Why We Fled the Country

Josh and I love to travel. We love the adventure, the experiences, the diversity, history, culture, food, perspective, adaptability, humility, and wisdom that can come with travel - particularly international travel.

I started to write out the various circumstances that led us to book an 8-day trip across the ocean without our three little boys (What!?). Then I realized it may be as irrational as it sounds. It really comes back to that single fact: we value travel, so we made the leap.

A few keys made it possible:

• I weaned Isaac in August.
• Our long-time, trusted friends and childcare pros were available to come stay with the boys.
• Our boys were able to stay in our home, in their routines (school/church) the whole time.
• Josh had to make the trip for business, so his major expenses were covered.
• He had enough frequent flyer miles to cover my airplane ticket.

A painting we bought from a vendor along the Seine,
because it is a mess of diverse colors and materials
yet with the right eyes, creates a kind of gritty beauty
that I have come to enjoy.

We have tried to make this happen before -- several times -- but the stars have never aligned. We were ecstatic when they did this time. Beforehand, I literally felt the excitement tickling inside my stomach like I did as a little girl before Christmas.
 
This totally sets me up for disappointment. Every. time. It's a little ridiculous, but in each place we visited (places I've been before), I was startled (again) by how real and gritty life is everywhere. There's graffiti in Paris. Run-down buildings in Oxford. Lousy restaurants in London. Josh and I had to laugh (once we got past the frustration) at how many of our targeted attractions were closed. We had to adapt, to find the beauty, to appreciate the whole messy business of life on this planet.

Which may be one reason I feel compelled to visit these places in person. I have yet to find a guide book that accurately describes the mixture of Gothic, Modern, new, dilapidated, classy, trashy, fascinating, mundane, etc that is life in these cities -- or how it looks different in each one (though Bill Bryson tries more than most). Witnessing the menagerie and finding the beauty in it is, I think, critical to appreciating life on earth.

I should be good at this - especially in amazing places I've visited multiple times. I set out determined to soak up the sidewalk cafes, the exquisite architecture, the historical sites, the quirky cultural differences, etc. I even read books about these locations to add context and narrative to their streets. And it all helped me love our trip. (To be clear, I did love our trip.)

But I still found I couldn't skip the culture shock, the disappointment at seeing filthy streets, the frustration with spending too much time in transit, the shock at seeing so much graffiti. It's the human condition -- part of me loves the gritty, authentic reality for its drama and honesty; the other part of me wants to airbrush away the wrinkles so it's a utopian dream.

Hopefully, these posts about our trip will have some of each. At various points along the trip, Josh would ask me, "What are you taking a picture of??" And I'd reply, "An eyesore." Never fear, the majority of photos in the following posts will highlight what we loved, but I've tried to sprinkle in a bit of what makes them real, just to remind you (and me) that the key is not to make a trip or a place feel like utopia. The key is to enjoy the place as it is, for all it is.

For the next post on our trip, see PARIS, Part 1.

Kindergarten!!

Noah is SIX AND IN KINDERGARTEN. This is not possible. And very exciting. At the same time.

Thankfully, our local school gradually initiated the newbies with a Meet the Teacher night, a morning screening with their teacher, a half-day with half the class, then two full days before they tackled a whole week...

Arriving for Noah's half day with the boys in his class (holding his nap mat)

After the introductory assembly in the "Multi-Purpose Room" (gym)

Checking out the Cafeteria -- both boys' favorite feature of their new school. I hear about the chocolate milk almost daily.

I think Noah floated through his first half-day, convinced he was going to the equivalent of Disneyland every day. Meanwhile, I stayed home and hosted a pity party. After spending the summer playing with my boys -- making pancakes, watching movies, going to the zoo, etc -- they were suddenly. both. gone. Granted it was only for a few hours, but I felt the loss acutely and unexpectedly. I had thought by the time summer ended, I'd be ready to send them packing. But summer was too short. I was still having fun with them, so I plunged into a temporary grieving for the season that was passing.

It did help me to remember that:
1) Mothers have been experiencing this for decades - including my own mother.
2) They ALL tell me it doesn't take long to adjust.  (post-script: they were right)
3) We're not doing boarding school. They will be back every afternoon, all weekend, lots of holidays, and for at least 10 more summers, give or take a few...

I still used every bit of the next 4 days my boys had off to soak them up before the long days began. By then, I was more prepared for a new season...

The big breakfast and send-off with Daddy before his First Full Day

---------------------FULL DISCLOSURE: We're cheatin' a little bit here. We missed the bus the first day of school. #motheroftheyear In my defense, we'd all seen an elementary bus pick up kids for years at the cul-de-sac next to our house -- right next to where Aaron's bus comes -- so we assumed Noah's bus would pick-up there, too. After 30min of waiting and calling neighbors, we realized our mistake and rushed Noah to school just in time. Then, the next day, we took pics of the school bus (seamlessly inserted here) which both boys love almost as much as Mommy.-----------------------------

Running toward me (with Isaac) at the bus stop (photo cred: Daddy)

Wait a sec. Who's that? ;) Only 30 years between...

Goin' in...

Waiting for the bus that afternoon...

Home and slightly ecstatic

Me: How was school?
Him: It was very, very, very, very, very fun! Can I come back for 1st and 2nd and 3rd grade?!

#misshimSOmuch #andsohappyforhim #kindergartenhoneymoon
#startingoffright #mostly

Our Kindergartener Turns Six

This was the first year school started before Noah's birthday, so he got to be the first celebration in his class...which didn't do any harm to the kindergarten honeymoon we're on right now.

The morning began as any good morning would: a Daddy Hug. And Fruit Loops. Then, off to the bus!

Despite my counteroffers (donuts, homemade cookies), Noah was committed to taking "hard tack" to school as his birthday treat. That's right folks. You send cupcakes; we send dried-out bread. #thisbagiscomingbackfull #piratestrong

To my surprise, it was hit. That's right; I discovered the keys to making dry bread a successful birthday treat:
     a) be the first birthday your classmates have ever experienced at school,
     b) give the teacher fair warning so she can set the stage with a book on pirates (her idea),
     c) add "pirate cheese" and chocolate.
I actually overheard one boy say, "Noah is cool." He knew his crowd better than me.

It was also great to witness his teacher in action, telling stories, singing songs, giving directions, and calling each kid by name. I've been impressed with each of the teachers I've met, but I am still so thankful his seems excellent.

That night, there was a 30-minute kindergarten-parent orientation at his school during dinner time. This would've been a real pickle, if my parents hadn't just moved in down the street. Gigi and Papa to the rescue! They brought Noah's choice (Little Caesar's cheese pizza & cheese sticks) and hung with the boys till we could get back for...

Presents and Black Cows (a.k.a. root beer floats)! Between golf clubs, bicycles, Lego's, chess, and a new rock collection, he had a very good day...

The Big Party

Noah orchestrated his pirates vs. knights battle, including the use of his cardboard-box hide-outs. Aaron continues to describe it as "the sword-fight party" (the highest compliment). And Isaac...well, let's just say he has embraced a world that includes cake.

The boys were thrilled that Josh and I wore costumes (a pirate & princess), and that we had armaments aplenty for our guests who arrived "unprepared" (swords, homemade shields, & felt eye patches). The main activities were bouncing (a garage sale find), decorating pirate maps, hunting for treasure (think egg hunt with plastic "goblets"), and--of course--eating. All in the lovely chaos of dear friends and family and toys and squeals. Life is good.

Now--if the boys have their way--to start planning for next year... ;)

Bonding with sweet friends and family

An "authentic" menu that Noah & Aaron had carefully chosen, including hard tack (crostini), pirate cheese (baby bels), maggots (yogurt raisins), and fish (fish tacos).

The next day, when I asked the boys for their favorite part of the party, they both said the "knights and pirate cake!" Score one for Amazon + Costco.

Isaac was less certain about the prospect of a large cubic brown thing, but he was more than willing to down my piece of cake, bite by bite, while sitting on my lap.

And the after-party where they opened presents with my family...

And immediately began playing with them -- even the food everyone brought for Graceworks.

Zoo Trip #423

Reasons not to visit the Nashville Zoo the last two weeks of August...

Reasons TO visit the Zoo... staring down the giant tortoise, eating a rapidly-melting ice cream cone, brushing a post, brushing a goat (after showing him the brush = fair warning), and walking through the shady woods with two of my buds when the weather is miraculously not sweltering. #gooddays

Birthday Mania

All three of our boys have their birthdays within three weeks, and we are currently in that 3-week window. This year, it's a rather complicated window, so let me explain...or skip to the pictures. Your call.

Noah and Aaron both had a big 1st birthday party with family and friends. They also both had specific ideas of what they wanted to do for their birthdays this year. Which left us with a trilemma:
a) Do we throw a Big Party for the only member of our family who doesn't care?
b) Or do we throw The Big Party for all three but then they don't get to do what they really wanted to do for their birthdays?
c) Or do we skip The Big Party and hope Isaac never notices later on?

We looked into other options, but ultimately--being Americans--decided to err on the side of more than less. Seriously, we want to help them focus on celebrating family, friendships, and shared activities. And we just like parties. So, here's the plan we've been implementing (with their stamps of approval):

1. We throw The Big Party for Isaac but let the older boys choose the theme & activities & help blow out the candles.
2. Each boy can pick a special outing for our family and two friends to visit in honor of his birthday.
3. They only receive gifts from family members (which is plenty, trust me!). They receive food donations for Graceworks from friends at The Big Party.

Will next year be simpler? Yes. Has this year been fun already? Yes! Does it feel excessive? That's hard to avoid with three birthdays in three weeks...

The parties began with Isaac's outing to Dunkin' Donuts with his two best friends, Noah and Aaron. ;)

It continued with Noah's visit to The Lego Store with two of his cousins...

Wesley and Isaac rapt by the Star Wars Lego promo video...

Choices...

Mini-figure consultation...

Noah had been doing extra chores for months so he could pay for an upgrade on his birthday lego set. We are so proud of him for working and saving toward a goal!

Content to examine the boxes while Mommy tried on clothes.

And rewarded with some sustenance: Rocky Mt. Chocolate Factory candy apples.

Which were necessary fuel for the builders to make...

I was happily surprised when Noah chose a medieval knights set -- Aaron's obsession seems to be rubbing off on him.

Once Noah has built a set according to instructions, he pulls it apart to make his own creations. He has considered buying sets just for particular parts. So I was not surprised when he showed me a new "battle wagon" he had built. I was surprised to see it comes equipped with a "coffee machine" (Keurig - red spout, yellow mug)...

Another creation: "I'm making him as scary as possible so no one will want to fight him." ‪#‎peacemaker‬ ‪#‎sortof‬ 

A few days later, we went to Monkey Joe's - a bouncy indoor playground that Aaron says is named for Curious George (go figure) - along with two of Aaron's friends from church...

The Straight Shot, and...

The Goofballs. :)

Now, to prep for The Big Party, which Noah has been discussing with me almost non-stop for at least three weeks: details of the menu (the litmus test: Did pirates eat that?) and strategy for the games  (Knights vs. Pirates):

Who should be the first mate on my team?
Does the person who made the weapon get to use it in battle?
Will the treasure be just one big box or two for me and Aaron?
If Aaron is a knight pretending to be a pirate, will he fight the princesses or protect them?.  

And the chocolate cake with knights, which Aaron has been anticipating for even longer with this oft-repeated script:

A: Hey, Mom! I have a surprise for you!
me: Oh yeah? What is it?
A: It's a birfday! It's chocolate! And I'm going to eat it all up! (with gestures ala cookie monster)