Boston - Day 3

Our third morning in Boston began with a tour of our old neighborhood.  The boys wanted to see where they used to live and we also did a drive by the hospital where P was born.  Pryce was just six weeks old when we moved from Boston to Florida so his memories are what we tell him.  The weather was less than stellar on this particular day, however, we managed to squeeze quite a bit into our tour.  

 Following our old home tour, we drove into the city to do a bit of the Freedom Trail.  Our main site to see on this day was the USS Constitution.  It did not disappoint.  

 The Freedom Trail is quite the expedition and one we may have spent more time on had the rain not persisted.  Yet, because of the rain and the slight chill in the air, we were drawn to indoor places such as.....

 Mike's Pastries.....yummmm.  Who knew we were supposed to get cannoli here?  There were so many options!

 After a day of walking, touring, reminiscing and eating yummy food, the boys could not help but ponder a dip in the pool.  

 At the end of the day, they both ended up in the pool despite the almost freezing temps!

Boston Day 2

After a wonderful night of sleeping and a fabulous morning of sleeping in late, we all ventured out to Plymouth, MA.  Our intention was to see Plymouth Rock and then embark on a whale tour - Pryce's request.  First things first, we needed to purchase Dramamine for a hesitant Colin.

 After photographing the infamous rock and taking note of a rare car model, we headed over to the whale tour site only to be told that the waters were too rough and the tour was cancelled.  C breathed a sigh of relief while the rest of us shook off a bit of disappointment.  

 Plan B was installed.  With Plimouth Plantation just around the corner, we chose to tour the site and learn about our early settlers.  The four of us took a step back in time and tried to envision what life was like sleeping in a hut with 15 other people on animal skin and no hand sanitizer. 

 After stepping back in time, we decided to take a short drive over the Newport, Rhode Island.  The New England shoreline is one of my favorites and the famous Cliff Walk is never a disappointment.  Breathtaking.

 Day 2 was finished off with dinner including some of our best friends from a time long ago in our lives.  We joined them for dinner at our northern fav, Bertuccis.  Hard to believe it has been 10 years since we lived there yet we are so thankful for our early adventures that have led to friends for life and memories that will last forever.

Boston - Day 1

Not sure if the title of this post should be Boston - Day 1 OR The Part Where I Needed A Break:)

 Either way, Ryan, the boys and I embarked on a journey back in time to Boston.  Boston is a favorite city of ours.  During our earlier years, we lived there for almost two years and, more importantly, it is the birthplace of Pryce.  If you ask MK, she will tell you that our trip to Boston was important because we were going to see "where we got Pryce."  

 Our flight was uneventful and upon landing, we headed straight over to do what the other tourists do - a Boston Duck tour.  It is the Freedom Trail on wheels and a bit of quacking is involved for added fun.

 Pryce steered us in the right direction and avoided all oncoming boats during his stint as Captain of the Duck.

 Following our Duck adventure, it was straight over to Fenway to enjoy the last game of the season for the Red Sox.  They are Pryce's favorite team and we were lucky enough to stumble upon some tickets.

 The Green Monstah, as it is appropriately pronounced in Boston lingo.  Our night at Fenway was a favorite of the trip for me.....so much history and the oldness made me feel as if I was really back in the day of Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

 The boys were all smiles too which was the icing on the cake for our first day in Boston.

Life is catching up with us!  Our down time is over and the new routine of GO, GO, GO is all in place.  As crazy as it is, I am so thankful for our blessings....thankful for the many opportunities that my children have to grow in academics, sports, dance and social activities.  Thankful for our church and church leaders.  Thankful for our friends who entertain us and help us when we are in a bind.  It is so easy for me to get caught up in the craziness and forget what a thrill it is to have everything I have ever wanted right at my fingertips - my husband who is my best friend even though we may only see each other long enough for the dinnertime prayer; my eldest son who is continuously our guinea pig child, the trial and error one that we learn through; Pryce who calms me with his loving spirit and his sweet smile; MK who is so strong, and prissy beyond my own imagination; and little Maddox, sweet Maddox who continues to do everything that the other three would have NEVER dreamed of doing - in the past 24 hours she has colored our carpet with pretty purple marker and she colored her carseat a beautiful brown color, Maddox who grabs my cheeks randomly and strokes my face saying, "Mommy, I love you too more!" My daily prayer for my four children is that they will always know love and know how precious they are to me, even in this crazy season of life:)

 Colin has taken a liking to kayaking.  He has even gone as far as to suggest he may want one as a gift for Christmas or his birthday, both months away. I just do not see me, my husband, and our four children driving around town in our minivan with a kayak attached to the hood.  However, it was a pleasure to see the surprise on C's face when he was told he would be kayaking on our local canal for the afternoon with his father.   They had a marvelous time!  Next up, family kayaking, stay tuned....

 With MK being in school all.day.long, it makes for a lot of time for me to miss her!  Saturday was MK and mommy day so I could catch up with my sweet girl.  We began the day with a painting workshop....so much fun to see MK create her very own owl.  She chose the colors, I gave her a paintbrush, and my budding artist was on her way.  

And Maddox....she is my only hope in Gamecock land.  She says, "Me no like tigers!" On another note, I had an interesting conversation with her last night at bedtime.  She asked, "Where is my grandmother? She in China?  I was a baby in China."  She continued, "My grandmother take me to the doctor and my Papa hold me when the doctor give me shots."  I asked her where the doctor was and she said, "My grandmother hold me at the hospital.  That where the doctor is."  Then I asked her if I was there and she said, "No, you not there.  I cry, cry, cry."  

Interesting.  She was 13 months old when she had her lip repaired in China.  We have a picture, which she has not seen since we came home, of her foster mother holding her at the hospital just before her surgery and one of her foster mother holding her the day they were leaving the hospital after her repair. Doubtful she remembers all of this yet chilling to me that she said all of this unsolicited.  I then switched from my cuddle time with Maddox to my cuddle time with MK, who had heard all of the above.  MK asks, "Did Maddox have two moms too?"  I said, "Well, actually she had three."  MK eyes got wide and she exclaimed, "THREE?!"  So I explained that she had a birth mom - the mom that gave her life; the foster mom - the one who took care of her until we came to get her; and me, her forever mom - the one who will love her forever and teach her how to live life.  MK said, "Well, that is neat, we both had three moms!"  Hmmmm.....I just keep thinking, wow, I wonder how this will all be retold on the playground.  

All My Own

Aren't you glad you have two of your own and two who are adopted?

Earlier in the week, I was having a conversation with a lady I have known for years.  She knows our story.  She knows our hearts for adoption.  She adores my children.  But, she seriously asked me if I was glad to have two of my own and two who are adopted.  I kindly looked at her and said, "Well, they are all my own."  She said, "Well, yeah, you know what I mean."  For the sake of just letting it rest, I shook my head.  However, the comment has been on my mind ever since.

A better way to say "own" in adoption lingo is to say "biological."  I have two biological children and two who were born through adoption.

And, yes, I am grateful to have two biological children and two adopted children.  And I feel more than blessed to say they are all mine, all my own.

Kudos to Maddox.  Poor baby girl has poor baby teeth.  Not her fault.  Not our fault.  Yesterday I took her in to have two cavities filled.  She has been through this before and she knows the routine.  I lay on the chair, she lays on top of me.  No gas.  No numbing.  No nothing.  In the past, as would be expected, she has started out with a small whimper but ended up with a very unhappy scream.  Today, however, she sat as relaxed and calm as ever.  Our dentist spoke calmly to her and smiled at her and told her how well she was doing.  And she just sat.  Twenty minutes later, we were all done!

Earlier in the week, Maddox appeared early one morning in our bathroom as I was getting ready to tackle the day.  She was clutching a book and happily said, "Mommy, I have my Bible and I all ready to go to church!"  Hmmmm.....the book?  Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  The size of a Bible? Yes.  The Bible? No!

MK's teacher has been holding conferences with parents for the past two weeks.  We have spoken and she does not feel as though we need a conference at this time.  MK is doing GREAT!  However, MK has said repeatedly, "Mom, ****'s mother came in for their compliments.  When are you going to see Mrs. D for your compliments?"  Compliments, conference, hopefully same thing, right?