Back into routine (and a few pics from summer I'd forgotten)

Well, hello again.
So, I've been a bit quiet for a while but life has been nicely busy (is that a real term?) getting back into the routines of living in Shanghai and the kids starting school again.

Before I get into the whole school bit and what the last few weeks have been like, I found some pics from the summer that I just loved and really wanted to include here.

One day we headed out to Lake Michigan for a few hours and Cooper was just in heaven! We get so much engagement out of him when he's playing in the water. Here he's playing chase with Ben, then Ben would let him catch him and he'd throw him in the air and repeat. SO much laughter from that boy while they were doing this!

A few more pics from the Color Run. Seriously was so much fun. Any and everyone can do one of these bc you're not even timed- just get a group of people together and have fun!
Another before shot- my sis, Jenn, me, bro-in-law, Pete, and my dad.

After shot, front side...

After shot, back side (thanks to my sis for getting dad and my buns... :)

Family shot- Ben didn't even want to get this close to me. :) I was very dirty....

They may have been playing a song I was enjoying a bit....

Every 15 minutes they would gather a crowd and throw more color. Very dirty, very dusty, but very colorful!

My niece, Megan, didn't run the race, but she may as well have....  :)

 

This was me trying to be artsy. We were walking back to the car after the race and I saw an empty color packet on the ground and I thought it'd make a cool picture. So, here you go... :)

After showering off my parents and our family headed up north to the VP cottage for a week of relaxation. On the way there we stopped by the annual Rottschafer gathering at Emerson Lake. This picture represents the first time my dad and all of his siblings were in the same place for years! My dad is in the middle and he's with his 2 older brothers and 3 younger sisters.

Most of the Rottschafer cousins and their spouses.

While we were up north, Cooper and Ben were swimming one day when Ben noticed Coop was shivering. They got out of the water and Ben buried him in the warm sand. It was so cute bc he stayed here for almost 10 minutes. He's never that still for that long... :)

We were very lucky to get to spend a few days with Ben's little brother, Danny, and his wife, Jodi. They live in Arizona right now and we only get to see them once or twice a year. They came up to the cottage and on this particular day we had gone to Glen Arbor for a little shopping. Danny, Ben, the kids and I found a park and I think Danny had just as much fun there as the kids did...

There was this one seesaw thing that Ben and Danny decided to have a go on. Danny loved it...

Ben was just worried they would break it... :)

The day before we left to go back to Shanghai, several of my very good friends and I went to a park and lake to hang out for the morning. A final hangout for the kids and moms for us until next summer. :( It was so hot and so fun! Here's Soph with her BFFs- Gerrit, Ava, Alanna and Keira. Until next summer... :)

On Aug 17 we were supposed to fly back to Shanghai. Yup, supposed to. We had 7 people come to see us off and help with our 12 checked bags, 7 carry ons, stroller, kids...you get it. We got everything checked in and said our goodbyes. We boarded the plane and within a few minutes were taxiiing out. And then we stopped. And then we were told we were delayed for at least an hour bc of weather in Chicago. So, out came the IPad and Dora. Seriously, what did we do before that thing???

After the hour we were told we were going back to the gate. Another 90 minute delay. At this point we were on the fence about missing our flight to Shanghai and could possibly get stuck in Chicago's airport over night. We made the decision to reschedule everything for the next day. It sounds like that was all so easy and stress-free. Ha! I was a wreck. I had mentally and physically prepared for our 20 hour journey and to have to halt it and go back home. Ugh.

So, we went out to lunch, Sophie and I went and saw Brave, and then we went out to dinner with Ben's parents. It actually was a really nice bonus day after all.
Oh, something else that happened that day that was really cool and a total gift from God straight to me. I think He knew how devestated I was by the whole day delay thing and chose to remind me that He cares. All summer I had been wanting to see these deer in Ben's parents backyard. Ben's brother, Joel, sees them all the time and was constantly sending me pics of them. But I hadn't seen them all summer. That day, as we walked back into their house, knowing we'd have to get up even earlier the next day and recheck all our bags and say our goodbyes again, I looked out the back window and their stood the doe and her 2 bambis. We watched them for about 10 minutes until they finally went on their way. It was so cool and such a gift!

Anyway, the next day we had no problems and had good flights. The kids slept well, ate some, watched some movies. Yay, right? Huh. With about 3 1/2 hours left in the flight we decided Coop needed to sleep some more. He had only slept about 3 hours total since our journey had begun and so we gave him some Clonidine which we'd done twice before with no problems. 15 minutes later, instead of having a sleeping little man, we had a drugged out 3 year old that was petrified and screaming. What followed was 3 of the worst hours of my life. My poor child was exhausted, scared and tripping on this awful...stuff and couldn't stop screaming, crying, shaking... it was my worst nightmare. Ben and I did everything we could to try and sooth his ravaged mind, but to no avail. I cried out to God to sooth my child and for the first time, heard silence. It was devestating. I've never been so angry with Him. He finally fell asleep just as we were landing and then woke up and was in a coma-like state for the hour ride home. Once we got to the apartment he started screaming again and we couldn't get him to calm down again. 2 hours later he finally just passed out so we put him to bed. He slept for the next 14 hours.

I don't think there are any lasting effects from those hours of terror for him, but there has been for me. I have really struggled with the fact that I felt God there, that he was watching me call to him for help, and that he chose to be silent. As I write this a month later, I am still hurt by what happened to Cooper but the sting has softened a bit. I don't know why God was silent but I'll know some day. I choose to trust in His promises of good for my life and that'll have to be good enough for now.

So, we got back on a Saturday night and Coop was supposed to start school on Monday. After his trauma I was debating sending him, but it ended up being a good thing. Getting back into the routine he was familiar with was just what he needed. He was happy to return to his school, as evidenced by this picture taken by his teacher in that first week back...

Sophia's first day of Year 1 (kindergarten for you US folk) was on Aug 27 and she went from really excited to go to really nervous to excited again. All normal things, I'm sure. :)
Here's her first day of school picture...

At the bus stop. My friend, Liz, is shown here very excited that both of her kids are in school fulltime this year! That is, until that little baby comes around the second week of October... ;)

In line to get on the bus. Getting nervous... I went with her on this first day bc I wasn't sure she'd know the routine of lining up by her class yet.

She wanted to hold my hand as we rode the 5 minutes to school. Will she always want me there when she's feeling unsure? :)

Once we got to school things brightened significantly at the arrival of her best bud here, Rachael. They were very happy to see each other!

Waving bye as she heads inside to start another year. I'm glad she likes school but I miss her when she's gone all day. Too fast they grow up...

Ok, of course so much more has happened since the first day of school. I will post again soon and what else we've been up to.
I pray you are all healthy and back into the routines of school and life as well. Enjoy these last few weeks of warmth- all too soon it will be winter again!