We're Back!!!

We made it back from Florida on Friday morning around 2 am. Our drive both there and back were great and we had the best time hanging out with our six year old nephew/godson, and two of my best friends and their families. They are such generous souls and I really saw for the first time really just how lucky I am to be connected to them and their families through friendship. It all started about 14 years ago at the Catholic Student Center. It was something we were all amazed about - how God connected families in such marvelous ways. There was not ONE DULL MOMENT and rest or relaxion seems something to be grasped but it was absolutely FUN! I needed fun in my life, I needed laughter and peace and that is what I got. I fell in love with my amazing husband all over again. We were lucky to be able to care for our nephew for one whole week and it sure wore us out. There were seven kids under seven!!!! At any given point we were pushing three kiddos in the sit and stand stroller. The kids outnumbered the strollers :). We only had one kid to push and so all the other kids thought it would be great to be pushed by Uncle J! My husband is a strong man and he was sore after three days with a stroller packed down with kids and junk (snacks and drinks). We packed all our snacks and drinks and only bought one meal a day at the park. This worked out perfect and everyone was satisfied. I did not really think that the parks would be so full, but they were. We were able to go to Magic Kingdom two days and Hollywood Studios one day, and then Animal Kingdom one day. We loved the rides, shows, and charater greetings!
We are now officially post peak and I do have to say that Disney World does wonders for the worries of an IF girl. I barely thought about meds, timing, charting (I still need to catch up on that), etc. It was GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was great to get home though, even though the condo was amazing! There is no place like home and two super lonesome cats to welcome us. My mom came and cared for the cats while we were away. They were spoiled but still missed us.

I have been having some good detachment from needing to be mom feelings. I have been finding myself very thankful that other people share their children with us and that we get to experience the joy of children even if we are not parenting them. We are grateful for that. I am so grateful for N and S. I really feel blessed and in a good place lately. I still want to be a mother to a child here on earth, but I don't want to let that unhappiness about that area of my life suck all the life out of every other part of who I am. It has been that way for way too long and I am just in a place of waiting. I do believe with my whole heart we will have noisy house with wet bathroom floors and tubs strewn with bath toys one day soon, but in the meantime I want to be happy with all the blessings I already have in my life.

Enjoy the pictures below. It is really amazing how much D looks like my husband. Gives me a glimpse of what our kids would have or will look like.

By the way, our motto for the week with D was "You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit!" By the second day of the trip all I would have to say is "You get what you get -" and he would say the rest. It worked like a charm, I was amazed! Seems like that lesson might be a good one for me to remember! The other motto for the week was "Stop, look, and listen!" This comes in handy with a child dealing with ADHD in a park full of people.