We took Sasha to Disney World end of October. We are a Disney family and it was great to share it with Sasha. Dan and I have so many great memories of Disney vacations with the kids and now we have those same memories with Sasha.
As you can see, we were there over Halloween. Mickey's Not So Scary Trick Or Treat is certainly the biggest Halloween party I've ever been to. I guess you could call us the Empire Family. Dan was Caesar, I was a Greek Goddess, and Sasha was Cleopatra.
They don't celebrate Halloween in Russia but Sasha had heard of it. She was totally excited and thought Trick or Treating was the greatest thing ever.
For those of you who know Dan personally, you are in total shock that he dressed up. We've been married 23 years and started dating when we were 17 and 18 years old and I have NEVER known him to dress up. Sasha looked so disappointed when he told her he doesn't dress up that he couldn't stand it and totally caved.
I've always known that Disney was a magical place, but for us this was a beyond magical trip in many ways. Was it because we were away from our normal surroundings? Was it because we were able to let go of the stress of every day normal life? Was it Pixie dust? Whatever it was, Sasha relaxed in a way we have not seen before. She really let her guard and defenses down and let us in like never before.
There was one day that we had quite a blow up with Sasha. This is pretty normal. We have at least one major blow up a week. Hey, you don't adopt a 13 year old international child and not have at least a weekly blow up. But this time was really different. We sat her down and she really listened to us in a way she had never listened before. The next day we were walking out to catch a bus and out of the blue Sasha said to me, "Mom, I think that 5-6 years in the orphanage were not good for me." She then explained that she believes she learned survival techniques and behaviors and reactions that might have seemed to help her survive in the orphanage, but they just don't seem to work in a family. Uh...okay...WOW!! I nearly passed out on the pavement. She gets it. In fact, she doesn't just get it, she really gets it. She is processing some things on a really deep level.
So now that we're home from vacation, the past two weeks have been absolutely perfect, yes? Umm no. We've had more blow ups, one was the worst yet, but I can point back to that moment in Disney and rest at least a little knowing that she is truly processing her new life and new family.
Pixie dust? I don't think so. No, I'm pretty sure that only the Holy Spirit is capable of that kind of magic. :)
