What We Are Here For. . .

Big Girl Panties =)

2012-01-25T22:26:00.004-06:00

Gloria Grace got big girl panties for Christmas. She's been wearing them a little sporadically, and I really wasn't sure that I was so thrilled I'd introduced her to the potty. After a month of off & on potty training...I get why people wait until their kids are way older to deal w/potty training. It is a little frustrating to take her to the potty 100 times, when she really just wants to sit there & eat the gummies we bribed her with to sit there the 1st time :/ She's been going pee on the potty before she gets in the bath for a while, & she pooped on the potty when she was 10 months old (I knew she was about to go, and I ran her in there & sat her on it & she went :) She tells me when she has to go poop, but she says it & she'd pretty much done.

Anyway...last night, she kept saying she had to pee...she would sit down pass a little gas & then jump back up...I don't know what it is about my kids, but when they 1st learn to poop on the potty they are very nervous to sit there & let it happen. I finally ended up just pulling her panties off & letting her run around in just her shirt. I was giving Coy a haircut, so I was in the bathroom & her potty chair was in my bathroom closet (for privacy :) .....

Nest thing you know she is poking her head out the door saying Mommy I pee peed potty...I looked in there & she had one poop!!!! Woot Woot!!!! She again pooped on the potty today & peed all day in the potty today, w/only 2 pee pee accidents--both of which she was sitting on daddy's lap (tee hee).

So I think I am happy we started potty training after all =)

Happy 9th Birthday Seth!

2012-01-17T15:23:00.004-06:00

I ♥ this kid!

It has been WAY too long, since I have blogged. It's not that there isn't tons of stuff going on. (We have 3 kids & I work full-time! =) We always have something happening :) It's just easier or lazier--with facebook-- I tend to just quickly post on there. I will try to do better--really I will :)

Happy 12th Brithday Coy =)

2011-08-06T12:55:00.002-05:00

Twelve years ago today I became a mom for the first time. I am so proud of the young man Coy is growing into. Thankful today for my blessings.

This is sure to be a memorable birthday, but for the wrong reasons :( Coy was diagnosed w/strep throat yesterday evening. He's been feeling pretty rough today, but is beginning to feel a little better. He even asked me for his birthday pancakes =)

Gloria Grace has also been sick :( She started w/a fever last Saturday. I thought it was her teeth, as she is cutting 4 molars. I took her to the doctor on Tuesday, and she said it was a viral infection that would have to run it's course. Her mouth is full of little ulcers & her gums are very irritated :( She has been one miserable little girl! I took her this morning thinking maybe she had strep too. She does not have strep, so hopefully we are at the tail end of her virus.

Coy's First Mission Trip

2011-07-22T22:10:00.003-05:00

Coy & I leave "dark & early" (4am) in the morning w/the rest of our LifePoint Church Medical/Dental team for Mexico. This will be my 10th trip & Coy's first. I am over the top excited to have the privilege of watching God work in & through my first born this week!

Here are some things you can pray specifically for:

Our families while we are away.
Our team members from Smyrna: Dr. Rick, Agnes, Sherry, Darby, Jim, Jacob, Kelly & Coy
Our partners in Mexico: Pastor Pedro & Maricarmen.
Travel mercies & safety.
Making it through customs with all our supplies.
The people to be ready & the work to be fruitful for God's Glory!

Wrapping Up Our First Year Together =)

2011-07-18T22:07:00.004-05:00

It is hard to believe that it has been a whole year since God blessed us with Gloria Grace.

I think this is my most favorite picture ever! Seeing the excitement & smiles on my boys faces (Tim included) makes my heart happy.

July 19, 2010

Here we are a year later. Still smiling BIG!

July 4, 2010

Proud of My Boys

2011-06-03T14:20:00.004-05:00

I feel a little guilty as I look back, and realize I haven't posted about the boys in a long time. Especially when they are up to big stuff lately! The last full day of school was last Wednesday. Coy just finished 5th grade, and his last year @ David Youree. I am now the mother of a middle schooler! YIKES!!!!!

I couldn't be more proud of the year he has had. He has become a much more independent student. He worked hard all & made Honor Roll all year long. He has been asking for a cell phone for a couple of years, but we've told him "maybe when he goes to middle school." Tim & I talked about getting him one for his birthday (which is the week school starts). We decided to go ahead & get it now~as a reward for his hard work this year.

The last full day of school we put it in his bed & called to wake him up =) He was happily surprised!

Here he is with his medals for honor roll & art club:
Seth has also done very well this year. He just finished 2cd grade. His teacher gave him the award for The Most Improved Student. After he received his award, the teacher let him come sit with me for the remainder of the assembly. The first thing he did was put his award on Gloria Grace. He is such a good big brother =)
The boys got their report cards on Friday, and our local Krispy Kreme Donuts gives up to a half dozen donuts per child for A's. I think the boys will continue their hard work next year~~That was a good HOT~Melt in your mouth~dozen donuts.

June 1, 2010

2011-06-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

One short year ago we saw the sweet face of our precious girl. You can read the whole referral call story from last year here. Oh how our lives have been blessed over this last year. It's a little crazy how fast this time has gone.

Gloria Grace is about to be 16 months old. She is so full of personality. She's smart, funny, sweet, loving, cuddly, sassy, spunky, adorable, beautiful...the list could go on & on & on.

The sweetest new thing she is doing is participating in prayer time. When she folds her tiny little hands together and says amen when we finish praying...it simply melts my heart.

So blessed to be her mommy =)

I Wish I Could Tell AGB Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T22:13:00.003-05:00

As I rocked my sweet girl to sleep tonight, I prayed for her birth mother (AGB). I do this often, but tonight was one of those times I got teary eyed. How blessed I am to have the privledge of rocking sweet Gloria Grace, kissing her soft forehead & telling her how much I love her, and how much Jesus loves her.

Praying that AGB is able to have a wonderful Mother's Day Celebration with Gloria Grace's Colombian siblings.

Pray for Mexico

2011-04-15T23:24:00.002-05:00

I'm leaving bright & early in the morning~~~actually more like "dark & early." Dr. Russell & Agnes will be here in about 4 hours (@ 4am) to pick me up. God has blessed me with yet another opportunity to share what He has given me with the beautiful people of Mexico.

I remember the first time I was preparing to go. September of 2005. I was a nervous wreck thinking about leaving the boys. Coy was 6 & Seth just 2. I'd never been away from them for more than one night. They did wonderful, as did Tim. This time, I am leaving my sweet Gloria Grace for the first time. I am sure she will do just as wonderful. After all~~She has so many to love her while I am gone :)

Thank you in advance for praying for my family, the people of Vera Cruz, Mexico, our dental/medical team~ Dr. Rick & Agnes Russell, Callie & Matt Ford, & our partners from the church in Nuevo Laredo.

She'll Probably Be Walking When I Come Home

2011-03-31T22:05:00.007-05:00

This weekend I will be going on a Women's Retreat w/47 other ladies from church. I am super excited, but a little nervous to leave Gloria Grace for the whole weekend. She's been taking a lot more steps, and has even stood up by herself in the middle of the floor & taken some steps. She'll probably be walking/running all over the place when I get home Sunday.

I guess I'm going to take this as preparation for the week I will be gone to Mexico, which is only 2 short weeks away. I remember the 1st time I went to Mexico--September 2005--I had not been away from the boys for more than overnight! Coy was 6, and Seth 2½. I was a nervous wreck to call home. I wanted to talk to them, but I was afraid we'd all start crying and I'd have to buy a ticket & come home early :)

God provided-- We were just across the border in Nuevo Laredo, and we could pick up the US cell signal from our room in the church. I was able to call, and talk as long as I needed to. The best part was--NO ONE cried :) The boys did so well--even Tim ;)

I've wondered if Tim wishes he hadn't done so well that 1st trip, as I have been to Mexico 8 times. I'm blessed to be able to go again in 2 weeks, and in July Tim & Coy will be coming along for their 1st missions trip!

We are blessed!!!

She Might Just Walk Yet =)

2011-03-26T16:05:00.003-05:00

This 1st Video is from 03/16/11. She is taking a couple of steps at a time, and walking all over the place while holding your hand.

This is Today 03/26/11. This video is only 3 seconds, so be ready =) She's now taking 4-5 steps at a time. Look at the smile on her face--she's proud of her self. :)

The Many Words of Gloria Grace :)

2011-03-18T21:58:00.006-05:00

I have certainly not been doing such a good job with this blog. I am going to make an attempt to start blogging weekly, at least updating what the kiddos are doing. I will start tonight, with The Many Words of Gloria Grace. She is becoming quite the little mocking bird :) I told the boys they better watch it, because she would soon be telling on them :)

Here is her current list of words:

Dadda
Mamma
Yes
Hi
Thank You
Hot
luv u
Uh Oh
Eye (as she pokes you in the eye :~P)
Woof Woof (When you ask her what the doggie says)
Kitty & Meow
Ball
Bye Bye
Night Night
Poop -- (I should probably be a little ashamed that one of my sweet little girls words is Poop, but she does have 2 brothers :) & it is really funny to hear her say it :~P
Stop (Which she has heard me constantly yell at the boys) :~P

She has also said once or twice--baby, pretty, & Coy :)

ICBF Wait List

2011-03-16T13:59:00.004-05:00

Here is the new ICBF waiting list for Colombia. This is for families adopting through ICBF, not Casa Privadas--as we did. When we began our paperwork w/Gladney, this was the only option we new about. No one told us that we could submit our dossier to a Casa Privada, until we were ready to send ours to Colombia. When we were ready to submit our dossier, the wait time for ICBF was between 30 & 40 months. We were accepted @ Chiquitines May 2009. Look at this list. We would be NO where near having Gloria Grace home. I love God's Timing, and His plan!!!

Age of Child ------- Date of Application Approval by ICBF

Child 0-12 months ------ Jul - 2007
Child 13 - 23 months ---- Jul - 2007
Child 2 years ----------- Aug - 2006
Child 2 - 3 years -------- Mar - 2007
Child 3 years ----------- Jul - 2006
Child 3 - 4 years -------- Nov - 2006
Child 4 years ----------- Dec - 2006
Child 4 -5 years -------- Aug - 2007
Child 5 years ----------- Aug - 2009
Child 5 - 6 years ------- Nov - 2008
Child 6 years ----------- NOT LISTED ON NEW FORM
Child 7 years ----------- Feb - 2011

2 Siblings 0 - 4 years --- Dec - 2007
2 Siblings 0 - 5 years --- Nov - 2007
2 Siblings 0 - 6 years --- Jan - 2009
2 Siblings 0 - 7 years --- Oct - 2009
2 Siblings 0 - 8 years --- Dec - 2010

The list applies to non-Colombian families adopting through ICBF only. It DOES NOT include special needs children. The definition of special needs are children with disabilities, children over 8 years of age, and sibling groups of 3 or more.

Praying for the waiting families & children.

Happy Valentines Day From Gloria Grace :)

2011-02-13T21:29:00.002-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday Gloria Grace

2011-02-05T21:44:00.003-06:00

Gloria Grace has had a wonderful 1st Birthday! She started the celebration this morning with her birthday pancakes :) Of course she loved them....she loves everything, well she didn't exactly love getting messy w/her smash cake :~P I will post pictures, from her party soon, but for now---here she is enjoying her birthday pancakes :)

Birthday Pancakes

2011-02-04T19:08:00.005-06:00

I can hardly believe that tomorrow I will be making birthday pancakes for our beautiful, sweet, perfect for our family, little Colombian Princess' 1st Birthday!!

As I look back to my journal from this time last year, and see all the talking I did w/God about when I thought he should grow our family, I realize how perfect His timing is, and how He really does know what he is doing.

We will be celebrating BIG, with friends & family tomorrow evening at church. I'm excited to see what Gloria Grace does w/her very own birthday cake :) There will be lots of pictures to follow :)

While we are celebrating, I can't help to think about Gloria Grace's birth mom, "AGB." I wish I could talk to her, and say thank you for giving our daughter life. I can only imagine that the decisions she had to make were not easy. My prayer for her, is that she has no regret. That God has filled her heart with peace.

6 Month Post-Placement---Already?!?!

2011-01-29T17:48:00.005-06:00

Seth turned 8 on January 17th, and had a total of 3 celebrations. This is a picture from the 3rd celebration. We went ice skating with friends:

January 27th, Tim celebrated his 41st birthday. His parents & my parents came over for fruit salad. Tim decided he'd had enough cake @ Seth's 3 celebrations :)

I've been so caught up in birthday business that 6 months came & went without me realizing it! I got an email from our social worker the other day reminding me it was time to do another post-placement visit....What? I thought, post-placement visit....we just did that. Well it seems like we just did it :) Then I realized that January 19th marked 6 months, since Gloria Grace was placed in my arms! Oh what a sweet day July 19, 2010 was for our family, and we are currently living "happily ever after."

Next Saturday is Gloria Grace's 1st birthday. We are going to celebrate with family & friends with pizza & cake @ our church.

Sunday after church we will have our second post-placement visit, and send pictures of our sweet daughter to our agency. I think there are 2 more visits after this one.

Here is Gloria Grace modeling her birthday outfit. This is one of the pictures I'll probably send in :)

Happy 8th Birthday Seth

2011-01-17T21:17:00.005-06:00

I ♥ this sweet kid.

What a nice weekend we have had celebrating Seth's 8th birthday, and to think it's not over yet :)

He has chosen ice skating for his party this year, and the 2 ice rinks near-by both were holding tournaments this weekend. We will have his party next Saturday, but this weekend we celebrated w/grandparents and Amanda (our cousin) @ Logan's. The waitress let Seth pick any dessert from the menu, and announced to the whole restaurant it was his birthday. He was embarrassed, but loved every minute of it.

We started out today (his actual birthday) with our traditional birthday pancakes. Then tonight we had grandparents over again for Seth's favorite dinner--Chicken Pot Pie. A few friends from the neighborhood came over after dinner, and helped us eat some cake.

Tomorrow, Seth is bringing donut holes to share w/his class, since they were out today for MLK day.
They boys love to spread their birthday celebrations out as long as possible :)

I am happy to let them.

A Precious Gift.....

2010-12-23T22:19:00.000-06:00

Not Exactly What I Wanted For Christmas

2010-12-23T19:24:00.002-06:00

I started having a little bit of a sore throat Saturday night right before I went to bed. I thought it was probably from cheering on the boys at their basketball games. Seth played 1st Saturday morning, and scored 2 baskets :) Coy played that afternoon, and was on fire with defence. Both boys teams won. I do my fair share of cheering/yelling from the bleachers, so I figured that was where my sore throat came from. It was only slightly scratchy Sunday, but when I woke up for work on Monday morning it was still sore. I worked all day Monday with a cough drop in my mouth, and even drank some hot tea w/honey. I talk all day, pretty much non-stop @ work, so I figured that was why my throat was feeling worse. After my 13 hour shift, I called Tim on my way home & told him that I was going to come in & take a hot shower & go straight to bed. He was sweet & had hot chicken soup waiting, when I got home. I drank it, and went to bed.

I coughed on & off all night long. I woke up to get ready for work Tuesday morning, and my temperature was 100.5, and I was now aching all over & nauseated. I called work to let them know I wouldn't be there, took some tylenol and went back to sleep on the couch. When I woke up a little later I felt as close to "dying" as I ever have. I was able to get an appointment with my BFF, who happens to be a Nurse Practitioner. I tested positive for the flu :( YES I took the flu shot this year. I always take a flu shot, I'm a nurse. I take care of sick people. I've never had the flu before now, and hope that in the future my flu shot works.

I did start on Tamiflu Tuesday. It has helped speed my recovery, but this flu has kicked my bootie! I've been wearing a mask (which Gloria Grace finds comical). I've pretty much just laid around. Simply taking a shower wipes me out.

My sweet mom came & got the goodies I planned to give our neighbors sorted out & packaged to give them. Tim delivered them. Mom also took my grocery, and last minute Christmas shopping list & took care of that, too. My mother-in-law made us some soup. Glad to have so much help.

I am hopeful that tomorrow I have the energy I need to begin preparations for Christmas dinner (which is at our house). I also hope to feel well enough to go to Christmas Eve Services at church. I will not cough on anyone, or shake any one's hands :)

I also can not wait to be well enough to give Ms. Gloria Grace a big fat kiss!

Thankful, that the rest of the family has not gotten sick. Everyone started on Tamiflu, except GG, because she is too little. She did get the flu shot, but so did I.

Praying that your house is well for Christmas.

The Christmas Season

2010-12-10T22:09:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I find myself going through the motions. Just going along living everyday life. Then there are times when I take a moment to stop, and take it all in. Tonight, as I listened to Tina Hutchinson sing Mary Did You Know, I had one of those moments.

I have really just been going through the motions of the "Christmas Season." I just haven't quite been able to "get into it." Tonight I realized why. It's because I know the true reason for celebrating Christmas. It's not just so we can shop, and buy our kids things they don't need.

This year I'm feeling more convicted than ever about it celebrating Christmas the world's way.

I have already received The BEST gift (not GG, although she is a close second)....Jesus is my savior, and because of Him I need nothing more.

I am thankful for the additional gifts He has given me. . .

Merry CHRISTmas!!!

So Much To Be Thankful For

2010-11-21T20:06:00.007-06:00

The Watson Family has so much to be Thankful for. I've been thinking a lot lately about Gloria Grace's birth mother. This time last year, she would have been 6 months pregnant. The pregnancy was not in her plan. She was trying to figure out what to do, and her sister told her about the birth mother program @ Chiquitines. Her sister went with her, in support of her, to talk about adoption.

At the same time, we were waiting & praying. We are no longer waiting, but we are still praying. Praying prayers of Thanksgiving for our sweet gift, and praying for AGB's (GG's birth mother) heart to be comforted & have peace in the decision she made. We have been blessed beyond measure.

We have already enjoyed our 1st Thanksgiving meal of 2010. The boys school invites parents to lunch. The boys have lunch at different times, but thankfully they are back to back. GG likes turkey & dressing :)

I'm looking forward to spending time w/family this week. We'll also be dedicating Little Miss this weekend @ church. Again I say, we have been blessed beyond measure.

9 Months Ago Today

2010-11-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

9 months ago today "AGB" Gloria Grace's birthmother was in the hospital in Colombia delivering our daughter. Wondering if she is thinking about our sweet girl. Praying for Gloria Grace's birthmother. Praying God has blessed her with peace.

Thanking God for His beautiful gift!

90 Days!

2010-10-19T08:26:00.004-05:00

Wow! Time sure flies, when you are having fun!! July 19th was the day we were able to look into the beautiful dark chocolate brown eyes of God's gift~~making our family of 5. I must say that it is very hard to explain...it seems like we were just there, but then it also feels like Gloria Grace has been in our family forever.

I still get chills & tears in my eyes every time I look at this picture. Seeing the pure joy on the faces of my boys (Tim included). If you could see Gloria Grace's face, she is smiling a sweet chubby cheek smile right back at us. This is a picture of God knowing & overflowing the desires of our hearts.

I have said it many times before; God has blessed us beyond measure. Here is the cutest, sweetest, most lovable 8 month old pumpkin in the patch :)
We are about to have our first post placement visit on Monday, and then we will be visited every 6 months until 21 months post placement. Tim & I were discussing our upcoming 90 day visit last week, when Coy piped up & asked "are we ever going to be done with paperwork." One day love :)

Gloria Grace Is Getting a Little Too Big for Her Own Britches :)

2010-10-04T18:37:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow our sweet little girl will be 8 months old.

Today, she's been getting into all kinds of new mischief :~P

Here are two instances ~~ She has turned over the kitty's water bowl:

She has also found the bottom of the stairs. There is no way to attach a baby gate to our banister, so we will have to keep an Eagle's eye on her. You can see in these pictures how very proud she is of her newest accomplishment:

Blessed With One Less

2010-10-02T21:19:00.002-05:00

I came across this song/story by Matthew West, on another adoptive families blog. Wow, does it hit home. He talks about how it makes you feel good, but also hits you in the gut. It's 4 minutes....I dare you to watch it :)

DYE Eagle Stomp

2010-09-20T21:02:00.004-05:00

Friday was the DYE Eagle Stomp. This is the one big PTO fundraiser @ the boy's school. I have been blessed to be able to help with "first aid." Which is actually just applying band aids to scrapes, when the "stompers" wipe out :(

The boys had fun. They walk/run with their class for 30 minutes, and then they have fun & games. The principal & various teachers take turns in the dunking booth. There are inflatables, corn hole, & free snow cones :)

Gloria Grace joined in the fun, until it was time for her nap. Grandma came & took her to her house for the rest of the day.

I can't seem to get blogger to let me type in between the pictures, when they are lined up on the left side. I'm not re-uploading them.

The first one is Gloria Grace looking a little sad that she's not going to get to stay & party all day :)

The second & third are Seth & Coy's class'.

The fourth is Coy Painting my face. He is in the Art Club this year :)

The fifth picture is him letting me paint his face, and the last shows how well the face paint doubled as sunblock :)

I Am A Total Blog Slacker!

2010-09-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

I can't seem to keep up with this blog now. Maybe it's because I have a 7 month old CRAWLING all over the place :) Gloria Grace is totally mobile now. She started out a few weeks ago with the "army crawl." Where she would be pulling herself around, while laying on her belly. She is now able to do the hand & knees crawling, and she's getting faster everyday :) She is also a professional at sitting up on her own, and proud of it I might add. It's very cool to see the boy's amazement each time she does something new.

We've pretty much settled in to being a family of 5 :)

The boys are doing well in school, and have settled into a routine. Coy is in 5th grade & Seth is in 2cd. Mid-9 week progress reports showed that both boys are on target for a great year. Coy is excited to be in the art club this year. Seth is happy to have a few friends from last year in his class again. Both boys are looking forward to basketball starting next month.

A couple of weeks ago, Nashville hosted the Music City BBQ festival. This was one of our first outings, besides going to church. It was hot, and unfortunately we choose the wrong booth to buy BBQ from. It was the saltiest BBQ I have ever eaten. It was not good at all. To top it off, when we left the festival I backed into a car in the parking lot :( I would have to say that it wasn't the funnest day. Here are a couple of pictures @ the festival:

It's not easy to get all 3 kids to look & smile simultaneously :)

The boys had fun rolling down the hill @ River Front Park:

We traditionally camp @ Barren River State Park in Kentucky on Labor Day weekend. I remember when I told Beth, from Gladney that I wanted to be home for the boys to go to school. I also told her that we had reservations for Labor Day weekend, and I remember her saying, really? :) We would not be anywhere else :) Gloria Grace, as usual, was fabulous the whole weekend. She even slept all night in her play pen :) Here are some pictures of our wonderful weekend:

Gloria Grace loved the hammock: Coy had to help get a branch off the top of Paw's camper:Such a handsome little/big brother:This is Little Ms. Gloria Grace crawling!I will leave you with by far THE cutest set of piggy tales you have ever seen :) I will try not to make it another 3 weeks before I post another update. I started on this one a week ago, and have worked on it 3 different times before I finally am done with it. :)

Have We Really Been Home 3 Weeks?

2010-08-28T08:31:00.004-05:00

Sometimes it feels like we've been home "forever," & Gloria Grace has always been here. I keep thinking about how long the two year process seemed @ times. Really looking back, that two years wasn't really that long. It's hard to explain. There were bumps in the "paperwork" road over & over again. There were so many times when it was 1 step forward & 10 steps back!

I would love to say that I never got upset & that I knew God had it all under control the whole time, but I'm human--so many times I cried & got frustrated. Now, on the home side of this journey I hope that I can be an encouragement to those people in the process. Those of you reading this who are taking a step forward only to take 10 back. Truly, God knows what He is doing!!!! If only we were able to read the "end of our book," so the middle chapters didn't seem so hard.

God uses the middle chapters to build our faith & trust in Him. I truly found peace in the fact that well before we even knew we would adopt, God knew who our daughter was. In May 2009 we were told we could expect a referral & travel in 3-6 months....as we know now, that didn't happen. I was so disappointed, and allowed myself to be upset more than I should have. There was no way we could have travelled last year, because Gloria Grace wasn't born yet. I didn't know it then, but now it all makes perfect sense.
We are constantly trying to hurry life along, but in the end it is so sweet to wait on God.

The sweet little pink 147 million orphan T-shirts GG & Tim are wearing helps feed orphans in Uganda. Our dear friends the Oatsvalls were a huge support to us in our journey. They are co-founders of 147millionorphans.com. You can help feed orphans & help bring kids home by buying the gear. If you are adopting & need a fundraiser, check out their site.

What I Am Glad I Packed for Colombia

2010-08-18T11:29:00.006-05:00

I have talked to a couple of other mom's that are about to journey with their families to Colombia. When I was getting ready to go, I also had a couple of mom's share helpful information with me. I thought I would try to post a some travel tips.

Before you go, when you first get your referral & you are putting together your child's care package, SEND A DISPOSABLE CAMERA. I am taking ours to be developed today...can't wait to see the shots the sweet caregivers took of GG.

Now, on to packing for your trip. Souvenirs & food are reasonably priced in Colombia, but baby stuff is not. I paid about $15.00 for 6 baby spoons! We also needed a dark shirt for GG's visa picture & had to pay about $12.00 for 1, yes just 1, plan (ugly) onesie. This was not from a designer store, either. It was a department store much like walmart. So, all that being said, take as much of you baby/child's stuff as you can. The orphanage will tell you what formula your baby is eating, and it is priced about the same as in the US. Our orphanage only bottle feeds the babies, until they are 6 months, so GG was not eating baby foods. I did see baby food jars, but mostly fruit. Not vegetables. If your baby is older & may be eating baby foods, you might want to bring some. Here is a list of what I brought.

Stuff I would for sure buy in the US & bring:

Baby bottles (you will buy formula in Colombia)
There are really not as many bottles here, as it looks. There is a mirror behind them :) I brought 2 different kind, not knowing what kind she'd be used to. Chiquitines uses the older type, like the ones on the right in these pictures. GG doesn't like the fancy NUK kind at all.
Baby Spoons
Diapers/wipes--these are only a little more expensive in Colombia, so if you are running out of room, you could wait & get them there.
Clothes (I had about 10 warm weather outfits & 4 cooler/fall outfits for Bogota)

Don't forget your dark shirt for your Visa picture
Burp clothes/bibs
Light weight blankets
nail clippers
infant carrier- we used a "hip hammock" You can bring a stroller, but the streets are not as stroller friendly & the carrier lets you bond with your baby even more.
a few small toys
I brought GG some shoes, but none of them fit her.

I also packed a little "medicine cabinet:"
For the baby:

saline nasal spray
infant tylenol
infant motrin
diaper cream
orajel
vicks vapor rub

For Us/older kids:

tylenol
motrin
cold meds
allergy meds
bug spray
beandryl/itch cream
bandaids
neosporin

We also brought our laptop computer & a magic jack w/a telephone. We used skype to video chat computer to computer with grandparents & friends. Skype is free to sign up & use computer to computer. We also purchased the magic jack @ Walgreens, before we went to Colombia. It was $39.95, and is good for a year. The magic jack plugs into a USB port in your computer, and allows you to call anywhere in the US for free. It's like you are making a call from home, but you are calling from Colombia. You must have a decent internet connection to use either of these. Both of our hotels (Cali & Bogota) had good internet service. The trip would not have been the same, if we couldn't have talked to family & friends back home so freely.

Life is Good

2010-08-14T18:34:00.004-05:00

We've been home a whole week now. Sometimes it seems like life has always included our sweet 3rd child. She has been such an easy baby. People have asked how she is adjusting. She has had no problems. She is truly a blessing. There isn't much she doesn't like.

When we got home from Colombia last Saturday night. GG & I turned the corner from the gate to see our warm welcoming party :) How sweet it was to see so many familiar loving faces waiting to see Gloria Grace. I was glad to hand off my sweet 16½ pound bundle :) She had been in my arms since 10:00 Saturday morning. There were a couple of times I spread a blanket out in the airport floor, but only for a few minutes. My arms were "done" by the time we got to Nashville. We made our way home around midnight & gave GG a bath. She was tired & this helped relax her after our long day of travel. She had a bottle & was asleep by 1:00.
This is GG in her own crib for the first time :)

She slept until about 7:00am, and we got up & got ready for church. It was nice to see everyone that had been praying for our daughter over the last 2 years. She fell asleep right before we went into service, but woke up shortly after worship began. I can not even begin to describe the feeling of worshipping, singing "Glory to God," while holding the gift that we had waited 2 years for. This is GG getting ready to go out the door to church in her monogrammed outfit Tia Kristi gave her :)
GG got a little noisy (not fussing, but just making noises) so I took her out into the concourse. We went to meet the ladies that will be her teachers in the pre-school hall. It has been 3 years since the boys were in the pre-school hall! WOW!

The boys started school on Monday. We went to see them for lunch. They were both very sweet. I heard Coy say "have you missed me." They are truly in love. I am so happy for how God has worked on their hearts.
The boys heading out to their 1st day of school :)
GG & I went to have lunch with bothe the boys on their 1st day. I only got a picture of Seth @ lunch ~~mom fail :(

I did get a picture of Coy swinging w/his sister, though :)Tuesday we went to my work to turn in the rest of my FMLA paperwork. The ladies in the nursing office of course loved Gloria Grace.

Wednesday Daddy kept GG, while I went w/Kristi for a pedicure--ahhhh :) Then we came home & Kristi got to love on her.

Thursday my small group met for the 1st time since school let out @ the beginning of summer. I have missed these ladies!! It was nice to share our experience in Colombia & everyone was able to share in loving on Gloria Grace.

When Seth got home from school on Thursday, he was complaining that his throat was sore. I looked & it was red & I could see a lot of sinus drainage. I gave him a sinus tablet, but then he layed on the couch & fell asleep about 7:30. He had a low grade fever (100.4). Friday his temp was only 99.5 when he woke up, but his throat was hurting a lot. Sure enough--he tested positive for Strep :( We went to pick up his antibiotic, and they were out of the chewable tablets. They asked him if he wanted liquid or if he could swallow a capsule. He choose the capsule. He has swallowed small pills before, like a motrin. This was a capsule, and it was a little bigger than what he'd swallowed before. I took him to Sonic for a watermelon slush, and told him to take a drink-put the capsule in his mouth, and then drink until the pill went down. He did really well, and about 2 minutes after he swallowed the medicine he said "I can't believe I just swallowed plastic!" That boy cracks me up!!! He was highly restricted about being around GG. When he got up this morning he said "mommy, can I at least kiss her foot." Poor kid!

GG got to meet Auntie Trudy & Uncle Earl today. They were here visiting from Kentucky. We've pretty much just hung out @ home since the visit @ Grandma's.

It's been a nice 1st week home. We've begun to get into a routine. Gloria Grace has been going to bed between 8:30 & 9:00 & sleeping until around 7am. She naps usually twice a day. Once around 10am & again in the afternoon around 2pm. She's started eating some cereal & fruit. She is working on getting a tooth, and she's very close to beginning to crawl. We are loving life w/her.

God has blessed us beyond measure!

We Are Home

2010-08-08T22:07:00.002-05:00

What a warm welcome home we received last night. Just 3 weeks to the day that we arrived in Colombia. Travel was pretty easy, being that it was just me & GG. We got a little bit of special treatment, since she's so cute ;) Just kidding, but seriously--we did get to go to the front of many of the lines, because she is an infant :)

I will post more details about our travel home, but I wanted to thank everyone for your prayers. They were always felt. God has been so good to our family.

Last Night in Colombia

2010-08-06T21:45:00.003-05:00

I have been very emotional today. It is Coy's birthday, and I am sad that I am not with him. I've talked to him twice on the phone, and he's fine--Me well, @least I haven't cried while I'm talking to him :~/

GG & I had a very leisurely morning. Sylvia came to get me just after lunch @ 1:30. I went with the other Gladney mom that is here to take her daughter for her Embassy doctor visit. The other mom's that have been here for a few weeks told me that the hotel ladies will babysit. I debated letting GG stay behind, so she could get a good nap, instead of a "car" nap. I was feeding her a bottle right before I was to leave & she started falling asleep. That helped me decide, and I left her w/Juanita. She is one of the ladies here, that mostly helps cook & in general takes care of the families. While I was gone, GG got her nap. The other mom's told me this evening, that when she woke up all the ladies were just loving on her. She is nothing but loveable!!! I am really glad I let her stay. We were an hour @ the doctor & the rest of the time running around in the car. It's not much fun. Traffic here is terrible.

After we went to the Menefee's doctor appointment, we headed to the Embassy to get GG's packet & Visa. You have a window of 3:30pm to 4:00pm. We got there @ 3:50pm. When we got to the gate it was closed....my heart sunk, until Sylvia started yelling to the workers through the opening in the bottom of the window. She was telling them I had to come in to get the visa, because I was leaving tomorrow for home. It was all I could do not to break down & cry. They opened to door & rushed us through the security scanner & on in to the Embassy. The windows are on the outside of the building, but the area is covered. When we got up to the windows, there was no one @ any of them. Again, I began to get a little anxious. After a few minutes, a worker came to the window. I picked up the phone & told her I was there to pick up my daughter's visa. She had the packet there beside her & gave it to me. I didn't have to sign anything, or even show my passport. When I started to offer her my passport, she said I believe you are who you are. And that was it....In my hand's I had everything I needed to take my daughter home with me!

Tears began to flow! This was only like the 15th time I have cried today. These were tears of JOY, PURE JOY!!!

Tomorrow, 3 weeks from the day we landed in Cali, I will be boarding the plane & bringing Gloria Grace Gabriela Watson HOME!!!!

God is Good, and He has blessed our family beyond measure!

A few last detailed prayers to ask for:

Tomorrow is the inauguration of Colombia's president. I have been told that many people may not be happy about the president & there is a chance of violence. ---I will be staying in the hotel until it is time to go to the airport, but please pray for a safe ride there. Also, pray there is no flight delay because of the ceremony.

In Miami we only have a 3 hour layover, and I have to go to immigration with Gloria Grace. They search all of our luggage & go over every document. The envelope is THICK. Please pray for favor during this time, so we will make our flight to Nashville.

Here is our flight information:
American Airlines Flight # 916 Bogota to Miami (1:55pm to 6:50pm)
Flight # 410 Miami to Nashville (9:45pm to 11:00pm)

I just realized as I was typing this flight info that I have 3, (not 2 hours as I thought) in Miami, God is so good to take some worry off of me tonight :)

Happy 11th Birthday Coy

2010-08-06T11:37:00.003-05:00

Eleven years ago today God was changing my world like I could not even begin to imagine. He blessed me with my first born, Coy. He is such a cool kid. I am so happy to be his mom.

We thought he would be spending his birthday in Colombia, but instead they got to go home early. I was hoping to make it home for his birthday, but that just didn't work out. He has been very sweet about it, and said that as long as I was home to have a party for him--he'd be fine :)

I made it throught talking to him this morning without crying, but now it's hitting me a little hard. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed having a little time alone w/GG, but I really do miss the boys already. Tomorrow! Tomorrow we will all be on US soil as a family of 5 :)

Happy 6 months Gloria Grace

2010-08-05T17:04:00.004-05:00

Gloria Grace is 6 months old today. While she has only been with us for 18 days now, it seems like she has always been a part of our family. She fits in perfectly! Truly God has blessed us beyond what any words can express.

We slept well last night. I choose to let her sleep in the bed w/me, because the crib is an older style. The wooden slats are about 6 inches apart. Her whole head will fit through, and she is a squirmy sleeper. I would not have been able to sleep w/her in that crib. We slept just fine in the full sized bed. She did stir/squirm a little around 3am, but went right back to sleep when I patted her bottom. She woke & ate a bottle around 6:30, but went back to sleep. I got up & got ready for our day. This is a picture of her asleep in the bed in our room. I had to wake her, so I could get breakfast before we were leaving to go to ICBF & The US Embassy. Sylvia came about 8:30 & took us 1st to ICBF. We had our first, and hopefully only little paperwork scare. I was checking the document & saw that they put the wrong birthday for GG. Her birthday is Feb. 5th & they had typed dia 02, mes 02---I said they typed the wrong date, and thought they would just look @ her passport or birth certificate (which I had with me) & fix it. Nope! They had to contact Chiquitines. Sylvia called Magnolia, while the man at ICBF was emailing Chiquitines. Magnolia talked to me & asked me what the problem was I told her, and like the angel she is she called Chiquitines & within just a few minutes we had the paper with the right date----I dearly love Magnolia. She is yet another gift God has given us during this journey.

We left the ICBF office went to the US Embassy. We got to skip the very long line outside, because I am a US citizen. It made me feel a little bad for all those people waiting, but I was happy not to have to wait. Sylvia presented all the paperwork, and a few minutes later I was called to the window. You talk to the lady on the other side by phone. She went over all the papers one by one. She asked me if I was aware of GG's heart murmur, and then had me sign the last page. She told me to go to the 1st window & pay, and then have a seat & wait to be called. You can pay the fee in US dollars, but must have bills less than $100.00. You can also use a debit/credit card. The fee is $404.00. I paid the fee by card, because I did not want to carry that much cash with us. The wait was probably about 30 or 45 minutes. They called GG's name & told us to go to window #5. I picked up the phone. The lady told me how beautiful GG was & congratulated me. She asked me to sign one more paper & said you can come back tomorrow @ 3:30 & get your daughters visa. She said when she is on US soil she automatically becomes a US citizen, and gave me information on applying for a passport in the US, for her :)

This is us on the way out of the Embassy. It's a little hard to see, but the US flag is flying behind us :) We went back to the hotel & decided we needed to celebrate. We will have the visa tomorrow & be ready to go home on Saturday, and today GG is 6 months. The hotel owner took me to Unicentro & we had GG's ears pierced. Isn't she just adorable!!!!

Bogota Day 1

2010-08-04T20:43:00.002-05:00

GG & I started our day saying our goodbyes to Tim & the boys & my mom @ the hotel in Cali. As we were driving off, I was trying to hold back the tears. Magnolia said "I think your huband looks like he is about to cry." I said, so am I. I couldn't hold them back anymore. I thankfully didn't break out into the ugly cry, but I needed a tissue.

We left the hotel around 9:00am, and went to the records office to meet our lawyer Judit. We got the last few documents we needed to take to the passport office. We walked to the passport office with the papers & were taken right away, no waiting. Magnolia said it is usually very busy, with so many people you can hardly breathe. I told her we have been praying for things to go smoothly & God had answered our prayers :) About an hour or so later & $163,000 pesos we had GG's passport in hand.

Magnolia took us on to the airport. We had enough time for a diet coke & a bathroom break for me, before I was to be on my own. She walked me up as far as she could go to security, and we hugged & said our goodbyes. After I went through security, I was walking down the long corridor with GG & I was beggining to get very emotional. I did my best not to break out into the ugly cry, because I knew if I started I wouldn't be able to stop! It has been so surreal this week--things have suddenly started moving so quickly--when I have a moment to really think about itI am just so overjoyed it makes me teary.

GG did well on her first plane ride. She was a little fussy when I was trying to get settled into our seat. I poured her a bottle of just water, because it wasn't really time for her to eat. That settled her. During take off I guess the cabin pressure got to her & she had a poopie diaper :~P The poor girl sitting next to me did not look like she had any children :) I told her I was sorry. She said it was ok, but I really felt bad for her. I took her to the bathroom as soon as we were given the ok to move about the cabin :) This was an intersting accomplishment. Changing a poopie diaper in an airplane bathroom is something I can cross off my to do list, and hope to never have to do again :)

The flight was short, a little less than an hour. I got my luggage & headed out the door. We stood outside just a few minutes, before Jamie & Sylvia walked up & asked if I was Kelly. We went to their van & I immediately noticed the car seat! The only strapped seat I have tried to put GG in was a highchair @ the hotel resteraunt. She did not care for it @ all. In fact she had screamed like a cat that got it's tail stepped on :~P I waited until Jamie had all our stuff in & was ready to go & put her in it. To my surprise she never fussed @ all. She ended up falling asleep on the way to see the Embassy doctor. :)

The Embassy doctor was very nice. He did a physical & okayed us waiting to do her 6 month shots until we return home. She turns 6 months tomorrow, and they are sometimes picky about having them done before you can get the Visa, so all shots are up to date upon entering the US. He reviewed her medical records, and did a physical exam. She weighs 16.5 lbs & is 24.5 inches long. I totally needed to have been working out my arm muscles before I got here :) We left the doctors office & came straight to the Hotel Paris.

It's not exactly Paris, but it's nice. It's an older hotel, but has several families here right now. GG & I got in our room & took a quick power nap before supper---that was her 4th nap of the day, after she slept all night long. I only let her sleep about 30 minutes, because I want her to sleep tonight. We went to dinner, which was yummy & a wonderful atmosphere. There were 2 other American families @ our table. Another table had 2 french families, and one other had a family from Spain.

Supper was grilled fish, with a creamy cheese sauce, white rice & boiled veggies---yummy. One of the french families got their son yesterday & today was his 1st birthday, so the workers came out with a delicious chocolate cake & sang happy birthday. I feel like I am spending the night @ a friends house....I really like it :)

It's a little after 9:00 & I need to get GG settled for bed. We will be going to ICBF @ 9:00am & then on to apply for the visa. Please pray all that goes as smoothly as everything else :)

Also, please pray for Tim & the boys & my mom. They will be getting a 4am wake up call, and ride to the airport @ 5am. Plane leaves Cali @ 8am, arrives in Miami @ 11:45. They will have just a couple hour layover & be in Nashville @ 5:15pm. Pray for travel mercy & patience for them.

Gracias y Buenas Noches :)

Gloria Grace Gabriela Watson Wright

2010-08-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

Such a big name for such a bundle of joy :)

We had our Sentencia today. The sentencia is the court appearance to sign our adoption papers. It was surreal. The "court" is in the very busy downtown area of Cali, so Magnolia suggested only one of us go. I went & it was not at all what I was expecting. The court rooms are numbered. We were assigned to court #1. The room does not look like a "court room" in the US. It is just a small room w/several desks, more like an office type setting.

As we were walking in I asked Magnolia if it was ok to take pictures. She said don't ask, just take them :) I love Magnolia.

It was just me, Magnolia, & our lawyer Juliet. Juliet went over to one of the desks & got our paperwork. We checked & rechecked to make sure all names were spelled correctly & our passport numbers were all correct. It was not easy to hold back the tears. Even as I sit here typing this, I am getting a little teary. As my boys would say~~ "mom, you are such a girl." All I could think about as we checked all the paperwork, was that Gloria Grace was officially about to become ours!!!

They took me over to the desk to sign the paper. Magnolia took my camera & captured the moment :) Did I mention, I love Magnolia? :) I signed my name to 1 piece of paper & shabang Gabriela B, was now Gloria Grace Gabriela Watson Wright.

They use mother's maiden names here, and required us to use my maiden name in her name. I don't use my maiden name for anything, and we plan to drop Wright from her name, too. When we got done hugging (Magnolia, Juliet & I), we went to make copies of our passports to put with the documents. Our lawyer took everything to get GG's birth certificate changed & Magnolia & I went to her house to print a permission letter for Tim to sign stating that I can take GG out of Colombia without him. (since he will already be home, when I leave Colombia) We then headed back to Chiquitines for a copy of a paper I will need to give to the Embassy in Bogota. Last on our to do list, was to get the permission slips notarized. (I also signed one for Tim to leave w/Coy & Seth w/o me, they will be home on Thursday.

Tomorrow, GG & I will say our goodbyes to Tim & the boys & my mom @ the hotel. We will be leaving aroung 9:00am for the passport office to apply & receive GG's passport~~~yes same day :)

We will then go straight to the airport for our flight to Bogota, which leaves @ 2:00pm. It is an hour flight. We will be taken from the airport to the US Embassy doctor, for medical clearance. I will then take everything to the Embassy & apply for her visa. We should have this Thursday, or Friday.

The Saturday morning flight to Miami was already sold out. :( We will leave Bogota Saturday @ 1:55pm & arrive in Nashville @ 11:00PM. I am not loving having to take the later flight, but I am super excited to be getting home a whole week sooner than we expected. There is a very slight chance that we could have her visa on Thursday & make the Friday morning flight to Miami, but I would have to pay the fair difference + a $200.00 change fee. Friday is Coy's 11th birthday....I am really sad to miss being with him on his birthday, but he said as long as I was at his party (which I have yet to plan) he would be fine :) He's such a sweet kid!

Thank you all for your prayers. They mean a lot to our family~~~our family of 5 :)
Our Family Picture w/Magnolia:

2 Weeks In Colombia

2010-07-31T06:10:00.005-05:00

We arrived in Colombia 2 weeks ago today. After waiting 2 years, we were finally getting to meet our Gloria Grace. Here is a very short recap of our two weeks :)

This is a few moments before they brought Gloria Grace to us. We were seriously giddy w/excitement & anticipation. It was only a few minutes, but it felt like forever.As the doctor was handing her to me, she was happily chewing on the little blankie we had sent in her care package.

Here we are on one of our outings. The mountains of Cali behind us. Gloria Grace's birthparents live in the mountains. I don't know which mountain area, but I think about them each time I see the mountains. I pray that they have peace about the decision they made, and that they would know how loved Gloria Grace is.

These are a couple of Gloria Grace's friends, from Chiquitines. They are also being adopted to families in the US. I thought that Gloria Grace was a "big" girl, but she's actually petite next to these boys :)

Coy & Seth have loved their sister for a long time. Over this 2 year journey, God has tugged @ my heart each time I have listened to the boys prayers for her. Seeing the looks in their eyes with her now is truly priceless. God is going to do big things with these kids.

Abuelita (Grandma) arrived last night. It is such a blessing that she is able to share in this journey in Colombia with us.

I really thought I would do a better job of posting during our stay here, but writing is just not one of my gifts. I hope that my lack of posting doesn't take away from how very special this journey has been to us, and how truly blessed we are. In all of this, I want to make sure it is known that we are here for God' Glory. It is because of His Grace that we are even able to be here, and it is truly for his Glory that we follow His plan for us.

Ephesians 1:5-6 He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.

Gloria Grace Found a Familiar Face :)

2010-07-26T21:47:00.002-05:00

Integration √

2010-07-26T17:51:00.002-05:00

Today we went to ICBF. This is the Colombian department of childrens services. The Integration meeting was not as formal as I expected, which was nice. The whole thing took less than 30 minutes. The meeting included Magnolia, our lawyer, the ICBF worker, and us. The ICBF worker asked us if the information Chiquitines gave us matched what we see in Gloria Grace. They asked if she was happy & eating well, and how the boys liked her. We basically said everything is more perfect than we could have ever imagined. :) We all signed the paper that we were there...including the boys :) They didn't mak GG sign her name, though :)

We now move on to court. We are told this part takes anywhere from 2-3 weeks. We are hoping for 2, so that we don't havve to change my flight on August 7th. If we get done with in the next 2 weeks, then I can fly to Bogota on the same day that Tim, the boys & my mom will fly home (August 7th)

There is a new process in obtaining Gloria Graces passport, which has already begun in Bogota. It begins on August 1st in Cali. It is taking much longer for passports. Before this new process, you could get a passport in 1 day. Now, it can take up to 2 additional weeks. Magnolia says they are looking in to ways to make this go faster for adoptive families. She said she will be spending some time tomorrow making some phone calls about this.

Prayers appreciated for quick court, and passport :)

We Had a Nice Weekend

2010-07-26T17:48:00.001-05:00

I started this post w/the title "We're Having a Nice Weekend," but had to change it to "had" because it took me 2 days to write this :~P

This weekend has been nice. Friday was a turning/breaking point. The boys have done fabulous w/their sister. They love her so very much. They are not at all jealeous. Truly, they love her to pieces. They really have loved her for so long. Long before we even saw her picture & knew who she was. For this I am thankful. I have been praying about our trip for a long time, even before we knew when we would come. I prayed that it would work out that the boys could come, and not miss school. They will be home 2 days before school starts. God has truly prepared the way.

The boys, however; began to get a little (well lets be honest) a lot stir crazy. They are used to running off energy. Here they are in a 2 room hotel room, where they are told to be quiet a bazillion times a day. There is a pool, but one can only swim so much. We have been walking to everywhere we want to eat, but there isn't much else in walking distance. We don't speak enough Spanish to feel we can safely navigate our way somewhere in a taxi, so we haven't gone anywhere else. Until today, we were blessed to meet w/a family I met through this blog. They are staying at a place, where the owner takes families on outings. Today we were able to join them, and got to El Rio Pance. (The Pance River)

This was a wonderful place for the boys. They were able to climb all over the rocks in the river, and swim. There was a pool there, and they could swim in the river as well. We ate lunch there also. We had what Henry, the hotel owner, called a traditional Colombian lunch. There was "salad," soup & chicken w/white rice.

I put salad in quotations, because as soon as they put the salad on the table Seth said "there is no lettuce." The salad was made with onion, tomato, & avacado. There was a sweet italian dressing, which I really enjoyed. The soup was good. It was made w/plantain & potato, and seasoned w/cilantro. Then they served us a piece of chicken w/white rice on the side. It was all very good & tasty :)

We stayed there for most of the day & then came "home" to the hotel & tried to relax. Gloria Grace continues to be a wonderful addition to our family. She is so happy go lucky & laid back. She is sleeping all night now that we have gotten her routine adjusted just a bit. Chiquitines was feeding her just about every 3-4 hours around the clock. I started giving her a little more in her bed time bottle & she'll sleep for a good 10 hours @ night. :) :) Not that I didn't enjoy cuddling with her for a couple of night time feedings, I'd just prefer to let her sleep at night & cuddle in the day light hours :)

Post in Progress

2010-07-26T11:01:00.004-05:00

I have a post in progress, I promise. Everytime I get on here to post, I am interupted. I was able to manage to get pictures up on Facebook, but that took multiple sittings, too. :) We had a really nice weekend, and I will post about it as soon as I can. I just keep saving in the middle of whatever I'm writing, so we'll see what ramblings I end up with :)

In the mean time, here are a couple of pictures of what keeps me so busy :)

Boys @ El Rio Pance:

Sweetest Baby Girl EVER!!

Visit @ Chiquitines

2010-07-22T18:37:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was another good day. Valentina came & we went walking to a different area than we had been going to. It was nice to have someone that knows the area & the language. We ended up eating at a place that had an out door play set. The kids loved it. GG got to swing :) Of course she liked it...She likes everything :)

We ate chips & queso, bbq chicken wings, & pizza. This was some of the best food we've had so far. The kids wanted cheese pizza, so we got ½ cheese & told Valentina to pick what to put on the other ½. She ordered seafood pizza. YUMMY!!! It had shrimp, octopus, squid, & clams. This is something I would never have asked for, but I am so glad we got to try it. It was delicious. We walked back to the hotel & tried to relax. The boys are constantly wanting to go go go, so this is a little challenging. Tim took Seth down to the pool, while Coy & I stayed in the room with Gloria Grace. It was time for her afternoon nap. When she got up, we went down to the resteraunt in the hotel & had some supper. Seth swam again after supper, and Tim sat poolside w/GG, while Coy & I walked to the grocery store for a few things that we needed. We got back & got baths/showers & settled in for the night, as we had an 8:30 appointment @ Chiquitines this morning.

Valentina & the boys:

Valentina, Kelly & GG:

Tim, Seth, Kelly, GG, & Coy @ the pond near our lunch spot:
We started our day today going back to Chiquitines. This was to meet w/the social worker & get more information about GG's birthmom, and tour the orphanage. We had received some information with our referral, but this was more detailed. It included a headshot photo of GG, when she was just 2 days old, & her foot prints. They went into details about how her birthmother arrived in the birthmother program & why she had decided on adoption. It brought me to tears hearing about how she loved her baby, but was already struggling to take care of her 2 kids & help her mother with 3 of her younger siblings. They told us of her shy, but easy going personality. It is comforting to know GG was loved even before she was born. Loved by so many. When they finished going through the social file, we toured the orphanage.

Chiquitines is a wonderful facility. Their current campus was built in 2001, but they have been in deffernet locations throughout Cali for the past 30 years. It appears to be a well run orphanage, with kind & loving workers. They obviously love the children there. Gloria Grace was most certainly loved. As we were walking around, the ladies came out of GG's room to get one last chance to love on her. It was nice to catch a picture w/a few of her wonderful caretakers.

Kelly & GG w/some of her caregivers @ Chiquitines:The traditional family photo w/Agatha (the orphange director):

Tonight we went back over to Unicentro to eat in their food court. We ate at a place that was called "tacos & bbq" The food was yummy. Tim got a burrito, I got quesadillas, & the boys got ribs. Plenty of food & the cost was about $25. When we eat @ the deli, it only costs about $15, but the food was really good & worth the extra $10.

We met another family here on vacation, from North Carolina. They come here every 2 years & meet their family from Venezuela. They told us of a few area places that would be fun for the kids. Tomrrow we are supposed to hang our w/Valentina again & go to the river. I'm definetly looking forward to that.

Today Has Been Another Wonderful Day

2010-07-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

I have tried & tried to upload a video of GG "crying." It is on my facebook, but I was trying to share it here for those that don't have FB. She is even cute when she cries. I'm not kidding. She cries, but it ends in this sweet little noise. You've got to go to my facebook page & see it :)

Today was a wonderful day. She slept well last night, only waking once around 1am for a quick bottle & then she went right back to sleep. She didn't even really cry when she woke up, just made a little noise and I could hear her squirming around in her crib.

We hung out in the room for most of the morning. Tim decided to go down to the workout room, and Coy went w/him. Seth got to entertain GG w/o any interuption. It is so sweet to watch him w/her. Tonight at supper he said "Hey I just thought of something, I am not the youngest in the family anymore." When he was laying on the bed this evening he looked twice as big. I remember when he was born, how Coy instantly "grew up," and he was only 3 @ the time.

Coy has been so grown up with her. He is definately a protector. She truly already loves them both. They get all up in her face loving on her & kissing her & she just smiles & touches their faces.

We ate lunch in the room & everyone but Coy took a nap this afternoon. We ventured out to Unicentro (this is a HUGE) mall/market place. There are all kinds of stores. We ate supper at a cafeteria style place inside Exito. Exito is like Walmart. While we were inside this older couple stopped us & asked if we were Americans. (Have I mentioned we stand out just a little.) My husband is THE tallest person people here have probably ever seen. There also aren't many blonde haired blue or green eyed handsome boys running around. We seriously feel a little like movie stars (sometimes more like the circus :), when we are out walking around. Anyway this man spoke English & said he used to live in New York. He is from Colombia & dedided to retire here. He asked us where we were from, and when we told him TN he gets on the phone & calls his brother in law, who used to live in Kingsport, TN. He says I know he would want to talk to you, and hands Tim the cell phone. My sweet husband in that awkward moment talked for like 10 minutes to the poor guy on the other end of the phone. :)

We then went exploring another wing of this shopping center we found the food court! Jackpot!!! We have eaten well, but it has been mostly the same things. I wish I spoke better Spanish, so I could order different things. This place is just like a mall food court w/pictures on the signs, so you can see what there is & just point :) Food has been good, so far & fairly reasonable. We can feed all of us, including something to drink, for between $10 & $15 a meal. We usually just order 3 different plates & share around the table. They give you plenty on 1 plate to easily satisfy 2 people. Valentina said that she was going to hang out with us tomorrow, so I'm going to ask her to take us somewhere with really good food & help us order :)

In the same area of this food court they have a small carnival area called "happy city." It looks perfect for kids that are about 5 or 6, but they have a few things for the bigger kids. The boys & I & Gloria Grace rode a miniature ferris wheel. It gave us a beautiful view of the mountains. They had an area with trampolines, where they attach the kids to a harness that is attatched to big rubberbands on either side. There were some little girls being bounced into the air, and squealing happily. Seth wanted to do it, but Coy said no thanks. (That kid is smarter than he looks :)
Seth gets strapped in & the guy starts bouncing him. The guy uses straps on the harness to pull Seth toward the ground & then it sling shots him up toward the sky. On the second "sling shot" the guy had Seth flipping circles about a hundred feet up in the air. The look on Seth's little face was priceless! I posted video of this on my facebook, too. You can't see his facial expression, but you can see his crazy flipping :) It was time to head "home" after all of this fun it was after dark, & we were all getting tired.

Before we got here, many people asked multiple times if we were scared to go to Colombia. People have it stereotypically stuck in their heads about the past violence & drug cartels. I must say that I don't feel any less safe here than home. Yes, people look @ us & it sometimes feels a little awkward, but not unsafe. There are security people everywhere. Just about one or two on every block. I love this area, because it has everything we need w/in walking distance. I am glad not to have to take taxi's everywhere. So far I have nothing but nice things to say about the people of Colombia. They have been so sweet to us, thus far. It probably has a lot to do with the beautiful Colombian Princess that smiles at everyone :)

Gloria Grace

2010-07-19T15:54:00.003-05:00

This is video of the boys "teaching" Gloria Grace how to make razz sounds. :)

Gloria Grace Gotcha Day :)

2010-07-19T14:53:00.005-05:00

We have waited two+ years for this day. Let me tell you it was beyond worth the wait. Please don't ever forget that God knows what He is doing, and His timing & plans are perfect. He knew Gloria Grace before she was born. He knew she would be our daughter, and He made her pefectly for our family.

This day has been one of the best days of our lives. We woke up bright & early. Well before the alarm clock. With plenty of time we got ready, as relaxed as we could be. We had a family deovtion time & prayed. Our devotional was from "Jesus Calling." It was a nice reminder that in all that we do, we should put on the armor of God. We talked with the boys about how much we stnad out here, and how people are watching us. We want to wear our armor well, and be a bright light shining God's glory. We had a little breakfast in our room, and then headed down to the lobby to meet Valentina, @ 8:00am.

Valentina had a little trouble getting us a ride big enough to take us all. There was supposed to be a taxi van, but the driver had a family emergency. We ended up riding in 2 separate taxis. Tim & Coy in one & me, Seth, & Valentina in another.

We arrived @ Chiquitines @ promptly 8:30 :) The orphanage director was not feeling well, so another worker there took her place in giving us information. Maria said the clothes you sent are too small (size 6 months & she is only 5 months). She said she is gordita :) That is a loving way of saying she's a chunky monkey :) We also talked to a nurse, who gave us information about her care & shedule. Then they took our camera & told us to wait there.

A long 5-10 minutes later they came in the door & said "are you ready?" I refrained from saying DUH!!! :) Instead I said "¡Si Listos, Listos!!"

The nurse walked in holding her in her arms. She handed her to me & I held her up & kissed her sweet cheeks. She immediately smiled the biggest smile. Gloria Grace is wonderful. Pictures do not do her justice!! Seriously!! She has the sweetest, most laid back personality. She is chunky & squishy & just melts right into your arms. She loves to be kissed & cuddled, and smiles @ the boys every move.

We have already taken her down to the pool, and she likes the water. We took her for a walk to the grocery store to get her formula, and our lunch. She fell asleep in the hip hammock, while we had lunch. She woke up while we were shopping for a few groceries. We came back to the room & she happily played w/the boys & also entertained herself w/her bright flowery blanket. She is not crawling, but pushes herself up & rocks. Adorable!!!

The Longest Day Ever!!!

2010-07-18T19:16:00.003-05:00

Today has been the longest day ever. At least it has felt like the longest day ever! I woke up bright & early @ 5am, which is actually 4am TN time. I have come to the conclusion GG must wake up @ this time, because I have been waking up almost every single morning since our referral @ 4am.

When the rest of the family woke up, we got ready & went to the restaurant in the htel for breakfast. After breakfast, we took a walk in the area around the hotel. We are so close to everything. Completely in walking distance to everything we might possibly need. Stores, restaurants, & a grocery store is on the same block as the hotel. It is just behind it around the corner. There is a nice little deli that serves hot food in the deli. We all ate for $15 US dollars, but could have eaten for less than $10. We got way too much food. All the stores/shops were closed when we were walking around, but we did see a church service going on. We thought about stopping & joining in, but we were clearly under dressed. Next Sunday, we plan on joining in w/LifePoint for service on the web.

The kids have been antsy all day. We came back from our walk & headed down to the pool. It is a really nice pool. The kids had fun & it was kind of overcast, so that Tim & I didn't roast. Even though it was overcast, I got a little sun kissed. :)

We came back up to the room & watched a little TV. There are only a couple of choices of shows in English @ any given time, so when Tim found "The Fast & The Furious" on in English they were all happy. After the movie, the boys were ready for lunch, but Tim was ready for a nap :) So, the boys & I took a walk around the corner to the grocery store. It has a deli that serves hot food & sandwiches. We got something to eat & then brought Tim back some lunch.

We got a chance to Skype w/my dear friend Kristi & my mom. Tim took the boys back down to the pool, and & got to chill in the room & talk to my mom for a little longer. I thouroughly enjoyed that time. They came back up & watched a little more TV, and then we ventured out one more time to find some supper.

We went to the market place that is across the street & down about 3 to 4 blocks from our hotel. It was a happening place!! There were people everywhere. It is more like an open air mall. It has everything you could ever think to need. There is even a movie theater, & McDonald's. We ended up eating at McDonald's (kids choice). We sat down to eat & the sky opened up!!! It has been overcast all day long, but has not rained. I brought umbrellas from home, but hadd left them in the hotel room. We sat out the rain downpouring, and as soon as it was only "raining" & not pouring like crazy we headed back the 4 blocks. We got a little wet, but it wasn't too bad. We stopped @ the grocery store & bought some things for tomorrow's breakfast. We will need get ready & eat something quick. Our appointment is @ 8:30, and we are being picked up @ 8:00am :)

It is 7:30pm now, and both boys have brushed their teeth & put on their pj's. They said they want to go to sleep, so that tomorrow gets here faster! :)

To God be the glory for this journey. It is only because of Him we are here, and I am beyond grateful to be on this path with Him!

Buenas Noches Amigos.

p.s. it takes way too long to upload pictures to blogger, so I will be posting pictures on facebook. You will have to request to be my friend, if we are not friends on FB already, as my FB is set to private. You can find me as Kelly Wright Watson on facebook.

Look Out Cali, The Watson's Have Arrived

2010-07-17T22:30:00.000-05:00

We left our house @ 8:15am & headed out for the Nashville Airport. It was quite uneventful getting to the airport & checked in & through security. We did so well getting through, that we had 2 hours to wait before our flight. We walked around & checked out the stores. Seth & I had not had "real" breakfast, so we went in search of "breakfast" food. Apparently no one else at the airport (except my responsible husband & oldest child) had eaten breakfast either. The lines for the places that served breakfast were very long. Seth & I decided to go for cheese pizza :) It was quite yummy.

The flight from Nashville to Miami was easy. The boys were so excited & it was fun watching the wonder in their eyes as they began to take it all in. This flight was just a little more than 2 hours. We took a bus from the plane to the terminal. The boys got a kick out of that. We had about a 2 hour lay over in Miami, so we found our gate & then a place to have a little lunch.

Miami to Cali was to be a 3 hour 40 minute flight. There was some weather issues, so we ended up being on the plane 5 hours. The boys did surprisingly well. They even sat next to each other & shared the window :) To be able to sit all together, we had to sit on the very last row of the plane. This is not my most favorite spot, but we made it (thanks to the help of a little anti-nausea medicine). As we stepped off the plane I began to get a little emotional. We were really in Gloria Grace's home country. We have waited so long & we are finally here! I'm sure traveller's fatigue & the fact that I am a girl played a big role in my emotions, but I had to wipe away a few tears. Sometimes, the boys just look @ me & grin like I'm a little crazy :) I think of it as preparing them for their sweet emotional wives :)

Once we were at the airport, we had to go through immigration. That was another hurry up & wait line. It took us almost an hour to get our turn. The immigration workers here are so much more laid back than @ home. They looked @ & scanned our passports, asked how long we were staying & what we were here for, & where we were staying. She stamped our passport & we were done. All we had left to do was find our luggage & make it through "customs."

I was prepared for them to open & search all of our stuff, but that was not the case. We got our luggage & walked on through, handing them the piece of paper that said how much $ we planned to spend while we were here. That's it! They didn't even put our luggage through a scanner or anything.

As we walked out side there was a huge crowd of people. I didn't have to look around long when I heard Valentina say "Mrs. Watson." That was music to my ears, and again I got a tad bit emotional. (insert tissue here:) We were finally here!!

On a funnier, lighter note...

Valentina is our interpretor/helper this week. She was there to meet us @ the airport. She told me that there was an American looking man that came out of the airport just before we did. She said he looked a little lost, so she said "Are you Mr. Watson?" He said, "yes." She began to welcome him & ask him where his family was. She became concerned when he said his family was not coming. She then figured out he was not the right Mr. Watson.

We got to our hotel to check in & the gentleman checking us in begins to explain how we have our 2 rooms ready. I told him no we only booked 1 suite. He said I have one room for Kelly & one room for Chuck. The Mr. Watson from the airport :) He walked in just a few minutes behind us, & we got to meet him. He's from Texas.

Buenas Noches!!

Indescribable Swirl~ling Thoughts :)

2010-07-16T21:11:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow morning can't get here fast enough. Monday morning either :) I've been wondering for the last 2 years what tonight would feel like. What it would be like when we were on our way to bring our precious Gift from God home. Well, that night is finally here, but I really have no idea how to describe it. There are so many thoughts going through my mind~~excitement, joy, & peace top the list. Many people have asked if I am nervous. Really, nervous is just not one of those feelings. God has blessed me with a peace that can only come from Him, and for that I am grateful.

I love thinking back over this 2+ year journey. Thinking about the first time I even thought about adopting. God pricked my heart with that thought way before we made the first phone call to Gladney. I think about all the times I would talk with my dear friend Gwen & she would say, " you know your on my hit list." Gwen & Scott played a huge part in helping Tim through some thoughts/doubts after God also pricked his heart to adopt. I started my day today hanging out with Gwen & 4 of her 6 kiddos. What a wonderful blessing that was.

This evening my mom made pizza & had us & my in-laws over for supper. It was such a nice day. From start to finish to be surrounded by wonderful people that love us, and Gloria Grace & have been praying for our journey. God just keeps on pouring out the blessings.

I am about to go to bed & attempt to put my swirl~ling excited mind to sleep :) Our flight leaves @ 11:15 & we'll be in Colombia @ 7:15pm tomorrow night! I know this post has been a little all over the place, but that is just the way my mind is rolling right now =) I will try to post some pictures on facebook everyday & I will post stories on here (probably not everyday, but I will do the best I can :)

Thank you all for your prayers for our family.

Last Minute Details

2010-07-14T20:33:00.004-05:00

We finally made hotel reservations. We had a little trouble, because most of the places would only let you have 4 in a room. We are now a family of 5 =)

I finished packing our bags today. I've been trying to think of what I probably forgot to pack. I'm sure there is something. Let me tell you it is not an easy task to pack enough stuff for 5 people for 3-4 weeks! We'll find out how I did in a few days =)

I helped my parents & my in-laws set up Skype on their computers, so that we can share video calls w/them and their granddaughter =)

We are now @ one of those hurry up & wait moments. We've done all we can do until we get there. We will spend the next 72 hours anxiously awaiting it to be time to board the plane, and then we have what will probably be the longest 36 hours wait for it to be Monday morning @ 8:30!!!!

Not much longer little Ms. Gloria Grace ♥♥♥♥♥

Really Really Really Ready =)

2010-07-12T13:06:00.005-05:00

Talked to the FBI again today, and found out my fingerprints were a go this time! They should be here on Wednesday or Thursday!!! That's the last stress done & gone!

Thanking God for taking that stress off of me this morning.

We are really really ready now!

Just a little update---My FBI clearance letter came today (7/13/10). It's now on it's way to Gladney =)

Only One More Week

2010-07-10T13:34:00.003-05:00

Seriously!!!! We leave in just one week for Colombia. I know this week is going to fly by! We have so much to do to get ready. I've spent a good part of today cleaning house. I still need to pack for all 5 of us. Wow--we are a family of 5 :)

I went to the school to fill out the boys registration papers, since I will be out of town when school starts. There is a part on the form that has siblings names & ages. I got teary eyes when I wrote Gloria Grace's name on there!!

The car seat is "installed" in my car. I am so glad I did this ahead of time. I forgot that the straps would need adjusting & it's not just as easy as setting it in the car & buckling it in. You have to get it "level." I also was thinking she would be forward facing. I was reading the manual & she will have to be rear facing a little longer. It is much trickier installing a car seat rear facing, so I am glad I did it now & didn't have to mess with it in the airport parking lot next month :)

We've Got Our Visas

2010-07-09T15:50:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Tim & I drove to Atlanta to the Colombian Consulate. We applied for, and received our Visas. It was one of the easiest things we've done, minus having to drive 3½ hours there & back. They had told us we would need to apply in person, & then they would Fed-ex our Visas back in 2-5 days. We handed the lady our stuff, she looked it over & said come back @ 1:00 & I will give you your Visas =) So, Tim & I hung out @ a local shopping center & bought GG a few things while we waited =)

We had left the house @6am. It was an easy smooth ride except for one moment on the way back. A ladder fell off of a truck ahead of us. There was a semi truck beside us, and it hit the ladder. That threw the ladder up in front of us. I slammed on my brakes & swerved "narrowly avoiding" the ladder & a MAJOR accident. To quote my sweet husband, he said "You were driving like speed racer!" I am grateful for God's protection!

We were home a little after 4pm, with yet another task complete! :)

Now the only thing left is our FBI clearance. I talked to a really nice lady on Wednesday @ the FBI. She said she would see if there was anything she could do. I am hoping to hear back from her by the first of next week. Thank you for your continued prayers. Just one week from tomorrow we will be in Colombia!!!

The day after we meet Gloria Grace is Colombia's Independence Day. I have been looking @ different web sites about it & I am so excited to be able to experience this while we are there. Check out this blog for pictures & information about it.

Only 2 More Weeks!!!!!

2010-07-02T18:41:00.003-05:00

Oh My Word!!!! Chiquitines gave our caseworker the ok for us to come on July 19th for our presentation of Gloria Grace Gabriella!!! We will travel to Cali on the 17th. There are so many thoughts bouncing around in my head. I can hardly keep a straight thought. We are ready, but then still have so much to do. I booked flights today. We'll make hotel arrangements next week w/our agency's help. There are 2 "big" things that we still have left to do. 1)We'll have to go to the Colombian Consulate in Atlanta to get our visa. 2) I am also still waiting on my fingerprints to be processed. This is what would stress me if I didn't know that God's got it all figured out!

Just in case you didn't hear that the 1st time~~~In 2 weeks we will be lovin' on Ms. Gloria Grace Gabriella!!!!

I ♥ Tim Watson :)

2010-07-01T07:58:00.004-05:00

15 Years ago I was standing in front of friends & family saying "I do." I truly had no idea what I was saying "I do" to, but I am so glad I did. :) I am thankful for the man God has given me. I love you Tim Watson.

Prayer Request for FBI Fingerprints

2010-06-30T04:28:00.007-05:00

We have almost everything we need to travel. In fact tomorrow, we have a conference call with our case worker to discuss travel plans. Things have been moving right along. Except for one thing that now could be a delay.
:( We were in the process of updating much of our paperwork, when we got our referral. We have been fingerprinted twice @ the US CIS. This is for "permission slips" to bring Gloria Grace into the country. We have also been fingerprinted twice for FBI criminal background checks. These fingerprints are "ink," & done by our local police department. The US CIS prints are done w/a scanning machine on a computer. The first two sets were done @ the beginning of our adoption process, when we were getting our homestudy & dossier together. They both were expiring, so we had both sets re-done on June 3rd for our updates.

We have since received back the needed "permission slip" from the US CIS. Yesterday we received the package from the FBI. Tim's letter was in there. Mine was another card to be re-fingerprinted. They said the quality of my prints was too low. I am to say the least bummed out & frustrated. Here's what is most frustrating:

Tim & I were fingerprinted by the same person & our cards both looked fine.
The fingerprints were received by the FBI 6/6
They took the fee out of the bank 6/18
The letter is dated 6/23
I didn't get the notice until 6/28
They ask for your phone & email, WHY did they not give me a call or send an email & tell me they would need to be re-done sooner!!!!
It took over 3 weeks to get this letter back.

We were on track to travel about 3 weeks from now. If we can travel 3 weeks from now, the boys will make the trip without missing any school. The boys will make the trip regardless, but it would be much better for them not to miss the whole first week of school. Besides that, I want Gloria Grace to be home w/us yesterday!

So, I am calling all prayer warriors. I will be getting my fingerprints re-done today (6/30). Please pray they are of perfect quality. I will overnight them w/a request explaining that we are trying to travel in less than 3 weeks. I will also request that they overnight them back to me, as soon as they get them done. We can not travel until we have this done. Pray they process them as soon as they receive them, and we have them back next week.

Thank you for journeying along with us to bring Gloria Grace home.

One BIG Step Closer :)

2010-06-27T06:08:00.003-05:00

God is so good!!!! I am in awe of how He has been carrying us along on this journey. His timing is perfect. So many times I have tried to guess dates & make mock time lines. Then I stop & remind myself that God had all of this figured out way before I did. He is going to keep on taking care of our time line, and He is a much better planner than I am. :)

We received our US CIS I~797C Provisional Approval in the mail yesterday! This is one big step in the process of getting to Colombia. We should be able to start talking travel plans soon. We are so close to getting to Ms. Gloria Grace!!! Possibly just a few weeks away :)

The "Colombian Paparazzi" was in Cali Friday :) I heard they wanted to find the cutest, sweetest, happiest baby girl ever. Guess who they found.... tee hee :) :) :) :) :)

Quick Update

2010-06-19T22:12:00.002-05:00

We are steadily moving along, while we just sit here & wait :) We have done all of the paperwork we can until we get our USCIS approval. We have received our "notice of action" from the USCIS. This just says they are working on our I-797C~~ we need this approval to make travel plans. Our case worker says that it's usually 7-10days after this notice that you receive the approval. Oh Yeah!! That would mean we might possibly get to make some travel plans very soon. We are still hoping to travel before July is over, so that the boys can make the trip w/o missing any school.

We are also waiting for our FBI clearance. I had heard that this was taking several weeks~~Up to 13 weeks. :( This would be a big problem. Apparently w/the U.S. census that has been going on all the workers that usually are processing fingerprints, have been working on census stuff. I spoke w/our caseworker about this on Friday. She said things were getting back to normal & recently it has only been taking about 2 weeks. I checked our bank statement on Friday & the $18.00 per background check has cleared the bank :) This means they are working on ours :) We are hoping to have everything in the next week or so & then have travel plans soon to follow.

I would love to go to the airport w/the team going to Mexico on July 17th :)

I have met several other moms waiting to travel. Treicy is in Cali, Colombia right now. She & her husband are going to Chiquitines on Monday to meet their little boy Esteban! :) We have decided that Gloria Grace & Esteban are probably roomies :) She is going to give GG a big hug for me. Check out Esteban's blog~~It's super cute. He's a very talented writer for 11 months old :)

Referral Day Pictures :)

2010-06-11T22:58:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from referral day, June 1st. Tim & Coy were @ the movies when our case worker called to give us the good news. It took them an hour to get home. (I wrote about it here, if you want to go back & re-cap :) While I waited, I called my mom & dad, & my mom called my niece Amanda. I also called my best friend Darby. They all made it to the house before Tim & Coy! I used that longest hour of my life to set up the video camera & Darby took these pictures w/my digital camera. It is most certainly a day I will not ever forget!

Our first look:

Mommy & the boys listening to her story & staring @ her beautiful face:

Taking her picture w/my cell phone to share the good news:

Grandma Verry:

My niece, Amanda:

I really don't think I could ever smile any bigger:

Busy Busy Busy & Loving Every Minute of It!

2010-06-08T21:48:00.003-05:00

Things have been moving full speed ahead here @ the Watson house. We have been up to our ears in paperwork, which is now on it's way to Gladney :0) Fed-ex says it will be there by 10:30am tomorrow morning. That gives Beth time to check it & let us know it's all "A.O.K" & ready to be sent on to the USCI S for final approval. Once that is done, it is my understanding we get to start making travel plans :) :) :) Beth says this approval takes about 3 weeks, so we just have to wait & pray that it goes quickly.

We also put together a little package for Gloria Grace. I must say, that I am going to be challenged in the area of self control when shopping for my sweet little girl :) Here is what we included in her care package:

cuddly security blankie~super soft purple w/a butterfly in the middle, monogrammed~~ Gloria Grace Gabriela
a sweet pink girl~ly outfit
DVD of our family showing her our home & reading her a story
The book we read in the video "What Makes A Rainbow?"
Baby Photo Album w/our pictures in it.
A disposable camera

I spent Saturday evening cleaning out her closet & organizing the clothes we have already been given for her. I had worked Friday night & ended up staying up all day Saturday. I was running on pure momma nesting energy!! I can not wait to hold & love on that chunky sweetness.

Praising God for this journey.

We Have Seen Our Beautiful Daughters Face!!!!!

2010-06-01T22:04:00.004-05:00

Today, we got the call we have been waiting two years for. Well, we called Gladney 2 years ago tomorrow. Our dossier has been submitted for 1 year. Anyway....Beth (our case worker @ Gladney) called this afternoon & asked me if Tim was home. She doesn't normally start the conversation that way. I said no he wasn't, but asked if she had news. She said yes she did. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest!! I said do you have our referral? She said YES!!! My reply: OH MY WORD! Tim & Coy were @ the movies. I told her to tell me anyway :) She said, are you sure you don't want to wait for your husband to get home? UGHH! Yes & No :) I selfishly wanted to know right then, but impatiently waited the almost 1 hour it took him to get home. I called my parents, his parents & my best friend while I waited. My parents & best friend made it here, before my husband! I was about to send someone after him! I had the video camera & snapshot camera ready to go, when he finally made it home.

I'm not sure exactly how much information I am allowed to share yet, but let me tell you GloriaGrace is GORGEOUS!! She has tiny little almond shaped eyes, a sweet little petite nose & the most precious little lips. She is 4 months old, born the beginning of February. We are completely beyond excited. She is just perfect!

We will call tomorrow & accept our referral. Should travel the beginning of August to Colombia!! Thank you all for your prayers for our family & our sweet sweet Gloria Grace. Her given name also starts w/a G :)

Making Memories

2010-05-27T22:15:00.002-05:00

Even when we don't realize it, we are always making memories. Good or Bad. We spent today getting things together for our 1st big camping trip this year. For the last 9 or 10 years, we have gone to Barren River Lake in KY. It's one of our favorite camping places. We've made lots of memories there. Both boys rode their 1st horse there. We've camped with lots of different friends & family members there. We've met many new people there, as well.

Last year, Lou went on her last camping trip w/us. Oh the many memories from last memorial day weekend. We went horseback riding, swimming, ate lots of food, made pottery. All through out the weekend I kept thinking about how it would be the last camping trip w/her and I would get a little sad, but then I would think~~well @ least next year GloriaGrace will be here.

May 14th, 2009 we had just learned that Chiquitines accepted our dossier & would (eventually) place our daughter w/us. When we initially were accepted, we were told that things could move very quickly & we could even travel 3-6 months from then (that would've been by November of last year). We really have no idea what exactly we are still waiting on. The latest that we have been told is to expect a referral in August. That would have us travelling sometime between September/Novemeberish. I really try to keep myself from the what if games. Planning out our imaginary timeline. Figuring out flight information (I go on travelocity all the time, checking costs to Colombia). As much as I try not to, I just can't help it. We are soooo ready to meet & bring little Ms. GloriaGrace home.

I will enjoy my time with Tim & the boys this weekend. Both sets of grandparents will also be going camping w/us. We will make many memories this weekend, but while we are making them my mind will also be filled with thoughts of sweet little GloriaGrace & the hopes of her making memories with us soon.

Family Photos

2010-05-06T09:08:00.007-05:00

We have not had our family pictures made in 5 years!! This past week Alison Bynum, did a fabulous job capturing our family in photos. She is a very talented photographer & made our session fun. Here are a few pictures from the shoot:

If you are looking for a photographer here is Alison's website. I can't wait for our next photo session, which will include GloriaGrace. It will not be 5 years, but hopefully sometime this summer. (no we don't have any new news, I'm just hoping :)

Time Is Flying

2010-04-13T22:00:00.005-05:00

Time has been flying by around here. It's been almost a month since we began to update our paperwork. The only thing I am waiting on is the medical form from my doctor. I really like my doctor a lot; however, his office staff NOT so much! I have felt frustrated today. They still don't have my medical form completed & I dropped it off to them a week ago. It really is not that complicated, but for them I guess it is. I politely told them today I had to have it back by the end of the week, because I leave for my mission trip this weekend. I need to have it to our social worker, so she can get our home study update done & we can submit our request to the US CIS before May 13th. Our current form will expire 1 month from today. I let myself get frustrated today about the doctor's office not having the form, but then I decided they will surely get it done by tomorrow :) We'll see.

I leave Saturday for the medical/dental missions trip to Puebla, Mexico. I am so very excited to be going on this trip. I did not go on the last trip, because there were too many people to go & we were hoping to be in Colombia. I had been on 7 previous trips, so it was really hard staying behind. Planning began before the last trip was complete for this upcoming trip. We were also hoping to be in Colombia this time, but again we don't yet have our referral. There was only one nurse available to go this time, and there are usually 2. So, I get to go again. :) I am hopeful for the plans God has for our work. The trip in October was very fruitful. There were over 140 people that made decisions to follow Jesus! Can't wait to see what He has in store for us this time. :)
We will be leaving Saturday the 17th & returning Saturday the 24th. We will have clinical days Monday through Thursday. We would appreciate your prayers. My fellow team members are: Dr. Rick, Agnes, Tabatha, Danny, Ben, Jessica, & Joy, along w/the Christians from the church in Nuevo Laredo.

Here We Go Again...

2010-03-16T17:27:00.006-05:00

When we began our adoption journey, they told us a timeline to expect. They had said that once we submitted our dossier (the big stack of papers about us), & we were approved by ICBF we would wait for a referral. They told us to expect to wait 24-30 months. I was ready for the dossier to be done (the paper work is not fun). In fact~the paper work is BLAH! :) I was ready to be done w/the paperwork & "just waiting." It took us 10 months to complete our dossier. We submitted our dossier to a private orphanage before I C B F, because we were told the wait for private orphanages was "much shorter." I had also researched & found out that Chiquitines is a really nice orphanage & they have a great program & take really great care of the kids. I was excited, but the agency also told us not to get too excited, because they only accepted a limited # of families. Two weeks later, we got a phone call late one Friday evening. Chiquitines wanted to work w/us!! We were ecstatic, to say the least! They gave us a totally new timeline, and told us we could possibly have GloriaGrace home in 2009. ~~Obviously, we did not receive our referral & did not travel in 2009.

We really really really hope to have a referral & travel by summer. God's timing is 100% perfect & I rest in that truth daily!

Since we have not gotten our referral & will not travel & be home by May 2010~~we must re-file our US CIS form. This includes updating our home study & some of our other paper work :( Sometimes I dislike the paperwork more than I dislike waiting. I started working on some of it @ the beginning of the year, because I knew we would have to update our home study even if our US CIS form stayed current. I am actually close to being done w/getting everything together. :) I just have my employment letter, which I will request when I am @ St. Thomas on the 29th to renew my CPR. We also need updated letters from our doctor's. Both Me, Tim & each of the boys. This is the part that I get anxious about. When we did the home study/dossier the 1st time, the doctor's office staff have not been able to read directions. I should say, that our pediatrician's office was able to read directions & correctly fill out the paperwork the 1st time :)

I had to make multiple trips to Tim & My doctors office. They looked @ me like I had 5 eyeballs, when I told them they had not done it the way the agency asked for it. The form must 1st be copied onto doctor's letterhead, then filled out & signed by the doctor. Notary dates have to match the doctor's signature date. Does that sound so hard? Doesn't sound so hard to me either, but apparently it is. We'll see if they can do it right the 1st time this time ;) Oh & we'll have to have the medical forms filled out one more time, when we get our referral. . .

I can't wait to have to do it again :)

Mommy ♥'s You GloriaGrace

The Karate Squirrel Fan, by Seth Watson

2010-03-01T19:29:00.002-06:00

Seth has a wonderful 1st grade teacher. Mrs. Hilderbrand has such a great heart for the kids in her class, and they love her back. She has helped them in publishing their first books. Each book is complete with an "about the author" page. You can go here, to see & hear the kids reading their books. Seth is @ the bottom of the page. It is very cute. (turn your volume up, because this is the only time he is using a soft voice.)

Better Post Before February is Over

2010-02-27T08:49:00.003-06:00

I just realized I haven't written since the last day of January. We only have 2 more days in February, and we're on into March. Time is flying by around here!! This month has been mostly same old stuff different day. A few snow days. A lot of really cold days. I'm not trying to wish away time, but I am ready for some warmer weather.

Last Saturday it got up to 60° ☼ It was fabulous. I painted my toenails red & broke out the flip flops. On Sunday, we had snow flurries :~P

The boys have been playing basketball. Coy's team played their tournament game on Wednesday night & it went into overtime. They did not win the game, so they are done for the season :( :)
Seth's 1st tournament game is today. We'll see how many more games, if any they get to play.

We are gearing up for the beginning of being busy. Lourdes sent me a message that she has dates picked out to visit us in a few weeks. :) :) :) Words can not fully explain how excited I am to see & hug that girl!!! I miss her, A LOT!!

The end of April I am either going on the mission trip to Mexico, or running in the Country Music ½ Marathon in Nashville. I am running, training as if I am going to run the ½, but praying that God works everything out for me to go to Mexico. I am hoping that we get a phone call from Gladney soon. I will go on the mission trip & freshen up on my Spanish, and return from Mexico to take off to Colombia :) That would be super duper cool.

Well, that is the skinny of what's going on around here.

What We've Been Doing While We Wait

2010-01-31T06:29:00.004-06:00

January has been quite a busy month. That's a good thing. It helps the time pass quickly, until we bring GG home. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her being here & doing these things with us. I can't wait until we are sharing life with her. While we wait, this is how we roll :)

Seth @ his 7th birthday skate party:

Coy showing how cool he is:
Some of our friends helping us celebrate:

Seth on the 100th day of school, dressed as if he were 100 years old :)

Daddy had a birthday, too:

The last time Tennessee got a good snow was the year Seth was born. The day before his birthday it had snowed 6 inches. I was 9 months pregnant outside making a snowman w/Coy. What fun memories :) It snowed 2 more inches the day he was born! Snow doesn't happen like that in TN very often. This past Friday, we got between 3 & 6 inches depending where you live. Here in Smyrna we got closer to 3 inches, with some freezing rain to top it off. It made a really fun time sledding.

Seth:

Coy:

All of us :)

Hopeful To Bring GG Home in 2010

2010-01-24T14:22:00.005-06:00

It is looking very hopeful that we will be bringing GloriaGrace home in 2010 =) We are very near our fund raising goal for our final adoption fees & travel. We will be in Colombia for 4-8 weeks. We are prepared for 4 weeks. Most of the time it is closer to 4 weeks than 8, but we would like to save a little more just in case. If you would like, here are a couple of ways you can help.

We have a Pay-pal donation button on the side bar of our blog.

We still have our adoption t-shirts for sale. We are wearing them in the picture on our sidebar. You can use the pay-pal button to order, or leave me a comment w/your order.

We also have signed up for a coffee fundraiser through Just Love Coffee. Just Love is a fair trade coffee co. based in Murfreesboro. The coffee ships directly to you, and we get $5.00 per bag sold. You can go here to see the selection of coffee & place an order.

I know that these are financially difficult times for some. Please don't feel guilty if you can not purchase, or give @ this time. God has been so good in pre-paring the way, & I know that He will provide to the finish.

We would love for you all to pray with us as we wait.

Thanks for journeying with us,
Tim, Kelly, Coy, Seth, & GG

Praying for I C B F

2010-01-21T15:25:00.003-06:00

We had an update phone call w/our caseworker today. It has renewed my spirit. Usually the phone call goes something like "well I really have no new news, do you have any questions?"
It can be a little discouraging. In fact I really wasn't even looking forward to talking to her today, because I didn't want to hear "there's no new news." :(

Today's phone call was a little different. She told me that they had talked to the orphanage director & was told that we are "taken." She is assuming this means we have been matched & our paperwork has been sent on to I C B F. I C B F is like the department of children services. They have to look over & approve the adoption, before anything else can happen. This can take up to 6 months. :( We will not be told anything about our daughter until they have approved & translated the paperwork.

God chose GloriaGrace long before we even dreamed of adoption. He knows the date of our referral & the date of her homecoming. Would you pray w/us for the I C B F to move quickly in approving our paperwork.

Happy Birthday BIG Seth

2010-01-17T12:16:00.004-06:00

We went to order Seth's birthday cake the other day. The lady @ the bakery asked me what I wanted written on the cake. Seth pipes up & says "Happy Birthday Big Seth!" Seth will always be my "baby boy," but today he turns 7 & he thinks that makes him "Big." =~)

Our Traditional Birthday Pancakes:

Seth loves song cards. I found this "big" one :)Birthday Lunch:
We're off to pick up the cake & go to the Skate Center for his party. This is his second year in a row to choose a skating party. Last year he nearly closed the skate center down. Seth man loves to skate :) Will post more birthday party pics. later.

When I Grow Sad & Weary God Fills My Empty Tank

2010-01-06T22:00:00.004-06:00

Have I ever told you how hard it is to wait? If I've said it once. . .

Waiting is hard!

I try my best to wait well. Waiting on God's most precious timing, knowing how perfect it is. I have my days, though. Days when much time has passed w/no adoption information & every single person I come into contact w/asking me if we have heard anything. Mostly I am thankful that people are asking & thinking about GloriaGrace. It is wonderful to hear people tell us they are praying for her, & I love love love to hear her name spoken. Sometimes, though it brings up discouraging thoughts. Often people say things like "I just don't understand why it takes so long." Well believe me...I don't understand either. Which leads me to moments of feeling sad & worn out, but then my sweet Father fills me right back up.

Like when I read today's devotional from Jesus Calling:

I am able to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine. Come to Me with positive expectations, knowing that there is no limit to what I can accomplish. Ask My Spirit to control your mind, so that you can think great thoughts of Me. Do Not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered. Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark. The more extreme your circumstances, the more likely you are to see My Power & Glory at work in the situation. Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious intervention. Keep your eyes & your mind wide open to all that I am doing in your life.

Ephesians 3:20-21; Romans 8:6; Isaiah 40:30-31

I laugh & think how could I ever have a moment of doubt. (Well I kind of know why-I AM A GIRL :) Yes I am a girl with girly emotions, but I am also a believer. I have faith, and I have a Father that takes care of my each & every need. Physical & Emotional. He will sustain us through all time & in His truly perfect time He will allow us to meet & bring GloriaGrace home.

2009

2009-12-31T16:00:00.004-06:00

2009 has felt a lot like a roller coaster ride @ times, but as always God took care of us. We started the year deep in the ♥ of adoption paperwork. While we are so glad to be @ the point of just waiting, we are a little sad that GloriaGrace's room is still empty. We have learned a lot about patience in 2009. Waiting is hard, but God's timing is perfect. We are praying that GloriaGrace is home in 2010.

We also said goodbye to Lourdes. That was harder than I ever imagined. When we agreed to host an exchange student, I was more worried about if she would fit into our family. I wasn't sure what I would do if she missed her family so badly & she didn't like us. How dare I doubt that God would give us anyone less than a perfect fit for our family! Lourdes was such a wonderful addition to our family & we will count her as family, always.

I am excited to see what God has planned for us in 2010.

Some Things Make Me Smile & Cry @ the Same Time

2009-11-30T08:31:00.007-06:00

This was on Coy's Christmas "wish" list:

"to see G.G. :D #1 thing =) =) =)"
"for kids to have a present on Cristmisst day"

I smiled & then I cried.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T05:21:00.003-06:00

There are so many things that I am thankful for. My savior, my family, a home to call our own, a job. Speaking of that job...I will be working today, because unfortunately people are still sick even though it's a major holiday. I am thankful that I am well & that my family will be coming to see me for lunch :) I stayed up way too late making deviled eggs & corn bread stuffing, but it will be enjoyed so that makes me happy =)

Another something that makes me happy, is that God called our family to adopt. I am thankful for the feeling deep within that makes me long to see my daughter's face & know who she is. I am thankful for how our family has grown spiritually in the journey of adoption & look forward to the plans God has for us in bringing Gloria Grace home =)

Blessings to you & your family on Thanksgiving & always ♥

Another Hamster Bites the Dust :(

2009-11-19T15:56:00.002-06:00

Last week Seth's hamster (Sniffy) went missing. This is not an uncommon occurrence in our house. We've tried many things to keep the hamsters in their cages, including locks on the cage doors. The little guys are tricky, though. Thankfully, most of the time we find them & put them back in their cage...no harm-no foul. In fact about a month ago, Coy's hamster (Stuart Little) had gotten out twice in one night. He learned to bite the latch (which you can't put a lock through) & push up on the door @ the same time. We watched him to see how he kept escaping, and ended up having to tape that door shut!
If you have been reading my blog for any time now, you might remember my post from May 2008. Coy's hamster had gotten out of his cage. It ended up dying in our air vent. We paid an air duct cleaning company $650.00 to come clean our vents & retrieve the body. The guy showed me where they found it. Turns out the hamster was just behind a panel in the furnace in the garage. Well, I'll give you one guess where poor Sniffy was found today :( I am thankful that the guy showed me where he found Stewart Little & I'm thankful for my father-in-law coming & taking the panel off our furnace for free, because I really have much better things to do w/$650.00....

Hopefully we'll need it to be buying plane tickets to Colombia soon. No we don't have any new news, but we're hopeful :)

Seriously...We Are Totally Ready for Our Referral =)

2009-11-07T10:47:00.002-06:00

Last week I got the crib set up in Gloria Grace's room, but I did not have a mattress or bedding. I began looking on craig's list, and found a family in Smyrna that had this beautiful complete bedding set with the crib mattress for a very good deal. Cooler than that, is that when I went to pick it up today the dad asked me if he could pray for Gloria Grace & our family!! Now I really don't like to cry in front of strangers, but I said absolutely. What a wonderful blessing God has once again given us while we wait & prepare for Gloria's homecoming. =)

We'd Love a Referral in November--It Is National Adoption Month =)

2009-11-05T20:16:00.003-06:00

I love talking about our adoption journey. I'm happy to share how God has called us to adopt. November is National Adoption Month, but even if it wasn't I'd still be telling our story.

I love how God has put this love in my heart for a little girl that I don't even know anything about. I don't know how old she is, what she looks like, where she is exactly (maybe she is @ Chiquitines, but maybe she's not there yet). She may not even be born yet, but still I love her.

I love hearing the boys pray for their little sister. There isn't much that is sweeter, if you ask this momma =)

There are so many things that are hard to explain to people, when I'm trying to share our story. I have learned though, that some people just don't get "it." Countless times I have been asked why we are going to Colombia, and why we are not adopting here @ "home." Really people just don't get "it." I am thankful that God has made it clear to us, that our daughter is in Colombia.

Now, I just have to be patient & wait for the details of the rest of our journey. We know that we will not be traveling in 2009, because the courts in Colombia close Dec. 15th to Jan. 15th. There is still a possibility that we will get our referral this year & then we would travel when the courts opened in January. This is our prayer.

Have I ever told ya'll how hard waiting is? =)

50th Day of 1st Grade & Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-29T16:12:00.005-05:00

Life has been very busy. It is making the time go by super fast. Just wish we had a referral, so we could bring our darling G.G. home super fast. I have set the crib up in her room. I have not put the bedding in it, but as soon as I do, I will post pictures. The crib will easily convert to a toddler bed, so we are set. Thanks Retta & BooBoo.

This past week on Tuesday, Seth's class celebrated the 50th day of school. They were asked to dress up in 50's attire. All of the classes got together & had root bear floats :o)

Here is Seth's get up :o) Too Stinkin' Cute if I do say so myself. You can't see in the pictures, but he's even sporting a wallet w/a chain attached to his belt loop & had a black comb in his pocket to re-slick his hair as needed :) This afternoon, after school, the boys carved their pumpkins. Here are their finished products:

3 Teeth in 1 Week--The Tooth Fairy Needs a Loan :)

2009-10-02T14:53:00.003-05:00

Seth was playing on the swings w/his friend & his friend accidentally kicked him in the mouth. It knocked out another of his teeth!! That is 3 teeth out in 1 week. I need to get the poor kid a mouth guard & some temporary dentures ;o)

I thought I would throw this picture of Coy on here, since I've posted so much about Seth lately. Don't want to leave Coy out, plus it is so sweet. I worked Wednesday & had a really long & hard day. I didn't get home until the boys had already gone to bed & were sleeping. I went to kiss them goodnight & this is how I found Coy. It looks like he fell asleep praying. I am sure he was asking God to bring his sister home ASAP :o)

Two Teeth in Two Days :o)

2009-09-25T20:18:00.002-05:00

Both of Seth's two top front teeth have been loose for a while now. Yesterday I posted about him loosing one of them, and today he lost the other :o) He had wiggled it until it drove him (& me) a little crazy. I tried to talk him in to letting me pull it out, but he was highly reluctant. So...I resorted to bribery :o) That's what good mom's do, right? Hee hee... I told him if he let me pull his tooth out I'd take him to Baskin Robins---He LOVES ice cream-especially Baskin Robins. Here he is 1 less tooth, and below that is us enjoying some Baskin Robins :o)

Seth sticking his tongue in his new space:

All of us enjoying our ice cream:

Seth Lost His 3rd Tooth

2009-09-24T22:01:00.005-05:00

Seth was taking a drink from the water hose. Coy thought he would "help" him out & squeeze the nozzle a little harder, when he did he accidentally knocked the nozzle into Seth's already loose tooth. This tooth & the one right next to it have been loose for months. It didn't knock it out, but it did make it very loose. Seth was able to pull it out with just a little effort.

Neither of the boys believe in the tooth fairy anymore, but when Seth went to bed tonight he said "I put my tooth under my pillow." He still plays the game, because he knows he'll get a dollar out of it :o)

I Love My Boys

Always Thinking About Gloria Grace

2009-09-12T22:15:00.004-05:00

I have had a hard time thinking about anything but Gloria Grace lately. Part of the reason is that God has put adoption all around us. Today Chris & Dawn set off for Ethiopia. I have been praying for them for a long while. While I am completely excited for them, it turns my thoughts to thinking about when we get "the call" and are on our way to Colombia.

I remind myself daily (most often much more often than daily) that God's timing is perfect. I have actually posted that line & commented it to people a lot. While it is very easy to say, it is sometimes hard to be at peace with it. I fully believe the truth that is God's word, and His word has proof that His timing IS perfect. I know in my heart that when our time comes to meet Gloria Grace it will be the perfect time, because IT WILL BE the time God has already chosen. I rest in that truth, but my mind still wanders...

Some of the things I am constantly wondering . . .

Is SHE already @ the orphanage?
Has Chiquitines already set our dossier aside for HER?
How old is SHE?
Will SHE be home for Christmas?
Will SHE sleep in a crib or a bed?
Is HER hair curly or straight?
Does SHE have a blankie & animal, like Seth?
Does SHE cry at night & is anyone there to comfort HER?

Really, this list could be never ending some days. I love thinking about Gloria Grace. I love saying her name & telling people about this journey God has put before us. I love hearing the boys say her name, when they pray for her. God has blessed us in so many ways on this journey.

Dear Lord, Thank you for calling us to adoption. Thank you for thoughts of Gloria Grace. Thank you for how you have grown our family throughout this journey. May we continue to shine your light & be in the center of your will. Thank you for supportive friends & family, as we prepare for Gloria Grace's homecoming. Let everything we do be for the praise of Your Glorious Grace. In Jesus Name. Amen

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-10T17:00:00.007-05:00

This past weekend we went camping for the long weekend @ Barren River, in KY. On the way there I couldn't help but think--I wonder if Gloria Grace will be making the trip with us next year? I sure hope so. Granny & Paw Watson joined us in their new camper. The boys love all the activities the park has to offer. There is arts & crafts, swimming, bike riding, horseback riding, campfire stories, hiking trails, good food :) We got the boys out of school a little early & headed out. When we got to camp & got everything set up, Tim realized he had left his bag of clothes @ home. It was pretty funny, actually. I told him he was going to be smelling pretty funny after wearing the same outfit all weekend :) It got even funnier when I got to town & the only store to buy him any clothes at was Kmart :o) Not a lot of choices at Kmart, but I managed. It turned out to be quite a relaxing weekend. Here are lots of pictures:

On the way there:

The view from my mirror (Coy):
Seth loves his animal friends:

Toasting my toes by the fire:

Coy:

All 3 of my boys playing cars in the dirt:

Coy:

Daddy & Seth:

Daddy & Coy:

Seth @ the beach:

Coy @ the beach:

Seth & his "rocket box:"

Coy & his "robot box" hat:

Seth making crafts:

Coy & his spider:

Coy making another craft:

Daddy helping Seth w/his bird:

Mother-Daughter Tea

2009-08-30T20:52:00.005-05:00

As I sit here trying to put into words how I am feeling, I am truly speechless. Sometimes I wish I were a poetic writer, but sadly that is not one of my gifts. I am blessed, though, with the best small group ever. They did such a wonderful job organizing what started out to be more of a shower, and turned into a wonderful event for mothers & daughters.

111 people came today. Some probably had no idea they would be hearing so much adoption talk, but God knew exactly who needed to hear it. One little girl came up to me with her mother, and said "i'm going to tell my daddy we need to adopt." I LOVE IT!!! It is such a blessing to share our story, and when God sparks a desire from that I can't help but smile.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to my small group, Darby, Kristi, Barbara, Dana, Jennifer, Agnes, & Joy--You ladies truly do Rock!! Thank you to my dear friend Gwen, for speaking sweet words from a mother's heart. Thank you to The Ebensbergers for singing, and thank you to all the wonderful ladies who came & let us share our hearts with you.

Here are a few pictures. To see more you can go to my facebook page & look @ the Mother-Daughter Tea Album.

Sharing our story:

Barbara & Autumn:

Gwen:
Agnes: Angie, Phoebe, & Emily:

Seth, Brittany, Amanda, & My MIL Peggy:

Save The Date--August 30th 2-4pm

2009-08-12T10:43:00.004-05:00

Mother-Daughter Tea

August 30th 2-4pm

@ LifePoint Church in the World Cup Cafe

Snacks & tea will be served.

Singers & speakers will celebrate the special bond between mothers & daughters.

Admission is free with proceeds from photography & a love offering to support the Watson's Colombian adoption.

R.S.V.P. Darby Kimbel 423-3272 or darbykimbel@comcast.net

Coy's Birthday Has Gone On For Days :o)

2009-08-09T15:46:00.004-05:00

Coy's birthday was Thursday & the celebration has gone on & on :o) We started the day talking to Lourdes via Skype :o) Thursday is my small group day. The mom's decided that in honor of Coy's birthday & being the last Thursday before the kiddo's went back to school we would take the kids to Jumper's Playhouse. Fun times were had by all. We had 16 kids altogether!! We left there & went to one of Coy's favorite places to eat Rocking Chair Cafe. It is a meat & 3. They have really good food & it's affordable. Thursday evening both sets of Grandparents came over for Supper Coy's favorite--(stuffed peppers straight out of the garden) & Cake. Again, Coy's favorite--Carrot cake w/cream cheese icing. Friday we took Coy & 5 of his friends to eat @ Snappy Tomato & then to see G.I. Joe. 2 of the boys spent the night. We had a campfire w/marsh mellows & the kids played for hours. They finally settled down & watched a movie on the portable DVD in a tent in the back yard. They all had a really good time. (I can't believe that I just up-loaded my pictures & realized I didn't take any pictures--NOT 1--of the campfire/tent--UGGH) I took Coy today to spend some birthday $, but he has decided to save most of it for Colombia, and only spent a Lego gift card he got to use on-line. This was definitely a memorable birthday :o)

The Birthday Boy @ Jumper's Playhouse:

Mom getting in on the fun times w/Seth & Coy: Dad had the most fun :o)
All 16 kids from our not so --Small group :o)

Cupcakes:
Coy w/his Carrot Cake:

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Mi Hijo Mejor!

2009-08-06T09:15:00.002-05:00

I can hardly believe we are in double digits!! 1o years ago today I was off to MTMC to deliver our first born. I had many ideas what motherhood would be like, but truly I had no idea what I was getting into :) I must say that motherhood has been nothing as I expected it to be. I am so grateful for the love & guidance of my God, and that he gave us our 1st blessing 10 years ago today. I am so thankful for this boy. I refer to him as my extreme child. He is extreme in all things & that is what makes him Coy. :o)

Happy Double Digits :o)

He's been wanting this Starwars Lego set for a long time. I got a hug & a kiss for this one!!!

Getting Her Room Ready

2009-08-02T20:46:00.005-05:00

We decided to paint Gloria Grace's room the same color it already was, but to use a satin finish. We love the color & it is so easy to match things with, but it had been in flat paint & the walls got dirty so easy. The boys wanted to help me paint so badly. I wasn't sure how much of their help I could take, but I did let them each help a little :)

Seth:

Coy:
We took a family picture before church this morning in our new Adoption T-shirts:

Seth wanted his Kitty to be in our family picture, so instead we took one of him & kitty by themselves:)

Oh how I wish that I could say we were getting her room ready, because we knew when she would be here. At this point, we are where we were 2 months ago...No new news :( We've decided to start working on her room, even though we have no idea of our timeline from here. Our referral could come tomorrow, or many months from now. We are attempting to patiently wait, knowing God's timing is perfect. As I posted last week , we will do our best to wait honoring God & living for Him as we do.

Adoption T-Shirts Are Here :)

2009-07-30T22:12:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to spread the word about Adoption. I share our story at least 2 or 3 times a day. It never gets old. These t-shirts will help us spread the word even more :) If you would like one the cost is $20.00. We have size Youth S, Youth M, Adult S-XL. I have added a Pay Pal button to the right w/the size selection. These shirts run a little big. I am wearing an Adult Small. The boys are camping, but when they get back we will have a family picture to show the youth sizes :o) Thanks again for helping support us in our journey to Gloria Grace.

Waiting. . .

2009-07-25T23:44:00.003-05:00

Seems like I say that word a million times a day. Someone will ask how's the adoption going? I'll answer "we're just waiting." :o) We are simply waiting for our little girl...well there isn't anything really simple about it. Waiting is really hard. I do realize that we originally thought we would be waiting years to bring Gloria Grace home, and now we expect that to only be months. That is wonderful, but Gloria Grace isn't home yet--so waiting is hard! My thoughts are nearly consumed of thinking about seeing her sweet face for the first time. Knowing more about her--how old is she, when is her birthday, what's her favorite toy, can she walk yet...Waiting is hard.

I heard this song on the way to work this morning. "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller. As I listened to the words I began to cry (I am such a girl), God was speaking straight to my heart... Wait well my daughter! I will do my best boldly, confidently, obediently, by faith. . . I will do my best to wait serving, worshiping, and glorifying You alone.

What a Beautiful Weekend

2009-07-20T07:55:00.007-05:00

Anyone who knows the Watson family, knows we like to camp :) When we saw the weather forecast for this past weekend, we decided to take a last minute camping trip. We have never been to Cedars of Lebanon before to camp. It is only 30 minutes away, so we decided to try it out. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend. I had to work Thursday, but Tim packed up most of the stuff & headed to the campground w/the boys. I met them up there after work. The sites were really close together & set up w/only 1 adult isn't always so easy. Tim had a little mishap w/the site marker & the front bumper of his truck :( He decided that site was too small, and moved the camper. As he pulled the camper off the site, he scraped a tree along one side of the camper :( No biggy--just a little scratch. Anyway, he found another site & got set up...the rest was totally fun :) Here are the fun pictures:

All the makings of smores--Yummy!!!

Seth & Coy roasting marshmallows for smores:
Seth:

Coy:

I have not had Jiffy Pop in a very long time:

Seth did not make the jiffy pop! He just wanted to wear the oven mitt:
The family enjoying our popcorn:

Coy's favorite game--UNO:
They have a really nice pool, here are the boys w/their fancy moves.

Coy:

Seth:

On Saturday, Grandma & Papa, Granny & Paw, Aunt Mary Ann & Uncle Ray came to visit. All the grandparents stayed for supper & a few games of Sequence. It was such a nice weekend. I couldn't help but think about Gloria Grace. I'd see moms pushing their little girls around in strollers, and think about how hopefully soon Gloria Grace will be camping with us too. When I hear the boys praying, and they ask God to watch over G.G. in her orphanage-it melts my heart. This whole journey has been such a blessing to our entire family. We are so close to a referral, I can feel it :) Keep praying friends!

¡Feliz Dieciséis Dulce! :o)

2009-07-17T00:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Lourdes.

We miss you more than you will ever know.

Here are some pictures from our last camping trip before you went back to Spain, and a couple of you & the boys goofing off :o) Love you!!

LifePoint VBS 2009--Crocodile Dock

2009-07-15T17:40:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I am way behind on posting the happenings of our summer. I guess it is better late than never. Good times were had by all at the Crocodile Dock. There were lots of kids @ LifePoint that week. I had the privilege of being Seth's group leader, along with 7 other little crocs. Tim was a recreation leader during both boys outside rec time. Here are a few pictures from a wild & crazy week of VBS.

Seth on wacky tacky day:

Coy loved his crew leader Kaleb :o)

Nothing to Post :(

2009-07-11T17:27:00.002-05:00

I feel like such a bad mom. So much has been happening & I have posted nothing. The boys have had VBS & C3 Winshape & nothing is posted...what kind of momma am I anyway. In the busyness of life I let time pass, and then I start to think, well never mind...it's too late to post about that. So, I am going to do my best to post a few pictures & fill you in on what we've been doing around here. Really we've been busy...

More to come soon :o)

Happy Anniversary Tim

2009-07-01T00:00:00.003-05:00

14 years ago today I married the love of my life.

I am so proud to call Tim my husband.

He is the spiritual leader of our home, a wonderful husband & father, and a great friend.

God has blessed me beyond measure, and I am grateful.

I love you Tim.

Aren't we just the cutest couple you have ever seen :o)

You Don't Want to Miss This!!

2009-06-24T22:10:00.003-05:00

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS CONCERT!!!!

Come hear Point of Grace, Gwen Oatsvall & Katie w/Amazima

This Sunday June 28th

6:oopm (Doors Open @ 5:00pm)

In the Sanctuary @ Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, TN 37027

Tickets are just $10 each at the door

For Sale @ the concert: T-shirts, Necklaces, Bracelets, Hats, Homemade Flip Flops, and more ...

This is an evening to benefit the Oatsvall Family's Adoption of their newest addition Joseph :o)

Don't miss the evening of BLESSINGS ...

We Will Miss You Lou

2009-06-09T13:23:00.004-05:00

Our last family photo with Lourdes

You are always welcome home Lourdes
Lourdes had a lot of stuff :o)

We just returned home from taking Lourdes to the airport. What indescribable emotions. I was very close to the ugly cry, but thankfully was able to keep it back just enough. It has been such an amazing 10 months. God matched us perfectly. (Dare I doubt that he wouldn't have?) We have been blessed beyond measure to have had this experience.

If anyone is even considering hosting a student, my advice would be pray & If God is calling you to it. . . DO IT!!

Please pray for Lourdes today, as she will be traveling 14+ hours to meet her mother, and then another 6 hours to drive home from the airport.

Please pray for us as we transition back to a family of 4 (for what will hopefully be a very short time).

I Love The Ways God Speaks To Me...

2009-06-07T19:47:00.004-05:00

I decided to wear my very special limited edition Adopted T-shirt this morning. I wanted to make sure I knew the exact wording on the bible verse. You know, I didn't want someone to say what's up w/that--you weren't adopted. Oh, but I am... into the family of Jesus Christ. So, during my quiet time, I looked up Ephesians 1:5 & read on to verse 6--

"he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--(vs 6) to the praise of his

GLORIOUS GRACE, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."

I am totally in love with my Lord & Savior. He feeds me everyday.

1 Year Ago

2009-06-03T00:00:00.004-05:00

Our journey began 1 year ago. You can see the post here. It has been quite a year, and I can not wait to see what God has in store for us in the next few months.

In December, we began referring to our little girl as G.G. We didn't know how old she would be, and she may already be used to her given name. Now that we have been accepted by the private orphanage, we expect G. G. to be under 36 months. One night, after we found out we could possibly travel this year, I woke around 1:00 in the morning, and could not go to back to sleep. I started trying to think of a name that would go along w/the initials G.G. We have decided to call her. . .

Gloria Grace :o)

Don't you just love the name? I do. Gloria is my mother's 1st name. Gloria means Glory in Spanish, and it is only by God's Grace that we are on this journey.

Thank you all for continuing to pray for our family, and Gloria Grace.