Boys

Julie has arrived, coming in last night to surprise the boys with a dinner at a restaurant. We had taken them to the beach earlier in the afternoon and played games, ate some chocolate and took pictures. When the boys saw Julie, they started jumping up and down screaming and ran down the beach to meet her. I got some amazing pictures of Julie embracing each of them, kissing and hugging them.

Tonight, after dinner, we were sitting around with the kids in the dark yard. Usually the kids leave by 4:30 so that they can get home before dark, but tonight we were going to drive them, so we could stay a bit later with them. Domingos went and found the light bulb for the back porch and screwed it in. Then, one by one, the kids came up and read a few lines that they had written to her to welcome her home. They were actually typed up, which was huge, and then they gave her the paper as she hugged them. It was incredibly touching.

Today was the first day I realized I love these children. There have been times when just simply being with them and looking around at their faces has made me want to cry. They are so funny and amazing, just like every kid. I love to see how each of them are so different, but how they have really created a family for themselves. They love to dance and can do these crazy flips in the air. I have hesitated to write about them, not really knowing how to explain the feeling I have for them after such a short amount of time. What are all of these feelings of affection and protectiveness? How did they develop so quickly? Have I really only known them less than a week? In my struggle to understand all of this, and then to try and adequately explain it, I realized that it doesn’t matter how I describe it. It is what it is, and I think most people will understand it.