Feliz Cumpleanos a Claudia (6 years old today)

Here are the pictures first, since I know that's what everyone wants to see anyway...

Here she is with her cake

She's pretty pleased with her candle blowing abilities (I don't know why Tim has a fist in this picture, he didn't hit her... really)

Claudia with her new 'Viewmaster' and Mayerly (don't know exactly what she's looking at...)

Just in case you didn't think the other two (Oscar and Diana) made it home with us, here's a picture of them too

So you are probably asking, "What happened to Claudia's hair???" To protect the innocent and the guilty, we will just say that there was a little problem and we had to cut it all off. If I (Anne) don't dress her in pink and put barretts in her hair, she looks like a little boy - I hate it. Here's hoping it grows out fast...

Back to the Birthday. We went about the day just as we normally do, get up, get dressed have breakfast, do our school thing, eat lunch, play all afternoon... point being - no one had any clue that today was Claudia's birthday. We had dinner (ham and bean soup and cornbread - 'rico' according to the kids... that's good in case you don't know) and then I brought out the cake I baked earlier while they were playing upstairs (only Mayerly saw me because the TV is downstairs...). It was kinda like a surprise party because everyone was surprised... too funny.

We started homeschooling with 'Abuelita' (Grandma Schoemig) last Monday. The good news is that the kids are doing well, and are even starting to pick up some English words. The bad news is that they are all very far behind where they should be scholastically. My hope is that we can get Mayerly and Claudia in school by September at a grade level not too far below where they should be for their ages. I think Oscar and Diana will be working with my mom longer than that.

I also found a preschool close to our house that will take Claudia (even though she is now six years old and doesn't speak English). I'm going to take her on Friday to see how she does there. If she looks like she will be okay, we will enroll her for the 1/2 day classes (5 days a week).

That's it for now. Hasta luego.

Weeee're Heeeere!

Just a short post to let everyone know we made it home okay. It feels good to be typing on an 'English' keyboard again (I used a Spanish and a French one in Colombia and couldn't find the @ on either of them most of the time...).

The kids traveled pretty well. We didn't have any tantrums, but we did have to tell them to be quiet on the airplane more than a few times. They were pretty wound up.

We got home about 9pm here (that's 10pm in Bogota). The grandparents were very happy to meet their new grandkids (even if they can't understand anything they say). The kids didn't go to bed until 10:30.

Later,
Anne

Going Home

All of us in the back yard at El Refugio The kids with Rosita, one of the ladies who works at the B&B

Sorry, we haven´t been able to post for a couple of days. The computer at the B&B got a virus and was out for repair. We didn´t do it...

Over the weekend we just hung out at the B&B waiting to go to the US Embassy on Monday. We did a little last minute shopping and took the kids out for ice cream at Mimi´s and pizza at Pizza Hut (yeah there is one here within walking distance). Sunday was cold and rainy.

On Monday we left for the embassy right after breakfast (about 9am). There, we gave them all our paperwork and waited in line to be called up to one of the windows. They called our name and we went up to the window where the agent had to lay eyes on each of the kids. She then told them they could sit down. Then I (Anne) had to answer a couple of questions and sign my name four times (once for each of the kids). We then got to pay for all the visas at another window. After that we had to sit down and wait again for them to call our name again. When they did, the lady told me that they would have the visas ready the next day at 3:30pm and she also had to look at each one of the kids again. Then we went back to the B&B - that was at about 1pm.

Today I went to the embassy and picked up the visas and paperwork for US Immigration in Atlanta (Tim stayed home and entertained the kids at the park). The guy at the window remembered me from the day before. I don´t think it is often that they see people adopting four kids. He wished us the best for our new family.

That was the last piece of paperwork. We are done here. Our flight schedule was confirmed this morning. We are leaving Bogota early Wednesday morning. See you in KC...

-Tim & Anne

Facatativa and South Bogota

These pictures are from the town of Facatativa (or Faca to locals) this is the town where Oscar,Diana & Mayerly were born. It is a small town (those in Bogota told me) of about 100,000 people & very scenic, with brick streets leading to the square.

I (Tim) spent all day Thurs with our attorney, Oscar. We had to pick up all four birth certificates & then have these changed to our last name. The day started out in south Bogota at the Civil Registration office, for Claudia´s birth certificate, she was the only one born in Bogota. We then had to drive 45 minutes west to Facatativa, where the other three were born. We had to go to two different offices, wait to get their last names officially changed, then to the bank for notarized copies. We then headed back to Bogota to pick up Claudia´s changed birth certificate & to the bank.

We left the B&B at 7am & I got back around 4pm, but their last names are officially changed to Verhulst. It was quite interesting dealing with Colombia Civil Registration, it takes a lot of patience. It sure helps to have an attorney like Oscar, it was amazing how fast he could get things done & how he seemed to know everyone.

Sentencia

Below is a picture of the B&B where we are staying. Our room is the one on the second floor that is brown and has the big window. Everyone else staying here is French. We are the only Americans (and also the only ones with four kids who are older).

Wednesday we signed the final adoption paperwork (aka "sentencia"). Lucia called us that morning after breakfast and told us that Tim needed to be ready in a half hour to go sign the papers.

Thursday, he had to go with Oscar Abril ( our attorney) to get new birth certificates for all the kids (I´ll let him tell you about that since it took almost all day). I had the kids by myself all day and had to take them to ICBF for our second (and final) appointment - which went fine.

Today we went to get all the kids their Colombian passports (which they will need to leave Colombia). After that we took all the kids to see the doctor (which is required by the US prior to bringing them into the country). He did four reports, which are sealed, that we have to take to the US Embassy on Monday. Tuesday we will do laundry and pack. Wednesday (Feb 4th) we should be coming home!

Below is a picture that one of the French families took of us inside the B&B:

Passport Photos

This morning we decided to go out for ice cream as a snack between breakfast and lunch. So we are out walking down Calle 116 (a street here in Bogota) when a man comes up to us holding a cell phone up to Tim and talking to him in Spanish. After listening to him, I (Anne) understood him to say that his name was Andres and that he had Lucia on the phone. Tim tried to talk to Lucia, but the traffic and the kids were too noisy - so he handed the phone to me (I still couldn´t hear her very well either). I did pick out something about passport photos and Andres was making camera gestures with his hands - so we went back to the B&B with him. Three of the French families (who are all also adopting) were waiting for us. I had to change Claudia´s shirt because Andres said that is was too light colored for the passport photo. I also had to take out the ponytail holders I had in the girls´hair because they can´t have anything in their hair for the pictures.

After everyone was fixed up, we all walked to the mall. The people on the street were all kind of looking at our little procession of foreigners a bit funny. I guess we did look unusual.

At the mall we went to "Photo Japon" and all the kids got their pictures taken. After that we went to McDonald´s and got ice cream (as promised to the kids earlier) since we didn´t make it before to the ice cream shop (Mimi´s). Below are pictures of the kids eating their ice cream cones.

Mayerly - always the slowest eater...

Me Gusta Helado

Later, after lunch we went to Maku (a store that sells only items made in Colombia). We decided to leave the kids with the ladies at the B&B due to the fact that there are MANY breakable items in the store. When we left, they were outside playing. We didn´t say good-bye to avoid any tantrums or clinging-to-Papi Claudias. We were gone for about two hours. We came back with snacks for us and the kids. The kids met us at the door (except Mayerly, who was glued to the TV like a little zombie). Papi took them outside while Mami hid the stuff we bought in our room. While we were eating our snacks, Oscar told me that Diana had gone looking for me while we were gone. She thought that I was in the bathroom. We all had a big laugh about Diana thinking that I had been in the bathroom for two hours. Don´t worry, she laughed too - she doesn´t take too many things very seriously (that can be good and bad).

Mas Tarde.

Tim y Anne

Parque Jaime Duque

This past weekend we went to Parque Jaime Duque. It is a very small amusement park with very simple rides - nothing like Worlds of Fun. The kids had a great time and there were no real tantrums on this outing (yahoo!). Jaime Duque was a pioneer in Colombian aviation and he had the park built for the people of Colombia to enjoy. It is north of Bogota about 45 minutes to an hour and it is a beautiful setting because you can see the Andes Mountains to the east and west. It usually rains here everyday for at least a little while, but the day we went it didn´t rain. It was just gorgeous. A good day to get out of the city.

The main boulevard in the park

Papi and the kids in front of an Avianca airplane

Claudia and Mayerly on the carousel

Diana and Oscar on the carousel

Inside Parque Jaime Duque

-Ciao de Colombia - Tim & Anne