America with George * Houston * cousins

For the next few weeks I am going to be using this space to communicate with my kids,
please excuse the change of tone and content. George is Jude's stuffed dragon.

When we arrived, Aunt Gina was in the kitchen preparing a delightfully delicious and nutritious meal. Greer loved me right off bat and was SO happy that we brought him stickers from New Zealand... because as it turns out, Greer LOVES stickers. Mom ate lots and lots and lots of big, fat,  fresh blueberries that Aunt Gina had just brought back from The Greer Farm. Aunt Gina's last name used to be Greer and that is how our cute little cousin got his name.

Uncle Max came home from a run (in my opinion it is too hot in Texas to do things like running). Did you know that mom knew Uncle Max a LONG time before she met dad? Uncle Max and mom went to Frontier Ranch together when mom was 17 years old and then they we worked there together before mom and dad got married. It is one of mom's favorite places on earth and maybe someday she will take you there.

Aunt Gina put the chicken in the oven and we hopped on some bikes and road to the neighborhood pool (do you remember what I told you about pools and Texas... people melt if they don't swim). Greer is a WATER BUG... even last year when he was a little bitty baby boy he could toddle off the diving board and go head first down the slide. He is really good at "torpedo launch".
 

When we got home we had a great meal. Roasted chicken, coconut beans and rice, homemade bread, baked plantains, fresh cucumbers, and an awesome brussel sprout slaw. Aunt Gina needs to start a blog because she has really important things to say and she really knows what she is talking about... she studied nutrition and teaches lots of people how to exercise and take care of their bodies.

You kids might think this is the coolest part of the whole trip. Aunt Gina and Uncle Max have a three legged dog from Africa named Rungu. Do you remember mom telling you about rungu sticks the other day? A rungu stick is a wooden club that Maasai people use in East Africa.  Sometimes guards carry rungu sticks for protection. When Aunt Gina and Uncle Max lived in Tanzania Rungu was their guard dog. I don't remember what happened to him... but one day his leg got hurt and they had to cut it off. He is REALLY good at walking with three.

Aunt Gina and Uncle Max have a beautifully decorated home that tells their story well. A week after they got married they packed up and moved to Tanzania. You kids actually have pretty significant African roots. For many years, lots and lots of people in your family (including you Max and Maggie) have traveled and lived in East Africa.

The next morning mom, Aunt Gina and Greer went for a walk on the Terry Hershy Hike and Bike Trail (Greer played with stickers). Mom grew up exercising in Texas... but now that she has been away for a while, she doesn't understand how she survived the heat. After our walk we got a bagel at Einstein Brothers and went to Athleata... it was fun.