Monday (Christmas Eve) is here- and we spent our two hours with Katya this morning.  She was very excited to see us again- and had a great time playing and coloring- and looking at pictures. 
She decided her favorite animals were Hotdog and Vista- but by far, the number one pet was SNORTER!  We asked her if she wanted to learn to ride a horse- and she said "sure"- with an eager excitement to show her skills (on Paul!)
 
The candy, as always, was a huge hit- and she showed her "Bambi Eyes" when Pam took the candy away.  Thankfully she tried it on Pam- because Paul would have never been able to say 'No'!! 

As we finished playing, we walked back to her room, and she asked, "Why do you show me the pictures when you haven't taken me home?"  We asked her if she would like to go home with us, and she said "Da!"  As we reached her room, she reached up to give Pam a kiss and demanded one in return- then turned to Paul and insisted on kisses as well.


On the court side, evidently everyone is trying desperately to get us into court before the court closes for the holidays.  The orphanage, inspector and Svetlana have completed everything- and some of the SDA paperwork has also arrived.  Natasha and Svetlana are visiting with the Judge tomorrow to see how far we have come- and are hoping for good news!

We did manage to get some great video of Independence Square and the Christmas Tree- please note it was -4 degrees outside- so you will have to pardon the shivering!!!  We have found a fabulous TRULY Italian restaurant who has pleased Paul with their authentic Neapolitan cuisine.   Paul is also preparing a complete dissertation on driving in the Ukraine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!