Welcome home

 

After 12 days away, yesterday we finally picked up our international travelers.  We decided to make a sign to welcome them home.

 

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Arriving Home

Travel often changes people. It opens up your eyes to history and other cultures. From looking at the photos, I believe that this is the case for Robby. I watched his growth over the week. At the beginning of the tour he looked like a happy teen. Now he is holding himself differently in the photos.  

He has matured during the past week. I'm sure that part of that is from the travel, but I suspect that it is primarily due to the nature of his tours. It would be hard to visit such fierce battlefields without emerging unchanged. I'm glad that he has had this experience, and this unique perspective. I knew that the trip would change him, but I didn't anticipate being able to witness the transformation through photos from abroad.

After 11 adventure filled days, Scott and Robby will arrive home tonight. To say that they have been missed would be an understatement. While Timmy and I had fun by ourselves, the house was eerily quiet. I will be happy to have everybody back under the same roof.

Week of Fun.

 While Scott and Robby have been off on their adventure, Timmy and I have been staying closer to home. Well, not closer to home. I should say that we have been staying home. Between the heat and the price of gas, I've been trying to limit the amount of my driving around.  

Even though we have been staying home, we have had a great time together. Over the past week we played games, splashed in the sprinkler, ate spaghetti and meatballs without plates or utensils ("pig jig style"), had a day where we ate ice cream for every meal and camped in the tent in our living room. 

Our furry family members benefited from our adventures as well. Friend enjoyed numerous silly walks through the neighborhood. He was treated to a cheeseburger for dinner and he received a seemingly endless supply of snacks. Timmy didn't want to let the cats out of the fun, so we picked up some sardines as a special treat.

In the evenings we chased lightening bugs and hunted for ghosts. We had dance parties in the kitchen and only made our favorite foods for our meals. We watched movies and played the Xbox. Our week wasn't as grand as a European trip, but we still had a great time making some fun memories. 

 

Flying high

While Scott and Robby continued their European adventure with trips to Omaha Beach and the American and Canadian cemeteries, Timmy and I had our own fun. He was ecstatic to go fly at the indoor skydiving center. I thought he might be nervous doing it by himself, but he tackled it like a seasoned pro. He had an absolute blast!

He had so much fun that we signed him up for "flight school." He is going to go back to learn how to do the tricks in the wind tunnel. After watching the instructor perform his tricks, Timmy is determined to walk up the side of the tunnel like Spiderman.

I'm not sure what we are going to do today, but I'll try to come up with a fun distraction later in the afternoon. I'm sure I'll think of something!

Downtime

Yesterday Robby and Scott visited Utah Beach and Sainte Mere Eglise. Robby has been looking forward to seeing that church for years. I was so happy that the pair video chatted with me in front of the spire. Seeings Robby's bright smile and the excitement in his eyes made my heart leap.  They are having the time of their lives.

Timmy and I have been having a nice week. Yesterday we played outside for several hours and I made his favorite dinner. It was laid back but, after traveling to and from his Nana's, I think he needed some downtime. 

Today will be considerably more exciting because he is going to iFly. He flew a few years ago with his cousins and had a blast. Every time he sees the commercials on television he asks to go, so I figured this was the perfect occasion. Pics to follow soon!

Gold Beach

Although I wish I were with them, I have been thoroughly enjoying receiving the updates and photos from France. Robby and Scott are having the best time. There smiles are so bright I can almost see them from Virginia!

Yesterday they arrived in Normandy. After settling into their hotel, the pair walked down to Gold Beach before dinner. Today they are heading to Utah Beach and Sainte Mere Eglise. Visiting that church is the top item on Robby's bucket list. I feel like an excited child waiting for a photo of him living his dream.  

While Robby and Scott are on their adventure, Timmy and I are back in Virginia.  I'm not sure what we are going to do today, but I want to do something fun with him. He has not displayed any jealousy about his brother and dad being on a monumental adventure, but I want to have a special week with him.  He deserves a quality week as well.

Thankfully Timmy is relatively easy to impress. Yesterday he had McDonald's fries twice, which elevated the date to "the best day of June." I love that he has such a low bar for delight! 

Paris!

 Robby and Scott are off on their epic adventure. On Friday afternoon I drove them both to the airport, kissed them goodbye and watched them walk into the terminal towards their plane to France. They were simultaneously giddy and nervous about their trip. 

After I dropped them off, Timmy and I continued to drive into Philadelphia. We met my niece and my sister at a hotel in the city. Timmy was over-the-moon to have a hotel adventure of his own. We spent the evening walking through Chinatown and getting something to eat. After a long day of prepping, packing and driving, we all ended up going to bed early.

On Saturday we surprised Hamlet with a trip to the Van Gogh Immersive Experience. (Timmy loves Starry Night so I knew that this adventure was perfect for him.) He had a lot of fun exploring the exhibits and creating his own Starry Night masterpiece. We returned to my Mom's house on Saturday evening, happy but tired. On Sunday we took Friend to the local dog park. It was fun watching our little pup run and play with new canine buddies.  

Today Robby and Scott will step onto the beaches of Normandy France. When I think about Robby walking on the beach I get chills. This has been his dream for many years, and I become emotional when I imagine it coming true. I know that they are going to have an amazing time!

While they are stepping back into history, Timmy and I are heading back to reality. We are going to pack up and head back to Virginia for the rest of the week. I have a lot of work to do so I don't think my week will be nearly as exciting as Robby's. Of course, I do have a few surprises planned to keep Timmy both happy and entertained during the week.  Stay tuned!