Colorado Meets Louisiana

We had our first full week in the states and enjoyed lots of time with family and friends.
**check out pics on facebook

We arrived in Lake Charles Sunday evening and had dinner with my brothers, their wives, and had all 6 cousins together for the first time.  It was an eventful evening.  I was so excited to be home and with everyone.  I cried each time someone walked in the door because I was so happy to see them and get to give and get hugs!  My niece, Neve, noticed when I walked in the house and she said, "Hey, Lulu, you're not in the computer!"  It was priceless!  My dad cooked a delicious pork tenderloin, which Brooks and I devoured as much of it as we could!  You never realize how much you like pork or care about it until you can't get it.

Brooks' dad, Geary, and his wife, Juli, flew to Lake Charles, from Denver on Monday and they spent the week with us.  Brandon, Brooks' brother drove in from Waco, and spent his Spring Break with us, too.  It was great to be with family.  They all stayed at my parents house, which made for a house full of people, but 4 grandparents to take care of Miles and Gavin.  I think Gavin ate more cookies, cakes, and cupcakes then ever before, and I'm not sure Miles was ever put down.  That's okay though-- that's what this time is for.

We had a busy, fun filled week.  Brooks, his dad, my dad, and Bran played golf almost everyday and they loved it!  Juli and I went shopping a few times, and rode around Lake Chuck, showing her the town.  We ate at several restaurants... Izzo's, Cane's, Dairy Barn, and Darrell's.  My dad grilled steaks one night, and I think we had bacon three or four times for breakfast.

Brooks turned 27 while we were in Lake Charles so we celebrated his birthday with a king cake, which he got the baby out of it.  He wanted boiled crawfish for his birthday, but since his b-day fell on Mardi Gras day, we waited until later in the week to have crawfish.  Brooks got a laptop for his computer and joined the world of Mac users.  He's been playing with for the last week and loves it.  

Juli also celebrated a birthday while in Lake Charles, so we threw her a mini b-day party with a cake and gifts!  She was surprised and very appreciative.  

I was sick during the first part of the week.. still battling the cold I brought with me from Saudi.  The only problem was, my cold got better, but I had a horrible cough.  It was only a matter of time and both Gavin and Miles started getting sick.  I took the boys to the doctor and we were all put on meds.  Thankfully, we are all feeling great and doing much better.

Friday night, we ordered 50lbs of boiled crawfish and spent the evening devouring them.  My sister in law came over with her 2 kids and joined the fun.  It was an enjoyable evening.  We were all so exhausted from the week, we crashed early.  On Saturday, Brooks family left.  We had to say goodbye, once again.  I feel like that's all we do these days.  It was a great week, though, filled with lots of laughs and special memories.  

Brooks and I took a short nap after they left and started packing for our next adventure (more on that soon).

During the week, we also got to see some of my family.  Both my grandparents came to meet Miles, I had some cousins, aunts & uncles, and my best friend, Megan and her husband, Matt all visit us.  I finally got to see Megan pregnant and can't wait to meet baby Banks in August!   It was a GREAT week!

Our time in Houston

I'm having major issues uploading pics to my blog posts, so just enjoy them from Facebook.

After arriving in Houston and going to Lupe Tortilla's for some authentic Mexican food, we drove to League City to see our friends, The Carpenter's.  Gavin couldn't wait to see his best buddy, Cade.  He talked about going to Cade's house for DAYS.  We all stayed up visiting.  It was so good to be "home" and with our friends.

We had a very busy weekend planned and tried doing everything we needed and wanted to do.

Friday morning, we went to the school I taught at for 3 years to visit my friends during their planning period.  I wanted them to meet Miles, too.  It was so nice being back.  I love seeing people after it's been a while and you feel like you pick up right where you left off.  After our visit with those ladies, we ran some errands.  We went to Jared's and got my wedding ring fixed (one of my diamonds fell out back in October so I haven't been wearing my band), went to James Avery for another baby boy charm for Miles.  We went to the mall and got Brooks a laptop for his birthday, did some shopping, and then went to Pei Wei for lunch.  Gavin ate his entire meal with chopsticks, which was precious.  We also went and visited the lady that kept Gavin while I was working and introduced her to Miles.  Gavin got to play with all his old friends and we had a nice visit.

I got to go to Target..... hallelujah!  Just to be able to walk into Target, was enough for me.

We ate at Carraba's for dinner.  Delicious!

Saturday morning, Brooks, the boys, and I went and met our small group from church for breakfast.  It was a fantastic morning visiting and seeing everyone again.  We all shared stories about what's been going on in our lives over the past few months.  Our small group played such a vital role in encouraging us during our move, praying for us, and have all kept in touch with us while we've been gone.  Everyone pitched in and brought breakfast food and they even cooked bacon for us!  That was awesome!  It was neat to see how much our group has grown since we started two years ago.  When we began the group, Gavin and Peyton were the only kids and they were 8 months old.  Now, there are 5 kids, and 2 on the way.  Actually, one of the girls had a baby two days ago, so now there are 6 kids and 1 on the way.  It was really cool.  We miss those people so much and are so appreciative of the relationships we built with them.  If you want to see pics and read more about our morning check out my friend, Che's post.

Saturday afternoon, Brooks and Darrell went and worked at Darrell's shop on a car that he is restoring.  They had some fun, guy time, bonding.  Our friends, the Baggett's came over to Susie's house and the kids all played together.  Actually, Gavin slept the entire time, he was still working through his jet lag, but the other kids played and the moms all got to visit.  I ate my first girl scout cookie then and it was wonderful. You'd be surprised how much you miss something until you can't have it or don't have it.

Saturday night we went to Pappaisto's for dinner.  Once again, Mexican food.  It was YUMMY!

Sunday, we got to go to our church, CCCC, which we miss so much.  Gavin went to Peewee Ville and had a blast in the 2 year old classroom.  We dropped Miles off in the nursery and they said he was an angel.  Brooks' brother, Brandon, drove in town and met us, so we got to see him for the first time.  Church was great!  The pastors knew we were coming in town, and there was actually something written in the bulletin about us.  That was neat.  Our church has been a tremendous support for us while we've been living in Saudi and it was nice to "be home".  Here's something we did for them a few months ago....  click here.  We went to lunch with a group of friends and then had to say our good bye's.  It seems with this life we're living, good bye's will always be a part of it.  On our way out of Houston, we stopped at a cake shop and I was able to pick up some much needed resources to stock up on.  Then we headed to Lake Charles.  More on that trip in the next post.

* I mentioned Jet lag earlier.  It has been a huge adjustment for the boys.  Gavin and Miles would wake up starting around 1:30am and would be up off and on until 5am.... every single night.  Brooks and I had to take turns either laying in bed with Gavin to make him stay in his bed, even while he was wide awake or we'd feed Miles and rock him while he was wide awake.  It was pretty interesting, almost laughable, what we were dealing with in the middle of the night, but it was also tiring.  To add to all that, I was still sick and started coughing non stop.  That didn't help with anyone's sleep.  Things are much better now and both boys are making it through the night, although, now, they both wake up at 6am on the dot.  That's fine with us though.  At least we're all getting some sleep.   

Flying Home

I want to catch everyone up on our week in the states so here goes....
**i posted pics on Facebook from our flight home so check those out

We left Saudi around 1am last Thursday morning.  We flew out of Damman at 5:40am.  The first flight went really fast.  Gavin and Miles did great.  Miles stayed in my wrap the entire time we went through check in and waiting, which was a lifesaver while traveling (we didn't bring car seats or strollers with us since we had so many suitcases and we're borrowing from people here).  We had about a 2 hour lay over in Doha where we found a large playground for Gavin to play on.  He loved it and it really made the time pass by.  This also helped him burn off some energy before boarding our next plane, which was going to be a 16 hour ride.  Brooks and I were a little anxious as to how the boys were going to do on the plane, but they did AWESOME!!  Our seats were in bulk head, which meant we were the first row on the plane.  They sit all families with infants there because they attach a bassinet to the wall for your infant to sleep in-- this was a life saver, too!!  I bought Gavin a few new toys to keep his attention for longer periods of time and he played his little heart out with those.  He semi- watched a movie or too while on the plane and only took a few naps.  We were so proud of him and the way he handled himself.  Miles did wonderful, but we didn't allow him the chance to not "do good".  We basically fed him every 3 hours, let him stay awake for 15 minutes, then we swaddled him, and put him right to sleep.  This worked beautifully until hour 14.  I think he was soooo full and stuffed from eating non stop and was tired of being wrapped up, so he had a small, short (like 5 minutes) fit and then was awake until we landed.  Brooks was a trooper, too.  Since we sat bulk head, our bags stayed up top and not on the floor so every time we needed something, Brooks had to reach up, take the bags down, get what we needed, then repack the bags, and put them back up top.   Brooks and I took turns feeding Miles, playing with Gavin, sleeping, eating, etc.  Originally, our seats weren't together, because I booked our tickets separately (Brooks is going back to Saudi three weeks before me and the boys) so as we were boarding the plane we asked if there was an open seat on our row and sure enough there was!! woo hoo!  I started getting sick two days before we left with a cold and it seemed like the moment I got on the plane, my cold escalated!  So, this trip, it was my turn to be sick while flying.  It made the flight seem 10x longer then what it actually was.

Anyways, overall, we had a successful flight home.  It's amazing what you can and will endure in order to go home and spend time with friends and family.  We're so grateful for having two easy boys while flying.  It definitely made things easier.  We arrived in Houston, made it through customs and got our bags.  My parents were there to greet us, bring us a car with car seats, and then took us to dinner to eat Mexican food.  It was nice being met with familiar faces. Gavin was estatic to see his Captain and Kimmie and took off running after them the moment he saw them.   It was a sweet moment!

It felt great to be home and in the USA!!  

T-Minus 48 hours

and we can/will/get to.....

- be in the USA
- see our family and friends
- drive ourselves around town
- eat Bacon!
- get to ride in the front seat of a car (me)
- stop at Sonic for a limeaid
- attend church
- eat at a Mexican restaurant (along with many other restaurants)
- use Apps on our IPhone without the presence of a wireless network
- buy shredded cheese, instead of having to grate a block of cheese for cooking
- shop at Target and Wal-Mart, among many other places
- drive thru Chick Fil A for chicken nuggets
- go into a store, without getting kicked out for prayer
- change Miles on an actual changing table in public, versus the backseat of a car
- eat Pork!
- wear normal clothes without being covered up (me)
- wear shorts in public (Brooks)
- eat Bacon!
- develop pictures in an hour
- go out in public without being stared at, asked to take pictures of us, or have my kids heads rubbed or kissed for luck
- hold hands when out and about (Brooks and I)- you'd be surprised how much you may miss showing affection in public until you're not allowed to anymore
- did I mention eat bacon?
- go to the movies
- pulling up to our house without needing to go through security checks or hearing your son say, "mommy, look... pow-pows" (the security guys at our compound hold machine guns)

So basically, we can go where ever we want, to do whatever we want to, when we want to, how we want to, wearing what we want to, and being there as long as we want to.  

- I'm sure there are many other things that we're ready for and as they come up, we will enjoy them!

We're so excited and can't wait to spend time back home, with all of our families and friends.  Miles is ready to meet all the people who have been praying for his arrival and haven't been blessed with his presence yet.  Gavin is ready to ride on a plane, play with Cade, his cousins, and other friends.  He's ready to ride on Captain's golf cart and Papa John's tractor. Brooks is ready for a vacation!  I'm ready to be surrounded with familiar faces and spend days having adult conversations!  We can't wait!  See you all soon!