Getting back into the swing of things

It is so good to be back home! It will be even better once we have Connor home too. It won't be long now! It's a good thing summer is here, I have so much to do to get ready for him to come home. Yesterday we finally put the border up in his room so now we can put the crib together and get things organized. Fortunately I have saved quite a few clothes from Travis so I have been busy going through that. I am not sure what size he is, based on the measurements they gave me he might be about 9-12 months in most things. I guess I will find out shortly!

Now for our big news: After MUCH thought and discussion Daryle and I have decided to bring Travis with us on this last trip!! We know it will be a LONG airplane ride, but he has always been such a good traveler I think he will be fine. (Any tips on keeping him busy welcome!) Not too sure about Mom and Dad, but I am sure we will manage!! I just got his plane ticket this morning and this week we will get his passport. (For a little extra fee you can get almost anything done on an expedited basis!) Travis knows a couple of words in Russian: yes, no, dog and we are working on thank you. That one is a challenge for him! I am hoping that two weeks of practice is enough and he will be good to go. (Thank goodness for the "My First 1000 Words in Russian" book I bought while waiting for Travis to come home, now we can practice a bit!) The only other important words we need to know are "Chicken nugget Happy Meal" at McDonald's and then we know he won't starve! LOL On our trip to Moscow we volunteered to take another flight and in exchange we got vouchers, it pretty much covered the cost of his plane ticket, I only had to pay a small fraction of the cost. We don't have to worry about getting him a visa since he has dual citizenship. He will arrive in Russia on his Russian passport (which expires in August, perfect timing!) and he will arrive back home on his US passport. We really think and hope this will be a good experience for him. We think he is at an age where he will remember things and it will be good for him to see where his brother came from (and uh, I guess where he is from too!) It will be good for him to experience some Russian culture first hand, well as much as any 6 year old can anyway. I think just riding around in the car will be culture shock enough for him!! We are hoping that it will be a good bonding experience for all of us and that Travis will feel more involved in everything. I really can't believe we are bringing him with us! All along we said "NO WAY!" when people asked if we would bring him at all, but I think that after being back over there twice in the last 2 months we feel more comforatble being there and we feel comfortable having Travis with us as well. Now, we only hope and pray he is on his best behavior while we are there!! LOL