Our First Day in Court

I know I promised an update on how court for L went....so here goes!


On Wednesday morning I got myself and L ready, brought clothes for Jose (who had been at work and would be returning to work after), and left the three boys with my amazing in-laws. Y'all, I was NERVOUS! I even forgot Jose's belt and shoes. :) Luckily, he had some from work that would do just fine. I picked him up at the fire station and off we went towards the courthouse.

After parking, loading L in the stroller and walking in, we had to then take her OUT of the stroller, go through the security checkpoint, get her back INTO the stroller, and head to the third floor. We arrived about 10 minutes early and her bio parents, the caseworker and the guardian were already there. Now, we've been on pretty good terms with her parents so it's not so much nerves/anxiety about them specifically, more about how the panel (this time we were not in front of a judge) was going to handle their progress and their requests.

Bio mom immediately wanted to hold her, which of course is fine, and so we began our wait....we were supposed to get called in at 11....yeah, right. In the meantime, L was getting fussy because 11:30 is nap time for her, and when we're not at home and she's not in her bed, she has a much harder time going to sleep.
L was all dolled up in a cute dress with a big bow on her head...which she started playing with. She proceeded to pull it out and let go .... WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! When she had let go, it snapped her in the forehead....oops! ;) While it was kind of funny (to us), bio mom felt so bad and L was being SO loud. She is a very emotional little girl and makes her feelings known, that's for sure. To top it off, she was tired, so this little incident just made matters worse. She wailed and wailed for the longest time, but mom was persistent and finally was able to not only calm her, but get her to sleep. Without our help (other than handing her a paci and a blanket for L), without losing her cool, and all while in a cute dress and heels ;) I was impressed. It was the first time I really got to see her handle a stressful situation with L (one that makes ANY mama cringe!) and I was pleased to see how she took care of it.

Anyways, we finally got called into the panel room around 11:45. We all sat down, introduced ourselves and the panel got started asking questions. They asked the case manager how the case plan was coming along. They asked us how L was doing. They asked the case manager how bio parents were with L (one panel member asked us the same thing, as we see them with her more than the case worker does; she doesn't supervise visits). They asked mom and dad how they felt things were going ("not fast enough"). Then the case manager said she was suggesting unsupervised visits. Without hesitation, no questions asked, the panel granted their request. Now, I'm not necessarily against them having unsupervised visits. I just wish they would have asked some (I believe) important questions:

-Do you have transportation of your own? (no)
-Where will you take her, since there is no approved home study and you can't take her to your house?
-How many days/hours are we requesting?
-Who can accompany you on these visits?


I was hoping for a clear outline of how this was going to work, which didn't happen. The judge still has to approve the request, which may or may not happen. (I'm thinking she might request answers to those, or more, questions)

And then, one panel member asks "So are we going to suggest overnight visits as well?"

My heart DROPPED to the floor. Jose later said he even heard me gasp or choke (I hope he was the only one, haha) Thankfully, the case manager, guardian, and attorney for the department all quickly said "no!". There is no approved home study so this cannot happen until they are completely done with their case plan, and have a cleared home.

Then, just like that, we were done! It was so quick, and we don't go back until January 8, so there were still many questions left unanswered.

I felt better after talking to the case manager the next day. She answered a lot of those questions for me and helped me understand the unsupervised visits a little better.

-Bio parents have to check in 24 hours in advance and tell the CM where they are going to be taking L
-They have to get their transportation approved and have proof of insurance
-The guardian as well as the CM will stop by the visits every so often
(And if they aren't where they said they'd be: big trouble)

Although I didn't get an answer to my "how many days a week and for how long on those days" question, she did assure me that the visits have to be pre-planned, and can't simply be on a "hey, we want to see our daughter today" whim.

It was great to see how God worked everything out - from mom and dad being so easy-going and hands-on with L prior to going into court, the CM and others being quick to deny overnights, to having our friend from Florida Baptist Children's Homes in there with us for support (and a yummy lunch afterwards!). He really is our rock, our provider, and comfort. We couldn't be doing this without His guidance and strength.

Now that we have this court experience under our belt, we are anxious to see how DS's court date on 9/10 goes. Probably nothing like this one - their cases couldn't be more opposite. But hey, that's what we signed up for. Every child comes from a unique situation and could potentially have a different outcome.

5

Stole this idea from my best friend, Leslyn. Read her blog here. She's awesome. 

{We've been friends since, forever and she's pretty much one of my all-time favorite people, and she's a new mommy. LOVE that newborn phase, but it just gets more fun!!}

So I've been trying to find ways to keep myself blogging regularly, and this is just one of the ways I found that I think will work. 5 random things, 5 funny things, 5 foster kid related things, 5 whatever things I want to write about today.....yeah. I'm making Tuesdays "5 Things Tuesdays". Or I should say I'm going to attempt to.  :)

These are just {some} of the funny things I've found myself dealing with lately:

5. My check-in badge stickers at the church nursery are taller than my 3.5 year old...

(We get one of the bottom kind, and two of the top kind PER KID....all on one long strip. I should take a picture next time! It's hilarious. The children's director told me today I should just have a fast pass. I totally agree!!)

4. People ask how you handle four kids under age four......I live by this rule:

 

Needless to say, our house is very RARELY quiet...especially with the three that are mobile being boys. They can get LOUD and ROUGH but it's so fun :)

3. I constantly find myself laughing at things the kids are saying/doing, such as:

 DS's favorite new words are "no" and "all done" (so he can get up from his seat after eating, his least favorite thing to do)

C's favorite new saying is "No, DS, don't do that/don't hit/don't take my planes/don't push" and other ways to pretend to be the boss.

D's new favorite word is "baba" (bottle) and "MORE!" (more food. he's a tank that one)

L is just babbling, but I promise it sounds like she's saying "mama" and "dada" sometimes!

2. You know you're a foster parent (or parent of tons of kids) when you have boxes of size 1, size 2, size 3, size 4 AND size 5 diapers in the nursery....all of which are being used/almost used. 

(L is in 1s but almost into 2s, DS is in 3s but almost to 4s and D is in 4s almost to 5s...)

(I found this image on google but this is fairly accurate....I'd take a pic of our stash but the babes are sleeping nobody wants to disturb THAT!)

1. I will do anything within my power to get all 4 napping at the same time. Anything! Today, I achieved it partially because we had Bible Study at church in the morning so the two middle boys skipped their regular morning nap and only took a quick cat nap in the car. SCORE! Lunch, play time and then BAM, all four zonked out at the same time. Yay!

And now all but the 3 year old are in bed and sleeping (I think!) so I'm going to get that one in bed, too, so I can have my "mommy time". Y'all have a great night! Oh, and please keep us in your prayers tomorrow at 11am. We are going to court with L and hopefully lunch with her parents after. :)

Why "Waiting for a Sign" is Hogwash

I was reading a friends' blog the other day and she nailed something I've been wanting to write about again for a while. With this whole fostering process we've gotten a lot of interesting remarks, especially since we started.

Some have questioned if we can "have any more of our own" (as far as we know, yes)

Some have questioned if "this is the right time because our boys are so young and still needy" (yes, but so are these kids that have nowhere else to go. We want our boys to grow up knowing this is what the Lord calls us to do, so we do it, as inconvenient or difficult or strange as it might seem to others)

Some have wondered why "we would take more than one...now we have 4 under age 4, isn't that insane?" (yes, it is. But it felt right and has been extremely difficult yet immensely rewarding)

Some have asked if "we will do this forever or just for a season", and in that case "why do it now, why not wait until your boys are older?" (Because the world does not revolve around them. Yes, we have to take into account what is best for them, but at the end of the day God's calling trumps my kids' desire not to share his room or toys)

I could go on and on. Then there's also the famous statement "I COULD NEVER DO THAT!" (Remember, I talked about in a previous post how I used to say the exact same thing!! Be careful what you say! HA!) And here's where that kind of gets me. Please know I'm speaking from experience, having been at that exact same state of mind. The post (linked above) that I wrote was before we had even officially received our license. Not that our opinions have changed since then, but I now have more of a "leg" to stand on! 

Many times we sit and think, "Well, God, if you want me to do *x y z*, then I need you to really speak to me and give me a clear sign." While that may be appropriate for college choices or job decisions, I do not believe it applies here. Read what my friend Hannah wrote about her experience in preparing for a Missions Trip and her struggle with this very issue:

Prior to this trip, I had been praying to the Lord if I should go on this mission trip. I kept on telling my husband yes, but still praying on the side if this is really what God wanted me to do. I never did get a “feeling” or a sign that I should go, instead I just chose to stand firm and have faith on the word that Jesus gave, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19) and also, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”(Acts 1:8). You see, there’s this term I’ve learned in Christian culture about “feeling lead” to do something or go somewhere, ‘because I have a heart for these people, this city, this country, this place so I will help’… But I do not recall anywhere in Scripture that justifies with these statements. Instead I used these statements to justify my flesh, or lack thereof of just simply DOING what God has commanded:

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”- Matthew 22:39
“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?“- 1 John 3:16-17
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.“- Isaiah 1:17
” for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me’.”- Matthew 25:42-45

I went home that night in awe, and then awoke the very next morning repenting and crying before the Lord. I can’t explain how my heart just felt broken inside. I curled up into a ball on the bed simply just crying. He showed me that He didn’t call me to love places, He didn’t call me to feel comfortable, He called me to love people. He calls His children to love people. We shouldn’t wait to get a “feeling or sign” from God to love people, we simply just go and do it! We shouldn’t wait to get a “feeling or sign” from God to make disciples of all nations, to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, we simply just go and do it! Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” -(John 14:15). So let’s read His Word first and simply follow what it says. Through this the Lord will clearly show you His will for you, and will close or make a way for you to pursue it, just like He has done for Paul many times in the Bible. Let’s not sit and wait around, let’s be proactive in our faith!  I dare you to be so brave to follow the Lord wherever He takes you, through the leading of His Holy Word and Holy Spirit!  Better a YES to the Lord, than no action at all.


WOW! She nailed it. We so often WAIT for God to "show" or "tell" us something that he's already been so very clear about in Scripture. In James 1:27 it says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans and widows in their distress." This is simply ONE of the MANY scriptures that look at orphans and makes it clear that this is our calling. 

I'm SO thankful that adoption has somewhat come out of the "you only adopt if you can't have your own kids" rut. I mean, there are still people who think that way, but there's been a large movement towards adoption becoming much more normal and wide-spread. I pray the same happens for foster care. There is SUCH a need for good, stable, healthy, CHRISTIAN foster homes!! And while I'm not saying that the Bible says every Christian should be a foster parent, the Bible IS clear - we all should be doing SOMETHING. 

Please pray about what God is trying to say to you through these verses. There are tons of ways to help even if you feel that in this particular life stage, fostering or adopting isn't for you and your family. There are so many areas to volunteer, host a diaper drive, clothing drive, go help a group home with an event, tutor some foster kids who are having trouble in school.....the list goes on and on. Most of all? PRAY. Pray for the kids who have been removed from their families. Even if it's a negative situation they are escaping, they are mourning that loss. Pray for the biological parents and families to either complete their case plan and become better caregivers, or realize that they are beyond help and do what is best for their child(ren) and allow them to have a healthy forever home with someone else. Pray for the foster parents who only take in shelter kids for the short term. Pray for the foster parents who take kids long-term and then have those kids reunified with their parents. I cannot even imagine the physical and emotional pain this can cause. It's truly a bittersweet thing. Pray for foster families all across our county and state, and our whole nation. This is a tough gig.....and we're dealing with a government entity that supports biology over nurture most of the time. 
Pray that everyone will keep these children's best interest in mind and make decisions accordingly.
Thank you!!!



Read Hannah's entire blog post here. And read her other posts, too. She's very transparent and really, really loves the Lord! :)

Shift Day Freak Out

Hey there. Ashley here. Well, I'm going to confess something tonight.

Shhhh.....don't tell anyone.

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, yet at the same time a little proud....


I'm probably one of the best social media "investigators"  (read: STALKER) ever. Yes, that's a self-proclaimed title. Now, don't worry. Unless you're either one of my foster kids' bio parents (or grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, babysitters...etc), or you've fallen off the face of the earth and I want to make sure you haven't died or gotten into some shady stuff, you're most likely NOT a victim. But still, I'm pretty good. I can find "stuff" and make connections like nobody's business. Instagram and Facebook are my faves....I haven't ventured into other avenues quite yet. Call me old-fashioned. (ha!)

You know when you're sick, and you google your symptoms to make yourself feel better, but you always end up feeling worse because Google claims you're dying? Well, sometimes the social media "investigating" does that, too. :-(

Today I was "checking up" on DS's former caregivers and found out that a lot of shady family members were allowed to see him even though they probably shouldn't have been. There's pictures to prove it. (And yes, you better believe I have screen shots!) It's crazy how in a little over a month and a half this little guy has made his place in my heart forever. I couldn't help but let my mama bear instincts out when I saw these pictures and I was honestly an emotional mess the rest of the day.

It's just a few pictures...but this is possibly my son's life we're talking about here. He doesn't need these crazy, wild, party-animal people in his life. It's not in his best interest, even if they do happen to have the same blood pumping through their veins. Some dear friends of ours used a slogan as they were going through an international adoption process: "Love Runs Deeper than Blood." I still wear my t-shirts with pride because that statement is SO TRUE. Blood is great, family is awesome. But that doesn't give you an automatic "pass" or "ticket" into someone's life.

So, best part of this, is that it's "Shift Day", which means hubby doesn't get home until 9am. Yay. Of course I called him and he's so comforting....."there's nothing you can do about it, it's in God's hands". Both true statements. And there really is comfort in that, I'm NOT being sarcastic :)

But, if y'all could do me a favor.....
1) Please pray for us as we go to court on 9/10 with DS. We aren't exactly sure who could show up as far as family and former care givers go. Parental rights have been terminated but there has been contact so we don't know what to expect. Our case worker is on vacation at the moment which doesn't help because we can't pick her brain :)
2) To my foster parent (even former ones), if  you've dealt with anything similar, please comment and share  your stories if you could. It makes me feel better to know there are others dealing (or have dealt) with the same/similar situations and to know I'm not crazy for reacting so strongly. It's just a "gut feeling", you know?


Thanks guys. The amount of responses we've gotten to this blog are overwhelming and so encouraging. We aren't doing this for recognition or accolades. We are doing this because we feel so strongly that this is what the Lord has for our family at this time. He's blessed us beyond measure in just these few short months (although it feels like L and DS have always been here) and we are just humbled and honored that He would see us as "fit parents" for not only our own biological children but other people's children as well. So as tough as it is to be this transparent sometimes, we want to write this blog "in good times and in bad" ;)

Back to School Prayer List

Todays' update is more of a list of prayer requests. 'Cause that's just where we're at right now :)

- Jose is starting college classes tomorrow to finish up his associate's degree (for now)...He has two online classes (one being a mini-semester) and one on campus. Please pray for time management and wisdom for him, patience and energy for Ashley with the kids, and for financial aid to come through soon! :)

- We go to court with L next week! Pray for nerves (Ashley), clarity (all those involved), and for truth to be told so wise decisions can be made...all in the BEST interest of this precious little girl.

- There is an outstanding medical bill for L that her parents haven't paid back from when L was born in February. This bill has now been put in our name for whatever reason and we're kind of getting the run around for getting it OUT of our name. We don't want this delinquent bill affecting our credit.

- Continued wisdom as we fill out adoption paperwork and go further down that path with DS. We want to make sure this is what God wants for him as well as us.

Thanks Y'all!!

Mini Update on DS

I forgot to mention our recent, awesome, news about DS!

On Monday, the nice lady from Early Steps came to our house to evaluate DS and see if he really was behind/had the issues his former caregivers claimed he did. She came in and sat on our playroom rug with her notepad and laptop, while DS sat in my lap across from her. He was NOT thrilled about this stranger being in our house. He has been very hesitant about new people, and takes a while to warm up. She started by asking me a variety of questions....
"Does he recognize you all/his family as family members?"
"Does he react when your husband comes home from work?"
"How does he handle strangers?" (um...pretty much how he handled YOU. ha!)
"Does he like to read?"
"Does he play well with other kids?"

On and on. She brought out some toys and tried to get DS to play with her. THAT took a while. He would go grab the toy and run back to my lap. :) Eventually he did warm up to her though, and performed multiple assessment tasks way beyond his age "requirement". He even completed a few "36 month" tasks! Proud foster mom over here. She tallied his scores and homeboy scored OFF THE CHARTS in EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY!!! Delays?? What in the world. I knew this kid was perfectly fine :)

So, while there are some other tests/evaluations we need to have done (more medical, nothing else developmental), this was a huge answer to prayer, relief, and sign that we're headed in the right direction with DS, our sweet little redhead.

"Supervising The Visit"

Building a relationship with the parents of any of our foster children was something I (Ashley) had a very hard time wrapping my head around. I had only seen the negative sides of these bio parents in various cases my friends had dealt with and was extremely stand-off-ish about the idea of being "friends" (or even remotely close to that) with them. My incredible husband was totally all about it...the awesome people-person that he is ;)

However, as we took our PRIDE (foster parent training) classes and talked to more foster parents, support workers, and case workers, God began to change my heart on this aspect of being a foster parent. Now, let me preface this by saying that every case is different and in some cases this would not be safe, wise, or anywhere near beneficial. But I believe in some situations this can be a very positive thing. In DS's case, a relationship with his biological parents will not ever happen. Rights are already terminated so it's not even an issue. Extended family could be a possibility, and that's an ongoing prayer request of ours. We haven't decided yet or figured out how that would look. But in L's case, the parents are extremely young and we can see ourselves being drawn to them. To help, encourage, love, listen, pray, invite, include, teach, show, be an example, mentor, and yes....friend. And today hopefully sparked that interest in journeying through this process together, as a team, for the long haul.

Since we had L, we have tried to meet up with her parents a few times. Father's Day, a doctor's appointment, and a Fourth of July event at our church. Always: last minute excuses as to why they couldn't come. We continued pursuing them, and finally arranged the first "Supervised-by-Us" visit. Now, I firmly believe there was some Spiritual warfare going on, trying to make this visit not happen. First, dad cancelled because he had to work an extra shift last minute, so mom's mom was going to come instead. (Which we were ok with, but we were really looking forward to talking to THEM, not her mom) Then, our second-born got sick with Hand Foot Mouth Disease (not as serious as it sounds but very uncomfortable and contagious) on Monday. Next, our foster son, DS, started with a fever Wednesday morning, which is the first "sign" of HFMD...so my incredible in-laws came over to watch the middle two boys and off we went with our oldest and youngest :)

We met up at Chick-fil-A (because where else would you meet? Cracker Barrel? Well, that would've been my first choice if it had been closer to our second stop...hehe) and shared a meal while C played in the play area. We asked if we could pray for our food, and they immediately said "yes, please!" and held out their hands...wow! Great conversation followed, and the day really did turn out better than I ever could have hoped. Mom stated that she felt "blessed" to have us as "her" foster parents and that she was so thankful for us including her in outings like this. She is very determined to finish her case plan and get her daughter back, which is so refreshing to see/hear after so many stories of bio parents who don't give a rip. Grandma even made a statement about how they would like us to stay involved in their lives after "all of this" is done. Wow, Lord, thank you! That's exactly what we are praying for. 

It's just a start...but everyone's gotta start somewhere. Please join us in praying for L, her mom & dad, grandparents and our brand new friendship. Thanks y'all!!

And then there were four....kids....under...age...4...

Hey y'all. So the "weekly updates" I was hoping to write obviously didn't happen. Silly me. I forgot that I'm a mom. ;)

Let's go back a few weeks, and I'll tell  you the story of how we got foster child #2!

On a Tuesday evening, Florida Baptist Children's Homes had an informational meeting. We had really promoted it to our friends, family, and even random people we met at the water park (No, really. That happened!), so we figured we should go and support our "recruits" and then we were going out to dinner..."Date Night"! :)

We walked into the room and our lovely support worker, Judy, asks us "Hey, do you guys want another little boy?"

We both just look at each other and laugh...more like nervous chuckle, maybe.

Adjusting to three was going well, but there were definitely rough spots. We had gotten numerous texts and calls about other placements since getting "L" and had turned everything else down. I just wasn't sure if I could handle another one. I wanted to take in another foster child, just wasn't sure if I was really ready. The conversation continued:

Judy: "No, really. I have an 18 month old boy returning to care tomorrow afternoon. He's being brought to the office and we need somewhere for him to go. I know you want a girl....but....he's also free and clear for adoption."

Oh, junk. She just said the A word!! WHAT?! When we initially inquired about foster care and adopting through foster care we were told that the above-mentioned scenario basically never happens (being asked to take a placement that is already cleared for adoption, especially a younger child). Except it does, now and then, in very few, isolated cases. Like this one, apparently.

Deep breath.

Judy: "Here, read the child study. Oh, and here's a picture of him." (Handing me her phone)

Oh. My. Lanta.

He's cute. And when I read that child study write up I was choked up, angry, sad, and frustrated all at the same time. You see, he was being returned to the system by his own family members who had almost completed the adoption process themselves. The only home he's ever known. The home he's lived in since he was approximately 3 months old. The negative things said about this poor baby worried me a little, but strangely enough I just had a peace. 

We stayed the whole meeting, spoke to the group about why we became foster parents, answered some questions, and then headed out to dinner. We discussed the possibility of taking in this boy, adopting him, long term/short term, medical issues (there are supposedly a few), the kids already at home, etc.

We agreed that if the other family who was praying about taking him passed, we would take him.

I texted Judy that night telling her we'd take him if the other family didn't. The next day, Wednesday, July 9th, around 4pm we had another little boy in the house!

So, with that preamble....here's our current update:

Foster kid(s) in home:  Two! "L" and "DS"
Age(s): 5 months old (L), and 18 months old (DS)
Recent Milestones:
L: is able to take her paci out AND put it back in....most of the time. ;) She likes to play in the pack n play because the boys can't get to her! She likes sitting in the bumbo seat or the jumper and observing everyone. Trying to "crawl" and "sit"....kind of. She'll be there soon, though!
DS: Getting adjusted to us, our home, our routine, our expectations. Getting love and positive attention has really helped his demeanor.
Habits:
L: Is getting attached.....she freaks out when we leave her line of sight.
DS: Had a lot of bad habits formed at his former placement; tantrums, hitting, etc. But it's getting better. He's realizing we don't accept that kind of behavior.
I sleep on my:
L: Belly, mostly. Recently she's been better about going into her crib awake and putting herself to sleep. I'd say this happens half of the time...the other half she needs us to pat her.
DS: He rolls around quite a bit before settling in on his belly. He's a good sleeper for the most part!
At nap time I need:
L: Paci, sound machine, and either her bed or the car seat IN the car....she's gotten a little more picky.
DS: Blankie and bed. He doesn't fall asleep easily in the car...
Eating habits:
L: 5 oz every 3 hours
DS: Anything dry and crunchy is easy (cheerios, puffs, graham crackers, pop tarts, etc), other than that it's pretty hit or miss. He was primarily on a liquid diet before coming to us....so we are introducing him to various foods and the concept of eating meals vs drinking them.
Family dynamic: Everyone's doing pretty well! L loves watching the boys, DS is learning how to play with Daniel and Caleb appropriately and learning that we don't hit. Daniel is walking now and into everything. Caleb is learning how to share and not to be bossy ;)
Other notes:
We are meeting L's mom and dad at a kid-favorite public spot this upcoming week and could use prayer! We want to develop a relationship with them so if/when she goes back, we can still be kept in the loop (at least), if not be semi-involved in her life. We also want to show them Jesus, and explain why we are doing what we're doing. We've tried to meet up with them a few times and it's never worked, so we're also praying that they actually show up! :)
Case updates:
L: Court the end of this month.....they want unsupervised visits so we will see how that goes.
DS: Court beginning of September...we've started the adoption paperwork and will see where that takes us!