Day 3 and Day 4

Day 3

So far, our days have included early mornings and excited kids. On day three this involved Molly and Lincoln waking early and begging to go out on the balcony. I instructed them to be quiet, as there are six other families with us at the guest house. Of course, within a few minutes I hear Molly and Lincoln yelling friendly hellos to someone. I run to tell them to be quiet and realize that they are yelling over the walls to their brothers who have their faces stuck out of the window of the upstairs at the crèche. It quickly became a sweet, rather than a disturbing sound.

After we dressed for church we went over to visit with the boys before our walk up to church. It was a great morning of playing, and then we enjoyed a joyful church service. So,…A and C have been completely still and perfectly behaved in church until we added Molly and Lincoln to the mix. J Imagine that!

We enjoyed an afternoon of play with other families and kids. A and C had their first PB and J…they took it apart and ate each side separately. Molly tried to explain the concept of a sandwich, but she wasn’t very successful.

Joey,  Molly, and Lincoln spend a couple of hours playing with the kids at the crèche while A and C and I TRIED to watch the movie Rudolph…it didn’t really work.

We are looking forward to more good play time tomorrow!

Day 4

We had a great morning of sharing with other adoptive parents and talking through the joys and road blocks of the process. It was great to hear about how other families plan to handle potential challenges. 

It was such a great day of playing!! Because Haiti had elections yesterday, school was cancelled today. So…A got to hang out all day rather than going to school. When we made it over to the crèche he was eating breakfast. Not our typical breakfast.

 The kids had such a great time together. So far there has been minimal jealousy and lots laughing. I can’t imagine it going better. Today, we did some coloring, and any chance that Lincoln and A get to play on Joey’s phone they jump on it. The weather is perfect so our outside play is very enjoyable. They were not deterred at all by the laundry hanging on the playground.

The weather is perfect so our outside play is very enjoyable. They were not deterred at all by the laundry hanging on the playground.

The weather was a little cooler today so it was a great day to break out the matching Spiderman shirts and toboggans. The temperature didn’t really merit toboggans, but the kids enjoyed them.

Tomorrow is our last full day with the boys. We are so thankful for this time together. 

Day 1 and Day 2...

Day 1

So…Traveling internationally with kids is much different than traveling alone! J They were both very good, but whewww it was exhausting.  We didn’t have any major mishaps at the airport. Lincoln had a great first flight and Molly acted like a professional traveler. I was thankful to be a little early for our first flight out of Jax (thanks Pastor Ben!!) because last time we flew to Haiti we were running to our plane as they were announcing our names over the intercom. I’m fairly confident that my nervousness nearly drove Joey crazy!

When we arrived in Haiti, with all of the new sights and sounds, Molly and Lincoln carried on as if they had been there 100 times. They were completely calm as we walked through an airport with people reaching for our bags and asking if they could help. I assure you I did not feel completely calm, but we made it out without incident. When we made it to the van we were united with a great friend and her mom for the trip up the mountain. I’m so thankful for the friends we have made on this journey.

The ride up was bumpy and chaotic and again the kids just looked out of the window and enjoyed the ride. I closed my eyes several times as a gut response to people walking in the middle of traffic. However, before we made the grocery store Lincoln fell asleep…only Lincoln can sleep on that kind of ride.  

When we made it to the guest house and I was able to reconnect to the internet.  I found out that a meeting that we were desperately hoping would result in progress for our case had not happened due to a holiday in Haiti. It was probably some of the most difficult news I have yet to receive, as we have been in a waiting pattern for a VERY long time. I went to sleep through lots of tears…feeling pushed to the very limit of my understanding.  Hopefully next week will bring some news.

Day 2

OHHH…if yesterday was the most difficult day for me in this almost 3 year process then today was the best!! It was so, so wonderful to see all four of our kiddos together.  The first meeting could not have gone better if it had been scripted. A and C were happy to see their brother and sister that is for sure! Molly and A hit it off from the very beginning. He led her around by the hand introducing her to everyone. C found his way to his dad’s arms which is where he was happy. Lincoln enjoyed playing basketball and soccer with the big kids.

We are looking forward to several more days of fun!