Connecticut and Boston

There is nothing like a malfunctioned camera card to ruin all motivation for working on photos and posting said photos.  I've had a hard time picking up my camera since an SD card went haywire in August and I lost a lot of photos from our trip out East.  I've cried and grieved over the lost photos from our time in Connecticut and Boston - everything from the boys riding a quad in the woods with our cousin to digging with a real digger to our adventures at Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower to half of our whale watching tour.

Gone, all of it.  Except in my memory, which doesn't work well long-term, hence why photos are so important to me and hence why I've been so discouraged in the photo department the past couple months.

But we did have an amazing trip to see family and friends and I don't want to forget it!  So here are photos that were blessedly preserved on phones instead of my actual camera, and then what I was able to capture with a different camera card after the first one went defunct.

First of all, our trip to New England was extremely special for Caleb because he didn't fly out there with the rest of us.  He tagged along with Grandma and Grandpa Horn as they drove all the way out there with their camper in tow.  They came through Michigan and picked him up, then continued on and met us out there.  They stayed overnight in Pennsylvania along the way and took our animal-loving son to a place called Reptiland.  He couldn't stop talking about it for days.

We met up in Connecticut to visit Eli's cousins, aunt and uncle.  We hadn't been out there in years and it was such a joy to see them all again and for the boys get to know them.  The agenda was simple: hang out and share meals together.  The weather was beautiful and we got to swim in their pool and take the quad through the woods, and Kai and Asa got to dig with a digger in the back yard.  It was heaven on earth!

Not only that, but Jen took us to the PEZ factory!  It was such a fun and fascinating place.  Who knew that PEZ had such history, and that there were more PEZ container designs than one could imagine?

We just love spending time with Eli's extended family.  It was with reluctance that we had to leave Connecticut, but also with joy as we headed from there to Boston to see more family.  We made a stop at Plimoth Plantation along the way, which the boys absolutely loved.  I took some great photos and videos of Asa chopping wood and all the boys pretending to blast cannons, but all of that will have to live in my memory.  We also made a stop at the Mayflower and Plymoth Rock, which was really fun too, but alas, that will have to live in my memory also.

We arrived at Eli's aunt and uncle's house and were welcomed by a welcome sign on the door - such a thoughtful touch as we brought our rambunctious boys into their space.  I'm always amazed at the incredible hospitality of people as we bring all our chaos into their homes!

In Boston we had the chance to take the boys whale watching.  It was a cool and cloudy day, but it was so worth it.  I still can't get over the boys' excitement at seeing humpback whales coming to the surface of the ocean.  It was also their first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean, which feels like a milestone.  Their perception of the ocean is the Indian Ocean near the equator, so this was a totally different experience.  Grandma Horn came along for the fun too!

Halfway through the boat trip is when my camera card malfunctioned (although I didn't realize at that point that my photos would be gone forever) so I simply switched cards and kept taking photos.  I'm grateful I have anything from that experience.

Asa kept striking this pose.  I assumed he was trying to use the Force on the whales, but when I asked about it he just said he wasn't doing anything.  I love little boys and their indiscernible imaginations!

And we did see whales!  Lots of humpback whales.  No fancy jumps out of the water, but plenty of surfacing and deep dives with their tails flapping above the surface.  They are such big, beautiful creatures.  I'm so thankful we could see them.

The next day Eli's aunt took us into Boston so we could walk the Freedom Trail.  The boys have learned a lot of American history in Social Studies and it was neat to walk the streets of Boston with them and help them imagine the history there.  They knew about Paul Revere and Samuel Adams and the Boston Massacre and other tidbits.  I love history and it was just amazing to be in Boston again, this time with our boys.  And I must say how proud I was of their ability to walk the whole Freedom Trail and back!

Caleb had to leave a day early to drive back to Michigan with Grandma and Grandpa Horn, so the rest of us had time to enjoy the beach!  Even though I myself don't love hanging out at the beach all that much, it was good to see the boys enjoy themselves so thoroughly.  Kai and Asa didn't waste a moment digging in the sand and having a splendid time.  I cherish these moments of watching our children love childhood!

We are in such a sweet spot with the kids.  They are old enough to do a lot for themselves but are still kids, not running off without us.  I love it.  It makes these kind of trips so much easier than they used to be, and a whole lot of fun.  We are reveling in the blessing of this sweet spot!

 

A Summer of Family, Friends, and Lots of Fun

We arrived in the U.S. the day before my dad's birthday and were able to celebrate with him.  We've been blessed to see my parents and my older sister's family a lot this summer.  There's been a lot of time in the lake and a lot of cousin time.

We've also been blessed to see my best friend and her family a lot.  They have three boys also and it's "boy heaven" every time the kiddos are together!  And getting to spend time with Corrie is so good for my soul.

Fishing at my parents' house has been a highlight.  The boys have learned the difference between bluegills and crappies and large-mouth bass, and my dad has shown them how to fillet a fish, and recently we had a fish fry so they could learn what the fish tastes like.  The reviews were varied but at least they've tasted fried fish now.

We had quality Clark time a week after we landed.  My twin sister's family flew in from Oklahoma and it was great to have everyone together at my parents' house.  We asked the kids to line up from oldest to youngest for a cousin picture and it was hilarious to watch them try and figure out what order they should be in!

After that we drove across the state to join the extended Clark family.  We visited my 94-year old grandma (and reintroduced our kids to her since they didn't remember her at all), and then joined everyone for a day of touring a dairy farm, going on a sand dune buggy ride, and enjoying a beach on Lake Michigan.

We spent a few days at WGM headquarters and saw several of our colleagues from Kenya there.  The boys had a good time in the kids program and we enjoyed reconnecting with friends.

We spent 18 days traveling through the Midwest and seeing lots of friends and family.  The boys particularly loved being at the Horn family farm and being up on the North Shore of Minnesota.

It's been a busy but blessed summer.  Plenty of travel and lots of reconnecting with people we love.  We're thankful!

Coming Back to Summer in the Midwest

We landed in the States back in June, took our time getting over jet lag, and have been reconnecting with people ever since.  Spending time with people is wonderful, but it takes a lot of time!  Which explains my complete inability to keep up with communications like blogging or writing a newsletter.  I am way overdue on both fronts.  But we've had sweet time with people in person, which we weren't sure would be possible when we planned our Home Assignment in the middle of a pandemic, so we are grateful.

The international flight from Nairobi to Doha to Chicago to Flint was incredibly smooth.  The boys all stayed awake until our flight left at 2am and they were superstar travelers.

All three of the boys are at an age when they can operate the airplane screens by themselves, and they're all at an age when they are completely entertained by said screens for hours on end.  And I mean hours.  We made them sleep for a few hours on the 15-hour flight from Doha to Chicago, but otherwise they completely entertained themselves with the screens.  It was magical!  I was free to watch something for myself and I have never done that ever on a plane with my children!  It was a whole new world!

There were only two real struggles over the course of our journey.  The first was in Doha when we went through security and discovered that Caleb's slingshot, which was in his backpack, was considered a weapon and therefore could not be carried in a carry-on.  The slingshot had been made for him by a Samburu warrior last year and Caleb really wanted to bring it to America and we, foolishly, never even considered that it shouldn't be put in a carry-on.  So there we were, stopped in security for a very long time because of a slingshot from Samburu.  We were given a choice: put it in a bag and check it planeside, or have it confiscated.  After debating the importance of the slingshot to our Third Culture Kid, we decided to rearrange our carry-ons in order to check one and get the special item back to America.  These are the things parents will do to help their kids!

The only other hiccup occurred when Kai and Asa completely zonked out at O'Hare while waiting for our last flight and could not be woken up to get on the plane.  Our departure gate had changed and we needed to get everyone a little further down the terminal and onto the plane, and neither of those boys could do it on their own.  Eli became the Carry-On Monster, carrying all the carry-ons for four people while I carried Asa in my arms and literally dragged a closed-eyed and whimpering Kai along to the next gate.  At that point we were not a picture of a happy family on our way back to our passport country after more than two years, but at least it was the last leg of the journey.  We made it, zombie kids and all, and my parents met us at the airport to haul our tired selves and 10 bags back to the house to sleep the sleep of international travelers.

For the next week we worked through jet lag.  It was summer in the Midwest and any time we were awake, day or night, it was beautiful outside.  And because we're living on a lake, we could swim, kayak, go for boat rides, or just sit on the deck and enjoy the view.  I challenge you to find a better way to work your way to the right time zone!

Coming back to summer in the Midwest was a treat.  Last time we came back to America it was in March, which was fine, but coming back to the smell of freshly mowed grass and the enchanting sight of glowing fireflies at dusk and listening to the sweet trill of red-winged blackbirds and eating fresh-picked strawberries and blueberries satisfied something deep in my Midwestern soul.  It's a wonderful time of year to be back.

And we've been busy enjoying it!  I'll put a smattering of photos in another post, but suffice it to say it's been a busy but good summer for the Horns.