There's No Place Like Home

I have survived and I love D.C. What an amazing city. Our agenda was so full that we didn't get to truly enjoy it, but at least we got a glimpse of things. I think my favorite was the National Cathedral. What an amazing place! Brady really liked the Capitol and The Archives. I think his favorite thing was the man in front of the White House who has been there since 1981 protesting nuclear weapons. He and his friends had to get a picture with him. Brady bought an Abraham Lincoln style hat on the first day and wore it the entire trip. At first I was against him looking like such a nerd, but it came in really handy trying to spot him in the crowds, and it was crowded with school groups. When there are thousands of teenagers around, they all start to look the same. Abe's hat came in handy!

Overall, there weren't any major problems. Some of the kids drove me crazy being so loud and at times disrespectful. I don't think many kids today appreciate our history and are so overindulged with stuff that they just become obnoxious. The constant texting one another also drove me nuts. I have to compliment my son. There are times that I want to beat him, but he was very well behaved on this trip and I realized by watching other kids, he really is a good kid. I heard some of the kids being rude to there parents, but he could not have been more polite and sweet. I really enjoyed being with him. With that being said, so did a lot of other "young ladies". He really has a following of girls. I had to keep a watch on that situation and some of these girls are more "advanced" than Brady when it comes to boy/girl relationships. I want to go on the record as saying, I am not looking forward to the dating scene!

Arlington Cemetery and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a humbling thing to see. When you are surrounded by rows of tombstones it really makes you stop and think.

Security was also the high point for some of the kids. When you see guards on the steps of the Capitol with machine guns, suddenly all that kidding around seems to change. The kids were warned not to even mutter the word bomb and as far as I know, they took it seriously!

No adoption news while I was gone. We are hoping referrals come this week, but with the earthquake it's hard to say. I'm afraid it may only become slower, if that's possible:)