Joshua's love party :)

Ok, that title sounds a bit off, but I swear it's legit! I also know that I was supposed to talk about the zoo, but I couldn't resist sharing what happened this afternoon after school. Joshua came home today and said that he wanted to have a "love party."

He "decorated"

He gave us a present--he colored penguins and made them penguins in love.

Finally, he wrote us a letter:

"I love you because you are you. You are the best, and you too Papi"

What a fabulous surprise! I know you were expecting the exciting moments of the zoo--they're coming next time.

travelling to Indiana

So, we left the courthouse, played in the fountain and then headed up to Indiana. It was a two day trip, so we stayed in a hotel and it was actually not bad. As it turns out, long road trips are made so much smoother with the addition of the portable dvd player. We have a little one that we can put into the van for long trips, but we don't have in on a regular basis. Here's the part that made it amazing: we bought headphones at the dollar store (that's a whopping $1 for each pair) and it made the van virtually silent! Of course, we were still told everything that was happening when the boys got a bit bored, but for the most part, it was a nice, quiet ride and Ben and I actually got to talk to one another a bit and listen to an audio book. Honestly, I have no idea how people survived long car trips before this--there's only so much license plate bingo that can be played before the screaming takes over!

We had a very late night when we stopped because my husband has yet to plan a road trip with 3 young boys in mind. He didn’t plan for extra chi-chi stops or long meals where we need to run off a bit of energy or quite frankly for the time it takes to get all of the junk a family of 5 needs in and out of the car or find the snacks, etc. before we get on the road again from each aforementioned stop. We planned for a slightly late but respectable 9:30 arrival into the hotel. At 12:30 we rolled in, carried in sleeping bags and boys and they crashed before changing into their jim-jams (pjs).

We got out a bit late the next morning, but rolled in to Indianapolis at about 6ish—spent much time looking for Ben’s cell phone (which he lost at some gas station between Florida and Indiana—ugh) and then headed off to a great dinner with some of Ben’s family. They had reserved the banquet space for us and we enjoyed a ridiculous amount of pizza, pop and as much running around as we could get! We owe a big thanks to Barb, Jessie, Meghan, Stephanie and Aaron who planned and executed a wonderful night for us. All we did was show up and everything was taken care of, including our children’s introduction to pop rocks. Here is a sample of a new pop rocks experience:

step one: a mouth full of pop rocks (strawberry if I'm not mistaken)

step two: "what's happening with this strange candy?"

step three: "It's like a party in my mouth!"

Samuel just laughed and laughed as he ate the rest of the pop rocks. It was truly amusing. The other boys got theirs as well, but not chronicled as well. :)

Next time on Te Quiero Hasta La Luna: Our trip to the zoo.

re-adoption

We've had a hectic summer, so I'm going to put posts in the basic order of how they happened in an effort to catch up!

First and foremost: YAY! Our children were great through the re-adoption. We were a bit worried because the boys were not happy about this whole process. We started preparing them a few weeks ago with what was happening and what they could expect. They were a bit worried that if we were adopting them again, it meant that maybe the first adoption was not official or that we weren't somehow a family. The adoption for us was a bit complicated, so it wasn't just an easy signing of paperwork. As it turns out, like with many things, preparation is key. The boys sailed through and were fantastic and even excited about it in the end. Here are some photos of the boys. Aren't they handsome? Notice that only 10 minutes later they are not exactly as put-together... :)

getting ready for the hearing... They clearly all have my flair for the dramatic!

with the judge after the hearing! YAY!

little boys to water = moths to a flame


I just love this one--my little man looks so grown up!

After the hearing, we played in the fountain and then had a celebratory lunch. We then hit the road for real and went up to Indiana to see Ben's family! We'll post all about the amazing trip soon, but for now I'm going to head to bed to get some rest.

how many things can fit down the drain???

Apparently quite a few things can fit down the average bathroom drain before the average parent notices the slow drain while helping a small child brush their teeth. When Ben finally emptied the trap under the sink it included all of the following: a penny, 2 paper clips (large), ½ of a bar of soap, a toy skateboard, mami’s hair tie (rubber band), a nail file and an old toothbrush! We were stunned not only how many things could fit down a drain, but that the drain was pretty much doing fine until the final blow (the toy skateboard). It makes us wonder what exactly they shoved down there that might have made it through the trap without getting stuck. Ah, boys! :)

Aside from cleaning out the bathroom sink, we spent some time on Saturday with another family who is on the waiting list to adopt a girl from Colombia with the agency we are going through (Children’s Hope International). We went bowling and had so much fun! They were fantastic and Joshua was particularly taken with their oldest who played with him. As soon as we were in the van, he was asking when we will see them again. What a great time!

We also spent the weekend buying up school supplies—we got everything at either Costco or Target and only laid out $65.00! That included two new snazzy lunch bags and double supplies in case they ran out (as the teachers warn us they will). If you happen to be waiting or looking for things to donate, you can’t beat the sales going on right now—we got 24 packs of crayolas and elmer’s glue for 25 cents each! We get excited about the craziest things. :) The boys are so excited about the new school. We have taken Joshua out of the local public school and put our two oldest in a small private school that focuses on positive discipline with very open and hands-on learning environments. It’s going to be a bit of a struggle financially, but the school has given them a scholarship because of the diversity they bring to the campus and the school has a lot of experience with non-traditional learning styles. Every time we drive by, we wave hello and talk about how great it will be. Joshua will be in 1st grade and Samuel is starting kindergarten, so they will be in the same school for the first time!

We're heading off to Indiana this week, so wish us luck with the trip!

i love my boys

I have been really sick this past week, we're talking unbelievably sick. On top of that my husband accidentally stepped on my ankle which twisted it and left me unable to walk and just as I was up on my feet, I was attacked by a dog. Seriously, blood, ripped clothes and all. ugh. Of course if we look at the silver lining: my boys' level of empathy has come forward by leaps and bounds.

The boys have worked diligently to take care of me in their own ways. Santiago told his brothers to "be nice to mami" because I was not surrounded by attention. Joshua has been cuddling with me on my rocking chair and Samuel has been reading to me. I especially love this because he just brings his favorite stories over and guesses at the words based on the pictures he sees. He's so creative it always makes me smile.

Ben has also worked to give me the weekend so he has taken the boys to the park and store while I was at home trying to sleep despite the horrible coughing and miserable headache, so there has been a few good days of "male bonding." The boys have had a great time with papi and we have some new pictures for the one year post-placement homestudy. My favorite is below:



It's hard to imagine that it has almost been a year with us. They have all grown so much both physically and emotionally! I can hardly believe that our boys have changed so very much:



Aren't they cute little men? It feels so strange to be able to look back like this and really think about how far we have come as a family.

We're heading up to visit Ben's family to celebrate our one year anniversary as a family in August. We'll make sure to post some pics of the whole family together!