Home Sweet Home

I only can post for a minute. Our internet has been down since we have been home so I have not been able to update the blog. Overall things are going so well, we are blessed and all doing well. I can't wait to sit down and type all the doors God opened to get us all home together it was truley a miracle! Until i can sit down again here are some pics to hold you over!

After our embassy appointment

At the Guatemalan zoo

On our way home!

At our welcome home party at Chilis in Detroit

Fly Home Friday!!!

It has been a few days since our last entry, but it has been an amazing week. Mateo's Embassy appointment went well and we will let the next few paragraphs that we sent in an email speak for themselves:

Things are going goodhere in Guatemala. Really, really good.

We were suppose to fly home on Wednesday with Mateo, however, our Guatemalan attorney had Elisabeth's paperwork ready when we arrived down here. The attorney submitted Elisabeth's paperwork on Monday to the US Embassy (the day we had Mateo's Embassy appointment) and we told the US Consulate here that her case was being put in to the Embassy that day and asked them if they could expidite the process, which normally takes two - three weeks after that time to receive your Embassy appointment. Well, Laura pleaded with the US Consulate here, and today we found out that we have Elisabeth's Embassy appointment on Wednesday morning now! We will receive final paperwork for Elisabeth's citizenship and visa on Thursday. So we are bringing both Mateo and Elisabeth home!

Our God is so big considering that on June 1, Ellie was still in the Guatemalan court system and to get into the Embassy and all final docs approval takes 6-8 weeks.

SO, no flight home on Wednesday, but we are flying back on Friday, with both Mateo and Elisabeth. Things have changed quite a bit in the last few days, wouldn't you say?

Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support.

Scott, Laura, Mateo and Elisabeth

What a blessing it has been, we fly home tomorrow with both Mateo and Elisabeth and will meet family in Detroit before heading off to a quick stop at Tanna's (Laura's old 407 roommie) wedding. The transition is still in progress, but what can we say about our Lord: He has definitely blessed us.

Love y'all,
Scott

Walks, the mall, and fun pool time

So we are still alive and kickin! We have had some tough moments with Mateo but amazing ones as well. This trip is so different for obvious reasons but also because we can leave the motel some. And with a 2 1\2 year old this is a blessing! Yesterday we took a taxi to the mall, with the kind of crazy way we left the states I did not do the best packing job. We got some socks for Te, yep forgot those, and another pair of pants as well. We also found a DVD of Barney in Spanish and he was soooo excited. We bought an Ergo baby carrier a while ago and it has been such a blessing, it keeps him close to us, especially when he is trying to pull away physically and emotionally. We can wear him on our back front or hip. It is so comfortable and his 31 lbs aren’t so bad with it! So after we ventured out to the mall yesterday we decided to take a walk today. On Sunday the road in front of our hotel Avenida Reforma closes one side (it is a major road) and it is open to the public for walking, biking ect. We walked about a mile to the Marriott and went to the pool. Mateo had a great time and the weather was incredible!

Tomorrow is our trip to the embassy. We have to be ready to go at 6:40am, this will be an early morning for our little boy. We wait there for a couple of hours and then get to go back to the hotel. Ellie should be coming sometime tomorrow afternoon. We are so excited to see her. I talked to her lawyer on Friday and she showed me her passport that she had gotten the day before. The picture of her is so cute! And Scott was so glad they did not cut her hair! Even though we can’t wait to see her we are so thankful that we had these past four days with Mateo. I think it will make his transition to his sister easier. We will let you know how tomorrow goes and hopefully Scott can post some pics.
Have an amazing day,
Laura

We are here...and our son is with us.

So we made it yesterday with no problems or delays thankfully. Mateo got here at around 4:00 pm along with his foster mom and sister. It was not easy as they were crying when we came down. Mateo was very reserved and preteded he was asleep for about an hour, this was new behavior to us by the way. After an hour, Mateo started warming up, but when Aura and Jenny (the foster mom and her daughter) left, the crying began. He cryed for about two hours, it was very hard on him and on us. He was so sad and I think he really understood that they were leaving for good this time. We held him the whole time and finally he fell asleep. He didn't wake up until 8am this morning, a good 12 hours of sleep. We did not know what to expect this morning but he woke up still reserved, but by mid morning he was good. We put him in the carrier on the front and it was such a blessing. We then walked around the block with him on Scott's back for over an hour. Things are better now. We are waiting until Monday for Ellie to come to stay with us to give Mateo some additional time. Ellie's case will be submitted to the Embassy on Monday, and we will talk with the diplomats there about trying to get her case reviewed next week and possibly getting her to come with us next week as well. Keep praying...all four of us need it.

Love, Scott & Laura

The crazy ride continues

So here is the latest update from the rollercoster. We found out today that Ellie's birthmom signed off, and we have her new birth certificate. Also they think they are getting her passport today or tomorrow! What this means is that early next week she should be submitted to the US embassy to get our appointment. This is pure craziness. I think it took almost 5 weeks to get this far with Mateo's case so we are beyond excited. It also means we could get her appointment as soon as the week of the 18th which is only two weeks away. I am not sure what we are going to do but we will talk to Ellie's lawyer on Thursday when we get there and make a plan. So again we are in for a wild ride! We let you know when we get to Guatemala what is happening. I leave in 40 hours to see my babies!
Stay tuned...
Laura

4 more days till we are together again!!!

I can't believe that in four more days we will be in Guatemala and will have Mateo forever! I just keep getting more and more excited and I want to be on that plane right now! I keep imagining that first hug and being able to take him on the plane with us this time. The time can't go fast enough! But alas in the next four days I will be gone at a conference in Minnasota and will be flying out of Minneapolis to Guatemala. Scott is flying out on Thursday morning as well but from Detroit, he can't go go with me to the conference which is sad. He will be working on a lot of homework for his Grad classes and doing some last minute things like get the carseat in and packing. So, I leave at 5:30 am tomorrow for the 11 hour drive. It will help me to pass the time until we go to Guatemala though!

I can't believe that in four more days I will get to hold my little girl. I can't even image what she looks like after almost five months and what she is doing now. I have so many cute dresses that I can't wait to see her in and just spend some time loving on her! I now can just tell myself when I start to feel sad about leaving her that I will be back next month to pick her up! I still can't get over how good God is. He has blessed us with these two children and made a way to get them home. Our crys have been heard!

Thanks for the love and encouagment, we will try to post while in Guatemala next week!
Laura

The best week EVER!!!

I have to do a quick update because my daughter is
OUT of PGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been praying like crazy that she would get out before we left Guatemala beacause I knew it it would be so hard to leave her again not knowing when we would see her again. But today I got the best news ever, the end is in sight and we may even have her by her birthday July 26! We are praying that her process goes even quicker than Mateo (his took 8 weeks from getting out of PGN) but we feel so blessed right now that she will be home soon! Thank you everyone for your prayers, God is so good!

Lots of love,
The Powells