Call Me Crazy

The big day has arrived again....tonight the kids and I embark on a 36-hour journey back to Houston. We'll stop in Singapore, Seoul, and San Francisco en route so this isn't exactly the most direct trip but it's all booked on miles so we can't complain. I think it's pretty amazing that at 3 years old Ben was able to book his own international roundtrip ticket on his accumulated miles. It's always so exciting to head back home (Texas will always be home to me) but a little bittersweet to put our lives here on hold for 6 weeks and know that we won't be sleeping in our own beds for a long time. It's hard to describe the feeling of trying to maintain a life on two continents and be happy in both places, and I think it's pretty confusing to the kids. Ben has asked several times if we're coming back.

We've been doing our pre-jetlag routine here for the past several days already. A 14-hour time difference is a big adjustment, not just for sleeping but also for mealtimes, so I like to take the edge off while we're still comfortable in our own home. Several days before we leave I start waking the kids an hour earlier each day and putting them to bed early. Our entire day of meals and naps slowly shifts so today we woke up at 3am and naptime will roll around at the ripe old hour of 8am. Hopefully the kids will go to sleep around 4pm because I have to wake them up at 10pm to head to the airport to start this big adventure and I'm hoping everyone can get enjoy a last sleep in bed before we hit the road.

Even at such an unholy hour, these guys are still full of smiles and laughs. Here are a few last pictures from Perth:




And no day would be complete without a little guy hamming it up for the camera. Alex has discovered his nipples, thanks to his hobby of removing his shirt, and thinks they're hilarious.

Houston, see you soon!