The dimples

Home

We arrived in Rockford Sunday night. Everyone is healthy and happy to be home. Time to adjust back to normal life. Better go check for unwanted stow aways in our dirty laundry. If you hear any screaming....

A smidge closer to home

After a tearful goodbye, a flight delay, a delay to exit the plane and now another flight delay, we find oursleves people watching in Miami Florida. Our flight now doesn't leave until 9:30pm arriving in Detroit 12:30am. Then comes a two hour drive complete with a US/Canada border crossing. Thanks for your prayers today. God is good all the time. We're inching our way home. Can't wait to see you all and share the pictures.

One more night...

We get to keep the girls tonight. The original plan was for all the kids to return to the O this afternoon. We are excited to have this extra time!

Thursday - to the Mountains

Today we went to the Haiti Bapitist Mission in the town of Fairmont up in the mountains. In Haiti, the higher you go, the more wealthy the people. The views were beautiful, the air was fresh and cooler. It did mean another bone crunching truck ride for over an hour, but the views were worth it. The girls had their first taste of ice cream for this trip. We had some time to wander though a gift shop and past street merchants. The girls are feeling well now, so we are getting to discover more about their personalities. Gracie is how we figured her- happy and content and looking for fun. Daphna much more reserved with a very quiet smile and giggle- along with a very cute and insistent terrible twos thing happening. We are feeling the ache for our kids and home- yet not ready to leave the girls- I guess that is the paradigm we live in for this season. Your prayers are welcome as Saturday (fly home day) is around the corner. Geoff will head to the boys home tommorrow and finish up the sponsorship project, Jude gets a quiet morning with the girls- then one last afternoon in the pool.

Wild Wednesday

Today- we went to the beach. A two hour ride in the back of the caged truck. We saw alot of Haiti out of the back of the truck. First time out of Port au Prince- so we got to see rural life. Some corn farms, alot of skinny farm animals and garbage all over. Roads are filled with taptaps, buses, trucks and motorcycles- all seemingly using their horns all the time. The beach was a nice change of pace- lunch on a cabana overlooking the ocean, playing in the water with the girls (and crabs, octopi, jellyfish and fish)- all the while dodging garbage drifting in from the ocean- okay, not club med, but something to see anyway. The girls are feeling alot better- Gracie giggling and laughing and grabbing all the time, Daphna a little quieter by the cutest little shy smile you have ever seen coming more and more often.
Tommorrow off to the Haiti Baptist Mission I think- another couple hours of bumpy roads and hard wooden benches.....

Important Lessons Learned Today

1. Daphna likes animal crackers
2. Grace has dimples

Easy Day

Today is turning out to be a real vacation type day. We are staying at the hotel all day as far as we know- still waiting to hear from the lawyers how far our paperwork has progressed. We had a great time in the pool today- Both Gracie and Daphna were giggling and playing- the most smiles we have seen yet.

Tuesday

Good morning
No good internet access yesterday, and pics are really slow to upload- things seem quicker today so I hope it works. We spent most of the afternoon and evening at HIS Home yesterday working on the sponsorship project. We fingerprinted and took pics. of 66 of the kids- about half. Hopefully we will finish up today or tommorrow. The girls are feeling better- fighting their colds off and eating a little better. They are definitely getting more comfortable with us. One of the families here had to travel to the immigration offices yesterday with the mother of the two girls they are adopting, and we rode in the car with her on the way to drop her back off. The reality of life sinks in when a mother is willingly giving up her daughters because there is no food or hope here for them- our hearts broke at the hardship- we can't even imagine....
Also met a couple yesterday who signed final papers and took their kids home- which was an encouragement to us that there will be an end to this journey at some point.
We are soaking up the time with Daphna and Grace- playing, swimming, and travelling. They are pretty much worn out at the end of everyday.- I am watching Daphna's huge eyes roll back in her head right now as she fights to stay awake- and yes- her eyes really are that big. Gracie is feeling better and is certainly becoming more affectionate and active (grabby little thing)_ have to watch her every second.
Thanks for you prayers- specifically that we can finish up the sponsorship project, and for babies Joey, Gaelle and Lydia as they are all pretty sick right now.

Sunday

Had a great day on Sunday! Good American b-fast at the hotel, then a rough, dusty ride in the back of Hals truck to HIS Home, then on to Quisqueda Chapel (River of Life in native Indian). Hals truck is a Ford 450 box truck with a welded locking gate on the back- we felt like monkeys in the zoo. On the way to church there was possibly 40 or so people crammed in the back- so tight that it was impossible to fall. The roads are awful- so it is hanging on for dear life the whole time. The church is a block building with a metal roof- maybe 300 people- every color and type of people imaginable. Made a "small world connection with two people, one from St.Thomas and one from Grand Rapids. Church was similar to an American Evangelical- praise songs and an American Pastor.
After church it was off to His Home for lunch-got to spend alot of time visiting and playing with the kids. We were all pretty hot and tired by about 3 pm when we got home so the pool at the hotel was full of white parents with Haitian kids- kind of a spectacle. Gracie LOVES the pool- splashing and giggling the whole time- Daphna was not impressed at first but warmed up quickly to it- even splashing a little.
We are finding out Gracie is a VERY strong willed young lady- I think that is the only reason she could have made it through her first month of life. She lets us know exactly how she would like things to be. Look out Megan- you will have your hands full with this sister! Daphna is very quiet, shy and compliant- she just looks at you with those huge eyes and is very delicate about everything she does.
Some good storms came through last night- couldnt get internet- it is better today. Haven't seen the weather yet to see what else is on the way. We are off to His Home this afternoon to start the ornament project- we are going to need some help with names!
Pray for Grace and Daphna- both are fighting colds and they arent' feeling all that great. Jude and I are good so far. We love you guys- we feel your prayers. God is good all the time.

We are here

After sitting in the plane for almost 1 hour before take-off and filling out our visa forms in green ink and having to re do them on the floor of the immigration office at the airport- we are here. Hal picked us up, Jackson and BigBoy were happy to help us haul our baggage for a good tip (hands are always out around here). We got to the hotel and Chris came walking around the corner with Grace- she looks great! And she got big in the last 11 months! Daphna followed shortly thereafter- she looks like we remembered, just a wee little bit bigger. We have been napping, feeding and playing ever since, what a blessing to be here.
Thanks for praying us through customs, although you were all praying a little early.....We were asked about the large bags- showed him the top one- strategically filled with formula and no vitamins, and were waved through. We pray we can be a blessing to Chris and Hal and all the kids with the things that you sent with us.
Try to get pics tommorrow- God bless.

Miami

We arrived in Miami safe and sound with all of our baggage. One of our checked bags was 1 pound overweight, but since the other 3 were 1/2 lb. under the max. weight, we were not charged the extra $50. We have cleared 3 out of the 4 border/baggage check points. Only Haitian customs if left. Please pray for us at 2:15 (3:15 Michigan time). That is when we land. Feels like a balmy 104 degrees in Port au Prince today. We can't wait.

The Journey Begins

Good morning. We are in the van on the way to Detroit Metro Airport. We have successfully crossed the border into Canada, dropped off the kids + dog with Oma & Opa, and recrossed the border into the states. Despite oversleeping half an hour and fog, we seem to be on track to make our 7:20 flight. Sounds like the tropical depression in the Atlantic may be headinng towards Haiti - Geoff may get to see his hurrican yet! Don't worry kids, we'll take pictures of that one! Thanks for your prayers.

Happy Birthday Grace!

Happy Birthday Grace! Today our baby girl turns 1. 6 more days till we can spoil her rotten.

We have officially collected enough donations to fill all our luggage to the max!
74 cans of formula, 123 bottles of vitamins, a pack-n-play, sheets, rubber pants, bottles, underwear + $780! Thank you.

Sisters

Donation Update

10 days until we fly!! We are excited to say we now have 59 cans of formula, 123 bottles of childrens vitamins, a pack-n-play, several sheets, and a bunch of baby bottles to bring with us. We hope to weigh it all and pack our own supplies this weekend. Stay tuned to hear if we made it to 360 lbs. Thank you for your generosity.