Feliz cumpleanos, Cristofer!

Happy Birthday, my sweet little boy! I can hardly believe you turned 9 today!!! What a wonderful gift to learn that your Papi and I will be coming to see you in 11 days! We were so happy telling the three of you and Mami Domi over the computer tonight. So much to do between now and then....I can hardly wait to hold you again! Not long now, sweetheart! This trip has come at just the right time. Aunt Melissa passed away last Tuesday and your Papi and I, along with Aunt Kristy, Uncle Darren and your cousins, Brandon and Daniel have been in agony. Your hugs and kisses are what we need right now! While we are visiting, we will have to travel to Tegucigalpa to meet with the nice ladies who visited with you in March...we will be strong and tell the truth, just like you, Jefferson and Jennifer! We could not be more proud of the three of you! Good night for now...we miss you so very much! Feel better soon, Honey....lots to do while we are there!

Happy 100th Birthday, Grandpa!

Today was such a bittersweet day...I missed mi Corazon, Reyes and the kids so much! My brother and his family and I have travelled to Indiana for my grandpa's 100th birthday. As a result of the many delays in our adoption process, I have been unable to travel to Indiana since 2009. I had so hoped that the children would be here for this special event and family reunion. I had not seen some family members since my mother's funeral in 1999. There were so many children the same ages of ours. Though I have seen pictures on facebook, I had not met many of my cousin's children. Being a military kid puts a huge strain on family relations. It was wonderful to honor my grandpa today...for me, it was a last minute decision to come here. Per our attorney, we received our assignment a little over two weeks ago, May 25th; however, we have not received a travel date (they have 18 days to give us a date). With our first travel date imminent, it was determined that Reyes stay home and work/take care of the dog. Please continue to pray for our family to be together again soon!

Reflecting with Gratitude!

Today is Memorial Day...a time when many enjoy fun in the sun...We are spending the 3 day weekend at the lake, relaxing and spending quality time with friends and family. However, for many Americans, this is a day of unbelievable sadness. As an Air Force brat, I knew the days, months and years of being separated from my father. When my brother was born, my dad was in Korea (during the Vietnam War). My brother was 8 months old when my father first met his son! We have audio tapes from those times...I was a confused little girl, asking the tape recorder, "What are you doing in there? I miss you...I sure wish you'd come home!" My daddy came home, just like my grandpa came home to his little girl (after World War II, following 3 1/2 years in battle with German soldiers). But, little boys and girls never saw their daddies (and mommies) again! I am a grateful American! Freedom was won with the blood of our courageous men and women! I look forward to teaching my children about these heroes whom we honor this and every day! But, today is not a holiday in Honduras, so I am hoping to hear from our attorney. The committee did not meet two weeks ago, but they did meet last Friday. School ends this week...and starts again August 27th. I would so love to have the children home by then...13 weeks...praying specifically!

Tomorrow...

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

Tomorrow will likely be the committee meeting in Honduras which paves the way for our first court date...but maybe not.  It is not that I am not hopeful...it is just that I have learned to wait patiently, because there is no certainty to this adoption process.  I want to plan so many things...but we continue to live in limbo...our reality for over 3 years.  I know that this is not only troublesome for us, but for everyone we engage with on a daily basis.  People like to make plans and I can't blame them...I do, too.  But, everything hangs in the balance as we await the outcome of this meeting! 

I dream of travelling to Honduras again, hugging the children, singing and playing and reading, memorizing scripture together, laughing and cuddling...getting passports, going to the Embassy, getting Visas, making plane reservations, saying Goodbye to Honduras and Hello to Houston, visiting family and friends, birthday parties, soccer games, piano lessons, Sunday school, new friends, swimming, enrolling in school, school shopping, girly girl shopping, scrapbooking, cooking, time with cousin, Daniel, Disney World, the Grand Canyon, learning the states, singing in the children's choir, morning routines, school lunches, night-time routines, evening prayers, family altar, Skyping with grandma, learning English, trips to Indiana, California, Illinois, Tennessee, Galveston, Dallas, South Padre Island, Washington, D.C., Alaska, family dinners, making tamales for Christmas, making tortillas together, relaxing at the lake....molding our children's character and teaching them life lessons, values and watching them grow in Christ.  So many dreams...so I wait another day...and another...and another...knowing that God's ways are not my ways, nor his thoughts, my thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).  Four Simple Words...."I trust you, Lord!"

Thank God for...SKYPE!

Romans 8:26

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

 

 

 

 

This week has been absolutely the most emotional of my life...many ups and downs, but mostly downs!  I know these storms in life will come...so grateful God is protecting me during this TSUNAMI!  Fortunately, we have recently learned to use Skype...from the desktop, from the laptop, from the IPAD, from our cell phones =)  We are CONNECTED!   It has been amazing to cry with those I cherish the most over Skype...to see the tears, the anguish, the pain...If there were some way to touch, to hold, to hug...That will have to wait!  Until then, we SKYPE!  Thank you, Lord, that I am living in this era of technology!!!

Be Still

So hold on to My hand
And rest in My arms and,
Hear the still small voice saying "You can make it"
I've never let you down so...

Be still and know, just be still and know
I will never leave your side

I love gospel music and this song, Be Still, by Yolanda Adams has really blessed me and touched my heart.  We have learned that IHNFA is back on strike and we do not know how this will effect the recent progress that we have been making with the adoption.   This new situation has been causing me many restless nights (nightmares, difficulty sleeping, tooth grinding, headaches, etc.).

However, I do believe that it is as simple as holding on to His hand and resting in His arms.  I need to listen for the still small voice...WE can make it!

One image that also brings me great comfort and joy is Jennifer singing praises along with my Ipod...English/Spanish...it didn't matter.  She wanted to learn every worship song I had.  I know she has been using YouTube to watch worship videos and I am so excited that they have the computer for that!

Being still this evening and praying for a restful weekend!

Time Slows Down

Ecclesiastes 3: A Time for Everything

 ¹ There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens:  ² a time to be born and a time to die,
   a time to plant and a time to uproot,
 ³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
   a time to tear down and a time to build,
 ⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
 ⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
 ⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
   a time to keep and a time to throw away,
 ⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
   a time to be silent and a time to speak,
 ⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
   a time for war and a time for peace.

Time can be my biggest enemy if I fail to cherish each moment!  Since returning from Honduras, I have found that time is passing so painfully slowly.  I anxiously await our special time on Skype with our family....last night I was able to introduce my brother's family to my Honduran family for the first time.  The language barrier made it slightly awkward, but it was such a blessing to use the technology in this way.  I am so grateful that my mother -in - law is embracing Skype, because I truly believe it is going to really help everyone with the children's transition to the U.S.

We spoke with our attorney Thursday evening.  Though not much will happen in Honduras over the next two weeks, due to the Holy Week holidays, we definitely feel very positive that we are making significant progress!  Hoping that we are back in Honduras for Mother's Day!!!  Mi Corazon, Reyes was in Honduras for Mother's Day in 2010...and I was back in Texas...It would be wonderful to be together in Honduras for Mother's Day in 2012!!!

Time will tell...