First Day of School...again

Wednesday, August 26th, 2015 was Caedmon's first day of school. 

In his seven years Caedmon has had multiple first days of school.  2012 brought his first day at a local school overseas, unfortunately that experience lasted only two weeks.  He had his first day of home school in 2013.  2014 brought his second experience at a local school in the town of Barat, which turned out to be a great experience for him (probably attributed to his improved language ability and familiarity with the culture).  This year Caedmon entered second grade, but it is his first experience at what he calls a "real school" in the States, thus leading to another first day of school. 

Dressed and ready to head out!

He desired to arrive at school early enough to play on the playground prior to the start of class.  Upon arriving, he asked me, Erin, to stay until he went into his classroom.  He stood right by my side the whole time.  The second day we arrived early again, this time Caedmon ventured half way to the play structure a couple times but never quite far enough to play before class.  The third day he recognized a few kids in the morning and actually played for awhile, though he asked me to stay again until class started.

Playing before school on day 3.
Caedmon's in light blue - center.

When I asked Caedmon how it went on the first day, he responded with, "Great."  The second and third days brought the same response.  So far he seems to meeting classmates, getting accustomed to the routine of school, and enjoying it all.  We are so very thankful to this smooth transition into "real school."

Whitman seems to be transitioning well into life without his brother at home as well, though when asked what he thinks about it he responded with a big "thumbs down." 

Whitman Climbing

Trying new things with grampy.

Whitman's transition has certainly been smoothed by the presence of grandparents, good weather, and lots of fun activities at home.  On Friday we made a short visit to his school.  In September Whitman will begin 3 day per week preschool.  He seems excited, but at the same time pretty happy at home, even without his brother!



DIY Party

John coined the "DIY" term for Caedmon's 7th Birthday Party last Thursday the 6th. 

The day started with our family tradition of cinnamon rolls and opening presents!

The first family present came the day before!

Breakfast with Grandparents

Caedmon - the 7 year old!



Opening presents from family.

We invited a handful of similarly aged children, all of whom, thankfully, Caedmon had met, at least once.

We prepared a top-your-own-pizza and flavor-your-own-soda lunch.   

Lunch with friends

More friends.

After lunch the kids played games in the yard.





Playing Games

Keeping score!



Caedmon was blessed by the attendance of two of his cousins, Emma & Mason.

 Then they hit a piñata; which only took a few good whacks to bring it down.



Instead of a blindfold, we had the kids spin around the bat.

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Waiting their turn.

 

Happy Birthday was sung and cake was eaten!

Blowing out the candle. 
Caedmon picked cake-in-a-cone.

 Then, Caedmon opened presents.  This seemed slightly weird to me, at first.  When we first moved overseas, we were surprised to learn of the custom there to accept gifts, but open them at another time, alone.  Coming back to the states, I now realize I became use to that custom and felt a little embarrassed to have Caedmon open the gifts from his guests in front of everyone. 

 

Swing with friends!

Playing Basketball



After the party, Caedmon spent the rest of the afternoon putting together the many Legos he received.  At the end of the day he was exhausted and happy from the very many blessings he received throughout the day!

A Wonderful Weekend

Last weekend we were blessed by time with old friends and new ones. 

We spent Saturday afternoon at a cook-out.  Our old friends added two children since we last saw them, for a total of six, and our new friends have five of their own.  Amidst a great deal of catching up, we did a lot of name memorizing as we met many new-to-us kids.

Then that evening we were blessed by a visit from a family I, Erin, began babysitting for when I was in high school.  They greatly influenced me as I was privileged to see them raise their children as I not only babysat for them, but also traveled with them on many trips. 

Their two daughters, Claire and Courtney were flower girls in my wedding.  Unfortunately, their mother, Linda, was unable to attend our wedding due to the birth of her son, Charlie, two days prior. 

 

Claire, myself, and Courtney - 2006

Whitman, Charlie, and Caedmon - 2015
 

The weekend was such an encouraging time catching up with friends, fellowshipping, and getting to know a new family.  It is times like these that have made being back in the States a big blessing. 

 

Then this week we were blessed by a visit from family. 

Cousins
Emma, Whitman, & Mason

 

Life is so easy here.

...In the States

Our transition back has been very smooth, even amidst all the traveling.  Now that we have gotten into a routine in one place, I too quickly think life here is very easy.  Just about every building and most transportation, is climate controlled.  Buildings are well sealed resulting in one bug here or there, instead of swarms traveling up and down the walls.  Showers are hot.  Bathroom floors are dry; even if there is a puddle on the floor you can wear your shoes into the bathroom to avoid getting your feet wet.  Public bathrooms don't instill fear: there are sit toilets with toilet seats, there is running water, and almost always toilet paper and soap (even in out houses).  Laundry takes about 2 hours and can be done all in one room; no need to travel back and forth from the line outside.  The electricity and water are consistent.  Then there is the shopping; just about anything that you need can be found in one climate controlled building.  That is not to mention the variety, the consistency of stocked shelves, and the pre-prepared food readily available.  I could probably get away with never turning on the oven again.   There are many play grounds and parks to visit that are clean and safe to just let the boys play!

Though there are aspects of living here that are easier, that doesn’t mean life is easier.  I have to actively remember the most significant difficulties that people face transcend country lines.  Just since leaving Dallas, we have met friends who… are battling cancer, lost a brother to suicide, struggle with depression, have had 4 miscarriages while trying to add to their family, are seeing their children walk away from the Creator, lost their 2 day old baby, struggle in their marriages, had a child jailed, lost a parent, and faced death from toxic shock syndrome.

It is a good reminder that though there are some incredible conveniences here in the states, we all still live in a broken world and are in need of help. 

Home at last!

June 11th we arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina.  July 11th we arrived to our state side home!  Traveling for that long and over so many miles does wear on you: inconsistent schedules, a lack of sleep, and a lot of eating out.  At the same time we feel incredibly blessed to be able to make a trip like this.  We not only had the time, but also the finances, health, and stamina to do it.  We spent many hours with friends and family, often late into the night, but yet it always seemed too short.

We were very encouraged by the time spent with people and truly enjoyed seeing the beauty of this country.  Though we wouldn't trade the time we spent, there were some humbling and awkward moments.  In Durham, NC Whitman caught a stomach bug resulting in him loosing his breakfast in the church parking lot.  He then passed the bug on to dear friends we were staying with, causing the mother (a labor and delivery nurse) to have to step out of a birth-in-progress during her night shift.  Then our first morning at John's sister's house in Virginia, John and I both got sick.  Thankfully the bug stopped with Caedmon a couple days later.  Then there was dinner at a friend's house in Virginia, where Whitman caused a toilet to overflow.  In Princeton, NJ when we stopped to walk around the campus of Princeton University, Whitman had to pee and before we knew it decided to relieve himself on their football field...which is turf, not grass!  All in all we had a very good trip with very few break downs and Whitman really is a good kid.

 

Sparklers in Durham

Making friends with old friends.
We lived on the same floor of an apartment building with this family; they were our very first friends in Dallas!  Olivia, in the middle, is only one month older than Caedmon.

With cousins in Virginia! 

Two 4 year olds, three 6 year olds, and lots of boys!

Princeton Football Field

Times Square
The boys weren't impressed, they didn't know the significance of many of the places we visited.

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, US side

Niagara Falls, Canada side

Meaning no disrespect, Canada has the much better view of the falls.  You can get much closer on the US side, but both should be visited if you are ever in the area!



Playing with a friend!

We spent a week in Denver with friends from overseas.  They too came to the states to visit and connect with friends and family.  This was the first trip to the states by the wife and their one year old daughter.  Unfortunately the wife experienced Toxic Shock Syndrome and has been the hospital for almost a month.  She is doing much better, but the road recovery will be a long one.  Please be lifting this family up as their timing for a return and continued work overseas is currently unclear.

Fun with Uncle Ryan

Our travel plans were very flexible; depending a great deal on people's availability and how many miles we comfortably could cover in a day.  Due to the unavailability of one family, we were able to make it to Portland before John's oldest sister Jill and her family returned home to Minnesota.  This was an unexpected blessing as we were able to see Jill and her family, meet a niece and nephew (John's younger Mary's children) whom we had not yet met, and even connect with my brother Ryan, who happened to be in town from Salt Lake City!

Fun with cousins in Portland!

Decorations welcoming us home!

We are now in Walla Walla to stay. Okay, just until January.  Our goal is to have John's work visa in hand for a January return to Barat.  For the time being we are looking forward to being in one place, with the occasional trips to the Portland and Seattle areas, putting Caedmon in second grade at John's former elementary school, getting involved in various groups here in town, and enjoying friends and family! 

Plugging In & Plugging Out

On June 4th we said goodbye to Dallas.  Knowing we were only going to be there for a period of time, it was tempting to just keep to ourselves and not invest in getting to know the people around us.  Instead we met some truly wonderful people.  Caedmon became good friends with a young dating couple.  They graciously and lovingly listened to his stories and jokes, played with him, and frequently sat with us at meal time.  We learned much about other work going on around the world and were very encouraged.  It was a rich time we would not have benefited from if we stayed to our own room and our own business, though it made saying goodbye more difficult. 

Our rout thus far

 

Since leaving we have been blessed to see many people.  We have met spouses and children of friends whose families have grown since we went overseas in Kansas and Alabama.  We spent a weekend in Missouri, where Whitman was born.  We were blessed with many visits and much time with people from our time living there.  It has been such an amazing opportunity to meet with friends from long ago and get to know new ones better, as in Georgia; yet it has also been hard to say goodbye after just a meal or evening together.  We have gotten to catch up and even learn the ways in which they are being stretched and grown.  We have heard some very sad stories of the hurt and struggles people have experienced.  It has been a great reminder of the brokenness in this world, not just isolated to our host country overseas.  We have frequently been encouraged by our friends, but also have greatly desired to do more...to walk with our friends through the difficult times.  We know each of these cities is not the place we are suppose to be long term, so we are thankful for the time we do get with people, encourage when we can, and know we can lift them up from anywhere! 

So we continue to plug in, then plug out. 

The boys are doing well.  Whitman complains every time we have to leave, which just affirms his enjoyment at each stop!  Please do be thinking of Caedmon and Whitman as we continue with many hours in the car and sitting at restaurants talking. 

Storms, Storms, and More Storms

We are still in Dallas and have survived the storms.  In our immediate area we have only seen a few fallen trees or broken limbs.  Even so, we have learned the difference between a "watch" and a "warning," and seen some incredible lightening.  We are thankful, thus far, to have avoided the flooding, hail, terrible winds, and even tornados that have been very prominent in this area since our return to the States. 

In our second week here, we did experience a tornado warning, which means a tornado had been seen.  Therefore, everyone in the dorm-style building in which we are living, congregated in the downstairs hallway until the warning lifted.  Thankfully it was only an hour!

Other than attempting to stay out of the storms, I have continued to homeschool Caedmon to finish up first grade.  John is studying some topics very pertinent to our work overseas.  Whitman can be found either playing or watching cartoons in the national language of our host country (we brought these to help them retain their language abilities). 

We have also been blessed to spend time with many of our friends from when we lived here 6 years ago.  It has really been a rich time catching up and studying with others!

 

Other fun things we've been up to... 

Riding a Trolley
John's parents visited for a week and we had a blast doing some new things, some daily things, and mostly just being together!

Snow Cones...for the first time!

So clean and landscaped...I, Erin, am loving the parks, flowers, covered gutters, and sidewalks!

Swimming
It has been a bit cool to swim for too long.

Dilly Bars...for the first time too!

Making New Friends

Lots of Reading & Library Visits

Lego Playing

Put-Put Golf

Story Time...at Chick-Fil-A, who knew.

Enjoying snacks and the playground. 

 

 

Our next adventure begins June 4th.  We will leave Dallas for a cross-country or maybe better yet, around-the-USA trip.  We will first head east, stopping to visit friends and places we once lived.  After traveling north along the east coast we will turn west to return to Walla Walla for the remainder of the summer.  We look forward to catching up and seeing many along the way or after returning 'home.'