Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
2010 Goddard PreSchool Halloween Parade and Party
Ms. Sheeba (director/owner)aka Lindsay Lohan, welcoming everyone to the parade
Lukas at the end of the parade, very intrigued by the scary vampire candy bowl. The police officer next to him arrested Ms. Sheeba for stealing cookies from the cookie jar at the party after the parade. He seemed to know what he was doing too, pulled her arm behind her back to cuff her.
Just one more tootsie roll
Eating treats with his classmates and Ms. Barb aka Dr. Seuss
Buzz and Woody (aka Nick, 2 yr old little brother of one of Lukas' classmates)
Buzz and Woody playing
The after math...yes we did get the candy away from him before he ate all of it.
Playing on a glorious fall morning
Practicing his new trick of trapping the soccer ball.
Playing with the neighbor girl who taught him how to trap the ball
Accidental Artist
They were experimenting with colors at preschool and by the time Lukas was done he had unintentionally created a pumpkin.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Taraz Ten Update
For those of you who do not read Becky and Jeremy's blog directly they had their court hearing and everything appears to have gone well. However, the judge has stated that he needs time to write up the decision and he has a heavy case load so they will have to wait a week to get the actual court decision.
So, we will all have to wait another week to see what happens.
So, we will all have to wait another week to see what happens.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
All Ways...Taraz Ten update
TARAZ TEN UPDATE
I haven't posted anything about the Taraz Ten for a while as there wasn't much happening while families worked out their next steps after the final no came down from the Cessation panel. During that time the families chatted with the State Department Liason, a delegation from Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan visited the US and spoke to the State Dept and met with APs and PAPs, and supporters and family continued contacting Congressional Reps at home and in DC. One of the Taraz judges was a part of that delegation and appears to have had a change of heart.
The Taraz Ten families are facing two possible options on how to proceed at this point in time. First, a quick review of the story so far: 7 of the 8 families were denied at the municipal court level. All 7 of those families lost their Regional Court appeal. 6 of the 7 asked for a rehearing with a cessation panel of the Regional Court and one family decided to appeal directly to the Supreme Court. All 6 families lost their cessation appeal. The 8th family has not recieved a ruling yet at the municipal level.
After the Regional Court the next step on the appeal ladder is the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan. Some coordinators and judges of the regional court suggested that if instead, the other 6 families, refiled a new petition (for the same child) with the municipal court, they would be successful. Refiling would involve getting signed statements from all (or nearly all) of the local families who were on the waiting list to adopt during the 6-month period that the Taraz Ten were only eligible for domestic adoption. Each statement would say that they were not interested in adopting the child in question.
At this point it looks like 3 families are definitely going to the Supreme Court (either they have already filed or are about to), 2 families are definitely going to the municipal court. Two other families seem to be leaning towards the municipal court option but are waiting to see what happens with the initial 2 families. The 8th family will be refiling with the municipal court rather than waiting for their denial from their original hearing.
The first hearing of a re-filed petition has been scheduled for October 25th. The coordinator believes the family will be informed of the court's decision on October 25th at the conclusion of the court hearing. PLEASE be praying for this family as they go to court on Monday and safe travels for the father who is traveling back to Taraz later this week for the court hearing.
If they get a positive decision on the 25th it is expected the other Taraz Ten families will try to follow through the MC. If they lose, they still have the right to appeal their cessation court denial to the Supreme Court.
In following the various blogs, even this process has been quite involved. They did not have to start the bonding period over again but did have to go before the Guardianship Council process again and the Council was making sure everything was in proper order.
ALL WAYS
On Sunday the gospel reading from Luke really struck a cord with me in terms of the Taraz Ten. (DISCLAIMER: My posting this is not a statement on whether the judges are corrupt or not. That is not my word, just the one that the author who wrote this about the gospel reading chose to use.) The following was on the back of the bulletin.
************************************************************************************
All Ways
Today's gospel begins with an explanation. "Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart" (Luke 18:1). It's a good thing we have this little introduction so we don't get sidetracked during the story, which is complicated. We have an intense legal case, a corrupt judge, and a stubborn woman-plenty to be distracted by.
In which moments do we find it difficult to "pray and not...lose heart"? Perhaps when we are in a journey of grief, in a situation so lonely we feel no support, or so angry there seems no room for joy. If we were in a legal battle impossible to win because our judge has no interest in real justice, we might feel this kind of heart-deep discouragement. The weight of it might push us to give up trying.
In moments like these, perhaps we can hear Jesus' words to "pray always" also as the invitation to pray all ways. When our rhythm of prayer is disrupted by heavy things, we can cry out outside our typical prayer: flooding God's mailbox with cards, letter, and e-mails demanding help and justice; allowing ourselves be lonely for a time, calling on others to pray on our behalf--these can all be ways to understand a life of prayer. Maybe for this season of life we sing our prayers, drum our petitions, light candles for hope, or create some new way to pray. Maybe this is what it looks like to grow in faith.
Returning to the introduction of this odd parable can give the people of God great hope. Jesus' words of intention assure us that God is at hand and that God does not wish for us to be discouraged. With Jesus, the author of our faith and our holy friend, we can pray always and in all ways.
************************************************************************************
So, as you go about your day on Sunday afternoon/Monday morning, say or sing a prayer, drum a petition, light a candle or find some new way to pray for the family going to court on October 25th and for all the Taraz Ten so that they may finally be reunited and come home.
On a lighter note, there was another crabby t-shirt sighting in late August. This time it was the younger brother's turn to wear the t-shirt.
I haven't posted anything about the Taraz Ten for a while as there wasn't much happening while families worked out their next steps after the final no came down from the Cessation panel. During that time the families chatted with the State Department Liason, a delegation from Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan visited the US and spoke to the State Dept and met with APs and PAPs, and supporters and family continued contacting Congressional Reps at home and in DC. One of the Taraz judges was a part of that delegation and appears to have had a change of heart.
The Taraz Ten families are facing two possible options on how to proceed at this point in time. First, a quick review of the story so far: 7 of the 8 families were denied at the municipal court level. All 7 of those families lost their Regional Court appeal. 6 of the 7 asked for a rehearing with a cessation panel of the Regional Court and one family decided to appeal directly to the Supreme Court. All 6 families lost their cessation appeal. The 8th family has not recieved a ruling yet at the municipal level.
After the Regional Court the next step on the appeal ladder is the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan. Some coordinators and judges of the regional court suggested that if instead, the other 6 families, refiled a new petition (for the same child) with the municipal court, they would be successful. Refiling would involve getting signed statements from all (or nearly all) of the local families who were on the waiting list to adopt during the 6-month period that the Taraz Ten were only eligible for domestic adoption. Each statement would say that they were not interested in adopting the child in question.
At this point it looks like 3 families are definitely going to the Supreme Court (either they have already filed or are about to), 2 families are definitely going to the municipal court. Two other families seem to be leaning towards the municipal court option but are waiting to see what happens with the initial 2 families. The 8th family will be refiling with the municipal court rather than waiting for their denial from their original hearing.
The first hearing of a re-filed petition has been scheduled for October 25th. The coordinator believes the family will be informed of the court's decision on October 25th at the conclusion of the court hearing. PLEASE be praying for this family as they go to court on Monday and safe travels for the father who is traveling back to Taraz later this week for the court hearing.
If they get a positive decision on the 25th it is expected the other Taraz Ten families will try to follow through the MC. If they lose, they still have the right to appeal their cessation court denial to the Supreme Court.
In following the various blogs, even this process has been quite involved. They did not have to start the bonding period over again but did have to go before the Guardianship Council process again and the Council was making sure everything was in proper order.
ALL WAYS
On Sunday the gospel reading from Luke really struck a cord with me in terms of the Taraz Ten. (DISCLAIMER: My posting this is not a statement on whether the judges are corrupt or not. That is not my word, just the one that the author who wrote this about the gospel reading chose to use.) The following was on the back of the bulletin.
************************************************************************************
All Ways
Today's gospel begins with an explanation. "Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart" (Luke 18:1). It's a good thing we have this little introduction so we don't get sidetracked during the story, which is complicated. We have an intense legal case, a corrupt judge, and a stubborn woman-plenty to be distracted by.
In which moments do we find it difficult to "pray and not...lose heart"? Perhaps when we are in a journey of grief, in a situation so lonely we feel no support, or so angry there seems no room for joy. If we were in a legal battle impossible to win because our judge has no interest in real justice, we might feel this kind of heart-deep discouragement. The weight of it might push us to give up trying.
In moments like these, perhaps we can hear Jesus' words to "pray always" also as the invitation to pray all ways. When our rhythm of prayer is disrupted by heavy things, we can cry out outside our typical prayer: flooding God's mailbox with cards, letter, and e-mails demanding help and justice; allowing ourselves be lonely for a time, calling on others to pray on our behalf--these can all be ways to understand a life of prayer. Maybe for this season of life we sing our prayers, drum our petitions, light candles for hope, or create some new way to pray. Maybe this is what it looks like to grow in faith.
Returning to the introduction of this odd parable can give the people of God great hope. Jesus' words of intention assure us that God is at hand and that God does not wish for us to be discouraged. With Jesus, the author of our faith and our holy friend, we can pray always and in all ways.
************************************************************************************
So, as you go about your day on Sunday afternoon/Monday morning, say or sing a prayer, drum a petition, light a candle or find some new way to pray for the family going to court on October 25th and for all the Taraz Ten so that they may finally be reunited and come home.
On a lighter note, there was another crabby t-shirt sighting in late August. This time it was the younger brother's turn to wear the t-shirt.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Boo Barn
Entrance
Couple of ghosts on front porch
Cemetary with skeletons
more skeletons and tombstones
wicked witch,spider and skeletons
lots of ghosts
Pumpkins
more pumpkins
and a warlock watching over dracula
Scenes from the hayride at the pumpkin farm
The Hayride started out around the pond where there were some ghosts and monsters in the water. We then headed towards the woods where they had a display of the three little pigs.
As we entered the woods there was a sign that said Famous Pumpkins...here are some of them.
George Washington
Paul Revere
George Washington Carver
Betsy Ross
Sacajawea
Not sure who this guy is.
Then it was onto 100 acre woods
Around the bend was Hogwarts
And finally Shrek
As we entered the woods there was a sign that said Famous Pumpkins...here are some of them.
George Washington
Paul Revere
George Washington Carver
Betsy Ross
Sacajawea
Not sure who this guy is.
Then it was onto 100 acre woods
Around the bend was Hogwarts
And finally Shrek
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