Potpurri

My computer refuses to connect to the internet anymore. So that means for the time being, that there are ZERO pictures of Lev. Since he pretty much rules my roost, it's a little disappointing. Plus, you'd think that Alex, computer geek that he is, would fix it. But he can't. It simply wont work anymore. We're getting a new laptop for me, but that's not high on priority list; it's somewhere below getting all our adoption tax work done, papaer chasing our next adoption, and keeping the house clean.

That's why there are no pictures of Lev. I'll try and move some sometime soon.

****
I've thought a lot about posting the last few days, and writing about how I love being a mom and all that, but that would make my blog a MOM BLOG, and I'm trying not to do that. So I'll write about North Carolina a little:

I really dislike heat and humidity, but summertime and I have made our peace. I go out side between 7 and 8 Am, and again between 6 and 8 PM. I stay inside otherwise, and ignore the fact that it's 90 degrees and 80 percent humidity. Did I mention I hate that already?

Other than that? I like it here. I like living in Cary, I've come to terms with everyone at church being my age, and I've decided to stop rebelling against the drums which I hate and Lev loves. Maybe that has something to do with it. But I think its more that the Lord has really squeezed superfluous cares from heart and made a little more room for Himself. Granted, I've got plenty to divert my attention from Him and from preaching the gospel to myself, but this small progress is something I'm thankful for. Our church has made me more flexible. I'm more willing to just accept it for what it is, and take a chance that people *actually care* about each other. That was a hard thing to come to really believe, and one thing I absolutely do NOT miss about california. People and churches are just less friendly there. So was I. It's hard to be a part of our church, but I think thats the most rewarding part of it, too. It makes me more dependant on God.

******
I also like that I know people that dont go to church here, and dont really care about God. It makes it easier for me to say what I believe and work on developing relationships that are not based around church. I love that actually, but it's hard too.

******
The Nitty Gritty:

Alex is studying for Cisco still, and he passed a microsoft exam, one section of which he didnt even study for. He just wandered in and passed after reading the summary of each chapter. I married a smart man. He's handy, too. He's been installing quarter round along the floor, and getting ready to put in granite tile on the counter top, which we are both excited about. We were able to do it for well under our target range, which was 800 dollars. We were opposed to getting a slab installed becuase it would have been over 3000 dollars, which we think is rediculous. Learning to do things ourselves takes time, but saves a lot of money, which we do other things with- like adoption children.

Speaking of which, my days are taken up with the mundane: the house, working on that patio/firepit, and our never ending adoption adventures. When I am not sending off for paper work, I'm tracking down receipts and filling our forms to file our tax return and claim our credit. We took an extension on this year, and we're amending the year before. And finally, I found the best tax person I could, and next TUesday, I'm bringing in a large binder of W2's, old receipts, ATIN's from the IRS for Lev, and I'm going to let the man do what he does best. Alex simply didnt want to deal with it, and I'm willing to spend the money for it, becuase it's worth it.

We named out next son. But we arent saying what the name is. I tell people occasionally, and it's Russian version is universally disliked. But that's ok. The naysayers can just use his English name.

Be back soon with L's 9 month letter.