Trips and such

Just returned from a 1600-plus-mile trip to see family and friends. I must be a glutton for punishment. All those miles in a van with 4 kids for 8 days. The last day was brutal -- 11 hours of driving. But it was nice to see everyone, and I survived. That's kind of the basic word here. Summer equals survival for me. I've survived with most of my sanity intact, so I'm a winner! The girls start school in 8 days. I haven't been counting down until now, whereas Brianna has been so eager to get back to school (a new one) that she's been counting down for at least 37 days (that's the first I was aware of the countdown she has posted on her chalkboard). She's going to a private school this year so I got to pay tuition and fees and buy uniforms. Eeek. With that and the new baby and adoption costs and then just buying the house exactly a year ago today and spending all kinds of money on it to fix it up in the past 12 months, it has been the most expensive year of my life, by far. I'm hoping for a nice, quiet, cheap year to come, perhaps? Shop Salvation Army, live off food storage? Ha. Well, it's worth a think at least.
In all seriousness, we are doing very well. Charlotte just turned 3 months on Monday and has been absolutely a delight. I had to get up with her every night while we were traveling in less-than-ideal circumstances, since the trip was made without Marce (who did a lot of work on the house while we were gone), but she is still just such a wonderful baby that it's not too bad. She is so happy and cheerful and great to have around. In one month, she will be officially, completely, legally ours, and then she will be blessed in church and sealed to us in the temple, in California. We are so looking forward to that.
The summer has been fairly good, despite the stresses, and we've all survived it. We've been so blessed to have this new baby and to have things eventually work out well. There have definitely been some giant hiccups, but it has worked out in the near-end here. I am incredibly grateful for that.
I don't have a lot more words in me right now but will try to write sooner rather than later again.