2 + 1 = Family!!

I can not believe it's been 3 weeks and 3 days since we received that phone call to say we could bring Marcus home! It feels like we have been a family forever!!

My Mom, Marcus, and I arrived in Kansas the evening of Saturday July 18 in time for dinner with Bryant. Marcus was a champ on the long 2-day car trip (975 miles give or take!) My Mom was a huge help both on the ride and getting settled in the first couple of days home. She had to head back to SC on July 21st for the Elliott Family Beach Trip! (we hope to join them for that trip next summer!)

Our new church family at First Presbyterian in Leavenworth has been such a blessing. We are amazed at the number of families there who have adopted children! There are several kids in the church who are adopted and they all get so excited each Sunday to see Marcus. Today was a BIG milestone because Marcus stayed in the toddler nursery rather than staying with us for the service. He had fun playing and is really getting comfortable with the new friends he is meeting.

Marcus loves to go fishing with Daddy! Really anything outside makes him happy -- blowing bubbles, playing in the sprinkler, going to the park, etc., etc. He has a great new wagon that he loves to ride in too.

We are already in a nice routine, and so far Bryant's work schedule has allowed him to be home a good bit. One of my favorite times of day is when Bryant gets home. There is nothing like hearing Marcus squeal "Daddy" as his laughs and giggles and runs to the top of the stairs!

I could write a novel on the past 3 weeks! I will hold off and update with more stories soon. There are 2 bits of good news I will share before closing. First, we received some critical paperwork last week from the Adoptions Office in SC. Our attorney there should be able to file our complaint for adoption in the coming weeks. Then we will be closer to finalizing the adoption. Second, we may finally get internet service at the house!! Yeah! Time Warner has finally decided that they can run the lines across one street to get service to the rest of the neighborhood! Maybe by the end of September. That will make blogging easier! :)

Life is GOOD! No really, it's GREAT, AMAZING, PERFECT!! Marcus is adjusting really well to his new home and family. Bryant and I feel like we are complete (at least for now!!) :) To check out some pictures, go to http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=3kgkaqjj.cgqgylxz&x=0&y=dk0s0w&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_button. Or you can click the title to this post entry.

We got THE CALL!!!

Finally!! After 14 months of "home study" work and 7 months of waiting since being officially "selected", we finally got "the call" that we can bring Marcus home to Kansas! YEAH!!! Yes, that loud scream you heard around 3:00 pm eastern time was me getting the call!

Needless to say this afternoon has been quite busy as we made phone calls, sent emails, and tried to spread the word. Plus I was busy packing up to get ready to make the long drive to Kansas. Thank goodness my Dad is the world's best car packer because he was able to get everything in my trunk and leave the backseat open for things we will need to travel and things we pick up with Marcus. Most of his toys and clothes we had already packed up. His foster mom Peggy had done that for us and it was a huge help!

On Friday, my Mom, Marcus and I will being the 974 mile trip from South Carolina to Kansas. We hope we can make it there by Saturday night-- our goal for the first day is to make it at least to Clarksville, TN. We have lots of new movies and music CDs as well as some new books and toys to entertain Marcus. Thank goodness he is a good rider and he sleeps well in his new car seat!

We will keep you all posted as we begin this next amazing chapter in our lives. After 4 years, we can hardly believe we are finally growing from 2 to 3! We are so blessed and so excited!

Thank you all for your prayers and support! Keep them coming as the next few months will be filled with new opportunities and growth as we bond as a family!

Making progress!

We finally feel like we are making progress in our efforts to bring Marcus home to Kansas! We found out last week that our Kansas case worker Ruth submitted her report to the Interstate Compact Office in Topeka (ICPC). We were thrilled because some earlier conversations had us worrying that she may wait until closer to her "deadline" of July 24. Thank goodness she recognized our sense of urgency and pushed forward. The even better news is that the ICPC office processed Ruth's report within 24 hours and had the documentation off in the mail to the ICPC office in Columbia, SC. This really is one of the last big hurdles to overcome.

Once the Columbia ICPC office receives the paperwork (which we hope happened on Friday or will happen on Monday), they can contact the Adoptions Office in Greenville. Then they will contact us and we can start making plans. In my "perfect dream world" that would mean my Mom, Marcus and I could leave SC later this week (maybe by Thursday?).

While we are still waiting, we are thrilled to be SO CLOSE to an official placement! Then we can start the process of bonding and attaching as a family as we wait for the finalization hearing.

Bryant has been super busy back in Kansas! He has hosted our friends Jon and Brooke Burgess and their kids Alex and Maddie over night as they make a cross-country trip to their new home in Yuma, AZ. Also, his Uncle Claude and Aunt Lois and their friend Shirley arrive today for a visit as they do some sightseeing across the US. I wish I could have been home with Marcus to see our friends and family as they visit, but we know Bryant has been a wonderful host! (Plus Brooke said the house is super clean!)

I have been busy spending time with Marcus. He stayed for 6 days with me while his foster parents were out of town. We had a lot of fun and are definitely making progress in bonding.

I'll update as soon as we have more news to share!

More waiting. . .

Well, I hardly know where to start this entry! It's been almost 3 weeks since I last posted and while a lot has happened, not much has changed! We arrived in SC on June 8 and had a great week together with Marcus. Bryant went back to Kansas on June 12. He reported to Fort Leavenworth on June 15 and officially checked in. He then started a LONG "honey do" list around the house. Turns out that the case worker in Kansas keeps coming up with things we have to do (or re-do in some cases since we have done some of these things multiple times in multiple states!) We had to have a fence installed in the backyard, a gate put on the stairs off the deck, cabinet locks, etc. etc. So Bryant has been a busy bee taking care of all of that. Today, the case worker came back to the house and gave her "OK" on that, but then proceeded to give us MORE paperwork to do. The most frustrating part is that on June 5 when she first visited, she said she had never seen a family so "ready" and that there wouldn't be a lot of paperwork to do. UGH!! Does anyone out there know anyone in Kansas that may have a clue about how we can move things forward? The folks in S. C. are ready to send Marcus home with us once Kansas gives the "OK".

In the meantime, I have been enjoying my time in Clinton with my family. I currently have no return date to KS! Since we are so close to getting permission to bring Marcus with us, I am staying until we get the approval. I am not leaving without him this time! We need lots of prayers that the folks in Kansas can get their act together and move things forward! I have been able to spend a lot of time with Marcus thanks to his wonderful foster parents! Even went on a little weekend trip to Charleston with him! He got to meet our dear friends James, Barbara, and Rebecca Bowers one night. Then he met my best friend Valerie Glessner, her husband Dave, daughter Ashleigh and her parents Donna and Ed the next day. Marcus loved playing with his new "cousin" Ashleigh (my god-daughter). We even were able to have dinner with my dear friend Mary Aquino. Marcus was perfect and such a good traveler. It was a fun trip! This past week, Marcus and I joined my sister Lauren and her girls at Vacation Bible School at 1st Presbyterian Church in Laurens, SC. What fun! Marcus had a great time and talked about "bible cool" every day.

So now we are waiting. . . again. I could go on and on about my frustrations, but I want to keep this positive! We are trying to jump through all these hoops, but each time we think we are done, a new batch is thrown at us!

Bryant will take all the relevant paperwork to the case worker in KS on Monday morning. Hopefully she will actually do something timely and get her report in ASAP. In the meantime, I'm missing Bryant but enjoying time with Marcus and my family!

Waffle House and Sweet Tea -- we are almost 'home'

Bryant and I left this morning for Clinton, SC. We are driving! Not quite 1000 miles from door to door. We had a great drive today -- made it to Lebanon, TN (over 600 miles down!) It was fun to drive through Missouri (saw the Arch in St. Louis from the road), then Illinois, Kentucky and into Tennessee. Amazing to see this beautiful country! Of course, Bryant's favorite part of the day was stopping for dinner in Clarksville, TN at a Waffle House! I would have bought a gallon of their sweet tea if I could have -- yummy!

The main purpose of this trip is to spend time with Marcus. We can't wait to see him. Here's a quick update on the adoption process: On Tuesday, June 2, we received a call from Ruth at Child and Family Services in Leavenworth. We were thrilled since we didn't think we would hear from anyone until later this month or even July. Ruth will be our case worker in KS. She was wonderful! She is the first person in this whole process to say "Marcus needs to be placed with you ASAP so he can start attaching and adjusting to his new family and new life". That was music to our ears! As soon as all the legal proceedings/rulings are completed in SC, he can come home with us. Still not 100% sure when that will be, but we are starting to see the faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. We are so excited that we even put Marcus' new car seat in my car for this trip to Clinton! We figured he can try it out and get used to riding in it -- and I guess I have to admit that we have a slight hope that we may be able to bring him home to Kansas by the end of this visit. We'll see!

Bryant will fly back to KS on Friday. He has a fishing invitation for the weekend, and he has to report to Fort Leavenworth on Monday the 15th. I am staying in Clinton until the end of June. My Mom may make the drive back to KS with me.

Stay tuned for highlights of our trip! We look forward to seeing friends and family and hopefully introducing Marcus to some of you during this trip.

FINALLY -- an update!

Finally a moment to sit down and give you a quick update after almost a month! We do not have internet access at our home (long frustrating story) so I haven't had a chance to post an update. We have found the local library has free "wireless" internet, and we spend several hours a few times a week there!

Oh where do I begin to update you . . . On May 5th, our "household goods" arrived in Kansas as did Bryant! What a great way to spend my birthday! The movers were awesome and had the truck unloaded in about 5 hours. So far nothing has been broken! Yeah! That is a first for a Butler USMC move! My parents came to Kansas on May 7. We put them to work right away -- unpacking boxes, putting down shelf paper, hanging blinds, etc., etc. By the time they headed back to SC on May 12, we were weeks ahead of where we usually are in a move. THANK YOU MOM & DAD!!!

We are loving life in Kansas. The slower pace is much more to our liking! The people here are so nice and friendly (I think the slower pace means people are less stressed out and therefore happier!) We enjoy the chance to get out and explore the area every now and then. It really is a beautiful area.

When my parents were here, we discovered that the minister at First Presbyterian Church in Leavenworth is a friend of theirs. Ron VanSchenkhof was in South Carolina for a few years. We have enjoyed Sunday services there and getting to know the members. Ron's wife Carol has recruited us to volunteer at a place called Kid's Connection. It's a place K - 8th graders can come in the afternoons to play, to do crafts, to work on computers, to do homework, etc. We had fun with the kids and look forward to going back soon.

We are still waiting on information from South Carolina on where things stand with regards to the adoption of Marcus. We are getting his room all ready here in Kansas and hope to hear some positive news soon. We want to plan a trip to SC in June, and are trying to plan around whatever we may need to do for that process. We know it will be worth all the hassle in the end. We just wish that the interest of the child was the focus of the "system". It's heartbreaking to see how adults make poor decisions that create problems. We are just so grateful that Marcus is in a loving home with an amazing family. We are very anxious to bring him home with us soon!

Follow the yellow brick road. . .

On Monday April 27, I left Oceanside, CA to head to Leavenworth, KS. I waited until the first of the movers arrived to start packing up the house in CA! My dear, wonderful friend Nori was so great to offer to ride with me to Kansas! I don't know what I would have done without her!

We made great progress each day. I have to admit that I was a little out of my comfort zone because I didn't make any advance reservations for hotels! I had researched the route and logical places to stop each night, and it worked perfectly! I guess I have learned some travel tips from my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Joe! On Monday, we put in about 700 miles and made it to Green River, Utah. Then on Tuesday, we drove another 700 miles to Hays, Kansas. The drive on Tuesday was amazing! We took I-70 East through the Rocky Mountains! AMAZING! Truly witnessed God's handiwork. It was breath-taking! Today, we finished up the trip with 250 miles into Leavenworth! Today was the only day we hit "not-so-great" weather with some rain for the last hour of driving.

While Nori and I were making our way east, Bryant was handling the packing of the house. I figured after doing 5 moves on my own, it was his turn -- ha, ha! I think he understands now some of the reasons I am always so stressed out during a move! The good news is that the truck was loaded today and should arrive in Kansas on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week! Bryant should be able to leave CA on Saturday morning and be here on Monday night! I can't wait for him to arrive and to start getting settled into our new home!

We do have some good news to report on the adoption process! The final hearing to terminate the rights of Marcus' birth father took place on Monday. So in a few short weeks, he will be "free and clear". We still have to get through some "interstate compact" procedures. We'll keep you posted.

Our WONDERFUL friends in California threw us a "toddler shower" last Saturday. I still am so overwhelmed that they thought to do that. We are so blessed!! Marcus certainly will be the best dressed little boy in Kansas and will have a lot of fun toys and books!