Sunday, August 26, 2007
A beautiful weekend
Things have been a little wild and sometimes out of control here but I think we are moving in the right direction. Layla is starting to play with her brothers and will spend time with daddy if I am no where in sight. I have to say I am worn out by the time he gets home from work. We had beautiful weather this weekend and enjoyed some fun with the kids at the park and Menards!! The boys love to play in the area they have set up there and it is good cheap fun. Sometimes I feel bad that we did not actually take a summer vacation this year( Guatemala does not count!) We had a couple of fun camping trips and have spent alot of time at area parks and the boys are excited about all the fun we have had so that is what counts. Sometimes the littlest things are special to them. Like campfires and smore'-s and just jumping on the trampoline and swimming. We have a couple of local parades coming up and they really enjoy catching all that candy. We are busy planning Layla'-s baptism and birthday'-Welcome Home Party!! I still have to pinch myself sometimes to believe she is really here!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
There is no Place like HOME
I am finally getting a chance to post after being home 2 days......I guess we officially arrived at our house at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday evening. Layla did really well on our plane ride and survived the immigration process. She got a second wind at the Houston airport and was a riot on the plane home until she crashed. Then I could hardly wake her for the crowd that was waiting to greet us! She is getting used to her car seat although the 5 hour ride home was much worse than the plane ride from Guatemala. She is still a little unsure of her brothers. Eli is much more easy going and she has decided that he is safe.(he hardly notices she is here) Noah on the other hand is in her face and wants to hold and carry her all the time which she does not appreciate at all. She is still fearful of Daddy but he is feeding her right now and I think they will be fast friends soon. Otherwise she wants Mommy all the time because she is used to having 100% attention from me for the last 4 weeks. Hard to get anything done but my granddaughter Madison who is 10 has been here for a couple of days and she LOVES her! A big help. We will be changing our blog title and will keep you updated on the craziness of our lives. I am soooo Happy to be home!!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Reflections......
The time has finally come to say Good-bye to Guatemala! This is my last day here and all I can think of is that tomorrow morning can not come quick enough. I am very sad to be leaving some great friends behind( especially Ginger and Deborah and Maya).... I wish they were on a plane with us. Also, the staff at the Marriott has been wonderful!! They know me by name and were even worried about me last night because they did not see me come back to the hotel after my trek to the mall. I am a ball of emotions right now thinking about how life has changed since I have been gone and how we now need to meld this family back into ONE. Layla has become very possesive of me and I want my boys to know that they do not take a backseat with their Mommy because we have one more in our family. I know the days ahead will be hard but it always is when you add one more to the fold. Thank you my dear friends for helping me through these last few weeks. I would not have been able to do it without you. There are so many tales of Guatemala to tell that I could probably write a book. This is the country my children were born and I do not ever want them to forget their culture and all of the truly wonderful people here that were a part of their lives. We will return with them when they are old enough to understand. ADIOS...... See you back in the U.S.A.
Monday, August 13, 2007
IT"S OFFICIAL.....LAYLA IS OURS!!
I just returned from the embassy and our papers are stamped and our little Layla is OURS!!! I am so happy I am jumping out of my skin.... I am almost HOME!!
P.S. Daddy you were there in our hearts and Mommy says she does not like this single parent thing. We miss you!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
It is Hat day at the Grove farm today!! Relatives are getting together and sporting some very interesting hats I am sure. Layla wanted to be part of the fun even if we could not be there. I will try add one of myself later today. Hope everyone is having fun! As Noah would say.....3 more sleeps until Mommy comes home!!
Friday, August 10, 2007
Embassy Appointment is Monday should be HOME Wednesday
I was hoping to get my embassy appointment changed to today but they could only move it to Monday. In the scheme of things it gets me out of here 2 days earlier than planned. I will not breath easy until we land in Minnesota and know that we are on our way home. What a ride this has been!! I miss my family and yet have met so many people here that have taken me and Layla under their wing. Ginger and Maya and Deborah, you have made this stay bearable. Not to mention a little exciting!! Yesterday we packed in a little Mazda to go to the embassy doctor with the girls.... 5 of us in the backseat, laughing so hard that I am sure the driver wondered if we were LOCO.... It has not been all fun and the nights get very lonely but I do think the bonding that Layla has had with her Mommy will help when we get home to two very excited 4 year olds. We are considered the Marriott orphans. Everyone that leaves here tends to drop stuff by our room such as pedialite, water, or any left over food they have. We did not intend on spending this much time in Guatemala and the money ran out long ago. I keep joking that I am going to start a vending wagon out on the street with the free water and food from the executive lounge just to make it home. HOME SWEET HOME!! Never in a million years did I think I would be away from home this long when I walked out those doors 3 weeks ago. I haven't taken many pictures this week. Layla has been sick and fell and bumped her nose so she has a big boo boo.... I keep joking that I may have to put cover up on it when we go to the embassy Monday!
Little Zada made it home from Ethiopia and we can't Wait to meet HER!!
Little Zada made it home from Ethiopia and we can't Wait to meet HER!!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Grateful
I decided that tonight my post will be a little different than I have posted since I arrived in Guatemala. Instead of dwelling on all of the wrongs that have happened on this journey I am counting my blessings and feeling Grateful. It is much easier to do now that I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Grateful for the most wonderful blessing of all that is sleeping in my bed, grateful to a husband who gives so much of himself for his family and has had to listen to me cry far too many times lately, grateful to my little boys who have endured a mommy who hasn't really been herself in the last few months, grateful for our family members that have really tried to understand what we are feeling, grateful for the many many friends I have met on this path who never fail to amaze me with their intuition and all knowing ways to calm me down and face me in the right direction again. And most of all Grateful to God for giving me the strength and the courage to do things I never thought possible. Oh and last but not least Grateful that I am going home SOON.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Enjoying the Weekend
I have decided that I will not stress out this weekend and just enjoy Layla and Guatemala. Now come Monday that will probably change but hopefully good news will come our way! There is a baby expo in the hotel this weekend and my new found friend Ginger and her little Maya joined us for some fun there this morning. Here are some pictures from the last couple of days. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Nicole C Mullen live
This is one of my favorite songs..... If I could just press my way through this madness.....
Stand Tall
Stand Tall
You are stronger than you think-stand tall.
Every challange in your life helps you to grow.
Every problem you encounter strengthens your mind and your soul.
Every trouble you overcome increases your understanding of life.
When all your troubles weight heavily on your shoulders
remember that beneath the burden you can stand tall.
Because you are never given more than you can handle-
and you are stronger than you think.
by Lisa Wrobel
Shattered Dreams
Through this whole adoption, every time things would get rough, I would dream about the day they would hand Layla over to us and she would be OURS. Dream about going to the embassy and them stamping the papers to prove it and stepping off the airplane in Minnesota with Layla in her daddy's arms and her brothers finally seeing it was coming true. Well Steve and Noah boarded a plane without us this morning and I can't believe that I am still here with Layla to navigate the rest of this mess alone. I feel so bad for Steve, who was torn in two by leaving us, for Eli who was such a big boy when we were gone, counting down the days (which ended up being more than we told him already)and not seeing that little girl he was told would be coming home with us, and for Noah ,(who has seen far too many tears) for a little girl that he was going to bring back on the plane with him for everyone to see. I have cried more tears than can be counted but now I need to step it up and do this alone. I am scared and already lonely but I have my little girl and I can't leave her behind again. I feel as though my heart is being ripped out. Please pray for me to have the strength to get through this so SOON Daddy and the boys will see us coming through that gate in MPLS!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
LET THIS BE THE DAY!!
We are hoping to get our pink slip today and will be thrilled to finally have an appointment date. I have met so many wonderful people on this trip and so many babies going home to loving, deserving families. We are finding out that there are many stories worse than ours and just have to keep focused on the fact that we are in the home stretch. Then of course there are the 4-6 month old babies going home and we are reminded that our agency promised our child would be home by then. We can't help but feel a little jealous that some have such an easy process while we have been put through the ringer 3 times in a row. Steve says if it would have been too easy, we would have probably been tempted to do it again........ We don't have to worry about that now. My heart cannot endure this again. Ever. We are relying on God to bring us through this and appreciate all the prayers from friends and family!
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