Isabella Novita turned two years old this weekend! We had a VERY yummy chocolate cake that we gave to many friends and family. Our day was spent mostly with just the family, but was still quite enjoyable for her. Bella is changing so quickly, and her vocabulary is improving very rapidly. She sees what Kiana can do and immediately wants to do it as well. Despite favoring Mommy for the past year or so, she’s slowly becoming Daddy’s girl! 
Here are some pics from the party at home. Happy birthday my little darling.
Wow, been a while since an update huh?
We spent a wonderful summer in America visiting family and finally got to introduce Isabella to everyone. The last time we were home, Kiana was only 6 months old!
We spent the first two weeks in Michigan, where daddy helped grandpa with some construction work, while recovering from a cold that developed after getting only 3 hours of sleep in 45 hours of travel time! Mommy was freezing at first, as the Michigan June weather wasn’t quite as warm as daddy had promised. Mommy was quick to indulge herself in her Subway cravings, while the kids developed an unhealthy addiction to Sun-chips and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
It was great spending time with grandpa; it’d been much too long.
Two weeks later we hopped in the Jeep (16 miles per gallon – on the highway!) and drove to Tennessee while adjusting to the $4 / gallon gas prices. We spent the next five weeks with grandma and Jim, who both seemed to love spending time with the girls. Their comfortable home on a beautiful lake made for some very memorable times with the girls. Going on the boat, spending days at the ‘beach’, and exploring the Smoky Mountains were the base of our summer 2008. Daddy took some pics of everything; hopefully he’ll get them uploaded soon!
The extended family were able to make it to Tennessee for a very nice reunion. It had been 10 years since daddy saw some of them, so it was great having mommy there to meet everyone. Those type of get-togethers make us miss life in the States.
We took a few days to visit Aunt Lori in Nashville, and surprisingly really loved the city. It’s definitely on our list of places to consider when we move back!
A sad departure from grandma and Jim led us to take a trip to Chicago, where we stayed with some very good friends that used to work in Jakarta as well – Ian and Alicia. We had a very nice time seeing them again; they’re some of the people we miss the most from Jakarta. Emmerson and Kiana are close in age and loved playing together, and Ada made for a great play partner for Bella. They showed us a great time exploring Chicago; mommy really seemed to love the city! Grant and Leah also were able to come hang out for an evening; great seeing them before they headed out to Germany. It was sad to leave them all again as well, but surely we’ll see them again soon.
We wrapped up the trip by leaving from Michigan, bypassing Daddy’s university and spending some time on campus. Grandpa drove us to the airport in the wee hours of the morning (4am!?), for our early departure. Chicago welcomed us with a 5 hour layover, then on to Tokyo, and Singapore for a lovely 9 hour layover. We were wide awake when we arrived at midnight, and the girls spent all night playing in the kids area while other travelers pretended to catch some sleep through their shrieks of jet-lagged joy.
Arriving in Jakarta, we were met by mommy’s family, and spent the next week or so re-adjusting to live in the Big Durian yet again.
Overall, we had a spectacular summer and thank everyone for their kindness, hospitality, and love they showed the girls on this trip. It was a summer to remember!
Yep, it’s confirmed, we’ll be heading back to the States for the summer. This is the first time we’ve been home since 2004, and only the second time that Daddy’s been back since leaving in 2002. Crazy huh?
We’re looking forward to some MUCH needed R&R, time with family, and enjoying the fresh air and absurd gas prices. If you’d like to meet up, please let us know so we can start planning!
Oh, and I suppose I should put some new pics on here. 
How can it be? How is it possible that our “baby” is now four years of age? Life moves so quickly; I only hope that through our photos and experiences that one day Kiana and Isabella can look back and slow the time. Today she had a large party at school (hopefully mommy took some pics) and in about an hour we’ll be having another party for her other friends. This evening will be a TGIF for daddy’s friends, with tante Coco and everyone!
We love you Kiana!
