Visits with the Boys!

See here for the first day of visits when we told the boys we were adopting them, and see here for the next two days of visits, including when we told them their new names!


We've continued to spend time with the boys almost every day. For most of this week, we've thought that any day we would have the much-awaited second hearing (at which point the boys can come home), but we finally learned that it was scheduled for next week, on Tuesday, December 24. That will be two weeks after the first hearing, which is the usual length of time these days, but we had been convinced that it would just take one week in our case. (I think the court is busier right now as several families want to be home with their kids by Christmas.)

It will be a memorable Christmas for sure!!!

On Sunday, we went to get the boys straight after church. We went out for lunch, Jake took them to play soccer for a couple of hours, fed them dinner at home, then went back to church for the Christmas drama. It started raining BUCKETS right before we pulled up and didn't really let up, so we all got wet several times. So it is during Christmas season in Bolivia!

At the CIC Christmas Cantata

Jesus finished putting together this little truck. 

One day Sophia and I went to watch the kids at swimming lesson.

Yesterday Jake's school vacation began (yay!!), and he went to watch the boys swimming, per Angel's request - but actually got in the pool with them!! I was in line for 3 1/2 hours getting my car inspected, ugh.

Yesterday during their visit, Jake was telling the boys about the school curriculum for next year. When he mentioned the online placement test he was going to give the boys to calculate their math level, Jesus asked if he could take it right away. He and Jake spent the next nearly two hours on it! Jake was impressed at how persevering Jesus was during that time, wanting to press on even if it was hard.

 

 

Meanwhile, I enlisted the help of the other two for cutting out and decorating Christmas sugar cookies for the CIC Youth Group party! It was quite the production. Today I'm still sweeping up sprinkles from every corner of the house. :)  

 

 

Jake and I spent some time this week going over a weekly schedule, daily schedule, chore list, and reward system, for once the boys are living with us. It will be quite the production!! I am very glad to have finally someone to help me around the house and with lunch. We're going to start off with three days a week, for 12 hours a week total. She can't begin until December 30, but she seems very suitable and highly recommended!

I was hoping to be able to manage on my own with just the help of the boys, but my baby is still not very Bolivian in that she's quite demanding and most days I spend hours just holding and feeding her. It's very nice that she sleeps 6-7 hours at night in one stretch, but many days she really only takes one good long nap. Taking advantage of low-cost help seems crucial at this time of our lives for the sanity of everyone involved!

Thanks for your prayers as we embark on this great adventure together! We are very pleased at how happy the boys are and how well everything has gone in this "dream come true" for all of us, but we know there will be many challenges and adjustments in the days and months ahead.