July 2007 Archives

Today was pretty challenging. We had our Interview with the Psychologist back up in Chinquinquira about 3 hours north of where we are staying. So picture this. 4 adults and 3 children in a car about the size of a Chevy Geo - its actually a Peugot but everyone can picture a Geo. Donna and I and the kids sat in the back. Yes 5 people in the back seat and as Anji mentioned in her previous post she has become VERY attached to Mami who had to sit with her on her lap the whole way up and the whole way back. While I had Jhon Fredy (and at times Carol) sitting on my lap the whole time. It was a complete bonding experience. Anji has this book that plays music and she is absolutely CRAZY about this one song so we had to listen to that over and over and over. I still have it in my head! The kids did great tho they were troopers about the whole thing. No one got sick and the tears were kept to a minimum (as long as Anji got her way...just kidding).

Well, the interview was concerning how the relationships were developing. Jhon-Fredy put on a brilliant show immediately after we got in there by hugging and kissing me non stop and reaching for Mami. Carol batted her eyes and sat and smiled looking beautiful in her dress while Anji - well she was just Anji and won everyone over. The interview went really well and we were then off to the courthouse to present the papers to the judge, sign some other papers and we were done. Oh and we got to meet the judge who talked to the children for a few mintutes. That was pretty cool. Wanted to share a picture with you of the WHOLE Krebs family coming out of the courthouse. And yes I AM wearing a fanny pack - but where else is a guy supposed to carry his emergency wet wipes, matchbox cars and Polly Pockets paraphernalia?!

Well that's about it for our day. I wanted to mention a few other things as well. I was thinking that all we've been reporting is pretty much the smiling faces and warm fuzzies. I received an email today from someone mentioning how much they were liking the blog entries and how happy we all looked, but that it must be a little overwheming even as happy as we are with having the children.

Yeah it hasn't been without its challenges. The language difference has been a little frustrating for both us and the kids - especially the first couple of days. It's also a bit intimidating when you are supposed to be taking care of these children but you you have to rely on others to translate for you at the grocery store. Some emotional stuff has come up as well. Just today - Carol woke up this morning and was very upset because she knew we where going back to where we met and she thought we were taking her back and leaving her there.

But honestly, things just seem to have a way of working themselves out. This morning when Carol was upset - Donna was able to use the Spanish dictionary to help explain to Carol that we were together forever and that we were only going for a visit. Afterwhich Carol just beamed.

We have met a wonderful bunch of folks here who have helped out IMMENSELY with helping us communicate with the children. So later this morning Donna asked one of the women to help reiterate with Carol that this was truly just a visit to the ICBF.

I guess what I'm trying to say - and I think I touched on this in an earlier post - that I had been reading a book by Erwin McManus (Chasing Daylight) where he mentions that prayer is not always about trying to get God to take obstacles and challenges out of our paths but more about asking God to help us to continue to be strong through the learning experiences He places before us. In other words God doesn't deliver us FROM our challenges but he delivers us THROUGH them.

So He provides us with the solutions we need to get through the hard times. The tricky part is whether we are willing to listen to Him and brave enough to take the risk of trusting Him.

Well - that's about it for tonight. Keep the posts coming cuz it's been really good to hear from everyone.

later,
Scott

I know I'm very small but I try to keep up with my brother and sister and I do NOT like to be left out. I like to walk in my new running shoes A LOT - I'm a little wobbly but I'm a toddler - duh!

Today I bumped my head many times - that really hurts and when I did it I let the WHOLE hotel know that it happened - then Mami picks me up and I feel better.

I really don't mind getting my diaper changed - in fact when Mami says it's time for a change - I drop what I'm doing and assume the position. They think it's because I was taught to do this in my foster home but I only do it cuz you gotta choose your battles and hey this one just isn't worth it.

Since I met Mami and Papi last Thursday I was sure to let them know that my favorite thing to eat is peanut butter. Here's a picture Mami took of me enjoying my very own jar. Mami says it will fatten me up!

I know I don't look like it but I sure do like to eat. I'll try anything but if I don't like it I spit it back out into Mami or Papi's hand while making a face. I prefer to feed myself - it may take a little longer - and most of it ends up in my lap - but I get the job done!

Tonight my brother and sister were giving Mami and Papi a hard time about going to bed. But I just stayed in my crib and took my socks off and put them back on again and again and again. I helped the whole situation by talking at the top of my lungs while I did this. They cried but I was just talking to myself. They finally fell asleep but I just kept on talking - but of course I had a 2 hour nap this afternoon and they didn't.

Well I need to finish up. Here are a few more pictures for everyone to get to know us. this is my brother getting out of the bathtub:

And here is my sister Carol with Papi's reading glasses on:

Well, that's pretty much it for tonight.

Buenes noches!
Anji

You might notice the posting time on this entry is a little later than the others we've put up. That's because tonight, Sunday, is pizza and ice cream night at the hotel. The meals are all served family style so we all come to meals around the same time and are served th e same thing. It truly is a great experience because you are able to sit and talk to all the other adopting parents about their day and where they are in their process of adopting. The last few nights they have served furit and such for dessert however tonight it was ice cream - and when everyone else's children are having ice cream it is tough to tell yours 'no'.

However when we got back to the room we had 3 holy terrors on our hands and the worst was Anji. She literally was in her crib rolling around and around. It was reminiscent of the scene in The Exorcist when Linda Blair's head spins round and round except Anji was just laughing and talking to us in spanish. I was able to catch some of it on tape. At the same time Jhon-Fredy was having a meltdown because I wouldn't let him jump on the bed after he had bumped his head doing so just a few minutes earlier. At the same time Carol was in her bed talking very loudly to her Barbie doll, brushing its hair and yelling to Mami to show her each new hairstyle she had given it. Donna and I just sat on the bed laughing to tears because we knew we just had to ride it out until they crashed, It was a trip.

Anyway - today was really good. We went to the mall and got Carol some new clothes because most of the stuff we brought were too big for her. She was soooo cute picking things out. I seriously started to tear up when I saw how happy she was. Although, I was busy taking Jhon-Fredy up and down the escalator because he had NO interest in clothes shopping.

We also got Anji some new shoes. She only had the ones that she had when we met her and tehy were the little dress shoes - and although she was enthralled with the sound they made when she ran up and down the tiled hallway - they were not very good for the her daily mileage.

After we got back from teh mall I introduced Jhon-Fredy to hockey. I was very proud of my boy. We played knee hockey for a bit and he was actually checking me into the boards trying to get to the puck! He picked it right up and kept two hand onn the stick. that's my boy.

After that we had the pleasure of having a visitor. My cousin Sherri's roommate from college - Gina - is from Bogotá and happened to be here visiting this week. So she stopped by and we visited then Gina, Carol, Jhon-Fredy and I went and had some ice cream - again not knowing it was to be served later at dinner!

Anji - who's very difficult to photograph. when you try to take a picture she comes after the camera

Jhon-fredy and Carol having their FIRST serving of ice cream for the day (I swear had I KNOWN they were having ice cream at dinner I wouldn't have gotten them ice cream in hte afternoon!)

So we just continue to grow as a family. Today was a pretty emotional one for Donna and I. We kept getting a little misty when we would think about how much God has blessed us with 3 such beautiful children.

I look at them and see 3 strong little individuals who have been through so much and who deserved so much better. I truly see them as a gift from God who has asked us to take care of them as best we can. He set all this up for us and arranged everything just right so that at this moment in time all 5 of us would be together here in this little room in Bogotá, Colombia to start our lives together as a family. I can't really think of any other place I'd rather be at the moment

The day started a little rocky today. First we realized that Anji had a bit of a temperature. When we met the children we were told that they all had a bit of a cold and they have been a bit stuffy - but Anji was just laying about and just wanted to be held. So we gave her a bit of medicine and she was up and running around in no time. And today's crayon flavor of the day was orange.

Carol had a bit of a rough start today. We think that reality is starting to set in a bit and she also started the day a little slowly - just laying in bed not too interested in much. Donna took Anji and Jhon-Fredy down for breakfast while I stayed in the room with Carol. She and I typed a bit then I got online and translated a few phrases into Spanish and made a little cheat sheet to carry around with me. While I was doing this I was trying the phrases out with Carol and I think she really enjoyed helping me learn. After a while she was interested in getting some breakfast so we joined the rest of the family. I think she just needed a little one on one time. Tonight I think we saw a glimpse of her personality - when it was bath time she was chatting and chatting - dancing around the room and helping Mami bathe Anji. She is incredibly beautiful.

Jhon-Fredy started to flex his muscles a bit today. We all wandered out to the park and little walk around Bogotá. Jhon-Fredy was having a bit of a difficult time listening to Mami and Papi...so Papi and Jhon-Fredy had a few words. Jhon-Fredy listened pretty well the rest of the walk. Later in the day he was playing in the courtyard and Mami was inside. He ran from the courtyard all the way into Mami and gave her a big, around the neck hug and asked "Are we still in Colombia?". He is my little man.

Tomorrow we are going to the mall. Most of what we brought for them is too big. So it should be fun. The Krebs Family 'does the mall'. Oh boy...

Well here are few more pics:

Jhon - Fredy swinging...they LOVE to swing...hours and hours...





Our Sleeping Beauty - Anji napping





Carol hamming it up for the camera...they LOVE to wear Papi's sunglasses and watch...

We'll let you know how the mall goes. Thanks so much to everyone for keeping in touch and keeping us in your prayers. Donna and I keep looking at each other and saying "I cannot believe we are actually here doing this!"...for so long it was all just paperwork and waiting.

Good night from the Krebs Family.

We've learned few things about each other today...first one of Anji's favorite foods is "Green Crayon"...Jhon-Fredy LOVES to play soccer and is fearless (he was playing with a 12 year old and a 15 year old)...and Carol LOVES to type on the computer...and she has added to the entry today:

She sat on the computer just 'typing' away and would have sat there for an hour or two if we had let her.

We pretty much played ALL day together. The hotel has a GREAT little fenced in courtyard with a swingset and a slide and toys for the kids...it's really been great being here. Also there are other families from all over the world here who are adopting and we all help each other out with the kids and translating.

We started off the day with little Anji looking rather apprehensive about what was going on but after an hour or so - we were kinda wishing she was STILL apprehensive. She was all over the place talking and chatting with everyone...it was fantastic to see her toddling about. Tonight when we were all laying down to go to sleep she stood up in her crib and gave a very passionate oratory - on what we don't know - but she was very serious about it!

Jhon-Fredy had a great day as well...he had a few moments of tears but all in all he was a ball of energy and was pretty fearless out on the playground. We constantly kept hearing him shout "Hola Mami! Hola Papi!" and then would slide down the slide or kick the ball. It was hilarious.

Carol also did pretty well. We think she is processing it all. She smiles a lot but there are moments when you can catch her and she is deep in thought. During siesta today Donna and I had put the kids down and went outside the door to catch up on emails and such and when I came back in the room - I found Carol sitting very quietly looking over the photo album we had sent her previous to coming of us and the house and her new Grandparents, etc. She just looked up and smiled. Then when I laid down to catch a nap - she took the blanket we had brought her and covered me up - making sure I was very comfy. She is precious.

So as promised here are some new pics for the day:

Anji




Jhon-Fredy




Carol




Well, I hope everyone is well and we are trying our best to keep you up to date. Off to bed for me - talk to you tomorrow!
Scott

Oh man what a day...I don't even know where to begin...We did the 3 hour ride to Chinquinquira...alls I gotta say is Colombia is a beautiful country! We were a little early getting there so Mario - our escort - took us to do a little site seeing.

We finally got the call that all was in order and we headed over to the meeting. When we got there things really started into a frenzy...Our facilitator for our agency - Edith - had a rough day already...apparently some of the paperwork was a little mixed up but all was fine by the time she got to the meeting.

Anyway, they went over the paperwork with us and then the big moment came...a little earlier than everyone planned apparently because as they were bringing the children into the room next to us to wait...Jhon-Fredy decided that he wanted to start things a little sooner and started running down the hall to us. That's when it all started - Jhon-Fredy was the ambassador for the three of them. He went flying into Donna's arms yelling "Mommy"...while Carol was a little more reserved. And Anji went right into my arms and didn't leave until we got to the car. It was quite the experience and like I said way too much to type here - it'll take me a day or two to sort through the feelings. But all in all I gotta say that this was soooooo worth the wait.

So without further adieu - here's a pic of Carol, Anji and Jhon-Fredy (many more to follow):

I also gotta say that Donna has been pretty wonderful too. I have seen a side of her that I never saw before. She took Anji throwing up all over her on the way home totally in stride and changed a diaper on the side of the road like a pro when Anji wet herself (and me). And she got Jhon-Fredy to take a bath tonight when he was pretty adamant that it just wasn't gonna happen. she's defintiely doing great.

Although Donna and I know little Spanish and the kids know little English we have already started communicating as a family. When we got back to the hotel Donna bathed Anji and I took Carol and Jhon-Freddy downstairs to eat dinner over which we had a WONDERFUL conversation about balloons...I think. But the best was when we were putting them into bed and we did a rendition of the Waltons except with a spanish spin to it...As I was tucking him in Jhon-Fredy looked up at me and said "Ciao Poppy!" to which Carol said "Ciao Mommy!" and of course you have to respond back "Ciao Jhon-Fredy!"..."Ciao Carol!"...and that was that - pretty much everything was done by 9:30 . Not too bad for our first night..

Talk to you soon,
Scott

After 13 and half hours of traveling we've made it into Colombia...We couldn't have asked for a smoother trip...the only thing was our connecting flight from Atlanta to Bogotá was delayed 2 hours but that just gave me more time to spend with my wonderful wife...

When we arrived at the airport everyone was wearing winter jackets but when we stepped outside it felt more like fall...my biggest disappointement was the fact that they wouldn't let me film the customs official sayin "WELCOME TO COLOMBIA!"...

Anyway we've made it through just fine and the first thing we did when we got in the room ?...Donna started to unpack and I got online...I was itching all day to be on the computer...

Mario, our escort will be picking us up at 11 tomorrow - apparently the appt to meet the children is at 4:00 p.m. and also it takes 3 hours to get to where they are not 2...tomorrow is a big day...

Signing off here - gonna head to bed...we'll try our best to keep you updated...below are some pics of our travels and the room we are in - it's gonna be close quarters for 5 wks!

We are all packed and ready to go...I think we've remembered everything.

Tomorrow we fly out at noon down to Atlanta with a 2 hour layover then onto Colombia. This time tomorrow night we should be just checking in.

It's unbelievable that this is really it. Reality didn't really set in for me until we started to pack. Up until then I was so busy that I really hadn't thought about things. But now - it's real - we are going to actually meet Carol, John-Freddy and Anji.

They have been a static image on our fridge for about a month now. It's funny cuz I feel like I already love them. Can that happen?

So we'll meet them on Thursday. We'll be driving 2 hours north of Bogotá and for the meeting and then driving back the same day with them - to the hotel.

People keep saying to me - "I can't imagine what must be going through your mind..." But I keep trying to put myself in the children's shoes. What they must be thinking and how they are going to feel about getting in a car with 2 perfect strangers who everyone keeps saying are "going to be your Mommy and Daddy now". This to me is the most important thing - keeping this in mind...cuz I know that the next few days are gonna take a lot of patience, love and understanding.

Well, I'm heading to bed. We'll make sure to update you along the way.

Thanks everybody, again, for all your support.
Scott

Ok well the last 24 hours has been very...well...'fluid'...try and stick with me here...

First - as you heard - as of Thursday the Colombian Consulate was saying that we were required to show up in person for an interview in NYC before they would issue our visas. And with Friday being a Colombian Holiday the first chance we would get to go is Monday.

So as of last night it was all set - we were going to drive to NYC on Monday for our interview, stay overnight while they processed the visas and then pick them up on Tuesday. After that we would drive back home Tuesday. Then fly out to Colombia on Wednesday. We still had no idea when they would be able to reschedule our meeting appointment with the children but we were advised that the sooner we get there the better.

Well, this morning - while I was sleeping in - Donna got up, got her tea and sat down in front of the computer. She had received a tracking notification on a package being sent to us from the Colombian Consulate...apparently around 7p.m. last night (on a Colombian Holiday no less) someone had dropped a package for us in the mail and it was on its way. About two hours later the mailman shows up with the package and in it were our two passports WITH visas for traveling to Colombia! All papers in order....

Man I just gotta laugh...this is a riot - you really just gotta go with the moment...it's all part of the ride...things would be sooo boring if everything went smoothly!

Anyway - as it stands they had shuffled the meeting appointment around due to our visa circumstances and it now stands for Thursday and we will fly out of here on Wednesday...getting into Bogotá Wednesday night then meet the children on Thursday.

The meeting will take place about an hour and half north of Bogotá in Chiquinquira. Then we will head back to Bogotá later in the day and they will then be in our custody.

Well, at the moment - those are the plans...we'll definitely let you know if anything changes.

later,
Scott

PS: really nice photo montage of Colombia on YouTube: Click Here

First off we apologize for the multiple emails you received concerning this entry. There was an issue with our mail servers last night and when we sent out the notifications we were receiving no indication that they had sent successfully...so we kept resending.

Now for the entry...

It's funny...lately I've been reading (and re-reading) a book - Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus - lead pastor of Mosaic church in Los Angeles. The book basically uses the biblical account of Israel's war with the Philistines (1 Samuel 13 and 14) and the characters of Saul and Jonathan to demonstrate the difference between living a life of purpose and adventure, and living one of apathy and missed opportunity.

I just read where McManus discusses the phrase "When God closes a door He opens a window". Or the one that goes "The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will". But McManus counters these with the following:

Stick with me here I'm getting to a point...I promise...

Earlier this week when I read this I said "Amen!"...little did I know that I would be put to the test on this just a few days later...it seems we've hit a bit of 'wall' that stands between us and this 'great opportunity'. Without going into much detail basically there has been some confusion with the process of gaining our visas from the Colombian consulate.

I realize that earlier this week we wrote that this had been all settled and that we did NOT have to go in person - based on the fact that the Colombian consulate called us personally and said "you do not need to be here in person we will issue the visas ". However, Wednesday afternoon we received word from them that WE(?!) were mistaken and that we do, in fact, need to go in person to be interviewed. Today our agency exhausted every effort to try and get this overturned. But to no avail.

So now comes the "genuine effort" requirement that Erwin McManus was talking about.

None of this would be much of problem - we could just go up there tomorrow, Friday, to be interviewed and receive our visas and then leave Monday...however, tomorrow happens to be Colombia's Independence Day and the consulate's office is closed. Therefore nothing can be done until Monday at the earliest to attempt to get them. Which means we cannot leave for Colombia Monday and we need to reschedule our flights for another day. Which, by the way we need copies of the tickets as part of the paperwork in order to get our visas.

No biggie right? Except that with nothing being able to be done about the visas until Monday - that makes it impossible for us to make it for the appointment set up for Wednesday of next week for us to meet the children. And again, with it being Colombia's Independence Day tomorrow, nothing is open and we cannot reschedule until Monday and we do not know how soon they will be able to reschedule the "Presentation of the Children" appointment. Could be next Thursday or a week from next Thursday...we won't know until Monday.

Therefore, we need to do the following steps:
Monday
1. Call and reschedule the children presentation meeting
2. Re-book the flights dependent upon that appt.
3. Call the consulate and make an appt. for an interview for our visas since we would now have copies of our tickets to present

Hopefully, we'll be heading to NYC Tuesday or Wednesday for the visas. Then head out to Colombia a day or two after that - but that is a best guess based on the info we have at the moment.

So, now we have a few extra days to prepare the house, watch a few more episodes of 'Leave it to Beaver' and look forward to meeting our children. This'll just make the day we meet that much sweeter. This is all part of it...its almost like Donna was having false contractions and we had one foot out the door to the hospital. We'll get there - it's all in His timing.

Thanks again for everyone's support and love. We'll keep you updated.

Love,
Scott & Donna

Well with only 5 days left before we head down to Colombia we are doing last minute things to get the house in order...up until the last 2 days our living room - which is now the play room has been a repository for all sorts of things that people have been stopping by to drop off.

I cannot get over how generous everyone has been in going through their things and finding clothes, toys and just general 'kid stuff' that their children have either grown out of or in one case some friends of ours had their children go around their rooms/house with shopping bags and pick out toys to 'share' with Carol, John-Freddy, and Anji. We have had folks pulling up in mini-vans chock full of stuff saying "Whatever you don't use pass it on...". This has been really incredible. Thanks so much to everyone...really - we could not have done this without everybody's help.

So up until yesterday - when Donna and Heidi spent the WHOLE day (sun-up till sun-down) - we were seriously walking over boxes of toys and piles of clothes in our living room, hallways and even half of our garage. but the house is finally coming together. Donna has really been working so hard to sort and organize in addition to managing all the details of the trip...she really has been great and I wanted to share a picture of her handiwork. We have converted our living into a playroom...and it looks fantastic with PLENTY of room for getting down on the floor and playing (especially knee hockey):

As for me - I've been trying to finish up some work on a few side jobs and also get things organized at work for when I'm gone (This is the most time I've ever taken off at once !). I've also been honing my 'father'-ing skills by reviewing all my 'Leave it to Beaver' DVDs...Ward always seems to know what to say!

More updates to come as we get closer to leaving...

later,
Scott

I got to work today still wondering if we were going to New York City on Monday to get our visas. I wanted to wait for a response to an email I sent the consulate to make sure they received our applications, passports and the documents they wanted. I was afraid that we would get there and they would say they sent them back to Pittsburgh.

So I think I hit my refresh button on my emails every 5 minutes at work today. At lunch time I decided to check my home messages to see if maybe they called. To my surprise a gentleman from the Consulates de Colombia office left a message. He stated he had my packet and that they do not usually process these by mail, however since we were 8 hours away he was going to make an exception especially since it looked like I had all the documents in order. He said he would email me when our visas were approved. I was doing the happy dance!!!!

An hour later I received my email and he said unfortunately they needed some additional documents. But I took a deep breath and said..."ok, I can do documents". I had to send them the letter that I got from the ICBF in Colombia that matched us with Carol, John-Freddy and Anji. The letter I sent was the translated one in English and it is not signed. So I had to track down the Spanish version which of course had the signature. No problem. Had that done in 30 minutes and faxed to New York.

In this ICBF letter it states that we need some documents updated. The Consulate office wants a letter from the ICBF that we have updated all our documents. Some are done and have been sent to Colombia, but the FBI fingerprints that we need to redo are not back yet and not sure how we are going to handle this. I decided this is now for my agency to decide on Monday.

I am happy that we do not have to make a trip to New York and I am sure this will all work out. They will mail our passports back with our visas for us to travel Colombia by July 23rd.

Thank you all for letting me vent the last two days and for all your prayers. I know they were answered.

Love Donna

First and foremost I want to say thanks to everyone for your outpouring of support. We have received TONS of phone calls and cards offering to help us out while we get ready for the children and make our plans for our trip. And, thanks so much for your generous gifts...everyone has been so helpful.

Now for an update...

I must say the last three days and the paperwork that I needed to do has been the most challenging up to this point.

Monday night I called Delta Airlines because 2 weeks ago when I started to research possible flights, I found some on Delta that would work for us. I spent and hour on the phone and I put the flights on hold because anyone who knows me knows I had to make sure that these were the best fares that I could find.

So the next day I had my Dad searching online for any possible flights and I had a travel agent looking into flights as well. By Tuesday afternoon, I needed to make a decision because I couldn't complete the next step of the process - the visa application - without having copies of our tickets to attach with it.

The travel agent called and was surprised but could not do better than the flights I found. So we will be flying to Atlanta and then to Bogotá. It is only a 4 hour or so flight to Bogotá from Atlanta and coming home we fly into Atlanta and have a 3 hour layover - then home to Pittsburgh!.

Now with the flights booked, I moved on to the visa application. My agency has been great with providing all the instructions that were needed for each of the documents we have done and I had no problems breezing through the instructions for each. But this one got me!

There are a dozen or more consulate offices for Colombia in the United States. Each state is assigned to a specific office. Pennsylvania happens to be assigned to the one in New York City. So I found the website and printed the applications. Now this is the tricky part. Each office requires a slightly different list of documents...and they always seem to changing the list.

I emailed the consulate and did not hear back, so I started to gather items that my agency felt I would need. This included 2 copies of each of our passport pages, 4 passport size photos each, copies of our tickets, the letter from the ICBF in Colombia matching us with our children and a letter from us requesting visas. With all the documents ready, I met Scott at the post office for him to sign the application. I needed to send this overnight with a prepaid envelope for them to return our passport prior to us leaving on July 23rd.

So last night I sighed a sigh of relief that this was all done...so I thought. Today, when I checked my email, there was an email from New York and it said that if I was going to use a prepaid envelope to make sure it was with the post office and not Fed Ex. I responded saying great that is what I did and that I overnighted the packet to them with a prepaid envelope to return our passports.

An hour later they respond with..."I don't think you understand. You have to apply for a visa IN PERSON"....again a moving target. It seems they change this rule every once in a while and as it stands tonight we will be confirming this tomorrow and confirming that they have our application and will hold it because it looks like Monday we will be going to New York City!...oh my goodness...we'll definitely keep you updated on whether we will be going to NYC next week.

While it really wasn't in our plans to take a trip to NYC (I thought we were supposed to head SOUTH to Colombia not NORTH!) and I'm not quite sure I understand it all I do know this...that since the beginning of this adventure Scott and I have decided to put it all up to God...He has been there for us at every turn...whether the turns have set us back or moved us forward it always seems that He knows best which path we should take...and look where we are now - new parents to Carol, John-Freddy and Anji...wow what gifts He has provided to us ...so I looked to Bible to try and find a way to express what I'm feeling and I think I found it in Proverbs 3:5:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

This hasn't always been easy to do...sometimes I want to keep a little of my heart for myself...but when I finally end up giving that last little bit to Him He never lets me down.

Love,
Donna

Well we just found out today we will be leaving for Colombia in TWO WEEKS! - Yes two weeks...we leave July 23rd and we meet our children on July 25th.

This is really happening! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh...flights to book...visas to get...this is too awesome!

We are also trying to get an update on the children's sizes (and as to whether Anji is still in diapers)...but the really cool thing is that the children KNOW that they have parents on the way!

We have put together a photo album with pictures of us and the house and other notable Pittsburgh things (yes Sidney Crosby is IN the album)...so they can get familiar with their new Mommy and Daddy before we get there.

Oh man - really hard to even type...as we speak Donna is on the phone booking the flights...two tix going down and 5 tix coming back...wow.....

Well we'll keep you updated...

Scott & Donna

Hey Everybody! How do you like the new Blog layout??! There are a few new features including a Search feature, an improved archiving system and now you can post a comment with no user and password needed!

Ok enough of that - now it's time for an update...

We still have no word on a definitive travel date. We should be getting that early this week but it looks like we will be leaving sometime around July 25th...this should put us back in Da' Burgh just in time for Steelers opening day on Sept. 9th...

We have also received (and read through) the medical/social/bio info on the kids and have a few interesting tidbits to share....

Carol:
LOVES to sing and dance...and she does NOT like soup...

John-Freddy:
LOVES cars and his favorite foods are pasta and lentil soup.

Baby Anji:
She is spoiled (yes the report actually said that) and she likes to wake up at 6 a.m. and yell to wake everyone in the house up because she wants to eat.

Very, very important info to know!

Also, we have been working really hard on getting the house/rooms ready before we leave. Even though we aren't finished yet we wanted to show you some pictures (we were too excited to wait!)

Anji's bed:

Carol's bed:

John-Freddy's bed:

Note: the BEAUTIFUL hand-painted, yes I said HAND-PAINTED Penguins stripes in John-Freddy's room (thanks to Mark Anstis!)

Lastly, Scott has decided to fly the Colombian colors...FOR LIFE! Check out his new ink work:

Well, guess that's about it. When we find out our travel date we'll let you know...until then thanks so much for all your support and keep the comments coming!

Love,
Scott & Donna