La Candelaria

We took a tour yesterday afternoon of the La Candelaria area downtown. This is an area that was initially established in the mid 1500's by the Spanish when they settled into the area. The square is surrounded by many Universities, so it attracts many students and artists.

While there we went to the Gold Museum which has gold pieces from all around the country and artifacts from long ago. We also toured a Mint Museum (where they make money). There were a couple of large items that were from a Jesuit church; they were called Cadis. The Cadis was used to hold the hosts for communion and to be blessed by the priest. The gold was impressive, however there were about 1,400+ emeralds on it. Very beautiful. If you don't know we have heard that about 90% of the world's emeralds come from Colombia.

After this we went to the Botero Gallery. He is a world famous Colombian artist, and the subjects of his pictures have exagerated features. It is actually pretty cool to see his work. We're not sure if his artwork is suppose to be funny, but we certainly got a kick out of some of it. Unfortunately we weren't able to take pictures of the paintings, but we do have a picture of us in front of a hand sculpture there.

The buildings around La Candeleria are very beautiful. The National Capitol is there, and behind that is the Presidential Palace. There is a cathedral which is the largest in Colombia, and the oldest church in Bogota is also there. Along with that we saw the Archbishop's Palace, the Palace of Justice, and the mayor's office building. In the actual square, known as Bolivar Square, was a mercado and tons of merchants from nearby villages selling fruits and vegetables, and roasting meats for sale.

It was a nice afternoon. We ended it with a piece of pie at El Corral and fed Dana. Andy ended up taking a nap on my shoulder for part of the afternoon.


Bolivar Square with the mayor's office building in the background.

The Botero Museum.

Views of Moinserrate on top of the hill.

A Presidential guard near the palace.

A beautiful view down a side street. Everywhere you look - Mountains.

The National capitol.

Jodie and the kids hanging out in front of the Presidential Palace fence.

The oldest church in Bogota.

Here is the Presidential Palace. We were not invited in.

The Archbishop's Palace.

This is a boys' school on the square.

The Palace of Justice

Juan Carlos was our guide for the day. He is our age, and has tons of knowledge.

Posing in front of a "chiva," which is a traditional Colombian bus used to transport people and goods. We have also heard them referred to as party buses.

The building behind us is where the beginning of Colombia occurred. This is where it started.

Profile of Dana Valentina McCoy

Name: Dana Valentina McCoy

Age: 6 months tomorrow

Approximate Weight: Closing in on 16 pounds

Hair Color: Brown

Length of Hair: Too short to measure:)

Eye Color: Brown/Gray?

Distinguishing Features: Doll-face (we've actually had a few people ask us if she was a doll or if she is real), lots of chub everywhere, Elf ears, a smile that lights up the whole room, twinkles in her eyes when she smiles, cheese curds that grow under her chin because no air can get in there, beautiful skin

Nicknames: Day-Day, Day-Nut

Her Biggest Fan: Andy, aka Bro-Bro. He calls her the "Sweetest Princess" and says when they grow up they are going to live together.

Things Dana Likes: Her big brother, taking a bath, getting her diaper changed, people speaking to her in Spanish, getting lots of attention, chewing on everything: fingers, toes, clothes, etc.

Things She Doesn't Like: Putting her arms into sleeves, sitting in a stroller, not getting her beauty sleep, gas bubbles

Personality: Very active, sweet, extremely smiley and usually happy. She loves people and will smile at anyone. She greets each day with a beautiful smile, and has never yet gotten up in the morning all grumpy. Believe it or not , you have seen many pictures of her smiling, but she does have a dark side though. When Dana is not happy, she cries/screams like you wouldn't believe. She has a bit of a temper. (See picture below) We laugh about how she can be smiling one second and the next crying. This could become interesting when she is a teenager:) I know this detail about our princess is hard to believe.

What we think about Dana: We are certain that Dana came to us straight from heaven. When my dad passed away last year, he was asked by the priest to give all of his suffering up to something. One of the things he chose was our Colombian baby. She was on his mind a lot the days leading up to his passing. We really believe that my dad was watching over Dana before we came here to get her and still is today. That's probably why she seems a little spoiled:) She and Papa Dave will always have a special connection.

Dana is a blessing to us and our whole family. We think she is adorable and precious. She is our miracle.

Other Information:

Dana's foster mom gave us a little scrapbook about Dana, and I want to share just a few of the things that she said about Dana. It was written in Spanish and the translation wording is a bit awkward. On the first page it says, "Little person like your baby makes a gray and cold day warm and bright." This is so true about Dana. I don't know if Dana's foster mom knew that Dana means "bright as day." She also wrote, "Thanks to God, you arrived like an angel to my home. Now you are going to have a stable home around people who will love you a lot like we did. Little doll, you are privileged." I think we are the privileged ones to receive such a wonderful child into our family.

Dana pitching a fit.

Dana caught in the act of sucking on her toe.

Hope you have enjoyed this opportunity to get to know Dana a little bit better. We can't wait for everyone to meet her.

Back at Las Palmas

Hi everyone,

Well we made it home safe and sound on Tuesday night to Bogota. Our flight was smooth and on time, and the kids did well. Unfortunately Cecilia forgot to make arrangements to pick us up at the airport as we had talked about the day before, so we had to sit outside with the skycap for an hour until they got there. Not fun with two sleepy kids, a bunch of luggage, and chilly weather. Anyhow we were safe and just inconvenienced.

Yesterday we just hung out at the hotel and did laundry, and took lots of naps to get back on schedule. It was rainy and gloomy (something new) in Bogota, so a good day to stick around.

Today Andy and I had a guys day. After breakfast we went to the Santa Fe Mall, which is just a few years old and about a 15 minute drive from here. They have this awesome place called Divercity. (www.divercity.com.co) In there is approximately 45 different occupations and workplaces that kids can go to "work" in and earn some Divercity cash to buy a prize at the end.

When we got there, there was about 4 school groups lined up and about 400 kids in their matching uniforms. Pretty cool looking. Anyhow I thought that this is going to be fun, a giant American, and his little blond boy in this mass of kids under 10, and I was right! The first hour Andy was scared and didn't get out of my arms, and just about every kid pointed or asked me in Spanish "how tall are you?". Anyhow the kids were so cute, gentle, and pretty well behaved that I was impressed.

We had an English speaking guide take us around to all of the worksites and explain what they were, and he even volunteered to take Andy with him, as adults aren't allowed in. Andy refused and we let him go back to his other duties. Anyhow we sat in the middle and watched all of the fun being had by all the others and Andy finally made up his mind that he wanted to try the Chocolate Factory. Great! We were off. I knew if he tried one that he would like it, and sure enough, he had a good time. Most of his group at the first stop were in 6th grade and could speak a little English and took Andy under their wing. He had a good time and wanted to do the next one which was the Alpina milk factory. Another hit. His third stop was the Pasta factory. I think he was hungry, as all three of these gave out a sample of the food. So Andy got a little chocolate bar, yogurt, and a small plate of mac-n-cheese.

Each area is sponsored by a company, and of course it is great marketing to the kids and their parents waiting outside. There was a Coke bottling factory, Cheetos bus, Banc of Colombia Bank, local TV station sponsored the TV station, vet clinic, hair clinic, etc.... It is in two stories, and about the size of a small department store. Very large and could easily handle 500+ kids at a time.

Andy's last stop and his favorite was being a Pilot on an Avianca jet. They had a small jet cut in half and built into the wall. Unfortunately I wasn't able to see inside to take a picture, but Andy got to dress in a captain suit, and they have a flight similator computer for the kids to take a practice flight. We bought the picture that they took as a souveneir, and Andy looks so handsome in his suit and hat. Jodie is hoping that he becomes a pilot in the future so we can fly for a discount in retirement! Good thinking.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of days. Enjoy

A new family at Las Palmas from Belgium. Pedro was adopted last week and he is 7. His older sister is 10 and also adopted from Colombia. It is amazing how they have bonded already! Here they invited Andy to join in on their painting.

Dana started rolling over. When we first got her, her foster mother said that she had rolled over several times. We haven't seen it until today. Anyhow we are off to the races now and have to keep her well away from the edge of the bed during tummy time.

Andy enjoying a spin on the Cheeto's bus. He rode this twice around Divercity.

Andy waiting in line for the Cheetos bus. You can see some of the uniforms for the different schools. The kids were adorable.

Andy at the Pasta factory, learing about cooking Mac-n-Cheese, like he couldn't make that in his sleep.

Andy listening intently.

In the cholcolate factory with a chocolate machine (ficticious). There were a lot of levers, pulleys, handles to turn, etc. All this work for a chocolate bar and $3,000 Pesos at the end! Yahoo!!

Sorry about the glare. This is taken through glass walls. Andy is putting on his lab jacket.

Tuesday 6-17. Hanging out at the pool with his friend Sara.

Bathing beauties!

Andy is laying down the ground rules with Sara. ;)

Catching a little shade to cool off. It was a very hot last day.

Playing catch. They counted together, and it was pretty cute.

Andy and his posse. Sara is 2nd from Left. 1st is her cousin 12, and then Sara 8, and then her middle sister 14, and then her older sister 16. They just loved Andy and his blond hair. Andy was sitting on the edge of the kiddy pool, and they were all circled around him asking him questions in their basic English. Andy loved every second of it.

Our last night on Monday. We went to Piso 12 at the top of one of the buildings. It was pretty hot up there, and Andy was winding down for the day. Dana was still wide awake.

Last night photo. The sunset was pretty gorgeous, but it doesn't really show too well in the picture. We asked a nice family to take our picture, and it turns out that their daughter was with them and lives in Miami. Small world.

Happy Monday!

Well our time in Santa Marta is winding down. We have had a good time here for the most part. The resort is beautiful and the weather just great. Unfortunately both Andy and I have had a bad case of the flu for the last couple of days. Andy has been battling a little bronchitis as well as the flu. The Dr. prescribed an inhaler, and two other meds. I think today he is starting to feel much better. Same with me, I was hit hard by the flu and was in bed most of Saturday and Sunday with 102-103 temp! No better place to be sick than at a beautiful resort.

Now that we are out of the land of the living dead, we are gradually enjoying the pool again today. Luckily our flight isn't until 6:30 tomorrow night so we have a full day here at the hotel tomorrow as well. Just the luck of the draw I guess.

Our friends from Las Palmas Hotel were here until Thursday. Fleming/Stena and Anders, as well as Brian/Malena and Magnus, all had a good time, and we were glad to get to spend a couple of days with them here. On Saturday Allan/Sidsel and Johnathan came for their 10 day stay. They should give us a volume discount for all of us that come from Las Palmas! ;)

We heard from Cecilia today and she said that the court accepted our paperwork on June 6th, and that the Defender of Minors has a maximum of 10 days (today) to sign off on it and return to the court. We are assuming that it has or will be signed off on today. Once it is back to the court the judge has another maximum of 10 days to sign off on it. We have heard that the court that we are assigned to #20 takes advantage of the maximum times. So anyhow it is good to know that we may be able to come home in the next 2 weeks or so. We have really enjoyed Colombia so far, but are starting to get homesick. Anyhow keep those thoughts and prayers coming for a quick approval.

When we get back to Bogota, Cecilia is setting up an "official" tour of CRAN, so that we can see their facilities. We also want to visit the hospital (or take a picture of it since we won't be able to get in) that Dana was born at. We will probably arrange a tour or two as well to keep busy.

We hope that everyone is safe and sound back at home, and that the flooding issues haven't impacted your homes or lives. We feel so sorry for all of the people in Lake Delton and WI Dells that lost their homes, and Cedar Rapids, IA that are flooded out.

Here are some random pictures:



Andy and Dana chilling in the room after the pool this morning. 6-16


Lots of room in the suite. 6-16

Dana loves the water and splashes all the time. Her legs are always going in there too. Action photo. 6-16

Hanging out at the kiddie pool where all the action is. 6-16

Dana likes Johnathan's floaty. 6-15

Fathers Day: "Daddy's little princess" outfit. I am so blessed to have a great family! 6-15

The Iguana came out of the bushes to get a drink in the kids pool. He was about 3 feet from head to tail, and a very beautiful verde (green). 6-16

Andy pushing Dana around the pool the other day. 6-15

Allan and Sidsel with Johnathan enjoying the pool. 6-15

Dana with her nice outfit on the other day. Jodie always has her dressed up like a little doll. She loves it. 6-12

Andy and Dana last Wednesday hanging out. 6-12

Andy misses his buddies Brian and Fleming. He plays pool with them back at Las Palmas and had fun in the pool here for a couple of days. They are so good to him and Andy is the big brother to all of the babies at Las Palmas. 6-14

Last Wednesday night at the bar. We had a celebratory drink before dinner. All of the locals loved seeing the babies. 6-13

Greetings from Santa Marta

Hi Everyone,

We are enjoying our time here at Irotama Resort in Santa Marta on the Mar Caribe (Carribbean). We arrived on Tuesday and got settled into our suite. Two of the Danish families from Las Palmas have been here for a few days prior and are leaving today. Another couple may be coming this weekend, so that is nice to have company here. When we first arrived on Tuesday it was the last day of the slow season, so we practically had the resort to ourselves. Yesterday was a different story. There is some sort of "Convencion" here for older kids, High School and College. We can't figure out what it is about, but there are lots of people here for it and they have lots of activities going on around the resort. Unfortunately they set up a outdoor ampitheater for concerts on the beach just down from our room. The concerts started at about 9 p.m. and went until 1 a.m. I'm sure the music could be heard into International waters 12 miles offshore by passing ships! Luckily Andy and Dana slept right through it, as did Jodie, but I got to enjoy it from my bed. ;)

Andy and Dana hanging out on the bed. She loves looking at him, and Andy is so good to her as well. He calls her "Dana sweets".

Here is the view as Andy and I are typing right now on the patio. The view is great.

This is the view from our side door to the beach.



Our casa for the week. The suite is fairly new and it is about the size of an Embassy Suites room. It is perfect for our family size and Jodie and I are able to relax on the patio while the kids are napping.

Dana enjoying her stroller after a good bottle. All rolls and smiles!

Dana loves the water just like Andy. She loves to splash and kick in it.

Andy showing Anders (pr. Anuuus in Danish) the fine points of hanging out in the water. Anders turns one on Friday. Fleming is his Dad. They are leaving today and Andy will be sad to see them go.

On Tuesday night we went to the restaurant that is on the 12th floor on the top of one of the hotels towers for dinner. It was on the roof and open air. Dana had her bottle and fell asleep. She seems pretty comfortable doesn't she?

Andy developed a cold on Sunday and hasn't been able to beat it yet. Jodie just took him to the Dr. this morning here at the hotel, and he said no pool today, so Andy is bummed about that. The weather is great, in the 80's-90's and not a cloud in the sky. It is very humid here so you sweat no matter what you are doing!

Hang in there back in WI. We heard that there is much flooding and rain, and we are praying that everyone is safe and sound and no damage to your homes.