Living our lives like Koenigs

Rylee's Birthday Party - part C

2008-09-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

Back in town Birthday party.

I guess all girls that turn 3 have 3 birthday parties~?

I know I am partied out!

More toys... Oh, goodie!

Rylee and Cousin Adam

Happy birthday to me... again!

Rylee's Birthday Party - part B

2008-09-27T19:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Rylee #2.

This was her actual BirthDAY on the beach.

Make a wish!

This is how Wyatt felt about Rylee having another Birthday!

He was soon over it when the cupcakes were served.

We are in FLORIDA - Happy Birthday Rylee

2008-09-22T01:00:00.000-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to our

Sweet, Smart, Cute and Pretty,

Funny, Brave, Bold and Daring,

Our little on the outside, but BIG on the inside

Darling Daughter,

Rylee

We love you,

Mommy, Daddy and Bubber

FFF HOPE

2008-09-19T21:31:00.000-05:00

Dear God,

Please strengthen me in your

Faith, Peace, Love and HOPE.

Amen!

What a funny puppy she is!!!!

2008-09-17T09:56:00.000-05:00

We love our puppy Molly, a.k.a. Little Miss Molly.

Of course she is still all puppy, with all the things that puppies do, but what a character she is. If you scold her for doing one of those things that puppies do, but should not be doing, she actually pouts and turns her head away and will not look at you. Here are a couple pictures that if you are a dog lover you might just get a chuckle out of.

Rylee's Birthday Party - part A

2008-09-16T07:04:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

FFF = One Brand New Cutie of a Baby Girl

2008-09-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

Alexa Grace

A wedding and a baby!

2008-09-11T03:23:00.003-05:00

A wedding then a baby!

This past week has been very fulfilling, especially for our friends the Meunier's!

First, Saturday we went to Kristy and Kevin's wedding in Evansville. What fun it was! Let me tell ya, the Meunier's really do have the best weddings.

The toast.

Kristy cutting loose

Rylee dancing

Wyatt being sandwiched by Kristy and Greg (Kristi's brother and Rylee's Godfather)

Rylee and Greg, her Godfather

Cori (Greg's Wife) made it through the wedding without going into labor. Hooray!

BUT BARELY...

Welcome to the world little Alexa Grace!

Rylee loves her little "God Sister"

Drum Roll on the aluminum cans~~~~

2008-09-05T17:54:00.000-05:00

622 pounds of aluminum cans

The dollar amount you ask ?!?!

$404.30

Yep, it was worth it!

FFF = OH BABY- MY BABIES !

2008-09-05T05:14:00.000-05:00

This photo was taken on my first visit with Rylee in Guatemala.

This photo brings back so many memories.

We stayed at the Marriott as most all adoptive parents. It was such an emotional time for me. I think mostly because it was just me and Rylee on this visit. I remember having some concerns before I left... Wondering, could I love this little girl as much as I love my son? Before the point of actually meeting Rylee, I only had photos and I could not bring myself to bond through photos. It all did not seam believable until I saw her for myself. It did not take long AT ALL! My first call home to Craig he asked how everything was going. I broke down in tears and told him "I love this little girl so much!" It was so hard to leave her and the only way for me to keep my sanity was to plan my next visit trip when I got back home. I remember our Dinner time prayer every night always ended with Wyatt saying. "And please bring Rylee home, soon, fast!"

Isn't she adorable!

My little "Sweet Pea" Lion!

Wyatt's first Halloween.

I LOVE this photo!

Huh, it's funny, his favorite animal is the Lion.

This is about the coolest cat EV-ER!

2008-09-02T06:27:00.009-05:00

Ceafus has been with us since he was a kitten.

I got him and his brother Bo from a former boss. I did not like him much as a kitten because he would let you pet him and be so very sweet and then turn into a little Jeckle kitty and attack. So many times I wanted to just pop him on the noggin but I knew if I did he would only get worse. I am glad I didn't. Now that I think about it he is at least 6 years old. WOW! He is a miracle kitty. I will tell you why.

We bought our little house in 2001 and within the first year we had gone through several cats. The reason you ask... Our little house is on 6 acres but front and center of our property. Very front and too close to the county road. Most of our cats, like his brother Bo, have been hit by cars. Once we actually lost 2 kittens in one day. We think one got hit and the other one got nosey about what happened to his brother and ended up hit too. After we lost them we decided not to get anymore cats. Luckily we did still have Ceafus.

The reason Ceafus is the coolest cat ever is because he is so much NOT like a cat. He walks around like he's Garfield or something. He does not fear people, the dogs or the goats. He doesn't even Meow normally.

What I love the most about this cat is that he can make wherever he is laying look like the most comfortable spot in the world.

Here's a little Ceafus for your day.

The Word Among Us - A Guatemala Article

2008-08-26T02:05:00.004-05:00

In "The Word Among Us" this month, there is an article on Guatemala.

It amazed me how relative this article is to many of my Blogger Friends and Acquaintances. I had to share it with you. Many readers of this blog are parents of children born in Guatemala. Some are so connected by the adoption of their child they have devoted much of their time, giving monetarily, collecting medicines, clothing, school books and supplies and some, more now than ever, going on Mission trips to Guatemala. I want these people to know how proud I am to be among this "giving circle". Though I will not be traveling to Guatemala this time around, I will be praying for each of you on your mission!

Bloggers on Missions

Becca & Greta Jo

Vanessa

Julie

Tricia & Sarah

Cindy

Here's to you ladies!!!

An Encounter with Holiness
Finding God among Guatemala's Poor
By: Julie Pfitzinger

We are seated on faded plastic chairs perched on the dirt floor of a one-room corrugated tin home. It belongs to Ovalia, a forty-three-year-old Guatemalan woman who is expecting her ninth child. Her face is lined, her hands rough. Her eyes are weary, but they seem to shine with an inner light.
Speaking quietly in Spanish to her five American visitors, Ovalia reveals the source of her light. “I put my faith in Mary,” she says. “I pray to her and feel her spirit. She understands the struggles of the women here.”
In these surroundings of unimaginable poverty, Ovalia’s love for our Blessed Mother shines out like a beacon in the darkness. I know I am encountering holiness, and I feel blessed. For me, this humble home is a stopping point on a unique journey: God is waiting to meet me in the lives of families like Ovalia’s.
Come and See! I had not imagined that my trip to Guatemala last year would be so rich in blessings. In fact, until just a few months before it, I had never thought of traveling there at all.
The invitation came during a conversation with two friends—Debby Grittner and Lorilee Petrangelo—at a coffee shop near our homes in Minnesota. All three of us graduated from a local high school run by the Sisters of the Visitation; we married and had children, but have kept in touch.
On that late August morning, my friends were telling heartbreaking stories about their recent mission trip to an impoverished region of Guatemala. Debby’s eyes glistened with tears as she spoke about the stark reality of families struggling every day for their survival. Food, clothing, education, medical care—none of our own children had ever lacked these essentials. But in San Pedro, an hour north of Guatemala City, it was the exact opposite. My friends’ encounters there had spurred them to action.
Lorilee told me how she felt called to establish a nonprofit health and wellness organization in San Pedro. Its name—the Grace Centre/Centro de Gracia—in honor of Baby Gracia, a little girl who died of malnutrition. Lorilee had met little Gracia on a previous trip. Spurred by that encounter, she was doing all she could to gather resources and spread the word about the community and its needs.
I was listening, riveted, when Lorilee asked an unexpected question: “Would you consider coming with us on our next trip to San Pedro?” My response was immediate and certain. Yes!
Never mind that at age forty-four, I had never traveled outside the United States and that I spoke approximately ten words of Spanish. Yes! As I drove home, I was filled with peace. I sensed that God had a special blessing waiting for me as I took this journey.
Visiting the Mothers. And so last March found me walking the desolate hills of San Pedro with Lorilee and Debby. Also with us were Debby’s eighteen-year-old daughter, Amanda, and Sr. Marie Thérèse Conaty, seventy-eight, a former teacher of ours.
Our mission was to visit the homes of women in two neighborhoods unlike any I had ever seen. Most of the residents are refugees from Hurricane Mitch, a devastating storm that ripped through Central America in 1998, killing thousands and forcing thousands more to settle far away from their extended families. All along our way we saw ramshackle tin houses, laundry lines of clothes sagging in the dusty breeze, piles of garbage, and thin streams of raw sewage by the road.
Many residents of this area attend Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church. Its pastor, Padre Mario Ochoa, is a compassionate servant who is well aware that physical poverty is not the only cause of his people’s suffering. There is also the pain caused by emotional poverty—especially among the women.
They welcome Padre Mario’s invitation to visit with us. They want their stories to be heard.
Stories from San Pedro. We listen to Ovalia, whose children range in age from four to eighteen. Ovalia’s husband rides the “chicken bus” daily into Guatemala City to sell ice cream. Ovalia is afraid he will abandon her some day, a fear shared by many Guatemalan women. She is grateful, though, to be married to “a man who does not drink and does not abuse me”—a statement we find profoundly disturbing.
Graciela, a young Mayan mother who lives nearby, has six children and sells handmade tortillas in San Pedro. She has virtually no education; when she was seven, she was sent to work in the fields, where she was raped by her uncle. “I feel like I never deserved to live,” she says. Her husband has a job, but like Ovalia’s, he is away from morning till night.
Maria del Rosario is a beautiful young woman, but her face cannot hide her anxiety and depression. Her husband has gone to the United States in an attempt to get a job that will allow him to support her and the children. Although he does send money, Maria is realizing that he will probably never return. This breaks her heart—and leaves her fearful about being a woman on her own. She feels isolated and longs for connection and friendship.
All the women’s stories reveal the emotional issues that weigh heavily on the people here, along with malnutrition, illness, and the lack of clean water. We leave San Pedro committed to take these stories back home to help convince others to support Grace Centre/Centro de Gracia so that medical professionals and social workers will be given the resources they need to serve these devastated families.
Two Photos. Prior to the trip, I had tucked a photo of my husband and two children into my purse. I planned to show it to the women we were going to meet to indicate—where my Spanish would fail me—that I also was a mother.
When I showed the picture to Ovalia, she studied it intently. Then she asked if she could keep it. “No one has ever given me a gift like this before,” she said.
I was overwhelmed at Ovalia’s response. Despite the great differences between us, she saw me as a friend. In that moment, I felt the Lord making a profound connection between our lives.
I like to think that Ovalia looks at my family picture often. For my part, I keep a photo of her and her beautiful children on my bulletin board. Every day it reminds me of one of the most powerful moments of my mission trip.
“The Lord Was There.” It was, as Sr. Marie Thérèse said of our whole time in Guatemala, “a new and profound way” of meeting God. “The Lord was there in our coming together, and there was no difference between our poverty and theirs.”
I am so grateful that God made it possible for me to say yes to this extraordinary experience. It lives on in my heart, and although I am far away, the San Pedro community is always in my prayers. I join with Ovalia in spirit, asking Mary to be close to her and all the mothers of Guatemala, who are in such need of her love and protection.
Julie Pfitzinger lives in West Saint Paul, Minnesota. Since her visit, generous donations have enabled the Grace Centre board to purchase land and equipment for a park. Other projects are underway. For more information about Grace Centre click here.

A Little RY-OLLY Cuteness!

2008-08-25T06:40:00.000-05:00

No, I did not tie a pork chop around my daughter to get these clips!

This is true "PUPPY LOVIN" !

Now, if this one doesn't make you chuckle,
I am sure it will at least make you smile!

FFF = Friends, the four legged one!

2008-08-22T06:41:00.001-05:00

Rylee loves Molly. Period!

From when she wakes in the morning, until bed time,

Molly is her main concern.

Tickle, tickle!

Puppy kisses!

Molly loves Rylee too!

Cans, cans and more cans!

2008-08-20T18:59:00.000-05:00

First thing I MUST say is these photos do not give justice!

As the summer ends, so does the accumulation of aluminum cans.

Some of you know, some don't. We have received ALL the aluminum cans collected from our place of employment(=HINT) this summer.

Hint!

Somehow, Craig and I come up with these bright ideas of saving money and?or making money plans. The thing is it always ends up being a lot more work that originally thought.

So, after 30+ hours of opening garbage bags of sticky and a bit nasty cans, pulling off the tabs then rebagging the cans. We do see light at the end of the tunnel! HOORAY!

This is me taking tabs off cans.

Tabs to the left of me, cans to the right.

The rebagged cans. Yippee, all finished!

Tabs total... about a 3 gallon bucket full!

Was it all worth it? To be continued.

PIF pay off - CRAFT TIME !

2008-08-20T06:22:00.000-05:00

We received a package Saturday and what a sweet treat!

Thank you Hannah, Greg, Dmitry and Sophia.

What awesome crafts.

Let the fun begin!

Crafts are a family favorite!

Look at this face. Where did my baby boy go?

Rylee having too much fun. She is my little artsy child.

FFF = Back to School & Loving it!

2008-08-15T06:41:00.000-05:00

First day of class.

Wyatt and his teacher Mrs. Richard.

The Pledge of Allegiance. Awww!

Wyatt is in the very back behind the

curly haired blond boy (Aiden, Wyatt's buddy)

Rylee and her teacher Mrs. Jennifer.

Circle time!

Things are going well and it is very obvious that Rylee LOVES school! She has come home every day full of excitement and information of what she did that day. I have also been corresponding with Mrs Jennifer through e-mails and I have heard there is a little boy named Jake that Rylee has made friends with. Oh, Boy!

First day of school blues :(

2008-08-12T09:15:00.001-05:00

Oh, not them, it's me!

Wyatt has been wanting to go back to St. Bernard School for at least over a month. I would wake him in the mornings throughout out the summer and the first thing he would ask " Where am I going today?" (The poor little guy has been asking me that since I went back to work.) The answer usually was not what he wanted to hear and when it wasn't, he would protest then ask how many more days until he could go back. I don't know where he gets that from, because I don't ever remember me being fond of school and my MIL told me that she had to drag Craig out from under the bed to get him to his first day of Kindergarten.

I tip-toed into Wyatt's room this morning, sat on the edge of his bed and whispered "Wyatt, it's time to get up. Today is your first day of Kindergarten." He immediately sat strait up and asked where his clothes were. WOW!

Then to Rylee's room. Same thing, tip-toed in, sat on the edge of the bed, gently whispered "Rylee, it's time to get up. It's your first day of preschool at St. Bernard." From her I get " I tired, I want to sleepy" Much more coaxing later, she is up and just as excited as Wyatt. I am sure she was thinking if Brother is this excited it must be something totally cool.

They were both so excited especially Wyatt, by the time we left the house he ended with a tummy ache.

Who wants to go to school?

I love Rylee's look in this one.

Total Admiration!

Oh yeah, the "blues" part of the post...

Whine, whine, sniffle, sniffle!

My babies are not babies anymore.

FFF = FVF of My Little Starlet!

2008-08-08T06:15:00.004-05:00

Rylee loves to perform in front of my camera and sing songs. She is so cute and tries so hard to do a good job. The problem is she is so hard on herself when she forgets the words that I try to avoid it. This little performance took 6 takes before SHE was happy with the results. So this is another thing I worry about ... Rylee's self esteem.
But what a cutie she is!

The Brilliant Blogger Award!

2008-08-05T21:22:00.002-05:00

I have been tagged by my sweet friend Becca.

Okay so here is how this thing works:
1st I have to answer a little questionnaire thing which is pretty much all about ME!

Then I have to choose 7 bloggers who I feel are BRILLIANT (see list below) and I give them the award. They will post their own answers to the questionnaire on their own blog and they will choose 7 more recipients. And so it goes!
This is pretty good timing since I have noticed I have not shared much other than photos lately. So, here it goes!

A - Attached or single?
Attached

B - Best friend?
This is tricky. I have "situation" best friends like

My best man friend - My husband - Craig

My best boy friend - Wyatt

My best girl friend - Rylee

Long time best friend since we were 12 - Tina
My work best friend - Sam Ram
My neighborhood best friend - Kelly
My Blogger best friend - YOU! Yes, you!
The list goes on and on but
My best all time friend ever, God!

C - Cake or pie?
CAKE

D - Day of choice?
Saturday

E - Essential item?
Caffeine in the form of a coffee cup and a Pepsi can

F - Favorite color?
GREEN

G - Gummy bears or worms?
Bears

H - Hometown?
Louisville, KY

I - Indulgence?
Carmel Frapichino from Starbucks

J - January or July?
January is my birthday so I should pick that one but
now that I am older and do not wish to celebrate my birthdays
I will pick July. Plus July has much nicer weather and the
kids are out of school.

K - Kids?
2 wonderful little ones that I love more than words could tell
and they also drive me crazy too.

L - Life is not complete without?
My family

M - Marriage date?
September 15, 2001. 4 days after 9/11

N - Number of brothers & sisters?
One brother a year older then me. a.k.a. Uncle Shawn

O - Oranges or apples?
APPLES are less messy but if you are talking about juices definitely Orange.

P - Phobias?
Guns - I shake at the sight of them. When I was 3 I got a hold of my dad's gun and shot myself in the leg. Big ugly scar and probably why I don't like guns.

Q - Quotes?
"Educate a boy, you educate a man. Educate a girl, you educate a nation!"

R - Reasons to smile?
Acknowledging all the blessings I have in my life.

S - Season of choice?
Fall but now what comes after it.

T - Tag seven peeps! (see below)

U - Unknown fact about me?
I am a worry wort. I try not to be but cannot help myself. Sometimes it irritates my husband and I have to remind him I really can not help myself. Especially when it comes to the kids. It is going to be a difficult long road for me and my son mostly. Because he is all boy and wants to do boy things and I tend to shelter and hover over him. I pray that I can overcome this before he ends up resenting me.

V - Vegetable?
Salad - green leafy stuff

W - Worst habits?
my computer addiction

X - X-ray or ultrasound?
Ultrasound sounds more inviting to me

Y - Your favorite food?
Santa Fe Chicken Salad from Applebee's

Z - Zodiac sign?
Aquarius

These are the Blogs I have tagged as Brilliant.
They may or may not have been tagged already and
they may or may not want to participate,
either way I believe they are BRILLIANT!

http://casadesion.blogspot.com/

http://adailyscoop.blogspot.com/

http://memeandmonkey.blogspot.com/

http://princessellaruth.blogspot.com/

http://wwwjerseyboy.blogspot.com/

http://warnerfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/

http://sweetbabycecilia.blogspot.com/

A Disney Birthday for Rylee!

2008-08-05T18:24:00.001-05:00

I have not posted much going ons lately. I have been working and in my spare time working on our trip plans to Disney World.

That's right!

We Are Going to DISNEY!

Woo Hoo!

It was an on again off again start. But all my logical convincing got me the official "OK, let's go." from Craig and it has been a whirl wind of planning since.

We will be there for Rylee's 3rd Birthday next month.

I am doing all I can to BUDGET wisely and if anyone has any major pointers.

Please let us know!

We will be arriving a few days before Rylee's Birthday so that helps because children under 3 are free in all the parks.We will also be staying in a cabin at Fort Wilderness which is really good because they actually have full kitchens. That will save us on those $20.00+ each meal out.

The kids are so excited but not nearly as excited as me and Mammaw. Yep, Mammaw will be going too. We will all be flying out together but Mammaw will be heading home before us. While we are in Florida we want to take the kids to the Gulf for a few days too.

FFF - This is all about Rylee and HER hair!

2008-08-01T17:27:00.004-05:00

This little girl has the craziest hair anyway.

She will be able to do some wacky things with it when she gets older too!

Oh wow, that will be scary!

Rylee making a silly face right before a well needed bang trim.

She is eating breakfast, "Eggies" as she calls them.

And the winners are... !!!

2008-07-28T23:58:00.001-05:00

First,I will start with the puppy's name. Thank you to all that gave some ideas and Greta Jo, you won that one!

When we got our little puppy she was actually already named Molly but we did not like that name for her and we wanted to wait until the kids could help with the final decision.
After 2 days of pondering we have decided to name her Molly. Yes, back to Molly and now that we have had her with us for a week, Molly does fit her personality.
I had hoped to have a couple of video clips for you but Blogger is not agreeing with me.
But here are a couple of new pics of Molly!

Wyatt and Rylee both love her so much!

The winners of the PIF are...

Becky
Leslie
Stacey

You guys are so lucky! I already have what I will be mailing you ready! So, send me your address and I will mail them to you. Kaynig @ Yahoo. com.

I have to post some pics of my kids too... So...

Rylee dancing in the kitchen

Wyatt ??!??! in the kitchen

FFF and a PIF. LOL!

2008-07-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, they are cousins, but also

The BEST of Friends!

This is my PIF "Pay it Forward" part of my post!!

Leave a comment and three people will be pulled at random to win a special something.

There is a catch though... you then have to do a pay it forward post on your blog to send a little surprise to three of your commentors on your blog!

My PIF came from Hannah.

If you don't want to partisipate in the PIF, just let me know on your comment.

We got a new puppy! Shhh!

2008-07-21T21:50:00.007-05:00

Wyatt and Rylee are visiting Mammaw this week. I am missing them something awful and so is Craig. So much that when Craig got home from work tonight the house was quiet... too quiet. I left a circled news paper ad on the counter that had Boston Terriers for sale. You see, I have been working on him for a couple months on getting a puppy. I really miss having an indoor dog. I thought a small dog like a Pug or Boston Terrier would be great. I have to give it to him, he held his ground longer than I thought he would.

While at work this evening I got a call from him and he asked if I still wanted to go look at the puppies. I was home within 15 minutes. Debbie (the lady with the puppies) had only 2 puppies left. She said she had decided to keep the female but brought her for the ride. They were both so cute but I instantly fell in love with the female. Well we talked Debbie into selling her to us but it took a while for her to decide.

We have not named her yet. We will give it a few days. If anyone knows any suitable good dog names please leave it on the comments.

I know their are a lot of people that think Boston Terriers are not cute. Some may even say they are UGLY. But their personalities are great.

Here are some pics of our little puppy.

I know, I know, what a cutie!

Oh, we have not told the kids about her yet because they would want to come home immediately. So we are going to surprise them when we pick them up on Friday.

Broken Dryer and Loosing "The Game"

2008-07-19T18:33:00.009-05:00

Oh Man! Our Dryer is Broken!

I have many thoughts on this and I would like to share with you.

1. I don't know how many other mothers are out there but I am sure you can relate to this. I do a lot of laundry and I mean a lot. Mostly because I have 2 little ones that change their clothes several times a day and of course if you take it off the hanger it is instantly dirty. Well , we bought our Maytag washer and dryer in 2001. Actually, you would think they would have lasted longer than that especially being a Maytag but our dryer went out and the part that Craig believes is the problem is $60.00 nonreturnable and it is possible it may just may be unrepairable. So that leads me to #2.

2. Whoo Hoo! I am getting a new washer and dryer! Whoo Hoo! I never in my life thought I would be so excited about a washer and dryer. BUT! We just ordered last night a Brand New Maytag front DOUBLE loader washer and dryer! Yippee! They are delivering it Tuesday. With it being a double loader I pray that means there will be much less... " Mom, Where are you?" and "I'm were I always am, the laundry room!" Whoo Hoo! Easier times are heading my way. Which leads me to # 3.

3. This also brings me to realizing how my life is so truly blessed. We are ABLE to just go out on an evening and buy a new washer and dryer for our home. Oh no, do not get me wrong, we will be financing these at 0% for 12 months. But the thought of all the things we are fortunate to do, really makes me feel GUILTY. With all the struggles that so many of the amazing Guatemalan single mothers and orphaned children that I met last year are having (even more now, I am sure, with the way the economy is) weighs heavy on my mind daily. I think of them a lot especially when I realize how fortunate my life is. I keep praying that God will guide me to what he wants me to do for them. I do get bits and pieces of opportunities but surely God knows that He will have to just plain, beat me over the head, with what He wants me to do.

Oh and Janelle... I just lost "The Game"

Everybody else... My Crazy SIL and a bunch of her friends created a GAME. You can only loose the game, period. Well actually, you are always winning the game if you are not thinking of "THE GAME" but if you do think of "The Game", you loose! The thing is you have to admit loosing! I thought it was the silliest thing I ever heard but I live with her brother and he has told me twice in the last couple of weeks he has "Lost the game". I don't think I would have ever lost "the game" if it were not for him telling me of his loosings.

See what wacky things I have to deal with!?!

And now, I have to change the title of my post.

:0)

Lost memory, keeping up with the "Joneses" and other ramblings!

2008-07-18T07:48:00.002-05:00

As you can see I got a bright idea to change the look of my blog. I really like the look but I lost all my sidebar information. That's what happens when I start fixing things that aren't broken. It may take me a while to get all that back.

When we got back from out trip to PF, our favorite closest neighbors "The Joneses" called to say they just returned from a "Show". Their girls compete in Barrel Racing, you know, with horses! Well, they WON and asked us to come visit them soon because we hadn't visited in a while.
So, Tuesday morning I told Wyatt we need to go visit them soon. Later that day Craig called and asked when I would be coming home because Wyatt told him that I was taking them to visit the Jones. Huh, I don't think I said exactly that! I got home and we hurried out the door. They give horse riding lessons and we showed up right at the end of the lesson. It was actually my friend Dee's daughter that was getting the lesson, so seeing them was an added bonus.
Let me back up here with a little history of The Joneses. We live about a mile away from them. In the country you have neighbors that sometimes live further away than that. I grew up in a big city, so I don't have that natural "Wave to everybody I drive past" blood running in my veins. So, it took me around a year after we bought our home, 2001, to actually meet them.
Craig is a natural "Wave to everyone" kind of guy. It takes him about a half hour to say goodbye when we leave a gathering. And he knows "EVERYBODY"! I always tell him he needs to run for Mayor because everyone knows him, he is friendly and likes to talk.
I am not sure when he met the Joneses, they are more than likely related somehow, most everyone is around here. And they talk about Kentucky people!

Oh Yeah, the Joneses. Well, they are our "Super Neighbors" They are the ones that have come to our rescue so many times. Most recent was we had mentioned we were looking for a couple more goats to add to our field and it was less than 2 weeks later when we got a call from them. They had found someone that was wanting to give their 3 goats away. What a connection they are! They also take care of our pets if we leave town.
The kids LOVE to go visit the Jones BECAUSE...
Their horses, donkey, dogs, cats and kittens, chickens and their daughter that gives them lots of attention.

Here are some photos from our visit from the other night.

Wyatt riding Charlie.

Dee's kids Darian, Ethan on Hubert and Wyatt.

Wyatt on Chief.

Rylee and Ethan digging in the dirt.

Wyatt holding his first chicken.

Rylee with Kayle and Dee.

A kiss from Kayle.

Last picture before we left. See their new John Deere boots. I bought those in Pigeon Forge. I love that JD is now putting pink in their products now.

Go Carts, Worms and Western Wear

2008-07-14T22:36:00.003-05:00

A week in Review - Part A

2008-07-11T21:11:00.000-05:00

Independence Day was almost quite eventful! We went to some friends for a fireworks show. Well, one of the guys went to pick up a box of fireworks while holding a lit flare. Needless to say out "finale" was earlier than expected! The kids loved it but it scared me a bit.

Rylee and Wyatt (Uh, No! Wyatt was just sitting on the 4 wheeler!)

We did let him drive the Go Cart though.

Saturday

Off to Pigeon Forge!

The kids were pretty good for me.

For the most part, we only problems early on with bickering and sassing but the more time we spent together the better things got.

Where we spent all of our spare time... The Pool!

Both Wyatt and Rylee are doing so much better with going under water and swimming.

I can't wait until Craig can see them in the pool again.

We (I) missed Daddy most of all and wished he was with us to share in all the fun. It just didn't feel right doing all this fun stuff without Craig there too. I don't think I will be planning anymore family vacations without him.

Ariana and Rylee searching for worms.

Rylee was disappointed.

Our trip to Dollywood.

We got there early and stayed until 4. Wyatt was not feeling all that good.

I think he was overheated a little and it was way past nap time for Rylee. We planned to come back later but the kids slept until 7:30. They were worn out. They were OK with not going back to Dollywood since we decided to go to the pool instead.

Our train ride.

Can you tell what is happening by their faces here?

I know I complain about my kids being bad but they are good kids in general. I think I am just picky and want my kids to behave and be polite. They were typical at times and better than typical most of the time. And, hey I survived a 5 day vacation with 2 kids all by my self.

Bust'n Moves!

2008-07-04T06:46:00.000-05:00

Wyatt intensely watching someones dance moves.

Rylee is a serious "hands on the hips" dancer!

It's FFF again!

Here are the latest photos of Wyatt and Rylee dancing.
It was at a wedding we went to in May. It was so much fun!

We are off to Pigeon Forge in the morning without Daddy.
Worry, worry, sigh!

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-03T07:17:00.001-05:00

I pledge allegiance to the flag

of the United States of America,

and to the republic for which it stands,

one nation

under God,

indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all."

Pocahantas... ME ?!

2008-07-01T20:29:00.000-05:00

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Bluegrass night in the Bluegrass - Frankfort, KY

2008-06-28T12:02:00.002-05:00

We had such a great time meeting and hanging out with Becca and Greta Jo at the Bluegrass concert in Frankfort last night. I wish the time had not gone by so fast. If any of you have not visited their blogs or met them, they are just as cool as their blogs are.

I am glad I got to meet both of them. They asked if I wanted to go on a mission to Guatemala with them this fall and I am thinking...!

Rylee and Greta Jo became friends almost instantly. She really won her over when Greta Jo helped her catch lightning bugs. Rylee was fine with them until they started to crawl.

Carson is just as cute in person as he is on Greta's blog. He is such an active little guy and with the sweetest little face!

Here is Rylee eating her first prune. She really likes them!

Myles, Ella and Wyatt were pretty much missing in action the whole time, each in their own little groups. I think i got Wyatt to sit down to rest for maybe 5 minutes the whole time we were there. The rest of the time he was just a streak of a barefoot boy, in a fruit drink covered yellow shirt. I was so glad the kids had so much fun and hey, they were Good too! :)

I love times like this.

Thank for inviting us Becca and Greta Jo!

Summer Lovin' & VBS

2008-06-27T02:37:00.000-05:00

This is a photo from last year. Wyatt's Vacation Bible School. This is what IT's all about!
These boy's are the best of friends and Wyatt says "They are my brothers. That's what God says!" Well, you cant argue with that. My son just blows me away at times.
Wyatt's the one in the middle.

His interest in learning more about Jesus and God has brought me to wanting to find the answers for him. Perhaps all of this stems from those millions of prayers I said while I was pregnant with him. Then as time went by "Life" got in the way. I became more involved with Life and less involved in praying and still God sends more directions. Most recent is CRHP sisters. They are so important to me and I am so grateful to gather with them every week. My spirituality has grown, as has my relationship with Jesus. I still have a long way to go but more than anything, it IS a place I want to be.

More Water Bugs Camping and Snakes!

2008-06-24T02:48:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was very relaxing compared to the last several. Friday night, my kids really love camping, Craig set the tent up on the deck. It was pretty chilly that night so it was good that the tent also had our deck roof to cover the dew. The kids were so excited, the kind that changes them into wild kids.

Saturday was awesome! We spent a lot of the morning pulling tabs, and crushing cans. Rylee is such a worker. She loves pulling tabs but not real good with crushing cans. The boy is more of a lolly gagger and easily distracted. We finally got it all done and the big treat for them for helping was...

Daddy filling the baby pool at the end of the slide. IS HE CRAZY!!! Well, it was not as slippery as I thought it would be. Thank goodness! They were so happy but soon started putting on faces for the camera.

First the pouty faces.

Pretty believable!

Rylee on the other had needs more acting lessons.

And then ... Oh, look at that! It's magic!

Poor Daddy! He is just plain wiped out!

Later, while I am in the shower Wyatt comes screaming in the house "Daddy found a snake!"

Me with my new camera and Blogging on my mind, yell from the shower, "Somebody take a picture of it!"

Wyatt wanted to keep it.

Rylee not so sure she likes snakes.

Doctor Check-ups

2008-06-23T03:45:00.000-05:00

Thursday I took the kids to the doctor so they could get their physicals for school. Rylee could not wait to visit Dr. R. (The little girl is completely clueless, thank goodness.) Wyatt on the other hand has some memories of "SHOTS" so he tends to be more cautious.

He never came out and asked me if he would be getting any so I did offer the information. The closer we got to the doctors office I started to feel guilty that I had not informed him about the shots so I did tell him he would be getting his Immunizations for school. Still, THANK GOODNESS he did not ask what they were.
All was going well with the check-up processes.
First Wyatt.
The Doctor tells me Wyatt is starting to put on a little weight. He needs to exercise more and eat lighter snacks. I tell the doctor Wyatt is always hungry. Ten minutes after a meal he wants more food. Then the man gives me a quick list of healthy snacks he should be eating. Well, he obviously does not know me very well. But, some of you already know how picky I am with what I will let my kids eat. How could I deny them any more than I already do. That's just Crazy talk. Then he had Wyatt take off his shirt and asks me. "Did he have Pyloric Stenosis?" My answer was, "Yes, you were there. You have been Wyatt's doctor since he we born." I think I really hit a nerve when I said, "I guess you have a lot of kids that you see but, we only have one doctor." He looked at me tight lipped and nodded.
Wyatt totally respects everything that Dr. R. says. I can always get Wyatt to do things at home and remind him that "Dr. R. said..." and he will practice whatever Dr. R. wants him to. Like learn to swim, wipe his own bottom, ride a bike without training wheels, be nice to his sister, etc. I highly recommend this if it is possible, It really does helps! And with Rylee too.
Next was Rylee. She is doing great and he made sure to tell me not to change her diet she is now a whooping 23 pounds and "at 10% of the average AMERICAN child". So, that information does not tell me anything really. She is such a tiny fire cracker, though! She was all excited to visit Dr. R. but when he came into the room she turned very shy. She was a little frightened and started saying she wanted her Daddy. This information later did not impress "Daddy". He said he had been the one to take them there, she would be asking for Mommy. I tryed!
All Done!
Oh, I forgot, The IMMUNIZATIONS!
The nurse came in and told Wyatt to lay on the table and me to hold his hands. She was going to put his legs between hers. Then he saw the needles. Instant panic, screaming and flailing. Needles went flying across the room. We needed more help. Another nurse comes in and we all are holding him down now. After the first shot of 4 (two in each leg) and hearing him cry, it took I could not to cry with him. After it was all over and still crying, Wyatt said, "I never want to come back here again!" over and over again! I felt just awful for him. I ended up carrying this 5 year old 50 pound boy out while my little Rylee walked behind. Looked very odd, I am sure. Then we headed to Wal-Mart.
Wyatt still complaining his legs hurt I got the closest cart to my car I could find then unloaded my kids into it.
First stop... Children's Tylenol.
Second stop... Toy for each. Wyatt because he had such a rough day and Rylee, because I was getting one for Wyatt.
Last stop... Mommy's new HUGE, purse filling, Awesome camera!!! (It has been draining my rechargeable batteries fast though.)
Both kids fell asleep in the car on the way home. Rylee woke up pulling into the driveway. Daddy came out to greet us and assisted Wyatt with his "Sleep Limping". He layed on the couch, didn't even open his new toy, (That's not normal) and fell asleep. We let him sleep through dinner and woke him to get his PJ's on and put him to bed and he slept all night.
My poor little guy!

Daddy and Me!

2008-06-20T04:05:00.003-05:00

Mayan Mission Blog - - - >

We have the best Daddy in the whole world!

We Love You Daddy!

Unbelievably Busy and "Bad Camera"

2008-06-19T05:00:00.001-05:00

We have be so busy lately and I have had no time for blogging. Sorry to all my Blogger Friends and anyone that has e-mailed me lately. What ever happened to "The Lazy Days of Summer"?
I had some really great photos from our last weekend Guatemala Adoption Gathering at Holiday World and of our Father's day celebration. I had just bought a new and "Better" camera and everything was good until I turned off the camera and back on. All my photos disappeared. UGH!!!! So I have no photos to show. I will be getting a "New" new camera today. So, I hope to be blogging again SOON. I do have something funny to share.
The other day I had been in Evansville all day and missed Wyatt's swimming lesson. When I got home I asked Wyatt if he and Rylee had eaten supper yet. This is what Wyatt said "We had Hot Dogs, Mashed Tatoes and Sour Crap!"

Stay tuned.

New house rules for the Water Bugs

2008-06-12T03:22:00.000-05:00

Everybody that knows me, knows my kids are my world to me! Well, we have been having issues. Mostly in Wyatt but Rylee tends to follow in Wyatt's ways. I never tell my kids they are "Bad", I tell them they are "Being Bad". Well, lately they have been "Being Bad" a lot. I have been hearing so much whining, backtalk, bickering, meanness and Seeing, rude behavior, evil eyes, fighting and just plain ugliness from both of them. Could they be "SPOILED!"? No way! Not my kids! Oh, but yes, lately I find myself fighting myself from saying the "B" word. But it is only when I am at my wits end and really they aren't "Brats". They both proved it to me yesterday. They can be "Good Kids"!

How did that happen, you ask? I will back up a little. Well, dealing with all that I had been with both of them lately. I finally put down the law. Yesterday, I told Wyatt on the way to Day Camp that he needs to think about how he has been acting lately and to be prepared for changes when he got home. When I picked him and Rylee up from Day Camp, I asked him if he had been thinking about what I asked him to that morning. He said yes and I said I had been too. I told him and Rylee there will be no more "Being Bad". If they misbehaved they would get 1 warning. If they did not change their behavior they will be putting a favorite toy into a garbage bag. If they whine about it, they loose another toy and so on. Well from that very moment Wyatt has been a pure pleasure. I have given him warnings but then he instantly changes the attitude. Poor little Rylee! I had to take one of her babies yesterday. I felt really bad being that she is only 2 1/2 but I can't change the rules for her. Wyatt will never go for that. I did tell her if she was good for a long time she will get it back. She is having a harder time changing and most of her attitude is "Being 2". She is a smart little girl and she is making changes too. She is just putting up more of a fight.

Last night was Wyatt's second swim lesson. I am so happy with his progress. When he puts his mind to something, he wont stop until he succeeds. Rylee naturally loves the water. While Wyatt's swim lesson was going on she was in the baby pool just paddling away.

More goats camping sleepovers!

2008-06-08T21:48:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was a WHIRL WIND!

Friday Evening: We finally got Craig's truck out of the shop. The transmission had gone out and we had been using his dad's truck for the time. As soon as we got the truck we drove to our SUPER NEIGHBORS to borrow their horse trailer. They knew we were looking to add a couple more goats to our field and had heard of someone looking for a good home for their three. (The three we already have, have not been able to keep down our grass. Looking out into the field all you could see were their little heads and when you did get close enough to see their whole bodies, they look more like miniature cows than goats with those big bellies they are toting around.) So, we traveled about an hour and a half west with 2 hungry and tired kids to get the goats before it got dark because the trailer light hook-up did not match the truck. On the way back we stopped at Arby's I ran in to get the food and we all ate as we rode. Many messes and two sleeping children later, we arrived home safe and sound and without a traffic ticket. HOORAY!
Saturday: Craig got up very early and this is all he did before noon... Took his dads truck into town washed it and filled the gas tank, then dropped it off at his parents, RODE his bike home(about 8 miles), came home picked up his truck took back the trailer back to our neighbors, went to another neighbors and mowed their lawn for them (they are out of town on vacation), then came home and showered! ALL before 12 noon.
After Craig's already busy morning we packed up to go meet our friends (Adam and April and their kids Kaden and Addie) that we had not seen in a long while. They were camping about an hour drive from our house. We knew we would not be able to stay overnight but we did want to visit. It was a nice campground. I did not know if they had a pool but I did pack the kids suits because it was extremely hot and I thought if nothing else they could play with the water hose.

But there was a pool so after dinner they all got to swim. It wasn't long after that Craig was ready to go home. Wyatt ended up being invited to stay the night. The next day meeting arrangement worked out so I agreed he could stay. My little boy's first sleep over!
We kissed and hugged him good bye (Me, about 5 times.) then drove home and right into bed.

Sunday: The Great Discovery!!!!!! It is THE BOY! He is the one making everybody get up so early everyday! We (Craig, Rylee and I) slept until 8AM. Craig headed to work and Rylee and I got ready then went to church. My Gosh, that girl is a talker! On and on she goes. I kept threatening "Time Out" in church and she would be quiet for a little bit but then forget. After church we ate lunch then met up with Wyatt from his sleepover. I received an update on how he behaved, which always surprises me with a "very good". Then April continues on with "but!". Wyatt woke up in the middle of the night about 2:30 AM and left the camper. April said she must have heard the door shut because something woke her up. She went to check on Wyatt and he was "GONE!" She opened the door to the camper and yelled for Wyatt. He told her he saw the camp fire still going and thought that we (Craig and I) were out there. I felt so bad for April. I can imagine how scared she was to find him gone. Wyatt and I had a talk and he promised not to do that ever again. After saying "Thanks and Sorry" we headed home for lunch and naps. After nap we were off again! This time to Aunt Caroline and Uncle Scott, Lily and Sofie's. They are staying 2 nights with them and will be going to the Zoo. I hope things go well. I LOVE and already MISS my kids no matter how crazy they make me at times!

Smack him and he... Laughs?!

2008-06-04T14:10:00.000-05:00

I have to share this one with you. At the wedding this past weekend we got to see Owen. He is related! He is Craig's cousin's son. He is a cutie and what a little "Spit-Fire" he is.

Wyatt went up to him to say hi and this is what happened.

POW!

Ouch!

Aw!

Wyatt was laughing hysterically and that just made Owen want to hit him again.

BOYS!

Meet the Merry Married Mehringers!

2008-06-02T00:07:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the new married couple!
Congratulations Kelly & Lyle.

It was a great time for all!

I believe the kids had more fun than anyone could, well, except for Aunt Janelle. I don't think she left the dance floor one time all night.

The little ones tried to keep up and I thought for sure we were loosing Rylee early on but she got her second wind and made it without missing out on any fun.

Rylee pretending to be sleeping!

Those kids were so fun to watch dancing.

Lily with Craig and Wyatt Bustin Moves on the dance floor!

Wyatt, Lily, Rylee and Sofie.
Serious and Silly!

Look who caught The Garter Belt!

Updates and future plans - Summer is here!

2008-05-30T07:04:00.000-05:00

Our Team from JDRF. Our team earned close to $1,000.00 and the money is still coming in!

Summer is here! The kids have begun "Summer Camp" at the YMCA. Who do I think I'm fooling?! Wyatt is much smarter than that. It is the same place that he and Rylee had gone this whole school year. Calling it something else does not make it anything different to him. Rylee does not care either way.

Well, to add fuel to the fire, when we decided to send them to The Y, I requested that Wyatt not take the shuttle bus with the older kids (which is 5 years and older) to the Ferdinand YMCA. I am an over protective mother and there are several reasons, mostly I was concerned he would learn more that I would want him to about EVERYTHING, being with so many older kids all summer and I want him and Rylee to be together. Well, of course Wyatt is not happy at all about that, and boy have we been hearing it! Weeeee, Summer!

I have been able to advert his attention by reminding him that this weekend we will be going to Kelly's (Craig's Cousin) wedding. Sunday VBS (Vacation Bible School) starts at the local Methodist Church and Next Saturday we will be going to Holiday World hosted by SIFTGA.

It does help reminding him of all the fun things he does get to do but it take a lot of reminding.

Abbey Road on the River!

2008-05-26T12:17:00.000-05:00

This is how the story goes...

My Mom, wonderful and thoughtful as she is, entered a drawing that the Courier Journal of Louisville was having. She was hoping to win tickets for my brother (Uncle Shawn) and his girlfriend (Aunt Theresa). You see, Theresa is a huge fan of the Beatles, and my mom thought it would be great to win tickets for them. Well, my mom hardly ever wins things but this time she won. Wooo Hooo! Abbey Road on the River!

She won the grand prize package of a 3-night stay at the Galt House, VIP tickets to every concert during Abbey Road on the River, all-day food passes and a Beatles 12 core album CD collection.

So the kids and I headed to Louisville Sunday morning to join in on all the fun. Craig had to work.

When we checked into The Galt House their were Beatles every where.

All the bands were staying there. It was awesome!

After touring the hotel

we walked a few blocks away to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner

then over to 4th Street Live.

I hadn't been in that area since it was the Galleria.

When we got back to the room my brother let me use his pass so I could with Theresa and check out some of the bands that were playing on the Belvedere. I had a great time and wished that I had brought the kids with me. It was much more family friendly than I thought it would be. It was perfect weather and everybody was dancing and singing along with the bands. It was so much fun. I will be going again next year!

The next morning at The Galt House they had set up a children's sing along on the second floor. I thought that was so awesome and the kids loved it too!

Graduation X 2

2008-05-21T02:58:00.000-05:00

Yes, yesterday, Wyatt had his second Graduation from Preschool. You see, he actually goes to 2 different schools.

St. B is where he and Rylee will be going to together this fall. When I signed him up for preschool there I only sent him 3 days a week. The other 2 days a week he attended Y Wee Care with Rylee. I wanted Rylee and him to be together as much as possible and being that she was just starting preschool, I wanted him to be there for her too.

Yesterday was the Y Wee Care graduation. It was great! The kids were all so cute in their caps and gowns.

Wyatt and a couple of his buddies.

More friends!

Here comes my baby boy! :(

He is quite proud of himself!

This one is my favorite!

The Graduation cake. Wyatt is on the bottom right.

We cant forget our future graduates!!!!

JFRF at Holiday World 5/17/08...Drum Roll Please!

2008-05-19T03:37:00.000-05:00

Junior Diabetes Research Foundation walk on Saturday at Holiday World raised over ...

$260,000.00

What an incredible turn out!

Thanks to my team and the hard work they all did to help.

It was definitely a success!

Here are some photos of the fun after the walk.

Rylee and Daniel waiting to ride the train.

Grandpa, Rylee and Grandma on the train.

Holidog Fun Town

Craig, Ruthie and Janelle

Cyndi and her kids.

Sun screen time!

Do you think I go a little overboard?

Wyatt waiting in line for the bumper boats

Rylee and Daniel waiting in line to ride on the bumper boats

Frightful Falls ... before.....and after!

Calling it A DAY!

A day of giving and receiving!

2008-05-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was our JDRF Walk at Holiday World. We all had a wonderful time. I personally want to thank all my teammates and all the walk sponsors.

TEAM - Family and Friends of Holiday World

Marlene - a.k.a. Mama De Misiones

Craig -a.k.a. D. O. S

Wyatt - a.k.a. 2 WHEELER

Janelle - a.k.a. BIRD

Cindy - a.k.a. Uhrich

Ruthie - a.k.a. RCANDO

Cyndi - a.k.a. Cyndi Too

Amy - a.k.a Wilson Phillips

I don't know for certain what our team earned for JDRF but I will let you know when I hear.
Without you all we would not have been so successful.
At times like these saying the words "Thank you" does not feel like enough. So I have tried and tried to think of another word or words and, what keeps coming to mind is ...

T H A N K Y O U !!!

At least it is a little more colorful.

Tomorrow is our JDRF walk at Holiday World

2008-05-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

http://walk.jdrf.org/
Our team name is "Families & Friends of Holiday World"!

Last night my MIL, SIL, Rylee and I went to Wal-Mart and bought t-shirts to decorate for our team to wear. I am so glad we did, now I am all excited about tomorrow! We are going to put nicknames and numbers on the back of our shirts! This is going to be so fun!

I am going to walk through the park today and corner some employees for sponsorships.

We are doing pretty good already but we can do better!

Thanks to all my teammates for doing this with me!

You all are awesome people!

Happy being me today!

2008-05-15T03:48:00.000-05:00

Life is good!

My kids and husband, oh, and I are all healthy. We have a good life, we aren't rich in money but we are in love!

Wyatt is growing in leaps and bounds. He is now truly a "Two Wheeling Bike Rider" Which makes me a nervous wreck.

Rylee amazes me everyday with how smart, strong and brave she is with that little body of hers.

Craig of course is working A LOT. I miss him! I see him everyday and throughout the day, but I need to make a point to take a minute or two and just look at his face. You know what I mean?

ANOTHER reason I am happy today is My fellow Guatemala heart filled friends and I have started a new Group. MAYAN MISSIONS. I am feeling the love and enthusiasm of this group already. We have several contacts now in Guatemala and I believe, we, together will do a lot of good things for the children and women of Guatemala. You are invited to join us.
If your heart is filled with wanting to help the children and women of Guatemala like we do come join us.

http://mayanmissions.blogspot.com/ OUR BLOG and

MayanMissions-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OUR YAHOO GROUP

Your backyard friends... The Backyardigans!

2008-05-10T14:05:00.000-05:00

Together In the backyard again
In the place where we belong
Where we'll probably sing a song
And we'll maybe dance along
We've got the whole wide world
In our yard To explore.
We always find things
We've never seen before.
That's why Everyday
We're back for more
With your friends ...
The Backyardigans.

Tyrone, Tasha, Pablo, Uniqua & Austin

We had such a great time on Saturday. Wyatt, Rylee, Mammaw and I went to see The Backyardigan's Live at the Kentucky Center for the Arts. What a great show and we had the best seats ever. I was very happy on how well Rylee did. She is only 2 and tends not to want to sit still for long periods of times. She hardly moved at all and she didn't take her eyes off of the stage for a minute. Wyatt had been to several other simular shows and he always does well. I love to see my kids so happy!

Me, Rylee and Wyatt

Rylee and Wyatt watching the show

Mammaw and Wyatt

King Pablo and the dragon

Tasha, Austin, Uniqua, Tyrone and Pablo

We have a new graduate in our family!

2008-05-08T06:46:00.000-05:00

Wyatt has now Graduated from Preschooler. He will be a Kindergartner in the fall. My boy is growing up : (
So is my girl! She will be attending the same school as her brother this fall but as a Preschooler. I have never known a child so happy to go to school as Rylee. I am so glad they will finally be together in the same school.
Wyatt getting his diploma.

Here is Wyatt with his class. He is the one in the middle looking at the camera.
The little boy with curly blond hair on the left is his buddy Aidan. I believe they share the same brain. They are like to peas in a pod when they are together. Aidan also live within walking distance from our house. Just think what their teenage years will be like for us with the both of them! They better hope they both keep their cuteness!

Yippy! Holiday World is now open!

2008-05-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Holiday World opened Saturday. The kids are so excited. Wyatt more than Rylee only because he remembers last year better. Craig had to work but he ate lunch with us and we ran into him a few times while at the park. First destination was Holidog Town stopping to ride the Freedom Train first, of course! Rylee loved the train ride.

At Holidog Town the kids went crazy. I never realized how hard it is to keep up with both of them at the same time. Wyatt kept running into other kids that he knows. Like father, Like son! He was so excited, as if it was his very own personal party. I finally got the them to agree to leave that section. We had a lot more of the park to see. We rode the new Star Spangled Carousel. Wyatt rode the tiger and Rylee a horse. Somehow I was lucky enough to get the kids to move on after just one ride on that. I just cant handle going around in circles. I never could. We headed over to Rudolph's Reindeer Ranch to ride some more little kid rides. But noticed Santa was going to have his story telling in just a few minutes. So we stopped there first.
Wyatt up on stage to listen to Santa's Story. Rylee refused because she is still a little scared of Santa.

Wyatt and Santa

Rylee and Wyatt in the background on the Bumper Boats

Here is Rylee on the Rockets

Here is Wyatt on the new Reindeer Games ride. This was his favorite ride of all. He is the one on the right and you can hear him laughing and screaming.

What a Day! Oh, What a great bunch of Fun!

Look Mom, only 2 wheels!

2008-04-30T06:29:00.000-05:00

Lord help me!

Oh, Gees!

He is so proud of himself.

Rylee feeding Reon!

T-ball, Tree Climbers and Shout!

2008-04-28T07:29:00.000-05:00

Wyatt's T-ball team "The Phillies"

Aren't they all so adorable!

Wyatt up to bat #1

Wyatt up to bat #2

Well, at least he is improving. It's all too cute to even matter!

Wyatt in Grandma and Papaw's tree.

My Little Monkey Boy!

Rylee trying to keep up with "Bub boo"

I love that smile!

SHOUT OUT!!
I want to give a "BIG SHOUT OUT" to my friend Vanessa. Vanessa and I have been friends since the beginning of the adoptions of our daughters. We went on two visit trips together, our actual Embassy Appointments were on the same day and we went on the mission trip to Casa Hogar Feliz this past December. I feel that God has brought us together for a reason and I know we share the same drive to help the children of Guatemala.
Well, Vanessa, her husband and their three kids are going to Guatemala next week. She is taking her daughter, Arianna to meet her birth family. I was so lucky to meet Arianna's birth family in December. I fell in love with those children. I am so, so sad that I will be missing this trip!
She will also be delivering items to two different organizations. One is Education and More http://www.educationandmore.org/ and the other is an orphanage Casa De Sion http://casadesion.blogspot.com/.
I am hopeful she will come back with a lot of information so we can start working together on some meaningful projects.
Safe and happy travels Vanessa!!!

I am planning to go back but it will be in February. I started back at making Guatemala Travel and Adoption Crafts in hopes to earn money for the trip on E-Bay. Wish me luck!
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZall4funraising

Rain, rain, go away!

2008-04-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

Friday evening everyone showed up. First Grandma and Papaw and Uncle Scott, Aunt Caroline, Lily and Sofie, then Aunt Janelle. Woo Hoo! We are all so excited about what fun the weekend will be. Scott and Caroline had to leave because of work the next day but while we were there we got a Family Photo!

Here we all are!

Lily & Wyatt eating Aunt Janelle's Birthday cake. YUM!!

Aunt Janelle reading the kids a book.

Saturday morning, we woke to RAIN :(

Come to find out it was just the beginning of the wet and cold weather.

Rylee and Sofie in the rain with umbrellas.

Rylee did not mind the rain.

She was having so much fun with her cousins.

Wyatt and Lily. They are so cute together.

Can you tell they are holding hands?

I am so happy they all get along and play so well with each other.

The rain kept us in most of the day. Here we were playing Hide and Seek.

Believe it or not, there were a lot of good hiding spots in that cabin.

Lily hiding in one of the top cabinets. She is a good hider.

Craig hiding under the table.

Lily, Wyatt, Sofie and Rylee.

Lincoln State Park had activities for kids this weekend. We weren't sure if the rain had cancelled the events and the kids were getting "Cabin Fever" so we decided to go and see for sure. They had a Kite Flying Contest and an Egg Hunt scheduled. Yes, an Egg Hut!

Here are the kids with their new Bucket Hats ready for fun!

Well the Kite Flying Contest and the Egg Hunt were cancelled because of the rain but that didn't stop us. We decided to fly kites anyway and a lady there had given us about 2 dozen eggs for the kids.

Rylee with her kite.

Craig did a great job flying his kite. He ended up using string from 4 kites. He was so proud!

Can you see the kite?

The rest of day was spent back at the cabin. Trying to stay as dry and warm as possible. The kids slept like little logs. The weekend went really well considering a few bumps. I hope to get these kids together again soon. What a great bunch they are together!

Breakfast Sunday morning.

Look what the Earthquake (Mother Nature) left us!

2008-04-20T07:44:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful day Friday was. After such a miserable night, God blessed us with perfect weather. It is so nice to be camping so close to home. We live about 5 miles away from Lincoln State Park. So, I packed up the kids in the car took them home with me to feed them breakfast and I got to take a shower. They wanted to come with me because I had mentioned picking up doughnuts on the way back and they wanted to pick their own. When we arrived back to camp the kids sat on the step and ENJOYED their doughnuts!

After we got the kids hyped up on sugar we decided to go for a bike ride. Well, we walked, they rode. Rylee, not such a good peddler or stearer so Craig and I tied a rope to her handlebars. It worked well!

I am a little disappointed for Wyatt. Last year he was riding a 2 wheeler. He definitely grew too big for the bike though. For his birthday he and Daddy went to Wal-mart and bought this bike with his birthday money. Well, the bike is so big he can't stand up and touch the ground while he is on it. So we had to put the training wheels back on it. He didn't complain about it but me, being the mom that I am, am. He WILL get another bike soon!

Taking a break and checking out the water temp. Oh, Yes, way to cold to be playing in!

Then we found a playground and that's when the real fun began.
Craig started off by being himself!

Like Father, like Son!

Rylee doing her own thing!

Wyatt and Craig at play!

Then we hit the swings!
We really need to add one of those to our playground at home.
Rylee looks like she is enjoying the swing but she really prefers the big swing.

Wyatt wanted to try the baby swing and discovered it was a little painful to his legs. I made him stay in there until I got a picture of him. I am a mean mom, aren't I? Look at that pitiful face! Oh and the hair... He wants to let it grow. He says he wants to be a "Rock Star"!

I did start to freak out a little while Rylee was on the big swing. Her little arms are not that strong and she was going pretty high. But, Boy did she love to swing.

Singin' and a Swingin'!

Bottoms - Up !!

What great fun we had!

More fun with crazy Daddy!

Thanks to everyone that reads our Family Blog and for your comments. I really enjoy Blogging and to answer your question. Believe me, I do NOT like mice at all but after the mattress was out of the cabin so where the mice. So, yes, I will camp again. We love camping!

Mice!, Raccoons!, EARTHQUAKE?!, Oh My!

2008-04-19T10:13:00.000-05:00

We started our camping trip Thursday at Lincoln State Park! The weather was PERFECT!
After unloading and making our little cabin "Comfy Cozy", we settled into our beds.
The cabin had 4 bedrooms and Thursday night it was just us! We selected one of the bedrooms that had 2 sets of bunk beds. Craig and I slept on the top bunks and Wyatt and Rylee got the bottom bunk beds.
Craig decided to sit by the camp fire and enjoy the night for a while. Just shortly after getting the kids asleep, I start to hear a scratching sound and every time I would move to listen closer to find out where it was coming from it would stop. When I realized it was coming from the corner of where Rylee was sleeping, I freaked out, I ran outside to tell Craig there was a "Critter" in our room under Rylee's bed. Craig came in we turned on the lights (kids are still sound asleep) and no movement was heard. We went ahead and put Rylee on the top bunk with me and Craig decided he would go to bed too. Just as I was seconds away from sleep, Craig jumps up and says there are mice in his mattress and they are scratching to get out! Eeeewwww! He picks up the mattress and throws it out on the porch then jumps into the bottom bunk with Wyatt. Now we can rest. Oh no, now what is that noise? Critters outside trying to get in? RACCOON trying to get into our garbage can on the porch. Gees, I need some sleep and now Rylee as little as she is know well how to take over a twin size bed. I did get doze off between the kicks and the thrashings. Then somewhere around 4:30 AM, I woke to the strangest sound and the whole cabin was shaking. I yelled for Craig, "What is that?"
"It's a Earthquake, get down here!" Craig said jumping up and grabbing Rylee from the top bunk! It lasted about 40 seconds then I looked over at Craig and said "We don't have Earthquakes. What are you suppose to do in an Earthquake?" After it was over I jumped up and turned on the Radio. Yep, it was an Earthquake! Back to bed! Did you notice I did not say "Back to SLEEP?"

Is this "Normal" behavior?

2008-04-17T03:15:00.000-05:00

Does this kind of stuff happen at your house?

Is this a form of Abuse and if so who is the abuser?

I ask myself this a lot!

My Babies' 5 month baby pictures

2008-04-16T08:06:00.000-05:00

Rylee at 5 month old.
Photo received from Guatemala

Wyatt 5 months old.
Photo taken on his first visit to Holiday World.

Ooops!

Happy Birthday Aunt Janelle!

You are the BEST AUNT EVER!

Freezing under Thunder!

2008-04-14T07:17:00.000-05:00

I think "Thunder Over Louisville" may have been a bad idea. Boy, was it cold! It wasn't really bad until you stopped moving. Then it got awful cold! When it started raining we decided to leave. Did I tell you how cold it was?!

Wyatt, Mammaw, Rylee and Maddy
Our walk down the river front.

Rylee and Maddy taking a break on a hillside.

A sea of other nutty people on the river.

The air show! Pretty Cool!

Wyatt on one of the wooden chickens.

The Ky Derby Pegasus and Wyatt.
I guess it wasn't that bad but, it was cold!

Mmmmm, I wike Chawkit!

2008-04-09T08:24:00.000-05:00

Woo Hoo! Spring is here!

2008-04-07T06:26:00.000-05:00

The weather is soooo BEAUTIFUL! I am so happy to not only see signs of Spring but feel it too. I think I have a small case of seasonal depression and I feel so much more energy and just generally happier with weather like this. My body doesn't like it much this morning though. We were outside most of the day yesterday, after church and naps. I was nonstop doing yard work. Rylee was busy playing in the playhouse and picking dandelions, Wyatt being the older child, I thought, I would not have to watch him very close BUT, I was wrong! I caught him almost on the roof of the house. He was climbing up the antenna! UGH! Next, I caught him all by himself down near the ditch. With all the rain we have been getting it has some pretty fast running water going through it these days! UGH, again! The last was, I was working in the front yard, he came running up to me and said he had to go potty. I told him to go in the house. Well, I guess he did not feel he would make it in time and had decided to pee on a tree. Next thing I know he comes stumbling around to the front of the house, pants to his ankles and said he accidentally peed ON his pants. Standing there naked he argued with me and refused to pull up his pant. OMG! What am I going to do with this boy!

Warnings - Where NOT to eat and What Not to Buy!

2008-04-02T02:37:00.000-05:00

A have been involved with a couple of incidences that I would like to share with you all. Call this a warning of BAD customer service. Sometimes you just get tired of being pushed around!

Where NOT to eat!

Tumbleweed on the River in Louisville, KY

This past Saturday, well 3/22/08, we visited family in Louisville, KY. During our visit we decided to go out to dinner with our extended family. Their ended up being just eight of us. First thing, we were seated, orders were taken, and everyone is happy. Well it all started going bad when they seated a group of young girls right next to us. It was a birthday party for a 13 year old girl and her friends. They were a bit loud but that is not upset me. Who ever is in charge of the volume knob of the music decided to turn it up to drown out the giggling. Well, then everyone had to talk louder to hear each other. Things began to get chaotic then so I asked one of the waitresses to please turn down the music. She nodded her head "yes". Well, it never happened. But I, being a nice person that I am, just let go. Things were loud but, Oh Well! After dinner I asked our waitress for a box for our leftovers. She even repeated it to me. I had bought Rylee steak and she had only taken a bite or two because she had filled up on chips before dinner came. I had ordered the Buffalo Chicken Salad, very good but a too much chicken. We also collected some fries. (Since my trip to Panajachel, I DO NOT throw away any food! If you have been, there you know what I mean.) Well, after taking my children to the restrooms I came back to the table. Guess what! Food was gone and no box. I asked my family where it went. They said the waitress took it. Well, maybe she took it to put it in the box in the back. Out she comes... No Box! I asked her about it... She says she will get the manager, I wait, the manager comes out, says nothing to me, the waitress comes out, I am confused now, so I ask her if I am suppose to be waiting for something, The Manager say "Oh is there a problem?" I explain what happened then I ask the waitress "Do you not remember me asking for a box?" She stands there blank look on her face and says absolutely nothing. This is so embarrassing and infuriating to me. I said "Forget it!" and walk out. Oh, the manager did say he would make me another steak but it would take about 15-20 minutes! We had already been there for 2 hours and my kids were outside waiting. Ruined my day! I keep thinking of all those, I should haves and this post is one of them.

What NOT to buy...

Polaroid Products

My wonderful husband bought me a very cool Digital Photo Frame for Mother's day last year. He even bought one of those really nice decorative frame covers. I just loved it. I had it on my desk at work. I displayed all kinds of photos from my kids to my trip to Guatemala. One morning about a month ago, maybe longer, I came in and my screen was showing only half photos and some had lines through it. I e-mailed Polaroid and no answer. So, I e-mailed again this past Monday. I received an answer so I thought I would share a little information I receive with you about them.

"Your Polaroid product carries a limited 90 day warranty that begins on the original date of purchase. The dated receipt is required to validate the warranty period.

Based on the information contained in your email, we are unable to provide warranty service to you under the current policy. We regret any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any further questions about this decision, please review the warranty statement that came with your Polaroid product. Polaroid does not have an out of warranty service program at this time as the cost to repair is comparable to the price of a new camera."

Well, it's not a camera, but I get the idea!

This was my response...

I am very disappointed and I am sorry you feel there is NOTHING that can be done to help me get this repaired. I will be sure to let all my friends and family know by posting this information on our Family Blog. I used and LOVED it for all of 8 months. I am sure that this Digital Photo Frame was not inexpensive. I have priced new ones starting at $120.00. I can not believe you all only stand behind your products for 90 days. Basically your response tells me all your products are disposable after 90 days since you have no repair center. Interesting news to share!

Wyatt's 5 year old photos!

2008-04-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

I know, I am about a month behind.

I just had his 5 year pictures taken this past weekend.

This is our son.

He has given me so much joy in my life.

He is proof that God answers prayers!

We have been tagged twice!!!

2008-03-29T08:50:00.000-05:00

I am so glad we have been tagged twice! Now, I can post 10 things about each of my children. The directions are to post 10 random bits of information about their child and then tag 10 more people.
Wyatt has been tagged by Christina and Aiden http://aidencsworld.blogspot.com/

1. Wyatt was an Invetro baby... he is our miracle gift from God.
2. Like any typical 5 year old boy, Wyatt's favorite food is Pizza.
3. Wyatt is a Mommy's Boy and a great snuggler! I will be so sad when he grows out of this!
4. Wyatt is Spiderman's Best Fan. His birthday theme has been Spiderman for the last three years.
5. He loves swimming and does not have a problem getting his hair wet in the pool, but he freaks out getting it washed in the tub. Go Figure!
6. Wyatt is the most handsome little 5 year old boy I know.

7. He is full of energy 24/7
8. The boy drives me crazy at times and spends a lot of his time in Time-Out. BUT, he is a good boy and a lot of it has to do with #7.

9. Wyatt is very sociable and a charmer.
10. He loves the outdoors and hanging out with his Daddy.

Rylee has been tagged by Candy and Jagger http://thegreatfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/

1. Rylee is our adopted child from Guatemala... a precious gift from God.
2. Rylee's favorite food is meat...Yes, can you believe it!
3. Rylee is a big Daddy's Girl! She just adores her Daddy.
4. Rylee loves babies, live babies, actually she may be obsessed with them.
5. She is so funny, she is such a tiny little thing with such a mature personality. She has no fears!
6. She is the most beautiful little 2 year old girl I know!
7. Rylee mimics everything her big brother does. It does not bother him too much because we tell him that she does it because she thinks her big brother is so cool and she wants to be just like him.
8. Rylee is a very good little girl and hardly ever gets Time-Outs.
9. Rylee is a bit shy and quiet at first but as soon as she is comfortable she is Chatterbox.
10. Boy she love to sing especially in the car.

We are tagging...

Becky http://www.becky-julianaamaya.blogspot.com/
Jeanne http://hopecomeshome.blogspot.com/
Robyn http://princesagabriella.blogspot.com/
Sandy http://jsburnette.blogspot.com/
Sarah http://kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/
Angie http://shaffer9.spaces.live.com/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c02_owner=1
Marrissa http://guatemalanblessings.blogspot.com/
Vanessa http://www.mommyslilblessings.blogspot.com/
Laurie http://guateprincess.blogspot.com/
Jamie http://fullyoperationalbattlestation.com/

Happy Easter y'all!

2008-03-24T06:35:00.000-05:00

Family Easter Photo 2008

It was so cold outside we had to hunt Easter eggs in the living room!

More Easter egg hunting at Aunt Donna's.

Right after hunting the eggs it began to snow.

The snow flakes were as big as golf balls!

Holiday World opens in 43 Days!!!!

2008-03-21T07:33:00.000-05:00

We are anxiously waiting for Holiday World to open this year!

43 more days!

The photos are from just one of our visits!

Whoo Hoo! Come on summer!

Wakey, Wakey, Eggs and Bakey!

2008-03-17T02:03:00.000-05:00

The kids and I early Saturday morning!

I really do need to get more sleep!
But how can I get mad, look at those bright, beautiful faces!
Hey, and I get to see them every day!

Ok, ok, sigh! Time for breakfast!

Rylee says there is too much static in her eggs!

A week with a sick boy!

2008-03-14T09:25:00.000-05:00

My house is a wreck !
I have a couple pictures of my sick little Wyatt to post. Believe me, he is a pitiful sight! He has had a virus all week. He has been running a fever up and down since Tuesday and he has a horrible cough. We had good moments too. We played and decided to build town. We called it "Hero Town", only super heroes lived there! Well, Bob the Builder could live there too, because occasionally the town would get attacked by dinosaurs and we needed Bob to rebuild! I tell you the imagination that comes from this boy amazes me.

Yesterday was his worst day. What a grump!

He would get upset if I hugged or kissed Rylee. He would say "What about me!" then, when I would go over to him a hug or a kiss, he would give me a small hug then push me away! He had absolutely no patience with Rylee either. She could not even look at him without him fussing! Poor Rylee, she was heart broken. She just wanted to help.

Before the night was out Rylee stated she is now sick too! Not really, but she has to do everything "Brother" does.
I get to go to work today! I am so excited to get out of the house. I did work half a day yesterday since Craig came home to relieve me of my Motherly duties. Today Craig will be taking Wyatt to the doctor. I know it is a virus but, I have heard a lot of people tell me that it has been turning into Bronchitis so, off he goes!
I have not had the heart to tell Wyatt he has missed his Bitty Basketball Recognition Award Ceremony last night. He is is going to be so upset. They had a "Kids Against the Parents" game and then gave out trophies. Oh well, I will stress the fact that T-ball starts in a month. That should help!

This past weekend was Snow fun!

2008-03-10T08:38:00.000-05:00

10 inches worth of fun!

This is proof my children have seen "A Christmas Story" too many times!

Well, Wyatt anyway, Rylee just does whatever big brother does.

Rylee had such a hard time. The snow was deeper than her legs were long. She never got far without help.

Can you believe now we are headed to 50 degrees today? Snow is gone! So, you can imagine the laundry that comes with so much fun. Mammaw helped out a lot with laundry, meals and house keeping though. It is so hard to occupy 2 very active kids in such a small home. Thanks Mammaw!

Craig had his weekend at CRHP. He came home yesterday afternoon Renewed and exhausted!

I have to show this picture too. Wyatt insisting to sleep in a pair of shorts and a tank top last night . Lets just say we compromised!

Look at Rylee, her big brother's wacky personality is rubbing off on her!

Be careful what you wish or pray for!

2008-03-07T08:15:00.000-06:00

You just might get what you want!

If you look back in my history of posts (January and February) you will see how I wished we could get some snow. This winter's weather has been so wacky!

We have finally started to get it, and today March 7, we are expecting up to 6 inches of snow.

Enough already, it's early spring. I am in search of signs of warmth.
My kids in AZ. Notice they are in shorts.

CRHP

2008-03-04T07:44:00.000-06:00

What CRHP has meant to me.
This past weekend I had gone on a Catholic Retreat called CRHP (Christ Renews His Parish). Let me tell you, it did in me! I am still carrying the weekend in my thoughts.
I had no real idea what to expect. I had spoken with a few others that had gone on previous CRHP weekends. They did not give me any great details on what to expect but I did see their excitement and looking in their eyes a glow deep inside of them. I wanted to fell like that.
All my life I wanted exactly what I have, a wonderful husband, healthy beautiful children, a great job and I have it all.
Something was missing, I still was not happy.
I was always yelling at my kids for being kids, my husband could never do enough to help around the house or with the kids and my job was going through many changes.
I reminded myself from time to time that I have everything I ever wanted, but I still should have been happier.
This past weekend made me realize just going through the motions of being Catholic and trying to be a “Good Person” does not get me to “Happy” I need GOD in my life every day and every moment. The past few days with my children and my husband and even work have been remarkable. If you are Catholic and you have the opportunity to go on a CRHP weekend. I assure you, you will not regret your experience.

The Wolves Within.

An old Grandfather Indian Chief spoke softly to his young grandson, who had come crying to him with anger in his heart towards a friend who had embarrassed him in front of all their friends. The grandfather explained that he too had felt great anger and even hate towards people at times for being mean to him. The Grandfather said that he had struggled with many emotions throughout his life and compared them to having two wolves inside him.

The Grandfather explained one wolf is good and does no harm. This wolf likes people and wants to live in harmony with everyone around him. This wolf has the emotions of peace, love, hope, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, empathy, faith, and serenity. The other wolf is bad and full of anger and hatred towards others. His emotions are ones of envy, sorrow, self-pity, greed, merciless, resentment, false pride, superiority, and regret. The Grandfather said it is hard having both of these wolves living inside him. He said the wolves are always competing to see who is the strongest and who will dominate his heart and spirit.

The grandson thought about what his grandfather had just told him and a concerned look came over his face. “Grandfather” he asked, “Which wolf wins?” The Grandfather hesitated for a moment and looked into his grandson’s eyes, placed his hand on his grandson’s heart and quietly said, “The one you feed.”

Arizona, we miss you! Warning LONG!

2008-02-29T07:54:00.000-06:00

My wonderful husband journaled our whole trip while we were in AZ. I did not edit a thing. He should have been a writer. Thanks Honey!

Sunday:
We were sound asleep at Mammaws house when I heard a frantic “Craig it’s 4:30 we gotta go”! We were able to get everyone up and ready to go and unloading our luggage at the Louisville airport at 5:00. We start our trip by being 13 pounds over weight in one suitcase so we begin transferring clothes into a bag that had two car seats inside easy enough and we are off. We made it through security no problem and headed directly to gate A-11. The flight was on time and after a quick Blueberry muffin we boarded the plane. The kids are so “ahided” (excited) they are in a plane headed to Arizona. While in flight Rylee looked out the window and said “daddy look WATER” no honey those are clouds “nah ah” yes they are, and arguing until she was convinced she once again proved her daddy wrong. Two hours... 15= Alphabet songs, 13= Mary Having Little Lambs, 9= Tinkoe, Tinkoe, Wittle Sta’s, 5 times changing seats, Wyatt needing the restroom 3 times, a coloring book full of scribbling and an orange juice later we landed right on time in Houston. Grabbing our things and head to gate C-14 grabbing a sandwich @ an airport SubWay to eat while waiting for our next flight bringing the sandwiches with we get to C-14 ALREADY BOARDING so, we do as well. Sandwiches hit the spot on the plane waiting for take off up, up, up, and away we go. The kids are looking tired Rylee next to me and Wyatt next to Marlene I figured I would close my eyes and see if Rylee would follow my lead, Bingo. My arm was grabbed pulled to her side and used for a pillow nothing to it. I dosed off for a little while when I woke after hearing “This is your Captain, we will be making an unscheduled stop due to some health problems of the co-pilot sorry for the inconvenience ” I wake and grab a magazine. After 40 minutes I was having hard time believing there was not a place to land a plane in 40 minutes and no signs of slowing down I lean back to ask Marlene where exactly the pilot said we would be landing? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I was obviously sleeping harder than I thought because no one around us heard the announcement. We land in Phoenix on time grab luggage hop a tram ride, to catch a bus ride, to get a rental car. To the hotel we go finding it no problem the problem was they had no room available yet. Let’s go to the nearest visitors center to see what there is to do around here. Well we find one on the map and off we go. Ten miles down BAM there it is great big sign VISITORS CENTER WELCOME, we hang a right and we are in the parking lot. Everyone is dressed so nice we almost feel out of place. The doors open and the only thing we see is a 15’ Jesus inside a cathedral type room surrounded by pews. Uhh do you think we are in the wrong building? I don’t know, I didn’t see another door anywhere. Lets walk over to the sign by the road and make sure I read it right. Yep this is the sign I saw VISITORS CENTER WELCOME Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. So Marlene goes back in for directions to the nearest (VISITORS CENTER). Dad stays outside with the kids 5 minutes go by….. 10…………15……………… Craig come here. One of the sisters gotta hold of Marlene and talked her into looking at the art work of Jesus, fair enough but don’t tell me for a second that lady won’t be outside that door when we exit waiting to convert us. Nope she did one better she had a Book of Mormon in her hand to give to us. It was a very nice experience and she had a lot to talk about but the kids where antsy to get running around and the day was young. After quick directions, off we go. We find the welcome center and CLOSED. Par for the coarse. Why not go see what was exactly behind this whole Arizona trip. Off to Superstition Mall to see the Star Spangled Carousel. What a work of art it will fit right in at the park. The kids got to ride and I videotaped. After a quick bite to eat and some time at the mall playground it’s to the hotel to get a room 6:30 we make it to room 239 time to unwind. We have a kitchenette in the room so Marlene went to the local store to stock up on groceries. Dad got the kids ready for bed and sound asleep at 10:30. Goodnight!

Monday:

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo that dang rooster crows just as early in Arizona as it does in Lamar. The kids never enjoy sleeping in which still does not make sense to me. It seems as though they would eventually grow out of waking up before 6:00 but they haven’t to this point. So up and at um with cartoons, arguing, I NEED A PILLOW, I need a pillow, I’M COLD, I code, I’M HUNGRY, I hungy, (Pete and Repeat) running in and out of all the rooms until mom or dad partake in the morning activities. Happy vacation= dad, Happy baycation= Wyatt, Hapbecaten= Rylee. Let’s get ready to go have some breakfast downstairs…. Breakfast was good! The kids and I went out to play in the yard while mom got on the Internet. ½ hour later Wyatt is hungry (bottomless pit) so back down for breakfast AGAIN! Ok who wants to go to Sedona I do, I do, I do, I do WELL, let’s go and that is exactly where the Hoosiers little rent-a-car headed. We went due North on I-17 towards Sedona on the way we stop at Montezuma Castle National Monument what a neat place with a village built right into the mountainside years and years ago.

After a short visit we have PB and J by the river and off we go.

Next stop, picture stop, dad pulls over mom jumps out, oh did I say dad stopped I mean mom stopped because dad wasn’t insured on the AZ rent-a-car, mom does jump out to get her shot. While she is out dad thought being the Safety Director in all would use the flashers, they work fine, a little to good (STUCK!) we wouldn’t expect any less. Good thing mom brought the butter knife to spread the jelly on our sandwiches it is unstuck and ON THE ROAD AGAIN. ¾ mile farther oh man look at that view stop so we can get another picture. Mom gets the picture and away we go 1 mile more ohmagosh look how beautiful…. Let’s keep going. Bell Rock Next right pictures…. Mom gets back in and the wheels keep a spinin. 20 minutes later the sign reads Sedona City Limits. Let’s find a welcome center oh there’s one pull in mom goes in to find out what there is to do until we see the sun set. Rylee sound asleep in the car. Dad and Wyatt tell knock knock jokes, 5 minutes…..10…dad where is mom………15……dad where….she’s coming Wyatt..17..there she is. The Hyatt Regency Hotel got a hold of her we are now going on a hour and a half tour “FREE” while the kids do arts-n-crafts with no obligation to commit to time share, and $100 dollars to spend on supper. Did I mention there no pressure to commit. Well it sounds to good to be true, we talked ourselves out of it and back to Bell Rock for a hike and maybe a couple of rocks for souvenirs (shhhhhh) they were really small surly they won’t notice their gone. What a great time we are having.

The sun is showing signs of descending if we time it right we can grab a bight to eat and make it to sunset overlook just in time. Back to Sedona some good-ole-Burger King burgers and a mad dash to the sunset. Right on time what a view (thank you Marlene for insisting we do that). Wyatt however may disagree, while doing his Wyatt running around like a mad man, takes a mean, nasty dive straight to the ground and I can tell you if there was a list of places I would choose not to fall, running, with shorts on, number one on my list would be the Mountains in the Dessert. There is nothing but rock. Well he cries, his knee bleeds, and everyone is thinking who lets their kid run around like that anyway. Mom gets a napkin out of the car and a nice man watching the view walks over with a hand full of energy food (chex-mix) to help take the pain away and would you believe he stopped crying almost instantly. Of course with a sister that worries about her "Bubber" like Rylee, her coddling makes it all better.

The breath taking view goes below the mountain and we retreat to the hotel.

2 hours later we pull in and get ready for bed. And it is only Tuesday…wait a minute oh my gosh it’s only Monday. Nighty night!

Tuesday:

Yee-Haw the trick to kids sleeping in is simply run them until their knees give out all day, than let them stay up until mid-night watching their portable dvd. We made it to 7:00 this morning. Get up get ready and go eat. After a yummy breakfast burrito and ½ hour of Spiderman /Green Goblin tag your it outside in the spring like weather with the mowing crew hard at work (never thought I would smell fresh cut grass in February. Back to the room to get ready for fun at the zoo. Opening the door to dads cell phone ringing everyone is meeting at the Mall in 30 minutes to go over logistics of the ride. So off we go I get the information I need. I’ll be back at 7ish to start labeling parts for take down. Back to the room for lunch WE LOVE LEFT OVERS. We be eatin samitches and watching us some Tella Tubbies. Now burn up some more highway to da Zoo.

We got back to the hotel at 5:00 for a frozen pizza dinner with carrots, the snack that smiles back (multi color cheesy goldfish) and a big-o-glass of milk, with the boob tube playin Free Willie. Mom heads down to do a load of laundry. I will be leaving for work soon and will be there most of the morning. Headed to Superstition Mall to disassemble the ride. Six of us worked through the night carefully removing piece by piece a whirlwind of dolphins, dragons, horses, fishes, puddy tats, and tigers. It was very demanding work but while keeping with it at 5:00 am we laid down the shaft, the last piece of the puzzle. Taking a right out of the mall parking lot and onto I-60 West I will be in bed by ¼ to six good night, or morning or aaaa whatever you wanta call I am not going to argue with anyone at this point.

Wednesday:

My family let me sleep while they went for breakfast and were kind enough to bring me a plate for when I wake. Mom and the kids went out for a little bit to Fiesta Mall Wyatt reported they got a cookie, played on the playground, bought a Power Ranger telephone, and got all his hairs cut he looks so much handsomer. Rylee reported uuuummmmmm I got a Bandi (Bambi) and aaaahhhhhmmm a cookie nnnn-mm-nm (M&M) went to a paygound. Sounds like they had fun than came back to have lunch then nap! The first official one of the trip! When we wake from our slumber the family agrees Amazing Jakes is the place you otta be so we loaded up the car and headed out.

That place is amazing. First things first Wyatt wants to try his luck at Laser Tag! There must be something about shooting your dad and getting away with it because I couldn’t reason with the kid when I woul tell him when we work together we could get all these other kids running around and score more points, my vest would shake and shut off for 5 seconds. Wyatt just smiled. The kids went on playing skee-ball, video games, dancing game, go-carts, bumper cars, and much more. Let’s eat pizza fill the bellies and keep playing. Time to go rock climbing our family is not very good at that sport and we move on. Scoring as many tickets we can before we have to leave to get the priceless jewels behind the glass case. Woopie cushion, flying army men, pop rocks, flying glider, bounce ups and zoom zoom cars. 7:30 time to go back to hotel so Dad can get ready to start his day. We load parts throughout the night and I return home just in time for breakfast 8:00am.
Thursday:

Thought I could just stay up and hang out but lost the battle. Went to bed and mom and kids went to Children’s Museum they had a great time and came back for lunch, before nap time.

After nap we hang out for a short time and head North to get a good picture of the family in front of a cactus so we drive, and drive, and drive, 30 minutes later we have to stop because we are running out of daylight.

We find a cactus but not exactly what we were expecting oh well it is gonna have to do. Take the shot and head for supper Claim Jumper very expensive but very large portions and good.

Finish up by going back to the hotel to pack for trip home at 4:30 tom. morning.

The Pretend Birthday!

2008-02-23T11:04:00.000-06:00

That is what Wyatt calls it. I call it the Storm before the Quiet. We had his big #5 birthday party on Saturday the 23rd but his Birthday is actually the 27th.

This is what it looked like before the party...

Here come the kids! Checking out the cake.

There were lots of little finger marks on that cake.

The beating of the pinata. As I said before, the directions called for only 3 layers of paper mache. Smart me, thought it might not hold all the goodies inside so I put a total of 6 layers on. Well lets just say that pinata took quite a beating and everyone got to hit it at least 3 times. Luckily we had 13 year old Dedra there. She gave it about 4 good whacks and it broke open. FINALLY! Thanks Dedra!

The Shrine Clowns got there as the pinata was being beaten! WOW, wow, WOW, what a hit they were! All the kids loved them except Rylee and Claire. That is great odds for 4 clowns.

IT WAS FUN, FOR ALL AGES!

Mommy and Rylee fun!

2008-02-21T10:26:00.000-06:00

Rylee and I went to a SIFTGA outing at the Evansville Museum. We had such great fun. Rylee got to play with other Guatemala adopted children. I have met some really good friends though this group.

Cutie little Daniel. What a handsome boy he is!

Rylee and Maria.

Rylee and Julianna in the background.

Rylee making music!

The birth of the Pinata!

2008-02-20T09:26:00.000-06:00

I decided to make Wyatt's pinata for his birthday.

This is how I did it!

I bought one of those inflatable bunching balls on a string.

Blew it up to about 24".

Then paper mached it 2 layers then wrapped it with wire so it would support all the goodies I planned to put in it.

The directions called for only 3 layers total but I was concerned it would not hold up so I put on a total of 6 layers.

Then I covered it with colored tissue paper.

Red on one side and blue on the other side.

For a Spider man theme.

I popped the balloon, cut a "V" shape hole in the top and filled it with goodies and glued the hole closed.
I had bought a Spider man gift bag and puzzle and used them to decorate the pinata.

This is the finished product!

I was pretty proud of it! But as you will find out later in my posts as I catch up...

6 layers of paper mache IS too much!

Bad news, Good new!

2008-02-14T09:58:00.000-06:00

Lets go with the good news first!
We are planning a family trip to AZ. I can't wait to see Sedona. Oh and WARMTH! Well, it all started with work. Craig has to go there for work reasons. When I heard this I said I want to go too. I checked out some of the things to do and places to see and started to think... I could not go without Wyatt and Rylee. SO this will be our official summer family vacation. We dont really have the money but we do have a credit card and when our tax refund comes in I will pay it off with that. Also, with Craig's new position he would not be able to take of ANY during the summer. This all just kind of worked out! So Far!
Bad News!
I lost my USB cord for my camera and will not be able to download any photos or videos until the one I just ordered comes in.
The kids are doing GREAT! Wyatt is excited about his big birthday party next Saturday. The Shriner Clowns will be there. The theme... Spiderman! Third year in a row.
I actually made his pinata myself. I would show you pictures, BUT!

Learning her ABC's

2008-02-11T06:09:00.000-06:00

Well almost! She is loving school and it shows.

She is the sweetest little girl. I can't get over her natural motherly instinct.

She's always taking care of Wyatt like he is the younger child.

What are we going to do with this boy?!

2008-02-06T07:02:00.000-06:00

Any suggestions?

Our town!

2008-02-04T21:31:00.000-06:00

Wyatt and I got this idea from his Magazine "High Five". We got all of his blocks out and built roads and houses. It was so much fun though Rylee's help was more like destruction than building. So, Daddy took Rylee to the top bunk on Wyatt's bed.

Arial view of our work.

We finally got it completed. It was great family fun! And, Rylee enjoyed the grand finally of messing it all up.

Clean up time! Wyatt passed out from exhaustion! Just kidding!

I have been tagged - TWICE!

2008-02-01T08:17:00.000-06:00

I have been tagged by Christina http://aidencsworld.blogspot.com/ and Laurie http://guateprincess.blogspot.com/ . Thanks Girls. Now I have to think of 7 weird thingsabout me to tell ...that should not be too hard.

Here is what you do:
The rules are to link the person who sent this and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours.
Post the rules on your blog.
Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself.
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and link their blog~Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
So, here are 7 wierd/strange facts about myself.

1. I hate the sound of styrofoam rubbing together. It make me cringe!
2. I have to use a straw if drinking out of a glass with ice in it. I hate when ice touches my teeth.
3. I love peanut butter.
4. I am obsessed with Guatemala and giving back to the country that our daughter came from.
5. I am very opinionated. I blame that on heretity.
6. I worry way too much.
7. I talk about my kids... ALL THE TIME! Hey, I'm a proud mom.

My 7 taggees:

Vanessa http://www.mommyslilblessings.blogspot.com/
Sarah http://kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/
Becky http://www.becky-julianaamaya.blogspot.com/
Nicole http://nikicoli.blogspot.com/
Christine http://smilesandtrials.blogspot.com/
Jenny http://guatemalanblessings.blogspot.com/
Greta http://wwwjerseyboy.blogspot.com/

Desperate for snow!

2008-01-30T19:34:00.000-06:00

Having a bit of cabin fever, we went to Lincoln park the other day.

First we headed to the play ground but it is under some major construction. It's completely roped off had they have a huge pile of mulch in front of it. So, we played King of the Mountain.

Of course, I was the first at the top then my thrown was taken over by The Boy. As Rylee climbed we coaxed Wyatt into believing there should be a princess as well. Rylee was then welcomed at the top of the mountain by Brother.

It has been so cold here but not much snow. We did find a little that had been plowed to the curbs. So we decided to have a bit of a snowball fight. What great fun. My aim was good and hit most of the targets that I was aiming for.

See the snowball heading right at the camera.

That was Wyatt's.

Rylee liked rearing back but she had a hard time letting go of the snowball.

I think we have a super star on our hands! Maybe not!

2008-01-28T08:12:00.000-06:00

Wyatt started Bitty Basketball on Thursday. His first game was on Saturday. If you have never seen a Bitty Basketball game you are missing out on great comedy. There are at least 3 coaches to show the kids where to stand and what to do. The kids and especially Wyatt was so excited to be a part of it all that he could hardly contain himself. It really got bad if he got eye contact with either me or Craig on the sidelines. In the clip below Wyatt was suppose to follow his coach back to the other side of the court where all his other teammates were.

Oops!

That's My Boy!

Fun with fingerpaints!

2008-01-23T20:50:00.000-06:00

I turn 42 tomorrow. "UGH!" Thats all I have to say about it!

Pay it Forward

2008-01-21T20:04:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Laurie I am now playing the Pay It Forward game.
Here are the rules:
I will send a handmade gift (of my choosing) to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this "PIF" exchange, and who make the same pledge on their own blog.
I have to come up with what it is that I will send you AND you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 60days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward - on your own blog. So, if you want to get a homemade goodie from me, and are willing to do the same via your blog, let me know! You can e-mail me or leave me your email address (you can code it) in your comments and I can get your snail mail address.
This can be so much fun!

We have snow!!!!!

2008-01-17T08:46:00.000-06:00

I cant believe we finally got some snow. Hooray! I woke up to all this beautiful white stuff on the ground. So excited that school would be closed so I could play in the snow with my kids. But No! School was on as scheduled. I felt so sorry for Wyatt he wanted to play in the snow so bad and I knew it would all be melted before he got home. It is so beautiful on the trees I had to take photos.

Hey Vanessa, Nanna, nanna, na, na! We have snow!

Our little house!

Our property.

Wyatt and Rylee's playground

We love and miss you Daddy!

2008-01-16T08:35:00.000-06:00

My wonderful husband is in OK this week.

He is going through more training for his new job.

We miss him very much!

Favorite Foto Friday #17

2008-01-11T08:25:00.000-06:00

Rylee's first day at school!

She is doing remarkably well. I am so proud of her. She is such a big girl in such a little body. The other girls in her class treat her like their own little baby doll. I don't think that will fly with her very long because she is so independent. But for now she is enjoying all the attention.

I am still listing photos on the casahogarfeliz.blogspot.com. Sorry it is taking me so long and keep checking back. Thanks everybody again that helped. I hope and pray to be able to go back to Guatemala and do more this December.

Refrigerator Photo!

2008-01-09T07:40:00.000-06:00

You are tagged!

I hope to see other blogs with a photo of their refrigerators.

Everyone that sent us a Christmas Photo card, see if you can spot yours!

Favorite Foto Friday #16

2008-01-04T06:45:00.000-06:00

Our A#1 Cowboy of 2005!

All about Little Miss Rylee!

2007-12-31T08:10:00.000-06:00

I have caught myself calling her that a lot lately. Little Miss Rylee suits her well these days. I can't believe I have such a Girly Girl! Anyone that knows me well, knows I never wanted a daughter that was "Girly". Well, I have one! And, I just love her girly girlness!

She just loves her baby dolls and screams to the top of her lungs when "Brother" come near them. She has a wonderful motherly instinct.

She's been cooking up some really excellent "imaginary" food for us on her new Dora kitchen lately.

And we have had a great holiday with our little Radio (aka Rylee singing) in the back seat of our car. Old McDonald, Twinkle twinkle, Santa Claus is coming to town, etc.

I think she is going to be a Gymnist. She absolutely love to be hung up side down. Yes, really!

This is Rylee's God Father Greg. He brought her the Dora Dress she is wearing in the above picture.

Oh, and she is our A#1 poser too.

Favorite Foto Friday #15

2007-12-28T23:19:00.000-06:00

Mayan Families Christmas Basket for my Sponsored Family

Estela, Analady, Yesmi, Liasa, Becker and Boris!

We had a great Christmas...Hope you did too!

2007-12-27T09:58:00.000-06:00

We are one of those families that celebrate Christmas for days!

First we headed to Louisville to spend Christmas with my family.

We had a great time. The kids loved decorating Christmas cookies.

My Mom, my brother Shawn and his better half Theresa were there and my nephew Alex brought his girlfriend, Kat with him too.

The food was great and it was a really nice Christmas.

The kids loved all the gifts they got and they got a lot!

Wyatt got a Scooter and Rylee got a walking talking Cabbage Patch doll.

Then we headed home to get ready for Santa. When we got home we let Wyatt and Rylee open the gifts from us. Sorry, no pictures! Craig took video for that and Santa's gifts the next morning.

After church we headed to Craig's parents house. Everyone was there! Wyatt and Rylee are always happy to see their cousins Lily and Sofie. They get along together so well. Aunt Janelle got the girls tutu's and Wyatt got a pirate costume. They were so cute dressed up in them.

Grandma and Grandma Bell made each of them a quilt. I was blown away! They are all beautiful quilts. I love gifts like that.

I have to throw in a clip of Wyatt on his scooter. He is toooo cute!

Oh, and I almost forgot! This must be the year of the home slippers! LOL!

Favorite Foto Friday #14

2007-12-21T08:34:00.000-06:00

I skipped #13 because I am a little superstitious.

I am dedicating this FFF to my wonderful husband that puts food on our dinner table... Literally!

Yesterday was my day off and I spent the whole day wrapping presents. I still think I have to many gifts for the kids. I really want to make some changes. Wyatt especially is spoiled rotten. When Wyatt and Rylee saw all the presents under the tree Wyatt cryed for 1/2 hour wanting to open them. Craig threatened him that he would start taking them back if he did not stop acting like that. See, ROTTEN! Rylee was so funny this morning. As soon as I put Wyatt on the bus I came back in the house and Rylee said to me "Open presents now?" I guess she thought that since Wyatt was gone now it would be alright to open them.

Getting ready for Christmas!

2007-12-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Wyatt's school had their Christmas program on Thursday. I was so cute. He had practiced so much and was so happy he was going to be a king. But putting him up on stage... he had stage fright. He hardly sang a word standing so still, just licking his lips (A nervous habit) and staring out into the audience. Poor little guy, he was so excited about the program.

Sunday was our Company Christmas party and kids are always invited. Working for Holiday World and it being a family oriented park, we always include the kids. Holiday World is the best company I have ever worked for. Will and Mrs Koch are truly wonderful people. Craig got his 5 year with the company award.

Wyatt finally got his magazine subscription. They have all kinds of quick crafty things to do. Here they made sailor hats, colored and decorated them.

I have been busy catching up and getting ready for the 2008 year at work. I was out for a week in Guatemala and now I will be off work for another week between Christmas and the New Year.

Aren't they cute! My family watching Wizard of Oz for the Umpteenth time!
Rylee and Wyatt will both be going to Y Wee Care (Pre-School /Day care) starting in January. Rylee is very excited about it and want so badly to go to school like big brother. I worry of course. I hope she does not plan on eating anymore blue crayons!

The presents have started coming! Thank you Lin and Jerry. The kids love their gifts. We played Zingo last night 8 times. Wyatt really love that game.

That's this past week in a nut shell.

Favorite Foto Friday #12

2007-12-14T07:52:00.000-06:00

Beautiful Lake Atitlan

Guatemala

Day 5 our last day in Guatemala

2007-12-10T23:53:00.000-06:00

Up bright and early. I was feeling much better. I did not eat much breakfast because I was still a little unsure of my stomach. We hung out mostly at the hotel. Vanessa was there to meet and give gifts to her friends foster families and I was to meet Mirna Rylee's foster mother.

Mirna, her mother and her daughter came about noon. We walked over to the restaurant and ordered lunch. I am so glad Vanessa was there. We discovered little Maria's birthday was the next day and Vanessa ran around everywhere to find someone that could bring her a birthday cake. It showed up right after the lunch. Perfect timing.

Little Maria is such a cutie and it was nice to see her wearing the Rylee's dress that I sent her. She had the cutest little pink boots on and Mirna said she will get some for Rylee too.

Mirna is so sweet. We had a wonderful visit and Mirna said she would be returning later to bring Rylee's boots.

After our visit, Vanessa and I headed off to the market across from the Zoo. We had been there last time we were in Guatemala and knew we could find some good deals there. We were there for about 4 hours and I felt a little silly because Vanessa had about 6 bags and I had only my purse. She was so funny. She said she was beginning to loose feeling in her hands because of the weight of the bags. I helped her carry some to the taxi. And back to the hotel we went.

That evening and Vanessa's lost prescription glasses... God was watching over me!!!!

Vanessa could not find her glasses and thought they had fallen out of the van on the way back from Panajachel. So, we called Sharon, then Oswaldo the driver. No Glasses. Then we called the Hotel K. "No glasses but, Mrs. Koenig left her passport! " OH MY GOSH!

Panajachel is 3 hours one way and my flight leaves in less than 12 hours. I was freaking out. We called Oswaldo to ask if he would bring it to me and he said to call him back in 15 minutes. I called home to tell Craig what was happening and that I would call him back when I figured it all out. Wyatt got on the phone and said "Just one more day mommy and you will be home!" I got all choked up and said "I hope so!"

I went back into the business center to have the receptionist call Oswaldo back for me when she said that the hotel has found someone that will bring my passport to me. It cost me $125.00 but it was worth every penny.

Vanessa went back to the room to get some money for another calling card and her glasses fell out of her suitcase. Thank you God for watching over me!

What a night!

Day 4 and leaving Panajachel

2007-12-10T01:32:00.000-06:00

Up very early and we all were ready for our long ride back to the Guatemala City! I miss Pana! I wish I could have stayed a little longer. Well, not really! I wish I had my husband and kids with me then I wish I could have stayed much longer. I want my son to see this beautiful country and realize how blessed he is to have all the things he has. This trip has changed me and I am sorry for my children because they WILL experience a major change in what IS most important this Christmas. They will get gifts but it's the time we spend together that is more important.

Saying a quick goodbye to the hotel staff and we were off!

A Tuk-Tuk driving down the road in front of Hotel K.

We stopped for photos. My camera decided to act up but some of the photos turned out kinda cool.

Me and Vanessa.

Oswaldo our driver.

A stop Oswaldo made so we could take pictures.

The cemetery decorated in all colors.

Some children we met on the side of the road. They were selling worry dolls. We did not buy any but Vanessa and I bought each one a bottle of juice and a bag of chips before we left.

We dropped Christy off at the airport and headed to the Marriott. It was so nice that the room was all ready for us because we both still needed to wrap presents for Rylee's Birth family and Arianna's Foster family. We hurried downstairs and there was Gilda her children and her mother. Soon the translator and Arianna's foster family showed. We all headed off to the restaurant for lunch. The poor translator sat in the middle. We had him translating for for both of us. It was so nice to see Rylee's birth sister, brother and grandmother too. Rylee's birth brother is a cutie! He was so excited to be in the restaurant and see all the decorations they had there. Gilda is a good mother and she was so kind to me. As we walked to the restaurant she held onto my arm while we crossed the streets.

The children are so cute. The children were very shy but very cute.

They loved the gifts and books that I brought for them.

Gilda came back later to the hotel and brought gifts for Rylee and Wyatt. She brought Rylee a beautiful dress and Wyatt a Guatemalan shirt. I am going to get their pictures in them and send the photos to her. I am planning to learn Spanish and I think she would like to learn English. I hope next time we meet face to face we will both be able to communicate better.

After our visit Vanessa and I did a little sight seeing and shopping. Vanessa is so funny! She really knows how to shop. I think her suitcases were just as full leaving Guatemala as they were when we got there. When we got back I was feeling very sick to my stomach. I went back to the room and took a little nap. When I woke up it was 2 hours later and I was still sick. Thank goodness I still had one of those pills that Dr. Jennifer had given me. Vanessa was still out and about meeting adoptive parents that were also staying at the Marriott. We both called it an early night.