Home, Health, and Hope

So... a WAY late blog post. Going from 2 to 3 children seems to increase the workload by 150%. No excuses though. On to the show.

Welcoming Max home:



And yes, that's my Grandpa Brander, at 88 years old, greeting Beck and Max at the airport at 10 p.m. A true man of God, he literally would pray on his knees for us every day. He could teach the rest of us a thing or two about prayer and faith. Thanks Grandpa- for everything.

Beck, Ally, and Beck's mom had a long day of travel, but fortunately were able to catch all their connections (and the all-important one in Houston/immigration/customs), and had a greeting party meet them in Grand Rapids. It was a great homecoming, and we are so thankful they are back. Ally had a couple days of school before her Christmas break, and Will was also excited to have his "play buddy" back home. Now we get to hear them scream as they run around the house as Will wears his new knight costume (it was his 3rd birthday on the 19th):

Max is settling in nicely. He got to meet the sleep Nazi (in a good way) on day two of being home, and like the 2 siblings before him, lost. Becky has an amazing way of getting kids to understand that when it's nap time, you sleep. So, Max slept. And has been sleeping well ever since- only one or two wake-ups during the night since we've been home, and he's also had a cold, so that's a pretty good sleep-to-wake up ratio. The kid has an always-there smile, too- you look at him, and he pops his toothless grin. He's a chunk. His thighs are reminiscent of a bowl of Jello; wiggly and jiggly. And he's got a belly to match- there is no doubt that Los Pisingos took great loving care of our son. :) We're blessed to have him home, and are looking forward to watching him grow.

So this Christmas season, we are thankful. We have our health as well, and thankfully our children don't get sick often (knock on wood). Health is good, no? We've seen many people sick, from the common cold to what seems like an epidemic of cancers. We live in a broken world, but thankfully we still have Hope. Our pastor, Ron Kool, had a sermon about it a couple weeks ago, and it's true; without hope, life borders on impossible. I read this quote recently: "The wings of hope carry us, soaring high above the driving winds of life." ~Ana Jacob

So here we are, at this point in our journey. It's been an interesting 7 or 8 years for us. The day that we said our vows on June 20, 1998, if you would have told us that in 2011 we would have 3 children from Colombia, we would have told you that you were nuts.

But that was our journey, and thankfully so; from the disappointments of infertility we had early on, to the sheer joy and excitement of our first trip to Bogota for Ally, to the incredible blessing of adding Will into our family just last year, and now having Max home for his first Christmas... man, what a blessed, blessed life we have. Sure, it's not always easy, but when we step back and take a look at the big picture, I just can't imagine it any other way. We've been told how great it is that we selflessly adopted these children, but that's not true. It's we who are blessed by their smiles, their personalities, and their love. I can't imagine it any other way, nor do I want to. Every single day I thank God for bringing us to this place, and although there have been moments of fear, frustration, and not understanding, all along it's been His plan. He knew where we would be the day we met in the hallway 0f Grand Rapids Christian High School back in 1991, with me wearing my sexy overalls and all... :).

When we had begun our struggles and gone through one of the most difficult times in either of our lives, we were given a gift. It was a gift given to us by my sister, and each year it reaches the highest point on our Christmas tree (just above the half-eaten marshmallow lady, Cathy :)), and it's our sign of Hope:

A kneeling angle sits atop our tree every year, and will until the day we die. It's our symbol of Hope, and reminds us of not only the trials and tribulations, but also of the blessings we've been given. Because believe me, there are 3 of them in this house ages 6 years and under that bring us hope every day, and FAR outweigh what we've been through. It's a popular verse, but very apropos. It's Isaiah 40:31: "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint."

Honestly, it goes back to Hope. We can't control the day to day things that happen to us. We can't predict the future, so we rest our Hope. On Him. We've been given the ultimate Gift, and in this holiday season, I'd invite you to remember and reflect on that. No one is perfect, and He knows that. Only One has ever been perfect, and that was 2,000 years ago. But we have Hope, and when things don't go our way, as they often won't, we need to remember our Hope, our Savior, and His sacrifice. 2,000 years ago He was born, and 2,000 years ago we were given Grace.

It's now Joy, Unspeakable Joy:

We first sang that song in church, and when I saw Chris Tomlin's name on it, I had to look it up. Amazing song, and an absolutely phenomenal song. It's unspeakable, isn't it? Grace? Joy? Salvation? What would life be without it, and how empty. Sure, we can fill it with Things, and will, to some extent, this holiday season. But still, it's about Hope. Without it, life is much more difficult, and I think that He wants us to know that we need Hope. It is our hope that, through these last few years, you've enjoyed our journey. We've been so blessed, and have family, friends, and people that have helped us beyond what we deserve. Our adoption journey may be complete (or may not be; only One knows the absolute answer to that), but we are fortunate to be surrounded by incredible family and friends. If you've followed us since Ally's adoption, thank you. If you've only begun following our path with Max's adoption, thank you, too. We've had fun, and are looking forward to the next part of our journey. God has blessed us immensely, and for that we are thankful. Our hope is that you have been blessed in one way or another by and through this, our journey.

Much love to all, and thank you Lord, for our beautiful children.

Scott, Becky, Ally, Will, and Max

Happy Endings and New Beginnings

Well it's official. I got the visa today and we are coming home on Sunday!

Today went really smoothly. No glitches, no hitches. Thank you again, God!

We have been having some fun with Mom and Cathy these last couple of days...















Here we are the last day at the markets....a typical sight here in Colombia...the double stroller. Oh, how I won't miss you! :) Or the sidewalks!

















Yesterday, we traveled to Monseratte. Although it rained, we still enjoyed the view!
















Another view from Monseratte.















And for the past two days, we have been celebrating by going to Crepes and Waffles. So good! This is one thing I will miss the most! (Ally will too!!)

So as I write this blog post, I can't help but reflect on the past four weeks. Colombia has become a part of our lives and our family, and I can't help but think how our lives would look without our children who have come from this beautiful country. I am going to miss it. I will miss the mountains, the food, the people. And I will miss this country that has given us three wonderful children.

But as I am sad to leave, I am also so excited to begin our lives as a family of five. We have been apart for two weeks (and only two weeks, thanks be to God) and it's time to be reunited once again. We will have some adjusting as we learn to all live together again, but I can't wait to go home for the holidays. We are so blessed and can't begin to express our thanks...but I will try.

First and foremost, my thanks goes to God. Without whom, none of this would have been possible. Thank you, Jesus.

I want to thank Isabel, our rep here in Colombia. For such a small woman, she is so large in personality and tenacity. She fought for us numerous times and we are so thankful for all of her help. After three times here, she has become like family. Thank you, Tia!

Thanks to all of our friends and family who have followed the blog, sent emails and prayed us through this process. Your thoughts, kind words and prayers kept us going throughout the weeks. We couldn't have done it without you!

Thank you to all of you who took care of Scott and Will while they were home. Just knowing that Will was safe and loved while we were gone was so comforting...thank you!

To my mom and Cathy for coming to Colombia (even without luggage and showers) and helping with Ally and Max and for providing moral support. I think I may have lost my mind without you guys here! :)

And to Los Pisingos for matching us with the sweetest boy we could imagine. Max, we are so glad that you are part of our family. We are so blessed to have you!

I also want to ask you all to continue praying. There are a couple of families still here that are experiencing issues with courts, judges on vacation, and no plane tickets available in order to go home. John and Sonia are among these families, and our hearts ache for them as they all want to be home for Christmas. So please pray that this will happen for them as well.

So tonight, I will sign off from Colombia. From this land that has grown our family. Excited to get home to become a family. Sad to leave, but looking forward to going all in one breath. The holidays are going to be so sweet this year. Merry Christmas.

Con mucho amor,

Scott, Becky, Ally, Will and Max

God strikes again!

Another quick update...another jam packed day! :)

We started the day by heading to ICBF to get a letter needed for the US Embassy. Aside from the traffic, all went well and we got the letter we needed. Isabel then informed me that we had an appointment at the US Embassy at 2pm. I would be picked up by 1pm. We traveled to the Embassy and aside from being soaked by the rain, again, things went perfectly. They are closed tomorrow for another holiday, but we can pick up the visa on Friday at 330. There is still a chance that something could go wrong with the Visa, and I won't feel completely comfortable until I have the visa in hand, but as of right now, we are coming home on Sunday. God has been working miracles all throughout this process...it has gone off without a hitch. Even in switching the flights. Scott tried to switch the flights earlier today with no luck. We were thinking that we would have to fly home Monday. Then, after calling again and being put on hold, he was put on the line with an angel. This man got us flights on Sunday AND waived the change fee! We couldn't believe it! Again, praising God for His ultimate goodness...we are so in awe!

Another blessing, the luggage came today! (so no worries, Nikole and Leanne, Cath has her vitamins! :)) My mom and Cathy finally got to take a shower and are feeling much better this evening!

So tomorrow, we are doing some sight seeing...finally able to enjoy some down time here in Colombia! I promise to post some pictures tomorrow night! Feeling beyond blessed tonight as I sit here with my mom and sister in the country that has blessed me with three amazing children. And praising God again for his goodness. And wondering how I am deserving of all this.

From Colombia for only a few more days,

Becky, Ally, Max, Mom F. and Cath

A Quick Update

Wanted to write a quick update...it has been an exhausting couple of days so I need to get to bed! :)

My mom and Cathy arrived safely last night around 230am. Without their luggage. Please pray that they get it soon...it's so hard to be in another country especially without being able to take a shower or change your clothes! We are hoping for word this evening.

Today was another day of running and running. We got a lot accomplished. We were able to get Max's Colombian passport and we made it to the embassy doctor to get the clearance that we needed from him. (Not without many comments about how "gordo" Max is :))

The final two pieces are a letter from ICBF (which we should be able to pick up tomorrow morning) and Max's U.S. visa. This last piece is the piece that is still up in the air. The U. S. embassy is proving to be quite difficult to deal with, so we have no idea if we will be able to make an appointment tomorrow or not. If we can't make an appointment tomorrow, it will be a little more difficult to travel by Sunday. We would love to travel by Sunday, but know that again, this is in God's hands and we will be home in his perfect timing.

Thanks again to all of you who are praying us through this process. We appreciate it more than you know! I'll let you know how the day goes tomorrow!

Good night with love,
Becky

Max is Officially Ours

Yes, you read that right...we have Sentencia!!!!

I want to first take a moment and thank the great God that we serve. He is the one who moved the judge and the attorney to sign so quickly. And He is the one who made all of this happen. I am moved to tears by His goodness and His kindness to us in this entire process. I can't even put into words how grateful I am to Him...All praise and All glory be to Him!

Now I will start at the beginning. I woke up early this morning, anticipating a long week ahead without knowing if I would be traveling home for Christmas or not. As I lay in bed praying, I decided to put my total trust in God. He gave me a peace that all would be ok and I cherished that throughout the early morning hours. The kids woke up and I checked my email as I usually do. In my email was a message from my sister in law, Kris. She told me that she was also experiencing a special peace and I started to wonder what the day would bring. She told me to, "be still and know that God is God"...so I had that song going through my head all through breakfast.

After breakfast, we were back in the room, and Hermann came and knocked on the door with a telephone call from our rep, Isabel. She was calling to tell me that she didn't respond to my emails this past weekend because her internet was down. We chit chatted and she said she had no news on my case. As we hung up, I thought, "That's ok. Plenty of time to get sentencia, and I have God on my side." After taking a shower, I was drying my hair and heard another knock on the door. I thought it was Ally, so I ignored it...thinking that she would just come in. But the knock came again, so I answered it. It was Hermann again with the phone. My heart skipped a beat a little, and when I answered, it was Isabel, saying, "Are you sitting down?" She then informed me that the judge has signed the final decree. I honestly couldn't believe it...so fast! (neither could she...she was very surprised) She told me she would pick me up at 1:15 and we would go to the court together to sign the papers saying that Max was officially ours. Could this really be happening? I walked back into the room and fell to my knees...thank you, God!

The rest of the day was a whirlwind. Without boring you with the details, things could not have gone any smoother. We got in and out of the court within an hour and we were able to get to the notary to have Max's birth certificate changed to have our names on it! (A big thanks to Johnny our driver, whose wife knew someone at the notary and called ahead. It was mass chaos when we got there, but we got to go to the head of the line because of Johnny! Another miracle today!) I almost feel guilty with how well this is going. I don't know why we deserve this. Please pray for our friends, John and Sonia. They have been here a week longer than us, and don't have sentencia yet. We know that it should be soon, but still would love prayers on their behalf...they want to go home too!

So tomorrow, we are off to get Max's Colombian passport as well as a letter from Los Pisingos and a trip to the Embassy doctor. Please pray that things continue to move smoothly as there are still a lot of things that could go wrong. If all goes well, there is a chance that we could travel home by Sunday, but that is yet to be seen. We will continue to put our hope in the ONE who is leading us.

I want to close this post by saying thank you. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us. God heard your prayers and we will be home for Christmas. And Will's birthday! :) And a BIG thank you again to my heavenly father. I can't say it enough. Thank you.

With Love,
Becky, Ally (and now officially :)) Max

Another Weekend in Colombia

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Sorry that I didn't post last night....we were without internet connection here at the hotel. So I'll get you up to speed on the whole weekend.

Saturday was one of those days you don't want to have to relive. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and then it rubbed off on the other two. Weekends are hard here because there's not much going on, and this one was especially hard because of a couple of things. The hotel had run out of water on Friday around 2pm. This was when I chose to do my laundry because we were getting quite low on essentials. But, with no water, no laundry. They promised me it would be fixed, "mas tarde." For those of you who don't speak spanish, that means, "later". So, in the morning, I checked my sink to see if the water was running, and it was. I thought I was in the clear. After breakfast, I went to take a shower, and turned on the faucet. Out of the faucet came a brown, oozy substance...but no water. Needless to say, this made my mood even worse. So no shower. Then, as I was putting on my jeans (and my last pair of clean underwear), a button popped off. With no needle and thread here (or an insty sew is more like it in my case :)) I put it on the counter to put in my suitcase later. A few minutes later as I was making a bottle for Max, I accidentally slid it off the counter and into the toilet (of which a certain 6 year old had forgotten to flush) Bye bye button, hello even worse mood. This continued through lunch (Juanita, the cook has the weekend off, and let's just say, we should have gone out to lunch..I know better!) and into nap time....until I got an email from my friend Kristi. She is a fellow adoptive mom and knows how long some days are here in Colombia. She told me that she was praying for me and she encouraged me to read her blog. In it, she was reminiscing about her last adoption, two years ago, that day.

As I was reading her blog, I was reminded again, why I am here. I am not here for me. I am not here to be selfish. I am not here to feel sorry for myself. I am here because the God of the universe wants me to be here. This is how God has chosen to grow our family and I am forever grateful. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I spent some time in prayer, asking God to forgive me for all of my thoughts earlier that day. I then picked up a great book that I'm about half way through (called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp...a great read if you're looking) and was reminded again to look for the blessings and the good in all circumstances. Life isn't about getting to the next thing...it's about living fully in the moment, and finding peace and joy and God in everything.
So, God used that horrible day to bring me closer to Him. And for that, I am forever thankful. I'm not going to lie. I would love to go home soon to be with Scott and Will again. And to be home for Will's birthday and for Christmas. But I know that God will bring us there in His perfect timing. So for the rest of the day, I rested in that.

Today we went to the markets...it is Sunday! We walked with a bunch of other families from the hotel. We enjoyed the sunshine and bought some gifts for people back home. We decided to go out for lunch (got smarter today) and went to Presto, a local burger place. The food was not much better than what we may have gotten at the hotel, but this restaurant had a large play area, where Ally, Julio and Steven (Julio and Steven are two biological brothers, 7 and 11, being adopted by an American couple here) could play to their hearts content. And they had a blast. It was a little too gross for me to watch (I would never have let Ally play on something like this in the states, but you do what you have to do) so Max and I enjoyed their laughter from a distance.

So all in all, we had a really great weekend here in Colombia. We are very excited to be welcoming my mom and Cathy late tomorrow night. I am really looking forward to seeing two of my favorite faces in Colombia. And we'll see what God has in store for us in the coming week!

With love,

Becky, Ally and Max

What else?

Today was another good day! Max let me sleep for 5 uninterrupted hours which hasn't happened in a couple of weeks. For that I was grateful! :)
Another great thing...the sun was shinning when we woke up! And it kept shining until 1pm...what a treat!
So what do you think we did? We went to the park of course! What else?
Here's the view I see everyday of Max...that's true, but I also couldn't figure out how to rotate this picture and it was too cute too not include!
















And here's Ally at the park climbing:















And more climbing with Alex not far behind:





















John and Sonia (Alex's parents) heard today that they should have Sentencia by early next week. We are rejoicing with them as they have been here for four weeks and would love to go home!
No news on our end. Still resting in God and trying to be patient. At last count, there are only seven more business days in which to get sentencia, otherwise Max and I will be spending Christmas in Colombia. We covet your prayers and know that God has us all in His more than capable hands.
Happy Weekend,
Becky, Ally and Max

All About Max and Indoor Play

As many of you know, it's not supposed to be the rainy season here in Colombia, but someone forgot to tell the weather forecasters...it rains EVERY day! So, needless to say, in an effort to stay sane, we have been trying to find indoor play areas for the kids...not sure if it's working! :)















Not much had been going on here at the hotel. It's a little difficult to do any day trips or sight seeing with two kids by myself, so we've been going to parks, hitting the mall and spending some quality time bonding. Here are two of my three cutie pies, all bathed and having some "tummy time" as Ally likes to call it. She laughs hysterically at Max because he gets so tired, and ends up face down on the bed. To her, it never gets old.















After 2 1/2 weeks, Max is really coming out of his shell. He smiles all the time...he is just the happiest little boy (when his stomach isn't bothering him). And he is content to just go with the flow, which includes lots of in his face from Ally! I'm not sure how we got blessed with this little bundle, but he really is more than we could have ever asked for. We are still getting to know this little person, but he continues to bring joy to us everyday!


















He loves to eat...as you can tell!

















This is his new trick. He thinks he's pretty cool!




















How can you resist that face? I know I can't!

Tomorrow is Friday, which means that my mom and sister are only four days away. I can't wait!
It also means that if we don't hear anything by tomorrow, we have to wait until the next week for news. I also found out that Wednesday is a holiday (of course) so we could really use prayers that we hear something by next week. The deadline is growing ever near, and our hope continues to be in God to unite us all by Christmas.

From my precious kids here and from the one I am missing terribly at home,
Good night!
Love,
Becky

Stay Tuned

I know that I have been MIA from the blog lately, but we have been dealing with some long days and long nights. So, by the time I get the kids in bed, all I can do is fall into bed myself (after a skype to my loving husband, of course).

I have been wanting to post some new really cute pics of Max, as well as how he is doing. I will do my best to do this tomorrow afternoon...so stay tuned!

Love to you all,

Becky

Giving Thanks

Today was a good day. We didn't do much, but it was still a good day. I started the day (after Max's bottle of course) with an amazing email from my amazing husband. He challenged me to give thanks in all circumstances and to look for all my many blessings. So that's what I tried to do today and it really helped to change my attitude. So here are some of the things that I am thankful for:




















An amazing big sister who wants to be so helpful and was proud to push her baby brother in the stroller. My Ally is so strong and such a blessing to me in so many ways. She was my first baby and will always hold a special place in my heart. She brings joy and laughter to my life and I can't imagine a life without her. And for Max, who is such a sweet boy. His smile is contagious and his calm manner is a constant throughout the day. How did I get so blessed by this child? My love for him grows daily and I am thankful for this time together in his birth country.















Good friends to share this journey with. This is Alex, John and Sonia's son, swinging with Ally at the park today. John and Sonia have been great to me while Scott and Will are gone...letting me tag along with them to parks and to the market. We also share a table for all the meals, and it's great to have some adult conversation. On a side note, at the park today, a bird pooped on Sonia's head. We were all laughing hysterically and she was explaining how her mother thought this was good luck, and about two seconds later, their cell phone rang and it was Isabel saying that the judge had approved their case. So now, I'm looking for birds to poop on my head! :)



















A good ice cream cone to brighten anyone's day. Ally was feeling a little down this afternoon...really missing Scott and Will. So, we decided to venture to Mimos, a local ice cream joint and play land to lift the spirits...it seemed to work!

But most of all, I am thankful for my God, who is able to move mountains and provides peace in all circumstances, for my family, who supports me unconditionally and for all of you, for your prayers and support during our time here. Colombia has blessed us with three wonderful children (Will, I'm so thankful for you too) and I am so thankful for this wonderful country!

With love and a thankful heart,

Becky

Sundays in Colombia

So today we did what you always do on a Sunday in Colombia...Cyclovia and the markets!

This morning, John, Sonia, and their son Alex, along with Paul, Cheryl and their two sons and I all decided to go to the markets after breakfast. I was a little worried about how I would navigate this as the double stroller didn't work so well for Max yesterday (I got yelled at by a Colombian woman in the grocery store for how Max was kind of slumped over in his seat) so I thought it might be best to have Max in the carrier while I pushed Ally in a single stroller provided by the hotel. Did I mention that walk to the markets is mostly up hill and that this morning it was actually sunny and hot? Ok, so I think you know where I'm going with this....while we had a great time looking at all of the items for sale, I think next time I need to come up with a better plan. By the time we made it back to the hotel, we were all a little sweaty and tired!

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We laid low in our room as Max wasn't feeling good again. He seems to be really struggling with gas (Sorry, Max for just laying that out there. When you're 14, you're going to kill me for this) so if anyone has any great remedies, either post or email me when you can. It really affects him (and the rest of us) so anything would be helpful!

Later in the day we skyped with Scott and Will. We are so thankful that they made it home safely and relatively uneventfully. While we continue to miss them, we know that we will be reunited soon.

Again, I'll leave you with the verse of the day from my mom (thanks, Mom for always sending those...you're the best! ) Here goes...
Eph 3: 20-21, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen."
To God be the glory for the gift of Max, for a safe plane ride for Scott and Will and for continued safety and health for those of us here in Colombia.

With love,
Becky, Ally and Max

Saying Good Bye to Scott and Will and A Special Treat for Ally

This morning, Ally, Max and I said good bye to Scott and Will. Johnny, our faithful driver, picked them up at 530 in the morning and Will was very, very excited to be going home. We are beyond sad to see them go and today is a day of finding our way with just the three of us. Even though this is by far the hardest day of the trip, I know it was the right thing to do to send Will home with Scott...Will has been struggling here and I think this will be the best thing for him...even though I miss my little guy like crazy already!!!

So, the torch has now been passed to me to keep up on the blog. I know how much you all have enjoyed Scott and his "mad blogging skills" (as Sarah our social worker so aptly called them) and I will do my best to live up to his high standards.

I want to take a moment and say thank you to my wonderful husband. We have been in love with each other for over 20 years, and each year, he amazes me more and more. He has been my rock and my strength throughout these last few weeks here in Colombia as well as an outstanding dad to my now three kids. Honey, you are missed more than you will ever know...we love you!

To try to lift our spirits, Ally, Max and I took a little walk over to D'Norbertos to get Ally's nails painted...that did the trick for Ally!


















Here she is in her first professional pedicure...I see a lot of those in her future! :)

I'll leave you all with a verse that my mom sent me today...very apropos...
Jos 1:9, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Although our family is not all together, God is with us all.

Love,

Becky, Ally and Max

Lunch with Isabel, Christmastime at Hotel Paris, and Goodbyes

Today was a good day. Max was feeling better in the morning, and so we took our time getting ready after breakfast, and once we were ready, we went to the bank and then to a nearby park. After the park, we had the opportunity to go for lunch with Isabel Romero (Tia Isabel to hundreds of children). It is because of this kind, gentle woman that we have our 3 children. At the restaurant I let Ally take some pictures, and I think this is a great one of Tia:

At the restaurant we had a good time, and here are a couple more of Ally and me with bibs on:

And here's a random one, but I think it's pretty cool.

Think Becky would let me put it in our family room? Maybe I'll buy a print before she comes home and put it up on the wall, next to my deer head. That would be cool.

Yesterday they put up all the Christmas decorations here at HP. They've got trees, Santas, lights, and the like all over the hotel, so I asked Ally to go around and take some pics to share with you back home. Unfortuantely this is about the only one that turned out:

We did have a little family time this afternoon while Max was sleeping, and so we decided to fire up YouTube and pull up some Christmas music:

It's been fun, once again. I've always loved blogging while down here so that we can give you a glimpse into what we're doing (or eating, Lisa K. :)). I'm sure a lot of it may seem monotonous, and some days it is. But the process as a whole is exciting; being 3,000 miles away from the normal, every day lives we live to be able to add to our family through God's grace- it's truly a blessing, Colombia. The people are wonderful here, and if you can get past the language barrier (our Spanglish improves the longer we're here), it's a fun time. By the end of the process you're certainly ready to get home, but being here is like having a second family, and we're blessed to have them all.

Will and I should be home shortly after 10 pm tomorrow night, and a huge thanks to my parents for picking us up. Another huge thanks to Beck's mom and sister Cathy for coming down here on December 5th, which will be awesome for Beck and Ally (and Max!) to have someone close here while I'm gone. And still another to the many people who are helping us out by watching Will during the day while I work (sister Jen, my mom, Lisa K., Lisa L., and Jen D.) you are all so awesome for helping us out, and we truly appreciate it. And that's a lot of Jens and Lisas- whenever Beck says, "Jen called", or "Lisa called", I have to ask which one because we know a million Jens and Lisas.

Lastly, we found out today that we're in Court #2. We don't know exactly what that means, but we think it's a good one, according to a couple different sources. We have a different lawyer from our previous two adoptions, and he seems to really be working hard for us, which we certainly appreciate. We know that ultimately the timing of Beck's return home with Max is in God's hands, but it does make us feel a little better at least that we have someone working hard for us.

Last time I'll say it from here, but again, please continue to pray. Pray for a quick Sentencia, health for Beck, Ally, and Max, strength for Beck to get through the alone times, and for Will and I as we go home tomorrow without our 3 family members. Thanks to all of you for the kind emails, the kind words, and most importantly, the prayers. We can feel them from 3,000 miles away, and we know we are truly blessed by all of you.

P.S.- So sorry for all of the comment issues. I know that many people can't post them, and I'm not sure why. I think it has something to do with the template we use, so I'm going to try to dig into it. If anyone has any help they can offer, please shoot me an email at scotts3435@gmail.com. Thanks!

Matthew 6:34:
" Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

With love, from Bogota,

Scott, Beck, Ally, Will, and Max

New Post, No Pics, So Sorry!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you all had a great day today. This post will most likely be a quick one as we didn't have too much going on here. We had a somewhat eventful night last night; Max woke up around 2 am and we could sense that something was off. Unfortunately sleep the rest of the night was few and far between, and when you having a crying 5 month old in one room with 5 people, it affects everyone. Turns out he had a minor bout of diarrhea, with a low grade fever. Needless to say, the 2 older kids are already sleeping, Max is having his last bottle now, and Beck and I will be in bed before 9 pm. Yep, I said it: we're old.

Outside of working through Max's issues today was, for the most part, uneventful. We went to see if we could find some Pedialyte and gas reducer for Max's little tummy at La Carulla, after that we went to the bank, and then we went to the park so the older kids could blow off some steam. That was a nice little break from the happenings of the day, until Will fell about 4 feet straight onto his back from the monkey bars. After a 15 second delay from breathing, he cried for awhile, and now is fine. He's the toughest little monster I know. Crash strikes again.

Tonight we were surprised with the traditional Thanksgiving meal from the hotel. We had mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin "pie" (which was closer to pumpkin bars with raisins in them), salad (which we never eat because we're too nervous about the water they use to wash the lettuce), and "turkey". The turkey wasn't your traditional one; it was more like pieces of ground turkey pressed into a large turkey-looking "turkey". Oh, it did have 2 drumsticks, but that was the only genuine turkey part of it. But, it didn't taste too bad, and we were hungry. So we ate- Ally scarfing down the turkey, Will and I working on the pumpkin pie, and Beck working over the mashed potatoes. It was good, and a reminder of our many blessing back in the States. I was going to take a couple pictures of Juanita and Valeria dishing out the meal, but the camera battery was dead. So, unfortunately due to today's chain of events, there are no pics today. I'll try to make sure we get a couple extra for tomorrow!

Unfortunately, tomorrow will be my last post from here. Will and I are getting picked up at 5:30 am Saturday to head home. He's ready for it, and it will be good for him to get back to his normal surroundings. It's been a fun (and fast) almost 2 weeks, and the best part about it is that we're now 2 weeks closer to having Max home. Praying for Beck, Ally, and Max- that Beck has the strength and patience to be here without Will and me; that Ally can continue to have fun and be safe; and for Max to get better quickly and for him to remain healthy until he gets home. I'm going to miss it- it's truly become a second home to us here, but we also need to get back to the normalcy of our lives at home. Please pray for a good court for us, and a quick Sentencia, once again.

Blessings to all!

Scott, Beck, Ally, Will, and Max

Tick, Tick, Tick, Helado, and Wrapped Diapers

Today the clock started officially ticking. We had our ICBF appointment this morning, which formally starts the process of Becky coming home with Max. Sweet!!

The interview went well, and was pretty unenventful. In fact, I think the interview itself lasted only about 10 minutes, after a one hour wait to meet with them. Another check mark in the box, and another step to Beck coming home for Christmas. I was going to take a picture of the ICBF office (it's in a new place from where we've been before), but when we got there I realized I didn't pack the camera. Sorry.

After we returned home, we decided to run errands. La Carulla (grocery store), the bank, the park, and then...

You got that right- Crepes and Waffles!! 11,700 pesos (roughly $5.50 USD) for 3 waffle cones with 2 scoops each. Yahtzee!! We love this place, and although it was just before lunch, we still went. Sometimes you need to do things like this as a family, and we certainly enjoy every time we go.

The last thing for today is Wrapped Diapers. Doesn't sound like anything exciting, and it's really not. But I feel guilty for not including a 3rd point yesterday, so here it is. We bought some diapers at La Carulla for Max, and found out the each one had these cellophane wrappers on them. So I enlisted Ally and Will tonight, and we ripped them all off:

Afterward, I somehow was mauled by my two oldest. I gotta say, it never gets old. My kids rock:

Tomorrow the plan is to go to a cool park for kids. The best part is, I get to drive again, like last time we were here. John, if you want to drive Tia Isabel's car again, better get your paperwork going. After tomorrow, I'll be up 2-1 on you. Let's see if you dare come back. :)

Anyway (sorry for the sidetrack), a few more days and Will and I will be heading home. I'm teaching Beck tomorrow night how to blog and upload pics, so look for her incredible writing skills come Sunday. She's amazing at writing, and an even more amazing mom to her 3 kiddos.

Hasta Mañana-

Scott, Becky, Ally, Will, and Max

Los Pisingos and Lasagna

(NOTE: Posting this on Wednesday, as the Internet went down for awhile last night)

Normally I post about 3 things. I guess I'm not sure where it came from; I've never preached before, and it wasn't intentional. I guess normal days just normally contained 3 main points, but not today. Only 2 points today; hope that's OK for you people looking for 3 points. Perhaps the biggest reason we only have 2 points today, is that this morning was, well... uneventful. These are the mornings that you know are coming, but don't necessarily look forward to them because when you're here you like to be on the go. It makes time go more quickly, and keeps spirits up.

Will has been talking about going home to see Grammy, Papa, and Mimi. He's looking forward to it, and would probably go right now if he could. He may have taken it to an extreme here, though:

And then when Ally saw him doing it, she wanted me to take a picture of her as well:

Mid-afternoon, we were picked up by Jonny and Isabel for our tour of LP. We were a bit early for our appointment there, so we went past a place of significance to Will and Max:

This is the hospital where they were both born (Ally was born in a small town just outside of Bogota called Chia), and this was the first time we had seen it. It was pretty cool to see the actual place where both of our sons were born, and I'm thankful we had a chance to see it.

We were still a little early, so Jonny took us down some of the side streets so that we could see more closely how some of the more poor people live (we're in a part of town that is what I would consider more "upscale"). We rounded a corner, and this is what we saw:

The picture isn't the greatest, but what you're looking at are homes built on the mountainside (hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them). Isabel said these people are called "invaders"; people who come into Bogota and use the city's water, food supplies, etc. She said the government can't do much to remove them, so they continue to build and grow. It's pretty amazing to see, and all they essentially are is just shacks. I've got to believe that at some point some of them will collapse/fall apart. It was interesting to see how so many of Bogota's people live.

At our appointed time, we arrived at LP. It has such a special meaning to so many people, not just in Grand Rapids or Michigan, or even the U.S. There are many families from all over the world that have been blessed by this place. And once again we had the opportunity to go there to see where our 3 children were for the first months of their lives. I have more pictures, but am only going to share one. There are a few things we like to keep for our children privately. Here is one of some cuties sleeping in their "cribs":

Andres (who helps the director of the orphanage, Carlos) gave us our tour, and on it he mentioned that there are approximately 115 children currentlyat LP. They are adopted at all ages, and we saw ages from newborn up to probably 7 or 8. But they have more children that were in school at the time, so the ages are even older.

I think one of the saddest things for us to see were families in an area together, waiting to talk to a psycholigist to see if their own children were right for adoption. Oftentimes the birthparents aren't able to afford a mouth to feed (or another mouth to feed), so the parents have to make the ultimate sacrifice: giving their children up for adoption. Without these special people, there would be many more empty homes; homes without children. Through their sacrifices, we are blessed. On a special holiday weekend, I would like to thank the many parents who have sacrificed so that others of us can have children of our own. Thank you.

Today after we returned to Hotel Paris, I noted a peculiar smell in the air. Thing is, I was surprised to smell it. See, yesterday I asked Juanita if we could have lasagna on Friday, because I am leaving Saturday, I HAD to have her lasagna before I left. She said she thought she could make it happen that night, but would have to check with Katya (the owner of HP). So when we came down for dinner tonight, I snuck into the kitchen (for those of you who have stayed at HP, I went downstairs the back way, directly into the kitchen). Juanita was surprised to see me and essentially threw me out of there, because she was trying to surprise me with lasagna tonight instead of Friday. That's one of the things I love about this place- they truly care about the people, and the people who work here are incredibly kind. So, I stuffed myself full of lasagna once more here at Hotel Paris. I'd come here again in a heartbeat!

Again, what a blessing this journey has been. Having the chance to go to LP today, and just the heartfelt kindness throughout Hotel Paris, we feel so blesses. It's hard to imagine life without Ally, Will, and Max, and these are 2 large pieces of the puzzle that made our dreams come true. The smiles, the personalities, and the love of our children; neither my life nor Becky's would be complete without them, and day after day after day, I amazed at how God's plan is perfect- in every way. Thank you Lord, for blessing us with our amazing children.

Scott, Becky, Ally, Will, and Max

Social Workers, Archie's!, and Papa Hair

This morning we had a brief interview with Isabel, a rep from Los Pisingos, and another social worker. It was a brief 20 minute interview which basically covered our family and how things are going now with Max. They asked a few questions, told Beck she looked really young (which I tell her everyday, of course), and asked if we were coming back for #4. Yikes.

After our interview, we went to Exito to get a few things, then on to the bank to withdraw some money. The intent was to then go to Bogota Beer Company for lunch as something different to do today, but when we got there at 12:30 pm, we noticed a letter in the window saying they weren't opening until 6 pm tonight due to a festival of some sort. Fortunately, Archie's was kitty-corner to BBC, so we went there instead. And the kids had a RIOT. Sorry for all the videos, but they're pretty comical in how they have the kids make the pizzas:
































After Ally and Crash made their pizzas, we went and sat back down at our table with Beck and Max, and we ordered our own pizzas. I think Beck was HUNGRY:



As we were eating, I noticed how beautifully blue the sky was today. Thing is, the mountains can play tricks on you. Here was my view as I faced Becky:

...And this is the view when I simply took the camera and turned 180 degrees. Blue sky one way, dark clouds the other, over the mountains. It poured this afternoon, about 5 minutes after we returned to the hotel from Archie's.

I've said before how Will is hilarious. He has a thing for picking up small pieces of lint, string, fuzzies, etc., and rolling them between his fingers, and then just... holding them. When we were at the market yesterday, Beck was trying to get him to hold her hand, and she noticed that he only offered a couple fingers to hold. That was because he had a piece of balled-up string in between his first finger and thumb. He kept calling it "Papa hair". Sorry Dad- don't know where it came from (other than the fact that my dad is his absolute favorite. Every day he asks when he gets to see Papa again), but again tonight in our room, I noticed he was holding something. I asked him what it was, and he said, "Papa hair". So, here is Will holding his Papa hair:

If you're wondering about the band-aid, it's because he's fallen out of bed a couple times here. This is his first time in a big boy bed, and he's adjusting... fairly well at least. Another reason I call him Crash.

Tomorrow we have our tour at LP (Los Pisingos). We've done this 3 times now, but every time it's emotional. To actually see the place and meet the people who took care of our 3 children before we were able to is simply awesome. We owe them a life debt, and always want to take as many children home as we could. Unfortunately we can't, but wish we could! Hopefully we'll have a couple pics to share tomorrow.

We received some good new today as well (didn't know this when we Skyped tonight, Jen and Dean). We have our interview with the Defendor of Minors on Wednesday. This formally starts the process for us, and this is the first step in Beck, Ally, and Max coming home. After that, the wait begins. Again (and I'll probably bring it up every post), please pray for a quick process so that Beck, Ally, and Max can be home for Christmas. Ultimately it's in God's hands, but the more people can pray... well, I think you all know the power of prayer :).

Looking forward to our tour tomorrow, and we'll be in touch! Love-

Scott, Becky, Ally, Will, and Max (edit: thanks Dana!)

Cyclovia and the Markets, Temporary Insanity, and First Communion Fiesta

As I mentioned yesterday, Sunday is always Cyclovia here in Bogota. They shut down one side of the one-way streets, and that allows bicycles, roller bladers, runners, and walkers to go on the lanes of the road that are shut down. It's really nice because you can be on the road and not have to navigate the bumps and cracks in the side walks.

So today, Beck, the kids and I headed to the markets and did some perusing. We went with John and Sophia from Lakeview, MI, and a new couple that came in late last night from Iowa. It was a nice day for a walk, and it hasn't rained (much) during the day the last couple days, so we're praying that the rainy season may be ending soon. It's been raining at night, but that's OK.

As we walked throught the markets, the Christmas stuff was out in full effect. Here is a pic of Ally and Will in front of a 40' white Christmas tree with blue stars on it:

This was in Simon Bolivar Square, which also was covered in white stars and little trees wrapped in Christmas lights. It was pretty cool to see.

A little further up the hill was another market, and we took the opportunity to take a picture of the older kids in front of Rudolph! (Will was super excited to see him)

After the markets we went back to the hotel and had lunch. After lunch, the boys went down for naps while Ally and I went outside for a bit to play in the "backyard". Nothing crazy today, which caused a bit of temporary insanity for all of us. This led to games of Bubble Gum Bubble Gum, Rock Paper Scissors (I beat Ally 3 out of 5 games :)), Duck Duck Goose, and finally, Ring Around the Rosie:

At 3 pm we headed down to a fiesta to celebrate Camila's first communion. Camila is the daughter of Valeria, who helps to run the hotel. Camila and 23 of her friends had their first communion today, and so we celebrated tonight at Hotel Paris with about 50 people. Here is a pic- Camila is in the middle:

And of course, no Colombian fiesta is complete without some dancing! Ally and I may have busted some moves together as well, but there's no photographic or video evidence, so I'm denying it. If the photo don't fit, you must acquit! But here's a video of all the girls dancing together. Ally, bless her heart, wanted SO badly to fit in and play with the girls (and they were very accommodating), but the language barrier was just too difficult. Ally did tell me that they said she was "bonita" (beautiful). She said she replied something in Spanish, but they didn't understand :). Makes you wonder what she said (or tried to). Here's the "train" of girls:

After the fiesta the kids went down, and that was about it for today. Tomorrow we have a social worker and psychologist coming from Los Pisingos to our hotel. Hopefully they think we're fit to be parents, for the third time. We're praying that this week goes well, that we have our ICBF interview sooner rather than later so that we can get into a court, and that we have the BEST judge and FASTEST court ever. Beck's been a trooper thus far and is preparing herself for the worst, but we would love to have everyone home Christmas. Please continue to pray for a fast process for us- we would surely appreciate it!

Scott, Beck, Ally, Will, and Max

Sleeping Babies, Card Games, and Diaper Dandies

Not a whole lot going on today. We did go to the notary this morning with Isabel, which was a bit odd considering that it's Saturday. Most everything is done Monday-Friday, so anything that we can get accomplished on a Saturday is good.

Max seems to be settling in pretty well. I woke up to Ally asking to watch a video this morning at 6:15 am ("Hmmph? Wha? Sure- OK"), then quickly realized that I didn't get up at 1 am to help with Max's bottle. Feeling a bit like a neglecting (not neglected) husband, I rolled over and asked Beck if I had been a bad husband early this morning. She said no in the respect that Max had slept all night long, but wasn't impressed that I didn't realize the older 2 kids were up multiple times last night- Will with a cough (he's got a little cold), and Ally with bad dreams. I had my baby blinders on, only listening for Max's whimper/cry so I could get up and help out Beck. It appears that my blinders need to widen a bit- to the entire room and not just the crib. My wife is amazing with hearing the kids in the middle of the night. I guess that's why they always go to her side of the bed when there's a problem. I only get the occassional question asking permission to watch Boz (spelled B-o-z!!) at 6:15 am.

Question: Would you rather lick a 10 foot stretch of a New York city street, or would you rather lick the seat of a bench at a busy bus stop? I had that question asked to me tonight, as part of a new-to-us card game called, "Would You Rather?" that Beck and I played with Ally (Will is a bit young to answer questions like the above). There are a lot of silly questions like that in there, and Ally was rolling on the ground for a few of them. She's looking forward to Mimi and Aunt Caya coming in a couple weeks so that she can play the game with them. So, would you rather eat 10 live earthworms, or lay in a full container of them for an hour? Hmmm... choices, choices.

The kids did play a little bit outside today, and here they are on the teeter totter here at Hotel Paris:



Here is a pic after baths tonight of my 2 Diaper Dandies. I doubt either of them will play the 5 spot for John Beilein at Michigan, but after watching Will dribble a soccer ball, there might be a chance of him playing left wing (he appears to be left-footed at this point. Sweet.).

As always, Will and Ally wanted to do a video, and they wanted to say hi to ALL the cousins, aunts, and uncles. They forgot them the other time, so here you go!





And here's a video Ally wanted to do of me and Max. He loves to do this, and constantly smiles when we do:

Tomorrow is Sunday, so you know what that means! Pancakes for breakfast, Cyclovia (where they shut many of the local streets down to automobiles, and they're open only to walkers, bikes, and anything without motors), Markets, and a boatload of walking. This is my favorite day here, because you get an awesome opportunity to walk anywhere and everywhere without the normal traffic of the other days. Can't wait!

Hasta Mañana-

Scott, Beck, Ally, Will, and Max

Feliz Cumpleaños Mommy, Max is a Michigan Fan, and New Friends

So, today is Beck's birthday. As I mentioned before, I hooked her way back in 1991 with an amazing ensemble of clothing my sophomore year of high school, and ever since, she couldn't keep her hooks off me. OK, so maybe not, but that's how I remember it. My in-laws will remind me of a few times that I may have parted ways with her, as they do about every month or so, but the fact remains that we're still together after 13-almost-1/2 years of marriage (and over 20 years total. Yikes I'm old!), and she's more amazing than ever.

Tonight for dinner, Juanita made burritos, and we had birthday cake for Beck that Valeria made for dessert. It was awesome! Here are pictures of the Birthday Girl with some of the people I've been posting about lately:

Beck with Katya, the owner of Hotel Paris:



And with Guillermo, the night watchman, and my good amigo:




And the cook who brings us the BEST meals everyday, Juanita!




Here is a quick clip of everyone in the hotel singing Beck a merry Happy Birthday:




And earlier today, we had a quick opening of presents with just our family. Nothing special, but yesterday Ally and I made a run to Maku and bought Beck a bookmark and a nativity scene for Christmas. The funnest part is yet to come: I'm sending Beck and Ally to Noberto's together for a pedicure, hopefully tomorrow. Here are some pics of the birthday girl with each of her kiddos:

Overall, it was a great birthday for Beck. She's an amazing mom, and wonderful wife. We're blessed to have her as our mom/wife!

An incredible thing happened today. We found out the Max is the PERFECT match for our family. The older kids, Beck, and I were playing Go Fish, when suddenly I turned to check on Max, and this is what I saw:

I don't know how it happened or when, but right then and there I thanked God for making another perfect match for our family. Max is a Michigan fan- Go Blue! Sorry Papa and Aunt Kris, but you've lost another one. This country truly is amazing with how incredibly intelligent the kids are. At 5 months old, Max knows what the best schools are, and that Green, White, Blue, and Gold are moot. Or manure, I can't remember which one he told me (yes, he's talking already after 4 days with us. Amaizing!).

Ally and Will have been having fun with some other kids here at the hotel. Pictured below are Parker and Payton from Wisconsin, who are leaving tomorrow. We've gone to parks together, ate almost every meal together, and just had fun together. We'll miss them as they return to Wisconsin:



There was a couple from South Dakota that left this morning as well, but fortunately there is a couple here from Lakeview, MI, a couple from North Carolina, and various others from Spain, Italy, etc. Ally and Will actually played for awhile with 2 girls who don't speak a lick of English after dinner tonight. Their parents do and said they'll be here for awhile as well, so that was good to hear. It's funny how quickly kids pick up on other languages- when Ally was using the restroom before bed tonight, she couldn't reach the toilet paper so she yelled: "Ayudame, Ayudame!" (Help me, help me). Too funny!

Tomorrow we go with Tia Isabel (our incredible Colombian representative here) to get some paperwork notarized. No date scheduled yet for ICBF (or Defender of Minors), which is when our case formally starts, and the countdown commences. Please pray that we have that one early next week, so we can be together as a family for Christmas.

Lastly, I had to include a couple vids of my older kiddos. They can be hilarious at times, indicative of these 2 vids right before dinner:

Kids are freaking hilarious sometimes, and we're blessed to call these 3 ours! Until tomorrow...

Scott, Beck, Ally, Will, and Max