Ukraine Adoption Journal

The Weston Family

2005 Adoption Trip Journal and Photos

When we adopted Sonya and Nikitta two years ago, we decided during the trip that we would be returning to do it again. At the time we made the decision to return, we knew that there would be many things that we would have to do to be able to go back for more children. We were living in a 3 bedroom house, which was a stretch with 3 children. We also knew that Sonya and Nikitta needed our complete attention as they transitioned into a new life and our family. After we had been home for about 4 months, we were laying in bed and thinking about the things that we would need to do in order to be able to adopt again. The first thought that popped in was the need for a larger house.

On a whim we enlisted our realtor, and close friend, Vicki Gorman, to help us find the perfect house for our growing family. She quickly found a house that had been a foreclosure and was owned by a bank. When we went to see it we immediately knew that this was the right house. It had 5 bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms with an unfinished basement for expansion. The yard would need to be completely landscaped. The previous owner had some scary decorating ideas with grapevine kitchen wallpaper and black and white diamond vinyl floors in the kitchen, but we had been watching trading spaces for years and therefore we were unfazed. :) The house was an amazing deal. Julia moved the family single handedly while Wade was being attended to by pretty nurses who insisted that he have his gall bladder removed. Coincidentally, just as the moving process was complete, Wade felt much better and left the hospice to join his family in their new home.

It wasn't but a few weeks before we were tearing up the old yard with a rented skid loader. Sprinkler trenches appeared and rock walls started mysteriously growing. We had planned a trip with the kids to Disneyland and the night before our departure the entire family was laying sod until 1am under the light of every lamp and spotlight we owned.

When we returned from Disneyland, we could no longer live with the vinyl diamond pattern floor and the hideous wallpaper. We started with the wall paper that had become one with the wall, and then we turned our attention to installing a solid maple floor in the kitchen, entry and dining room. A month later.... It was finished. We enjoyed that for a few months. And during this time we realized that we could afford to adopt and we had the right house and Sonya and Nikitta were doing exceptionally well, so, we started the paperwork in January of 2004.... During the paperwork rush we got spring fever and that little dirt patch in the backyard amazingly sprouted into an 18 foot waterfall, 23 foot stream and a 22 by 10 foot pond. The pumps had to be massive and operable by remote control because that is the way Wade does things. All that was left to complete was the private lake license to legally stock it with trout and then we would be ready to adopt again. Ok, so we got a little sidetracked, but waiting for the adoption wheels to turn makes you fidgety. After many process delays, and a medical form that had to be redone several times... we received word from Ukraine in late October that we were approved and we could request an appointment date. We shot for the moon and asked for November, but that was too soon for them. We received a letter saying we had an appointment for the 25th of January in Kiev. (more...)

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This is just one story from an amazing family website. Please visit: Wade and Julia Weston Family Website
to read more amazing stories about their journey's to adopt Zhenya, Leeza, Katya, Alexia, Sophiya and Nikitta