Howdy!

I just wrote a long post to update, but the cyber gods seem to have it in for me, lately.
This is me, trying again!!

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Wow-  it's June 4th. The last time I updated this blog, it was May 3rd! I don't think I have ever gone a month, likely not even a week without writing something, but time (the lack of it), technology (the breaking down of it) and tiredness (the abundance of it) all conspired to keep me off the blog. Actually off of the internet save for 15 minutes here and there.

In fact, I may not be writing now, except that yesterday a good number of you sent me "are you alive out there?" emails and messages and I realized how long it had been since I typed into this little box and hit publish.  As it is, I have no idea right now if that will actually happen considering that this is the 2nd time, tonight that I am trying... sigh.
Long story, short, am using dial-up and have been for weeks b/c Bell is the devil and Aol its evil twin. I have not been home to let anyone IN the house to get the dsl up and running and they're playing some weird tag with each other that has kept me in the drak ages of computer use.

But as to what we have been up to in this month long blog haiatus-

*we've been to about a million Portuguese religious festivals, and practically live at the club every Sunday afternoon with my parents. Mal has the tan to prove that she loves,  and has walked in every one of the processions. She's been an angel for Christ the King, a flower girl for the Risen Christ , a ribbon carrier for the Holy Spirit and is starting to ask what her "costume" is going to be as soon as Sunday rolls around.  I am not yet sure whether it's faith development or dress up she enjoys. :)

* we've celebrated our 4th Mother's Day, and the 3rd anniversaries of our departure from Ethiopia (May 19th), our arrival in Canada (May 20th) and Malía's love at first sight with her grandparents (May 21st)-  time, oh how you fly...

* we've walked in 2 rallies for stronger Animal Abuse Laws after what happened to poor Tyson...
Malía and the Beast wore red bandanas, and walked with me and hundreds of others chanting,  "Don't Hurt our Animals! Protect Our Doggies!"  Well SHE chanted, Khobi just panted a lot and tried to mix it up with a Great Dane twice his size :)

* we got through the end rehearsals and three day run of our school musical (a take-off on Glee) which meant my being at school from 7:30am to 9PM, evry day for a WEEK. Mal would join me around 4pm each day and now knows dialogue, lyrics and choreography to everything from Jersey Boys, to Mama Mia, Wicked, Lady Gaga, Hairspray and Black Eyed Peas.  She makes a mama proud (and a little worried) to see her dance along with All That Jazz, complete with burlesque eyes and pout.

* we've continued to wait for Little Sista, and as my dossier comes up on expiration with no real light at the end of this oh so very long tunnel, I've had to request a 6 months extension on my homestudy and renew a slew of documents (do you hear that gurling sound? that's my bank account draining some more) .  I so hope that referrals start again- there was only ONE in all of May- and that by God's Grace, our little girl's face shows itself in June.  (prayers?  anyone? anyone?  Bueller??)

* we've got the yard in passable order, and even have some haphazardly planted potatoes actually flourishing and making Malia wonder why they're still only leaves when she is ready to eat them, please and thank you.

* we've gone visiting, to riverside carnivals, to the park, the beach, shopping, movies, for grape ice cream, for bike rides and a zillion other things in between my work and her preschool and time with her beloved grandparents

*we've been through the monsters in the room- the high definition version that resulted in only mama's bed being a safe place for over a month. I was beginning to think I would nver again know the peace of sleeping without being kicked by tiny feet in the navel,  when the fears miraculously evaporated and Malia announced that she was now a "big girl who likes sleeping in my own bed, Mama".

*we have entered the "Theatrical Threes" just when I thought we'd dodge them as surely as we had dodged the Terrible Twos. She doesn't tantrum, BUT she cries HUGE tears and proclaims I am not her best friend anymore, and that I have hurt her feelings-  OY-  whenever Mama's requests and Malía's will aren't meshing.  Lately, this has been about her having to actually wear pants with a t-shirt, or a pair of sensible shoes to school etc.  Vô-Vô is about to get a few time outs of his own for being the "hero" and indulging his princess whenever Mama has to be... well... MAMA.
Malía means the calm waves, but her seas have been somewhat stormy for the last couple of months. :)

And, through it all, she grows in so many way, it's hard to keep up.

She is part diva (and Emelda Marcos), part philosopher (the profound things that come out of her mouth often leave me agog), part tomboy (necessitating the full time carrying of polysporin and 3 sizes of bandaids on my person), and ALL wonderful, amazing, intelligent, funny little girl.

I have pics of a lot of what we've been up to, but when it took me 8 minutes just to TRY to upload a pic today, I think I'll wait until either I have REAL internet again, or I can get a prescription for Paxil :)