Happy Father's Day Daddy!
Love,
Maria and Flora

Here are a couple pictures of our bathing beauty at the lake!

Check Out This Truely Inspirational Story! Here's Wishing A Happy Fathers Day To All Those Dad's Out There That Help Their Children To Imagine!!

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

And the video is below....

We try to go to Lake Okaboji every weekend. Lately it has done nothing but rain, but we have had a few sunny days. Here are a few pictures of us having fun at the lake over Memorial Day Weekend.


Ben Asleep In The Wagon...This Being A Kid Thing Is Exhausting!!


Susanna Asleep In The Cabin...Seems She's Exhausted Too!


Valerie and Taryn


Terry and Ethan


Me and Jacie


Susanna, Hunter and Ethan On The Beach


OK Uncle Pat...Putting A Kid On The Roof Isn't Such A Good Idea...They Do Eventually Want To Come Down!!


The Kids At The Beach


Uncle Pat Used To Be Maria's Favorite, But After The Whole Putting Ethan On The Roof Thing, She Is Understandably Leary!!

IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN

If you give a Mom a muffin,
She'll want a strong cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll make herself some.
Her three year old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer, she'll trip over boots and bump into the box of Goodwill items.
Bumping into the Goodwill items will remind her she has to get these boxes in the car and out of her basement.
When she puts the boxes in the car, she'll find a bag of groceries and this will remind her she has to cook dinner.
She will get out the chicken defrosting in the fridge.
She'll look for her cookbook (101 Things To Do With Chicken).
The cookbook will be sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the Netflix movie she's meant to mail and the preschool bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook will be in her purse that is being dumped out by her one year old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the baby's diaper.
As she finishes up, she'll realize she brought the hand sanitizer down to the kitchen.
While she is throwing away the diaper and searching for the hand sanitizer, the phone will ring.
Her three year old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend not for coffee but a very strong drink.
Thinking of drinking will remind her that she was going to have a cup of coffee in order to stay awake for the rest of the day.
And chances are...
If she finds her cup of coffee (which she has to reheat by now),
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Welcome To The World
Henry Gunner Sejnoha
May 31, 2007




Here he is...Henry Gunner Sejnoha. He was born on Thursday...and I must say he certainly is a handsome boy!! Congratulations Shane and Jane, we're so happy for you and your beautiful new addition to your (our) family!!

On Tuesday after returning from Satiago we traveled to Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua Guatemala (commonly referred to as just Antigua or La Antigua) is a city in the central mountains of Guatemala famous for its well-preserved Spanish New World Baroque architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruined churches. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city had a peak population of some 60,000 in the 1770s; the bulk of the population moved away in the late 18th century. Despite significant population growth in the late 20th century, the city reached half that number in the 1990s. According to the 2002 census, the city has some 33,000 inhabitants.

Antigua Guatemala means the "ancient Guatemala". Founded on March 10, 1543, as the third capital of Guatemala, after the nearby town of Ciudad Vieja was destroyed in a flood, Antigua Guatemala was for more than 200 years the seat of the military governor of the Spanish colony of Guatemala, a large region that included almost all of present-day Central America. The conquistadores named the city La Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala ("The Very Noble and Very Loyal City of Santiago of the Knights of Guatemala") but it was known just as Santiago de Guatemala, in honor of their patron saint, Santiago, after Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

In 1773, a series of earthquakes destroyed much of the town. The Spanish Crown ordered (1776) the removal of the capital to a safer location, where Guatemala City, the modern capital of Guatemala, now stands. The badly damaged city was ordered abandoned, although not everyone left

Central Park is the heart of the city. The reconstructed fountain in particular is very beautiful. People enjoy this park from early in the morning to late at night. Nowadays, Antigua is noted for its very elaborate religious celebrations for the Holy Week leading up to Easter.


Three large volcanoes dominate the horizon around Antigua.

The most commanding, to the south of the city, is the Volcán de Agua or "Volcano of Water", some 3766 meters (12 356 feet) high. It is so named because the crater atop it was formerly filled with water. Shortly after the Spanish conquest of Guatemala, the first capital was on a site part-way up this mountain. It was destroyed by a flood and mudslide when an earthquake let loose the water from the crater, and the capital of Guatemala was moved down the valley to the current Antigua. The original site is a village now known as "Ciudad Vieja", ("The Old City").

To the west of the city are a pair of peaks, Acatenango, long inactive, some 3976 meters (13045 feet) high, and the Volcán de Fuego or "Volcano of Fire", some 3763 meters (12346 feet) high. "Fuego" is famous for being almost constantly active at a low level. Smoke issues from its top daily, but larger eruptions are rare.

We returned home from Guatemala last night. We had a wonderful trip. It started out with great disappointment and ended with great joy! That's how things are supposed to work right??

On Sunday morning as we were preparing to leave for the airport...this is at 4am...my sister Valerie called and said that she had been up all night and couldn't find her passport. Trying to be positive, we told her to keep looking, we had 2 hours until our flight actually left. She didn't find her passport and wasn't able to go with us to Guatemala. Needless to say, we were all very disappointed. We decided however that there must be a good reason why she wasn't able to be with us and we would leave it at that and enjoy our trip.

We arrived in Guatemala City at 7pm that evening and our travel guide Mario was there to greet us at the airport. He took us to the Marriott and made plans to leave for Lake Atalan in the morning. When we arrived at the Marriott we were greeted by a familiar face. Karla, one of the people that work for the attorney that processed Maria's adoption was in the lobby. From across the lobby, I heard, "Hola, Stephanie, Hola, David!" It was very nice to see a familiar face. Karla was at the Marriott to meet with an adoptive family that had their embassy appointment the next morning. They were just finishing the paperwork. Karla had already arranged to bring Lidia, Maria's foster mother to the Marriott with her when she went to the embassy appointment in the morning, so we knew Maria would be able to see her right away on Monday morning.

Lidia was waiting for us when we arrived in the lobby on Monday morning. Maria was a bit apprehensive at first, but she warmed up to Lidia in no time. It didn't take long for Maria to recognize who Lidia was or the sweet sayings that Lidia constantly says to her. My favorite is:"Oh Pretty Baby! Conchita Juanita!" I'm sure I spelled that wrong...but you get the picture.

As we were sitting in the lobby waiting for Karla to arrive to join us for breakfast, Lidia asked if we were going to adopt again. I told her that we were thinking about it, but we probably wouldn't start the process again until November or December. She then asked if we were interested in a boy or a girl? I replied that I would probably like a girl, but it didn't really matter. At that point, the light went on...she said to me..."you know, we have a baby girl that was born 3 weeks ago, that hasn't been referred to any other adoptive parents yet." Dave looked at me with complete and utter fear...I started to ask questions about the baby and after a couple of minutes Lidia was on the cell phone to Karla. Karla arrived to have breakfast with us about an hour later and as we ate, I continued to ask questions, and Dave continued to look as though he was just hit with a Mack Truck! We decided that we would talk about it as a family and get back to them. Although, truth be told, I had already made my decision at that point!

Here we all are at the Marriott before we left for Lidia's home.

My Mom, Lidia with Maria, Stephanie, David and Karla


We finished our breakfast as Mario arrived and we decided to go to Lidia's house before going to our next destination, Lake Atalan. Mario drove us to Lidia's home, where Maria was able to see Jaime, Lidia's husband. She went right to him. I suspect, that she remembered him right away. We found out while there where Maria's fasination with birds comes from. Lidia has several birds and Maria was quite captivated by them. We met Flora Luisa for the first time, but didn't take any pictures or talk too much about her as we hadn't been alone to discuss the situation yet. We left Lidia's and continued our travels to Lake Atilan.

Mario had made reservations at a very beautiful hotel at Lake Atilan in the city of Panachel. The hotel was an coffee plantation that has been converted into a hotel and botanical gardens. The gardens are breathtaking. Each room opens up into the gardens and has a wonderful view of the lake and the volcanoes.





The lake is 90 square miles and is surrounded by 3 active volcanoes. It was very overcast the two days we were there so even though we were right underneath these giant mountains, we couldn't catch a glimpse of them. We took a short boat ride to one of the small villages known for it's very traditional lifestyle. Santiago is a bustling village during the day with everyone attending the market and the children going to school.





To Be Continued!!

I found a fantastic price on tickets to Guatemala the other day, so before Dave could think about it too much and tell me no, I booked them!! Myself, my mom, my sister Val, Dave and Maria will be traveling to Guatemala in May! I am sooo excited I can hardly stand myself! We leave on Sunday the 13th and return home on Thursday the 17th, so it's a short trip, but I don't care....we're going!! I have been itching to go back almost from the time we touched the ground on December 15th.
I sent an email to the attorney that completed Maria's adoption in the hope that she could get a message to Lidia, Maria's Foster Mother, to let her know we would be there and see if we could meet for dinner. The attorney responded within the hour and said that Lidia would be very excited to see Maria again and that her assistant Karla would be more than happy to get her to the hotel for dinner. I think it's wonderful that they are still willing to do that favor for us...it is another indication of what a great group of people we worked with for Maria's adoption!
I also emailed the tour guide that we used during our first visit to see if he had the dates available and to get his advice on where to go. We will have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to sightsee. There are two definate places I want to go...Lake Atilan and Antigua. We have been to Antigua, but not to Lake Atilan...it is supposed to be spectacular. I believe it is listed as one of the 1,000 places you should visit on earth. It is a beautiful lake surrounded by active volcanoes! Don't tell that to my mom though...she probably won't want to go!



Here's a picture of Lake Atilan I found on the internet. It won't be long and we will be able to post our own!!

Daddy brought cupcakes to Maria's daycare on her birthday and our daycare provider, Judi gave us this cute picture of her with her cupcake today. It seems there is a pattern with Maria and frosting and her face!













We went to a St. Patricks Day party at Judi and Jeff's....here are a few pictures!

I'd rather be LUCKY than GOOD!














Daddy and Maria enjoying the Green Festivities!









Judi Green and Maria. Judi is Maria's Daycare Provider.













One of Maria's many buddies from daycare...Liza. The kids there all love Maria....I'm pretty sure she is getting spoiled!!

Maria's first birthday was on March 29th. I can't believe she is already a year old. She was baptised on Sunday March 25th, so we celebrated both her birthday and her baptism on Sunday. It was a great day!

She looked like such and angel in her baptismal gown.





Maria and her God Parents: Tina Bott and Jeremy Meyer


Maria and the Headlee boys.


Maria and Grandma and Grandpa Sejnoha










Maria and Grandma Richter















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And now for the birthday party! As you can tell she really enjoyed her birthday cake!

Happy Easter!!

We went to the mall today to visit the Easter Bunny and Maria did not like him at all! In her defense, he was a little freaky! There wasn't anyone else in line when we first arrived and he wasn't moving a muscle. I had a hard time determining whether he was a real bunny or fake! He must have been sleeping under that big head!


We also went to Scheels and Daddy was able to purchase the bike carrier he has had his eye on. Hopefully he and Maria will be able to put on a lot of miles this Spring and Summer. She seems to like it...after we got home, Dave put her in it and wheeled her around the house and she giggled like crazy!

Maria is gifted! Dave and I laugh and tease each other that Maria is so incredibly smart that we think she is gifted. She is doing so many new things. She's sort of our little command baby. We could spend all night asking her to do something and she would oblige. Some of the things she is currently doing are:

Kissing On Demand: I am a huge culprit of asking her to kiss mama numerous times in a row. She always does it and never complains, so I think I will keep asking until she denies me.

Retrieves Any Object: She is a great fetch player! She will keep herself occupied for hours by bringing the object of the moment (usually a ball, but not always) and one of us throws it across the room, she retrieves it and brings it back, process starts all over.

Trying To Draw: I don't think she has actually laid down any ink herself without assistance, but she's close. She finds a pen and something to write on...usually old junk mail or a magazine and knows how to hold the pen and tries to draw. I know, "Bad Mama" for not having crayons or something in the house that will produce color easier than a pen, but I didn't think we would need any this soon!

Yell At Birds And Dogs: For some reason the dogs next door and any bird that chirps gets yelled at by Maria. It is so hilarious that I sometimes park her by the back door when the dogs are barking just to listen to her give them heck!

She is developing such a little personality that it is fun to just sit and watch her or interact with her. We are having a wonderful time being parents to this little gem that it is hard to fathom our life without her.

Speaking of Gems....she just crawled by me on her way to the toys and she apparently has some stinky gems she needs taken care of right now! Whew...I need to open a window!! Talk to you again soon! Stephanie

OK...we have finally taught Maria something! Just kidding...we have taught her lots of things...it's just we can't repeat most of them here! Here is daddy trying to get her to do the "soooo big"...which she actually does really well now!! She hasn't really gotten the patty cake thing going yet...except she does laugh like crazy when you do it with her!

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THE CHOSEN HEART

Longing for a child to love,
I'd wish upon the stars above.
In my heart I always knew,
A part of me was meant for you.

I think how happy we will be,
Once I adopt you, and you adopt me.

I dream of all the joy you'll bring,
Imagining even the littlest things.
The way it will feel to hold you tight,
And tuck you in every night.

The drawings on the refrigerator door,
And childhood toys across the floor.
The favorite stories read again and again,
And hours of games with make believe friends.

The day you took my outstretched hand,
A journey ended, but our lives began.
Still mesmerized by your sweet face,
Still warmed inside by our first embrace.

I promised to give you a happy home,
And a loving family all your own.
A house you've now made complete,
With laughter, smiles and tiny feet.

A parent is one who guides the way,
Know I will be there everyday.
Rest easy as each night you sleep,
A lifetime of love is yours to keep.

Longing for a child to love,
I'd wish upon the stars above.
In my heart I always knew,
A part of me belonged to you.

Tonight on one of the adoption blogs I subscribe to, someone asked what was our favorite adoption song, or the song that reminded us most of our adoption journey?

I immediately thought of a song that I discovered shortly after we received our referral of Maria. It will always have significant meaning for me, and I hope someday for Maria. I think the lyrics are beautiful and especially poignant for us. I have reposted the video that I made with our referral pictures of Maria....look how tiny she is! The video has the initial pictures of Maria, the pictures of the first time we met her and our first visit trip. The song is Lullabye by the Dixie Chicks...forever known by me as Maria's Lullabye...Enjoy!


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Here are the lyrics:

They didn't have you were I come from
Never knew the best was yet to come
Life began when I saw your face
And I hear your laugh like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved?
Is forever enough? Is forever enough?
How long do you want to be loved?
Is forever enough, cuz I'm never never giving you up

I slip in bed when you're asleep
To hold you close and feel your breath on me
Tomorrow will be so much to do
So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you

How long do you want to be loved?
Is forever enough? Is forever enough?
How long do you want to be loved?
Is forever enough, cuz I'm never never giving you up

As you wander through this troubled world
In search of all things beautiful
You can close your eyes and you're miles away
And hear my voice like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved?
Is forever enough? Is forever enough?
How long do you want to be loved?
Is forever enough, cuz I'm never never giving you up

How long do you want to be loved?
Is forever enough? Is forever enough?
How long do you want to be loved?
Is forever enough, cuz I'm never never giving you up

Is forever enough cuz I'm never never giving you up

WoW!! Tomorrow we will have been home for one month!! It has been the most exciting, exhausting and truely memorable month of my life!!

I'm sorry I haven't posted much...I actually haven't done much of anything, except get to know Maria! We came home on the 15th...had a wonderful Christmas and New Years and are now starting to get used to our every day life

She is crawling all over the house and is now trying to get up on her feet from a crawling position. It won't be too long and she will be cruising while holding onto furniture and then watch out, she'll be walking!! It seems like she has gotten so much bigger just since we have been home.

She eats really well...although don't try to give her any of that baby food...no way!! That stuff is for babies!! She only eats whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating!! I guess it's easier that way...and who am I to argue with a 9 month old who has made up her mind??

She loves her two papa's and grandma's and all of her cousins. She especially loves when the Headlee boys come over and love on her. It's probably not a good sign for either of us actually...Not good for Val (my sister) that her boys seem to really like kissing Maria and not good for me that Maria really likes them kissing her!!

I have to give a big shout out and say Congratulations to Emily and Jason...they just found out that they will be having a boy! Emily is due in May!

And also a shout out to my brother Shane and his wife Jane...they will find out this week what gender their baby is! I think they secretly want a boy...so that's what I'm hoping for!! They are due in June...Babies Everywhere!!

We got Maria's first professional pictures taken today, so I thought I would share. Now I'm not biased or anything...but isn't she just about the cutest thing you ever did see??





Click on the link to the right to see more of her pictures! Talk to you soon!!
Stephanie