Summer Life

We get asked quite a bit what we've been up to this summer, and we must admit that this summer is so different from the past few we had. Three years ago we were packing up our duplex and preparing to move to Korea. Two years ago we traveled for three weeks through Korea, China, and Vietnam. Last summer was our epic adventure to Europe for three weeks with friends. And this summer....well, it will begin a new sort of adventure when we have our little one but for now it's a lot of laying low and being "grounded" in one place. The first two weeks of our slower paced life were filled with seeing people, going to appointments, and getting caught up on things that we can only do in the States. Now we're kind of scrambling for things to do and a routine. Don't get us wrong, we're thankful for a generous summer break, but it is a big adjustment to go from a pretty demanding job to stillness. So here are a few things that have become part of our summer routine.

1. Being outside as much as possible, especially on days like today that are unseasonably cool for Missouri (seriously, I can't remember the last time it was in the 70's in the middle of summer). This picture is from a quaint little area called Parkville where Tom and I went for a stroll.

2. We've done A LOT of finding coffee shops, getting decaf beverages, and reading.

3. And of course we're trying to do some baby prepping. Check out these cool MU pacifiers we scored today!!!

Tonight we attended a "newborn care class." We even had to practice on a fake doll! Kind of cheesey, but helpful. Here's Tom practicing the "swaddle diaper technique" and me after successfully swaddling our fake baby.

If you find yourself around the Kansas City area give us a holla! We'd love to see more people and continue to get out and about.