4 months home

April 25th marked the 4 month mark. That's right...Christmas day was 4 months ago. We've only been together for 4 months. It just seems so much longer than that and the boys have been adjusting so well! I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I were in Russia for 4 months... would I have as many words and understanding as these little guys do here? Probably not.. I just think their minds pick things up quicker than what adults would in these circumstances. We'll talk about something or learn about something once and they will bring it back up the next day.... it's amazing what they retain. We've been working on sentences with Maks now- "Can I have juice please" instead of just "juice please." Fin is working on 2-3 word statements and trying to get his "f's" down. That's a hard one and it just so happens that his name begins with "f"... it sounds like he calls himself "sin." Pretty cute though. The boys have officially become Team In Training fans and it didn't take very long, of course. We helped the cycling team with the support and gear a few weekends ago. Mark and the team were riding along on their bikes, enjoying the support of "Go Team" from the car. Now the boys say "Go Team" anytime we see someone on their bike.. including the Austin bums. Hysterical! Maks and Fin are also well aware of "hook 'em" when someones holds up their longhorn fingers... only UT Longhorn fans can appreciate this. It's great!!! Are we brainwashing these kids? ;-)

Mark and I got a chuckle out of this the other night... they absolutely love taking baths. In fact, we probably give thme more baths than necessary (imagine that for little boys), but it is something they truly enjoy. We were in their room getting ready and taking off clothes. They seem to get stuck on getting their pants off and generally ask for help at that point... instead of asking for help from us, Maks just jumped in and helped pull Fin's pants off. When they were done, Fin turned around and helped Maks take his off. Mark and I just stood back and smiled. It was great.

Some things that we hope they never take for granted... They are biological brothers. Everything they have experienced together in their early years is what they alone can really understand. We strongly believe that they have adjusted so well to their change because of each other. They have the other one look over to and know that it's going to be alright. We love to hear them chat back and forth with each. Sometimes we can't understand very much of their exchange, yet they answer each other just fine. These little guys have a bond for life that hopefully they will truly appreciate and cherish for life!

We are in disbelief with the latest happenings in news for Russian adoptions. Our adoption is still very fresh for us and this is happening so close to our homecoming with the boys. What if we were going through the process at this time, what if we had made 2 trips to Russia and still had 2 left to finalize everything, etc. Gosh- a lot of "what ifs." We are blessed and praying a lot. This crazy woman can not ruin it for so many good families and waiting children. It's just not right. Everyone is anxious for government officials to meet from both countries to make a decision. I don't think that Russian adoptions to the US will be stopped completely, but that's just my opinion. We are praying for all of the families, the children waiting in orphanages, and the government officials that are working on this VERY important decision. Our hearts and thoughts are with all of them!