"Awesome Adventures in Texas"

As most of you know, Roland and Nick finally returned to Doha a couple of weeks ago, safe and sound. Though their return was delayed two full days due to the severe snow storm London was experiencing at the time, Roland and I were grateful that he and Nick were "stranded" in Texas and not in London, thus giving Roland the opportunity to stock up on even more Texas goodies to bring back with them!! (That's what you do when you live in places like Doha that don't always have available the foods you LOVE to eat.) And boy did MY GUYS deliver!!! I tell you, we have all gained at least five pounds each on all the GOOD FOOD and treats we have eaten...things like: beef fajitas, Roland's Dad's homemade flower tortillas, beef jerky, gold fish, deer sausage, bacon strips, fruit roll ups, pecans, planters peanuts, sunflower seeds (ranch-style flavor), you get the idea. YUMMY!!!!

THANK YOU to our lovely families for getting all these things for us; not to mention, for all of the other fun treats that were sent for the kids, for myself, and for little Layla who, by the way, absolutely loves her new toy phone!!

Oh, and before Nicholas left to "America" (as Grace likes to call it), his nanny (Amazing Grace) asked him if he would do her just one small favor: bring her back a little bit of the snow that she had heard had recently fallen right in our own back yard!! Nick was more than happy to oblige and with the help of his father, brought her back a little Texas souvenir, which she absolutely adored!

There's much to be said for having and keeping a happy home. Thank you guys for all your help with this!

Now, having said all that, there were three very special reasons they even took this trip to begin with: to see Sarah and the rest of our families, to attend a very special 25th Wedding Anniversary (Lucy's sister's), and, of course, to watch the Super Bowl 2009!

So, off they went that mid-January night, and this FATHER AND SON DUO had one of the best of times together, yet. Here's how just SOME of their adventures went:

They arrived on a Thursday afternoon, and with no time for jet lag, they immediately had to do some serious shopping for the formal Wedding scheduled for that following Saturday. Now, these were two lone guys, with the requirements of the wardrobe already laid out for them....they were to wear SILVER! Success was met, as you see in the picture at the very top where they are both OH SO HANDSOMELY dressed! And the wedding, from what I heard and could tell from the pictures, was truly a celebration to remember. Here's a picture of typical lil' Nick feeling all grown up amongst all his "cool cousins" as he now calls them. WAY TO GO GUYS, YOU HAVE MADE THIS AUNTIE VERY PROUD BY THE HANDSOME WAY YOU ARE ALL DRESSED UP!! (Did I mention that great genes just run in our family?)

After recouping from a great day, they moved on to visit even more of our family members. Did I mention that Roland and I have a grand total of 11 siblings between the two of us? That's a lot of family, but a lot of LOVE, too! So, at least one evening had to include the cooking of the very well-known S'MORES! This was Nick's first time to ever do this, and he absolutely enjoyed it. Now, whether or not he ever even ate one of these, I'll never know; but what I do know is that he enjoyed doing it so much that he brought back some boxes of honey graham crackers for us to make some here in Doha!!

While at home, MY GUYS were able to stay in our very own house the entire time of their visit. And believe me, they took full advantage of that empty house, and of their free time there, when they had it. Here you can see them enjoying the beautiful, cool weather as they sit on the front porch of our house. I must say that is my most favorite picture of the two of them. I would have loved to have been a fly on that wall during this private moment. Some things I have learned, though, that I should just enjoy from afar (or through pictures, as in this case!) And yes, that is Nicholas shooting some silly string while INSIDE the house!! Gotta envy their times together! ;)

There were the family gatherings and dinners and such; and before we all knew it, the guys were making plans to pack it all up and return to Doha. Nicholas and Daddy had both experienced a lot of FIRSTS. And although Mommy WAS, at first, having a tough time with that, she quickly realized that is was all going to be OK and that a boy really needs some one on one time with his Daddy, too. Were they changed by all this? I guess you could say that. Nicholas has adjusted very well to life in Doha, and already seemed to be so grown up, but this trip did definitely change him a bit. He now TRULY knows that he can always count on Daddy; and that no matter what, MOMMY would always be there for him, too. Look at him in this picture. Aren't I right? BTW, did I mention that he's only 4 years old!!

Looking back, what I love most NOW are those times when Nicholas and I are sitting in the love seat watching his favorite TV show, and he turns to look at me, hugs me, and says, "I missed you, Mommy!" That's when I know I did the right thing. You know, his Aunts and Grandparents kept telling me over and over how very proud they were of Nick, and what a great job I've done with him. If that isn't a compliment for the books, I don't know what is.

One thing's for sure though, we were all super happy to be together again. And though our lives will never be the same, we realize that it is a good thing. The times we've all had have been and will continue to be, AWESOME! And I thank you for letting me share all about it with you!