some quiet

well, almost. It's been a really rocky, emotional week for me, and us. We are getting past it and moving on. J. has been working a lot of overtime lately, which is great for the travel plans in the looming future. We are still not sure what is going on with M. and our court date. It would be lovely to get some news about that this week, but I am not holding my breath. Today is J's first day off in seven days. That means we really have not seen him in seven days. He works at least a 10 hour, 20 min. shift. But with the OT it means even longer days. I did get a chance to get out of the house and go with a friend to a movie and treat. It was so nice to vent to someone who understands this stuff and has some valuable advice to share. Today we tried to sleep in, but S. and E. would not have it. They woke us up at 6 am. J. is now bowling with four of the kids, while S. plays with his toys and E. is resting. Love the peace!

So the news is...

we must wait some more. We DID get our paperwork/file submitted to the courts though. That is good news. Our case will be assigned a judge and then we should get a court date. This needs a lot of prayer because I have heard there is a shortage of judges who are in. We also need a judge who will comply with everything that is needed for the US, which is tough to find as well. PLEASE pray.

First day of preschool

bowling

We signed our family up for the family pass at kidsbowlfree.com. What a great deal for the summer! The kids had a great time bowling last week.

Prayer please

Please pray!!! We heard that our case should be filed in court on Monday. We should get an update then. Please pray we will be assigned a good pro-adoption judge. There is one who told a friend he will grant adoption for any special needs child. His name starts with an Mz. I can't remember the whole name, but I bet if you just ask God to assign us a good judge he will know just the right one!!! I am unsure of the whole process, how long it will take to get a court date, etc. but am hoping for perfect timing for our family AND for Mercy. Please pray for God's provision for our family as we step out in faith over this shaky, rickety bridge.

Pray this weekend...

Our adoption paperwork should be filed on Monday. Please pray that it really happens, that we are granted a judge who will approve our adoption while we are there (and in a timely manner), and that travel arrangements can be made with perfect timing! Also please pray for God's provision for the remaining expenses for our adoption and travel, and for our children at home while we are gone.

Adoption: Fulfilling families....

A great story here.

Little Tidbits

I don't have time to upload pics on my dial up internet right now. But I wanted to share with you some happenings in our house...

• We are still fighting for little girl M. We may be hearing of a possible court date in the next few weeks. Keep praying please!
• Since we will most likely be traveling in the summer months we need to come up with more money for our travel costs. The ticket prices are rising fast. We are working with Just Love Coffee. They are a great organization helping children in Africa and adoptive parents or non profits by selling fair trade, excellent tasting coffee. Consider buying a bag? $5 per bag goes to help M. We also still have t-shirts left to sell.
• E. had his first day of preschool today. He loved it and his teacher said he did really well. He was not upset about me leaving him there at all. For now he is going twice a week.
• S. gets to go to a fun playgroup locally called Sensational Toddlers. He has been on the waiting list for sometime, but got the call today saying he can come on Thursday! He will have a fun time playing and getting dirty with all the "sensory"activities. Best part about it: FREE! Thank you to our birth to three program.
• K. is having a great time with some special friends this week. I will share more about that later.
• L. is now homeschooled and he and K. are attending classes through a parent partnership program. Since we started this late in the year he and K. are only going to classes once a week. In the fall they will be attending more classes. I love it! They are having a great time.
• C. is thriving in school and we are leaving her there for fall. She seems to learn much better from someone other than me. She is making some friends and having a good time. Her ADD meds seem to be less effective lately, so I need to call the doc. to adjust her dose I think. She has been taking the same dose for some time and she has grown a lot this past year. She is becoming a young lady too, making for some moody days. Hope I have the strength for her teen years. She is 11 1/2 now.
• I am planning our garden. It's been plowed and is nearly ready for seeds.
• We would like to do some more camping this year. I think we need another tent to hold our family!!! Can anyone suggest some good places in WA, OR or ID?
• I am excited for summer. But I am also dreading the "bored kids syndrome". Hoping to find some free or inexpensive summer activities for them to keep busy. L. wants to find a summer job too. That would be excellent to keep him busy.
• L. is going to Mexico with our church in July. He is trying his best to earn money to pay for his trip. He has worked on a few projects with his youth group, but needs to come up with more soon. He will be going to help a church in Tecate. We are going to apply for his passport tomorrow!
• I have been busy with appointments, running around, and keeping up the house. I have a few goals I'd like to accomplish this summer. One of these days I will get around to writing them down!

He's in...

E. gawking at his friend's cookie

E. is now an official preschooler!! He is going to be getting special education services and starting preschool on Tuesday. I am so glad that someone else finally agrees that he has some needs. For now we are transitioning him into classes twice a week. Hoping it will be wonderful for him. In the fall he will be able to ride the bus to school and attend four days a week. Hurray!

Please pray

We have not been talking about our adoption process for awhile, for political purposes. But can I ask you all to please pray for our M. in Africa? She has a serious medical condition and we thought we would be able to bring her home quickly. It's been almost seven months now and we have been running into roadblocks and problems since February. I am reaching out to you to please say a prayer for M. today. Pray that the issues will be resolved so we can get a court date for us to travel to bring her home. Pray for her health and for her understanding. She needs to get here soon for medical care, something that is not available in her country. I am ready to put on my boxing gloves and fight with all I can for this child, beginning with asking everyone I know to pray. Let's win this battle!

Busy guy update...

Many have asked questions or made suggestions about my post about my two year old explorer. Yes, we have the chains above reach on both exterior doors, but it does not do much good when the older kids leave the house to play (unless I follow them around to relatch them). Sometimes S. figures out when they are not locked and sneaks out. Someone suggested bells on the shoes. A very good idea. The other day S. was playing outside with his sisters. I thought he was being supervised by his 11 year old sister in the front yard while I chatted on the phone with my friend. A few minutes later my neighbor knocked on the door, with S. in her arms. He had gone over to her house, wearing ONE rubber boot and a muddy sock. Talk about embarrassing! As you can see, a bell would not do a lot of good if the child doesn't keep his shoes on for more than a few minutes. AND we have a lot missing shoes around here, I might add.

I gave in and spent J's hard earned money on this. I love it. The trick is to be sure it is on from morning to night and be sure it's attached in a way so the kid can't remove it. I purchased the splash proof wrist bands for him to wear. So far so good, but it is definitely not an alternative to close supervision. It's just something to help a mom out when she is trying to switch the clothes out in the laundry room and her two year old takes off somewhere on the five acres.

From a friend...

So we are running into another road block. We heard this morning that our lawyer did not file in court because of the visa situation (still a problem). We are pushing now to do a full adoption, which seems like a clear answer to us, but our lawyer is more apprehensive. I was online and talked with a friend who has just been through this and more. Her words encouraged me so much I wanted to share them with you.

me:
It is so hard to know if we should keep pushing, or take these hold ups as a sign from God. I don't think that He would want her to stay there without help though.

friend:

look, God isnt a liar. if He told you she is yours, then you better fight like haides to go get her, even if its the hardest thing youll ever do. this is the devil trying to keep these kids as orphans, and esp in situations like yours. that's just my opinion, but yeah

every parent that backs out of a commitment to a child in uganda is making the devil do a happy dance. though, i totally respect others' decisions and if you have heard from God to step back, then thats what you need to do. but if it's just because it's uncertain or scary, please stick with it. i promise itll be worth it

me:

Thanks. It is so difficult to know God's plan during the hard times. And we really haven't been through the thick of it yet!!! I am scared to fight for this little girl we have only met through photos. I am secretly wondering if adding another special needs child is going to be too much for our family. But we went into this with such certainty! We cannot just give up on Mercy although we are hearing doubtful words being whispered to us by the enemy.

friend:

i love that quote "don't forget in the darkness what God promised you in the light"

if He gave you clarity on it before, hang on to that when it gets hard! and of course your fears are COMPLETELY justified. its gotta be a very scary, intimidating thing. but He who promises is faithful!

A man on the go

I have written before about S. (age two) and his active self. He is always on the go. He is quick and smart too. He has figured out all the childproof doorknob covers and deadbolts. He can slip out the door and run outside in less than one minute. We have alarms and latches out of reach. He still finds an opportunity when the kids forget to lock the door, and takes it. Often we find him on the riding lawnmower, in the studio, or in the car (yikes!). There have been more than a few times where I have had a horrible panicky feeling while searching for S. He won't answer when we call, he thinks it is funny to run off, and he has NO fear. He has even left the house in the dark before! Professionals I have talked to about this seem to think this is a typical behavior or a parenting/discipline issue. My theory is if this were the case wouldn't I have more than one child that likes to wander? I am searching for a solution to teach him that it is dangerous to leave by himself but I honestly do not think he "gets" it. I am also looking for some sort of device that can locate or alert us when/if S. escapes. Unfortunately, they are all costly.