It's official!

Our finalization period ended today and the news is all good...there were no last minute problems, no protests against our petition to adopt, none of the disasters I've envisioned in the wee hours of the night for the past 15 days. Our coordinator emailed me this morning to tell me that she received the court decision and has filed it with the registry office to have the boys' adoption decree and new birth certificates issued. Just in case you were wondering what all this mumbo-jumbo means, let me interpret: Aniyar and Madiyar are now and always will be our sons. We have only one more task and that's a happy one...on Friday, January 9, we will make the trip across the big water once more, then another couple of flights, then the bumpy but now familiar drive to Ridder...and finally, we will collect our boys and bring them home. We still have a bit more paperwork to do in Kazakhstan but we'll be back in the US in about a week.

Home...to a new world with new challenges. There will be so many firsts for the boys in the next weeks and not all of them will be easy. There will medicals and embassy visits, more medicals and language evaluations, strange foods and new schools...but there will also be the familiar faces of our kids waiting eagerly at home, the love and support of their new mom and dad, and even a Christmas tree waiting just for them. (The needles are beginning to fall and it looks a bit droopy but our tree will stay up until our boys have a chance to open their Christmas gifts.)

We also hope the boys will like their new room...Max is already enjoying the new triple bunk beds; Aniyar's and Madiyar's beds are waiting for them, all made up in blue camo sheets and fleece blankets. The room looks awesome, like a really cool college dorm, very suitable for big kids who are getting bigger every day. The boys have clothes waiting in their dresser, books in Russian on the bookshelf, and computer games to help them learn English. Max has even offered to share his stuffed animals with them! Kate has bought each of her new brothers a gift with her own money and Tanya can't wait to show them the ropes around here.


We met Aniyar and Madiyar the same day we met our Tanya, more than 5 years ago...and we never forgot them. This picture was taken at the airport the day the Kidsave kids all returned to Kazakhstan after their summer 2003 visit to the US. I can't wait to snap some new pics of our kids at Logan Airport...when we're are all home for good!