HAPPY KIDS

SORRY, SORRY, SORRY...we've been having so much fun with Tradd and Sophia that we haven't taken the time to update the BLOG.

These past two weeks have been a ball. First of all, we have to talk about Tradd. When we first picked him up from his foster mother he didn't seem to enthused. We have had a wonderful time watching this sweet little boy's personality come out. Tradd now smiles and laughs all the time. He connects with his eyes and he studies everyone. He doesn't give an immediate smile when he meets someone because he likes to study the person first. He loves to play with toys and be the center of attention.

Sophia is just a spark plug. She laughs, giggles, and smiles at everyone. she came to us ready to play. We didn't see any anxiety at all as to the changes in her life. She loves her family and her toys. She looks so cute no matter how we dress her. I keep having to remind the girls that she isn't a teenager when they say she is dressed to much like a baby. Her hair is amazing. Darla usually puts a pony tail on the top of her head so she looks like Pebbles from the Flintstones. We have to give her a morning bath so that we can get allllllll that hair to behave.

Both kids love Murphy our Labradoodle. He licks their hands and ears and they love his gentleness. This was a concern for us since Murphy is so big. Both kids seem to know that Darla is mommy and Todd is Daddy. Everyone takes care of them but they seem to know that we old folks are the bosses. We can't wait to see how they grow and change.

Embassy Day

We just got back from the Embassy. We were there from 8am until 11:15am. It was very hot but organized. There were hundreds of people there. The Guatemalan people who were there for something at the Embassy formed long lines outside. We only had to wait outside for 15 minutes. We paid all the fees first and then waited most of the time on our first interview. The interview was very short, mostly verifying the adoption information and our previous travel information. Because we had traveled to visit the kids they will both become American citizens when we land in Houston. The special visa we are given because of the visit trip will allow us to re-adopt much easier.

After the first interview we waited for about 40 more minutes for the second interview. It was easy and there were no problems. The kids did well but it was very hot and we were all very glad to get back to the Marriott. Our lawyers asistant will pick up the Visa tomorrow and bring it to us at 4pm. We will the be clear to travel at 6am on Thursday.

WE HAVE THEM

Today, we flew to Guatemala City and picked up Tradd and Sophia. The foster mothers brought them to us between 4pm and 5pm Guatemala time. We are 2 hours behind the east coast. Tradd and Sophia are beautiful. The have both changed a great deal since our January visit. Tradd is stronger and more active. Sophia is just ready to take on the world. She is 2 months younger that Tradd but she is going to give him a big challenge. We are all exhausted and are starting now to try and adjust them to what there routines will be back home. I hope you all enjoy the pictures.

THE PICK UP TRIP

We are headed to Guatemala for the best trip yet. On Sunday, April 6th we will fly to Guatemala City to finalize the adoption of Tradd and Sophia Mercer. We have an appointment at the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday morning to finalize the immigration paper work for both kids. The Embassy will prepare the Visas and we will pick them up on Wednesday at 3:30PM. If all goes well we will fly back to Richmond on Thursday. We are due to arrive at Richmond International airport at 4:20PM. We thank you all for all the prayers that have been lifted up on behalf of Tradd and Sophia and our family.

The Bottle Dance

This was an amazing dance. The four teenage boys actually performed this with glass bottles balanced on their heads. Their was no Velcro super glue...Just pure talent! DAVIS IS THE SECOND DANCER FROM THE RIGHT.

Fiddler On the Roof

Our kids hit the stage again the past few weeks performing in the acclaimed show "Fiddler on the Roof". The play centers around a Jewish family in Russia trying to survive under the tyrannical rule of a czar. The family is led by the father Tevia who struggles with his five daughters growing up and rebelling against his traditions. The show was filled with awesome music and a wonderful script.

Kaylin was Chava, the daughter of Tevia who turns against her faith to marry a Russian soldier. She sang beautifully in all of her solos but especially in the song match maker. Makenzie played Spritzha another one of Tevia's daughters. As always she did an awesome job. I especially loved seeing Makenzie and Kaylin playing opposite each other. At one point during Match Maker, Kaylin and Makenzie dance together. Every time I saw Kaylin and Makenzie dance together I couldn't help but remember the times as little girls that they danced and sang together as they made up plays. (By the way I am sure I spelled the daughters names wrong but my daughters aren't here to correct me).

Davis played a Jewish Papa and a Russian soldier. He was a featured male dancer. I am amazed at the stunts he can do. He gave us all a scare when at one point in the wedding scene he was doing a huge move across the stage when his toe barely grabbed the stage as he hovered over the orchestra pit. Needless to say the musicians in the pit were a little concerned. One of the highlights was Davis and three other teen males performed the bottle dance. They performed the exact dance with glass bottles on their heads that was created for Fiddler on the Roof as it was performed on the Broadway stage. It was an amazing success. I hope you enjoy these pictures.

Tradd at the doctor

Tradd went to the doctor last week and they sent us a few pictures. Hope you enjoy seeing our little boy sitting up for the first time.

ONE BIG STEP CLOSER

Dear friends and family,
We are overjoyed to announce that Tradd and Sophia have made it out of the PGN process. The PGN process, as we understand it, is where the Guatemalan government reviews every document in the adoption file. They also check all the information on the Guatemalan side for truthfulness and legalities. This process has proven a nightmare for many families trying to adopt from Guatemala. We want to thank each of you for your prayers. We believe that God worked a miracle and allowed Tradd and Sophia to be in this process for only a few days.

We have been notified to be ready to travel in the next four to six weeks. From this point, our lawyer in Guatemala will get the final signatures from the birth mothers and then apply for new birth certificates with our name as the new last name of both kids. The birth certificates will then be turned in to the U.S. Embassy and passport's and visa's will be issued. The U.S. Embassy will also have a blood test taken from each of the kids so that a final DNA test can be performed to match to the original DNA test taken when the adoptions began. This test proves that Tradd and Sophia are the same two children. When these test results are finalized, we will be issued an embassy date where we will take the kids to the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala and finalize the paperwork. We will then bring the kids to their forever home.

Needless to say things are picking up speed here in Virginia. We have purchased two cribs but that is it! We started going to yard sales this weekend. We have two very empty rooms so needless to say we will be spending some time at Babies R US.

We covet your prayers at this time. Our life is pretty crazy the next few weeks with our kids opening in "Fiddler on the Roof" on Friday and Davis also in rehearsal for "Peter Pan", which by the way, looks like it will be Tradd and Sophia's first live theatre show to see. It looks like Tradd and Sophia will come into a very busy home but a home that is ready to place everything on hold to make their forever home a wonderful place to be.

Tradd and Sophia

We just received new pictures from Guatemala last night. It is amazing how both kids have grown since we were there last month. Hopefully soon we won't have to just look at pictures that someone else took..

New Short Video of Sophia

New Short Video of Tradd

Since Being Home

We've been home a while now but things definitely haven't slowed down.

All three kids are in the middle of rehearsals for "Fiddler on the Roof". They work Friday nights and all day on Saturday. Kaylin and Makenzie are leads as sisters and Davis is a variety of characters. He will wear many differnt "hats" as he switches between being a Jewish papa and also a Russian soldier. We can't wait to see how he pulls off a dance while balancing a bottle on his head. Kaylin's role this time is perfect for her skills. The role of Chava is very dramatic and there is no doubt that she was cast in this role because she acts so well. She has the amazing ability to pull the audience into her so that they truly feel her emotions. Makenzie is the second from the youngest sister. She has had a lot of fun with this role. Most people don't know Makenzies true personality. She is very much like her mother except in public. At home she keeps us all laughing. From what I hear she has mastered the art of making the other sisters laugh while not cracking a smile.

The kids will perform this show during the first two weekends in March. At the same time Davis will begin rehearsing for his first professional show. Davis will be the lead Lost Boy in "Peter Pan" at Theatre IV. He is very excited. We were especially pleased that the director said that they were very impressed with his character. We know we are!

I am not updating the BLOG as often since we returned from Guatemala because I really don't have any new information to share. Our case is tied up in all the new laws going in to place in Guatemala. We hope that this week we will enter PGN. This is our last big hurdle. PGN is the authority in Guatemala that oversee's adoptions and makes sure that your paperwork and the children's paperwork all jive.

Our lives have been taken over by a yahoo group for our adoption agency. I would venture that Darla looks at the email about a hundred times a day just hoping to get a glimpse of what is happening in Guatemala. Darla spends a lot of time encouraging and being encouraged by other ladies going through the same struggles that we are facing with the adoptions.

Todd has kept busy with Chick-fil-A. We ran a special promotion back in November that rewarded our customers with a special receipt to receive identical orders free in January. During January we gave away over $90,000 in free food. Our customers loved it and many expressed how our "operation blessing" had truly blessed their entire family during the month. I know we created a bunch of raving fans and we look forward to see what the rest of the year will bring.

I am posting our final picture of the family from Guatemala. We hope you enjoy it.

Todd and Darla

COMING HOME

For those of you wondering are the Mercer's still coming home by flying standby. The answer is NO!!!! We purchased tickets from Guatemala City to Washington D.C. via Miami on American Airlines. Please pray all the reservations that I had to make over the internet work out. We should land in Washington around 11:30PM Friday and Granddaddy and Grandmother will be picking us up from Dulles for the final trip home. Pray for the kids because they have CYT at 10:00am Saturday and they have to be there. Also pray for us all because we are not siting together. I had to take whatever seats I could get. We are all within 6 or seven rows all in the middle seats.

I just wanted to take a moment to talk about the past few days. We have had a wonderful time. We have been blessed and challanged far more than we ever expected. When I was sitting in San Pedro Sulah, Honduras, I couldn't help but wonder what had I done to my family. Had I put their lives in Jeopardy. When I watched the silent tears fall down my child's face because of the unknown I couldn't help but doubt my decisions.

Later, as the pilot announced about the earthquake in Guatemala, that same child said, "well that's why we went through all of this, so we wouldn't be on the ground when the earthquake hit". The faith of a child. That same Child also said, "one day they'll know how much we love them because of all we went through just to hold them". I have repeatedly thanked God for bringing us through this adventure and for strengthening all of our faith and showing us that our true faith grows stronger through the trial.

Family Time Pictures from Guatemala

Family Time

For the past several days we have spent a lot of family time. On Monday all seven of us took a walking trip to the Antigua Market. Stores in Antigua are vey small so many of the items that are needed for your everyday living will be bought from the market. The market resembles an American flea market. You could buy anything you might need from the market. Darla and I used the back pack baby carriers and the older kids helped carry Tradd when he got tired of the market.

Antigua is well known for Handicrafts from all over Guatemala. We spent most of our time in the touristy area called the Handicraft market. If it was made by hand in Guatemala then you could find it in the handicraft market. We all had a great time shopping. We were able to purchase wall hangings for both Tradd and Sophia's rooms and a few other keep sakes.

On Tuesday, the older kids and I spent an hour at the pool reading and talking. Makenzie actually jumped in. They say the pool is heated but it made my heart jump when I got in. We could only stay in the sun an hour before we all started to burn. It was only seventy degrees but the sun was intense. Davis, Kaylin and I went back to the market to pick up some items and went to the dispensory (grocery store). The store is about the size of a shoe store at the mall.

Wednesday, started off with Makenzie running a 100.4 temperature and Kaylin not feeling great. As of this writing they are both feeling better and Makenzie's fever is gone. We will spend the rest of the day playing games and starting to pack. We are planning to repack everything and just use one overnight bag for the final night in Guatemala City.

Todd

Just a quick update

Hey Everyone,

We haven't prepared a real BLOG entry but wanted to share some more pictures of our adventures. We are all doing well and having a wonderful time with Tradd and Sophia. They act like they have known us forever. Notice Tradd's long eyelashes. The funny thing about the kids picture is that Makenzie isn't holding a baby. She has barely put them down since she saw them. I will work on more updates as soon as I get some time. Got to go to dinner now. Todd

More pictures

Here are some more pictures of Tradd and Sophia.

Guatemala Trip Day 3

DAY THREE

We got up and after feeding Tradd and Sophia we went to breakfast here at the resort. While exiting the restaurant they stopped us and said we had a phone call. The call was from the airport either in Honduras or Guatemala. They said our luggage had arrived. Unfortunately, we had to go pick it up. We called Maria and she sent a driver to take Todd and Davis to the airport. We took the 45 minute drive to the airport and then spent another 30 minutes going from security checkpoint to waiting lines to finally the Delta ticket counter. The Delta agents looked up the luggage numbers and said the luggage was not here. Uugh!! They then put us together with a Taca airlines rep and he said the luggage was not there either. I was frustrated. The Delta agent asked if I wanted to go downstairs and look to see for myself. I told her I new I couldn’t explain to Darla if I didn’t go. Davis and I went through a checkpoint and had to turn our passports in for a badge. Needless to say being in a foreign country and turning in your passport was an uneasy feeling. We continued past the customs area and turned the corner and all eight bags were sitting right there. We were both very excited to say the least! We headed back to the resort and everyone celebrated as we looked through the luggage to see that everything seemed to be there. The rest of the day was spent playing with the kids and caring for their needs.

Guatemala Trip Day 2

DAY TWO:

We were all hopeful for a new start to our trip. I didn’t feel like I could take another day like day one. We showered, ate breakfast and spent some time with other families who were at the hotel waiting to go to the Embassy to finalize their adoptions.

Day one’s problems disappeared when Sophia and her foster mother came into the hotel. Everyone was so happy and our hearts filled with joy at the sight of our daughter. Our Guatemalan contact who works with Celebrate Children International, Sonia, met us and did the interpretation as well as worked through a sheet of questions to help us take care of Sophia. Thirty minutes later little Tradd showed up and again our hearts jumped for joy. We went through the whole process again with Tradd’s foster mother.

Tradd and Sophia are both precious. Sophia has a head full of hair. She is so little and smiles easily. Tradd is going to be a character. He is small, but full of personality. He coos and cackles all the time. His eyes are more amazing than in pictures.

We spent a couple more hours at the hotel before our driver Maria showed up and we loaded up for our trip to Antigua. Maria is very kind and even took us to an incredible store to pick up some essentials to help us get by because our luggage had still not arrived. The store was probably half the size of a state side WalMart but still had all the items like WalMart and had twice as many customers than a WalMart at Christmas. The shopping was quite an experience.

We arrived at the resort Villa Antigua. The resort is quite nice with incredible food and the people here are delightful.

The Journey Begins

DAY ONE

The day started out early about 2:45AM. We headed to the airport with help from Grandmother and Grandaddy Davis. We boarded a DELTA jet for our adventure. Little did we know what lay ahead? Upon arriving in Atlanta we learned that the flight we were traveling on to Guatemala City, which had shown on the internet to have plenty of seats, was actually oversold. We started making contingency plans but none seemed to work. We got assistance from the DELTA ticketing staff which gave us about thirty-seconds to make a decision. We decided to fly to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where we would then buy tickets from an airline named TACA. This seemed like a good idea at first. The Delta staff said “go for it” there are plenty of seats on the TACA flight to Guatemala.

Upon arriving in San Pedro, we knew we were in trouble when we were landing and all we could see were pineapple fields and a very small concrete building for an airport. We deplaned and waited for our luggage….and waited…and then waited for a DELTA employee for help. We filled out the proper paperwork, which was pretty hard since the DELTA staff helping us barely spoke English. Next we had to go through customs and go outside…yes outside…to purchase tickets from TACA airlines. To our surprise all jets flying directly to Guatemala were grounded because of the fog and rain. We were able to get five tickets to Guatemala via El Salvador…Call us world travelers. Did you know when you travel through a country you have to pay taxes…we didn’t expect this just to buy tickets for a new flight but Honduras charged us $160 in cash only. Needless to say we were a little overwhelmed at this point. We were finally able to board a plane to El Salvador which went well. We went to the Duty free shop and everybody sprayed cologne on because we new we would be in the same clothes another day and Darla bought her and the girls a little make-up for the next day. We changed gates and boarded the second TACA flight.

As we began our descent the landing gear came down, then suddenly the plane took off back up into the sky. It seams that a 5.2 earthquake had just hit Guatemala and we couldn’t land until all the runways and structures had been checked. We finally landed and entered the airport, went through customs, which wasn’t hard because we only had our carry on luggage. You know when your friends tell you to pack an extra change of clothes in your carry on luggage, my advice is to do it because only two of us (of course our world travelers Davis and Kaylin) had a change of clothes.

We caught the shuttle for our hotel and checked into the Radisson which is very nice. Unfortunately they had our reservation wrong and the only room left for us had two double beds. Davis and Todd slept in one bed and Darla, Kaylin and Makenzie slept in the other bed. Needless to say the girls were uncomfortable and we were all cold due to the plummeting temperatures that night and no heat because you normally don’t need heat in Guatemala.


The first day ended with all of us stressed but hopeful for what the next day would bring.

Visit Travel Plans

Hey everyone,

We just wanted to let you know that we will be traveling to Guatemala City on January 4th. During this time we will meet Tradd and Sophia for the first time. Thanks Brenda Mathews for helping us out with Delta Buddy passes. On January 5th, all seven of us will travel to the city of Antigua where we will stay for almost a week. We hope to have a wonderful time as a family getting to know each other. We also plan to take lots of pictures and video and spend some wonderful family time together. Please check back between the 5th and the 11th to see updated pictures and to see what we are doing in Antigua.