Just want this waiting to be OVER...

Okay, we took Tyler back about half an hour ago and you know what we feel like? We feel like a kid on Christmas night. All the packages that have been under the tree for a month and all the stuff there is to look forward to...is over. Yeah, we got to do cool stuff with Ty and we had a blast...but now it is back to reality. And we just want to KEEP him and not take him back. We are both a bit bummed. Well, actually, all three of us are. Tyler was very quiet and kept sighing heavily. We miss him already. We are pathetic.

Today we went downtown and ate at a cool restaurant that is decorated like an illustration from a story by a Ukrainian writer (not one I have heard of) - it looks like you are out in the country. Ty ordered what he wanted to eat which included green borscht (which is sans beets and cabbage), a beet salad, chicken Kiev and juice. We went to a couple stores downtown and bought some flash cards, an English/Russian dictionary (they speak Russian down in Crimea - NOT Ukrainian) and then a couple of fun books (Lion King mosaic sticker book and a a book full of graph paper and a pad of drawing paper). Then we went across the street to a store where we had spotted Hot Wheels and let him pick out 2 for him and 2 for his brother. THEN he started getting wide-eyed and started wanting balloons, markers, binoculars....He was fine when we told him no, but it was kind of funny - he only wanted ONE binocular... We told him we had balloons at home. So, we went home and he headed to the little store with papa to get ice cream (Hmmm, Grampa Smith, do you see a pattern you can continue with the new grandkids here???). When he got upstairs, he went right to the computer and wanted to play Bejeweled. I got it started for him and papa and he played for a while. Then we went through some flash cards and then he did a page in the mosaic Lion King book which I would have lost interest in about 2 minutes. Basically you are following numbered squares and putting stickers in each square according tot eh number and you end up making a mosaic-like picture. Like over 50 stickers about 1/2" by 1/2" and uh...slow. He did each one carefully. Impressive. More patience than his mother...imagine that! We got out the animal balloons and we all played with them (we made 2 dogs and the rest we inflated and deflated at each other). Papa and Ty played with the Hot Wheels (the one he got at McD's looks like he has played with it to DEATH! The tires are almost gone and it is one day old! He is also aware that it is one of a set...and is interested in the whole set (Don't know how we will work that! And what about his brother?!) We had him play on the computer in the kitchen while we cooked dinner and then we ate and...it was time to go. I am completely serious - we are depressed. My arms feel empty. I want my kids and I WANT THEM NOW!

Sooo - pray for us and pray for them. We are getting to the point of missing each other now. Pray those papers get here by Tuesday morning so we can start the final 10 day countdown. Keep praying for Vasya - he misses his family more the longer he is away. THANK YOU for all your prayers. We love you guys all so much.

Vissyo!