"Disney" for the Tight Budget

My kiddos and I share a love for Disney.  Between Lego, Let It Go and Elsa; Disney was at the forefront in Sam's first English words.  We would have annual passes and go all the time... however, that will have to happen when we are in a different season in our life.

As it stands now, we get our Disney fix in more creative ways than going to the parks.

Enter our day today:

The Littles and I were on our way back home from dropping the older kiddos at their grandpa's house for a few days.  I decided to make a fun pit stop in Orlando for the afternoon.  Where?  Downtown Disney!!

Our first stop was at the T-Rex Café.  The noisy entrance had Sam saying, "no, thank you" a few times but he got interested once he saw the BIG t-rex behind the hostess stand.  Jack was the complete opposite.  He was all gung-ho... until he saw said dinosaur and decided to exit stage right at high speed.

He collected himself pretty quickly and decided that he did want to eat with the dinosaurs instead of the "monkeys". (my name for Rainforest Café) 

I replaced my normal wine choice with a water and stuck with a budget-conscience meal choice.  The kiddos enjoyed their dinosaur-shaped nuggets and fries, plus a drink comes with the children's meal.  Score!

After a delicious and fun lunch, we were on to our next event... teaching the boys the fine art window shopping!

We had a GREAT time at the Lego Store...

At our next stop, Sam made a beeline for the Frozen department.  Big surprise, I know!

Here is a picture of him singing "Let It Go" to the Elsa doll.  I kid you not!  Oh how I wished that I would have turned the video on. 

After prying him away from the Anna and Elsa dolls, we had more fun trying on hats and playing with toys.

One thing that I love about Disney is that all of the employees have their hometown listed on their name tags.  Maybe its the nosey side of me but I love seeing where everyone is from. 

First, an employee from Jamaica came up to me and said, "I was going to ask you if they are twins but I'm thinking they are not."  She couldn't contain her chuckle and neither could I.  After explaining that they are about 6 months apart, we left it at that. 

Then as we were leaving the building a Haitian employee said hello and I couldn't help but chat with her as Jack and Sam played with the squirting Stitch (yes, you read that right.)  She was excited to ask me questions about Sam:  where he was from in Haiti, how long he has been home and if we knew anything about his bio momma.  After I answered those questions, she went over to Sam and started speaking to him in Creole. 

He looked totally lost!!

The woman turned to me and said, "he's only been here 5 months?  He knows no Creole!"  She then looked at Sam and said, "momma?"

He ran the 3 feet over to me, wrapped his arms around me and said, "mommy!"  She smiled and said 'ah, good!'

We took in the pretty sights along the way too...

I do have to admit that I was purposeful in our route that we took around the place, in an effort to avoid the train ride.  Jack has a slight obsession with trains!!  He was satisfied -and quite mesmerized- by the train that ran along the ceiling in one of the stores.

 

I also fear that we may have found a new love in Sam's life.  He and Minnie had quite the moment from the time their eyes met...

And couldn't leave without taking a tour through Rainforest Café.  What a treat and the kids were fascinated; if even, a bit sensory overloaded!

What a wonderful afternoon with my FAVORITE toddlers in the whole world!! 

They were completely tuckered out...

 

So that is my solution to solving our Disney craze while on a

T-I-G-H-T budget.  Please feel free to share your tricks with me too!!

A Survivor's Guilt... of sorts

We've all heard of the stories of people that have survived accidents, when others have perished, and the guilt they feel from that.  I've been feeling a bit of that recently... but, obviously, no one has perished.

Donald

Even though it took 15 months for Sam to come home from the time that we knew that he was our son -AND, believe me, I felt ever moment of that heart breaking time- it was still extremely fast for a Haitian adoption.

Jamescia

We have been incredibly blessed!

Ryan is still waiting for a family to care for him.

Many factors came together perfectly to make our progress go smoothly.  Partly because of Sam's abandonment (there were no biological parent interviews needed), plus there is an incredible team at the orphanage working to get these kids home and -of course- we have God's good grace for perfect timing!!

James

But now there are many times that I see pictures of those precious faces still sitting at the orphanage... waiting to join their families that are aching to have their babies home, and some that are still waiting for a mommy and daddy to open their heart and claim them as their own.


Maki-Everett

I see this and my heart hurts.

Leissa

Every child deserves to have a family cherish them every day... to have fears comforted, boo boos kissed and triumphs celebrated.  Its a travesty each and every day that a child goes with out that.

Dorothy

So what can we do??  What do I ask each of you to do?  PRAY...

Nelson

Pray for those workers that are processing adoptions to understand the importance of their jobs and the importance of each little life that is impacted by each file.  That they work expediently to bring them home, to their families.  Neither you or I can make that happen.

Richardson

Pray for those little hearts.  These innocent children have had a tough start.  One that many of us cannot begin to comprehend.  I have seen their loss and confusion first-hand.  No one, especially a child, should have to endure that.  I also pray that they KNOW that they are LOVED.  Loved like crazy by their new family and that they are WANTED. 


Brian

I ask you to pray for their families.  I never quite understood the pain until I was going through it... to have your baby in another country, to love them with ALL of your being and not have any control over when you can bring them home.  The hurt that your heart feels each night when you aren't able to kiss them good night and know that they are sleeping safely - unimaginable. 

Bruce/Gabriel

And finally, for the families that are yet completed.  That they may listen to God's tug on their hearts and follow a path that not many want to go down... but they do anyway because their son or daughter is waiting for them at the end of that path. 

Gerlande is still praying for a family.  Her story would make anyone cry.

So let's join in prayer that these families are joined together SOON!!

Kevin!

Amen!!

Notice a poor little guy in this photo?

How many kids did I bring home??!!

I'm pretty sure that when we stepped off of the plane on February 22 I only had one child!

Some funny pics for this post!

Our child ratio only went up by 25%.... so why does the household work seem like it has quadrupled??!! 

Seriously.  The dishwasher and washing machine could be run daily and the amount of toys strewn around the house now makes it look like I run an in-home daycare. 

Especially since Sam never learned how to 'play' with toys.  We are usually just finding parts or remnants of toys around!  And I don't see him moving beyond Duplo Legos any time soon, if his big brother has any say in it.

Let's just say that Sam can be the proverbial 'Bull in a China Shop'.

So we have changed our game plan...

We wash a lot of our dishes by hand now, Isabel now does her own laundry (1 down and 3 to go!), and we now have some 'family time' of clean up each night.

BUT I would love to hear more suggestions on how to keep my ship running clean and smoothly.  Any tips??

Sincerely,

The mom that is struggling to keep her head above water

Unicorn Farts...

Let me start this by saying... yes, Mom, I know we aren't supposed to say this word.

However, I read a saying the other day that I just loved:

Adoption is not 'unicorn farts that turn into rainbows.'

Here's a visual for those that might need it...

You're welcome.

Anyhoo.

Many times, people think that we should be happy, happy, HAPPY and that Sam should be a very thankful orphan that he is now a part of a family.  However the reality can be a bit different.

Let me quickly say that we have no expectations of Sam ever being a 'thankful little orphan that was taken in by our family.'  He is our son.. and will act out, rebel, and possibly hate us for a period of time like some biological children do.  But one day -one day, MAYBE- he will be an adult that will see that we tried to provide an alternative to being raised in an orphanage, without parents that love him unconditionally.  But for now, he is a CHILD.  One that will throw tantrums, enjoy being spoiled and be ungrateful for many things.  Period.  And we will continue to love him unconditionally.

While our family is extremely ECSTATIC to have Sam home and a part of our family -we worked tirelessly to bring him home- we are first, foremost and immediately his PARENTS.

The good, the bad, and the ugly!!

From the moment we came home, he was our son and there was NO honeymoon.  We had read were some adoptive parents just ensure nothing but snuggles and love during the first few months home.  That is a lovely thought and there was definitely no lacking of love in our household but lets keep in mind that we brought home a 2 year old boy!!

Sam is every bit the over-active, limit tester that he should be at 2 years old.  Honestly, I was happy to see this type of 'normal' behavior from a little guy that had spent almost his life in an orphanage.  This also meant that we couldn't just give him free reign and then try to rope him back in a month or two later.  Really, that wouldn't be doing HIM any favors.  Right?

I spent the majority of his first month home just following him around the entire day.  Literally, I could not leave him in a room unattended.  He had no concept of boundaries and no idea how to function within a family unit.  For the previous 2 years, he had very little structure or discipline to prepare him for dealing with siblings, routines and limits.  He was constantly getting into something that he shouldn't or hitting/biting a sibling.

There were many times that he would turn around and give me a look that clearly meant "seriously, woman, you are STILL following me around?!"

We would take about a week to really focus on a behavior that needed modifying (biting/hitting, eating other people's food at the table, screaming etc.)  Thankfully, that has continued to work marvelously with him.

Then, at around 1 1/2 months after he got home, a big deal happened... he actually started understanding English!!  Remember, when Sam came home he knew no English.  ZERO!  There were many times that I didn't know if Sam was being disobedient, just plain being a 2 year old or didn't understand what I was saying.  Fun times!

This was when I stuck one word in my head ALL. DAY. LONG...  'Grace'

Not just grace for this precious 2 year old that had his world completely turned upside down, that didn't understand what was now being expected of him and trying (and often failing) at being a new member of HIS family...  BUT I also needed grace for myself. 

Every day I would wake up and strive to be the super mom that I wanted to be and often would fall extremely short of those goals.  There were times that I felt so defeated and like I was lacking the skills that it took to be a 'successful' mommy to Sam.  THAT was when I had to show myself some grace.

I'm not perfect.

There.  I said it.

As hard as that may be for me to admit sometimes... but I'm not.  I needed to turn to prayer every night.  Each night I would hold Sam's hand as he fell asleep.  I would think about the challenges that we faced that day and pray that God would give me the guidance that I needed to overcome them the following day.

Its still a daily, ever-changing journey... and I wouldn't change a thing!!

Sure, things haven't been perfect since Sam has been home BUT that's parenting.  Right?  We take the good with the bad, learn from our mistakes, and strive to always improve ourselves tomorrow into being the family that God has designed us to be.  It is our job to show him that unconditional love that he deserves.  To show him a family that will ALWAYS have his back.  Grandparents that will adore him and siblings that will grow up with him.

We are continuously seeing improvements and growth... and not just for Sam but for each of us.  I was not expecting to experience such a growth in myself.  But I truly, always, need to rely on His guidance in how to raise these children, these blessings that have been given to us.

So that has been part of my reality of adoption.  Its tough.  Often thankless.  EXHAUSTING.  Comes with NO manual to tell you how to make it perfect.  BUT...

Its truly AWESOME!  I love this little boy, like I carried him in my own womb.  I dream of his future.  Pray for his future wife and children.  I cry when I fall short of the mother that he deserves and I cherish every single precious moment with him.

THAT, my friends, is the true rainbow of adoption.  After all, you can't have a rainbow without a storm.

My Only Regret With Our Adoption

We've all heard the saying that 'it takes a village to raise a child.'

I would like to amend that for our family...

It has taken a village to bring an orphan to his family.

From the moment that we announced our plans to adopt a wide-eyed orphan from a little orphanage in Haiti, there has been an outpouring of love and support from around the world.  Literally!

Even as of last week, we received a loving card and gift from a couple in Pennsylvania.  I'm still not sure how they read the article from our little home town paper but they felt the desire to send love all the way down to Florida.  Wow!

And as of this past weekend, Sam's adoption is considered PAID IN FULL!  Hallelujah!! 

I cannot begin to tell you the relief that we have, knowing that there is no longer a large debt!!  We raised our glasses in a toast on Saturday night when we counted the monies from the garage sale.

So what is my only regret with our adoption??  One of my deepest desires??

I wish that we had the chance to thank each and every person that had a hand in helping us bring our son home!!  To be able to personally tell you that your gift, prayer, love and/or support has meant the world to us.

We have had this stack of Thank You cards filled out, addressed and sitting on our table for 3 months now but life has gotten in the way.... and the lack of stamps hasn't helped either.

If I had the chance to do it over again, I would have kept a running log of those that helped us along the way and sent out thank you's throughout the adoption.  Hind sight... it'll kill ya!

So to everyone that has helped us with a fundraiser.

Donated items for our garage sales.

Hosted a wine tasting or bought wine from me to help with our adoption costs.

Sent monetary gifts.

Traveled with us down to Haiti to love on our little guy.  (WOW!)

And for each of you that said a prayer for our family and Sam.....

Thank You!!   We will never be able to tell you the depths of our gratitude or how much you have forever changed our lives.

FYI:  my goal this week is to get that stack of cards in the mail.  PROMISE!