Can you say where you were a month ago? I can!

Here I was one month ago as we sat at Archie's Pizza in Bogota as I scurried through many internet sites trying like crazy to locate and book flights home. We camped out there at Archie's for hours at a time two days while in Bogota because internet service was knocked out from a terrible storm Bogota saw just a few hours before we arrived. In fact internet was not available for the whole time we were there staying at Betty's Place. Her cable provider kept telling her they would be over to fix the problem but they never did during the 4 days we were there. They did report that the lightning struck hard just in front of her place and knocked out a whole grid of servicers. I'm glad we managed to miss that storm because we were actually cleared for travel to Bogota at 1pm on Monday and we really could have caught the night flight out (which our in-country rep was really pushing for us to do). Our in-country rep told us our doctors appointments were on Wednesday so we thought why even bother getting in there sooner and rushing around? Sure glad we took that extra day's time to relax and unwind because in doing so, we were able to bypass that awful storm which paralyzed the whole city of Bogota. Let's put it this way, Betty said she and her workers had never in their whole life seen anything close to a storm like that -- it scared them terribly!

Oh I constantly marvel at how far we've come with the progress we've made in just one month's time so it's fun to reminisce back just one month ago today. Rick just had to take the picture to prove that I was really hiding under the table. Good thing little Luis is such a great sleeper -- he slept right through it. Sometimes it seems the noisier it is, the better he sleeps which works just great for me and my now-noisy house.

And the workers at Archies got a little hoot out of the "loca" under the table. Just after this picture was taken they offered us a table inside -- not sure if it was me under the table or the leaks which began pouring down on our table that got them to act so kindly, but it was gratitude we gladly accepted!

More later as I am off to my weekly prayer chat with my Yahoo girls! (At least that is if the baby stays down for a nap and the other kids don't get too disruptive... )

Genece

WOW, Two Months Ago Was Our Gotcha Day!

Cruising through this day I catch myself daydreaming much as this date marks the two month point since we’ve had the children. At times it is hard to believe that our family became complete just two months ago because the children have adapted to our family so well. Their progress continues to improve daily. The changes they’ve made are amazing and their mastery of the English language is progressing at a rapid rate. Their desire to learn English and learn the ways of our family have helped tremendously in the success of our family dynamics! I see God’s hands at work in so many ways and it absolutely thrills my soul each day as I see my children flourish. I must pause for a hearty thanks to my Father above for helping us along! THANKS!!!

The 3 older kiddos still succumb to sibling rivalry paired with the bickering and tattle-telling which signifies them as normal children, but they are learning to work issues out amongst themselves and without physical force (hopefully they’ve learned their lesson from the one free-for-all, gangbusters fist-fight between the 3 of them while left unattended just long enough for baby brother's diaper change. They all got one of their prized possessions taken away for the entire day and received a stern talk from mami & papi to understand this behavior is not allowed. The point must've been understood because we haven't had any more of those outbursts.

The children are great sleepers and do not suffer from nightmares or such. Clearly Karen is a night owl and Fabian is more of an early-riser, morning type not requiring as much rest. Luis is such a great baby as he can sleep for 10 to 12 hours if the need be. This recently came in handy when I had a whole house full of kids sick with the flu. Luis may wake up with a whimper here or there during the night but he manages to fall right back to sleep. I admit, I do listen for his little late-night whimpers & kicks to his crib throughout the night as they let me know he’s okay so I can rest peacefully.

Fabian would love for you to believe he is this tough guy with no worries, but really he gets scared very easy -- a characteristic his sister takes full advantage of at times. We are trying to work with these two trying to teach Karen not to sneak up on people and mostly to not deliberately set out to scare her brother. She definitely has a sneaky side to her and pair that up with her spunkiness = nothing but trouble! She’s filled with spunk – a spark which really sets her on fire and a driving force which catapults her completely out of control, but we’re so fortunate that she keeps her spunk in check by following her desire to live a princess lifestyle. Anytime she tries new things it is met with such instantaneous tenacity and vigor which thankfully later fizzles just a bit when she reverts back into the comforts of thinking of herself as a princess (a life she would love to lead). Talk about a princess wanna-be, I often think back of when we were in Colombia and we had walked to the store one day. Because we had so many bags to carry back Rick was sorting out the bags for the children to carry. First Fabian (who always tries to carry more than he really should – he is a great worker and loves to help out), then Marissa was given her fair share of grocery bags, then Karen was given a single bag, clearly the lightest one, to which she replied, “No, I don’t carry those! I don’t do that work!” She whined for the next block to our hotel about having to carry the bag mostly to Fabian and from what I could understand from the Spanish she was speaking, she was trying to get him to carry yet another bag – hers!!! I shudder to think of what her future boyfriends/husband might have to endure if we don’t get her under control. So much of this was the cultural differences from there to here as we’ve encountered some of the same things from Fabian who when asked to wash his dishes out after dinner, he replied, “No way, I’m a dude. That’s for the girls to do!” (mostly said in Spanish but with the tone & wording he was using, this might pose as the literal translation). Again, a cultural difference and yet another opportunity to teach to the children and have them understand that we are a complete family and we all pitch in to help others.

The way they’ve progressed in the two months just amazes me. I’ve compiled a list of their favorite things and some of the things they now do or say:

FABIAN

1. He has toned down his loudness. Still can be boisterous and loud but it has went down just a notch.
2. Still struts with such confidence in his stride. Probably more emphasized nowadays than while in Colombia.
3. Loves to dress up for church.
4. Automatically raises his hands in praise during the worship service at church. (The first time he did this was such an awesome sight as he politely nudged his dad out of the way so he could move into the aisleway. We thought he might want to see the band more clearly, but to our surprise he raised his hands to heaven and began swaying back and forth with a gaze upwards as he joined in singing the songs. A very heart-warming experience indeed and definitely a God moment!)
5. Says Amen after the prayers now using the long A sound. He’s very proud to be a US citizen and just in the past 3 weeks has been very sternly saying this at the end of the prayers/blessing, “It’s AMEN (using the long a vowel sound), not AMEN (using the Spanish language sound & pronunciation).” He always follows that with this remark too, “We left the AMEN (using the spanish sound) in COLOMBIA!” So to compromise, when we end our prayers now we are sure to say AMEN, AMEN (using both pronunciations).
6. Loves to help out with strenuous work of any kind. He’s a very good worker and a quick learner with great organizational skills!!! Very much a perfectionist at times.

KAREN

1. Karen definitely loves her baby dolls and attends to them so nicely. She wakes up ready to go into action for her baby dolls. She changes their diapers, dresses them, feeds them, and has them all tucked in for a nap before I call her to the table for breakfast most every day. There are 4 little dolls that she normally attends to and she has great mothering skills. I love to watch her in action.
2. The baby dolls of Karen’s have really helped jumpstart her mornings and we are very proud of her. There’s been a few mornings where she was grumpy and when asked to straighten up she would refuse to, in which case we would take her favorite doll from her for the day. The doll she named Camila is her favorite and she doesn’t like to lose Camila so she usually conforms now and changes the behavior very swiftly. What progress!
3. Karen loves to go to church. She loves dresses and fashion! We’ve butted heads at times because she so strongly disagrees with what I think looks absolutely adorable on her. Looking back, most of the struggles were when she would put on jeans. She probably was not comfortable because she had never worn such thick-textured stiff pants with not much give in them. That’s understandable – jeans are not at all like the tight-fitting polyester blends or light cotton styles of Colombian attire. I’ve gotten to where I don’t offer her a choice when it comes to clothes nowadays. I just set them out for her and tell her to get dressed. This seems to work a lot smoother than giving her options of what to wear. Occasionally I have given her options but I make sure it is between two entire outfits to choose from. Even then she tries to mix and match, or usually she just refuses to wear either. Perhaps we’ll try when she’s a little older to let her define her own style, but for now this works with less hassles!
4. Karen is breaking out of her shell and loves to sing and dance at church. I went to pick her up 2 Sundays ago at kids’ church, and they were watching videos and dancing about. She was easy to spot because she was the most active one with all the moves! “Jesus You’re My SuperHero!” is now her favorite song and she knows all the moves. To hear her sing it is just as cute as it gets because the Spanish accent is still there! Okay now, I just gotta say it again… Thank you so much Jesus for blessing me with these children who desire to freely praise you!
5. She now can say her name better. Before she would say her name is Karen Dayana Hesssty instead of Karen Dayana Hefty. Her teeth are now growing in much more and her pronunciation is more clearly defined with pronouncing the F sound instead of using the S sound.


Those are just a few of the little wonders I’m amazed at as I watch my little Colombian gems sparkle and thrive in their new lives. I’m so privileged to be entrusted to love them, nurture them and teach them the ways. The love comes naturally and clearly sent from above. There’s one more little guy – Luis, my miracle baby – but I’ll focus on his progression in another entry. It’s late and tomorrow is church day – Hallelujah! With Rick gone back to work now, and being alone all the time here nowadays, it really does take so much more out of me to keep the kids rolling along and into a routine. The kids are adjusting to their papi having to go away for long durations for work. They didn’t like it at first but they are now adjusting. Fabian and Karen both cried for the entire trip back home after dropping Rick off at the airport. And poor Fabian looks absolutely pitiful when he bawls because he tries so hard to hide it, but with the out-stretched, oblong-shaped facial strain with huge tears rolling down the cheeks, how could he possibly think he’s hiding anything? Nonetheless, it’s just heartbreaking to witness. Rick calls every night, and sometimes more times throughout the day, and the kids long for his nightly phone calls even if it is practically the same exact conversation each day. They miss their daddy and I miss my husband. I keep sending up selfish prayers that God send an opportunity along that would make it possible for Rick to work locally and not have to work away from his family. Then I say how thankful I am that Rick has a job and is able to work, and how blessed we are to have food on our table and will now be able to catch up the mortgage, etc., but then that whole aspect of our lives is worthy of an entire entry alone, so I’ll keep it simple when I say that Our God is ever-so faithful and He gives faithfully to those who call upon Him. Even though I’ve had to beg, and at times even thrown little temper tantrums, God’s heard my needs and faithfully acted upon most of my requests. All glory be to God! Hallelujah in the highest! We know God has great things in store for us. He continues to strengthen not only our faith in Him, but also expands our testimony which will one day provide such enlightenment to others!

Thank you for looking in on our family. May God grant peace and blessings upon you as you go about your day! Much love, Genece

A few pictures

Here's a few photos of our family! Fabian seems to always want to display that smug look for some reason but I hope to find a few that display the other side of his personality... the ones displaying his beaming smile that can't help but radiate the love and happiness he has now!

Photos?? Let's see if they'll post!!

Luis Alejandro, our little man, just turned 11 months old a few days ago and wow is he growing as he learns new tricks every day! I'll try to see if my video will work sometime soon as I try to post him blowing kisses -- it just warms our hearts and is one of those video moments that I live for! He definitely adds so much joy to our souls and starts each morning off with such smiles and happiness (not to mention usually being a solid & through-the-entire-night sleeper). We're completely blessed and couldn't be more proud to be his parents! He doesn't miss a meal and eats anything you put in front of him (and we've tried most everything and still he eats it all). He's not going to be a picky eater for sure as he even loves cabbage, and pickles, black olives, and just made a little sour face when given a bite of a lemon. He's like the Life cereal commercial's kid Mikey who'd eat anything --so Mikey, look out buddy... 'cuz little Luis is here and... he'll eat anything.

We are really so blessed to have gotten a sibling group with each member bringing such personality into our family. This little guy definitely has personality! He's the most expressive baby I've ever encountered. He keeps us in stitches with his antics.

I've got to round out the night with some sleep now and I hope the photo posting works. If it goes well, I hope to get a chance to post some more updates and photos over the weekend. Thank you for dropping by and sorry I haven't posted lately. Getting into a routine is coming along and getting a little easier. It takes a bit more planning to do so, but it is achievable. Having a big family continues to be the greatest blessing we've ever had! Thank you Lord for all you've given us!

Warm wishes from our family to yours! May your lives be richly rewarded in so many ways!

We're home and the kids love the snow!

We made it home to Alaska last night after a stopover for a few days at Christmas visiting Grandma & Grandpa in Oregon, and then we drove to Washington to visit their other Grandpa yesterday. We finally took that final plane ride bringing us home to Alaska and it feels so good to be home. The kids are enjoying their new home and are still finding toys and cool things to entertain themselves. They absolutely love the snow outside and have engaged in several snowball hurling events during the past day. It snowed while we were visiting my dad yesterday in Washington and the day before at Oregon they had their first experience with snow falling. They're real troopers as they love the snow and sometimes even make snowballs with it without their gloves on, and they don't even mind it. The cold weather doesn't bother them and we are so blessed. Like any mom, I''m having to remind them to wear the appropriate outside weather coats and gear before going out, but they really do love the snow and even don't mind the cold weather which comes with the joy of snow. Last night we saw a moose on the road and stopped to look at it and Fabian especially thought that was cool.

I for one am happy to begin to settle back into my own house and am excited to get a routine going here with the children. Still so much to do though but things will fall into place better now that we are home! There's so much I cannot wait to post on in regards to our journey and I hope to get all caught up within the next few days because I really need to express how wonderful God has been to us in His infinitive faithfulness! As the year end draws near also, I feel a great need to reflect on all God's goodness too! It truly was the year of jubilee for us and so many other of our friends! We're blessed in so many ways and I can't wait to share so much more of the highlight of our journey with you! Stay tuned.

All done here in Bogota

Okay, I just have a minute to write as I sit here at Archie's in Bogota. We're staying at Betty's Place and have been without internet for a few days now so there's been no time to write and update posts. We have been in Bogota since Tuesday late night. We picked up visas today for the kids which gives us the go ahead for travel. All systems are go and we are set to fly out tomorrow morning to the US. God is so good to us and opened up some seats tomorrow on flights -- what wonders He has given and continues to bless us with! We will update more when we have a chance. Our love goes out to everyone! Gotta run as there's a terrible thunderstorm out there and we are under the awning at Archie's pizza using the internet. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I cannot stand thunderstorms and lightning so I'm off to hide under the table now. REALLY!

Quick update on Sentencia -- yippee!!

Yesterday the good news came and we got sentencia! Unless you're a spanish-speaker or adoption-literate, you might think sentencia... that doesn't sound good to have... especially in a third-world country or so, but trust me, we came here hoping to get sentencia at the earliest time possible! We wished for it and expected sentencia to come much sooner, and as each day passed and we didn't hear of our sentencia, we grew more discouraged. Trusting in the LORD became so much of our needed focus! (and just as a sidenote, as I was typing that last sentence, I did not emphasize nor did I touch the ALL CAPS key -- which again is just clarification that the Lord is ever present here, and I definitely have goose bumps all over right now!)

There's many examples of how much He guides us through this and helps us through the setbacks and in the next few days as I gather a moment or two about, I hope to write of how extensive God's touch has impacted us and in the many miraculous ways He has shown us of His love! It's just simply amazing and I know on the quick timeline I have right now I wouldn't do any justice to the beautiful displays God's shown us of His glory!

Today was the day we were scheduled to leave Colombia but we clearly have missed our flights. Our business here still involves another week of paperwork to finalize everything then we will be cleared for travel. We're finding that changing flights at this busy time of the year is proving to be a costly endeavor. It was devastating news to learn yesterday to learn that we needed so much more money for our plane fares home! It seems to be cheaper to abandon the tickets in hand because the change fees paired with the difference in fares now are way too costly, and what we'll end up doing is just purchasing one way tickets to our destination. At this time of the year the airlines have us over the barrel for sure. And our visas are set to expire soon so we would need to get out of here at our earliest convenience anyways!

Please pray along with us that God direct me as I seek out travel arrangements. I pray also for God's faithful provisions as this is taking such sacrifices in ways not known to many. We know God will provide "just enough" as He is and always will be faithful! We ask that you hold our family up in prayer this week as we continue to work our way through the adoption process.

Thank you for looking in and feel free to leave comments. A glimpse of home always means the world to us and we love to hear from you! Knowing you care really means alot! I hope to blog more later on the wonderful things God is doing in our lives here... but for now, Ciao!

God Bless,
Genece