Court # One

So we got assigned a new court yesterday after over a week of waiting.  The best part is that the court has a very good reputation with adoptions!  We are so grateful that this court will hopefully be our ticket out of here this month.  We thank you all and ask that you continue to PRAY.  This journey has never been easy and we are still relying on our faith through the whole thing.  The judge of this court is known to like to celebrate with cake and coke on the day of the final adoption decree.  I will buy him three if he let's us leave ;) 

Other than that we haven't been up to anything new.  Michael was sick all last week with a cold so we never left the hotel.  It has actually been quite chilly here.  Today looks a little warmer so we will probably adventure out.  The hotel is full again with six families total staying here.  We miss the original crew we got here with but are keeping in touch via email with many of them.  It is interesting to me that none of the new families are American.  All of the families are from Europe.  I am not sure why that is but just interesting to say the least.  We hope all of you are doing well.

Love,
Kristin & Mikey        

New Toys

Hello Family & Friends,

We are still here patiently waiting for our documents to be sent back to court and I thought I would share a post of our life now.  We have had some new families arrive, both are from France.  One couple got a little girl who turned one today and the other couple will receive a 10 month old boy on Thursday.  They are both very nice but our only common language is Spanish, of which they know very little, so none of our conversations last too long ;)  Out of all the European couples we have met, the Italians have been the best with multiple languages.  One Italian family will return on Thursday with their three boys so the house will be full again.  Mikey was getting a little bored with his toys and the room so I wanted to share some new pics of him enjoying the new toys he got.  Granted toys over here are outrageous in price, so we found a store similar to Walmart to buy some.

He loves his stacking rings :)

 Yes I needed a mat to crawl on because the bed would no longer due!

 This is where we all sleep, you can see why we would like to go home ;)

We thank you for all your continue prayers and hope to have some new progress to report soon. 
Love, Kristin, Matt, & Michael

        

Court Update

Hello Family and Friends,

I wanted to inform you that we got to speak with the judge yesterday.  Our prayers were answered in that matter because she could have refused to see us.  She told us what the issue was with our paperwork.  ICBF put I was adopting as a Colombian and American but since I don't have my Colombian paperwork corrected yet (current name, passport, etc..) they should have only put American in the wording even if they gave me Colombian perference.  The Defendor of Minors was the one who actually didn't like the wording and persuaded the judge not to sign. We spoke with him also.  To make a long story short, ICBF has to correct that one paragraph and we should be good.  However since the judge already declined my paperwork in writing we have to go back into the lottery for a new court.

We are praying that it won't take long or that I might get the same court since they are familiar with our case.  We have other factors that might affect us but are not a problem as of right now. Please continue to pray for a smooth court process,  peace of mind on our behalf, and guidance & grace for those working on the procedures.  We hope to be here for less than another month.  Thank you all again for the prayers and support.

Kristin, Matt, & Mikey

   

Please Pray

Today Michael turned 7 months, and I can't express the gratitude I have in my heart with him being a part of our lives.  He brings so much joy and meaning to our purpose.   The reason I am asking you to pray today is because of our desire to give him a better home.  Don't get me wrong, Mikey will always be ours, but at this time a Colombian judge does not think we should leave with him.  Our judge, that we were randomly assigned, does not believe that I deserve to be given a child so fast because in her opinion my Colombian roots aren't strong enough.  In her mind I married an American, claim American citizenship, and live in America and therefore should be put behind other Colombian families. 

To make a long story short, I am Colombian by blood and have wanted to adopt my whole life.  This desire that I have to pass it forward to another child from my same orphanage should be enough.  As Christians, we often have questions about why bad things happen to good people.  God does have a greater plan. This whole journey has been by Faith and I have Faith that I will return home with Mikey soon.  It does not mean however that it will be easy or short.  All the characters of the Bible went through struggles and my point is no one is immune.  Being a Christian does not mean you will have an easy life but it does mean God will be there with you.  I believe God hears our prayers. 

I am not sure how many people will read this but I am asking you to pray for a change of heart on our judge.  My father and I are going to try and meet with her tomorrow to plead our case.  We are not sure if she will even meet with us. but it is all we can do.  If she still says she will  not approve our leaving we will have to start completely over with the court process, which could mean another month or so here.   We are still trying to accept that this outcome could soon become a reality, but we have Faith that God has a greater plan.  Please Pray with us.   

Growing Up So Fast!

Michael will be 7 months in fives days and he has already grown so much since we have had him.  I wanted to share some of the things he has learned so far.  This post is especially for Daddy overseas. WE LOVE YOU!

 I can sit up on my own!

 I interact and laugh a lot!

I decided I wanted to try to eat on my own!

 Cereal and apples taste good to me!

 I reach for Mommy in the morning. Yes I am this happy when I get up!

 I can get up on all fours and will push up on my toes.  Eyes have to be on me at all times now ;)

 My legs are strong. I can stand!

 I can entertain myself with toys!

 I hope to play soccer one day!

We Miss You Matt!  Love, Kristin & Mikey

Monserrate

So we are the only American family left at this point.  The family from Minnesota left this morning and they got here a week before us.  Praying that we will hear something this week ;)  In the meantime I thought I would share with you a must see Bogota site.  "Monserrate is the main symbol of Colombia's main city, not as a ecological icon but it's religious nature, whose Sanctuary was visited by thousands of people and pilgrims, since 1640 when it was founded."

It's location is 3.152 meters high with a clear view of Bogota and can be reached by cable car, train, or on foot. Matt and I got to go before he left but it was raining on the only day we could make the trip.  Below are a couple of photos of when Matt and I went.  

My parents then visited Monserrate this past Monday as an early Valentine's day outing and got much better photos of what the view  really has to offer.  They also had an open air market up top.  I wanted them to go again even it is was just to get better photos.  Mikey and I stayed behind due to the elevation.

Bogota has changed quite a bit since they were here 28 years ago.  The city size has more than doubled, there is a better infrastructure of the roads, it's safer, and the poverty level is not as prevalent.  It was a nice day for them to get out and reminisce.  They even got to stop by their old apartment to take a photo.  

Time flies, so enjoy every minute of it!   

La Fontana

Sundays are always relaxing days, with little traffic, families outside, and good food to eat.  We don't get served lunch on Sundays so we are usually all out of the hotel enjoying what Colombia has to offer.  This past Sunday we visited the flea market at the "La Fontana Hotel".  The hotel is a little more upscale and tends to attract tourists which leads to them having an open air flea market on Sundays.  The Fontana is about a 15 minute walk from our hotel and many of the streets are closed to allow for more walking room for the families.  The courtyard to the Fontana was even breathtaking due to the amount of foliage.

Colombia has a perfect climate for plants, a gardener's dream ;)  The market itself had very nice quality gifts from Colombia but with that came very little bargaining room.

My Mom and I purchased a couple of bracelets and we enjoyed some quiet time away from the house.  We have six families here at El Refugio now, with 12 adults and 8 kids (6months-10years).  It's getting a little noisier to say the least ;)  We have quite a representation of families with Italy, France, Spain, and the U.S. all being under one roof.  We even seem to communicate quite well with all the language boundaries.  It's a "God" thing to see so many people from different walks of life adopting children in need.  Before closing out today I wanted to share with you some of the different faces of Mikey I got to take on Sunday as well.   

I think he is adorable, but I know I am a little biased ;)  He sure does have quite the personality!  Sending lots of Love this Valentine's Day XOXO