kitchen sink

So our house is on the market, which is an adventure in this market, of course. But it's been going pretty well, we've had a good number of showings and an open house. This weekend's showing was particularly memorable...

Ok, we just have to laugh... we cleaned our butts off and got the house all spic and span, and left for the showing (we've got a lockbox)... came back a few hours later, walked into Mason's room, and there was a half-dead roach lying on his back waving his arms right in the middle of the floor!!! seriously?!? so who knows, maybe he came out after they were there, maybe they didn't notice him, but come on! but really, we both just had to laugh, it was a good reminder that no matter how hard we work WE are not in control of this thing, only God can get this house sold and bring the right people at the right time. arrgggh.

(I have to end with this disclaimer: we do not see roaches on a regular basis, THANKFULLY! He was a particularly evil roach that lay in wait until we tried to impress the potential buyers... )

MASON UPDATE:

Terrible Twos? I don't know, he can be quite a handful, sometimes very embarrassing screaming at the top of his lungs in Publix, says NO at least 300 times per day, has no interest in pooping on the potty, and definately knows what music he DOES and DOES NOT want to listen to in the car... but, he's so cute!!!

This whole language thing is a blast. I could listen to him talk for hours (oh, wait, I do...) He is figuring everything out, talking in big long sentences, often stuttering as he tries to make the right words come out in the right order... but Joe and I just look at each other with these silly lovesick grins on our faces as we listen to him because he's so darn cute!

Right now everything is "My favorite"... my favorite fish, my favorite book, my favorite mugik...

or awesome (saw a plane in the sky-- "That's awesome!")...

and will recount his moments back to me (I cose door, and boom, and owie on dis finger, and I cwy)...

and is always excited to "go outside and fwo fwisbee and kick ball!" the very second I come in his room in the morning...

and talks daily about his "baby sidder in Ah-ca" (that's sister in Africa-- he's convinced he's going to have 2 baby sisters actually but we told him that would take a real miracle).

It's the wonder of discovery, and the pure enjoyment of each moment, and the naive piecing together of how the word works... it's so great.

Speaking of baby and Africa, we are hoping and PRAYING HARD that we will get our referral in the next month so that we can bring our baby home before the rainy season starts in Ethiopia and delays all adoption court finalizations. It's definately so possible-- we could get the call tomorrow-- or it might not be until much later.... but we are SO READY and SO EXCITED and just want to know who our baby is and to be able to bring him or her home as soon as possible! It's been a long wait, a little longer than we expected, which apparently is not unexpected with international adoptions. It's really amazing, though, how at peace we both are and still know, even with all the uncertainty over the timing, that this is God's plan for our family. There's no way we'd change our decision to adopt. But we are anxious to see the culmination of the adoption journey, too!

So please pray with us, even if you didn't understand any of that adoption lingo, that WE'D GET OUR REFERRAL BEFORE JUNE 1ST!!!

And I just had to post this picture... Mason was asked to pose for a picture at Austin's art show and got a little carried away...