Sail on the Wild Side

I may have mentioned that Dave has started making "movies" of our adventure on iMovie. They are so enjoyable to watch and I thought maybe you all would enjoy them as much as we do. (It's embarrassing. We watch them over and over.) Here are the links:

Em's trailer

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Semana Santa in Antigua

During Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Antigua residents make these amazing Alfombras (carpets) out of dyed sawdust, pine needles, and flowers. They are created as offerings to Jesus as the story of his crucifixion and death are recounted. Purple robed cucaruchos carry huge, heavy floats bearing statues of Jesus in different stages of his ordeal through the streets adorned with the alfombras. The mood is festive and somber at the same time. The making of the alfombras is festive as families and neighbors work tirelessly (and often well into the night and early hours of the morning) to complete their intricately detailed carpets. Some alfombras include fruit and breads as offerings. As the processions go by the mood becomes somber and some people dab their eyes with hankies as Christ's ordeal is displayed. Starting on Thursday around noon and completing on Saturday morning, the processions move through the labyrinth of streets in Antigua on a predetermined route. The people of each street know when the procession will be coming and prepare their alfombras in time for it to pass by. So at any point in time lookilu's like us can walk around town and see alfombras in varying stages of completion. My understudying (which is slightly fuzzy) is that different churches around town are responsible for different stages of the story. For example, La Iglesia San Francisco started on Thursday with the carrying of the float depicting Jesus bearing the cross. The next day, Iglesia La Merced (with cucaruchos in black robes) carried a float with Jesus in a glass casket. The processions were very moving and I found myself getting choked up now and again not only in response to the processions, but also in awe of how lucky we are to be able to share with Soleil a little of the magic that is her birthright. 

Waiting for the procession with our friends the Cawrses. 

The Cucaruchos carrying the wooden float with Jesus bearing the cross. They burn incense and pound bass drums as they march across the Sawdust Carpets. Beautiful and quite moving.  

The kids were excited to get their hands on some sawdust after the procession went by. See Volcan de Agua in the background. I love that volcano. It's so majestic. 

Neighbors and families join forces and spend hours to create masterpieces in the streets as offerings for the coming procession. 

Nearly too cool for sawdust carpets: my darling first born. 

Beautiful Mayan women outside the market on Tres Avenida hard at work on their sweet smelling alfombra of pine needles and flowers. 

The statues on the floats are incredible detailed and realistic.


In front of our casita in Antigua. Then...

...and Now. 

P.S. Since this picture was taken in Antigua we returned to the boat, which was docked at Tijax Jungle Lodge, traveled back up the Rio Dulce, and explored the southern Cays of Belize with our friends, the Cawrses. We had a great time with our friends, but it was a stressful week for me as ALL of my kids were sick with different ailments. Fevers, stomach pain, colds, coughing, barfing, delirium, staph infections (you do NOT want to know where), and one severe allergic reaction to sulfa drugs. Being on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean with no internet and nary a clinic in sight was just about more than I could handle. Because, you see: I'm not a doctor! (Although you would think I was studying for the boards with all the medical books I have on the boat. Who says I never read?) Thanks to my Mama (a P.A.) for all the time on the phone helping me to get everyone sorted (and for interpreting those pics of the staph infections. Gross, I know. I'm sorry.) And I owe a shout out to our dear friend Dr. Ron who not only took my desperate satellite phone call from the middle of the ocean and had all the answers, but who had recommended that I have prednisone in my medicine bag just in case of "severe allergic reactions".  Thanks, Ron! You're a life saver. 

So except for a few more gray hairs and some scaring in several unsightly locations, we're nearly 100% recovered. We've been relaxing here in Placencia, Belize for the last several days. What a darling little beach village! You must visit if you ever get the chance. Our friends left earlier in the week and as much fun as it is to share the boat with friends it sure is nice to have it to ourselves (and cruise around naked to our hearts' content). Next stop: (if Dave is successful in tearing me away from this darling village with unlimited ice cream, lattes, and a clinic) is the islands of the Belize Barrier Reef (second in size only to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia). Stay tuned...

A year ago today...

I've been mentally writing this post since the beginning of December, but I'm only just now sitting down to type it all out. A year ago, on December 6, 2006 the kids and I flew to Guatemala to foster Soleil until her adoption was complete and we could bring her home. It was a very exciting and uncertain time for our family. Leaving Dave and going to live in a third world country with four kids, for an undetermined length of time, was somewhat nerve wracking. I took comfort in that I knew Antigua well, and I felt very comfortable there. The house we rented was in a community with other fostering families and was very safe with a locked gate and a 24 hour security guard. We spent two amazing months there and I am so very thankful for the time we spent in Soli's beautiful Guatemala. In early December of last year, as we approached the one year anniversary of leaving for Guatemala, I found myself reliving some of the emotions I had felt the year before. I found myself "nesting" as I had done to get ready for our time away. I was anxious to get dentist appointments complete and Christmas shopping done. I was lying awake at night making mental lists of what needed to be done the next day. And I found myself distancing myself from Dave, I suppose, in an attempt to protect myself from the impending separation (or the memory of it). It was intriguing to have the opportunity to examine these emotions as they came up and link them to the happenings of a year ago. It was like having a window into my own psyche and my own human nature, of which the view is usually obscured (at least from my perspective). I didn't realize that I had been holding Dave at an arm's length last year. I remember that we seemed to be out of sync before I left, but I figured it just had to do with the stress and busyness of the time. But in reality what I had been doing was shutting him out of my life as I prepared to survive without him. So interesting... Anyway, once I became aware that I was pushing him away, as I had the year before, I was able to let my guard down and let him back into my life. And I am so very relieved that we won't be leaving him again this year. Being apart for those two months (we haven't spent more than 10 consecutive days apart since the day we met 12 years ago) made us stronger, both as a couple and individually. A year ago today the kids and I were in Guatemala and Dave was home alone. I'm so happy that we'll all be sleeping under one roof tonight. Thanks for checking in. ~Heather

The Rio Dulce

I'm finally getting the chance to post these fun pics of our road trip to the Rio Dulce. I guess I've been kinda busy. So, when Dave arrived in Guatemala he rented this 11 seater, toyota, eurovan thing. It was great!! Each kid got their own row, and the boys took turns sitting next to the baby and entertaining her. It was about a 5 hour drive to the Rio, and the only excitement we encountered on the drive was navigating through Guatemala City. The countryside was beautiful and surprisingly varied. It was so fun to be out on our own for the first time as a family of six. Soli took to traveling really well, and it was fun to give her a little taste of what life is like in our family. We are constantly taking little (or big) road trips here and there in our life here in the States. We spent three nights (including my birthday) at the Tijax Jungle Lodge where Dave had his boat docked when we first met almost 12 years ago. The dock looked just the same, but the grounds had been improved significantly. Where there used to be nothing but jungle there were now two restaurants, a pool, two jacuzzis, and about a dozen darling jungle bungalows. It had grown perfectly to accommodate our new and improved family. At first, being back there was a bit of a head trip for both of us. Dave kept having the impulse to retreat to the privacy and solace of "Morgenstern", while I found myself drawn to the travelers crowd seated at the bar. Then we would both be pulled back to reality by one of four children running around with our names on them. The "twilight zone" only lasted a few hours and then we settled into jungle life: sipping Mojitos poolside while watching our kiddos diving for Quetzales, traversing the swinging jungle bridge, cruising the docks drooling and dreaming, and, of course, "fishing" for turtles off our back deck. It is definitely up there with one of the most memorable and meaningful getaways we've had as a family thus far. Enjoy the pics.

I'm just lovin' this Daddy guy! He's the coolest!

Soli cozying with Mommy after traversing the jungle bridge.

On my birthday we took a drive out into the countryside to the Finca Paraiso. In the middle of the jungle there is an amazingly beautiful, hot waterfall pouring into a cool, fresh water river. We spent the afternoon swimming, soaking and relaxing. It was great day.

You can hardly see them, but Dave and the kids are swimming near the rocks on their way to the hot waterfall.

This is the exact spot where I cut Dave's hair the morning after we met. See the yellow hull of the sailboat in the background? That's where Morgenstern was docked when I first met Dave.
Good times, good times.

Twelve years...

...and four kids later.

I know, girl. I can't get enough of him either.

Looking out over Lago Izabal from El Castillo. Lots of great memories on that lake...

Tijax Jungle Lodge -- I highly recommend it.

We hired a boat for the afternoon one day. He took us on a mini tour of the Rio stopping at El Castillo and the restaurant where Dave and I met. It used to be called Hollimar, but now it's called Pizza Bravo. Not quite the crescendo we had expected but still fun to see it. That is the bridge from Fronteras in the background.

After two months without him, all the kids were really glad to log in some Daddy time.

"Fishing" for turtles with jungle vines and bagels off of our little deck.

And Emerson caught one!! Isn't he cute?

Daddy caught one, too!

Happy birthday, Mommy!

Our little "jungalow".

The inside.

Daddy and Baby, chillin' after breakfast.

A few kids and a few palm trees. What else is there, really?
In front of El Castillo.

We're home!!

"Now that's a full house."

I'm dead tired, but I wanted to ever so quickly post an update to let you all know that we are home!! We did it!! I can't believe it. Dave was able to pull some strings and get us home with him. He was so determined...it was very sweet. So we were able to get Soli's visa yesterday at 11:30 and we were on a plane to Miami by 3PM!! We had a wonderful overnight visit with Gramma and Grandpa on their boat in Miami and then we were on our way to San Francisco first thing this morning. My parents picked us up at the airport and we are home!! I'm so happy to be here. As sad as I was to pack up my little casita in Antigua (I cried half the way to Guatemala City after handing over my keys) it is such a relief to be home. Our house is so cozy, and even though we only have one bathroom (which my husband beautifully remodeled while we were gone) it seems huge to me!! The kids are unbelievable happy to be home, too. They each ran straight to their nearest friends' houses. And our friends and family are just amazing. We've been showered with love and warm wishes from the minute we got home. Our refrigerator was stocked, our doggy was fed, and everyone is so excited to meet our little Miss Soli. As for our beautiful baby girl, she is taking it all in. She is a total Mama's girl and holds on to me tight, tight, tight whenever a new person comes around. She is completely intrigued by this strange creature they call a "kitty cat". And I think the "kitty cat" is equally intrigued by her. We're just so happy to be home and so incredibly thankful that we were able to come home together. I'll be posting pictures of our trip to the Rio Dulce and Volcan Pacaya just as soon as I can...As always, thanks for checking in! I'm off to sleep in my own bed. ~Heather

What am I forgetting?? Oh yeah, Antigua.

Soli couldn't be happier about going home.

A very early morning in Miami!

Hurry Mom, buckle me up. We gotta get going before they change their minds!

Home sweet home!!

Adoption Update...

The coveted pink slip.

Dave and I spent all day in Guatemala City today with our attorneys, and we were able to make some great progress. We got Soli's passport, picked up our pink slip (finally), and saw the embassy doctor. Sadly, we were delayed about a week in getting our embassy appointment, because our agency didn't send the copies of our passports that they were supposed to. Errr. This means that Dave will likely have to go home without us. Ughh! Can you believe that? He arrived last Monday to bring us home and was scheduled to stay two weeks, which should have been plenty of time to complete Soli's adoption. He's scheduled to fly home on Feb. 12, but really has no flexibility to stay longer with Valentine's Day being one of the busiest days of the year for our business. Our embassy date is for February 13, and we can pick up Soli's visa on the 14th after 3:30PM. We have a request into the embassy for an earlier date, but unless they are able to get us in tomorrow it really won't make a difference. So it looks like Dave will be flying home solo, and the kids and I will follow Thursday or Friday of next week. Bummer. But I'm really trying to keep perspective. There is a family here at our complex whose file was sent to a special sector of PGN for further investigation. Unfortunately, this sector is closed for anywhere from 2-12 months. So, essentially, their adoption is at a complete standstill for an undetermined length of time. They had to return their baby to foster care, and they are now home in the States without their son and with very little answers. So, we really have nothing to complain about. We have been very lucky. Our adoption has gone smoothly and we are on our way home. It'll just take a little longer than we anticipated. I think Dave is disappointed not to be able to bring us home himself. Poor guy. But the kids and I will be fine. We still have some things we want to do before we go home, anyway. Not to mention the homework that still needs to be completed. We're keeping our chins up. We'll keep you all posted. Thanks for checking in. ~Heather

Coleman Reaches Double Digits!!

I can't believe that my first born is now officially a tweenager!! Where have the last 10 years gone?! It makes me so sad to think that now we're on the downhill slide towards college. When he was nine I could say we were only half way there. Now we've gone further than we have left to go. So sad. On the bright side it is darling to see him becoming a little man. He wants, so badly, to be just like his dad and with any luck he will be. He had a fun birthday celebration starting with a pinata and fireworks with his friends on the weekend before his big day. On his actual birthday day he opted to open just one present and save the rest for when Dave was here. Then he and I went out to dinner just the two of us. We went to the Las Palmas restaurant here in Antigua and we had a great time. He was a real delight to spend quality one on one time with. I need to do that more often with each of my kiddos. Anyway, here are some pics of his day.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart. I love you. I'm so proud of the young man you are becoming. Love, Mama

Never a dull moment in Antigua...

We made it through Rotavirus and stomach flu now we're moving on to head lice. Yikes!! They seem to be going around our little complex. So far, Evie is the only one with the creepy crawlies (and she actually only had one), but just thinking about it is making me itchy all over. Luckily, Catalina, our caretaker's wife, was able to set me up with the poison and the protocol that I need to get rid of the buggers. Oh well, at least I'm not bored. On the up side we got Soli's new birth certificate today, and our attorney is planning to submit our case to the embassy on Monday. The embassy then has 48 hours to issue the "pink slip" which gives the time for the final embassy appointment (usally a week or so after the date of issuance). During this appointment the US Embassy gives the adoption one final seal of approval, there is some exchange of paperwork, and I think this is when the baby's visa is paid for (which has to be picked up the next day). Dave is flying down Monday, and we are all tentatively planning to fly home on February 12. I have such mixed feelings about going home. I love it here. I love that we have no car, no Costco, no boy scouts, no school. I miss my husband desperately, and single parenting obviously has its challenges (especially where large quantities of vomit are involved), but otherwise I don't miss the hustle and bustle of our California life. I know that I'll have major culture shock when we get home, and I just hope we can bring a little of our Antigua lifestyle home with us to California (minus the head lice!). We'll see...Thanks for checking in. ~Heather

Ruinas Las Capuchinas

Here are some pics from our infamous trip to the ruins. In a nutshell I was expecting ruins as in "big pile of rubble" where my rowdy children could let loose. I wasn't expecting pristinely preserved 17th century architecture. It was absolutely beautiful, but I had not prepared my kids for museum behavior. Anyway, as they were bouncing off the crumbling walls I dropped the bajeemini out of my camera which seriously stressed me out because I love my camera so. As you'll notice most of the below pictures have a black shadow in one corner or the other. My poor camera. It really hasn't been the same since and it shudders when I turn it on, which can't be good.

They look so sweet and innocent in this picture.

This one, too.

Looking a little naughty.

Do you see the moon above the ruins? And, of course, the edge of the Earth in the top left hand corner? Just kidding.

They aren't sure what the purpose is for these "cells". There are 18 in total and they are arranged in a perfect circle with a common area in the middle. They think they may have been an isolation bay for contagious diseases. I thought they looked like little rooms each with there own private bathroom. I'm not kidding. Each room had a little niche in the wall where one could sit quite comfortably and take care of business. These "toilets" had an opening that entered the building's sewage system. Can you believe that? Amazing.

View from one of the "suites" overlooking the perfectly manicured garden.

I look just like my mom in this picture. I can so remember her cooing at her babies (she has six) and making that exact face.

They were playing Power Rangers...Rescue!!

It's amazing how pictures can make any adventure look twice as fun as it was.

And then just a few hours later Soli came down with rotavirus. Poor girl. We went through a lot of towels...