Happy Easter

He is risen indeed!

  Today didn't seem like Easter at first.  There were no spring flowers blooming, no cherry blossoms on the trees, the weather was chilly and damp and gray like it has been for so long but then as we stood in worship this morning I was reminded that Easter is not pretty flowers and sunny weather. 

And as he stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

I had chills as we sang In Christ Alone I couldn't keep the tears from forming in my eyes.  

What a gift he gave us.

Happy Easter!

Fun at the boat club

Saturday was finally a nice sunny day.  Jeff had to spend the day working on the sailboat so we joined him for a picnic lunch and just enjoyed spending the day enjoying the weather and playing on the beach.

The kiddos discovered clay and now the boat club may be their favorite place. 

Skipper enjoyed wading and playing fetch for the afternoon

Please hurry spring we really enjoyed this taste.

A gift

I have been on a hunt for crocus bulbs but have had no luck.    I know they are to be planted in the fall but have been hoping to find some bulbs and plant early and maybe just get a bloom or two for spring.  I had given up hope of finding and bulbs and was going to just wait until fall when just the other day Carrot who had been playing said she found a beautiful flower and when I investigated sure enough there was one tiny crocus bloom hidden under the dried leaves.  It was certainly a gift not to have to wait until next spring.

YAY! No additional travel time

Several agencies and the MPAK blog are stating that the decision has been made and families will not need to appear in court and no additional travel time will be required.....WAHOOO!

I would love to see an e-mail update from my agency to also confirm but am feeling pretty good about it.

The MPAK blog updated what the new process will look like copied below: (full update here)

1. The court will review all the adoption documents of a family that wish to adopt a child from Korea.  Before that the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) would approve the family and issue an EP, and all the documents will be forwarded to the Family Court to get reviewed and a judge will conditionally approve the family.  In the past years the MOHW was the final approving authority.  Under the new adoption law the final approvals will come from the Family Court.

2. A social worker appointed by the Family Court will arrange an interview with baby's birthmother to make sure that she is sure of her decision to give up the baby.

3. Once it is determined that the birthmother does not wish to keep the baby, the 14-day clock starts ticking.  Like I mentioned, this is to give the birthmother the time to reconsider her decision.  In most cases, the birthmothers will not want their babies back.  So in a sense they are given two chances at their babies.  They will be given 7 days to change their minds right after the birth.  And they will be given one more chance just before the babies are adopted. In truth they have the power to take back their children anytime after the birth to the time of adoption.

4. After the 14-day reconsideration period is over, and the baby is still available, a judge issues the final adoption order, allowing the adoptive family to take their child home.  

5. The agency will contact the adoptive family to travel to Korea to pick up their child right after the 14-day period is over.

I feel so relieved.  The last few weeks have been such a roller coaster ride for so many.  It is hard to be in the middle of this process and think there is a chance you can't continue.  So thankful to God for answered prayer and so thankful to so many of you for praying.

Of course.....meeting cancelled

The meeting between the agencies and the family court has been cancelled....of course.  Ah....they were not kidding when they say adopting is not for the faint of heart....more waiting more patience I guess.

Apparently two judges were reassigned and there are three new judges being appointed to family court....not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing but hoping it is positive and the new judges put in place are all part of the plan.  A bit of a silver lining is they are adding an extra judge so that means there are a total of 4 judges reviewing cases instead of three so hopefully that will speed things up a bit.

There was some talk on the MPAK blog today that the judges understand the difficulty of the extensive suggested travel times and he thinks when all is said and done the trip will still be able to remain short.  I feel hopeful but until the decision is final I feel like anything could happen.

My "kinda" fasting and praying

There are several adoptive mama's from a Korean adoption group I am part of who are fasting and praying today and every night until the decisions have been finalized regarding the new travel requirements.  I think some are fasting all day today and several are doing a nightly 6pm to 9am fast.

I must say I am not the best faster.  I tried a few times before and after almost passing out in the Acme parking lot with  my kiddos and having to pull into the McDonalds for some orange juice so I could get myself together I have decided to "alter" how I fast.

I am giving up sugar during this fast.  This may sound lame to some of you but I am pretty addicted to sweets so already I have found myself praying for this situation several times today when I wanted to grab a cookie, piece of chocolate or put sugar in my coffee :)

At some point tonight probably around 7-9p.m. the meeting with the three adoption agencies and the Korean family court will start.  The meeting was scheduled Tuesday the 5th in the a.m. I believe, so with the time change this will be happening tonight and while we are sleeping.  Please keep this in your prayers and if you would like to join in the fast and prayer please do.  There are so many babies, foster families, and forever families who this will affect.

So waiting and praying and trying to keep busy so I don't spend too much time stalking the internet rumores. 

I highly suggest polishing silver if ya'll have any.  It is a great way to rub away your frustration.  My dad had just brought me my mom's silver tea set that I had ask him if I could have.  I must say I think she was also the last one who polished it and she has been with Jesus for well over 10 years now but is is all done and pretty now and a great way to keep me busy.

A healthy Saturday

Today I made and attempt to make our customary Saturday morning chocolate chip pancake a bit healthier.  I found this recipe on Pinterest link here to recipe and we gave it a whirl.

I didn't have the whole grain flour but I did have the flax seed that I was able to grind up in my magic bullet.  I doubled the recipe and it was enough to feed about 4-5 people.  They are very dense little pancakes that fill you up fast...but pretty good for healthy.

Batter all ready to go

Healthy side to our healthy pancakes

Here they are and they were yummy.  Not fluffy like regular pancakes I would classify them more like banana bread pancakes :)

Carrot decided to wear her "Thing 2" hat for breakfast in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday