Due Date(s)

A LOT has happened since that last post in January! Probably a lot more than you'd actually care to read and a lot more than I have time to write.....SO, how about some cliff notes? * We officially had our emigration paperwork accepted to the Korean courts on March 17th * March 24th, we were notified of our first court date (May 27th!!!) - this was especially exciting as it was the FIRST time we had an OFFICIAL and concrete date that we could write on a calendar and begin to plan around.

* March 25th-April 3rd, our family DROVE to Montana (28 hours, by the way) to take some belongings and spend our "spring break". Well, the kids had a break while mom and dad continued to work! We settled some of our personal stuff into our summer housing to make it feel like home and we got to see all the new construction progress happening at the ranch.

* The first couple weeks of April, we worked on flights and accommodations to/from Korea, started some small projects around our house to get ready to put on the market, and started packing. * April 10th, our church held a reception for us after the service to say goodbye to us and thank you to Paul - it was very sweet. *April 17th, Paul flew back to Montana - "permanently". The kids and I will stay in Michigan to finish school, finish packing, and get this house ready to sell. Also doing visa paperwork, quarantine exemption applications, and organizing some fun stuff to take to Korea to Mr. Micah! What's next? When it's time to take our first trip to Korea in May, I'll be flying to Montana to meet Paul - we've got to have PCR tests done within 48 hours of our departure, then we'll be off to Seoul! What a LONG wait it's been to get to this point - it almost doesn't feel real.

Again, I hate to blur his sweet little face, but I gotta. This "pose" just killed me when I saw it! What a little man! I think he looks like he is ready to go running with his dad! Paul and I will spend about 6 days in Korea, during which we'll have 2 visits with Micah and his foster family. We'll also meet with some of the staff at the agency and attend a court hearing. We'll have some time to shop and sight-see. This trip means a lot to us - of course, because we will meet our son - but also because it will be Paul's first time back to Korea since his adoption. A lot of you who supported our fundraising efforts probably didn't realize that you weren't just helping to fund the expenses of an adoption; you were also making possible an incredible experience for Paul (and me too) in allowing him to return to Korea. Just thinking about being there overwhelms me. Once we return from Korea, it's time to move the whole family out to Montana! THIS time, the kids are flying. Haha With some help from friends, Paul will drive the moving truck and I'll drive our van full of cats (and houseplants I couldn't part with). We'll settle back into our temporary housing and dive headfirst into our first season at the ranch (which actually starts May 15th). The ranch will have guests non-stop through the end of October! We don't have our official custody date yet, but we are thinking it will be in July. Paul and I will return to Korea, but this time, we'll bring Micah home with us! Gosh, we are FINALLY so close! If you'd like to pray for us, please pray for all the little moving parts that need to continue to come together for this adoption/travel/move/selling the house/family adjustments. It's A LOT. And it's ALL AT ONCE. Our big kids are being real champs about it, but it's going to be hard to leave their friends and acclimate to a new place. It's going to be hard to share mom and dad with a new brother (even though they already love him to bits). It's going to be hard to be further from their grandparents (on both sides). It's also hard when mom and dad are stressed - they seem to sense that no matter how cool we try to play it. We still have a lot of paperwork ahead of us. It makes me cry sometimes. Lol that sounds dramatic and I KNOW it's all a part of the territory, but MAN, there is so much and some of it has been so frustrating. Pray for my brain to keep functioning! This HAS to get done and it HAS to be organized. Paul being away is hard for all of us too. One month isn't really such a big deal with you consider military families and those with jobs that require lots of travel, but it's not something any of us are used to! And it's just a difficult time for it, ya know? If you're reading this, thank you! We appreciate you and love you (most of you lol)...and I'm sorry for not keeping this thing up to date, as I have promised repeatedly. This is the point in the blog entry where I promise to do better at that; I will TRY but I won't promise :) Thank you again!! ~ B