Long time eh?

Not much to post. I was logging on to the old blog to relive some of the memories from our time in Botswana. Needless to say our mind tends to wander these days back to our wonderful experience "that side". I dearly miss it and wonder if we'll do it again. I think we will and hope that it is sooner than later.
It is late and I have to be at work in the morning. Michelle is at work now.
Hope all is well.

summer ending

Well, a summer back in the U.S. has finished.. i start back to teaching on Tuesday and the kids are getting back into the swing of things... It's been a great summer, and it's a bit sad that it is ending. But, the kids need to go back to school before we lose our minds. Maura has come up with a few songs over the summer including..."Reach for the Flag" and "You make me crazy, I make you lazy"(my personal favorite).

Life goes on but as Michelle and I discussed last night, Botswana is never far from our minds. I think about our experience quite often, and hope that we can make it happen again. We're working on it, but it's going to be a while.

Ok, gotta go and prepare for teaching.. Here's a few photos from our trip

summer time has hit...

Well, life trudges on here back in Northern Kentucky. Summer is upon us and activities for the kids begin. Jacob has taken up swimming for a team, Kate and Maura have lessons... Jacob is almost finished with baseball, etc, etc...

The only activities Jude and Franny have are being carted around to everyone's activites.But they enjoy it..
Michelle and I are doing well. I recently got a job at the local high school(teaching art) and will be going back to work in August. I'm very excited about the opportunity, but at the same time realize that a chapter in my life will be closing. I have a stay at home dad for the past 7 years.It will be strange not to be in that role, but I felt as if I needed to jump at this opportunity.

Attached are a few pics from early May. Kate's First Communion as well as Kate and the twins makeing goofy faces...

ALl for now.

update

just a quick note as to what's up with us these days.... Baseball, projects around the house and a dog that won't learn how to pee outside...

Jacob is doing well with baseball...pitching 2 complete games in his last 2 outings(one of them a no-hitter). Michelle and I are up to our necks with things to do around the house, but it's going well.
Kids are great, living the AMerican life of busy school days, not enough sleep and hanging with friends... So all seems to be going well. Better go get some sleep, it's late and the marathon is in 3 days! We'll see how it goes.

1 year ago

Friday was the year anniversary of my dad's death. It was a strange day full of mixed emotions and rain. I think I spent most of the day wondering how a year could go by so quickly. I remember this being a very difficult time for us while living in Botswana.. We went ot Mass with my mom that morning and then hung out as a family in the evening. I think of him everyday.

April was hard while in Botswana... Yet Michelle and I discuss our time in Botswana often and I have nothing but wonderful feelings about the place. Just the other night the mini series "no. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" was on... it brought alot of great memories back,was sad and it felt like I was looking at pictures from home... weird.

We will go back someday... not to visit but to live. When things aren't so complicated.

But for now, we are cleaning up dog poo off the kitchen floor. I love dogs...
I have cleared our backyard of concrete(paid someone do to it) and have spread topsoil. Now we just have to grow grass to have a yard. Our home has been great so far and I've really enjoyed being back in the old neighborhood, with its perks...
Yesterday we walked to Jacob's soccer game, Jacob went around the neighborhood with friends til 10 pm.. Kate had her friend over, then went to their home for the evening.. I had my sister, brother in law and brother over for some eucker(sp?) while the kids played... it was a good day.

Michelle is in Seattle for a conference this weekend and will return on Monday.. Looking forward to seeing her. Unfortunately she returns to Cincy right in the middle of opening day for the Reds... The only day of the year its fun to be a reds fan... the rest of the year is just sad, b/c you know we're headed for 3rd or 4th place.

Sun is coming up and Jacob is out the door.. He plays a double header in baseball today...

All for now

Moved in and making stupid moves!

It's been a while.... But without videos to post from game drives and undiscovered territories, posting blog entries doesn't seem so exciting.

We have moved into our home in Fort Thomas.. My dad is probably cursing me from his grave, but I'm sure it would be all is good fun. It is great to be in our own place, where the kids can wander the neighborhood. walk to school and be closer to friends.

Whether or not getting a dog and a cat were a good idea remains to be seen.. but that's what we did yesterday.. Maura got a cat and Kate picked out a dog.. Maura named the cat "snoofy" b/c she can't say snoopy for some reason..
Jacob pitches this morning in his first ballgame since before we moved to Botswana.. Hopefully it goes well and he doesn't take it too seriously.

Needless to say, we are feeling more normal again.. But there isn't an hour of the day where my mind thinks of Africa. I think that's a good thing. But I miss it.

My mom has moved back to her own home which is wonderful news.. She is adjusting to a new sense of normalcy, driving and doing everything else. We got together with her to celebrate st. patty's day and it was great to see her back at home.

One quick note... Jude and Franny have moved to toddler beds which is nice, but also makes napping a bit of a problem.. 2 days ago, I went to check on them and Frances was sound asleep in her bed, while Jude was nowhere to be found..

After some investigation, I noticed him sitting up in a stuffed animal toy bin fast asleep. You had to be there.

It's a beautiful chilly morning here, i'm going to enjoy my coffee, head for a long run later and check the house to see what the cat has ruined.. Kate is pulling Frances around by a leash and collar. Should I be concerned that Frances plays a convincing dog?

adjusting

Life is settling down.. I knew it would but I just wasn't sure when. We've gotten into a groove, the kids seem to have adjusted back to their old school and my mom is doing very well. It's funny how things seem to always work themselves out. SOmetimes, you just have to give it 3 months or more...

that doesn't mean we don't think about Botswana every waking hour.
Michelle was working in the hospital yesterday and took care of an African woman and her child. Once they were finished with the meeting, the woman took a cloth and strapped her child on her back..
Michelle asked her where she was from, she said Zimbabwe. Immediately there was a connection and a sense of togetherness.. In true African fashion, the grandmother wants to babysit for us... She told michelle..." i can come on Friday and stay til Sunday."

We've purchased a house and if all goes well will be moving in late March.. That's good.
All for now, the kids are wakin up.