Pictures

Here are a few pictures of the kids...

Court

Deana, our representative, went to court in the middle of the night. As a side note, it is only a twelve hour time change, I guess they do not have day light savings time. She said all went great. That is good news. The judge, who is new the the bench, did request an extra document, but it was able to be produce and turned into the judge right after the case. Deana was also able to give our letter and family book with the birth family.

The bad news: the social worker has not even started Micah's report. We are on hold until she does it. She first needs to set up a time to meet Micah, which she has not done either.

Since is the judge is new, we do not have past time lines to go by. Either way, I think I will have to adjust my travel thinking to June or July.

Also, We did not get any new pictures, but are hoping for some when the nannies finish writing updates on all the babies:)

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Micah's first court date. Please join me in praying for a miracle, that the social worker would have her report on Micah to the judge! The case is set to start at 2:45 p.m. Taiwan time, that is 1:45 a.m. for me. It can last as short as 15 minutes. I will not hear anything from my case manager until the afternoon on Wednesday because of all the different time zones we are working with. I, of course, will update right away.

First Court Date

We received our first court date! It has been set for March 24 at 2:45, but that is 1:45 am Ohio time. We are very excited to get this after only one week and a day. We are praying that the social worker can pick up her speed and get Micah's report done by then. She has not had the last two done by the first court date and therefore delayed the first court decree. The estimation for the first decree is late April. I am still praying for sooner, but rejoicing that it is going to happen!

The adoption process is an amazing look at God's love and I am so thankful that we can follow God's call. If Micah's birthmom decided to keep Micah he would still have a loving mother, but he would still be fatherless. I am so thankful for Chris' love to his children and that Micah has Chris as his dad!

Two Months and a day

Micah is two months old, plus a day. We are so thankful for two more pictures we received last Wednesday. On Wednesday, our paperwork was submitted to the judge. Now we pray and wait and pray and wait for any word from him. I have found this part to be more difficult that the other waiting. Each day that passes with no word feels like I will have to wait another month to bring Micah home. With my complaining, I do see blessings in the wait too. The family behind us, is only one week behind us, so it could work out that we might travel together. It was be nice to have someone to connect with and meet, for real. I have been able to draw deeper dependence in prayer, even at 1:00 am when I can not sleep. Also, the kids are able to work on being less clingy and I feel more confident in leaving them for the week while we are in Taiwan. Also, the weather has been great so we have been able to go to the park, zoo, and meet up with friends that help me focus on enjoying the time I have now.

Gardening

This week at our local MOPS my friend, Sarah, and I talked on gardening and cleaning. Spring is just around the corning and it is the prefect time to build some motivation. Since I have not talked in front of large groups for sometime, I was quite out of practice. So practice is what Sarah and I did for two days straight.

We have had great feedback and lots of moms are ready to "dig in" and grow a few green plants or try a homemade cleaner or two! I am sure some were bored to tears, but we have not heard from any of them:)

This is our eighth year doing a garden. We each have an area in our backyard for veggies and use our flower beds for lettuce and strawberries. I will start my tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers indoors this weekend. I know that the almanac says I can plant outdoors the first week in May, but I will wait until after Mother's Day. First, I hope that we will be in Taiwan the first week or before:) and I do not like to go cover my plants when there is a chance of frost.

Last year we added corn, I believe that we will continue that and will add a few new veggies to the list. Here is the list so far:

Tomatoes
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Green Beans
Peas
Onions
Potatoes
Green peppers
Pumpkins
Corn
Lettuce

This is a picture of my garden about 4 years ago. We were in control of the weeds at that point. I am hoping Ana will be the one controlling the weeds this year:)

That's My Boy

This past week Chris grandmother passed away. We headed up to the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan for the funeral. It was actually a pretty good drive. We rode with Chris' parents and his sister. It was great to all ride together and have the time to talk.

The UP is like a whole separate country, socially. I can not really explain what I mean, but I am sure if you have been you understand. The kids were playing with the pastor's son at the funeral home. I could easily tell, within a few moments, that he was not developmentally on target. He was very sweet and friendly and played great with the kids. His mom shared that he was adopted locally, and his birthmom was drinking and doing drugs throughout the pregnancy. People in the church told them not to adopt him and did not seem very supportive. Thankfully they did not listen to them and now he has a very loving mom and dad! Anyways, the people in the church were constantly yelling at the boy to stay away and not touch this or that. When we first met him he said, "You miss Anna (Chris' grandmother) too. She called me her boy. When she saw me she say, 'That's my boy!'" It was said with such love. I love that she, Grandma, loved him and he knew it!