Papi

I have loved having this transition time to watch Ariel and Josiah spend so much time together. Ariel is such a good dad to him, sometimes I just smile while I secretly watch them. Ariel has done great with his steep learning curve, meeting him and getting to know all his tricks and likes/dislikes after 6 weeks, but now it seems as if they were never apart. What a blessing it is to be together, to have each other as we raise this little guy.

Our family has truly learned the importance of waiting in God (versus waiting on God) and how just leaning on Him when we don't understand why things happen is the key to getting through hard things. It doesn't always make it easier or let us understand it...I don't think I'll ever understand why we have gone though some of the things we have, but I guess that's not important. If I was supposed to understand, I would. But in the end, we love each other more, hold each other a little more tightly, are a bit more patient with each other, and thank our God every day that we are together.

Multnomah Falls

We did some exploring around town, in and out of shops, and a trip to Multnomah Falls. It was COLD there, especially on the bridge, but we made it up! It was fun to feel that cold again with all the wind biting our noses and ears. We hustled back down and into the warmth of the car, but had a fun time seeing it all!

Back in Oregon

Josiah is doing well back in Oregon, just wondering what happened to all that noise he was starting to get used to! No more motorcycles or trucks or chickens to wake him up...now we are in the land of quiet! We have all enjoyed the cool weather, going on walks and being outside on the nice days has been a good change.

Meeting

We were met at the airport by family at midnight and headed home. All the family came over the next day to meet Ariel and I'm sure these days have just been a blur (that's why that picture made it in). He is taking all in stride and doing great, despite all the many changes he has faced!

To the U.S.

With all the snow that New York got, our flight on Thursday was cancelled. We re-booked it for Friday, still unsure that flights would be able to get through, but were willing to give it a chance. After a lot of hard good-byes and moving out of our apartment, we were officially on our way to the United States. It was an exciting flight with Ariel and Josiah and we did lots of talking and playing the whole way! Ariel got to touch the snow in New York as we had a layover for awhile. I think he was thankful he had his coat ready as it was pretty cold out! It was surreal to me as I have thought about this moment for so long. I know it is hard for him, he had to leave his fantastic job, his family, friends, church, language...everything. But we know and trust that God has opened this door for us and are looking forward to all that is ahead.

Beach, round 2

So after a failed trip to the beach with friends, we decided to give it another try. We went to a quite beach this time and Josiah did great! He got his little feet wet in the ocean and we got to spend lots of time with Ariel's family.

We ended the day with a dinner at one of our favorite little restaurants, Mr. Lunch. Lots of hamburgers and french fries for everyone!

Last days

We did a lot of visiting in our last days. We were at the neighbors, with family, eating lots of great things (and no, I didn't eat all that rice). It was a nice time to get to visit with everyone and be with them in our last days. Josiah loved the neighbors parrot and was talking and smiling at him!

Trip to La Isabela

Our last Saturday in the DR we took a trip with friends to La Isabela. It was meant to be a day to spend time with everyone, but turned out to be a time with Josiah! When we got to the beach, the music was crazy loud and there were so many people that the little guy couldn't sleep. Ariel and I had to drive further down the beach to find a quiet spot so the poor baby could sleep a bit as he hadn't slept all day. We got back in time to see everyone packing up their things as we got back in the cars to head home. Oh well, that's life with a baby I guess!

Happy Birthday, Ariel!

For Ariel's birthday, we had a BBQ on our roof! He seasoned the meat early in the day and by evening it was ready for grilling. We were able to share wth lots of friends and family, especially as it was our last week in the DR.

Instead of a birthday cake, I made a cake out of his favorite cookies-coconetas. They are made from coconut and molasses and very Dominican!

Cousins

I saw Josiah's cousins, Saul and Joel, with their Converse on one day and knew I had to get a picture of all of them with their shoes on! Josiah has his own little pair of red shoes and the boys loved it!

Thumb sucker

Josiah has discovered he likes to suck his hands/fingers/wrists and sometimes manages to get the whole hand in! He always brings up his other hand to help...it's a hard thing sucking fingers!

Moving out

I would've taken two trips, or perhaps three...but then again, I'm not quite Dominican enough!

Date night

Ariel and I brought back our date night with a fantastic dinner at Al Porto, one of our favorite restaurants. We got there early enough for sunset and photos and then had a nice dinner while the baby slept! We wrapped him all up so the mosquitos wouldn't get him and ended up spending 1.5 hours just talking and enjoying our time while he snoozed!

Cabarete dinner

My mom left and Ariel and I began our preparations for heading to the U.S. One of our priorities was spending as much time with family as possible. We had a lot of meals and going out time, trying to soak it all in!

Sea Horse Ranch

We were able to take a night to have dinner at Sea Horse Ranch. This place is special to us because Ariel took me on our first date there, we got engaged there...and then married there! It was an awesome night as we sat overlooking the ocean. Josiah slept in a chair and listened to the crickets and ocean while we ate an awesome dinner.

Baby dedication

It was special to be able to dedicate our baby while in the Domincan Republic, surrounded by our church family. We chose Alberto and Lydia to be the godparents of Josiah because of how special they have been in our lives. They are like parents to me and have been crucial in my growth, care, and guidance in the DR-especially starting out. I lived with them for about 3 months and learned so much about humility, service, prayer, and values. During the presentation, Josiah didn't take his eyes off of Alberto, it was really sweet. We know that this doesn't make Josiah a Christian, but we promise to raise him in God's way, to follow after Him, and to continue to make Him the center of our family.

Together as three

Words don't do justice to how nice it is to be together. Those first weeks that we had apart thankfully are now a gone and we continue to cherish our time together. It is so fun to be parents to little Josiah, to have the support of each other, and to learn about our baby with each other. My mom took these photos while we were at the hotel to take advantage of the great backdrops and settings.

Changes

Josiah had a lot of changes in a few short weeks, but did so well with all of them. He went from snow to sun, English to Spanish, quiet to noisy, grandma to daddy...and the list goes on. He's such a good baby though and came through it all like a champ!

Visting

My mom and I stayed at the hotel while Ariel went to work, but he was able to come and visit us on his lunchbreak, hence the shirt and tie while we're in bathing suits. It was such a nice time!

Baby

Josiah liked the beds on the beach the best.

Hotel time

Before we left, I got sent an offer for an allinclusive hotel in the DR. It was for $20/person a day for what normally is over $100/person a day. My dad booked us in and we were able to relax and enjoy the beach and sun and rest up!

Family

New Years

We celebrated New Year's Eve at church with the whole group