ok..

all i have time for is pics. we are keeping ourselves very busy this week, with Tio and Tia! Today was Lago Atitlan, tom is church and Hiper Paiz. Monday is climbing Volcan Pacaya, Tues is swimming at Hotel Antigua, shopping at the market, and possibly Cerro de la Cuz. Then Wed, we have to say good-bye. So, as you can tell, we are packing in the fun-filled days :) I promise once they are back home, I'll have more free time to keep up with the blog, and tell you all about the adventures... oh, and have we had adventures!

Praise the LORD...

we are back up and running!!! wow, I seriously didn't know it was possible to live this long without Internet. Especially when it's your only means to the outside world :) Tio and Tia are here!!!!!!!! God is so good.. it's going to take an hour to update on everything.. but for now, here's the pumpkin pies' and of course, more to come!!

Weekend update

In spite of the internet still being down... the last couple days have been good. The girls are just wonderful, although getting bored with the same limited number of toys they've been playing with for 3 weeks now. Girls can't wait for Mama's brother and his wife who are traveling to Guatemala this week for a visit and bringing "fresh supplies". After using the internet at a friends house, mom and the girls was invited to stay for lunch. It was very nice break for mom not to make a meal while two energetic girls let her know that they are hungry and want attention.

Towards the end of lunch our friend offered the girls two chicken bones to chew on. Unaware of the thoughts that were flowing through mom's mind, the girls happily gnawed away. It must have been a very long several minutes for mom to watch her two little pumpkins doing something that she would most likely describe as, um... "disgusting". For those of you who do not know, pre-cooked and pre-cut chicken breasts are just about the greatest invention in mom's mind. Papa is usually responsible for cutting chicken off the bone for mom to eat. (Its really amazing we are not vegetarians) Anyway, Papa couldn't help but laugh (really hard) when he heard the story. :-)

Keep praying that internet setup happens soon. It may sound like a silly request to some, but thankfully Paul does not put any qualifiers on the type of request when he says, "... present your requests to God." (Phil 4:6) Besides, dad isn't as good of a blogger as mom is!

Be back soon...

Mama is in the process of getting a new internet connection to the apartment so there may be a couple of days of silence. But don't worry, she's still there and will post as soon as possible. The girls were really wonderful today... thanks for your prayers.

Clouds?

Today was the first cloudy day that we've had here in Antigua since I arrived. One cloudy day every 15 sure is a change from the Chicago weather.. i can do this :)

i was able to talk to my facilitator today. Our paperwk should be on it's way to Guatemala by tomorrow, and she notified me that she's been wking on the Guat side previo's that we also got. Could it possibly be that our reviewer (after only 20 days) kicked us out, and ALL AT ONCE gave us the previos to fix?? Sounds impossible to me, but we have a GOD that could make it possible! I can't wait to get back in, so we can wait for that call!!

My BIL's surgery went well yesterday. He was in a great mood today, and so thankful to have those tubes out of his mouth.. makes it much easier to communicate. i am so anxious to get home and support my family during this rough transition. God is doing big things in our family.

I'm trying to get either of the girls to say "mama".. i know it's coming one of these days, but for now "dada" and "nini" are still the favorites :)

On our walk today..

I totally saw a mom take off her child's pants, and have them squat to go on the sidewalk!! Not even off to the side, or some where a bit private, nope totally in the middle of the public sidewalk! She could have at least directed this child to the GRASS!! Now, I know why I've been encouraged to wash off the tires of my stroller! Wow, we're definitely not in Chicago anymore, Toto!

Here are the pumpkin pies in their Guat dresses. I had bought these when they were 3 mos old, thinking they'd be perfect for Easter Sunday to wear to church, of course I never in my life imagined that they'd be wearing them for Easter at a foreign church in Antigua. Today is one week, I've been apart from my husband, and I'm really missing him. Our case is not looking like it will be back in PGN before the end of this week, and everything adoption related (on the GUAT side) is totally closed pretty much the week before and after Easter :( Please keep praying me home.. today is hard and I am getting really homesick.

Two posts in one day??

i know, i know.. i should be picking up toys or something, but real quick I had to post my FIRST!!! I have waited a long time to be a mom, and with my pumpkins' growing up in Guatemala the first 10 mos of their lives, we missed a lot of FIRSTS. The first time they smiled, their first sneeze, their first bottle, their first dirty diaper and first bath, the first time they learned to crawl, the first time they said "mama" and "dada", and the first time they pulled themselves up on their own. Now, by God's grace I get to experience a FIRST.

We were playing on the bed after they woke up from naps, and I was flipping "Squeaks" upside down, which she loves. As I was looking at her wide smiling mouth from upside down, I noticed at the top she's getting a top tooth!!!! I was so excited I quickly flipped "Smiles" upside down to check out her mouth, and nothing new coming in there yet, but I was so happy! I quickly called Papa, and told him the news!! YAY, for my baby girl getting her third tooth. In general from our past reports it seems as though "Squeaks" is usually a tiny bit ahead of "Smiles" , so I'll have to keep checking that little mouth!! I'm sure to most moms this might not make sense, or may even seem silly, but I'm just elated! God is good, and I am so thankful I get to experience this FIRST, and can't wait for many, many more!

lunch date and baby crocs

I met up with two other adoptive moms, here fostering today, and we scheduled a lunch date for this week! Yay, socialization with someone who can say more than "ni, ni, ma, ma, da, da, ba, ba" :D

I put the girls in their new shoes today. They are (generic) baby crocs (from Target) and too cute. The girls were so adorable in them and of course, loved to try and pull them off.





























"oooo, what are these fun things?"


Back home in Chicago, we've been known to hear raccoon fights, late at night or early in the morning. They are really loud, and personally they scare me to death. Well, here in Guatemala there are no such things as raccoon fights, instead it's dog fights. I am not kidding you that there are tons of random dogs here, just roaming the streets. None of them belong to anyone, and they all just run around and mate with each other and make more random dogs. I'm sure most of them are rabid and flea infested, and basically I really don't like them and they also scare me. Late at night, I can hear these "dog fights" going on, and it sounds like they are killing each other. I know this is random, but I just wanted to let you know this does not grow my love for dogs (sorry to all you animal lovers :)















oh, and just for fun ( i had to :)

Del Camino

(big sigh).. wow, what a fun day! It's so easy to loose track of time/days down here. When you wake up every morning and pretty much keep to the same schedule all day, and then talk to your husband who you miss every night.. well, it's easy to forget what day it is. But I was reminded last night that today was SUNDAY!! We did not even get to think about church last week, so this week I decided I was going to try the 11:00 service at Del Camino Church. We had a taxi pick us up, it is too far to walk. When we got there the music had already begun, it was in Spanish, but it brought tears to my eyes, as I sang "Great is THY faithfulness" in Spanish, holding my two sweet babies. God has been so good to me. It's also just really tough right now, being here without my husband and everything going on back home with my brother-in-law. BUT regardless, it was so good for my soul to be there and to be singing praises to my GOD!


This might have been the girls first time ever being in church, I'm really not sure. They did so well, they loved the music, and just stared at everyone singing. The sermon was about 30-45 min and they were (for the most part) quiet and content. Towards the end they were getting sick of sitting on my lap, and of the Cheerios and Gerber puffs I kept shoving in their mouth :) After the final prayer, we sang one last song, with tambourine and all. The girls cracked me up, you could tell they were probably thinking "we've been "shushed" all service, and now it's ok to be loud?".. they really loved the clapping and singing.

Today both girls started to wave 'hi' and 'bye-bye'. I don't know if they've always been able to do that, and I'm just now getting to see it, or if it's a newly learned trick. Either way, it's fun and so cute!

2nd night in a row, we tried a Baby Einstein dvd after dinner. They LOVED it!! I've tried Veggie Tales once and they kinda paid a bit of attention, but not like Baby Einstein :) The dvd that we have is all about animals. When the kitty's come up, "Squeaks" yells at the tv screen, because she is so excited! I just can't stand how sweet and cute they are. I am truly one blessed woman!

Check in on Dan

Thank you everyone for your prayers for my brother-in-law. Keep them coming! He is still in the ICU and just taking it one day at a time. It's going to be a long road to recovery.

Here is the blog if you want to stay up to date on what is going on. Just remember "check in on dan".

checkinondan.blogspot.com

La Bodegona

Yay! I went to the grocery store today, all by myself.. well, with my peanuts too, of course. We ran out of banana Eggo's this morning (and the girls love these for breakfast), so I knew it was time to make the journey. Now, you have to understand this is not just a regular Meijer or Dominick's.. closer in size to a Seven Eleven but "organized" like a thrift store. Does that make sense?? It's very busy, loud and nothing seems to be in much of an order. The aisles are too small for me to bring the stroller in, and I definitely can't just "check it at the door" or it would be gone by the time I was done with my shopping. So, the best way for me to do this is to put one baby in my hotsling (which she rides on my hip) and then carry the other on my opposite hip. The walk is about 5-7 min one way. So, it really went pretty well. "Smiles" was in the hotsling and she decided that it was fun to "ride" in it looking down and watching the ground.. totally fine except when she was in that position, the sling was pulling on my neck and by the time I got home I felt about 50 years old.

When we got to the grocery store, I was able to get a small basket, and they do have shopping carts, but not too many and often they are all in use. So, I carried one child on one hip (in the sling) the other on the other hip, and used my free hand to carry our basket filled with bananas, frozen waffles, and lots more!!

I was pretty proud of myself, and feel confident enough that I'll probably do it again, maybe not for a few weeks though :)

Next "task" to tackle : CHURCH.

few more pics...

Belts & being "surrounded"

ok, you know you're in Guatemala when you really, really need a belt, but did not have room in the suitcase for even one, so now you don't have anything to keep your capris up. So, I looked and looked and finally decided on my headphones. They are the ear bud kind, and the cord on them is pretty long, so.. I looped it thru my capri loops and tried to "tie it".. really hard to do with a cord. Don't worry it totally didn't work and I walked around with ear-bud headphones hanging down around my waist. Note to self: add "belt" on the list of things for bro and SIL to bring down.

We were sitting in Central Park today, which is a nice break. The girls are in their stroller and I'm usually giving them a snack of goldfish, Cheerios, or Gerber puffs. I usually am able to find a shady bench, and the girls just look around and watch all the people walking by. Now, never a day passes by, that people don't come up, or stop us on the street to look at the "gemalitas".. or to coo and say "que lindas". Today, in a matter of 6 seconds we found ourselves totally surrounded by a group of teens. They seemed innocent enough and kept saying how cute the girls were, so I "made" the girls wave "hola" to them, etc. Well, they started really getting rowdy and loud (coo-ing, laughing,etc). They finally got so loud (obnoxious) that they made "Squeaks" start to cry. She was really scared. So, I pulled her out of the stroller to soothe her, and then the teenage girls start to put out their hands to her. I really don't think she wanted to go to them, but she sort-of reached a finger in their direction and one of the teen girls grabs my baby! Does anyone know how to say "no, you may not hold my child" in Spanish. I didn't want to be rude, but the entire time I was cringing. "Squeaks" looked back and me and started crying for me (duh) and I quickly took her back. This whole thing happens again, and the next time I get her back I promptly put her back in the stroller, and "make" the babies say "adios", as I headed in the other direction.

Seriously, why am I so nice?? I know everyone just thinks they're so cute and adorable, but I'm trying to bond with my children here. If I hadn't missed the first 10 months of their life, I'm sure I wouldn't be so fanatical, but comon'. I know this will probably be a common thing.. everywhere we go EVERYONE wants to look at the babies, and talk to them, etc. I'm sure it will be the same in the US, but at least then I can explain in the person's language that we're not letting complete strangers hold the girls as of now (and probably not ever)... ahhh, crazy.


They did look awfully cute and adorable today. They were in their matching tennis dresses, a gift from their baby shower (thanks Mrs. Moriah). Here's so you can see for yourself :

Gang-bangers, laundry and veggies...

So, we're coming home for lunch after our regular daily walk.. (don't worry I didn't get lost today) and I see this scruffy lookin' guy walking near us. My first thought is "wow, that guy doesn't look good", I immediately rebuked myself for judging, and re-thought "maybe he's a really nice guy". Three seconds later he approaches three younger women (about my age) and thrusts himself at one of them, with his fist in the air. They were very clearly scared, I heard one say "no tengo", and the other as quickly as possible pulled out a coin from her purse, handed it to him and they all took off. By this time, I'm trying to breathe, not panic and walk as fast as I can without obviously running. Thankfully, we had angels protecting us and he continued in the opposite direction from us. Who knew there were street thugs, gang bangers, whatever in Antigua??

I did laundry today!! I actually love hanging my clothes out to dry.. I feel so much more domestic! I did not however hang up the baby socks to dry.. I felt like that would look too funny :) Especially since the pumpkins' have tiny feet, and are still in 0-3 mos size socks. I think the clothespins would be about the same size ;)














I tried veggies again with the girls tonight, and they do not care for them. They both usually eat about anything.. but especially "Squeaks" tonight, every time she ate a pea, or piece of carrot, she let me know she didn't like it.

Man, these mosquitoes are so rude, got my first bite on my lower back, I think total I'm up to about 55 now... (note to self: have bro and SIL bring down mosquito bite ointment).















Look at us! We know how to use a computer, aren't we smart?

Not loving this trend

ok, today was another one of *those* days...

First, I got lost in Antigua. I think the whole city is 30 min from one end to the other... who could get lost?? Don't worry, I did! My first clue should have been when I didn't see any other "gringos" or tourists. If you're in the center of Antigua you'll see many of both, but the part of town I somehow ended up in, I wasn't seein' either. My second clue should have been when I almost got plowed over (more than once) by the Chicken buses that were travelling at much faster speeds than normal. I think we were also almost asphyxiated by the fumes and dust a few times. Oh, and don't forget ALL of this is with the double stroller :) I am going to be SO strong by the time I get home, between lifting the girls, and the stroller. Anyway, I also noticed the volcano to the South started getting closer and closer and I knew I wasn't in the right place, but I had NO idea how to get to the right place, so I had to call my husband in Chicago, so he could pull up a map of Antigua on the Internet and guide me back towards our apartment. I think what was supposed to be a 10 min walk back home, turned into an hour tour of the scary parts of Antigua.. sigh, my poor girls, they are going to cringe when they're old enough to realize how goofy their Mama is.

Tonight was so much fun with the bombones :) We had mac n' cheese, yogurt, crackers, and bananas for dinner. They are great eaters and they loved the macaroni!! Then we turned on Veggie Tales music, and they cracked up while I danced for them. Then I made them dance with me, and they also loved that. Especially "Squeaks". The girls also tried their first Oreo (just a tiny piece), and OHHH, they liked that!!

These mosquitoes are crazy.. there's not really even a ton, but man, the ones that are in our apartment are eating us alive. I counted over 25 bites on my legs, just from the knees down. Poor girls are also getting bit up :(

As I was blogging tonight, the power went out, and I was sitting here in the pitch dark (except for the glow of the screen). We don't have a flashlight (on list of things to get) and I couldn't even see to try and find the lighter and candle. So, I just sat here and prayed that my mind wouldn't scare me to death! Thankfully, it came on a bit later.

Whew... what a day!!

WOW, What a day! (yesterday)

Papa left yesterday, and we miss him so much... but believe it or not I am able to take care of the girls on my own.. I'm doing it, I'm doing it!

Our Internet was down all day -- huge bummer.

AND... we got our 1st (and hopefully last) previo. We had only been in for 20 days and it's a US side kick-out, so we have "some" control over getting it fixed quickly. Please pray we can be back in asap.. and that we'll only have to wait another 20 days to hear we're OUT!! God can do it, and I have SOOO much faith that HE will bring us home by the girl's 1st b-day!! "My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises!" Ps. 57:7

My brother-in-law also started to breathe a bit on his own this morning -- God is SOOO good!

Update

Thank you so much to everyone who has and is praying for my bro-in-law. They were finally able to airlift him to Chicago today, where he is receiving excellent medical care. Please continue to pray for wisdom for the doctors, and for peace for my family and sweet brother-in-law. Thank you blog buddies!!

Piggy - tails

Well, I wanted to try piggy-tails anyway, despite the "haircut"... what do you think??















I think they're cute!
















We don't want Papá to leave :(

Hair Cut

Much to Mamá 's dismay, somewhere between 9 and 10 months of age, our girls' foster mom decided to cut the girls' hair. Or maybe it was a young grandchild running around that decided to do the cutting, not sure... all I know is that it reminds me of a boy's bowl-cut. It's still barely long enough to do some clippys, but I'm so bummed because I really thought it'd be long enough for pig-tails by now :( Oh well, at least it will grow back (and hopefully quickly).















Mornin' sleepy heads! (check out the hair :)
















Wanna guess how long these stayed on?? Less than 3.5 seconds!












Hanging out at Central Park, Antigua!

Please pray for us, as tomorrow is my last day with my precious husband for a while. I wish more than anything he could stay, but this is real life, and he has a job he needs to return to. Taking care of the girls without him is going to be A LOT of work! I am going to miss him so much, and the girls are going to also. We do not know when he'll be back, besides for the pick-up trip, which hopefully will be right around the girls' 1st birthday, and our 3 yr. anniversary. We are looking forward to our other visitors tho... tio crackers and tia shaquita will be down for a week at the end of this month. We can't wait for them to finally meet the girls!

Please pray..

my brother-in-law had a serious accident, while on a missions trip, with his University, in Mexico. He was trying to do a back-flip and landed wrong, he is in ICU and is not able to breath on his own, or feel any part of his body from his ears down. They found a fracture in his vertebra, which is causing swelling, and therefore causing his limitation in movement, etc. Please, please pray for him and for my in-laws. They need a ton of wisdom in how/when to airlift him, etc. Our hearts are heavy tonight, and we are burdened for him. Thank you everyone for praying.

To try and end on a happy note; we are doing very well! The girls are adjusting so well, and we have had success in getting them on schedules, etc. They are the sweetest pumpkins and I am so blessed to be down here with them!















Peek-A-Boo!
















"look how big I am, I can hold my bottle all by myself"

YAY!!!

We are here in our apartment, still trying to get unpacked and settled. The girls have actually been doing so well! We love finally being with them!! I feel that they've both been transitioning well, and bonding to us. "Smiles" is still a daddy's girl.. she's not going to like it when he leaves and it's just me :) "Squeaks" still loves her blanky, although she's needed it so much less so far. I am so happy to see that they really love each other, every time they see each other from across the room, they will yell out to each other and smile at each other. Everywhere we go people stop to look at the "gemelas" and tell they how cute they are!! Everyone loves twins, and we truly are blessed twice by these sweet girls.

We made it!!

We arrived!! All of our luggage, bags, stroller, pack n' play, etc made it in one piece, and we have checked in to our room! The girls will be brought to us tomorrow at 9am. Please, please pray! We are so excited to see them!!! I have been hit with so many "lasts" these past few days. My last time in our home without two little ones running around, the last time I fly into Guat without my children, the last time I go shopping without having to get out a double stroller, the last Saturday morning that we are able to sleep in late, and not be woken by two sleepy-heads who are ready to play bright and early! Honestly, we couldn't be more ready!! Exactly one year ago today, we signed up with our adoption agency, not knowing how our life was going to change!!!

Our faith has been renewed so much this last week, and we are so confident that God is going to bring us home SOON!! We are ridding our thoughts of any unbelief, and cannot wait to see how God is going to finally bring us together as a family of 4!!!

ONE more day! Please pray for us, for the girls and for their foster mom. Don't worry if it takes me a few days to update from Guatemala, we're going to be getting the girls on a schedule, getting the Internet set up, and just enjoying our time together as a FAMILY of 4!!! I will be sure to post pictures as soon as we have some free time :D

how many more days??

breathe, breathe, breathe :D I cannot believe those girls will be in our arms FOREVER in only 3 more days, and yet, my heart hurts for their foster mom, who has so faithfully for the last 10 months, loved, nurtured and cared for those sweet babies. How odd that my happiest day, is such a day of sorrow for her.

NO way...

more days until we get to be with the girls!! I still don't think it's hit me that in 5 days, I finally, really get to be a mom. I will never again, after 5 days, be without my children (Lord-willing). That amazes me! I am so blessed that I am able to have the opportunity to foster, that I have an amazing husband (the best in the world) that has supported and encouraged me that this is what I should do, and that the Lord has worked out the details (finances, apartment, etc) so that fostering is even possible!!

As I looked back on our adoption time line this week, I noticed that the first date on the time line was March 7, 2006, the date we signed with our agency. Exactly ONE YEAR later we leave to be united with our girls! I am so excited and so ready!!

They're almost 10 months old!

Ok seriously, how sad are these pics?? They barely look like babies anymore! The update also informed us that "squeaks" is now trying to walk. Just wait 6 more days for mamá , baby! I'm comin'