I'm losing track of days

Hello all, Well, we had our 2nd interview day and everything went great. The kids were interviewed first and then we were. The social worker told us that the kids have never been happier and love to be apart of our family. There was a picture in the office of a boy laughing and as happy as could be. Jhon had asked the social worker who the boy was. The social worker said that he was a very happy boy. Jhon said, ohhh, like me! That was all they needed to hear. They then interviewed us and asked us if we have any concerns. We of course asked what their refund policy was! ha ha. They are ours to keep now. The next step is seeing which court it gets assigned to and then waiting for everyone to sign all the papers.

Jim had asked about seeing where they were living on the streets. They gave us an address but really encouraged us not to go there. They said it is very dangerous there and that if anyone found out who we were, we would probably be harmed. So, at least we know later on if the kids want to see that in 20 years. It is scary to think that such awesome kids come from living in extreme poverty and rough background. We also asked how the kids were brought up so polite. They are very formal and respectful - always saying Si Senor or Si Senora. This is part of the Colombian upbringing and that they were in a very good foster home. We are very grateful for that.
So, yesterday was a longggg day. We visited a 500 year old city called Guatavita that was one of the first settled places here by the Spaniards. It was very beautiful although my pictures don't give it justice at all. On one side of the town was a mountain and the other side, a lake. Just simply breathtaking!!! We didn't get back until late and had dinner and then off to bed.

Today, we had our meeting, and then went out for make your own pizza! Awesome! This was a great treat. The kids had so much fun dressing up and making their pizza, and then there were lots of games to play. Just look at the pictures and see for yourselves. Why can't we have places like this back home? Anyone know of one?

I came back and crashed for awhile. Jim took the kids and is currently trying to see just how much energy they really have. I'll tell you, sugar will be a rare commodity in my household after seeing what it does to the kids - but especially Jim. One strawberry lemonade and he will drive those kids into the ground. It is good though as when it comes to bedtime, everyone goes to sleep quickly.

I appreciate all the comments and am feeling a little better. Everyone has a little case of the sniffles but nothing too bad. Trying to keep up with everything has been a little exhausting but I am doing my best to manage. I really hope things move along quickly here as we have heard of some families having to stay 6-8 weeks. I know our agency is very good about pushing everything thru as quickly as possible so I don't think it will be that long. We should know a little more about our length of stay in a few days as they progress our paperwork. This will determine if Jim goes home and then comes back to pick us up when we are complete or if he can stay the entire time. Please pray for a quick turnaround!!!

Joe, Jim is excited about the Boyachek cousin corruption deal. He is already calling Jhon a goofball brother and Jhon doesn't even have any brothers... Jhon doesn't quite know what to think about it but when he is united with all of his cousins, I'm sure he will catch on. Ben, Josh, Lex, Chandler, Nathan and Steven, look out! At this point, we are doing our best to stick with filtered water and not clogging too many toilets. It is tough though, especially when brushing your teeth or taking a shower.

Jim put a counter on this web site the other day. We couldn't believe that more than 200 views are happenning each day! WOW! That is so incredible to us. We feel so loved and cared for during this time. It has been such a great encouragement to us and we are only here a short time. I think about all the missionaries out there that need this kind of support and now I will make so much more of an effort to contact them and love them in this same way. What an impact we can make for God's kingdom for just sending a note of encouragement! Thank you all for showing me this!

Also, we are officially changing the kids names a bit. We can't legally change Leidys name until we get back to the states and we will see what she wants to do at that point. It is a very common name here but in the states may be very confusing to people. So, Jhon Fredy will become John Peter. Since Jhon was so close to John this was very convenient but also it is very special to us as my grandfathers name is John and Jims brothers name is John. Also, Peter is Jims grandfathers name as well as Jims middle name. Also Yurley Estafani already goes by Stefani so we will keep that as her name. We really liked Jaysa so altogether her name will be Jaysa Stefani. Our lawyer (Oscar)here has been great and very helpful. He has been very involved since the beginning and knows the process very well!

Well, thanks for all the love and prayers. I am so thankful today went well and excited for what tomorrow brings! Fun, fun, fun. I am doing my best to soak these days up Check out the sign - Big Daddy! Jim had to get a picture! Leidy - her hair in the wind Stefani even getting in on the action Jhon showing off. Jim tries to create some interesting pictures with little props! Leidy wants to know if we're there yet. Enough sightseeing papi, where's the shopping? You gotta go on these cars even if they look like they are about to fall apart and possibly injure the little guys. What a beautiful view from this little town! It's pizza time! All dressed up for our second interview! The kids look great and were very well behaved. A few misc fun and beautiful pictures.