Shoo Fly!

Good evening friends. I hope you are all well, at peace and in love with whatever surrounds you at the moment. I am well after a short tango with a sore throat. I am celebrating the peace of the night after the girls have bid the day adieu. I am in my lovely sister's house, happy to be sharing space with Matt, Jacinta, Genevieve, Kai, Ben and Lecia. But again, I am off schedule. Yes, your most devoted Saturday night writer has missed a week. I'm sure you'll excuse me, I have been taking it slow these days, as slow as I can go.

Since I last wrote we left my dad's house in the suburbs of Chicago to spend a day in the city with some of my closest highschool friends. Just a week before this, I went back to my hometown (Homewood) to meander the streets with my two little girls, void of hope to see any familiar faces. Sadly, my friends rarely make their way back home since almost everyone's parents have relocated, all but one family. It's interesting to ponder how much we all enjoyed growing up there, yet how we have all chosen to live elsewhere, some further away than others. It's quite a luxury to have Meghan and Courtney right in Chicago when I come to visit my family who all live about an hour from Chicago. My friend Katy brought her little girl Mia out from Missourri to join us this time. We have all turned thirty this year, so it was a nice occasion to gather. Jacinta and Mia had a nice time giggling and being three together. Genevieve enjoyed rolling around as usual. Matt did well in the company of all women, as usual. Jacinta had more walking energy than normal, perhaps it was the visually stimulating city life that distracted her from the usual whine that sets in after a good hike. She saw fast walkers, fast talkers, fast bikers, fast drivers, shops everywhere, trains going overhead, trains underground, water fountains to play in, and wet children running and laughing: what more could you ask? It was a wonderful time spent in the city. Of course I enjoy checking in with city culture once in a while, but moreso finding my beautiful friends once again was comforting and refreshing. I am always surprised that as we grow older we find new things in common rather than reliving the same old memories

that brought us so close in the beginning. If we still laughed about the same things we laughed about when we were 17, there would be a problem. I suppose this is why we still enjoy each other, we are evolving together although in completely different spaces.

My sister and I are also very close, and have always been. Our relationship has surely evolved as we have multplied from two little girls playing to become a menagerie of seven: grown women and men with three children between us. We have spent the last ten days with Lecia and her family in Wisconsin. We've had plenty of time to play with little Kai and Ben who is a teacher and home in the summer. Matt took a few days and drove to Michigan to return the van our kind friends Cindy and Forrest had lent to us for the entire summer. So he missed out on some Milwaukee fun, but had the opportunity to spend one more night with some close friends. Lecia had to work some long hours, but we were still keen on embracing the proximity of Milwaukee culture. Once Ben and I figured out how to smash three baby seats in one car, we were off! Jacinta was the big girl helper in the middle of the two babies. She took great pride in "getting two babies to sleep," topping up their toy stocks, and keeping them happy. With a double borrowed stroller, she was just as happy holding Evie's hand as she was in the car. To the children's museum, the zoo, and the parks we went. Kai and Jacinta had a blast, while Genevieve tried to stay awake and not miss a beat. She is keeping up her reputation as a very wakeful baby, shockingly wakeful. Jacinta is working hard being the big girl: feeding the babies (sometimes by sheer force), trying her best to be in charge. She also needs to try out everything Kai or Evie possess or do. It's an interesting line she walks between acting "older," and admiring baby life.

Although I have been on vacation for almost three months now, Lecia needed a break from lawyer life and Ben needed a break from stay at home fathering. So we all drove up North Wisconsin to spend four days at a condo on a Lake. We rode fishing boats, swam in the lake, swam in the pool, cycled around, played at parks, played cards, played ping- pong, played games, played with toys, stalked chipmunks, cooked, read, and kayaked. Jacinta made "pies" out of Trivial Pursuit pieces and created giraffes out of poker chips. Kai built up confidence with his new walking skills and slowly let Matt and I into his circle of trust. We're not all the way in yet, but closer! Matt and Ben took Jacinta mini-golfing and told stories of a deserted course and an adventurous little Jacinta. I was driven to finish knitting my socks and finish the latest Harry Potter book and almost completed both. Lecia caught up on some sleep and enjoyed time with Kai and all of us. Matt didn't bring his computer so he let himself really relax and just enjoy time with the family and on his own. It was nice to see him so at peace just a few days before we go back to normal life in Australia. Jacinta, Kai and Genevieve seemed to relish having all of their parents around with not much else to do besides love and entertain them. I think this is why Jess and Evie do so well on airplanes.

Being in America does make internationals want to consume, most things seem cheaper in this country. Since our computer has been acting up, Matt has been agonizing over the new purchase. Should we? If so, where? Which one? After weeks of contemplation and research, he went out with the intention to buy. He came back triumphant after a really lucky purchase at Office Max. They sent out shopping bags in the newpaper as an advertisement, "15% off everything you can fit in this bag." He fit a computer in the bag, what luck. I don't enjoy shopping much, unless it's resaling or earthy clothing on line. Lecia wanted to buy the girls some really good quality shoes, so our triumph was ordering two pairs of girls shoes on line in less than an hour. We have so much in common in our decision making, we must weigh all aspects of each option before we can choose. I only realize how alike we are now that I know so many other people that are not like us. It's comforting knowing there is someone else that suffers indecision as much as I do. I hope my girls don't catch this gene. We also excel at losing things, my mom included. I pray that my girls don't pick up that habit either.

Last year, Matt and I completely missed our anniversary. It passed us by unnoticed. Ooops! Not this year though. To celebrate nine years of marriage, we spent the day with our girls, but at night went out on our own. This was the absolute first time I have left Genevieve at home and it felt so good! There is nothing like a good reason to teach her how to drink out of a bottle. Lo and behold, she took it no problem! We practiced once in the daytime, so that later on Lecia could take over worry free. Matt and I went out for a drink and got to talk, alone. What a treat: discussing things that concern only the two of us. Not having to speak in code, answer random questions, or wonder what Evie was needing at the moment was wonderful. We then went to see the latest Harry Potter movie. It was a good thing we remembered to celebrate this year, for it was a great night thanks to Lecia and Ben helping out at home.

It has been an amazing few weeks with my family here. It has been an incredible few months in the USA having the time to devote purely to relationships. We are on our last leg here, leaving in just two days for Australia. Mom has come for a last visit to celebrate our birthdays together. Whilst enjoying the present, Jacinta is planning what she will do first upon return to Australia. In all of this moving around she has learned a strong concept of family. She adores and relates to so many friends and family here and in Australia but she knows Mommy, Daddy and Genevieve are the ones who come and go with her. Earlier she was singing, "Shoo fly! Don't bother me, 'cause I belong to Mommy, Daddy and Genevieve." Jacinta seems to be picking up the sub conscious musicality that we have left up for grabs. She is imitating new melodies quite easily, yet also launching out on her singing melodies that we have been singing to her for a while. She will substitute new words in songs without losing the rhythm. Now when I sing a new song or an old one that she really wants to know, she just watches my lips. She sings along with me, watching for rhythm and to know when I breathe. It is so sweetly flattering to be followed so closely, especially knowing that often she watches with the intent of opposing my example.

We have said most of our goodbyes, yet these last few will be difficult. We are trying to stuff three months of accumulation into a few suitcases, get healthy, and prepare for the long trip ahead. Evie's still trying to coordinate the crawling moves, and is trying even harder to get our food. She'll be happy to know that immediately upon arrival in Macksville she'll get some real food. She has been sucking on tasty things like corn, apples, carrots, and now teething biscuits. Wish us luck (sleep) on the plane with this eager little wakeful baby.

Peace,

Shana