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