Guatemala 2009

We leave for Guatemala in the morning and thought it
would be fun to start the blog again. For all you former
foster moms, I will try to post lots of photos of Antigua.

I still have most of my packing to do so I better get busy. I have added a few photos of the children's clothes that were donated to take to Guatemala. Thank you to all the kind, generous parents of Grand County who donated. We are blessed to live in this small, caring community.

Welcome Home Elijah

My family had a little Welcome Home Party for Eli. Everyone is excited to have him as part of our family. They think he is adorable and they are right:) I have also included a few pictures of the kids playing in the May Snow.

We're Home

It was a long travel day but we made it home to snowy Colorado. The kids are both adjusting really well. We miss Antigua but are enjoying family, friends, the cleanliness and the ease of living here.

We have heard that PGN is not processing cases right now, that there is a change in leadership, etc, etc. The same old stuff that is again delaying families from bring home their children. Please pray for all the in-process families.

I have posted a picture of us at the airport in Guatemala, a picture of the kids with Bailey and one of Eli in the snow. As you can see, Eli loves Bailey but is not so sure about the snow. There is also a video of one of Eli's favorite activities, the Jumper.

Elijah's Birthday

I wanted to post this blog last night but we had such a big day that I was too tired to post anything. Yesterday, April 22, was Elijah's birthday. I am glad Eli got to celebrate his first birthday in his birth country. We had such a fun day with the kids. First we went to the pool at Hotel Antigua, had lunch there, and then had Eli's party with all his friends. Here are some photos of the party and all the beautiful children.

Today is our last day in Antigua. It's time to pack. We leave Antigua at 5 am and our flight leaves Guatemala City at 8 am. It is going to be hard leaving all my good friends and their children. We will be praying for all of their cases.

We hope to return to Guatemala soon, real soon:)

Visa

Grady went to the American Embassy yestarday and got Eli's Visa. That is the last step in the adoption process, we are ready to travel. Thursday morning we board a plane to the USA. Here is a picture of Eli sitting in the window at the house and a video of Kylee with her friend Milo.

Today is Eli's Birthday and I will be posting photos tonight.

Embassy Day

Today was our embassy appointment. We had to leave Anigua at 5:30 in the morning to arrive to our appointment on time. The kids were extremely tired but held up well. After about 3 hours at the US Embassy with 18 other couples, Elijah was approved for a US Visa. On Monday we pick-up his visa and upon entry to the United States he will become a US citizen.

Here are a couple pictures of Eli's first haircut. We wanted him looking nice for his birthday on Tuesday.

Monterrico Beach

We took a trip to Monterrico Beach, a black sand beach on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. It was gorgeous and the kids had a wonderful time. It was their first time seeing the ocean and both were a little scared in the beginning. Now the kiddy pool, on the other hand, they loved right away. We are posting a short video of them playing in the pool together. The last picture sums up the only negative part of the trip, mosquitoes. We got eaten alive.

We also had at little excitement in the evening with a 6.1 magnitude earthquake that shook us awake.

We only have 1 week left to enjoy Guatemala and then we head home.