Siberian Tigers

Hello from the Marsh family! We've been mildly scolded for not updating the blog for a while. We didn't really think about the purpose of the blog once the Siberian adventure was complete, but if there are still those of you out there that would like to hear how things are going, we'll be glad to keep you posted. There are three important dates approaching. Next week, Conner turns three! One day before his birthday marks our two month anniversary of bringing them home. And a week after that is Halloween...


Now there's a coat with a good, solid, boy color! No pink in sight.

That is a fine looking coat, and nothing girly about it. Happy early birthday, Conner! Carson's b-day was just over a month ago, and it was a quiet, small celebration. Conner has decided to take his younger brother's lead and invite just his parents and his bro to his 3rd b-day party. We're pretty sure they still wouldn't grasp the concept of a big b-day party, so we explain the gifts and who sent them, and show them the thank yous we write for them in hopes they'll get the picture soon.

How cool would it be to dress them up as Siberian Tigers for Halloween? How confused would they be to see all the people in wild costumes? And how wired would they be if their first real experience with candy was an overflowing bad of Halloween treasures? Yeah, we haven't decided yet what their first October 31st will look like. We've joked about running to a half-dozen neighbors and giving them bananas to offer the boys at the door.

Carson loves wearing Papa's shoes. But rarely in the living room...

If you visit the Marsh home, you'll find that shoes are a big part of the household culture. We decided to keep all the shoes by the front door, and the boys have taken that pretty seriously. When they know it is time to go outside, they prance around saying, "shoes! shoes!" They'll bring their parents' shoes to them, and sit on the first step and put theirs on--with varying degrees of success. If you walk into the house with your shoes on (even though adults are allowed to do so), the boys will patiently explain that you need to remove them and put them by the door.

They are sleeping through the night, and still eating really well. They have begun offering hugs and kisses to their new parents, which melts our hearts. They play nicely with toys and books during the day, and are starting to embrace their new routines. We still have problems here and there, but it is starting to be more the kinds of problems that come with parenting a couple of two year olds rather than the problems that come with learning how to become a family of four.

Kissing the flash cards? "Nice doggie...awww, nice doggie."

One of the ways the boys have been learning their words is playing with flash cards after each meal. This has brought some surprising benefits. Some of the cards are of animals. Once they identify a cat or a dog, they get to pet the card. That has led to the boys kissing the card. They are pictured above, with Carson offering the doggie card to Conner for a kiss. Pretty darn cute! We're hoping this might help to quell their fear of dogs.

Both boys are doing so well in their transition from Russian orphans to Kansas brothers. Their language skills are growing stronger every day. They are learning to count and can identify every machine from bulldozer to fire truck. Conner can even say, "I like Jayhawk basketball!" Making Papa proud. As the whole family walks the steps for bedtime, we all sing Twinkle Twinkle. Carson pretty much sticks to "Cawcaw Cawcaw," but sings right along with us. You should hear them do the Rock Chalk chant!