Court Date!

This was a great week! We went to court this past Wednesday, to officially adopt Daley Faith McKinney, and to re-adopt Emily MengYan McKinney! It was a pure blessing to make these girls "official" family members, ever though they have been since the minute they moved into our home ( and hearts!).

Court was crazy! We have adopted 4 times before, but this was the first time we spent over an hour in a tiny little storage/conference room filled with toilet paper! Our hearing was postponed for an hour, and our attorney did not want us to wait in the hallway with the inmates (thank you), so we spent some "close family time" in the storage room! LOL It was interesting!

Update on other things: I think I am ready for Christmas! Done with shopping, done with wrapping, almost done with baking.
Dale may have a chance to take a day shift at his hospital. Please pray he does! I don't think he wants to, but I would sure like for him to try it. I would LOVE having him home every night! Although Rory would be pretty hacked to get kicked out of my bed! Timmy is still with us, but will be going home to spent some time with his momma over Christmas. She was able to get a house, and we are helping her move in tomorrow. Timmy has gotten As on his pat 3 spelling tests! We were also able to get his bad tooth looked at, and a treatment scheduled. Brogan and Z are doing well in Germany, but I am sure gonna hate not having them here for Christmas. It will feel so weird, not having my oldest baby here! I miss her very much. Our van broke down, but is finally fixed, now we are trying to get the tractor running before any more snow hits! With our 1000 mile driveway (ok, it just seems that long), we cannot be without a tractor!!! We would be snowed in for week! (hmmmm, might be nice!).
Making huge decisions on the kid's education. After 12 years of homeschooling, I am finding myself questioning my capabilities. Daley makes my days so difficult, and our entire school year has been so out-of-whack. I would never do public school, but there is a Christian school I am praying about. My other option is to hire someone to help with Daley for a few hours each morning. Hmmmm, lots of prayers going up, but no answers coming down..........

Well, thanks for checking in, and here is a quote that I just totally love!
"Jesus did not come just to comfort the afflicted, He also came to afflict the comfortable".
God Bless and Merry Christmas!!!! Happy Birthday Jesus Christ! :)

"Timmy"

I'm back! It has been a while since have had a chance to blog! This guy above the type is part of the reason.
Seven years ago, Timmy came to stay with us for a week, and ended up with us all summer. We fell in love with this little mocha boy, and we missed him dearly when he went back home with his momma. We have kept in touch loosely through the years, but have always had a special place in our hearts for him.
About a month ago, we got an email from his momma. She was in a very rough spot. She is currently homeless, she has lost both her job and her car, and she literally has nothing. She asked us to help with Timmy, as she did not want him to suffer because of her situation. We began keeping Timmy over the weekends. We offered our home to her as well, but she declined. This past week she called and asked us if we could take him full-time, on a temporary basis. So, Timmy has moved back in!
He is a joy. Despite his rough life, he is happy, and his smile is contagious! This little guy, who is now ten, came to us having been abused, neglected, and bullied. He brought a bag of his belongings.....6 WWF wrestling toys, a WII game, 2 prs of jeans, 2 shirts, and 1 pair of undies. No coat, no hat, no mittens, no socks, no toothbrush. My bestest bud Kimberly went on a shopping spree and bought him some clothing and essentials. The school generously donated a coat to him, and also bought him shoes, gloves and a hat. Now we are spending our evenings helping him get caught up on school, and working on some social skills that are a little lacking.
Some family members & friends think we have gone crazy, for taking in another one of God's children, who is in need. One even suggested I let DCFS do their job. Will they ever get it??! If we Christians would step up and do what God has asked us to do, there would be no need for DCFS! If we take off our blinders, and truly look, we will see hundreds of children like Timmy, right in front of us. Yes, the need overseas is HUGE, but the need in our own backyards is there too!!! I challenge you all to take a look around. Find a child who doesn't have the things your children do, and then ask God how you can be a blessing to that child.
I ask that you keep Timmy in your prayers, as well as his momma. His momma needs a job, and a safe, clean place for him to live. But until that happens, we are having fun getting to know him more, and watching him blossom into a wonderful, handsome, joyful young man!
God Bless!