Vacation!

Well, we swore we would never fly with them again until they were 21. Never say never. We took off on our first family vacation together last Sunday to spend a week in Hilton Head, SC. Airline travel with Matthew and Thomas still presents some challenges, but the trip was nothing like the nightmarish flight from Kyiv last February. Using our frequent flyer miles and some promotional offers, we ended up flying first class on this trip. They've come a long way...8 months ago, the boys were eating gruel in an orphanage, and now they're flying first class to their timeshare. Ain't America great?!

Believe it or not, vacation seems to be working on the boys as well as us. Pre-K and Kindergarten must be more stressful than the coloring and graham crackers suggest. Their swimming has progressed visibly and they're calming down in restaurant situations and stores.

The week started with Uncle Tim, Joseph and Rosaleen joining us for a couple of days and the cousins got to know each other better and enjoyed their time in the pool. The four kids shared the second bedroom. Thomas, always the early riser, had his roommates up at about 4 a.m. As the week has moved on, we've been able to get him to sleep in to close to his normal 6 a.m. schedule.

We've been to the beach every day, although the ocean is too cold for swimming this time of year. Matthew brings the football along for a game of catch, and Thomas likes to go for a run on the beach.

We eat most of our meals at the condo, but treat ourselves by going out once in a while. Like most kids, the boys like "Old McDonald's" (they think the golden arches were named for the song), but anyplace that serves chicken nuggets, french fries and hot dogs gets the thumbs-up.