File Read & First Visit!

We headed down early Tuesday morning for our three hour drive to the adoption agency.  We spent FIVE HOURS in a tiny room reading through the kids' files, writing down any information that we thought we might need in the future or that the kids might someday want.  There were six thick files, we got totally through three and leafed through the other three.  There was a couple of surprises but nothing that would scare us away (although it might have someone else).  My eyes were exhausted!

At 3:30pm we headed to the foster family's house (30 min. away from the office) to meet the kids.  The foster mom had done an excellent job of preparing the kids (to the best little ones can be prepared for this) and all the kids were excited to see us.  We spent the next three hours playing with the kids and showing them the picture book and book with CD (with my voice) that we had brought for them.  We ate dinner with them and then played a little more before leaving to head home.  I think that the kids are doing well so far...T(2) loved to have Mike hold him and they would growl at each other and then laugh, G(3) took redirection from me very well when he was pinching a sibling and A(5) introduced us as her "adoption" mommy and daddy to a visitor to the house :)  A is VERY talkative and wants us to be talking or reading to her at all times.  Both boys are delayed so they aren't speaking much (that we can understand anyway) but they make up for it in movement...those two are busy, busy, busy!

A transition plan has been made.  The girls will join us for a weekend in the town that the kids are in this weekend.  We will stay in a hotel and visit the kids in the foster home first and then take them on our own during the day.  Then next weekend we will travel down to the town again to spend time with the kids while the foster mom packs their stuff up.  We will be bringing the kids home with us on the 10th.

I think I'm still in shock that this is really happening :)

Lexy and Brooke each wrote a letter to the kids and we mailed it last night in hopes that it will make it there before we see them this weekend.

Mike said last night at (our) bedtime "in a couple of weeks bedtime won't be this peaceful"...I said "no in a couple of weeks bedtime will be the ONLY peaceful time".  But we wouldn't have it any other way :)

Awww

I talked on the phone with the foster mom tonight for about an hour.  We made plans for tomorrow afternoon and she shared some more information with me about the kids.  At one point our youngest (T-2) came into the room with foster mom so she put him on the phone.  I could hear her telling him things to say but couldn't really understand him until she told him to tell me that he loved me....at that point I heard the sweetest little "lub you" that I think I've ever heard :)

Foster mom also e-mailed a new picture of all three kids to me...they are SO cute!!!

SO EXCITED...so nervous!!!

We got word yesterday that we got SRS approval and we will be going for the file read and to meet the kids tomorrow!!!  We will talk about next steps tomorrow but it looks as though hopefully the kids will be moving in two weeks.

I am so excited for this to FINALLY be happening!  I do still have that little bit of anxiety that something will go wrong but it's because of past losses not because of anything related to this case.  Everything with this case just seems to be falling into place...just as it is supposed to when it is meant to be! :)

I never dreamed that I'd be as nervous as I am to meet the kids.  I lay awake at night and I have a knot in my stomach all day.  But I know that I already love those three babies with all my heart!  I'm sad that they'll have to grieve the loss of their foster family and the life they have settled into with them.  I am truly grateful for that foster family though because they have loved and helped our kids in so many ways until they could be with us!  Our goal will be to make the transition as smooth and positive as possible for everyone involved. 

I can't believe I'll be Mommy to three more kids!!!  My kids will be B-16, L-8, A-5, G-3 and T-2 :)

Adoption Update

It looks as though the issues have been resolved...some of the mountains have been moved!!  We received one approval last Friday (one that we were REALLY worried about) and we are now waiting for SRS approval (evidently they are behind) so that we can go to read the file and meet the kids.  Hopefully that will happen sometime next week and then next weekend all of us will go to the town where the kids are for the weekend to spend time with them.

The foster family has removed the Aug. 27th deadline for a move so that the kids won't have to go to another foster home before coming here.  I just hope that things start speeding up before they decide that they can't keep them any longer.  I SO appreciate that the foster family is putting the kids' needs before their own. 

I haven't been able to stop myself from starting to pick up small things here and there for the kids but I have held off buying anything big.  I can't wait to start making those bigger purchases!  I even have a magazine marked with Christmas ideas :) 

3rd and 11th

A little sad this morning to see these girls off to their first day of 3rd and 11th grades...

Each girl had their favorite breakfast before heading out, Lexy - biscuits and gravy and Brooke - orange rolls.

Lexy took her teacher a small first day gift...

 

After school they will get an ice cream of their choice from Sonic and then favorites for dinner (spaghetti and brownies).

Summer Fun - Week 12

The girls start school tomorrow :(

For our last week we...

Went shopping at the Legends and to lunch at the T-Rex cafe with Mammaw...

Went to Coco Key (indoor waterpark) with friends (Natasha and Avree)...

Saw the movie "The Odd Life of Timothy Green".  No pics but we all LOVED this movie.  It had a great message.  We definately should not have forgotten the tissues!

And today Lexy and I met Robin and her kids at PowerPlay for lunch and to play at the arcade...

The only picture I thought to take :)

Summer Fun - Week 11

Some of the fun things we did this week were...

We made flarp again this year.  This is one of Lexy's favorite things to make :)

Cousin Ashley came over for a play day...

Lexy stole daddy's box of nails and had some fun playing with them with magnets...

The living room was transformed into a fort on a couple of stay-at-home days...

We went swimming with Robin, Mackenzie, Molly and Ryan...

AND Lexy got brave enough to jump off of the diving board!!

Lexy was SO PROUD that she conquered her fear!!  She then wanted to do it over and over again :)

Lexy and I also met with my childhood friend, Sandy, for the second time this summer.  It has been so much fun catching up with her and we just love that little girl of hers, Riley Jean!  Both times we've met up I haven't thought about taking any pictures (next time for sure!!) but here's a picture from when we were in about 3rd grade...

Adoption Update

We were chosen as the kids' family.

BUT

There are some issues that have arisen that need to be figured out/taken care of...and it has to happen fast since the kids need to be moved from their foster home by Aug. 27th.  There is nothing that we can do to help figure out or take care of these issues and unfortunately we are still at risk of not getting the kids. :(

We have done and are doing everything on our end to make this happen but only God knows if this is meant to be.  We are staying positive and praying that if these are our kids that mountains will be moved to make it happen quickly.

Adoption Update

We got the phone number and permission to call the current foster home to talk with the foster mom more about the kids, get sizes and ask any other questions we had.  I made the call last night and she and I spent over an hour chatting about the kids.  She was so sweet and kept saying that she will miss the kids dearly but that she thinks that we will be the perfect family for them :)

We are starting to really get excited but are still cautious that something could go wrong.  We can't wait to have them in our home so that we can fully enjoy them without worrying!

I did make my first purchase for them today, a few new books to add to our collection that I thought they would like :)