A Busy Time

Hello again family and friends! After recovering from our whirlwind trip to Australia, we hit the ground running in July. We celebrated Independence Day (USA) with sparklers, flower cones and a few really big fireworks that we never could have scored in the US. After battling some slight wind, we all had a great time. That same weekend we created a one-of-a-kind fort/playhouse for Anna in her bathroom shower. I know this sounds a bit odd, but the playhouse she wanted sells for about $1,000 here in India. We covered the three doors with pink and white flowered fabric, cut a rug to fit, and decorated the inside with Anna’s artwork. Now she has a place all of her own and she loves it. We celebrated our driver Kiran’s birthday on the 9th with a chocolate cake and singing. On the 11th we attended the traditional Indian wedding of one of Chris’s employees. Wow, what an event! This was a grand-scale event that rivaled anything I ever saw at Leawood Country Club. The wedding hall was beautifully decorated and the food was plentiful and varied. They had everything from traditional Indian food to pizza, roasted corn, and ice cream. Anna made several new friends and Max spent the evening wooing the ladies. The following evening, Chris and I went to dinner and a movie to celebrate his birthday, which was on Sunday. After letting the birthday boy sleep in on Sunday morning, we all went to the German Bakery for a late breakfast then did some shopping. Monday we saw Chris off to Hyderabad for a two-day conference. He will return Wednesday night only to leave again Sunday for a week in France and Germany. Fortunately, Chris was able to coordinate his travel plans with my mom’s arrival. They will meet up in Frankfurt and will travel back to Mumbai together. My mom will be here until August 6th and we’ve got a lot planned during her visit. On our agenda are the Taj Mahal and the Sangam World Centre for Girl Scouts, among other things. We are all eagerly awaiting her arrival. Shortly after my mom’s departure we will leave for the US for a few weeks. Chris has some meetings and we are anxious to catch up with our friends and family. We will all be in the Quad City area for a few weeks and then the kids and I will head to Michigan for the remainder of the trip. During all of this craziness, Anna continues to do well in school and is growing emotionally and socially every day. Max is getting big; most of you won’t recognize him. He is a talker, although most of the time we don’t know what he’s saying. Maybe it’s Hindi. Well, I’d better sign off for now. Please take care and keep us in your prayers.