This is how we spent the summer, traveling the east coast of the United States. While it was exhausting for all of us, it was worth every flight and time we had to re-pack our suitcases. Being that our family and friends are so very important to us and because we are so far away for 11 months of the year, it is important for us to reconnect real time, face-to-face with as many people as we can fit in.
It has also proven to be an important time for us to ensure that the kids are continually exposed to our home culture. It is amazing how quickly they take on the culture here as their own. It's all they know, especially Sophia, as her first memories will be of her time living here in China. So, in theory, our time in the US will help to reduce the amount of culture shock they will have when we move back to the US. This visit, Sophia was particularly out of sorts, asking every day to come back to her "real home" here in China. And we were all a bit overwhelmed by the amount of advertising and stuff that was everywhere we went. Don't get me wrong, China is actually stockpiled full of stuff everywhere you look. But it is different. In the US, it is organized, clean, and displayed in a way that makes it feel like there is more. Their eyes (and probably mine as well) when we walked into Target said it all.
We are now back to our "real home" here in China and back into our routines. And I have to admit, it is nice to be back in our own beds. But looking through all of the pictures already has me a bit sad knowing it will be another 11 months before we get to come to the US again. Charlie will be walking and talking. Emma will probably have pig tails and be a full-fledged toddler. Bella will have shed all her toddler traits and will join her big kid cousins. And Eric and Sophia will both have the responsibilities of being a big brother and big sister to this new little one that will be arriving in the next few weeks. Wow...
Thanks again to everyone that put up with our craziness and took the time to meet up with us, house us, feed us, or just humor us with our China stories. We can't say thank you enough for yet another memorable summer.
Enjoy the pictures! (Click on each of them to see more pictures from that state.)
Maine
Wisconsin
South/North Carolina
Columbus
New York
1 comment:
was so fun - how did we not get any pictures!! miss you guys - hope you're feeling well!
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