Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!! It has been a while since the last update but here goes. We got through Amber's big wedding and the next thing you knew it was Christmas day!! Where has this year gone?? I'm sure you all are asking that questions as well. We had a very blessed Christmas. Sam loved every minute of it, such a little ham! Max got a Nintendo DS and that is all he has done since!! He loved spending time with his cousins and is now enjoying some time with Grandi and Papa. I am posting these pics although I took none of them. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Mary, I have some photos of our Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am the worst when it comes to picture taking!! Happy New Year to everyone and may God truly bless you in 2009!!

Well, we celebrated a wonderful weekend with Carey and Amber Scott!! That sounds funny but Amber Dee is now Amber Dee Ezell Scott! Her wedding was marvelous and it was a great weekend. Max was and usher and did such a good job (even if he didn't want to wear the monkey suit!!) Sam was so good; he slept through dinner and woke up just in time to get out on the dance floor. We'll have to see if we have any video clips of that!! It was so good to see all of the family that could make it!! Love to everyone and we'll catch up more later!!

It was a great Thanksgiving at Aunt Becky's and we have so much to be thankful for. Sam is home and we are now a family of 4! That is just amazing. We have celebrated his first birthday, his first Thanksgiving and soon to be his first Christmas! There is an old hymn that says, "It is no secret, what God can do..." I want everyone to know that it was a miracle from God that brought Sam to us and that God will carry us the rest of the way through the journey!! We pray you had a blessed Thanksgiving as well and that you can enjoy this holiday season by celebrating Jesus, our Savior and Friend!! Love to all!!!

Johnny Jump

I know I am a day late but...what can you do?!? Sam turned 1 yesterday!!!! We had a very busy and didn't get to have a real party but we have pretty much been partying since he came home! I baked some brownie cupcakes and Sam and I went to SCA to have lunch with big brother Max and his class. Everyone sang happy birthday to Sam. Of course, I forgot the camera, but we got some photos later! Sam loves the Happy Birthday song and the cupcake wasn't too bad either!
Max also had a big day. He had his first ever Little League Football Banquet! Even though it was at a super crowded Pizza Inn, the boys were in heaven!! Dave missed out on all the days festivities due to work but it turned out to be a good day. I am going to try and post some of the video we got of Sam and hope it works!! Love to all and I'll update more real soon!

Well, this is not how Sam looked at 1:00 AM!! He was having a fit! But after a bottle and some rocking, he settled back down and slept until 8:00. He has also been asleep since 10:00Am for the morning nap. Things are looking up!
We are trying to make Thanksgiving and Christmas plans. Sam's birthday is also next Thursday so we are trying to fit that in somewhere between Upward evaluations and Max's football banquet (I don't know if you call Pizza Inn a banquet really.....)! Anyway, it has been a wild ride but we are still hanging on! Love to all of you and say a prayer for us today!!!
Shannon

Well, we have had an eventful week. We celebrated Daddy's Halloween birthday and had a great time. Max was a soldier and Sam was a lion. Dave took Max out to trick-or-treat while we stayed home to hand out the candy. We made supper for daddy and everyone came over. It was a fun night. Sam wasn't too happy in his costume but he was really happy to get it off! It has been a good week! We had a baby shower given by our church on Sunday and that was so nice! We received lots of cool baby stuff and a lot of clothes!!! Sam should stay very well dressed!! Love to all of you and I'll update more soon!

Hey to all! I can't believe we have been home for almost 2 weeks. Seems like it has flown by. Between getting used to baby and Max having make-up work from school, we have been busy!! Sam is moving right along. Not much of a napper but he's happy as long as you pay him a little attention! He's over the cold and eats like a pig!! He loves music and dancing. He has learned patty cake and peek-a-boo!! Well, he may have already known them, just not in English!!!! Big brother Max has a football game tonight so this will be the first time Sam gets to go! He certainly seems interested when it is on TV!! Well, I hope to have more pics soon so keep checking in!!
Shannon

Sam is finally feeling better today! We went to the doctor for a physical and everything was fine. Sam is growing well and the doc said he looked great!! He spent the night with Grandi for the first time so that Max could take me and Dave to the Fall Festival at FBNS. The festival was fun, but I bet Grandi had more fun!! I called her at 10:00 and they were still playing with Sam. So much for bedtime! Oh well, maybe he's still on Guatemalan time and is 2 hours behind! What a joy he has been; an adjustment, yes, but a great one. Max is having a ball being a big brother and he is a great big brother!!! Oh well, I am going to bed to get some much needed sleep. Big wedding this weekend!! Congratulations to Ashley and Isaac!!!

Well, Sam and I are sitting here typing this update to you. He has had an eventful 4 days in the states. We have visited family, gone to church and visited Max's class at school. He also had a little baby cold, I guess it is the SC air. He had a rough day yesterday but today he is feeling better. He is eating very well and playing with some new toys. Love to all and have a great Tuesday!

Well, we are home...finally!! It has been a really busy day but Sam has managed it well. From cheek pinchers to nap time we have survived. I should be in the bed just like the boys but I wanted to update everyone. The flight back home was great. Sam slept and Max and Elias watched "Get Smart". Max is still talking about it! Great Christmas idea for him (hint hint!) It was the newer version and even Dave almost rolled in the aisle. The airport in Atlanta took longer than expected but we finally made it through. We got home around 11:30pm on Friday night and finally to bed by 1:00 am! Today was washing clothes and unpacking while trying to show Sam around his new home. Then, this evening, we went to Dave's parents to celebrate Mary's birthday (Dave's sister) and to let Sam meet the fam! He did really well. Max had fun seeing all his cousins and the food was great. All in all it was a good day. Thanks for all the calls and well wishes! God has provided for all our needs, we are so blessed. Good night to all and we will try and update some more tomorrow!
Shannon

Today we went to the La Aurora Zoo and another outdoor market. This has been the only rainy day so far. We made it through the market but in the zoo we got rained on! It was really cool! The animals were very close! Not like the zoos here. We saw lots of beautiful birds and big cats. We even saw a bear! Max really enjoyed it but Sam slept the entire time. The market was neat! We were trying to spend all our quetzales (guatemalan currency) because we can't spend it at home!! When we came back, Max got to go to the arcade with Elias. Now they are swimming. They are both non-stop!!! This may be the last blog before we head home tomorrow. Dave is gone now with Hector to get Sam's visa and passport. I think our plane leaves around noon so if I don't make it back online, take care and we'll see you real soon!!!

We are on our fourth day!! It is unbelievable how neat this has been. Everyone is doing well. We were up at 5:00 am but that's okay because on our time it was really 7:00 and I think this will mean Sam's schedule won't be interrupted too badly! The appointment went great and last night we went to WalMart....well it isn't called walmart, it is called Hyper Paiz but it is really walmart! You knew we would have to go to walmart eventually. Had to have formula. And here, the baby's don't drink formula like at home. They drink basically dried milk with sugar. And the foster mom's give their babies a lot of it because they know Americans who are adopting love chubby babies! Hope you like the pics. We have lots more to show when we get home. Love to all! Max is missing SCA and his friends! Hey to all our SCA family!!

Well, we are part of the way through Day 3 and it has been great. Something was wrong with the blog site yesterday and I could not post. Yesterday we went to Antigua, a city about 30 miles south of Guatemala City. It was beautiful! 3 volcanoes are there, one active and 2 dormant. We toured around the city with our Taxi driver, Willie. He was great!! Max had fun and we saw lots of interesting things including parrots and avacado trees! The streets are paved with volcanic rock instead of cobblestone.
Today we had our appointment with the Embassy which was very simple!! It wasn't really an interview, they just asked a few questions and we were out of there! We will get his visa and passport tomorrow and then head home on Friday! The weather has been beautiful, no rain!
Hello to Ally, Amber, Grandi and Pap from Max. And one of you show mama and daddy how to get on this site so they can see!
Love to all and I'll write more tomorrow!

Well, we have had our first full day with this precious baby and it has been wonderful. He is so laid back. We toured all over Antigua and he was great! Ate, slept, ate and slept! Anyway, our appointment is early in the morning so we are going to bed if Sam will! Thanks for all the prayers and we'll post more tomorrow!

Well, we have had one full day with this sweet baby and he has been an angel!! We toured all over Antigua and he slept and watched and ate and slept and watched. So laid back!! And such a snuggly baby, something we weren't used to with Max. But Max has loved it! He has already been an awesome big brother in every way except at diaper changing time. This is where he draws the line!! Our appointment is early in the morning (Guatemalan time) at 7:30am. So we are headed to bed. Thank you for all the prayers and we'll post more tomorrow!

Here he is! He is so sweet, such a cuddle baby. He coos and laughs and dances when he hears music! He loved bath time and only cries when you put him down! Grandi will love that!! We are fine. We are on the Royal Floor in our hotel. Max thinks its so cool because there is a VIP lounge that you can go to at any time. We'll try and post more photos tomorrow. It is very slow to upload over here! Love to all of you. God is so good!!!

We got to Guad City just fine, checked in, had lunch, got the baby! He is even cuter in person and they gave him a haircut, too. Snuggles up close- prob scared to death!- and just finished 8ozs of heaven in a bottle. Of course, we are all just oohing and ahing over him. Max is just as crazy as we are... glad to "finally have a baby brother." Been good to connect with Missy and Matt, too; Max is in the pool with Elias. Thanks for all your prayers and we'll try to post more soon.
David

Hey everyone! We are getting ready to head to Atlanta to stay overnight so we can be at the airport early in the morning. We are excited, anxious, nervous and lots of other feelings that can't be put into words!! We are hoping to have photos and the like up by this time tomorrow if all is well with getting on line in Guatemala. Pray for safe travel and for little Samuel that he will adjust well to us. Love to all! Shannon

WE FINALLY GOT THE APPOINTMENT DATE!!!! Our appointment with the Embassy is October 15th, 2008!! We are flying to Guatemala on Monday, October 13!! We are so excited!! Thank you for all the prayers, God is so good!! Even though I was letting myself get so worked up, He knows exactly what is going on and I just need to remember that and chill! Please continue to remember the baby and his foster family as well as our travels and the travel for two other families.

"O you of little faith! So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" Matthew 6:31-34

I need to remember this!! Thank you all for your prayers and for sharing in our joy!!! Shannon

We are anxiously waiting for our appointment time to be sent from the Guatemalan Embassy. Our friends received their's yesterday so they will be traveling on Friday. We are hoping to hear today and possibly leave on Sunday. I haven't packed so I need to get on that. My mind is spinning with all that needs to be done....plane tickets, hotel bookings, car seats, strollers, bottles...it's a bit much, but God can handle this so I don't have to!! Please pray that our stress will be lifted and we can get what we need to do done!!!

We've been really busy getting everything ready for the baby. The crib is actually put together, thanks to Dave, and we have been moving furniture around all weekend!! We're almost put back together and ready to go. Hopefully we will get a definite travel date this week. As soon as we hear, we will post. Pray for Max, he has a cold and is running a slight fever. We need to all be healthy to travel!

Myrtle Beach with Uncle Ray and Aunt Pitty Pat

Family Funnies

We were driving home down Hwy 9 (we live near Lake Bowen) and had just past the cemetary when Max asked, "Who in the Eggers family died?" I was totally confused and so I replied, "What?" He asked again, "Who died from the Eggers family?" After a brief moment, I realized that he had seen a funeral home tent in the cemetary and the name on the side of the tent was Eggers. So I told him that no one in the Eggers family had died, that was just the name of the funeral home. He looked at me, relieved, and said, "Well, that is good to know because I was thinking if one more person in the Eggers family had died, they would be extinct!" It was then I wondered just how many funeral home tents had he seen in the past 3 years? I almost wrecked on Hwy 9 that day.....from uncontrolled laughter!!

Hey to all! We found out today that our second DNA should have been completed last Friday. If that is the case, it could be back to the Guatemalan Embassy by Friday, October 3rd. (The DNA is done in the US, this is a US requirement). We could have our appointment as early as the week of the 13th. This would be if everything went perfectly!! We are making travel plans and getting our paperwork in order for when the call comes. Please pray that we will continue on this time schedule. Pray for Sam and his foster mom. Pray for Max, he is so excited!

The Fam

Hey to all our friends and family! I wanted to create a blog to share with you all the events that have been happening with our family. Hopefully, this blog can keep you posted on all the things going on with us! Most of you know we are adopting a baby boy from Guatemala. Hopefully we can keep you up to date with photos and you can follow us on our journey. We love you all and hope you can visit us here often!!