Sorry for the lack of updates, I don't really have a good excuse except that I've been distracted. Anyway, we have had a very busy summer. But first let me back up to the previous post about the challenges of adoption.
My previous post dealt with how hard it can be dealing with the effects our adopted children deal with such as lying, uncontrolled emotional outbursts, blatant disobedience, etc. These behaviors can literally suck all of the energy out of every fiber in your body. You have to find a way to deal with it that does not take such a physical and emotional toll on your family. It takes patience! When things do not change immediately, it can, and will get frustrating. We have been working with TBRI/Connected Parenting to get a better understanding of where our children's behavior comes from, so we can treat the cause and not the reaction. It takes time, but I can see results when we approach the issue differently then how we would have in the past. You will never "fix" your child. That is an unrealistic (and quite honestly terrible) expectation. We adopt a child, not an idea.
So on to the summer. We traveled to Florida in mid-May and the kids had their first visit to Walt Disney World! They saw their first "live" palm tree and were spoiled by their DISDad uncles. We have been to WDW many times in the past, but this was the first time as a family of eight!! The kids did great and loved all of the experiences, well most of them anyway. We took a very leisurely approach to visiting the parks. We were concerned about over stimulation, how they would handle larger crowds, and their reaction to masked characters. We avoided fireworks to help the ones who do not like loud noises, and it allowed us to spend more time at the pool which they love. All of the kids loved the characters. We were cautious about contact, but they did well. Overall the crowds weren't bad and we developed a plan before we left and discussed it everyday about how we would do things. This really helped the kids "see" how things worked in terms of working our plan. I know it also helped build some trust that the expectations we discussed were met.
Their uncles really spoiled them and it will be a trip they remember for a very long time. It was a great lesson in generosity, caring and giving to others. Thank you guys!!
Our parish festival featured a Polish foods booth this year so we had a little taste of "home". The pierogi's were from a traditional recipe and they complemented the kielbasa perfectly!
We have also had the awesome opportunity to welcome home two families who have adopted in Eastern Europe. Our dear friends the Carlson's brought home their four kids from Poland. What a treat it was to be on the other end of a welcome home celebration. Just a couple of weeks ago, some more friends brought their precious little boy home from Bulgaria! What a blessing it is to be near other families who have traveled this journey we call adoption. We have had some great discussions with our kids regarding these families and I know it helps them feel like they are not so different.
We will begin homeschool again in the coming weeks. The kids are looking forward to starting school and participation in our co-op events.
Until next time....
