Another great day

What a day. They just keep getting better! Life with 3 kids is really fun. Last night we began a new part of parenting. Leidy had been acting up at dinner and then she wouldn't eat, so Jim took her back to the room and put her to bed. It was amazing what that did. When it was time for bed later, she told mami and papi that she was sorry and clung onto us until we tucked her in. Poor thing. We felt soooo bad but we know it's time to set some ground rules. Today has been wonderful. We all still have the sniffles but really nothing serious at all. We had a great morning playing and relaxing. The B&B had a spa day and Leidy got her hair done. She is such a princess. We went to Frisbees again for lunch so the kids could play in the play area. It is great having a few moments to talk with Jim without the kids crawling all over us. Jim planned out the afernoon. We all crawled into a cab and went for a bit of a tour around the really nice area of Bogota. We then drove thru the University and to this park. This park was huge! It must have been at least 15 miles long! It was one play set after another. The kids went crazy. There was a sand lot that they just plopped down in and started to bury themselves. I guess tomorrow is laundry day! We walked around a lake and then hung out with a bunch of crazy ducks. After 4 hours of going from play set to play set, we headed back home for dinner. Jhon and Leidy spent some time in the shower trying to get the sand off them as I'm sure the cab driver is spending the night cleaning his car out. Leidy also lost a tooth today so she is expecting the tooth fairy to leave her a little present tonight. She is really excited about that! Anyway, all is great! I hope this video posts. Have a great night!

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.

Day 7

Well, this will be really short as it has been a LONG day. I started getting a sore throat last night and I have gotten worse today and tonight I have a slight fever and feel awful. Jim is also starting to feel bad and we are both coughing and sneezing. Today we went to a beautiful town north of bogota. It was one of the cutest towns we have been to. I will post pics tomorrow as the internet is really slow and I am going to bed. Leidy has been a little challenging today too. Tomorrow we have our integration meeting where they separate the kids and us and ask us how things are going. It also starts the offical paperwork for us to become a family. Please pray for us to feel better and have a great day tommorow. Sorry this is so short. Luv you guys!

Day 6!

Sorry our internet has been down all night...

OK, Jim again. Jaime has caught what I call a case of the three muchachos. Interpreted for you without 3 or more kids - she is completely exhausted. I think the frustrating thing for her is that the spanish that she knows - although I think is very advanced, is still not enough to keep up with these guys. They talk so fast and not knowing what they are saying sometimes makes it a little difficult. They are speaking a little english now and we are picking up more of what they are saying everyday. It is challenging but very rewarding. We are doing most of our talking in small spanish sentences. We use a lot of hand jestures and really it can be very effective. If needed, we can get with some of the staff and they can help us here but overall we are managing by ourselves. Leidy is especially wanting to learn English quickly so we say the word in spanish and then translate it to English for her and she repeats it.

Today was a long day though. We all were up early to go to the zoo - well actually it was more like a big petting farm. Not really any exotic animals but a ton of birds, pigs, sheep, horses and cows. They had a blast here so I know I can take them to quite a few places in our neighborhood and show them something similar. It was a very nice drive though - about 1 hour north of Bogota. Traffic is very crazy here and cars always have the right of way instead of people. I found this out - almost the hard way.

We were at the zoo about 7 hours, riding horses, seeing pigs race, and running after lots of birds and kids. The trip home was slow but very sweet. The kids fell asleep on us, Jaime had Jhon and Stefani and I had Leidy. It was fun when we got back as they were completely knocked out and we had to carry them into the casa.

Everyone went for a siesta except me. I decided to give the streets of Bogota a try for a run. It was challenging dodging the traffic but probably the more challenging thing was my my lack of exercise over the past 3 months. I stopped in at a phone shop to try and get my cell phone working but to no avail. I was able to amuse the entire store as I was in running shorts and NO ONE wears shorts here. It is amazing to me but in this beautiful weather, everyone wears jeans and sweaters and scarfs. Anyways, I struck up a conversation with Sergio there and he was so thrilled for what we were doing here. He asked me to bring the kids by his shop when I can. It was really amazing to me as he was literally moved to tears when I was telling him about the kids. They really cherish the family here and kids seem to be everywhere.

Can you guys believe we have 3 kids! It is still very hard for me to believe. I think that it seemed like such a dream but now such a reality. If I knew it was going to be this much fun, I would've pursued this a long time ago. I am already trying to convince Jaime to consider this again but she is always the rationale one... I guess it just breaks my heart to hear and see so many kids that grow up without a family and that we can actually make a difference in a few kids lives.

Tonight was jump on Jaime night. I had nothing to do with it, trust me. I taught the kids one of my favorite games - steamroller! I think I like it better then they did but we laughed and laughed and laughed. There are only a few times in my life that I have laughed so much - you know - like when snaught comes out of your nose and you start coughing until you can't stop. Yeah - that was tonight. Jhon has the most hilarious laugh and you can't help but laugh when you hear it.


Tommorrow should be another fun filled day. We are going on a bit of a tour of the city and who else knows what may happen. Our God is a great God and we thank Him everyday for all He has blessed us with. This is an awesome ride and we look forward more and more to each day. Hasta Luego

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...