"I wanna puppy"

This is what I heard the other morning coming from Lucy's crib at 530AM. She kept saying it over and over again. "I wanna puppy." "I wanna puppy." Pretty funny. Luckily we haven't heard it since. We lost our dear Callie in September this year. I can't imagine having another dog just yet. Callie was such a big part of our lives for so long. The house seems empty without her. Not to mention I now have to sweep under Lucy's chair after every meal. That's just how Callie was, always one to lend a helping hand:)

There is much singing around our house these days. I sang Jingle Bells to Lucy just once and she later broke out the whole song! It sounded something like bum bum bum, bum bum bum, bum bum bum ba bum, bum bum bum ba bum bum badda bum ba bum ba bum HEY! Bingo and many other Spanish songs are big hits as well. Lucy prefers a solo singing career. Anytime Daddy or I try to sing a duet with her we get the big NOOOOOOO. You'd think we had terrible singing voices or something. She has a whole music collection in my car and doesn't hesitate to let us know when she wants a song skipped. "Next song please Momma." "Next song Papi."

Lucy is talking up a storm. She continues to amaze us with new English and Spanish words. And oh the joy of trying to figure out what the heck she is saying. Is it English? Is is Spanish? Spanglish anyone? Her latest is mamo! mamo! Complete with a tug on the arm(vamos: let's go!)

Kurt and I recently started talking to Lucy about going back to Colombia in preparation for our 2ND adoption. When I asked her if she wanted a little brother or sister, her response was "no tank you Momma, no tank you." Hey at least she's polite. She's also no dummy. Why would she want to give up being the absolute center of our universe? Boy is she in for a surprise!

LSS received FOUR referrals this past month! Our in-country coordinator Cecilia recently told our agency that the Colombian families that wanted to adopt have done so and that there is no longer a pool of waiting families )Colombian families have priority in the adoption process.) So this means that things will be picking up so to speak. Not as fast as with Lucy but not as slow as before. That is the ebb and flow of adoption. This leads to the question that I'm sure everyone is dying to know....When are we returning to Colombia???????? With those recent referrals, our SW finally gave us the thumbs up to start working on our Los Pisingos dossier!!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!! Since these documents only stay good for 6 mos we're cautiously optimistic that Lucy will have a little brother or sister before she is 3(Sept 09).

So... we have a lot to be thankful for this Christmas. We're healthy and happy. Kurt is gainfully employed. I get to stay at home with Lucy. We have a roof over our heads. We are surrounded by loving family and friends. We are blessed.

WE ARE A FAMILY OF THREE NOW! I love saying that. We are a family. Sigh...We are a family.

God, please watch over Lucy's birth family and keep them safe. Please let them know that she is loved and that they are in our thoughts constantly. We are so utterly grateful for the beautiful gift which they have entrusted to us. Lord, we also ask you to put your arms around our next birth family. Comfort them and give them strength as they struggle with the very difficult decisions that are unfolding before them.

Amen

KK PK and LK

Merry Christmas everyone!

Where did the Fall go?

Just a short post with the fall Lucy pics. Trying to play a bit "catch up" if you will.

Enjoy!
Smooch
PK

Lucy's birthday party

It occurred to me that I never posted anything pics from Lucy's 2nd birthday party. OOPS! We had it at a park since we were in the throws of a kitchen remodel. Lucy had a great time with all her friends. The piñata continues to be a big hit:)

I have a good feeling....

Good morning!

LSS has recommended that we dual list with ICBF (govt run orphange)and Los Pisingos (private)to cover all of our bases. So...we've just completed our dossier for ICBF and I sent of the copies for LSS to review for any changes. After they've been approved we can send them off to COLOMBIA!

I called our LSS rep yesterday with a few questions and I decided to be brave and ask where our LP application was in the pile. You may be wondering why I said brave... I feel like having too much info can be harmful. I know, weird but we don't have any control over the process anyway. Things could change on a dime so really what's the difference? It makes me too anxious. Anyway...She told me that right now LP has 3 dossiers in front of the referral committee. There is one more dossier "in cue" and we are one of the next 4 families to get their dossier ready to go! She actually had a call into the in-country coordinator to see if we should start compiling our documents when I called! So, we should get a phone call with an update soon. The dossier documents only stay valid in Colombia for 6 mos. LSS likes to hold off so our documents don't expire and we would have to update them all again. We know of MANY families that were caught up in this slow down that have had to update their dossiers 3 times so it can be a real bummer having to keep updating that thing without any movement and no referral!

We joke about being on "the list that doesn't exist" because the referral committee does try to match families with babies so referrals don't necessarily go in order.

I guess we can officially be "cautiously optimistic"???



P.S. There are 2 families that we've been following that are in Colombia right now and are caught up in a judges strike (I think over 40 days?). One of these families have been in country for TWELVE weeks. Please pray that these families get home PRONTO.

Thanks
Smooch
PK

adoption update...don't get too excited...

I guess I'm in a blogging mood lately as I think I've had 3 posts here recently:)

Our application for Los Pisingos (private orphanage) has now been in Colombia for one year. Sigh....or should I say our app is sitting on the desk of our in country rep waiting to be submitted to LP. We're still waiting for the go ahead to start on our dossier. Because our dossier documents are only valid for 6 mos, It makes sense to wait. I THINK I remember our SW saying that we were in the top 1/3 of that pile. LP only accepts 3 dossiers from LSS (our agency) at a time.

I'm in the throws of gathering paperwork for our dossier which will be submitted to ICBF immediately, immediately being we got the OK to do this in June and I decided to enjoy our summer instead. ICBF is the government run orphanage in Colombia. It is typically a much LONGER wait but hey, a person never knows right?

Since we have no idea how long the wait will be, we've decided to request a child younger than Lucy, not necessarily an infant per say. Hopefully that will move things along but who the heck knows. I did hear there is "a thought out there" that most Colombians who wanted to adopt have done so. Maybe that means that the program will pick up again for us gringos???? We have friends in Colombia right now adopting their son after a 2 year wait. I just read their blog and they said that 25 babies are now at LP. So....Keep us in your prayers for a referral soon!

I know, our family life is based on rumor and conjecture. But I've learned to take it with a grain of salt. I've accepted that I have no control over the process. It's frustrating at times but I wouldn't trade if for anything in the world. Sometimes it does make me mad as hell. But then I remember it's not about me. It's about us as a family, a Colombian family. We're committed to sticking this out. It's our life and we love it. We love Lucy so much it hurts. We miss Colombia and our friends there.

nuff said
PK

The great MN get together and Labor Day weekend

Kurt, Lucy, Jackie (a family friend) and I went to the state fair this year. Can I just say that I FLAT OUT LOVE THE FAIR! It brings back such fond memories of going with my Mom and Dad. My Dad being a farmer preferred to stay on Machinery Hill all day. That about killed me! But we also took in the 4-H building, ALL of the animal barns and not to mention all the yummy food. I hope Lucy will have those kind of warm memories that I had as a kid going to the fair. And...what doesn't taste good fried in oil on a stick? I'm just saying...

We were also up at the lake with ALL of Kurt's family for Labor Day. We had a fantastic time. I think it's the first time since the cabin's been built that we were all there as a family. It was SO nice to be together enjoying the new place.

Smooch
PK

Ode to a faithful companion

I remember the day Kurt and I went to the Humane Society to pick out Callie. After squelching the urge to run up each aisle and yell, "Run! Run for your lives!" we came upon this sweet brown dog. She looked up at us and was actually willing us to let her out of the kennel. Her WHOLE back end was wagging, not just the tail. So we called a volunteer over so we could take her out in the dog run and see what she was like. We got outside and she immediately squatted down and peed on my shoe. Kurt said, "I couldn't of trained her any better myself!" Very funny! But that's how we knew she was house trained. She didnt want to mess in her kennel.

Well we brought her home and the rest is history. 10+ years of faithful companionship. Callie was an amazing dog. We didn't have a fence but she rarely left the yard. She got us through many a hard time. My next life I want to come back as a pet of a couple that is struggling with fertility! Talk about spoiled.

And then Lucy entered our lives. What a thing to do to a geriatric dog! Make them live with a toddler. Sheesh! But Callie endured all the hugging, tugging and laying on that Lucy could muster. She was GREAT with Lucy.

So...what else can I say? She was the best dog I ever had.

PK

4th of July

If you want to pause the slide show, just put your mouse over the pic. The first slide show is entitled "Pizza" for obvious reasons. It's her favorite food. The 2nd one is from the lake over 4th of July. I know, Lucy is going to kill me for the naked boating one. But you should of seen her. Too cute, as usual. There is also a slide show from Kurt's surprise 40th birthday party as well.

I know I've said this before but I just can't get over how much Lucy LOVES water. Every time she sees a lake, river or pool, she shouts, "AGUA"! And when she gets in...such excitement...arms out to the side, hands opening and shutting...the splashing commences. Her latest thing to do at the wading pool is sticking her head under water as she tries to swim. If I wasn't so scared she was going to drown, I would try to video tape it.

Anyway life is good and we are blessed. Hope you're all enjoying your summer as much as we are. It goes too fast as always. This is the stuff memories are made of.

PK

una familia muy especial

Whew!

Kurt, Lucy and I have been on the road a lot. I think we've been gone more than we've been home lately.

We had an opportunity to visit with the family that we met while we were in Colombia in 07. You may remember Adriana, the university student we met on the plane on the way down and later she and her family took us to the countryside near Bogotá? Our favorite day in Colombia was having Lucy placed in our arms for the first time of course, meeting and hanging out with the "A" family was definitely our 2ND favorite day!

Anyway...The "A" family was here in the States visiting some of their relatives so it was the perfect time for us to fly down to VA to meet them. What an incredible experience! It was wonderful seeing them all again and meeting some of Godfrey's (Adriana's dad) sisters and brothers. They thought nothing of opening their home to us. Remember when we Americans were more like this? They have become like family to us. Even with a bit of a language barrier (we didn't speak much English for 4 days. Kurt's Spanish is definitely better than mine now. Go Kurt!), we have such a strong connection to them. Of course there was MUCH doting upon Lucy.

What an amazing family. They have such a special place in our hearts. And of course they are all an important part of Lucy's history. I pray that we can maintain this friendship through the years and I hope our friendship becomes stronger with each passing visit.

Enjoy the pics. They are mostly of our visit, downtown Richmond and a trip to Williamsburg.

Smooch
PK

P.S. Adriana called me on Kurt's birthday to tell us of the rescue of 14 hostages held by FARC, a leftist terrorist group in Colombia, including 3 Americans that haven't been home in over 5 years! Hearing that news was a great birthday gift for Kurt!

los primos y la piscina

Here is a slideshow of a recent trip to visit Eli and Solomon (Lucy's cousins), Lydia's birthday party (another cousin),and Lucy's new pool. That was a HUGE hit as you can see:)



Enjoy the pics.



PK

Reflections of a farm girl...

Most of you know that both of my parents are deceased, most recently my father. He died Nov 7Th 2006. He was 91 years old and died in the same room he was born in! Not many people can say that now days. To provide a little history for the confused readers out there. My mom was 47 and my father 52 when I was born. I know, an "oops" baby:) There's 25 years difference between my oldest sibling and myself.

Anyway.....That event brings me to my current post. We as a family needed to go through all the buildings and the house and clean out a 100+ plus years of accumulation as it was originally my grandpa's farm! We should have tackled it last summer but none of us could stomach it quite frankly. It was too overwhelming and WAY too sad to go through everything. In the words of one of my sisters, "It's like we're throwing THEM away!" I get it. Not to mention we received our referral for Lucy on Nov 30Th 2006, just a few weeks after the funeral. (Thank you! I like to think he and mom had a little something to do with that:) We traveled in Jan 07. Came home with Lucy Feb 28 07. You get the idea. We were a tad preoccupied.

I think we finally had the energy emotionally and physically to go up there and tackle the project. It's been hard work and actually fun too. We've gathered every Saturday since the beginning of May. We've made meals together, talked, cried, yelled. We've reconnected as a family. It's important to put some closure on it emotionally.

To give you a little idea here's what we've accomplished so far:

2 construction size dumpsters of junk
over 130 tires hauled away on Earth Day. We even were mentioned in the local paper on that one, not by name thank God!
countless trips to Salvation Army
LOTS of scrap iron
splitting up items between the siblings and bringing them to our prospective homes.

It's ALOT of stuff. And seeing, holding these things brings forth such memories and then laughter, tears and sadness. Upon seeing an old horse drawn sleigh, my brother said, " I remember when grandpa took that apart and set it in that corner". It's still in the same place, untouched, like a ghost.

So I think about how I grew up on this farm. My family, the traditions, the memories and....the nostalgia of it all. It will be an enjoyable challenge to convey all that to Lucy. She won't know her grandparents on my side, only through me. But I never knew my grandparents either. I guess a little history repeating itself??? Maybe I feel the weight of it because of that.

The great thing about all of this is that my brother and his wife now live on the farm. That makes it officially a 3rd generation working farm! Crazy huh? Lucy does love it there, seeing all the baby animals, running around like she owns the place. Which she really does of course:)


PK

Children's Museum

We recently met up with Cara and Joel (Lucy's Godparents)at the Children's Museum. They were babysitting their other god daughter, Savannah, so it was the perfect opportunity for a play date as they are so close in age. The two girls had a great time. Lucy LOVED the water exhibit. I finally had to drag her away kicking and screaming. What a little water bug! PK

Adoption #2 update.....

Well, I hardly know where to begin....I feel like the wind has been knocked out of me. We received an update from LSS (Lutheran Social Services), our adoption agency. It looks like LP, as well as the other casa privadas (Los Pisingos, the private orphanage where Lucy is from) are not accepting any paperwork for new referrals for children 3 and under. We knew that our orphanage application was sent down to Colombia in Oct 07 only to sit on the in-country coordinator's desk because of the slow down in referrals. Hey, at least it made it down there. I know of families that have paperwork waiting here in the States. Sigh.... When I think of all the wonderful, loving, truly amazing people that we've met once we made the decision to adopt, I'm overwhelmed. Anyway...we were prepared for a longer wait for a referral than with Miss Lucy (4 mos), more like late 2009 this time around.

This is such a weird feeling, to actually have to hope that there are birth families out there that are faced with the heart wrenching decision to place their precious babies for adoption so that Kurt and I can have a family. More importantly so that Lucy will know what it's like to have a sibling.

Colombia is doing great things for families and children. They are providing more support so that families can parent children. Adoption culture is changing in Colombia. Orphanages are making successful efforts to find Colombian families for children. So thank God there are less children needing adoptive placements because I couldn't bear it knowing that kids are languishing in orphanages when there are PLENTY of families waiting!

So I feel at a crossroads of sorts. Do we adopt out of birth order in the Colombia program? Do we stick it out and hope and pray and pray and hope that referrals will start moving again? Do we stop with Lucy?

But, I have to be honest and say that right now I can't fathom a child from any other place. A little piece of my heart is still in Colombia. I want Lucy to have a sibling that is Colombian too. Kurt and I have always said that if our kids can't look like us, they should look like each other. I want them to have remotely the same experience of how they came to be the light of our lives. My heart just aches right about now.


I don't know what to do...

PK

St. Cloud or bust!

Some people go some where nice and warm for a winter vacation. We went to sunny St. Cloud MN a couple weeks back to meet Tim, Dina and their children Lexie and Aleah for a weekend get away. It was a great little trip. Very fun to reconnect with old friends. We don't do it nearly enough. Our daughter LOVES the water. I thought she was going to shrivel up into a little prune.

Enjoy the few pics that actually turned out:)

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a great Easter. It was so fun to dress Lucy up and go to church. She even made it through the whole service! We had to nix the actual Easter dress on account of oh...about 5 inches of snow on the ground. But she looked darn adorable in her outfit. Hey! It was yellow. That has to count for something:) We had a great time with all of Kurt's family. Boy does Lucy love her Grandma and Grandpa! I can't wait until she comes up with her own name for them. I wonder what she'll call them....You know kids, it'll be something dang cute,

Her language is exploding! She is signing a BUNCH(2+ word sentences), talking more and more, and even speaking a little Spanish.

Enjoy the pics. They are mostly Easter ones with one family shot of us at Como Zoo recently.

Smooch
PK