Last Year at This Time and other Random Thoughts

First, the random thoughts.

Jeff wanted to go into the Marines, but since he didn't go to a traditional school and have all the same credits, they told him he'd have to have 15 college credits. Yet, he scored a 67 on his ASVAB and only a 32 is required for the marines. I think it's their loss. (The army requires a 31 so he was over double that). Today he has an appointment at 2:00 to find out what's next.

Jessica and Jasmine decided to figure out how to play chess. Mostly they took each other's pieces off until neither had enough pieces to checkmate the other.

Kaleb likes playing with the magnetic letters. I think I'll start giving him words to spell.

Tyler's half birthday was yesterday. When the kids were little, we'd bake a cake, cut it diagonal and stack the halves on top of each other to look like a half cake. Now we get cupcakes or small cakes--whatever Walmart happens to have. The Mardi Gras bear was for Tyler, and the little round cake was shared by the others. (None of us really needs that much sugar!)

A year ago yesterday, many of the orphans from FHG arrived at the Stanford Airport.

At that time everyone was happy thinking that we'd be united with our kids in just a few hours.

Life was a party.

But time passed and we got no word about the kids. No one was really sure if their children were on the plane or not. Here the parents are watching a video of the kids deplaning and trying to see if their kids are there.

The CO kids left and the rest of us waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally early Sunday, a few kids were released. But within 24 hours of the plane's arrival, things had come to a scretching halt.

A man from the pit of you-know-where decided it was his personal responsibility to determine that each of us was not only the legal family for the child, but fit parents. That had already been decided by our homestudy agencies and ibesr. But this man told us repeatedly that he was in charge and he would decide if the children were released to us.

Hours later, a few of us decided we'd go to where the kids were being held and "demand" to see our children. It had been well over 24 hours since the plane had landed. And we were all getting more and more upset with the wicked one. I think we were afraid we'd say something so rude we'd never get our children.

The kids were holding up better than we were.

Most of the kids snuggled up with their adoptive parents for the wait, but ours decided to start a three hour screaming/crying fit. (They only stopped because they finally fell asleep) During that time someone who should have been a help to us decided to come over and scream at me because I couldn't get the twins to stop screaming/crying and upsetting some of the other children. This was late Sunday night and I hadn't slept AT ALL since Thursday night. I bit my tongue, went into the restroom and called her a name that cost me $2 to the jar at home, and went back out. I would have gladly traded the twins for any other children in the room at that time.

Midnight came and went and it was Monday the 25th. Most of us had been at the airport since Saturday noon. I was panicking because Jasmine was preoping on Tuesday for surgery on Wed. The wicked one knew I needed to get home. He knew Katy needed to get her baby to the doctor. He released the two of us last--at 1:20 a.m. On the way out, he told me, "Well, it's been a trip." I think God sent an angel to personally shut my mouth. Just like the lions in the den with Daniel. I just said, "Not really. I wanted to spend some time with my daughter before she left for surgery."


More on the twin's homecoming tomorrow.