We're home

We arrived at home about 12:30 AM Sunday. The flights were very long and we were up over 24 hours. The kids did very well considering. With the exception of a few minutes on the last leg they were up the entire time. Maria got a bit bored and antsy on the Amsterdam to Detroit leg, which is to be expected.

Getting out of Ukraine and into the US was relatively painless. It took about 10 minutes in Kiev leaving Ukraine and 10 minutes in Detroit entering the US. They asked for the birth certificate and court decree in Kiev. There were no questions asked. In Detroit, we were expecting to have to go through the 'special line'. As we were in line I told one of the officers the situation and he said we would be taken to another office to complete the process but everything was completed at the normal passport control desk. We forgot and packed a couple of oranges in our luggage. That caused us to get an extra luggage screening and our oranges taken away.

Maria was very excited to be home. Now that she's in an English-only environment she seems to be trying harder to learn English. She's speaking more, though she understands a lot more than she speaks. She has been exploring everything and is settling in. She immediately wanted a sign on her door just like the boys. They have been playing non-stop. It's much louder with 3 children in the house. There's been a little friction between Maria and the boys when she gets into their 'stuff'. It will be an adjustment for them and her to learn to share and respect each others' things.

We took her to Ponderosa yesterday and let her pick her own food from the food bar. She seemed to really enjoy that. She doesn't have the desire for fast/junk food. She'd rather have roasted chicken and soup which is good. Hopefully it will last.