Post New Zealand

These are some pics that we took of all the kids together on the morning that we left New Zealand. Their expressions pretty much sum up our amazing time in NZ. We miss the Lifseys a whole bunch. Ford keeps going around looking for Isaiah. I can't wait to see how much all these kiddos change before they see each other next (hopefully, in November).

Jet lag is for REAL! I have never been so screwed up. Night 1 was in the airport...no sleep. Night 2...Ford woke up upset at midnight; I didn't fall asleep until 4. Night 3...no sleep again; Ford woke up again at midnight, and MK woke up at 4 and proceeded to pack up every single one of her toys. Night 4...I went to sleep at 8:00 and actually slept on and off; Ford woke up at midnight again. Night 5...we were staying at a hotel for our family reunion and there was a Scion car club convention there as well, so all I heard all night was their bass...no sleep, but the kids slept and Ford did not wake up at midnight. Night 6...changed rooms and got the first good night of sleep since New Zealand.

So, we got home last Tuesday morning, and Thursday morning we headed to Mississippi, and Friday morning we went to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for our annual family reunion. I haven't been able to go to the reunion the past few years, so it was great to see my family. This was our welcome sign to the hotel. We all got a good kick out of it, and there were many psychotic jokes throughout the weekend. FYI, the scikotics asylum is the Scion car club. Click on the pic for more reunion pictures.On our way back to Mississippi, we dropped Joel off at the Little Rock airport so that he could fly out to Pasadena for a 2 week class on the theology of C.S. Lewis. It was no fun having to say goodbye. This is the part of sabbatical that we weren't excited about, but kind of thought we'd be okay being apart after being together for so long. But, it was the opposite. Because we've spent so much time together, it made it extra hard for us to be apart. Mary Kate asks when she's going to see her Daddy again all day long, Ford screams for him at night, and I hate getting into an empty bed (and having to do the insane part of Insanity by myself. By the way, whatever I said about liking Insanity...I don't know what I was thinking.) It's going to be a long 2 (maybe 3) weeks without my man.

Monday, we got to spend some time with my cousins. We went to the zoo and grilled out for dinner. We can't wait for our annual beach trip in August. It's going to be crazy. Here's some pics from the zoo.