Salt Cathedral!

Wow, what a great long day! We all woke up early and had a great breakfast. We took a taxi back to the B&B and took a bus with 4 other families first to the salt mines. They had a little room that had many different fosils extracted from the mines and some of the old tools that they used to work down there. On one of the fosils there was a big spider crawling around that the kids seemed to be most interested in though :) We then walked down into the mines and saw salt formations. One of the coolest things here was the optical illusions that they had. The kids were just a head of us and I saw what looked like a huge cliff and yelled at them to be careful but then the guide told us it was water with the reflection that made it look like that. I thought I was in the Indian Jones movie where he had to take the leap of faith. It looked so real. Everyone was so amazed by it! After seeing the mines we stopped in this cute town that had a town square with a pretty church and grapped a quick snack. For some reason Whiney the Poo was there and the kids just loved him. We then headed to the Salt Cathedral. Following the Catholic religion, they have the way of the cross which is 14 different stations of the passion of Jesus, carved in these caves with salt. I was bummed that some of the pics didn't turn out so well but it was so dark down there that I am just glad at least a few did. At the end they have a huge cross, atler and pews. It is really pretty! We liked it and the kids had fun running around in the dark and eating the salt off of the walls. On the way back we stopped at this great place for a really late lunch/dinner that had a kids play area.
One thing that we really love here is their love for family and making things family friendly. They have over 400 parks just in Bogota and they have so many reasturants that have a play area for the kids. Even with the adoption process we can see how much people care for the kids here. It is very inspiring.
I think tomorrow we are going to take it easy and maybe go to a mall and for a walk. Until then here are some pics from today!

At a different hotel...

Today has been pretty uneventful. We decided it would be nice to have a change of scenery for a bit. We had looked into going to Cartagena for 5-6 days but there are 2 holidays here. May 1st and 5th. So because the flights were full during the days surrounding the holidays we would of had to leave for 9 days and we thought that would be a bit much and it was even more expencive durring this time. We could go around the 8th or 9th but we are really hoping to have good news then and will be really busy the 12-14, so it wasn't going to work out for us. We are bummed but that is how things seem to have worked out. Plus we all have been sick the beginning of this week and flying with a cold is not fun. So we have settled for a nice hotel in Bogota. We will see how things go and maybe we will stay longer, but they don't have as much for the kids here so we'll see.
Last night Leidy and her friend Lucia were dancing for all of us. They were so cute :)


Also, the interpreter was addressing a name change for Lucia with her parents and Leidy and I were with them. Leidy first says "my parents aren't making me change my name" and then she says she wants to change her name to Catalina Jessica. We had the interperter tell her she needs to keep one of her names, because we don't want to change both. She said she doesn't like either of her names. So we are still trying to work on that one. She didn't like our suggestions of "J" names and we did have the interperter explain that all of us have "J" names but that didn't seem to bother her. Tonight she had John calling her Catalina. It was cute, but Jim isn't to fond of it so we will see where this one goes.

The kids just played around the B&B this morning while I packed up and Jim worked. We had lunch at the new hotel, which was very good and then I took the kids for a walk while Jim stayed with our sleeping beauty. Tomorrow we are going to the Salt Mines and Cathedral, which I have really been looking forward to so it is going to be a very very long day. Good Night!

Life on the road

Last night we went to a Mexican restaurant and had a great time with the kids. They haven't had Mexican food before and Colombian food is very different. Colombian food is very bland and most of what they are used to are beans and rice. They enjoyed a few hot things last night but we tried to keep it at a minimum as they are not used to it and who knows how they would react to it. John likes to try new foods but when it has some kick to it, he makes the funniest face like he is eating a lemon. For some reason, he always smiles and says yummmmy! I guess he is like Mikee that would eat anything. Jim has been taking this a little too far and seeing just what he'll eat or drink. At some point Jim will have a mess on his hands to clean up I'm sure.

Today we were able to get things packed up a little as we are moving to another hotel here in Bogota tomorrow. We have been very busy juggling playful kids with washing clothes and packing suitcases. Of course, Leidy was a great help with the laundry and packing things up a little. I am already starting to write down tasks that she could do at the house. The kids have made some friends here so that has helped keep them occupied.

We have talked to our lawyer and we were assigned court #14. We have been told this is a pretty good court and our lawyer seems to think we can get everything taken care of by around May 13-14th - so hopefully we will be flying back into Huntsville in less than 2 weeks. We will know more as we get closer. That is great news as we are finding out how expensive it is here. WOW! A lot of items are 2-3X the price of buying it in the states. We look forward to seeing a Wal-Mart again! The kids are doing a little better. They continue to push the limits but are now quick to realize when they have crossed the line. It is fun to watch this.

Another family left to go back today to the states today. Leidy was sad to see her friend go but knows her turn will come soon. It is incredible how much different it will be for them. This city is full of life with people everywhere and thick smog. What a difference they will see when they are in Alabama out in the country where they will breathe clean air and see stars! We have been showing them pictures of family and friends and they are excited to meet everyone.

I think tonight is movie night so we'll see how easy it is to put the kids to bed. So far we haven't had too much problem and have at averaged about 6 hours a night. Before coming to Colombia, we both thought that sleep was a luxury we would no longer have and were really expecting a lot less. Talking with other adoptive parents here that only have one child, they say we are very blessed and looking at them in the morning, I feel bad for them. I can't say enough how much we have been blessed with such great kids with amazing personalities and habits. Thank you my faithful family and friends for your prayers. I know they have been answered. Have a great night.

Pool day

Well, I've tried 4 times to post a video but it doesn't seem to want to go. It has been a little different today. We are seeing that the kids are trying to push the limits in a lot of different areas. We are using time outs frequently now and they seem to work but only for a few hours. The word "no" is becoming a common word out of our mouths as they are seeing how much they can get away with. So far so good though. We have been told this is a phase most adoptive children go thru so we are prepared for it.

Stefani has had a tough day. This is the first day that she has cried and cried and cried. Again, this probably has something to do with the honeymoon stage coming to an end and the fact that she has had a cold. We have a doctor here and he thinks she is fine so we feel better about it. It is tough to hear your kid cry though.

We had McDonalds for lunch. Quite the experience here as there are only a few things on the menu and they were out of chicken nuggets. I am not sure how you can run out of 25% of your menu, but somehow they did. We made due and the kids had fun playing in the double decker play area.

Leidy and John had swimming lessons today. They had a blast. I took them while Jim babysat Stefani. This was the first time for John swimming in a pool and he didn't want to get out. Actually both kids wouldn't get out until they were forced to. I guess we got ourselves a couple of water nuts...

We're going to take it easy tomorrow and get some laundry done as well as organize our stuff. It is amazing what gets lost with 3 kids around. I can't seem to find anything in our room! Another long day and I'm hitting the hay. Love you all!

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.