One year ago today, Jeff stood alone before a judge in Ukraine and pleaded for our sons lives.
Literally. Stood alone. And pleaded.
The boys were clinging to life.
He pleaded for the judge to allow them to be adopted; where they could receive the medical attention they desperately needed, where they could receive unconditional love from our family, where they could be free and no longer confined to their cribs destined for the adult mental institution, where death waited.
Praise God, the judge agreed and one year ago today Michael and Matthew became our sons!
We do not have any pictures from court that day. Cameras were not allowed but the memory will forever be burned on our heart.
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Fast forward 363 days and two more blessing added to our family!
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Two days ago, on December 8, 2011, I stood before an American Judge asking to officially become Sarah and Sydney's mommy. Jeff had already adopted them in Ukraine and now it was my turn here in America.
The Judge agreed and I officially and legally became Sarah and Sydney's mommy. God is so good!
Their circumstances were vastly different in some ways and eerily similar in other ways. The girls were in MUCH better physical condition than the boys because they were in a different orphanage than the boys, just one town over, yet, worlds apart. They were cared for better and actually fed. Though their orphanage lives were 'good' by orphanage standards, the outcome would have been the same. They would have both been transferred at age 4 ( Jan, 2012 for Sydney, March, 2012 for Sarah) to the same adult mental institution that Matthew and Michael would have gone to as well, where death waited.
Praise God, that was not to be.
God won!




