Florida Trip

Last weekend we went to Florida to celebrate my Grandma Edie's life. She passed away on June 22nd, which was 38 days before the judge in Ethiopia declared Ezra to be our son. I was so grateful that she got to hear news of our referral and see pictures of Ezra. My dad was in Florida with her the day we got the referral call and he told me that she had him put photos of Ezra in every room so she could always see him. I remember talking to her in the spring of last year and she told me that she had "a chat" with her oncologist. She told him that she was, "putting the pressure on him to keep her alive so that she could see her grandchild come home from Ethiopia." Thinking of that comment now makes me smile because it sounds just like her.

My dad's side of the family gathered in Florida this past weekend as she would have turned 87 on December 7th. All of us stayed at the same hotel right on the beach. It was a wonderful getaway and I know my grandma would have loved the idea of all of us together. The trip was also exciting because it was Ezra's first time to see the ocean. The water was too cold to get in but he seemed to enjoy observing it from a distance. Here are some photos from the trip.

The view from our hotel room balcony.

Ezra with his Grandfather.

Damon and Ezra venturing pretty close to the water. As with most things, Ezra seemed very curious.

The original TomKat. So cute.

Ezra chilling on a poolside lounge chair.

At breakfast in the morning with Grandma Kathy. Ezra always has something to say. Do you think my mom is in love with her grandson?

Too bad Ezra was more interested in Damon's button and wasn't looking at the camera.

A beautiful Florida sunset.

I would say Ezra's trip to the beach was a success! We were able to sleep with our balcony door open and you could hear the waves hitting the sand. I even think the fresh air helped Ezra sleep through the night! Unfortunately, the flight home was miserable. It would be fair to say that it was easier flying home from Ethiopia. It's amazing what a difference a few months makes. In August, he was content with sitting on our laps but that is not the case anymore. Ezra did not enjoy being contained or in the same space for a long period of time. He had one of those meltdowns in the airport where you want to crawl under one of the chairs and hide. He was totally out of sorts. (So was I.) Luckily his personality and smile won over most of the people around us so they didn't seem too mad when he decided to scream. I was so glad we got to see all my aunts, uncles and cousins on my dad's side so it was worth the drama filled flight home. I will be crossing my fingers that the flight to Tulsa at Christmas will be easier!