Preparing for the worst! Hoping for the Best.

Lately, my friends have been asking me to commit to activities that are in the future. There's a muddy obstacle course run in September that promises to be a blast, and a bunch of my friends are racing it. Normally, I LOVE, LOVE to plan in advance. I used to sign up for 26 mile marathons a year in advance, and then I trained accordingly. This lack of "a plan" is one of the reasons adoption is a big challenge for me. I am stepping out of my box. Until our new sons are all settled, healthy and happy,  I can't  plan anything. I keep telling people that I have to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. I've told my morning work-out partner that I won't be joining her for our 7:30-9:30 cardio "after China." I'll try to workout in our home gym or on the rowing machine while the boys play, but I may have to take a break for awhile. I'm already scouting Craigslist for a double jogging stroller, just in case I need to revert back to running (oy, my aching knees).  I recently told my afternoon kickboxing friends that I won't be at our 12-1pm class "after China."  I MIGHT be able to attend my three times a week taekwondo class, IF the boys are happy watching cartoons in the playroom while I train. I won't know that for a month or so. Our date night yoga class is definitely a thing of the past. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I'm just realistic. Our foster children (ages 2, 3, 5 & 8) were extremely needy, and I had to focus on their needs first. I'm fortunate that our children "get it" and they do not seem to resent the sacrifices we will all need to make. This weekend, at a taekwondo tournament in Connecticut, I told the other parents of the competition team that our sons won't be going to the Junior Olympics (in Dallas) in June, and the other parents seemed shocked. Yes, our sons are the most talented athletes on the team, and they easily qualified for Nationals. However, I can't leave two newly adopted children to schelp off to Dallas for a week. Sorry to let the team down and everything, but our new little ones need their mommy (and new siblings) home with them. Maybe, just maybe, maybe, the little guys will be easy going and well-adjusted. Just maybe we could all go to Dallas for the Jr. Olympics. But really, we won't have the extra cash either. So, as we get excited to travel to China, we also prepare for our lives to become a bit more complex.