Catching up

It's been a while since I posted photos . . . because our old computer finally croaked. We limped along for many months as it gasped, wheezed, and died a slow and dramatic death. Then, we borrowed a computer for a week or two because we had an adoption class to complete, and I had to design the program for Peter's summer church production. Now, finally, we are typing on a new computer, and I can post photos again.

A few friends have asked where we are in our adoption process. We are in the middle of our home study, and expect to have it done in 3-4 weeks. We hope to get on the waiting list in mid-summer, if the rest of the steps go quickly . . . and then we will likely have a year+ of waiting until we see the first picture of our daughter. After losing our sanity a bit during Anya Rashi's adoption, there are days when Peter and I look at each other and say, "I can't believe we're doing this again!!"

We've had a lot of fun watching Amy, Heather, and Colleen meet their new babies through their blogs over the past two weeks. Reading their posts and seeing those first pictures as their new families are born has been a terrific reminder of why we signed up for this crazy journey again.

Anya Rashi's take on the whole thing was funny. I showed her the pictures of the babies meeting their parents at the same baby home in she came from in Kolkata. Her only comments were,"Cute!" for the babies, and "Mama, baby needs car seat," for the photos of the mamas holding their babies in the taxi. Too funny!

Our last month has been full of Nathan's family birthday party, Mother's Day, last Cub Scout meetings, friends' moving, helping with a rummage sale, Anya Rashi's first tea party, and the big cahuna: potty training! I'm happy to report that the rumors are true -- girls are much easier and faster to teach than boys! Anya Rashi still wears a diaper when she sleeps, but she's doing really well by day (and I'm sure she will be REALLY happy I'm talking about her toilet habits online!). So, enough on that topic. :o)

Yesterday, the boys went with Peter and Grandpa L to watch a college baseball tournament game while Anya Rashi played with Grandma L, and I got to exercise, read, and go to the grocery store by myself! (Is it just me, or have my standards for fun slipped since becoming a mom?) Today, we went to our city's Memorial Day parade, and planted our vegetable garden and flowers. Then Grandma and Grandpa B and Uncle Matt came over for a cookout and a fierce round of ladder ball.

The other fun things going on here are:

1.) Anya Rashi is obsessed with her new box of Dora Band-Aids, and carries them around everywhere.

2.) Aaron and Nathan have been building a 3-D model of R2-D2, and she has her own name for it: she calls it 2-2-1.

3.)We were going to eat in a nice restaurant, and were talking to the kids about how to behave, including sitting still. Nathan politely told us, "Just so you know, that's going to be really hard for me. I have loads of energy. I'm like a suitcase packed with live things!" For sure!