Sebi's Second Birthday Party

We packed up our things to go to Mari's for the weekend for Sebi's second birthday party. We spent a good chunk of the day cooking and prepping and at the end of the day, we were the only guests. It was a very intimate gathering and we had a ball! Plus with my new 'super sized' family, we ARE a party! Maya learned pretty quick how to pull up onto the stool and make herself at home in front of the crudité.
We posed with our Mickey Ears! We had cake, ice cream, cookies and brownies. It was a feast and the kids were thrilled.

Everyone helps to blow out the candles.

Dynamic Duo!

Maya is just as happy as can be.Chooch doesn't care as long as nobody takes his spoon.

Sebi is diggin' in!

Please don't tell me Jayden is trying to make bubbles with the melted ice cream in his mouth.

Antony's favorite pose...

The boys try their hand at Wii...Me and Sebi snuggle up...

Maya gets comfy cozy.I beat Sergio and Ricardo's butts at Wii Bowling! Yes!

Mari getting things ready in the kitchen.

The First Couple of Weeks

For Jayden, having the boys around was like having the brothers he always knew but never had. They are like peas in a pod and instantly bonded. Poor Maya lost Jayden's devoted attention temporarily. But they are all adjusting well, thank God. Maya is the princess and everyday, she decides whether or not she's happy with the boys that day. Jayden seems like he will never get over his excitement. Antony is completely settled in his new space and Ricardo is very happy and grateful for all his blessings.
Titi spent the weekend with us and was an instant hit with the boys. Here she is showing Sebi Ricardo's room.

Cute!

Sebi Dude!

The boys take a break from soccer for a picture.

Jayden and Ricardo

The boys come home after taking the bus home for the first time.

Hanging out before bed...

Maya digging around in what's to become the TV Room!

Random October Pics

Maya snuggled up with Bunnie and Bear.
Jayden at the park...

Maya's crazy hair...

Maya after her spagettie lunch...

Jayden on his way to pick up his brothers at the airport....

Daddy making silly faces.

The kid's playing out back...

My soccer player...

Halloween Pictures

Pumpkin Pickin' at Family Christian Center. I love to see how Jayden react to the pumpkins each year. Jayden stuck to the usual. He moves the pumpkins from one pallet to another the whole time. Maya picked up a pumpkin and carried it around most of the time. And of course, they barely sat still for a picture.

There was a mini pumpkin patch set up at Jayden's school and Maya picked her favorite and loved on it the whole time!

This year, I let them paint pumpkins while I carved one. I also made a welcome home pumpkin for Antony and Ricardo.

Jayden loves to paint, just like his sister.

He's not much of a fan of the carving though. Yuck!

Maya on the way to meet up with Jayden's school on Friday morning for Trick or Treating in Downtown Clermont.

This was probably one of the only times I got him to wear his full gear.

Maya was such a cute pirate! I wish I could've gotten her curls to hang just right, but it was a miracle she even let me tie the bandana on her to begin with.

Last minute TV watching before Trick or Treating on Halloween Night!

Antony was so thrilled with the whole idea of Trick or Treating and caught on super quick. Before you knew it, he was saying Trick or Treat and Thank you!

Lucky me! I now have someone to loves to run around the house and take random photos of me. This was one of the best. Thank you Ricardo!

UPDATE: Reuniting a Family!

October 30, 2009: Praise God in heaven for all of our blessings! The boys boarded their flight today with no problems whatsoever. The flight arrived on time to Miami International Airport. We waited on pins and needles for over three hours for them to clear customs. We paced, took turns going to the bathroom, let the kids run around, made the kids sit down, strapped them in to the stroller, gave them every snack available in my baby bag, visited with the folks at the American Airlines ticket counter several times before finally, the boys arrived! So happy, so grown and so handsome! Thank you God, family and friends for all your prayers and support.

October 29, 2009: The boys are not allowed to travel out of the country because they don’t have a formal letter of consent for travel from their father. Are you kidding me? We did everything we could to get them on their flight, but it was denied. They will have to travel tomorrow. I called American Airlines to make travel changes. They waived their fees in lieu of the circumstances. At Enterprise, they also helped us with our rental arrangements. We will try again tomorrow!

October 28, 2009: Jerry travels to the capital with the family in tow. They arrive to the embassy and receive their visas, by the grace of God. I call American Airlines and purchase tickets for two! They arrive tomorrow, just in time for Halloween! Super thrilled!

October 25, 2009: Shannel travels to Honduras with her family to join her brothers for the final trip to the US Embassy.

New Construction Pictures

Ok, here are the long awaited pictures. I did take video of the framing, but then I never downloaded it from the camera. So, here are the stills.

This is my new laundry space. It's hard to see but in the back to the left, there is a tiny nook where the electrical panel is and that will house some sort of shelving to hold my stockpile items. On the ceiling, you can see my new florescent light fixture.
This is what I affectionately call my new TV room. This is where I plan to send the kids when the house feels cluttered and overwhelming. LOL. The huge closet will house my storage totes, gift stash and trunk. The TV/Entertainment center will be against the wall to the right and my futon will go against the opposite wall. In case of overnight guests, it will double as a guest room. I'm also planning on having all the games, movies, puzzles etc. go into this space.

This is Ricardo's room. He's got a great big closet and a huge new window. This room gets alot of natural light. I'm happy about that. It's not a huge room, but it's big enough. It's 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 so his twin bed, dresser, and night stand should fit with no problem at all. I have a desk for him, too!

A wider shot of the room!

UPDATE: Reuniting a Family

October 19, 2009: Our case is approved! Thank you God! All the kids have to do now is travel to the capital to get their visas. The can go any day from Monday through Thursday as long as they arrive at 9:45 a.m. I begin to call and spread the good news to the kids and various other family members. They plan to travel early next week. Wow, this is it! PS I just got my phone bill and I’ve spent quite a bit on calls to the embassy last month. Now I’m afraid to get next month’s bill. Yikes! Transaction cost: $58.39 Total spent: $3501.82

October 5, 2009: We receive confirmation that the documents have been received and the case is under review. We should have an answer in 2-3 weeks. This is torture.

September 29, 2009: We email the embassy for confirmation on the arrival of the package.

September 28, 2009: Our package arrives to the embassy.

September 25, 2009: Esteban’s cousin, Pablo, works on getting a hold of the birth certificates. He end up having to pay the lady off, but wasn’t able to pick them up right away because the ousted Honduran President snuck into the country and is holed up in the Brazilian Embassy. Round the clock curfew is in place for over 3 days. Finally, the country gets back to normal and Pablo is able to pick up the documents for us and mail them via DHL to the Embassy. Transaction cost: $81.99 Total spent: $3443.43