Well said, Mike.
And no, this isn't where I thought I would be. I have a chronic health condition that *seemed* to preclude being a bio parent. Dh and I planned to be DINKS, have a house, a couple of dogs, travel, just be ourselves BY ourselves. It was fun while it lasted.
The pregnancy surprised us, the delivery about did me in (not to mention Dh and Dd) and I spent, oh...what? 2 years? recovering. Anyway, THAT was that. Then we got a call...and we've now adopted 4 kids, for a total of 5 kids at home. Is THIS where we planned to be? (Uh oh, Dh is paying bills - lots of bills - at the table and Ds(5) just knocked a pile off...
) We're up to our ears in bills, we NEVER have time alone, we rarely travel, we homeschool, our lives revolve around meeting the needs of the kids, and sometimes I feel totally sucked into the undertow of all the ... well, all the EVERYTHING that the kids need. And they NEEED a lot. All the time. Always. Forever. Constantly. (I can feel the energy draining from me as I type!)
Still, I can't even conceive of life without our kids. Others look a bit askance at our kids, but I just see all this enthusiasm and joy in life that bubbles out of them. They are wonderful children whom we're overwhelmingly blessed to have in our home. I can't imagine it any other way. Although...sometimes I fantasize that we have a nanny and I get to have a 'Calgon, take me away!' moment.