Update and Divercity

UPDATE:  We wanted to let you know that our representative's assistant called and said that she has talked with the casa and we were assigned a court that is "average" in speed, not fast, but thankfully not slow.  She said that she expects our papers to be there 4-5 weeks and then we will get Sentencia.  As of Friday 3/21 they will have been there 3 weeks.  So we expect 1-2 more weeks and then once we have Sentencia (where the judge declares we are A's new family and signs off on the adoption) we will have 1 week of getting her an appt at the US embassy, an MD visit, getting her visa etc.   So we are thinking we will be here at least another 3 weeks or so.  While we are hopeful for this we know that anything can change at any time!! :-)

Wednesday was a low key day of getting more work and homework done.  Our friends the Thompsons who are here on vacation are leaving for Villa De Leyva today so we said goodbye this morning!! It was fun getting to know them and we will have to get together once we are home being they live so close!  We ate lunch at our hotel as we had bought some bread and peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches.  We had been craving this and had some fruit and yogurt also.  We then headed out for a walk and stopped by Mcdonalds for ice cream and to play in the play land.  The boys enjoyed playing together all afternoon.  We enjoy days where we don't have a lot going on!

Thursday we called a cab and headed to Divercity.  It has come very highly recommended by several of our friends who have been here.  It is literally set up as an entire city built for kids.  We could have spent all day there.  You enter and visit the bank to get a credit card that has a little money on it to spend.  There are like 40 different occupational things to choose to learn about.  Each station takes 10-20 minutes (except mining which takes 45 minutes) and only kids are allowed to enter.  While parents sit on park benches to wait for their kids (we heard that there is an adult daycare to go to with coffee and massage chairs but we wanted to witness this place), there are miniature firetrucks with kids dressed in full gear, a city bus driving with passengers, and even an ambulance with the doctor dressed in full gear going by.   The place is 2 stories high and surrounded by a road with store fronts for different occupations and feels like a city that you walk through with a fountain and a park in the middle.  Isaac enjoyed the grocery store,  going mining and looking for various minerals, learning about being a veterinarian (which had live animals--dogs, birds, fish), the airline pilot school, the gym (which had miniature cycle bikes and wii games with soccer and dancing), the car dealership, rock climbing, working as an MD at the hospital (the surgical suite even had a kid size scrub sink), and the space station. He even had to get his own drivers license to drive the cars.  Everything was very realistic including the gas pumps, dental chair, Operating room, everything was kid sized etc.  It is just so hard to describe.  What an amazing place!!    The kids would earn money at places to work and have to spend money at places like the grocery store, and the gym.  If the kids have enough $ at the end they can go to Pepe Ganga and pick out a prize to bring home.  Isaac was a bit short on $ so he wanted to give it to a little girl that was there.  She was very excited!!  Isaac was so excited that he had his own credit card!! We spent the majority of the morning and early afternoon there.  We went during the week as it was a lot less busy.  It was located inside the mall so we were able to have lunch here and do a little shopping before heading back to our hotel.  It was AMAZING and Jeff and I just kept saying that we need something like this in MN.   We made sure to tell our friends at the hotel about it so they can bring their kids.  I was very blown away by how this is set up and run and how much fun Isaac had and how much he learned.  WOW!!!  What an absolutely amazing place!

We had a pizza buffet for dinner tonight and the kids played for hours while all the adults visited.  Such a great way to end a great day!!  Our friends the Bosleys have been working on their paper work after sentencia and will be heading back to New Orleans on Saturday am at 4:30.  We are really going to miss them and Isaac is going to really miss having the boys here.

Here are some more pictures for you!!

His first real credit card!! 

Learning about caring for animals

A drivers license?? Watch out!! :-)

Isaac MD

Spin class!!

Full size airplane with pilot school

The city bus

view of the OR

Pizza Buffet!! 

Our friends Joe, Sebastian, Sofia, and Lisa Thompson...they are here visiting on vacation.  Kids were adopted from here in 2001 and 2004!

Our friends the Bosleys, they have sentencia and will be heading home to New Orleans on Saturday am.  Angel, Raphael, Hernando, Colleen and Jason.  Isaac will really miss these boys!!  Love them all!

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. (Proverbs 17:22 NLT)