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

FANA Celebration 2/4/2012

Where to begin...you might think we planned to be here for the 40th Anniversary celebration but it was all in God's planning.   Due to it being the 40th Anniversary no expenses were spared and it was a very festive day.  We woke up and got ready and were out the door around 9am.  For those of you with little ones, know that wasn't an easy task but we did it, along with numerous other families in town.  I must admit I was surprised how few infants were along for the trip.  Besides the other family staying with us, all of the children were older, 5yrs and up.  I don't know if those children were being adopted at this time or were just visiting for the celebration but it reminded me of how fortunate we are to have a healthy little one like Michael :)

Once we arrived at FANA we were seated for Mass.  And yes we were asked to sit in the second row from the front, an anxious experience for a new mom ;)  Michael did very well reading his book for over two hours.  It makes me smile to see him being entertained by something as simple as a book at this point, with all the technology available I hope he can retain some of the simplicity of life.  You might be in awe of a two hour Mass but that was only part of the presentations.  We had a video shown, Thank Yous, and a picture was taken of every FANA baby there, no matter what the age ;)

It was a very humbling and honoring experience for me to stand up with all the other FANA babies and know that this is where I came from and how far I have come.  All of us were given up in hopes for a better life and by the looks of it we are all so blessed.  To give up a child for adoption is one of the greatest expressions of love I can ever imagine.  To know you can't provide all you want to for that child and being completely unselfish to give them more is "Agape".  The essence of "Agape" love is self sacrifice (1 John 4:8). 

It is so incredible that FANA was founded by one couple after having adopted two daughters on their own.  The accomplishments and self sacrifice that they themselves made has enabled them to touch childrens lifes in such a meaningful way for 40 years now. 

 

The reception that followed was beautifully catered and decked out in Colombian colors.  They had a petting zoo, jump houses, coffee stations, full buffet, Colombian dancers,etc...The dancers were a real treat as they preformed dances from all of Colombia's various regions.

Mikey even got to see some of his previous caretakers.  It was such a neat experience to look up at the windows of FANA and seeing nurses above asking me to turn the stroller around.  I know they wanted to see who I had tucked away after caring for so many little ones.  In my heart I want to say they knew exactly who he was and how well he was being taken care of now.  It is rare for the infants to return to FANA during the adoption process due to outside germs so it was a very special moment for all of us.  I really can't say enough about this day but that I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into what FANA is all about.  Sending all of our love!