Just Relaxing ... Most of the time ...

We are in full swing back home in America. So much so that it’s 1:30 in the morning and I’m still awake! Actually, it’s not because of a prolonged case of extreme jet lag, but the good ol’ US of A has welcomed me home by making me pass a kidney stone over the past week. I spent a good part of yesterday in the hospital on a lovely drug called morphine --- and now just trying to gut out the last (hopefully!) few hours of pain till it passes completely. I’ve already decided that this means we are having a baby girl come October since the last (and only previous) time I passed a kidney stone was about 4 months before Savannah was born … which would be about the same time frame for this next baby. All I can say at this point is that modern drugs are a wonderful thing :) … Ok, it’s now 13 June and as it turns out, the worst was actual yet to come and I didn’t pass the stone for another 17 hours. Thankfully it did pass on it’s on though around 5 the next evening and sleep was never so peaceful the next night. If what they say about passing a kidney stone being anything close to labor for our better halves, well, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. At least they get a cute baby at the end … all I got was a miniscule ugly looking rock!

So let’s get on to some of the more enjoyable parts of being back in America. Amongst finding a home, getting cars registered, and tying up necessary loose ends to get settled, we’ve taken advantage of our time off to do some stuff with the kids. Among some of our activities have been a dip in the local swimming pool (the kids were more than excited to get back in the water after going through withdrawals from their Aussie swim lessons), taking the kids to get some strawberry/cheesecake/kitkat shakes at some of our favorite local shops like Ab’s and Arctic Circle, going to a baseball game with the Salt Lake Bees (trying to get Collin converted to baseball from the cricket routine – almost caught a few home runs/foul balls but some kids ran me over), and while their enjoying some hot dogs, cotton candy (or fairy floss :)) … and also some backyard BBQ’s, games of kick soccer, Anna’s birthday party complete with piñata, baby Colton’s baby blessing, swinging in the hammock, going on walks with Grandpa/Grandma Whetstone (we even caught a snake on the railroad tracks the other day!), going bowling and to the zoo, and catching up on sleep! The weather has been less than summer-like. In fact, it’s been down right windy and pretty chilly. That said, it’s still comfortable and we’re getting used to the altitude change.

The kids seem to be doing pretty good. Hunter loves watching the tractors Grandma/Grandpa Whetstone’s house. They are doing a lot of development across the street and Hunter just stays glued to the windows all day dragging whomever will indulge him to take a peak at the latest ‘big twuck’ digging holes in the dirt. Whenever he talks to someone on the phone his first comment (and middle, and last) is always, “I saw a big twactor!”

Collin is our little sports fanatic. He has really latched on to the baseball thing. We bought him a little soft ball and bat. Between him and Savannah they’ve already destroyed 5 of the plastic balls … and lost one in the bushes at Grandpa Lindsay’s house. His Uncle Chris bought him a generic basketball uniform and he rotates between that and two other sport uniforms that other people have given him. He also is enjoying playing ping pong and basketball. He has quite the imagination for hitting ‘home runs’ and ‘foul balls’ and whatever else he needs to beat dad.

Savannah is truly missing school and her Aussie friends. She’s keeping busy though with doing piano lessons, reading books, playing the board game ‘Life’ with whomever, and coloring a massive picture of a unicorn. She is always looking for new things to do. For instance, she just walked in and demanded to know when I am going to follow through on my promise of taking her ice skating. I guess they aren’t going to forget anything I told them we would do when we ‘got back to America’.

So I guess that’s about it for now. We find a home in North Ogden and I start work next week. It’s been a relaxing down time, but I guess you have to come back to reality some time, eh?