TWO COUNTRIES~ONE FAMILY

Finally an update~2010

2011-08-21T16:22:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. It's been quite a while so I thought I would just catch you up on 2010. So here it goes.

January:

After Michael's Birthday, we had the MMTA piano competition. Anthony and Maria both advanced to the Cities to compete to play at Northrop Auditorium in June.

Uncle Charlie and Aunt Rhonda had a sledding party. It was so much fun watching all the cousins slide down the hill and even the Big kids(Adults) had a go at it. I don't know who enjoyed themselves more the kids or the adults:)

Anthony started taking a couple on-line courses through MNWest as a PSEO (Post Secondary Educational Option). He is liking it so far.

February:

Anthony had his confirmation and became an adult member of the Catholic Church. He was so excited to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was so emotional seeing our son standing up there with his Sponsor(Clayton) receiving the blessings and annointings.

March:

Anthony, Michael and Maria played for their Gold Cups the beginning of March. Anthony received his final Piano Gold Cup with another perfect score. He received 9 perfect scores(one for every year since he started). He was a little emotional that he was done because he will be starting at MNWest in the Fall and won't have time. He will play to receive his last Gold Cup next year for Organ. Michael and Maria also had perfect scores. We are so proud of the time and effort they put into it.

Anthony and Maria competed in the Cities for MMTA. Maria won so she will be playing at the Northrop Auditorium in June.

Anthony celebrated his 17th Birthday. We are so proud of the man he is becoming. He is doing well at MNWest and is a safe driver. He is so loving towards his brother and sisters. He is amazing with Christina...he affectionately calls "Chub Chub or Chubbin." He is so strong in his faith he is not afraid to talk with anyone about it.

May:

The kids were in a play called Beauty Is a Beast. They practice for a week and then performed. It was very well done and funny. Teresa, their Spanish Teacher, was the director.

Our piano teacher, Helen, had a recital for the residents of Hill Street place. There was a skit for each of the piano pieces performed. The residents all said they really enjoyed it but I think the kids had the best time. They had an opportunity to visit with the residents afterwards.

We drove to the Cities to practice for the Northrop Auditorium twice in May. I became a seasoned Cities driver when were were done. We also had an adventure on the way to one of the practices. I ended up getting two flat tires at the same time and did you know there aren't many tire places open on Saturday. We found a good Samaritan at a dealership that was just closing shop to go visit his mother in the hospital and he still wanted to fix our tires. He was such a sweetheart.

June:

We drove to the Cities to spend two nights in a Hotel for Maria's MMTA Concert. Joe has always met us up there. and arrives just before the concert begins We did a lot of praying that week that he would be able to go up with us for the two days since we usually only stay one . But we were so suprised when God answered our prayers (A child's prayer availilth much). Joe arrived home an hour before were were going to leave. He was rained out for the weekend. It was so much fun being a family for two full days.

The day after we returned from the Cities Maria went to Schoenstatt camp with all her friends. My shy little girl didn't even miss me. When I arrived to pick her up she asked if it would be OK if she didn't miss us and I said "YES" that meant she had a great time.

July:

We celebrated another Niece's Wedding Francesca Callens (Affectionately called Frenchy). It was a very hot day but it was a very beautiful wedding. She just beamed and looked like an angel. Anthony was so honored when he was asked to be an usher in her wedding. Peter will fit in the Callens' family really well. He always has a smile on his face and has a fun personality. He even likes to hunt...Anthony, Joe and Michael said he is a shoe in. We have two new nephew-in-laws and they both like to hunt. What are the chances.

Maria took swimming lessons and didn't pass due to not being able to do a flip in the water. She is such a small thing she said the water kept pushing her up. She wants to go back next year and do the flip...if she does they said they would pass her.

Carolee and Logan came to stay in July. Logan has changed so much in a year. He doesn't look like a baby any more. We always have so much fun and hate it when they leave. Christina sobbed for Logan until she fell asleep and then she woke up crying for him all over again. The good thing is they will be returning in November.

August:

We had Vacation Bible School with three churches combined this year with a total of 120 kids. It was so much fun seeing all the kids fired up for Jesus. It was such a great success that we will do it together next year.

Little Miss Christina celebrated her 4th Birthday on the 21st. She thought her Birthday was a week long celebration. She kept asking, "More presents?" each morning when she woke up. I haven't written much about her up until now but she is definitely in the pictures and the center of our lives plus if we slack on giving her attention she definitely lets us know. She is...yes....spoiled. I dare any of you to look into those big brown eyes and bright smile and try to discipline her. She has done everything our other three didn't even think about. She amazes us everyday and what she can come up with, like... climbing out of bed in the middle of the night and hiding, Figuring out how to get into or out of every child safety feature known to man kind. She can charm anyone to let her have her way which makes us look like the bad guy when we try to discipline her. She is the love of our lives and she is keeping us young with all her antics. She will always be our little "Princessa".

September:

Maria celebrated her 11th Birthday. She is such a sweetheart. She is so quick to help when needed and she loves to surprise us with cleaning then house when we are gone. (She really enjoys organzing...I have a finally have a partner because I love to organize but I don't like to clean.) She is like a second mother Christina. She is so happy to have a roommate. She is very quiet but she talks all the time at home. She is a very inciteful little girl.

We started school this year with one less. Anthony started full time at MNWest double majoring in Electrical/WindPower which he hopes to complete in three years. He is adjusting really well....getting up at 6:30 AM everyday and being in school until 4PM. He has a lot of homework which is all over my head. Thank goodness for Dad only being a phone call away. If you have ever been married to a road construction worker, carpenter etc... they are great at pointing out mistakes with the paved road , house/building etc...now we have Anthony letting us know what was not done according to 2010 Electric Code in our house and our buildings. Michael and Maria are receiving more one on one attention in school..if they like it or not.

Michael started Tae Kwon Do in September. He has gained so much confidence, inner strength and self control. He has found something he excells at and his teacher has made him the leader of his group which has really been important to Michael because the teacher said whatever he does they will copy good or bad. He is always right there if they aren't paying attention or if they need help.

October:

We had two weddings.... one for a Friends' Daughter, Natalie and the other was for my cousin Joey. They were both so beautiful. Michael was so proud of his pheasant he shot. He is just like his brother. Loves the Hunt.

November:

Cary, Carolee and Logan came home over Thanksgiving. We had so much fun. Christina and Logan were reunited and made up for lost time. Carolee and Logan arrived at the airport during the sleet and snow. Logan kept saying "owe owe" because he was being pellted by sleet. Cary came during the snow as well. Boy, what a welcome home.

December:

It was so nice being home to get ready for Christmas with all the baking and decorating. The kids have really taken over the baking. We even have turned Belgian Joe into a Norwegian. He is great rolling out the lefse and even loves to eat it!!

Christmas came so fast again this year. Christmas is my favorite time of year. The beautiful Christmas music and waiting for Jesus' Birthday has meant so much to me but seeing it through your children's eyes is even more special.

Our Little Guatamalan Princessa

Happy 13th Birthday Michael!!!

2010-01-24T21:17:00.008-06:00

Our Wonderful Michael...you get him as he is..honest to the core if you want it or not. He is true emotion. He gets passionate about everything just like his Dad. He is actually a twin to his Dad...looks, personality, the way he thinks things through etc... He came into this world during the 97 blizzard and has kept us on our toes ever since. Michael decided he wanted ice cream sundaes instead of cake....always doing things differently. Which we love:)

Happy 13th Birthday Michael!! We love you!!!

12Years Old

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-27T10:18:00.007-06:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged since September but it has been really busy. My sister came to visit twice, once in August and once in November, with her cute little boy and her husband, Cary. We had so much fun together. Boy, I wish she lived closer:( We also have canned and froze a lot this year. I lost count on how many quarts of tomatoes, salsa, pumpkin pie filling, beans, peppers, etc.. we processed but we are stocked up for the winter and seeing the freezer and shelves full makes all the work worth it. We made Jalepeno poppers this year for the first time. They are delicious as long as you like them hot. I will need to take out more seeds next year. But if you have a sinus cold they are the ticket to feeling better. We started school and it has been going really well this year. Anthony decided he wanted to take a couple classes at the Vocational College this winter so we will see how it goes. He wants to go full-time next year, his Senior Year, for WindPower Techonology. I can't believe he will be a Senior next year. I am definitely not ready for it. We celebrated my 41st and Joe's 42nd Birthday. Mine in October and Joe's in December. Those definitely come very fast each year. Then Christmas came. I was so excited for Advent this year. I was going to enjoy the whole season but of course it got busier than I planned. We had fun making cookies which Christina decided she loved the taste of. We made Krumakaka, Lefse, Belgian cookies, cutouts (which Christina made sure had a lot of sugar on them), almond bark pretzels, star cookies, monster cookies, and Ginger cookies. I can't wait until the sugar is out of the house. We found out that sugar is like caffeine for Miss Princessa. She has been off the walls the whole month of December. But she sure enjoyed Christmas this year. It is so much fun watching them enjoy every aspect of the season which we lose with all the hussle and bussle of the season. Christmas Eve: We wish you a very Merry Christmas and may the New Year be filled with many blessings and keep you safe and healthy!!

Happy Birthday Maria

2009-09-11T21:23:00.007-05:00

Maria was born on Mother Mary's Birthday so we knew we would name her after Mary but Joe and I had to decide on Mary or Maria. Maria fits her so well so Maria it was. She is my big helper expecially with her little sister. She knows how to patch clothes thanks to her Dad:) and she likes to dust and organize. She loves to play the piano. She always has a smile. You may not believe this but she is a talker. We have so much fun talking while we are canning or cooking together. She is a sweetheart through and through. She is such a blessing.

Maria wants to learn to sew other than patches so we will learn together.

When you don't have candles. Just make the number.

6 Years Old 7 Years Old

8 Years Old

9 Years Old

10 Years Old-Happy Birthday Maria Therese.

Summer 2009

2009-08-22T11:27:00.009-05:00

Ok, so I am not the best poster during the summer. It has a been a busy summer with acitivities, canning, visitors, freezing, camp, canning, birthday and VBS....did I mention canning or freezing? We started out with Anthony leaving for most of the summer to work with Darren and Grandpa on the farm with a little hunting mixed in. Then Michael had baseball for the first time since he was little. He did great and had a lot of fun. Father's day we went to Mom and Dad's for the Saddle Horse holiday parade of which there were no pictures due to rain but fun was had by all especially at the gathering at Mom and Dad's for potluck. July 3rd we went to the Fireworks at the casino and it rained. Did you know they can shoot fireworks in the rain.... Look below how to enjoy fireworks in the rain. Then Maria went to her first camp at Schoenstatt in Sleepy Eye . She loved it. I was worried I would be getting a call to pick her up but her schedule was so full she didn't have time to miss us. Then came VBS...I was the preschool director and Maria attended. It was so much fun with 47 kids present with 15 being preschoolers. They learned to "Fear Not" for the Lord is with them in the Crocodile Dock in the Bayou. They built comfort critters to give to other children in need that said "God Care". Then littleMiss Christina Maria turned 3. She is full of love, charm, temper and kisses. She has turned into an excellent actress. She has learned how to fake cry and then can turn it off in a second and give you the biggest smile that will warm anyones heart. Then Carolee and Logan came from Florida for 10 glorious days. Logan finally was able to handle Christina being his mother by the last couple days. She was a mother hen. ...she was always trying to hold his hand or dance with him. I think he will be sick of girls for a long time. We miss them so much already. We are hoping they will come back soon. During all this I was crazy and decided to do Spring cleaning plus canning and freezing of the garden's produce, which as been producing so well. Here is our summer in pictures. Enjoy!!

Father's Day. What a wonderful Father and Husband.

Michael's all day Baseball Tournament. We left at 8:00 in the morning and didn't get home until 10:30PM. They placed 4th.

Having our picnic lunch under a shade tree. It brought back memories when I was in softball at the all day tournaments.

One of the rare over 90 degree days this summer. School's summer sizzler.

Watching Fireworks in the rain.... what an adventure.

VBS Christina turns 3. Our little baby is growing up.

These are the eyes we have a difficult time saying "No" to.

Christina teaching Logan what rocks are really good for.....putting in the lawn:)

Celebrating Logan's(May), Christina's(August), and Maria's(September) Birthday

Grandma, Grandpa and the grandkids with Carolee...Logan didn't want to let Mama go.

Family Picture of Cary, Carolee and Logan...since Daddy couldn't come.

Guatemalan Princessa Is 3

2009-08-21T18:24:00.012-05:00

Where have the years gone. She has been such a joy to our family. She is talking more and more all the time. She loves to act and copy people. She loves kisses and hugs....she give them whenever you hold her. She has developed a attitude and is very honest about telling us. What would we do without her. I have been thinking about her birth mother today. What is she thinking about today? Does she know she is loved and cared for? We wish so much to be able to find her someday to thank her for her decision to choose life and adoption for her precious little girl. God has blessed us so much with her....she needed a family but we needed her much more! Happy Birthday Princessa Christina Maria: Referral~3 days old

One Year Old

Two Years Old

Three Years Old

May

2009-06-01T14:41:00.022-05:00

I guess I have turned into the Monthly blogger....sorry everyone:( Christina finally received her glasses. We were worried she would take them off. She leaves them on except when she sleeps and when she is eating. She likes to take them off when she is eating and we don't know why but if that's the only time we will happily except that. She can see so much better now. She is always pointing to new things that she sees that we had no idea she couldn't. She is discovering the world all over again.

Daddy and his little girl with her new glasses. Isn't she cute!!!

On Mother's Day, Joe and the kids did a quick clean of the house as my present and then they went fishing. They left Christina and myself home to bond together. When she went down for a nap it seemed really lonely. I always want time to myself which is few and far between but when I have it I would rather have the kids here. I know I am strange. Joe and the kids had a great time fishing other than the fact they haven't caught anything for the last two years. Michael is the fisherman of the family and he is thinking he needs to pick a new hobby:)

Maria freezing while fishing:)??

The Fisherman!!!

Anthony looking for just the right fishing spot.

Joe's favorite part of fishing!!

Our Godchild, Kaci, had her first dance recital on May 17th. I was able to go and she did a great job and was soooo cute. Keep up the good work Kaci!!

Fred, Sandra and Family had their annual barn dance. It was the day before we needed to be in the Cities which I will explain next but we decided there was no way we were going to miss the social event of the season. It's fun watching all the kids get along and seeing them dance from babies on up. The best part Joe was able to make it this year by 10 PM instead of Midnight or not at all. We were able to dance three times. There is so much visiting to do the time flies. We got to bed at 2:00 AM. Sandra's Mom, Pina, was there and she makes the best homemade Pizza. Thanks for the pizza Pina. Thank you Fred, Sandra, and Family for another fun filled night.

***Sorry, my camera at night in a barn doesn't take very clear pictures***

Christina feeling Fred's beard...Mama what's this??

Sandra with her Mom, Pina, and little Bella.

Christina having her first dance with a boy. I think she likes him for his shirt;)

Anthony and his friend Emma. They had very tired feet by the end of the night. Anthony said he kept stepping on Emma's toes......Sorry Emma he must have inherited my dancing abilities:(

Michael doing an Irish Line Dance..

Maria dancing with Tommy

All the boys growing up and having a good time.

The next day we got up at 6 AM to do chores finish packing and head up to the Cities for Maria to practice for the Honors Concert at the U of M Northrop Auditorium. We had to be there at 11 AM but I always give myself an extra 1/2 hour for construction and boy was there construction. I have never seen it that busy before. We made it to practice and then went to our hotel. Darren gave us two nights at a hotel of our choice so we went to the Embassy Suites in Bloomington. We had a suite with free breakfast with eggs/omelets made to order. We had so much fun there....thank you Uncle Darren:) Joe got off work and made it to the hotel at 3:30 PM. We went to church and then to the Auditorium for the Honors Concert. We were with our Friends the McKeowns. They had two children in the concert as well and our children are good friends. The all did great. We are so proud of Maria she did a good job despite a headache from lack of sleep. Afterwards we went to TGIF to eat with the McKeowns and the Wambekes. Helen helped teach our kids piano after Jessie had her baby. She did an awesome job teaching them. She is so sweet. We then got back to the hotel at which was late again and crashed until the next morning. We ate an awesome breakfast and then I showered and packed while Joe and the kids went swimming. They had fun even though it was short. We then went to eat with the McKeowns and Wambekes and head to the Como Zoo. Well we got there but all the parking lots were full and there were cars parked on all sides streets for blocks. So the unison decision was to go home. We were bummed but we had a full weekend and the kids were exhausted. It was a busy weekend but wouldn't have missed any of it.

Maria and Brynn with their beautiful smiles and dresses

\Maria and her flower she received at the Honors concert.

All the kids having a good time at TGIFridays. Do they look tired....NOT!!

Swimming the next morning. They loved it and Christina became a fish from last year when she screamed going in the water.

This is what welcome us home after our long fun weekend...

Enjoy the Summer!!!

If Ever You Worshipped-Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:40:00.001-05:00

HAPPY EASTER

2009-04-12T18:56:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter!!!

Contest, birthday, baby shower, glasses, Easter & driving oh my:)

2009-04-03T14:40:00.012-05:00

Maria competed for the MMTA contest in the Cities March 15th and won. Her friend also won so it will be a great time in the Cities at the Honors concert the end of May. Her judges wrote so many great things about her talent. She loves the piano and it shows. We are very proud of you Maria!!

Christina decided she wanted to picture taken with her Big Sister before her competition.

We went to the Mall of America to see how much it has changed in 5 years. They had an American Girl store. Maria doesn't have one but she chose Josephina as her favorite. She is reading her stories for the Internet. They are adding new version of American girls but I still prefer the old fashion ones.

We had a baby shower for Baby Cael March 21st. It was the Callens' Aunts with Jessie and Great Grandmother Charlene. We had a great time holding Cael and visiting. It seems we never get together anymore with our daily lives taking over. Cael is such a beautiful baby and Jessie is so happy being a Mom. Congratulations Jessie:)

Anthony turned 16 on the 26th. He is 6'1 and so grown up. We catch ourselves talking with him like an adult all the the time and then realize he is only 16. He enjoys hunting and has been training his hunting dog Dakota to fetch. For his "16th Birthday" we let him pick the restaurant then Joe and I took him all by himself. He loved it and we decided to keep this a tradition when when a child turns 16 it will be there day to eat with Mom and Dad alone. He took his written test for driving on April 1st and passed. I don't know if that was his April Fools joke to us since our vehicle insurance will go up or not. I can't believe he will graduate in two years. What will I do without him. Love you Anthony and Happy Birthday!!

Grandma and Grandpa took all of us out to the Country House for Anthony's 16th Birthday. The Country House made Anthony a cake for his birthday. Mom also had a cake made by Florene, an excellent cake decorator in our area, who made a cake with a car running into a tree with Drivers Education on the car. I hope it isn't of what is to come:O I don't have a picture on my camera but Mom does and I will post it later.

Michael, Maria and Anthony are learning Spanish. It's slow going but improving everyday. We have a Spanish teacher teaching our homeschool group. They definitely know more than I at this stage. I had better start studying again.

Maria had her last dance lesson of the year on the last Friday in March. She loves it and it has helped her legs straighten more as well.

We took Christina to the U of M Pediatric Opthamology department the 24th of March. She has 20/360 vision in one eye and 20/90 in the other. Normal is 20/20 with 20/30 getting worse so she hasn't been seeing in the one eye and blurry in the other. The Doctor stated she has probably had this since birth due to lack of prenatal care. We will be picking out glasses on Monday so watch for our next post to show the big brown eyes behind glasses. I wonder if she will take one look at us clearly for the first time and run the other way since we are pretty scarey...LOL I am excited to be able to read a book to her. She has always had to have the book up so close I couldn't read the words to her.

We had the Callens' family Easter two weeks early to accommodate everyone's schedule. We still had a few families missing due to the distance but we had fun.

Andrea had a great meal with an Easter egg hunt for the kids.

Christina was only interested in finding the one egg and eating the candy then she proceeded to take other people's eggs to eat more candy. Hopefully she will get more into the hunting instead of the eating next year.

The kids and the uncles played Wii together. It was fun watching the grown up men playing a video game with the kids.

Uncle Jimmy with Christina, "Who's your favorite uncle?"

"Where's the candy, Daddy?" "How do you run these things?"

FIREPROOF

2009-03-11T13:47:00.002-05:00

Holy Redeemer's RE students showed the movie "FireProof" at their school. Joe and I don't go to many movies but when it's free you can't pass it up. This movie was so good we talked all the way home and are still talking about it today. We would like to encourage everyone who is married or is getting married to see this movie. It says it could save your marriage but it also can make any marriage better. Bring the tissues girls and guys there are many Fire Department action seens with no blood and guts that are see in movies today. Best of all no swearing:) They have it at the $1 Movie boxes in Marshall so for $1 there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. Enjoy!!!

Piano, Pigtails and a baby

2009-03-07T16:09:00.006-06:00

Yes, it has been piano season. MMTA competition which Anthony and Maria competed in was the end of January. Maria won to compete at the state level. Anthony just missed it. The end of February they had their Gold Cup. Anthony, Michael and Maria competed and received 5's. Anthony received a 5 with his organ as well. They are scored 1-5 with 5 being the highest you can receive and then after receiving 15 pts they receive a gold cup. Maria will receive her first Gold cup this year. I uploaded pictures of Maria and Christina in pigtails. Dad and the boys are at Grandpa and Grandma's working on their barn so it's a girls day at home. As you can seen Maria has Christina beat with length but Christina beats her in curls. We are proud Great Aunt and Uncle and Second Cousins to: Cael Francis (Luke and Jessi had their first baby on February 23rd) Isn't he beautiful:)

Guatemala One Year Later

2009-02-07T09:50:00.004-06:00

This is an update about Guatemalan adoptions one year after they closed all adoptions: Guatemala: One Year After the Closure of Adoptions "More despair than hope" From the website: http://jcics.org/Guatemala.pdf Joint Council Position PaperGuatemala: One Year LaterOn January 1, 2008, under significant scrutiny and amidst allegations of corruption, child trafficking and unethical practices, Guatemala implemented the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. Guatemala’s participation in the Convention was applauded by the many governments and NGOs who had insisted on changes to the practices in Guatemala and vigorously supported Guatemala’s participation in the Hague Convention. The implementation was seen by many as the answer to corruption and unethical practices.Now, 12 months since its implementation, has the Convention truly been the answer? It appears that one year later there are more questions than answers, more needs than funds, and for the children in need of a family, more despair than hope.Since the implementation of the Convention, Guatemala has in fact seen an end to allegations of ongoing corruption in inter-country adoption. Children now have strong protections against child trafficking. Birth families are free from the unethical practices of unscrupulous practitioners. And a Central Authority governing all adoptions has been established in Guatemala.Over this past year, in addition to these protections, has the Convention’s implementation in Guatemala also served children? Has it enabled children living in institutions to find a family? Unfortunately the manner in which Guatemala implemented the Convention has not resulted in an ethical intercountry adoption system; it has resulted in no intercountry adoption system. The implementation of the Convention has indeed succeeded in adding protections. But it has also failed in its role to serve children. Despite an estimated 6,000 institutionalized children and few domestic adoptions, not one child has found a permanent family through the Convention.When the Convention was implemented the law stated that the estimated 3,000 adoptions that had been initiated would be completed. One year and countless investigations by the PGN, MP, CNA and Guatemalan courts later, over 1,000 children have yet to have their adoptions completed. Joint Council supports efforts to ensure that each and every adoption is done in the best interest of the children, and recognizes that investigations are a part of that protection. But the cost should not be born by innocent children. Joint Council calls on the Guatemalan government to swiftly bring each pending adoption case to a final resolution and thereby end the deprivations of institutionalization.Protecting children and families from harm is one of the primary roles of the Guatemalan government and their efforts must be recognized and supported. However, much like the scrutiny and attention by the international community exposed the corruption of the prior system, this same community must now refocus their attention to bring to light Guatemala’s ineffective implementation of the Convention and its subsequent impact on institutionalized children and Guatemalan families. As recently published by Nuestro Diario, a leading Guatemalan newspaper, children are being abandoned to the streets at an alarming rate. With few government institutions to provide care and the closure of many private institutions, some birthmothers are simply leaving their newly born children in trash dumps. Nuestro Diario reports that in Guatemala City alone, 91 children were found abandoned with 70 being new born infants. Twenty abandoned children in Guatemala City were found after they had already perished. What is being done to build a social service system which not only protects children from corruption but also from a tragic death?The lack of services to children as a result of the poor implementation of the Convention has yet to be addressed by those who supported its premature implementation. With prior knowledge that Guatemala lacked the capacity to properly implement the Convention, why were alternative reforms not considered? Who will assist the Guatemalans in replacing what was the only effective means of finding families for children? Who will help preserve families? Who is building an effective and safe domestic adoption program? Again, one year later there are more questions than answers.The reform of the previous adoption system and the implementation of the Convention required the collective efforts of many governments and NGOs, including the U.S. and European governments. Building an effective child protection system in Guatemala will necessitate another, similar effort. Given the many challenges the Guatemalan government and its children are facing, no one entity can accomplish this task alone. Joint Council calls on the U.S. and European governments along with UNICEF, the NGO community, and The Hague Permanent Bureau to provide the necessary technical and financial assistance needed to appropriately serve the children of Guatemala. After 12 months and little progress it is apparent that only a collaborative effort can create the full range of desired services.The formation of a spectrum of services including Family Preservation, Kinship Care, Domestic Adoption and Intercountry Adoption is desperately needed to ensure that children retain their right to a family and are protected from the detrimental effects of institutionalization, or even an unnecessary death. Joint Council calls on all stakeholders who previously asked for reforms to move with speed in order to provide these much needed services.Some efforts have already begun. UNICEF and the governments of Chile and Brazil have provided limited technical assistance, and USAID is planning two pilot programs focused on family services. These efforts represent a start to services but are clearly not enough. In the past 12 months less than 60 domestic adoptions have been completed. Zero intercountry adoptions have been initiated. And significant family preservation is only in the development stage. When a child protection system results in more children being abandoned and less children finding families, is it not obvious that more needs to be done?It has been one year since the implementation of the Convention; the children of Guatemala await our answer.

A Family Needs Prayers!!!

2009-02-04T10:14:00.003-06:00

I received this from my sister-in-law this morning: Please pray for a homeschool mom of 10 Donna Jorgenson. She is in intensive care...................she almost died and they still don't know the cause. She was jaundiced and sick all week. Went into shock...........and is having blood transfusions. No cause yet. It has to do with her blood and she has been air lifted to Sioux falls. This came out of the blue! She is the mom of all the redheads at the barn dances for some of you to put a picture to her. Thanks a lot and please pray all day. Won't you please pass this prayer to your friends ?

Michael is 12 Years Old

2009-01-25T15:00:00.007-06:00

Michael turned 12 years old. Last year he was so sick with Stomach issues and losing 30 lbs in two months due to Antibiotics that he didn't enjoy his 11th birthday but this year he made up for it. We had his favorite food homemade pizza, cake, and ice cream for rootbeer floats.

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's to celebrate his birthday as well as his Uncle Darren's which is a week later. They had a lot of fun after loading 650 sheep into semi's to sell. It was a long day but fun was had by all.Aunt Mavis' Apricot Coffee Cake as a gift was one of his favorite gifts. It was all his and he didn't need to share with anyone.

Before Michael's Birthday we went to Uncle Charlie and Aunt Rhonda's for a sledding day since we don't celebrate Christmas with the Callens' side because there are so many of us to arrange it with now. Everyone was sore the next day but had a blast.

Michael waiting for the snow ski. He skiied like pro. Maria smiling and happy as always:)

Christina's first sledding day. It was 25 below windchill so she only had three sleddings down the hill but she loved it. Anthony manning the 4-wheeler and sleigh that Uncle Charlie made.

Here is a picture of Dakota. He has really grown. Dixie and Dakota sleep together now. We were so happy to see that since it has been so cold. Joe says he is all puppy and that he and Dakota need to have a talk but I think he really likes him.

Please Pray for Abby

2009-01-15T14:03:00.003-06:00

Abby was adopted from Guatemala. At three years old, she was diagnosed with a high-risk, aggressive form of Leukemia. Certain genetic complications have put her chance of surviving the treatment at about 20%. I am praying for her and her family. Would you pray for them too? You can find more about Abby here, on her family blog: http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2009/01/about-abby.html

JOY-New Year's Resolution continued.

2009-01-03T15:22:00.003-06:00

After I sent the last post. I realized that maybe people don't know about the Duggar family. They are a husband and wife who just had their 18th child just before Christmas. I started reading their new book. They should have some tidbits for me to learn from since taking care of 4 can be a challenge some days and they are raising 18. JOY has been there goal "motto" for a while to keep everyone in check. Here is their website if you would like to read more about them. http://www.duggarfamily.com/

New Years Resolution

2009-01-02T20:02:00.003-06:00

Every year we do a family New Year's Resolution. This year we are going to implement the same goal the Duggar Family of 20 do each day. JOY-Jesus First, Others Second, and Yourself last. It's going to be a challenge but it's something we hope will follow our children into their adult lives. The world gets going to fast that we think of ourselves and how busy we are and we have no time for anyone. But God wants us to look at him for Strength and ask in every situation what would Jesus do and he always thought of others and himself last. Does that mean we are going to be this "Perfect little family"..ahhhh nooooo. We are far from it but it doesn't hurt to try and change toward the better. Maybe you and your family would be interested in doing the same. Can you imagine what our world would be like if everyone did this?? HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Merry Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T14:53:00.005-06:00

What a wonderful Christmas. It was white and even warmed up a little. The Mass was beautiful and the time spent with family was so much fun.

Here are the highlights:

Christmas Eve day we went to Mom and Dad's at Noon. Joe found out he had to deliver mail on Christmas Eve day on Tuesday at 3:30 PM but it was only going to be for a couple hours so he was going to meet us there. Then after he gets there he is told he has to deliver the whole route which means he won't be making it to Mom and Dad's but it was too late to reschedule so we went without him. We really missed him but we knew he would be home when we got there. Darren decided to be Christina's fill in Daddy for the day. She sat on his lap most of the time we were there. She even opened gifts on his lap. Here are pictures of the fun day had at Mom and Dad's:

Christina's Buddy:

Aunt Mavis opening her gift.

Mom and Dad waiting in anticipation on what is in the box.

Anthony so happy with Money for a gift.

Christina loves her new doll.

Then I drove home while everyone had a much needed nap in the car. When we got home we had Appetizers and then opened presents. The funnest time of the night was seeing Michael open his present. Dad and Anthony bought Michael his first bolt action 22. The picture says it all. We then went to Mass. The music, decorations and the Mass was so beautiful.

The next day we got up and opened Santa gifts. Your never too old for them. Then we went to the Johnson's to celebrate Christmas. There were 47 people there. The cousins and Aunts sat down and figured out there are 115 people on the Johnson side with Aunt, Uncles, Cousins and in-laws. There are 11 children, 32 grandchildren, and 38 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.

We then came home changed and went to Fred and Sandra's to return a gun to Luke an played cards, drank wine, target shot and visited. It was a packed two days but so much fun. We are celebrating Christmas with the Callens' side on the 4th. We can't wait to go sledding down Charlie and Rhonda's big hill.

Anthony and Christina resting after our busy day at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Do you think he was surprised and excited?

Maria loves Jewelry.

Daddy helping Christina open gifts.

Christina in her Christmas Dress.

Very Happy Children. We are so blessed.

Christmas in the Eyes of a Child!!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2009!!!

New Addition to the Family and More

2008-12-21T13:39:00.006-06:00

Yes, we have a new addition to our family. He is a Chesapeake Bay, Lab, Border Collie Mix. His name is Dakota. He is getting along well with Dixie. It has been so cold he has been spending his time in the garage but the kids take him out anytime they get a chance. Anthony is going to train him into a hunting dog...watch out Uncle Darren you may have another partner hunting with you.

Well we haven't had a blizzard since 1996/1997 when Michael was born. This winter is starting to look like another blizzard year. So far we have had two blizzards in December. It sure makes you wonder what the rest of the winter is going to look like.

So what do we do when we are stranded. We Bake!! We have made Lefse, Belgian cookies, cut out cookies, Peanut Blossoms, almond bark pretzels, gingersnaps and Krumkaka. Yes, quite an ethnic variety. That's what you get with a Norwegian/Dane and a Belgian/German combo. Next year we are going to add Guatemalan recipes to the mix as well.

Maria has joined a dance group. The Teacher was a dance student and majored in Dance in College. She is so great with the kids. The group has 15 students in it and they just had a little recital for the parents. They danced to a Christian Christmas Song. They offered their dance to God. It was so beautiful.

Christina had her first hair cut. We went to Cost Cutters and the person was really good with her. She sat still and didn't way much. We just trimmed the dry ends off so maybe it will grow faster. Actually it has really grown but it keeps curling so you can't tell.

Here is Christina after her haircut.

Christina loves music. Every time someone plays she dances like she is a ballerina. Here is Christina playing Anthony's contest music. Jessica get ready for another student soon:)

Please keep this family in your prayers!!

2008-12-13T13:29:00.003-06:00

"This is Josi. Josi was waiting in Guatemala for her family. She was weeks away from coming home. Her family was hopeful for a Christmas homecoming. Josi's journey has been a long one that ended tragically earlier this week. Josi was murdered in her foster home during a violent home invasion. As you can imagine, her family here is overwhelmed with grief as they cope with the loss of their little girl. No one can really understand the grief this family is feeling, but we all can all only begin to imagine how unthinkable their pain must be. The only comfort we can have is that Josi left this earth knowing there was a family who endlessly loved her and wanted nothing more than to bring her home.I did not know Carla, Josi's mother, we were both members of the same Guatemalan adoption online forum. I have followed her journey with Josi throughout the months and visited her blog as well. I remember reading just last weekend about their hopes of having her home by Christmas. What I do know about Carla is that she is a loving women with a large family who wanted nothing more than to open her heart and her home to as many children as she could. The title of Carla's blog is, 'I Would Gather Children'..."

I copied this from another blog by a Guatemala adoptive mom. I too have followed Josi's journey for a long time on several adoption online forums, and am hurting and grieving for her families right now. I'm asking you to keep Carla and her family in your prayers...especially as she tries to make this Christmas special for her children already at home with her. Sometimes there are no words to say to make things better...but just knowing that people care enough to pray for you is a comfort. . You can stop by Carla's blog and let her know that you are praying for her, or just leave a comment that shows your support. She says the comments and prayers are what's helping her keep going right now. Her address is: http://azhderianfamily.blogspot.com/ Meanwhile....hold your babies close. Hug your loved ones and family. Forget about those last minute toys and sparkly tissue paper....and just thank God for all of your blessings...all of OUR blessings.

Where has the time gone??

2008-12-07T12:03:00.006-06:00

Well we have been busy not stop all of November and now December. I decided against everyone better judgement that to Fall clean my house since my sister was coming and I was having the Homeschool Mom's Meeting. So between school, spanish class, dance class, piano and guardianship meetings we got it done thanks to everyone helping a lot. The kids decided that we are going to keep it clean so we don't need to do this again. We shall see how that goes. I picked up Carolee and Logan at the airport and they stayed with us for three days. We loved every minute of it but Christina had other thoughts not being the center of attention for three days. It was a hands on job keeping her from pestering Logan but she did OK. Carolee is such a great Mom and Logan is sooooo cute and happy. Then we brought her down to Mom and Dad's. We met Cary there. Logan was happy to see his Daddy. He is so good with Logan. They are such a happy family. Having Carolee, Logan and Cary home for so long made it difficult to see them leave. Usually it's only a couple days so it isn't as hard. But I really miss my sister. I even tried to show them all the positives of living in MN....they didn't like the 30 degree weather good thing the really cold weather didn't hit until this week or I think they would have turned around and went home.

Logan with his helmet on. He needed to where one for a couple months to shape his little head. He looks like such a football star!!

Logan in his reindeer outfit. Don't you want to just put him in your stocking:) Grandparents with the grandkids.

Mom and Dad had Thanksgiving with the Johnson's at the Chalet. The kids had a blast playing games and climbing the hill. Joe was being so nice that he took Christina for a drive to put her asleep because she wasn't going to go to sleep with all the excitement. Well he and Michael must have a had a plan because they were gone a while when they returned they said that just happen to be out the Kjergaard Sports. Hmmmm that is approximately 10miles north of the Chalet. I wonder how that works. But Michael was just beeming so Mom decided it was OK. I don't have pictures of the Johnson Thanksgiving but when I get someone to send me some I will put them on here. It was a blast. We then came home and the kids and Joe went to Fred and Sandra's but Christina and myself stayed home. She was very clingy and had enough company for a while. It sounded like they had a good time.

Christina already to go.

Advent started on Sunday so we got to set up the advent wreath on the table , the Nativity Set on top of the computer desk and put up the tree. Christina was beside herself with excitement. She couldn't keep her hands off the tree. In her eyes it's the funnest toy she has every had. When we thought we were making headway on the tree we noticed Miss Christina was being very quiet behind the tree and there she was with a stash of ornaments of the back of the tree. She was taking them off faster than we were putting them up. Well we decided that it would be very beneficial to put up the gate like last year to keep her from the tree. Well she is taller and she can reach above the gate so the corner she went. That wasn't working either so we now have a tree with a slowly growing bald spot in the mide above the gate and the top of the tree is adorned with many ornaments. But seeing those big brown eyes looking up at the tree and the lights make the season so much more meaningful.

The Caged Tree!

Anthony decorating. Michael decorating. Maria decorating.

Christina put on her own ornament for the first time. She had to do it herself. Look how short she is and still manages to get above the gate.

I then had the December Mom's meeting. We sat around and drank wine, cranberry spritzer and ate hordeovers all night. WWe finally shut down around 11:30-12AM. We had so much fun talking recipes, advent traditions and Sandra show us how easy it is to use a pressure cooker to cook everyday measl. Pressure canners aren't just for canning anymore. Karen brought her new little baby along...what a doll. I was sorry to see it end but more meetings will follow. I was going to take a picture but I was having so much fun I forgot.

Today is Joe and Jimmy's Birthday and Jimmy and Kimberly's Anniversary. Happy Birthday Jimmy and Happy Anniversary Jimmy and Kimberly!!

We had pancakes, ham and bacon for breakfast and then we opened Joe's gift. Jammies and a new hand grinder....yes, he is my practical man. Nothing makes him happier. Give a man a new tool and he is happy all day.

Daddy, Maria and Christina so happy.

Happy Birthday Honey, you are the best friend, husband, provider, protector and father we could have ever been blessed with. Thank you and wishing you many more wonderful birthdays!!

Daddy reading to the kids.

How winter is spent. I just love it when they get along:)

October Update

2008-10-29T16:05:00.003-05:00

Yes, can you believe that October is almost over and winter is around the corner. I didn't want to believe it until Sunday when we had a white out for 5 minutes, yes....5 minutes and now it will be in the 70's this week. Only in Minnesota.

We had been busy with school, canning, canning, and more canning. The only thing we have left are the pumpkins and squash to freeze or can which I haven't decided yet. I also have, thanks to my loving husband, tomatoes left to can. I never would have thought I would have tomatoes yet but after having to my tomatoes the last three years due to blossom rot we weren't going to let any go to waste. I have 112 quarts of tomatoes done so far and I think there may be 20 more to do unless we eat them before I get them canned. The kids have been such a great help with them. They basically took over the garden with some help from Daddy. They also have helped a lot with the canning.

Anthony is at the request of many farmers in the area. Which he loves. Nothing would make him happier than to be in the field all day.

Michael and Maria have been busy trying to keep up with Christina. She has decided it's more enjoyable to be at a higher elevation including the bay window sill, the table, the island, chairs etc... She has also hit the terrible twos if that includes tantrums that last a minute until you distract her. She is the only child we have had that can go from being happy, to tantrum to happy again so quick. She has decided that is she give her Daddy a big smile and bats her eye lashes he will give her anything or let her get away with anything.

Here is a picture of Joe reading to the girls at night. Because it's darker sooner he had the time to do it again. The girls love the one on one time....I guess two on one time with him.

Christina has joined the chore helpers with house cleaning. She is so proud of her work.

Since it has been over a year since we brought out little Princessa home from Guatemala. I decided it was time to add a new look to the blog so keep checking for changed to the blog and sidebars.

MARIA IS 9 YEARS OLD

2008-09-22T16:25:00.006-05:00

Maria turned 9 Years old on the 8th. She has grown up so much in the last year. She is my big helper and second Mom to Christina. She can't wait until Christina moves into her room. She always has a smile on her face unless she is sparring with her brothers.

Maria wanted a rainbow cake. Anthony made a home made one for her. The inside was rainbow colored when you cut it.

Maria talking on the phone with Auntie Carolee as she opened her present from Cary, Carolee and Logan on her Birthday. "Thank you Carolee, I love to make things!!"

We went to Mom and Dad's on Goose opener to pick up Anthony because he was hunting with Uncle Darren. Since Joe was working and Darren and Anthony were still hunting we went out to supper at the Country House with Aunt Mavis, Mom, and Dad to celebrate the girls' birthdays. The country house made two heart cakes for the girls. Then we went back to Mom and Dad's and had ice cream cone cakes that Mom made. Way to much sugar in one day for anyone but we sure were happy.

Our Homeschool group went to the Holmberg Orchard and had a tour. The kids had a great time. Here is a picture of the kids not happy Mom is taking another picture.

Christina with one of her friends, Eva, who is one month older than her.

Did you like the tour and the apple??

Thank You

2008-09-14T14:57:00.004-05:00

Two years ago on September 6th we received the phone call that would change our lives. Our Social worker called to tell us we had a daughter in Guatemala named Maria Fernanda. She was almost three weeks old. At Birth she weighed 5 lbs 14 oz and was 18 inches long. The social worker sent pictures via e-mail. The kids and I couldn't hold back our excitement as we waited for them to download. She was beautiful. We fell in love the moment we saw her. God had chosen her for us and we couldn't wait to hold her, kiss her and be with us forever. There were many ups and downs during the wait but she is such a joy and a blessing . "Thank you God for our little Guatemalan Angel. We are still in Awe of the gift you have given us."

Referral Picture~ Maria Fernanda-Our Guatemalan Angel- 9/06/2006-Three Days Old

TWO YEARS OLD

2008-09-04T18:24:00.005-05:00

Our baby girl is now a Toddler. I can't believe she is two and we have had her home for little over a year. Where does the time go?

Christina had a very quiet Second Birthday. It was just the kids and myself. Joe was at work. She opened two presents and we sang Happy Birthday. We did take her to the Dr. and she weighed 29.3 lbs, 33.5 inches tall which puts her at 85% for weight and 35% for height. Yes, she is our chunky monkey.

Christina's First Computer from Uncle Cary, Auntie Carolee, and Cousin Logan.

"Wow, Mom...I don't need to use your computer anymore and it even has a mouse:)"

Anthony, Michael and Maria gave Christina her first cell phone. Phew...hopefully it will stop her form using hours. She has been only one number away from 911 toooooo many times.

On Sunday we celebrated her Birthday with Joe and the kids made her cake. They did a great job. Christina wasn't shy about eating her cake this year...it was gone in minutes.

Bear Cake

Thinking..."I really get to eat all of this myself??"Our little cowgirl. Clayton and Francesca she is ready to go riding!!!

We were looking back at her pictures and she has changed so much. Here she was a couple days old.

One Year Old:

Two Year Old Princess:)

VBS, Waterskiing, A Proud Auntie and Great Auntie-To-Be

2008-08-27T19:24:00.008-05:00

Maria attended her first Vacation Bible School at St Edwards. She loved it but she is our school girl so we shouldn't be surprised. It was called "PowerLab" which focused on Jesus' Power using a Science basis. Each day they learned a different power we have been given by Jesus:

Jesus gives us the power to forgive!
Jesus gives us the power to help others!
Jesus gives us the power to be brave!
Jesus gives us the power to live forever!
Jesus give us the power to tell others about God!

Working with each other to unite and get up together. The adults had the hardest time:)

Maria loving Art Class

Andrea and Cody (Sister-in-law and nephew) came down with their boat and we went waterskiing and tubing with Charlie and his family and Dave and his family. We had a blast. No I didn't go on the boat. Keeping track of Christina "the fish" was hard enough on the beach let alone in the boat.

Anthony's first time waterskiing.

Joe even went out and acted like a kid again:)

Christina with her cousins Kaci and Kylie at the beach. Christina's first beach experience.

Do you think Michael is enjoying himself??

Andrea had to sit on Maria because she was too light and kept floating off.

I am a very proud Auntie of a little boy names Logan. He is growing up so fast and I can't wait to hold him and never let him go. He is getting so big. He looks just like his Daddy:

What a smile:

He is definitely a Floridian. He loves the water!

Now for the Proud Great Auntie-To-Be:

Luke and Jessica are expecting a little one in late February beginning of March. We are so proud and happy for them. Congratulations Luke and Jessica!!

Here is their family wedding photo. Everyone so happy!!!

July Update

2008-08-02T19:08:00.008-05:00

As hard as I try once a month is the earliest I can get on here lately so sorry about that.

We have been fishing and swimming all month. If we don't fish we go swimming. The kids love it. Joe is so good with them. Christina is a fish. She screams when she has to get out of the pool.

Daddy and Michael swimming with Christina.

Those Big Brown Eyes

Boys enjoing fishing...Michaels favorite passtime Maria just soaking in the beauty of God's Creation.

Maria teaching Christina the ropes of fishing.

Anthony has been working for Grandpa and Darren baling and Uncle Charlie tinning his roof. He is gone more than he is here. I knew this would happen sometime but not this soon. He has really grown up.

Michael has been taking over the farm activites with Maria's help when Anthony is gone. He has officially had Anthony fired from the lawn mowing because he is so good and he is nicer to the mower.

Maria is always there to help with Christina. She has realized that Christina is old enough to play with her so they play dolls a lot and now they have been playing dress up. It is so much fun watching them play. Maria had swimming lessons this month and passed two levels. She was so happy.

The big news of our month is we had to lay to rest our van. I was driving home from swimming lessons and the transmission went out on it. I called Joe as he was driving the paver and said, "Now what do I do???" in a very calm voice of course...LOL. He answered the only way Joe would, "Shut it off, bless it, pray and then start it up and see what happens." I hung up, shut off the van, blessed it and prayed that I could at least get home. Well God answered my prayers. I could go 30 mph all the way home. I then picked up the kids and drove it to Marshall to see if they could fix it. They couldn't....with 215,000 we had to give up so the next couple days I did lots of internet shopping and phone calling to find a good deal. On Saturday Joe and I went to discuss vans with a dealer. It was not fun and now I know why I don't like buying vehicles. The good news is we bought a 2007 Chrysler Town & Country with 14,000 miles for the same price we bought our 1997 Plymouth Voyager with 43,000 which was three years old 8 years ago so if you are interested in a van, now is the time because they are in low demand right now. I will post a picture when I take one.

Canning season has hit. I did Pickled Beets and Peaches this week. Pictures of that coming soon to0.

I also had Christina's picture taken at Walmart when I had her Certificate of Citizenship Picture taken. She had so much fun.

Our Guatemalan Angel:)

Where has June gone?

2008-07-06T15:26:00.003-05:00

June flew by even though I thought it would slow down. Anthony spent the month with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Darren to help lamb and bail hay. I really missed him and didn't realize how much he did and neither did his brother and sister. Christina wasn't happy with him being gone either because she decided not to sleep at night the first week he was gone.

We had Father's Day at Mom and Dad's after the Saddle Horse Holiday Parade. While we were driving into Lake Benton it seemed bare. They tore down the high school so the landscape as we knew it will never be the same. It's amazing how attached you get to a building when you lived in it the last 5 years of school life being there from 7:30 AM until 10 or 11PM with games and activities.

Everyone enjoying the Parade:

On July 4th we went to the Fireworks at the Casino. The kids had fun but they had to watch them from the van because the mosquitoes were starving. I guess not enough people to go around:)

No mosquitoes were going to ruin their fun:) July 5th....Can you get any happier sisters??

We went to our nieces baptism on July 5th. Elise Marie weighed 6lbs 13 ounces and is so beautiful. Congratulations to Dave and JoAnne.

Elise being held by her big sister Julia

Father's Day

2008-06-16T19:04:00.005-05:00

Since it was just Father's Day I decided to brag about my children's father. Joe is an awesome Dad and he enjoys being with his kids. Every Sunday if we are home he first fixes breakfast then he is either fishing, riding horses, or playing games with the kids. He has a smile on his face all the time even when he is angry, lecturing or sad. (Yes, it's difficult to determine unless you hear his voice.) He isn't afraid to help with them when he is home. He will even take Christina with him in the backpack while he is working outside because he wants to spend as much time with her as he can. He helps feed, bath and changes diapers for Christina. He is my substitue teacher when I am gone and he loves to teach. If there is a learning moment he will go into instant"lecture/teaching mode." We are very blessed to have him and thank God for him always.

Here are some pictures of Dad doing what he does best:

Listening to Christina explaining her day.

Riding Horses on Sunday.

Family of Six

2008-06-07T12:47:00.005-05:00

A year ago yesterday we had left Guatemala City at 6 AM and then landed in Houston Texas. I remember thinking ,while we waited for our connecting flight to MN, "I can't wait to see my children all together for the first time and how will Christina adjust to MN". Well she has adjusted so well and the kids still fight over her. She had a rough summer last summer with outside allergies and milk allergies but this year she has been able to be outside with no allergies. She still has allergies to milk but our other three children had the same allergies so she fits in really well.

This morning I woke up and there she was standing in or should I say jumping in her crib, holding her arms out and smiling at me.

When I look back at the first time Anthony, Michael and Maria met Christina. It was so wonderful to see their excitement. As I took the blanket off the car seat I told them to calm down and be slow making movements toward her so she wouldn't be scared. Well Christina had her own ideas on meeting her siblings. She dove for Michael as soon as she was out. She wasn't going to meet anyone slowly. She wanted to be part of the family now. She still gets so excited when Anthony, Michael and Maria come through the door after doing chores. She does a happy dance and screams everytime. She also waits by the window until they come in.

We are so thankful to God for finding Christina for us and especially for Christina's birthmother for loving her so much to chose an adoption plan. She made the toughest decision a mother could make and for that we will always be thankful for her and we pray for her always. We would love for her to meet us and Christina someday. They say it may be impossible because of how the government is but "With God All Things Are Possible!!"

Pictures of Before and Now:

One Year Ago

2008-06-03T22:15:00.002-05:00

One Year ago today, Christina Maria was placed in our arms. The day we had waited for and it finally was happening. I remember waking up that morning and still couldn't believe we were finally going to meet our little girl for the first time. When we received the call to come meet our daughter, I was so nervous, excited and scared. What if she didn't want to come to us, what if she had major grieving issues. We knew God had chosen Christina for us and he would be with us now. Joe had his hand on the door handle and then stopped. He then lead us in prayer before we went into the next room. What we saw when we entered was this beautiful little girl with big brown eyes. She was smaller than I thought she would be but oh so perfect. I wanted to pick her up and never let her go but I walked past the walker and sat on the couch next to the Foster Mother. We visited a little and then we all were quiet. I kept staring at Christina and Joe was getting teary-eyed. The foster mother asked if we would like to hold her and we said, "YES!!" She smiled at me and came right to me. I couldn't believe it. She was finally in my arms. She smelt so sweet and was all smiles. She didn't cry like I was expecting. After a while she realized Joe was sitting next to me and she kept smiling at him. I handed her to him and said, "Here is your Papa" Joe couldn't say anything after that. He just held her and smiled. We went over her eating habits etc... but I didn't remember anything. I am so glad the Adoption Agency Rep. was taking notes for us. We finally took pictures and then said good bye to the Foster family. It was so sad to see them go and to see them crying. We will forever be indepted to them for taking care of and loving Christina for 9.5 months. We went back to our hotel room and sat there playing with her and and talking to her. She definitely liked Joe the most. We finally looked at each other and said this is for real. She is finally OURS. It was so peaceful and we prayed again for the birthmother, foster family, Christina and our family at home. After an hour she fell asleep in my arms. It was so wonderful to be able to do that again. She was so warm and soft. I didn't want to lay her down. I then put her in her crib and then we just stood there staring at our little girl.

Tonight, I was rocking Christina to sleep and seeing those big brown eyes looking up at me and it brought me back to the first night I sang her to sleep. She still has her blanket, bottle and crosses her ankles while she falls asleep. I year has flown by and she has adjusted so well emotionally. She smiles all the time and those big brown eyes melt anyones heart. We are so blessed and continue to Praise God for the Miracle he has given us in Christina Maria Callens.

One year ago today:

Now:

Month of May

2008-06-02T15:23:00.009-05:00

After Maria's First Communion. We had every weekend full. Our next event was Anthony and Tessa Perisek and Andrew and Jaye Turbes Wedding. It was a double wedding and was beautiful. Everything was so well planned. The couples were so happy. They both saved their first kiss ever, to be on the alter the day of their wedding. It was very moving to be part of this special day for them. They had a wedding dance which was Christina's first. All the kids had a lot of fun. On May 5th another Nelsen was added to the fold.

Logan Nelsen Fletcher was born to my baby sister and her husband Cary.

He weighed 7.5lbs and was 19.5 inches long.

Here is the handsome fella:

The kids were in a play written by one of our homeschool group's fathers and directed by him on May 10th. They had practice everyday for a week and then had the play. Joe even got a part in the play since he wasn't back to work yet. He was very nervous but did well. It was called the The mystery of Chateau CeZanne. Everyone did great. It was a wonderful play and thanks to many talented Mom's it the set and costumes were perfect.

Joe went back to work the 13th. It as sad to see him go but it's only for 6 months so we will make it through. He was promoted to Paver Operator, so if you see a handsome man driving a Duininck Bros. paver he is mine:) He is also the Low Boy driver which halls the equipement. Here is a picture of everyone in front of the Low Boy.

With Spring comes the setting of Chickens. And we have one mother who feels our chicken house is too crowded or not nice enough for her and decided to find a new home in our evergreen tree in our back yard.

Anthony, Michael and Maria had their piano recital and received their awards for the year. Michael received his first Gold Cup, Anthony received his third and Maria received her reward certificate for qualifying for the Honor's Concert at Northrop Auditorium.

We then had our first niece's wedding. Jessica and Luke were married on May 24th. It was a beautiful wedding and the dance was a lot of fun. The kids didn't want to leave. We had so much fun that I didn't take one picture. I am hoping someone will have pictures for us. The best part is we gained a nephew and a neighbor at the same time. They are living just south of Fred and Sandra's in a house they are building which is about two miles away.

Maria competed in the MMTA-Minnesota Music Teachers Association's piano competition and won so she was able to be one of 24 students to play on a grand piano at the Honors Concert on Sat. evening. She had to go to the Cities to practice twice in May and then we had dress rehearsal and practice Saturday morning. She was on cloud nine. She did a great job and the best part was when Joe showed up a half hour before we were to be at Northrop because he had to work. We were beginning to doubt he would make it. I was very glad because while we were driving to the concert it began to down pour and marble size hail began to fall.

Here is a picture of Maria before the concert.

At this time last year we were in a plane flying to Houston, TX to fly to Guatemala to bring home our little girl we had been waiting for, for 9 months. I remember being on the plane praying it would stay not crash, praying for our kids we left at thome and thinking what it would feel like to hold her for the first time. I didn't have a clue how wonderful it would feel.

First Communion

2008-04-24T19:42:00.005-05:00

Michael is on the mend. He had stop losing weight and is now gained three pounds. He is so happy. He developed another ear infection and had two rocephan shots which he was not impressed with, but his ears got better.

Uncle Jimmy took Anthony to the Porter sale with a list that Dad gave him to bid on and how much while he was working at the post office. Yes, Joe was devestated he had to work but he trusted Anthony with his money. I wasn't as trusting but Joe said he knew what he was doing and Anthony did well and bid on the things Joe wanted. He was so proud and we were proud of him.

Little Miss Christina is finally getting those the last three teeth of the 8 she started getting last fall. She has taken it in stride except at night. She has a blood curdling scream. It send chills up your spine. Yes, her lungs must be just fine:)

Here is a picture of Little Miss herself from the back and front. Her hair has not been cut which people have asked but the longer it gets the curlier it gets. There will be not curling iron for her. The front view is of her beautiful face and those big brown eyes:)

Maria had her First Communion on Sunday. She has literally been counting the days for it to come. She loved receiving Jesus for the first time. She looked like an Angel dressed up in white.

Grandpa and Grandma Nelsen with their grandchildren which will be growing by one more in May when Carolee has her little boy.

Joe is busy getting ready to shingle our roof due to hail damage last year and he is restoring a free barn he moved here for the horses. Our goats are also kidding...which is where the kids are right now...watching another be born. We finally were able to plant the potatoes, onions, and garlic yesterday. This is the latest it has ever been. We were anxiously waiting to plant, I wonder how the farmers are handling it.

March/April update

2008-04-05T18:16:00.006-05:00

Well I am done working as of March 31st so hopefully I will be able to keep up with the blog much better now. Christina has been growing and doing more things all the time. Her speech is slow coming but she understands when we tell her to do something and she does it. She has learned to dance and it is soooo cute. She gets very lonely when her siblings are outside for long periods of time but she really shows the charm when they come in.

Anthony had his 15th birthday on the 26th. Yes, he is already thinking about driving. Mama is not very happy about it yet. All he wanted was new bedding and a pillow. He reminded me he hasn't had new bedding since he was 4. I guess it was time. He also received an alarm clock. So far everyone is waking up to it but him. Anthony had an organ recital on Sunday the 30th. The two students from each teacher attended and played. One of the Judges for Gold cup asked for Anthony to perform so he felt very honored.

Michael's stomach is getting better but not 100% yet. But he definitely has his activity back. He has been taking on the goat care and he watches them all the time. He comes in an tells us if one is sick or is looking slow. We are kidding again so it will get busy soon.

Maria won the state piano competition so she will be playing at the Honors concert at Northrop Auditorium at the U of M campus. She is so excited. Another occasion to wear a pretty dress. She also has her First Communion on April 20th. She can't wait.

We celebrated our first Easter with Christina. It seems so long ago that we were at Holy Saturday and thinking we would have her home by now. But she is here and was excellent through the 2 hour Mass. We didn't even need to leave the pew. And no she didn't sleep like we had hoped.

My Mom had her last Chemo on March 14th. We are so excited for her to get her system built up again so we can see her again. We miss Dad, her and Darren so much. It has been since Christmas Eve since we last seen them.

Well Spring is here!!!! Enjoy!!!!

Jan/Feb Update

2008-02-24T16:35:00.008-06:00

January and February have been very busy months.

I started back to work for CCFS as a DD case manager on January 17th. We had a virus go through the end of January and Christina got it the worse. Of course her breathing was compromised again. She developed a 104.5 fever out of the blue and the motrin wouldn't bring it down so we wrapped her in a warm wet towel and when the toweled cooled it cooled her down as well. I took her to the clinic to be seen and they tested her for Influenza but it came back negative so she diagnosed Christina with Viral pneumonia and sent her without listening to her lungs. I asked if it was RSV or Pneumonia she said could be but we will wait and see and then do more testing later if she gets worse. So we took her home and put her back on Nebs twice a day with many baths because she wasn't eating or drinking and had only one wet diaper a day. She got through it finally after a week of sleepless nights. Thank goodness for Joe. I couldn't never had gotten through this without his help.

Our healthy little girl: Not another picture Mom:()

Then the end of January we took Michael to a Pediatric Gastro Dr. in Sioux Falls. He had a Endoscopy and they tested for everything, cancer, celiac disease, liver disease, diabetes etc... Everything came back fine. The stomach biopsies showed deteriation of the stomach and esophagaus lining caused by reflux. He is better since the switched his medicine. He has lost 27.5 lbs but he is eating again. A little bit every hour. He has his energy back and is much happier. He wishes he could wake up tomorrow and every thing would be better but it's a slow healing process. When we first met the doctor two weeks ago they were very stoic and somber....didn't see a smile. I thought that was their personalities but when we met with them on yesterday they were very smily. I think they were really worried something very serious was wrong. Good thing I didn't realized it. The Doctor told Michael to keep eating and slow down so he doesn't use up all his calories but we are just estatic we are getting our Michael back after three months:) The lesson learned.....no antibiotics unless dieing;)

Here are pictures of Michael before and after his sickness:

We went to Sioux Falls for Michael's follow up appt on Valentine's Day. When I got home Joe and the kids had made his infamous Spaghetti and Meatballs. Anthony baked homemade frech bread and we had wine. Maria had made decorations all over the house and cards.

Here is what we came home to:

This Saturday, the the kids had piano competition. They memorize two pieces and are given a score of 1-5. After a child received 15 points or the years they receive a Gold cup. Maria received a 5, Michael received a 4, Anthony received a 5 on both piano and organ. This year. Michael has earned his 15 points to receive his first Gold Cup for piano and Anthony will received his first Gold cup for his organ.

Dateline

2008-01-27T18:07:00.001-06:00

I have been waiting to post on the Dateline show(far from news) for a while. It's disturbing that the majority of the show was about the bad things that happen with Guatemalan adoptions because it sells. In case you didn't stay till the end, after 50 minutes or so of the show they finally mentioned briefly that the majority of adoptions are very legal and what everyone just watched for most of the hour is rare. For those who are wondering how we know Chrisina was not stolen and her Biological mother wasn't forced to make an adoption plan, we know the details and have information which we will share with Christina only someday and it will be up to her to tell if she so chooses. I could go on and on about each thing that Dateline said but this sums up and I don't want to trash anyone like they just did.

Adoption

2008-01-27T18:01:00.000-06:00

I found this and it's so beautiful, I just had to post and share.

"We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time & miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands." ~Kristi Larson

Happy 11th Birthday Michael

2008-01-27T14:31:00.000-06:00

Michael turned 11 year old today on 1-9-2008. We had a small celebration because he was recovering from some stomach trouble caused by antibiotics. He decided the best cake to have for his stomach was cornbread cake. We loved it. Christina watching Michael open gifts and saying "OHHHHHH" her favorite new word. He wanted a golf club for his birthday so I guess we will have one golfer in the family. Plus he is a Star Wars fan. You give him some characters and he can play for hours using that imagination of his. Michael also got a dresser which everyone helped put together. Christina inherited Michael's dresser. No more changing table. My baby is growing up:( Christina helping her way. Carpenter in the making. Anthony do you need my help?

New Years Eve

2008-01-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

Well my husband really knows how to celebrate New Years Eve. We had just put Christina to bed and she was sound asleep when Joe and the kids decided to go and check the goats to see if they have had any babies which has been a ritual for the last two weeks. All of a sudden as I was closing Christina's door the kids came in screaming.....Thomas, yes a girl goat, had a baby. So I donned all the beautiful farm apparel and went into the 40 below windchill MN night and saw the baby. He was beautiful. This was 11 PM... so we waited in Joe's camper which we set up as a warming house and waited for Thomas to have another because she was still huge. We waited and froze and waited and froze and nothing for over an hour then at 12:30AM New Years Day she had two more boys. So one was born New Years Eve and his brothers were born New Years Day. The kids were so excited. I was excited too but couldn't move because I was so cold. We all ran in the house after the triplets had eaten and warmed by the corn burner. Then we all said "Happy New Year" and went to bed. Yes, a memorable but not very romantic New Year's Eve. This is the way a farm family with goats in MN spends New Years Eve. As I write this we have had 6 Nannies come in with 11 babies. All healthy and oh so cute.

Here are some pictures:

All the pregnant Nannies

The kids love their kids(Name of baby goats)

Here are pictures of the special Mama and her one of her babies having dinner. Aren't they cute!!??

Yes, slow as usual

2008-01-11T20:21:00.000-06:00

Yes, I said I would post Christmas pictures around two weeks ago but here I am just getting around to it. Sorry:(

We had a wonderful 1st Christmas with Christina. We got up opened Santa gifts and decided...I guess the kids decided.... to open the rest of our gifts instead of spreading them out. Yes, what were Joe and I thinking torturing the kids like that.

Christina loved her baby dolls she received and screamed if anyone touched them. Yes, she still screams. This is from the girl that has a smile on all day long and doesn't scream for anything since we have tought her sign language.(I will explain this more later.) I guess her baby dolls are special to her. We think she thinks they are real babies.

Then we all got dressed and started the big turkey dinner. It was a whole family affair with everyone helping and Christina in the backpack so she wouldn't miss anything. The only problem with the backpack is when you are standing too close to a cubbard for too long; she will open and grab something out of it in a blink of an eye. Those tiny hands are quick.

After we ate and cleaned up everyone sat down for a must needed rest. Joe and Christina slept. It was amazing here after all the waiting we were celebrating with our little girl. I still get teary eyed somedays just looking at her.

I also have been thinking about her birthmother and wondering what she is doing now and if she was thinking about Christina on Christmas. Joe and I talked we would like to find and meet her one day. But we know this may never happen. So we are going to have her picture and the information we received made into a book or a scrapbook page. We are so thankful she made an adoption plan for Christina. We pray God will give her the reassurance that we will always love and take care of her all the days of her life.

January 3rd was her 6 month Anniversary when she was placed in our arms. We looked at pictures the other day and we all can't believe it was only 6 months ago. Christina is so secure and attached to us like she has been with us all along. She does struggle with sleeping at night if I have been gone during the day or night so I am trying to stay home more.

Christina was going through a screaming spell where she would scream for what she wanted so I talked with Kimberly. She taught Nicholas sign language before he could talk and he is so amazing on how well he does. So we started with Christina. She knows the signs for ....more, done, milk, and eat. We can't believe how fast she has learned it. She has added "Nigh nigh" when she is tired to her vocabulary list. She is also saying "BEBE' " which is spanish for baby. The kids are learning sign and spanish as well so Christina is helping us learn so much.

Here are pictures of our First Christmas as a family of "6"

Christina really got the hang of unwrapping presents by the time Christmas was done.

Maria loved having a sister to help open presents. The kids were more excited watching Christina open her presents then theirs.

Maria the princess lover. Our own little princess:) Michael...the only wanted fishing gear, CD Player and Roy Roger Music CD's. Yes, they still have them around.

Anthony and his hunting:) Christina directing Dad on what to do in the kitchen.

Sisterly Love. It doesn't get any cuter than this.

She loved her baby and still screams if anyone else touches it. Any other toy she is fine sharing but not this one....a Mother in the making by God's Design:)

Christina's first ride on a John Deere!! Not much excitement there...huh?? Thanks Grandpa and Grandma:)

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T15:44:00.000-06:00

As I sit here typing, listening to the complete quietness (Joe and Christina are sleeping and the kids are downstairs watching a Christmas movie), I can't help but think about last Christmas. We had a wonderful time and lots of memories but something was missing. When I was at church last year listening to the singing all I could think about was what is Christina and her Foster Family doing right now. We had a picture but not Christina. She wasn't at church for us to hold and she wasn't there to see all the beautiful Christmas decorations and to listen to the angelic singing. She wasn't at Mom and Dad's to open all the Christmas presents that family had given us for her and we had no idea when she would be home. Last night I was sitting in church holding Christina through the whole service. She was oohing and aaahing over the lights, singing and the little baby boy in the pew ahead of us. I remember missing her last year but all the pain I felt then I couldn't remember last night. I just enjoyed the moment and was in ahhh of what God had done the past year. All the ups, downs and not knowing was erased the moment we held Christina for the first time. It's amazing how God gives us a child and that child can heal all the pain and suffering just like Jesus does for us. Born to us as a baby in a manger so many years ago. We no longer need to suffer because he was born and saved us by dying on the cross. Everything is in God's time eventhough it isn't what we would want at the time but he always makes things better if we allow him to. Thank you God for Christina, she is the light of our lives. Thank you for all our children you have given us they ARE OUR LIVES. Thank you everyone for the support the last year and all the prayers. Merry Christmas!!! Here are some pictures of us making lefse for the first time. We had quite the assembly line going:

Christina even had her first taste of Lefse and she loved it!!

Christmas Eve Pictures:

Christina touched her first real Christmas Tree. She is smiling because she is thinking she is getting away with something because there isnt' a gate in front of it.

After Christmas dinner we did dishes since Mom still tires easily after her surgery. Here is Christina and Grandma taking a rest on the couch.

Christina opened her gift and it was a baby doll. She screamed and she would scream if someone else would hold it.

Christina found the step at Mom and Dad's. Every child likes it as a seat.

Maria and Christina opening gifts.

Michael so happy with his fishing equipement.

Anthony only wanted a coverall and he was so happy. See how close in height he is to Joe. They can share clothes.

More pictures of Christmas Day...stay tuned:)

Roller Coaster Ride

2007-12-08T16:19:00.000-06:00

Two days after Thanksgiving Christina got really sick. By Tuesday morning she was huffing, wheezing and crackling in her lungs. I took her in and she had croup and was diagnosed with Asthma. They also said she had an overgrowth of yeast which was making her stomach not except many foods. It was nice to know what has been causing every thing but at the same time it was scary. We had to start Neb treatments and she took them really well. She is also getting yogurt everyday as well as probiotics for the yeast overgrowth. As of today she is much better and back to her active self. She is able to eat more foods as well. yeahhhhh!!!!! Even though she was sick and had difficulty breathing she still managed to smile. I was rocking her at 2:00 AM...her fever had jumped up to 103 and she was huffing, wheezing and her eyes were closed but I was singing to her and she gave me the biggest smile....only Christina!!!

We decorated the tree on the First Sunday of Advent. It was so much fun seeing Christina see and feel everything for the first time. Christmas last year was happy but sad because we new we had a little girl waiting for us in Guatemala. This year she is here enjoying everything we are. What a blessing.

Here are some pictures of us putting up the tree.

"Do you need this??" Everyone chipping in.

"Do you need any help Daddy"

"What is this shiny stuff?" "Does this taste good?" Daddy helping Christina put on her first ornament.

"What are these things for Maria"

Yes, we had to eventually put up a gate. It was way to tempting to eat the blinking lights!

After she started getting better she went from a practicing walker to a professional walker which is her favorite mode of transportation right now and she has been attempting running. Oh no here we go....and I was happy she was going to walk. I think I will regret that someday soon. She has found the cubbards and Joe is on the mission to put safety latches on but until he gets around to it we have toy hand cuffs, belts, yard sticks, you name it on all the doors. Christina was able to go outside in the snow and she had so much fun she didn't want to come in. She was the cutest show bunny in her snowsuit.

The kids are building a snow fort. they are so excited to have a "normal" winter so they are outside any chance they get.

Mom had a double masectomy and her lymph nodes were free of cancer. We were so happy to hear the good news. Thank you for the prayers. She is recooperating fast at the relief of Dad and Darren. They didn't enjoy being nurse maids, since I was sick and Carolee was in Florida it was up to them.

Anniversary, Court and Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T16:09:00.000-06:00

Yes, another long post. I need to get on here more often. It has been so busy. My brother, sister and myself have been planning a surprise 40th Anniversary Party for Mom and Dad. Believe it or not we pulled it off:) It was such a nice suprise for them and seeing them so happy. We had over 150 people there. This Party came at a good time since my Mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer the Friday before. We are praying it was caught soon enough since it was found at a routine Mammogram. She has surgery on the 30th. Please keep her in your prayers. Here are some pictures of the happy couple, the cake and some my family.

Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving we had court to re-adopt Christina and change her name to Christina Maria from Maria Fernanda. She was smiling at everyone there especially the judge until he held her then she gave her Granny look and was analyzing him during pictures. The kids all came and it was a very special occasion because Christina will now have a US Birth Certificate and a Social Security Number. She is a US citizen!!!!!

Here are some pictures of all the excitement.

Here is a picture of her in her carseat she has moved up from an infant carrier...she is a big girl now!!!

Thanksgiving meant a lot to us this year. It was Christina's first Thanksgiving with us. Last year we were driving to Thanksgiving dinner and we were missing her so much. It's so amazing how time heals the pain of the wait of which we are very thankful!!! We are also thankful for our family. Our kids are such great kids they are so good with Christina they never complain about taking care of her....other things yes but not her. I am Thankful for my husband who is always there and is my best friend. He is the one who knows me like no other person. Yes, we have our squabbles like every couple does at some point but then we get to make up!! We are thankful for both of our families. If we need help or someone to talk to, ask a question or need help they are there. We are most Thankful to God who has given us all our blessings!!!! After being in Guatemala where there are the rich and the very poor and no middle class you begin to realize that happiness is not what we have in material things it means our families, health and God as the center of our lives. Please keep in your prayers all those children in Guatemala who will be in limbo and the birth families who won't have the choices they have now for their children when adoptions eventually close to become Hague compliant. Also pray the Guatemala government is able to move swiftly to close those gaps for any corruption to end and that Adoptions will proceed again so children will be given a chance to have a US forever family if that is what their birth parents choose. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Go Purple for Adoption Awareness Month

2007-11-11T20:41:00.000-06:00

November is Adoption Awareness month and that is why I switched the color on my blog to purple. Adoption has changed us in so many ways. People have told us that it's so nice we adopted to help a child have a better life."....in actuality she has been the one who has helped us. We had a pretty easy life as far as the kidsgo they were very independent. I said let's go and they were out the door. I said take a shower or do chores they were on it. Now we have all had to start thinking of someone other than ourselves everyday 24/7. It has been challenging with her allergies, her viruses and being up at night but other than that it has really brought us together as a family. When you see your 14. 10 and 8 year old come in from outside or just come up from doing school and fight to hug or play with their little sister it makes you realized this is what life is all about. She makes people be happy when they are down or she can make you giggle when you haven't giggled in a long time. If you have ever thought of adopting and never thought about it, it is never to late. There are many children in the US as well as in other countries who are waiting for a family to be there Forever Family. How can you say no to those big brown eyes:) Joe, Anthony and Michael (as their scout) went hunting last weekend and they got two deer. It's so nice to have ring bologna, summer sausage (Joe's sandwich meat all summer...when he eats 4 sandwiches a day it doesn't last long,) beef sticks and we even tried hotdogs this year. We will see how they taste this week. Joe and the boys have so much fun. I don't know what part they loved more preparing to go or the hunting. The night before is such an exciting time as well as their "hunters breakfast" Maria and I have waiting for them when they return.

We had the kids' Christmas picture taken this week and here are some pictures of them seperately...you will have to wait until the Christmas letter comes out to see them together. It was Christina's first professional pictures...we will just leave it at that.

Here are our two boys...being hams. Here are our beautiful girls.Christina walking in a dress and shoes.

Farming, walking, good bye,a baby (not us:) 5 month Anniversary and roses!!

2007-11-03T18:59:00.000-05:00

A strange title that explains why so long since our last update.

First off Joe and the kids have been in their glory farming again. Joe had the renters save corn stocks for us to bale. The kids and Joe had so much fun. Then Anthony has spent the last two weeks stock chopping and digging bean ground. He was just glowing. This is one time and probably the only when I would have enjoyed him having a drivers license. I was drop off and pick taxi but it was worth it seeing him sooooo happpy. He told me he is going to go to college to earn a degree in computers so he can use the money to farm. Knowing Anthony he will do it, too.

Christina was placed in our arms 5 months ago today. It's so amazing how she has changed us and has been such a joy. It's also Adoption Month which is so fitting. Once you adopt you are part of a whole different group of people and until you adopt it is hard to explain but you feel like you are family with anyone who has adopted. The connection is so amazing. The "BIG Vote" is on Monday to see how adoptions will change in Guatemala and if they will grandfather all those children in process to be adopted. Keep the prayers going:)

Here is a picture of Christina 5 months ago today!!

Christina started walking at 14 months and one week. She is so funny. We have been trying to have her walk for months. She would only take two steps smile at us and drop down to crawl. Well she woke up on Sunday morning and starting walking across the living room. She went from two steps the day before to 19 steps the moment she woke up. We were so surprised and Christina just kept walking and smiling from all the attention. We also found out that my baby sister is having a baby. Cary and Carolee are proud to announce their little one is due around May 10-13, 2008. Grandpa and Grandma are to excited to have another grandchild to spoil and I am really excited that Carolee and I will have children close in age at least one anyway. Christina and Carolee's baby will be 21 months apart. I can't wait until next Christmas. The Good Bye is a happy one and a sad one. Nicholas' mommy, Kimberly, is going to be a stay-at-home mom which we are so happy for him and her but we were also sad to say Good Bye to our little boy we have been doing daycare for almost two years. He has been here 5 days a week from 6:30 AM-5:30 PM. We had a going away party which Nicholas' called a "Birthday Party" because we had a balloon, presents, and cupcakes. We will also miss seeing his Jimmy and Kimberly everyday. Here is my Birthday surprise from Joe. After he gave me these beautiful roses he said he was done working for the year. So he will be home all winter...yeahhhh!!!!

Well that is all for now. Hunting news will coming in the next update. Watch for deer hunting news soon.

Our Farm Girl Has A Court Date

2007-10-23T15:20:00.000-05:00

Well little Christina had her first coveralls on today and I couldn't resist to take a picture. As soon as she was dressed she went and picked up a farming book. How cool is that. So here are the pictures.

Christina has court on November 21st at 10:00 AM. The court hearing is to make her a US Citizen by making her adoption complete in the eyes of the US courts and change her name from Maria Fernanda Callens to Christina Maria Callens.

Here is one of her proud sister who can't get enough of Christina. It's amazing how not having a baby in the house for 7 years makes everyone so thankful for her. oops it isn't downloading I will try tomorrow. It is soooo cute:)

Updates on Guatemalan and Christina

2007-10-16T19:17:00.000-05:00

An amendment was submitted on October 9th to let In Process Cases to use the old adoption rules and not stop on 1-1-2008. It will be voted on on November 4th. We are so thankful for all those who signed the petition. It helped more than you know. Here is another petition to Boycott UNICEF this Halloween. When I was growing up we used to go around and collect money for UNICEF instead of trick-or-treating. They have really changed their position on a lot of things since then. Please sign this petition as your show of support for all adoptive families and their children who are waiting to come home to the US especially those in process. Boycott UNICEF This Halloween Petition Now on to our happy little girl.....Christina. She wakes up smiling until she goes to sleep. She had another virus with an ear infection but she is all better and smiling again. Now her gums are swelling becuase she is getting 4 molars and 4 eye teeth at the same time. What happened to only getting two at a time. She got six in last time she was teething. She took three steps and can stand up on her own from the floor with no assistance. She stands clapping her hands because she is so proud.

"What is so bad about outside. It looks fun Mamma, can I go?"

Here is our happy little girl.

Now that it's getting darker earlier we are able to play cards again. Here are Joe and the kids playing. Christina is trying to place, too. And Yes, we still have tomatoes yet:)

We have pigtails, but due to the men in the family. Maria and I are banned from doing it again until she has 6 more inches of hair. Shhhh...Maria and I think she looks cute.

Update on Guatemala and Christina

2007-10-06T18:24:00.001-05:00

Update on Guatemala: We are so happy that our Sentor, Norm Coleman, is stepping up and helping adoptive familes who are in process in Guatemala. He has addressed his concerns with the Guatemalan Ambassador and others. Here is a link on what he is doing. http://coleman.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=1456

The Guatemalan Government meets on October 9th to vote on an Amendment to put in a "Grandfather Clause" so those in process will still be processed under the old adoption law and adoptions won't be stopped. This is a huge breakthrough if they approve it. Please pray for this to happen and those families who are in the middle of this right now.

Update on Christina:

We have had a fun week. Christina had her first and hopefully last ear infection. She handled it pretty well. The first sign I had was she started hitting the side of her head. I didn't know what that was but then she progressed into trying to pull her ears off. She would grab hold and yank. I guess she wanted to get rid of the problemed area. She is doing much better now.

We have a new dishwasher unloader and boy are the kids excited.

Christina's favorite place to be. It will be a sad day when she hits 25lbs and can't be in this anymore.

Guatemalan Adoptions

2007-09-28T21:04:00.000-05:00

We have received word that when the New Hague (International Adoption Law which UNICEF is dangling money at the current Guatemalan President for their own hidden agenda...It's a whole different story) is implemented in Guatemala, Adoptive Parents who are in process and have received their referrals no matter where they are in the process will not be grandfathered in. This means at least 3000 children will remain in Guatemala and not be united with their forever families in the US. What does this mean for the children. There will be no money for the Foster Mothers to take care of them during this time. When Vietnam became Hague compliant it took them three years so please remember the Adoptive Parents and the children in your prayers. I look at Christina while I writing this and am so thankful she is home with us but my heart aches for those who are in Limbo right now not knowing for sure what is going to happen. There is a petition going around for people to sign. If you feel in your heart to sign it that would be great. Here is the link: http://www.petitiononline.com/foafoa1/petition.html

Sorry for such a late update!!

2007-09-26T15:22:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Christina got sick after Maria's Birthday so I was living on very little sleep for a couple weeks. She developed hives on her face, arms and legs. She then developed a fever the next day and difficulty breathing due to her choking, coughing, gagging. Joe became so worried he decided we needed to take her in on Sunday night at 8PM and for Joe to want to bring someone to the Dr. you know it's time to worry. Well needless to say the Dr. at the ER was hopeless. First thing he said was that it was a heat rash from being outside, too much. For all of those reading, you know that we don't take her outside for a long period of time and now not at all. And second if she had a heat rash wouldn't it be where she is covered with clothing...which she didn't....not the parts that aren't covered...which is where the rash was. So we just nodded and said this to each other this was a waste of time. We then went to her regular Dr. and he said it was due to her allergies and not to take her outside until it snows. He ran all kinds of blood work which Christina great with and they all came back normal. With the fall harvest the allergens are horrible. We have noticed that when Joe holds her after being outside she gets runny eyes and starts coughing right away and now it's really bad for her. So we are staying inside and split shifting church. There is always someone staying home with Christina unless we know we will be inside with air conditioning and windows shut.

Here is a picture of her playing with her toys....we pile them in and she takes them out one by one... over and over again.

Here is a picture of our princessa's feet when she is drinking her bottle. She always has them crossed.

She decided her favorite place to be lately is in the back pack. She loves looking over our shoulder at everything we are doing:)

Happy 8th Birthday Maria

2007-09-09T15:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Maria's 8th Birthday. She is growing up so fast and is a second Mother to Christina. She is always there to help dust, clean, sort or take care of Christina. She had a busy birthday.

We first went to my Uncle Leon and Mavis' 50th Anniversary Party. Mavis and Leon are like my second parents. Their daughter Peggy and I were only 6 months apart in age so we are very close and were together alot. I remember spending a week every summer at their home. I had so much fun eventhough I was only 10 miles from home.

Mavis and Leon at their 50th Anniversary

When we got home Maria was able to open her presents. She got a sewing machine. She was so excited. She wants to patch everything in the house. The sewing definitely doesn't come from me. It comes from her Dad. Yes, Joe sews....or patches. He has a difficult time throwing things away so he patches everything. Maria also got two braclet kits. She has already made a list of people to make them for.

She also got a surprise when she went to bed. When she looked out her window she saw fireworks. Minneota was having their Boxelder Bug days and they were shooting off fireworks. We told her not many little girls get fireworks for their birthday.

Every child gets to pick out the cake flavor they like and then get to decorate it on their birthday. Maria was so proud that she was able to frost it herself and decorate it with very little help this year. Here is a picture.

One year Ago Today

2007-09-06T16:25:00.000-05:00

One year ago today we got the phone call that would change our family forever. I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. "Jean, this is Julie (EAC). I have a baby girl for you." At this point I went numb. I tried to find a piece of paper and a pen and write down what she said but poor Julie had to keep repeating it because I was shaking so bad. "Her name is Maria Fernanada(which she had to spell three times...yes my brain was working). She is three days old in the picture and weighs 6 lbs and is 18 inches long." "Would you like to see pictures." I said "Yes!!!". She then hung up to e-mail me pictures. Here is the first site of our beautiful daughter.

Here she is a year later. We are so in love:) Thank you Jesus for this beautiful blessing!!!

Adoption Poem

2007-08-26T16:13:00.000-05:00

Here is an adoption Poem an adoptive mother adopting from Guatemala wrote. It's so beautiful and explains all the ups, downs and celebrations during the adoption process: Adopting a child whatever the reason, Brings love to your family throughout every season. The process is emotional, draining and long, Nothing is guaranteed and anything can go wrong. Many celebrations, disappointments and doubts to create, Time goes by quickly as you helplessly wait. The referral arrives after much anticipation – Your child has a face – your first celebration. Awaiting results of the 1st DNA Then onward you go – you finally get PA. After approval you go to PGN – the dark hole every knows, Anticipating or dealing with the dreaded KO's. Checking the website to see who's IN or OUT, It's a roller coaster ride – sometimes you want to shout. Support from many friends experiencing the same – So many close bonds – so many screen names. Hoping Mr. Barrios finally approves your dossier You pray that the plans for the pickup are soon under way Anxiously awaiting the long overdue PINK Then it is issued – you pickup your child and you think: This process was emotional, draining and long – As you hold your child tight and sing a sweet song. You board the plane with anxious relief – Finally you're all going home - your in disbelief. No more waiting for PA, PGN, PINK or DNA, Just time with your child – who is home now to stay!

One Year Old

2007-08-22T15:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, Little Miss Christina turned One Year Old Yesterday!!! We had so much fun. We had cupcakes and she even got to play with one eventhough she has only had strained food she did OK with a couple bites. She had more fun with the ribbons than the presents until we took them away. Then she played and played until 10PM she was exhausted. I didn't know what was more fun....watching Christina or our three big kids enjoying Christina. The love they have for her is amazing. And the love she has for them will melt your heart. Joe and I just watched in amazement.

We received a birthday e-mail from Christina's Foster Family:) We didn't think we would be able to have contact with them but they sent us pictures of her growing up in their home. We were so excited. When I opened the e-mail I screamed because I was so excited. Joe was talking on the phone with his brother...I bet he thinked I flipped.

We are so happy that we were able to celebrate this wonderful day with her.

Here are some pictures of Christina growing up in Guatemala. The pictures are of her from a couple weeks old until we picked her up. The litte boy is two months younger than Christina. He was being adopted as well. He slept with Christina and her fostermother.Christina trying to figure out what all the excitement is all about. Then eating her cake:) Christina's favorite pastime....trying everything out by mouth first.

Christina loved her first baby doll from her Sister Maria. This was Maria's first baby doll and she wanted to share it with her little sister.

Playing with Cousins

2007-08-17T10:10:00.000-05:00

We took care of Kaci, Kylie and Nicholas on August 9th. The kids had so much fun. Kaci never left Maria's side and even took a nap with her for two hours. Kylie and Christina played all day until Christina finally passed out at 3:30 PM which is 4 hours past her nap time. She just didn't want to leave her new friend. And Kylie......well she only took a 5 minute nap but they had a blast.

Here are Maria, Nicholas and Kaci playing

Christina and Kylie playing inside of her toy. They stayed in there for an hour.

Kylie showing Christina she is bigger and can play the piano.

Nicholas teaching Christina how to play his toy he borrowed her.

Christina playing herself and so proud

2 months ago on June 3rd

2007-08-05T17:03:00.000-05:00

What were we doing two months ago on June 3rd. We were handed our little Guatemalan Angel and our life hasn't been the same since. She has added so much joy to our family. We are truly blessed. I know we say it a lot but it's so true. God had her picked out for us so the delays we ment to be. Hind site is always 20/20. It's all in God's time.

Here is a picture the day she was placed in our arms forever.

Here is a picture of her today as she is starting to walk behind a toy that her cousin Nicholas borrowed her.

Corn Season

2007-08-05T16:54:00.000-05:00

Corn season is here again. We were busy last Sunday freezing 26 quarts of corn and 10 bags of corn on the cob which we vacuumed sealed. Christina even decided to help. It was a whole family affair. We had corn everywhere when we were done. We were sticking to everything.

Christina is only eating pureed foods but she wanted to sink her teeth in to some corn as well.

History and Pictures of Guatemala City and Antigua

2007-07-30T20:13:00.000-05:00

Here is a summary that a MN Adoptive parent wrote while she was fostering in Guatemala. It gives a beautiful summary of Guatemala City and the city of Antigua which are the most toured areas of Guatemala.

Guatemala City was founded in 1776 as the country's third and current capital of Guatemala. Under Spanish rule, Guatemala City developed into the chief city of Central America. Guatemala City is located in South Central Guatemala in a valley in the volcanic highlands. It remains the nations largest city and the primary economic, transportation, and cultural center. The metropolitan area comprises nearly 2 million people.

The first capital, Cuidad Vieja, founded in 1527, had been destroyed by flood and volcanic activity in 1541.

The second capital was Antigua. Antigua is the former capital of the kingdom of Guatemala in colonial days. It is located 40 minutes from Guatemala City. The road from Guatemala City to Antigua goes through out the village of San Lucas, known for fine grades of coffee grown here as well as it's open market for the surrounding highlands.

Along both sides of the road there are pine and cypress forests until you reach the valley sheltering the city. At the foot of the Volcan de Agua, an active volcano and landmark in Antigua, sits the former colonial capital of the Kingdom of Antigua, now called La Antigua Guatemala. Founded in 1542 after the nearby town of Cuidad Vieja was destroyed in a flood, Antigua was for more than 200 years the seat of the military governor of the Spanish colony of Guatemala. The town was almost completely destroyed in 1773 by an earthquake, and Guatemala City was founded as the new capital. A number of well-preserved Spanish colonial buildings have survived.

The population of Antigua is approximately 27,000. Antigua is a charming city with cobblestone streets, colorfully painted quaint shops and houses and beautiful flowers. The city is surrounded by lush mountainsides and 3 volcanos. Antigua has been a haven for adoptive families who choose to foster their adopted children until the legal process is completed.

Guatemala offers 42,000 square miles of diverse landscape ranging from towering mountains and volcanos, to lowland jungles, rain forests, crystal clear lakes and rivers. The countries and waters surrounding Guatemala are Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

The population of the country is approximately 11 million. Half of this is made up of the indigenous Mayan culture and the other half are Mestizos - people of mixed European and Mayan ancestry. Spanish is the official language. However, English is spoken in many places.

The currency is the Quetzal. There are approximately 7.5Q to 1USD.

The year round average temperature is 75 degrees. Most of Guatemala enjoys Eternal Spring. In the coastal areas along the beaches, it is tropical. In the mountains, the temperature may fall below freezing. Mornings and evenings are cool and then warms up during the day.

Here is a picture of the Cathedral in Antigua:

Alter at Santo Domingo in Antigua

Big Rosary on a wall at Santo Domingo

The Open Market

A mother and her child at the open market

Arch De Antigua

Eating

2007-07-28T18:45:00.000-05:00

Yes, our little angel is up to eating two meals a day. She eats about a half cup each time and is using the sipper cup at her meals. She still prefers the bottle and Mommy time which we will keep for a while.

She is back to waking up only once a night. Mama is loving that.

Here is our big eater:)

11 months old

2007-07-22T18:21:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that Christina has been home a month and a half already. She is a doll. She turned 11 months old on Saturday. Next month she will be one. I can't believe it. We will definitely be celebrating.

Here are pictures of our little ham:)

You can't keep me locked behind this gate forever:)

Soccer, Working and Teething

2007-07-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

What do all these have in common.....what our 4 angels have been up to this week.

Michael and Maria had there last day of Soccer today.

Here is Michael...the happy goalie:) He is our sports lover. Great job Michael!!

Here is Maria running down the field trying to stay with the ball. No boy was going to stop her:) Anthony went to help Uncle Charlie with his new shop. He felt very proud to work and Uncle Charlie said he was a hard worker which really made him crow:) Here is a picture that Charlie took while Anthony was working. He is just like his Daddy....taking a nap at break time.

Little Miss Christina decided she wanted to rock herself in her rocking chair. She also got all six teeth in so she has 4 on top and 4 on the bottom. Yes, Mommy is very tired but Christina handled the teething like a princess....she only fussed at night but smiled all day.

Look who is pulling herself up:)

2007-07-14T19:17:00.001-05:00

Little Miss Christina decided she couldn't stand be at crawling level anymore. She wanted to up where the action is so she decided to start pulling herself up by our bay window. She loves looking outside now. It's a whole new world.

The t-shirt says it all!!!!!!!!

Horse Riding

2007-07-12T19:57:00.000-05:00

Here is the kids' newest favorite pass time besides playing with their new sister. They even got Auntie Carolee up on a horse. I don't know who was more scared the horse or Carolee...LOL Evening Daddy is having fun eventhough he won't admit he likes the "Hayburners" as he so lovingly calls them.

1st Well Baby Check

2007-07-12T19:30:00.000-05:00

Today Christina had her first well baby check with Dr. Aybar. She weighs 19.4 lbs and is 27.5 inches long. She is just under the 25% in everything. She was all smiles.....is that a surprise?? Dr. Aybar said we are blessed and that she is perfect. He said her trouble eating our baby food and table food is because her intestinal flora is different than ours so to keep feeding her a little each day and increase each day. Christina will know when she is full. He also looked at her vaccination site and said she will probably always have the bump but it will get smaller as she gets bigger.

So excited to be in her new dress from her Auntie Carolee!!Christina on the move!! She isn't happy not being able to crawl in a dress:(

Baptismal Day

2007-07-10T12:56:00.000-05:00

We were so excited to have our little girl baptized on July 8th. She was an angel and had the Priest wrapped around her little finger. We have Joe and my family here. Carolee also came from Florida for Christina's special day!!

We were honored to have Jessica (Niece) and Clayton(Nephew) for Christina's Godparents

Carolee and Darren (Sister and Brother)

Grandma and Grandpa with Grandchildren Our First Family Picture Christina's Baptismal Gown You can still see the baptismal oils in her hair. They smell so good:)

Allergies

2007-07-10T12:40:00.000-05:00

Yes, you read it right. Our little Christina has developed Allergies to MN trees and grass. She would start coughing, choking and turning blue so I took her in. The Dr. said that she probably had underlying allergies in Guatemala and that is why they had her on the cough medicine with codeine. She also said that due to 5 teeth coming in at once her body just couldn't keep up with all the mucus and salivia she had which caused the choking and turning blue from not being able to breath. She prescribed Zyrtec once a day until her teeth are in and see how she is after that. She also suggested staying inside with just the central air on and no windows opened which we have been doing. She is much better. yayyy!!!! Here is our little smiley girl. Maria is never to far away from her baby sister

One Month Anniversary

2007-07-10T12:24:00.000-05:00

We went to the Fireworks at Prairies Edge Casino on July 3rd. Christina and I stayed in the van watching them. While I was holding her and watching her observe the fireworks, I realized that one month ago today we were handed our beautiful Christina and all the feelings came rushing back of how wonderful that day was and the peace we feel right now. We are so happy and so blessed.

Proud Big Brother Anthony

Father's Day Parade

2007-07-06T22:41:00.000-05:00

On Father's Day we spent it in Lake Benton. We went to the Saddle Horse Holiday Parade and then went to Mom and Dad's for picnic dinner. Christina slept through all of the banging and noise until the last 15 minutes so she got to see the many horses that are part of the trail ride before the parade. The kids brought home more candy than we can use in a year!!

Christina waking up... always smiling:)

Maria loving the cute little foal.

Michael waiting for candy...always on a mission!!

All Fresh and Clean After my Bath

2007-06-29T16:01:00.000-05:00

Look Mommy, I combed my hair all by myself:)

Bath Time

2007-06-29T15:57:00.001-05:00

This is the kids favorite time....giving Princess Christina her bath everynight. They have taken over but I get to squeeze in some time once in a while. She loves her bathtime with her brothers and sister.

10 Months Old

2007-06-24T13:32:00.000-05:00

I can't believe our little girl has been home 2.5 weeks. She has been a true blessing and joyful addition to our family. She turned 10 months old on Thursday. Boy, does time fly. She started crawling on the 21st and today she sat herself up for the first time. She still doesn't eat food but she has formula, pediasure, rice in each of her bottles so I she isn't starving as you can tell from her pictures. She gets tummy aches from eating food so we are going to hold off for a little while and try again later.

Yes, she is also started crawling instead of scooting. She learned how to sit herself up as well. She is growing up so fast.

May/June Journal

2007-06-24T13:31:00.001-05:00

Grandma Nelsen fell in love with Christina at first site and Christina fell in love with Grandma:)

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2007 01:25 PM, CDT The kids have been waiting for so long to bring Christina to her first Barn dance. They had her outfit picked out before she came home. Do they look happy or what!! We had a great time. Mom and Dad had to finally call it quits at 2:30 AM. The kids were dancing all night and still didn't want to go home. Christina was an angel and she dance, smiled and cooed for everyone.

FRIDAY, JUNE 08, 2007 02:52 PM, CDT We are Home and we are so blessed with a beautiful, happy litte girl. She has been a dream. She has only had a couple meltdowns (Grieving-Screaming, shaking, and hyperventilating) since she has been with us. She sleeps 8 hours, wakes for a bottle, and then sleeps 2 more hours. She takes three hours worth of naps. When she isn't sleeping she's smiling and cooing all the time. At the airport she was talking with everyone on the plane and at the airport. Joe called her a "girl magnet". He was carryng her in the front pack at the airport when I was getting things organized and people were stopping and talking with her and Joe all the time. She was smiling at everyone and cooing.

We are soooooooooo happy. She loves the kids and the kids don't want to be out of her sight.

I will write more later when I have a chance.... Christina is hungry. Thank you for all the prayers. This experience has had its up and downs but it was all erased the first time we held our little girl. God Bless, Joe, Jean, Anthony, Michael, Maria and Christina Callens (Yes, we are a family of six!!!!!)

Here is a picture of a diaper cake that Kimberly, Nicholas, Anthony, Michael, and Maria put together for us plus they made us cards. It was so beautful and what a surprise.

SATURDAY, JUNE 02, 2007 06:49 AM, CDT Today is the big day. We are finally going to get our beautiful little Princessa. I was up until 3 AM getting things ready. Not like waiting until the last minute. You would think after all this time I would have been ready:) Please keep us in your prayers for a safe trip down and back as well as for Anthony, Michael and Maria. We haven't been apart more than a couple nights so it's a little difficult. They are excited for Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Kimberly and Cousin Nicholas stay with them which is making it easier. I will try to update as much as I can. Thank you for your prayers through this Adoption Journey we appreciated them more than you know. Signing the guestbook will be a great way to keep in contact with us in Guatemala:) THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2007 05:23 PM, CDT Yes, you read it right Christina is coming home!!!! After this long journey we will finally be a family. We were just notified that we have Embassy Approval (Pink). This will be our schedule: June 2nd-Fly to Guatemala-Leave Minneapolis at 2:45 PM arrive in Guatemala at 9:02 PM June 3rd-Christina will be placed in our arms forever AM June 4th-Embassy appointment at 7:15 AM number 2 on the list of 35...yayyyy!!!!! June 5th-Pick up Christina's Visa at 3:30 PM June 6th-Fly Home-Leave Guatemala at 6:25 AM and arrive in Minneapolis at 4:45 PM. We want to thank you for all the prayers!! We couldn't have done it without them. We are asking for prayers for a safe flight to Guatemala and back. God Bless:) MONDAY, MAY 07, 2007 03:37 PM, CDT It's Official..Christina Is Ours. We got out of PGN today. I still get butterflies when I think about it. We will be holding her within the next 4-6 weeks. I can't believe. it. She will be home for Father's day. The next step is for the birth certificate to be change to our last name, have everything translated into English, get Christina' passport and then submit to the the US Embassy. The embassy will then take a week to look everything over and will send us a pink slip telling us when our appointment is to get her Visa at the US embassy in Guatemala. The appointment is usually two weeks after we get the pink slip......yes, this is a pink slip that is good....lol. Thank you for all of your prayers. They helped more than you know!!!

March/April Journal

2007-06-24T13:30:00.002-05:00

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2007 05:38 PM, CDT We received pictures and a medical update on Christina. She weighs 17 lbs and is 24.4 inches long. Yes, still petite but healthy. She has two bottom teeth. My baby is growing up. I can't wait to hold her. The medical also sad she is very healthy and developmentally on track. She is very vocal, smiley and active. She looks so happy in the pictures. We feel at peace that she is with a good fostermother. This next week is the week the social worker said we should hear something. Please pray we are approved and let out of PGN so we can go get our little angel. It will still be 4-6 weeks after we get out of PGN until we can hold our little girl and never let her go. Thanks for all the prayers they are so appreciated.

THURSDAY, APRIL 05, 2007 12:51 PM, CDT Our social worker called today to tell us the attorney in Guatemala will be on vacation until next Wednesday for Holy Week, so we won't be hearing anything for sure during that time. She also said that by two weeks after that we should be out of PGN. I sure hope she is right. The waiting is so hard but I know it will be worth it in the end. I bought a pink Onsie that had "Worth the Wait" written on the front. It is sooooo true. I can't wait to have her wear it. Keep the prayers coming that we are done with PGN the next couple weeks. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2007 04:51 PM, CDT Woo Hoo. We just got word that we are back in PGN. We were resubmitted on March 7th. The lawyer has been so busy that she didn't get a chance to tell the agency. Pray that our next call will be the call that tells us we are out of PGN with no kick outs. Then it is about 4 weeks after that when we will fly. Also the coordinator in Guatemala said that our case will continue to go through with the old requirements so it won't get stuck permanently down there. But it may take time. But we just want her home so whenever that is we will be happy. Keep the prayers coming. More good news. When I got home I had the medical update. Christina is 15lbs 14 oz. She is 24 inches long. She must be in a growth spurt:) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2007 01:03 PM, CDT We received pictures of our little sleeping beauty. We are still waiting on news of being resubmitted to PGN. Everything is moving very slow right now. A lot of political stuff. I will update when I receive her updated medical which should be soon. The Attorney and Foster Mother couldn't get her to wake up. It sounds like they really tried but she wasn't going to wake up for nothing. Receiving the pictures and medical updates are what gets us through the wait. But your prayers make all the difference in the world. Keep'em coming:)

SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2007 11:24 AM, CST We are still waiting to be resubmitted to PGN(Court). The lawyer is fixing the document they are requesting so it can resubmitted. Yes, we are feeling down right now. We were expecting to have her home by 7 months of age but it's not going to happen. It 's looking like we won't have her home before Joe goes back to work either which is very difficult for Joe. But we know she is worth the wait. God has chosen her for us and everything is in his time not ours which He knows I am awful at. Please keep the prayers coming. They really help us get through the wait and please pray we are able to bring her home in April.

January/February Journal

2007-06-24T13:30:00.001-05:00

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2007 08:32 PM, CST We received an updated medical on Christina. She weighs 14 lbs 12 oz and is 22.44 inches long. She is talking, smiling and really enjoys moving her legs and kicking. Please pray for a miracle so we are able to bring our Guatemalan Angel home for Easter. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2007 02:19 PM, CST Well we finally heard something with our case in PGN. We were given a Previo which means there was a mistake on the Guatemalan side so the lawyer is fixing it and then we will re-enter PGN to try again. It is looking like it will be after Easter when we can go and pick her up so she will be 7.5 months old. Please pray it is sooner. I don't know how much more waiting we can do. The kids don't understand why it is taking so long. And I can't explain because I don't know either. Thank you for your prayers. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2007 12:09 PM, CST We received new pictures last night. We were so excited. She really has grown but she is still a little peanut. We can't wait to hold her hopefully soon. The Welcome picture shows she is talking. Can't wait to hear her voice. Pray we get out of PGN (Court) soon. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 02, 2007 07:25 AM, CST I spoke with EAC (Adoption agency). They said things are moving along. They had someone who went into court (PGN) the beginning of December get out last week so keep the prayers coming. It may be soon. THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2007 05:28 PM, CST We received a new medical update and pictures. We think she keeps getting prettier all the time. But we are biased. Christina was at the doctor two days ago and she weighed 13lbs 10 oz. and she was 21.68 inches long. She is still a petite thing but oh so cute. She is developing normally and the report said she is cooing and making different sounds. As you can see from the pictures we have another pacifier baby. Maria was excited to see that since she was too. Keep the prayers coming. It helps make the wait easier.

December/January Journal

2007-06-24T13:29:00.000-05:00

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007 07:48 AM, CST HI everyone, We just found out that we entered PGN on December 18th. PGN is the governmental authority who checks all the paperwork to make sure it's correct. It's like our family court and the court adminstrator together. Please keep us in your prayers. This is usually the longest wait. We just want to go down and bring her home. Waiting is the hardest part of the adoption journey but it's all worth it in the end. We should be getting a new medical and hopefully pictures soon. God Bless:) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2006 07:17 AM, CST I have updated the site with new pictures. They were taken this week. She will be 4 months old on December 21st. The months are slowly ticking away. I hope the rest of the wait goes by fast. Keep us in your prayers especially Christina and her Birthmother. This time of year must be really difficult for her. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2006 10:03 AM, CST We received a new medical on Christina last night. (Yes, the agency we use is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.) At 3 months 12 days she weighed 12lbs 8 oz and was 20.89 inches long. They must have put her on a diet:) She only gained a 1.2 lbs this past month. The last wo months it was 3 lbs each month. I can't wait to receive updated pictures. I am hoping to receive them before Christmas. I will put them on as soon as I receive them. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2006 01:56 PM, CST Another milestone has been reached. We have received pre-approval December 9th from the Us Embassy to move forward with the adoption. Normally family court would be the next step but that is already done so we will wait to hear when we enter PGN. PGN is the governmental authority in Guatemala who goes through all the paperwork. Everything will be in the air as far as what time lines will be since Guatemala Celebrates Las Pasadas starting December 16th and then Christmas follows. So not much will happen until January. Keep the prayers coming. We should be receiving another medical soon as well as pictures!! TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2006 08:13 PM, CST Christina is three months old today. We can't believe she is that old already. She is worth the wait. We are praying we will be holding her sooner than we think. Thank you everyone for the kind words and wonderful support. Without such great Family and Friends it would be so difficult to wait. Thanks:)

November Journal

2007-06-24T13:28:00.000-05:00

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2006 07:19 PM, CST Today we received a copy of Christina's DNA report and a picture of her Birthmother holding her at 1 month of age. It was difficult seeing this because we have such torn feelings. We are so happy and blessed that the birthmother chose an adoption plan for her daughter but we are also sad that the birthmother had to make a decision like this. Please keep her in your prayers. She has to meet with Christina and sign off one more time which will be the last time she will see her. I can't imagine the feelings she will be feeling. They don't receive any information about us at all. She doesn't know what country she is going to or anything about us. She is trusting in God to place her with a loving family. What a sacrifice...it makes my complaints and worries so small and insignificant. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2006 08:45 PM, CST Woooo hoooo....Praise the Lord. We are so excited. The adoption agency called and we have a DNA match after 5 tries they were able to find the DNA strand that match 99.73%. They needed 99.7% to be accepted. All the others were in the 99 % but not enough to make the Embassy happy. The agency was as excited for us as we were. They were all celebrating since this has been trying for them as well. As I put in the other journal entry they had never had this happen before so they were as estatic as we were. Now we wait for an e-mail from the US Embassy giving us approval to move forward with the adoption. Which should take about a month. More waiting but we are praying the rest of the steps will go more smoothly. Keep the prayers coming and thank you for all of them up to this point. They have helped in more ways than you know. God Bless. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 09, 2006 05:26 PM, CST Praise God. We got some good news today. The DNA is still being tested but the lab has had this before and they feel it's a match just needing the right DNA strand and percentage. Please keep the prayers coming. We are to hear about the DNA next week. The other good news is while we were waiting for the DNA to come back the lawyer in Guatemala pleaded our case and had the family court finished which isn't suppose to be done after DNA so we just gained two to three week missed because of the DNA. Family court is when the birthmother signs off a third time and a homestudy is completed. We will get a copy of it when we pick up Christina. We are so blessed. The best part is that we recieved updated pictures of Christina today. She even gave her first smile for us. It is difficult missing her firsts but the fostermom is doing a great job keeping us up to date in pictures. She weighs 11lbs 6 oz and is 20 1/2 inches long. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2006 03:39 PM, CDT We finally have heard something on Christina's DNA. There is still not a match but it still is inconclusive...which means in an egg shell that the number needs to be 99.75% match with Birthmother or the US Embassy won't accept. The results so far are close to that but not the number the Embassy wants. I guess our DNA has many strands..(I should have studied biology harder in college) Christina's blood sample was sent back to the Lab for a third test. I am hoping to know something by next Monday. I did ask if there is a chance it wouldn't be a match and they said they don't know because they have had a non-match and they were notified in 4 days so they are thinking this must just be a challenging case and they have never heard of this before...imagine that...after notaries not being certified (which they never heard before either) and having to redo paperwork up to three times. I told them, "Welcome to our family...Christina must be chosen for us since her DNA is being difficult as well:) Prayers would greatly be appreciated since this is suppose to be the simple part of the adoption:) Keep Christina in your prayers as well. She turned two months old on Saturday. Thank you for your prayers up to this point as well. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2006 03:29 PM, CDT I just received a call from the adoption agency and the DNA came back inconclusive...my heart just sank. I thought it wasn't a match and we wouldn't be able to adopt Christina but what it means is that a lot of Guatemalan children have one strain of DNA that is so close that the number comes back low and they want a higher number to give to the American Embassy. Confusing..huh. Anyway they are doing a deeper DNA test which takes longer and that is why instead of a week it will take three. Please pray it is a match. I am sure it is but prayers sure could help it along.

October Journal

2007-06-21T19:32:00.001-05:00

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2006 11:13 AM, CDT We are still waiting for the DNA match to be completed. It was to take around a week and it has been two. I have been e-mailing with a couple from Minnesota who is adopting a daugther from Guatemala and they went for a visit. When they were down there in their hotel alone there were 40 couples bringing babies home to the US this week. There is a larger number I think due to the Hauge Treaty that will be inplemented in 2007. Which makes adopting from another country more paper intensive for the adoptive parents as well as the agencies. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2006 08:17 PM, CDT I just received word from a couple, I know who are adopting from Guatemala who live in Minnesota, that their daughter, who they were at the end of the adoption process, died today due to the Rotovirus. She was healthy and almost home. Please pray for them in their sorrow. The couple had just been down there to visit their little girl two weeks ago and they at least had that time with her. The video and pictures to hold onto. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2006 11:10 AM, CDT We recieved Christina's new medical update. She did really grow. She is up to 9lbs 8 oz. and 19.5 inces long in one month. They are obviously feeding her well. She must be taking after her Daddy already...loving that food:) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2006 10:51 PM, CDT Today we recieved new pictures of Christina...she has really grown. She has gorgeous big brown eyes. She is so beautiful. Our love is growing for her even more each day. We are praying to God she comes home soon. Please keep her in your prayers. MONDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2006 10:42 AM, CDT The DNA sample was taken from the birthmother and Christina and sent to the Lab in North Carolina. Once it is a match to make sure Christina belongs to the Birthmother (a save guard from baby being stolen) then it will go to family court. A picture of the Birthmother and Christina were taken together and sent with the sample. We will receive the results and picture when they are completed. At this point the Birthmother has signed off (that she wants adoption for her child) twice. Once in the hospital before she was put in Fostercare and once when the DNA sample was taken. She needs to sign off one more time when she makes the final visit with the child after a social worker interviews her to make sure she is doing this because she wants to and not because of pressure or money.

Our Adoption Journey

2007-06-21T19:30:00.000-05:00

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 09, 2006 09:15 PM, CDT Joe came home from work today and was able to see pictures of Maria for the first time....He was in tears and said he fell in love with her at first site. We decided to name her Christina (Follower of Christ) Maria(To honor the name her Birthmother chose). We are filled with so much joy. It is all we talk and dream about. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2006 04:32 PM, CDT We just recieved the medical information, pictures and video of Maria Fernanda. Words can't describe the feelings we had watching the video over and over again. She is so beautiful and tiny. I just wanted to pick her up and out of the video. The social worker said the hard part would be the waiting and so it begins and yes the waiting is hard. I called Joe immediately and he said accept her and send in the paperwork with out even seeing her. I contacted the agency and accepted our new daughter-to-be. Actually she is our daughter in our hearts already. We can't imagine life without her