The Joys of being a kid

 

Today we took the kids to Jungle Jim's they could not believe it when we walked in.

They where not scared of any of the rides and they thought it was so neat to be able to drive there own Machines.

Yonelson just loves everything he  all ways has a smile on his face. We still can not get over how well he is adjusting to everything.

Fabrice sometimes we have to remind him he is a kid and to have fun.

Nerlande is so sweet but also has such a spunky little attitude.

What a great blessing to have them home and to watch them just be kids

A brave pilot

Our kids are on the way to the airport just waiting to hear that they are allowing them to board the plane..
We have a brave pilot that said he was not leaving without the kids on his plane what a Hero! keep the prayers going.

some Up-dates

Dear Hope families,
I wanted to share some good news with you today, I believe we need it right now to boost
Our spirits. First let me say that things are going well with negotiations with US and Haitian
Governments to bring your children home. Everyone involved wants the outcome to be good
And is looking out for the best interest of the children. It is imperative that you register your
Adoption with Joint council, once you have done this you should receive a confirmation email,
If you did not get a confirmation email, go back and do it again.
As you know we have confirmation that Harry is in an LDS church in PetionVille, all the children
Living in the orphanage with him were evacuated safely. The mounting concerns now are that
PetionVille is in the mountains and it has been difficult to get aid to them. Harry said that there
Is food to purchase and even gas for his truck, but he has no money. And because PetionVille is
In the mountains it has been difficult for rescue teams to get to them. Harry says that if he
Could get some gas in his car he could try to find Nadia and the foster kids. He would also
Be able to buy food and supplies, there is some available to purchase (although the prices are
Astronomical) but the banks are shut down and there is no way to get money.
I am happy to tell you that we have found a way to get money to Harry! We have a friend (via
Shannon Cox, haitianroots.com) who will be traveling to Haiti tomorrow with a special medical
Team put together by the LDS church. Dr. Jeremy Booth has agreed to take the money to
Harry. He is an ER doctor, speaks fluent Creole and loves the Haitian people. They have been
Trying to fly out for several days but because of flight restrictions but hope to fly out tomorrow.
The hope for the little angels team is out getting a substantial amount of cash right now to
Send with Dr. Booth. I know this money will be critical in helping to find and feed our children.
I want to tell each of you thank you, it is because of so many of you and your contributions
That the hope organization has funds to send down.
I will keep you posted, please pray that Dr. Booth is able to reach Harry with the funds!!
Your friend,
Chareyl
Please keep Haiti in your prayers and Me and Dave keep thinking how Busy Fabrice Must be trying to help all the kids. He was all ways looking out for them when we where at the Hotel.
Hopefully this next week we will hear lot's of good news,And have a little bit of peace until we get everyone Home,and know that our friends in Haiti are being taken care of.

Hanging out with Papa Blanc

So Nerlande has learned that her Papa is not so bad,she and Yonelson always want his attention at the same time but Dave is really good about working it out with them and to give attention to both of them.
I find it so amazing how well they pick up on Electronic's they will fit in just fine when they get home.

We have been missing these 3 kids so much,this past weekend we where looking at the photos that started this fun Adventure, and now we have one more sweet kid to love. We can not wait to see you guys again we hope you are doing fine and we love you!

Play dates in Haiti

We where done with Breakfest Yesterday and the kids decided to have a play date in the hallway outside the breakfest area.

We can not wait to get the kids home and have this with their friends at home in the U.S.A!

They have decided since we are here to go sign the papers for the judge at the Parquet office.
I hope this goes smoothly.
so far the trip is going good,Kaleb did get a little sick but he seems to be getting better.
We have learned that the Orphanage will be moving to a bigger building so that should be good for the kids plus a change of scenery should be fun for them. I hope we will be able to see the new building when we come back.

3 days until we see your cute Faces

This was in January and we hope all the kids will be feeling good and none will be sick

We can not wait to get to know Fabrice our boys are so excited to get to know him :)
We can not wait to hug these sweet little souls!! see you guys in just a few more sleeps.......

Small things can make a difference

This is the water filter that was installed in the orphanage. I wish i could give the person that kindly donated this great thing a big hug. so far I have not heard of any of the kids being sick all of the updates i have heard about have looked healthy and good. we do have one little sweet girl that was sick on our June trip but they have been giving her medicine and taking her to the doctor and her last picture she looked like she was getting better but we should all keep her in our prayers.

This shows you how little things to us are such a big blessing to our Orphanage. so I want to thank any one who has given just simple little things such as medicine,clothes,beef jerky,crackers,or anything that you thought are sweet kids would need.
"every little thing adds up and is making a difference!!"

Missing a Thrid world restaurant

I have been missing the food at our Hotel,but maybe it is the company we share when we are there?? This is from our first trip when we met the kids. poor Yonelson was so sick,but he is doing so much better last we heard.

You need to change this

IBSER asked us to redo some paper work It makes you feel somewhat good that they must be looking at your file but then you have to go back and change papers and get it notarized and then have to take it to the capitol and send it back to Haiti...But at least they are looking at the papers.

We have been busy with helping Dave's little brother with starting his own clothing company and next week we are traveling to Ohio for a show. He is doing so much better since his accident last Oct. we are so proud of the way he has worked hard, plus we have been trying to start with the school shopping since my kids start school in 19 days. I am a little sad that the kids will be going back to school I love having them around. It just doesn't feel like fall should just be right around the corner.

Just trying to help

During our journey we have meet lots of kind and very special people willing to try and help the kind people in Haiti. two of the lady's we first meet when we started our adoption was Chareyl and kathy they are with a group called Haitianroots we have added a link on the side it is a great cause and I would love everyone to take a look and see if you could do anything to help them I have personally seen the kids that have just recently signed up to be part of the program and they truly just want the opportunity to learn and have a chance at life. so please take a look me and Dave have signed up to donate to help 12 kids every year.
I can not imagine wondering if your kids would even be able to go to school to just learn. Here we worry if they will have the best things for school. Sometimes we Americans are so selfish.
we need to remember what really counts in life.

Happily ever after

I cannot wait until we can come home with our kids and live happily ever after but for now I cannot wait to see them hopefully healthy and happy in June!!

Finally Understand

We want to thank Harrys wife for helping us out. Nerlande kept saying something to me but I couldn't figure it out so she said something to Nerlande and then she said to me "she wants some milk". Nerlande looked so pleased when they brought out some milk for her. so every time we ate she always wanted milk and so did yonelson.It is something I did not think of because I don't think I would dare drink it. but the kids loved it! We where so happy that yonelson drank it up.I am sure his poor little body needed it. the kids loved using there straws differently.but the made it work for them. I will remember in June to order milk.

Carnival in Haiti

Today is a big day in Haiti. we where in Haiti at the start of Carnival they had a big parade that went on forever. I was very impressed how happy they all seemed when here their  country is struggling with poverty and political unrest but they put it all aside and celebrate what they do have. Nerlande loved the music and the excitement,Yonelson did not care for it so Dave was in the room with him most of the night watching the Superbowl. Well only a few more months and we will be back in Haiti.Who would have ever thought we would be so excited to go to a third world country. but we love it there to be able to see and take care of those beautiful kids,and to give much needed help to the orphanage.

Mwen Renmen Ou

We hope you have a great day with the ones you love, And hopefully next year most of the kids will be home to celebrate with us.

Watching the kids

We just finished watching our videos from the trip and it was so fun to watch the kids run around and play again. I am struck by the attitude of the kids we met and the joy for life they have. I realize that this was a fun and exciting time for them but I think it is deeper than that. These kids haven't gotten caught up in all the hustle and bustle of the world our other kids live in and seem more able to just be in the moment. While the challenges they face are far more difficult than those we face here there is an innocence in their smiles that makes you immediately fall in love with each and every one. Earlier I mentioned how amazing it is how quickly we fell in love with Nerlande and Yonelson but as time goes by I find myself remembering the way Nathan stuck to Brent and would cry the very second he set him down. Luckily there was a very quick answer of simply picking him back up and the crying would instantly stop, wish I was that popular. :)

I also loved watching the huge smiles and obvious excitement as Abigaelle and Febrice (sp?) ran and jumped into the pool. Even the times when they were just sitting back and relaxing was nice. So while I love Nerlande and Yo, I also find my heart going out to all the kids and families we spent time with. I am amazed at the strength, love and compassion the group showed and felt releived to have Aaron and Chareyl and the experienced parents to show us the ropes.

We can't wait to see everyone again.

First Meeting

Its kinda hard to explain the feelings I went through as we pulled through the thick metal gates into the orphanage. We had just finished driving through living conditions I had never imagined and that pictures will never ever do justice to.

As we got out of the van kids ran in every direction to meet their adopting parents and the love and excitement on their faces was obvious. We kind of held back and waited our turn to meet Nerlande and Yonelson eagerly waiting their arrival. Candi and Nerlande hit it off from the first moment and she has been hooked to her hip since. It is amazing how similar her personality is to Paytons we just know they will be great friends and wonderful sisters. After Nerlande came out we were left waiting for Yonelson for nearly 20 minutes. Everybody at the orphanage kept telling us that he was just getting changed but you could tell something was wrong. Finally they brought him out and let us know that he was very sick and they were taking him to the hospital. We got to spend about 20 minutes holding him and were shocked by how tiny he is. He had an extremely high fever and obviously was not feeling well. We enjoyed our time together then hopped back in the van to take Nerlande to the hotel, we hope to see Yonelson tomorrow and our prayers are with him.