Whew! This has been a busy week :) Dave and I had a 24 hour layover in Amsterdam on the way here, so we did some lightning-fast sightseeing and exploring. The Anne Frank house is a chilling and fascinating place to visit. And as always, the waffles were amazing.
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| Dave and I at a little local foodie spot recommend by our hostel owner :) |
After what seemed like forever, we arrived in the motherland, and it felt like I had never left. Kaitlin and Catherine have been in full swing for a while now, so they caught us up on what has been going on. On our first day here we went to see the land. It was surreal to walk around this acre and a half, to visualize what it will become, and to know that our kids will have a permanent and forever home. It's bigger than I had pictured, and it has mature mango, avocado and banana trees already there. Can't wait to pick bushels from those. The fish pond on the land wasn't in the best of shape, but that's nothing a little TLC can't fix :) The proposed spot for the house is at the highest point of the land, with a lovely view.
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| Me standing between the banana and mango trees :) |
I've been pondering all week about our new home and what i want it to look like. We've spent a long time talking with Michael, our contractor, and it's such a big decision to design your own home. When it's finished you can't think things like, "I wish this room was a little bigger to fit the table" or "why would anyone put a door right here?"-becuase you're the one who did it. A lot of pressure. This in not my forte. But then I walk in the boys room and see their double decker beds are squeezed 8 inches apart, and remind myself whatever I design will be better than this :)
As for the land, we met with my friend Florence, and she shed a lot of light on the land purchase process, which had been giving us quite a headache. I think it actually won't be as much a tangled web as I thought it would be. Land ownership is just done so differently here. Everything is inherited, and tied to families.
We've also been trekking around a bit wrapping up loose ends regarding the two girls that we gained custody of a few weeks ago. We met with their grandmother and some relatives to finish some paperwork and updated them on our plans to move the children to our new home soon.
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| Crossing a bridge. |
And of course, we've been enjoying the company of the kiddos. It's never a dull day at Jemo House :)
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Arnold, Daniel, Brian and Millie
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