Joe Back to US; Peggy to Ukraine

On Thursday, April 17, Joe spent the day returning to the US. On the same day, Peggy (Tonya's Mom) travelled to Kiev to soak in the Ukraine "experience" and provide a much needed familiar face to Tonya (now a Radamashel refugee).

Both Peggy and I reached our respective destinations on time and without incident - unless you count a harrowing 20 minutes that I spent looking for my passport when passing through US customs (the passport had fallen into a virtually hidden and inaccessible section of my carry-on bag).

I am now enjoying western food and a soft bed - and feel more than a little guilty that Tonya is not here to share them with me! I will just have to endure the guilt pangs and put on a happy face...

Here are a few recent communications from Tonya and Peggy:

April 18 - 1st Mom Visit

Just back from visit with boys. They are very handsome young men and cute kids. Very excited to see Tonya. We spent the time outside, Matthew Dima and I played with the soccer ball and Ty will be happy to know that he loved kicking the soccer ball. Everything seems to make him happy and his laugh is contagious. Wendy will be happy to know that both give and receive big hugs. Jason Vitali is very curious about everything and going to need a nice sand box. We also will need a bike for Matthew Dima.

Basically what Mom is saying is that they will need everything. We came away with tracings of feet that Mom will bring back with her. Matthew Dima's cloths are "medium" - not sure if this is American medium or something else. One of the little girls had on the purple camouflage "My Little Pony" outfit we had left at the orphanage the other day. Mom also got to meet Lyda Oksana and a few of her friends (Yeva, Lesia and Eula) when they were outside on a break between classes. We saw a notebook where Lyda Oksana had been practicing her English. The funny thing is that the phrases were written in Cyrillic and she said them aloud in English. We are going to go back again this afternoon to see her again. Debbie cakes were a big hit with the boys as were the "machinas" (hot wheels cars) as Matthew Dima calls them. Mom also got to meet the orphanage Director and to see one of Jason Vitali's fits (complete with foot stomping and lots of noise) when we were headed back in. Hope everyone has a good day - very nice but windy here today. Tonz and Mom

April 19 - Saturday With The Boys

Good morning. We have already visited the boys this morning - they get so excited when they see Tonya. All the other children say "Dima, Vitali Mama." Fun to watch. Matthew Dima practiced writing again. He used the ABC book and copied from it. He is very neat and shows Mama everything he does. Proud of his work and likes the praise. Jason Vitali spent most of his time playing in the sand. He likes to dig in the dirt so may be a good gardening partner. I try to look at the houses as we pass but it is very hard. Do not want to be staring too long but there is a lot of detail to look at. Some places are old but some are new or remodeled. Same with the cars and scooters. And we have seen several horses pulling wagons. A blending of the old and new. Despite the warmth of the day they still bundle the boys up like it is freezing cold outside. RR (Radamashel refugees)

That's all for now. Send all good thoughts to Tonya and Peggy. I will monitor the Radamashel chatter and try to update the blog daily.

Joe