A Week of Firsts

We safely arrived home last Friday, March 5th. Our first week home has been chock-full of amazing firsts, which we share below:

First Airplane Ride:



First Time in Texas:



First Snuggle with Pongo:



First Time riding a Bicycle:



First Visit to Grandma & Pa's house:



First Visit to Bender's Landing Park



First Time to meet Daddy at work and then lunch out:



First Tractor Ride mowing the grass:



We praise God for these and our many other "firsts" this week. We look forward to the adventures God has in store for us!!

Our last update from Guatemala

Well it is currently 3:30 am and I am sitting in the bathroom writing this blog update so as not to wake the rest of the family. On Wednesday we went to our 7:30 am visa appointment, which did not start until 8:45 am. The appointment was not difficult, as we had Jenny the Paperwork Maestro on our team. It was just a review of the documents followed by more waiting and then a quick trip to the window to hear we were approved and could pick up the visa on Thursday at 3:30 pm. Here are Jenny and the kids on the way to the visa appointment.



By the time we left the US Embassy, we were all starving for lunch and we headed back to our hotel and ate at the food court in the commercial area under the hotel. We thought we might go to IRTRA, but decided to save that until Thursday morning. Instead we came back up to the room and worked on the logistics needed to get the hotel room extended one night, change all the flights and book Luis a ticket home.

For dinner we wanted to celebrate so we went to the Nais Aquarium restaurant in the Oakland Mall. Luis, as well as the rest of the family, had enjoyed it when we went there on our empathy study so we thought it would be a good pick. Wow! Luis, Christopher and Caroline had an awesome time. Luis loved watching the fish and could not contain his excitement with the eels, rays, or sharks. Here is a shot of us at the aquarium.



Yesterday we got up and headed to IRTRA. It is an amusement park in Guatemala City. It is undergoing a lot of renovation right now but that did not stop us from having a great time. They have rides, a dinosaur themed play area and a zoo. Here are some shots from our morning at the park.








After returning to the hotel, I headed to the Embassy to pick up the Visa and Immigration Packet for Luis. There were no surprises, the 3:30 pick up time really meant 4:15, but the visa was correct and I could hardly contain my excitement.

When I arrived back at the hotel, Jenny had already done most of the repacking that was needed and we were planning a pizza/movie night with the Return of the Jedi. Although Luis does not understand all of the dialogue, he gets the main storyline and loved the show and the pizza to go with it. With all the excitement of our trip home today and the movie, the kids were pretty crazy, and Jenny and I were too. But we managed to get everyone to sleep by 9:30 or 10 o'clock. Now it is almost time to wake them up so we can catch the shuttle to the airport for out flight this morning. Can't wait to get back into the states with the whole family today.

En La Cuidad

Yesterday afternoon we had Luis' embassy medical evaluation. It was at a Doctor's office a couple of blocks from the embassy. The main thing we were looking to avoid was having to get shots. I had done a vaccination affidavit while in the states and that did the trick. He will still have to have shots but at least they will happen when we are home. The rest of the medical exam was quick and easy. The doctor asked some questions, checked Luis' mouth and poked around his stomach and then we were done.

We waited the rest of the day, but got no visa interview date from the embassy. So we spent the afternoon and evening playing in the pool and then I went and picked up pizza and bourbon chicken from the food court, before going to bed.

This morning we got up and made pigs of ourselves at the continental breakfast. We ate almost all the watermelon and yogurt as well as the last of the chocolate pastries. Then Chris and Caroline had school with Mom while I worked with Luis. They finished up school around noon and then we headed to find lunch. We got back at 1:30 and I learned we could call the embassy visa unit at 2pm. They told me they had not received our file from the USCIS yet and so could not schedule an appointment. I did everything I could to convince them and she said if they got the file by 4 pm she would schedule us for tomorrow. By 4:40 I gave up and assumed we would be spending the weekend in Guatemala. Just before 5pm we got the appointment date for tomorrow at 7:30am. YES!!!!! We had a giant family hug and headed out to Chili's to celebrate. After Chili's we headed back to the hotel and now we are watching the Empire Strikes Back before we head to bed. Can't wait for our appointment tomorrow.

Embassy Update

Wanted to give everyone the update since Friday. On Saturday, I sent Jenny to the Mayan Spa for a more than well deserved massage, facial and pedicure. I spent the morning playing with the kids around the apartment. When Jenny got home, we were having lunch and we spent most of the rest of the day trying to squeeze all of our belongings into suitcases and back packs. For the most part we were successful and only had a few extra shopping bags of stuff. The real test will be if they weigh less than 50 pounds.



Sunday we went to Iglesia del Camino for the last time. After church we rushed home to order Pollo Campero for delivery. However the Pollo Campero did not arrive until after our shuttle to the city arrived, so we had to make do with the food we had packed until we got to the city. When we arrived in the city, the documents for the embassy that we expected to be waiting for us at the front desk had not arrived. In fact they did not arrive on Sunday at all. But we spent the evening exploring the Grand Tikal and adjoining commercial area. We found a food court and all had a late lunch/early dinner. Then it was off to the pool for some fun and relaxation before coming upstairs and getting ready for bed.




After having no luck reaching the attorney on Sunday, I decided to venture out to the embassy on hope and faith that we might be able to get the documents prior to 9am when the USCIS starts calling numbers. I was sitting on the ground outside the embassy praying when I got a call from the attorney apologizing and saying he would have the documents to me before I needed to go into the embassy. About 45 minutes later Favio arrived with the documents. Normal Guatemalan time - everything happens at the 11th hour. At 9:30 I met with the USCIS who accepted the documents and said we would get an e-mail. Now we wait.....but not for much longer.

A New Passport!

The last two days have been a whirlwind. Yesterday I had a regional review at work. That is when the South Area Leadership Team comes to our market to review our results and actions. The meeting was scheduled to start at 7 am, which meant we needed to be in the office by 6:15, which meant a 4:30 alarm. One problem, whenever I have something big going on first thing in the morning I continually wake up thinking I have overslept. So, I was up at 4:00 am. The review was stressful, but by 1 pm it was over and I had a wrap up with my team. Then it was time to run to Target and get the last few items I needed to bring down with me. A quick stop at the house to change clothes and it was time to head to the airport. Things went fine on the trip down and I arrived in Antigua about 11 pm. Jenny and I were excited to see each other again, especially since this time we know we will not have to say goodbye in a week. So we were up talking past midnight.

We got and early start this morning. As usual the roosters were crowing at 5:30 am so I was awake. Then at 6 am my phone alarm went off (also with the sound of roosters) and that woke everyone else up. We left Antigua headed to our attorney’s office in the city at 7 am and arrived there about 8:40. The attorney had a package ready for us to take to the passport office and directed our driver where to go. We got to the passport office and I used my very broken Spanish to let them know I needed a passport for my newly adopted son. After reviewing the documents, they sent me to the bank next door to pay the Q250 fee for a passport. Then it was back to the passport office to turn in the documents and receipt. We waited about ten minutes before they called us and sent us down to get Luis fingerprinted and photographed. That process did not take long and then after another five or ten minutes the passport book was ready. Here is a picture of Luis with the new passport.



After our successful visit to the passport office, we headed back to our attorney’s office so they could get a copy of the passport page sent to translations. We will be getting all the translated documents on Sunday so we can turn them into the US Embassy on Monday morning. Then is was time for the return trip to Antigua.

By the time we got back we were all starving and decided to head to McDonalds for lunch. The kids had a great time and while they were still playing I headed over Modelo Barberia to get a hair cut. They do a great job and it only costs Q12 (about $1.50). We spent the afternoon hanging out at the apartment and this evening we watched Star Wars – A New Hope, with the kids. It was the first time Luis had seen it and I think he really enjoyed it. The is familiar with the characters from playing the Legos Star Wars game and that seemed to help him follow the story.

Tomorrow is a packing day. We will be working to stuff all the things we brought down or bought in Antigua over the last five and a half months (including Christmas) into five large suitcases, two carry-on roller bags and five back packs. So, tomorrow we will see what the truly important items are and what can hit the trash here.

On Sunday we will go to church in the morning to worship once more in Antigua. We are really looking forward to being back at TWUMC! Our shuttle van picks us up at 1:30 in the afternoon to take us to our hotel in the city. We will finish the remaining steps in Guatemala City. We are praying that we'll be flying home by Thursday.

Right now, it feels surreal. We started Luis' adoption so long ago and I am so thankful for God's faithfulness in seeing us through this! It is hard to believe we are really close to being finished with the process. Thank you for your prayer support!

Another Week....but more progress!

Good afternoon!

Just a quick blog to let you know our attorney was able to get our certifications from the court on Thursday, and we've submitted our request for a new birth certificate for Luis. We are praying that we can get it by Thursday, but we don't have a confirmation of that. Not having a confirmation on the birth certificate delivery is causing a logistical nightmare for me, a planner who wants to plan!! We are trying to time Victor's arrival so we can get Luis' passport as soon as possible, but we don't want Victor to spend time from work here in Guatemala just waiting for the birth certificate. Ugh! Please pray that we receive confirmation, and that the birth certificate will be ready by Thursday.

It does feel good to make progress and check it off our adoption list. We have been blessed with a lot of progress in the last three weeks. And as soon as we have Luis' passport, we will be done with the Guatemalan side of the adoption. We will then submit our documents to the Embassy and await our VISA appointment. So as you can see, our excitement is growing as flying to the United States is becoming more and more near.

The weather is still amazing, and Guatemala is still in the dry season. What a blessing that our time in Guatemala has been without much rain. Without a car, we've had to walk basically everywhere, and it is certainly convenient that we don't have to schedule our errands around the weather. Actually, my only weather-related thought is "I wonder if it will be warm enough for swimming on Wednesday?" All three kids love the pool and we've already been to the pool twice this month.

We're not sure exactly how much longer we'll be in Antigua (see first paragraph) so I am trying to cleverly use up the food items we have in the kitchen. Yesterday, I had a grilled cheese sandwich and soup, Chris had a "grilled cheese sandwich not grilled" (a Chris specialty), Care had leftover pizza and leftover chicken, and Luis had leftover pizza, a hard-boiled egg and ham roll-ups. I thought we did a great job making use of the little bit here, little bit there.

School is still moving along smoothly for all three kids. We've doing a unit in Language Arts - poetry - and poor Chris and I with our math-y brains are both struggling through it. We're all more excited about our Space unit in science. This week we did some fun stuff learning about the planets, and we're still debating whether we consider Pluto a planet or not. Poor little Pluto, getting demoted. Maybe a field trip to NASA when we get back to Texas will answer the question once and for all, and give us peace of mind about it!!

Hope you have a great weekend!!

Feliz Dia de Carino!!

That's Happy Valentine's Day, in Guatemala.

I wasn't sure how Guatemala celebrates Valentine's Day, so I had asked Victor to bring some Valentine's candy when he came to visit last month. Boy, was I glad he did. It's a big deal here! Antigua was very crowded today. The upper echelon of Guatemala descended on Antigua. Seriously, I saw so many Hummers, Suburbans and Mini-Coopers today that I thought for a second we were already back in The Woodlands.

For breakfast, I made blueberry muffins for the kids and sprinkled them with little candy confetti. We headed to church and lunch at McDonalds. The kids and I stopped at the little market on the way home and bought some knick-knacks. I am not sure how many more weekends we have in Antigua so I want to make sure we bought the keepsakes we would want for later.

Here is a picture of my three valentines, together, at the prettiest McDonald's in the world:



After we arrived back at the apartments, we relaxed together and just played. The next few weeks will get very busy so I am grateful we have been able to rest and have quiet time this weekend. The next steps will be to get Luis' birth certificate, passport, medical exam, VISA appointment, and finally, his VISA. It sounds easy, but in between these steps are translations, packing up the apartment, making flight & hotel arrangements, and trying to continue home school without too much distraction. Please continue to pray that all these steps would go off without a hitch. We are hoping to get home by mid-March.

Happy Valentine's Day!