so what did we do on this VERY gray and rainy day?

Caleb and I decided to "do" Micaiah's hair, I am not sure you had more fun, me or Caleb?
and of course, he too, wanted to get "dressed up" as he called it
isn't she gorgeous?
Caleb went a little over board, okay, I helped! but it was his idea...
Caleb loved putting all the clips in her hair.

so, how do we fill our days...

Elijah taught Micaiah how to play basketball, she loved it! When Micaiah was in Guatemala her foster mom used to say, "shoo shoo mi mi" as she rocked her. Micaiah loves to rock baby dolls when we say "shoo shoo mi mi". this is the special doll she got from Grandma Sutton. thanks Grandma, she loves it! This is it, the first official bath together, three's a crowd!

three's a crowd, their first bath together! (okay I think I posted this already but I don't want to hit delete and loose all these pics that appear like they are actually going to post, so enjoy it again!
and who do you think she is looking at, her mommy!
Today Micaiah noticed the flowers and butterflies on her bedroom wall, although I think she was disappointed they are 2 dimensional :o)

my wonderful friend shelley taught me how to post my comments under the pics!!! ahhhh, this is much nicer!

the post, finally in ONE piece!

my first day home alone... well, today was day one, just me and three kiddos! We had Bible study this morning, out the door by 9:20, what a challenge! Thank God my wonderful husband helped me out or we would have never made it. especially since Caleb and Elijah woke up at 8:15 and Micaiah woke up at 7:30 took a bottle and fell back to sleep in our bed. WOW, we all must have been exhausted, it felt great to have a slow morning, well, until we woke up of course.
the three Sutton kids all climbed into bed this morning, what a blessing! I love these little ones!

Caleb went to school this afternoon, we all walked him there together Caleb and Elijah got Micaiah a Dora backpack for her birthday, so everyone wore their backpacks and off we went. What a fun time, daddy came home for lunch and to walk Caleb to school. Elijah and I had some great time together playing and reading books before his nap, it was really good to just focus and love on him. He is such a sweetie. Micaiah's first trip to the park. She loved the swing

During supper, we taught Micaiah how to drink out of a sippy! YEAH, she did great and was so excited she got milk out of that dumb hard plastic thing I kept sticking in her mouth :o) It was a good day, now if only I could teach her to sleep! in time we will get there, she has adjusted to us so well otherwise. tomorrow we head to the dr. for her 1 year check up and initial exam. I have lots of questions :o) although we have to be out of the house by 9AM, what was I thinking when I scheduled that appointment (I only have two kids and they are pretty self-sufficient) what a difference a third makes! hanging in there

running in the rain

after supper the back door slammed. a usual sound at our home. except it is raining. the boys are out amidst the rain, having as much fun as two little boys could possibly have. daddy is doing dishes and mommy is sitting on the porch with micaiah, covered under the blankets fast asleep. we come inside, daddy volunteers to bath the boys while I just sit and enjoy my beautiful daughter.

The international gathering of the Suttons and Walatkas.

On Monday our friends from South Bend dropped in for a visit. The Walatkas have five children, twin boys who are 4, a 15 month old little girl, and two two year old boys they have adopted from Etheopia. Needless to say it was a zoo. The kids were all very well behaved and had a great time playing together... parents too. wish we had a better pic. we were having too much fun! It was amazing how much we enjoyed our time together, adults too! Just goes to show you what great parents Keith and Shelley are, how else do you explain 8 kids under 5 and almost no chaos, just pure fun... and only one spill at the lunch table!

Birthday Pics

These pics go with the last post. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Micaiah

Today was a very special day for the Sutton family. Micaiah turned 1. The day began with a feliz cumpleanos from Gramma and Grandpa Sutton. We can't wait for them to meet her face to face - she will be all smiles. Then it was center stage for Micaiah as she met all our friends from Horizon. We could hardly get in the door. Everyone was so excited to finally meet her. Our church family has been so supportive over the past year and more - it was so exciting to finally introduce her to them today.
After church we had some snacks in front of the Bengals game (Who Dey!!!) It was Micaiah's first NFL Sunday. She did great... so did the Bengals. :)
While we watched the game she chased Bailey around the room making little barking noises. After the fearful introduction she has fallen in love with our dog. It's really cute to see her reach for Bailey, sit next to her and give her kisses.
After a short nap we had burgers on the grill and spicy potatos (Caleb's favorite). Caleb and Elijah couln't wait until after dinner to do cake and presents. In fact, Elijah got to open Micaiah's first birthday present; a Dora Backpack from Caleb. Caleb also got her some cool mylar balloons - one of which is an old fart balloon with a funny face and the words "you're how old?!!" He got the same balloon for Grandpa Sutton when he was in the hospital. After presents we let the kids ice their own birthday cupcakes. Micaiah really enjoyed her first taste of chocolate. Compared to Caleb's chocolate bath on his first birthday and Elijah's cake fight, Micaiah was a sparkling saint. The worst it got was personal body painting with white frosting.
Micaiah finished off her special day walking Grandma Tina around the house chasing Bailey.
It was a really fun and memorable day. Thank God for our little girl.

First Family Outing...

For the first time in a year, we actually went somewhere as a family!!! We all got up early, got dressed, ate a quick breakfast, and went to Caleb's soccer game. We told Caleb that he had to play extra hard today for Micaiah and score her a goal. He really played well. He didn't score but came close a few times. There are two older boys on the team that are very fast and strong and tend to steal the ball from everyone - teammates included. Caleb was so happy to have her there watching. The rest of the day was a lazy family day with gramma in the back yard. A few friends stopped by to meet Micaiah and bring us dinner. In the midst of the fun, Micaiah got used to her walker and cruised around the driveway. It was amazing how fast she ran, smiling all the way. We capped off the day with a short movie and popcorn in the basement. Micaiah wasn't too interested in Caleb's pick; "Rescue Heros." She decided to walk around the room instead - holding onto daddy all the way. A few times she chased Bailey. She's gotten used to her already and loves to chase her. And, most exciting, all three kids went to bed at 9:00 and are now asleep!!! (It's 9:30) This adventure has been so fun!

Day One...

Today went PERFECT!!!
Micaiah slept really well last night.
Caleb fed her a bottle and Elijah fed her cherios and puffs.
The kids all played together before lunch and took a short field trip to visit daddy's friends at the office. Everyone agrees, she is the most beautiful baby girl EVER!
Tonight was guys night. Daddy, Caleb, Elijah and our friend Bryan went to the IH - Mariemont football game. We are making sure that they still feel special and get lots of one-on-one time with both mom and dad.
We are completely overwhelmed by God's grace throughout the homecoming process. It has been one miracle after another - from travel, to meals, to sleep and bonding with others - God is so good.

Homecomming

She's home!!!
I don't want to rob Jocelyn of the opportunity to blog the day so I'll just post some pictures.
Enjoy!

I can't sleep!

yes, notice the blog time, it is 5:15, Guatemala time. and today are family will be together for the first time every!!!! Peter and I are so excited we can't sleep, we have been laying in bed giggling with excitement for the last half hour or more. I figured I would you catch up on yesterdays events before setting off to Cincinnati!

yesterday was the best day yet. Micaiah loved daddy every moment and cried twice the entire day. Her cry is very funny. We can be sitting around or hanging out somewhere and all of a sudden her sweet gentle little cry fills the air. Everyone looks at us and says, what happen. Almost always it is much of nothing we hug her hold her and she usually doesn't last too long. I wonder if she remembers Judith at those moment? Well, today she only did that once the entire day. She also cried when I stood up in the very crowded adoption lounge to get my camera 5 steps away. she had everyones attention, again asking, what happened? as soon as I got back to her spot she quit and continued to play again :o) she is so sweet.

so she woke up happy as could be, like she did in Feb. on our first visit. just opens her eyes and looks around waiting for someone to pick her up, whenever. NOw that's my kind of wake up call! :o) We took a bath together and she loved it! she splashed in the water and I kicked her feet a bit. yesterday she was much more nervous about the bath, she seems to be getting used to it. daddy got her dressed and we all went down to enjoy breakfast together. it was a slow relaxing morning, she didn't open her eyes until after 8!

we spent the late morning and early afternoon at the zoo! it was sooooo neat, and less than $5! although getting pooped on was not so neat! A bird got my hair, better me than Micaiah who was in the baby carrier on my front.

during this zoo process we met some really great families I am sure we will keep in contact with once we are home. I met Sally online, through our agency, we quickly found out our cases were almost identical! her baby born just one month earlier, lots of delays due to birthmom, she actually lost her referral, we only nearly did, then when she waited for the call to get a new baby referred to her, her birthmom had followed through and she got her Maddy back. Her PGN wait was not as long, however we got out the same day and had our appointments at the embassy the same day. we have spent a good chunk of time together hear. she also has a 4 year old, married her high school sweetheart, works with children with autism, has a dog named Bailey, and the list goes on! amazing isn't it? so, we spent the day at the zoo with her family and then headed to the artisans market to browse for a bit. Micaiah wanted to walk while we were there, holding onto Peter she took quite a few steps, we videotaped it!

We headed back to the hotel room where Micaiah played in the mirror, walked some more, and when we set her down to play with toys, she chose the book of pictures of our family she has had since birth!!!!! we smiled. When we saw Micaiah the first day, Judith had her give us kisses, she kissed everybody. well since then, when we ask her for a kiss she just shakes her head no, until today. she is giving us kisses just about whenever we ask!

when people approach her she looks at them, then looks up at me and smiles sooooooo big. she lights up the room and steals attention from everyone else, even all the other cute babies in the lounge. (and I am not just saying this because she is my daughter, it's true, ask anyone)

okay, I am not done with the days events, but it's time to get ready to head to the airport!

yipee, we miss Caleb and Elijah sooooooooo much and can't wait to be home. we will try to keep up when we get back!

love you all, thanks for reading and praying and loving on us! sorry no time to post pics, Iwill soon.

Great day #3

Tuesday morning's apointment finalized our adoption. It was such a wonderful feeling to know that Micaiah is officially ours. For the majority of the morning and a bit into the afternoon, Micaiah would only go to Jocelyn. She is already very attached to her. In fact, when Jocelyn left the room at breakfast, Micaiah cried until she returned. I felt a little strange holding my own daughter screaming her head off in public.
After a family nap, we met up with some friends and went shopping at a local market. It was fun to bargain with the vendors. We found some great gifts and souvineers.
After shopping, we invited three other couples out to dinner at one of our favorite Guatemalan resteraunts, Casa Champina. We all stuffed in a cab/van because of the rain. Imagine eight adults, four infants under 1 and a four year-old stuffed in a mini van... then at the same dinner table. They were all perfect angels. Micaiah slept the whole time in the baby carrier.
After dinner the guys hit the sports bar for some cuban cigars and local beer while the generous wives took care of the kids. (Boy are we blessed!) I think the guys needed some time away to be guys... it takes a lot out of a man to carry a pink diaper bag around all day.
While the guys bonded, Jocelyn and Micaiah played in the room, she was fussy, we think her eighth tooth is about to come through. After some Ibuprofen and a bunch of walking around the hotel. Jocelyn finally opted to try cartoons, her foster mom said she loves them. They found Barney, Micaiah lit up and went nuts! She clapped and smiled and giggled and babbled. Jocelyn said it was really funny to watch. She had the same response to Elmo this morning, although not quite as excited as when she saw Barney.
Micaiah slept better last night. She still insisted on cuddling with daddy - but I didn't mind. She woke up a few times but slept until about 8:30 this morning. Today she has been all smiles and laughter. She ate a great breakfast and is playing with some other kids while I'm on the computer. She gets along with others pretty well.
Today we are going to the zoo. It's pretty close and should be fun and interesting. Don't worry Caleb and Elijah, we'll take plenty of pictures. We are going with one of the families we did dinner with last night. We'll post the days events tonight.
Thank you all for your prayers and support while we are away.

It's official

Today at 6:30 a.m. we traveled to the US embasy where we officially finished off the adoption process. We received the formal papers and the official congratulations at 8:40.
Micaiah Jane is now officially a Sutton. I can't believe it's final.

WOW! what a day!

Micaiah has been absolutely amazing! she is adjusting to us soooooo well! Far better than I ever dreamed of considering it has been just 30 hours with our princess. She is a happy, smiling, babbling, content little girl. She gets fussy every once in awhile, but it just seems she is hungry, tired or wants a new diaper (sounds like a baby to me). We are starting to figure her out. We have been speaking to her almost entirely in Spanish, it's still pretty easy at this age. I can handle the language of a one year old :o) We are having lots of fun and just enjoying our time together. She smiles a lot and seems to really enjoy our company. As we went through Antigua today many of the people commented on her, they all seem to love babies. A few asked to hold her. Sometimes as they approached her with their arms open, she just shook her head no! Other times she was okay to be held. today at lunch a women asked to hold her so I could eat and then when she took Micaiah she walked across the room with her. Micaiah started to cry and wanted to come back to us! oh, how exciting that was! only 24 hours after we met her.

we ate lunch at a beautiful restaurant with a marachi band, fountain, tortillas made by hand, beautiful gardens and our sweet little Guatemalan.

today seemed like a taste of heaven, can't wait for tomorrow when she wakes up again!!

oh yeah, Micaiah slept from 10:30-7:45 last night, she woke a few times, just a slight wimper and back to sleep. We never even got out of bed. I think she could have gone to sleep sooner, except she and daddy were playing.

sometimes she seems to want daddy, not mommy and other times she wants mommy and not daddy.

i don't think Peter mentioned we went to the Jade factory today. Learned how they mined, and create jade. It was really neat. Apparently Guatemala is the only place where you can find black jade!

On the ride through the cobblestone streets of Antigua the shaking of the car put Micaiah to sleep if we stayed in the car for more than 10 minutes or so. and....she went in a car seat! I was sooo impressed and excited! I thought that might be a challenge for us as I know she is not used to being strapped down, she did great! yeah!

We also went to a famous family's tienda, Carolina's. they had amazing handmade textiles, there were beautifully woven things to see. At Carolina's they showed us what the traditional traje of a Coban woman would wear. Coban is where Micaiah was born.

It is so fun to see the culture where our little girl was born.

sorry about all the scatter thoughts, I don't want to miss anything.

Amy & Tina- thanks for the updates on the boys, we miss them lots and can't wait for them to meet their little sister and she can't wait to meet them!

A Day in Heaven

Today we visited the ancient capital city of Antigua. It is filled with beautiful old monastaries and churches, coffee plantations, cobblestone streets and little shops. The lush green mountains envelope the city and paint a backdrop that is breathtaking. We visited an old monastary that has been converted into a hotel and museum. We got to walk through the catacombs and secret passages and rooms beneath the chapel.
Besides the scenery, the company was what truly made it heavenly. Micaiah was a perfect angel. She was happy all day. She ate well, napped well and traveled well. It couldn't have been any better. We are having dinner with some new friends from Dayton tonight and will finish off the paperwork at the embasy tomorrow. Then it will be official.
Enjoy the pics!

Little Miss Sunshine

Last night went very well. After nap time, Micaiah took down a good size bottle and a little fruit. After dinner we lounged around the room, played games and read books. She brightened up and didn't fuss much at all for the rest of the night. I, Peter, walked her and sang to her until her beautiful eyes drooped shut and she fell asleep. She slept right through the night without a peep. In fact, as I type, the two most beautiful girls in the world are still lying fast asleep in the other room.
Pray that today starts out and continues as well as last night. Our plan is to visit the ancient capital city of Antigua with some new friends from Dayton. Their little girl Sofie is only 6 months old and already bigger than Micaiah! She is still so tiny.
Enjoy our pics!

we're HERE!!!

We arrived in Guatemala City at about 12:30. Spent some time walking around and Micaiah arrived at 2:30, all smiles.

she smiled at both of us. I waited a long while before even attempting to take her from Judith, (we just found out our foster mom's name is Judith, not Juliet). Judith put her down on the chair and I played with her awhile there. she was happy and all smiles. I reached to pick her up and she reached out to me!!!!!!!! yeah, she did sooooo good the entire time Judith and her two children, Francisco (Micaiah knows him as Paco) and Josselina. And, they had a new baby, they had just received today, a little boy less than a week old. I am sure that will help the family in healing from the loss of Micaiah.

so we got the low down on Micaiah's life and then an hour and a half later it was time to say our good byes. we let Micaiah wave and said, "dice adios" (say goodbye) and off they went. we made it to the elevator and she began to cry looking all over for Judith and waving good bye-to us I am sure. Now, 2 hours and 45 minutes later, she is in Peter's arms and seems to be calming down, at least for the past 2 minutes as I write this. Longer than she has been not crying since we have been with her. yeah Micaiah!!!

we covet your prayers for our little girl as she goes through this very very difficult time.

Needless to say, carryout from the sports bar downstairs was the best we could do for supper tonight. they had awesome black bean soup. I am sure peter will try to post pics when our baby girl is peacefully asleep in bed.

for now she has just fallen asleep in peter's arms, still gasping from the crying.

pobrecita (poor baby)

Jocelyn

1st day of preschool

today was it, the real thing! Caleb's first day of preschool.

Daddy came home for lunch, we all ate together and then packed up to go to school. Caleb actually got himself dressed and was ready to walk out the door at 9:30 (that's pretty early considering he didn't wake up until after 8 and then spends a good 10 minutes cuddling and then 20 minutes devouring breakfast). He asked if he could go to school then and I told him we would go after lunch. He asked if he could eat lunch now! Needless to say, he was soooo excited about his first day. He packed up his Spiderman backpack over a week ago and was excited he finally got to wear it today. Elijah rode his two wheeler, Henry and Allie walked with us, and we joined Caleb's friend Ethan and his family to walk down to the school.

We got there and Caleb found his cubbie with his name and picture on it, put his backpack away, and got to work. I mean play! We left shortly after, he only notice we were leaving because I went up to him gave him a kiss and told him I would miss him and I would be back soon.

I couldn't wait to get back and pick him up and find out all about his day. So Caleb, what did you do today at preschool?

I don't remember. (typical answer I suppose)

so we dug a little deeper and he shared lots of details about all the exciting things he did at school. he is very excited to go back and excited Grandma Tina gets to take him to school next week!

Tonight, Peter asked him what was your favorite thing at school today. Caleb said, "playing on the computer, the playground, actually all of the things were my favorite"

I am so excited for him, everyone asked if I was sad, but not really. I missed him, but he was so ready to go and I knew it would be a positive experience for him. I really like his teacher and am excited for Caleb's opportunity to make new friends.

(sorry no pics, I can't get the camera hooked up right now, I will add them later)

that's my sister!

we have pictures on our dishwasher of family and friends. the kids look at the pics all the time and we talk about all the people on the fridge. well, this morning Elijah said, "that's Micaiah" (which he often says) and then he said,

"that's my sister!"

he looked so proud, like he had finally figured it all out! hope is just as excited when she takes over the Sutton house :o)

It's official...

We are going to Guatemala to pick up our precious baby girl! we just got word we have an appointment on september 11. (my caseworker pointed out this is the original date of our re-fingerprinting, ironic isn't it?) We will leave Sat or Sun and be back Wed or Thurs. I got to go book a flight and get a hotel our baby is coming home!!!!!!

my boys

Peter is having a crazy season. Soccer is usually a pretty crazy time of year with practices or games 6 days a week. He has had a fairly good start to the season, we have enjoyed coming to watch the home games. We always sit in the stands and cheer daddy's team on. He loves coaching the Indian Hill JV team. then don't forget football season has started, that is where he is tonight. the most important night of the year, the fantasy football draft night! He invites a bunch of friends from the neighborhood and church and they all draft their leagues for the season. A friend hosts, they all bring their laptops, eat lots of nasty food, and well, I don't know the rest, I just know he loves it. And then of course, we have been dealing with Micaiah and the struggles there as well as the news of his father's cancer. Like I said, it has been a crazy season, not to mention work. oh yeah, he has a job too! He absolutely loves his job. They are starting a serious, the world according to... last week they talked about materialism. the world according to Donald Trump. He recently had the opportunity to speak in big church. He did an amazing job. If you want to hear the message it is on the church's website: www.horizoncc.com and the message was on August 6.

Caleb is starting school september 7 (on Gma Tina's birthday). We have been watching his school being built. It's just around the corner from our home. We told him he could go to school when he turned 4 and when the building was done. Well, the building is done so we are watching the playground be assembled. We walk down there most days to check on the current status. :o) He is soooo looking forward to starting school. We got his backpack and school supplies. He and Elijah love to play school. They put their backpacks on, walk across the hall to Micaiah's room, take the backpacks off and "play school" it is sooo cute!
Caleb has also started his second season of soccer. Our first practice this season he was very hesitant to join in, we were on a new team, new field, new coach, and none of his friends or teammates from last season were on the team. After about 5 seconds of hesitation, he ran right in, joined practiced, did amazingly well, and had a great time. He loved it and he has improved soooo much from just one season. even at his first game, he was so much more confident and aggressive and excited to be in the game. We let him decide if he wanted to play this season and it looks like he made a great choice. I think it is going to be a fun season.

Elijah is loving life and admiring Caleb's every move. he is talking non-stop and saying just about everything, he counts, says about half his ABC's and is soooo smart. He also loves to play soccer and practices and plays on the sidelines during Caleb's practice and games. So far, he is just intimidated enough by the amount of kids on the field that he is content to play on his own. Every once in awhile during practice he sneaks on the field and joins them in a drill or two :o) He also loves to watch the progress on the school. We are excited to have some special time together when Caleb is at school. Elijah is also very excited to be a big brother, just like Caleb. Elijah learned how to ride his tricycle within the last few weeks and now in the last few days has learned to ride Caleb's 2 wheeler with training wheels! He is amazing! so ambitious and loving to try new things, almost always with success. He loves to play pretend,

Tonight for dinner, the little boys and I made pizza, one of their favorites. We roll out the dough, put the sauce on, shredd the cheese and peperoni on, tomatoes and mushrooms on mom's side. the boys help with it all. and then eat their broccoli while the pizza cooks! they love broccoli.

i love my boys, they are so much fun and such blessings in my life.

details...details...details...

here's what I got.

Art: Peter's dad has metastatic melanoma, it started in his eye came back 3 times (the third time they removed his eye) and now has moved to his spine. they will learn more in the next weeks as to prognosis and treatment. they have done another CT scan to see if it has spread to the brain, as of 2 months ago it had not. He is still in a lot of pain, but in good spirits, Rita comes and goes.

Micaiah: last week I took 4 kids (1, 2, 3, and 4 years old) downtown Cincinnati, parked in a garage, trucked them through 7 elevators, through security, one potty break (although we had to stop on a seperate floor for the handicapped bathroom that would fit a double stroller), and in the end had our approval and clearance for fingerprints in hand!!! And I only spent 40 minutes in the parking garage, not bad, heh? So, all to say, we have fingerprint clearance but are having trouble confirming that the US embassy has receivd them in Guatemala. My caseworker and I have been back and forth via email and phone trying to get them resent, because the embassy says they do not have them. Exciting news. we got out of PGN on Monday, next step birth certificate, I figured we would get it by the end of the week and then our attorney would submit for our appointment early next week. Actually, she submitted Thursday, however we were rejected for not having a document. I believe she resubmitted us today. Unfortunately we will be rejected again if they do not have our fingerprints. My caseworker says, best case scenerio, we travel the week after Labor Day (Caleb's first day of school is the 7th) and worst case scenerio the following week.

Other news: our family is traveling to Chicago to see Peter's dad tomorrow. Caleb has his second soccer game of the fall season and then we will head out, arriving just after Peter's dad finishes up a PET scan. Peter will come home Monday, and the boys and I will stay until Thursday. We are looking forward to spending time with Peter's family.

Bittersweet 12 hours

I can't believe I am writing this...
WE ARE OUT!!!!!!!

yep! we are out of PGN!! 22 weeks! 154 days! 5 months and 1 day! We officially got out yesterday, August 21st! I can't believe it is real!!!! We got our phone call this afternoon. I had it in my head that when my caseworker called, she would want to talk about fingerprints, so when the phone rang and I saw Aimee on the caller ID, I was sure she wanted to confirm how things were coming with the processing of our fingerprints. Instead she said, "are you sitting down?" and my response, "are you serious? it's over!" I couldn't believe it!!!! We had a great conversation about the next few steps and Micaiah's transition coming home. She said, our attorney is very fast and we could travel in as quick as 2 weeks!!! It still is not real to me! I think when we have our appointment to go down and pick up her visa and finalize things it will be more real! So in all reality we should expect Micaiah to be home by her birthday, September 17! I feel like ti's the best birthday present of all!!!! and it's not even my birthday. thank you God!!!!!!!!!!

so what is so bittersweet? well, last night we received word that Peter's dad has Stage 4 metastatic melenoma in his spine. They did and MRI on his spine and found the mass on two vertebrae, 30 days later it has spread to four vertebrae. On Thursday we will get more details on the treatment and prognosis. please keep Art and Rita in your prayers. He is still in a lot of pain and Rita is having a hard time digesting all of this. thank you.

updated pics of Micaiah~July '06

Just received this update on Micaiah and pictures!

No PGN news yet. Caroline will start calling Zulma late afternoon as the PGN outs are not released until afternoon.Attached are some updated pictures of Micaiah. When Pedro went to take the photos he visited with Juliet. She remarked that Micaiah still does not like strangers but she loves other children. Even when Juliet's extended family visits, and they do frequently, Micaiah shys away from them. She probably will need some time and patience when coming home in dealing with everyone.Caroline shared that Micaiah sounds very much like her daughter, Lisi, who came home at 14 months. Lisi was not open to being with many people. However, Caroline said that in a very short time she bonded to Caroline and having another young child (Caroline's son David) at home tremendously helped with the transition. In our family we have also found that all 3 of our Guatemalan children loved having siblings in our home and we feel they helped with the transition. I believe that Caleb and Elijah will provide a positive influence on Micaiah's transition. Kids are drawn to one another!Pedro and Juliet report that Miciah is walking with the assistance of a walker or holding someone's hand - which she prefers.Hang in there,Aimee

remembering...

today was our first trip back to the zoo since my dad died. I didn't handle it quite as good as I thought I would. I thought I would be teary eyed, but I fell apart. I miss him so much. It was hard to be there and know this is the last place I saw him really alive. It was very overwhelming, but I don't regret going. As funny or strange as it may sound, I had the same feeling I had when we were there that day, almost 3 months ago. I just get this overwhelming sense of peace, and can't help but feel like my dad saw Jesus then and there. I felt like He welcomed dad home and then said, I want you to stay on earth for a few more days. I don't when my dad went to heaven, I don't know if we ever know? During those few precious days, I felt so very blessed to be with my daddy. I prayed with him, talked to him, shared my frustrations with him, sang to him, and just enjoyed being by his side. Each of his siblings also had the opportunity to see him and just 30 short hours after my sister arrived at the hospital he was gone. I am so grateful for our time in the hospital. Caleb and Elijah didn't mention anything at the zoo, at first I was frustrated, especially since I was standing there crying. I sooo badly want them to remember papa, but then Peter said, it's probably better that way. He is right. We have lots of memories of Papa and it would be better if the boys didn't remember seeing him on the ground at the zoo. We have so many other fun things to remember. The other day I was feeling sad and Caleb asked why. I told him I missed papa and we began sharing memories. I would ask Caleb about Papa's favorite things: what was papa's favorite thing to do at our house? where was papa's favorite place to take Caleb when he came to visit? what was papa's favorite thing to make for breakfast? etc. we went through lots of memories and Caleb answered them all. When I couldn't think of anymore, I stopped. We both felt another step in the healing process. Later that day, Caleb asked if we could "do that thing again, with papa's favorite things". I smiled and said, we can do that whenever you want to.

patience is running thin...

if there is any left to begin with. so, here is the word. Wednesday and Thursday we did not get out of PGN. Our wonderful caseworker calls us everynight to say that our attorney went to PGN and we did not get out. Last night she called and said, she still had not heard anything good or bad. We should have gotten out yesterday. I went on the forum and saw someone else from our agency got out yesterday. They had been in almost 3 months, so good for them :o)

I have a feeling like since someone else from our agency got out and was already notified that we probably did not get out, although you never know.

on a better note, we got the fingerprint thing taken care of after a crazy morning. We had our representative get us an appointment immediately and went down to the office on Thursday morning. I was fingerprinted first, and they had a very difficult time. I have excema. I have been putting steroid cream on it for 8 days to clear it up as best as possible for my fingerprints. Well, one fingerprint was not very good, they had four different people print me! I was just about in tears. They said, I could just come back in and do it again, well of course, that takes several weeks. They were all very helpful and actually sent my fingerprints on to be approved before we even left the building to confirm I would not have to come back. Thank God, Phil Heimlich and Jean Schmidt helped me out. They said it was easier to clear my prints because my other prints had not yet expired. Had I gone in on my scheduled date (9/11) this would have been yet another problem.

still waiting....

still waiting...maybe tomorrow.

these are pictures from our blueberry picking adventures! they are tooo cute!


















Well, the latest is that PGN was closed yesterday and today, soooooo technically we could get news tomorrow!!!!

and about the fingerprints, we contacted our Representative and she contacted the USCIS office and the person she needs to speak to had left for the day, so we will get news on that tomorrow as well!!!

praying for the best Wednesday ever!!!

Tonight the boys and I (and Henry and Allie, kiddos I babysit for) went to Peter's first soccer game of the season. He is coaching High School JV again. We all had a great time, but they lost 0-1 in the last 9 seconds of the game! urrrrrgh. The boys have sooo much fun playing with Allie (she is 1 month older than Micaiah) they are soooo ready to be big brothers.

a ray of hope...

I apologize for not posting more often, I have been having trouble coming to the computer and sharing the same old news. I have been to the computer a ton, but I just go through all the adoption forums trying to find some good news, people getting out of PGN. there have been outs, 6 two weeks ago from our agency alone, although none this past week. This week, there have been a few so far. Anyways, I think I feel as if I am online it will bring her home sooner.

so where is the ray of hope? well, I got a phone call from my caseworker today. She mentioned there may be some progress on my case soon!!!!! She is hoping to hear something by early next week!

Pray, that tomorrow, GOD makes it happend and Micaiah is on her way to coming home.

Also, we have come to the point in our adoption where we are beginning to have to redo paperwork. Our fingerprints expire on Aug 26. We need to have Micaiah in our arms either before our fingerprints expire (this would be a huge MIRACLE) as the process after we get out is at least 2 weeks! or we have to be refingerprinted. We are in process of redoing our fingerprinting, however don't have an appointment until 9/11. We are trying to get the appointment moved up, the last thing we want is to be delayed in getting Micaiah because of our fingerprints. So please PRAY!!!!!!!

And of course, all of this could be nothing and we could be in the same boat we have been in with no changes. I will post as soon as I know something.

thank you soooo much for your prayers and encouragement!

like father...like son

when Peter was a little guy he went on a boat ride with his family. He claimed that on that...
"Mommy, I saw a fish and it was this big (as he stretched out his arms as far as they would go) and then I put my arms out (he puts his arms out in front of his body, connecting his hands to make a large circle) and the fish jumped right through it!" He spoke in all seriousness.
and
another story where Peter smashes eggs on the living room couch while his mom is in the shower and when she gets out and asks him what he has done (she finds him and Amy have put themselves in their naughty chairs). Peter says, "Mommy, there was a lion in the fridge and I had to let him out"
so, as I said, like father...like son
this afternoon Elijah was bustling about in his chair eating lunch and he fell. He got up started to fuss a little and said, "Mommy I hurt my leg playing soccer (meaning the owie he just got from falling off the chair). I was kicking the ball and I fall down. and I got the ball from mommy. and I got the ball from daddy...."
(this is not the first time he has fallen or gotten an owie that was not related to soccer and claimed it was a soccer injury, if I recall, last time it was during a game of baseball in our backyard!)

laugh laugh laugh, what else could I do! what a character.

throwing up

(as Peter calls it) that just means I have a lot to say :o)

well, this morning I was trying to decide if I would be more crazy to have four children ages 11 months, 2, 3, and 4 (Allie, Elijah, Henry, and Caleb) or to take 4 children, who are not all mine with me to the dr. while the boys get checkups.
well, they were all ANGELS! Literally, we were in the dr. office for 1 hour and 40 minutes with no crying, whining, or fighting. It was amazing.
the results:
Caleb, 42 inches, 80th percentile, 36 pounds, 50th percentile
Elijah: 34 inches, 40th percentile, 26 pounds, 30th percentile (Elijah's projected height is 68inches 5 ft 8 inches, double what a child is at 2)
Caleb is projected to be 6' 1'' or 6' 2", Elijah definitely has Papa's build. :o)

Last night the boys and I had a special treat. We watched Bob the Builder and ate popcorn in front of the tv. Well, Caleb watched Bob the Builder. Elijah is not into tv much. fine by me :o) he played Rescue Hereos. Peter was in IL with his father. I guess I forgot to post about Peter's dad.

Art has surgery this morning to remove his eye. He had cancer in it twice before and found more. The surgery went well, he is already home and recovering well. God is good! They don't think this is related to all the other problems he has been having this past month. Still no answers on that stuff.

We are still in PGN and waiting to get out. There has been a lot of movement of the director signing papers and getting people out. This is great news, I have seen lots of people getting out who have not been in as long as we have, but a few old timers like us are getting out to. I am pretty sure there are not too many old timers still in. Are paperwork shows we have been in since March 20. the good news about that is that there was a meeting on Monday to address two very importnat factors: people who have been in more than 3 months (that's us) and people who were kicked out for stupid reasons (this is not us). Because of the forum and listserve I am on I got notice of this meeting and got to submit our case and it was one of the documented cases to prove that they are not sticking to their guidelines and people are not getting out within a reasonable time frame (3 months is reasonable to them). we continue to wait and pray and pray and wait. I was hoping to have our case out of PGN by my birthday. This would make it very likely that she would be home by her birthday (9.17) we'll see.

We all miss Papa lots but continue to share memories and talk about him daily. Everytime we say prayers, Elijah always says "Papa & Grandpa". He doesn't want us to forget to pray for them :o) what a sweetie.

still not able to post pics :o(

i keep forgetting to post...this is FUNNY

Well, if you haven't heard, Caleb loves Buzz Lightyear.

and for those of you who are unfamiliar with Buzz there are two phrases that go with Buzz

to infinite... and beyond

Buzz Lightyear, to the rescue

well, at supper the other night Caleb says,

Dear God, to the rescue

(he followed it up by saying, oops and then smiled)

We could not stop laughing!!!!!

(I tried to post pics, won't work :o()

Micaiah is SMILING!

today we got a picture of Micaiah smiling!!!!! with her foster sister Josselina! It is sooo good to see a smile on her face!

update on the potty training...Elijah is still in training, a few hits and a few misses each day. He is starting to say when he has to go, before it has dripped down his legs! YEAH! He does best when he is in the buff, it's a good thing its summer!

It's weird to be in the official stage of our adoption where we could potentially get a call any day, saying we are out of PGN and only have a few weeks of paperwork left. (but of course, as a reminder to all of you, it could be much longer) I told God I am ready! I think about her sooo often.

All I want for my birthday is to get approval out of PGN!!!!!! (did you hear that God?)

Actually, I have been praying for us to get out on Thursday. Outs sometimes happen on Thurs or Fridays, late at night. And, well, I figure, I been in this for quite sometime now and we just ought to end with a BANG! a super speedy time of our case officially being with a reviewer and then out we go.

so I wonder if I convince myself and all of you we should get out, will I convince God too? hee hee.

Caleb spent yesterday in the big pool (3 feet deep). He was very brave and is learning to trust himself in the water more! He is progressing quickly, considering our first day in the pool this year was Saturday!

We are all missing Peter. He is doing well in Mexico, I missed his call tonight. We can't wait to be together again!

blueberries, swimming, pizza with friends...what a day!

What a wonderful Saturday I had with the boys.

We started off blueberry picking, they both lasted longer than I anticipated and thorougly enjoyed picking and especially eating the blueberries. We came home with 7 pounds of blueberries! We plan to make homemade blue berry muffins tomorrow and eat blueberries until we turn blue. (we did freeze a bunch of them for future smoothies and blueberry pancakes). We are hoping to head back next Saturday morning with daddy, at $2 a pound we are going to stock up!

We stopped and picked up flowers to replace the ones that died in our flower boxes and then to the library for books (and videos for me to watch while I try to organize my closets, files, etc. after the kiddos go to bed each night).

Caleb and I painted pictures on the driveway, made thank you notes from his birthday, planted the flowers, and looked at his baby book while Elijah napped.

Then off to the YMCA for our first official swim of the season! WOW, for us it seems summer has just begun! We all had a blast!

Then off the pizza with Ethan and Owen and their parents, the kids had a great time.

We said our prayers and thanked God for the beautiful time we had together and prayed for daddy and the kids in Mexico!

a truly joyous day...

i think i still remember how to do this?

wow! it's been a long time. I will attempt to be more diligent. Where do i begin?

for those of you relying on our blog for the latest adoption news:

The interview we had been waiting for since March 31, finally occured on Memorial Day, the write up was then completed and we were submitted into the official part of PGN that we want to be in! We were officially in (meaning our case can now be looked at by a reviewer) on July 5. In actuality, we have been in since March 20, almost 4 months! Well, today we got word that we received a previo. This has become extremely common and was something we anticipated (under the new director, almost no one gets through PGN without at least 1 previo). The good news is, this means our case is being reviewed! My caseworker said they wanted an updated document from our attorney. Even better news, she already submitted the paperwork and we are back in again! This all happened between Tuesday and today! Now that is my kind of timing! thank you GOD! now, let's keep it coming.

Our caseworker informed us that they have switched pediatricians so we are a little late in getting a dr. update and pictures of Micaiah this month.

Other exciting news on the adoption front, our good friends the Walatka's are just finishing their pick up trip to bring their two boys (1 & 2 years old) from Ethiopia. We are so excited for them and can't wait to meet them! Keith and Shelley now have Tommy, 3, Hunter 3, Benjamin, 2, Joseph, 1, and Anna, 1. They are awesome people and great parents and friends too! I know they will do well. and Tommy and Hunter turn 4 this week, so the numbers will look a little better! :o)

Peter left this evening for Mexico, for the annual mission trip with the high schoolers. He was home for a short 2 weeks and is gone again. More reason why I have not blogged.

Yesterday we spent the day at King's Island (amusement park). The church has a VIP pass, so we got to go for free, park for free, we brought our lunches, and splurged on Graeter's ice cream while we were there! A wonderful family day for just $5! What a deal.

pics not posting now, I'll try again later...

Elijah is FAMOUS

check it out!!!

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006607030343

it's working mommy, it's working

well, we are officially attempting to potty train Elijah. yesterday he woke up and said, mommy, potty. I ran and took him to the bathroom and he pee-d in the potty. YEAH!!!!!!! so for the past two days we have been in big boy underwear attempting to use the potty. when elijah gets off the potty he looks inside and says, it's not working mommy.

well, today he when he went in the potty he turned around looked inside and said...

it's working mommy, it's working

what a cutie!

a genuinely great day

we woke up in our own beds this morning (well except Peter, he comes home Friday). and we were the only ones here. I can't tell you how long it has been, well yes I can, one month! WOW

they boys and I had a fabulous day, they didn't wake up until 7:40, we enjoyed breakfast, pulled weeds (the boys love to help in the garden), went for a walk to stare at the bulldozer working on Caleb's school, played outside (the boys made a fort and campfire with all the branches I cut down), ate lunch, made homemade bread, played outside more, took baths, wrestled and tickled together, played with flashlights in the dark, read books and just a wonderful time together enjoy the days of summer.

I can say I live my life a little different these days, saying a little more of what needs to be said, positive encouraging words, and spending even more time enjoying my beautiful children.

just grateful for all that God has given me

where do I begin?

wow! it has been a crazy few weeks, as I am sure you can imagine.

to start off, no news on the adoption front. still waiting to enter the next phase.

I spent the early part of June in Wisconsin preparing for my dad's funeral and spending some time with my step mom and sister. Amy and I had the privaledge of writing my father's obituary, which I posted earlier, and creating a slide show of pictures of my dad from birth to the present. These two projects were so memorable for my sister and I and very healing for our greiving process.

Amy and I headed back to Cincinnati where we spent another week together just enjoying life. It was so good to have her around, to be able to share my life with her, and to watch her spoil my boys. We had such a good time and after 3 weeks of being together 24/7 we still had new conversations and topics we never got to talk about. We thoroughly enjoyed our time together as we now won't see each other until December.

Our last day together we took the boys on the train to Chicago, went to Millenium Park, rode the el train, and then had to say our good byes. It was such a wonderful time to be with my sister and I am so grateful for our time together.

Peter left for Germany on the 19th to be a chaplin/assistant soccer coach for a US team playing in a tournament with Athlete's in Action. He is sooooo excited and having a great time. (he can text us for free) He went to the World Cup today and is on top of the world.

The boys and I are spending some time with his parents this week in Batavia, Illinois. Today we went to a restaurant "2 Toots" where a little train carrying food baskets brings you your meals. It was neat! We rode the train back to Batavia. I'm all trained out!!

Caleb, Elijah, and I are doing fairly well with the death of my dad. Caleb understands it all and shares the story. His one unanswered question is, "why did papa have to die now?" I just tell him, I don't know. The truth of answer is that we never know when anyone is going to die or why they do when they do. Elijah says, "papa in heaven, papa fall down". But my favorite things Elijah has said are, "papa in heaven with Jesus", "papa playing the drums in heaven with Jesus", "papa sleeping in heaven with Jesus", "papa playing golf in heaven with Jesus".

I can't help but wonder if he somehow has a connection up there, those sure sound like heavenly activities to my dad (well, I don't know about the drums? who knows maybe some time during his 50 years on earth he had a desire to play and now his dream is a daily reality).

As for me, I miss my dad very much and of course still want my daddy, but I am doing okay. I know he believed in Jesus and I know he is heaven and this makes me smile. I know I will see him again one day.

sorry no pics till I get back to Cincinnati.

9 months old

isn't she beautiful.

after our interview is written up we move into pgn. We found out yesterday that pgn is "supposedly" starting to move again. Our agency had 4 cases get out in the entire month of May (this is next to nothing compared to what they are used to), and 4 cases get out in one day this week. Hopefully this means when we get in we will move through more quickly, but as always, we just wait and see, no guarantees.

update on the adoption

the interview we had been waiting for was finallly completed on Monday, May 27. now we are moving again and wait for the interview to be written up and submitted to the massive pile of adoption that are waiting to be signed off.

don't have much time...

just wanted to say we have been out of commission for awhile.

my dad suffered a massive heart attack on Monday while visiting us in cincinnati. he was without oxygen for about 35 minutes, the brain damage was severe and on saturday, june 3 he went home to be with Jesus.

below is his obituary, which my sister and step-mom and i spent all of yesterday writing.

we would greatly appreciate your prayers.

one particular verse God gave me during our time in the hospital with my dad.

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you where ever you go. Joshua 1:9

the prayer was for him, and I soon learned it was for all of us.

Jeffrey R. Ramminger, resident of Plymouth, passed peacefully while surrounded by his wife, Tina, daughters, Amy and Jocelyn, son-in-law Peter, siblings, Cindy, Judy, Duane, Sandy, Renee’, and his godchild, Jessie. Jeff departed to be with the Lord on June 3, 2006 after suffering a heart attack on Memorial Day while visiting the Cincinnati Zoo with his grandsons.

Jeff was first born to Leander and Rita-Mae (Armbruster) Ramminger on December 9, 1955 in Sheboygan. He grew up in St. Anna and graduated from Kiel High School in 1974.

Jeff had an immense heart and was a very generous man. At a party he was either grilling or dancing. He came into his own with the birth of his grandsons Caleb and Elijah. Being a “Papa” brought out the best in him. His eight year old German short hair, Milo was his greatest companion and literally went with him everywhere.

Throughout his life he acquired many skills working with his hands, from creating crafts to constructing Jocelyn's garage to building a toy box for Caleb. Most recently he owned several small businesses including tiling, raising bunnies, and a lawn/snowplowing service. He was always willing to lend a hand to others.

He is survived by his wife; Tina Cooney, daughters; Amy Ramminger (Damian) and Jocelyn (Peter) Sutton, grandchildren; Caleb, Elijah, and Micaiah, step-son; Nick Laack (Lori), step-grandchildren; Stephanie, Makayla, parents; Leander and Rita-Mae (Armbruster) Ramminger, mother-in-law; Millie Cooney, siblings; Cindy Bradley (Larry), Judy (Randy) Preder, Duane (Kathy) Ramminger, Sandy (Tim) Buechel, Renee’ (Jeff) Juckem, brother-in-law; Mike Cooney, and his dog, Milo. Jeff is further survived by many family members and friends.

He will be joining his Grandpa & Grandma Ramminger, Grandpa & Grandma Armbruster, father-in-law Donald Cooney, brother-in-law Pat Cooney, his beloved uncle Tony Ramminger as well as several aunts and uncles.

We will miss our dad, husband, papa, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend.

Jeff and Tina are members of Bethany Reformed Church at 1315 Washington Ave., Sheboygan, where a time of visitation will be from 3:00 until the service at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 8.

In lieu of flowers, a fund is being established.

Suchon Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Plymouth are serving his family.