WE ARE PARENTS!!!

GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!  DIOS ES FIEL!!!  We are officially PARENTS!!!  After being in Honduras for 26 days, we were finally able to sign the adoption decree.  On Thursday, we spoke with our attorney, Marta, and she said the adoption decree was ready and that she would send it, via bus, to San Pedro Sula to be signed and fingerprinted and returned to her, via bus, to Tegucigalpa.  On Friday, she called and said it was on the way and that we and the birth parents would have to sign.  This would be a slightly complicated situation as we are not always able to make contact with the biological father.  Nothing about this process has been easy!  

We took the boys with us to pick up the adoption decree while Jennifer was at practice for praise dance at church.  We stopped at Baleadas Express and had dinner...YUM!  When we arrived at the bus terminal (a rather scary place), the document was not there.  It was at the City Center bus terminal, in a part of San Pedro Sula that we were unwilling to travel to at night.  So, Reyes woke up early on Saturday and took a bus and a taxi to the other bus terminal and returned with the envelope!  It was exciting to read all 14 pages!!!  We then waited ALL DAY and into the late evening to sign the documents with the biological parents.   On Sunday morning, Reyes again woke up  very early to take the documents to make a copy before putting them on the first bus back to Tegucigalpa.  On Monday, our attorney presented the documents to the registrar's office.  We are waiting to hear from her today to determine if she will be coming to San Pedro Sula tomorrow to begin the process of obtaining the children's new birth certificates and passports.  After that is completed, we will go to Tegucigalpa and file our I600 at the U.S. Embassy.  We will have to take the children for medical exams and vaccines, then wait for our interview with the embassy to obtain Visas.  Though it will likely take a miracle, we are still hoping to be home for Thanksgiving.  I am at peace with the idea that we will not make it home until later in November; however, it is still a strong hope! =)  

The children are very excited to make the trip to Tegucigalpa and home to the United States.  They have their suitcases packed and ready to go!!!  I have found some cute YouTube videos of rhymes to teach English.  They are about 10 minutes long, so I am using these videos as an incentive for computer play time...watch the video...play on the computer for 15 minutes =)  I cannot wait to see how immersion goes when we get home...being at my mother in law's house has not allowed for much English immersion. 

Please keep us in your prayers as we are in the final stretch to returning home...there are still so many uncertainties and unknowns!  Enjoying the adventure and accepting the sacrifices!