Bulgarian Reunion

We had a great weekend at the Bulgarian Adoptive Families Reunion.  All of the kids really enjoy it, and I enjoy talking to other moms who "get it".  There are so many families there.  This year, I think there were around 130 people, more kids than adults.  Some grandparents and extended family attend, too, but many of the families are large, so seeing big vans is the norm.  Nathaniel jokes that this weekend always makes me lobby for more kids ("See, they have 6!  They have 13!) but the truth is, I'm always game for more kids.  :)

Anyway, we had a great time.  Gyunay gained a friend in a 15-year-old young lady who was so kind and caring to him.  Lydia had a couple of little friends, especially a 7-year-old Armenian American girl.  Malachi and Elijah often stick together, but they were separated a few times, and they enjoyed the weekend very much.  Elijah got to participate in a teens' scavenger hunt.  Malachi and Lydia enjoyed a Bulgarian cooking lesson.

This is Banitsa, which Malachi really enjoyed.  They also made tarator (cold cucumber soup), which Gyunay ate, and shopska salata (a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and Bulgarian cheese), which I devoured.  I ate a lot of shopska salata in Bulgaria because it is just so good.  Gyunay also ate most of Lydia's banitsa, although Nathaniel and I both tried it and liked it, too.  It's mostly cheese and phyllo, so what's not to like?

My happy Bulgarian American

He was so wiped out!  The crowds and activity do overwhelm him, and he would beg to go nigh-night.  Sometimes he passed out (for nap and bedtime) and sometimes we just snuggled in the cabin for a while to regroup.  

If anyone is interested in learning more about the Bulgarian Reunion, here is the website: http://bulgarianadopteesreunion.blogspot.com/