Let it snow

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...
  The kids were really hoping for the chance to see some snow  upon our return.  For three years they have lived in a sub tropical climate during the winter. This has made me quite happy and I did not miss a single snowflake.  Elliot was just about to turn four when we left in Spring of 2009. There is a chance he doesn't really remember it. 
 Coming back to Michigan in April, believe it or not, meant there was a possibility of snow fall.  I had heard about how Michigan experienced a really mild 2011-12 winter with warmer temperatures and less snow, even so I was bracing myself for one more storm before spring really came.


It was our second week back and we were in the living room doing school. When I see Jane slowly lift her hand, point and stare out of the window.  Sure enough flakes were falling.  School had then become a mere distraction from the white stuff outside.


People do wear winter gloves, coats and boots in Hong Kong.
 I am sure some Michigan natives would laugh at the temperatures  those Hong Kong people choose to wear those items.
 We hadn't bought a heavy jacket for either of the kids in HK. Hat and gloves would be worn one day and the next day would be too warm. This resulted in an inconsistent place to leave them, since they didn't seem necessary to know where they were.

This is Jane and me walking to the train station on a Sunday morning.  Nathan loves this photo. First, because we are hunched over, shielding ourselves from the blistering cold Hong Kong morning. Second, he really likes the fact the sun is shining.
It was probably around 52 degrees.  

   On this day when the kids went outside. They had their flip flops, and a shared pair of my gloves. Elliot had been given a free winter coat from his last modeling shoot in Shenzhen. 
Thankfully the snow didn't last and no storm ever came, since we were not prepared. The winter stuff, the small amount we had. was still on a boat making its way across the ocean to us with the rest of our belongings.

Their first reaction was to taste it.
 Is this instinctive in children?
I can't remember the last time I tried to taste snow.  I always think of Lucy's line in Charlie Brown Christmas
"I never eat December snowflakes, I always wait til January."

A cherished snowball was made.

We will have to compare the kids excitement to this day in March 2013, when they have had at least 4 good months of snow and cold.   I hope their enthusiasm keeps up, it will help me to remain positive through the winter.

Jetlag

The 12 hour time difference from US to Hong Kong can result in some unexpected comedy.  It isn't unusual to wake up in the middle of the night and not be sure where you are.  I have fallen asleep while sitting up and talking to people.  We were able to catch a video this time of the kids. 
 Elliot was really hungry and equally tired, but insisted on getting some food before crashing.

Our family listens to a radio program put out by Focus on the Family called:
"Adventures in Odyssey." 
 I felt a name that paid tribute to the show and also had something to do with following us around, would be a good combination. 
One of the radio episodes is about how the town of Odyssey- the setting of the radio drama- got its name. The founder said it is a place everyone "oughta see."


It has been over  two months since we left Hong Kong.  
 The week we came home was Easter.
We spent a few days in Tennessee and Grandpa and Grandma bought the kids Easter outfits. 
Jane picked this dress out herself.

  The Roman family ( Nathan's mom side) has an egg hunt for the kids.  This year they hid over 200 hundred!

Elliot's modest size basket couldn't hold all the eggs he found.  At one point he was running and eggs were falling out. lucky for his cousin Trevor (age 6) who was right behind him, to pick them up.

Another tradition of the egg hunt seems to be forgetting how many eggs have actually been hidden. This makes it a little difficult to tell the kids when to stop looking.
Emma found this egg, that contained the rotten remains of money and candy.  
At first  everyone said it must have been an unfounded egg from the previous year, then they remembered that the prior egg hunt was at a different location, so this egg was from two years past.

Holidays overseas away from family and friends can be lonely.  We had been blessed to spend Holidays with great friends in HK. 
 However we are thankful for the chance to once again participate in family celebrations.