This and That

This is quite a mix and match type of post.
Mike is gone all week, and he took our camera with him. Anya has a nice little camera, too, so I used hers tonight during soccer, and I decided to download all her pictures after we got home.
I found some that I would like to share....

The first one is a cute one of my best friend Andrea's little girl Ella and Miss Nina. I went back to our "old home town" in South Dakota a couple of months ago, and it was nice to introduce Nina to them! Andrea was always so excited and supportive of our adoption plans, and I love her dearly (not just for that reason, of course).
We drove by our old house and visited our old neighbors, who pretty much adopted us while we lived across the street from each other. They are an older couple whom we had so much fun with!
Just as a comparison..... this was in front of the same house in 1999 - Nico was 2, and Anya about 5 months old. And me... almost 10 years younger *LOL*
Then I found a picture of the lunar eclipse on Nina's birthday. Anya must have taken it, and I am so glad she did!
Then here is a picture of tonight's soccer game. It was a late game, and it got really cold after the sun went down. It actually SNOWED earlier this afternoon, but then it had all melted by the time soccer came around. Let me tell you, the weather has been so weird, and I'm so tired of it *Boohoo*

Nico is doing a great job this spring, and he really enjoys soccer. That's him on the left with the black hat!

Nina had a good time tonight. Her and her Mama had quite a disciplinary disagreement last night, and I think she is still mad at me. She decided that she was not going to love me anymore, just because she doesn't want to. Sigh.... I know she will come around again, and she really is not even pushing me away, but to hear those words still stings. I keep reassuring her that I love her anyway, and that Love will grow (that's why I like the poem in the sidebar so much).

So tonight at the game she was partying it up with Grandma, and I think that was really good for her. I pulled her hat down too low at one point, and she thought that it was just the funniest thing ever. She giggled and giggled about it, it was very cute!

Oh, and while I'm catching up on stuff, I'm sure you also want to know that our second Triop died too, a few days after the first one. Poor thing died of "molting complications" - basically he was unable to shed his skin properly. 

And while we have one "pet" less, we are pretty sure that we have a bunch of new ones arriving in about one month. Little  Miss kitty Midnight looks quite pregnant, and the kids are super excited about the prospect of having a litter of kittens soon. It should be around Anya's birthday at the beginning of May - yay!