We are at the beach this week, enjoying some down time in the sand and sun. The girls love it and look forward to spending time here each year. When Lainie was little, we bought a travel trailer. It's been one of the best family investments we could ever make. It allows us to take inexpensive vacations and grab some weekend getaways. Everything comes with us when we go - clothes, food, favorite toys, and a clean restroom. :) With four girls, someone always needs a restroom. Now we don't have to look for a convenience store or fast food restaurant. We just pull over to the side of the road and pop the girls inside the trailer. Voila!
The beach was so beautiful the first day! The blue water was in close, and the winds were light. The girls showed Mei the thrill of boogie boarding. Mei enjoyed playing on it in the shallow water, but really didn't like going out too deep, even with Daddy's hand. But that didn't keep her from enjoying herself. Mei's feet are sensitive, and she puts on shoes as soon as she gets out of bed in the morning. But here in the soft sand, she can run barefoot. This may not seem like a huge thing to most people, but it is a luxury for Mei! It is awesome to see her run so freely. Below is a video of her running to the surf. It was one of 25 trips back and forth for a pail of water. :) Apologies for the focus issues. I used my regular camera instead of the video camera.
The next day, we went to the Texas State Aquarium. If you come to the coast, I highly recommend this attraction. It is very family oriented. The girls all love the sting ray touch tank and seeing the dolphins swim underwater. They also love sitting on the floor along the huge fish tanks, watching the fish float and swim by. On this trip, a huge grouper thought he would people watch. He swam straight to the edge of the tank and stared at Lainie. I suppose she looked good enough to eat. Ha!
The girls have also been swimming at the RV park pool. Everyone has a good start on their 2012 tan lines. I've always considered zero sunburns to be a gauge of a successful beach trip. I failed on this trip. I got sunscreen on everyone, but forgot to have someone put it on my back. Ouch! Definitely a V8 moment.
Mei is adjusting well, but still has her moments of misbehavior. Yesterday, she hit at Kailee in the pool. She immediately realized she broke a family rule (no hitting), and said "sorry". She looked over at me and I firmly reminded her that hitting is not allowed. Mei was in Jaci's arms at the time. Jaci started defending Mei. "She said sorry. She didn't mean to disobey. You shouldn't get onto her.". I had to turn my head and hide my smile. Jaci is her big sister and will defend her at all costs. While that really wasn't acceptable in this case, I had to let it go. I'm glad she feels responsible for her sister. I'm glad she will take up for her. I'm glad she is Mei's big sister.
Before we left to come to the beach, our church gave Mei a shower. It touched my heart to see the outpouring of love for Mei. It's not the gifts that were important, but rather the gift of acceptance within our community that is so special. I wish you could have seen all the kids that piled around her, all wanting her attention and to get to play and talk with her! Mei was a sweet girl, and said "thank you" for every item. When we got home, she ran and changed into the Snow White dress up clothes and began looking through the other items. I'm sure she never imagined so much attention being given to just one child.
I'm sure people are wondering if we will adopt again. The simple answer is probably not. We have multiple surgeries/procedures to work through with Mei which will need our full attention. And to be honest, we think Mei needs our full attention as well. Adopting an older child may seem easier in some regards, but the adjustment is actually more time consuming than for an infant. Our house is full to the brim and then some. Our family finally feels complete, and I think we are all content to enjoy life as is. But that doesn't mean we are done promoting adoption. That will always be a part of our lives. :)
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