Kathleen and the children returned this week. Kathleen had an interesting tale of a 10,000 mile journey with four kids and 11 check bags. Apparently, as she was packing on Monday night, our neighbor Greg was dispatched to Walmart to purchase more duffle bags to carry the bounty of daily trips to Target, GNC, and Barnes and Noble.
One key item that Kathleen was kind enough to carry back was a wheeled cart for the canoe. According to Kathleen, this item was the main cause of her need for excess baggage. The canoe cart will allow me to move the canoe to the lakefront without asking a neighbor to help me carry it. Also it means I won't have to suffer the embarassment of a neighbor watching while I launch the canoe and fall in the water.
The kids had lots of stories of their weeks in Peoria. One highlight, was that Marco won the spaghetti eating contest at the annual Italian American Festa. His is my hero. Joseph got four teeth pulled. Juliana's friend Carsten got a new inground pool this summer that all of the kids got to swim in. All four children went to summer academy at St. Mark's for a couple of weeks and saw some of their old classmates. Each child also got a single day alone with Mom to shop for clothes and go to their favorite restaurant for lunch. They had an evening at Chuck E Cheese that sounded like a hit and the home leave was capped off with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa. G-ma and G-pa kindly stayed until the Tuesday morning departure date to help take the Cazzato and their 42 bags to the Peoria Airport.
As you can see from the pictures, they are still a bit jet lagged from the 14 hour plane ride and 12 hour time change. This is the typical scene that greets me each night as I arrive home from work. I know how they feel - my first week back was challenging also. The kids' friends are starting to filter back into town also and I think that Kathleen, like every mother, is looking forward to the start of school.
Today is the one year mark since our move to China. We talked tonight about how the novelty has worn off a bit and there is a fresh adjustment period after an extended stay in the U.S. But all in all, China is treating us well and we are enjoying the chance to live and work here.
One key item that Kathleen was kind enough to carry back was a wheeled cart for the canoe. According to Kathleen, this item was the main cause of her need for excess baggage. The canoe cart will allow me to move the canoe to the lakefront without asking a neighbor to help me carry it. Also it means I won't have to suffer the embarassment of a neighbor watching while I launch the canoe and fall in the water.
The kids had lots of stories of their weeks in Peoria. One highlight, was that Marco won the spaghetti eating contest at the annual Italian American Festa. His is my hero. Joseph got four teeth pulled. Juliana's friend Carsten got a new inground pool this summer that all of the kids got to swim in. All four children went to summer academy at St. Mark's for a couple of weeks and saw some of their old classmates. Each child also got a single day alone with Mom to shop for clothes and go to their favorite restaurant for lunch. They had an evening at Chuck E Cheese that sounded like a hit and the home leave was capped off with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa. G-ma and G-pa kindly stayed until the Tuesday morning departure date to help take the Cazzato and their 42 bags to the Peoria Airport.
As you can see from the pictures, they are still a bit jet lagged from the 14 hour plane ride and 12 hour time change. This is the typical scene that greets me each night as I arrive home from work. I know how they feel - my first week back was challenging also. The kids' friends are starting to filter back into town also and I think that Kathleen, like every mother, is looking forward to the start of school.
Today is the one year mark since our move to China. We talked tonight about how the novelty has worn off a bit and there is a fresh adjustment period after an extended stay in the U.S. But all in all, China is treating us well and we are enjoying the chance to live and work here.
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