Wants and Needs

Remember when I needed a new stroller?

I sold the old Bugaboo and got about 80% of the cost back.  Hooray!

Then I bought a Phil and Ted Sport.  It is really awesome because it fits both kids without being a wide load.  It looks like this:

We love it.  We also love having something small and compact.

So now we are car shopping.  In Manila we had a Honda CR-V that we bought and sold for the same price.  It was great (although it was an Asian model so it lacked heat and had nine seats, seriously, nine for some kind of Oompa Loompa size people because there was no way you could fit nine American size adults).  

Our plan is to buy a car at next post because I just don't have six weeks to wait around for a car to be shipped.  Its a bad way to start off your tour.  So, we are going to buy a car in DC and sell it in nine months.  

And so we thought we would buy this car:

Oolala the sleek Honda CR-V!

But it is DC, and everything is crowded and urban and parking spots are small.  And I secretly want this car:

Of course that is crazy talk.  I have two small kids in car seats, strollers, kid junk that must be carried to all locations.  There is just no possible way.

But then:

We went to the dealer and put our stroller in.  It fit better than this picture (this is a double wide load not our stroller).  And there was room for me to put some groceries.

And here are my other justifications:

• The Mini-Cooper Clubman retains its value better than any vehicle on the market.  Meaning: if we buy one we should be able to sell it close to what we bought it for in nine months.  
• It is amazing on gas
• If we decide to change our mind and ship it to Belgium it shouldn't be too difficult to have it meet European regulations since it was born in England.  
• Its really cool

But then again, I really like the space and feeling of the CR-V.  

I think perhaps my dream of having two small kids in a very small wagon is silly.  But a girl can dream right?

Advice is solicited here.  Feel free to comment away about my irrational car desires and give me some darn good practical advice.  

A Sigh of Relief

I have been on home leave now for 23 days.  Twenty three days is enough time for me to start feeling like everything is normal.  Things are still shiny, food still tastes fantastic.  I am still delighted with libraries and parks and my children are fascinated by water fountains and sprinklers.

I don't have too much to say about this vacation other than this: it. was. needed.  

For the first time in YEARS I am getting a full nights rest.  My children are on summer schedule so they are going to bed at nine and waking up at eight or nine, which means if I got to bed at eleven or midnight I get eight hours of sleep.  Hooray for sleep!  

The other realization I had is that I am always going to be the mom referee.  I guess it is just my lot in life.  We were at the children's museum the other day and there was a small section for kids three and older.  Of course there were seven and eight year-olds running around and throwing things and knocking over little Tiger and other babies.  So Manila Sunny comes out, which I now realize is just assertive Sunny.  I had hoped that it was just the Philippines that let their children run amok but I realize now it is a worldwide epidemic and I will not stand for it. I kicked the big kids out of the baby sections.  Come on moms!  Don't just look on while your children break the rules.  

Stella and Tiger have been loving vacation.  Stella is the only granddaughter on both sides and has been adored by both sets of grandparents.  Tiger is starting to talk and we are just loving it.   They are really having a great time and love having daddy around (so do I).  

Here is our list of fun this past week:

Parks, parks, parks

Park Silly Farmers Market

Went up the ski lift to the top of the mountain

Got caught in a huge thunderstorm while trying to fly a kite

Family reunions all around

Saw the Tour de Utah with some serious bikers

BBQing some more

Discovering Sand Boxes

Famous Daddy Dave Sunday Dinner

We love it here.  At the same time I getting nervous about our next jump and all the unknown tasks that soon await me.  

Parked in the City

Last year Seth and I came to the U.S. on one of our R&Rs from our hardship post (yes, despite the nannies it is still a hardship post which means you get one free flight home).  We had a great time and loved all of it but came to a very firm conclusion that once you have two children and are in your thirties you have no business living with your parents or any relatives for more than week or so.

So, this year we rented a house.  Any way we shake it Seth and I play the family juggle.  His parents live in the Orem/Provo area and mine live in Salt Lake, a 45 minute drive.  So we decided to split the difference and stay in Park City.

Park City is mostly known for skiing, Sundance Film Festival, and the Olympics.  Cold stuff.  But in the summer when the rest of the country is sizzling, this place is AWESOME.

When we walk into the house we are greeted with this guy:

His name is Norton and he sorta scares the kids.  

After a few weeks we started convincing Stella that he actually protects the house.  Now we say hi to him.  

The house is awesome.  It can sleep 20 which means any amount of family members who are dying to see us have no excuse but to come here and see us.  

Both my sister and brother and their kids have been here so it has been cousin-fest.  Hooray!  We also were greeted by most favorite people of all time, Julie and Tim.  

So far in our time here we have:

Gone to the library 4 times

Walked to the park every morning

Went to the zoo

Went to the science museum

Ran around in the outdoor water feature at Gateway mall 

Visited family

Barbequed

Gone up the ski lift and looked down

Gone to the farmer's market

Loved every minute of it

I will admit there is a sense of isolation when you come back.  It is fantastic to be around other people who culturally and intellectually "get it."  At the same time, they don't.  I have been in this place for two years and seen so many things and had all of these experiences that are really hard to understand.  And frankly, most people don't want to hear about it.  So my decompression has to be bottled up a bit.  

The most annoying part about coming home is when people get all snitty about having domestic help.  Yes, I had a nanny and a driver.  But seriously, I would have LOVED to live in a place that had an economy that made that impossible because that would have meant life was a whole lot easier.  It is really hard to explain and people think I have been kicking up my heels for two years outsourcing the child rearing to a lady in Dora scrubs.   If I do attempt to explain I get an eye roll, as if I can't understand what it is like to be a normal mom.  Not cool.  

And this is the part that I get to thank my fellow blogging friends who live abroad.  Some of you I met some I know from blog stalking.  Thank you so much for making me feel like I am not crazy.  The community of people who can empathize with you gets a lot smaller when you do crazy things like take small children to a developing country, I NEED that community.  I started crying when I went to the grocery store and saw the overwhelming varieties of cheeses and potatoes.  If you get that, thank you.  If you don't just be grateful and God bless the supermarket. 

Now back to vacation.  

22 Hours and a Kick in the Pants

To be expected, the flight was not awesome.  I think I would rather be in the plane bathroom for 22 hours (yes even with that blue liquid smell) than wrangling kids.  Seth and I love to reminisce about the days that we were BORED on flights forced to listen to our ipods or read a book.  Oh the life.

This was our day: woke up at 4.  Showered and ate.  Got kids ready.  Got bags out.  Said good bye to Lani our yaya, there were some tears.  Got into a van with our seven bags, stroller, and two car seats.  Went to Ninoy Aquino Manila Airport, got five of the bags checked, carried three and still had the two little ones.  Paid the ridiculous 750php per person fee to get out.  Got on flight #1 to Tokyo.

Tokyo is one of my favorite airports.  It is so clean, the bathrooms are AMAZING, and they have a McDonalds (the only time I eat at McDonalds is when I am overseas, it is so gross in the U.S.).  We let the kids run around, ate a few chicken nuggets.  Stella was fascinated with drinking fountains.  Tokyo to Portland was AWFUL.

The kids got about 4-5 hours of sleep.  Seth and I sat uncomfortably each holding one so at least someone got some sleep.

We get to Portland midnight Manila time 10 am Pacific time.  The kids are a mess and we have a few hours to kill.  It was bright, we were tired, and then the next flight.

Our heads were bobbing as we were passing out on the small plane.  I had three flight attendants try to take Tiger's seat because apparently no one purchases a ticket for an infant.  I had to show them my ticket stub for them to believe it.

We got home, drove to our vacation home in Park City, installed a crib, ate the most delicious food I have ever eaten in my life (fresh nectarines, rolls, and milk).  We all went to sleep at about 9 that evening.

And since then we have been on Mountain Standard Time.

We love it.  Everything here is crisp, fresh, beautiful, delicious.  I am starting a new love affair with food.  I forgot how good it can taste.  You just get used to having old gross food that is not export quality.  It is so so much better here.  The traffic is fantastic, there is none!

Our kids have been loving it.  Stella pointed out today that, "kids in America don't ask for money."


I love it here.  I love my country.  I love my family and this time we get to readjust.  Pictures to come soon I promise.