Parents are Here!

My parents arrived this past Tuesday and we have been on the go since.  I feel very blessed to have the extra help for when Matt leaves.  Michael is a very social and happy baby and took well to the new faces.  The past few day have included the Gold Museum, FANA tour, ICBF interview, and Notary trips.  We will have to create different posts to tell you more about them in detail.  Needless to say, "GiGi" (my Mom) has helped with the babysitting due to Michael being a little under the weather.  He is doing much better and we hope to all make it to the Flea Market again this Sunday.  We hope all of you had a great week.  All our luv, Kristin :)

Flea Market Time. Bogota Style!

Hola Fmailia y nuestro amigos! We haven't posted much lately, mostly because we have been either resting or out exploring the city of Bogota; this of course leads us back to more resting. We will try and catch you up on the last few days, mostly so we don't forget. (You thought this blog was just for you?)

The day following our adventurous trip to Chicaque and the next day we decided to take "down days" and hung out around the hotel spending quality time with Michael.  Matt really enjoyed this as he had someone else to watch sports with on TV (albeit in Spanish).  Now that Kristin is finally outnumbered two to one, Matt can actually watch sports instead of the usual Kardashians or Real Housewives of ....... (enter city).  Our only venture out was to Juan Valdez (think a Colombian Starbucks) for some much needed caffeine with some of our friends at the hotel and the quick walk to the pharmacy.  

Already loving Florida State!!

After our restful days, we spent yesterday on the go again exploring Bogota some more and checking out the weekly outdoor flea market.  On Sundays in Bogota the city closes two lanes on the main roads from 8am to 2pm and EVERYONE in the city comes out to rollerblade, bike ride, jog, walk, socialize, etc.  It is a great idea and gives the entire city a very friendly, family-oriented feeling.  It just happened that yesterday was also a beautiful day out, slightly cloudy and no smog (most likely due to everyone outside on foot versus the normally dense traffic).  We could see the green mountains and the sunlight lit up all the colors of the city.  And of course the street performers were out entertaining the few cars that were on the road.

Once we arrived at the flea market we discovered blocks and blocks of booths selling every piece of merchandise you could imagine.  There were food vendors selling delicious grilled corn, creamy yogurt topped with ripe mango and papaya, the popular local dish of paella (rice, meat or seafood, onions, garlic and spices paired with sauteed mushrooms), empanadas, hand made ice cream, coconut slices and pastries galore.  Kristin purchased a few items to include a hand made leather wallet and some local designs.  Matt put his pesos to better use and pigged out on the food sold by the vendors.

In addition to the vendors, there was also everything from an Irish music group, more street performers, classic american muscle cars and capoeira practitioners putting on a demonstration.  We also visited a beautiful church at the top of the hill overlooking Bogota with the largest palmetto trees we have ever seen.  This church is also home to a convent of nuns.

After being completely shopped out, we stopped at a local restaurant for a few energy boosting appetizers and to sample the local cerveza brewed there on site.  Michael loved the outing and has the best personality.  Like his momma, he sleeps whenever he is pushed in his stroller or carried (in Kristin's case whenever she is in the car, train, airplane, etc. Although petite, she doesn't quite fit into the stroller).  When Michael is awake, it is giant, toothless smiles and laughs. Before returning to the hotel we stopped off at a local ice cream parlor to sample the cold, creamy deliciousness. 

This final picture has no purpose other then to display the absolutely adorable cuteness of our son, Michael Kenneth Ives.

Until next time, hasta luego!!

Michael's First Adventure

BUENOS DIAS!!  Yesterday we took Michael on his first adventure to experience the beautiful Colombian countryside.  We drove with another couple from the hotel and a guide to Chicaque, the park in the clouds.  It was incredibly beautiful and definitely a "once in a lifetime" experience.  Chicaque has been recommended as one of the seven wonders of Colombia.  Below are some pictures of our trip.

What the guide said was a 45min walk to a hotel and restaurant tucked away in the park actually took us about 2 hours between carrying babies and stopping for a feeding and to enjoy the gorgeous sites.  We spotted llamas, geese, horses, and cows.  Finally, we reached the restaurant named El Refugio (yes, the same as our hotel we are staying in).  We enjoyed a nice meal of churasco and cerdo.  The inside reminded us of a nice North Carolina cabin with wood interior and a large fire place in the center of the restaurant to keep the room warm.

After a nice meal, we took a four-wheel drive jeep back up to the park entrance and made the always exciting drive back to the hotel.  Michael did great and loved the trees and stimulating sights. 

Today, we plan to take it easy at the hotel as we feel it is better to introduce Michael to the outside world a little at a time as he has not been regularly exposed to the outdoors.  Michael is very strong already and constantly attempting to crawl.  He is at the point now of continously rolling over and over.  This leads to much entertainment.  Matt still feels however that the best times are at the end of the day when they share father-son naps.

Luv,
Matt, Kristin, & Michael

Presenting Michael Kenneth Ives...

Hola Familia & Amigos,

It is with great pleasure that we get to introduce our son Michael Kenneth Ives.  We are having to pinch ourselves to realize that he is forever ours :)  Our meeting with him took place yesterday around 3pm and it was an experience we will never forget.  We got to share it with another couple from France adopting a little boy.  While at FANA I got to meet the same person that gave me to my Mom and an another FANA adoptee (like myself) presented Michael to us.  He is very happy and healthy, not even fitting in some of the 9 month pants that I brought him ;)  We are definitely new parents trying to figure it all out but trusting our instincts along the way.  He is currently still on the bottle and slept from 9:30-5:30 last night.  We are savoring every moment and thank you all for supporting us in the process.  Above are a couple of pictures for your enjoyment.

Luv,

Kristin, Matt, & Michael

 

We Arrived!

Hola Familia & Amigos,
 Matt and I made it Colombia last night and are settling in.  I am feeling a little altitude sickness but I guess that is expected at this elevation.  The hotel we are staying at is very nice and we have met two other American families.  One from Florida adopting their first son and another from Minnesota back for the second time adopting a little girl.  The children are both under the age 12 months so they will be close to Michael's age.  We have not heard yet what time we will be going to get him but we are hoping to meet him tomorrow.  This morning we walked around the neighborhood with another family and they showed us the bank, grocery store, etc...  It was nice because it is a holiday here and it was not crowded.  The weather here is very nice
and many people are wearing shorts.    Bellow are some pictures from yesterday and today.  We hope all of you are doing well and are so glad you are getting to share in this experience with us.
Luv, Kristin

  

"God Alone"

Hello Family and Friends,
I hope the past week has treated you well.  From the picture above you can see that Matt made it back from overseas and will have two weeks with me and the baby in Colombia.  We are so thankful for him being able to return and have been tying up last minute requirements all week.  Let's just say we have been everywhere from the Colombian Embassy to the Pentagon this week, all for baby Michael and yes he is worth it ;)  We are leaving TOMORROW, pretty crazy to say after over two years of trying to get there but it is finally happening.  Matt and I both feel that none of this would have happened without Faith.  "God Alone" allowed this path for our life to come together and it wasn't always easy but we have learned to trust even more in his ways.  Thank you so much for your support and we will post next time from Colombia!
Luv, Kristin

Packing!

The "Packing" has begun while taking breaks to watch the Rose Bowl parade and game ;)  It's hard to believe the time has come to prepare for our trip.  Packing for three all by myself seemed a little overwhelming at first but for those of you who know me I like organization, so I am managing ;)  It's funny how before our little one is even in our arms I am already putting myself and Matt on the back burner.  I have already decided if his suitcase is over the weight limit some our stuff will have to be chucked because Michael will come first from now on.  Packing his baby stuff has been a dream come true to me in realizing the miracle we are soon going to meet.  I hope that one day he will be able to read this blog and see how much we already loved him even before we met.  I hope all of you are having a relaxing day as well.  Luv, Kristin
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.