Yes, they are HOME!

Suddenly, life just got a little busier, for some reason! :-) I picked up the guys Friday night in Detroit. Turns out Evan did great on the train, and both flights, UNTIL 5 minutes before they touched down in Detroit, and he got sick. He also got a little sick at the airport, but then he was fine. We met my sister and nephew in Ann Arbor for a late dinner and then made our way home. Evan asked when we got back in the car if the trip to home would be short? I motioned that it was so-so, and he promptly went to sleep. I didn't have the heart (or the ability) to tell him it was a 3-hour drive! He made it home without becoming sick (although we were prepared, just in case.) We decided we'd need to have a bag in each car with gallon zip-lock bags, wipes, and extra clothes. Hopefully he'll get over the car sickness thing soon!

Evan woke up about 30 minutes left in the drive. He noticed when we arrived in Fort Wayne, and eagerly looked around when he noticed familiar territory. I made him a large welcome home sign for the garage, and he had a big grin on his face when he saw it. Our "Teagan-sitter" left a welcome home letter that was also translated into Russian for him. He enjoyed reading that! She also put up some yellow streamers on our door. Teagan was beside herself with joy! She was zooming around the house, jumping up on his bed, and licking his face. He had quite the welcome home!

For about an hour, Evan ran around the house exploring all the things he remembered. It was so fun to watch! He opened drawers, sat on his bed, checked out the TV, went outside to the backyard, looked at the pictures of himself and family all around the house, and just kept grinning the whole time. You could tell he was very happy to be back. His whole body seemed relaxed and overjoyed at the same time. It was one of the best evenings.

On Saturday we had a little boy awake at 4:30 AM. Darn the jet lag. Since poor Tim had been up for more than 24 hours straight, I got up with Evan. We sat on the couch and watched the movie, "Monsters, Inc." Tim awoke around 7:30 and he took Evan upstairs to see the Indiana Jones playset he had built for his boy. It felt like Christmas morning when he saw all the figures and the cool scene his Papa had created for him. Both boys happily played with it for quite some time.

It wasn't a total fun and games day. Poor kiddo got sick a few times (without going anywhere in the car!) I think he was dehydrated, so we started flushing him out with liquids. He also took 2 naps during the day, all on his own. Tim's parents and brother/family came to see him, and Evan kept saying he was tired while they were there (even though he really liked all the gifts they brought for him!) He didn't last too long after they left before he took his 2nd nap of the day. After dinner of perogies (found them at the grocery store!) and fruit, we went outside and grabbed the scooter that we borrowed from friends last summer. It didn't take long for him to remember how it worked, and he zoomed up and down the sidewalk for quite awhile. The evening ended with his favorite activity of the day-- a shower! (In case you didn't read about this last summer, a shower is something he did not get in Ukraine very often. He LOVES showers!) After the shower was a story, kisses, and hugs.

On Sunday, he woke up again at 4:30 AM, but I went into his room and told him to go back to sleep. He awoke the next time around 7:30. We gave him some dramimine and then took him to church. We were happy to see our new friends, the Humphries, who have a Ukrainian daughter the same age as Evan. She's been here almost 2 years, and she doesn't remember much Russian anymore. We had the chance to talk to her family and our pastor and his family after the service. Evan didn't say too much, but he was content to hang out with us while we talked about him!

By the way, here's a "Reader's Digest" submission for you: during the sermon, our pastor was talking about love. Evan recognized the word and was writing, "Mama loves Papa, Papa loves Mama, Mama loves Evan, Evan loves Mama, etc." He would put hearts around these as he wrote them. He frequently stopped and would ask me how to write a certain word so he could copy it. I was so pleased that he seemed to be really getting the jist of the sermon until he had me write the word, "shoes." He then wrote, "Mama loves shoes!!!!" I really had to make an effort not to burst out laughing in church!

The exciting event in the afternoon was a trip to Meijer (similar to a super Wal-Mart/Target for all of you non-Midwesterners) He's never been to such a big store, and he was pretty wide-eyed the whole time. While he wasn't excited about traveling in the car, I bribed him by telling him we were going there to buy him some sunglasses. This motivated him enough to brave the car trip, and he found a great pair of Superman sunglasses. We also bought some groceries and also found out some things he likes/dislikes. We bought apples, bananas, pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries, blackberries, and grapes. The only thing he didn't care for was the strawberries. He picked out some bread and a box of cereal-- Cocoa Puffs. Ah, such good memories of my childhood. . .one of my favorite cereals! (Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch was the other!!) I told Tim how when my brother, sister, and I were kids, it was such a big deal to pick out our own cereal-- we would walk up and down the aisle looking to see which box had the best "free inside" toy!!! He hasn't tried the cereal yet; too many other things to try. We ran into several colleagues and friends there, and it was such a great feeling to introduce our new son.

Today Tim went back to work; I am staying home for the week. Evan actually slept until 7:30 AM-- much better! Once he got up, I used the translation website to explain that Papa was at school (work) and that I'd be home with him all week. I also had to write that Papa would be leaving tonight on a plane for a conference. He wasn't very happy about that. We spent the day doing several activities: we worked on a 500-piece puzzle for almost 3 hours, went outside to play with Teagan, tried out the scooter again, played with the Indiana Jones set, and colored. Very productive day. Once Tim returned home, he finished packing, and we went to Pizza Hut for dinner on our way to the airport. Even though we knew Evan doesn't like pizza, I knew there were other choices for him. I helped him make a huge salad that also had a side of beets, goldfish crackers, and cold pasta. This was a big hit. He also ate an enormous "child's size" portion of spaghetti. I don't know if I could have finished it myself. He also tried lemonade for the first time-- it was another winner.

We gave Evan some dramimine before we left for dinner, and on the way to the airport he claimed he was so tired. I guess we'd better try the non-drowsy formula! He also asked how long to the airport and seemed relieved when I told him it wasn't very far at all. Evan and I went in with Tim so we could say good bye. But, about 20 minutes after Tim checked in, we heard his flight would be delayed for 2 hours. This meant he'd miss his connecting flight. So, after sitting around for about 90 minutes, Tim learned that he wouldn't be going anywhere tonight. He now has a very early flight tomorrow morning. Well, I guess one more night in your own bed is not such a bad thing!

Back home again, we all went outside so Evan could use his scooter. The boys from across the street came over with their bike and scooter, and the 3 of them seemed to have a good time together. Around 9:00 it was time for a shower and then the story of the evening. This was a good story-- it had Russian words in it! I could tell he really liked this one! More kisses and hugs and off to sleep he went. We'll see if he can make it until 7:30 again tomorrow morning. With that in mind, I need to go to sleep myself. I will work tomorrow on posting some pictures for you.