Dinner with the Waters

We have a monthly get together for dinner with the Waters family and tonight was our date for December. I know this sounds corny, but seriously, these get-togethers are a major highlight of my/our month every single month of the year! When the Waters kids and the Johnson-McCormick kids get together it is totally mayhem and totally magical. It is absolutely beyond words in regards to the profound-ness of it all. To see seven Haitian-American kids, all of whom were adopted from orphanages, all of whom are THRIVING in their own unique ways, all having a heck of a time together with the most INCREDIBLE and INSPIRATIONAL Big-Sister IMAGINABLE: Jessica Waters.... well, I can't put words here to do it justice. It just is a sight. Maybe it is just something you kind of have to see to really "get"? I don't know. The only way I can think to describe it is this: it just really warms the soul. Plus (and this is a big plus), it is sooooooo so so so so so so soooooooooooooo soooo so so so sooooooooo rare (did I say "SO" rare? it is just so so rare) to be able to just be with another family even semi- like ours. And for our kids to be able to just play with kids from another family even semi- like ours. And for us parents to be able to just chat with other parents from another family even semi- like ours. Now that stuff really warms the heart and soul for all 12 of us! And it is quite a scene too. You should just see the dozen of us all collected together to eat supper in one place! (did I mention yet that 8 of us are under the age of 12?!) Tonight was extra special because we got to celebrate Erica Water's 4th birthday with the Waters Family. The greatest/ funniest/ wackiest/ awesome-est moment of the night was when Erica opened her birthday present from us, immediately ran upstairs to put it on (see photo below), and then made a grand entrance for the whole group to clap and cheer. Owen immediately stripped off his shirt (??!!), and insisted on coming down the stairs to make his own grand entrance... at which point he (topless) proceeded to push through the crowd to make a bee-line straight for Princess Fairy Erica and give her a huge hug and kiss in the center of the family room while all of us cheered and laughed so hard that we (the four adults at least) almost peed our pants! We always joke because since day-one of their meeting each other, Erica and Owen have seemed like little love-birds almost pre-destined for a big huge dramatic white wedding someday... perhaps we shouldn't joke?!!!!!! Other highlights of the evening (see photos below) included: watching Dora the Explorer together, seeing (and holding) the new tiny puppy, and eating loads of chips and hummus at the kids table.