Guatemama Two

New Pictures

2009-07-16T13:14:00.002-04:00

I am not sure how to catch up with all that has been going on since I last posted. Summer has been really fun and hectic. I am trying to take the kids as many places as I can. It is not easy with Anika's age to do some of the things that Alex would like but I think it has been a fun summer for him so far. It sure is flying by fast. I wanted to post these so that the kids Grandparents could see the pictures we had done yesterday. Only a few more weeks until our fist big family vacation with Anika.

Monday After School

2009-06-02T12:54:00.003-04:00

Yesterday after school the kids were playing so nicely together that I felt compelled to get the camera out. I am so glad I did. They really have a neat love between them. I just keep saying it but it just fills me with joy every time I see them like this.

Memory Lane 2

2009-05-30T13:28:00.001-04:00

Since the last post was mainly about Alex I thought I would give Anika a special post. Look at the difference a year has made for her. May 2008- May 2009.

pictures and more.....

2009-05-30T11:59:00.004-04:00

It has been a busy few weeks here in the Guatemamatwo house. Alex had some really neat things going on at school. The week after the Mother's Day Tea was the first grade sharing program. It was a 30 min show that was so wonderful. All the kids sang and danced complete with props. All the kids came to the microphone and spoke about what they wanted to do this summer. Let's just say that I cried. The picture of Alex and I is right after the show. This past week was the first grade zoo. All the kids have been researching animals complete with reports and the wonderful zoo set up on the school lawn. As you can see Alex was a tiger. They had large red buttons to press on the posters when you wanted to learn animal facts. Imagine 100 such cute ones and you get the idea. Last week was also Alex's first crossover ceremony with Cub scouts. He is officially working on his wolf rank and will be considered a 2nd grader for the summer activities. Anika is doing great and we have been spending some time at our wonderful park and the children's garden.

Only 7 more days of first grade for Alex. This week is the class picnic. That should be a riot. 100 first graders and their families. Hopefully I can get some pictures while chasing Anika among the melee!!

Mother's Day First Grade Tea

2009-05-08T20:36:00.005-04:00

What a special time I had with Alex today at school. It was the First Grade Mother's Day Tea. Alex made me a hand painted tile and wrote a poem complete with a picture of me. All the kids read their poems in front of the class. After having tea and cookies we were treated to a slide show of all the pictures his wonderful teacher has taken this year. It was such a treat to spend time alone with Alex and spend some time at school. Tomorrow we are going to boy scouts and then to his school festival.

Anika is talking more and more and just blooming like a little flower. It seems like she is changing by the day now.

Love

2009-05-05T19:05:00.002-04:00

My new favorite picture of the kids.

This moment was so special. We were at the zoo on Sunday and having a great time. The kids had walked hand in hand for a while and then the Zoo train came by. Alex was showing Anika the train and I love the look on her face. What a great moment.

Of course they fight like any other brother and sister but they do have such a neat relationship.

Memory Lane

2009-04-27T13:21:00.003-04:00

Spring has finally come to Ohio! It has been so warm and I feel like I am out of a long winter hibernation. With both kids having birthdays in the past few weeks it seems like time is flying by. With that in mind I went back to look at some old pictures. I found these from April/May 2006. Alex had just turned four. Look at how much my boy has changed in three years.

Anika has been loving loving getting outside and playing again finally. Cute pictures of my little lady to come soon.. Hopefully.. :)

TWO

2009-04-17T12:13:00.002-04:00

My Dearest Anika! Today you are two years old. You are growing up so fast. It seems like you are able to do something new everyday now. You are a sweet sweet girl with a heart of gold. I love the look on your face everyday when I walk into your room in the morning. I love the way you hug, kiss and follow Alex around whenever you can. You have a wicked sense of humor. At dinner you go around the table pointing saying "Dada, Awek, then you get to me and laugh and say "not you" then you laugh and laugh. You are such a treasure and I am thankful that I am your mommy! xoxoxoxoxoxo Mom

Birthday Fun At The School Art Show

2009-03-28T10:30:00.002-04:00

Thursday night was Alex's art show at school. Every student had a piece of artwork displayed in the hall. We had such a good time looking at his spider and the artwork that his friends made. I was so glad he was able to go back to school after being sick the first part of the week. He was so excited to take his birthday treat in and to have us all come for the art show. It was great that we didn't have to miss it. In the 2nd picture Anika is down the hall with Jens in her little pink camo coat. :) She was so happy to go IN to the school and hang out with Alex. It was cute. After the show we went home for cupcakes and more DS playing. Alex has been asking for one and we decided that he was ready for one. I might be blogging more now that he has Club Penguin on his DS and not only on line.

Seven

2009-03-26T09:37:00.003-04:00

My dearest Alex, Today you are SEVEN! I am so proud of you. You are getting to be such a big kid right before my eyes. It seems like this past year just flew by. You are such a kind and loving kid. You are the best big brother to Anika. She is lucky that she will have you by her side. I am a lucky lucky Mom to have you as my son. I am so proud of you and all that you have done this past year. You have done great here and made so many friends since we moved. You are doing great in school. I love spending time with you and seeing you play with your friends. I was not there when you were born seven years ago but my heart and love was with you on that day and always will be. I wish that you will someday have a son and know the joy that I feel each and every day. All my love to you today and Always!!!!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Mom

2009-02-10T20:52:00.004-05:00

Anika's family day celebration was a blast. I went to a local specialty store and got some good Enchiladas and black bean dip. Alex was thrilled with the meal and asked to have it for his family day meal in August. Anika was THRILLED with the balloon she was given at the store and with us singing "Happy Adoption Day" to her. We gave her a few gifts and spent the rest of the evening playing with her Dora phone and baby dolls. Alex was so thrilled and happy for Anika. It was really special.

Friday night was Alex's first pinewood derby with Cub Scouts. It was so much fun to see how excited he was as the race was about to start. He won his first heat. We were all so excited. It lasted until almost 10pm so I didn't stay for very much. Anika had a lot of fun playing with all the cub scouts until the race started and loved dancing to the music they played during the race. Let's get ready to rumble.....

One Year Ago

2009-02-02T14:10:00.004-05:00

It was a year ago today that we met Anika in Guatemala for the first time! It is so hard to believe it has been a year already. It was a very surreal moment walking off the elevator and seeing Anika in her foster mothers arms. Today we will celebrate this day and Anika's first family day.

Anika we love you so very much. I love the way you smile and laugh most all the time. You have a zest for life that is wonderful. I love how you adore your brother and he you. I love how you dance and jump for joy when you hear music. You have brought so much to our family and we are so thankful for you.

HAPPY FAMILY DAY!!!
xoxoxooxo
Mom Dad and Alex

Together

2009-01-11T22:22:00.006-05:00

Alex and Anika are spending more and more time together. It is such an amazing thing to see their relationship grow. Tonight Alex was showing Anika how to use her Tadoodles Art Station that she got from her Grandma. He is very patient and caring with her. She adores him like no one else. Alex has Spanish this year as part of his school day. He has a 15 minute Spanish time twice a week. He has learned so much already this year. He is now counting with Anika and teaching her body parts and colors. He started doing this on his own and I am trying to get him to teach me. He seems to like to talk to Anika in Spanish alone. It is like a shared secret between them. I am really Thankful for both of my wonderful precious kids.

Happy New Year

2009-01-06T12:20:00.002-05:00

Wishing you all a happy and wonderful 2009! I can not believe it is 2009 already. It seems like only a few months since we were in Guatemala with Anika. It really has been almost a year. The kids had such fun with these hats last week. We had a nice trip to celebrate Christmas with Dad, Nana ,Grandpa Joe, Uncle Adam and my great Aunt Bev on Sunday. I will have to get a movie done at some point. Right now I wanted to get something new on here while Anika is napping. Can I say that I LOVE that she naps in her crib FINALLY! Thanks to my cousin Sarah over Thanksgiving. I saw how her sweet one went to bed in the pack in play in a strange house in the middle of the party and thought well Anika MUST be able to sleep in her crib at home. She was going to bed at night great in her crib but naps were a mess. Now I feel so much more in control of my life with a bit of time during the day and the house is cleaner too. :)

Speaking of the house, my oh my this house we bought has been a money pit since we moved in. I got home today after taking Alex to school to find the heat not working. $600 dollars later we have a new motor in the furnace as we speak. Since July we had to have the A/C fixed when a line broke and flooded the basement and we had a sewer back up down there not long after. I miss our old house like crazy and miss our small happy town in PA and this is not helping.

So much to be thankful for though so I will focus on all the great blessings in my life. Alex and Anika top the list.

A Special Christmas

2008-12-29T22:17:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful time with the kids this year. Just to have Anika here this year was such a special gift. She really enjoyed opening her gifts. Christmas Eve we had our family of four Christmas. It was really fun to see the kids so happy. Anika had a bawl and even wore the HO HO HO Jammi's that Alex wore when he was one on Christmas. It is the little things like that that I love. She made a sled out of a box herself and asked Alex to pull her around the house. It was so precious. After the gifts were opened and the cookies left for Santa. Alex went out and left food for the reindeer as is our tradition. Anika will have to start this next year since I forgot about it until she was already sleeping. I felt bad but Alex enjoyed doing it since he was the big kid so all was not lost. Christmas morning was fun seeing how excited they both got about Santa's gifts or "ho ho" as Anika calls him. Jens was sick so we had to postpone our trip to see Grandpa and Nana. We had a quiet day here enjoying the kids. We had a wonderful day with Grandma Pappy and Uncle Adam yesterday. We are really making the fun last this year. I had so many pictures that I decided to make a movie. This is only pre-Christmas and the 24Th and 25Th. I think the Grandparent's special days will be part 2. We are all very blessed and thankful. Wishing you all happy days.
Tracy

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2008-12-18T09:17:00.003-05:00

I wanted to finally get back to this long silent blog. I have missed it. It seems that having two kids and one that likes to be up from 1-4 am for some reason is harder than I thought it was going to be.

We are getting ready for the holiday's. Alex's last day of school is Friday and he is so excited about Santa coming. The tree is up and he has told Santa what he wants.

I will have to catch up with the pictures. Alex loves winter and getting all ready to go outside. The picture is one of his latest creations. Happy Holidays!

Outside

2008-11-13T21:13:00.003-05:00

Halloween Pictures Finally

2008-11-13T10:42:00.003-05:00

We had a nice time going out on Halloween. The kids were happy and Alex got two buckets filled. He has candy to last until next Halloween at this rate. Anika had her first taste of Mini M n M's and was thrilled to just ride along and eat and point at all the cats she could find. She fell asleep and missed the last half of the night.

The big kid in the house

2008-10-24T20:59:00.003-04:00

It is hard to believe that Alex is already done with three months of first grade. He is doing great and has made friends. Other than school he is in boy scouts and we are all really enjoying that a lot. I never realized how involved I could be in it. I thought it was a father/son activity only. It is really for the family as a whole. Lot of good times to be had. Last Friday while he had a day off of school we went to the playground and he made this "campfire" out of sticks and leaves. He amazes me with his creativity all the time. He also spends a lot of time outside in the playset mixing up things and making "potions". He has a huge interest in science right now. Just a few new pictures of him that I wanted to share. It is a bit bittersweet how independent his is getting this year. I know this is only the beginning.

Happy Girl

2008-10-24T20:46:00.002-04:00

Anika was so happy today when I got the crayons out and gave her a piece of paper. I have tried before but today was the first time she had interest in doing anything other than eating the crayons. She was so excited. We were at the little kids table where Alex usually does his homework and I am guessing she was thrilled to be writing there with me like her beloved brother does. When she was done she put the crayons down and waved goodbye to them. SO CUTE.

More Weekend Fun

2008-10-13T20:40:00.003-04:00

On Sunday after the camping trip we all went to a fall festival here in our neighborhood. Alex was really excited about the chance to wear his Halloween costume in the kids parade. Anika was less than thrilled with her cat attire. After marching around the park following the high school band it was time for the bounce house and slide. Anika loved the little slide in the park and is now climbing the stairs and sliding herself!

Weekend Fun

2008-10-13T20:29:00.002-04:00

This weekend was a first for our family. It was Alex's Fall Cub Scout camp out. Very early on saturday we hit the road for the trip to the camp. It was a great day. Anika and I stayed until late afternoon and then left for home after it was clear that Anika was not going to shut her eyes for even a minute and risk missing the fun. The boys stayed overnight and were home before lunch on Sunday. Alex had a blast with some of his new friends and can't wait to go again next year. It did my heart such good to see him with his friends from school and see that he has made some good friends here in the short time since school started.

Playing Together

2008-10-03T19:54:00.002-04:00

I am having so much fun watching Alex and Anika play together. Alex is a wonderful big brother and the majority of the time is really nice and loving with Anika. She adores him and follows him around the house now hoping for a spin on her little big wheel. Alex had his first cub scout meeting this month, his Halloween costume is all ready to go and Anika is loving being outside and playing with sticks and leaves. We have starting to hang out in the front yard after dropping Alex off at school in the morning. She just beams the whole time. Have a great weekend.

We are still here and She did it!

2008-09-27T22:19:00.002-04:00

Wow it has been such a long time since I have posted anything. I have thought of about 20 posts in my head during the day and then by the time I am able to get to the computer at night I am just beat. I have a lot to catch up on but for now some pictures from today...

She did it! Anika was happy and into getting her picture taken at the studio. We have tried 3 times before and she was always terrified. They took 99 different shots and boy was it hard to choose. We finally have our yearly picture that we take every August around Alex's family day. This year we are a bit late but I think it turned out great. I wanted to post a few of my favorite shots.

The last few weeks have been really busy. Shortly after our visit with our Guatemama friends Jens parents came to visit. It was the first time they had the chance to see Anika making it a special visit. During the two weeks they were here. Hurricane Ike or what was left of it blew through and left our area largely without power. We were lucky and were only without for a few hours but just a few streets over many were out for over a week! Alex's school was in the hard hit area and he had an unexpected week off of school. Things are getting back to normal now. Anika is starting to talk more and now is into climbing everything that she can. I will post more often I hope and thanks for still checking in on us.
Tracy

A great day

2008-09-02T19:44:00.005-04:00

On Saturday we got to meet some of our blogging friends in person. It was really a pleasure to spend the day with Nicole and Dominic www.nikicoli.blogspot.com and Steph, Jason and Eli! www.journeytoeli.blogspot.com

It was emotional to see Dominic, Eli and Anika all in the same house playing together. There were days late last fall when we wondered if any of the babies would be here. Thankfully those days are behind us all and we have a lifetime of enjoying our kids to look forward too. It was so fun to see everyone in person after reading about them for over a year. Both boys are adorable and I can't wait until we can do it again. Thank you Nicole for a great time and all the work you did getting ready for us.

This is the best group shot that I have. Anika was so mad that I took her away from Eli and Dominic she was going from one to the other and hugging them. Maybe we will take one first next time.

How neat is this to have all 3 in the same picture..

All 4 kids in one picture. Alex loved the pool.

It was really a neat day and I look forward to seeing you all again.

First Grade

2008-08-27T20:58:00.003-04:00

It is hard to believe that my baby boy is in first grade. Alex started at his new school last week. I was so proud of him on the big first day. He was nervous being new here and not having a buddy in his class. He walked into school with his head high and sat at his desk. I waived from the door and Anika and I walked home as fast as I could go. I didn't want to cry on the way back. He was so brave and I know it was hard for him. He had a great first day and loves his new school. He is already making some good friends. The other day when I asked who he played with at recess he said " oh you know mom the same old, same old" That is my Alex. He really does go with the flow. He has made friends with a girl in his class that was adopted from China as an infant. How neat is that? Having him love his new school is such a blessing. It is easy to send him when he is so excited and I know he likes being there. I also think this part of town is going to be like our wonderful small town we just left in time. The first day of school all the kids along our way to school were running and hugging each other and everyone seemed to really know each other. It made the walk hard for us last week but I kept telling Alex that soon you will have lots of friends here too.

Anika is doing great. She was 16 months old a few weeks ago and is starting to blossom. She is having a ball playing with me while Alex is at school. The first day she just kept saying "awek awek awek" to herself in such a sad little voice. Picking him up is still the highlight of her day. She is starting to run now and says a new word or two everyday. This weekend we are going on a little trip to visit with some of our blogging friends with Guatemalan children. I am so excited. I hope to get some good pictures to post too. Here are a few pictures from FIRST GRADE I just can't get over it and Anika's new dew...

A wonderful day

2008-08-12T21:50:00.004-04:00

Alex and I had a wonderful day at the Children's Garden here in town! This place is amazing and there is so much for kids to do. We spent all day there. A big huge thank you to my Mom who is watching Anika for 5 days so Alex and I can run all over town and do 6 year old things all day before he starts FIRST GRADE next week. I really really appreciate having this time with Alex. It has been a busy stressful summer with the move. Alex will be in school again and then Anika will have tons of time we just me. I am looking forward to that too. Alex and I went to the Kids Museum all day yesterday and are hitting the pool tomorrow. I made a short slide show of our day. Enjoy the pictures...

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Snapshots

2008-08-02T22:06:00.001-04:00

Fun

2008-07-20T21:10:00.003-04:00

We had a fun weekend enjoying what our new home has to offer. On Saturday we went to the Children's Museum. Alex was thrilled to see the Dino display. Anika was very happy too and loved the animals. After that we went to a Latin American restaurant. It was great complete with music. Alex beamed the whole time. The third picture is him in the restaurant. We have decided it will be our special occasion place. Alex has already said that he wants to go there for his adoption day meal. We were so full and it was still early so we decided to hit the arboretum for a walk. They have a butterfly house this time of the year and the kids loved this bench. The house was closed for the night so we will have to go back. Today we hung around the house and just played and watched TV. Later in the afternoon we hit the park with the splash pad that Alex just goes crazy for. Anika was brave today and even walked through the water. It was a really nice weekend and I am excited about all there is to do here. I still feel a bit like we are on vacation and I don't think it will hit me we live here now until school starts. I hope Alex loves his school here as much as he did in our old town. He had so much fun and was so happy there.

Coming up for air....

2008-07-15T14:06:00.004-04:00

The last two weeks have been a blur. We are in our new house and getting settled. Anika was not happy at all the first two days but now seems to be adjusting to her new home. Alex was sad the first night and cried for our old house but since then has been excited about his new swing set and the wonderful "splash park" around the corner from the house etc.... It is a big change and we will really miss the friends we made the last two years and small town living. There is so much more to say but I am still trying to process this all myself. I will miss our old town and I also am looking forward to what this bigger area has to offer.

We had a great family visit over the 4th while we were mid move. So far no offers on the house...

ANIKA IS WALKING!

Tall?

2008-06-30T10:40:00.003-04:00

That is not a word we are used to much in this house. Alex just had his 6 year apt last week and was in the 3rd percentile for his age. He has been in this range since he was 4 months old so nothing to be concerned about. He is very healthy and for that we are thankful. This morning was Anika's turn. Imagine my surprise when the nurse says " wow you have a tall one" Anika is in the 70Th percentile for height at this point. She is also healthy and we have been so blessed twice....Here are a few pictures of our big girl..

Look at me

2008-06-27T11:13:00.003-04:00

I am on a horse with my big brother! Last night we went to a friends house and Alex and Anika got to ride on their horse. Alex loved it and then was so excited to ride with Anika. Thanks to our friends for a great time! Anika has been looking at these pictures and squealing all morning.

Favorite Pictures of the Week

2008-06-22T10:25:00.004-04:00

It has been a great and busy week in the Guatemamatwo house. We visited with friends on Tues and Thursday. Our six month post placement visit was done on Wends. Mon we spent the afternoon out in the backyard playing with the slip and slide. We had 3 showings of the house in the midst of it all. We have another showing tomorrow and an open house Thursday night. Anika is doing really well and has taken off this week walking behind her push-toy hippo. Thank you Jackie she loves it. Alex is enjoying summer and looking forward to going to space camp at the Y next week. Here are a few of my favorite pictures....

We are still here

2008-06-19T19:38:00.003-04:00

We are still here just not blogging very much lately. We did go to our new/old town the weekend before last and found a nice house. I am very happy about the house. I really hope it doesn't take to long to sell our house here. I am still sad about leaving. We have made some great friends here. Today we met with our friends who's boys are also from Guatemala. It was so special to find them here when we moved in. I am going to really miss them. We went through two adoptions together. Both of the little one's have come home within the time we have lived here. Take a look at these four...

Last Day of School

2008-06-05T23:24:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is Alex's last day of Kindergarten. I am amazed that the year is over. What a year he has had. I could not have asked for anything better for him. Many Thanks to his teacher for all that she did for him and us. That is all that I am going to say on the blog but this wonderful year at school makes it all the harder to get in the car and go house hunting a state away tomorrow. I am hoping that I will be excited when I get there. As much as I love Anika I am super super excited to have a day and a half away even if we are running in an out of houses all day. I forgot how hard it can be with a 13 month old at times. She has started hitting and biting and pinching this week WHENEVER she doesn't get her way. I am tired....

OK now for the pictures! These are from about a month ago. I came downstairs and found Alex reading Anika's books to her. :) She was so happy when he gave her the book when he was done. They are so cute..... I will let you know how the house hunt turns out. Thank you for the great advice on how to help Alex with the move!!

Big choices and Big changes..

2008-05-29T20:05:00.000-04:00

Sorry that I haven't posted in such a long time. Thank you Bobbi for your nice comment and checking up on us. The kids are both healthy and doing fine. We have just been wrestling with a big decision the past few weeks. In the end we decided late last week that we need to move back to where we were living two years ago. It is seven hours from where we live now and it means leaving a nice friendly small town where we have made some really good friends. The hardest thing for me is it means Alex leaving his school that we both LOVED so much this year. Jens job has not been what we expected when we moved here two years ago and we had hoped things would change or we would find a way to make it work. In the end it is not to be. I am very excited about living in a bigger city with all that brings again. We will be about 2 hrs away from Grandparents again so that will be great.

I have to say that I am so proud of Alex. I was literally sick to my stomach for two days waiting for Jens to give notice so we could tell Alex and "go public". This is a very small close nit town so we had to wait. Well we told him and he was very excited listing the things he missed doing that we did there. He has cried a few tears realizing that he won't be on the playground with his friends here in first grade etc...Oh how that hurts to see him hurt. I would give a lot for him to be able to stay. I do know that once we get there and he sees some friends from Preschool again and meets his class next year he will be OK. I am so proud of him and how well he is doing. So that is what is up in the Guatemama Two household. Anyone have any advice on how to handle a move with a 6 year old? I just pray that this is the last move and that he can spend his school years in one place from now on.

It just seems this roller coaster of a ride we have been on this past year is never ending. Hope this is it for a while. I am getting motion sickness.

13 Months Old Today

2008-05-17T20:49:00.000-04:00

Time just seems to be flying by since Feb. I can not believe that Anika is 13 Months today. In the last week since I posted last she has learned how to drink from a straw and today she walked AlONE behind a push toy for the first time. She has been able to for a while but was afraid unless someone held her back. Today she walked slowly across the living room holding on alone. It won't be long until she is a walker. I didn't get a picture but I hope to tomorrow. She only did it once and I was too busy cheering. We all were and I think we scared her so she stopped.

Alex is doing great. I can't believe that his Kindergarten year is almost over. Time just needs to slow down a little for me. He has been enjoying the "warmer" weather that we have had the past few weeks and spending tons of time outside in the trees. His latest favorite thing is to catch bugs and butterflies with his bug net and look at them in his bug trapper. Today he went to a birthday party and was so excited that spider man showed up.

Referral Day

2008-05-10T19:57:00.000-04:00

One year ago today we saw Anika's face for the first time. We knew that we were finally near the top of the waiting list for an infant girl. We had been officially waiting since Jan. There is something very surreal about the phone call where you first learn about your baby. It was the same with Alex. I have the notes that I took for both of them and I can hardly read them I was shaking so badly both times. I remember waiting for the email to come with Anika's pictures. What a rush of emotions opening the email and seeing this.....

I can't put it in words the way I wish I could but I just want to say with both kids I just "knew" they were my babies. It has been a hard year but one that I would live again to have Anika with us. We are really blessed to have both kids and I think all the time about the families that are still waiting.

3 Months

2008-05-08T09:50:00.001-04:00

Three Months ago today we came home from Guatemala and were a family of 4 for the first time all in the same place. What a moment it was to see Alex get off the bus that day. He ran home and ran right up the stairs to look at Anika who was asleep in her crib. Within minutes they were sitting on the floor together and playing. It was a dream come true for me. On the one hand it seems like time has flown since then. On the other hand it is hard to believe it has only been three months. Anika is such a part of us it seems like she has always been here. Two different people made comments to me yesterday saying how "lucky" Anika is. What they don't realize is that WE are the lucky ones.

Weekend in Pictures

2008-05-05T13:16:00.001-04:00

FFF

2008-05-02T16:19:00.000-04:00

It's the small things...

2008-05-01T21:04:00.000-04:00

that really make me emotional. Our daily walk to the bus stop to get Alex is one. When I put Anika in her stroller in the afternoon she says "bus" or sometimes "brow wa" She gets so excited when I tell her that "yes it is time for your brother to come home" It is so fun to hear her start to babble with happiness. When she sees the bus she often screams "BUS" and starts to bounce up and down. Seeing the two of them in those first few minutes after he gets off the bus is really such a joy. Alex waited with us for his "baby sister" and is just as happy as we are to have her in the family. I am just so proud of him. He is a great big brother. I will miss these daily reunions when summer comes.

Weekend Fun

2008-04-29T14:34:00.001-04:00

We had a great weekend with Grandma and Pappy. We had another birthday party for Anika and Alex even lost his first tooth!!

Nothing I like better....

2008-04-24T21:46:00.000-04:00

than to see the joy of discovery on my kids faces. It still amazes me how much fun it really is to see them learn and grow. Last Sunday at the nature center was one of those special times. I had so much fun watching Alex's joy and excitement seeing and touching the animals. The snakes, salamanders, spiders and even a deer were perfect for him. I managed to stand there and take pictures while he held the snakes. :) Growth for us both and happy memories.

Anika update

2008-04-23T08:45:00.000-04:00

Anika is doing much much better and has even started eating normal food again! We are so happy and thankful that she is on the upswing. I forgot how scary it is when little one's are sick like that. I don't think Alex was sick like that until he was older. Maybe he was and I don't remember but I doubt it. :) Thank you all for your get well wishes for her!!!!

She is really growing and changing by leaps and bounds these days. She is pulling up consistently on things and starting to cruise the furniture. She is crawling on her knees and doesn't scoot as much anymore. She has learned to roll over but doesn't really like to do it. I am thinking that I really don't need to have Early Intervention come for the big evaluation next week after all. Language wise she is using 4 or 5 words and signs more and bird. I can tell that she understands much more than she used to also. We are so lucky to have her as a part of our family!

Birthday Pictures

2008-04-21T20:17:00.000-04:00

Anika loved her birthday cupcake. We are going to do it again with family the next few weekends. Since then it has been a hard time for the birthday girl. She has some kind of stomach bug and has been really sick. Today she has kept some pedialite, bananas and rice cereal down. I sure hope this is the turning point. Alex and I did get out to the nature center again on Sunday. They had an animal exhibit for earth day and he got to see and touch some neat animals. The highlight for him was holding the snakes. I have some neat pictures of that trip that I hope to post soon. Hard to believe that Anika is one. Happy Birthday Sweet Girl.

Happy First Birthday Anika!!

2008-04-17T03:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday sweet one! Today you are a year old! I love the way your face lights up when you see your brother. I love the way you shake with happiness when you are able to let us know what you want and need. I love the way you hug me and say Mamamamamama. We all love you and are so happy that you are with us today as we celebrate your first full year of life. We love you more than words can say.
xoxoxoxo
Mommy, Daddy and Alex (who has the best name of us all for you "sweet girl")

Spring is here!

2008-04-16T21:30:00.000-04:00

After Alex got home from school we decided to go out and enjoy the warm weather. I told him to go ahead and I would get Anika ready. When I came out I found him on the blanket reading his favorite book in the sun. Anika was so excited to sit on the blanket with him and rediscover the grass. It was a really nice time with both of them. Such a simple moment that filled me with joy. Alex and I talked for so long about " when your sister is here we will..." and this was one of the things we talked about. Happy!!

I Love My Big Brother

2008-04-15T13:45:00.000-04:00

Just pictures today. These are a few of my favorites.

WOW

2008-04-12T21:09:00.000-04:00

Look what I can do! Isn't this an amazing picture of Anika. This picture is so her. The world is totally amazing to her and she learns so much every day. She has made such progress in the last few weeks. If only she would sleep at night. She has started to pull up on things and her language has exploded. She signed "more food" today and says 5-6 words. This week is her big first birthday! We are so excited to see her dig into her cake and are so thankful she is here with us for her big day.

Big brother Alex is doing great. He was sick this week but is now feeling much better. Today we went to a "kids fair" and had so much fun. He got a boat building kit. Here is his finished cruise ship.

Have a great weekend..

All dressed up..

2008-04-07T11:41:00.000-04:00

We took the kids to get a family picture yesterday. I got some great one's of Alex. Anika was not into it at all. I think she was afraid of the big moving camera. Here are a few that I took with our camera while we waited. I will scan the one's that I bought from the studio when they come in. Happy Monday

Alex and Anika have been Tagged

2008-04-02T14:40:00.000-04:00

A and A have been tagged by Cassie,Krista and Reese www.bobbi-partyoffive.blogspot.com and Eli www.journeytoeli.blogspot.com. They need to list 10 things about themselves and then Tag a few friends.

Alex

1. I want to be a Palentologist when I grow up.
2. I am Mayan and so proud of being from Guatemala. I was disapointed at first that Mom and Dad didn't take me along when they went to adopt Anika but they promised we will all go together as a family in a few years. I had a blast with my Grandma that week!
3.I am a dinosaur expert! I have a huge collection and can tell you a lot about all the different kinds that used to be alive.
4. I have been taking Tae Kwon doe for a year now and I am a yellow belt. I have almost earned my second green stripe toward the green belt.
5. I love Pizza and PB&J
6. Bionicles are my absolute favorite thing to play with. ( I am holding some in the picture of me and Mom)
7. I am in Kindergarten and I can read on my own now. I really like that I can and I love school.
8. I love Magic Tree House books. I love it when Mom or Dad reads them to me. Sometimes we even read the whole thing at once.
9 Planet Hero's are so fun. I have almost the whole set. I am saving up for Sun. He is one of the new one's and is really big!
10. Animal Planet is my new favorite TV channel. I love to see and learn about the animals

Anika

1. I will be a year old on the 17th.
2. I love my brother. He always makes me laugh and smile. I clap and get so excited when I see the big yellow thing with wheels coming because I know now that Alex comes out when they stop.
3. I love to play peek-a-boo and so big.
4. I like to walk around the house with Mom or Dad holding my hands. I get mad sometimes because they don't want to do it all day. I can not understand why not.
5. I can say MaMa Dada, browa, up, diaper and more.
6. I can not roll over from my front to back or back to front. Mom says that it is important so people are coming to the house to help me learn how. I can scoot all over and am getting faster. I want to keep up with my brother.
7. Yesterday I was laying down and I sat up all by myself. Mommy was so excited I think I might do it again today. She was funny.
8. I love to eat. I want to eat whatever my brother has. Pizza and cauliflower are two of my favorite. NOODLES!! YUMMY
9. I am tickelish under my chin
10.I love to sit and rock on my rocking horse. He plays music and makes funny noises when I move. My Playhouse Disney CD is fun too. I like to listen to it when I play on the floor with my toys. I dance sitting down and my Mom Dad and Alex like to dance with me.

We tag Julianna www.thefoxscub.blogspot.com and Jayden www.bandgwilliamson.blogspt.com

Alex and the Simba Cake

2008-03-31T20:58:00.000-04:00

I am finally back to blogging. It has been a busy time around here. I was just looking at my pictures and realized that I have a few from Good Friday that I want to post. I am that far behind. Last week right after Easter Anika got bronchitis. I took her to the Dr last Monday thinking she had an ear infection. Nope bronchitis. She was doing well until about Thursday and it has been hard on her since then. Thankfully she is on the upswing. Alex woke up this morning with a fever so I kept him home today. Keeping my fingers crossed for him. Easter weekend Grandma Connie and Pappy came for a visit. We celebrated Alex's birthday with them on Saturday and Easter on Sunday. I have so many great pictures that I want to post from our weekend also but first "Alex and the Simba Cake"

On the 26th Alex's actual birthday we planned a quiet "family of four" dinner and cake-presents kind of evening. First let me say how fun it is to finally type family of four. WOW! We have dinner and we have fun watching him open his gifts. Time for the Simba Cake! He very carefully puts the "6" in just the right spot on the cake and I light it. As we are singing I am thinking "he is leaning over kind of far I should tell him not to." As soon as I think this he lifts his head and I see his hair SMOKING! I panic and yell " YOUR HAIR IS ON FIRE" as I dive over the table. He takes off running down the hall yelling "STOP DROP AND ROLL" as loud as he can. I chase him down and then manage to rub out the smoldering fire in his hair. THANK GOODNESS he was not hurt. It really was scary for a few seconds there. Never a dull moment around here lately.

Looking forward catching up on everyone's blogs soon. I will post more pictures in the next few days. THANK YOU for all the wonderful comments and Birthday wishes for Alex on my last post!

6 Years Old!!!!!!!

2008-03-24T08:40:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!!!!!!!

Today you are 6 years old. I love you more than the sun, more than the moon, more than the stars, more than the universe. I am so proud of you zee zee. You are such a nice kid and so smart. I love how much you cherish your sister. I love your sense of humor and how you care so much about every living thing. I was not there 6 years ago when you were born but I was already waiting and dreaming about you. You were born in my heart and will always be my son. I am so thankful everyday that I am your Mom.
xoxoxoxoxo
Mom

Anika's Favorite Things.....

2008-03-21T14:38:00.000-04:00

Plastic Easter Eggs
Boo-Bah
Her Big Brother

I am feeling so lucky right now. Happy Easter

Picture Post

2008-03-20T09:43:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday we went to a local nature center. This is one of Alex's favorite places. The exhibit has been the same for a while but I love how he is always excited. He loves to learn about anything. Anika has learned to blow kisses this week. Super Super cute. I LOVE and am so thankful that she is now initiating affection on her own. In the bottom picture she was playing peek-a-boo with the blue bowl.

11 Months

2008-03-16T20:40:00.000-04:00

HAPPY 11 MONTHS ANIKA!
We love you!
Mom Dad and Alex

Friday Flashback

2008-03-13T21:50:00.000-04:00

I am feeling kind of sad that Alex will be 6 in less than two weeks! Where has the time gone. It seems like it was just yesterday he was as small as Anika and totally dependent on us. Now he is in school all day and reading! I was looking through all my old pictures tonight and found a few that I wanted to post. These two are from October and November of 2003. Alex was 18 and 19 months old in these pictures. What I find the most amazing are his facial expressions. That is how he still looks when he is happy. I am so glad that some things don't change. I love you Alex!! Mom

One Stroller two kids

2008-03-11T20:52:00.000-04:00

Ok Alex is almost six and is long long past a stroller but he really enjoyed playing with Anika's this weekend. The stroller spent time in our basement last week drying out after I left it out in the snow. It made it's way upstairs where Alex got a hold of it and pretended he was the mailman bringing Anika her toys. While he and Jens were at the local musical I set Anika in it in the living room and she read her books. :) Too cute.

This is Anika after I put on Sesame Street. I think she must have seen this in Guatemala with her foster family. She was THRILLED. Definite Joy to see that show. Ok we watched about 10 min. Big Bird is a favorite. I so wish she could tell me what else she likes and probably misses and not just TV. What a change this little sweet thing is dealing with.

This is Alex and his snapdragon egg. I hope we will have a pretty flower to post in 10 days or so. He came home from school and went right to check on it. He was right that we needed to add more water and he took care of it. I love seeing him with projects like this. He is getting so big.

FFF

2008-03-07T14:17:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this week! Anika is doing so much better. I can tell that she is so much happier than even last week. The picture of her in her walker in the bathroom with Alex I just love. She follows him everywhere in that thing. He was showing her how he brushes his teeth before school. :)

Anika meets her Grandpa and Nana

2008-03-03T19:10:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend. Anika got to meet her Grandpa and Nana. Alex had fun swimming in the hotel pool and having a family snowball fight in the back yard. Thanks to Dad and Suzanne for making the trip up.

Things with Anika are getting better. Last night she slept from 7:30-6:00 only waking at 10:30 and 3:30. She went to bed fairly easily each time without the grieving that we have been seeing. It has only been a little more than a month with us and she is making big progress. This morning when she woke up we put her in our bed. She looked at the door and started YELLING "bro wa" "bro wa"! She was calling Alex. :) I melted.. He was still sleeping and had a 2 hr delay to the start of school today. We told her that "brother is sleeping" acting out the sleeping complete with snoring sounds. She looked disappointed and then starting playing with her toys. SO SO CUTE!

FFF

2008-02-29T16:33:00.000-05:00

I love this picture because it shows Alex's love of all things Magic Tree house. I am so thankful that he loves to read and loves school and books as much as he does.

This is Anika prehaircut eating her favorite food. NOODLES....

Sleep and a Smile

2008-02-27T10:42:00.000-05:00

Anika just woke up from a 2 hour nap with a smile on her face. :) YEA!!!Ok it most likely helped that I held her and she didn't wake up in her crib that she is not really fond of but I will take it just the same. She is still the happiest when Alex is here. It is so fun to see them together. Enjoy the pictures...

3 Weeks

2008-02-25T19:58:00.001-05:00

As of yesterday Anika has been with us for 3 weeks and home for 2 weeks and 2 days. It is hard to believe that it has only been 3 weeks since the elevator doors opened on the third floor of the Marriott and there she was smiling in her foster mother's arms. It all seemed so surreal as we met with her foster family in the baby lounge asking all the questions we could possibly think of in a moment as monumental as that. It was a good thing we had been emailing back and forth in the weeks leading up to our trip and had most of the information we needed ahead of time because I was just in awe of Anika and in shock that this was really happening. After we said our goodbye's to her foster family we stayed in the lounge for a few minutes to collect our selves and then headed to the room. We were shocked at how little Anika grieved for her foster family in the days right after we met her. It was in direct contrast to Alex who although was much younger at 4 1/2 months was so very sad during our time in Guatemala. In fact Anika seemed not to be phased at all for the first week or so even when we returned home. We were beginning frankly to worry about her lack of grieving. Well I am happy to say that while it is so so hard to watch, Anika is now finally showing some signs of sadness. I am happy because this means she is now dealing with the huge change she has been through and starting to attach to us emotionally. She has started to wake up at night and sometimes after naps crying for "MAMA" and when she see's me is very very angry and distraught. It is not me that she is looking for but her foster Mother. She woke from a nap after Alex got home one day last week and Alex was so upset. "Why is she afraid of us Mommy?" Ok that about killed me. I tried to explain it and he ran and got a picture of Anika's foster Mom. My sweet sweet boy!!!! I have been working with Anika during the day and we are seeing good progress in her attachment. She woke up from 3 naps today SMILING!!!!!!!! :) So I wanted to post this since I know that there are waiting families that read my blog and I wanted to be truthful about our whole experience. Anika is really doing well considering that she was taken from the only family she had ever known 3 weeks ago at the age of 9 months. I am so thankful that we are so privileged to be her forever family! We love you Anika and we will never leave you. I know you don't believe that now but you will. Just ask your big brother! Love to you. Mommy,Daddy and Alex

First Haircut

2008-02-24T16:55:00.001-05:00

With Alex as the official photographer we set off to get Anika's first haircut today. It was so much fun. She loved the animals on the cape and Alex did a great job taking pictures and even a few movie clips.

Anika's new look...

New Pictures

2008-02-21T13:23:00.000-05:00

Ok everyone has one guess who she is looking at in the first picture! :) I found her shirt in the last picture at Old Navy. Perfect!! I got a few sizes so she is going to wear this one for a while. :)
Tracy

They really do LOVE each other....

2008-02-18T19:50:00.000-05:00

These are from Valentine's Day and just melt my heart. I really didn't get how neat it was going to be to see my two love each other. It still amazes me.

Standing is so much fun......

2008-02-17T21:03:00.000-05:00

Anika loves to stand! She was so excited when she stood holding onto the dinning room chair today! With Alex as her biggest cheerleader she did this for a good part of the evening. She wants to chase after him so badly and at this rate it won't be to long before she can. OH MY! This is how her hair looks when her ponytail and or clips have come out so many times we don't have the heart to redo them again since she HATES HATES it when we fix her hair. Have a great Monday!

18 Months

2008-02-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

This is Alex in August of 2006. This is one of many pictures we took looking for a neat way to announce that we were adopting again and he was going to have a little sister. On Friday shortly after we got home from visitng his kindergarten class I decided to find this shirt. The 2nd picture is Anika finally home and wearing the first piece of clothing I ever bought for her. THANKFUL.....

Our visit to school was so special. I know that I won't ever forget taking Anika there and the look on Alex's face and how excited he was. A special thanks to Alex's teacher for making it such a special time for us both. The kids sang "Love Grows" to us. It was a moment to cherish.

Another Adoption ????????

2008-02-16T20:35:00.000-05:00

I made blank copies of all our paperwork that we needed to take to the Embassy, just in case we had made a mistake and needed to redo something. When we got home the blank copies were still with our paperwork so when I unpacked I put it in Alex's pile of scrap paper for drawing, writing etc...Thinking of course that he would use the blank side. Fast forward to tonight shortly before dinner.. I found Alex on the floor of the dinning room very carefully writing P A N D A in the fist blank of one of the forms. When I told him it was time for dinner he says ...." I have lots of papers to fill out. Panda wants to go to Australia to adopt a dingo. " I stood for a second and then gave him a big hug. I told him that he could finish his adoption paperwork after dinner and he says " Good there is so much to be done just so much to be done. " He was home from school the 4 days before we left for Guatemala because of sickness and snow days so he was witness to my "so much to be done" frenzy.

Snow day

2008-02-14T13:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Alex had a snow day. It was also Jens first day back at work. I had a crash course in "parenting two kids". :) It is true what they say that two are harder than one. LOL It was fun though. Here are a few pictures of the day. Our neighbors were so nice to call and invite Alex out sledding with them for a while. Thank you! He had a ball. We also went to a friends for a while and he got to play over there. Today he is at school and Anika and I went to the Bank to visit Daddy and his friends. Tomorrow we are going to school to see big brother Alex and his friends. It has been a busy and good week. Sleep issues are getting much better!! Yea Anika! Alex got to sleep all night last night and he was so surprised this morning when he woke up. Take care
Tracy

Brother and Sister at last!

2008-02-11T20:04:00.000-05:00

I think watching Alex and Anika together has been the most joy I have ever had. I know that they will not always get along this perfectly but really the past few days have been amazing. The love goes both ways. Alex has been nothing short of stellar and always wants to play with and help his "baby sister" . Anika let out a squeal of joy when she saw him walking from the bus today. She looks for him at all times. It is amazing the positions she puts herself in to try and keep him in sight. If she fuses the tinyist bit he asks what is wrong and what we can do for her. WOW so far the 5 year age difference is working out great. Alex's only complaint has been that "she is so loud at night" I can not say that I blame him. Sleep has not come easy here the last few days. We are working on that... Thanks for all the comments, emails and love.
Tracy

FAMILY OF 4!!!!!

2008-02-09T13:15:00.000-05:00

Pure joy! That is the only way I can describe the last 24 hrs!! It is so amazing to have Alex and Anika together. I will let the pictures do the talking... I can't put this into words.... The last picture is from this morning and that is the look she gets when she see's her big brother. He was dancing around in front of the swing. The first picture is about 10 min after Alex got off the bus yesterday. WOW

Last post from Guatemala

2008-02-07T10:55:00.000-05:00

We are on the way to the airport in a hour or so. It has been a fast trip this time around. We are so excited to have Anika and Alex together at last. When we are home I hope to post more about our trip and all that we have done. Anika is doing better with every day. She is starting to bond with us more and more. She is upset if Mom is out of her sight. She has a big smile for Dad too. Alex did you see the Volcano??? See you on friday buddy!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxo MOM

We have her Visa

2008-02-06T20:18:00.000-05:00

We had such a wonderful day. We went swimming for the first time with Anika. Later in the day we met with our coordinator and got Anika's visa to enter the US. I hope that you enjoy the pictures. Thanks again for all the support.

Alex Anika is going to love love the walker! She was so happy to sit in one here in the baby room. We are so excited to see you on friday and to go to the Y. We can all swim together. I love you more than the moon!!! xoxoxo MOM

Embassy Day!

2008-02-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

Today was the day we have been waiting for. Our Embassy day. We are all set to come home on friday thanks to some hard work by my Mom. THANK YOU Mom. Thank you all for the wonderful comments and emails!! Going to try to put up a few pictures....See you soon.

Alex I am so so happy that you are having so much fun! I am proud of you. xoxoxoxo MOM

Pictures

2008-02-04T10:02:00.000-05:00

It has been a good day so far! We have been to breakfast and Anika is now taking her am nap. She really loved her first bath. She only has cried when she is tired and or hungry and likes to sit and play with toys. She is sitting well. Does not like to stand or put weight on her legs. She can't sit up or roll over but we are so thrilled with what a happy little spitfire she is. She is doing amazingly well for all the change she is dealing with. Her foster family are such wonderful wonderful people and I am so greatful. We are going to go out and do some shopping and enjoy the sun when she gets up. To everyone waiting hang in there. It is so so worth it.

Alex I love you!!!!!!!!!!!xoxoxoxoxoxox Mommy

Amazing Day!!!!!

2008-02-03T19:27:00.000-05:00

We are here and with Anika! Our trip was great and we met with her foster family 2 hrs after we got to the hotel. So far things are going so much better than I could have imagined. She has been happy and playing. She loves silly songs and games. I am in the "baby lounge" and I can't figure out how to do the pictures..... I am so sorry and hopefully will get some up tomorrow. She is already sleeping for the night.

I can't wait until friday when Alex finally see's her. Thank you all for everything and I will try to post again in the am with pictures.
Love from Guatemala with my girl
Tracy

Alex I am so happy that you are having so much fun with Grandma! I am so proud of you and I am so excited we have been able to talk so much. I am going to take a picture of the Volcanoe for you!!!!! Have fun at school I am glad you are all better. LOVE YOU MOM

Come on Sunday...

2008-01-31T18:13:00.001-05:00

These pictures just came to us today! I can't get my head around the idea that I get to hold her on Sunday and every day after! WOW This week has gone a lot faster than I expected. Alex has been sick and home from school the last 3 days. He has a cold and a fever so nothing serious thankgoodness. I was stressed thinking that I wasn't going to be ready to go on Saturday. Once I sat down and made a final list I realized really cleaning and getting a few groceries are the only things left to be done. Now that we are down to the wire I am glad I got this time with Alex. Too bad I did not have that mindset Tues or Wends when I was stressed thinking I had so much to do. We got all the major projects ready last Saturday before we went to the water park so we are in good shape. Man I am shaking looking at these pictures. I can't imagine how I will be on Sunday!

Water Park

2008-01-28T09:19:00.000-05:00

We took Alex to a local water park yesterday for a family fun day. It was so much fun. Our last trip as a family of 3. Less than a week until we are an official family of 4! The suitcases are all packed and ready to go. Alex is so excited about his Grandma coming to stay with him and seeing Anika finally. Life is good...

Thank you!

2008-01-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

First let me say how much fun the last 16 hours have been. We would
like to say THANK YOU to all of you for the emails, phone calls and blog comments. It has been a long long year and a half since we first started with our homestudy and you have supported us the whole way. For that we are thankful!

I also wanted to ask that you keep Anika's foster family in your thoughts. I emailed them last night to tell them we will be there on the 3rd of February. I received a wonderful email in return and let me just say that while we are overjoyed and thankful to be at the end of this road, they are trying to prepare to say goodbye to a member of their family. They are wonderful wonderful people to have loved Anika and taken care of her when we could not. I will keep this email so that Anika can see how much she is loved by her Guatemalan family.

OK on a happy note I did find out that Anika has the same sleep schedule as her big brother! WOW Could we really get that lucky? She goes to bed between 7:00-8:00 and gets up at 7:00. She likes to have a bottle in the night. (Ok not like her big brother :)) She loves to walk in her walker and loves any toy that moves. In 9 days we will begin our lives together!
Thank you
Tracy

WE ARE

2008-01-23T08:49:00.000-05:00

Pretty in PINK.....
I just got the email. Our appointment at the USE is Feb 5th at 7:15am!!!
I emailed this morning to check and the letter I got back is dated the 17th of Jan. It looks like they forgot to email last week. Our apt has been set for a while.. NO MATTER We are coming Anika!!!
(Grandma we are hoping to fly out the 3rd)

Well still no Travel Dates...

2008-01-22T19:21:00.000-05:00

After waiting through the long weekend. I just KNEW that today was going to be the day we got the email from the Embassy with our long awaited appointment date. NO SUCH LUCK. I am feeling frustrated tonight. I just need to know when we are going. I am still thinking it will be the 5th or the 6th and we will leave a few days before that... Please check back tomorrow. Hope to have news then. Hmmmm I have heard this somewhere before.

Favorite Foto Friday

2008-01-20T16:48:00.000-05:00

Ok well technically it is Favorite Foto From Friday on Sunday...:)

This is Alex and his friend Zachary. Zachary and his little brother Jason are both from Guatemala also. The boys really get along well and I am so thankful to have found both them and their parents here in the small town we moved to. I am glad that they can share being from Guatemala together as they grow up. Zach and Jason's Mom has become a great friend of mine as well so a lot to be thankful for. I can't wait to see them again with Anika. Four blessings from Guatemala!

This is so cute!

2008-01-17T19:27:00.001-05:00

HIP HIP HORRAY-edited

2008-01-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

DNA is on it's way!!!

I just got off the phone with the lab here in the US that does the final DNA Test. They confirmed that they did get Anika's sample that was done last Tues. The results were mailed last night and should be at the Embassy in Guatemala this afternoon!! As of right now the precious package is in Miami. Now we are officially waiting for the Embassy to issue our pink slip. This means that we will have an apt to be there for our final visa interview!! This is it.... We will know early next week when we will get to hold Anika!

I just got an email from Fed Ex DNA is at the USE in Guatemala City....
Let the count down to PINK begin!

Losiahs Korean Adoption Video Update 11

2008-01-15T20:15:00.001-05:00

This video just touches my heart. As we get closer to traveling to Guatemala I have been thinking of Anika's foster family with a heavy heart. It was so emotional saying Goodbye to Alex's foster family and I know how hard it will be for Anika's foster family. There are not words to describe the mixture of joy and heartbreak I felt on that day in 2002 and I know this will be the same. This video is the last few minutes with this couples foster family. They are adopting in Korea. Grab some kleenex....
Tracy

Surprise Baby Shower!

2008-01-10T16:27:00.000-05:00

WOW! What a fun surprise for me this morning! There are a group of us that meet every week for coffee now that our kids are in Kindergarten. I met most of these friends last year when our kids were in preschool together. They have known each other longer since I have only lived here 18 months or so.. Well it was our usual day and time for coffee so I didn't think anything of it as I drove over to my friend Becky's house. I went inside and saw pink baby gifts sitting in the corner. OH WOW. They even invited a few other of my friends also!! It was really a special morning for me. I am blessed to have such nice friends. Thank you all for a wonderful day and for making me feel so welcome in town. Check out this diaper cake made by my friend Shari! Thank you Becky for hosting and making it a special day for me.

Apple Anyone??

2008-01-09T11:53:00.000-05:00

Stephanie over at www.journeytoeli.blogspot.com has come up with a great idea. With everything going on lately in Guatemala she thought it would be a good idea for people to post funny stories about their kids to lighten the mood a bit... Here is my contribution.

These are from last June. I gave Alex an apple and he said " I will wash it myself Mom" A few minutes later I went into the bathroom to find.....

Amazing

2008-01-07T08:58:00.000-05:00

I just have to post a picture from yesterday. I came up from the basement
with all the outlet covers that I could dig up. I showed Alex what they were and he says "OH Mom let me put them in! I don't want my sister to get zapped. She is so small and we don't want her to die." My wonderful, sweet, caring boy then went all over the house putting them in until he ran out. He has been so helpful and it brings tears to my eyes how excited he really is. I know there are going to be times where he is not happy. It will be hard for him to share us after almost 6 years. So far though I am amazed that we have seen only pure joy and excitement from him. I am so blessed. I can't stand how much I love this little man.

We are .......

2008-01-04T13:03:00.001-05:00

Yes! We found out that we are officially ORANGE as it is known in Guatemalan adoption circles. This means that the US Embassy has issued authorization for Anika's 2ND DNA test to be done. This will be done in the next few days and then the DNA is sent to a lab here in the US to be processed. The next thing we will hear is that the results are on the way back to the Embassy. At that point we are just days away from PINK and knowing when we are going to be in Guatemala!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
Tracy

I feel like dancing!!

2008-01-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

I am still giddy over Anika's new pictures and I log into the
Adoption tracker page on my agency's web page for the ahemmmm 12th time today or so.

We were submitted to the Embassy yesterday! Another step done! Now we are waiting to hear that the Embassy has authorized the 2nd and final DNA test. We should have travel dates 2 weeks or so after that!

Handpicked with Love...

2008-01-03T14:30:00.000-05:00

it says on her shirt. AWWWWW

I didn't think it was possible for me to get any more
excited and READY to go to Guatemala than I was until I
saw these new pictures of Anika this afternoon! Oh my!
She has teeth too. Just a few more weeks! I can't wait to see Anika
and Alex together.

Happy Weekend

2007-12-28T10:46:00.000-05:00

We are heading to my Dad's for the weekend to celebrate the Holidays with them. I hope everyone has a great weekend and there is plenty of good news today. Happy new year!

Doesn't get any better

2007-12-26T13:54:00.000-05:00

than this! We had a wonderful Christmas with Alex and then if that wasn't enough
to make me giddy I turn on the computer to find out that Anika's Birth Certificate and Passport have been issued!!!!!!!!!!!! It turns out that the final adoption decree was not done on the 18th as reported before but on the 11th! This was the day after we exited PGN. The BC was done on the 18th and her passport on the 20th!!!

This means that we should be submitted to the Embassy for final travel dates very soon. I am going to guess that we will be there in 3 weeks!! Lets see if I am right.

This picture of Alex makes me happy. Christmas was a blast this year. Do you know that Santa's Reindeer eat fruit loops? They did right in our driveway! :)
Smiling today...

2007-12-22T20:51:00.000-05:00

Adoption Decree has been signed!

2007-12-19T14:38:00.001-05:00

I just found out that Anika's birthmother signed
for the 4th and final time yesterday. This means that
we are now Anika's legal parents! My heart breaks thinking
of how hard yesterday must have been for her.

Yesterday was also Miss Julianna's First Birthday! Julianna is my cousin's
daughter. She is so cute. Hope it was a great day.

What does this mean for our travel time now that we have the decree signed? Well we will hopefully being heading to Guatemala in mid-Jan!!

Make new friends

2007-12-16T23:19:00.000-05:00

But keep the old
One is Silver and the other Gold...

We went on a trip this weekend to visit my College friends.
It is always nice to hang out with them. We had a gift exchange for
the kids and a nice lunch. Alex was great with my friend's son who will
be a year old on the 31st. I just love this picture of the two kids. Next year Anika will be with us! Yippppeee

HAPPY 8 MONTHS ANIKA!!!

A moment in time...

2007-12-12T11:19:00.000-05:00

I will never forget what happened this morning. I went to Alex's Kindergarten to help
with the class trip to the Santa House. It was really special to see all the kids with Santa and how excited they were. They let the kids decorate and eat cookies,get their faces painted and of course visit with Santa. Well Alex gets up on Santa's lap and Santa asked if he had any brothers or sisters. "Yes and we found out yesterday that she is coming after Christmas." I can not explain the joy that I felt at that moment. Alex's teacher heard it too and we locked eyes for a second. I managed not to cry only because I knew it was going to be the big fall on the floor in a puddle cry and I was supposed to be helping. It was really great. I think it has not even sunk in yet and that moment was almost like getting the call. I mean this is really real. I am just so thankful............................

I also found out today that my blog friend Beth is OUT OUT OUT OUT also!! Yea! Still can't figure out these links... www.peachesncinnamon.blogspot.com I am so happy for them.

Thank you all for your comments and support. It means a lot.
Tracy

Alex wants to tell you......

2007-12-07T14:05:00.000-05:00

WE ARE OUT!!!!!!
Anika will be with us in a few weeks! Oh Thank you God!
Feeling really blessed right now.
Tracy