Time flies...

We have been back in Guatemala for 8 days and we have barely slowed down long enough to even consider trying to reflect on all that has happened and all of the emotions and memories we have already experienced!

It didn't occur to me what a very different trip this would be than our last trip when all of my focus and energy and emotion were about taking care of two small children and doing anything possible to bring them both home safely.  I think blogging then was a lifeline, as I know it was for many of the other amazing women and families we met along the way.  Now, we are just on vacation.  An amazing vacation with plenty of it's own emotions attached to it, but it is completely different to be here with children who are able to be a part of the beauty of this place and to have Keith with us... I had no idea I could grow to love this place even more than before because I am able to enjoy it and see it in such a different light!

For those who were lucky enough to know Alfredo and Claudia Gonzalez, you will know what a treat it was to arrive in Guatemala City after a very long day to be greeted at the airport by smiling Alfredo simply because he believes that you should be greeted by a friendly face when you arrive into a new country.  We couldn't ask for a kinder welcome.

After a night at the Grand Tikal, we were escorted to Antigua by Carlos... who we immediately knew we could have too much fun with!  Our home here is lovely and we felt at home immediately.  Naturally, we explored Antigua and found some old and familiar haunts and had some fun getting lost and navigating our way through the streets and vendors.  The smells and sounds and sights are just as we remembered, with some changes that seem to be a result of the closing of adoption in Guate.  Regardless, we were here and Lucy, at long last, was and feeling parts of her first home and learning to put all those photographs from home into this now real scene that she can make her own claim to know.

We were thrilled to spend a day with Lucy's foster family which included her foster mother and three of her four children.  Alfredo joined us for this reunion, and it was a truly lovely day.  We spent a long time at the GC Zoo and then took our time together at a lunch that allowed us to talk and to share stories about Lucy and the amazing girl she has grown to become.  M warmed our hearts very deeply by her comments that Luciana was a happy and healthy little girl and she could see the love of our family.  The moment when M first saw Lucy upon exiting the car, she scooped her up and covered her with kisses to Lucy's great joy!  It was such an important day to our family and it brought us so much happiness to be able to reunite with someone we have such adoration for.

So... much... more.  More friends, more stories, more adventures to come.  For now... today's adventure:

So Many Changes...

Wow!  I have been away from Blogger for awhile... three years!  There have been some changes, not the least of which is our family!  While I relearn the nuances of Blogger, I have to refrain from strolling down memory lane and rereading the moments recorded here that lead to the family we are today!  You, however, if you are checking in to follow our upcoming trip, please feel free to relive the stories... I think the first posts are the most important on our journey, and I will be checking back myself... all the way to the beginning, once I learn the new ways of Blogger.

I have logged back on for the purpose of journaling our upcoming trip to Guatemala.  It is with a joyful heart that we return to a place so dear to us and has lead to buckets full of reflection and planning.  Luciana was just a little more than 8 months old when we brought her home.  Her only memories of Guatemala exist because of photographs from our time there over 5 years ago.  This is huge.  Sam, on the other hand, has wonderful memories and can not wait for his little sister to share in the beauty and memory making.  Keith and I are packing and planning and excited and nervous and thrilled and... ya.  So, come along for the ride if you wish... we'd love to share the journey.

Summer of Smiles

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Summer Memories

Today is my 35th birthday.  I am sitting in bed surrounded by handmade cards, flowers, and empty plates where eggs and toast were only moments ago.  The house is empty, and I have been left too "relax".  My birthday has always marked the end of summer and the beginning of a season of change.  This year is no different, but it is (to me) noteworthy because it will be a summer I will always, always remember.  The weather could not have been more beautiful, and my children could not have been better ages and spirits for enjoying just exactly what summer vacation was created for.  Put simply, we had a blast!  So, as we head into 3rd grade, preschool, and a new job (school librarian, btw) for mama, I can stamp this moment with gratitude, awe, and a sentimental sigh. 

Knowing only too well that this "relaxing" moment will come to close shortly, I am going to leave a sampling of those summer memories in the form of pics via the iphone in a post to follow.

Happy fall to all!  As the leaves begin to change, I feel a real peace for my own little family and our place in the world.  Life is good.

Love, love, love...

Loook Who...

is almost 3!!

In one moment tonight, I had a helmet, a crown, a pair of goggles, a magic wand, and a truck in my hands from the litter of the day's comings and goings, and in the quiet of routine, a lump of gratitude rose in my throat as I placed each treasure away for the night.  I love my life.

Memories

Today... or tomorrow... or midnight?!?! 

FOREVER FAMILY DAY!! 

We became a Forever Family on February 29 (Leap Year!) 2 years ago!  I love this day.  After all the ups and downs and tears and hopes, the one moment when Keith walked into our little apartment in Antigua and wrapped his arms around all of us to begin our life as a family of four... forever... it takes my breath away each time I think of it.  I love that we have this special day that is all ours to take time to appreciate how we came to be a family.  I took out the albums I made of our time in Guatemala... they begin with the night before Sam, Mom and I flew to Guate, and end with the "Welcome Home" pics back here in snowy Maine.  We sat together and read through them like our own family fairy tale.  It's our story, and I love to remember it. 

Much love.

Happy New Year~2010

Growing Up...

Luciana is 2 1/2 years old now... 2 1/2 years of stinkin' cuteness. She is a live wire, constantly talking, constantly moving, and constantly getting her cute little self into worlds of trouble! If she is not coloring on the walls and furniture, she is turning somersaults in the living room while singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider for all of our entertainment. She is such an affectionate little thing; hugging is a big deal around here! Potty training is the other big deal these days... involving many hours sitting, singing Blue's Clues, and clapping to encourage her new talent! Now that Lucy is talking (and talking, and talking, and talking), we take great joy in her adorable phrases and pronunciations. She has so many funny names for things that are so close to the real thing they just make you smile. I always say it, but I really do have to start to write some of them down. My favorite phrases currently all happen at bedtime...

L: Is it goodnight moon time, Mama?
B: Yes, it is goodnight moon time.
L: OK.
L: Goodnight moon. I love you, I do. Goodnight Mama. I love you, I do. Goodnight Daddy. I love you, I do. Goodnight Sammy. I love you, I do. (She goes on to include grandparents, friends, teachers, and stuffed animals!!! ACK! CUTE!!)

I remember when Lucy was a baby, people would always ask us if she was "that happy all the time"... and she was. Then she wasn't. We definitely went through a phase that was rather ugly with our little princess. She was a screamer... car screamer, bed screamer, dinner screamer, etc. I remember thinking how frustrated she must be to not have the words to tell us what she needed and wanted. It was so clear to us that she really understood us and the world around her, but she took awhile to be able to tell us her own thoughts. In time, the words came, and with it went the screaming... well, most of it. Sam could probably get a good shout out of her quickly! The Lucy we wake up to now is a much happier, spirited little girl, and has that same twinkle in her eye that we remember from our first moments together. She is also fiercely independent, fearless, and stubborn for sure, but more that anything, she is happy and sweet and full of an infectious love that melts our hearts daily.

Since Lucy started talking, life has been a waterfall of newness.... colors, counting, ABC's, songs, stories, pretend playing... and even the occasional "knock knock" joke she lifts from her brothers repertoire! She is a sponge and a siv all at once... absorbing everything just to turn around and share it with us. What fun! Other updates include her move to a toddler bed after too many jail breaks from the crib... our girl is a climber! She really loves her little bed, and we love our return to a full nights sleep... most nights!

Lucy provides us with daily stories of the adventures of a talking, running, giggling toddler. She has such a love of life, and we count our blessings for both of our wonderful children every day. Because blogging has taken such a back seat since returning to work (oh, and living with a 2 year old), I feel so inadequate in my attempt to summarize all the ways Lucy has grown up and all the tiny little facets that contribute to who she is in this one post. But, for now, I feel a little better that some of her flavor is recorded here... and how delicious she is!

Much love.

Sweet Faces

The Sammy-Man

Oh, what an old and familiar feeling. Laptop open, GMA in the background, coffee at my side... Sam and Lucy taking in the first lazy morning of school vacation watching Mickey Mouse... ahhhhh. The temptation is to recap a million tiny moments over that last several months that I have been unable to update, but I think I'd rather just begin with the present.

I have often imagined that I have enough material on "The Things Sam Says" to write a column for some cutesy parenting magazine, but I never get too far gone that I don't remember that I am his mother and may, possibly, just maybe be a tad partial... and I'd have to be a better writer! Even still, he does say just the most hysterical and lovely things, and I have got to start writing them down more often... I could never remember each one, and the day may come that he is done sharing his wonderful imagination so openly with me. (Please, no!)

As long as I can remember, and since he could first speak in full sentences, Sam has contemplated the age old questions, "What will I be when I grow up?" It is clear to him, as it should be at the wise age of 7, that the possibilities truly are endless. In the past several months, he has pondered a undiscriminating variety of career possibilities. Last week, after drudging through a local tree farm and helping Daddy cut down the family Christmas Tree, Sam asked, "Mom, do you think I could be a tree-cutting-man when I grow up?" What is a tree-cutting-man exactly? Well, the tree-cutting-man would be the person who helps families find the perfect Christmas tree for their family, of course. Yes, Sam. I think you could be a tree-cutting-man, and I think you would be the absolute best tree-cutting-man ever! You see, it is so easy to support his dreams because he is so sincere, so dreamy, and so passionate about making this important decision... and because they never last more than a day!

Sam drives with me to school every day. We have about a 30 minute commute, which provides ample time for a second grader to ponder his potential in life. I am often thankful that Sam sits behind me and can not see my face, which is almost always in a permanent and ridiculous grin. Last week, Sam began his familiar thought process:

Mom, do you think I could be a "Music-Man" like Daddy when I grow up?

Absolutely, Sam. I think you would be an amazing "Music-Man".

Well, do you think I should play the guitar like Daddy?

If you want to, buddy. What do you think?

Well, I think I'd really like to play the piano. Or the drums.

I mean, I could decide to play the guitar, I think Daddy would like that.

And probably James will play the piano because he is on Book 2, and I am only on Book 1.

And probably Nate will play the drums because he likes to bang on things.

So, I guess I will play the guitar after all,

but I better start practicing more.

(All said in about three breaths... )

The very next day, Sam told me that he would like to be a "Forest-Man". This one was a bit involved, but I have to at least summarize. A Forest-Man is one of Sam's many philanthropic personalities. As a Forest-Man, Sam would spend his days and nights walking through the forest looking for people who do not have homes of their own. (I have no idea how thoughts like this hatch in my child's wonderful day dreams, but oh how I love him for it!) So, there he would be, wandering the forests of the world in search of people who need a warm place to live. It would be his job to help them make a home from the trees in the forest and learn how to find food to survive. The details of his Forest-Man lifestyle were so well thought out, right down to what gear he would need in his pack, to the "why" of it all. Full heart, swelling lump in my throat, I smile and nod as he plots out the details of saving the world. As I said, it may only last a day... especially if there is a Patriots game on, because he will naturally have decided to be a Quarterback-Man by morning....

...until the next day's drive to school. Which could be... the "golf-man" day? Or a day he decides he'd like to be the president-man? It might be a day he'd dream of being a "hip-hop guy", or a "fisher-man", or a "numbers-guy" like Daddy?? His fantasies range from the bottom of the ocean studying sea animals to beyond the moon naming new constellations, often finding ways to help others along the way... and I am just thank my lucky stars (maybe the one's Sam will name in my honor!) that I can tag along for the ride.

There Once Was a Bug and a Ninja...

A Little Halloween Fun at Sam's Request

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Pics... for anyone who checks in on our little neglected blog!

Sweet girl. Lucy is getting so big and talking up a storm. She loves "school", her teachers and her friends... she is as happy today as the very first day we held her in our arms. Lucy is full of life and has the most lovely way of putting a smile on anyone's face.

First day of school for Beth, Sam and Luciana!

The first day is always bitter sweet, but everyone has done a great job of settling in and getting into a great routine. School has been great this year... for all of us!

Waiting for Coach Daddy and Super Star Sammy at soccer!

Up, up, up and away! Sam's 7th birthday (August) was at a rock gym. The kids had a blast!

Keith on the first day... ha, ha! We take the first day picture tradition very seriously! No one gets out of it!

Fall apple picking. Next... pumpkins! Maybe I'll get those pics up by Christmas!

Much love.

A Little of This, A Little of That... Summer Moments

I have had camera sadness this summer....my "old faithful" has been unreliable, and I have not snapped as many moments this summer as I would have loved to. Luckily, my phone snaps a decent pic on occassion. I was just scrolling down the camera roll on my phone and thought it would be fun to post a medley of images from these lazy days...


Maybe "lazy days" isn't the right way to put it??

Much love!

The Many Ways We Love Our Children

Please visit these two blogs and take some time to hold your babies a little closer after you do...

The first: My FRIEND Donna... mother to two bea-u-ti-ful twin boys full of yummy deliciousness, became a family in their own heartwarming (heartbreaking at times) journey, living a life full of some of the greatest, cry-your-eyes-out-from-laughing stories... I honestly love this woman and her family, have had the honor of meeting them and knowing their hearts in person, and am so stinkin' proud of her for her most recent post that I want you all to go read it immediately... click Donna. While you are there, and after you put down the tissues, take time to read back over some of the adventures of Austin and Logan, if you can take your eyes off their gorgeous smiles long enough... I often can't! You will be so glad you did!

Second: Dawn When you read Donna's post (above link) you will know what I know of Dawn and her family and you will know what to do.... be there for them the way that we were there for each other. I am so grateful to Donna for sharing Dawn's journey with us, and after wiping away buckets of tears, I felt joyful because I (selfish, selfish) believe we are going to be able to share in a BIG JOY! I also feel we may each learn a little something from this family's strength and grace. Take a minute, meet Dawn's family, and send some blog-love! They are a remarkable family, that is already clear to me. Let's lift them up folks!

Much love.

Beachy Moments

Front yard fun before heading to the beach... isn't this a funny angle?!

Surf's up!  

Buried Alive!

Sleepy girl.

Loving every minute of it! This child LOVES beach days!

"The End"

We had three great days of beach outings with friends.  Sam and Luciana had a blast in the sun, sand, and waves.  Summer has found us at last!  

Love.

Happy 4th!

Pee On The Potty!

This just in! Luciana went pee on the potty for the first time! She was completely unimpressed with our hoots and hollars, but we are pretty pumped anyway! Can summer vacation get any more exciting???

Would You Deny This Face a Party?