And then there were 6

Today was our biggest day here in Russia. It started off with us getting in our best clothes, going to buy flowers for the judge and prosecutor and chocolates for their secretaries. We then drove to the courthouse. We waited about 20 minutes then went into the courtroom. We asked our translator a few quick questions. She then informed us that the judge may decide who would speak first and that even though Joseph was prepared to open up I should be ready. We all stood when the judge came in. She was dressed with a black robe just like in the US. The prosecutor was dressed in a military uniform type suit and skirt. The judge read over the logistics of it all, reading us our rights. She then asked me to stand and say why we wanted to adopt, how we are financially, and a few other questions. After answering her she asked a few more questions. After that she asked Joseph and few things. She then proceeded to ask the orphanage director for her information along with the man over the custody of these children from the mayor’s office in their city. The judge then went over all of the documents in the file. Including all the documents we just spent the last year preparing. The prosecutor then read her recommendation and the judge went out on recess. This all took an hour and a half.
She came back about 20 minutes later. As the judge was nearing the courtroom I could hear every step she took with her high-heels. As the steps came closer and got louder our hearts started pounding, as we knew she held ours, and Daniel and Katya’s fate in her hands. She read a 4-5 page statement while everyone in the courtroom stood. In the end she granted the adoption, saying it was in the best interest of the children. She was on her way out and we had to be quick to present her with the bouquet of flowers along with flowers for the prosecutor. It was only at this time that either of them cracked a smile and showed any emotion. To our surprise this entire process took 2 hours. We know that many people usually have about a 30-minute court, but not in this region. Lucky us.
We now enter the 10-day waiting period where anyone is able to appeal the court decision. After these 10 days the adoption is final and we will start preparing to leave.
Tomorrow we will drive to the orphanage and pick up our kids. We are excited to have them with us for the rest of the trip. It will make being away a little easier to bear.

PS. We love you Brigham and Kyler