A Colombian Dish

We had the opportunity to enjoy a traditional Colombian dish while my parents were visiting.  The staff makes it for us about once a week, and it is delicious.  It is made with rice, different potatoes, chicken, and avocado.  It comes with a corn on the cobb right in the middle of the soup!

Monserrate

One of the places we really wanted to go was a place called Monserrate.  There is a cable car or train you can take up the side of a mountain.  We got to take the cable car, and the view was beautiful.  The landscape is so lush, green, and so different than the red rock in AZ.  Once you reached the top, you could overlook all of Bogota.  We were so happy it was a sunny day!

When Life Makes You Wait, Make Empanedas

We have now been in Colombia for seven weeks, and our case has been in court for four weeks.  We are just waiting for the judge to sign our adoption papers and then we get something called Sentencia.  This is the big call everyone waits for once they are here.  As soon as we receive all of the signed documents, we will have a very busy last week.  We will take the kids' original birth certificates and get new ones with our name on them.  Then, they will take passport pictures, get a passport, and a Visa.  They will have a medical exam, and we will have a final interview at the Colombian Embassy.  Then we are off to Phoenix.  We have really enjoyed our time here and thankful we could spend this special time with our kids.  However, we are so excited to come home!

While we are here, we had the opportunity to learn how to make empanedas with the chef here at the hotel.  We had a great time and look forward to making them with the kids when we get home.  This is a picture of Dainis with the head chef, Juanita.

Six Weeks As a New Family!

It is hard to believe we have now been a family for six weeks.  Our Presentation Day was on Tuesday, April 12th.  In many ways, the time has flown by.  The kids are doing really well, and we learn more about each other everyday.

Each week, we have given our kids a small gift.  Tonight, it was glow in the dark bracelets and balls.  They had a great time playing outside and are now fast asleep with them.  We are so thankful they get so excited about all of the small things.  It is so much fun to watch their faces light up!

A New Tooth

Ingrid lost one of her baby teeth, and it was so exciting for us.  Ratón Pérez (the Tooth Fairy) left some Pesos under her pillow, while she was sleeping.

It's Pizza Time!

We went to a restaurant with some friends that are also adopting here in Colombia, called Archie's.  Archie's is known for their pizza kitchen for kids.  Our kids had a lot of fun making their own little pizzas.  Their favorite is jamon y pina (ham and pineapple).

Play Dough

Play Dough is a big hit around the hotel.  We gave the kids a gift this morning of nine containers of their own, in different colors, to play with.  They play great together, and this table is right outside our bedroom.  We will be meeting some friends for lunch this afternoon, so this was a great activity for the morning.  They could happily play together, be creative, and stay clean!

Best Friends

Our kids are doing well and really enjoy spending together.  We have been very blessed by them, and it is so much fun to watch them together.  When they laugh and smile, it is contagious.  

Very Special Times With Grandma and Grandpa!

We had a wonderful week with Lori's parents, and we are so sorry it was over so quick.  The kids enjoyed many special moments with them and fell in love with them very quickly.  We had fun going on outings like Divercity, eating ice cream at Mimos, and delivering gifts to Ayudame.  We also enjoyed many quality times just spending time at the hotel.  Here are some pictures of our time together.  We are very excited to get home now!

The Coolest Place

We went to the best place in Bogota, which is called Divercity.  Divercity is in the largest mall in South America.  The kids had a great time role-playing and learning about different occupations in a city.  They received money from a bank for purchases and received a paycheck for each occupation they tried.  The two biggest attractions were an airplane and veternarian.  They learned what an airplane looked like inside, which we are very excited about, as we get ready to fly home.  The veteranarian showed them what it was like to be gentle to animals and had a real dog for them to pat.  This is great preparation for going home to their new dog, Lucky.  They also had the opportunity to shop in a grocery store, be a cashier, and be a firefighter.  We will look forward to going back again before we leave!

A Visit to Ayudame

We had the opportunity to go as a family today to Ayudame orphanage.  Our kids put together gift bags for each child at the orphanage.  We wanted our kids to start learning about the joy of giving, and this was an opportunity to help other children, who are still waiting for their forever family.  The kids passed out the bags, and they all ate some cake.  It was great to have my parents here!

They Are Here!!

Lori's parents are here for a visit and to meet the kids!   The kids know my parents from Skype, and were so excited to meet them in person!  They were waiting up for Abuelo and Abuela when they arrived. 

Grandma and Grandpa brought the kids Delta airplanes that make noise like a real plane.  We want to start talking to the kids about flying to America.  They are already very excited to fly!



We are having a wonderful time, and it is so good to see them!  We know the time will go by fast , so we are treasuring every minute together.

Today is our fourth week anniversary with the kids.  The time has gone so quickly since our Presentation Day.  We are learning more and more about each other everyday.  We will definitely be excited to get home with the kids!

Feliz Dia Mama

Happy Mother's Day!  As we watch our kids, it is hard to believe God has blessed us with three beautiful and precious children.  I had a wonderful First Mother's Day.  Over a pancake breakfast, the kids surprised me with a card and pictures.  After breakfast, we had a great time going to the market.  After lunch, we were off to the park.  Juanita, the head chef, is making a special dinner tonight, pizza!

Our New Favorite Place

We went to an ice cream parlor yesterday, and the kids enjoyed a bowl of great ice cream and a huge indoor jungle gym.  This gym had slides, tunnels, and a pool of plastic balls.  They had a great time, and we will definitely go again!

Our Time Together Enjoying The Jungle Gym

Our Court Date

Our adoption case was  submitted to court on Friday, and the court was assigned randomly by a computer.  We received the news of the court and the judge that will be completing our adoption yesterday.  Unfortunately, we got the slowest court in Bogota!  It is estimated that we will be in Bogota for another six weeks, as of Monday!  We are disappointed that we will not be able to come home sooner, but it will give us the opportunity to spend more time in Bogota with our kids. 

Our Visit to Old Downtown Bogota

We had the opportunity to go to Old Downtown Bogota yesterday, which is called La Candelaria.  Profesora Flor, the kids' tutor, went with us and explained everything to the kids in Spanish.  We had a great time and really want to help the kids start learning about the history of Colombia.

While we were there, we went to the The Banco de la República Gold Museum, which is called the Museo del Oro.  The Gold Museum is the most famous museum in Colombia, and.displays an extraordinary selection of pre-Hispanic gold work collection  All of the gold, along with other pottery, stone, shell, wood and textile archaeological objects, testify to the life and thought of different societies, which inhabited what is now known as Colombia before contact was made with Europe.

After we walked through La Candelaria and had our picnic lunch, we drove through downtown Bogota and saw the President's home, the Congress building, and many beautiful churches.