American Tour '15

Things are just so interesting with kids. I wrote before about my flight with Danny on my lap. I didn't mention yet how the rest of our trip went. Overall, I'd say well. D and I had a whole month to switch time zones and get used to America, so that we were ready to roll when Josh arrived in June. And a busy month it was.

Here's what we did:

Danny got to finally meet his Minnesota family. Also, it was the first time in 3 years that all of Josh's siblings were together.

Meeting Great Grandma D

All together again + some newbies

We just had the best time indulging in comfort food, fresh air, and great company.  Danny got to celebrate the 4th of July in America for the first time. He wasn't scared of the fireworks of course, since that's a weekly occurrence in China.

Going home this year was a bit different. I started to imagine what it would be like to actually live there. There are so many things I've forgotten.

I forgot about sales tax.
I forgot that people can understand me when I speak (this can be good or bad).
I forgot that you don't have to stand so close to someone to prevent losing your place in a queue.
I forgot that Americans don't use the word "queue" and say "to go" instead of "take away."
I forgot how awesome it is to drive a car, and how people obey traffic rules.
I forgot how easy it is to do things.
I forgot how fast and unrestricted the internet is.
I forgot how friendly people can be.
I forgot that it's normal for people wear shoes in their houses.
I forgot how good it feels to breathe in fresh air.
I forgot how big everything is there.
I forgot how much better American Chinese food is than real Chinese food!

Bringing Danny to America for a second visit was completely different than the last time. Last year, he was 3-5 months old. He had just started crawling and pulling himself up, and was very dependent on me. This year he was 17-19 months old. He had the time of his life! One of the first days we were there, he spent about an hour rolling around in the grass. He love love loved the outdoors!

We are still not exactly sure when the magical "Move back to America" date will be. It's hard to know because there are so many different elements to consider.  We have all kinds of goals set for ourselves. And knowing that we may be out of Asia for awhile is great motivation to make the most of our time left here. There's still so much to see, do, and eat!

After a month of trekking between different places, it was great to get back to our own space and our normal schedule. The flight back was great!  Josh and I sat apart so Danny could have a change of scenery for those long hours. And a bonus was that the flight was pretty empty so we had extra seats all around us to spread out! That's never happened to us before! I won't lie, Danny wasn't happy the whole time, but I did get a nice little nap and some alone time. It was just enough to manage him when he was restless.

It was a successful visit home :)