Castaway Cay & Pirate Night Day 3 June 10

We were all excited to wake up today.  We love Castaway Cay.  We got our suits on and had breakfast. Then headed out to the beach. We got to the beach around 9:30.  We like to go early because it's not as crowded.  The water was perfect. So perfect that I even went in it and was not scared of the fish swimming around me. LOL  We played in the water for about 2 hours or so.  I could have stayed longer.  But everyone was getting hungry.  

OH, I forgot to mention on another email that Jadyn ran into one of her classmates.  So funny that a neighbor was on the same cruise.  We ran into them again on the beach (they were getting there as we were getting ready to leave).  

Lunch was at Cookies Too. Yummy barbecue.  We always leave there stuffed.  

On our way to the tram back to the boat, the girls spotted coconut cups with smoothies.  So Abby, Jadyn & Maggie bought one.  They let me taste it.  Yummy! 

Then the rain started to roll in.  :-(  We waited for the tram to take us to the boat but it was taking forever. So we walked.  We got some fun photos on our way back to the boat.  And then Bill said "Why do we go to the part of the beach we go to?  It's nice over here".  Next time we'll try a new part of the beach.  :-)  

We got back to the boat and the rain was stopping so we hung out by the pool for a bit. (and had more ice cream).  

We changed and the kids all went to their clubs.  Bill, Tiff & I went to tonight's show, which was a magic show. Very neat.  It was fun.  

We did the pirate show before dinner which is always fun.  We love the songs.

Dinner was at the Royal Palace again, but since it was Pirate Night, we had a new menu.  It was good.  

After dinner we were all fading.  2 late nights were catching up to us.  They do the fireworks at 10:15 and I just could not do it.  So Bill, Ethan & Maggie were the only ones who went.  They were back in the room by 10:30 or so. Everyone else was passed out cold.  :-)

proof I was in the water.  :-)

Abby & Jadyn with their friend

I LOVE the banana and strawberry ice cream

Look, it's a large Mouse

The kids with our servers 

Day 4 At Sea & Going Home June 11 & 12

Today was the day at sea.  So that meant everyone was on boat which means it was going to be crowded.  Bill took the girls to play mini golf and then see a magic show.  They loved it. Apparently Abby kept asking questions (like she always does) and the magician said "shut up" in a funny tone to her (Bill said the questions she was asking would have given away his secrets).  LOL  Then they went to their kids clubs.  While they were doing that, Ethan & I were by the pool.  For 2 hours I felt like I was babysitting, because he would go from 1 pool, to the Mickey slide, to the Nemo area back to the pool etc.  I could swim with him in the pool, but the Nemo area and slide I had to watch.  I was ready for a break after the 2 hours.  :-)  He was having fun, so that is all that mattered.  

I persuaded him with a snack to leave the pool area.  He wanted grapes.  I asked if he wanted ice cream, he said no, just grapes. Then he said "yes, ice cream & grapes". Well he only ate the grapes.  :-)  We got cleaned up and I took him to the club.  He LOVED the club.  He played video games most of the time. And a few times I would check on him and he didn't want to leave.  I was so happy he was having fun.  

We decided to see Maleficent at 2 PM. We all went except for Ethan (photo was taken on day 1).  I'm glad he didn't go. It was a little scary in some scenes.  But we all liked the movie.  

The kids went back to the club so we could start to pack.  Tiff & I left Bill to go to the top deck to take some pictures. While we were up there we saw Hope & Maggie in their club.  They did not see us. Hope was getting wet IN her normal clothes.  Once they saw us, she ran inside, and put on her bathing suit.  Then we looked to our right and saw a water spout form. We watched it grow for about 15-20 minutes.  It was awesome and freaky at the same time.  at 6:15 we went to see the show Believe. Only me, Tiff, Ethan & Bill went.  And we ended up sitting next to the magician and his parents.  :-)  

Dinner was at 8:15 again and tonight at Animators Palate.  I think I was just so tired that the food was not that great for me. I would have preferred a hot dog.  :-)  But the kids had fun. This is their favorite restaurant.  

Tiff and the girls planned to get their suits on and do the Aqua Duck at night.  So we finished dinner, headed up to the kids club to return their Mickey bands and for Abby & Jadyn to say goodbye to Hope, their FAVORITE kids club cast member.  They met her on our July 4th cruise, she was there in November too.  In Feb we gave her letters from the girls.  She went on her vacation when we got off of the boat in Feb and was back on this trip.  She is so sweet on them and made them a little "coloring" book to take home.  

Once we said our goodbyes, the girls headed off to put on their suits and Bill, Ethan & I checked out the photos that were taken of us.  We ended up only buying 3.  I hate throwing the rest away but I did not want to spend hundreds of dollars on photos.  

We got back to the room, put our PJ's on and Ethan passed out cold.  We found our signed pillow cases waiting for us.  They turned out really great!  We bought white pillow cases from Walmart, then Bill added pirate material to the ends.  Then he embroidered their names on their pillow case.  They were signed for FREE!  The girls got back after 11, and said the Aqua Duck was closed so they played shuffle board.  

Of course nobody woke up yesterday.  We got them up, ate a quick breakfast and were off the boat and in our car by 8:15 or so.  

We definitely liked the 4 night better than the 3 night.  We had a lot of fun.  We survived with no tantrums.  That's a miracle.  :-)  

Abby & Jadyn are already planning on going back so they can see Hope.  And they told Hope when they turn 11 and go to the tween section, she needs to move up there.  She said she would definitely ask to do that.  

Hopefully you've enjoyed the updates and photos.  I know a lot more happened that I'm forgetting.  There were a lot of funnies that happened. I should have written them all down.  :-)

Spying on the girls in the Teen club

A little too close for me

All signed & delivered

our dinner table number

Yes, this is how she ate her spaghetti.  

And how she ate her Mickey bar

Abby & Jadyn with their FAVORITE Kids Club Cast member, Hope

The goodies Hope made for Abby, Jadyn & Ethan

Ethan was wiped out

The girls would not wake up

Beautiful Sunrise

Ethan was sad to leave

Adoption

A lot has been going on in the Adoption Community lately that is quite upsetting.  A lot of hurt and pain and not so nice things.  I'm not involved in any of it, but I'm seeing it through social media. And it got me thinking and wanting to write out my feelings.

There are people who want to be parents and who physically can not.  It's hard. We were blessed with a biological daughter, and then infertility.  I know the anguish families feel when all they want is a child and they can't physically have one.  So they choose adoption.

Then there are the people who want to adopt to "save" a child or because "everyone is doing it".  I've seen it.  And their entire experience is different than the family who chose adoption to love a child.

I've seen joy, happiness, excitement, love etc from adoption stories. I've also seen heartache, frustration, exhaustion, anger etc from adoption stories.

Adoption is NOT easy.  And if you chose to adopt for the wrong reasons, it will just add to the stress that is already there.

Imagine being pregnant.  You have 9 months to love this child that you created.  You plan the nursery, pick names, people have parties for you and are so excited for your new bundle of joy.  Then you deliver the baby and you feel this instant bond.  The first few days might be rough because of adjusting to having a newborn. But you deal with it.  And people help you out by watching the baby so you can sleep, or by bringing meals etc.  The baby grows and you quickly learn how to care for the baby.

Now, imagine the adoption process.  The "pregnancy" is the MOUNDS of paperwork you have to fill out about yourself, your spouse, your family etc.  Strangers want to know EVERYTHING about you.  You have to get physicals done, get counseling, take classes, get fingerprinted etc.  You might have a few friends who are excited for you and encourage you through the wait.  But for the most part, the "paperchase" is not exciting like watching a belly grow.   Most likely you connect with other mama's who are also adopting or who have adopted, who understand what you are going through.  They are the ones who will realize you need a baby shower, you also will need meals etc.

Then it's time to bring home the child.  This child most likely will not be a newborn (some will adopt a newborn but the majority of the families I've met have not).  This child has no idea what is about to happen to him/her.  He/she was happy where they were.  That's all they knew.  Then suddenly they lose everything and are taken away by strangers.  And suddenly you are given a child who does not love you, or want to be with you.  Every child is different.  Bonding can be quick. Or can take a long time.  We've had it both.  Two of our children bonded quickly.  Three not so quick.  There were days that we asked ourselves "What did we just do???"  And yes, we had thoughts of "This is not going to work".

Every adoption is different. Every child is different. Every parent is different.  That is why we need support from family & friends.  We don't need to be discouraged, or talked about or forgotten.  There have been times when we have felt like that.  We've had some low days when we feel like failures as parents.  When we want to give up. When we wish we could turn back the clock and make different choices.  But we can't.  So we pray, and we vent to those we know who will not judge, and we move on.

If you know of someone who has adopted, I challenge you to reach out to them.  Whether they adopted 10 years ago (or more) or just last week.  Reach out to them.

If you know of someone who is in the process of adopting, reach out to them.  Offer to go baby shopping with them, or to throw a baby shower for them, or set up meals for when they come home.  Adopting families go through exhaustion just like families who give birth.  Sometimes I think the adoptive families have more exhaustion because there usually isn't a lot of "breaks" during the day to recoup.

Remember, even if the adoptive family looks like they are doing GREAT, Most likely they are struggling with something.  I'm guilty of putting on the fake smile when I'm in public when really I just want to crawl up in a corner and cry.  People think we're experts because we've adopted 5 kids from China.  We are not experts. Each adoption was different.  China changed the way to adopt each time (added or took away a step that we were used to). And each child is different.  Like I said earlier, two of our kids bonded quickly.  One bonded in about 18 months and the last 2, well we're still bonding and they've been home for 19 months.

Adoption IS Awesome.  But it's also HARD!  Try to remember to be there for the families who choose adoption.  Don't forget about them.

Here are some photos of our kids (then & now).  Can you see the life in their eyes now?  That is how awesome adoption is.  A family gives a child hope, a chance, love.......

If you want more info on how to adopt, contact me. If you want info on how to help a family who is adopting, contact me.  

Thanks for reading.  Debbie