this is not america!

dear boys,

where to even start?  it's been 15 days since we got home, and it's all a blur.  there are several moments that i want to remember forever, and i want you to have these memories, too.  i believe in being realistic, and so i want us to remember the good and the bad!

everyone asks what you thought of flying in the airplane!  i'd like to say you all were in awe, fascinated with the experience, but truthfully - you were glued to the little TV's and barely noticed anything else.  you slept a lot, you ate a lot, and you were overjoyed at the special little things like headphones and candy.  the flight attendants were extremely helpful and so excited for our family.  i would not have survived without them!  bennett sufian, you got a fever near the end, and so when we arrived in Nashville you were barely conscious.  our first meal?  chick-fil-a, of course!  so many friends and family met us at the airport.  i was so excited to see everyone, and it was further proof of just how loved we all are...how loved you are.

these first two weeks have been so easy and so incredibly hard in so many ways!

(i had to take a break.  my blogging was interrupted.  can you imagine that?  it's now december 18, so i will pick up where i left off!)

the easy:
you enjoy doing dishes
you make your beds
you dress yourselves
you LOVE showers!
you like brushing your teeth
you put away clean laundry
you sweep and vacuum
you think school is the greatest thing ever
you love to play outside (bikes, basketball, soccer, etc.)
you love spaghetti, chicken, rice and fruit.  you'd be happy if we ate that every night.
you really like mexican food

the hard:
you don't like to share (understandable as you've never really had anything that's your own)
you get upset when you don't get your way
you grumble and complain.  A LOT.
you are very opinionated (where did all these opinions come from?!)
you get upset when something isn't perfect
you don't take care of your things
you yell.  loudly.  (bennett)
you hit each other.
you hold a grudge.  wow, you can hold a grudge.  (edwin and nathan)
you are extremely sensitive and angry when people make jokes or kid you.  like tears and anger and hitting and physical fighting angry.
you yell "Mom!" at least 9,725 times a day
you're still a little scared to play outside without me or dad
you love power rangers.  like LOVE power rangers.  like shoot me in the head if we have to watch it one more time love power rangers.
you get annoyed and shocked when things don't look or smell like you think they should
you don't like skinny jeans
you don't like thermal undies ("these are skin tights!  they are for women!")
you act out and get insane when we have guests over
you pass gas like crazy and it is SUPER stinky

putting it all into lists like this makes it seem so ridiculous that i could call this hard, but...it is hard!  just emotionally hard.  and physically hard.  it takes practice getting used to all this energy and activity!

i sure do love you...

mom