Monday morning started out at 5:40am for our family! Matt and I were felt it really important that the boys have a big breakfast before starting their journey. So the night before I made my french toast casserole that I usually make for Christmas morning, and that way we just had to put it in the oven at 5:40. So as the boys got up and got ready for their flight, Matt and I were busy getting food on the plates and getting Ryan and Alex ready to go, (William is at my parents house in Raleigh) so there really was not much time to stop and think about this being their last morning with us. You are so wrapped up in the moment and time frame of making sure you get out the door in time! Arrival at the airport was fine, we met up with the group and waited in line while the coordinator argued with US Air that we were not paying a baggage fee for all of the kids b/c international flights are allowed one bag for free. Since they were flying into New York first, US Air technically did have an argument - needless to say we did not have to pay.
Once they got into the security line, Matt and I were both crying and I was simply not able to pull it together. Anatoliy was crying so much and my heart was just broken for both of them! The one thing that we were not prepared for was our son Alex crying. Alex was so upset when we had to walk away from them, and he is still having a hard time today with them being gone. Alex started a skateboard camp yesterday and the first thing he said when he walked in was, "Ivan would have loved this place!" Alex has such a big heart! So back to the airport, I was able to sneak into the security line one last time before they went through and give them both one last kiss and even though Anatoliy was still crying, he tried to give me one of his smiles - his smile could melt anyone's heart. Ivan gave me and Matt a big hug and had two single tears coming down and I knew then that we had definitely made an impact on his life - he never let his guard down much while here, but when he did you could see what an amazing person there is under that hard outer shell.
Our blog is not over, we promised the boys that we would call them and I will keep you posted of any updates.
