Where the children are

I know this blog is full of details about the process but I hope it gives you an idea of what's been going on the past 18 months. We wish the journey was easier, but you know what they say...
Let me tell you a little about Orenburg. It is southeast of Moscow and just about on the border of the northwest part of Kazahkstan on the Ural River. Population about 500,000. It is in southern Siberia so it is VERY cold right now with quite a bit of snow. Watching the weather it has been snowing or raining quite a bit this past month so it's icy. The time in Orenburg is 10 hours ahead of us here on the east coast. We will fly into Orenburg Monday night and stay at the Orenburg Hotel for 3 nights where all preadoptive parents stay. We've been told there is an orphanage in Orenburg and 3 (I think) in Orsk which is east and about a 3 hour drive. In Orsk the orphanages are divided by age and there is a good chance the children we will meet are there. Some families know ahead where there referrals are, some do not. So we try to prepare for the daily 3 hour drive. Orsk is where Orenburg used to be until 1743 and these cities are industrial.
If we accept these referrals we will return in about a month for the final adoption, barring any delays. At that time we would stay with a Russian family in Orenburg while we process paperwork and go to court. Then we would return to Moscow and process more paperwork like the childrens visas and passports and have them checked out by a doctor at the embassy before coming home. We hope at that time to get some sightseeing in.