Ah, Memorial Day weekend. We were invited to spend the entirety at one of my favorite places in the world, where my grandparents have some property. Jen's work schedule being what it is, she was unable to go, but shooed me out the door to spend some time with all my Jackson kin.
It was a weekend of chatting with my Dad while fixing broken sprinkler lines, ATV rides for the nieces and nephews, of tending lawns, watching cartoons, smashing my foot with a truck jack, and, with Utah increasingly trying to join the Pacific Northwest, lots of rain followed by about four inches of snow.
Mostly what we did is talk. On the second night (my brother unfortunately having left), I ended staying up late with my sisters and my brothers-in-law, something that I have to say I sorely needed. There were a lot of questions and a lot of talk about China, the adoption process, and what it means to be a parent.
The quote of the evening went to one sister, who while changing her months-old daughter, summed up her feelings on what makes a parent: "being a parent isn't the giving birth part... it's remembering that it's field trip day so you need to pack a sandwich and get to the bus stop early."
My awesome sisters seemed so excited for us and eager to hear everything that it gave me a much needed boost. I guess we'd been handling tiny details of paperwork for so long that it's what the adoption process was beginning to feel like.
Much love to my sisters and brothers... it's starting to feel real for me, too.
-- Kevin
P.S. I promised more about the parent training... I haven't forgotten.
Your sister is right. And your family is indeed awesome. I miss you Jackson people.
ReplyDeleteYour sister is absolutely right! It definitely is not about pootin a baby, it's about being a parent, and being there for that child when they need you to explain why mammals are both female AND male cause their teacher won't. :)
ReplyDelete@Maddy... "pootin" a baby?
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