Getting to know each other.....

Well I have to say that our official "bonding" time went much quicker than we were expecting! We thought we would be spending each day doing different activities then on Friday, we would have a going away party and Miss A would then come to live with us.

On Tuesday, we started doing our activity which included a picnic at the park, and a nice walk through a very large park.

She is defiantly enjoying this family time!

Papi is defiantly enjoying the mountains and scenery!

Our little jewel! She is teaching us Spanish and she loves using her English words!

Family

the city

funny faces

Exercising and proudly wearing her new skirt that Brianna made her.

This is where we were when the Earthquake struck! Hope had just made a grand entrance,so at first everyone just thought it was Hope that shook the building...however is was not and unfortunately the earthquake caused some damage around the city and we have felt several tremors...being awaken in the middle of the night to a tremor is not an experience you wish to feel everyday!

So after the pool, they said she could come by herself to visit with us in our house for a couple hours. She learned how to write her new last name and the names of all her family members. She loved it, so much in fact that it became apparent we were not going to have a nice time trying to take her back and leave her at the orphanage. When we finally made it back, they told us she could sleep at our house as they thought it would be better for her. You can not imagine the smile on this little face when she found out she could come home with her family, it was sheer joy! However her anxiety took over at dark and it was a long night for her.

On Wednesday we went and did our activity's as normal with the Psychologist and our translator but they stood back and let us interact freely. At the end of the day we went back to the orphanage, packed her clothes and she came to officially live with us. We cannot fathom the emotions and anxiety's of a little girl that walks away from everything she knows for a new world and family that she want's so desperately bad, but it is completely foreign and unknown. The struggles are so minimal when you compare them to what this little girl is facing. On her 2nd night with us, she slept like a baby. Maybe a little from exhaustion but more so by the power of God! The rather large tremor that awoke quite a few of us didn't even bother her. We are so thankful for the many prayers on her behalf, God truly is answering them!