees but with it came high humidity and wind. That high was reached before lunch time so by the time we walked at 2:00 p.m. it was getting colder. Jason and I wear our thermal pants under our pants and double socks. I also wear a skirt over my thermals and pants and I am still cold walking and spending the afternoon in the orphanage. I wear a shirt and then a sweater and some days have worn my coat in the orphanage. Yesterday a friend of our girl showed me that she was wearing two socks like me. I cannot imagine how the children stay warm enough all winter. My nose is always cold and running while we are there. The children only have 2 blankets on their beds and the draft that comes through the windows is bitter cold. The last 3 days we have played countless games of "Crazy Uno", created stars, boxes and flapping bird origami, and have snuggled next to each other for warmth while playing iPad. Tomorrow morning we are going to go walking in search of blankets and yarn (to make a craft of holiday hats). We are truly spoiled in having choices and plenty of things to buy back home. In this village items are very limited. The other day Jason looked up statistics about Ukraine and they were sobering. Out of 223 nations listed with Nation Master, Ukraine is 2nd in deaths per 1000 people. Tops on the list is South Africa. Ukraine ranks 4th out of 186 countries in the number of liters of alcohol consumed by adults 14 and over. In a study of the probability of not reaching age 60, Ukraine was 5th out of 48 countries surveyed. The average life span for men in Ukraine is age 64 and women is age 75. In America average life span for men is 76 and women is age 81. The number of cigarettes per adult ranks 6th out of 184 countries. We sure believe that one. It was hard to breath fresh air in Kiev because of all the smoking. One day on our walk to the orphanage we saw a man ask another for a cigarette and then ask another for a light. (It's so common that we're going to have to learn how to say "no light" in Russian.) We booked our plane tickets home though adoption airfare.com (thanks to two people recommending them). We wish we had known about them sooner. Our flights home are almost half of what it cost to fly out here. We are praising God for good ticket prices. We will leave this region on Dec 15 right after court taking the train for 5 hours to Kiev. Then we scheduled an appointment with the US Embassy for 9:00 a.m. on Dec 16 for Jason to complete and sign some forms since he will not come back with me to finalize this adoption and bring our daughter home. Today we found out there is other paperwork that needs to be completed by Jason as well. We are praying everything will go quickly and smoothly because our flight leaves at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon. We will fly for over 15 hours with 2 layovers and 3 different planes and arrive in Denver, CO at 11:45 p.m. the same day we left Kiev. On paper it looks like we travel for less than 10 hours but I know our bodies will feel the full effect of longer travel. I already booked my return flight leaving on Christmas Day and arriving in Kiev on Dec 26 with only a few hours to then get to the train station for the overnight train (12 hours) to this region. I have to be in this region by Tuesday morning to go get our daughter, pick up the final court decree, get her new birth certificate and start the process of getting her passport. The passport office only sends out mail on Tuesdays so we have to be quick at gathering the other documents and completing paperwork for a new passport. Then we will wait for up to 10 business days to get the actual passport. It is my understanding that on Dec 27 our daughter will finally be released into my custody! I can hardly wait to take her out of the orphanage for the last time, bring her to the hotel where she can take a nice long, hot shower, and we can snuggle as we drift off to sleep! The next day we will take a train to Kiev after visiting her grandmother who she lived with for many years. We will arrive in Kiev to have her medical exam and complete more paperwork while waiting for passport before we can get her visa. All that still needs to get done seems overwhelming at times but we serve a faithful, loving, and all-powerful God! Praise be to Him who is able to do all things! Please continue to pray for God to work out all the details. Praise Him for His continued provision and for His timing. Pray especially for our children who want us home immediately. Another 10 days seems like an eternity to them. Today as we FaceTimed we had tears and struggles with patience in this process that is hard for children to understand. Pray they will work hard for Grandma for homeschooling and that they will all sleep better at night.