America's Birthday

Celebrating the 4th of July was somehow a little sweeter for me this year.  I love having the opportunity to claim the term "Expat" for a brief moment in my life, but there is nothing like coming home.  I couldn't wait to hop in the car and turn on the radio and belt out "And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free..."  

Chris and Kalei came down from SF so they could hang out with us.  We had so much fun.  I've missed them a lot.  We woke up on July 4th and Chris announced that he was heading to Santa Cruz to go surfing before we got together with the rest of the family in the afternoon...would we like to join?  Pass up the beach?  I don't think so.  We threw some stuff in a bag and were off.    

 Santa Cruz is always cold in the mornings.  I know.  I drove over Highway 17 almost every day for 2 years while I was in Dental Hygiene school.  So, to forgot sweatshirts for my crew, was a pretty lame Julie moment.  We opened the doors of the car in the parking lot and were met with a crisp, cool breeze.  It was freezing.  I really don't know how Chris jumps into that water even with a wet suit on. I've only done it a handful of times.  No thank you.  I'll wait till Hawaii :)  THANKFULLY, by the time we had everything set up, the sun was making it's way into our souls and we were ready to play.  

 Kalei had the boys totally entertained.

 Chris, catching a few waves, while Jake was catching a few sand crabs...

 with Luke hot on his tail.  

BG and Kate had such a collection of mollusks, that people were coming from all ends of the beach to check it out.  BG has always known all of the secrets when it comes to the sand and surf.  

After a couple of hours, the waves died down and the clouds rolled in again.  Time to go.  

We still had a huge pool party at Jen and Matt's with all of the extended family and fireworks to enjoy that night!  We needed to get a move on!  

Still awaiting the pictures that Dad took from that evening.  I was having too much fun catching up, so I took absolutely none.  Need to borrow a few :)  I'll post them soon.  It was a blast.  Loved loved loved being all together with the Hansen's, Patterson's and Mobilio's.  Just wish Joe could have been there to celebrate with us!  Missed him a lot, especially during the fireworks.  The kids were mesmerized; we were with family; the Patriotic music was blaring; it was a magical moment and was practically perfect--just needed his hand to hold.  So grateful for him and how hard he works so we can have this wonderful life that we do.  

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

What's a trip home to America without going to a Giant's/Dodger game?  

Best part?  The Giants won :)  Thanks for the ticket, Hansens!  And thanks, Mom, for watching the kids for me.  We had a blast.  Let's not even get into the garlic fries, the cotton candy, the peanuts, the popcorn... that made an appearance on our row.

Amigos We've Missed!!!

The kids wanted to know if we would be able to see some of our friends when we returned home.  OF COURSE!!!  Because I wanted to see their moms :)  We went to the Pleasanton water park one day (one of our favorite places that was walking distance from our home) and got to see the Bigelows, the Browns and the Thompsons.  I LOVED it.  Everyone just picked up right where we left off.  Which is probably why I forgot to take any pictures!!!  The girls all ran off together and giggled and played, the boys were happy and the moms could have talked forever if time allowed it.  Mark called Terra on his way home from work and Terra told him that we'd be leaving soon...then I heard her laugh.   When she got off the phone, she said, "Mark said he's excited to see you.  He knows you won't be gone by the time he gets home."  He knows us too well.  He was right.  

But I did leave about 15 minutes after he got there :). 

We headed up to Pleasanton another day to have a swim party with the McCarns and the Byrnes.  When we turned into the court, there was a huge welcome home sign awaiting us.  It literally made me teary.  So sweet.  We have been blessed with such wonderful friends who have touched our lives in so many ways.  

Despite Luke's exhaustion tantrums, we had the best time together.  I didn't really care how many popsicles he ate, what he drank or how many times he watched his shows, just as long as he was quiet so we could catch up!!!   I needed about 10 more hours of uninterrupted talk time :)  Looks like an excuse for another get together.

Can't wait to get back into homeschooling with these wonderful families.  Love them.  

Thank you for spoiling us with such a fun afternoon!

Then, we met the Borges up at Tilden Park for another incredible day!  Kate and Elise have been buddies since they met at dance class when they were 3 years old.  I knew the moment I met Leah that we would be good friends.  Little did we know that we'd both end up homeschooling together too!!!  

 Tilden park is BEAUTIFUL!  And has so many fun extras, like this old time merry-go-round...

A little farm where you could feed some of the animals...

(Luke didn't like the "moos" of the cows... they were really loud and it freaked him out)

Everyone was a little nervous to get too close!!

There was a nature exhibit...

Plenty of hiking trails...

And a little steam train!

So. Much. Fun.  Perfect way to spend a sweltering summer day.  

In the redwoods with some of our dearest friends.  

Mugged at Target?

I have to admit.  One of the things I was looking forward to when we arrived home, was doing a little shopping.  The turquoise pad of paper on my fridge at home was filling up quite nicely, because every time I thought of something that we couldn't get down there, I'd write it down.  About the third night after we got here, I put the kids to bed around 8:45 and asked my mom when Target closed.  We looked it up...11pm.  I was ecstatic.  I don't remember them staying open so late!  I grabbed my purse, my turquoise list and was off.  I had plenty of time to pick up a few things.  

When I walked through those doors and saw the red carts and the dollar section, I have to admit, my heart skipped a beat and a smile spread on my lips.  I didn't know where to go first!  I wanted to see it all.  I went aisle by aisle--even down the greeting card aisles, just for fun.  By the time I made it through the toy section, I happened to glance at my watch and realized it was already 10:40!  I needed to get going.  So I went to one of the 2 lines that were open and began to unload the treasures I had found from the mountain in my cart.  I got to the front and the man asked me if I'd like to buy some bags-- no plastic in Santa Clara County.  Oh bummer!  How many would I need to buy?!  My purchases were adding up and so was the line behind me.  The cashier gave me my total and I swiped my card.  Denied.  Oh crap, I forgot to call the credit card company to let them know that we were traveling.  I didn't want to use my other card because this one gave me miles!  The kind man suspended my account and went on to the 30 other people that were behind me, so I could give my Visa company a quick call.  I'm sure everyone was loving me.  So much for quick!  It took me another 15 minutes to clear everything up.  I finally packed up all of my belongings and was on my way.  It was about 11:03 when I finally left the store and loaded everything into the car. I normally can't shop for very long.  It exhausts me and gives me headaches.  But I think I had been looking forward to this for so long, that instead of yawning all the way to my parents home, I was belting out American tunes on the radio.  I turned into their court and immediately noticed that my dad's car was missing from the driveway.  Very strange.  I parked the car, left everything in the back and ran inside.  The door to the room the kids were sleeping in was open, so I ran in and they were all sound asleep.  Next, I ran upstairs, and as I turned the corner, I heard as cool and calmly as ever from my dad, "Hi Boo, did you have fun?"  

"Yeah, but what's going on, where's your car?" and then I noticed, "and where's Mom!!"

Casually, "Oh, she thought you had been mugged in the Target parking lot, because you were taking so long, so she went looking for you."

My sweet mom.  Dad tried to explain that this was my first time in Target in almost a year-- I was probably just enjoying myself, but she was worried.  And since my cell phone is Chilean, the roaming is ridiculous, so I'm not really using it while I'm here.  She went searching for me.  Of course I called her immediately and she was home in a few minutes.  Isn't it funny?  I saw the car gone and immediately assumed something had happened to one of my children, and my mom was certain something had happened to her child. Being a mom never goes away.  I'm so grateful for mine.  I love her with all of my heart.  

I gave her a big hug when she got home and chuckled, "Target is to blame" :)

It Just Keeps Getting Better and Better

I was talking to Joe on the phone the other day and Jake overheard us talking about the ants that had invaded our kitchen again in Chile.  Jake muttered to himself, "What?!  More ants?  I guess I'm not going back to Cheeele!"  (As a side note--from day one, he has said Chile with the correct pronunciation.  He never says it like most Americans--"chili"--and he'll correct you if you say it wrong. As another side note, he has never called Chile home.  He did from the get go, and still does, tell people that we are on a long vacation.  Technically, I guess he's right. 

Anyway, maybe he's the only one who truly remembers just how amazing home really is and doesn't want us to forget it.  Our time in Chile has been and will continue to be a grand adventure that we are extremely grateful for.  But ahhhhhhhhhh, being home is bliss.  I didn't realize how much I missed everything and everyone.  Jake obviously has a stellar memory because he has made several comments like the ant comment above...

 I'm sure being with his best friend and cousin, Brik, has something to do with his longing to be home.  We have had so much fun cheering our nephews on in their baseball games, late night dinners to celebrate their victories, and plenty of girl talk to get caught up on.

We've hit Chuck E Cheese (even though there is one in Chile, it's much more fun with your cousins when you are the only ones in the place), the movies (twice), plenty of pool time, and of course, Sweet Tomatoes per Kate and Jake's request.  They asked if we could hit Sweet Tomatoes one more time before our vacation is up.  I think we can manage that, as long as I get my Mexican, Chinese and Texas Roadhouse taste buds satisfied :)

 Gracie takes such good care of Luke...even when he doesn't want it :)  She is so sweet with him.

We are getting spoiled because we have been going places and seeing friends and family every day. 

It's been a blast!

Hanging with Uncle Chris, Aunt Kalei and Momo before we were heading off to the pool.  So glad Chris has a few weeks off of Dental school right now!  We've been spoiled with them coming down for sleepovers and plenty of play time with their pet Hunny Bunny!

One day, I just needed some down time.  I was a little tired.  I wanted to clean up and organize and do a little laundry. The kids haven't been sleeping much, so I figured it'd be good just to have a mellow day.  Kate came running into my room in her jammies and asked with plenty of enthusiasm, "So who am I playing with today?!"  I think you could call her an extrovert ;)

You Can Do Anything for 16 Hours

That's what my friend Kristy told me when I mentioned I was a little nervous doing the flight from Chile to NorCal alone with the kids.  She said that no matter what happens, you focus on the prize at the end because you know it is soooo worth it.  Sounds extremely similar to this little thing called life, right? 

We'd be leaving Joe for 3 weeks and then he would come join us in California the final week.  It was hard to leave him.  The kids were devastated he couldn't come with us.  If they only knew the kind of work he had to put in while we were gone...they probably wouldn't have seen him anyway if we had stayed in Chile!  After all of the notarized letters saying Joe would allow me to take the kids out of the country, passports, birth certificates and RUT cards were checked, we were on our way.  The plane was taking off at 9pm and there were probably 10 other families from school who were on our same flight-- including our really good friends the Hamilton's!  

That eased my worry a bit.  

I got everyone situated.  Luke next to me:

 reading up on the important stuff

 and Kate and Jake in front of me:

 The kids really did a great job.  They were so excited that they had a hard time falling asleep.  They all eventually did for about 3 hours each--but those 3 hours were all at different times!  I WAS EXHAUSTED!  We were all still recovering from influenza yuck, so every time I heard Jake sneeze, I was in his face with a kleenex, making sure he didn't have noodles!  I know.  Lovely.  We landed in Dallas at 6AM and everyone cheered.  I got a little surge of energy with the thought that we were on US soil.  We got through customs and met up with the Hamiltons for breakfast.  Laura is awesome and such a big help.  Just having someone to watch your stuff while you run everyone to go pee is huge!  We took a nice leisurely walk and then an energetic tram ride to our next departures.  

 The kids were loving it, because we were the only ones in our car on the tram.  We could have ridden that thing for 5 hours and they would have been thrilled!

We all said our goodbyes and "See you in a Month" and then the Hamiltons went one way and we went another.  We were doing OK!  And then suddenly the kids began feeling the effects of their blip of a sleep and they were transforming into little people I didn't recognize and frankly, didn't necessarily care to claim.  Maybe it was my 1 hour "nap" or maybe my eyes were so dry and on fire that I really would have loved to have thrown my body on the filth-ridden airport carpet and given in to the sandman.  We were fighting over M&M's; full-on pushing and shoving with scrunched up faces to match, because one couldn't see the movie as well as the other; spilling water; and then spilling those prized M&M's which went into dark corners of the floor that I told everyone not to touch.  But little man somehow found moments when I wasn't looking and went to those places under the chairs and in the corners to eat the chocolate, leaving him with a face that I should have taken a picture of, but was too tired to do it.  We cried and whined and were all quite ashen looking.  And then, after a 3 hour layover, they announced our 3 hour flight from Dallas to San Francisco.  

 We were almost there.  I could taste it.  A little adrenalin got us all on the plane.  We got to our seats and they had a stranger sitting in between each of us.  Who does that to a woman with 3 young kids?  Would those strangers like to take care of my 2 year old and make sure that my 5 year old doesn't spill his drink all over everyone and everything?  We got it worked out.   I put Luke on my lap while we waited for the plane to take off, because I didn't want him freaking out.  The flight was full.  A woman couldn't seem to find her seat and she and about 5 flight attendants kept coming up to me asking about Luke's seat.  I explained I had paid for it-- It was Luke's seat.  The flight attendant then stands right next to me in the aisle and walkie talkies:  "I need you to check the seating of this family of 3."  I was so bugged.  First.  We were a family of 4.  Second.  Do you think I'd lie about buying a seat for my 2 year old son who in no way could pass for a baby because of his shear size???  I repeated in an un-Julie-like tone, "There are 4 of us and this is my son's seat." AHHHHHHHHHH!

And then I don't remember much else.  

We all went comatose.  

Well, at least I allowed myself to after Luke and Jake fell asleep.  Kate apparently struggled to sleep, but she didn't bother me.  Sweet thing.  I'm sure my mouth was WIDE open--slack jaw and all.  It was glorious.  Until landing.  Luke woke up and his ears must have hurt.  Because he started to scream.  And scream.  And when we landed, he was now throwing a full on tantrum that continued in the eerily quiet plane while everyone was standing, waiting to leave the aircraft.  Arms flailing, feet kicking, inconsolable.  I couldn't do anything for him.  I wasn't even able to hold him.  The sweet woman behind me said something in Spanish and patted his head, and I answered right back to her in Spanish and thought, "Oh my gosh!  That just rolled off my tongue!"  I didn't even need to think about it.  A very, very, very small silver lining at that moment.  

But we made it.  We were alive and although we probably looked like death, we were met by a glorious sight at the gate.  Kate and Jake took off running at full speed and yelling, "Momo!!!  BG!!!!!"  Couldn't help but shed a few tired tears of relief.  

Kristy was right.  It was definitely worth it :)