Daddy Returns

After attending our Verizon Wireless kickoff meetings in Mobile, AL and New Orleans, I flew out form New Orleans to Guatemala, arrving at 8:30pm on Thursday. After clearing immigration and customs I found out the shuttle to Antigua does not run that late and had to catch a cab. If you are even in need of a racing cab in Guatemala, Sabian is your guy. We raced through the streets and up the mountain. I am not usually nervous, but he was taking the mountian curves at sixty five mph and in Guatemala you never know when a goat carrying firewood will be crossing the road around the next curve. But I arrived at the apartment safe and in record time.

Friday we headed back into the city to get Luis' bloodwork redone (the old blood work expired) and meet with the CNA. After getting blood drawn we stopped at the panaderia and got the kids donuts. Always good to sugar them up before heading to the CNA. Here is Luis with his donut.....


At the CNA we hoped to hear the document we needed to move to family court was ready, but we got told it would not be ready until Wednesday. So we will be returning to the CNA then. After the CNA it was off to Burger King for lunch and then up to the lab to pick up the results of the blood work (all good). We also stopped and bought each of the kids a book at the book store that was in the little mall. A guilt purchase if I have ever seen one.

So with the blood test in hand we only needed the original certificate of abandonment and adoptability amendment to have everything we would need to get preapproval with the US Embassy. We have been trying to get the document, but with no luck. So I called Casa Para Ninos on the way back to Antigua to see if we could stop by and get a copy so we could start the translation on Monday and if the document came in by Wednesday go and get preapproval. They said they got notification the document was ready and would have it at Casa after 3:30. It meant another trip, but I went up to Casa at 3:30 and had the document in hand by 4pm. Yes!!! Now all we need to do is get the document translated on Monday and we will be all set to visit the Embassy for preapproval before I leave.

We finished out the day with the usual Friday night Movie and Pizza night. We ordered Telepizza and Pollo Campero and the kids watched Mighty Machines. After the show it was an early night for all of us. I really enjoyed putting all the kids to bed and getting lots of snuggle time with them.

This morning we played around the apartment and just relaxed. After lunch we decided to go down to the San Francisco Church and ruins. We enjoyed walking around the church and had a blast climbing all over the ruins. Jenny and I had visited the ruins when we were in Guatemala for our mission trip five years ago. The kids enjoyed seeing the ruins and we got some good pictures.






After San Francisco, we headed to the market. We picked up what we were looking for there and then stopped at Pollo Campero for ice cream before catching a tuk-tuk back to the apartment. Tonight, Jenny and I are going to put the kids down early and have a date night. Tomorrow we have to get ready to head into the city on Monday. We will be staying in the city until Wednesday when I fly out. Hopefully we will get the document needed to get into family court and get preapproval by then.