Spring Break!

We SURVIVED our first long trip as a family of 8!!

Last week was spring break for my professor husband and our children. We were very excited that all of their spring breaks coincided with the date of the Gladney Ethiopian dinner in Fort Worth, TX! We loaded up our six children and took off! Well, actually, we loaded up 4 of our children in our 7 passenger mini van while 2 of our children drove behind. We decided that this was a RIDICULOUS way to travel and decided to break down and do the inevitable--buy an 8 passenger vehicle! We are usually very thrifty people, we don't buy 'toys', so to spend money on a new/used car with the economy the way it is, was just way out of character for us. But, we decided that we needed to accomodate our large family, and possibly a friend or two at times, and just do it! Our car of choice was a Chevy Suburban. We not only got all of the seats that we needed, but also room to pack our stuff. I have to admit, I am really enjoying it!!!

Anyway, we made this purchase in Oklahoma City. My husband's grandma and aunt and cousins live there, so it was the perfect place to stop. This was the first time that Faven and Diborah got to meet their Great grandma and great aunt! They were met with a special welcome cake, a wonderful meal, and a fun walk to Lake Hefner to feed the ducks and geese.

We spent a few nights in OK City, then loaded up our family for our first ride in the same car! During our stay in Fort Worth, the girls discovered that they LOVE to swim! I was afraid of that!! I am worried about what the pool water will do to their hair!! They also spent a lot of time at the McDonalds play place next to our hotel.

The highlight, of course, was going to the Gladney dinner, meeting blogger friends, seeing our caseworker, Mary, again, and seeing our in-country reps, Belay with his family, and Travis and Joanna. These are all amazing people who have had such a huge impact on our lives. It was also exciting to see the families created (and in the process of being created) through adoption from Ethiopia. It was neat to watch Faven warm up to friends she had while living in the Gladney Foster Home in Ethiopia. I think it was so good for her to see Belay (whom she loves) and Ethiopian friends and then leave and go home with her family!

Vacation? Not for me...

We had fun times, we had whiny times, we had laughing times, we had screaming times, we had relaxing times, we had frustrating times. We sang, we danced, we visited, we ate, we slept...but, most importantly, we bonded!!! Our older children bonded together in frustration (:, our younger children bonded, our older children bonded with the younger children. But, the most amazing part for me was the bonding that took place between John and I and Faven and Diborah. I can see the difference now that we are back to our daily routines. They are happier, calmer, and more compliant. I'm not sure what we expected when we adopted, but bonding did not take place immediately. It has taken time, patience, commitment, and, yes, work. Are we there yet? Probably not, but we are closer!!!