One More Sleep!

Day 39 (June 22)

Our last night in the Miskolc apartment!

“Goodbye, hard foam mattresses and you, faulty water heater.”

Let's try to get some sleep tonight,

We know the hotel will be neater!

Day 40 (First afternoon/night in Budapest)

Today makes Day Forty,

and it will not be a shorty!

To the social worker's office for the final decision,

Let's hope it's all done with precision!

The birth certificate system is down today.

What in the world? Who would have thought?

Kim and I began to pray,

Somehow we got through! For us the Lord fought!

Day 41

First full day at the hotel,

Let's go to the Embassy, then swim!

Two hours crawled by,

so the kids earned ice cream on a whim:)

“Come back tomorrow around 3,

Your embassy work will be done,

Your kids will have passports, birth certificates, and visas,

On Thursday...just have fun!”

Day 42

All day we rode the bus transit,

“Hop On, Hop Off,” they call it.

We saw beautiful Budapest,

We didn't have time to see the rest!

Last day in Europe,

Super early we'll have to get up,

With three kids we're so proud,

Maybe on the plane they won't be too loud!

No more is there just a Bonner Two,

But five with Vivian, Annie Kate, and Matthew!

Thankful for the family and friends

Who will see us tomorrow when our traveling ends:)

If you love history and/or architectural beauty, come to Budapest. If you like to take pictures and see stunning scenery, come to Budapest!

We purchased “Hop On, Hop Off” bus tickets for the day. It takes you all over the city, and buses rotate every fifteen minutes, so if you want to get off and look around, you can take your time! It also includes a boat ride on the Danube River. The kids loved the boat! In a span of just a few weeks, we have ridden in cars, underground metros, buses, boats, vans, and now we we get to experience our kids' first airplane ride with them.

Here are a few pictures from our day:

Our day tomorrow will begin early:

• 3:30 a.m.--Kim and I wake up and get ourselves ready.
• 4:00 a.m.--We wake the kids and get them ready.
• 4:30 a.m.--Our taxi takes us from Hotel Helia to the airport.
• 7:00 a.m.--Our plane travels from Budapest to Vienna, Austria (45-minute flight).
• 10:05 a.m.--Our plane travels from Vienna to Chicago, Illinois (10 hour, 25-minute flight)

U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A

• 1:30 p.m. (7-hour time change) in Chicago—We stand in line to hand the officers the kids' immigrations packets given to us by the embassy in Budapest (expected to take 2 hours)
• 6:00 p.m.--Our plane leaves Chicago and heads to New Orleans, Louisiana, where some of our family will be waiting to hug us and meet Matthew, Annie Kate, and Vivian!
• 9:30 p.m.--We get in our Chrysler Town and Country (I haven't driven a car since May 12) and drive an hour and a half to Petal, MS, to introduce the kids to their home. We'll have to play the sleep schedule by ear since our internal clocks will be all messed up. The kids will want to explore the house and look at everything! From what we've learned, it takes them about a day and a half to settle in to new environments and calm down some. Then the real living begins!

It doesn't seem real that we get to go home tomorrow. Kim and I are a little anxious about the plane rides, because we know the kids will be filled with excitement, anticipation, and lots of questions. So we have our carry-on chock-full of activities and snacks to keep them entertained and engaged.

We are thankful for your prayers that you have continually lifted up for us. On Central Standard Time, our plane actually leaves tonight around midnight, but our day will begin around 8:00 p.m. tonight (Thursday).

Let's do it.

Goodbye Apartment, Hello Hotel Helia

5:21 a.m.

We heard footsteps upstairs and could picture in our minds exactly what the kids were doing: jumping out of bed and getting dressed to go to Budapest. It's GO time!

Thankfully after a few minutes, the kids settled down to watch cartoons on MiniMax while we got up and got ourselves ready. Then we made some sandwiches for the road, finished packing, and all ate breakfast.

Adam came at 7:30 a.m. to take us to our first appointment at 8:00 a.m in Miskolc.

First we had to report about how the last 30 days have gone, tell about the progress we've seen in the kids, and confirm that we do want them as our own children. The social worker asked the kids a few questions, (thankfully they said we were sweet!) and printed out the report for us to sign that we are officially their parents!

Next, we need to take this report to a different office to print out the new birth certificate. BUT WAIT----- today the whole system is down for testing. (We were told this testing has happened only one other time 20 years ago so today was the day to do it again.) WHAT. Gareth and I started praying while Adam starting calling folks. He got through to someone who said they'd do it for us and, Praise the Lord, we were on the road to Budapest by 11:00 a.m.

Once we arrived, we went straight to the passport office. After signing papers and having the kids' pictures made, we put in our order and will hopefully pick these up tomorrow.

Around 2:00 p.m. we made it to Hotel Helia.

This is the first hotel the kids have ever been in. They have successfully checked out every nook and cranny of our adjoined rooms. We unhooked the room phones, and they have loved playing restaurant/front desk games between the rooms using the phones and other gadgets you find in a hotel.

A few minutes after arriving, a doctor came to do a quick medical check-up and fill out papers for us to take to the embassy tomorrow. She was nice and spoke English very well. We were very thankful and blessed to have a doctor that would come to us.

Finally about 3:30 p.m. we hit the pool! They swam until they were hungry around 5:00, we stopped for some goulash (what else?) in the lobby cafe, then went to wind down in the room. We watched Madagascar (in English!), and the kids fell asleep without a problem.

We've had a big day, and we have several more until we make it to Petal, Mississippi. We'd appreciate your prayers as we continue to run errands to the embassy and passport offices. Pray for our children as they are in a new environment with a lot of questions. It's frustrating for us to not be able to understand what they are asking. We try to reassure them in the best way we can, but they can't understand us either! Pray for us as we try communicate what's going on and where we are going.

The view from our window is beautiful, and our room price comes with a breakfast buffet! This is such a nice place, and the kids can't seem to take it all in fast enough. As you can imagine, they are a little antsy with the environment change from apartment to hotel, and they'll be this way probably until we make it home late Friday night! But each hour of each day takes us one step closer to being in our home with our family. Thanks for reading and being part of our journey!

The Final Countdown

Day 34 (June 17)

We ordered langos at the local park.

The three flavors gave our taste buds a spark!

Circular bread fried to a golden brown,

With Nutella or jam or powdered sugar as its crown,

It made us happy as a lark.

Day 35

I bought Lassie for two dollars.

While watching it, the kids did holler.

They fell in love with that dog,

watched it twice like knots on logs,

“Lassie! Lassie!” They continuously call her.

Day 36

We spent most of today in Aurora's pool,

Both beautiful—jacuzzi hot and pool cool.

So strong was the chlorine,

It faded our blues, pinks, greens,

Our skin and eyes were under irritation's rule.

Day 37

Today the rain came.

All the social workers and supervisors did the same!

We got pizza, much more than a snack,

Kim and I began to pack,

Seven days until we bring home three kids with our name!

Day 38

One last time at the ice cream shop,

All our Miskolc visits are about to stop!

When the day was spent,

we build a tent,

Tomorrow night excitedly to bed we'll hop!

Today is Saturday, June 21. This weekend is filled with so much anticipation, and a little anxiety. Tomorrow, we are going to the cinema to see How to Train Your Dragon 2. Seeing a movie will occupy our afternoon, as well as serve as a fun distraction from any worries about traveling. This will be our second Hungarian cinema experience. The kids are very excited!

Then it's bag-packing time! Tomorrow night is our final night in our Miskolc apartment. Kim and I have been in this apartment since May 14 (40 days, F-O-R-T-Y). We are ready for a change of scenery!

The kids are also asking tons of questions about our future travels: going to Budapest, staying in a hotel, flying, living in America, etc. Most of this asking entails using the few English words they can use confidently, combined with charades, drawings, and hand motions. I don't want to use the word excited again, but they are very excited:)

Please pray for us as we transition to Budapest, attend our government/embassy appointments to obtain the necessary paperwork, and prepare the kids for some long traveling hours.

Two Weeks to Go!

Day 24—Saturday, June 7

Ice cream,

We love that day!

We made a treasure map!

Flight booked, light at the end of the

tunnel.

----------------------------------

Adoption Journey Limericks

Matthew made treasure maps,

Around the house we did laps.

Omelets for lunch,

Then on ice cream we did munch.

Still for their next meal their feet tapped!

Day 25

Checked out the Cave Bath today,

I walked over while the kids did play.

Kim stayed with them, and they fed ducks,

The Cave Bath will be about fifty bucks,

Not bad for a family of five all day.

Day 26

The Cave Bath, what a sight!

Pools, toys, fountains everywhere, all right!

The kids played, snacked, played, snacked,

Engagement, attention, and fun were not lacked,

They will sleep good tonight:)

Outside is a waterpark,

Inside a cave, but by no means stark,

Thermal pools and tunnels in the mountainside,

At the Cave Bath from 9-5 we did abide!

The kids did not want to leave before dark.

Day 27

We are tired; today is “recoup” day.

For all day yesterday we did play.

Let's rest, read, nap, watch TV,

just pretty much take is easy.

Ice cream is all we did. Hey!

Day 28

Today we went to Tesco.

You have to pull your weight if you want to go.

We filled two bags and an empty suitcase,

We sweated on the way to the bus, like a race.

Got lots of groceries, though!

Day 29

Fun at the park across town,

Matthew left his water bottle, then frowned

because I rode the bus route with him for an extra hour,

The time and heat made us a little sour,

At the park's bus stop his bottle was found.

Day 30

Pizza Hungaria is where we went for lunch,

There is a trampoline to visit before the munchy munch!

Adam brought us a cake,

Then French toast Vivian helped Anya bake,

Our short time here is beginning to crunch!

Day 31

Omelets for lunch, Ramen noodles for dinner,

One thing's for sure, I haven't gotten thinner!

We played around the house for hours on end,

Went to the park and Face-Timed with family in Destin.

And the watermelon we ate was a winner!

Day 32 (Sunday, June 15)

George visited us and brought toys,

Dolls for the girls, and a car for the boy.

There is a 2^nd dish someone won't eat

(tortellini pasta filled with meat),

But sidewalk chalk and ice cream had already filled them with joy.

Today was my first Father's Day,

Pretty neat how it happened this way.

It put sprinkles on my ice cream,

Wouldn't want anything other than this dream,

This is a unique journey, I must say:)

Day 33 (our last Monday in our Miskolc apartment!)

We boarded the bus for the indoor playground.

When we arrived, there was nary a sound.

We got the hours wrong...

This made the morning LONG.

So we found an outdoor park, then headed homeward bound.

Speaking of homeward bound, this is our last full week in Miskolc! Today is June 16, and we will sleep in our own beds in Petal, Mississippi, on June 27:)

Summer South of Slovakia

The weather here has warmed up quite a bit and finally feels like summer! On Monday we took advantage of a nice, pretty day and headed to the Barlang-furdo Termal (Cave Bath). It has an outdoor water area for the kids, and an inside cave swimming area (some thermal springs) when families are ready to escape the blazing sun. It also has a deli and spa. Between play times, the kids ate snacks, and then we ordered langos (fried bread with various toppings—we got one with Nutella, one with peach jam, and one with powdered sugar...yum!)! Here are some pictures from our day:

We played from 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.! They were wiped out! On Tuesday, they each woke up a little later (7 a.m.), took naps at rest time, and were just plum lazy. We didn't complain :) I must mention that I feel like we had a successful parenting moment because no one got sun burned!

Besides the Cave Bath, this week we've busied ourselves with our usual trip to Tesco and the various playgrounds. Tomorrow we will make our Friday Fun trip to Pizza Hungaria for lunch to devour three 32-centimeter pizzas. This place not only has great food, but also a trampoline and play area for the kids while we wait. Bonus!

Learning time is going well with the kids. Each morning after we get dressed, have breakfast, and brush our teeth, we all sit down for some learning time. Gareth takes Annie Kate upstairs, and I keep Vivian and Matthew downstairs. I picked up a few ABC workbooks at the dollar spot from Target before we came, and those have worked out perfectly. Vivian and Matthew work on one letter a day and then review letters we've already practiced. Matthew is very clever and already knew how to count to 12 in English, as well as recognize many letters of the alphabet. For him, we've worked on putting those letters in ABC order and learning the sounds of each one. He has also learned how to count to 100!

Vivian has now learned how to write her name and recognize the letters in her name. She can also put many of the letters in the correct order. We are working on identifying those letters and learning the sounds each one makes. She has learned all the colors in English, and her first English word was heart! She's a girly girl! Vivian can now count to 10 in English and we're working on getting to 20. She making good progress!

Annie Kate is a funny gal. Before we met them, some information we received about her that was translated into English said that she needs “A Dancing Kindergarten.” We laugh now knowing how true that is of her. She loves anything that is a song. Gareth spends a lot of learning time singing the “ABC Song,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” or his version of “1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Indians” to “1, 2, 3, Annie Kate, 4, 5, 6, Vivian, 7, 8, 9, Matthew, 10 Annie Kate!” She can now count to 10 in English. She knows some of her colors. She knows words like door, open, close, fan, and shoes. He has a lot of patience with her, and I'm already praying for her teacher this fall. Who knows, maybe she'll be a great student when she gets around classmates her age! She does get along well with other kids at the park and on the playground.

One game they all love is Alphabet Bingo! We play each afternoon after rest time. Now everything is called Bingo! Uno is Bingo! The board game Sorry! is Bingo! They just love saying it and collecting stickers when they've actually won at the real Bingo!

Well, we had our first instance with someone not liking dinner. Annie Kate was the helper for dinner and she helped me put together this soup. She ate a lot of cabbage as I was chopping it up and she was putting it the pot. She put the beans in and helped with the tomatoes, but when it came time to eat it, she kept saying, “Nem, jo” (I don't like it). We thought it was just the beans, so we helped her pick those out, but she just couldn't do it. I wasn’t' sure how she'd react to not getting anything different or getting any fruit cocktail like her siblings got when they finished, but she was fine. She dipped her toast in the soup and ate that, sat while we ate, and then got up when we were all finished. She has been known to throw a temper tantrum (one actually occurred about three hours prior), and I'm thankful this didn't cause it. She handled it all quite well. It was hard to not make her a sandwich, but I don't want to start fixing different things for each kid. She didn't ask for anything else which made it easier.

Like we've mentioned before, we are enjoying our time here and thankful for things to do that are close to where we live, but we are ready to be in our own space with friends and family around us. This week has gone by pretty quickly, and we are so glad to see that we are down to now 10 days in this apartment in Miskolc before we head to Budapest for 4 days!

P.S. Bath times are now tear-free!

A Different Kind of Summer (featuring some poetry)

This summer is the opposite of most summers. Usually in the summer, we are just at the house by ourselves, saying, “Only two more weeks and we go to the beach, etc.” We try to go places. This summer, we're saying, “In three weeks, we'll be home!” We'll be in Petal, Mississippi, USA. We'll get to start our routines at our home, the kids' forever home. There will be some crazy exploration of the house, and some testing of what belongs to whom, but after a few days, we'll settle in (and let our bodies' sleep cycles regulate).

(Gareth)

Let's try cinquains this time instead of haikus:

Day 16

Pizza!

Let's take some home!

Kidding, they inhaled it.

Then Mini-Movie collection!

Night night.

Day 17 (Saturday—we hoped the cartoons would be different today)

Cartoons!

No different.

Fun, water-coloring!

Annie Kate fell in the water.

Again.

Day 18

Movies!

Saw Rio 2

at Cinema City.

First movie ever for the kids,

Priceless:)

Day 19 (June 2)

Rainy,

We stayed inside

then we watched Aladdin.

The weather finally cleared up!

Ice cream;)

Day 20 (Tuesday)

Swimming

all the day long!

At Aurora Hotel.

We had the whole place to ourselves.

Wiped out.

Day 21

Tesco.

All five of us.

Kim and Vivian shopped.

I kept the others at the front.

Stocked up!

Day 22

Bus ride!

The other park

has a merry-go-round.

AK fell asleep after that.

Shhhh, shhhh.

Day 23

Pizza!

Sixteen dollars.

Can't beat that with a stick.

WE'LL BE HOME THREE WEEKS FROM TODAY.

Fly, time.

The kids (especially the girls) have begun to voluntarily go outside and play creatively with one another. This is a good sign; they feel safe with us and around our apartment. We can tell they are relaxing more by using their imagination, role-playing, building things in the yard, etc.

Matthew likes to go outside and run around too, but he also likes to stay inside at the kitchen table and work math problems, practice English, draw, color, etc. He has had a sore throat and cough lately, so we don't make him go outside to play.

There are still trials, and still some parts of the day can be difficult and long; but overall, the days are going faster, and each day something gets a little easier. Sometimes things regress, but the kids are learning to trust us, and learning that some things that may feel unpleasant (bath time, cleaning things, picking up things, taking care of possessions, etc.) are for their own good.

We are also learning to trust them. A few weeks ago, we didn't want them anywhere without our supervision. Honestly, it was because we didn't know them yet. We didn't know if they would hurt themselves, someone else, or part of the apartment. We are beginning to know and trust them more wholeheartedly now, and they are just kids. They are kids who like to be silly and who like to have fun. Sometimes they want us to play with them, and sometimes they want to play be themselves; and that is fine with us.

They are also beginning to learn boundaries and how to behave in certain environments, and we as their parents are becoming more at ease taking them to stores and restaurants. When we move out of this apartment in a few weeks, there will be another environment change, and that causes confusion, which brings behavior changes. We'll stay several days in Budapest. But finally, on June 27, we will arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana, late on a Friday night. And we will go home—our home.

We are trusting each other. We are becoming a family.

Liszts

Today at noon marked the halfway point of our full stay in Hungary!!

Things that we love about parenting our children:

• 8:00 p.m. Sweet back rubs, prayers and goodnight kisses
• Hearing, “Anya!” “Apa!” and the occasional “Mom!” and “Dad!”
• Fixing Vivian's hair each day (Annie Kate doesn't exactly love this part yet.)
• Seeing their growth with behavior and English so far
• Everyone's excitement and encouragement back home
• Hearing them say “Yummy!” when they see us preparing a meal each night—even when it's a pot of Ramen noodles (I promise to feed them real food when we get home. I did add real carrots and chicken to these noodles so that has to count for something)
• Giving them their first ice cream cone
• Letting them see themselves on video for the first time
• Taking them to their first cinema/theater experience (Rio 2)
• Taking them on their first city bus ride
• Laughing at sticky faces as we dig into a juicy watermelon together on the front porch
• Their enjoyment of simply being chased around the yard playing tag

Things that are difficult right now:

• Watching Hungarian cartoons at 6:00 a.m.
• Bath time with the girls screaming while getting their hair washed
• Meal times—still learning table manners
• Hygiene
• Hearing their conversation tone turn into an argument but not knowing the reason
• Being misunderstood from both sides
• Being away from our family in the states
• Back talking/moaning (in Hungarian) when being reprimanded
• Wondering what the kids are really dealing with under the surface (uncertain future, detachment from foster parents, etc.)
• Working with Annie Kate during learning time, who cries each time we start and tries to pack up the supplies every 2 minutes
• Being outnumbered
• Being in public when our children are holding a conversation with someone and us now knowing what it's about

Things that make us laugh:

• Annie Kate's fashion sense. She tucks in shirts and jackets into her pants, tucks her pants into her socks, and lately wears her 3D glasses and bathing suit cover-up on top of it all
• Matthew's sound effects for play cars, airplanes, guns, explosions, matchbox cars, etc.
• Vivian saying “Mish-uh-pip-pee”
• All of them singing their version of “Itsy, Bitsy Spider”
• Translating the kids' Hungarian words into words that sound like English words
• Matthew wearing a belt even if his pants don't have belt loops

Things we love about Hungary:

• BREAD! We eat a loaf a day. It's readily available and delicious.
• Cave Bath. It's a 10 minute walk from our apartment. We plan to go next week!
• Tesco
• Relatively easy bus system
• Free Wi-fi a block away
• Two mini grocery stores within a 5-minute walk
• Our general location (close to pools, pizzerias, grocery stores, lake, park, produce stand)
• The food/water is pretty safe
• Towel warmer in the bathroom

Phrases we've apparently said a lot that the kids now mimic:

• It's okay!
• Yaaaay! Good job! (Today Vivian said this every time I put something in the basket at Tesco)
• I don't know.
• Thank you.
• You're welcome.

Things that give us hope:

• Marking out June days on the calendar
• Family and friends through Skype, email, and Facebook
• Looking back and seeing progress (language, behavior, response to structure)
• Giving each other breaks (even for just 15 minutes a day)
• Knowing there are relatives who can play and spend time with kids back home
• Keeping the big picture in mind (We have the opportunity to give these kids a home they might not otherwise have, and being used for God's purpose here in Hungary.)
• Good translators
• You reading this blog!
• Parents at school/community of friends who have adopted and will listen to our stories with personal knowledge and experience
• Eventually being immersed in English culture so they can learn with more focus

Blooper/photobomb:

23 more days to go!!

Hello June!!

Since our trip to Budapest on Tuesday, we've been finding things around our apartment and neighborhood to do.

They love to play chase around the house, which usually wears us out more than it does them.

Wednesday we found a hotel that will let us swim (for a fee) in their outside pool and hot tub. The weather is still pretty cool here, so the outside pool was too cold, but the hot tub was just right! Wow! Those kids had a blast in that little hot tub and ran off anyone who even thought about getting in. The best part was coming back to the apartment around 1 and everyone taking a nap! It was glorious.

GLORIOUS (adj.) (1) awe-inspiring, majestic, 

(2) characteristic of energetic children sleeping

On Friday, the social workers stopped by to see how things were going. They asked us a few questions about the kids' routines and habits since they have been with us. They were pleased at their progress, just as we are. When they left, we went out to lunch for pizza! Hawaiian seems to be their favorite.

We've made several visits to the park and duck pond in our neighborhood. 

Little Miss Annie Kate got just a little too close. Just as I said, “I don't mind them standing there as long as they don't get wet.” Annie Kate slipped in up to her waist. Vivian freaked out and thought Annie Kate was hurt, but it didn't bother AK a bit. I just took her hand, and we walked home to get her bath early. The other two stayed with Gareth and played with sidewalk chalk for a bit.

Today we decided to hop on the bus and go to Miskolc Plaza. This is a really nice mall with a movie theater inside. The kids have never been to the theater, so we went to see Rio 2 in 3D. They LOVED it.

Popcorn, drinks, and 3D glasses is a recipe for a good time and that they had. The popcorn was gone before the movie started.

What's the biggest transition we've had to make going from a family of 2 to 5?

Answer seen below:

Using this as a washer

And this as a dryer

It takes all day to wash/dry 2 towels and 1 day's worth of clothes for the family.

We are so excited that it's finally June! I don't want to wish away my summer, but I do want to be in my own space with our family! I can't wait for everyone to meet them and learn their fun personalities. I made a calendar (I'll post a picture of that later) and we are marking off the days until we come to Mish-uh-pip-pee (as Vivian pronounces it). We haven't ordered our tickets home yet because we have one final appointment to schedule in Budapest. The woman we need to meet with was out sick last week so we haven't been able to make that appointment but I'm hoping she's well and that we can finalize it all tomorrow!