We arrived safely in Charlotte, North Carolina yesterday. At some point early next week (maybe as early as Sunday), I will post some photos. But Jason and I are leaving tomorrow for Leg Three of our trip, so it'll have to wait until we return to North Carolina for that.
We left Ohio around 5:30am yesterday, and everyone woke up to send us off. Casey didn't want to say good-bye to his big brother Bryce, and I think that's actually a good thing. We've spent a lot of time wondering how his relationship with his birth family will grow over time, and he obviously feels a sense of belonging and connection, which we were hoping for. I know that as Haley and Bryce get older and have their own interests, our visits will in some way be an interruption. But for now, they seem to genuinely enjoy Casey's participation in their summer break. And Marcie took to both of them like she was their sister, too. In fact, Bryce at one point asked me what Marcie's role was-- and I wasn't really sure how to answer. It's one of those things I've thought about with respect to Marcie. I mean, I expected Marcie to ask that question in a few years. But I hadn't considered that Bryce or Haley might wonder the same thing.
How do you classify it? Does her relationship have to have a title? I suppose not. Bryce asked if she was his sister-- and I suppose she is by mere virtue of being Casey's sister. I mean, there's no question about that relationship even though they aren't biologically related. So does that make her Bryce's half sister, too? Even though they aren't biologically related? Or is she like his half sister once removed? I know that it doesn't matter what you call it-- that Marcie will just always look up to Bryce and Haley the same way that Casey does. And I am so grateful Casey's birthfamily has taken in Marcie just like an extension of the family -- because that's obviously how we think of her. It's just one more example of how we know we hit the jackpot with them-- just one more reason to thank Casey's birthmom Angie for picking us to parent him.
But I digress. After leaving at 5:30am and driving a couple hours to Dayton, we had no trouble checking our bags curbside. The sky cap did a nice job figuring out why the airline had us down as checked in with checked bags already, and I tipped him well. So then he covered Casey's booster seat with plastic, which we sure did appreciate. We had enough time to stop for breakfast. And then we watched the planes for a while before we boarded ours. It was small. The kind with one seat along one aisle and two along the other aisle. Marcie and I sat behind Jason and Casey for the flight to Cincinnati, which was less than 20 minutes long. The bummer for us was that even though it was the same aircraft taking us to North Carolina, we had to remove everything when we deplaned. Including Marcie's car seat.
Inside the airport, the kids and I browsed a toy store, where Casey picked out a new airplane to play with. We returned to our plane and flew the hour and a half to Charlotte, where my dad was waiting for us at the gate! Back in the old days, your family and friends always met you at the gate. But nowadays because of security no one can do that. Unless you're lucky enough to have an airline employee for a friend or family member. As it turned out, my dad was on his way to his own flight (as a pilot), so he was there to greet us in uniform and everything, which Casey thought was so cool. As a matter of fact, my dad has models of all the various air craft he's flown in his study. Casey keeps taking my mom in there to point out the one that looks most like this most recent flight we took. He says, "Remember, Grandma, when we took that airplane?" as if she flew with us!
After lunch and a short nap, my mom and I took the kids over to the pool, then we had dinner, where Marcie ate more broccoli than I have ever seen a child eat.
This morning we headed over to a city pool that's an indoor water park! The only bummer was that I couldn't put Marcie on my lap to go down the slide, and she kept flopping backward and landing under water (thankfully she knows to hold her breath), so she wasn't long for the water slides themselves. The kids ate there, then home for a nap again. Casey begged us to go to a nearby park to ride a scooter. I don't know if he didn't like all the gear (helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, etc) or the heat-- or both. But after getting everything loaded into the car to go, Casey wailed that he wanted to go to the pool instead. So we did.
And now the kids are asleep. So leg two is going well so far. Then again, the real test will be these next few days-- while we're in New York and Marcie is here with my parents.
As for me, I am really enjoying this unfettered time with the kids. They make me laugh. Marcie is so determined and independent and inquisitive. Casey is so busy and musical and smart. And I did manage to finish a couple books (including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).
We left Ohio around 5:30am yesterday, and everyone woke up to send us off. Casey didn't want to say good-bye to his big brother Bryce, and I think that's actually a good thing. We've spent a lot of time wondering how his relationship with his birth family will grow over time, and he obviously feels a sense of belonging and connection, which we were hoping for. I know that as Haley and Bryce get older and have their own interests, our visits will in some way be an interruption. But for now, they seem to genuinely enjoy Casey's participation in their summer break. And Marcie took to both of them like she was their sister, too. In fact, Bryce at one point asked me what Marcie's role was-- and I wasn't really sure how to answer. It's one of those things I've thought about with respect to Marcie. I mean, I expected Marcie to ask that question in a few years. But I hadn't considered that Bryce or Haley might wonder the same thing.
How do you classify it? Does her relationship have to have a title? I suppose not. Bryce asked if she was his sister-- and I suppose she is by mere virtue of being Casey's sister. I mean, there's no question about that relationship even though they aren't biologically related. So does that make her Bryce's half sister, too? Even though they aren't biologically related? Or is she like his half sister once removed? I know that it doesn't matter what you call it-- that Marcie will just always look up to Bryce and Haley the same way that Casey does. And I am so grateful Casey's birthfamily has taken in Marcie just like an extension of the family -- because that's obviously how we think of her. It's just one more example of how we know we hit the jackpot with them-- just one more reason to thank Casey's birthmom Angie for picking us to parent him.
But I digress. After leaving at 5:30am and driving a couple hours to Dayton, we had no trouble checking our bags curbside. The sky cap did a nice job figuring out why the airline had us down as checked in with checked bags already, and I tipped him well. So then he covered Casey's booster seat with plastic, which we sure did appreciate. We had enough time to stop for breakfast. And then we watched the planes for a while before we boarded ours. It was small. The kind with one seat along one aisle and two along the other aisle. Marcie and I sat behind Jason and Casey for the flight to Cincinnati, which was less than 20 minutes long. The bummer for us was that even though it was the same aircraft taking us to North Carolina, we had to remove everything when we deplaned. Including Marcie's car seat.
Inside the airport, the kids and I browsed a toy store, where Casey picked out a new airplane to play with. We returned to our plane and flew the hour and a half to Charlotte, where my dad was waiting for us at the gate! Back in the old days, your family and friends always met you at the gate. But nowadays because of security no one can do that. Unless you're lucky enough to have an airline employee for a friend or family member. As it turned out, my dad was on his way to his own flight (as a pilot), so he was there to greet us in uniform and everything, which Casey thought was so cool. As a matter of fact, my dad has models of all the various air craft he's flown in his study. Casey keeps taking my mom in there to point out the one that looks most like this most recent flight we took. He says, "Remember, Grandma, when we took that airplane?" as if she flew with us!
After lunch and a short nap, my mom and I took the kids over to the pool, then we had dinner, where Marcie ate more broccoli than I have ever seen a child eat.
This morning we headed over to a city pool that's an indoor water park! The only bummer was that I couldn't put Marcie on my lap to go down the slide, and she kept flopping backward and landing under water (thankfully she knows to hold her breath), so she wasn't long for the water slides themselves. The kids ate there, then home for a nap again. Casey begged us to go to a nearby park to ride a scooter. I don't know if he didn't like all the gear (helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, etc) or the heat-- or both. But after getting everything loaded into the car to go, Casey wailed that he wanted to go to the pool instead. So we did.
And now the kids are asleep. So leg two is going well so far. Then again, the real test will be these next few days-- while we're in New York and Marcie is here with my parents.
As for me, I am really enjoying this unfettered time with the kids. They make me laugh. Marcie is so determined and independent and inquisitive. Casey is so busy and musical and smart. And I did manage to finish a couple books (including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).
1 comment:
We can't believe you haven't posted pictures yet! We can't wait till Saturday!!!! Grandma & Grandpa in San Diego
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