Countdown

Our home is all abuzz with preparations for our trip.

There are 11 stacks of kids’ clothing laid out in my living room and there’s a present waiting for them on top of each day’s pile. I’m hoping the visual countdown of watching each day’s presentclothes pile disappear will help them.

I’ve been making a schedule for the kids for fun things to do with Grandma Cliffie and Auntie Natalie while we’re away: zoo, fall festivals, beach, children’s museum, pool, parks, trunk or treat, and open gymnastics.

Ben packed last night.  I’m mostly packed.

This evening I’ll be picking up 40 lbs. of Zaycon chicken and over the next two days I”ll be doing meal prep related chores for our trip.

A new memory card and camera lens arrived yesterday.  Very exciting.

We still have one outstanding issue – our visas and passports still haven’t arrived in the mail.  The website told us they had a 7  – 10 day turn around time.  We sent them about a little over 3 weeks ago and thought 4+ weeks would be plenty of time. Well, turns out this company is notoriously slow, inefficient, and unresponsive.  Ben has called them every day for the last 9 days.  No progress.  We’re getting a little nervous but I’m hoping everything will work out.

I’m having mixed feelings as the trip gets closer.  It will certainly be exciting to explore a new area of the world, especially one that has such personal significance for Ben.  The time in the Maldives will be heavenly – 3 days of nothing but beautiful beaches, naps, reading, and loafing.  Even the plane rides sound fun – 20 hours each way to read my favorite books, watch shows, nap.  Also, we have a 6 hour layover in Paris on our flight home.  It will be fun to eat crepes, visit the Eiffel tower, and experience a new culture/country.

On the flip side – I’m feeling VERY anxious about leaving the kids!  I’ve already warned Ben, Michael, and Sarah that I will probably cry the whole way to the airport, all throughout the airport, and probably the first hour or two of the flight. When we booked this trip last year I thought Sadie would be fully adjusted to Kindergarten by late October but she still has days when she struggles.  Also, McKay is not as independent as Jax was at age two.  He’s still attached and very much a baby in some ways.  And, surprisingly, it’s usually Jax who has the hardest time when we’re away, despite his usually independent nature.  So, I’m worried.  I’m expecting to be ignored or rejected when we get home.  I’ve heard that’s common.  I’m just hoping and praying that this will be a time of growth, relationship building, and fun for all of us.

Hoping and praying.  Hoping and praying.  Hoping and praying!