Our Days in DC

Eva had last Friday and this Monday off from school, so we went for a much overdue trip to DC (I thought it had been 2 years since we’d been there, but after talking with various friends, I realized it had been 3 – way too long!). We stayed with “sister-friend” Amy and her dear family (her daughter Lei Lei (5) is featured in a couple of the photos above). Their home is so lovely, warm and inviting -- and perfect for guests (at least from the guests’ perspective!). Eva loved having a sleepover in Lei Lei’s room the first night, and they really did quite well. A 4:00am giggle and chat session was the highlight for them. The other two nights Eva slept with me, because she had a fever, and I wanted to minimize exposure to Lei Lei and be available if Eva needed me. The fever dampened Eva’s spirits only off and on, and we were able to enjoy seeing Richard Scarry’s “Busy Town,” which was great fun.

We also enjoyed a visit from “Auntie Karen” and outings with our friends, Nina and Robert (5), and Diane and family. Paul (12) and Sarah (11) are shockingly grown up since we saw them last in Guatemala a couple years ago. They are all adjusting well to life back in DC, and we are so glad to have them in the same country for a few years, with hopes of visits to and fro with some frequency. If you are one of the many folks I didn’t get in touch with before or during our visit, I apologize and will try to alert you to our next visit.

I enjoyed a lovely time of conversation with Nina, Diane and a new friend (Tiffany) whom I met at an Everything Must Change retreat in April, while Amy and another friend took all the kids to the playground. Tiffany is feeling called to a ministry of nurturing mothers, and we had an opportunity to share with her what our life as mothers is like and to talk about what sustains us and what drains us. Mostly, we enjoyed sharing our joys and concerns with one another; what a gift that time was.

With a dose of Motrin right before we left Amy’s house on Monday, and after a trip to the souvenir store in the airport, Eva bounced back beautifully, and we had exceedingly smooth travels. She was thrilled to get home to her house and stuff and was even more excited about the prospect of returning to school on Tuesday.

I can’t remember if I have mentioned that one of Eva’s “related arts” is Chinese language and culture class.  Well, this morning, Eva thanked me for something and then said, “oh, wait Mom – ‘Xie xie’” and I said, “what.”  And she said, “that’s Chinese for thank you.”  Wow!  

Tonight, when we got home from work/aftercare, we read for an hour, and then Eva fell asleep in the playroom while I was making dinner.  I ate my dinner, and then carried her up to bed, where she promptly resumed her sleep.  Should be interesting to see what time she wakes up in the morning!