Weekend Update

This was a fun weekend. Seems like I start most of my "this is what happened this weekend" blogs that way! I really do find it so fun to have all of our family members finally home!

Friday night was spent the usual way--family time with the kids. We just played games and hung out--nothing special, but really great for creating memories. One of the things I enjoyed most about Friday night is that Bright and Samren played well together and were loving towards one another. These two boys have such sibling rivalry, which I wouldn't have expected with 4 years age difference! It is disheartening at times. Bright (22 months) has convinced Samren (5 years 9 months) that he is stronger and can beat him up! So Samren just melts into nothingness if Bright so much as touches him. Anyway, I digress! Friday was good so I'll focus on that! Here is PROOF that my boys CAN be loving towards one another! LOL
Saturday morning we got up and went to Incredible Pizza to celebrate (of all people!) Eric's mom's and Eric's BIL's birthday. Have you heard of this place? It is ALL the rage here! It is basically a giant indoor family recreation center. You pay one price to get in ($9 for adults, $6 for kids over 3, free for kids under 3), which covers your buffet and also gives you a $5 game debit card (tokens are so yesterday people!). There is an incredible amount of food to choose from (pizza, pasta, soup, salad, desserts, etc.) and you can go back and eat or drink as many times throughout the day as you would like. We ended up eating two meals, one round of dessert, and several drinks during our 7 hour stint.

When you're not eating you can play arcade or fair-type games to earn tickets, you can bowl, you can do go-cart racing, bumper cars, air hockey, or miniture golf. I've gotta admit...it really was fun! Eric and I could go there for a date night and have a perfectly good time. =-) Bright passed out about the last hour. I am not usually into strollers, but it really came in handy for this outing.Taking Bright to Incredible Pizza really was a sort of reminder that as amazing as his transition and attachment has gone, he has still only been home for 2 months and still isn't totally used to all of our American excess. Taking him there was the first time to be around so many people and lights and sounds and smells. Eric and I could both tell it overwhelmed him. He went inside of himself for the most part. Other times he would throw incredible fits that aren't like him at all. His "mood" carried on throughout the evening when we went back to play games at Eric's family home. He was just...on edge. Definitely stressed. Just goes to show that even kids we do GREAT once home can still have experiences that overwhelm and stress them.

On the way back to Eric's parents' house after the pizza, Samren decided to dawn a pair of play gloves that had been given to him. Poor kid! Just sweatin' like a pig in the backseat with those gloves on--while sleeping!With Eric's family it's traditional that we ALWAYS have to play cards when we get together. =-) And the kids play with one another. Taevy asked if she could use my camera to take some pictures. I thought she did pretty good! The blonde cutie is our neice Morgan, who is 1 month younger than Taevy and about a year older than Samren (notice the height difference!).

Another "normal" weekend with the Gillispie family. =-)
Anita