Monday, January 31, 2011

Bye Bye Busia!

This weekend has been an emotional one.  We got the exciting news that the Smith's were coming and we had to make arrangements to go back to Busia to get the rest of our things and get Kristi and Robert's children.  The trip is long, bumpy and hot!  Once we got back to Busia it really started to sink in for me that our children were leaving the only home they have ever known.  I kept watching Moses to see if he was struggling with it but he seemed to do ok.  I would ask if he was sad whenever he was still and quiet and sometimes he would say yes but others he said no.  So I just watched.  Saturday he played ALL over the village.   He climbed this huge Jack Fruit tree and it scared me to death.  One of the women there must of noticed me freaking out and asked if I wanted him to come down.  I told her yes and she laughed at  me.  Later he tied some VHS tape from the garbage to a ear of corn and was throwing it up it the air.  It is amazing to me the things they can find and make toys out of.  I kept waiting for it to get stuck in this tree and sure enough it did.  I still just sat and watched.  He tries for a while to jump and get it, then gets a chair, when that doesn't work he goes and get this VERY large branch (which later Tim could barely pick up) and knocks it out of the tree.  He did not once asked for help.  He didn't need any help!  He is just amazing to me.

As the day went on I just got sadder and sadder.  I know what we are doing is a good thing and that their lives will be better for it but my heart breaks for them.  There are so many people here that love them and will miss them.  Especially Micah.  He is this little miracle boy to everyone in this village.  They all saw him when we was lifeless and weight hardly nothing.  They all spent months praying for his survival.   Now I am taking him away from them.  Don't get me wrong no one here as made me feel this way!  This was just where my mind was on Saturday.  Everyone here is so happy for both the boys and seem to truly want what is best for them.  I have read that they will grieve for there home and their caregivers at some point and I guess Saturday was my day to grieve for them.  But Sunday was a new day!  We got up and packed thing for another day of travel.  My butt is so tired of traveling!!!!  Moses seemed so excited.  We went back to the orphanage and let him say goodbye one last time.  I cried and he seemed trilled.  Go figure.

So here is a treat for you.  My plan is to go back and add pictures where they need to be after our ruling but I thought this one was special and it doesn't show any faces.  This is Moses stepping out of the orphanage door for the last time.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Even Bigger Day

Yesterday was a amazing day!  Finally after so long we got to see God's plan unfolds right before our eyes.  We had our court date with Micah at 11 and again everything was at time.  His hearing went perfect!  No problems and they even gave us the same ruling day as Moses, Feb. 8th.  When it was over the lawyer stood up and I said "that's it?"  No tears!!!  We went back to his office for Prossy to sign some papers and while we were there he came out and out of no where asked "How soon can the Smith's be here?"  WHAT????  There have a court date on Feb. 1st!!!  And somehow are going to have the same ruling date as us too.  Again I say WHAT???  After tears (yes more tears...but happy ones) we all started realizing the great timing of our amazing God.  The rest of the day was spent hanging out at Nandos discussing how everything has worked of perfectly.  We all wanted to travel together so bad put know since we came first I see how hard just traveling around town would have been.  Let alone how hard it would have been for Prossy being everywhere at oone time.  This way Prossy was able to be with us this week for court and now can be with the Smiths.  Awww, I can't wait for them to get here!!!!

Micah's big day in court.

Moses's first ice cream cone at Nando's

Micah tried some too.

So, today we are going to spend the day at the orphanage.  The boys can start to say their goodbyes.  Since the Smith's are coming we will be traveling back to Kampala on Sunday.  My heart breaks for the boys when I think og them saying goodbye.  Moses says he is ok but I don't know.  The hardest will by for Micah leaving Lucas and Prossy.  They love each other so much and I can't imagine the pain they will all be in when we leave.  But it is what they want and they choose us to care for him.  They said they can already see a difference in him since we got here.  Lucas says he thinks that is what he has been craving.  Parental love and guidance.  Micah really starting showing some of his personality while we were in the car driving back to Busia last night.  He even makes faces like Lily!

Please pray for the Smith's while they travel!  I am off to tell their precious babies that they are on their way!!!! 

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Big day!!!

Tuesday morning we all got ready for our big day in court.  The boys looked so handsome and I can't wait for everyone to see those pictures.  Our driver came in plenty of time and we even made it to our lawyer's office early.  I should back track here...before we got to the lawyers office we stopped by the hotel where Moses's uncle was staying.  This was the first time Moses had seen him since he was 5 or so.  I am not sure how well he remembered him but the uncle was soooo excited ti see him.  Did I mention that the uncle is 87?  This was the uncles very first time out of his village.  Everything was new to him.  Prossy had to buy him clothes and shoes for court because he had nothing.  This man was so grateful that we were taking Moses and he was so kind to us.  He said that we hoped that one day Moses would remember him and send him money for a blanket, because he has never seen one or ever covered himself at night.  I told you I cried a lot Monday.  Here was one time!  Rest assured that night he sleep with a blanket for the first time. 

Moses and his 87 year old Uncle


Two big praises about court in general was one that we were seen on the original day an two at the original time.  No waiting!!!   The court room was not what I was expecting at all.  It was the dudes office and nothing more!  Everything went ok till the judge decided there was some discrepancy with a couple papers.  It went back and fourth for awhile and I didn't understand much.  What I thought was happening was he was going to refuse the case until this was corrected.  It was everything I could do and hold it together.   At the end he decided that if we corrected this and brought the proof we needed to Thursday's court date that he would set our ruling for Feb. 8.  We left the room and between there and the outside door I couldn't see through my tears.  So once outside I let it loose!  My lawyer looked a little worried and a lady from the office just held my hand and said that everything will be ok.  Our lawyer said NO WORRIES!  Yeah ok, sure.  Super long story short:  more money, more travel, hours in the lawyers office and two men on boda bodas searching for a great aunt in a far off village.  After many more tears I decided that God hasn't failed me yet and I have faith that he will take care of this.

This was right before heading to court!

Here is us with Prossy, Lucas and our driver for the day.

 I won't make you wait.... we found out this evening (Wednesday) that the aunt was found and all paper work that we needed is en route to Kampala and should arrive first thing in the morning with plenty of time to make it to court.  Praise God!!!  Tomorrow is Micah's court date and hopefully is will be much smoother.  Then we travel back to Busia for a few days.  Not sure what the internet will be like so I may not be able to talk or blog till Tuesday.

Update about the boys:  Moses has really started talking more and knows a lot of English! He has already mastered the electronic equipment we have.  He had a great day today and laughed a lot!  Micah is feeling better and eating good but still doesn't like me giving him his milk.  Which at 5 in the morning makes it a little hard, but he wants me to hold him and smiles sometimes so that is progress.  I have a ton of great little moments to share but I will another day.  My love to you all!!

East Africa Stretchable Time

So here in Uganda the concept of time means nothing at all.  Our lawyer calls it "East Africa Stretchable Time".  For instance if you ask for a driver  to pick you up at 10 do not be surprised if he rolls up at 1:30.  Or as in our experience at church this past Sunday church starts and 9 and nobody comes (beside us) till 10 or after.  So the service began with a reminder to tell their neighbors that church starts at 9.  It is really funny but can ny pretty annoying. 

I can't tell you how amazing this church service was.  I am the type of church goer that gets very bothered by the service going past it's one hour promise because it cuts into my lunch plans.  This service was F-I-V-E hours long.  Yup, five hours!  It was long but I have never in my life felt the presence of God more then in those five hours.  It was in both English and Luganda so we could  understand what was going on.  The praise and worship was just unbelievable.  Tim and I both just cried the whole time.  I have a video that I will post when we get back home!

Moses all ready for church

My little Micah James
Moses took mine and Tim's picture

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I love you!

Those where the first words out of Moses's mouth after he ran and hugged Tim.  Tim just cried and squeezed him tighter.  Lucas's son Joshua handed me Micah.  My thoughts were that he was so beautiful.  Then I started to examine how small he was. Not petite small like Lily but skinny small.  He just stared at me, which is better than I expected.  I thought he would just cry but he never did.  We keep asking Moses if he was happy and he would smile and say yes!  It was a great moment.  Ok so that was Friday and they haven't left our sight since.  They stayed with us from that night.  Prossy (the orphanage director and who we are staying with in Busia) even prepared us a special dinner at 10:30 at night.  Our first night was pretty good.  I got in the bed with the boys at some point because Micah was crying, but other than struggling to get out of the bed in the dark with an extremely tight bug night I would say it was good.   Where we are staying is just a short walk to the orphanage where the boys lived.  It is the dirtiest place I ever seen.  I when I say dirty I mean dirty as in Dirt! There is this red dirt everywhere.  Dust fly's around when the wind picks up and everything is covered (children included) in red dirt.  To prove my point, the first time I blew my nose it was nothing but RED DIRT.  But it is really pretty here.  So many fruit trees and really green grass.  You wouldn't believe the random animals that are walking around.  Things we have on farms or in zoos are just walking down the street.  Saturday we visited the orphanage and loved on all the kids.  There are all so beautiful.  I keep asking Kristi's kids if they were ready because their mommy and daddy were coming soon and they just smiled.  We spent most of the day watching the boys play with the other children back at Prossy's house.  Micah is very she but is coming around.  We decided to get the boys cleaned up for bed because we had church the next morning and that was very interesting. The bathroom there is just a nozzle out of a concrete wall with a toilet right under it and a sink.  Micah is used to a bath in a basin and I am not sure about Moses.  But Micah was scared of the shower and Moses was doing his best.  So there was all four of us in this small room, Micah screaming, all of us soaked and I am not even sure how clean we got them. So that is up to Saturday night.  It is almost one in the morning here so I better save the rest for tomorrow! 

Enjoy some pics of Busia!

One of our many walks on the red dirt!

This is the home we stayed in.
The boys enjoying a movie under the safety of a beautiful green mosquito net.

This is where the children all sleep.

Where is the rewind button????

I can't believe that this is my first post.  I just knew there would be all kinds of time to spend on the computer but I was so wrong.  First thing internet would help.  But we got an internet stick for the month so we should be good to go.
I don't even know where to begin but I feel like I should catch you up with the past weekend first.  So we arrived in Entebbe, Africa late Thursday night and stayed at a hotel there.  Let me just say that was the coldest shower I ever had.  I don't know who cried out louder Tim or I.  And the bug nets are not as romantic as you would think.  I learned that day not to take my malaria meds without food (like the bottle says) because it was everything I could do to not blow chunks while out shopping.  Anyways, we met with our lawyer and exchanged money Friday afternoon.  Did I mention that I am a millionaire here in Uganda? It's true.  We left that afternoon and traveled 6 hours to Busia where the boys live.  We got there about 9;30 and was VERY ready to go to bed seeing that we were excited to see the boys the next morning.  But to our surprise Lucas asked us if we wanted to see them now.  Apparently Moses didn't want to wait till morning.  So at 10:00 at night on January 21 (my Gotcha Day!!!) our two sons walked in the door.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

All packed up!

I don't think I can fit another thing in my suitcases.  Every time I turn around I find something that I just HAVE to take.  You just never know what you might need, right? 
Well, this is it.  Ready or not, my life is about to change completely. I am really nervous about the long flight but I am so ready to get there and meet my boys.  I can't wait to touch them, to hold them and to tell them that I love them so much.  I look forward most to hearing Moses' voice.  Just to hear his accent.  I wonder what they will call us.  Will they call us mommy and daddy already or something else.  Either way I just hope they like us!  But have you met me?  Who wouldn't want to hang with me for the rest of their life....well at least childhood.  So with everything done (even my house is clean) I think it is time to snuggle in my own bed one last night!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Ready, Set, Go!

Our wait is over.  I can barely believe that in five days we will be boarding a plane and heading to Africa.  Not for a vacation, not even for a mission trip but to meet our sons.  Did you hear that?  TO MEET OUR SONS!!!!  I love the sound of that.  I am so excited and can not wait but I am looking forward to this weekend and soaking up as much time with our girls, our friends and our family.  I hope this blog helps us to journal our adventure and allow our loved ones to be a part of that.