It was the first time we had to pay for Caleb's ticket on the plane, but it was actually a blessing because it gave us an extra seat to let the boys wiggle. They were all-star travelers, for which we are thankful. Caleb was excited to see all the planes at the airport and Kai was intrigued by everyone and everything. And since he's the cutest baby on the planet, he attracts a lot of attention to himself. In fact, a couple of Hispanic ladies in the row across/behind us could not stop adoring Kai and eventually took him off my hands and held and snuggled him for the last 15 minutes of the flight! He brought them immense joy and they passed him all down the row for every baby-loving lady to enjoy :) We're so thankful that our kids make other people happy too!
We spent the holiday weekend at my parents' lake house. Many new experiences were in store for Caleb, including the trampoline! He was a bit cautious at first but quickly learned the ropes from his cousins. (He had an amazing time playing with his cousins, by the way. We wish we could see them more often!) Caleb spent awhile running in circles on the trampoline, pretending to be a fire truck: "Wee-oo wee-oo! To the rescue!"
We went for a couple boat rides, including a ride in the dark to watch the fireworks over the lake, which was truly spectacular, I must say! Kai loved being outside and loved the extra attention from all the people around.
An absolute highlight of our trip was getting to see my dear friend Simone who's in the States for a summer course. She's from Switzerland and was an exchange student with our family when I was a freshman in high school. She's remained a good friend all these years and is now a missionary in South Sudan. I hadn't seen her since my wedding - she flew all the way from Switzerland just to see me marry Eli! - so it was a true joy to spend time with her and be blessed and encouraged by her. We asked tons of questions about her life in Africa and learned a lot. It was wonderful, just wonderful, to spend a few days with this incredible woman of God!
The fun at the lake went on and on. My dad took the kids swimming, the adults took turns kayaking, we lounged in the hammock, played games, grilled meat, took naps, watched fireworks, and visited with friends and family in between it all. It was a quintessential American way to celebrate the 4th of July!
After the weekend we meandered back to my parents' house where Eli proceeded to take over the world in an epic battle of Risk. I had a clear advantage at the beginning of the game, but as these things usually go, the tables turned quickly and the outcome was murky till the very end. My mom went down hooting and hollering (it only took me 30 armies to annihilate her 4 armies in China...good grief, that darn Wall of China is legit...) but despite all my efforts to conquer the world, it came down to my dad and Eli, the latter of which wound up on top. We hadn't played that game in a long time and it was grand.
My dad's family came over one afternoon and it was great to see everyone. Kai enthusiastically showed my grandma his mad piano skills and Caleb enthusiastically showed everyone his fire-breathing dragons. (My heart was happy to see my son playing with my beloved Legos! Those little blocks never get old.)
The last highlight of our trip was witnessing Caleb's first fishing experience. I wish I could've taken a video but my camera battery was nearly dead, so I'm lucky to have gotten these photos. Let me explain what happened: my dad caught a fish, Caleb unabashedly grabbed the fish with both hands before it was even off the hook, my dad helped him throw the fish into the bucket, and Caleb instantly threw both arms into the watery bucket to catch the fish bare-handed while repeatedly saying, "I get it, I get it" before pulling it out and throwing it back in the pond, then saying, "Another fish! Another fish!" and throwing his pole into the water in hopes of catching one himself. And repeat, and repeat, and repeat. My dad caught dozens of fish, and Caleb caught every one bare-handed from the bucket and threw them back in the pond. He was ecstatic. And completely soaked :) It was priceless to watch him experience fishing for the first time!
After celebrating my nephew's birthday, we headed back to Minnesota and spent a couple days in the Twin Cities before heading back to Duluth. We had a good time seeing Eli's family and our boys had more opportunities to play with cousins. Caleb loves his cousins and loves playing with other kids. In fact, as we got out of our car back in Duluth, the first thing he said was, "Where cousins go?" and proceeded to whimper when I explained that they were back at their houses :( But it's a good problem to have. Loving your cousins is a good thing!
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