Flowers are in

I just love this time of year.   It is hard for me to pick my favorite season.  I love fall so much but spring is equal if not better.  Everything is so green and beautiful. 

Picture of the creeping phlox before they loose their flowers.  They are always so beautiful

Bed to the right of the drivway

I always hate having to find mostly shade plants for my front porch but shade plants are really starting to improve.

Double begonia's for between the rocking chairs

Double Impatiens for the hanging baskets

Some sort of creeping hybrid impatiens plant 

The vegetable garden getting ready for planting after a delivery of fresh garden soil.  This year Jeff added a box around the garden to make it a raised garden.  Hoping this cuts down on the weeds and produces better plants.

Back yard deck I planted Creeping Petunias and Annual Vinca.  The rule of thumb is to plan after Mother's Day and would't you know it we had a little frost on morning this week.  I hope everything survives.  Some of the Vinca is getting yellow leaves :(

Some more on the deck Geraniums and Vinca.  My deck gets full sun all day so hardy plants are a must.

Garden behind the garage with the spring Iris

I can't wait for the Peonies to bloom.  I'm sure I'll add a post just for those
Bed to the left of the drivway

I decided to add all Annual Vinca in sidewalk bed this year.  I have never done just one type of flower.  I am excited to see how it looks when they grow full.

Front porch pots

More front porch 

And the garden complete and ready for planting.  We do have some corn and the sun flower seeds planted all ready.  Banana certainly has his summer work cut out for him :)

Enjoying this beautiful day and counting my blessings

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day we normally go out to breakfast and then we stop and I buy lots of flowers for the house.  This years I landed both nursery and Jr. Church on Mother's Day so we hit the cracker barrel the evening before at dinner time so I could still get my blackberry pancakes.  

Sunday morning came a bright and early.  I was roused by the cutest little girl I know coming into my room with breakfast in bed.  This consisted of a bowl of lucky charms and a glass of milk on my cookie sheet.  It was so sweet of her.  Banana came into the room a little later and Jeff ask him why he didn't make pancakes and he said he told Carrot he would make them but she was too eager and wanted to get the cereal upstairs right away.  

I am an early riser so I think she was worried I would come down stairs and ruin the surprise.  

A very happy Mother's Day indeed.  I am so blessed to have to happy healthy kids.

10 Months

I am almost hesitant to post an update as all information is likely to change from week to week.  As of right now, this is what I THINK is going on with the adoption.

I am thankful I can say there is finally movement.   Court dates are starting to be issued left and right.  I know everyone in the program is sitting on the edge of their seats hoping they court dates stay firm and we see people start to travel.  The last set of court dates were cancelled and adoptive parents were left in the dark for almost 2 months with no idea what was going on.

The first court date that I know of will be at the end of May and we are hoping we will get more concrete information after we see several of these trail blazer families go through this new process.  This is great news because no new cases have been completed since the new law went into effect last August so it will be wonderful if we see this stand-still come to an end.

As of now Korea is back to requiring families to appear in court.   I have heard that families will meet with their baby and pictures will be taken that will be added to the documents that go to the judge.  The family will appear in court and the court appearance will be 15-20 minutes (nice huh that they are requiring us to pay thousands of dollars in travel for a 20 minute court case).

It seems that families are being given the option right now to take 1 long trip or 2 short trips.

I have been told that some agencies are requiring families to leave after the court appearance and return after the 14 day reconsideration period.   I am hoping they leave it up to families to determine if 1 or 2 trips better suits them.    Our agency has yet to update us that the travel has even changed at this point. 

I was really struggling with trying to decide if we should switch to the China WC program for many days.   Part of me is thinking lets just wait this out and see what happens before we decide anything but the other part of me was fearful that we may get a referral while we are waiting and if that happened and I had to turn the referral down because we felt like we could not handle the travel I think I would be heartbroken.

I decided I needed to think about the worse case scenario and decide if I was ALL IN.  I have not heard anyone saying BOTH parents were going to be required to stay 4+ weeks and that was the situation we COULD NOT handle with Jeff's work.  Still with my phobia of flying I could not imagine having to get on that airplane 4 times probably without my children, and possibly 2 of these on my own, one of which I would be traveling with a screaming toddler who I just took from his foster mother (the only mother he has probably ever known). 

I think that is the worse case scenario and I feel like I have come to terms with that as an option and even though I DON'T want to do it - AT ALL - I can do it.  God is not going to let anything happen to me that is not in His will and I have to trust that if that plane goes down with me in it that is how I was meant to go.  (Geez I'm still shaking a little typing this out)  I seriously spent a sleepless night feeling pretty sure I could not do this LOL

If one trip is allowed and Jeff is in agreement I would prefer to take one long trip.  On Friday, I talked to the kids principal and was asking her more information around how it would work if the kids were off school that long.  She told me that what work was available could be given to us to take along.  E-mail was also another option for some work.  I told her we still were not sure if the kids should be taken out of school this long especially my son since he will be moving to middle school and she told me that both our kids do great in school and they would have plenty of time to make up the work when they got back from the trip.  She said, in her opinion, that they would learn so much more in Korea than that month they missed of school.   After she said that I thought I would look for furnished apartments and found some that could be rented weekly and the rates were reasonable.  It may even not be too much more to rent the apartment for the month than we would have spend on one week at a hotel.  

I am feeling pretty good about staying in the program right now and watching and waiting to see what will happen.  Hoping and praying we see people traveling in the next month.

April catch up

April came and went and I did get most of the pictures up but just realized I missed some awesome moments.

John became a licensed driver and bought his first car.

Who is smiling more?  John that he has a new car or Jeff because John can drive himself :)

Banana had his 5th grade field trip to Washington D.C.  I was lucky enough to take off and the weather was just perfect.  

Had to snap a shot of just some of the beautiful tulips we saw

In front of the capital building.

Some classmates 

Not sure why they all liked this tree so much

Air and space museum

Finally finished

Most of our weekends in April were spend working on the boat to her ready to be put in the water.  Finally after many weekends we are finished

Before

                                               

We did get out on it for the first time last weekend quickly.  It was a beautiful evening and I was reminded how to start the motor and use the radio.  Very important.

 Skipper on the dingy headed out to the boat

 Enjoying the view 

 Silly faces

 So cute in his life vest

Carrot in the sunset

 Banana bringing us back to shore

 Must be nice to be a little girl and get towed all the way up to land

We said Yes

I'm sure it is not coincidente that yesterday this was on facebook.

It is awesome to say the least so so true.

"When you say YES to adoption, you are saying YES to enter the suffering of the orphan, and that suffering includes WAITING FOR YOU TO GET TO THEM.  I promis you their suffering is worse than yours.  We say YES to tears, YES to the longing, YES to the maddening process, YES  to the money, YES to hope, YES to the screaming frustration of it all, YES is going the distance through every unforeseen discouragement and delay.  Do not imagine that something outside of "your perfect plan" means you heard God wrong.  There is NO perfect adoption.  EVERY adoption has snags.  We Americans invented the "show me a sign" or "this is a sign" or "this must mean God is closing a door" or "God must not be in this because it is hard."  but all that is garbage.  You know what's hard?  Being an orphan.  They need us to be champions and heroes for them, fighting like hell to get them home.  So we will.  We may cry and rage and scream and wail in the process, but get them home we will".

Back to the beginning

Why continue with this journey???  That is an easy thought when life apart from our adoption is grand and you don't HAVE to go on with this in uncertain process.

In and effort to remind myself why I am on this journey I need to go back to the beginning and remind myself why I am where I am.

Not everyone was called to adopt but I do truly feel this is something God has laid on my heart.

Here is to a series of remembering what brought me here.

Compassionate Christian living compels us to care for the orphans and to respond to the injustice levied upon millions of vulnerable children.

Our response does not mean that our lives will be pain free and without difficulty.  Perhaps in some cases, our lives will become more difficult.  And for some, their journey will become exceptionally hard and onerous.  Only the Lord knows.

What I am confident of is this biblical reality.  Our Father will reward those who live that righteous life.  He will replace what the "locusts have eaten" and He will redeem those who hear and respond to the cry of the orphan.

Journey to the Fatherless

Don't worry my burden is still down

Disclaimer:  This is not me picking up my burden this is just a update with what is going on in the Korea program.

My husband came home the other night and said, "wow I read your blog post today and it sounded so depressing".....so I hate to feel like I'm a "Debbie Downer" in my current posts right now but it is what it is.  It is not my fault the situation is so sad.

My life is actually so blessed.  Just last night my FB post was this:

"Could life get any better....eating M&M ice cream and mowing my lawn"

I love to mow and I love ice cream :)  My life is really awesome and I am so blessed

....but when my brain goes back to our adoption process the reality of the situation right now is just sad.

I am still laying my burden down but laying it down and explaining the Korea situation and having heartache for these children are two different things (Jeff) :)

Lay my burdens down....

Needless to say being back in limbo with the adoption is stressful.  If only we knew what the outcome and rules would be.  It is so hard waiting knowing you may not be able to continue with this program.  I did make the call to my agency and ask them to provide me with the time and additional cost that it would take to switch to the China WC program.  I am certainly not ready to move programs yet but I thought it would be good to have the information at hand if it comes to a travel requirements that we can not do.

 I struggled even with just the call to the agency.  I didn't understand why God would lead us down this path to come to a dead end but Jeff reminded me that God led us down the path to adoption and we were the ones who made the decision for Korea.  So changing programs is not "out" of Gods plan.

This fall we will need to update our adoption paperwork so we figured that is a good amount of time to wait and see what happens with the program.  I figure we will know when the time is right to switch programs.

Yesterday in Sunday school the teacher made one comment that really stuck with me.  He said that we often lay our problems down for God but we go back and pick them up again.  I am so guilty of this.  I decided I need to lay this one down and leave it.  God knows the outcome and I just need to rest assured that he has it under control.  So here is to trying not to pick them up again.

More uncertainty

Well it appears we are back to waiting to see if we can proceed with this adoption again.  Apparently the court judges have changed there minds (again) and have decided to require adoptive parents to appear in court while in Korea.  The details around length of stay or 1 trip vs. 2 are yet to be decided (again).

I am totally ready to see some movement in this program since things have been at a stand still for so long but going back to the point of not knowing if we can continue with this process is GETTING TO BE TOO MUCH.

I am really in need of some firm answers here.  Is Korea just making this stuff up as they go?

Where have all the flowers gone

I am afraid I just made a huge mistake! Our grass has been getting thin the last few years and that makes the yard pretty muddy at times.  With so many children to entertain I am desperate to get outside at times so we made the call to the lawn professionals and they came out yesterday to spray for the weeds and the papers they left said that the weeds would begin to die in around 10 days.  I read it through and thought nothing of it and then last night while lying in bed it hit me.....the dandelions WHAT DID I DO!

I am just waiting for my sweet little girl to come to me in the next few days and ask me where all the flowers in the yard have gone.  Just 2 days ago Carrot and her friend filled a basket with dandelions and just a few days prior she and some neighborhood kids came running up to our yard to gather flowers and I said I thought they were playing down the street and the little girl said but your yard has dandelions and ours doesn't :) 

I remember playing for hours with dandelions ...making necklaces, blowing them into the air when they seed, using them for my "soup" ....ahhhhh I just took away part of her childhood.

9 months since HSTK

9 months of waiting since HSTK and 15 months since beginning this process.

This is a thoughtful place to be.  I know people who announced that they were pregnant after we began this processes and they have gone through their whole pregnancy and their babies are several months old now.

I certainly did not have to wait this long for either of my other two so I think naturally I feel like my wait should be almost up :)

Up to this point it seemed like we had such a lengthy wait ahead of us so you don't think about it to much you just go on with life and time has gone by quickly.  Now I think time is moving slower because I am thinking we COULD get a referral any day now OR wait another 9-12 months....sort of makes it hard to plan.  There are people at our agency that waited 23 months for their referral and then others that only waited 9 months.

I'm not sure if we were actually in a definite waiting order if that would make it easier or harder.

I really wish we could hear about someone (anyone) in this process that has made it through the new court process.  It would be nice to see things moving again. 

On my birthday

I just had a birthday!  My thirties (so far - not out of them yet LOL) has taught me several things. Just a few:

1.  It is ok to make your own birthday cake.  Jeff would be happy to buy me a cake and some years I might take him up on that but it's my birthday and I want my favorite cake so why not just make what I want.  

2.  It is ok for things not to always have to be "planned".

3.  Life is going by fast so I need to try to enjoy everyday.

4.  It is important to remember that each day I have with my kiddos at this age will help mold them into who they will become.....it is a big responsibility.

I was blessed that my birthday ended up being one of the nicest warmest days of the season so far.  We grilled some chicken, squash and zucchini, and of course had rice.

Doesn't that toothless smile just make you happy

Banana wanted to light the candle.  Lessons learned for him:

1.  If you hold the match straight the flame will burn your finger.

2.  If you blow your match out in front of the candle it will blow out the candle as well 

 Jeff after a long day off working on the boat

 Ooney helping himself to a second piece of cake

I am so lucky to have such a special little girl.  She wrote me a card and told me she didn't want me to read it out loud.  She also wrote me a song and sang it to me.  

She wrapped up some of the clay from the boat club that she had been molding and also a pot holder she had made on her weaving loom that just the night before she ask me to finish off for her :)

 I can't ever imagine why I originally wanted two boys....she is the sweetest thing ever.

 Jeff got me a necklace and I really do like it don't get my face wrong.....I asked for and was expecting a carpet cleaner and was still just puzzled that he didn't get me that LOL

He did say he didn't want to get and wrap up a carpet cleaner so I could just go out and get that when I wanted

 It was so nice that JonJon ask Jeff to stop on the way home from school so he could get me something.  He got me a gift card....if only it didn't come with a note that said......

Spring is finally here

Another busy weekend.  Soccer has started along with trying to get the boat ready for the water.  

Lots of buds....spring is coming

Carrot came running over to the boat and said, "you have to see what I found it is the top part of a submarine where you look out of." :)  She really thought she had found the parascope to a submarine.  I had to break it to her that it was just an old pipe.

Skipper decided that he should enjoy the soccer game from Carrot's little chair

I think the best part of the weekend was when we were talking about shapes and Carrot said she knew about TUTTY shapes.  We were all puzzled and then Jeff started laughing and filled up in that he thought she ment 2D shapes.

Easter fun

School was closed Friday and Monday for Easter break so we decided to save our egg dying and just do it with the daycare kids.  It was a fun day and believe it or not we didn't even spill any dye with 8 kids here.

After eggs we made rice crispy treats into birds next.  It was a cute little idea we found on Pinterest.  They turned out great and the kids enjoyed eating them. 

To feel or not to feel

Things have really changed since we began this adoption process almost 15 months ago.   I know there is always uncertainty with this process but I think I have begun to start to guard my emotions lately, almost desensitizing myself to feeling that this may not happen.

Even a month or two ago when the changes were taking place and depending on the travel requirements I knew we could have to potentially pull out of the program I felt like in my heart I was still sure it would all work out, but for some reason recently I am starting to see that this adoption process could in fact leave you empty handed, and if I allow myself to go on emotionally assuming I will be getting a baby at the end of this process I could be left with heartache.

The turmoil with North and South Korea has me concerned of course, but I have not been overly concerned.  I am almost glad we have not gotten a referral yet because if I saw a face and then had to think about Seoul potentially being a target it would be twice as hard, although in reality we probably could already have a baby who has already been born.  These have been interesting thoughts running through my mind lately that have started me on this road to the doubtful adoption.  Then yesterday I read about a situation that I most certainly don't want to face.

 I have been following an adoptive mammas blog and vica versa for almost a year now.  We would comment on each others journey and almost became blog buddies.  We friended on FB and messaged back and forth some.  I have watched her journey for a long time now as we started the process around the same time.  I saw the joy she had when she shared the referral of a sweet baby, I have watched her lovingly gather items to send care packages to her baby, to prepare a nursery in her home, seen her rejoice when new pictures arrived.  She has been assuming for over a year this was her baby.  Now she has lost that baby as the birthmother decided to come back and parent the baby.   The new law has the courts contacting the birthmothers again and in some cases almost 2 years after they made that decision to make an adoption plan for that baby.

I'm sure it is great if the birthmother is able to parent probably best for the child but where does that leave this adoptive mamma.  It leaves her with a broken heart.

The road of international adoption is getting so much harder and complicated.  The process is just too too long,  the cost is outrageous, and the emotional roller-coaster is not easy to ride.  There are 147+ million orphans out there.  These babies deserve a loving home and if these barriers where not so high it would make it so much easier for loving families.