Home At Last!

Lauren & Olivia are getting along great together. Lauren was upset at first, but that was because she got to go to the airport and then she did not get to go on a plane. She loves flying. Once we got over that ordeal then she realized that Olivia is now home and the two of them started interacting.


Lauren read her animal book to Olivia complete with her very own dramatic interpretations.
First bath together. Both our girls are very fond of bath time.

We can not imagine depriving our girls of having each other as sisters! If there were ever any doubts about a second adoption, there are none now! All these photos were taken during our first evening together as a family. These girls will have each other for the rest of their lives. A very strong bond seems to already be forming between the two of them.

All Smiles

This was Olivia when we got back to the hotel room after busting out of the orphanage forever. The camera was set on Seattle time so it still shows the date as the 12th. It was actually the 13th of July. Olivia was one happy camper!

My "economy class" room at the Shiny River hotel in Ust-Kamenogorsk did not have air conditioning, so Olivia got to spend a lot of time in just her diaper. She seemed to enjoy that very much. After two days at the Shiny River we were ready to check out! They did have a nice breakfast each morning though.

See that smile.....? Olivia used that smile all the way home to Seattle charming every person we ran into. Worked out nicely for Daddy who got bulk-head seating and a baby bassinet for each flight!

A Big Thank You!

A big Thank You goes out to Alma, our coordinator in Ust-Kamenogorsk, and to Dinara, our translator, and Beibet, our driver. We had a great time working with all of you and you made the entire process go very smoothly. Words can not fully express how thankful we are for everything you have done for us. We hope to see you guys again someday.

Last Moments in The Old Baby Room

Olivia was "speech-less" to see her Daddy again. And Daddy was equally speech-less to see her. These are the final moments that Olivia spent in her old baby-room with her care givers. Shortly thereafter we walked out of there for the final time. During these few minutes Olivia kept studying me with a look of amazement. As soon as we got outside she was all smiles.

It felt strange to get to walk out of the orphanage and take Olivia along. We had gotten so used to always having to give her back to the care-takers in her baby room. We thought we would not be able to take Olivia with us until Monday, so being able to do that Sunday morning (July 13th) was a pleasant surprise!


The care-givers in Olivia's baby room were nice enough to send me off with three bottles of kefir for Olivia. Kefir is a cultured milk product much like yogurt but with even more health benefits. Most Americans are un-familiar with kefir and tend not to like it as it is not laden with sugar. In the Pacific Northwest we can find kefir at some of our higher end grocery stores as well as at Trader Joes. Lauren enjoys kefir to this day. For more information on kefir check out http://www.kefir.net/index.htm

Olivia with Daddy......forever!!!

The picture is straight from Ust-Kamenogorsk, courtesy of Michelle, another adoptive mom. Lars now has custody of Olivia. We thought he would get her on Monday the 14th but he got her a day early. He will leave for Almaty on Monday. Just a few more hoops to jump through and he will be home with Olivia.

Ready Or Not...

Ready or not ---- Lars is leaving today to pick Olivia up and bring her home. She should be leaving the orphanage forever on Monday, July 14th at the latest. We are hoping to be able to show Olivia Fox Island and her new home and surroundings shortly after that.

The Ust-Kamenogorsk Zoo

Lauren enjoyed spending time at the Ust-Kamenogorsk Zoo. They allow visitors much closer to the animals than what we are used to. Lauren found that very thrilling.
A group of old men at the zoo cafe' playing chess.
The Peacock felt like showing off for us on this day.
An Eagle.

This Bear decided he wanted to stay cool.

The Zoo grounds.

Apartment Views

In the mornings on weekends a group of women sold or traded some type of milk in the court-yard of our apartments. Our driver cautioned us to boil this milk first should we decide to buy some. No worries. We are adventurous, but not THAT adventurous. We have tried camels milk and horse milk while in Almaty in 2005, but that was at a Kazakh restaurant.

When not used for the "milk-trade" the iron-table in the court yard was used by the local kids as a "ping-pong table". On this day they used bricks for a net. Another afternoon when we looked out our kitchen window a third kid was laying across the table acting as the net.

View of the court-yard from our kitchen window. The court-yard was the center of activity for the residents in the surrounding apartment buildings. There was always something going on out there.

All around the apartment were these paths that people used to walk to the store, to work, to the bus-stop, or wherever they needed to go.

View from our kitchen window to the apartments across from the court-yard.

View from our balcony towards the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk. Our apartment was located on the same side of the Irtysh River as the orphanage. We were only a few blocks away from the Baby House.

View across the court yard from our kitchen window. We were on the third floor and there were some tall trees growing in front of our windows. They were much appreciated for the shade that they provided.

The apartments across from us.

Looking out our bedroom window. This building is all part of the apartment building we were in.

Looking towards the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk from our balcony in back.

Our kitchen. Small but functional.

The stair-well leading up to our apartment.

Our apartment door. Open, open, open!

Our apartment had a washer which was great, especially when traveling with a three year old. We became quite proficient at living without a dryer after 3 weeks...

Our living room. We had a TV, but no channels in English so it did not get used much.

Pictures of Ust-Kamenogorsk

View of the city from the hill by the Orthodox
Church

A newly built Russian Orthodox Church.

A Mosque and a nearby park.

Water fountain in the park by the Mosque.

Two views of the Afghan War Memorial located
by the Irtysh River.

Looking toward the city from The Afghan War Memorial.

A view of the Irtysh River from The Afghan War Memorial. The graffiti on the concrete railing reads "be always in our heart".

The World War II Memorial, also situated on
the bank of the Irtysh River.

The Irtysh River from the WWII Memorial.

A park near the WWII Memorial

The Irtysh River-front from the Afghan War Memorial.

"Pizza Blues", a restaurant we visited a few
times. They have a great children's play area
inside. The restaurant serves Russian food and
pizza. We never tried the pizza but enjoyed the
Russian fare very much. They also have childrens
meals which Lauren liked quite a bit.

View of a street in Ust-Kamenogorsk.

Typical apartment buildings in Ust-Kamenogorsk.