Something Amazing Happened Today

This morning my glasses snapped in half. In. Half. I don't mean like a screw came loose or the lens popped out. I mean like plastic completely broken right in the middle. (this is not the amazing thing). Not good! When I went to the eye doctor the ladies at the counter were all like, "Whoa!" when I showed them (as I pleaded for help because it's fall and I can't wear my contacts and be in any sort of comfort). And it's an eye place so you know they see all kinds of crazy eye crap so my glasses must have been pretty impressive.

Luckily the amazing eye glass lady helped me find the perfect replacements that could use the same lenses that were in my old glasses. This was fantastic because I just paid a million dollars for those lens in the spring and I really didn't want to have to buy new frames AND new lenses. Even though everyone there was totally amazed that I was able to find new frames with the same exact lens shape (apparently that never happens and it was even stated that it would never happen again for another customer ever), that is still not the amazing thing.

What is the amazing thing, you ask? Well, what is completely and utterly amazing is that I was able to buy new glasses today without any freak out, breakdown or panic attack about how we were going to pay for them. Not because I could use my birthday money, swipe the credit card or pull the money from our emergency savings account (this certainly qualifies as an emergency). And not because we could just eat brown rice and beans for the next few weeks to make ends meet. Nope. We actually had the money. Money saved in the bank, in our lump sum savings account tabbed "glasses money". Yep. We had the money ready. I just paid for it. Now THAT is amazing! Thank you Dave Ramsey!

Adventures in Cake Decorating!

The cake decorating class at Michael's has been great! I am now finished with course one and on to course two. The first week we learned how to make the icing and get your cake smooth. Each week after that we had to bring a fully iced cake ready to decorate. Then in class we learned and practiced new techniques. It have been so much fun!

Check out some of my cake creations:

This was my very first cake. I learned how to transfer an image onto a cake (now you know my secret...I didn't just freehand my rainbow!) and how to use the star tip to fill in pictures and to make a boarder.

For my second cake I learned how to make figures! Clowns aren't my favorite thing (kinda creepy!) but that's what we were supposed to make so I did. In the future I'd probably make animal figures. I also learned how to make the swirl flower at this class.

I made this cake at home just to practice. It was my first attempt at chocolate icing and it turned out pretty yummy. I made the flower using a cookie cutter as my pattern and added the polka-dots for extra cuteness.


This was the final cake we made in class. The roses are pretty hard at first but with a little practice they got easier. The leaves were super easy though! I learned how to make that snazzy bow too but I still need a lot practice with that one! We also learned how to make the shell boarder.

This is the cake I made for the family reunion this weekend. I put all my new skills to the test to make this one. I think it turned out really cute!!

So that's what I've been up to! It's been a really great stress reliever! It's nice to just focus on one creative task but if I've gained 20 pounds next time you see me you'll know why!

Lately...

Just a quick update...

• My first week of school went off successfully! I have a good group of kids and I think this was the easiest back to school ever! Yea!


• Nothing new from Pablo. We're in contact but there isn't anything new to report yet.


• Sarah, Missy and I participated in the Midsummer Night Run on Saturday night, which is a local 5K race. We walked the whole way of course since we didn't train at all or even stretch before we started...it was kind of a spur of the moment outing! It took us about an hour and we finished with an elderly couple on each side of us! It was pretty funny. We had a great time though and it was really nice to be out doing something in our community.


• I'm taking a cake decorating class with my friend Shawna. It is so much fun! It's a four week course at Michael*s. In our first class we learned how to make icing and then put it on a cake so that it is perfectly smooth. Today we had to bring a cake iced and ready so we could start learning to decorate. We used tons of different cake decorating tools (who knew there were so many!) and we're doing pretty good. I'm really enjoying it. Check out my first creation:

PS - I totally wrote this post last night and I just forgot to press publish! Yikes!!

Yard Sale!

We had our annual yard sale this weekend and this year all the proceeds went to our adoption. It went really well! We exceeded our goal so YEA!! Tons of people donated things so it turned out to be quite a big sale. It didn't seem like it was as busy as years past and I wonder if that is because it is so late in the summer...not sure. But whatever, we made our goal and we've got some money in the adoption fund again!

We met so many kind, generous people! We had a sign with pictures of Avery that said "Help Bring Avery Home" hanging at our checkout table. Almost everyone asked us about her, wished us good luck and told us how beautiful she is (I never tire of hearing it!!) Many people told us to "keep the change". One lady, who has a three year old she adopted from Guatemala, bought $1 worth of stuff and gave us a $20! It was really heartwarming! An older gentlemen was about to leave when he saw the sign, turned around, picked up the camera we were selling and said, "Well I have to buy something now that I've seen that!" Many people shared their adoption stories with us and someone took our email address so they could give us some information about a local Guatemalan playgroup. It was a really great experience...but I'm glad it's done!

**A HUGE thanks to Sarah, Missy and Nick, who helped us get everything sorted, set up and priced! We couldn't have done it without you! Thank you!!**

Back In The Swing Of Things

We're getting settled back into our regular routine. We're unpacked and Chris is back to work. I had lunch with my girls this week and caught up on all the happenings. I'm babysitting sweet baby Henry a couple days a week, which is complete joy! Chris and I went to visit his grandpa yesterday and spend the day relaxing in lawn chairs under the shade tree talking and laughing. It was a great day! Missy moved into her own house this weekend. I'm so happy for her to have her own place but I miss her living with us! She was such good company! We cooked dinner together and had girl talk on the patio. We made our weekly dinner menu and went to the grocery together. It was like having your best friend living with you! Her new place is adorable though and she couldn't live with us forever! Plus, I still see her three or four times a week so I think I'll survive! Today I'm going to IKEA with Shawna and a group of girls from my book club (that's right, I'm in a book club!) so that should be fun. I've only been there once and it is a pretty awesome place so I'm looking forward to a day of shopping and girl time!

Pablo is keeping in regular contact with us. I've heard from him four times since we've returned so that is a dramatic increase from the communications we were getting before we left! We told him when we were there that we wanted more consistent communication and he apologized for his lack of emails so that was nice. Especially since it seems like he's going to honor our request now that we're home. He hasn't been able to give us any exciting news about huge progress with our case but he's keeping us in the loop and that dramatically reduces my stress level!

Next week I'm going to start back to school to begin getting my room set up. Where did the summer go? It goes faster and faster every year!

Leaving

Leaving was hard this time. Much, much harder than last time. It's not like we had any choice. We had to go home, she couldn't come with us yet. We knew this. Accepted it as the way it is for now. No reason to get all upset about it. That's what I told myself last time and it worked very well. Added with the belief that we'd be back to bring her home really soon. Leaving last time sucked but it wasn't horrible. I can't say the same thing this time. None of the facts really changed...we still had to leave, she still had to stay but it was different. Last time I just knew that we'd be right back to pick her up, this time I'm less naive. We don't know when we'll be able to go get her. There is no timeline...can't be really...everything there is too unpredictable to have any kind of timeline.

Last time the trade back to the foster family was quick. We met in a parking lot on our way to the airport. We passed them Avery, she leaned back to hug both of us. She looked well cared for and content with the foster mom. We drove away. Quick like a band aid. Hurt a bit but it was over and done with.

This time the trade to the foster family was long and drawn out. The morning we left there was a protest on the streets. It basically looked like a parade only the people weren't happy. They marched down the street directly in front of our hotel. No way in or out. Pablo and the foster mom had to park several streets way and walk to the hotel. Everyone at the hotel was in a tizzy because they didn't know how they were going to get us to go to the airport since they didn't know how long the protest was going to last. They were calling a taxi, calling the airport to hold the plane, making arrangements for if we missed our flight. It was hectic.

While all this is happening I'm just standing there with the foster mom, who is talking and talking and talking at me in Spanish...which I can't understand. Telling me all about Avery...but I can't understand. Avery is playing around us, angry people in the streets, frantic calls and plans being made. It was overwhelming and the emotions just hit me. I prayed that I could make it to the airport before my melt down hit, check that, I revised my prayer to just get me into the taxi...I didn't want to leave her...I didn't want to miss more of her growing, changing, learning...I want to be her all the time mama now! I made it to the taxi before the sobs began and we made it to the airport in time for our flight. Everything was just so chaotic as we left. It was hard. I know the emotion was all over my face even though the tears mostly waited for some privacy. Afterwards I thought maybe it was good that they saw me upset so they can understand that this isn't easy for us.

As far as the information we gathered while we were there... We had a meeting with a woman named Helen. She is an American but she has lived in Guatemala for her adult life and she's been involved in adoptions for the past 20 years. She was blunt and to the point and told it like it is and that is exactly what I wanted. Basically everything we're going through with our case is normal. It just takes this long now. She said years ago you could pay people off to get your case through faster but now you can't. It just takes as long as it takes. We are at the end of the process. We're getting close but we're not done yet. She said it's not our attorney's fault, it's not our fault, it is no ones fault. There is nothing we can do but just let it work through the process. It was good to hear in a way. Not the fantastic "all you need to do is this and your done" kind of information I was hoping for but it brought us some peace. She was able to give Pablo some tips and suggestions, a few contacts she knows from her years of experience. That was helpful. Besides that we just keep waiting. Take comfort in the knowledge that our case will be completed...we just don't know when.

Avery Maria...

Must Be Quick!!

No nap today so I have to post very quickly because typing with a year and a half-year old in your lap isn´t easy!! No time to recap our meeting with Pablo today. We got some information but nothing huge like we can bring her home tomorrow or anything so it can wait until we get home.

Precious things we´ve learned about Avery over the last 24 hours...

1. She had learned how to give kisses!
2. She waves hello and good-bye.
3. She loves to play keep-a-way with her Daddy.
4. She LOVES spaghetti and eats it ferociously!
5. When you cough she pats you on the back.
6. Daddy believes that she knows how to use the toilet and is totally ready to be potty trained but I think that may be wishful thinking!
7. She thinks Barny is fabulous.
8. Her patience level is about 3 minutes and is up now so I must get going!

Flying out tomorrow! Pictures coming soon!

A Guatemalan Weekend!

Saturday Chris and I woke up around 8:30...before Avery did! I wasn´t planning on that! She´s a great sleeper and she wakes up happy and content. She kicks like crazy in the night , trashing all around and I woke up in the middle of the night with feet in my face but they were precious little Avery feet so it was alright!

We ate breakfast at the hotel. We sit at the same table each meal and have the same waiter so it feels very comfortable. The food it very good. We´ve had bacon, eggs, toast and pancakes for breakfast. They have burgers and fries, pot roast and fried chicken, soups and salads. It is all Guatemalan food but it is similar to what we´re used to eating. Avery eats whatever we get. She loves watermelon. I mean LOVES. She´s hilarious eating it. I brought her forks and spoons. I´m not sure if she uses them here but I don´t think so. She thinks they are great and she tries hard to use them but eventually gives up and uses her fingers.

Avery likes everything just so. When she decides she´s done playing with a certain toy she cleans it up and puts it away in her toy area (aka the nightstand). It´s her way of telling us she´s done. She´s made a place for her books all stacked together and all her blocks go back into the caring case. Any little piece of trash she finds she puts in the trash can. She is very observant and she likes her things to be neat!

We only have a shower in our room so that has made bath time a little difficult! We´ve just had to do showers but she doesn´t love them. She tolerates them and she really is a champ about it but we had so much fun at bath time last visit so I´m sad we don´t get to take baths this time!

The hotel has a little courtyard we discovered yesterday while we were exploring the hotel. We went outside to play after lunch and Avery loved it. She likes to run and skip and play peek-a-boo. She loves when Chris chases her and she´ll run and wrap herself around my leg. She has the most beautiful smile and her laugh just melts your heart!

On Saturday we were supposed to have breakfast or lunch with Pablo and his mom. He called at some point and asked if we could make it dinner instead because he still wasn´t feeling well but then called later and rescheduled for Sunday. Hopefully he´ll be feeling better soon. Chris was a little worried that he wasn´t that sick but was really avoiding us but we went out for breakfast on Sunday and everything seemed okay so he feels better about it now. It was frustrating to be waiting on him all day Saturday. By dinner Avery was fussy because it was so late. Chris and I were pretty fussy too! Dinner was a bit difficult since we were all three hungry, tired and annoyed. It wasn´t the best dinner of my life but we made it through. We went back to our room and settled in for the night. We were all three able to relax and Avery feel asleep easier than the night before.

Sunday we got up and got ready because Pablo was picking us up for breakfast. Again we were waiting and we were a little worried that he may cancel again but he didn´t. We went to Applebee´s for breakfast, which was an experience because it looked just like an Applebee's at home but the food was different...I guess since our Applebee's doesn´t serve breakfast it´s hard to compare the food! The food was good and it was nice to be out of the hotel. We went to a nearby plaza where they close off a main street on Sundays for people to walk, ride bikes and skate on. There was music and lots of people. It was very pretty and the weather is beautiful so we really enjoyed ourselves.

We talked about our case over breakfast. We asked Pablo if we could go to CNA tomorrow because that is what the Guatemalan Embassy in Washington DC advised us to do. He said that we could and that hopefully they will be able to help us. CNA is in control of new adoptions but it hasn´t been involved in old adoptions. CNA recently released a communication that stated they will help any cases currently in the process if we contact them with our information...so that´s what we´re going to do. I don´t know exactly what help they can give but we will take any help at all! Pablo said that things are difficult because the people working under the old adoption procedures are going out of business and so they are asking for more and more money. He said it is very difficult. He said that bringing Avery home is not a question...we will bring her home, period. We just don´t know exactly when yet. I´m glad that the Guatemalan Embassy and CNA are getting involved. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more information...

We're Here!

We´re here and safe! We arrived on Thursday night around 9:00pm. We were supposed to get here at 7:00 but we had delays in Dallas and then it took forever to get through customs in Guatemala. It wasn´t difficult, there were just long lines because two large mission groups were on the plane we flew in on.

Pablo and his mom, Carine, picked us up at the airport. Pablo said that he was very sick and that they thought it might be better for us to stay in a hotel this time so we didn´t catch his illness. He had made all the arrangements so it was no big deal. We went out to eat together and then checked into the hotel and crashed! We were hoping to get Avery immediately but since our plane was delayed and we arrived so late Pablo suggested we get her in the morning. I think that turned out for the best since we were so exhausted from the long day of traveling.

Friday morning we got up and settled into our room. It is a beautiful old house that has been turned into a hotel. It´s right by the US Embassy with a gate so we feel very safe here. There is a restaurant so we can eat all our meals without having to leave the hotel.

Avery arrived around 10:00. She has grown so much! She´s so tall and her hair has gotten so much longer. She´s just beautiful! She let me take her from the foster mom immediately and wasn´t scared of me or Chris. The foster mom was very nice and it is clear that Avery is very well taken care of and loved.

Later Pablo told me that he originally planned for him and his assistant to pick Avery up and bring her to us without the foster mom because they live pretty far away from the hotel and Pablo´s office so he didn´t want to have to drive the foster mother all the way back home before returning to work. When Pablo arrived to get Avery, she refused to go with Pablo so the foster mother ended up having to come as well. He said that he was worried that Avery would have a hard time going to us after that and he was very pleasantly surprised that she took to us with ease. Pablo and the foster mom stayed just a few minutes and then it was just us.

We went back to the room and Avery didn´t cry but she looked a bit uneasy. We held her for a little while and talked, then we got out the play doe and started to play. She was hesitant at first but once she started playing she seemed very comfortable. She loves the little people we brought and the Blues Clues DVD. She´s very curious and into everything. Like I said, I had gotten us settled into the room before she got there but I had not settled in thinking about a one and a half year old! Needless to say I had to baby proof the room!

After a while we went to lunch. They offered us a highchair but she prefers to sit in my lap. After lunch she took a good nap. (Which is what she is doing now so I have time to post! We just discovered the hotel computer lab last night!) She woke up happy and had a snack. We ready books and played some more. She loves books! She ate a good dinner. Her foster mother told us that she likes everything and she was right! At bed time she got a little anxious but her foster mother also told us that she usually cries at night so we were expecting it to be a little hard at bedtime. She didn´t cry but one big crocodile tear slid down her cheek and it broke my heart! She wanted to lay on my chest...which I didn´t mind one bit, and she fell asleep after a little while.

There are two full sized beds in our room so it was a tight fit with Chris, Avery and me all in one bed so we pushed the two beds together so we´d have lots of room. This may have happened after Chris moved to the other bed in the middle of the night and then Avery rolled out of the bed right onto the floor (crap...there goes my mother of the year award) but I can´t be clear on our motivation. One big bed is suiting us perfectly now!

So that was our Thursday and Friday! I´ll try to post again while we´re here but I´m not sure what we´ll be doing exactly. Assuming nap time continues like it has the past two days I should be able to! Love you all and miss you! We can´t wait for you to meet our sweet, precious girl!

P.S. I can´t post pictures but I can´t load them to this computer so you´ll have to wait until we get home...sorry!

P.S.S I also can´t spell check so please ignore all my typos and misspelled words!