First Week

We are getting settled in our new home, and we really like it here. The city is divided into small neighborhoods, and our neighborhood is a quiet residential area with many traditional homes. Each neighborhood has a local co-op where you can buy groceries and do some shopping. We also have a  nice park (with real grass) within a few blocks from our house. People in our neighborhood are friendly and we have met some sweet children at the park who enjoy playing with Caleb (and Grandpa Mark). Earlier today, a man down the street gave Nathan a bag of fresh mint from his garden.

 

And speaking of gardens, we have what I call a sand garden that Caleb loves to dig and play in.

He gets dirty every day and he loves it! There is certainly enough sand here to go around. Every day we have to sweep our porch to get rid of the sand.

 Grandpa Mark is having a fun week with the boys. This morning they went out for a walk before it got too hot...our high today was 111!

When it gets too hot, they play inside.



 We are thankful to have been able to ship a good amount of toys in advance. We received the shipment a couple of nights ago, and the boys were happy to see some familiar toys today.

It has been a good first week!



We are here!

Hello from Kuwait! We had a great trip over, everything went smoothly in the airport and the boys were great travelers. They enjoyed the excitement of the airport, both slept great on the flight over, and stayed pretty well-entertained when they were awake. Twix was a good traveler too, I did not hear a peep out of her the entire trip. Even the adults managed to get a few good hours of sleep.

We arrived on Wednesday evening. It was a bit warmer than back home, but there was a nice breeze. Our sponsors met us at the airport, and brought us to our home. They have been a tremendous help to make our transition as easy as possible. They had groceries in our fridge, beds made, and the next day took me grocery shopping. A friend also brought us a bunch of baby items and lent us their vehicle for the week. We really appreciate everyone's generosity.

On Friday we went exploring. In the morning we went to the Gulf to walk around. The water is a pretty greenish blue color, and there were a lot of people out and about. The Gulf is a progressive area of the city, and there are many western restaurants and shopping malls.

Caleb found a couple of playgrounds to explore with grandpa, but the sun wore him out fast. He will soon realize that hats and sunglasses are his friend! Ben was pretty content looking around and just soaked it all in.

We ate lunch at a restaurant overlooking the marina, and the local food was great.

Thankfully many people speak English here, which is good because we cannot speak Arabic. We do want to learn and hope by the end of our time here we have become conversational.

 

After lunch we walked across the street to the mall to get Internet service, then we drove to the Kuwaiti Towers. The towers symbolize Kuwait's economic renaissance, and they are a major landmark in the city.  We wanted to go up into the observation tower, but as the day went on, it was getting hazy and dusty, so visibility was not great.

For some reason, I cannot remove the bold font on this paragraph...Later that day, my friend Susan came over and Caleb made a new friend with her son, Nick. We had dinner and let the boys play. It will be fun for them to become buddies over the next couple of years. Grandpa Mark was busy most of the time being a human swing, and as usual the kids loved him!



We are getting settled, and enjoying our new home. Grandpa Mark is a big help to us, we are all enjoying the time we get to spend with him. We know it will take a little time for everyone to get back into a routine, and overall we are doing great.

 

Here we go!

Since we got married in 2009, we have experienced a lot of life changes. We welcomed Caleb and Ben into the world, Nathan went back for his Masters degree, we moved 4 times, and this big move that is brining our family overseas makes #5. 

Nathan's parents were a huge help while we got packed up, and Nathan's dad stayed a few extra days to watch Caleb while we were at home with the movers. This was also the longest amount of one-on-one time we had with Ben since he was born, and we loved it. He was such a good boy during the entire move, and we think he enjoyed the time alone with us too. We did miss having Caleb's excitement, but he was busy having a fun time with Grandpa!

On moving day, Grandpa took Caleb to Tom and Erin's house to drop off our double stroller. Elizabeth gave it to us before they moved overseas, and we used it all the time. We know it will go to good use at Tom and Erin's. They also explored a new park, went to a neighborhood park, and went swimming at the hotel. 

This picture is from Gettysburg, but it was one of my favorites of Caleb and Grandpa. 

This past week we said goodbye to Nathan's mom and some good friends, moved out of our temporary home, sold both of our vehicles, and moved to a hotel. The boys adjusted great to their new surroundings. I am confident that Ben has no idea what is going on, and to be honest, I am not sure Caleb is aware of the upcoming change. That is one thing I love about children. They take everything in stride, and adapt to wherever they are. I know our kids will adapt great, and probably faster than Nathan and I!

 

Caleb went swimming a couple of times this week. He likes sporting his new shades and swim shirt:).

Two cool dudes!

Post-swimming mac-n-cheese

On Saturday we met up with Tom and Erin in the morning at Clemyjontri Park, the coolest kids park we have ever visited. 

The park is great for kids of all ages, we wish we lived closer and are glad for the few times we got to visit.

 

Nathan and Tom rode with the big kids, while Erin and I hung out with the little guys.

Water and rest break

Back to play!

 

Then we had to say our goodbyes. We loved living close to Tom and Erin's family this past year and a half, and it was great for Nathan to re-connect and for me to get to know them. They are great friends, and we enjoyed the times we spent together.  The first time we saw them when they moved to the area, Jenna was on the verge of walking, and Caleb was crawling. Look at them now! 

And since then Ben and Rex were brought into the world, and we have had fun times together.  We will miss them, but will look forward to seeing them again in the coming years!

Afterwards, we met Heidi for lunch, and then picked up Twix. Heidi watched Twix for us this past week, which was a huge help. She and Twix have a special bond, and we appreciate her cat-sitting for us over the years.

 

Heidi is a dear friend, and she loves seeing the boys. They will be much bigger next time she sees them! It was sad to say bye to Heidi again (a few years ago, she took a work assignment in Florida), but I know we will keep in touch and will see here again soon.


Yesterday, we went to the Patuxent Research Nature Preserve. We had a great time walking the trails with the boys and being outdoors. Here are some pictures from our day.

 

  

 

 

 Today is the day we have been anticipating for almost one year, and we are very excited about the  journey we are about to embark. Nathan's dad will be traveling and spending the next two weeks with us, and we are so thankful to have him with us to watch the boys and help us through the transition. This evening at the airport will be a circus act: 3 adults, 2 kids, a cat, 9 checked bags, 4 carry-on, 2 strollers, and 2 car seats!

 

We know that God's hand has been in everything we do, and we are excited to see what He has in store for our family. Please pray for safe travels for Mark and our family, and for a smooth adjustment period. Next time you hear from us, we will be in the Middle East!