Day 5!

Alright, this is Jim in charge now. It has been quite the week as most of you can see. I would have to say that it has been the best week of my life! The experience of being in Bogota Colombia is amazing enough but to be able to spend this experience with Jaime and add these 3 precious ninos to our family has been awesome.

Sleeping is a lot of fun. Jhon and Leidy have pushed their bed up against ours and now are moving onto our bed. Jhon is a very active sleeper if that is possible. They both woke up and rolled over and kissed and hugged us saying Te Quiero Mami and Papi. It feels so good to hear that from them!

For some of you that are concerned about this place - don't be. It is very safe here and the people here are amazing. Everyone is very helpful, very sweet and if we ever get lost, they are more than happy to help. Kinda like the South. The weather is awesome here also. It is 70 degrees year round here, basically 24 hours a day, although being right on the equator and so high up, it is very easy for us white people to get burned.

I don't think I can say enough good about the coffee! I don't think I have ever enjoyed it as much as it tastes so much more rich. Joe, I did run into Juan Bondez early this morning at a coffee shop named Juan Valdez Cafe. I will have to get some pictures of this, but he gave me a route of the best way to get the kids back. He told me they often import many things thru this route including some things disguised as coffee. I really am starting to question your choice in friends - although he does serve a mean cup of coffee.

Today we woke up watching some spanish cartoons and then the girls played dress up. Each day, Jaime introduces Leidy to a new outfit and she gets soooo excited! It has been great for them to bond in this way. Jhon and I hung out playing some Jenga and putting a few puzzles together. He loves puzzles but when I pulled out this one that had about 1000 pieces, he said, "no gracias papi." Maybe when we get home to America.

Lunch was fantastic as we went to a pizza place that was like Chuck E Cheeze on Steroids. The kids didn't eat much but they had a ton of fun. Somehow Jaime got confused and thought she was one of the kids as she went down the slides more then the kids. Stefani is really making herself at home now. She picks stuff up and brings it over to us and says something like, "yeahrer." I think that translated in English means, "What is this and can I play with it?"

Mom and Leidy just went out to do laundry. Leidy really likes to clean, wash, iron and take pictures. For all of you asking, we do hire out on a contract basis, but of course all of this will be under the table. Please contact me confidentially as costs vary.

Now that I am a Dad, I think of the 2 most important things my Dad taught me.
#1. If you can't say anything nice, say it.
#2. There are only 2 things that I can't fix. Broken Hearts and Broken Balloons.

Well Dad, I don't think you had to deal with Chinese toys like we do these days. I think the total lifespan of these toys are 3-4 hours max. Good luck fixing this stuff. One thing I haven't seen yet that I think would be great is a gun belt, but instead of having a gun, having multiple magazines of kleenex on it. What do you think Dad, could this be rigged up?

I am loving being a Dad though. I truly love Jhon, Leidy and Stefani and this is a blast. They are incredibly affectionate so if any of you are ever down, come on over to our house when we get back and you will be hugged to death. Of course, you will be coerced into playing some games and maybe a little dress up.
Thank you all for following our journey during this special time in our lives. We are overwhelmed by all your support. We love you all!



Leidy teaching Jim how to read





We are gone to a zoo all day tomorrow so our post won't be until very late. Have a great night everyone...