We're Baaaaaack . . . well, half of us is, anyway!

Greetings from Ukraine . . . again!  Since the last time that you heard from us on our blog, we have officially become Artyr's parents, because the 10 day mandatory waiting period is over.  We're now parents of a teenager . . . woo hoo!  We're sorry for not writing during our time at home.  When the other families that had gone before us took a break from blogging while they were at home, we were like, "Come on!  We want to know what's going on!"  But now we know why most of them didn't blog during that time . . . because that time period in between the trips is BUSY, and it flies by.  I'm not sure if we stopped to rest during the two weeks . . . from putting the finishing touches on Artyr's room to throwing Jordyn a birthday party, we had a lot to do.  So, we are sorry; but here we are.  Well, at least one of us is here!  This time it's just Joe, as Ginger is back home with Grace and Jordyn. Maybe she will chime in from PA and let us know how much everyone misses me (hint, hint . . . this is going to be fun writing this all by myself).  I came over with my friend Tim, who played football with me at PSU.  It was an interesting flight, to say the least.  After promising Tim, unlimited cans of soda, a variety of movie choices, and a comfortable ride overseas; we were placed on a cramped plane (guess who got to be smooshed between Tim and a lady that liked to sit with her elbows pointed out at 90 degree angles and, consequently, in my rib cage) with no movie choices and no cans of soda in sight (the flight attendant felt bad for Tim, though, and gave him a big bottle of Diet Coke).  After 8 hours in the plane from Dulles to Frankfurt Germany, we were grateful for a 2.5 hour layover before flying to Kiev.  We arrived safely in Kiev this afternoon, Praise God.  I was able to Skype with Ginger and the girls.  Tim was able to call his mom, and I was able to call my parents, as well.  Please PRAY for us tonight as we get ready for the overnight train ride to Krivoy Rog.  Lord willing, the temperature will be under 100 degrees Fahrenheit (under 70, would be REALLY great), and we will get a good night sleep.  We've stayed up pretty much our entire time traveling (since 2:19 PM EST on Sunday) so that we will be really tired as we board the train.  It has worked . . . I've dozed off a handful of times while attempting to post this (so, please forgive me for any typing or grammatical errors).  Tomorrow, we get to work at bringing Artyr home.  From what Ginger and I understand, we will first get his new birth certificate on Tuesday (I will write thoughts on that when I'm not so tired) and then we will need to get him a new passport with his new name, Artyr Edward Rose.  We chose Edward as his middle name, because it is my middle name and my father's.  It is also Ginger's dad's first name.  We thought it would be perfect, and Artyr agrees.  I'm so excited to be able to see our son  tomorrow.  Please be PRAYing that all would go smoothly and that we will be able to go home as soon as possible!  Thank you for your prayers!  I miss you, Ginger, Grace, and Jordyn!  I Love You all very much!