Salamanders, Mice & Rags....when normal is anything but...

These last few weekends our family has done what most families do on the weekends: yardwork, housework, birthday parties, church, and outdoor play. Yet, for this family, that had waited so very long to be complete, these weekends are not only anything but normal. Having spent years going through the days, weeks, months and years of our everyday routines, knowing something - or better yet - someone was missing, to spend these times as a family has lifted an incredibly heavy burden from our hearts, heads & shoulders.

Perhaps one of the most gratifying times we've had thusfar was this past Sunday when we spent the day at Jason & Kate's celebrating Abby's 2nd birthday. First it was a kids party at the Children's Museum where the kids spent several hours exploring. Harry fit right into the crowd of little munchkins, and thorougly enjoyed seeing his "cousin" (technically his neice since Abby is our granddaughter but we say cousin) again. Abby is a very bright 2-year-old (who can tell you what Pi is!) and while Harry is bright, socially he is about at Abby's level, so watching the two of them together is always a joy! He still calls her "Habby" but she doesn't seem to mind and every once in awhile, perhaps when his little heart is full of joy, he'll just go over to her and give her a little hug, then walk away. (Half way up to their house I realized I had forgotten my camera, but Mike volunteered to take the pictures and used Kate's camera to capture it all. Once they upload the pictures to their site, I'll grab some to post here.)

Once that party was over, they took Abby home to nap before the family party and we took a drive to a nearby Natural Resources Trust "Park" so she could rest without the distraction from the kids. We spent the time walking the wooded paths, blowing bubbles, playing nerf baseball, poking around in the stream, and looking for tiny critters. They were happy and I was grossed out when they found a little salamander under a rock and played with the filthy thing it until something even more gross better came around - a little garter snake near the edge of the pond, from bad to worse as creepy things go in my bood, but what the heck. From there it was Subway for a lunch of salads preceeded of course by my ensuring their hands were cleaned thoroughly and rid of any critter crud, and then back to Jason & Kate's for the family party. I guess we're in a unusual position of not only being the grandparents, the kids are young enough to qualify for the little person party. The cool thing was we got to have cake twice!

Harry got to spend time with the family he has already met; Nana, Grampy, Jay, Kate & Abby, as well as a bunch of family he hadn't; Auntie Lynn & Uncle Danny, cousin Amelia & Arnold, and Uncle Marty, who happen to be visiting from Chicago for the weekend. Amelia is now an attorney living in Boston, and was very helpful to us during Harry's adoption, often coming up with case law or documents we thought we'd never be able to get! We will always be extremely grateful to her for all her help! Harry blended in nicely, and I think even surprised everyone with both his verbal and cognitive skills. You'd never know this was his first big family gathering. Whether it was outdoor play with the other kids (and big kids) or interacting with the adults & kids inside, he just went with the flow.

Both boys were excited with the new toy computers that Auntie Lynn brought them. PERFECT! Since Skip can go on the computer by himself to either play games we've installed, or to the learning sights we supplement his homeschool' with, Harry is most put out. Harry CANNOT be left alone on the computer, unless one of us sits with him. He spends alot of time having to just watch Skip, and while he can be patient, other times, he understandibly gets frustrated, until now that is!

These toy computers are adorable and look like the real thing.. Even comes with a moust. He loves it, and now when Skip is on the computer, Harry goes and gets his "computo". Skip loves his as well since it has both games & learning modes. I love it when he realizes what Skip is up to, and then comes strutting out with his new toy. "My computo" he announces proudly.

Now as excited as we were with the computers, MOMMY was VERY happy that Uncle Danny gave both boys new do-rags! Uncle Danny gave Skip his first one a few years ago - one with the American flag on it, and since then, these things have become his boat hats. They are pefect for summer weekends in the summer because unlike baseball or beach hats, he can swim with these things, they're lightweight, and dry quickly. I'd been bummin' since it was clear we'd have to find some new ones this year and I had no idea where to look. Some Skip had outgrown but would fit Harry, and others just wore out from all the sun and salt and washings. So two new rags made Mommy very happy - as well as the boys. Skip wore his the entire time, and Harry wore his half the afternoon. Thanks Danny & Lynn! Uncle Marty also brought little gifts for the boys; a bug catcher for Skip, and a Doug & Melissa vehicle collection for Harry. Even though he's in Chicago and doesn't get much opportunity to see them in person, he's got my boys down. The gifts were PERFECT! Thanks again, Marty & Karen.

I was convinced he would just pass out from exhaustion on the long ride home, but surprisingly he stayed awake the entire ride home. And then even more surprising was his response when he realized we were headeded home after such a long day: "No home. Harry go more fun". His disappointment was short lived and by the time we got inside and changed into his jammies, he was ready for some Mommy &Harry time. When he's had a long day, or is over tired, he likes to be rocked, so that's what we did. We rocked for about a half hour, and by then both boys not to mention mommy were ready for bed.

So yes, an ordinary spring weekend is most extraoridinary for his family. Happy to be all together, and grateful that the wating is over, and has given way to the next stage in our life; living....