Virginia Day 1

So we just back from our summer vacation which took us to sunny (and unbelievably hot) Williamsburg, Virginia.  We actually used July 4 for our travel day so we knew we were likely giving up on seeing fireworks this year (we missed them last year too when San Antonio declared it was too dry and cancelled fireworks all over the city).  But fewer crowds means easier travel so July 4 it was.  Imagine the kids happiness to arrive at the hotel to find this...

Turns out the hotel overlooked the fireworks display at Colonial Williamsburg.

The next day we decided to head over to Colonial Williamsburg... 

Let me just say I suspect that it is fun and educational and enjoyable when it is sunny and 65 degrees.  I can tell you for a fact that it is NONE of those things when it is 104 degrees and HUMID.  

There is little shade, most of the buildings were not open and water was very hard to come by in the park.  Now I know that the experience is all about going back in time to before the revolution but I think that our founding fathers would have forgiven the addition of a Dippin' Dots stand given the current conditions.

Needless to say, the children were not having a particularly fun time.  In fact, what the girls were most excited about is the bus ride back to the visitor center.  

(If we had know they were going to love the bus so much we could have saved a ton of money and just rode the buses back home)

We didn't take many pictures but here are a few that kind of sum it all up.

Before we started...  

 

My kids along with our wonderful travelmates R, H and G

By the end of the day...

 

Although these two are still smiling.... 

Weekend Wisdom

"It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them."

-Dalai Lama

Not That Birds are Known for Their Intelligence

but this one has spent all afternoon trying to fly through a closed window.  He (or she) sort of stopped when they saw me through the window with the camera but as soon as I walked away all I hear is "chirp, chirp, bonk.  chirp chirp bonk...."

Why You Should Throw the LIghtest Kid First

So the kids and B were in the pool when the kids all decided they wanted B to "throw" them into the deep end.

First up was A-

 

 

Then was X-

 

 

Then K- 

 

 

Unfortunately by the time he got to D, he used the same amount of force to throw her that her used on the other kids...

 (luckily she did remain IN the pool)

    

 

(also is there any doubt which of my kids is the gymnast?)

Happy Family Day K

Happy 4th of July!!

The Stories of First Parents and Adoptees Should Matter

to adoptive parents most of all.   They hold a message for us all, so why won't we listen.  Why can't we accept their stories as their truth instead of attempting to minimize them.  Why do we call them names and refer to them as angry or disgruntled or ungrateful or hateful or .... and the list goes on.  Why can't we just listen?  Why do we find every happy adoptee or first mother story and hold that out as being the "truth" and yet the other side of the story is aberrant- an exception.  When do enough voices make us understand this isn't just a couple of people.  Or will we always cling to that one voice that doesn't make us question ourselves as the truth- even in the face of overwhelming evidence that adoption is complex and hard and messy.

Sometimes the truths we need to hear are the hardest ones to actually hear.  Sometimes we need someone else to inject some truth from beyond our own little world view into our lives to make us better people.

Understanding the emotions, perspectives and circumstances of adult adoptees and first mothers would make us better parents to our children.

It's time to pay attention.