Keep on truckin'

The craziness of all the initial paperwork seems to be slowing down a bit.  Phew!  There are still a lot of papers to be notarized and ultimately apostilled for our dossier, but for right now I feel like I can breath.  We're now waiting for our homestudy to be written up (hopefully we'll have it any day).  Then I can send it to USCIS and hopefully get our fingerprint appointments.  I'm starting to feel first hand the "hurry up and wait" that so many adopting families talk about.  I am just so anxious. But I need to stop and breathe and know that God is in control!  I pray that He will protect Darya.  I pray that someone in the orphanage will take notice of her and show her extra love and attention until we can get her!

In the meantime, everything else going on is keeping us plenty busy. The boys are wrapping up baseball/t-ball season which means practices and games most days of the week. I finished my first class of going back to school (algebra at that!).  And I'm trying to finish another year of homeschooling three energetic boys.  It's busy - but a good busy!!  Our lives are full but very blessed.  We have so much to be thankful for, none of it we deserve!

Oh, and Monday the boys "surprised" me with a trip to Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom for Mother's Day!  We had volunteered and received free tickets during Disney's give a day/get a day promotion, so decided that would be a good day to go. It was so much fun! The lines were short and the weather was beautiful.  In California, we have been to Disneyland countless times so it was fun to compare it with Magic Kingdom.  For the most part, the theme parks are very similar.  But we were surprised at the magnitude of the whole Disneyworld size with all the parks, hotels, etc.  Disneyland/California Adventure are tiny in comparison!  We hope to go back again one day and check out some other parks, but alas unless we sell a kidney or something I don't think that will be anytime soon!  For you Californians I will say that Pirates, Small World, and Autopia are much better than their Orlando partners. Also, Magic Kingdom did not have Indiana Jones or Matterhorn!  They must be at a different theme park.  But there were more shows to enjoy during the heat of the day and the food was better.  Oh, and the ferry ride over the lake to the park was a neat way to start the day.

Okay, I didn't mean for this to turn into a Disney review :-)  But one day we'll be taking our little princess to see the castle for herself!