Old Friends - New Friends

Sara waiting to find out who the "friends" are we were meeting... I didn't tell the kids - JUST IN CASE something happened and things didn't work out...

Going through the process of bringing Sara home... we met so many special children at the hogar where she lived. These children were her "family" while she waited to be able to come home and join ours. She loved these children as if they were her own brothers and sisters... and I can't imagine how difficult it was each time one of the children left to go home to their forever family, leaving others behind. I know that for Sara, just leaving her friends behind was difficult... and she cried for them several times.

As the parent - we want to feel connected to our child even while they are still at the hogar. What better way for us to be connected, than to build a network of friends who also have children waiting to come home?? During the (almost) two years of waiting to bring Sara home, we have had the honor of making so many wonderful friends. Most of those we have only known via email, phone calls and blogging... but each family we met along the way provided a connection to Sara. Each time someone in our network of friends would travel... we were blessed with an update of how Sara was... sometimes a funny or sweet story...often times they would take with them a package from home for Sara... and more times that I can count - we received photos, video clips... and even phone calls from Guatemala so we could speak to Sara. These friends helped keep us going on the long WAIT.

So when I received an email from Linda that her family would be coming to Kentucky the second weekend of August... we made plans to meet up with them and 3 others families of children that all lived together in Guatemala. I was so excited!!!

We spent a Saturday afternoon in Richmond... Sara got to visit again with Parker, Brayden, David, Mia (Ruth) and Emmalisa... and I got to meet all the people that I have only "written" to over the past 2 years! It was a really wonderful day.

It was amazing to see how well all these children are doing! They have all grown so much! They are happy... they are all adjusting so well... and I think that it was a very special day for them to all get together again. They were able to be with their forever families... and also get to see their friends that they had known as their family in Guatemala. It was also very special for me to get to see these children that I have gotten to know and love over the past 2 years... you can't help but fall in love with each and every one of them!

I know that it was a long drive... and it took a huge amount of time and commitment for all of these other families to make this happen, but we are so very thankful and honored that we were included in the day and got to meet and visit with everyone. I hope that we can get together again soon!

The Zoo Crew

Our church was taking all the kids to the Louisville Zoo as a last "hurrah" before school started... so I signed up me and the kids. Poor Laura... she happened to be available that day... so I begged her to go along for the fun. She is such a good sport... and we truly have a wonderful time together! It was really a beautiful day.

All in all, there were about 25 - 30 people going. (Let's see... that made us about 20% of the group...)






The weather was perfect. It was slightly overcast, it sprinkled just once or twice... and all in all it was a beautiful day!






I took the stroller for McCaleb. But that little guy was such a trooper. He never asked ONE TIME to ride in the stroller. He walked or ran the entire day... and never once did he complain. I was just amazed! He was thrilled beyond words to get to ride the little train through the zoo... and I was just thrilled that we made it off alive. The ride was supposed to take about 15 - 20 minutes all the way around the park. However, we made it, stops and all... in EIGHT MINUTES.


Do you think Rachel likes her Big sister???








Once I got my legs back underneath me from the terrifying train ride...we walked all the way around the park once more trying to locate the Polar Bears. We had seen Lions, and Tigers... but no BEARS - oh, my! The Polar Bears, it seems, are all "visiting" other zoos while their new habitat is being completed in the new Glacier Bay Splash Park area. Bummer.







The kids, while only slightly disappointed, were great sports about the entire day. They even cheered me up when I realized that I hadn't packed swimsuits and they weren't able to go to the splash park (which is included with park admission, by the way...) but we did let them get a little wet, anyhow.

Rachel trying to make "contact"....

Sara's "paw" next to that of the Gorilla.... WOW!

Ali (on the right) had been sitting like this watching... when the gorilla turned, looked at her, and then leaned over and copied her. It was so cute!! McCaleb (on the left) is simply trying to get in on the action.

So cute, Miss Jackson!

As we were leaving the Gorilla Habitat... there was a very cool walkway that told you a bit about the life (and death) of the gorillas in the wild. Along that trail was a series of signs that were WONDERFUL. They remind us each of our part and our responsibility. Sadly, the pictures that I took fo the signs did not do them justice. However, this is what they said:

"Prayer of the Woods"

I am the heat of your hearth

on cold winter nights,

the friendly shade

screening you from

the summer sun,

and my fruits

are refreshing draughts

quenching your thirst

as you journey on.

I am the beam that holds your house,

the board of your table,

the bed on which you lie,

and the timber

that builds your boat.

I am the handle of your hoe,

the door to your homestead,

the wood to your cradle,

and the shell of your coffin.

I am the bread of kindness,

and the flower of beauty,

Ye who pass by,

listen to my prayer -

Harm me not.

The kids did enjoy most every exhibit. I think they really enjoyed the gorillas... there were two that played outside. The gorilla that I enjoyed the most was the one that was sitting up at the glass... so close to the kids... only 8 inches and a small sheet of glass divided them! One sat there forever watching all the kids wave at him... and then when Ali was tired and leaned forward and put her head in her hands... he turned, looked at her for a few seconds... and then laid over on his own hand and put his head right in his hand as well. It was like: Monkey see- Monkey do. So very cute! It tickled her to death!

Days like today are a rare blessing, indeed. If you knew how worried I get any time we have to be out in the hot sun and heat...it is something that really causes Ali some serious problems. So we are constantly trying to keep her cool, hydrated and not too tired. This trip, however, she really did great. She had fun, never complained and really seemed relaxed.

At the end of the day - we were all tired. We got back into Georgetown in time to meet Tim for dinner at Applebees... so Mommy was treated to a night of not cooking! What a bonus!

That's All? Just 4 Months??

August 4th was Sara's 4-Month Anniversary being home. It just seems longer... I don't know why... but I really thought it was much, much longer.


After the first couple of weeks being home, we began School. It was kind of a bummer... (since it was summer)... but she really WANTED to start, so we did.



She is like a sponge! While we were in Guatemala, she truly impressed me with her penmanship, her ability to draw and she could spell so many of her friend's names. However, once we started school... it was quickly apparent that she could only recognize about 6 or 7 letters. So we scrapped our original plans of placement tests... and we began back at square one.




As I said... she is a SPONGE. Already, before her 4-month anniversary, she has been able to learn all the letters, she can count to 100+ (I usually get tired of listening and get her to start doing a new "task"), she can add and subtract single digit problems... and she can read. It might be your basic 3 and 4 letter words... but seeing the look of complete joy and excitement on her face as she read her first BOOK... it was worth all the hard work. In these photos... Laura (aka DaDa) came to the office to help me with a few pronunciation issues that we were having. It was a nice change of pace for Sara - and Mom loved not being the "bad" guy for a change. :) In these photos, you can also see Ali working diligently on her work. She is an amazing student... and has applied herself this year with amazing dedication and even stronger determination. (Rachel begins Kindergarten September 1st... stay tuned...)

All of our children LOVE to do their school work. They ask to do it the first thing every morning... and they would continue to do it all day if you let them. I like keeping all their workbooks in their backpacks so that when we are DONE... school is put away and they can concentrate on PLAYING!!!




In areas that are not school-related: Sara's vocabulary has really grown... she is doing so well! Sometimes it's hard to forget that she doesn't "get" everything, but we live with her, so we usually can tell. However, every now and then we encounter people that forget that she doesn't completely understand English... and it can be a little frustrating for her.

She has also made an almost seamless transition into our home! She has a few small issues that other people warned me might happen with older-child adoption, as well as some that we have experienced before...but despite these very small things... she has done FABULOUS! In the beginning she was determined to quit speaking Spanish... but she has really started to understand and embrace it a little more... and she seems more determined to retain as much as possible.

We are so blessed - she is such a joy to have in our lives! It seems like she has always been here - so, it's actually hard to believe that she had an entire "other" life away from us for 8 years. In that respect... we sometimes forget and take for granted that she wasn't always HERE WITH US. But I pray we never take for granted the amazing gift that she is to our life NOW. We are blessed! God has blessed us with four beautiful, wonderful, incredible children... and we are so thankful for these precious gifts!

Stay tuned for the next update... I'll try to have more statistics for you... because you will NOT believe the way this child has GROWN.