Family Vacation

We just completed a week of beach vacation with Bob's extended family, his Mom, his brothers and their families. It was a wild week of wonder and fun for us all, especially the kids. Between three families we have eight boys, the oldest entering 7th grade and our Owen is the youngest, soon to enter Kindergarten. You can imagine what we look like in public and the looks we get if their is only one parent down on the beach. People are worried that all the boys might belong to one family. The reactions are so funny and it makes for good conversation when perfect strangers approach to ask, "Are they all yours?" while pointing out into the water. They are eight shades of blonde and all smiley and spunky little dudes. So of course I spent many moments throughout the week wondering what it will be like to add a female to the mix. I can't help but wonder how she will be accepted and how she will fit into the mix. I have moments of fear and then I feel the calm. The calm serves as the reminder that a child adopted into our family will gain so much more than just three older brothers. She will gain a great big circle of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends. She will gain a neighborhood and school community. She will gain a church community and she will gain a Mother and Father who look so forward to the challenge and commitment of raising her with love, affection, fun and education. She will gain a home.