We had a great last weekend with family. Seth flew in on Friday afternoon and Sat morning we threw Jackson an early Birthday party since we couldn’t pass up having family closeby and able to come. We went to Friendswood Sat night for a visit and then off to the airport on Sunday.

The ride to the airport was eventful when I glanced down at Jackson in his carseat and saw a HUGE roach crawling by his face. I started shrieking. I don’t like bugs but don’t usually scream. But there is something different about it being next to your baby’s head. Anyhow, Seth jumped from the back seat and got it in his fingers. It squirmed out so we were back to being terrified again. Meanwhile. Seth’s mom, Jo Beth,  tried to focus on driving.  For another 10-15 mins we kept our eyes rapidly moving around to spot the creature.  Eventually, I let out another shriek and Seth wrestled to get him. He got away and headed straight under      Jo Beth’s chair. Eventually he snuck back out and Seth triumphantly threw him out the window.  Jackson sensed our excitement and started clapping. That is how our trip started!

The flight was less eventful than the ride to the airport. It actually went really well. Jackson didn’t sleep much at all but he was really well-behaved. He was so happy to see Seth and I think he just enjoyed getting to sit between us even if he wasn’t sleeping. We discovered on our last trip that it was critical to bring his car seat on flights where we have a seat for him. He does so much better with his seat because he does not anticipate being able to run around.  He learned how to sign and say “light” while we were on the plane because we clicked the light off and on above us to entertain him.   We attempted a blanket barrier at one point to help him sleep because he was so distracted by the audience that kept walking by. He used the barrier as a peek-a-boo sheet.  He is a lot of fun these days!

While we were waiting in the plane for people to load, we watched as our bags were being loaded below. Ironically, when we arrived to the Bogota airport, one bag did not make it. Maybe the plane was too heavy so they removed one but coming in to Bogota we are always a little uneasy about our luggage anyhow. So, supposedly, we are getting our bag delivered this morning. That might be next month but we will see. It has all of our Dove chocolate and zip lock bag supply among other goodies so it better come!!

We are missing family after being home for 2 months, but we must say it is good to be home. While I was gone, I asked Seth if he had enough groceries. He said yes. I came home to a fridge that is EMPTY. Maybe 2 eggs, no milk..you get the idea..EMPTY. We are going on a grocery store trip today. It will take much longer than Super Target but it’s still nice to be home.

That’s about it from here. We will try to add some pictures this evening if we get a minute!

Yesterday I had a fairly relaxing but productive day.  I fixed our stereo–I guess the dust from the Lubbock windstorms circa 1997 had finally gotten to the CD lens.  I cleaned up random papers that we no longer needed.  I installed Jackson’s swing in our apartment play area.  I baby proofed our apartment a little more (the last time Jack was here, he was barely crawling).  And I even got in some soccer watching (Russia vs Netherlands).  But the soccer got interrupted by a wedding I had been invited to.  So I got all dressed up and went to the church, where it appeared I was the only invited guest.  In fact, it didn’t even appear the bride or groom had decided to show.  I was finally able to find someone in the church and ask what had happened to the wedding.  Turns out, the wedding wasn’t until today.

This story along with thinking about weddings and marriage reminded me why I got married: so I wouldn’t show up to other peoples’ weddings on the wrong day.

Kristen and Jackson are back in Bogota on Sunday, so if I can just avoid being invited to any more public events, I should be fine.

Jackson and I are still in Houston for another week and a half.  Seth is holding down the fort at home, trying to dodge tear gas at the embassy and scrounging up meals as he can.  We miss him so much!

Life just isn’t the same without him…

-Seth must be the person that keeps the toothpaste tube clean and not gooey. I have discovered that since he has been gone, it is a mess!

-Whenever I pick up the phone Jackson says, “Dada?”.   Seth is so involved in Jackson’s daily routines that he has really missed him and Seth him.  I am going to have to video when he sees him again because I think he might go a bit crazy. He might try to skip naps for a week to catch up on lost time. Jackson that is.

-Cyber-parenting is the new norm in our family. We try to have Seth and Jackson visit every day if possible via webcam. We laughed the other day when Jackson headed for the electrical outlet and Seth said, “Jackson, NO”. Jackson turned, furrowed his brow, and huffed at Seth.  I don’t think cyber-parenting will work when spankings are necessary but in the meantime it is working!

-Even if home overseas doesn’t feel like home sometimes, it feels more like home when you are away for a long time. I miss our home. Our things. Our routines. Our market. Our time together as a family. You get the idea.

-Saturday morning “daddy son time” is special to all of us..especially me!! I miss getting some rest while Seth and Jackson bond. They usually walk down the hill to get bagels or croissants while I get to sleep a little extra.  I am looking forward to the next daddy day!

-Our lifestyle involves SO MUCH packing! I am in the process of repacking us right now! People have asked lately how many children we want to have. I was driving along the other day and thought…Take the number of kids we might want to have and multiply that number by 3..that is the number of pieces of luggage…2 suitcases and 1 carry on per person. That’s right…if we have 2 kids that equals 8 suitcases and 4 carry-ons for our family (10 bags total), and for 3 kids it’s 10 suitcases and 5 carry-ons (15 bags!) and yes, for 4 children it would be 12 suitcases and 6 carry-ons (18 bags). There are quite a few years until Jackson will be able to pack or carry his own luggage (car seat, toys, snacks..you get the idea)!  We are going to have to start renting a city bus to get the the airports when we go on home leave.  Don’t misunderstand…we are NOT planning on having 4 or 5 kids at this point, and we would NEVER choose not to have kids because they would require more luggage! However, Seth might have to start investing in those big flat carts with an attendant at the airport!

That’s all for now.