Day 12: Consistent Family

We have had a wonderful time with my aunt Margaret, who is visiting us from England.  I can't tell you how excited the kids always get when her birthday cards arrive with English stamps attached to the envelopes.  And, now that she is here in person, they have not been disappointed.

She just jumps into our everyday life, and the kids had so much fun.

Even though it was a rainy day, the kids were playing outside, pretending they were real estate agents, I think.  Here is Margaret looking at properties with them.  

What a good sport.

Here, Olivia describes the view from the penthouse she is selling.  Margaret (and her baby) is really paying attention.

Dinners in our house can be loud and chaotic (I'm sure you're surprised to hear that), but Margaret seemed not to mind at all.  Either she is a very good actress or she just fits in well around here.  Oh, how we wish we lived closer to one another.

But, we are determined to visit Margaret in England soon.  We have talked about our wish to make three big trips with the kids before they leave home:  one is China (as a whole family, to see the sights that we always miss on adoption trips), one is Greece, and one is England.  These three countries represent our family's histories and backgrounds, and there are so many special people who lives in these places, obviously including Margaret.

When we were hoping to adopt Elijah for all those many years, Margaret was one of my biggest supporters.  She prayed for us continually, and always asked us how the process was going.  It was so important to me to have her constant support and blessing. When things are hard, and when world tells you that you are crazy to want another child, there is nothing better than someone who believes in your dream, too.

Things were not always perfect (in terms of the children's behavior) while she was visiting, but she understanding and non-judgmental of the kids' fighting and bad moods, etc.  I didn't have to explain dysregulation or the kids' pasts and triggers and all of the things that can complicate things around here; Margaret just got it.  And she has always been like that: so intuitive and compassionate and smart.

Margaret used to be an elementary school teacher, and it is so evident in the way she plays with the kids (like here, up in the play set!) and down on the floor.  

I am so blessed to have her in my life.