We were fortunate to be able to carry our insane amount of luggage on this handy little cart! Four suitcases, three backpacks, a carseat and a stroller (including 50 pounds of rocks as gifts for people! I promised Kevin I'd never take rocks as presents again.) 
People often ask if we're nervous to travel with Emma or if she has a difficult time with the flights. I'm very happy to say that she rocks! She is the best little traveling sidekick and she love love loves the airplanes (thanks to Aunt Elise, I think). She took a little nap on the first two hour flight we were on to Sao Paulo. We boarded our international flight for Dallas and she was asleep before the plane left the ground (probably due to the fact that we took off at 11:45pm)!! She woke up about an hour before landing, ate breakfast and then was ready to go! Kevin and I both slept really well and were so excited to step into the American citizens line for customs. We were a little disappointed that we didn't receive the priority treatment that the Brazilians give parents with small children, but the smell of America deterred us from being disappointed for very long. It was so good to be home!
My sister Elise (third oldest in the family. . . we're a month short of 20 years apart, but it doesn't feel like it!) She and her three kids met us bright and early at the Dallas airport. I felt greasy from the long trip, but incredibly happy (partly because of the Starbuck's Americano I was holding) to be home. Elise had met us in Atlanta the night we left the States back in April, so it was kind of fun and poetic that she was the first one we saw when we arrived in Dallas. The kids played with Emma and helped her open her new airplane from Aunt Elise. Elise is a pilot for American Airlines, so she had to make sure Emma owned an AA airplane (along with her Delta planes). We had a great time chatting away over McDonald's fruit and yogurt parfaits and Starbuck's Americanos! Let me say, I was definitely not disappointed by the tastes!! Time flew by way too fast and before I knew it, we were boarding our flight to Kansas City!
Sister-in-law Kristin with kids Jaiya and Tucker
My only younger sibling, Benjamin. Notice we're in the coffee shop of Barnes 'N Noble. Yep, another coffee for the road! We arrived in KC and just as we walked out of the secure area, I saw my little brother (who is not really so little anymore). We're only 12 months apart, so I never was much bigger than him, but now I'm definitely not! This man holds a very special place in my heart and it's always good to see him. We drove to Jason's Deli near the airport and had lunch while we talked and played with the kids. Their son Tucker was born in October, so he was still a tiny little guy! Jaiya and Emma played together and stared at each other and giggled the way only little girls can do. My heart was so full watching them play together. One major disadvantage of living far away (including when we lived in Iowa), is that Emma doesn't get a lot of quality time with her many cousins. It was great to watch her feel so comfortable around Jaiya, who's only 6 months younger than her. Holding Tucker took me back about 29 years, to when my brother was born. He looked just like all the baby pictures I've seen of Benjamin and he reminded me of when Ben and I were both tiny little kids.
After lunch we went to Dick's Sporting Goods to do a little shopping (OK, a lot of shopping)!! Looking back, I'm pretty disappointed that I chose to spend my time with my brother and sister-in-law in that way. I wish I would have spent more time just talking because that was the only time we were able to see them during our trip. Shopping is such a waste compared to real conversation. I was so overwhelmed by the clothes that were available and the prices they were going for! Because of where we live and the prices of clothes in the entire country, we've chosen not to spend money on those things. Being in KC felt almost like I was buying things for free! After Dick's, we went to Barnes 'N Noble for some more Starbuck's coffee. Instead of sitting down to enjoy the coffee, I roamed around the store in awe of all the books that were available. I haven't bought Emma a single book in the last eight months and the ones we were reading eight months ago are too simple for her now. I found hundreds of books I wanted to purchase and felt stressed about making the decision to only buy three. I wanted them all!!
My dad let us borrow a vehicle from him during our three weeks home and we were so very grateful for that! Benjamin and Kristin drove to KC and gave us Dad's car and then went back to Manhattan together. We said goodbye to them and then headed north on I-35 to Iowa. The feeling of being back on the interstate was strangely normal. Odd. Comfortable. Very smooth. See, the roads here in Brazil aren't exactly the greatest. They allow us to get where we need to go, but the sight of the interstate highway north of KC was a beautiful sight and wonderful feeling. We've driven that highway countless times and memories of life in Iowa came rushing into my mind. They grew stronger as we kept driving and by the time we hit the outskirts of Ottumwa, I had almost forgotten that we'd ever left the town. (Almost).
I'm not real proud to say that the first stop we made in Ottumwa was WalMart. I needed three items and I was going to go super-fast. What I didn't know was that WalMart had been rearranged sometime during the last eight months!! The baby/kid stuff wasn't where I knew it was supposed to be! I had a quick moment of panic and then found what I was looking for. Oh, then I found Simply Apple Juice, and Kashi granola bars, and fresh blueberries and strawberries, and dried cranberries, and well, you get the point! We were still out of there in less than 15 minutes, but old habits die hard, I guess. I didn't need 12 items. I only needed 3!! Good ol' Wally World. . . gets me every time!
We drove on to our friends home on the eastern side of Ottumwa. Kevin drove the Explorer down their driveway and the sound of crunching snow under the tires was so normal. The air was crisp and fresh. The sight of familiar faces brought smiles to our own and we hugged our friends tightly. . . maybe a little too tightly. Kevin and I have both become a little more huggy since we moved here and what used to be awkward has now become normal!
Emma went to bed and we stayed up to chat for a bit with Mark and Kim. They have three grown kids and had two bedrooms for us to use! It was probably the best hotel we've ever been to and they were the greatest hosts!
