Family time

Summer is in full swing and it is cruising by very fast. Hard to believe that we are already in the 2nd week of July.
Jade is teaching how to play Chinese jump rope. Jenny is learning how to do it.Monika is now trying to do it

Dave needed to get in to the fun of it too.
Erin's bed. A neighbor donated this to us. The room decoration is the original decoration from when we brought Monika home 7 years ago. The walls are sea foam green. We have talked back in forth whether we change the "theme" of the room before she comes home. We decided to leave it as is. When she gets home and is ready to make the decision we will go from there. The decorations are from Monika time in the room (she hasn't been in the room for a year and half). Now it is time to work finding a home for all the things on the shelving thing (that in the thing in the other corner between the two window is something my dad made for me when I was a small child. For the past 1 1/2 years this has been an extra room for the girls to play in. In the cabinets and closet they had craft things, books, coloring things and so forth. The closet has their dresses, their boxes (things we keep for them) and misc. things. So now we start figuring out what to do with all of it. The room that the 3 girls share now is crowded with 3 beds in it, they have no dresser in their room (they have the types of beds that drawers are under their beds and their beds can be pulled out for another bed.)
Thursday nights Walker Art Institute has free art in the park night. This was the first time we ever been there (and I lived 20 minutes or so from it all my life ). We did some coloring, then got to roam around in the institute, lay in hammocks, then roam the park. Perfect night.



One week today we should have our article 5, our agency feels they will have the paperwork back to the CCAA by the 26th or 27th and if we and they continue to be fortunate with the way our time line is going we will get the TA the last week of July or first week of August and leave shortly after that. We are very thankful for that, but have been told that July and August are vacation months as the kids are out of school, so there are/could be CCAA staff on vacation and things could slow down for us. We know this isn't in our hands and Jesus will let us know when the time is right for us. Jade is still talking about going home, but is going to wait until she knows our schedule. She has to be at college on the 31st of August, so if we aren't traveling by that time (which I hope isn't the case at all) or won't be back in time, she might not go home. We just have to wait and see.

As the time is coming more realistic, and that it is getting closers, the anxious is starting to work it way in. On some of the yahoo groups there has been discussions about families (one this week) disrupting the adoption, about others who felt they were going to disrupt and didn't, they have been writing so much valuable information about the behaviors, what to expect, what they did and trying to work there it. The reality is sinking in and I am absorbing and reading so much now on all the different scenarios that people are writing about, things that they did, and didn't do or wish they did or didn't do. I have been learning to much. A couple of pieces of advice that really stick with me. Expect the worse and research as much as you can about it, and to remember the kids didn't sign up for this, that they are probably more scared, terrified, angry, sad then us parents. I am thankful to have these groups, fellow blogs to help me prepare myself as much as I can to help Erin and her family to learn and love one another, to be a family, a forever family and most importantly, Jesus will walk with us all the way and will hold us.