Enjoying the simple things

We've had a busy and good first week back in the US, and have been enjoying a lot of the simple things that we have missed. A couple of the days we went into DC for processing appointments and got to explore a little. One day we walked around the GW campus area and the other day we visited the Reflecting Pool and walked around the area.

 Benjamin enjoyed his first bagel.

 The boys liked being in "the big city"

 And I liked all the flowers in bloom.

 We ate at Chic-fil-a a couple of times this week and also chowed down on Chipotle one evening.

 Today we visited Haymarket and got to have lunch with Justin and Delaney. They were amazed with how much they grew over the past 2 years. Benjamin was all about their strawberry milkshake and ate most of it!

 He is developing a funny little personality and likes to act goofy.

 Then we drove through our neighborhood. Our townhouse looks great and so does the neighborhood. They are building a new section, which comes with 7 miles of trails, a new clubhouse, pool, and playground. It will be a great place for the boys when we return back here.

 On our nature trail.

Checking out the new park

 And new pool

 It was getting hot and humid, so the boys did what boys do.

 On our way out of town we went to our favorite coffee shop, Cupcake Heaven.

 We are meeting Nathan's parents tomorrow in Ohio, and we started driving out of town today. They will be watching the boys while Nathan and I return to the DC area to finish training processing. We ended up stopping in Cumberland, MD, a cute little town a couple of hours outside of the DC area.

 Lots of people were out and about, they had outdoor restaurants, nice play areas, and even live bluegrass music (that I can still hear going strong from our hotel room). We ate dinner outside, played for a while, then went to listen to the music until it started raining. It was all a nice treat for us to enjoy.

It's been a good first week back, and the boys have been super troopers to be drug around from place to place this week.

Ma'Asalaama Kuwait!

It has been two years and a day since we arrived in Kuwait, and hard to believe that in less than 10 hours, we will be on a plane on our way out. We have had an incredible time here on so many levels, and we are so grateful for this opportunity and doors that have been opened. We arrived with an almost 2 year old and 7 month old, and are leaving with a very active 2.5 and almost 4 year old. During the years, we watched Benjamin learn how to crawl, walk, and talk, and become the sweet little boy he is. We watched Caleb continue to grow and develop into a loving, clever, and funny little boy. We had so much time together as a family, which was wonderful. We made some very nice friends along the way, and know we will run into many of them again. There will always be a piece of Kuwait in our hearts, and we are so glad to have been here during this time in our lives. Here are some pictures of the last couple of days. The boys got haircuts with spikey colored hair and they are ready for their trip home. We spent the morning by the gulf, one of our favorite places to visit, and now we are all packed and ready to go. Ma'Asalaama Kuwait, see you again, Insha'Allah!

See you soon, Insha'Allah

We are grateful for the very nice friendships we have made during our time in Kuwait, and as our time here comes to and end, we are now having to start saying goodbyes. One wonderful friendship we have had is our friend Abeer and her sweet family, who we met thanks to Marissa making the introduction. For those who don't know, Abeer and Marissa were friends from Indiana University, and they kept in touch over the years. Meeting Nathan was nice for Abeer to reminisce about college days and the midwest too. Over the past two years, we have become good friends and made nice memories with their family. Benjamin and Faris, her youngest, are two months apart. It has been fun to watch them grow and learn to crawl and walk together. Firas, her oldest, and Caleb are a little over a year apart, and they have become good friends and have lots of fun when we get together. Last night, we went over for dinner, enjoyed talking with them, some of their family and friends,  and to let the boys play one last time. Benjamin and Faris riding a two-seater.

What you doing?

Benjamin and Firas took turns taking pictures throughout the night. Ben's shots...

The boys all play so nicely together and had fun on the top bunk.

While Nabyl cooked delicious lamb chops and burgers.

Four boys = big mess...

And lots of fun!

Firas behind the camera....

They did really good!

I think the boys will enjoy their bunk beds when they come out of storage one of these years.

Firas is a dare devil and likes jumping from the top bunk to his couch.

Our families :)

Sweet friends.

We are so thankful to have gotten to know Abeer and her family, and hope one day we will see them again soon, Insha'Allah.

On the Move

Our home is packed and the boxes are gone....

Our suitcases are all packed and ready for our journey back to the US on Sunday!