The boys seem to be very happy in their new home. The first few days they just "pinged" from one thing to the next to the next. It has been so fun to watch them explore and discover and get acquainted with the place.
Some of their favorite things are...
*Moses (the dog)
*cats
*trampoline (though they give me gray hairs and heart attacks when I watch them)
*bicycles
*board games (especially Looney Tunes Monopoly)
*Kinex, Legos
*gathering eggs (which is a good thing, because eggs are their favorite food)
We got home in the wee hours of the morning Thursday (June 24th) and on Friday (the 25th) around 5pm we left for Des Moines. Darin and I had signed up to compete in the Hy-Vee triathlon and used it as a fund raiser for the Brittany's Hope Foundation who gave us a generous grant to help with some of the expense of the adoption. The race was really fun. I even finished a minute faster than last year. And family and friends generously donated almost $1000! Awesome!
The boys really didn't want to leave their new house after only one day, but we let them watch movies all the way over so they were really quiet:) I hate to use the TV as a babysitter, but there are times when it is a "sanity-saver". This was one of those times. It was a very quiet trip. They really enjoy meeting family. They warmed up quickly even though they tend to be quite shy around new people. Whenever we introduced them to a family member they beamed. They seem to love being a part of a big family and feel immediately accepted and included. That's cool. We got back home Monday morning and I've been trying to catch up and settle into a routine ever since.
We all went to church together for the first time this Sunday (July 5). I cried during worship as I sang praises to my AWESOME God thanking Him for who He is and for the PRECIOUS gifts He's given me in each one of my family members. I cried during the sermon as I looked around at our large family sitting together in church. And I cried at the end when pastor gave the invitation as I thought about the day my sons may walk forward and give their hearts to God. I am so BLESSED!
We took the boys to see fireworks on Sat. and Sun. nights. They enjoyed them for the most part, except for the really loud ones that hurt your ears and thump in your chest. By the end of the weekend Mauricio said, "No mas amigos." No more friends. They were a bit overwhelmed:)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Saying Good-bye to Colombia
We are actually back home now, but I didn't want to leave this blog just hanging. It is now quite difficult to find a few quiet moments to think. I thought I had journalled (apparently that's not a word because it's not in my spell check) the last day there and the first days home, but I didn't. So I'll try to recall them the best I can.
Of course nothing is easy. After I shut down and packed up the computer ready to leave, we had a little "incident" in the hotel. After dinner that last night in the hotel the boys didn't want to go upstairs right away. They were playing a game and having fun. All of the other families were milling about, so I went upstairs to send Darin a quick email confirming my flight time the following day. My middle daughter Miranda popped up online to chat. So we sent a few comments back and forth. I told her that the boys were downstairs playing and she said, "That's cool that you don't have to supervise them 24/7." I said that I probably should be down there but wanted to pack up the last few things. Not 45 seconds later I hear a CRASH...breaking glass. Parents come running out of all the rooms and down the stairs. There stands Miguel beside a riding toy which had crashed into a glass door. He had no blood, no cuts, not even a scratch. He didn't even seem particularly shaken up. Great! I'm leaving tomorrow and now I have to pay for a glass patio door. That just sent my bill a bit higher. So I take the boys upstairs and send them straight to bed. Miguel is still acting rather chipper, but Mauricio is being very quiet and compliant. As I was talking to Miguel about the incident he said, "But Mauricio...." Mauricio's face fell and he started to cry. I don't know how long he was going to let his brother take the rap, but he did confess. God is GOOD...the door only cost about $75, Mauricio apologized to the owner the next morning, and we were off!
The boys thoroughly enjoyed the plane rides, the headphones for the movies, the food and drinks, the lavatories, the air vents, the reclining chairs,...they watched intently as the pieces on the wings moved as we took off and landed. Mauricio even checked under the seat cushion to make sure that it was indeed a flotation device. From the time we left the hotel to the time we got home was a 16 hour day of travel. The boys were wonderful. They helped with the luggage, they were fairly patient as we waited in customs and again in immigration and again because our flight to Chicago was delayed.
WE'RE FINALLY HOME!!
Of course nothing is easy. After I shut down and packed up the computer ready to leave, we had a little "incident" in the hotel. After dinner that last night in the hotel the boys didn't want to go upstairs right away. They were playing a game and having fun. All of the other families were milling about, so I went upstairs to send Darin a quick email confirming my flight time the following day. My middle daughter Miranda popped up online to chat. So we sent a few comments back and forth. I told her that the boys were downstairs playing and she said, "That's cool that you don't have to supervise them 24/7." I said that I probably should be down there but wanted to pack up the last few things. Not 45 seconds later I hear a CRASH...breaking glass. Parents come running out of all the rooms and down the stairs. There stands Miguel beside a riding toy which had crashed into a glass door. He had no blood, no cuts, not even a scratch. He didn't even seem particularly shaken up. Great! I'm leaving tomorrow and now I have to pay for a glass patio door. That just sent my bill a bit higher. So I take the boys upstairs and send them straight to bed. Miguel is still acting rather chipper, but Mauricio is being very quiet and compliant. As I was talking to Miguel about the incident he said, "But Mauricio...." Mauricio's face fell and he started to cry. I don't know how long he was going to let his brother take the rap, but he did confess. God is GOOD...the door only cost about $75, Mauricio apologized to the owner the next morning, and we were off!
The boys thoroughly enjoyed the plane rides, the headphones for the movies, the food and drinks, the lavatories, the air vents, the reclining chairs,...they watched intently as the pieces on the wings moved as we took off and landed. Mauricio even checked under the seat cushion to make sure that it was indeed a flotation device. From the time we left the hotel to the time we got home was a 16 hour day of travel. The boys were wonderful. They helped with the luggage, they were fairly patient as we waited in customs and again in immigration and again because our flight to Chicago was delayed.
WE'RE FINALLY HOME!!
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