1 week at "home!"

Anaya and Grampa playing!

We found out that crawling is not easy to do in a dress, and since dresses are about all that she has in her closet, I had to come up with a solution! So, I tie her dress in a knot in the back, or tuck it in her fancy pants!! Hey, it works, and we are both happy!!

Easton was so happy to get a new bike from Grampa and Grama, can you tell??

We were finally able to celebrate Easton, and Anaya's birthdays with my side of the family, and will with Ryan's side in a couple of weeks! Spencer asked if Easton was turning 4 now!! So cute! Anaya got this awesome pink chair, and a tiara, and some new legwarmers!! What fun, all that pink!

She loves the swing, as I figured she would, especially if you push her high!!

Wow, 8 weeks ago yesterday, I held little Anaya in my arms again for the first time in over 11 long months! And 1 week ago today that we finally returned back home on American soil!! I came home and had a DVD of Anaya waiting for me!! That was so weird, and a huge relief to watch that DVD, as my little sweetie was crawling around on the floor in front of me! I was flooded with emotions as I watched her play in her crib, and do her weird little army scoot thing, and realized how far she has come in such a short amount of time, how much she has grown, and how extremely thankful I am that she is here!

We are actually not in our home, we are staying at my parents house all this week, and the kids are loving seeing Grampa and Grama, and playing with their cousins every day! My Dad had surgery for his prostrate cancer on Monday, and it went well, however he is still in the hospital, and waiting on his body to function properly, if you get my drift, and so we are praying that will happen soon, so he can come home! My Mom has to go in for a test on her heart on Thursday, so she can have surgery(not related to her heart) the following Thursday!! So, I am so glad to be home for all of this!! Please keep them in your prayers, as well as Ryan. They made it safely to Montana, but his phone doesn't work out there, so I don't get to talk to him much! We were able to communicate better when I was in Guatemala!!

We are still so happy to be "home" and enjoying being around family, and friends! Thanks for checking in!

Enjoying being at home!!

Anaya found her favorite spot in the house! If I have to be in, I may as well be looking outside!!
I was watching her crawl around on the floor, and then she laid her sweet little head down, and fell asleep! I got the picture, then put her in her bed, I think she likes carpet too!!
The guys enjoying some shakes!
Jayden, and his dog Max, together at last!!

Wow, is it great to be home! Unfortunately, we still are not a family all under one roof! Dylan has been at camp, and gets home tomorrow at noon! But, Ryan leaves tomorrow at 7 am to go out west on a mission trip with the youth group! So we have to wait another week, and a half before that actually happens, but at least we were all in the same state for a little while! Anaya is doing very well, she has a cold, so that is affecting her eating, but she is sleeping great, and seems to be enjoying exploring her new surroundings! I still cannot believe she is here, in our home!! It is such an awesome feeling!

The boys were begging Ryan to take them fishing this week, so tonight, Ryan was able to take them out for a couple of hours! They were so happy, Jayden came in the house and said, "Grampa caught my favorite fish!" "Puuch!" (perch~said with Jayden's accent!!) It is his favorite to eat! Spencer caught the biggest and most fish, and Easton was (unfortunately) very nervous~he did not like the "snakes" which Ryan figured out were the worms!! Summer fun!!

I have enjoyed going to the cupboard, and getting familiar food out, things I missed, like Izzys (my favorite thing to drink!) and Wheat Thins! I could not find those things in Antigua! I also love carpet, and Target~yes, I have been there already!! I will be getting my fix all next week, as I will be staying at my parents house while Ryan is gone! A time to reconnect with family, and my Dad is having surgery for prostrate cancer, so I am glad to be home for that! Please pray for him on Monday, and that all will go very well! Also pray for Safety for Ryan and the 12 other people going on the trip to Montana, and a fruitful ministry to the children there! We were going to go with, and take a week long vacation out there after the mission trip! But, our stint in Guatemala wiped out our vacation fund,(and then some!!) so we will be staying HOME!!

Well, it is late, and so that is all for now! Thanks for checking in!

HOME!!

How many more flights did you say we have yet? Poor baby, she was not feeling well, and then we have a huge day like this!! But, I am so happy to tell you that she did awesome! The whole day was filled with miracle after miracle!

It started out with the flight to Houston, I knew we didn't have a ton of time to get thorough immigration, and so I asked if I could get a seat near the front of the plane. To my surprise, I got a seat in the 2nd row and I had empty seats next to me!! YAY! Then, Anaya fell asleep in my arms without a peep, just as we were taxiing out to the runway, and didn't wake up for about an hour into the flight! Thank you Lord! Then at the Houston Airport, I was first out of the gate, and booked it all the way to and through customs, and immigration.(piece of cake! Anaya is a US citizen!!) I sped right through to get my baggage, brought it to be rechecked, and went through security again, and was to my gate in a half an hour!! I felt as though I was the first one leading the pack, all lines formed after me~Thank you Lord! We then got a little lunch, and waited for the next flight!! I was the most nervous about this flight, because there were no empty seats(at least none available online!) This was the longest leg of our journey, and it was on a small plane! To my surprise, I got on, and had the 3rd row back, and NO ONE next to me! The flight was full, they were taking carry on baggage from people to check, and I had an empty seat! Once again, she fell asleep in my arms and never made a peep(this never happens!) She woke up a few times, and I fed her, and she played around, no problems! Thank you Lord!! The last flight we were to be in the back of the plane, so I let everyone else board before me, so that she would have less time to have to sit! Then a ticket counter lady began talking to me, her name was Jackelin!! Before I knew it, she had given me a new seat assignment, and as I walked on the plane, I realized it was in the front row~OF FIRST CLASS!!! This made me very nervous, as there were a lot of business men, and the one sitting next to me, the stewardess knew by name! I was sure they all thought ~oh great, a baby! So I prayed for one last miracle, and I did everything possible to make her happy! Then, the flight was delayed, and she fell asleep, but woke up, at about the time it should have landed crying! She was shot! I did my best to keep her quiet, and the man next to me looked at us, and I gave him a sheepish grin, and said, "sorry, it's been a long day!" To which he said, "Oh, that sweet thing, she couldn't bother anyone!" The guy behind us, says "music to my ears! She is a sweetie!" That made me cry, and we were about to land at "home" so I was extra emotional!! Thank you Lord for all of the days miracles, and blessings! The man next to me was so sweet, he carried my bag, as I walked down the hall, I was so full of emotions, and he said he was thankful to be sharing this leg of the journey with us!!

WOW! What an awesome sight awaited us, as we came down that hall, to be greeted by so many family, and friends, it was truly amazing!! Words cannot express the joy I felt at that moment! Thank you to all who were there to welcome us home, I will never forget it! Thanks too for all who took pictures, and shared them with me, I appreciate it so much! There were a lot of people there!! There were balloons, signs, floweres,cake, and gifts, I was overwhelmed at the support we were given, and forever grateful to everyone for making our homecoming such a special occasion!!

Back on US soil!! Yeah!! It feels so good to be home!! Welcome to AMERICA baby girl!!

Then, I arrived to a very clean home with well stocked cabinets, and clean sheets!! Thank you sister in laws(and everyone else!!) That was an awesome gift!!
You guys are the greatest!! We had an awesome night last night, Anaya went right to sleep in her pretty room, with a real bed, and woke up once, and needed some Tylenol(we have an appointment tomorrow with the Dr.!)and she went back to sleep, and we all slept so very good!! Thanks so much for everything, I will post more about her first few days home, when I get a chance, today we just took it easy and let her explore her new environment!!

Last post from Guatemala!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look what we got today! BEFORE,

This was only a few minutes AFTER, we were in the cab, and she was fine!! I always wanted to have my daughters ears pierced as a baby, I think it is so cute! But, since she is from Guatemala, it is especially important, as they pierce baby girls ears just after birth to show they are loved! Well my sweet Anaya, you are loved so very, very much!!
Ear's pierced, and a VISA!! What a great day! She looks just as excited about that thing as I am!
So this is what we've been waiting for? What is it anyway? Can I chew on it like everything else I find these days?
Wow, that was the longest "pregnancy and hardest delivery" I have ever experienced! Let me tell you, giving birth is a cakewalk compared to adopting! But, like labor and delivery, the pain does go away once it is over, and you forget about it, and enjoy the baby placed in your arms!! Thank you Lord for yet another beautiful, healthy child!!
So this is it, farewell Guatemala! I will always look back on this experience with the fondest of memories! We had an awesome time, and I will be forever grateful to God for the chance to come here, and experience this beautiful country Anaya was born in!! I am so excited to get home, and see you all again!! Thank you so much for your prayers through this whole process, we are so grateful for each one of you, and your support! Love to you all! Adios Amigos!

Day 48............................................

You are the city! Well, I don't know about that, but these signs are everywhere! We took a walk today, and went through one of the big hotels. Wow, there are some swanky places here! I still have not located a grocery store, I asked at the front desk, and well, she sent me to a store, but it was not quite a grocery store, it was more like a beer store, with VERY FEW groceries! I need some food to keep Anaya happy on the plane! But, I am sure I will find something, I still have most of the day tomorrow! I know I could take a taxi, and there are big grocery stores, but I prefer to walk, and haven't found one in walking distance yet!

This is the hotel we are staying at, Hotel Stofella, it is nice, nothing fancy! There are groups of people staying here on mission trips, and they all think Anaya is so cute, and want to take her home!! I don't think so!!(I think she is cute, but they can't take her!):) Today, I met a couple who are here visiting their daughter, and it makes me so incredibly thankful, I DON'T HAVE TO GIVE HER BACK!!!!! THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!


This is cranky baby! She is getting 2 more teeth, and boy is she crabby! I gave her some ibuprofen, but it didn't seem to help! She is drooling, and chewing on everything!(including her dress!) Poor baby!
We go pick up her visa tomorrow at 3:30!! Then that is it! We are finished, and coming HOME!! YIPPIE!!! Can't wait to get home and reconnect with everyone! Love to you all!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Day 47(I think?).....................

It is much more difficult to feed Anaya with out a kitchen, or a microwave! Good thing she isn't as picky about the temperature of her food, as she is with her bottles! Here she is eating green beans at room temp. YUCK! But, she doesn't seem to mind! For her bottles I had been heating them less and less at the condo, but she is definitely not liking them at room temperature yet!

I just love those big brown eyes!!
She is sleeping very well here too! I didn't know how it would go being in the same room as her, but she just lays down and falls asleep, sometimes she fusses for a bit,(like~um I know you are right there, why don't you pick me up?) but not too bad! Poor baby, she has been sleeping in a playpen for about 7 weeks now! I keep telling her that she has a very nice bed at home, and soon she will be in it!

This is the face I get if she sees me make her bottle, and then has to wait for it to get warm as it sits in the ice bucket filled with hot water!! (I have to buy a bottle of water, and can't just use the warm tap water.) I keep telling her that if she would just drink it at room temp, she wouldn't have to wait!!
She loves to crawl around and play with her toys! Unfortunately, she also loves to get into the garbage, the outlets,pull at the cords, etc...! Typical one year old stuff, so that is good!! I am a tad bit worried about the airplane ride home, she has no sit in her whatsoever, and I have seen her temper flare if she wants down, and I don't let her!! (It ain't pretty!) It could be a LONG few hours, and I pity my fellow passengers! So, if you would pray for us on Tuesday, that would be great! I would love to be able to post about what an awesome flight it was!! And one more thing, I have 2 hours and 15 min. between flights in Houston, and I DO NOT want to miss my flight to MI, so please pray we speed through customs and immigration! I think it will be enough time, but ya never know!!

We went to the mall today, and that was about it! Tomorrow, the goal is to find a grocery store, so I can get some food for her for on the plane! Other than that, we hang out in our room, where we sit and stare at eachother~gets very boring!! We can't wait to get home!!