This weekend was another great one. Thursday night we met Dan and Mike at Cantina Laredo for Mexican food, which we haven't had in WAY too long and I filled up on Queso before my meal even arrived.
Friday started early for me, making chimichangas to take to Charmaine's surprise baby shower (woot woot!) and then heading to Toys R Us to pick up some gifts for her. We picked out a baby bath tub that was adorable as it came with a froggy slip-resistant bottom, a couple of bath toys, and a cup-thing for pouring water. Stu insisted that because our gift was for the baby's parents, the baby deserved a gift as well. He picked out a Kaden-approved favorite from his early baby days (a box with shapes cut in the lid and the baby finds the right hole for each shape... in reality they are just really great teethers).
I headed off for an afternoon with the gals. It was wonderful and I finally got to see Miss Eva again (!!!). I hadn't seen her since she left for Pakistan several months ago and it was so wonderful to see her and catch up and of course to see the other ladies as well. Kundi so graciously offered up her house for the festivities and she and Lindsay worked the whole morning getting things ready for the day. Kundi baked cookies and Lindsay decorated them and a cake that said "Welcome Baby Choy". So cute! We had a great time chatting and waiting for the lady of the hour.
After the food and gifts were done, we headed into the kitchen to dye some yarn! I had never seen this done before and was eager to see the process. Lindsay was awesome and gave me two skeins of naked yarn to dye! (And yesterday we hit the store so I could pick out some circular needles to put that yarn to good use with a pattern I picked out! :))
It was fun to do, especially when you pull it out and it slightly varied throughout. I think it looks beautiful and I can't wait to see how it turns out when it's all worked up!
We ended the night with pizza and poker at our house, which has become the weekly thing (although it was inside this time because the A/C broke upstairs, which meant no smoke and cool air). We had a really good time. Lots of laughs and stories. Stu ended up winning (I came in third), so it ended the night on a pretty good note! :)
On to the rumors: After much deliberation, we've decided that Kaden and I will leave here in the next month or two, to go back to Boise and get the process started on purchasing a home (and two cars, furniture, appliances, get enrolled in school, Kaden in daycare, on and on and on...). It's a huge bummer to even THINK about being apart for several months after we've gotten so used to spending so much time together, but this is basically the only way it is all going to work out and us not have to miss a semester of school getting everything ready once we get back. So Stu will be staying here until we'd originally planned and Kaden and I will be leaving in a few weeks to a month or so.
I keep getting almost nauseous feeling about the whole thing. It feels so fast after having only ever just talked about it up until this piont. It's never felt very real and suddenly it's not only real, but happening a few months earlier than I'd anticipated, and (probably my worst fear) I have to once again travel across the planet with my two-year-old all by myself. Ugh. BUT, I made a condition that I not have to connect in the freaking European Union ever again, so I am flying from Abu Dhabi straight into Chicago (!!!) with only one more connection to Boise! Hooray for Etihad! Granted, it's still 27 hours of entertaining a crabby monkey all by my lonesome, and a 5-hour layover once I make it to Chicago (which conveniently be at OUR 4 AM), but it's in America! Yay for America!
We're trying to make the most of it and remind ourselves that this is really the only way for things to go as we want them to go, but it still does just suck. We'll miss Thanksgiving, Christmas (!) and New Years with Daddy. :( We will probably wait to celebrate "our" Christmas until Stu is back, but it makes me sad to think he'll be here all alone for Christmas (his idea, btw, not mine. :))
Here are the pics from the baby shower:
Assembling party favors.
Waiting around for the guest of honor.
The gift table.
The adorable cookies Kundi and Lindsay made!
The shoes... can anyone guess which ones are mine??? (Yep, the boring black flip flops. Hehe)
More waiting and chatting.
"Surprise!"
Look at that bump! :)
Quite a spread, huh? It was sooo good.
Assembled to watch the gift opening.
These gals sure can knit. There were so many creative gifts!
(This would take me ten years to knit.)
Hehe. A Kangaroo... for the Australian Mom-to-be. I thought that was a great idea!
Myself and my Eva! Finally!
The baby bath tub we got them.
Lindsay showing us her fabulous cake creation!
Rama sporting a make-shift apron for the yarn dyeing.
Wow that looks so fun! Was it tough to get started learning to knit?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you guys made a decision on what to do - I'm sure both ways would have had ups and downs. But like you said, at least this way everything can be ready to go when he is finished over there. I know you're so excited to come home - I can't believe either that it's almost here! Wow!!
Btw, you have to promise me you'll keep the blog up even though you're home. :-)
Fear not! I fully intend to keep this blog up until I have no more readers. :)
ReplyDeleteYay! :-)
ReplyDeleteWell, I know it will be hard to be away from Stu for so long, BUT it will be nice to have you back! I'd still love to come visit you in Boise when you're all settled. And you can always make a side trip to Moscow :)
ReplyDeleteKelsey V
ok. okokokok. This is big exciting news. I am so glad you get to come home early!!!!! But of course being away from Stu that long will suck. But, on the other hand, you will get to see Adelyn much much sooner :) I can't wait! Love love love
ReplyDeletePS- the word verification on this comment form is "malikers" lol... couldn't be more appropriate!
Well, reading your blog made me cry. I hate "goodbyes" and all that and to know you are going to leave all those really, really nice assembly of women from all over the world really makes me sad for you! I know you can't live over there forever and we're so glad to have you come back home, but I know you are going to miss them more than you can ever imagine! Just know you've been blessed in meeting them and imagine all the e-mails that will be flying around in cyberspace! What a lucky person you are...and I know they are going to miss you like crazy! I"m also sad that Stu has to be over there by himself for so long without his babies, so we'll have to make sure we send him some packages! Will he cook for himself or join some friends for T-day and Xmas?? Anyway...we love you and miss you and can't wait to see you and Kaden then Stu when you will reassemble as a wonderful family again....in the good old UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!! Wow...Mimi and Papa
ReplyDeleteI know. And it's not just the women either. The other day when we were playing poker I got a little sad even thinking of the boys I've gotten so attached to here. Dan and Mike and Matt and everyone. It's going to be hard to leave everyone. :( But, this was the plan from the beginning. I know exactly how blessed we have been to meet so many different people with so many stories and varied backgrounds on offer. I will miss them all. I might even miss the Dhab just the teeniest bit too. ;)
ReplyDeleteChristy, I plan to be there with bells on just as SOON as I can possible arrange it!
ReplyDeleteAnd Kelsey, I totally expect your visit once we've moved in. I can't WAIT! (And you can drag Jen (Harrison) down there with you too and call it a road trip! hehe)