It's Still 70° Here & The Many Parks of Bogota

So today I did the same thing I did four years ago- thought I didn't need the suntan lotion when we went for a walk. And I found out the same thing that I did back then- that I'm still Dutch, and Colombia is still a lot closer to the sun than Michigan. Net result- burned arms, neck, face, and head. At least last time I had hair so it couldn't penetrate as easily. And Beck got burned too; but not the kids. Tan lines for both, but only mom and dad bore the brunt of el sol.

However, if you think I'm complaining, you're guessing wrong. It's been absolutely gorgeous here all week. Today was actually a little cooler and overcast this afternoon- other than that it's been 70° all week. By the way, how's the weather in Michigan? Just kidding; gotta get my digs in before it turns nice there!

Anyway, the burns came on a walk to and from Hotel Paris, where we stayed when we went through Ally's process. We went there to see Stephanie Kammeraad, our friend who is also from Michigan. She is leaving Tuesday, so we wanted a chance to see her before she left. It was great to see her, and also to see the people of Hotel Paris that we got to know so well when we were there last time. Katya (the owner), Valeria, Hermann, and Juanita; they all remembered us and Ally, and we took the 2006 book out (Katya keeps books with pictures and a hand-written note from each family that passes through there) and showed Ally her picture of when she was there. It was a lot of fun to go back and reminisce with them all (and I gotta say, I miss Juanita's cooking. She is a great cook!!) and see the place where we started our family.

There are a million parks to go to here in Bogota. In a city of 7.3 million people (over 8.5 million if you include the metro areas) people need an outlet, and the parks help with that. We have a park about 100 yards from our hotel, and we've been there every day since we arrived. Here are some pics:

As you can see, we have a lot of fun at the parks. It gives us some great bonding time as a family and allows us to have fun while we do it! The nice thing is, when we're not at a park or don't feel like going out, we have a large back yard where the kiddos can play:

The kids are really getting along well; Will is coming out of his shell, and Ally is amazing at being a big sister. She loves to play with him, and she can make him laugh, giggle, and do more than Beck or I. Case in point:

For those that know Ally well, this is no surprise. She can make lemonade out of lemons any day! Please continue to pray for both Ally and Will, that their relationship gets stronger every day, and that when the hard days do come (because we know they will!), that God will use the hard times to actually strengthen their relationship. There is nothing better than having a great family (as Beck and I have both been blessed with).

So we have some good news from yesterday- our ICBF interview will be on Monday! Beck got a call from Isabel (our representative down here in Colombia) yesterday, and she said we already have the interview. That's sooner than we expected, especially because of Holy Week next week when the courts are essentially shut down. This interview is the first step of our process in coming home, and we're so thankful that things are moving. We still expect Beck to be here for 6-8 weeks, but at least things are moving forward!

Thanks to all for posting comments too, by the way. As was with Ally's Caring Bridge site, this will be Will's way to see all of the friends and family that followed his journey into our family. We know that he is loved so much- by the 3 of us with him down here, and also all of you in the States. We look forward to some day seeing the look on his face as he reads through this and begins to understand God's perfect plan for his life.

Love-

Scott, Becky, Ally, and Will