In addition to Jayden and Maya, Esteban has three other children from a previous relationship. They lived for most of their life with Esteban’s mother. Because we were so naive about the immigration process, we lost some time at the beginning. Once we started to learn about it, we were so overwhelmed that we decided to wait until we were done with Esteban first. Once he had officially received his green card, we tried to apply for the kid’s travel visas. We paid the fees. Esteban traveled to Honduras, got the kid’s birth mother on board and they presented themselves at the interview, but our requests were denied. It was a huge loss for us, after paying the fees and all the associated costs of the trip.
Next we went back to the local immigration to inform ourselves of the procedure and decided begin the next step, which was to apply to bring the children here permanently. We were going to try to do it on our own without legal assistance and it was rough. The applications were long and complex. There were many times when I questioned what I was doing, but Esteban always encouraged me. At the time of our marriage, Esteban’s kids were 9, 6, and 4. They were very young and all they’ve ever known is that they want to be with their daddy. All we’ve been able to say is that it’s in the works and one day soon we’ll be together. That has to be tough on a child, to always wait for something that seems like will never happen. One day, they might want to know why it took so long and I thought this might help. Here is an account of the proceedings.
January 22, 2007: We sent in the I130 (immigrant petition for relative). At that time, these were $190 each. Transaction cost: $9.81 Total spent: $579.81
January 26, 2007: We received the I797, which is like a receipt. It confirmed that they received the petitions and the fee.
May 7, 2007: We received the I797E, requesting evidence. They wanted copies of the children’s birth certificates and notarized translation copies.
June 16, 2007: We sent in the copies and translations. Transaction cost: $23.88 Total spent: $603.69
July 3, 2007: We received the I797, Approval Notice. We were thrilled.
August 6, 2007: We received the I864 processing fee bill for $70 each. We also received the Choice of Address and Agent form.
August 22, 2007: We sent in the fees. Transaction cost: $214.65 Total spent: $818.34
September 3, 2007: We received notification to fill out the I864, Affidavit of Support. This was by far the most overwhelming application for me. I postponed the project many times and I considered giving up many times. This was my contract and promise to the children that I would be their sponsor. It was emotionally overwhelming. The directions alone were 11 pages long. The application was also 11 pages long.
December 6, 2007: We sent in the Choice of Address and Agent form. This took a while because we were under the impression that they should be signed by the children personally. We later found out that because they were minor children, Esteban could sign the form on their behalf. Transaction cost: $4.80 Total spent: $823.14
December 9, 2007: We received notification that they received the Agent of Choice letter but they could not continue until we submit the immigrant visa application fee of $380.
April 25, 2008: We received notification that effective January 1, 2008, the immigrant visa fees increased from $380 to $400. Lucky us.
June 23, 2008: I submitted the I864 and the I864A forms. I guesstimate that it took me a full two weeks of filling out applications, making phone calls, making copies, sorting through three years of financial data and organizing documents. Transaction cost: $12.45 Total spent: $835.59
July 3, 2008: We received notification that they reviewed the documents submitted in support of an application for an immigrant visa but could not continue the case without the visa fee. We had two choices. We could send the payment, but Esteban would have to forgo his trip to Honduras. Or we could send Esteban to Honduras and wait to send the payment next year. At the time:
*Esteban had already skipped his trip to Honduras in 2007
*Esteban’s daughter bore a child out of wedlock and he was now a grandfather
*The children’s mother had decided to leave the country and the boys were practically on their own with their maternal grandmother
*Esteban’s mother’s health was declining
We decided that it was much more important for him to visit Honduras. The fee would have to wait.
April 15, 2009: We sent in the visa fee. Transaction cost: $1207.99 Total spent: $2043.58
April 19, 2009: Esteban’s mother passes.
June 3, 2009: Things are getting worse in Honduras. Ricardito is in trouble and I am more desperate than ever to get him out of there and bring him home with us. I call immigration and they confirm they received the visa fee. The next step is the visa application packet. She tells me she will request for a packet to be emailed to me. I ask if there is any way to expedite the case. She said they will only expedite in the case of military or life and death. I explain our situation with the kids. She tells me to send in a request via email and submit a copy of the death certificate.
June 4, 2009: We send in our request to expedite the case, in Jesus name!
June 5, 2009: We receive the visa application packet. The application doesn’t seem too bad. They are requesting a ton of original documents though. Many original documents, some of which we do not have. Luckily Esteban’s uncle was visiting in Honduras and he will bring us the children’s passports and updated passport photos. Because the kids are currently split up, he will only bring the boy’s updated passport photos though. Shanel’s photos and passport will have to wait until Esteban visits in July.
Leslie and Caitlin
Jayden wanted the fruit kabob minus the pineapple, which Caitlin was more than happy to relieve him of.
Afterwards, the kids burn off some energy in the bounce house.
Boo!
Then the kids came inside for lunch and pinata. Pull strings, of course.
Cake time!
Titi Weh! And Sebi!
Caitlin and her friends...
Jayden patiently waits for his cake.
Chooch helps himself to the entire cake with his spoon.
A special treat for guests...
After the party dies down, we head back to the bounce house... Happy Birthday Aiden and God bless you!
There was 
Then I put the bird into the oven and when it was almost done, I worked on the crust. Chicken out and cobbler in. 
Unfortunately, we ran out of time for dessert since Esteban had to leave for work at 7pm, but dinner was fabulous. I should have taken a picture of the chicken after it was done. It was gorgeous and 
Naps were out of the question, of course. Then they moved on to the wet sand near the shore. We sat there for a long while. They carried pails of sand and pails of water. They had a small shell collection, but they couldn't follow it through. They collected a handful of shells, dumped them out and started all over again. After the last dip, we started to clean up and while we loaded up the car, the kids played at the playground.
