The short version

In case you have fazed out ( and I wouldn't blame you if you did) Here is the short version of "our Saga":

Jan 24 ~ First court date. No MOWA letter. No Birth mom statement for Sarah Faith

Feb 8 ~ Second Court Date. unfavorable MOWA letter. need homestudy authenticated by state and US embassy. Birth mom statement there though.

March 14 ~ Third Court Date. No MOWA Letter no new court date..waiting on MOWA letter

~ One week of waiting on MOWA Letter to be written...(every single day) ~

March 21 ~ MOWA Letter written

Begin waiting on judge to review for 13 work DAYS! Every single day get a "maybe tomorrow" email. (That is two and a half work weeks of waking up EVERY single morning and waiting by the phone to get good or bad news) .AWAA Makes a formal appeal, judge will see case on April 8th.

April 8th ~ Fourth Court Date. Judge doesn't come to work. Will see case April 15th.

April 15th ~ Fifth Court Date. Judge doesn't get to case. AWAA will appeal on Monday, April 18th for a court date for the SIXTH TIME!!!

NOW there is a case that is very similar to ours that when the judge did pick the case up to review it, the MOWA letter was unfavorable AGAIN because MOWA wanted their embassy form authenticated in the US. Which will take at least 10 days to do and get back to Ethiopia.

I am not sure if that will be the same with our case or not...but probably.

Another week

Play by play of my last 24 hours.....

Yesterday at 11:00 am: We received an email stating that the judge was going to FOR SURE review our case today..yipee! :)

Yesterday at 2:00pm: We received an email stating that if the US government shuts down then the embassy in Ethiopia will not be able to process visas and will stand still all adoptions until they are back up and running.... um.. boo hiss, Washington, quit acting like babies and get your act together. :(

Yesterday at 5:00pm: I check the mail and our renewed USCIS I171h form is there.. Yay no backlog for that! :)

This morning at 10:00am : We receive an email that the judge did not look at our file and will not until next Friday. Even after she said she would. Apparently, she took the day off...I know, right. :(

This morning at 10:30: We find out that the other three families waiting, their file is to be reviewed on Monday not Friday like ours. .. Way to turn that knife in my heart. :(

Seriously. That has been my roller coaster for the last 24 hours. And if one more person tells me it is all in God's timing, my head may spin around and I may spew a green substance.

Excuse me if I am cranky.

Blessed and Broken

We are still waiting..... Our MOWA letter is written. It is suppose to be on the judges desk. It is suppose to be reviewed and passed. Every single day for the past 2 weeks!

So here is how my day goes...I wake up around 1 am and pray to around 3am..no alarm, I just wake up, count 7 hours ahead and know the judge is up and working. Then I fall back asleep until around 5am when I wake up again and get up. Do my quiet time and pray. Then I try to go about some normal routine with my phone in my hand and my heart in my throat. The poor girl assigned to communicate with me at AW should call by 9:30 or 10:00. So from about 9:15 until 10:00..I really am a bundle of crazy nerves.

BY 10am..I know. IT hasn't happened. No phone call means no passing court. Then by 10:30, I get the dreaded "not today, but soon very soon, maybe even tomorrow" email. This has happened for 2 weeks and 2 days.

I have run the gambit of emotions in dealing with this particular "bump". Everything. From anger to despair to checking flights in order to meet the judge one morning in her office for a little meeting..My will, my time table, my way has been utterly broken.

But... I am blessed. So blessed. Faithful friends who text, facebook and email me daily. Who listen to me whine and wail. My sweet homeschool five in a row family have set up a schedule again today. 12 moms have stepped up to take different hours and stand in the gap and pray my children home. I am reminded of who loves us, of our support system and I am broken, but oh so blessed

.....but aren't we all?

The good news and the bad news

The Good News:

Well, it looks like our MOWA letter is written ( cue loud applause and dancing!) :o

The Bad News:

The judge was too swamped with other cases to review and write off on ours....seriously?? ( cue lots of eye rolling)

We have been told that they should review/approve us tomorrow. We have been told that before though.

Here is hoping and praying that my next blog post is a big fat "we have passed court" post.

No letter :(

No MOWA letter for us yesterday. :( The US Embassy is meeting with MOWA about the current situation in Ethiopia and so no letters have been written for the past few days. The good news is the judge did NOT set a new court date for us. This means our agency can continue to ask MOWA for the letter and doesn't have to wait until our court date. It also means when the coveted letter appears , the judge will sign off on our case and they will be legally ours.

A few people have asked me what happens next when we pass court. Once the children are legally ours, AWAA will begin collecting after court documents which includes the kids new birth certificates with Mullis as their last name. This usually take a week or two. After that the US Embassy will look over everything and that takes about a week. They will then let our agency know that:

A. Everything looks good, make an appointment to obtain the kids Visa and call us to make our travel plans/book our flights OR

B. Something is missing/doesn't look right and they will request more documentation OR

C. Something really looks amiss and they want to launch their own investigation.

Depending on A, B or C is how long this part takes. We are, of course praying for A and that we can go pick the kids up within a month of passing court. This is when I am SO thankful to be working with an agency the US Embassy respects and works well with.

So for now, we are waiting and praying for that darn MOWA letter. Once it reaches the judge and she signs off, I will be plastering this blog with photos and videos of the newest Mullis kids.

Tonight is the night!!

Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Hampshire, Maryland, Florida, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, Georgia, Michigan, Colorado, Tennessee, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Alaska, California, West Virginia, Kansas, Mississippi, Illinois, New Jersey, Alabama, Texas, Utah, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Washington, Maine and Wyoming

AND

Ethiopia, Malaysia, Brazil, Canada, India, Slovakia, China, Thailand , Indonesia & Niger

1o countries and 36 states in the US. All have people that have told us they are praying for our court date tonight. My sweet "home on the internet" the Five in A Row message board has a sign up sheet and are praying on the hour around the clock until morning.

Thank you. We are truly touched and humbled by so much love and prayers. Tonight's the NIGHT! Let's pray these babies home!

not today..

No MOWA letters written today. :( The good news is the judge is going to hear Sarah's case tomorrow with Micah's. Soooo praying for GREAT news tomorrow morning!

Tonight while you sleep..

While you are sleeping an Ethiopian judge will review Sarah Faith's case. If our MOWA letter is there we should pass court and she will be legally ours. Would you please join me in praying for this. I am so ready to get my kids home and I soooo dont want a 4th court date! Micah's court date will be tomorrow night ( Tuesday in ET) I would ask that you pray for that one as well. Thank you so much. Here is a sneak peak at Miss Sarah Faith! Once we pass court I can show her face.