THE "LONG" JOURNEY

Legacy of an adopted child

2008-08-13T19:26:00.001-04:00

LEGACY OF AN ADOPTED CHILD
Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother

Two different lives shaped to make you one
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it
The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name
One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried you tears

One made an adoption plan, that was all that she could do
The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.

Now, which of these two women, Are you the product of?
Both, my darling, Both, Just two different types of love.

Unknown

Just pics and updates

2008-08-10T21:20:00.005-04:00

Not to much going on around here. We have finally gotten things in order to have Jazlynn Baptized. We were able to combine that with her birthday so people from out of town only have to come once.. We are very happy about that. Just gonna post some pictures.. Hope you enjoy them.

It has gotten hot here in the upstairs so we had to bring Randi Jo's Guinea pig downstairs. Jazlynn has discovered her and loves to stand and talk to her. so cute.

Finally she will take a bath without screaming. She loves it now.
This is one of Daddy's favorite pictures.. With her little pigtails.
Just being gorgeous.. Can you tell how easily it comes to her.
I took this picture the day she turned 11 months. She is getting so big.
This is Diego. He is the new puppy we bought in March. Little did we know how big he was going to get. He is only 7 months old here in this picture. he is gonna be a monster. The kids named him for the cartoon.. I think it is fitting though since he will be Jazlynn's dog.

I almost always rock Jazlynn to sleep at night.. But sometimes during nap or while I am off she will fall asleep on the floor.. I love taking pics of her sleeping.. Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby.
Rough Day!
She is the best.

One Amazing little boy!!!

2008-08-03T13:19:00.004-04:00

I was cruising the web the other day and ran into this blog.. What an amazing little boy he is.. I am going to spend the week working with my daycare and my own children and we are going to send him some mail.. Take a min and read up on his blog. There is an address at the top where you can send him a card.. If you have time take a min and mail him a letter to help keep his spirits up. He will need it over the next few months I am sure..
http://bringingisaachome.blogspot.com

Zoo Trip

2008-07-30T11:16:00.005-04:00

My friend,Paula,Randi Jo and Myself was able to take Jazlynn to the zoo on Saturday. I was worried she may be to young to enjoy it.. I had nothing to worry about. She had a blast.. She only fussed one time.. That was when Randi took her away from the fish tank. With Randi Jo being gone so much of the time it was really good to see her have the time to bond with her also.

Randi Jo and Jazlynn on the carousel. As you can see Jazlynn loved this..
Jazlynn didn't like the feel of the hedgehog.. But she also touched a snake and lizard those she liked.

I thought she would be afraid of this frog.. But she wasn't.. she is so laid back and calm..he didn't even phase her.

First thing she did when Randi Jo put her down was grab the goats ear.
Second thing... was try to climb on it's back just like she does to her puppy Hailey at home. No fear

pictures

2008-07-20T22:23:00.004-04:00

Thought I would post the pictures I had taken of her.. They are all so amazing. She is just such a beautiful girl. We are all just so thankful for being given the chance to raise her. Enjoy them..

WOW! What a month!

2008-07-16T21:15:00.004-04:00

Well I know it has been a long time again.. SO much has happened in the last month. To start Joe's Aunt very unexpectly passed away. It really took a toll on his family. They had no more than recouped from that, and started to get back to some kind of normal when his 16 year old brother had a very serious car accident. To make a long story short.. He will be okay,but will probably need the rest of the summer to get back to himself again. He is a very very lucky boy to even be alive.

Now to Jazlynn. She is doing amazing. I still can not believe she has adjusted so well... I waited and waited for the withdrawls from her foster parents. It just has not come.. We still cam with them every Saturday evening and she loves seeing them, but she doesn't cry or fuss... Such a good girl.

The 4th of July was great. she wouldn't even blink during the fireworks. she loved every min of them. I remember when Justin and Randi Jo were little they screamed through them.
She isn't growing to much she has gained 6 ounces since she came home and is the same length. She is totally healthy though so she can stay little as long as she wants.
She has stolen the kids hearts. Whenever she hears Justins voice she is on a mission to find him.

So now I will get on with some pictures.

She is always happy just like this picture. unless she is tired.
This is her just simply "perfect" picture.
She has learned to pull herself up on things.. walk around things and even climb the stairs. and I will try my hardest to get a video of the dog helping her onto the couch.

Playing outside at Grandma and Grandpas on Mommy and Daddy's anniversary.
With Justin outside at her water table. Daddy did her hair this day. Isn't it cute?
First horseback ride at Grandma and Grandpas. She loves animals of any kind. The size of the horse didn't bother her at all.
She LOVES her water table..
This is her serious look.. She is just precious...

Well hopefully I haven't lost all my readers.. I will post the professional pictures we had taken of her soon. and Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I will be able to catch up on my blog reading.

Updates

2008-06-20T09:17:00.006-04:00

Okay.. I know it has been FOREVER since I updated the blog.. I have been informed that I must continue to keep it up.. So I will try to bring you all back up to date.

We left Guatemala on the 6th of June. Saying good-bye was horrible, as we all knew it would be. We are going to try to go back around Christmas time. At least Randi Jo and I are going to.

Since we have been home Jazlynn has adjusted amazingly. We still can not believe how well things have gone. She is still on the same sleep schedule,she is eating well and I do think she is getting tired of all the different people holding her and making over her. She has gotten to the point where she looks for me and whimpers whenever they are holding her. Considering the amount of people who have been here that is only to be expected..

I will try to do better at updating.. but for now here are some pictures . They are in no particular order as I can not figure this upload thing out.

This is Jaz at home. her favorite thing to do is dump the toys and sit in the middle of them all. This was Daddy's first day doing her hair. Isn't it cute?
She is just being cute here.. It really isn't a hard thing for her.

At the hotel in Guatemala.
Jaz loves these puffs. It didn't take her long to figure out how to open them.

Jaz sitting with Bandar. She loves him. It was fairly easy for her to wrap him around her finger.

This is my favorite dress of hers.. Aunt Beckah bought it for her. She was getting ready for the Dr. The Dr said she is doing great. She is right exactly where she needs to be. There are still some concerns about her eye. We have known this since she was 2 months old. so it was no big shock.. The Dr is also concerned about her head size. It is way to small. She is sure it is because of the shapeing of it. But we will wait until she is a year old for both issues to see if they correct themselves if they haven't by then she will have to see a specialist. These are both minor things we are not to worried about yet.

Here is Jazlynn at the airport with her cousins,Sammy and Preston. I wish we had gotten a picture of her outfit. Randi Jo bought it for her. It said "Are these people really my relatives?" Too cute..

Video

2008-06-04T00:35:00.003-04:00

I just took this video and just had to share it.. Hope you all enjoy it. Can't wait to get her home so you can all see her.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Antigua and Embassy Day!

2008-06-03T23:33:00.011-04:00

Well I really don't even know where to start. It has been a very busy last few days. On Sunday we all went to Antigua. Jose,Adriana,Maria Jose and Grandma and of course our whole family.

We had a wonderful time. Lots of fun.. Even Justin who didn't even want to come to Guatemala loved it. He is still lots shyer than Randi Jo but he had fun. Randi Jo ,of course, has adopted everyone she has seen.. We have the international Futbol teams staying here at the hotel. I think there is around 10 different teams here. Well the USA team invited her to come watch them play Wed. or Thurs. I haven't decided weather we are going or not...

We spent yesterday after the embassy appt at the mall.. Seems it is coler here than I had planned on. I did not bring enough long pants for Jazlynn and all the shoes I brought are to small so we had to make some purchases. But we are all taken care of now.

Tomorrow Erick and his friend Diego are going to the zoo with us. (maybe Maria Jose as well) then tomorrow evening we are going to supper with Adriana and Jose. So another busy day planned.

I am posting three days of pictures. So sorry there are so many but I think they are well worth the wait..

For those who have been waiting to see.. This is the quilt I made for Adriana. It is the first one I have ever made,so it didn't turn out perfect but it was ok.

This is the kids with Estuardo from the marriott, He is the best! He has been more than helpful for everyone of my stays. Very knowledgeable. Speaks very good english. He was wonderful with the kids.

Getting ready for Embassy Day! If I look American they'll have to let me in!
Aren't I just the cutest thing ever? Lovin that smile.
Standing against my Daddy!

Jose,Justin,Randi Jo and Maria Jose in Antigua
Justin was in Heaven exploring all of the ruins. If he could climb it or crawl in it he was happy.

Jazlynn on top of the hill overlooking Antigua.

Jazlynn first thing in the morning. WOW this hair has issues.

Jose at the Jade Factory
Adriana and Joe being goofy. The little boy beside them was precious. He was shining shoes and saw the pictures being taken so he wanted in them. we have lots of pictures of him. So adorable.. I wanted to bring him along.
Grandma getting a face massage at the Macadamian plantation (something like that). All of us girls got them. it was cool

Jose showing Randi Jo how it is done.
Maria Jose and Randi Jo. We all had a laugh at their expense. Maria Jose doesn't speak english and Randi Jo doesn;t speak Spanish,but they didn't shut up all day. No one would have ever known. They had a great day.

They are both beautiful girls..

We have arrived!!!

2008-05-31T21:55:00.005-04:00

We arrived here yesterday morning without any issues. The kids loved the flight and have been more than fascinated with everything since we arrived... Jose and Adriana brought Jazlynn about 8 last night. She is beautiful as always. So much smaller in person than on the camera. She is still the happy baby we have seen everytime. She is in love with her brother and sister. Joe spent half the morning teaching her to say Da Da and guess what? Just out of the blue she said it and hasn't stopped yet.. She is crawling also slowly but she gets there.

Here are a few pictures to get you started. Beautiful as always.
I am in love with these eyes. Isn't she amazing?
Randi Jo and Jazlynn playing in the baby lounge today.

Jazlynn with Jose today in the baby lounge. They stopped over for a couple hours tonight. We are going to Antigua in the morning so maybe tomorrow night I will have more pics.

NEW PICTURES!!!

2008-05-20T11:53:00.003-04:00

Jose sent us pictures over the weekend.. They went to a birthday party and these are the pics of Jazlynn from there.. I assume these will be the last pictures we receive from him. It is all bittersweet. But seriously people.. isn't she always happy.. always smiling.. and she gets just cuter and cuter with every picture..

This is the stick for the pinata..She is sure checking it out isn't she..
I think this is the biggest pinata I have ever seen. I am not sure Jazlynn really knows what to think about it. That is Adriana holding her.
"Look Mom I am sitting all by myself." she is getting so big.. This picture is just the cutest
and look here.. two teeth... yeah!!! finally.. at 8 months she has her first two... I bet the others come fast.

We are PINK!!!!!!

2008-05-17T00:06:00.002-04:00

YES!! I never thought I would get to post this.. But... We are pink.... we received our letter today. Our appt was scheduled for 5/28/2008. which of course we can not make.. So we have rescheduled it for the following week... We will fly out of Detroit on the 30th and back on the 6th.. We are spending a few extra days there for many reason.. 1st and formost is so that Jazlynn and Adriana can ween off each other... I can not even imagine what this will be like for Adriana.. She has had children for 10 years.. Jazlynn will be her last... It is our hope that we can spend lots of time with her during the week.. On Sunday we will all be going to Antigua and then one day we will have a pool party at the hotel.order some pizza.. just relax with them... Something tells me that the worst of this all is about to come.. this is not going to be an easy good-bye for any of us... Just wish us luck...

NEW PICTURES!!!!

2008-05-07T22:03:00.002-04:00

Well I know it has been awhile since I posted.. I have been very busy. I am working on a project for Adriana. It has taken every second of my spare time for the last few weeks... I'll post pictures of it when I get to Guatemala..(Jose reads the blog)
We did find out this week that we received DNA authorization on Monday.. Jazlynn's DNA is to be taken on 5/08/2008. So from everyone elses timeline it looks like our appt will be the last week of the month.. And would you believe that is the only week we have issues with. Randi Jo wants to try-out for her schools elite sing and dance team. Try-outs are that week.. Also Joe's little sister is graduating from high school that week and is first in her class.. So I guess we'll wait it out to see if wew will change the appt or be able to make it work.

In other news... Katie came home from Spain on saturday.. Justin and Randi Jo have been beside themselves.. They missed her terribly.. I will post some pictures soon.. It looks like she may be going to Michigan to work an internship for the summer. The bad side to that is she won't be here when Jazlynn comes home.. But we could go there for a visit I would think...

These are the new pictures we received from the agency. I would guess these will be the last ones we will get.

She looks like she is getting so big. I can not wait to get my hands on her in a couple weeks.
I think she looks so tired.. Jazlynn is always smiling..
Awww.... she is so tired.. How precious is she...
I love the barrette in her hair.. Adriana always has her done up so cute...

BC and PASSPORT!!!

2008-04-25T18:51:00.002-04:00

I can not believe it.. We have birth certificate issued 4/22/2008 and passport issued 4/25/2008.. We are moving so fast.. way faster than expected.. in 9 days we are now ready for 2nd DNA... We should have approval by next week... OH YEAH

New Pictures and Final Decree

2008-04-24T18:46:00.004-04:00

Jose sent us some new pictures the other day.. She looks like she is getting so big.. This one is Justins favorite.. She is playing with Jose through her playpen.. too funny...

She loves this seat.. She can get it bouncing so fast that she walks it across the floor...She is always happy when she is in this seat... She is liking her walker pretty good as well...

We also found out that our final decree was signed April 17th.. So Jazlynn is officially a LONG. YES.. It feels so good to finally know that.

WE ARE OUT!!!!!!!!

2008-04-16T23:20:00.002-04:00

I still can not believe it.. But we got the call today around 4:20. Jazlynn was approved by PGN today. I am guessing we will be traveling the last week of May. Joe's little sister is graduating from High School on the 31st of May so we are hoping to be able to be in the states for that.. It is our wish that Jazlynn will be here also. I still can not believe it is happening. JAZLYNN IS COMING HOME!! YES!!!

I thought I would post a small video to let you see how Jazlynn feels about all this..

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International Night!!!

2008-04-12T22:35:00.010-04:00

Well last night was international night at the University of Findlay. It is like a huge fair with tables set up everywhere.. Every section represents a country that has students going to school there.. They will have toys,clothes,instruments.. anything that is unique from their country.. Then at five the food comes out.. You can go from table to table trying the different kinds of food. All the students are dressed in their native clothes.. Then at 7 you go in a room and each country puts on a skit or performs a dance or something that is from their country.. example... Saudi Arabia did a skit about the ritual of choosing a wife and getting married.. South Korea did Tae Kwon Doe ,and India did awesome dancing.. So as you can tell it is a big night.. Very educational and fun for the kids. alot of the children there seem so uncomfortable with it but since my children have grown up with being around other cultures they are always right at home.. Well Bandar loves every year to show off the kids.. so they dress with him and we go.. Well Randi Jo's Abaya doesn't fit anymore so she was allowed to go normal.. I bet Justin and Layton had their pictures taken 30 times..Everyone had to have a picture with them,, They loved every bit of it.
Here are some random pictures I took of the night. I know there were other countries there but I only have pictures of the arabs.. Sorry but I am a bit biased. :)

This is Layton and Bandar. Layton's scarf kept falling off so Bandar did a fancy fold with it. Layton "LOVED" it. There are a hundred ways to wear the thing and everytime you want a picture they are worse than girls. It takes them an hour to fix it... Too funny.
This is Randi Jo and Saud. Saud has a great sense of humor and Randi thinks he is the greatest.
This is Bandar in the formal robes. This is what he would wear to his wedding,or a formal event.They came and got Justin and Layton to walk in the Parade of Nations. Layton could not have been prouder. (BTW Layton is a boy I babysit for and have for years now. He really looks up to Bandar)
Here are my three boys, dressed and ready to start the night.

Bandar and Randi Jo watching the entertainment.

Justin walking around. One of the few times he didn't have people wanting his attention.. Isn't he handsome. He will be 16 in a week and was a little uncomfortable at first,but soon lost that after he saw how popular he was and how proud Bandar was.

I love this picture of Layton. It shows just how happy he was.. he had a great time. I was so amazed at how comfortable he was there. He tried lots of the food, and heard 100 times how cute he was. He will remember that for a long time. He loved finally being able to wear his outfit.

As for adoption news. Well there is none. Word from Jose is that Jazlynn is cutting a tooth. Her first. She is growing up without me. I so hope we hear something this week.. We will have been in PGN for 5 weeks Tuesday.

Jazlynn is sitting up!

2008-04-06T20:39:00.004-04:00

We received new pictures of Jazlynn this week.. And she is sitting up.. Not great yet but it is a start.. She looks so big in these pictures.

We are still waiting to hear from PGN.. With our attorney it is rare to go longer than 4 weeks without hearing something. So lets hope it is approval and not a kick-out. I hope to know something by Friday of this week.

No PGN news pictures

2008-03-28T18:10:00.003-04:00

Well we have heard nothing from PGN ... So I guess no news is good news... I have very high hopes for next week though.. Until then here are some pictures of Jazlynn to hold you over for a while... Susan took these while we were in Guatemala... I love them.. She is just to cute.

FFFF

2008-03-14T18:38:00.005-04:00

Well since I don't do the Fav Foto Friday.. Thought I would post a Fav Foster Father Friday!
Today is Jazlynn's Foster Fathers Birthday.. (Can't tell you how old..he is bigger than me...lol)
But we can say .. We hope you have a great day Jose.. You deserve it.. We Love you and miss you..
We'll be seeing you soon. This picture was taken when I returned her last week.. Jazlynn is such a happy baby.. It makes it very obvious she is well loved..
I love this picture,, It was taken at the party for their 25th Anniversary.

This is my fav picture of them.. It was taken at the party as well... They are such a cute couple..
I think we have decided they are coming home with us when Jazlynn is ready.. So they better start packing now...

Anyway.. Just want to say Feliz Cumpleaños Jose.. Hope you have a great day.

Also just wanted to add. We found out today that we entered PGN on March 11th. So I will have to put a ticker on the page so we can keep track of how long it has been... Lets all hope for a fast stay.

Visit Trip

2008-03-11T22:02:00.004-04:00

Well here they are.. Pictures of the little angel.. She is simply amazing.. She is happy all the time. She is so much more than I could ever have imagined. I also had a great roommate while I was there. We had a very enjoyable time. I will post another post about my Foster parents later. They are by far the greatest. For now enjoy the pics..

I am here!!!! Finally!!!

2008-03-06T23:25:00.005-05:00

Well after a 24 hour nightmare to get here.. I am finally here. We had horrible weather in my town and then even worse weather in Detroit. The 2 hour drive to the airport took me 5 hours.. I then got stuck, in the snow, in the parking lot, missed my first flight. Was put on a second flight two hours later only to have the plane get stuck, in the snow. We were then delayed two hours ,had to be de-iced and just as we were headed to the runway we had a medical emergency on board. so.. needless to say I missed my connecting flight in Texas. They could not get me out until 7 pm.. That flight was then delayed 1 and a half hours because someone loaded the wrong luggage.. So exactly 24 hours after I left home at midnight I arrived at my hotel. Adriana brought me Jazlynn at 9:30 this morning. and as you may have guessed.. She is perfect. The happiest baby. It just amazes me. She may have only gained one pound since I was here last but MAN has she grown. So without further delay here she is...

She has the most beautiful eyes..

And this smile speaks for its self.. She is so happy to see Mommy..

And you know after my whole ordeal getting here.. Can you guess what the first thing is Joe says to me when I call home... You guessed it... WE HAVE PA...... Our file is now completely ready for PGN... YES.. BRING IT ON!!! We are so ready.

Winter Wonderland!!!!

2008-02-26T21:08:00.016-05:00

We woke up this morning to a horrible storm AGAIN.. I think we are getting used to them. My children didn't even get up to see if they were delayed or not they just assumed... At the rate we are going we will be going to school in July still. We have delayed for tomorrow already and I really believe we will cancel again.

This is taken from the front porch at around 9 am this morning. Before the storm was over.
The snow was so heavy and wet that it has stuck to the trees like glue.. It is really quite beautiful. Bandar would say But only in picture Mom. He loved the snow in Saudi Arabia. But hates it now that he has experienced it for real...

This is my car. Looks ok huh? Nope. It was stuck right there in the middle of the road. wasn't even in the snow much. But boy was it icy. I had to go get Joe to get it out for me. Then I had to listen to a 10 min lecture of why I should have taken the TRUCK... I hate the truck. Although we did have to use it to pull me out. It was really stuck. This car was a present from my neighbors and I absolutely love it. But... It is not a snow car.

This is the famous truck... Who drives something this big? Thats crazy. I'll stick to my car and he can just drive this to get me out. lol

I just added this picture to show you all the pure torture poor Bandar has to go through. He comes home from college every weekend . This is what they do to him. He is such a great kid.

So Jose.. After these picture.. Do you and Adriana still want to come to Ohio?

There is no adoption news except that someone received a PA at 55 days today.. so that is a couple weeks sooner than they were coming in. Senator Brown is to get ahold of me tomorrow he is trying to help mine along guess we'll see.. We are at day 38 today.

Family Court Approval!!

2008-02-22T13:04:00.003-05:00

YES!!! We heard from the agency today that we received Family Court Approval on Feb.11th . Now all we need is Pre-Approval from the US Embassy in Guatemala. Then... We can tackle "The Black Hole" PGN. Our Attorney has a wonderful history of very quick PGN stays. I also know some people stay in for months. But I so hope that is not our case. So I am now going to start writing my letters to get the embassy to speed up. Without that we are looking at the end of March before we get approval.

COULD IT BE?

2008-02-20T13:13:00.008-05:00

Yes it is! New pictures.. We were all starting to have Jazlynn withdraw here. And from the looks of the pictures she is now rolling over. YEA! She is getting to be such a big girl. I can not wait to see her in 14 days..

In other news: There is nothing new to report with the adoption. We are writing letters to our Senators now trying to see if they can help us speed up the Pre-Approval. But we are not expecting any news until late in March.

Randi Jo had a singing competition this past Saturday. She woke up with a sore throat and a horrible cough. But thanks to a good teacher and alot of cough syrup she scored a 1 on both her entries. a 1 is the highest you can get. So Good for her.

I on the other hand: Have been trying desperately to become the house UNO champ. Been trying for over a year. It is currently held by a 4 yr old in my daycare. and has been for over a year. Well the good news is... I finally beat him yesterday. To become champ you have to win 10 games at one sitting. whoever gets to 10 first wins. (his rules of course). Well after I won. all he could say.... I didn't have my back-up! Meaning the other boy, 8 years old who doesn't come until 3. Hmmm.... Do you think I have been getting cheated all this time? Hmmm... Naw.. couldn't be!

We also found out that Honda is sending Joe to Tennessee in March. He leaves the 10th. The day after I get home from Guatemala. So two weeks without seeing each other. Oh well.. could be worse I guess.. That is all the news here. Jose did send more pics but I'll save them for another day. I guess I should also say. He says he was never told not to talk with us. He has just been without internet. the agency still says different but Oh well....

New Measurements!!

2008-02-15T21:07:00.006-05:00

We received new measurements from the agency today. Jazlynn now weighs 14 lbs and is 61 cm long.. So she really hasn't grown that much since last time,.. Which is really ok with me I want her to stay small until she comes home.
We did not receive any updates from the agency again today. We are a long way from getting PA but I was hoping to get family Court out today.. My Coordinator said I probably won't get it until I get PA.. I sure wish there was some way to speed up the US Embassy. There is just no reason for this taking so long.
The other news I received is that they(the agency) think my lawyer told Jose not to speak with us. I really,really hope this is not true. But I have not heard from Jose in two weeks nowand....We were talking about 4-5 times a week. This is because of an issue with the other boy in the house. It has NOTHING to do with Jazlynn. I phoned the agency again today and told them how unhappy I am with this. I am the one paying for this foster care and that is MY daughter and if I want to talk to the people taking care of her I should be able to. My other issue with it all is that we all considered Jose and Adriana more than just foster parents. If I don't hear from Jose by Sunday I will be calling down there to see what is going on. I do so hope the info I am getting is wrong or at least it can be worked with. If not.. it is going to be a long 4 months.

WE ARE REGISTERED!

2008-02-11T22:01:00.000-05:00

YES!!!! We heard first thing this morning that our attorney was able to register all of his cases over the weekend. We have not received the registration papers yet,but this is ok I totally believe them. In fact by 4 this afternoon they confirmed that all of their cases were registered this weekend. This is such awesome news. We know for sure now these babies will be coming home.

So here are some more pictures of Jazlynn. These were taken while we were in Guatemala in December. I think she has twice this much hair now. The last picture is Randi Jo's favorite.

Pictures!

2008-02-08T20:44:00.001-05:00

These are the pictures I have been promising to post! I am guessing she saw the Dr this week. So they probably have updated measurements. I have not talked to Jose this week because, I have been sick all week. A trip to the dr this morning told me what I think I already knew. I have Strep Throat. So hopefully by Sunday I will feel much better.

It looks like things started up again in Guatemala. So all I need know is Pre Approval from the Us and my case can start moving again. The US is currently taking 60 days to give that though. which is really quite ridiculous. In Sept they were giving them in 3 days. what gives?

The basketball game!

2008-02-03T19:44:00.000-05:00

I took some video of the kids at the basket ball game Friday night.

Justin is playing the quads in the first section.

Randi Jo is the 2nd from the right in the 2nd section. and yes I know I only got the back of her. I didn't realize until it was to late that I was on the wrong side. She has a couple competition squads trying to get her,but I think we are going to say no. Just take the summer off. No final decision has been made yet.

The last video is Justin and his friends dancing to the tuba playing. Yes he is a nerd. But he is so damn cute we just don't care.. Enjoy them.

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Happy 5 Months!!!!

2008-02-01T22:15:00.000-05:00

We received updated pictures of Jazlynn yesterday. She is getting soooo big. Today she turns 5 months old. She is growing up with out me. It makes every birthday hard. I try not to get to down though . I know I have it so much better than most. I at least get to see her alot. But there are still days it is hard and with everything that is going on over there. The not knowing what is going to happen makes everything harder.

Look how well she is holding her head up? I am so happy to see her on her belly more.

Love the smiles in this one. I also think the outfit is adorable. It is not one I sent down, I am not sure I have seen her in many I have sent. But she is always dressed cute.

She really seems to looking hard at something here also. I am also noticing that her eye seems to be straightening out. I am so hoping it is only her muscle and will get stronger as she grows.

It definitely looks better here.

I've been tagged!

2008-02-01T09:50:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged by Stephanie. Go visit her blog at http://journeytoeli.blogspot.com/. Steph and I met through this process and discovered we live very close to each other. She has fast become a maountain of support.

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 lets give this a try.

1.) I am really a very private person. I hate talking about myself. My children are great to talk about, but myself, I get uncomfortable fast. I do not take compliments well either. So you had better appreciate this Steph..lol

2.) This kind of goes with No.1 but I hate social events. If it is with family I am fine. but when it comes to a group of people I don't know. Give it up. I will have to be dragged there.

3.) I have raised or help raise over 40 children in my life. Through foster care and other programs I have worked with. Basically no matter how many times we say we are through,if someone asks, and it involves a child in need, Joe and I are there.

4.) I am a HUGE procrastinator. If it can be put off till tomorrow it will be. If you are lucky I will get it to you before you need it. I always have way to many things going on at once. which makes it next to impossible to get anything done on time. BUT,,,,, If it is something I am interested in or something I WANT done.. This of course is another issue. It will be done and double checked 3 days early.

5.)I knew my husband all through high school. But I never liked him. He tried for four years to get me to go out with him. I had the same boyfriend for four years through school,so I never gave Joe a second look. We met again through a mutual friend when we were 22 and we have been inseperable ever since. This is his favorite story to tell the kids. How I was to stuck-up to give him a second look.. He's a goof!

6.) I LOVE turtles! They are all over my house. I have thousands of them. Most packed away in the attic. I have been collecting them since I was little. that and my pink kitchen are always the two things people comment on when they first come in. What can I say. I LOVE them.

7.)I hate to be kept waiting. It may take me six hours to get ready and you ten mins. but when I am ready you had better be also. And I will really get mad if it is a professional that keeps me waiting. It is rude. and if you have to keep someone waiting you can tell them and give them an option. Not just make them wait.

So now I must tag 7 other people. So I hope I don't tage some one who has already been tagged.

Kimberly- http://www.kleclercq.blogspot.com/
Dan and Erica-http://www.babycovey.blogspot.com/
Nicole-http://www.nikicoli.blogspot.com/
Lynda-http://www.lauryngracebruno.blogspot.com/
Emily-http://www.guatparentstobe.blogspot.com/
Pam-http://journeytonola.blogspot.com/
Ashley-http://guat-mama.blogspot.com/

Have fun.

We have new pictures!!

2008-01-29T21:48:00.000-05:00

This is the picture of her feet after having footprints done for the registration process.

This was actually one of our December update photos. But I love that smile.. She is such a smiley baby.

This was a surprise picture from Jose last week.. She so looks like she is pouting. I hope this is not an indication of things to come. But she is gorgeous either way.

I have not posted for awhile so now would be a good time to tell everyone. We received DNA results on 1-24. We were a match 99.9999%. So now we are officially waiting on Pa from the Us Embassy and Family Court exit from Guatemala. So there will probably be no movement in our case for 6-8 weeks..

We have a BABY!!

2008-01-23T23:05:00.000-05:00

Today I spent the day in Findlay. Our Chinese students finally had the baby.. and yes it is a Girl! She is so beautiful. she weighed 7ibs 8ozs and was 21 inches long. Her Chinese name will be Ya tong but her American name will be Rita. She is so so very beautiful.

Joseph and Lilian with Randi Jo last summer.

Rita today just a few hours old. She got some fluid in her lungs but she is doing great now. all the hook-ups are just to monitor her for 24 hours. My friend Becca and I went to the hospital this evening and sat with Lilian for a while, then we went out to supper. What a great relaxing day. It is good to just go and have a break for a bit. and let's face it a baby makes it all the better.

Prayers for Steph and Jason.

2008-01-21T23:16:00.000-05:00

I am sure most of you are familar with Stephanie and Jason. Well we are also all aware they seem to be stuck in pgn. Stephanie has kept such a great attitude through this all. In talking with her yesterday she still has a great way of dealing with it. But I am thinking it is time for our help.

We all need to get involved and say a prayer for her and Jason and Eli. Just wrap around her and if nothing else help her keep the great faith she seems to have built up through all of this. So I will start. Stephanie Randi Jo wrote this for you,but it is coming from us all. Please know we are all praying with and for you.

"Dear Lord, I pray that Eli gets out of PGN soon! Lord I pray that you are with Stephanie and Jason and let them know that everything is going to be ok and help them to remember you are walking with them through this incredible journey. Lord I Thank You for everything you have done so far for all of us in this process. But please Dear Lord Put your hand on their case and move it along through PGN and I ask you lord please just keep the process moving. Thank You Lord In Jesus Name Amen."

You know. I am thinking you could get out just in time to pick up that first weekend in March. I would love nothing more than to share another visit with the two of you. So thats my goal... lol

New Pictures Again!! Yeah

2008-01-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

We received more pictures today. She is just as amazing as ever.. I am telling ya,Do I have great foster parents or what? They are going to be missed tremendously when this is all over.

Adriana had to take Jazlynn to the lawyers today to have her hand and footprints taken. This is for the registration with the CNA. So that is another step out of the way. Aren't the blue hands yukky? She has also not been feeling well. I think in this picture you can tell she isn't herself. Jose left me a message tonight though that said she is better..

Could this smile possibly be any bigger?

She is holding her head up quite well now. I am very pleased at her progress. Love the eyes!

New Pictures!!!

2008-01-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

These are the hand and foot prints we did of Jazlynn while we were on our visit.. I took them and had them glazed and then framed them. They will be hanging in her room..

These next pictures were in my inbox this morning.. She is such a happy baby. Always has a smile. I so love unexpected pictures... It sure starts my day off right.

In other news.. There was someone from our agency that was looking for a room mate during a visit trip.. So.. I took her up on it. This way we can afford for me to visit again. I will be leaving in March for 5 days with my baby... I can not wait... Thanks alot Susan for the offer.... we really appreciate it..

Adoption News!

2008-01-16T22:24:00.000-05:00

Well it has finally happened. We had DNA taken on Monday along with the Birth Mother Interview. So finally we are in process. We are now awaiting the results of the DNA. It should come in the regular mail one day next week. We will then be in the US embassy waiting for them to give us Pre approval. PA is currently taking 40-60 days... But at least we are moving now.. YES!!!

Happy 25th Anniversary Jose and Adriana

2008-01-14T13:15:00.000-05:00

We all just want to say Happy Anniversary to Jose and Adriana. They will celebrate 25 years today. What a great thing.
I must say we think we have the greatest Foster Parents ever. It is sad that Jazlynn will be their last. We were able to meet and cam with them probably 5 times last week. and today on their very big day, They are taking Jazlynn to court for her BM interview and then off to have DNA.
You can never say Thank You enough for all they do.. We hope you have a great day!

ADRIANA

I asked Jose for a picture of the two of them and he only sent the one of Adriana , so here he is. He is in the chair in the blue shirt.. Again have a great relaxing day. You two deserve it..

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

2008-01-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

Today Joe turns the big 40... So here is a great big shout out to him... We Love You !!! Hope you have a great day...

Just for Stephanie!!! Yeah... FINALLY!

2008-01-10T19:58:00.000-05:00

Okay Steph! Here it is... It has taken me two days and, many, nasty words, but, I have figured it out. I can not figure out how to type on the top.. I think this will work though..

This is my funny video from our visit trip. We were trying to teach her to roll over. I LOVE the reaction after she finally gets there and then finds her dad... Hope you all enjoy it...

and on a final note. I am posting this because Steph challenged us to find the laughter in this crazy situation we all find ourselves in.. So I am rising to the challenge. So lets get some more going here. So far we have : Nicole,Ashley,Steph,Bobbi,Tracy,Beth and now myself.. (I didn't add links because one new thing a week is my limit. And you have Video..lol) Their sites are posted on the side. ENJOY!

Just Checking In!!!

2008-01-08T20:29:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since I posted. There really isn't much happening. Last week PGN shut down in Guatemala,which puts our adoption on hold until it opens back up.. But since we have so far to go before we are ready for PGN I am hoping they will be up and running before we get there. Then it will not delay us at all. On Friday we had alot of confusion as to when the DNA was being taken... The attorney put the 14th in his report but the agency had reason to believe it was done the 4th.. So I called down to Guatemala to find out it is the 14th. So another week to wait yet.
Joe's sister has been in town since we came home. Alot of our time has been taken up with that,which is a good thing. It has made time go faster.
I am posting some pictures from when we went to my brothers house before Christmas. The kids had a blast with their cousins. So here they are playing around.

This is all five of them.. I am not sure what is up with Bandar here.. But I am guessing he will love me for posting this pic..

I really started out wanting a serious picture. Do you think I ever got one? Of course not. My children can never be serious.

I awoke this morning to find this in my email. He had to take it with his phone because his digital camera is broken. But I love it no matter what. It is a picture of Jazlynn watching the Ohio State game. I hope she cried all the way through it. Lord knows her Mommy and Daddy did.

But judging from the picture,she is going to be her Daddy's sports fan.

We are Home.

2008-01-03T22:12:00.001-05:00

Well we arrived home safely,But probably not as happy. I miss Jazlynn terribly. The good news is that Adriana told us at pick-up that her Dna is scheduled for the 15th of January. But I am stressing so badly thinking that her Mother has to see her. I have no problem keeping her informed with Jazlynn's progress in life,but not until AFTER the adoption. This is just scaring the crap out of me. I figure at this rate I'll have a nervous breakdown before then anyways..
Adriana also believes it will be May or June before I can bring her home. Which is about three months longer than I had hoped. But that accounts for the three months we have sat with no progress. I read on another blog where someone was told our attorney is just to busy. Wow! Isn't that reassuring.
So I guess I will kill time by figuring out how i can possibly make another visit trip. I will never make it another 6 months without seeing her.
But on a good note... Here is my favoerite picture of her.. She turned 4 months old on the 1st. Isn't she precious?

a few pictures until we get home

2007-12-30T09:16:00.000-05:00

This is just a few pictures from yesterday. I am having alot of trouble with my card reader. So I have to take the ones it will let me have. This will be the last of the pictures until we get home.

She is so precious when she is sleeping.

She loves the Ohio State bear, She holds on to it all the time.

This is not the best picture but the only one it will give me. But this is her in her Guatemala hat.

Post for Grandma Amy and Papaw Kies!

2007-12-28T21:10:00.000-05:00

Well we have had another Great day with Jaz. She is simply amazing! So content. We video taped her waking up this morning and she woke herself up laughing. She is way smaller than we has thought she would be. Well anyways. Here are some more pics we took today. We also took paint foot prints and hand Prints today. They came out pretty good.
I know this picture has my foot in it. But I don't have the software here to cut it out. But isn't it an awesome picture.

Be sure to leave comments and tell Mommie which one you like best. 1 or 2. Don't mind the foot it can be cut out. But we can't decide between the two.

Here is the pictures we took for Grandma and Papaw. Can you say "GO OSU"!

Now getting her hands down is quite the challenge. She loves to stare at them.

Aren't I precious? She is so easy to photograph. She also is in love with her Ohio State shoes. she can stare at them forever. Must be the colors.

And this picture is just beyond precious. But this is really a normal look for her. She loves to laugh.

What did you say? LSU is gonna beat OSU. How funny is that?

EDITED TO ADD" for parents: click on the pictures and they will get full size so you can see them better. also you can leave comments for me by clicking on comments at the bottom of the post. Be sure to sign your name so I know it is you. Love and Miss you all

We are here!!!

2007-12-28T09:31:00.000-05:00

We are here. and to say Jazlynn is perfect is an absolute understatement. She smiles constantly.
When she woke up this morning she was almost laughing. She stayed on her schedule that Adriana said she had to a T. She slept up until 4:30 and then took a bottle and slept again until 8.
She definitely has taken to her Daddy. She laughs everytime she sees him. He of course thinks this means she will be a Daddy's Girl, I, on the other hand, know it is because he is so funny looking...Ha,ha.. We will post more pics tonight. right now we are off to bathe her and then to breakfast. I can be reached by email at vlong31@hotmail.com.. That because I forgot to tell everyone I can't get to my regular email from here.

Jazlynn when we first got back to room... She was soooo tired. she fell asleep within 10 mins.

Jazlynn and Daddy watching television last evening in the room.. She loves to sit up and watch everything.

After her bath. in her ducky towel from Randi Jo..She is always so cold. Her feet and legs always feel cold to me.

This is our "wonderful" foster family. They all came to drop-off except for Erick. They are all so nice. And it is more than obvious that Jazlynn is well taken care off. She is so so happy and content.

On My Way!!

2007-12-25T22:33:00.000-05:00

We spent the weekend in Indiana at my brothers house. Came home yesterday to an email box full of pictures.. What a great welcome home present. She just keeps getting prettier and prettier. I have "WONDERFUL" foster parents to keep me so informed of her progress. I will be there on the 27th to see her for the first time. I can not wait.. So until I can get you pics I have taken myself, here is some to hold you over.

This is my absolute favorite so far. She looks like a doll sitting there.

Daddy's little reindeer! Daddy likes this one.

Her eyes still amaze me.. I have a terrible feeling I am in trouble with her.. I am "NEVER" going to be able to tell her no. She has me wrapped up all ready.

I will be in Guatemala until the 1st. I will try to post pics from there,if I can get my laptop working. If not I will post as soon as I get back in the states. Hope everyone had a great Christmas. See you from Guatemala soon.....

Entered Family Court

2007-12-18T18:19:00.000-05:00

We received word today that we have finally entered Family Court.. This means we are now in a postion to see some forward movement. I doubt we will see DNA test or Birth mother interview before the first of the year,but we are on our way now.

Visit to Aunt!

2007-12-18T07:33:00.000-05:00

Well I finally got around to taking the kids over to see my Grandma. She is doing quite well considering she is 101. As always she was so happy to see children. They can always put her in a good mood.
The one thing my brother and I always remember about visiting her house was our Aunt Eileen. She always took us for a day or two also and always had to give us things. Well the other day while there(Grandma lives with her now) she gave me some things for Jazlynn. Boy did they bring back memories. These are some of the things she always gave to us.

In fact, I had the Raggedy Ann one at one time..So I am going to hang these in her room.. Aren't they cute?

Well in adoption new!! There is none. In two days we will be at 3 months and have had absolutely NO MOVEMENT. none,nothing.. Yes we have all our authorizations, but are still no closer to getting her home. It is getting very frustrating. I really did not want to visit without DNA results. So we are left with the choice of go or not? I can not cancel now. With Joe's work this is our only chance to go together. So we will go and just hope it all works out. Soooo in 9 days I will be holding my beautiful baby girl. I can't wait.

POA is Registered...

2007-12-13T12:38:00.001-05:00

Ellie emailed me today that our POA has been registered. YES!! That means that the two things they figure must be done to be grandfathered in were done. We should have no problems after the first of the year. Lets hope that is the case. Now if we can just start moving along in the process.. So come on Family Court,GET US IN!

Santa Came Early This Year!

2007-12-10T22:40:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a long time since I posted last. I have been soooo busy. I had decided to put some of my doll clothes I make on ebay to maybe earn some extra money for Jazlynn. Well I can not keep up. Which is a good thing,but I have time for nothing. On Sunday we had another fund raiser party. (Thanks Stephanie). It went very well..
Last evening I called down to talk with the foster family. I was surprised with about 20 pictures in my email later. So enjoy these.. She is so precious. I can not wait til the 27th to see her. She looks so happy in these.. ENJOY!

This is the Christmas outfit we sent down to her. Randi Jo picked it out.

I love the look on her face here. I can not wait to get ahold of that hair.

She looks so happy in this picture.I think it was taken the same day as our monthly pictures. She is wearing the same outfit.

This is my absolute favorite. Of any I have gotten so far. She is priceless. This one makes me cry. I so badly want to see her. two and a half weeks and I am there.

NEW PICTURES!

2007-12-01T19:16:00.000-05:00

These are our November picture updates.. The pictures were all ,except one, very very blurry. It is still very obvious that she is absolutely gorgeous! I can not wait to hold her and I will do that before the next pictures are due. Today is also her three month birthday.. Happy Birthday Jazlynn. We Love You!

Here she is saying "Get me out of this thing!" precious.

Here she is just simply beautiful. Our sleeping angel!

DNA Authorization!

2007-11-29T15:14:00.000-05:00

Yes.... We finally,after 10 LONG weeks, have dna authorization today...So this means we have been submitted to the embassy and things are finally started on the US side. We will know tomorrow if we were submitted to family court as well. But at least we are started.. YES!! Great day

We Are Home!!!

2007-11-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

Well Randi Jo and I are home..We had a great time,met some wonderful people,and did some shopping... I am certain this was an experience Randi Jo will always remember. She met some lifelong friends I think also.So here are the pictures.
This is Randi Jo at rehearsal the 2ND day. But the first day on the famous stairs from the Rocky movies. And yes.. She was in the front row. The girl beside her turned into a great friend for her for the week.

This is Randi Jo and I at the Rocky Statue.(I so HATE having my pic taken..)

Pluto decided to drop into rehearsal on Wednesday. The girls were so excited to get pictures with him.

We went on a dinner cruise Wednesday night,... This is Randi and the girls doing the train dance.This was probably the highlight of her week.

And this is Randi Jo on performance day. She had a great smile and said she wasn't nervous at all... She has always loved being front and center.This is the last of the philly pics.

We were getting ready for Thanksgiving with Joe family today. I came in the living room.. and here are my children. Bandar was in one chair and Justin and Randi Jo in the other... I have a sofa. But they choose to share.. They are goofy.

And here are all three of them outside after we got home... Most days they really do LOVE each other.

We spoke with Stanley tonight. Jazlynn went to the Dr and she now weighs 11lbs 14 ounces and is 22 inches long. I can not wait to get new pictures of her on Friday. He said she has such big eyes... Just like Randi always had... I know she is gorgeous! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving,..

Philly Trip

2007-11-20T18:41:00.000-05:00

For the family that has been waiting... This is the outfit Randi jo will be wearing in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade...The Parade is 9-12 and airs on ABC.
For those I haven't told... Randi Jo and I are now in Philadelphia.. She starts rehersals tonight at 8:30. She won this opportunity at camp this summer by being nominated by her coach to try out for the UCA all stars. Well she made it.. She was the only one from her area.But she is already making plenty of friends. We will be home sometime on Friday.
On another note.please keep Justin in your thoughts this week. On Monday afternoon,before I left,we had to put his 12 year old dog to sleep.. He is finding it hard to find things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. It is a hard thing for all of us. Dogs very quickly become a part of your family. I will post pictures when I get home.. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone.

Fav Foto Friday

2007-11-16T13:31:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken at my Grandma Anna's 100th Birthday Party.. Well she has just recently turned 101.. So Fav Friday is for her this week... Happy Birthday Grandma. We Love You!

Soccer and Cheerleading pictures

2007-11-14T22:19:00.000-05:00

This is Randi Jo's Freshman Soccer picture. She made first string Varsity as a freshman.. She is definitely my sporty girl.

This is Justin's Sophmore soccer picture. and probably his last. It was not his favorite thing. He played as a favor to the coach this year,But he prefers a good book....

This is Randi Jo's Freshman Football Cheerleading Picture. She didn't cheer Freshman though she cheered Junior Varsity.. She made Junior Varsity for Basketball also,but asked to go back down to Freshman with her friends because there was only three of them and she was the only freshman Junior Varsity.. Good for her..Stick with your friends...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the adoption front... WE HAVE THE GREATEST FOSTER FAMILY EVER!!!! On Monday night Randi Jo and her friend talked to them on MSN for 6 hours..Now Stanley deserves a pat on the back,... To sit and talk with a 14 year old girl that long..lol Jazlynn is doing great.. He said she loves his Mom and Dad equally well... I told him to make sure she is a mamma's girl..lol His mom is excited to be able to know so much about a family and we are just as excited to be kept informed...

I spoke with him tonight and he said they are missing a package I sent... the others came today but not the one.. So I will try to track it down tomorrow.At least her Christmas dress arrived. So many things were talked about I wouldn't know where to start on here. I know he is out of college and works as a Chef. and he loves it.. We will have to eat at his restaurant while we are there.

Anyways I think that is all for now.. Still no word at all on any progress.. We'll see what Friday brings....

My Mr. Smartypants!!

2007-11-11T11:28:00.000-05:00

This can work as my fav foto Friday a couple days late also.. I found this picture on Randi Jo's camera when I was empting her card for her.. I always get the best pics of the kids from their cameras.. They will be silly with each other..And they really are very close...This picture shows that..

And then there is Justin.. He started Driver training this past week.. On Thursday they had a surprise mid test.. She said in 5 years no one has ever passed it.. Well not only did Justin pass it.. He got a 100 on it.. He is such a nerd....lol And believe me we have heard of nothing else since.

On the adoption front.. still nothing.. Our case has not been submitted to the embassy yet. But our attorney said it will be this week. So let hope.. We need to get started here... I will call her tonight so maybe the FM has heard something I haven't. Let's just keep praying it will be this week..

DNA authorization

2007-11-07T15:34:00.000-05:00

Well the adoption news today for us is NOTHING again... another girl in our agency received dna authorization today after only 4 weeks... And she has the same attorney.. I just don't get this process... I am left not knowing weather to be extremely mad or scared that something is wrong with my case. I know it hasn't been done without me being told though because I talk to the FM regularly... Oh well hopefully Ellie will find something out on Friday.. Keep praying I think Jazlynn needs it..

News from Guatemala

2007-11-07T11:16:00.000-05:00

edited to add: http://www.adaguatemala.org/English/news/ This is another post well worth reading...This process will never be easy.

http://www.guatadopt.com/archives/000747.html#000747

In this article it says that the congress met yesterday and talked about moving the implementation of the Hague to April... Which would mean that Jazlynn would be safe until then.. And she SHOULD be home by then... So this is great.. better even than grandfathering in old cases because it should mean no new hoops to jump through to get her home... So we can all breathe a little bit better today...

http://www.adaguatemala.org/English/news/

Then there is this article on ADA which I am not sure I agree totally with.. But I do agree that NOT all adoptions from Guatemala are rigged.. In fact I think very few are but those are the only ones Americans seem to be able to focus on...

Visit Trip

2007-11-06T11:15:00.000-05:00

Well it is final.. We have booked our visit trip for December...We will fly out of Detroit on the 27th and home the 31st.. We will be staying at the Marriott in Guatemala City...We are lucky in that other members of FTIA will be there at the same time... Can't wait to hold Jazlynn...Here's hoping all goes well with the amendment clauses..

Fav Foto Friday

2007-11-02T20:04:00.000-04:00

Okay I decided I am going to try this also.. but It will not always be pics of Jazlynn because I haven't seen her yet and I have posted all the pics I have...But I love these pics here.. Our dog truely loves two things in life... snow and big piles of leaves.. well the other day she was barking her head off at the door running through the house carrying on.. I looked outside.. and sure enough Justin was raking leaves for the kids to jump in.. so I let her out and here are the results...
If only life were this simple... remember when this is all it took to make our day...

This is truely as close to heaven as it gets for Bailey..... Hope you all enjoyed...

New pictures

2007-11-02T16:06:00.002-04:00

We received updated pictures of Jazlynn today. She looks like she has a rash on her face,but I am guessing it is just from the peeling of her newborn skin... If it is still there in the next pictures then I will ask them to question it. But she is still gorgeous... and looks sleepy

I love her eyes

Jazlynn is 2 months old today...

2007-11-01T21:59:00.000-04:00

Sending lots of hugs and kisses out to her... We Love you baby girl!

This is three of the pumpkins the kids carved,This is the picture I wanted to put on yesterday and the blog wouldn't let me,,,They did such a great job...

Well the other big news at the Long household is: Justin now has a permit..Yes I know.. It is scary.. But... He is legal now.. He is actually a very good driver. I made him drive home from the store this evening and he was sooo nervous to drive after dark,,, He kept saying"I hate you" all the way home...lol But he did great!

I am off to bed praying for DNA authorization tomorrow....

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T21:45:00.000-04:00

Well today was trick or treat here in town. Bandar came home to help pass out candy and be with the kids.Randi Jo dressed up like a scarecrow and Justin just went walking around with friends.They all dressed up but he did not. They all had a blast.. I am going to try and post some pics here if I can figure out how ....

This is Justin and Bandar.

This is Randi Jo and Saud(Bandar's friend) He has a lighter after her straw...Too funny.

Well that is all of the kids. I guess I should say Katie is in Spain so you will not see new pictures of her unless she sends some home.. She won a scholarship to study there for 8 months. She will be home in May. So anyways,, I wanted to add the kids pumkins but it won't let me.. So maybe another day.. Maybe new pics of Jazlynn will come in and I can post them tomorrow,....Let's hope.....

Call to Foster Mom

2007-10-28T21:13:00.000-04:00

Well we have had a good weekend.. Joe and I went out to dinner yesterday in Findlay.We then went and got the paint for the nursery. It was so nice to pick it out without input from the other children. They have picked out everything else so this part is strictly Mom and Dad so lets hope it works.
We called down to the foster mom today. We talk to her son Stanley when we call as he speaks English. They said Jazlynn went to the Dr this week and she now weighs 10lbs and is 20.5 inches long..WOW.. she was 7lbs 8 ounces last month.. She is definitely being very well taken care of. I can't wait to see her again. Stanley said when their Internet is working properly again he will email me and we can web cam with her again... I can not wait..
We also booked a flight to Guatemala for Dec 27Th so we can go down and see her. Have to work on the hotel now. But it will all work out in time.

No updates again!

2007-10-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

Well yesterday was our day to receive updates from the atorney. We received nothing again. So it has now been 5 weeks with no movement at all... I had really believed that these attorneies would try to rush us through,but maybe not ours.. It is going to be another long week of waiting... hopefully the phone call to the FM will go better on Sunday.. There is also pictures next week to look forward to...

The Introduction!!!

2007-10-24T21:55:00.000-04:00

Hello there
Welcome to our blog...We are the longs,we live in Ohio..We have been married for 15 years and have 4 children...(5 now). A 21 yr old daughter who was adopted when she was 15, a 15 year old son, and a 14 year old girl..Then there is Bandar, Our son from Saudi Arabia..He thinks someday he will graduate from college and go home..but...That is another story..
On Sept 20th 2007 we received our referral of a beautiful girl from Guatemala..She was born Sept 1st and weighed 6lbs and 14 ounces and was 17 inches long..She is now 6 weeks old and absolutely gorgeous...So please join us as we follow this road to expand our family..