Little Joys

The boys have so been enjoying grandma's neighborhood. This guy usually finds at least one lizard or snake a day...

N can play for hours with a little pile of leaves.

Who knew laying in a pile of leaves could be so relaxing?

L prefers sweeping up the leaves for the neighbors...

...and climbing trees (a recently acquired skill).

We're thankful for the simple pleasures of life in my mom's quiet north Dallas neighborhood...and we're also so appreciative of the almost daily sunny, dry weather (a rarity in rainy Taipei) that allows us to spend a large part of each day outside climbing trees, chasing lizards, and playing in leaves.

America the Beautiful

The first week of April we went to meetings on the east coast, then spent a weekend with old friends in Washington, DC.  Unfortunately, N came down with a bad case of hand, foot, and mouth disease, so I had to spend Sunday with him at the hotel all day, but we saw cool fun things as a family on Saturday, and Mike and the boys and our friends had a fun-filled DC day on Sunday.

First stop in DC: the Capitol building.

The kids running to see ducks in a pond on the way to the Capitol.

More impressed by the ducks than the amazing history surrounding them.

We had hoped to be there for the peak of the cherry blossom season, but the cold spring meant that most trees hadn't bloomed yet. The buds were just starting to peep open.

The Capitol

Our friend Seth arranged a tour of the Capitol building, and it was so fascinating. Mike had to miss out--the security guards wouldn't let us bring N's meds inside, and we weren't willing to throw them away--so he and N headed to the botanical gardens while the rest of our group explored the Capitol.

Our tour guide explaining the beauty and history of the Rotunda.

The Rotunda ceiling features a fresco illustrating the glorification of  George Washington. Beautiful (and a little bizarre).

The newest installment in the Statuary Room: a statue of Rosa Parks.

We met up with Mike and N after the tour on the other side of the Capitol. This is where Presidential inaugurations have been held in recent years.

Poor little guy was so out of sorts.

On the Capitol steps.

Across the way, we checked out the Supreme Court. Took us awhile to realize why it looked so different. :) From afar you really couldn't tell it was covered by scaffolding.

On Sunday, Mike and the older two and our friends headed back into DC to check out a few more landmarks. The warmer temps meant a few trees had started to bloom.

The older boys at Ford's Theater

A and L's favorite stop that day was the International Spy Museum. The handcuffs A picked up there got lots of use the rest of the day.

Our White House tour was cancelled (thanks, Sequester!), so they had to content themselves with checking it out from the street.

L enjoying the Washington Monument.

A thought it was cool too.

The Lincoln Memorial. I was most disappointed in missing out on seeing this!

I was thrilled for the boys to get a little glimpse into their country's capital--it was neat to see all of the buildings and history they had read about in books come to life before their eyes.

America through the eyes of my TCKs*

My TCKs ready for an egg hunt in their grandmother's backyard--it was L and N's first Easter in America, and A's first since he was one year old.

A: "The drinks in American are, like, twice the size of the drinks in Taiwan! They are WAY too big! Nobody can drink that much...well, unless they're giants."

L: "Mom? Why are all of these commercials in English?"

"Mom," A indicated the tap in the kitchen, "is this water filtered?"
"No," I replied, "but it's okay. You can drink it anyway."
A looked horrified. "Like, straight from the tap? Are you kidding me?!"
(Side note: drinking unfiltered water straight from the tap is a BIG no-no around East Asia.)

A, at a Mexican restaurant, "They brought us chips and salsa and ice water for free? No way! America is awesome!"

L: "We really have to drive everywhere here?" Long sigh. "I really miss walking."

A: "This Mexican food is awesome. But I'd give anything for some jiaozi (dumplings) right now."

Man at church, to L: "Where are you from, young man?"
L, whispering frantically: "Mom? Where am I from again? I was born in Thailand, but I live in Taiwan, but I'm staying in Texas. Can I just pick whichever one I want to be 'from'?"

A: "What's an ice maker?" I explain the contraption inside the fridge, and show him how to use the slot on the door to get ice and water. "You mean, I can have ice whenever I want?! And it will never run out?!"
(Side note: no ice makers in Taiwan. We make it in tiny trays or buy it in tiny, 15-cube bags from 7-11. Ice is a BIG. DEAL. to my boys).

"A? L? You don't have to take your shoes off at the door." (This is the 50th time I've said this since we arrived.) "But Mom," L whispers, "that's rude."

(At a park on a Saturday afternoon) A: "Dad? Where are all of the people?"

Indicating a display of Easter baskets full of Easter candy and stuffed animals, L exclaims loudly: "Dad! What ARE those?!"

A: "Mom? I'm homesick." Short pause. "And by home, I mean Taiwan."


*TCK stands for Third Culture Kid and is defined as a child who is growing up outside the home culture of his or her parents. The TCK experience is unique and their observations of their parents' home culture can be variably critical, insightful, and amusing.

A Real Conversation

While snuggling with my middle one...

Me, in a teasing voice, "L, you are growing up way too fast. Can you please stop it?"

L, giggling, "No, I can't! I have to grow bigger!"

Then he stopped and thought for a minute. "Well, maybe I can stop for a little bit. I'll give you today, okay Mommy? And then tomorrow I'll start growing up again."

_______________________

All we ever really have is today, isn't it?

Yesterday has gone...

...we don't know what tomorrow will bring...

...but we have today, and we have to grab it and enjoy it to the fullest before it slips away.

My children will keep growing, and my boys will become men...but not today. Today I still have my little boys, and I will cherish it while I still can.

Oh Fair New Mexico

We were so thankful to get away and take our long-awaited family vacation. Mike originally had plans for a super-epic road trip that would have taken us all the way to Idaho (!), but thankfully I was able to talk him down from that ledge and we settled for a slightly easier (but still ambitious) road trip through Texas and New Mexico. It was such a joy to get on the open road (we don't really have those in Taiwan) as we took a journey through my childhood haunts (plus a few places that were totally new to me).

After loading up the (rental) minivan, we set out for the longest road trip our boys had ever endured enjoyed. N looked a bit unsure...he must have had a premonition about what was to come.

We made a quick stop in Lubbock, TX first: home of dust, wind, and Texas Tech University (where Mike and I met).

"Infinity was never an abstraction on the high plains." Well said, Mr. Egan. It's dusty, windy, and mind-bogglingly flat on the caprock. You can see for miles and miles...but there's nothing to see.

In Roswell, NM, we visited and reminisced with old friends and new. We also stopped by New Mexico Military Institute (my dad's alma mater and workplace through most of my childhood) and paid a visit to the Britton family bench.

We saw incredible beauty throughout our trip...

Carlsbad Caverns

Desert near Carlsbad Caverns

On the road to Carrizozo

Valley of Fires

Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe

St. Francis Cathedral, Santa Fe

Bandelier National Monument

Valles Caldera

Los Alamos plateau

Chimayo

Taos

We checked out a few cool historical sites...

At Smokey Bear's gravesite

A bullet hole from Billy the Kid's gun

And we made lots of special memories together...

Sierra Blanca

N getting up close and personal with a deer by our cabin in Ruidoso

A tubing

Brothers on the cabin steps

Green chile cheeseburgers the Owl Cafe

Enjoying their first sopaipillas, ever

Warming themselves over an ancient fire at Bandelier

A and L enjoying the view together

A at Bandelier

Hiking

At Cadillac Ranch

Playing by the Rio Grande at sunset

Over 2,500 miles later, we pulled back into Dallas, a bit tired, but refreshed and with full hearts.