Fall goodness

Hmmm...I have NEW pictures to post but unfortunately, can't find my thingy to put them in the computer.  Next time!!  Up there are some semi-oldies, but goodies.

Life with our little people has been racing by at an unbelievable pace.  We have a new sweet baby girl who I will formally introduce (pictures and all!) at a later date.  Life for me pretty much consists of nursing, watching little miss Lizzy smile and coo, reading to the boys, kissing the twin's owies, and watching House with my man at night. (courtesy of movies in the mail!)

Fall has been wonderful.  I can't believe Jay is already a second grader.  Homeschooling him has been a joy, especially during this, my favorite, season.  We get to read about Pocahontas, the Pilgrims, Columbus, Squanto. . . we just love it.  Fall inevitably makes me feel cozy and desirous of hot apple cider and pumpkin bread.  I also love that we don't have to have dry, brown grass anymore. (We don't really water the yard too much..oops) The rain and heavy dew naturally makes the yard look oh so beautiful and lush like a jungle--kind of.  I at least pretend it's as deep green and rich like the grass in Uganda.

The "Super Swaneys"

Baby Prayers

I or Aaron normally pray with the babies as they are going to bed, but just the other night I asked Adam and Shannon to pray--just to see what they'd say.
Here was Adam's prayer: "Jesus, tank you Mommy, Daddy, tank you boys, Eli and Mommy, Eli/Mommy, Jay/Mommy, Eli and Mommy, tank you, Am-EN!"
Here was Shannon's: "Jesus (insert short pause), Am-EN!"
Priceless.

Daddy/Daughter Date!

Shannon got to spend some special one-on-one time with her Daddy recently. Getting to drive in "daddy's car" is always a special treat and I think Shannon felt quite grown up, especially when she entered the house toting a slurpee from 7 Eleven almost as big as her body. All 3 boys took quite an interest in her special drink and were quick to offer their services if she found herself needing any help finishing. Am I raising some gentlemen or what?

I have realized that I am a complete novice at blogging with the picture/storytelling combo! So, here's to trial and error. . . enjoy.

Okay, so if you'll notice on the RIGHT, Shannon, looking like the big girl that she is.

Here are the babies in Joshua Tree. Note Adam's cheesy face. He's literally saying, "CHEESE!"

I'm trying for one more! We'll see how this turns out...

See, now my last picture is on top!? how is this happening. This is not as easy as I thought it was going to be and I am confused.

These pictures are from our vacation this month. We did a little J-Tree, Wild Animal Park and even got to see some Corona family.

Adam is pretty fearless when it comes to trying to say new words. He understands English as well as any kid his age I suppose, but it's been great! and pretty funny, to finally understand certain words he has been saying that I consistently do NOT understand! These words are in English, he just has a cute way of saying them, like any baby learning to talk. For the longest time he was saying, "kakuah", over and over again! In Uganda, on the plane (all the time), here at home--it was driving me nuts! Well, lo and behold, he was saying, "cracker".
I think Aaron finally figured it out, Lord bless him.

Here are some other fun ones,
"Bangkick" is "Blanket"
"Sannon" is "Shannon"
"Eeyo" which sometimes even sounds like "Eeyore" is "Eli"
There are so many more, but I"ll leave you with that!

Some of our life in pictures

Welcome to the United States

Hello Family and Friends,

WE ARE HOME!!!

For those of you who have been anxiously awaiting my next post, I apologize from the bottom of my heart! It's been a good 2 weeks and MUCH has happened, so let me get right to it and catch ya'll up. . .

We went to Kampala, package was there, we waited, and waited, and I got to hand in everything. The consular told me to come back the next day for Visa pick up at 9am--I was thrilled--and even though my flight was leaving at 9:15am the following day, I told him I thought I could reschedule, for the 4th time. Hey, I wasn't going to push it, the guy was basically telling me that Adam's visa was going to be approved and I could go home!! What's another couple days?

Friday I picked up that Visa--woohoo!! and got to show it off to all the sweet mamas at the babies home. They get so very excited at our progress, every step of the way they are our cheerleaders and encouragers--these ladies are awesome.

Saturday, Adam and I said our goodbyes. Aaron and I had decided to buy the mamas a kilo of rice and sugar each before I left, so I was able to hand all those out which was a lot of fun. I took pictures of Adam with each of the mamas (unfortunately most of them are of Adam, tears running down his face, mouth wide open and arms reaching towards me) I think he must have thought that I was leaving him. Sad.
Mama Susan, the head daytime mama, gathered all the women together for a time of singing, prayer, and blessing to send me off. I held Adam as the women stood in a large circle and sang "Amazing Grace". After this, they prayed all at once, their own unique prayers in their own unique dialects with arms outstretched to us. I was completely in awe of God's goodness and faithfulness-- to stand there and hear these heartfelt prayers for Adam and the rest of our family, even though I couldn't understand a word, none of that mattered. God was being praised I knew that much.
Mama Susan went on to explain how it is with broken hearts they give Adam to us. They have loved and cared for him and now they give him to our family, entrusting us to take care of him and love him with impartiality. She spoke of how we are to bring him up to know the Lord and be a man of God. There was much more, but I just have to say that the floodgates finally opened. There had been emotion in their built up that I didn't even know I had. Most likely all the subconscious stress from the past month with a mixture of pure relief is what poured forth in those moments. I know these feelings well. It is a very real sense of being carried, as though on a cloud, but by God's complete grace. You are almost surprised when the tears come because you were not really even aware that they were in there. THAT, is how you know you are being carried. God carried me through Aaron's deployment for one year, and He absolutely carried me through my 6 weeks of not knowing whether I would be saying goodbye to this baby boy who had been growing in our hearts for over 2.5 years, because of circumstances outside my control.

God's plan was for me to come home with our son, Tuesday, September 23rd.

I honestly didn't know what to do with myself after immigration "okayed" Adam's Visa packet. I said, "where do I go now? upstairs?" They man laughed and said, "if you go upstairs you'll be in LAX forever. You leave, go out the door". So weird, I almost couldn't believe it.
We were picked up by the rest of my family outside--Shannon and Adam in new carseats side by side. The boys were in the back, and my hubby and I up front. =) So good to be home.

It has arrived!

Ever since Aaron sent the papers via fedex on Friday, I have been "tracking" down that thing everyday. Okay, so maybe more like 3-4 times a day? It said it was in "POYLE GB" yesterday. This got me confused. Did GB stand for Guinea Bissau in Africa? It was a mystery, until I googled it and pretty much found out that GB stands for Great Britain. I was kind of disappointed because if it meant Guinea Bissau than at least it was in Africa, right?
Anyway, I looked one more time this evening and lo and behold. . . . the package, ARRIVED!!

So, tomorrow I head to Kampala to the Embassy once again and pray that the consular will begin processing Adam's Visa and maybe, just maybe, even get it into my hands tomorrow. I am very aware that the last part of that sentence is a long shot--I mean, I burst into tears before the nice man last time and he didn't even flinch (not his fault, I'm sure he must get a lot of people pleading their cases which probably takes on many forms)--I am just not expecting him to pull strings or anything. Processing a visa usually takes about 24 hours, my flight leaves Friday morning, so I am preparing for another weekend here in Uganda.
If I had to stay, it really wouldn't be the worst thing at all. I am definitely learning to have peace about whatever happens, not stress, and truly find joy in the process knowing full well that God knows EXACTLY when I'm leaving.
If I stay through Saturday, I would even be able to attend a traditional Ugandan wedding ceremony which would be neat. Our missionary friends, the Hurleys, are helping with this wedding and everyone is running around trying to get all the last minute details taken care of. One of the girls who lives here is the one getting married--everyone is very excited and it's been fun to watch and help in any way I can.

Adam has been doing really well staying with me here in Mukono. Ever since we began working on hugs, he runs to me arms spread out saying, "squeeze!" It's so cute. Even Katie the dog doesn't scare him anymore. She is harmless and easy going and will probably miss Adam very much when he leaves, seeing that he provides her with many snacks throughout the day falling from his lap.

I'm off to bed. Kampala tomorrow!

Many down, 1 more to go!!

Today has been bittersweet. I was at the US Embassy this afternoon when the speakers came on and announced a moment of silence at 3:46pm--the local time here in Uganda when the first plane crashed into the North tower in New York City just 7 years ago. Can you believe it's been 7 years? I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day VIVIDLY, as I am sure so very many of us can. And I don't want to forget.

Today I also received my son's Ugandan passport. This is where the sweetness comes in. I am elated that the immigration process of this whole thing took a mere 26 hours--God does things with purpose and for our good and how thankful I am that He would choose this day as "passport day" for our family to remember. I guess that may sound kind of odd being that it is such a painful day, but I don't want to overlook the painful experiences when looking back on them can help me recall and re-solidify in my heart God's faithfulness. I get to tell Adam about God's sovereignty in the midst of 9/11 and his sovereignty the same day, 7 years later when his passport arrived.

Tomorrow I see Nathan Flook at the US Embassy for our Visa interview. Typically it can take 24 hours for the Visa to be processed. Wouldn't that be awesome? I could have Adam's Visa in my hands come Monday, on a plane Tuesday, and back in California Wednesday. Wow.

Tomorrow Tom and I also head back to Jinja after a 6 day and night resbit in Mukono with the Hurleys. I have had Adam with me for a few of the days too which has been nice. It makes economical sense to stay with friends who live closer to Kampala than Jinja, especially when I have had to be in Kampala virtually every day this week. Tomorrow is back to Jinja though and it will be nice to see the Mamas once again. These women who care for the babies at the home are so sweet. I love talking with them and learning about Uganda from them. They have such happy hearts despite many personal difficulties and truly love these kids.

Adam loved talking to his big brothers and sister on the phone recently. He said all of their names. He has been telling me "no Auntie" lately when he doesn't like what I've said to do. He gets reprimanded which he deals with like a champ. It's not very often that a child cries and cries over something and after a resonable time and being told to "dry it up", actually does. Amazing!

Jay, I have been working with Adam and he can now growl like a lion. I thought you would like to know. He's really very good at it! We go though the whole animal kingdom practically and he can do many of the noises they make--after I demonstrate first of course. =)

I miss you my family and am so happy to know that I only have to go to the US Embassy here on out!!! I don't know if you caught the significance of that statement. The Embassy has the best bathroom in Uganda, straight up. I feel pampered when I enter actually. There is a toilet with get this... toilet paper, soap, and even those dispensing paper towels to dry your hands, oh and a trash can. It's the little things.

I love you babe!

It's faith proving time!

Wow it's been a while. That's what no electricity will do to you.

Well, the long and the short of it is this-- I now have both the judge's ruling and order in my possession. Praise God. I am hopeful that tomorrow I will receive my recommendation letter that I need to proceed with getting Adam a passport. I do not know if everyone that I come in contact with during these new steps will be pleased with the paperwork I have--that is the risk that comes along with the territory here in Uganda. Despite this whole process taking a bit longer than I had hoped, I really have no business complaining. God is good whether I get my ruling and order fast or not. He's good whether the passport people like me and give me an expedited time frame, or not. He's even good when it looks like there might be a hang up at the US Embassy because the wording of my order isn't exactly right. I am choosing to trust that God has plans to grow my faith during these trials, and others I can face at home. James is a great and convicting book to read and hear a sermon on while here in this country, or any country for that matter.
Jesus is my sweet Savior who died on my behalf and loves me and adopted me even when I was still his enemy. How on earth could I think about complaining? But how quickly I do.

All that being said. . . I go forward tomorrow still praying that God would help things go quickly so that I can go home with Adam and settle our family into our new life together. But, if he chooses to slow things down a bit, I will pray for his grace to take it in stride. This testing is proving my faith, and how cool is that? I pray I can pass the test with joy.

Adam got to talk with the family tonight, saying everyones name loud an clear. He smiled so big and laughed and laughed. So great!
Love you family

CalChapJinja, Lost, and babies

Tom and I have this running joke. . . that we will pathetically only be able to identify which days we did what here, by which episodes of Lost we watched on that given day. We reluctantly began watching season 1, thinking we might as well watch and see if we can finish by the time we leave here. . .it has been merely 3 days and we are nearly finished! Apparently we got sucked in. Tom and I just found out that one of the staff here has seasons 2 and 3 too! Exciting news. =)

Sunday was a great day. I carried Adam to Calvary Chapel Jinja (which is just down the road from Amani) where we all fellowshipped with other believers. Its been such a great time getting to experience different churches, meeting the local people as well as the missionaries who have been serving here for quite some time. Most people here are warm and welcoming and ready to give you a firm handshake too. We worshiped in both Lugandan and English, JB (the Ugandan pastor there) preached, and Adam was lasting...until he threw a fit because he wanted more biscuits. I exited quietly (at least I thought I did) and tried to listen as best I could from the grassy area outside--all the while pointing to birds, listening to barking dogs, and taking video of this 1 year old who likes to repeat everything I say. He is so funny.

The boys have ben upstairs with us in the volunteer house occasionally. They play and are pretty hilarious. Anytime you say "goodbye!" both Adam and Hunter will turn and look at you and immediately say, "byebye!" really loudly and walk or run away. They always come back, looking like they've been on some expedition, so official and pleased with themselves.
The other day all the babies/toddlers were outside on the grass by the sidewalk, and we said, "goodbye!". Like clockwork, they ALL followed eachother down the sidewalk and practically to the front gate. When they returned, all were smiling, waving and proud. =) So cute.

Today was Kampala, once again. This time was mainly for Tom though, as I have yet to recieve my ruling. We met Mr. Otim, the minister of gender, who will be writing the recommendation letter for us to get a passport. Tom hopes to recieve the letter tomorrow if all goes well. I was happy to have at least gotten to meet him in advance, that way he knows my face, and I also know a little bit more of what to expect when my time comes around.

I saw the lawyer today. I will be heading to high court again on Wed the 3rd at 9am. I hope that after his positive ruling (Lord willing), I can get a written ruling THAT DAY, or the next. The sooner the better! because then I can get this passport ball rolling.

Adam is still giving out kisses to me, and actually SMILING when he sees me coming to get him. He is so very serious so much of the time. He is cracking more and more each new day, I can tell-- and what a blessing for me to see.

There are little babies in the preemie room who come out a couple times a day and lay on the soft mats in the main room, for a change of scenery I think. There is a little baby named Daniel who is so very small. He has around 7 teeth though! I thought for sure he was only a couple months old, but found out that he is actually more like 9 months. The poor boy is teething, feverish, and has a spit tongue which makes him unable to suck his milk. I was able to hold him and talk to him and feed him his milk/cereal from a big boy cup. He drank so well despite his problems and seemed glad for food!

Continue to pray for these little babies who are so very small and malnurished. So many just need to be touched--their eyes light up by just that physical contact and attention. These women here do a fantastic job at taking care of the children--meeting their needs, loving them, but there are only so many Mamas to go around. Pray that these children can all be matched with loving families!

**Lost update: unfortunately, the dvd player has decided to be pisnickery tonight and not play the rest of our episode! I am thankful that is the only problem we are having though...perspective, perspective.

A Fun Day

Today, Adam ran to me saying "Mama, mama!" This was music to my ears. I had arrived at Amani by taxi, was exiting the car when I turned to see Adam running towards me saying that one word that means the world to any mother. Now, he still calls me "Auntie", and sometimes "Mama Auntie" or some variation, but progress is being made, and that is all I could ask for.

Yesterday a fun afternoon was had by Tom, Hunter, Adam and I. We took a 1 hour boat tour around the Nile river and Lake Victoria. We got to see some pretty awesome birds, a very large lizard, a couple monkeys (from kind of far away) and a small monument which is right where the Source of the Nile is located.

I was really really excited to see a "Weaver bird". Do you know what this bird does? I am not a bird fanatic I assure you, I only know of this bird because my son Jay and I learned about "nests" last year. Okay, this very small, yellow bird is called a "weaver bird" because it "weaves" small twigs, blades of grass, etc. . together making a hollow, woven, ball-shaped nest. The bird leaves a small hole located at the bottom of the "ball" as to disuade snakes and other predators. The Lord gave these guys smarts I'm telling you. This woven nest dangles from tree branches--there were TONS of these nests dangling over TONS of trees. I took pictures. I can't wait to show Jay.

Today we went to Bujigali Falls. I am probably mispelling that horribly. Anyway, they were very powerful looking and beautiful. What was actually pretty neat was that there were only a few signs depicting skull and cross bones saying that you shouldn't go beyond a certain point or you may die. It was refreshing to see nature in its nakedness. I don't like it when the minority of stupid people doing stupid things dictate how the rest of the normal majority lives. I think in America so much of our life is like bumper bowling. Personal responsibility is a good thing and keeps us on our toes! Too many warning signs can clutter the view of living.

Tomorrow will be a full day of babies. Tom and I have relocated to the baby cottage itself! Upstairs there is a nice living space, complete with little kitchen, bathrooms, bunks, a TV for dvds and even a computer--slow, and often not working computer, but a computer just the same.

Thanks for your prayers! Love you lots my sweet family. =)

PINEAPPLES ARE THE BEST!!!

Hello family and friends,

Yesterday Tom and I took the boys to the Doctor in Kampala. This was their second, and final visit. He basically checked their "blue medical books" and made sure everything looked okay. It did, and we were grateful.
We were able to make it to the court house for Tom to listen to the judge read her positive ruling! Tom's case has been fast thus far and what a blessing! Court on Fri, ruling on Tues, and a written on Wed. Amazing!

The lawyer told me not to worry about the additional paperwork my judge wanted. He is new to these cases and was not understanding the process fully and he has since been made aware of what the process actually entails, apparently. He is a man who does what he says, according to track record, and the lawyers have no reason to think he will give anything other than a positive ruling 1 week from today. Good news indeed. So we wait for Wednesday!

We were able to make our way around Kampala to familiarize ourselves with where we will be needing to go for the next steps. Commissioner of Gender's office, Immigration, US Embassy.

Today I played with Adam and put him down for his nap. . . he did not like that! He seems to think that because I am there he can sometimes get away with not exactly following "routine". I have to admit, it is kind of funny to see his little face looking at me expectantly, like when he's eating his lunch, going potty, getting washed off, etc. It's like, "look, you say you're my mom and then you just let them do these things to me, what's up with this?"
ALL the children are super obedient kids. They have their moments of crying, but it's usually because they want to be held, or maybe another toddler took a toy away from them. But they KNOW what is expected of them and they follow their routine completely, it's amazing.

Today we went to an actual sandwich shop where they made smoothies and sandwiches (obviously), in Jinja. It was YUMMY! Put 'Blenders' to shame I have to say. The pineapples here are out of this world!!! I wish I could bring home my very own pineapple bush. Do pineapples grown on bushes? I have no idea. . . how sad is that.

Love to you all!!!!

Ruling on Sept. 3rd?

Hello from the Hurleys once again,
Here and the internet cafe are the only places we can get any internet access, so communication has been slow in coming!

Our court hearing went pretty well. Our judge said he would give us a ruling Wed, Sept. 3rd. This is a good thing! I am always hesitant to jump for joy though, only because we are in a foreign country after all, and anything can happen.

Adam was a trooper and did great, not making a peep the entire time...snacks help that way.

The judge did ask me a few questions and spoke with our lawyer about our paperwork. When Aaron was in Uganda 4 months ago he gained foster custody of Adam. Our application to foster had been approved and we were given a stamp and signature indicating as much. However, the judge asked, "what was the result of the application?". Our lawyer Sam said, "it was approved".
Basically, the paperwork we already possess is enough to satisfy anyone that we have been approved to foster, but our judge wants to see another piece of paper indicating this. This paper does not exist.
Sam will speak with the judge on Monday, the 25th and we pray the judge will be satisfied with what he's got.

Once we get a written ruling we can move forward. Ugandan passport for Adam must be obtained, as well as a Visa. Sounds easy enough, but not so. Please pray that ALL the people who need to be in their offices would be, and that they would see the joy in efficiency. =)

Tom and I had church with the Hurleys this morning which was great. Everyone is so very nice and loving. What a blessing to stay here as "extended family".

I miss you my sweet family. Love you loads. Be good!

In Uganda, safe and sound =)

Well, I made it to Uganda!! After 4 different airplanes and plenty of layovers, I am finally here and doing great. The Lord was so faithful the entire trip, from crossing my path with people from various walks of life at the perfect time, to even giving me a window seat when it mattered most to me--the flight from Nairobi, Kenya to Uganda. Such a beatiful country our boy comes from.

My brother Tom, my son Adam and I are staying at the Hurleys home tonight. The Hurleys are wonderful, generous missionary friends who live right between the Kampala (the capital) and Jinja, where the babies home is located.

Amy, our foster coordinator, brought Adam to me at the Entebbe airport this afternoon. She handed him to me, and he kind of protested. I grabbed some snacks and then I became his best friend. =) It's amazing what a little food will do. She left me with a bag of clothes and diapers and was on her way. We thought it best for me to spend some time with Adam a day before the court hearing instead of a couple hours. That might not have looked so good to the judges!

I had fun just holding him and talking to him and watching him eat for a while. I was kind of suprised at how normal it all was. I had dreamed of what our first meeting would be like and thought I would be more emotional. It was so natural for me to walk around with him, tell him that I loved him, talk to him, eat his face up with kisses and cuddles and feed him some posho, yams and chicken (or "coco" as he likes to say in Lugandan). I am already learning much about our little man. He definitely likes to talk. Hmmm....do you think he'll fit in to the Swaney household? He repeats almost everything I say, even very short sentences.
He makes his will known, but is for the most part pretty content. I think he thought it was weird when I was trying to feed him the posho with a fork. (I don't know if i'm spelling that correctly, but it's a kind of more condensed mashed potato type food) He eats all his food with his hands at the baby home, so I eventually let him just dig in for a while. Whenever I would try to offer chicken on the fork he would redirect it to my mouth and kind of smile. It was pretty funny. No "coco" for that boy.

Tonight after dinner I tried to put Adam to bed in the pack and play. He was having none of that, so I just held him until he fell asleep with me on the bed. He was in the jammies I brought for him, the blanket we brought too, and we cuddled for a while. I layed him on my bed under my net and he has been completely passed out since then. He is adorable. I mean, big doe eyes, yummy face adorable.

He and I had a practice session where I point at myself and we say, "Mama", or "Mommy". Then point to him and say, "Adam". He kind of calls me that sometimes, but I have noticed that when he is distressed, he calls me "Auntie". Makes sense, every other Mzungo he has seen has been an "Auntie" to him so what makes me any different? I can't wait to be different. =)

Tomorrow is our court hearing at 9AM!!!!!!!! So, 11pm Tuesday the 19th for you folk back in Cali. Please pray that our judge's heart would be softened to our case and that he would give us a positive ruling. . . swiftly!! It would be wonderful if I were able to bring Adam home THIS trip.

A note for my little people:
Jay and Eli--Adam really enjoyed watching the video you made for him on the camera. He smiled really big right when I showed it to him and began pointing at your faces. He can also say your names! Be good boys for Daddy while he's home and Grandma. I miss you so much already and am sending you a gigantic sized ***KISS*** Love you boys. ~mama
Shanny--I think you and your brother are going to duke it out at first, and then become the dynamic duo, tied at the hip, forever after. I love you so much baby girl. I will be home and smooch you soon. Be a good girl and feed your babies. Love you little mama*
A note for my lover:
I can't email you right now, but I love you so much. I am safe and enjoying my time with Adam. You're right, I love it and the people I have met so far have been just wonderful. Tomorrow is court. pray pray pray. I miss you and will call tomorrow or once we can get a card. xxoo =)

**Check back for photos sometime soon I hope!

Nothing Fancy

Greetings!
Being the perfectionist that I am, it's taken me quite a long time to muster up the gusto to actually post our first blog entry. I wanted it to be perfect. I have decided that I can't live life that way, so instead you are getting real news from a real me, nothing philosophical this time, nothing fancy, just me telling you all about our Swaney life, which at the moment includes our son's adoption!

Today I am Uganda bound. Precisely 4 days ago Aaron and I were called with the news that our son's court date was scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 20th. We have been waiting for this day for a long time!!!!

Many of you know the whole story of Adam's adoption thus far, and many probably don't. When I have the time I will fill you all in, but for now, it's off to the airport!!

Please pray for a swift "yes" ruling from the judge. Remember: Wed. Aug 20th, 9am!!