Busy Day

Man, I love this kid.

A Picnic

Tonight we had a picnic. It was sunny, warm and oh so quiet. Not a soul at the historic village tonight. The boys had the playground all to themselves. Even the swings were still.

After sweet onion sandwiches and chicken nuggets Dave and I sat on the blanket while the boys climbed up and slid down. 'They're getting so big' we thought. 'When was the last time we sat down at a park?' we thought.


We walked down to the pond with the geese, past the big red barn, the old schoolhouse, and the general store. Man, I'm gonna miss this place.


We used to live in an apartment on the other side of the pond through the woods. Big and round with Noah I used to power walk through those trails to make sure my baby would be healthy. Then later with Noah in the jogger or in a backpack, then big and round with Gage, then with 2 boys. So many times on the trails, at the pond, the playground or through the bike paths.


Tonight I got this feeling like we could be doing things for the last time in our Michigan and not even know it. Surely we'll peek in the old farmhouse windows again, or try to crank the tall windmill... won't we? We have 2 months left, surely we'll chase those geese back into the pond or duck under the toll bridge... won't we?

hAPpY EaSTeR

This Easter we learned that Gage can peel an entire hard boiled egg all by himself, that Noah is very good at hunting for candy even when hidden in camouflaged plastic eggs, and that bright blue egg dye will come out of an upholstered chair.

This Easter we remembered some things we already knew. We remembered that we have wonderful friends with rockin' culinary skills, that brothers are absolutely adorable in white shirts with matching ties, and that cadbury mini eggs are still the most amazing candy.

And this Easter we took time to think about Christ's atonement and all that it does for us. The gospel message is so beautiful and so hopeful. He will help us become what we need to be. Beautiful. Hopeful. Happy Easter.

Butterfly Gardens

I took the boys to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park to see the butterfly exhibit with some friends. It was huge. Tons of butterflies flying all around, landing past you, close to you, on you.

The boys were amazed and watchful...for about 3 minutes, maybe 5. After awhile Noah finally says "Mom, I need someplace where I can run and touch stuff."

Good thing they had a wonderful Children's Garden. Lots of room to run and lots of fun stuff to touch. So that's what we did. Especially boy #2, no stroller for this one. He wanted to

run

and run

and run.

I would love to go back to this place when the outdoor plants are all a' bloomin. But this time around there were still plenty of neat sculptures, play areas, sunshine and chasin' baby to keep us happy.

Happy Birthday to David

Lest we forget DAVE FEST 2009. It was fabulous. Pancakes, strawberries, whipped cream for breakfast. Lots of singing. Party hats mandatory all day long. Pinata in the basement, steak for dinner, gifts, ice cream cake YUM! and did I say lots of singing?

We love you David, Happy Birthday.

The Notebook

So this is it. Command Central Station. This little notebook sits on the corner of the desk beckoning me everyday with an insane amount of tasks to be done, lists to be made, projects to be checked, and no detail to be left unconsidered.

Plan an overseas move with only 4 months notice?
"You can do it!" pretty green notebook tells me.
"This will be great!" pretty green reminds.
"Look, its all right here. Let me keep track of it, you get it done and before you know it you'll be stopping for some sugar cane juice on your way to the park with your third culture kids," she says.


Some of the things on the lists: dentist appointments, vaccinations, fix the kid desks and chairs before we try to sell them, consolidate recipes and digitize, open bank account with easy international transferring, and on and on.

Right now the plan (ever in flux) is to make it over with just the 8 suitcases we can take on our flight, store some things here in the US, and find new homes for the rest. Craigslist, amazon.com and an upcoming Mom2Mom sale are helping out with that. There was one week in the middle of March where I felt like I was married to Mr. Craig himself. But emptying out my closet the other day was liberating. No sweaters, wool, or longsleeves please.

The notebook says the plan is to pack up our sweet life in Michigan in June, head to Utah for a family trip, Washington for my sister's wedding, then the boys and I will stay with my parents for about a month while Dave goes to Singapore. He'll be back for a conference in August, pick us up and then we're off to Singapore...after spending some quality family time buckled into our seats for a good 19 hour flight.

Pretty green notebook is chock full of questions too: sell the car in MI and fly out west or drive and sell the car in WA? Bring the sewing machine? Stock up on that fabulous 'baby mauve' lip gloss? how do we bring a guitar?

Meanwhile life moves on....there's a dissertation to complete, graduation to walk, and cute kids to bathe after a morning stomp in one of the best mud puddles I've seen.

Decision Done

We did it. We signed a contract. Just last night.

We are going to Singapore!