At least one mother refused to sign the family service plan because of an ongoing criminal probe. Barbara Steed Jessop was questioned at length by Judge Barbara Walther about the identity of her child, given numerous names listed for him in the file.

Jessop's lawyer, Gonzalo Rios, indicated that he had advised his client to not sign the service plan involving her son, Sampson Jessop, 17.

"There's a criminal investigation and she is not in any way, shape or form agreeing with the allegations contained in the plan," he said.

The boy's father was identified on the court docket as Merrill Jessop, who is in charge of the YFZ Ranch. A CPS worker said in court they have been unable to locate Jessop to give notice of Monday's hearing.

There were some small victories for FLDS mothers, which will help them be reunited with their children. The approval of a family plan would bring 6-year-old Samuel Barlow, who is in custody inn Amarillo, with his mother, Sharon.

There was also a promise to attorney Clint Symes to put two boys together with one of their brothers. The siblings are part of a family of six children of Richard Samuel Jessop and Cynthia Joy Jessop, which also includes an infant who is still with Cynthia Jessop.

After their hearing, the Jessops huddled in conversation with a CPS worker and shared smiles and laughs. Cynthia brought a picture showing a five-bedroom house the couple say they hope to rent to help with reunification efforts.

"It's more than adequate. It's really nice," she told the CPS worker.

Earlier, courtroom testimony indicated that Richard Jessop has had training as a pilot and experience in the construction trade. The ability for the FLDS families to support themselves while under the purview of the state welfare agency has become a critical component of the family service plans.

Although the family service plans are ambiguous, FLDS parents are hopeful for reunification. Thomas H. Morris III, a lawyer representing Richard Jessop, compared the hearings playing out in Texas as a water sprinkler spraying in fits as it starts up, then spinning wildly around at anyone who gets in the way.

"I got dropped into this case with a lot of serious concerns and you don't know what's going on. It's like, 'Where's north?' Today, we figured out where north is," he told the Deseret News. "As soon as CPS figures out where north is, and they're capable of that, our paths will converge."

Morris said his representation of an FLDS father was at first personally conflicting.