Parked At Home

I think we are pretty much into a routine now. The kids go to bed around 10pm and usually start waking up around 8. It is pretty nice I must say. I usually end up running a few errands everyday and lately we have been having company here and there-- but for the most part we are parked at home.

And it is nice.

I feel blessed.

I printed out pictures from our trip to Ukraine and gave Anastasia a stack of them. She thought it was just to look at them but when I indicated that they were a gift to her-- she was very happy. Bless her heart-- she came upon the picture of little Annaitchka whom she seems to hold very close to her heart and kissed the picture. I know that Anastasia would love to her see her be adopted-- and so would I.

I picked up our adoption announcements and hope to get them out in the next week or two. That would be nice. I also had a few pictures enlarged to put in frames and hang on the wall-- to make Anastasia and Paul feel even more like a part of the family.

I am working on colors and numbers with Paul. He is picking them up quick. He is also better at his math facts than he was a week ago. Either he is a quick learner or he was just nervous before. He can already play MarioKart better than I can, and he enjoyed the maze I had him complete. Now I am more uncertain than ever as to what grade to put him in next year. Had he stayed in Ukraine, he would have gone into third-- but if you go by his age he technically could go into the fifth. So, I am thinking fourth would be a good middle ground. We'll see.

Anastasia is soaking up the English language through music. She loves to sing and will repeat the words she hears even when she doesn't know what she is saying. Reminds me of Anna when she first came home. I had the song "Whiskey Lullaby" on CD and she learned the words very quickly and would sing them in class. When her teacher told us-- John and I were both embarrassed.

Anastasia and Paul are not swimmers yet-- but they are getting close. I bribed them with candy today. If they swam out in inner tubes into the deep end and back I would give them each three pieces of licorice. At first they said no-- but then they did it a total of three times. The whole point is to encourage them not to be afraid of the water.

Right now John is playing string tricks with the kids.

But now it is bedtime--- and mean ol' Mom has to go in and spoil the fun.

P.S. Tomorrow we get a new dishwasher!