A comedy of errors????

We have made it to Archangelsk and our court hearing is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:00 pm.

Neither one of us slept very well on the plane to Moscow (I think we both got about an hour each).

We did sleep better at the Park Inn hotel in Moscow, where we spent the night before getting up early to catch our flight to Archangelsk.

Thankfully we didn't have any problems with carrying on our luggage (we didn't want our court clothes to get lost in transit).  However, we did feel like squished sardines on the flight from Moscow to Archangelsk.

After arriving at the Pur Navolok Hotel and checking in, we took a nap until we were to meet with Dimitry (the paperwork guy here).  We handed over the 4 apostilled papers we scrambled to get last week so that Dimitry could get the translations attached and notarized.  We met up with him around 4:45 and got the papers back.  We then paid him the remaining balance of the Russian Program Fee plus the cost of the plane tickets he bought for us (this trip and next trip).  However he preferred rubles.  The exchange bank at the hotel was closed, so I was directed to an automated bank machine that would do the exchange.  We were able to exchange enough to pay him, however, the machine kept one of our $100 bills.  After a phone call from the doorman to the bank, then the girl at the check in desk talked to the bank, and the other girl at the desk talked to the bank, I had to get Dimitry to find out what was going on.  Needless to say, we should be able to get our money back tomorrow morning when someone from the bank comes to the hotel to check the machine.  Nothing to do right now but laugh.......

We met with Natalie this evening at the Adoption Office to go over the papers we had submitted to the court and get prepped for our hearing tomorrow.  Tonight I have to write up our 'speeches' to give in court tomorrow.  Haven't quite decided how to explain the concept of Chris being a stay-at-home dad and I will stay as a working mom.  Not a common concept at home, much less here.  Pray for us.

We have come across several unexpected expenses and we are not entirely sure that we have the funds we need right now.  Once we get back home, we should be able to sort it all out.  Either way, God will provide.

Not sure what the time is right now here in Archangelsk (can't see the clock because Chris is sleeping and if I move I might lose the Internet signal again), but I had better get to work on the 'speeches'.

Please continue to keep us and our boys in your prayers.  Oh, and the judge (a man, not the lady that wanted the updated papers we scrambled to get last week....) and the other participants of our court hearing.

We will post more tomorrow after our hearing.