One Step Closer

Today we got one step closer to bringing our boys home. We went to the court with our translator today to pick up the final copy of the court decree of the adoption as well as the boys' original birth certificates. We then took the birth certificates to the registrar's office where they will be destroyed and new birth certificates made with our names on them. Oh, all the paperwork :)
We had a good day with the boys today. Austin continues to be wild and crazy but seems to be beginning to understand rules and tries (at least on occasion) to follow them. Jacob seems to be bonding with us more and more each day and draws us in with his smile. We can see a little hint of his older brother in him as he does not like you to take his toys or crackers from him :).
Tomorrow is the big day...we get to pick Austin up from the orphanage. We decided to pick him up by himself for one night since we anticipate him to have the most difficulty with the transition from the orphanage to life with us. Please pray that the transition will be smooth and that he will understand what is going on and will be able to trust us. Please pray for us as we do not really know what to expect. He has been told he will be leaving "to go to America" with us but aren't exactly sure how much of this a 3 yr old actually understands. We will pick Jacob up on Wednesday and will have him in the hotel with us for 1 day before returning to Moscow. Your prayers are definitely coveted as we transition into life as a family. We will keep you updated and miss each of you and can not wait to return to the US!