Botanical Gardens

Hola, Today we visited the Botanical Gardens here in Bogota. It was beautiful, and since the sky was overcast, and a bit drizzly, the park was not very crowded with people. That was perfect for us and the boys. They were allowed to run around a little bit.

The boys are mapping out their plan of what to visit next.

They decide on the Rose Garden.

The Rose Garden is gated off, but no worry, the boys, just unhooked the chain that blocked the entrance, and continued in to enjoy the roses!!
Below are more pictues of the flowers that we found in the park.

My sister, Jeanne was told that she needs to try Empanadas while she is here in Colombia. So to our pleasant surprise, when we returned from the gardens, the staff told us, that we were having Empanadas for dinner, and that Carie (another mother from Minnesota) had assisted in making them. Thanks Carie!! They were absolutely delicious. Empanadas are a crust folded in half, and then filled with meat or chicken, and sometimes peas or carrots, and then deep fried. Yummmy!! The boys always love these as well.

Tia Jeanne with Diego and Jeferson.

So, Tia Jeanne is spoiling the boys with books, treats, and tonight, she brought out the ultimate--Batman and Superman Pajamas for the boys!! (Oh, by the way, Diego wore his Spiderman costume again today- with the exception of when we went to the gardens). Right after dinner, Tia Jeanne took the boys upstairs, and they reappeared downstairs, transformed into Batman-Diego, and Superman - Jeferson. They were so excited and were running all over, until Diego decided to jump onto the couch and then tumbled off the back of it and hit his head on the chair behind the couch. He has quite the bump on his head. He seems to feel OK, but just watched TV for the rest of the night. We will see how it looks in the morning.

It has been raining very heavy here for the past 2 nights. We are hoping the weather is better tomorrow, because we want to expose Jeanne to the markets. I know it may be hard to believe, but I have only been there 1 time! It is just too difficult to go by myself with the boys. So we are hoping to give it a try while Tia Jeanne is here.

We have not yet decided what day we will be returning home next week, but will be sure to let everyone know when we have the flights.

Adios, and thanks to soo many of you who put a post on our blog today. We think this has been the most comments in one day.

Joyce, Eric, Diego and Jeferson.

SENTENCIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At long last, we have Sentencia! We went to the court this morning, as Cecilia had called me early this morning to say that the judge had signed off on our documents. When we arrived at the court, I reviewed the paperwork, signed, and then the attorney signed. There was a final signature required from the Defender of Minors, so our attorney went to find the person who needed to sign. She came back stating that he was in a training session this morning, but that she would hang around the court, to catch him after his training. Since this signature is required to process the final document, we were not able to do anything more today. We travelled to the Notary, but the notary was not in, so we are planning to go there on Tuesday morning. The Notary, will prepare the birth certificates for each of the boys, with our last name, and will list Eric and Joyce as the parents. The birth certificates will read, Diego Alexander Christy Rindfleisch, and Jeferson Gustavo Christy Rindfleisch- Colombians always have 2 last names. Once in the US, the Rindfleisch name will be dropped from their last names.

About 20 minutes after returning to the hotel, I received a call from Cecilia, to say that the Defender of Minors signed the document, so Sentencia is complete!!! Cecilia also stopped by the hotel later in the afternoon, to drop off the copies of the documents. So, since Monday is a holiday here in Bogota, we won't be able to complete anymore until Tuesday. We have to get the new Birth Certificates from the Notary, each of the boys will need a physical in order to immigrate to the US, they will need a Colombian Passport in order to travel, (they will get a US passport once back in the US) and they will also need a VISA form the US Embassy in order to enter into the US. So, Tuesday will be a busy day for us. If all gets completed on Tuesday, then we should be able to pick up the VISA on Wednesday, and return home on Thursday or Friday. (Wow that sounds so great to say).

Tia Jeanne arrived last night. When we got back to the hotel, Diego was still awake, so he got to meet her last night already. He was so happy to see her, and greeted her with a huge hug. He has seen many pictures of her prior to her arrival. Jeferson was sleeping last night, so he met her when he awoke this morning. He first looked at me, then at Jeanne, then at me. I think he was wondering why there was 2 of me, and was confused. I then told him that Tia Jeanne was here, and then he smiled at her, and ran up to her with a big hug. Both boys warmed up to her immediately. It, is a good thing, because since I had to go to the courts this morning, Jeanne was roped into watching the boys, her first morning here. Thanks Tia Jeanne!!

Happy Halloween!! Diego and Jeferson with Nana and Emma in her pumpkin costume.




The boys woke up at 7AM this morning, and took a shower, and then put on their costumes. They couldn't wait to wear them. When we went to Breakfast, the other boy who is also at the hotel, also had his costume on. He was a Ninja. They spent the entire day in their costumes. About 3:00 we headed over to the mall for Trick or Treating. It was fun, but crazy. The halls were wall to wall parents and children, all Trick or Treating. The phrase here is "Tricky Tricky Halloween! Quera dulces para me!" (I want candy for me). They also had some activities for children. Tia Jeanne was such a big help. The boys were so excited, and since we trick or treated in the stores, they were sometimes more interested in the items in the store, than the trick or treating itself. We were there for about 2 hours, ate dinner at Crepes and Waffles, and then because we couldn't catch an available cab, we walked back to the hotel. We must have worn Tia Jeanne out, because she was sleeping by 9PM along with the boys. Wow, what a busy day!!

Jeferson caught eating candy even before breakfast this morning.



No worry, here comes Spiderman!!!!





One of the jugglers at the mall.




Below, Taking a break from all the trick or treating by riding on the merry go round at the mall.

Tomorrow, if the weather is nice, we are going to visit the Botanical Gardens. We have heard that they are beautiful.

We thank everyone for all of the prayers and support you have given to our family.

We are looking forward to being at home soon!

Joyce, Eric, Jeferson and Diego

Only 1 day to Halloween

Hola-

The kids have been waiting for 2 weeks to finally be able to wear their Halloween Costumes. So I told them today that tomorrow is the day. Diego is going to be SPIDERMAN and Jeferson is going to be BATMAN. When we went to the Halloween store to pick them out, Diego was so excited to be Spiderman, that he could hardly wait to try on the costume. He was grinning from ear to ear, and was actually squealing with excitement. I wish I could have captured that moment on video.

We searched for pumpkins today, but they do not have the same tradition of carving pumpkins as we have in the US, so we could not find any pumpkins. So instead we settled on some gourds, and we put faces on them with a marker.

This morning, I went with our rep to extend my Colombian Visa, as it expires tomorrow. They have extended it to Dec 1, so I hope that is sufficient. The process took much of the morning, because we first had to go to a bank, and deposit the fee into an account of the agency that issues the Visa, for the cost of the Visa extension. Then we had to take that receipt to the Visa office, and apply for the extension. It wasn't a problem, but still took a lot of time. I was photographed and fingerprinted and then the Visa Extension was issued.

Below is a photo of Diego and Daniel (adopted by a family from France), watching a movie.

Below is Cocoa, the dog owned by the French Rep. She brings him here often, and Diego loves to play with him. Here the dog is looking in the window from the outside, as the boys watch the movie.

So, as I mentioned yesterday, the judge has not gotten to our paperwork yet, so we continue to wait patiently.

Adios. Feliz Halloween to everyone.

Joyce, Eric, Diego and Jeferson

Start of Week 13 in Colombia

Buenas Dias-

So, it looks like we are going to make the 3 month mark of being in Bogota. I just spoke to our rep, and she said that the attorney was finally able to speak to the judge today, and the judge said that he has 2 very important Child Cases, that are not adoptions, and he needs to complete them first. So, it looks like it will be next week (hopefully) before he is able to review and sign our documents.

I have to share a story with everyone from this morning. Every morning Diego is usually the first one awake, so he crawls in bed with mommy and turns on the TV and watches cartoons. Well this morning, I realized that he was watching a show in English. I didn't say anything, but I was very proud of him. Then about 10 minutes later he said, "mommy no espanol! English!!!

It was a very special moment. My boys really want to learn English.

Today was actually a very nice day here in Bogota, so we spent a lot of time outside today.

We went looking for real pumpkins, but I don't think they sell them here. Carving pumpkins is not a tradition that is here in Colombia. There is also a shop, for those of you that have been here, Norbertos, and they have turned the outside facade into a Haunted House with lights, and many Halloween decorations. So, we took a walk over there at dusk, to take a look at it.

Along the way, we picked up a spider and also spotted 2 spider webs. Aren't we in the Halloween spirit. Oh, by the way, the boys do not hesitate to touch any type of critter.

I just want to share with everyone the view that we see when we walk everyday. Below is a view of when we are returning to the hotel, when we are walking along the canal. Our hotel is actually to the left of the brown building, but you can't see it in the photo.

Here is a picture of the park along our way as we walk in the opposite direction. You can see the path that we follow on the left side of the picture, and in the distance, there is a bridge that we use to cross the canal.

I think these photos will be forever engraved in my memory, as we walk this path so often.

Here is a sight for all of you Midwesterners, who are seeing snow. Iris's in bloom, in October! I saw these on our walk this morning. It is also common to see Poinsettia's in bloom right now.

I am going tomorrow morning to renew my VISA. I have decided that I would rather have it renewed before it expires. There is no way, that I will be leaving Colombia, before next week Tuesday.

My sister from Maryland, is arriving in Colombia, late tomorrow evening for a long weekend. It will be great to see a familiar face, and to have her celebrate Halloween with Joyce and the boys. We are told that the best place for Trick or Treat, is at the mall. That is where most children go for candy, as it is safe.

I am not sure that I will post tomorrow evening, as I am going to try to get the boys in bed, before I leave for the airport to meet my sister. The staff here is going to keep an eye on them, while I am gone. But since they are usually difficult to get to sleep, I am going to get an early start.

Adios.

Joyce, Eric, Jeferson and Diego

Still waiting for the judge to sign

I just wanted to put in a quick post to let everyone know that we are still waiting for the judge to sign our paperwork. We don't believe that there is anything wrong, but the judge does have to review the documents for both children, so this may be why it is taking longer. Legally, the judge has 10 days to review and sign the documents, but with the strike, we were hoping that he would get to it quickly to get it off of his desk. So, we wait patiently and hope that tomorrow will be the day.

I went shopping at a local Colombian store, where they sell all things made in Colombia. I spent 2 hours there this afternoon. I left the boys at the hotel with the staff, so I could shop without having to worry about the boys breaking something. I now have to decide what else I am going to leave behind, in order to fit my purchases into the suitcases that I have allotted.

Nothing new with the boys. They have now watched, Clifford the Big Red Dog, 5 times within the last 4 days! It is in english, so I would rather have them watch movies in English, than cartoons in Spanish. Each day, they are starting to repeat more words in English.

We will update tomorrow, to let you know the status of our documents.

Adios.

Joyce, Eric, Diego, and Jeferson

Monday, October 27

Hola,

No word from the courts yet.

This morning was busy, as I went with our rep to extend my Colombian VISA, as it is going to expire on Friday. However, when we spoke to the VISA office, they said that the VISA is actually good through next week Monday, which is November 3, and that if I don't leave before then, that we should come back on Tuesday to renew it. I believe that next week Monday is a holiday here in Colombia.

Next we travelled over to the orphanage, to pick up some papers that I will need to leave the country by myself with the boys. Colombia has a law, where children are not able to travel with only one parent, unless they have signed consent from the other parent. And since Eric will not be travelling with us, we need his signed consent- Even though he is at the location where we will be travelling to.

This afternoon, it was drizzling for much of the afternoon, so we hung around the hotel. The mother (grandmother) of one of the families staying here made some apple pies for dinner. Diego and Jeferson decided to help her. I am not sure if they were more of a help, or a hinderance. The boys loved it. They helped her make the pie crust batter, and then helped her roll it out. She was very patient with allowing the boys to help her.

A good baker always has flour on his face!

We are going to have so much fun baking Christmas cookies. this year. I will have lots of help!!

For dinner tonight, Johnny Becker (one of the Minnesota families staying at Hotel Paris) cooked some fantastic fajitas, and rice. He even had the staff sit down for dinner with everyone, and a few other families, helped to serve, so the staff could eat with us. It was a very fun dinner, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The children were all playing together tonight as well. They were very noisy, but having a great time. It was great to see them wear off a little energy before bed.

Well, again we hope for some news tomorrow.

Buenos Noches! (Good Night)

Joyce, Eric, Diego and Jeferson

Sunday, October 26

Hola,

This morning, we walked to the park. On our way there, I was in need of a Coca Cola Light, so we stopped at one restaurant, and they told us they were not open, then we walked to the next store and they only had regular Coke and Pepsi. After the second shop, Jeferson asked, Mami, No Coca Cola Light? Yes, they know the necessity of me having this in the morning. So, we continued on to the next shop, and I got the last Coca Cola Light that they had. After finally finding my Coca Cola Light, we continued on to the park. While at the park, it started to rain, so we were only there a short time.

The rest of the day was very rainy, and cold. Not like Wisconsin or Minnesota cold, but cold for what it has been here. By the way, I heard that many of you in the Northern Midwest saw some snow flying today. We watched more movies in English this afternoon- Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Scooby Doo. I snuck in a little nap while the boys watched the movies. It was the perfect day for napping. Unlike all of you in the US, I was not bombarded with phone calls campaining for McCain or Obama. This is one thing that I am not missing in the US. Since I left in August, I have actually had to search the television for CNN in order to hear about the elections. But don't worry, I still know all about the personal lives of the candidates. I also don't think that I will be voting,since when I left on August 12, I had no idea that I wouldn't be back for the elections, so I didn't sign up for absentee ballot.

For dinner we were invited over to the home of our rep, and she served us Tamales and Hot Chocolate with cheese and accompanied with an assortment of breads. The tamales are made of corn meal, and had carrots and chicken in them and are wrapped in some sort of leaf and wrapped up like a little present. Then they are cooked. They are very different from Mexican Tamales, and are not spicy at all. We visited with her and her husband, after dinner, and had great conversation regarding the boys and our stay in Colombia.

The boys with our Colombian Rep, Cecilia. They are wearing the sweaters that I bought from a woman who handmade the sweaters. They have their names embroidered on along with "Colombia" and also the Colombian flag. I also purchased 2 Christmas stockings that she made, each with their names on.

So, we are hoping for Sentencia this week. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us.

Joyce, Eric, Diego and Jeferson

October 25

Happy Saturday,

Today was really a quiet day for us. It rained for much of the day. This is really the first time it has rained since we have returned back to Bogota. The rain was very heavy, and even had some thunder.

Cecilia stopped by this morning, and I completed a couple documents that we will need for US Immigration for each of the boys. She is having me complete some paperwork ahead of time, so when we get Sentencia, there will be less things to complete. On Monday, we are going to the Immigration office in Colombia, to extend my VISA, as it will expire on Nov 1. The way it looks, I will be here longer than that date, so we want to be sure to get it renewed before it expires.

In the afternoon, we watched a couple of Children's movies, in English. Clifford the Big Red Dog, and also Toy Story. The kids enjoyed the movie just as much in English, and I am hoping that they picked up a few English words. They are both starting to repeat things that I say to them, in English. Jeferson often times will say something in Spanish, and then say the English word for it. For example, if he burps, he will say, 'Pardone' and then follow up with "Excuse Me!" Both of them also will tend to say "Gracias" and then follow up with "Thank you". They are very cute in saying "Mami, Please" when they want something. They have the cutest accents.

We also did some crafts this afternoon. Diego, who would prefer to just watch TV most of the time, actually put together a boy with construction paper. He started with the legs, and then decided to add a body and head. He put a smiley face on the face, and then we traced his hands and arms, and he cut them out. He then glued it all together. This was fantastic for Diego, to actually complete this. He was so proud of it when he completed it, and he couldn't wait to show papi on the webcam tonight.

Not sure what we are going to do on Sunday. I guess it will depend on what the weather is like.

Adios,

Joyce, Eric, Jeferson and Diego.

No news today from the Court

No news today, regarding our case. So, we will wait over the weekend, and hope to hear something early next week, regarding Sentencia.

This morning, as I was putting on makeup, the boys were very attentive, and insisted on them putting some makeup on as well. Isn't Jeferson cute with that blue eyeshadow?

Diego powdering his face.
Jeferson checking out how handsome he looks, in the tiny mirror.

Diego applying some blush!

This afernoon, we took a walk to some stores, and a park. I purchased some flowers for myself, from this fantastic floral shop. They have some very unique flowers, and a dozen of roses is $5. I needed something to brighten up the room, and make it look a little festive. For those of you that have seen my house at Halloween, you know that I love to decorate for the fall and Halloween. Oh well, all those decorations will be around next year. I have boxes full of decorations.

Everyone have a great weekend! Thank you to all of you who have placed such positive comments on our blog.

Joyce, Eric, Diego and Jeferson

October 23- Our papers have moved to the judge!

We received a call this afternoon, and our papers were signed by the Defender of Minors, and it is now residing with the judge. The judge has 10 days to sign off on the paperwork, but we are hoping it will be less than the 10 days. It could be as early as tomorrow, but could also take the full 10 days. So we will wait and see what happens.



Today was a rather quiet day. We hung around the hotel this morning. Jeferson asked for some gum this morning, and I only had 1 stick left for him and Diego to share, so I commented that we will have to get more when we go to the store next time. So, guess what Jeferson wanted to do this afternoon? You probably guessed it, he wanted to go to the store.



We did take a trip to the store, and the boys insisted on wearing their blankets around their necks like superman. So, I walked to the store with 2 Superman wannabees. The boys received a lot of looks along the way. I think that people were wondering why they were wearing a blanket around their necks, or may they were wondering why they were weating their Halloween costume today. Oh well, the kids felt pretty important and were happy.







Diego outside of the grocery store with his Superman cape.



We purchased some bubbles for the boys, and we stopped at a park on our way home, and while we were there, another US family was walking by and said that the US Embassy is suggesting that we stay at the hotel, due to some 1 day picketing and some small explosions that was going on across Colombia. So, we returned to the hotel and took our bubbles with us. The bubbles didn't last very long anyway, as they were spilled within a half hour.

Below is a picture of Jeferson when he was angry at Diego. They are brothers and they fight with each other as all brothers do. I just thought I would throw a picture of him as I often see him throughout the day.

Here is a small article from THE COLOMBIAN REPORTS regarding the picketing today- Our understanding is that this is only a 1 day strike, and the courts were not affected by it. Apparently this is a normal thing here.

25 thousand join day of strike
Thursday, 23 October 2008 17:16
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25 thousand people in Colombia's biggest cities joined a union called strike and demonstrate against the government. Public life was barely disrupted. Only universities had to be closed out of fear for riots.
Workers union CUT called the day of strike a success and there were no reports of any disruption riots of public order. Public universities were closed to avoid radical students to clash with the police.

So, with everyday now, we are hoping we get the call that we can sign Sentencia, and finalize the adoption process, and return home.

We miss everyone.

Joyce, Eric, Diego and Jeferson