I don't really know what I'm doing here! I'm not sure who'll be interested in reading this or how often I'll be here or anything. I don't know how to start. I've read a few blogs, but I'm pretty new to this.

I guess I'm starting a blog because everyone says to write down all the things that are happening with our son, Punk* (b. 7/25/04), and our adoption, or we'll forget it. Maybe the kids and I will be the primary audience over time. We'll see.

So, I'm very much in love with my husband, Aaron. He really is such a stellar person I don't think I'll ever catch up. He's steady and generous, patient and hard-working, incredibly intelligent, but not at all geeky or nerdy. He makes life seem easy to live well. I admire him and love him.

I've been marvelling lately about how much I enjoy our son Punk* (I'm a full-time mama). I knew I'd love my kids and that we'd have fun together, but I just didn't expect to actually ENJOY them. I mean, I really like him. I like his personality. I enjoy his company. Perhaps you understand, maybe not. At 2 1/2, he's blowing me out of the water with all he can do. He regularly counts to 10 now. He recites sections of the alphabet, although he hasn't managed the whole thing at once. A couple days ago he drew a rectangle--a real rectangle! He said, "Mama, Mama--I draw a square." I thought, yeah, right. But he really, really did!

Today we went to our first gymnastics class. He did so great! He took to it like a fish to water. Even the teacher commented that it usually takes kids a few sessions to warm up to it and her. I'm glad to see him developing phyical strengths as well as intellectual ones. I hope he'll be like Daddy--smart, but not geeky!

While he's growing up before our eyes, we're also in the process of adopting a little boy who's growing up without us. Pence* is 3 1/2 and lives in a hospital in Liberia, West Africa. He's adorably cute and we're in love with him already too. Our process has been anything but ordinary (even for notoriously abnormal international adoptions), but God has been AMAZING in keeping my heart at peace through it all. I've never known anything like this. It's totally not resignation, but it's the furthest thing from worrying and fretting. I suppose it's one of those things you have to know by experience rather than explanation. We expect him to come home sometime this year (ie, 2007), but it's pretty uncertain. My outlandish hope is that he'll be home by his birthday, July 13 (2003). My more realistic hope is for Christmas--thus, I'm felt-embroidering a Christmas stocking for him now!

We're also waiting on a referral (match) of an infant girl. I have no idea how this will "go down" but I have a feeling it will not be "normal" either. We shall see. There were "flitty-floaty" ballerinas in our church Christmas program that stirred up my desire for a daughter. Aaron is such a great boys'-daddy, but I think he'll be amazing with a little girl. :)

Next time I'll try to get down some of Punk*s idiosyncracies of speech. He's picked up language so well he doesn't have many, but I don't want to forget the cute ones!

*Not their real names. In an attempt to protect my children from internet weirdos, I'll be using these nicknames in my blogging.