Waiting Till the First Week in August

Until the first week in August we wont have news about what exactly our next step will be. This should be the last week of "no news".
Updates from Emma keep coming and it warms our hearts knowing that she has Emma who is watching out for her. We wrote Ava a letter before we left and told her that God is holding her in his hands even when we are not able to. Emma said this in her last email: "When we read the part in your note about her being held in His hands she took her hand and held mine – it was a really beautiful moment."
Here are some pictures of what we have been up to as we wait:



We went to the beach in Laguna with some friends and taught them our new game "Regen Wormen". Our friends and family have given us such great support since we've been home.

Sawyer...I mean Brandi...gave me some sewing lessons and I am having fun using the machine that James bought me two years ago.

I made our Ava Bug a Bed Bug! This is my first project and Zoe is keeping it warm for Ava until she gets home.

Always remember that you are in His hands.

Our Options

We wanted to clear up what the rest of our adoption journey could look like from here on out. Of coarse we are never really sure but these are the possibilities:

Option 1: Regional Court Grants us Custody of Ava
Ava has already been shown to one local family and once she is shown to two more (this should happen by the first week in August) we will take this paper work back to regional court to see if they can overturn their decision and Ava would be ours.
This would obviously be the best case scenario and is what we are praying for. It is not likely but we are hoping for a miracle.

Option 2: Begin Again in the City
After Ava is shown to those local families we will begin the whole process again. 15 days of bonding, apply for court, wait out the 15 days, and return home. If we did this it would not be the 4 month journey that we had last time. It would probably take 6-8 weeks like we expected originally.
Our lawyer and coordinator are not crazy about this idea b/c it means we would have to go through the same court system as last time. Our case has had so much drama that we are afraid it would not be smooth.

Option 3: Continue the Process at Kashiri
Since Ava turns 4 in September, she will be moved out to the older orphanage in Kashiri (a village about an hour away from Pavlodar city). If we wait until September 4th when she is moved we can begin the process again in a new court system, with new judges, and have a fresh start.
This seems better than Option 2 but doesn't allow us to start over until the 4th of September. If this is what we end up doing, I would likely go back in the middle of August so that Ava is not without us for longer than a month.

Deep Breathe...Yes, I know it's very confusing. Join us in praying for Option 1. We know we are on countless prayer lists and we can't say how much we value those prayers.


We heard from Emma today that Ava is doing well. The weather there is rainy so the kids are all going a little stir crazy. We miss her so much but are so thankful that Emma is there for her during this time.


Our adorable friends Peggy and Jan had a possitive decision at court after 7 months in Pavlodar. YAY! We couldn't be happier for the three of them!

We have been getting Ava updates every day or two from our great friends and coordinator in Kaz. She seems to be confused but is still her happy self which is good. We are trying to keep busy here and are counting down the days till we can return. There is still some hope that we wont have to wait till September to begin again so please pray for a miracle. We spent a great weekend down in San Diego with my family. While we were gone in Kaz my parents sold their house, which was the house I grew up in, and moved out to San Marcos. Their new house and community is beautiful and we had a great weekend spending time with them and exploring their new town.


We went on lots of walks and saw some beautiful sights near Mom and Dad's new home.


The puppies were happy to see us and show us around the lake

We were so happy that we got to see my sister who is now off to teach in Vietnam for nearly a year


We are trying to relax, enjoy, and refresh in beautiful Southern California before picking up this adventure once again.

Here are some pictures from our last visit with Ava before we left:

Happy Girl

Dada got some good cuddle time

She cracks us up

We miss you Ava D.

Our pretty pretty princess

First Full Day Home

We heard from Emma today that she saw Ava. We told Emma that we wanted to hear everything about the visit even if Ava was upset or not doing well. It sounds like she was missing us and was upset when Emma left but she spent about an hour with her looking at pictures of us. Ava pointed to James and I in pictures and seemed happy when Emma was there.

This has been a rough day. We are missing Ava and thinking about her constantly. We are trying to take time to refresh at home knowing that we will be back in Kaz before we know it.

Thanks for keeping us all in your prayers.

Quick Update.

We arrived home safely today. Please continue to pray for Ava in these next few weeks. We can also use all of your prayers as it will be extremely difficult being so far from her.

The good news is it was great to see family at the airport, we ate Rubios' Kids Meals for lunch and we got a super warm hello from our puppy Zoe!

Kari and Zoe are now napping on the couch. We'll update you as we hear news from KAZ.

Heading Home

James and I are flying out tonight and will return in about a month to begin the process again. Saying goodbye to Ava today will be difficult. Our friend Emma has said she'll visit Ava three times a week and go through a picture album with her. We'll update when we are back in California. Pray for our baby.

Decisions Decisions

Thank you all for your kind words of support after announcing our news on Thursday. We will know our plan of action on Monday after a very important meeting that our lawyer has at the Regional court. Pray for that one big time. It's at 9:00 am so 8:00 pm at home. James and I are doing well but would just like to know what arrangements we should make. No decision we make will be easy but we are praying for wisdom and still holding out for a miracle that would allow us all to go home together.

Next week, if we are here, we should be able to join one of the older groups at the Baby Home for a field trip. We are not sure where these trips will be but it will be nice to get out of the Baby Home and do something new with Ava.

Ava attempted riding a bike this weekend. We'll have to keep working on that one. She also had lots of fun throwing rocks into this puddle and watching the water splash!

James bought me this pretty necklace for our anniversary and Ava thought it was a new toy for her.

The Fight for Ava D. Continues

We wish we had good news to share but unfortunately we do not. In order to explain the news we heard on Tuesday we will have to go back to June 4, two days after the court granted us custody of Ava.

June 2:
In court James and I were awarded custody of Ava and announced as her parents however, the judge was unpleased with one thing. Ava had not been shown to local families before she was shown to us, an international family. This goes against the Kazakhstan law. Our judge said that it was still in the best interest of the child to be placed with us but that she would be punishing the baby home for not following the law.
June 4:
We heard news that the prosecutor's house (this is the place where the court verdict goes after the court decision to make sure that all the proper procedures were followed and that nothing violated the laws of Kazakhstan) overturned the positive ruling on the basis of our adoption was not legal since Ava was not first shown to local families. The Baby house met with the prosecutors and explained that they had verbally told local families about her but that there were no families interested in taking on a child with her medical condition.
June 6:
We submitted our formal appeal and applied to the regional court. This is what we have been waiting for for the past few weeks.
June 25:
We did not make it to our court hearing because James had a bad sinus infection and our lawyer was still working on some details that would strengthen our case.
July 7:
We appear in regional court and they rule that indeed the law has been violated and they cannot approve our adoption at this time. The evidence we brought forward was not enough to prove the law has been satisfied. However, everyone agreed that it is in the best interest of the child to be placed with us but we must do it according to the Kazakhstan law.

Right now we are not afraid that we will loose Ava. That is not an option for us or for those working with us. There are ways to make this right, that we know for sure. We are in the middle of getting some answers and are making decisions about what our next step will be. We have a basic idea of what our next step is, but it is still a little too early to share because there are so many unknowns at this point. After we have a little more information (hopefully today) we'll need to decide if one or both of us will go home then come back when things get started up again. We don't like the idea of leaving Ava but right know we need to make the decision that is best for the future of our family (of three). Know that our coordinator (and her family) and our lawyer are working around the clock to find the best solution for us. Also, the baby home is still allowing us to visit Ava during our normal visit times. They are supporting us and doing their part to ensure we leave with her as soon as possible.

There are obviously no words to describe how we are feeling right now, we are crushed, but we are taking things one day at a time and have made the commitment to stay strong and not lose hope during this process. We will fight to the end for this girl who is already a part of our family and we truly appreciate the support and strength of all you at home! Let's all pray the His kingdom is somehow glorified in this dramatic process, even if we don't see it or understand it.

Of course we are still taking lots of pictures and having a blast with Ava.

July Fourth Celebration:

James and Brian playing with the Frisbee at the "beach"


The Issac family lives in Pavlodar but are from America. They like to share American holidays with their local friends. So, we spent the day with some local families and got to share this wonderful American holiday, and its traditions, with them.

Mama Time:








Dada Time:











Some Fun Facts About Ava:

She likes walking around without her shirt on.


During snack time her educational movies have her undivided attention. Some of her best dance moves also come out at snack time.

She isn't always very lady like


But sometimes she is

She thinks her feet taste yummy

And they are ticklish

She likes playing in the sand but doesn't like dirty hands

Now that she is so mobile, she is really quite a little monkey

Our anniversary:

Yesterday was our 3rd wedding anniversary and we had a great day. We went to a special restaurant that over looked the city. Most marriages don't have to go through what we have been through these past 4 months but we are so thankful to have each other and are staying united through these tough times.

God is Greater...

This week will hopefully be our last week of visiting the Baby Home before we take Ava with us so you can imagine that we are experiencing many emotions. We are experiencing joy mostly, at the thought of finally being able to have Ava with us full time. My sweet husband says that he most excited about watching her sleep. This is something so simple but is something we have yet to experience with her. Sadly we are also experiencing fear because our trip has been filled with the unexpected and we are afraid that things may fall through again. We are clinging to our faith and trusting that the three of us will come out of this together very soon. We are remembering that God is greater than anyone and anything and that He will always win.
Our girl has been learning so much so quickly. We are really working on numbers and colors with her right now. She is coming out of her shell around the other adoptive families and seems to become more confident everyday. She has just turned into a beautiful little girl right before our eyes. Her face has a glow about her that she didn't have before and she just seems so genuinely happy. I am so thankful that we are part of God's plan for Ava's life, We are truly blessed.
Happy 4th of July to all of you back home. We are thankful for our country and miss the traditions of this Holiday. We are having a burger day with our American friends who live here and if the weather is nice, we'll go to the beach. Wahoo!!!!

Today:

1 John 4:4 "...The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."


1 John 3:20 "For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."

John 13:16 "I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."

Yesterday:

2 Chronicles 32:7 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him."

Psalm 135:5 "I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods."

John 3:30 "He must become greater; I must become less."

Yes, God is Greater!

Ava Meets Rocky

We picked up a new toy for Ava since all three of us are going a little loopy at the Baby home these days. She really enjoyed Rocky the Robot!
Happy Birthday to my Daddy tomorrow, July 3rd. We miss you and have another special present on the way!



The girl wont have anything to do with a stuffed animal or doll but give her a plastic robot and she's thrilled!


Love at first sight


Cute in her poncho!


The weather is uncharacteristically cool for this time of year so it's sweaters outside for us.

Ava still prefers the Wiggles but these talking Veggies held her attention for quite a while too

Daddy's Girl