Ecuador Day 69

So...this week has been absolutely crazy. I have meant to write about Flor and I's arrival home, but haven't had the time yet. Here is some of what we have been up to this week, just to give you an idea: doctor's visits, meeting with the school, phone calls, getting everything unpacked and put away, more phone calls, planning and having Jace's birthday, phone calls, more planning to go to Idaho this weekend for more partying, pictures, TB test, buying a new (new to us) car (more to come on that later... yes it is a big enough deal it deserves its own post!), shopping, did I mention phone calls? And this is without me being at work all week. Yikes for when I go back! I am looking forward to it, though.

So far, Flor has seen the pediatrician and we have met with the school to get her going there. We will have a big team meeting with multiple professionals from our local school, the school we think she will attend, and the district either Tuesday or Wednesday to see what will be the best fit for her. The special ed teacher at our school here has reviewed her records and said that she is very impressed with the services Flor was receiving in Ecuador. I was too. I tell ya, FHC is such a great orphanage.

We also took Flor to the Pediatrician and left with referrals for an infectious disease specialist, a pediatric ophthalmologist, a metabolic geneticist (to check on her fructasoria), and a community health place for children with special needs. I missed a call from the therapist from there today. I am not sure even what they do, but apparently they have a waiting list, so they must be pretty amazing. We also need to get Flor into a pediatric dentist, but that is going to have to wait for a little while. So, yes, the busyness will continue. But honestly, it feels so great to be doing things again and feeling a little more in control of my own life. It was so frustrating to my list-crazed, have-to-be-doing-something-all-the-time self to not be doing anything in Ecuador and to feel like I could do nothing to help ourselves there. So- bring on the lists! Oh, how I love lists.

That's not what we were talking about though, was it? How about a re-cap of our last "Ecuador Day", Saturday February 25.

Flor and I got up and packed our last minute items and then headed to the airport at about 8:30. Our flight was at 11:10, but I wanted to have plenty of time as I knew there would be an extra step in the process due to Flor's leaving with an immigrant visa. We had no problems checking in and getting our bags checked, but when we got to the customs area, the security officer was a little perturbed that I was leaving the country with Flor alone and that Devin wasn't there, since all the adoption documents say both of our names. I pointed out to her that the judge's decree stated that she would be traveling with just her mother and I also told her that I had Devin's Power of Attorney (complete with misspelled names and all) if she wanted to see it. She checked with her supervisor on what the judge had written on the decree and they let me through, luckily. Whew. One crisis averted.

I got lucky in that airport in that my ticket was drawn for both a luggage search and for a body search for explosives. Wahoo. We went first to the outside area where the planes were as the people down there were searching my checked bags, along with four other people who were unlucky enough to get drawn too. What it is with me, I have no idea, but this happened to me the last time I was leaving Ecuador too. Oh, so fun. I had Flor in a stroller and was also carrying a backpack as well as our two pictures that we bought in Ecuador (covered and taped together). The security lady leading us took us to a door and then nonchalantly said, "Oh and we will be walking down this flight of stairs here." No offer to help, nothing. I was just picturing myself struggling to either A) hold on to all belongings while somehow managing to get Flor down the stairs in the stroller or B) taking her out of the stroller and having one more item to hold on to while helping her walk down the stairs when a nice lady going with us to be searched volunteered to help me by carrying the front of the stroller down the stairs. Thank you,  kind lady.

After that search was complete (No, they didn't find anything for those of you who must know) we went back upstairs to find that I had been drawn for the second search as well. This entailed going behind a curtain and having an officer rub some paper type thing over my hands, arms, and legs. Odd. I asked him if was searching for drugs (this is how oblivious I am) and he very sternly said "No. Explosives." Right. Me and the poor 90 year old man behind me (who was very confused and kept saying "What are we DOING here??? What is going ON??") were definitely the most likely candidates to have explosives on us. Just for the record, I passed that test too. Look at me go!

We finally got through with the searches and were able to board our flight. This is where the fun ends. The flight was HORRENDOUS. Can I say that again? HORRENDOUS. Flor was on her very. worst. behavior. ever. It was tough. I had her next to the window and she immediately started wailing as soon as we took off. And her wail is loud. When she decides she wants to cry, she cannot be soothed. We have learned that the best thing to do is to let it run its course because trying to calm her down in whatever way usually just aggravates her. Well, being seat belted in really made her mad, so she kept slinking down in her seat so that the seatbelt was then nearly choking her around her neck. I kept unbuckling her, sitting her back up, and rebuckling her. Finally, she slid all the way through and landed on the ground in a ball. She wailed there for quite a while more, but I figured that was better as the sound wasn't carrying as far. The best part was that the man next to me just sat there and stared at me the whole time. No pressure to perform a miracle and make her stop, right? The flight attendants also kept coming by and telling me it would really help her if she drank some apple juice, despite my telling them over and over that she can't have apple juice. The poor man next to me finally volunteered to move seats to "give us more room" for which I was very grateful, for nothing else than to have him not stare at me anymore.

Flor cried for probably a good 2 hours before calming down. Yes, two HOURS. Poor people on the flight with us. I figure it is because her ears were hurting her so much due to the pressure. She refused her sippy cup, chucking it as far as she could every time I offered it to her, so there was really very little I could do from there. I tried sitting her on my lap to comfort her, but she didn't want that either. Oh, well. It's all done and over now. (Sidenote: That is one thing that is hard about this process. Flor's capability to understand is not such that she can be reasoned with, bribed, scolded, etc. like we can with Hallie. If it had been Hallie in Flor's place, I am sure we could have come up with something to encourage her to stop before two hours was up. But Flor, no. She is more like a baby in this way, but one who refuses to be soothed at times (likely given that she was not properly soothed as an infant and into the first few, formative years. Sad, I know.))

Alright, back to the business. After Flor calmed down enough, she ate lunch and then I laid her across the two seats that were now hers and tried to get her to go to sleep. I am sure I have mentioned before that the only way Flor can get to sleep is if she is rocking herself (a self-soothing mechanism that I am sure she came up with long ago). I laid her in the position she normally goes to sleep in, but she still didn't fall asleep. Oh well, at least she was calmed down and was able to rest some.

We arrived in Miami and went through customs and then had to have another special step before going to our next flight. We had to wait in a little room for quite some time while an officer of some sort looked through the big old sealed packet that Flor and I had been given in Guayaquil. We were then given back just her passport and told that we were able to go. Yahoo! Once we landed on US soil, Flor officially became a US citizen, which is so wonderful. She also retains her Ecuadorian citizenship, for those who wonder.

Our next flight was SO much better. Flor only cried the last 15 minutes or so, but that's because she was beyond tired and again wouldn't fall asleep. We had some very nice people around us who were talking to her, giving her magazines to look at, and pointing out the window to help distract her. That was nice versus feeling like everyone was just staring to pass on the message that I needed to quiet my child down.

We only had a short layover in Dallas and then boarded our next flight for good old Salt Lake City. It was during that flight that I started to feel a lot of overwhelming emotions. Mostly gratitude that we were finally here. Gratitude that this little girl that we have worked for and wanted for five years was finally home. That the whole journey was one big miracle and that we have so much to be grateful for. The journey was never easy and will not be easy still, but over all, I felt a sense of gratitude for the way it had all been crafted. It's a messy story, one with lots of ups and some downs, high points and low points, ugly times, and beautiful times, but mostly it is really a reminder to me that God is a God of miracles and that His plan and timing are amazing. I think this whole trip has caused me to learn more about myself than I have in a really long time, if ever. I thought I knew what to expect- and I did a fairly good job preparing myself for the reality of this situation with Flor. But, what has been most surprising to me are the things that I have learned about myself. I feel like my imperfections have been staring me in the face a lot during this journey. But, there is also good there. I am learning. This time has stretched me and pushed me. I have been through a lot of trying things in my life and this ranks right up there as one of the ones where I have learned the most about who I am and more importantly, who I need to be. I know that there is more of that to come here in the "real world" too.

Anyway, needless to say, I spent a lot of that flight thinking and reflecting on where we have been and where we are going and there were many tears shed. The last 10 minutes or so, I was so antsy just to get on the ground and to see my family again! Flor slept that whole flight, by the way, which is so great because she desperately needed it. We got in about 11:40 pm and Devin and Hallie were there at the airport to greet us. My cousin Sarah was kind enough to come sit with Jace so he could keep sleeping at home. Seeing Hallie and Dev was so, so great. Hallie ran right up to Flor and gave her a big hug. She was so excited to see her. I was sort of an afterthought, but I was okay with that. I was happy to see her excitement at seeing her sister. I won't go into details about my greeting with Devin because it will just gross you out since all it involved was a lot of hugging and kissing (Okay, are you sufficiently grossed out?) Oh, and he brought me flowers and a Flor a balloon that said "Welcome Home!" I love that man. Seeing Jace the next day was also great, though he did reject me the first little while. He was just confused, poor boy. Now he won't let me out of his sight and is super clingy. He remembered that I am his mama and he wants to be with me all the time, just like I want to be with him all the time.

The one bummer deal about getting home is that American Airlines lost one of my bags. It arrived the next evening at our house, though, so all is well. I was a bit panicked until it arrived, though, as I had stashed all of Flor's medical records, etc. in there. Note to others: Don't be dumb like me; instead always put all important records in carry-on luggage. Thank you.

Alright, that's enough of a way too long post. Here are some pictures.

Flor not sleeping on the first flight, but finally not screaming either. I was glad to take it!

loves between sisters

More loves. Don't worry, Flor's not mad. Okay, she was mad when I woke her up after we landed. She might just be getting over it here.

Anyone look like they have had a long day of traveling? Me Me Me!

Just cute. Their reunion was priceless.

And I just have to throw this in. Devin of course knows of my unhealthy love of Diet Coke, so he brought me one at the airport (It is NOT the same in Ecuador). My first reaction was, "When did they change the bottle?!" It is weird looking, yes? So fat and stuff. Apparently they haven't changed the bottle and my perceptions are just off. (I was gone for a while you know.) Other things that are weird? Driving, my huge house (okay it's not really huge, but it seems that way now), and hearing English all the time. Weird. All weird.

Ecuador Day 68

I just noticed that my computer has now changed everything back to English. Sad day. Okay, happy day really, but still a hint of sadness there too!

I am updating the blog from way up in the air. We are on our way home to SLC from Dallas right now and I thought that this was a great way to occupy my super frenzied/excited/emotional mind.

So yesterday. Friday, February 24-

Flor and I spent the morning at the OSSO house going crazy. MJ had told me that she was going to go sit in front of the judge's office starting at 8 am in order to get her to sign our salida. I kid you not, I called her every hour to try to get an update, but there continued to be no update. I was SO nervous. After all, if the judge was going to sign the thing, you'd think she would just do it first thing and get MJ off her floor. I don't know, I can't figure that woman out.

MJ finally told me (on one of my hourly calls) to come down to the courthouse area and sit at a little donut shop up the road because she was "almost done." I had no idea what that meant, but we were happy to have an excuse to get out of the house. The sitting was driving me crazy. We arrived at the donut shop at about 2:30. MJ didn't meet us there until 4. My anxiety increased with every passing minute. It was so agonizing. I had no idea what was going on and was about ready to go walk to the courthouse myself and cry to the judge- believe me, the tears would have come readily.

Well, MJ finally showed up and took her sweet time telling me the news that the judge had in fact signed our salida!!! YIPPPEEEEE!!! I clapped and jumped up and down right then and there. Oh, the weight lifted off my shoulders. Apparently it took so long because the judge was in a meeting of some sort for most of the day. Oh well, I was just glad it was done.

Flor and I then walked across the street to pick up a few items for the way home and to book our tickets. American Airlines has a booth in the mall there, so we stopped there first. The man we spoke to gave me bad news after bad news- first that there were no flights that would get me home until Sunday night at 11 pm (I wasn't having any of that) and second that the change fee was actually going to be $800 plus instead of the $350 we were told because we had to pay for the difference in fare costs too. Well, he sent me right into tears, the poor man. Talk about such a high to right back down in the matter of minutes. Oh, boy. You can all see how my emotions have been lately, eh?

I decided to just go to the Schinnerers apartment, which was nearby, and see if I could get a hold of an AA rep in the US who might give me better news. Well, I was successful on the first count. As I talked to her, she let me know that a seat had just opened up from Miami to Dallas-- which was the original problem flight. There had been one all along, but since Flor and I need two...So obviously Heavenly Father heard my pleas that I so desperately wanted to get home to my family. So grateful for that little miracle. The other news was not so pleasant-- as the cost of the fare differences plus our change fare ended up being a mere $1200. No big deal. Oh well, it's just funny money, right?

So, with the good news, Flor and I were off to eat with the Schinnerers and to say our goodbyes. We went to a new place in Quito called Jalapenos. The guy who runs it bought the recipes from Chipotle in the US...so needless to say it was a hit. Oh my, so good. It has only been open two weeks, but dang- we discovered it two weeks too late!

Saying goodbye to Jim, Robin, and Pablo was horrible. I have grown very attached to them and value their friendship so much. We are going to have to go to Oklahoma sometime soon to see them. I'm not even joking. It will be weird to not see them practically every day. It was a given that Robin and I would talk at least once per day and discuss our full schedules and what we might do to squeeze in time together. HA HA... just kidding. Really, though, they are incredible people. I have said this before and I will say it again, but a ginormous side blessing of this whole experience is the friendships that we gained with such choice people. When I say that, I include all the other families that we have met and gone through this process with. There are also others that I have become close to who are in the process of adopting from Ecuador and I consider them great friends too, though we have not yet met.  It's just so great to know such good people.

 I spent the evening packing our things and getting ready. Our flight this morning from Quito was at 11:10 am, which was nice so that we didn't have to get up in the middle of the night to get to the airport. We get in at 11:40 SLC time, supposedly. We'll see! I will write more about today's journey later.

Hallllllllelujah that we are finally to this point! What a journey it has been...

(P.S. I am super tired right now and a bit loopy, so reading back over this, there are some sentences that just don't seem "right." but i can't figure out what is wrong with them. So--- please forgive any disjointed or wacky thoughts. I promise I am smart- sometimes.)

Ecuador Day 67- Trip to Guayaquil

Apparently I never published my post from Wednesday. whoops. So there should be two now.

So far everything has gone just right this week, just like we had hoped! Yay! Now we are just waiting to hear from MJ that the judge has signed our salida and we can GO HOME. We are really praying that we get it today so that we can go home tomorrow.

Yesterday was an eventful day in Guayaquil. Flor and I left at 6:45 to be at the airport by 7. We had just enough time, with all the chaos at the airport, to get onto our flight at 8:15.

The flight was...interesting. It was only 35 minutes long, but Flor was not on her best behavior. Wish me luck on getting her home in one piece. She did not like being seat belted in and was sure to let me know. She kicked the chair in front of us quite often as well. Lovely. The stewardess was very nice, though, and brought a cup full of candies for Flor. Well, since Flor can't have sugar, guess who got the candies? Thank you, flight attendant.

We made it safely and proceeded to take a taxi to the US consulate. We met our lawyer, Sylvia, at the hotel next door (which was super duper fancy by the way). I had heard from other people that we needed to stash our bags at a locker nearby because the consulate won't let you in with them. I mentioned this to Sylvia (we were her first case) and she assured me that there would not be a problem. So, we followed her over to the consulate with my purse, plus a huge old red bag I had.

The guards made a huge production of checking everything in my bags, taking each item out one by one and laying them on a table. Meanwhile, they also checked all three of us with a scanner-thingy. After they had taken each and every item out of both bags and sufficiently made fun of me for all the things I had, they then put everything back in the bags and announced that I would not be able to take them in with me because they were too big. What?! So, what was the point of looking through everything if they were just going to tell me I couldn't bring them in?

We walked down the street to stash the bags in a locker place and as we did so, I pulled all the money out of my purse. It was then that I noticed that $40 was missing. So my only likely conclusion is that the guards took $20 each during their search. They could have easily pocketed it without my noticing. Its either that or someone stuck their hand in my purse while it was on my body, unzipped the zipper and took the money. Not nearly as likely.

Anyway, we then returned to the consulate and went in. The attorney had translated all necessary documents ahead of time to English and then had them notarized, but when we got there we noticed that the back of Flor's birth certificate was not translated. Ugh...so Sylvia had to run and find an internet cafe, translate it, and then go get it notarized. So that delayed things a bit. We were the last ones out of there-- and it was a packed building.

Flor and I then went and sat in the hotel next door to wait for the visa. We ate lunch there while we waited-- we had our choice of 4 different really fancy looking restaurants. We chose the one that looked "cheapest". It had a $28 buffet if that gives you any idea. We chose from the menu instead. :)

I am sure the people there were impressed with Flor's manners given this was a fine dining establishment, but we didn't really care. We enjoyed the food and took our time as we had time to burn. After, we sat in the lobby in super comfy couches until it was time to pick up the visa (I was hoping Flor would take a nap- but no). We returned at 2:30 and got the visa by 3, along with a huge sealed package that we are supposed to leave unopened until we get to the US customs on our trip home.

We had time to burn, so Flor and I decided to take a taxi to see the Temple in Guayaquil. I told the taxi driver that we wanted to see the Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He drove us to some building that looked like a courthouse. I told him that wasn't it- and then said the Temple of the Mormons. He then knew what we were talking about. :) It was close to the airport, which was nice. We walked around the grounds and took some pictures. It is beautiful and has a really nice view of the city. We stayed for only 20 minutes or so as we had to get back to the airport.


The flight home was just as good as the flight there, except that this time the flight attendants didn't provide me with any candy. Dang. Flor kept touching the man next to her and kicking the seat. Eeek. Spacial issues and personal boundaries are something we are really trying to work on and will need to continue to work on when we get home. She has no concept of strangers and wants to hug and touch everyone she sees. I can understand why this is so given that she never had one consistent care provider for all these years and that there have always been people in and out of the orphanages caring for her, so this is something that is going to take time. But it is something that I think is important- that she learn that we are her family and that her main source of affection will be from us. It will be hard when we are home because there are going to be so many people around all the time.

Anyway, once we landed, I tried hard to get a hold of MJ to see if she had any news about our salida. She never answered, which I took to mean no news. I heard this morning just that--nothing happened yesterday, though the judge did have the paper all day long. So- MJ is camping out today in front of her office to get that signature. Flor and I might join her this afternoon. The more the merrier, right? If she has to step over us every time she goes in and out, you'd think she would take the 2 seconds to sign the paper. Time will tell. I really hope it happens though as I have my mind set on going home tomorrow.

Here are some pictures from our day trip to Guayaquil:

The US Consulate. The US flag was such a welcome sight-- I can't even tell you. I even got a little emotional when I saw it, which is not generally like me!

Guayaquil is bigger than Quito and seems to be more modernized. It is also a heck of a lot hotter/more humid. I carried around my sweatshirt all day long-- bad idea to bring it!

There is a little river going through town...

And the temple! Also a welcome sight.

Self portraits are my favorite.

The temple is situated on a little hill, providing great views of that part of the city.

I took this picture a LOT of times. There isn't one where Flor would participate and look at the camera. Oh well.

On the flight home-- this is a view of Cotopaxi, I think, the volcano the Schinnerers visited with us a few weeks ago.

Coming into town! You can see the soccer stadium right out the window. Our first apartment was right behind it- so it was kind of fun to see a view from up in the air. We loved watching the planes fly by day and night through the window there.

And....that's it for now! Please, please, please continue to pray with us that the judge signs the salida today and that we will at last be home tomorrow! I'm so anxious...

Ecuador Day 66

Due to the huge overload of pictures from the last few days, today we are going to go without. There wasn't much to photograph today anyway, so it works out well.

It looks like things are progressing quickly now! Yay for such great news. So far, everything is on track for us to come home on Saturday, if not Friday (though I am telling myself Saturday so as to not be disappointed).

This morning, Flor and I met MJ at the doctor's office for Flor's appointment. Get this- there is only one doctor in this entire city of 3 million people who meets both Ecuador's guidelines and the US's guidelines to write medical reports for the visa/exit process. And, he just so happens to be a gynecologist. What the? We often joke with the Schinnerers that Pablo will be having his first (and hopefully last) appointment with a gyno for this process. Anyway, the doctor speaks English fluently, which was extra helpful. We arrived at 10 am for our appointment, along with probably 4 other people with appointments (including Terry, who is adopting little Geovanny. I didn't know they were going to be there, so that was a fun surprise.) No one came after us. It was odd. It was like they assigned all their morning clients the same time, not staggering appointments.

We were the last ones in. The doctor read all of Flor's medical reports, which took a while. He made some notes, copied a few of the reports, and then did his "exam". The exam consisted of checking Flor's heartbeat, listening to her breathe, and looking at her eyes. That's it. He also gave her one shot because she was missing one immunization. Flor cried during everything except the shot. Go figure. She was rather proud of herself after the shot, in fact, showing off her arm proudly. Hmmm.

We had told the doctor that I had an appointment with the consulate in Guayaquil tomorrow and he said that he would write the report right then and there, which was so nice of him. Flor and I waited for the report at the office (it only took maybe 15 minutes more) while MJ went to park herself at the office of the people issuing the article 23. Like I said before, she does have some good qualities and one of them is persistence. I can't say for sure what it is, but she has been very, very helpful lately and all over doing whatever she can to process our case faster. (Could it be the pressure she is getting from the consulate here??)

By the time we were done with the doctor's appointment, it was time for lunch and naps. During the afternoon, a sudden and rather violent bout of nausea hit me. I couldn't help but think that this is the worst timing ever. Remember how I was sick when we went to court, too?? What's with that!? (and I know you are all probably questioning something, so let me just make it clear-- I am not pregnant.) So, I rested away the afternoon while Flor watched Barney. Wahoo for Barney.

I got the call from MJ at about 5 pm that she had in fact received our Article 23. She said that she had sat there all afternoon and the visual reminder of her in the waiting room was enough to get it done. Hallelujah!! So Flor and I have officially booked tickets to Guayaquil and we will be there for most of the day tomorrow. If we are really lucky, the judge will sign our salida tomorrow and we can come home on FRIDAY. However, I am not going to tell myself Friday, but focus on Saturday instead. If it's not Saturday...well, I don't even want to go there.

Sorry for the late post-- I was working on it and then got caught up in a conversation with the Flake's- the Assistant directors here in Quito. They just returned from vacation and it was fun to chat with them. The last little bit is a rushed summary as I need to get to bed! Our wake up call will be rather early tomorrow! And- just for the record, I feel much better this evening. I have no idea what happened- it must have been something I ate. I am hoping the feeling well lasts!

Ecuador Day 65- Happy Carnival!

How about a bunch more pictures again today? Since you can't protest, here we go.

Today was a really fun-filled day due to the activities of Carnival. For me it also turned out to be an emotional day. Weird, I know. I am on such a roller coaster these days. Even little things make me emotional. For instance- the festivities of Carnival today quickly transported me back in time to 6 years ago when I was here as an OSSO volunteer. I was super nostalgic because we had our own Carnival wars and it is such a fun memory of mine. I am used to being nostalgic for Ecuador and that in turn used to lead me to being nostalgic for Flor....but now I have both! So why was it making me sad? I guess just because I miss the relationships with the volunteers from when I was here, too. Who knows? I am such a sappy person sometimes.

Anyway, Flor and I went for a walk this morning and then as we came back, Angel and Jenny were getting ready for a big Carnival party they were having. In the meantime, three volunteers were off shift and decided it would be fun to get the other girls as they were coming home from shift. For those that don't know, Carnival is generally celebrated here by throwing water, eggs, flour, shaving cream, etc. at others on the street (or in the house in the case of OSSO). :) The girls prepared some water balloons and some guns and Angel stood behind the door with the hose for when the rest of the girls came home. I helped by photographing the proceedings. This house, much like the OSSO house from when I was here, has a little roof that you can climb on, which was perfect so the girls could overlook the street and attack at the right time.

Preparation for the big event is essential. Here are the girls and Maibe climbing up to get ready.

All ready to attack! They got a few random passersby while waiting for the girls to come home. All is fair in the rules of Carnival...(okay, what rules?)

AND....the war is on! Lots of flour and water were used. Pretty fantastic fight. And better yet, I had immunity since I was carrying cameras. 

Soon after the girls' fight ended, the party guests started showing up. Well, let me just say that the Ecuadorians know how to party! It started at about 12:30 with a delicious lunch of shiskabobs, corn, potatoes, and cake. The volunteers left for their next shift at about 2, but by then the party was just getting started. The house was full of people (and this is a big house)-mostly people from the ward, but a few family members and neighbors too. After lunch, Flor and I went downstairs for a while while she napped, but the music upstairs was blaring and there was no doubt that the people were having a great time. We went back up after she woke up and watched the masses of people dancing around the house. The music was on full blast and everyone was having a fantastic time. I took a little video of all the dancing, but it is taking too long to upload, so you will just have to use your imagination.

I didn't dance--instead I sat in a chair and took a lot of pictures. :)

Soon the dancing wound down and the Carnival festivities were in full-swing! This was really hilarious to watch because it was the adults attacking the adults, for the most part. The kids kind of sat back and watched, but there was some serious water flying, flour throwing, shaving cream attacking going on.

Angel and Jenny were right in the middle of it, of course. Sorry some of the pictures are blurry--I was snapping too fast.

Jenny tried to retreat to the kitchen but was caught with huge laundry sized bucket of water. Poor thing! You should have seen the floor...

Filling up her own bucket for revenge

Most of the kids stayed out of it, but Maibe (in the purple) and her friend wanted in. I thought it was hilarious that Maibe was wearing a rain coat and boots. Haha!

Jenny from the rooftop getting these men good. The one in the blue shirt is in the Bishopric in the ward we have been attending here.

And of course the hose- the best weapon of them all!

At times, it became necessary to hide behind the side wall in order to avoid getting hit from the hose. Flor and I were up there taking pictures for a while, but then we got full-on shots from the hose, so we decided it was time to take the back route and retreat back into the house.

Flor and I left at about 5:30 to go to dinner at Papa John's with the Schinnerers and the Scotto's and the party was still in full swing. We got back about 7:15 and the party was just winding down. The crew had ordered pizza for dinner. Talk about a par-tay!

Dinner was good tonight, as usual. We enjoy seeing our friends and spending time with them.

I came home and Skyped with my mom as well as Devin. The kids seem to be doing fine, but I just miss them so much. My sister had Hallie all day today, so hopefully she wasn't too wild. My cousin Cortney had Jace while my mom worked and I also hope he was okay. We are really appreciative of everyone and all the help they have given us. It means so much. But, I am so ready to be home and taking care of my own kids. I feel bad that they have had to be bounced around so much, even though I know they are in good hands. Devin will meet my mom halfway tomorrow to pick them up, so that will be nice as I know he is missing them, too. I just really, really want to be able to come home this Saturday so that I can see the kiddos and my husband again. How great will it be to have our whole family complete again? I can't wait. I get emotional just thinking about it.

Ecuador Day 64

Today will best be summed up by a whole lot of pictures. Get ready.

Flor and I went out this morning with two of the volunteers here, Lina and McKenzie. Lina returns home to Canada tomorrow and wanted to do a last little bit of sightseeing before she left and McKenzie had the shift off. Of course Flor and I have nothing to do, so we were game. We decided to go see the Panecillo, which is, in my personal opinion, one of the uglier statues in the city. But, it is also the largest and is situated on a hill such that it overlooks the whole city. I have some fond and some not-so-fond memories of the angel seeming to peer into the windows at SVP during the night shifts when I was here as a volunteer.

Anyway, we found our way to the Panecillo and enjoyed touring around. You can pay $1 to walk up to a landing at the base of the Panecillo. Each level on the way up has some tidbits of information about the building of the statue. The top has some amazing view of the city, so of course I got a lot of pictures. 

This is Flor on the inside of the Panecillo on our way up.

Flor is best friends with whoever she meets- and these two were no exception! Lina on the left and McKenzie on the right. Lina volunteered here for the past month. She left her husband at home to run their family business and came on her own. Pretty neat seeing as most of the volunteers here are single girls in their late teens or early 20's. McKenzie is from a little town near Rupert, ID, so we know a lot of the same people. Small world!

My attempts to get a cute picture of Flor on the hill overlooking the city were mostly in vain. I did get a few where she is actually looking at the camera and kind of smiling. I'll take it!

After the Panecillo, we went to the Artesian (yes, I promised I wouldn't ever go again, but Lina wanted to pick up a last few things. I didn't buy anything, I promise!) While there, we ran into a pair of sister missionaries. One was from Bolivia and the other from Panama. It was fun to talk to them for a minute and they were kind enough to pose for a picture for me.

This afternoon, Flor, Lina and I went to the Supermaxi to pick up some more diapers for Flor and that was the extent of the fun of our afternoon. It was pouring rain all afternoon otherwise we would have gone on a walk. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

Ecuador Days 62 and 63

Saturday, February 18-
The day was another slow one. Flor and I spent the morning at home and then went to the park in the afternoon with Terry and her little guy Geovanny and the Schinnerers. Do you think the Schinnerers are getting sick of us yet? :) Flor got to jump on a trampoline at the park (50 cents- well worth it).  She loves to bounce on her knees on trampolines, so that was fun for her. I was busy talking to the other women when the trampoline guy came over and said, "umm... is that your daughter? She is sleeping." Sure enough, Flor had plum had enough and was laying down on the trampoline, never mind that the other children continued to jump, causing her whole body to bounce up and down with them. Needless to say, trampoline time was then over for her.

After Terry and Geovanny left to return to their apartment, Robin and I walked across the street to the Supermaxi to get more minutes on our phones (yes- AGAIN) and I also needed conditioner. The man who checked us out spoke perfect English. It was almost weird for me to actually be able to converse with someone in a store normally. I think getting home is going to be almost a reverse culture shock. I'm looking forward to it.

And...that sums up the excitement from yesterday! Wahoo. I got to talk to my mom and the kids for a while, which is always nice. They went bowling yesterday. Apparently Hallie is having a really great time with Sadie. I can only imagine.

Here are a few pictures my mom sent me and then some from our day here.

I don't think her face accurately shows how she was really feeling.

Helping my mom make red velvet brownies. Lucky.

Cute grand-girls, minus Flor. Hallie, Brooklyn, and Sadie.

Cute girl on the trampoline.

Getting a little nap in on the ball.

Such a cutie. We got these cute hats at the artesian for $2.50. Gotta love that. Flor liked it (for a while). 

Sunday, February 19-
Well today was another typical Sunday. Flor and I went to church this morning. She was on much better behavior this week, which is always good. I really, really enjoyed Sunday School (the English part, remember). The small group seems to foster really good discussions. I learned things and felt that the discussion was particularly helpful to me. It was one of those situations where I didn't really even know I needed the extra spiritual boost, but came away feeling so much better.

The rest of the day has been spent hanging out here at the house. We had a really delicious dinner, prepared by one of the OSSO girls (they take turns cooking on Sundays). She made taco soup, which generally isn't even one of my favorites, but today for some reason it tasted really delicious (okay let's be honest, she had shredded cheddar cheese from the US to go on top. That's why I loved it.No need to discuss my obsession with cheddar cheese right now.) She also had corn bread, salad, and lemon bars. Best meal I have had in a while.

I got to Skype with the kids and my mom again this evening, which was really great, other than the fact that Hallie wouldn't say much to me. She is too busy and having too much fun. Jace, on the other hand, grinned and said "hola, hola!" I miss that stink. Poppy (Dave- my mom's husband) also taught him to regular crawl. Hmmmm...not that we haven't tried that before! But, I guess all the floors are concrete here and not as conducive to comfortable crawling. He has been army crawling for a long time, but Dave taught him to crawl on his hands and knees in one day. Way to go, Poppy! Of course I also Skyped with Devin a few times today too. I sure miss him and can't wait to have this dang separation over with. This week, hopefully, this week!

Ecuador Day 61

Today started early again. MJ picked us up at 9:30 after dropping off our papers for our Article 23. We went first to the passport place to get Flor's passport. Well, all was fine and dandy right up until we got to the front desk. At that point, the man checked all of our documents and as he was looking at the Power of Attorney for Devin, he noticed that Devin's name was "Devin Like Perry" throughout instead of Devin Luke Perry. UGH. My heart immediately sunk to the floor. MJ's death glares and repeated "did you not read the paper?!?" didn't help. (Yes, we take blame for this, but I also wanted to say back to her "did you not read the paper??" since she had it in her possession for 3 weeks and we could have fixed the error before Devin left. So- the man refused to let us proceed with the passport due to the error. I immediately started crying, thinking that Flor and I were going to be here for ages. My next step was to pray with everything I had that something would happen to help us be able to proceed.

Well, one really great quality that MJ has is that she is insanely persistent. She won't take no for an answer. So, without any permission, we marched on up to the second floor of the passport office looking for the director. The director was not in, but MJ found someone else willing to listen to our plight. She convinced this man that he should allow us to get Flor's passport, despite the error. I have no doubt that a miracle happened today. We were able to get Flor's passport- and MJ even marched us to the front of the line to get in and out. She just does that. So...that was a huge relief. We were then supposed to be have a doctor's appointment for Flor (required for the visa), but as we were leaving the passport office, the office called and said that since we were so late, we would need to reschedule for Wednesday (remember Mon and Tue are holidays). MJ did her best pleading/whining/begging and gave me the phone at one point to tell the lady that I insist upon talking to the doctor myself. Well, all to no avail. The lady wouldn't budge. We were late and that was that. Big bummer there-- this makes things a little tighter for getting out of here, but I really am holding out hope that we will be home next weekend still.

We have the doctor's appointment at 7:30 am on Wednesday and if our Article 23 is ready, we could still go to Guayaquil that day. However, since I never heard that our Article 23 was ready today, I am betting it will also be done Wednesday and we will go to Guayaquil Thursday instead. That leaves just Friday for the Judge to sign the Salida. Also, the judge requires the Power of Attorney to sign the Salida, apparently, so we really need to pray that she does not make it an issue. If all goes well, w could then come home Saturday. I am really hopeful that can happen. I wish we didn't have the two days of holidays to deal with as things wouldn't be so tight, but I really hope it can still work.

I feel like I have been more aware of God's hand in this process the last few days and I am grateful for that. I know that even when it doesn't seem like He is there or listening to me, He is. I was very aware of that today with the resolution of the passport without major problems. I have also felt that this extra time here has been a big blessing for Flor and I in her relationship and that we have been having break-throughs we both need. If I had been in charge, I would have chosen to go home with Devin, but I know that His timing has allowed extra gifts and blessings we might not otherwise have. One extra special thing from the last few days is that Flor is starting to say "mama". It is so sweet. It is the only thing she can really say, but she is so proud of herself when she says it (obviously so am I!)

Anyway, this afternoon was spent with the Schinnerers going to the Santa Clara Market and then to the Artesian again. I am really done this time! I forbid myself from going there any more times before we leave. In both places quite a few people asked me where my other kids are. I expected that from our regular ladies at the fruit and vegetable market. The one who just loved Jace asked me where he was and I told her that he had returned home with Devin. I told her that I really miss him and she said "I really miss him, too!" It was sweet. We went upstairs to look at wooden spoons and platters and some ladies up there who I did not recognize asked where the kids were. haha. We must have left our mark.

We then walked to the Artesian and spent an hour or so there. A girl that I again didn't recognize, came up to ask where my little girl is. So cute. Everyone is concerned about them and about us getting home.

That about wraps up the day...though here are a few pictures for your enjoyment!

Wooden spoons, platters, rolling pins-- whatever you desire. Robin and I were on our way up when we noticed that we had left Jim and Pablo behind. Jim is a shopper like me (here at least)-- slow, looking at everything, stopping all the time. We "lost" him quite a few times today during our time out and about.

I don't know if I posted this before, but just in case I didn't, here it is. If you want to worship while you are at the market, there is a shrine for doing so. It feels odd to watch someone going through something so personal as you walk by.

OH--- and here we go! Carnival time! We saw a lot of signs of it today in both market. Silly string fights, shaving cream, water...oh the fun begins!

Okay, these two were the most adorable, ever. They sell all this stuff plus more of the wooden spoons, etc. The little old man was kind enough to demonstrate how to hit your spouse with the spoon if needed. He cracked himself up--it was hilarious. I think it made their day that we wanted their picture. I asked if the woman is his wife and he said, "no she is my 'Patrona'!" Everyone cracked up. We couldn't figure out what he means? Anyone have any enlightenment??

On our walk to the Artesian, we passed a little park with a semi-circle of statues of these men. No idea who they are, but we had quite the good time posing for pictures with them. We joked that I found myself a substitute husband since Devin is gone. This one is just shorter, a tad bit on the elderly side, and not nearly as handsome as my real one. Oh, and a bit cold.

Alright, there's the report for today. Continued prayers for things to go smoothly next week are much appreciated.

Oh, Hallie and Jace went home today with my mom to Idaho until next Wednesday so she can watch them. I hope that they behave! I am sure Hallie will love her time there and will probably have a hay day playing with Sadie. We appreciate everyone's help with the kids while I have been here. We feel blessed that we have not had to worry about their care; they have always been in good hands.