Nikolaev Ukraine Day Nine: Waterpark Fun

So, taking turns every other day at writing the post seems to be working our pretty well for us. That means James is at the keyboard today.

Today was a lot of fun. We learned yesterday that all of the children out at summer camp from the orphanage/boarding school would be going to a waterpark today. So, not wanting to miss an opportunity to meet with K and B, we decided to go to the waterpark also. We bought some swimsuits yesterday and grabbed some sunscreen this morning before heading out to the waterpark.

We shared a ride to the waterpark with one of our new friends that we met here in Ukraine who is also out here with his wife for an adoption. They just had court on Tuesday and are waiting out their ten days before they return home with their new children. We are very excited for them. One of their new children is in the same orphanage/boarding school with K and B so he joined us in going to play with the kids at the waterpark.

We had about two hours total with the children and it went by in a blur. Many of the slides at the park required tubes and most of the tubes were two-person. So, Mary and I had a ton of fun going on slides with K and B! One of the slides was named "Glory to Ukraine" and was painted in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag. The slide was similar to a very tall half pipe and K loved it. That girl has no fear! Mary went on it with her and I went with B. We all survived and had a lot of fun.

After the waterpark, K and B went with their group to see a dolphin show and we returned to Nikolaev. This afternoon we relaxed a little and then had some time to Skype with our children back home. It has been a real blessing to be able to talk with them each day. We really miss them and look forward to when we will all be together again.

This evening we tried a restaurant called "Stargorod" here in Nikolaev. It was recommended by our driver, Victor. The restaurant was right on the riverfront and we had a table with a great view. Mary enjoyed some honey chicken and I enjoyed chicken shashlik (kebab). It was fantastic. Our facilitator Natasha joined us so we could discuss how things are progressing. Natasha has been working very hard for us since our meeting with the Director of the orphanage/boarding school. We may be able to get things moving a little quicker but we will have to see. We really appreciate all the work that Natasha puts in for us!

The evening was beautiful and we enjoyed the walk between our apartment and the restaurant. We are looking forward to another visit with K and B tomorrow and we are continuing to enjoy this journey together.