America with George * Salem, South Carolina * another green dragon

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.

I found a kindred spirit in Arleigh this afternoon. Grammy is quite the collector of Halloween costumes... she has a closet full of them... one for almost every occasion. Arleigh was quite the green dragon. Her shiny, iridescent wings ALMOST made me jealous... but don't worry, we're cool.

It was a bittersweet day in South Carolina. Bittersweet is an expression that means happy and sad at the same time. It was a happy day, because we had a lot of FUN hanging out with each other... but it was sad because we won't get to be together again for a while.

We started the day with a nice walk around Grammy and Papa's neighborhood. There are so many hills... I got tired of walking and decided to fly home. We floated in the water until our skin got pruney. Mom had another root beer... but this time she added a bunch of bluebell ice cream and had a root beer float - yum yum yum!

Grammy and Papa made a really nice meal and we sat around the table for a really long time enjoying each others company. After diner, drinks, dessert, and a little bit more dessert... we had dessert and then we played games. After games mom had a little bit more dessert. Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla  and salted caramel hot fudge is a little bit hard to resist. Arleigh LOVED eating her first ice cream sandwich. Maggie - everyone was laughing about the first time you had an ice cream sandwich... they said you ate it so fast that you almost didn't have time to breath. We are heading to the Lone Star State in the morning. We miss you guys!

Love,
George

America with George * Salem, South Carolina * a special sister

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.

According to mom, Aunt Maggie is one of the coolest people alive. She is also the person that mom talks to most on the phone. She gives good advise when mom gets a little bit crazy. She also knows how to talk her off the ledge when she is about ready to do something stupid. Mom can always trust Aunt Maggie to encourage her, pray for her and tell her the truth... She is a good friend.

Listen up kids, this is important advise... it is always a good idea to have a wise friend that is smart enough to tell you when you are making bad choices and kind enough to do it in a way that doesn't hurt. Believe it or not... you won't always think your parents are SUPER COOL. Having good friends is important. Mom is really lucky to have a sister who is also her best friend.

It was also pretty awesome for mom to spend so much time with her niece (your cousin) Arleigh. She is a very smart little girl... her little brain is always going a mile a minute... she is curious about everything... and always ready to explore. She is also LOUD and tough. It seems like she is always on a (not so top secret) mission. Working on an important task. The world better keep their eye on this one... she is a mover and a shaker.

America with George * Salem, South Carolina * another relaxing day

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. 

Hi guys, it was another relaxing day at the lake. We had breakfast at a restaurant called Sister's and an early afternoon nap on the boat. Mom did some writing, had a root beer and almost learned how to do 360 on the knee board (watch the video)... she ended up getting a lot of water in her nose and wiping out a bunch of times. I tried sushi for the first time... pretty good! After Arleigh went to bed Mom and Aunt Maggie went kayaking at sunset and then played board games with Grammy and Papa. But the BEST part of the day was when Mom got to facetime with her SUPER DUPER AWESOME kids! She was smiling SO big when she got off the phone... she loves you guys and can't wait to hug your necks and kiss your cheeks when she gets home.

America with George * Salem, South Carolina * Introducing...

Drum roll please... Introducing the lovely and charming Stokes Paige.
Welcome to the family Stokes! You are a delightful little girl and it was a pleasure to finally meet you. I am so glad George and I got to spend the day with you and your family.

Max, Maggie, Jude and Jonah - I can't wait for you to meet Stokes and see Carter again. We kept saying all day how much we wish you all could have been here. I love you guys! - Mom

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.

America with George * Salem, South Carolina * Grammy & Papa's House

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.

Ok guys...  jumping back a few days to talk about being at Grammy and Papa's House. One of the best things about being being back in America was being in special places with special people.

Mom did not expect to feel so overwhelmed and nostalgic about seeing things that she had seen a million times growing up. The family Bible, your great great grandfather's Civil War papers, the antique globe in Papa's office, handwritten letters from your ancestors, painted pictures of the homes where mom lived when she was growing up... all of it was so special, especially since it has been a long time since I have seen familiar things.

Grammy and Papa have the gift of hospitality. They do so many little things to make people feel welcome in there place. Grammy thinks carefully about how to make her home comfortable and meaningful. Everywhere you look there are beautiful things that tell stories. She does a good job of making old things look new and important. Papa has the gift of cooking delicious food that makes people want to sit around the table for a long time. Grammy has special recipes that she collects specifically for when company comes. They know the importance of feeding people's (physically and spiritually).. and they take that important job seriously.

Grammy and Papa also have a gift for making kids feel welcome in their home. They have so many fun tricks up their sleeves and are always thinking of cool ways to keep kids learning and entertained. They had such a good time reading your journals and looking at all your school work from last year. They miss you guys so much. Probably about as much as you miss them. It will be such a fun party when we all get to be together again!

Thanks for your warm hospitality Grammy and Papa. You sure do know how to make a dragon feel at home.

America with George * Salem, South Carolina * relaxing

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.

Hey guys - Today I found a snake, went kayaking, played at the beach and learned how to drive the boat boat! Mom slept in and had a root beer and Arleigh danced. It was a fun and relaxing day.

America with George * Ohio to South Carolina * A road trip

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.


"Are we there yet!?" We took a ten hour road trip from Ohio to South Carolina. Here is the map of our route. Speaking of maps - this is a really interesting one. It is a picture of a New Zealand map on top of an American map. I think it is cool to see how big America is compared to New Zealand.

It was really special for mom to get to go on a road trip with her family. We saw some interesting things... like the worlds largest picnic basket. It was pretty weird. Papa's friend calls it an architectural abomination. Those are big words... you can click on them to find out what they mean.

We listened to Garrison Keillor read the News from Lake Wobegon. When mom was a little bit older than you, she loved to listen to this on road trips. We also listened to some of Grammy and Papa's music on pandora - Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, Elton John, The Beatles and James Taylor... they had pretty good taste in music back in the day.

- Love George