Big Weekend

We have had a very big weekend...and it's not over yet! I was completely swamped at work last week and was dying to out get out of here. We headed to exciting Indianapolis which is essentially Columbus except we don't know anyone and we need the GPS to get around. Otherwise-it is the same. Regardless, we were not at home. Several people attempted to draw me back in, but I resisted and enjoyed some quality family time. We headed out on Friday to meet with a group called "A Gathering of Our Hearts". It is a group of adoptive families with kids from Guatemala. I think there were about 13-15 families that attended. We stayed at a Holiday Inn with a water park attached. Collin had been sick so we took our time getting there and arrived a little late. We hit the water park very briefly-Collin didn't seem too impressed and then went to dinner. We were pretty much on our own the first night since we missed the official arrival time. We just hung out in the room and relaxed.


Please mom...let me go play!!





Collin kept us up all night screaming and crying. We felt horrible for whomever had to stay next to us. He does best in his own bed, in his own home. When the comfort level is disrupted, he lets us know. He was very clingy and needy for the entire weekend but he still managed to have some fun. I think since he hadn't been feeling well and we were in a strange place with new people it just threw him off a bit.

On Saturday, FTIA, our adoption agency had a reunion picnic which luckily happened to fall on the same weekend as this gathering so we got a two-fer!! We were late to the picnic, of course. But hey, it was a relaxing family weekend-NO RUSHING! The picnic was very nice. It was really neat to see all of the kids from all over the world here with their families. They had it at a nice park with lots of activities. Collin seemed to enjoy himself.









There was also a train "museum" which we thought was more of a train graveyard. We were glad we got in for free. It was neat but we would have been seriously disappointed if we had paid to get in.





After the picnic it was back to the hotel to get ready for dinner with the group. WOW! What an adventure!! We kind of took over, or should I say the kids took over. They were dancing and playing and having a great time!! It took about 3 hours for all of us to eat-luckily we weren't starving and the alcohol was flowing (it was walking distance from the hotel). But it was nice to finally see everyone that was there and to meet some new friends. There is always a common bond with GuateParents and their kids! We all shared the same amazing adventure but we all have a different story. One thing we all agreed on was how lucky we feel to have our children home and not stuck in the bureaucracy in Guatemala.











We met lots of nice new people and made friends that I am sure we will see for years to come. I like taking Collin to these events even though he doesn't know the difference now he will in the future! After diner we went back to the hotel and hung out in the sports bar of all places with some new friends. The staff at this sports bar were the kid friendliest (is that a word) people ever! They gave the kids free popsicles, let us sit there for hours without ordering much more that a few drinks while the kids took the place over. Collin did stuff in there that I would never allow him to do in a restaurant but they didn't care. They were all about the kids being happy-and the place being empty probably didn't hurt either!


Look at these 2 angels!!











We made plans to meet our new friends for breakfast the next morning at 9:30am.We went back to the room and I set the alarm and checked the time to make sure it was correct. In all my time travelling, I learned to ALWAYS check the alarm clock because the jerk off before you probably thought it was funny to set the alarm clock an hour fast or slow to throw you off. I also learned to call for a wake up call but don't count on it. I attempted to set up a wake up call but no luck. They put 2 phones in a 12 x 20 room and neither of them works!! Back to my travelling days...I have learned a new lesson in my more recent travelling mama days...Monkey see, Monkey do. Don't waste your time checking and rechecking the alarm clock because when you travel with a tiny ninja, he will beat you! I never saw it...somehow the next morning the alarm went off at 7am. Thinking to myself...I certainly didn't set the alarm for 7am to be at breakfast at 9:30am!!! I walk around with snot and food stains on my clothes, I sure as hell am not showering and doing my hair and makeup to go to breakfast and have eggs and jelly smashed in my hair. Mom lesson number 2...shower AFTER the meal when graced with the presence of a crumb cruncher! Anyway, then the phone that doesn't work rings and I think, maybe I did set the alarm for 7am!!WTF!?! I yell at Wyatt to get the phone and it disconnects. Strange?? Now I am a little more awake and I start hearing rowdiness outside the window. A little more rowdiness than one would expect at 7am so I take a gander at my watch. 10:15AM CRAP!! We stood up our new friends for breakfast and we have to check out in 45 minutes-so much for the relaxing vacation. Even better, the guilty ninja wants nothing to do with waking up!! We ran downstairs to get a quick breakfast and end up seeing our friends so it worked out after all. We decided to check out and hit the water park for a short while and then headed home. Of course, as soon as we got home, back to the rat race!!





All in all a great weekend and an exciting week for my international adopting friends. Shawn and Teresa came home with Mali from China.I was lucky enough to be there and see them make the long, emotional walk through the Port Columbus terminal to waiting friends and family dying to meet the newest member of their family.




And Amy received her long awaited referral for a beautiful baby girl in Russia-name TBD but I'm going to go out on a limb and say Alessia. Hope she doesn't mind I am posting her picture! I kind of doubt it, she's a proud mama already!!





It is not over yet-today we had Brylie over and she is spending the night so that we can go to the Police Picnic tomorrow at Zoombezi Bay-a fun water park!Hopefully the rain stays away!!