Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from Guatemala! We hope you all had a very fun Easter Sunday! Here are a few pictures from our day. It is a time for family and we are so thankful for our new little family of 3!

In my pretty Easter dress!
During Easter Brunch at our hotel.
We went to Mass at this church -- Inglesia San Fransisco (St. Francis).

We had our first swim lesson today in the hotel's pool. She was a little weary at first, but quickly warmed up to the idea. She loved to splash and kick her legs. Any time she is out of her brace, she is kicking her legs a lot! Mom had fun too!

We are headed back to Guatemala City tomorrow. We had a wonderul time in Antigua, but we are ready to get on with the last stage of our trip -- finalizing our adoption of Gabi at the Embassy and then coming home forever!

Love to you all,

Joe, Tara & Gabi

A "Good Friday" & Saturday!

Hello everyone! I got these pictures a little out of order, but here you go! We are all happy, healthy, and having a great time. The processions on Good Friday were definitely an experience -- so beautiful. Gabi is such a little trooper. She seems to sleep only when it is extremely loud and the ride is bumpy in the Snugli!

A looming volcano over Antigua.

Little angels walk as part of a Good Friday procession.

As the procession goes past, the smell of myrh is so intense. Think Easter Mass x 50! This little girl is so beautfiul as she walks with her dad.

An alfombra -- carpets are made before the procession for them to walk on.

Our favorite pic so far! Such a cutie!

Thanks for my cute outfit, Donna!

Antigua is covered in purple until the evening of Good Friday -- then all of the banners are changed to black.

Another alfombra.

That's all for now! We will attend Sunday Mass tomorrow. Check back for pictures of Gabi in her Easter dress. We hope you all have a very Blessed Easter!

Lots of love,

Joe, Tara, & Gabi

Pictures from Antigua

Gabriela enjoys riding on her daddy's knee!

Both the horse and the rider are tuckered out!

A view of the courtyard right outside our hotel room. It is a beautiful hotel -- all Spanish colonial architecture and recently redone. Everyone has been so kind to us, even though many do not speak English here. My Spanish has been tested a little more in Antigua and that is good!

On our way back from a wonderful traditional Guatemalan dinner, we saw our first procession of Holy Week. The men and boys dressed in purple robes are called cucarachas. They carry these floats miles almost all day and all night. Each Catholic church in Antigua (and there are many!) has their own float that honors the sacrifice Christ made for us. I am sure that we will see many more in the next few days.

That's all for now. Gabi is sound asleep and I better get to catching up too! Love to you all! Thanks for all of your prayers and thoughts.

Joe, Tara, & Gabi

Here She Is!

Hello All! We made it safe and sound yesterday. Gabriela is finally in our arms forever! She is still the little angel we remembered from our visit trip -- very happy and content. We spent quite some time with her foster family. Gabriela's foster mother is in red and her daughter is next to her in the picture above. They are both wonderful people and it was so hard for them to leave little Gabi. We all cried and hugged. She has such a big heart to care for Gabriela and then let her leave. We hope that she is comforted knowing that her aching empty arms have given us such joy! Maria even made Gabriela the little dress that she is wearing in the pictures. It is so cute and will be treasured forever.

We are taking off for Antigua today. The city is very quiet due to the holiday (everything is closed Thursday - Sunday for Semana Santa). We are really looking forward to watching the processions, celebrating this Holy week and most of all, spending as much time as possible getting to know our little girl. What a gift we have received.

All our love,

Joe, Tara, & Gabriela

Gabriela is Coming Home!!

This is the post I have been longing to write for such a long time! Yea! We received our "pink slip" today. Our appointment at the US Embassy is March 25th at 8:00am. We pick up Gabriela's Visa the following afternoon. We've spent this evening frantically making travel plans. Here is our itinerary:

March 19 -- Fly to Guatemala
March 20-24 -- Spend Holy Thursday thru Easter Monday in Antigua
March 25-26 -- Spend in Guatemala City at Embassy and Visa appointments.
March 27 -- Fly Home!

Gabriela will be put in our arms forever on March 19th! We are so thankful and can hardly wait! We are also excited to spend part of Holy Week and Easter in Antigua. This is one of the top tourist destinations for Semana Santa in the world. The pictures we have seen are incredible. It will be a wonderful experience for our new little family of 3!

Love to you all,
Joe & Tara

Keeping Things in Perspective

Well, we didn't receive our "pink slip" today. However, we are very confident that it will come tomorrow. As I was searching the internet for a gift for Gabriela's foster mom, I came across a poem that had this wonderful line:

Even though I didn't give you life, Life Gave Me You.

We are so thankful that we have been led down the path of adoption. Even though Gabriela is not quite in our arms forever, we are truly Blessed that she will be so very soon.

All Our Love,

Joe & Tara

Ready for Gabriela

Gabriela's room is coming together! An important piece of Gabriela's room is missing right now - a rocking chair that my Dad made for us. The seat is currently getting upholstered, so I will post pictures when it is done. It is beautiful and will make a great place for lots of snuggling and bedtime stories.

We should receive our "pink slip" on Wednesday, so check back then for our upcoming pick-up trip details. We can hardly wait!

Have a great week,

Joe & Tara