WHY

Why did this happen, again? It appears that there was a piece of paper missing from our file when our case went to court. We have been told that this has not been required in the past, but now MOWA insists that it be present in the files. Very frustrating to have yet another court date for us to wait for, but there is nothing we can do.

Mark and I have again been overwhelmed with kind words and prayers from friends and family. We appreciate everyone's support and are so encouraged. That little girl is already so well loved - we just can't wait to bring her home.

Yesterday we got our sad news but also got some very happy news. Some friends of ours have been in ET this week meeting their daughter Rahel. You can check out their blog here. They were able to go to Hannah's orphanage and meet her, take pictures, and video. What a special gift this is to us and we appreciate them so much. Here are a few things, our friend had to say in an email she sent after going to visit:

".....we have met your daughter and she is AMAZING!!!! So,.....Hannah is basically GORGEOUS....she is seriously beautiful and so HEALTHY...you are going to be amazed and you can put your heart and mind to rest...she has a round belly and a filled out face and legs and hands and everything...she really is so beautiful and healthy looking. She was asleep on her belly when we got there and they rolled her over...she woke up but I couldn't get a smile since she was such a sleepy baby =) She didn't smile because of the sleepiness, but she didn't cry at all either!! They said she is very, very sweet!!! She has such soft hair and her curls have gotten long!! She is taken such good care of. The orphanage is beautiful and clean and bright. The nursery is clean and there is someone in there constantly....the older babies are sitting, etc....which is great news!! Their cribs are clean and orderly and they seem very well cared for.....rest easy tonight knowing that she is well until she is in your arms!!"

This just makes my heart smile. Thank you Sarah for checking on my baby girl!

Hannah and Court

Little one did not pass court...AGAIN! So sad, the news is just heartbreaking to us. New court date is Feb. 11. Tentative embassy date March 29th (seems so far away).

Trying to be crafty

I am not very crafty, but I try. I can do cakes and I like to scrapbook, but art is not really my thing. I guess part of the problem is that I am not very original and don't usually have my own ideas. Therefore, I got a great idea off a blog I read every day: Under the Sycamore. (I put the link to her original bird paintings.) Thanks Ashley for the idea!

Now hanging in our living room.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND...
Tomorrow is Hannah's Rescheduled Court Date.
Please say a prayer that her case will pass court and that we can bring her home soon.

Daddy's Helper

He is Daddy's little boy and helper. Little man loves spending time with his Dad.

Thanks Aunt Amie and Uncle Jacob for this cute little shirt.

Jack's Friends

Jack likes to hang out and lately we have had a few friends over to play and visit. It's pretty funny because most of the kids who have come over to play are older and Jack is in a very different stage than them. Jack likes to grab their shoes, their books, etc.So thanks boys for coming over - it won't be long and the age difference won't matter much. We love having you over and Jack loves to watch and learn from you "big boys."

Jesse and Jack

Cain and Jack watching the last 15 minutes of Sesame Street "Elmo's World."

Over the crud

We had the crud. For almost two weeks, Jack and I were sick. We had colds, fevers, sore throats (at least I did, Jack couldn't tell me his was sore) coughs, and overall yuck-i-ness. Mark was great about retrieving cold medicne and maple long johns from the store. As well as helping with all the other household chores I wasn't up to tackling. Thanks Mark!

However, this weekend is the the first weekend we are feeling good (the last 2 were bad). We had a great time. We relaxed on Friday night. Saturday I actually left the house to meet up with a friend for coffee. Mark had a guys poker/Rock band night and I had a ladies baking night with some friends. And today we had brunch at a friends house and met some other families who have adopted children. It was great! Here's to being over the crud!

Mrs. Handy

My husband is pretty handy around the house- I am not. BUT, I did manage to put together this toy for Jack that came in the mail yesterday. There were lots of screws and the diagram seemed kind of impossible to read. Yet, I did it (and feel very proud of myself too). And now Jack is having all kinds of fun on his new ride. Pressing buttons. Pulling himself up on the back and walking across the room - he loves it!