I'll confess life has been crazy for Cody and I since we stepped off the airplane four months ago. And the next two months don't look any different. We have been spinning far too many plates and spending a few more miles on the road than we would have ever chosen.
But the kids. . . we have worked hard to make sure they have the most consistent, most "normal" American experience as they could possibly have. And we think they are.
Last week, Gavin's Kindergarten class took a field trip to a Pumpkin Patch. Before I even saw the information form, Cody said, "I am going to chaperone this one." He was almost as excited as Gavin! They had the best time. It was so much more than just a pumpkin patch. They spent the day wondering around mazes, exploring an Old West-style town and going on a hayride. And Gavin did come home with a pumpkin.
It is Texas. This is how they do mazes here. :)
This is Gavin with his best friend Jack.
They definitely do not have hayrides in Italy!
After the Pumpkin Patch on Thursday, the kids' school had a Carnival on Friday. On Saturdays, Gavin has soccer games. On Tuesdays, Hannah takes piano lessons. We go to AWANA on Sunday, and the kids LOVE going to church. Ben attends Mother's Day Out three times a week, and he went to a zoo for the first time last week. During our time back, the kids have gone to a Rangers game and Gavin saw TCU play. This weekend we will carve a pumpkin and go Trick or Treating. All normal American things you probably don't think much about. But none of those things do we get to do in Italy.
So "normal" is actually such a special treat for our kids!
We realize they probably won't have these experiences again until we move back to the States permanently (years from now, we think. . . ), so we are really grateful for the six months they are getting of it now. Not because they hold any real significance in and of themselves but because they're a part of a shared experience with their home culture.
God has provided many sweet gifts in the past few months. These are some of them.
2 comments:
So excited for you and your kids. We enjoyed our unexpected time in the States a few years back. We lived by a high school and loved taking the kids to marching band practice just for the taste of Americana! Enjoy!
It was great reading your last 3 entries to get a bit more of an update on how you're doing and seeing some fun pix! The pumpkin patch sounds awesome. Our kids were going to do that on Monday, but it got cancelled due to high winds. It turned into fall all of a sudden here in ABQ over the last week or so - pretty chilly too. That Time article is depressing. I'm thankful you all are striving to give hope to Italians. Christ is our only real hope, regardless of the country we live in or the economic conditions - including America. I'm so thankful to hear about your encouraging debriefing time as well. Cru really does a good job with that stuff. God bless you all!
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