Ok....I have to find it...but I'm sure that I have a picture of Miguel in almost the exact same position.....only with a duck!
Here is Nacho at the Dam on Sunday...it was his birthday! While we were there some fishermen caught a HUGE catfish....it almost as big as Miguel...I kid you not! Miguel was just saying fishy fishy...they have a fishy!
See I can do it!!!!! I usually hate tummy time but Sunday night I didn't mind it so bad. Infact mom got me to roll from my back to my side all by myself. I flipped over to my belly with a little "help"!
Miguel the floating head!!!! This pic is just funny!

What are you two up to?
Miguel and Daddy wrestling.
Look out for Hannah!
Your funny Mommy!
What are you looking at punk?

Home!

We are home! Alfredo the taxi guy picked us up at the hotel at 11 am yesterday. The bridge we were suppose to cross was crazy with people he said. So Alfredo took us to a different bridge, farther away but he had a friend that worked there so it would be no problem getting us through. It only took Nacho about 20 mins to get his visa stamped and we were on our way. We ended up being searched, I guess we looked suspicious, and then we were at the airport by 1pm.

They almost had to land the plane on the way to Chicago from Houston because a guy had a real bad allergic reaction, but luckily there was a doctor on board and he was able to stabilize him until we got to Chicago. We missed out on beverage service....but since the guy ended up ok it was worth it.

We got back home at 4am! A long day/night but we are glad to be here!

Nacho has his visa and the yellow envelope he needs to cross the bridge. I had to get the hotel room here in Juarez for another night since he didn't get out of the consulate until almost 5pm....he was one of the last ones called up. Our taxi driver, Alfredo, is coming to get us tomorrow at 11 am to get us across the border and to the airport. Nacho has to turn in the yellow envelope at the office at the bridge, they will do yet another small interview and then they will stamp his visa which will validate it! Yeah!!!! We are almost there. Our flight leaves at 4:30 and I was able to get Nacho a seat on the same flight.

Nacho is approved!!!! He has to go back tomorrow to pick up his package to go to the bridge and cross so hopefully tomorrow we will all back in the states!!!

Just a quick post to say that the kids and I made it to Juarez with no problems.....well except for Miguel crying on the plane like I was beating him.....which I wanted to with his fit....trust me. Nacho got here at like 930 and they already had a room available so he had a great nap this morning!

The kids and I made it to the hotel in Chicago at about 5:30 tonight. We ordered in a pizza for supper. I couldn't convince Miguel to try the pool. Maybe next time. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 6:30 am so we will be up early! We will update you when we get checked into the motel tomorrow.

I don't usually get too political on this web site...I usually keep it to the goings on of the family and the kids. But this article is a woman to a forum I'm a member of that is a support group to families going through this horrible immigration process. Her husband was killed in Juarez over the weekend. He was backlogged in November and was waiting on an answer to his waiver. It is my worst fear come true. Please pray for her and her children....and if you are moved to....please write the senators and the congressmen. If the processes wasn't so difficult her AMERICAN family wouldn't be torn apart right now.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_9306628?source=email

This is Guelly crying because he wanted to wear his car underwear. I told him that was for big boys who used the potty. (and since he peed in three pairs of pull ups today I knew he wouldn't go in the potty)
Alex asleep in the swing Diane loned us!
Guelly took all the cushions off the couch so he could sing and dance.















We are leaving for Chicago tomorrow and fly to Juarez on Tuesday morning. Nacho's waiver appointment is Wed.....so please pray for an approval!

Message to Hannah from Alex....I'm catching up to you....I now weigh in at 12lbs 12oz....you think you can still take me????....bring it on baby!!!!!

Miguel and Alex playing outside.
I keep trying to catch a smile but I'm too slow.
Kind of a half smile.
Miguel loves to play catch. Anyone????

Sorry I haven't updated.....I've been taking care of a very sick 2 year old...and been sick myself. What do they call it....Montezuma's revenge??? Miguel's diahhrea finally slowed down today and his appitite seems to be coming back a little more.
Here is Miguel and Alex having a little brother bonding time.

Miguel trying to figure out how to play with Alex's toys...I think he thinks they are kind of boring.

Back in Ohio

The Kids and I are back in Ohio. We arrived last night around 8:30. Miguel has been sick throwing up and with diarhea so it has been fun! And of course is is always asking where is Daddy? We are over at my Mom and Dad's today doing laundry.....our well is so great that you can only do one load a day....and everything is dirty! When I get back to our house later today I will post a couple more pictures from Mexico!!! Please pray that Nacho gets to come home May 21st!!! He is ready to come home and the Kids want him too....not to mention me!!!

We are back!!!! Well at least Miguel, Alex, and Mommy are back. Daddy has to stay in Mexico at least until his waiver appointment May 21st.....Mom says she really really hopes daddy gets approved because she doesn't want to live in Mexico! This first picture is of our unfinished house in Mexico. It only has two rooms, a kitchen and a living room/bedroom, and a shower. It needs a lot of work before Mom says we can stay in it when we come to visit.
This is my Tio (Uncle) I forced him to give me bike rides every day. My Abuelito's (Grandpa) house is on top of a hill so it was fun to ride down!
This is my Abuelita (Grandma) and my Tio. (Picture provided by Miguel!....finally he took a good one!)
After about a week my Tio got up the courage to hold Alex.

This is my Abuelito.....he let me ride one of the horses!

Nacho just got back from the consulate. He is eligible to file the waiver....not that we thought he wouldn't be....you just never know!

He was in line at 6am...they broke them into groups based on their interview times and was finally let in at 9am. The took a copy of his appointment letter and his passport. They then had to wait to be finger printed. Once they were finger printed they were sent to the other building where they had to wait to be interviewed. Nacho got a nice guy. He asked who was petitioning him, what my name was, what I did for a living, did he have kids and how many, and when was he going to visit his parents. That was it. Didn't ask to see anything....not even pictures. Nacho did say that the other ladies doing the interviews were asking lots more questions and asking to see pictures. I guess he lucked out! He then had to sit around and wait to be called up. They gave him the paper saying he wasn't eligible for a visa for illegal presence but that he was eligible for the waiver. Then he was able to go. He got back to the hotel at around 3:45pm.

Tomorrow we head to his parents house. I don't know if we will have any internet access so if not I will post lots of family pics once the kids and I are back in the states in two weeks!

Miguel found out they have video games in Mexico too. He is playing a car game with one of the boys last night at dinner. They are a very nice family and they live towards the edge of town. Unfortunately for them they live near where many of the killings have been happening (most of the killings are drug cartel related, though some have been caught in the cross fire). They were considering moving back to their hometown before the soldiers arrived a few weeks ago. They said it has been much better since the soldiers arrived. (we have seen many of them on patrol). The only bad thing is that now the police won't come out when there is an emergency. They tell you to call the soldiers instead! Scared or lazy? That is the question!
Here is Miguel just hanging out like usual.
This is a picture of the major street near the hotel that has lots of stores, a mall, and restaurants...including a pizza hut for Miguel! The bus in the photo is one of the city buses. It looks like they buy old school buses from the states, paint them and use them for their city buses. From what we watched you have to hop on fast. Sometimes the driver doesn't wait until you are all the way on the bus before he takes off!

Tomorrow is Nacho's visa interview. What we are hoping for is that he is told he is eligible to file a waiver of his inadmissability! I will let you know when he gets out. It should be a long day!

Sorry....no new pics today.....I wanted to take some pics of the street where the consulate is yesterday but Nacho had the camera in the medical clinic and you aren't suppose to take pictures in front of the consulate anyway...security reasons!

Well Nacho's medical appointment yesterday went like this......He left the hotel at 5:45 am. He decided to walk to the medical. He went to the clinic right next door to the consulate. He said the line moved pretty quick when the clinic opened at 6:30. He did have to wait a long time inside. They took a chest x-ray, drew blood, a physical exam which consisted of weight, height, blood pressure, and getting him naked! And shots! He had to get three. He was done around 11:30 or so. He came back to the hotel but we weren't here.....Miguel and I were going stir crazy so we had walked to a park just a couple blocks away. Miguel and I came back a little while later and we hung out in the room until 1:30 because Naho had to go back to the medical clinic to pick up his results at 2pm. Miguel, Alex and I decided to walk with him this time and let me tell you how crazy that street is ! I really wish I could have taken some pictures right across from the consulate because you won't believe me how many people are waiting for loved ones to come out! There are people sitting everywhere. There is a store where you can rent a chair for the day right across the street from the consulate and it was standing room only over there. People were sitting on the curbs, on planters in front of restaurants and everything.

When we got to the medical clinic it was just as bad. Alex and I sat on the curb while Miguel and Nacho went inside to get his results. There didn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to how they were giving the results out. Some people would go in and come back out 10 min later with their results. Nacho went in right at 2pm.....at 2:45 I started to get really worried....everyone that went in at the same time he did had already come back out.....I was out there with only a couple other families now where it had been crowded before. I was starting to think something was wrong....like he had a shadow on his chest x-ray or something was going to keep him from qualifying for a visa. I stuck my head in there and he was still waiting. They were having a hard time finding his results. Finally a little after 3:30pm he got his results. Sigh.....one step down.

One of the guys Nacho worked with at APC has a niece and nephew that live here in Juarez. The nephew is a dentist and he came and picked nacho up on Thursday night to show him how to get to the consulate, where to go, and take him somewhere to exchange money. They invited us to their house for supper tonight so I will let you know how that goes later. They have been very helpful and friendly...it is nice to have friends in this crazy city.....which by the way I am NOT regretting my decision not to drive into at all!

Mom tried to get a picture of me at an Oklahoma rest stop but all she got was the back of me running away!
McDonalds! Like my prirate's hat?
This is the mountains headed south to El Paso.
This is the Hotel in Juarez. We got checked in around 4:30 local time. Apparently they are on mountain time here.
This is the inside of our room.

For those of you wondering we made it to Springfield MO the first night and the second night we made it to Tecumari NM.

Yesterday while we were driving through Oklahoma it poured rain the whole day. It really slowed us down because I discovered that our car does not have great traction in downpours.

Miguel is definately glad we are here. He was having lots of fits in the car just screaming his head off because he wanted to get out.

We did see some border patrol on our way south. Nacho said he saw like 6 altogether....I only noticed 1....but I was driving and it was super windy today.

We stopped in Indy to pick up some stuff from my cousin Jazlynn's house. We had time to watch a couple cartoons before we left.
This is the arch in St. Louis. Mom said we didn't have time to stop. Maybe next time.
We had Burger King for supper. I didn't want to get back in the car.
Papi mad because I didn't want to get back in the car.
Alex could care less....he was sleeping.

Well Here is the hardship letter we have been working on. Ready for our appointment in Juarez. We got it from the lawyer this morning. We leave tomorrow morning and hope to arrive on Thursday. I will try and keep the blog updated to check back often to see how it is going. Once we get to his parent's house next Tuesday I don't know what kind of internet access I will have but I will do what I can.

I did find out from my MRI this morning that there is NOT a stone still in my bile duct. That makes me feel much better about going to Mexico! Now I can enjoy it! At least as much as I can with all the worrying!