Home for the Holidays

Given the tremendous amount of time that has passed since the last update, I will try to cover as much as I can in a short amount of space and time. We left for the U.S. on December 12th and arrived in Kansas City nearly forty hours later. The trip was lengthened by engine trouble, a plane exchange, and a missed connecting flight. All-in-all we arrived safely and relatively unscathed. The first order of business was decorating Grammy and Gramps’ tree. Anna was very helpful and Max followed behind undoing most of her hard work. Early in the week we attended a Christmas party at Aunt Pat’s school. It was great fun with crafts, stories, and a visit from Santa. While Max was not thrilled about sitting on Santa’s lap, he did enjoy his gifts. Later that week, Anna attended her very first ballet class. She absolutely loved it and the teacher said she is a natural. I have tried to find a ballet class here in India to no avail. She will just have to wait one more year. On Saturday Grammy and Gramps hosted a lovely holiday open-house so we could see as many people as possible during our short stay in Kansas City. Later that night Chris, Anna and I took in the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. It was a stunning show! The costumes, dancing, and lights were amazing. The following day we all met Grandpa Clark and Alline in Emporia, Kansas for a small holiday celebration. While it was bitterly cold in Kansas City, we enjoyed the feeling of being home for the holidays. The kids reveled in the snow, which they had all but forgotten while living in such a hot climate. We spent Christmas Eve at Grammy and Gramps’ like we usually do and opened gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. We then went to Aunt Pat and Uncle Tom’s for dinner. My Mom arrived from Michigan later that night. A few nights later Sue, Mom, and I took Anna to see the Nutcracker. It was magical! Anna loved the beautiful costumes, dancers, and decorations. Toward the end though, she did comment that Clara was having an awfully long dream. It was getting a bit late. On the 29th, our sweet girl turned five. I still can’t understand where the time goes! We headed to Phoenix that day to meet Chris and his Dad, who had driven out a few days before. Reid and Sue’s new place in Gold Canyon is wonderful. The kids loved the local library, parks, and of course the pool. Chris headed back to India on January 4th while the kids and I stayed and soaked up more fun in the sun. We attended a nice bluegrass festival and were able to see the Budweiser Clydesdale horses. Chris and I celebrated our ninth anniversary, apart for the first time, on the 15th and Max turned the big two on the 22nd. Again, where does the time go? Chris flew back to Chicago for a conference on the 23rd and the kids and I met him the following day. We spent Sunday at the Field Museum and the kids and I headed to Michigan to see my family on Monday. While we were there we packed in library story time, a birthday party, bowling, and lots of visiting. We met Chris back in Chicago on Friday and headed for Moline. While there we soaked up time with our friends, the Longs, and made a quick trip to Waterloo, Iowa where we visited with our friends, the Perrys. We all headed back to India on February 6th and arrived safe and sound the following day. It was a whirlwind trip, but we wouldn’t miss the time spent with our family and friends for anything. By the way, sorry about not sending out Christmas cards this year. Between the jet lag and all the running around we did, we’ll have to catch you next year. Until next time, be happy, be healthy, and be safe. Take care!