Sorry it's been so long...

We're just busy living.

I'm still a stay-at-home mom, although it feels like as busy as ever. The big, huge difference is that I'm happy. I'm very, very happy. I frequently call Boaz just to thank him for supporting my decision to stay home and take care of my family full time.

In the meantime, I've joined BSF, started volunteering at a local charity, and I'm now working part-time for my church (ten hours a week) doing the website. I love it. Being busy doing the things you love is a million times better than being busy doing something you hate. I don't care for being a part of corporate America. I'm really enjoying my freedom to choose what I do all day.

Typically I have Mondays and Fridays off (which means paying bills, cleaning house, making bread and soymilk). On Tuesdays I will be volunteering and having my weekly work meeting at the church. On Wednesdays I have BSF, followed by lunch with friends, followed by my weekly grocery shopping. On Thursdays I have a bible study time on the phone with my best friend at 1pm, and I'm trying to get a little coffee time going with my cousin who lives close by on Thursday mornings.

Mornings and evenings are crazy. I get up, make four breakfasts and four lunches and pick out clothes and keep kids moving until they are out the door an hour later. My oldest leaves an hour after the three younger ones, but she is responsible enough to get herself out the door.

The evenings are so busy. I'm making dinner when the three youngest get home, and then it's chaos and homework and everyone telling me about their day. Then usually someone has to be taken somewhere, sometimes more than one trip to town. One evening I actually have to drive into town FIVE times taking people here and there.

But I love it.

Boaz works long hours and is suffering from allergies right now. He's tired a lot, and only has a couple of hours with us in the evenings before heading for bed. So the majority of the homework help and running around falls to me. But hey, I volunteered for this and I'm totally in my element. It's like it's what I was born to do. It feels so RIGHT.

We are all adjusting well to being a family. There's still lots of room for improvement, but then, any situation is like that. My little ones seem just like regular kids, as far as their behavior goes. They have come so far in the eleven months we've had them. People comment to me on how much the girls have changed since they came to live with us. One woman who is about to adopt three said she was greatly encouraged by watching my two over the past year, and thinking that if I can do that much with a couple of kids, she can too. You know, that it's possible and all that.

My greatest desire at this point is still about the bonding. I don't know how long that will take. I wish that the major deep feelings were there on both sides, but right now it's still more like they are really good friends who live with us, rather than our actual children. Kind of like cherished nieces and nephews or something, but maybe not even as close as that. We are friendly and affectionate to each other, but it's not really deep yet. I wish I could snap my fingers and make it happen, but we won't be able to be close until they choose to let me be close to them. I can tell that they really still don't trust me yet, and until they do things probably won't change. It just all takes time. There were let down in such an immense way by their birth parents, that I'm sure it will take a very long time for them to truly realize that we are different.

Anyway, we're doing well, and I thought I'd let you know.