Ooooolala

Thanks to a wonderfully sweet and GENEROUS friend of mine whom I ADORE…

I will be spending one night in this fabulous and super swanky hotel!! 

How cool is that?!

WOW and 0oooolala!

I have spent every single night under the same roof as my daughter since I took physical custody of her in May of 2007.  In a couple of days, I will spend my very first night away from her.  Exciting…but kinda scary too.  ; D

Thank you so much, Tricia!!  This GENEROUS and quite unexpected surprise is a major BLESSING!  I can’t wait!  : D  Thanks also in advance to my mom for spending time with Emma. 

Can’t wait for the Heavenly Bed!  Wahooo!

A special note…  In case any of you are wondering, this Westin is not located in Guatemala City.  Hee hee.  : D

God bless,

Tera

I Don’t Need a Governess

Emma has a new obsession…

The Sound of Music!

I popped in my Sound of Music dvd not long ago, partly because I was just a wee bit tired of watching the Elmo Potty video and Max and Ruby. 

Emma is now IN LOVE with the movie…she is obsessed with everything that is The Sound of Music.  She sings the songs, tries to mimic the dancing and she even recites lines from the movie.  She calls Maria Foe-Fee-Uh…I have no idea why… she is absolutely capable of saying Maria...she’s so silly.  She is OBSESSED with the movie.  I have heard her singing “I Am Sixteen Going on Seventeen” when she is supposed to be in bed sleeping.  Is there a 12 Step Program for something like this?  ; )

Emma has a particular fascination with the character, Liesl.  Liesl is the oldest von Trapp child…she is the sixteen year old girl.  Emma loves the part in the movie when Maria first arrives at the von Trappe family home.  The children step forward one by one…they introduce themselves to Maria and they say their ages and something about themselves.  Well, the other day, Emma came up to me and recited Liesl’s introduction to Maria from The Sound of Music.  At first, I couldn’t believe that she actually said it, so I asked her to do it again…she did it AGAIN and she even stepped forward a few steps and then backward just like Liesl does in the movie!  LOL.  And, of course, I had to hurry and grab the camcorder to capture it on film.  It is SO SWEET!! 

So…without further ado…  Here is Emma reciting Liesl’s line from The Sound of Music…  (First, turn OFF my blog music in the left column of my blog)

“I’m Liesl…I’m sixteen years old and I DON’T need a GOVERNESS!”

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

God bless,

Tera

Yet Another Summertime Hodge Podge

TWO years ago this past week, Jason and I boarded a plane with Emma in Guatemala to bring her to the United States!

What an EXCITING day!

Can you believe how little she was on that day?  She was 8 months old and tiny.  I think she was wearing size 3 month clothes. 

She is sitting on Jason’s tray in this photo.

Friends and family members stayed up LATE to meet us at the airport with signs!

Bringing Emma home that night and then waking up to a BABY in OUR HOUSE the next morning was an amazing experience!  I can’t believe it’s been TWO YEARS!

* * * * * * * * *

Besides celebrating an exciting adoption anniversary, we are also celebrating the fact that today a very large dumpster was dropped off in our driveway along with a big pile of siding materials.  Our little rambler was supposed to be sided this past week but the contractor was delayed a bit because we had a couple of rainy days.  Soooo…hopefully…THIS will be THE WEEK!!

* * * * * * * * *

Recently, Jason was giving Emma a bath and she was playing with her tub crayons.  He called me into the bathroom because he wanted to show me something… 

Check this drawing out   ------->

Emma was drawing lines like waves and when Jason asked her what she was drawing, do you know what she said??? 

“I’m drawing a RIVER!”  Oh. My. Goodness.  My eyes almost popped out of my skull!  Truthfully, I am a TERRIBLE artist and this is probably a better river than I could ever draw!  Hee hee…  I think we might have a budding artist on our hands…  ; )

* * * * * * * * *

Emma and I were out and about doing errands and we drove past a McDonalds.  Emma said, “HEY MAMA!   That’s where cheeseburgers live!!!!”

: D

* * * * * * * * *

A few days ago, my sister and I got together with Krissy…a friend who now lives in IL with her family.  We had a fun play date!   If you are reading this Krissy, we had a fun time!  Emma has been asking about Matthew!  : D

* * * * * * * * *

Before I sign off, I’ll share a few photos of a recent outing to Minnehaha Falls with my parents…  : )

Emma with Grandpa.

My parents.

God bless,

Tera

An Early Summertime Hodge Podge

First, a home improvement update…  Aside from a few finishing touches, our new roof was completed a week ago.  Here is a photo of my Dad and Jason taken right after the last shingle was laid and the vents were caulked.  Exciting times!  Also, as of yesterday, we have a few new windows.  AND, early next week, the siding contractor comes!  So excited for that!

Emma has been in her pool a couple of times and she has had a great time!

She loves the little slide.

Emma is learning to blow bubbles.  : )

Got one!

YAY!  I did it!!

LOOK!!  Here’s another one!!!

Grandma helping Emma with her bubble blowing technique.

What a BEAUTIFUL little girl!!

We went to the Farmer’s Market this past weekend and one of the vendors gave Emma a sucker…her very first one, might I add!  What do you think she thought about it…?

SHE LOVED IT!!  Sucker HEAVEN!!  Mmmmmmmm….  I crack up every time I see this photo…hilarious!!

Hee hee…  I love the half closed eyelids…SUCKER BLISS!

Jason with two GORGEOUS hanging baskets from the Farmer’s Market.

Before I sign off, I have to post a recipe for you to try.  Usually when I make enchiladas, I use a seasoned ground beef, rice and cheese filling and I use corn tortillas and red sauce.  Recently, I came up with an enchilada recipe to use up a few leftovers from the fridge.  And, the recipe is now a new FAVORITE!!  We think that the salsa verde sauce has a wonderful tang and the corn adds the perfect amount of sweetness. 

Chicken and Corn Enchiladas with Verde Sauce

Ingredients:

Package of 8 fajita or taco size flour tortillas

3 large cooked chicken breasts (or 4 – 5 medium size), shredded into small pieces

2.5 cups shredded cheese (I used medium cheddar)

4 green onion tops, chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 container sour cream (14 –16 ounces…reduced fat would work)

16 ounce jar salsa verde (I used Ortega brand)

10 ounces of frozen sweet corn (cooked)

Spices:  salt, cumin, garlic powder, pepper

Finely crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Instructions:

Season the cooked chicken with cumin and garlic powder to taste (salt lightly).  Set the chicken aside.  Put the following ingredients into a blender:  sour cream, salsa verde, 1 hefty handful of cilantro leaves, sprinkle of garlic powder, sprinkle of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cumin.  Blend until well incorporated.  Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with a thin layer of the sauce.  Set the rest of the sauce aside.  Fill each tortilla with chicken, corn and cheese (I think that I used about 1.5 cups of cheese inside of the enchiladas).  Roll up the tortillas and place in the pan, seam side down.  Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and top with 1 cup of cheese.  Lightly top the cheese with crushed tortilla chips and then top the chips with chopped green onion tops.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes.

God bless,

Tera

A New Roof

What a BIG JOB!!  We aren’t finished yet but we are working on it.  Thank you so much to our wonderful, dedicated and kind helpers!  A few pics from the past week…

Jason, Brent (one of Jason’s buddies) and Jimmy (my brother) tearing off the old roof.  After we pulled the records at city hall, we discovered that the shingles on our garage roof were probably FORTY years old!  No wonder they were crumbling.

The hard hat zone.

Dave (my BIL), Jason and Brent.  Thanks also to Shane, Lesa and my Dad!! 

YOU GUYS ROCK!

Thanks to my sister Julie and my mom for helping with food.

Emma and my nieces Grace and Isabel.  We kept them busy with stickers and coloring.

We also went to the park.  Emma LOVES the “big girl slide”!  NO FEAR!!

Lovely Isabel.

 

Gorgeous Grace.

Guess who can pedal her bike?  She is also throwing and catching balls with ease and is loving soccer and her tee ball set.

My gorgeous girl!!

Mommy and Emma.  And, a spring bouquet with flowers from our yard…bleeding hearts, lilacs and lily of the valley…I love spring flowers!

More to come…

Next up…a few new windows and new siding!  Busy, busy!

God bless,

Tera

Two Years Ago

Two years ago today, I traveled to Guatemala to take full custody of Emma and to live there with her for several weeks before we were able to travel to the U.S. together.  Oh, how excited and nervous I was! 

My gigantic rolling duffels, well worn from three previous visit trips to Guatemala, were packed to the MAX with supplies.  I remember the butterflies in my stomach when the plane touched down in Guatemala.

The next few hours were a whirlwind…  Shopping for Emma at Hiper Paiz (sort of like Walmart)  “How many packs of diapers should I buy?  What types of jar fruits and veggies should I purchase?  Hmmm…would she prefer pears or applesauce?  How many cans of formula should I purchase?” 

  

After a quick stop at a pharmacy, my sweet driver took me to the Westin Camino Real in Guatemala City.  I was a little frazzled so I went to freshen up quickly in the bathroom.  It wasn’t long before Emma’s beloved foster family arrived with Emma.  As I walked down the hall towards them, my eyes brimming with tears, I could see that Emma’s foster father had already been crying…tears were streaming down his face.  I just could not keep it in…I let the tears flow...I was (and still am) immensely grateful for the love and care that Emma’s foster family gave to Emma for the first seven months of her life.  The next several minutes went by so quickly…many exchanges were made…  Hugs, kisses, tears, instructions, thank yous, promises of love…  And, finally, sweet Emma Grace Esperanza was put in my arms…forever.  We then traveled to Antigua to get settled in.  (I purposely have never posted the photos that I took of Emma at the Westin that day…Emma was so confused…I have chosen to keep those photos private.  The photo above was taken a few days after she had warmed up to me). 

Our first night together was HEARTBREAKING.  Emma screamed and screamed and screamed…she was completely inconsolable. 

She missed her foster family so much…they were WONDERFUL to her…they loved her so dearly and she missed them so much. 

The next few weeks were difficult in that regard but she did warm up to me. 

The photo to the right was taken the very next day.  Emma and I traveled from Antigua to Guatemala City together for Emma’s passport appointment.

The next few weeks in Guatemala were nuts!  The stove exploded where we were staying and Emma became very sick with rotavirus and she was hospitalized for a few days.  After we left the hospital in Antigua, we moved away from Antigua before we had originally planned to so that we could be closer to Emma’s doctor in Guatemala City.  And, I could NOT understand why Emma was spitting up SO MUCH, not eating well and vomiting and not tolerant of bumpy/long stroller rides and carriers (later we discovered the true extent of her struggles with reflux).  Jason arrived a few days after we left the hospital and I was SO grateful to have extra help.  However, he became sick and was vomiting and passing out!  What a crazy trip!!  We are excited to go back to Guatemala some day so that we can enjoy the country more and see what we were not able to see because of all of the craziness. 

Hanging out by the pool at the Westin in Guatemala City.

 

Emma seeing Papa for the first time in months.

Hanging out at the pool with Mommy.  I miss the blue and white lounge chairs.

 

Left:  Emma with Papa on the plane.  Right:  The 3 of us on Embassy appointment day.

We are SO BLESSED to have Emma in our lives!  We love her so much!!

God bless,

Tera