It was Carla's idea to host the girls, says husband Barry, who describes himself as being "slow but supportive" of his wife's plan. But as he watches Oleena and Yulia interact with his own children in the family's kitchen, there's no sign of hesitation.

"These are very sweet girls," he says. "It's been a lot of fun and very fulfilling."

The girls mesh well with the Olsens' six children, who range in age from 6 to 24 years old. Oleena is just a year younger than 14-year-old Spencer, playfully horsing around with him while carving star-shaped eyes into her jack-o'-lantern.

And even 6-year-old Nicholas, despite having minor issues at first vying for attention with Yulia, is now playing Barbies with the little Ukrainian girl.

Says 18-year-old Camilla Olsen, with a smiling Yulia sitting on her lap contentedly poking holes in a pumpkin: "They just fit."

There have been difficulties, of course. Language is a factor, with Oleena and Yulia speaking very little English, and that has been only a few popular phrases taught shortly before they came to the United States.

"At first it was hard because I think they were timid to even talk to us," says 21-year-old Jillian, the oldest of the Olsen children living at home. But the girls soon warmed up, she says, and the family learned that Oleena perhaps understood more than she let on.

Family members frequently try their hand at difficult Ukrainian pronunciations, earning a skeptical look and a laugh. Communication, therefore, is achieved largely through a series of gestures and body language — a kind of continuing game of charades.

Yulia also had an upset stomach during her first few days in Utah. She's adjusted to American food, however, and now has no problem digesting such delicacies as Doritos and black olives picked from 24-year-old Timothy Olsen's fingers.

Permanent additions?

Both Carla and Barry Olsen say they would like nothing more than to adopt Oleena and Yulia. They had thought about international adoption — China — before Vern and Nanette Garrett approached them to serve as a host family.

"I think our fondest dream would be to bring them into our home," Carla says. "I would love to say, 'Yes, we're going to adopt them.' "

But costs are high — approximately $20,000 for the first child and $4,000 for each additional one. And for such a large family already, they might prove prohibitive. Without a rich uncle hiding in the wings, Barry says, finances may prove too high a barrier.

The family will sit down together after the girls leave on Tuesday and discuss their options. "Our work begins when they leave," Carla Olsen says.