Today I'm going to write about what happened last first. Tucking-in time was interesting tonight. Liana has a Barbie sticker on her wall. The Barbie is African-American. Tonight she told me that the doll looked like her. I said, "Nuh-uh!" and she told me that they both had brown eyes and both had brown hair so they look the same! Well, alrighty then! I'm glad she doesn't have the same attitudes to people of a different ethnicity like Adam did when he first came home. He apparently had been taught that anyone not fair-complected stunk. We had a few embarrassing moments when he first arrived. He hasn't said anything for a while, and we're hoping that attitude can be easily taught out of him.

Liana needed to have her clothes all layed out for her again. (This is becoming quite the ritual.) She said, "Mama! Shoes, socks, underwear and put-your-clothes-on right here!" And then she pointed to where I needed to put them. (Sharon, I can hear you laughing at me about that one... When I was little I used to have to have Mom put my vitamin "right here" on the table, and my toast had to be "right there" and my juice "right here." Serves me right getting another Me to raise!) I asked her if she liked this shirt or that, and she kept saying "maybe" under her breath and putting her pointer finger to her lips like she's got to weigh all the pros and cons before she commits. Cracks me up to hear her use "thinking words" like "maybe."

Tonight at church the older two got to sing their Patch Club song for the congregation. They mouthed the words they didn't know, and sung out the words they did. They actually did pretty well, I must say, and Mama was in tears in the back row she was so proud of her Ukie kiddos. I've been waiting a long, long, long, long time to see "my kids" sing up there. So many times in the last few years I've wondered what "my kids" would look like with their sailor hat and bright red sash. So cool to have that mystery solved.

Then, just after the kids were done singing and settled in next to John and me, Aleksa started SCREAMING about having to go to the potty. She had *just* used the potty a few minutes before the service started, but apparently she had been lazy. I was thankful I hadn't worn any heels, because I cruised us both out of there lickedy-split.

I got to talk on the phone today with another homeschool mom in the area who uses/d Sonlight curriculum. She has nine kids and homeschools them all. All of them adopted too! We're getting together this week so I can pick her brain some more about this curriculum. She told me she thought it would be really good for our kids, so I'm really hoping "this is it." She also said she is about to order "Math-u-see" for her boys, as she has heard great things about it too and it was recommended to her. I'm so tickled that "someone else" out there is plowing the path for me. I'm not a very good trailblazer.

While I was talking to this lady, John had been playing outside with the kids. He came inside and said, "Shelly, go look at Adam!" So, I poked my nose out the door and saw my perfectly healthy and in-one-piece son climbing high into our maple tree. Great, and I can't even give a good scream since I'm on the phone. I'm pretty sure that's against the law, right? City ordinance against tree-climbing or something? Aaaaaagggghhh!!!

Grandma asked me to take some pics of the kids today in their church clothes, so here are a few that we took today. Enjoy!

Three Kids
Tickle