A Nice Break

This weekend came swiftly upon the tail of a hectic couple of weeks. Besides our change of adoption plans (which I am still saddened by), we've also had school preparations to attend to, including shopping for school supplies and school clothes, and doctor appointments for both C and myself. The kids have also made new friends with two children who recently moved to the neighborhood. They are only a couple of years older than M and C and have been a great source of entertainment for my two kiddos. They were over here playing all week and I was worn out by the time Thursday came rolling around and actually welcomed the 13 hour drive to my parents' house in California (I have no clue how my sister has her kids' friends over constantly... I like my peace and quiet and alone time with my kids).



We left shortly after Matt arrived home from work. C needed some new medication, so we had to wait around for that. We ended up leaving around 5:30pm. We arrived home around 6:30am. Matt and I shared driving time. I actually drove an hour longer than he did; this is an amazing feat since I usually only drive a maximum of about 1/3 of any given trip. We began our return trip home on Sunday afternoon (around 12:30pm) and arrived around 1:40am this morning.

Mom and Dad took us and Andrea's gang to Columbia Historic Park. We all had a great time. We rode the stage coach and were robbed!!! YIKES!!! Mom and Dad had purchased toys pistols for M, who had been shooting everything under the sun. But, when we were robbed M ensured his pistols were very hidden and refused to pull them out to protect us. In fact, when he was asked if he had gold he pointed to Auntie (my sister) and finked on her!!! The little devil!!! After the robber let us pass through M swiped his hand across his forehead and said, "Phew! I no want die. I want be married first!" He said this with such conviction that it was as if he thought being married were a goal to get to before he passes away (he's facinated with death since he saw my grandmother die). The entire episode was hillarious and I wish I could describe his reaction more vividly. He was terrified and was so utterly relieved when we began moving again that he kept feeling his heart to make sure it was still beating until we got off the stage. He actually went pale during the robbery! Poor little guy! Little Miss C, on the other hand, kept a close eye on the robber. Her eyes were huge as I signed what the robber was saying, but she didn't seem afraid. I think she read everyone's body language (of course, all the adults were laughing), which helped her to realize it wasn't such a bad situation after all. Bub and Sis (my nephew and niece) were a bit taken aback. One (or both, I can't recall) of them said it was a bit frightening. It was great and well worth the $20.

We got to see my sister and most of her family (minus my nephew, Mr. S) for the entire weekend. It was so nice and the kids had so much fun. Bub and Sis have gotten so big. Much of the weekend was spent schooling Sis on the courtesies of trying new foods and reacting appropriately to new situations since she is going with my parents to Italy in a couple of weeks. They are all excited and can hardly wait to treat Sis to such an amazing journey. This is her high school graduation gift from Nana and Papa (albiet a couple of years early). What a cool treat!!! Sis works hard in school and deserves to get this amazing trip. It will also be highly educational since she will be learning about history (both National and family history; that is where Nonno's family is from, many of whom still reside there).

Needless to say, our journey was wonderful and was relaxing and was a much needed respite. Now that we're home it's back to the grind of daily life and all the drauma that comes with it: We came home to a phone call from the folks whose property we are repossessing. I couldn't understand what they were trying to get at, so hopefully we'll learn something interesting when Matt calls them this afternoon. I'm guessing they are not too happy about the repossession notice that our agency sent to them this past week, but I don't much care since they screwed my child out of a home! (Can you tell I'm bitter? ;<)

Hope you enjoy the photos!!!