Kaden's First Trip to America - Part 1

At the end of November, Kaden made his first trans-Pacific flight (out of the womb) to visit some of our family in America!

Kaden was such a good little traveler. First we took a 2 hour bus ride to the airport. Then we boarded a 12 hour flight from Korea to Dallas/Ft. Worth, where we changed planes and continued on to Louisville, KY where my family were gathering for Thanksgiving. The whole time he just went with the flow, looking around at the different people and scenery out the window. Thankfully that first flight was an overnight flight so he slept quite a bit. I was very proud when the stewardesses saw him at the end and said they had no idea they had such a small baby on the plane. They didn't hear a peep out of him the whole time!

Playing with the new travel toy we bought. He loved tugging and sucking on it!

It was wonderful to see my grandparents again and spend some time with them. We beat the rest of my family to their house by a day and a half, which gave us all some time to rest and recuperate from the long trip. They were so excited to meet Kaden and did everything in their power to make us comfortable. My granddad even made a crib out of a giant cardboard box so we didn't have to lug a pack and play along with us. Apparently the bumper is the same one they used when my dad and his siblings were growing up. How special!

One of the first things we did after arriving in Kentucky was go shopping. Apparently, I packed everything we could possibly need for Kaden but forgot to bring any pants for myself. Haha! Normally, I'm not a big shopper. But I enjoyed making a few outings with the boys and picking up some new clothes for the family. All of the shops were decorated for Christmas and we enjoyed a few quick meals at our favorite restaurants! Ah, the joys of being in America again!

Nothing beats the excitement on my family's faces when they first met Kaden, though. My mom loved holding him and playing with him any chance she got. He and my dad were two peas in a pod. Kaden loved looking at all of his grandpa's silly faces! Most of all, the little guy was fascinated by Uncle Nate's banjo. The first time he heard Nate play, he watched and listened intently. Then as soon as the music stopped he threw up. As Nate later posted on facebook, "He clearly knows what's good."

He loved looking at my grandmother and giving her smiles!

I'm not sure if Nate had ever held a baby before, but he was a natural!

Most of the week was spent relaxing, chatting and playing with the baby. My parents enjoyed getting down on the floor with Kaden and watching him roll around and chew on his favorite stuffed duck. I made sure to treasure up little moments as my family interacted: my mom introducing Kaden to the piano, Kaden joining the guys as they watched some football, my granddad giving the baby little kisses on the forehead, my brother - the proud uncle - sharing some photos of the little guy with his entourage on facebook. Very special indeed.

we recreated this special photo from my past with Kaden. SO cute!

Goofing off with grandpa and modeling the awesome hats I've bought them.

Two peas in a pod.

 I was fortunate that our trip coincided with both my birthday and my brother's birthday. We celebrated as a family with cake and gifts. We also included my 89 year old granddad in the celebration since his birthday was earlier that month. He particularly enjoyed the bag of sugar free candy we bought him! My family gave me a perfect gift: my parents babysat for a couple of nights so we could go out to a nice dinner and a movie with Nate. It was so nice to feel like a normal adult for a few hours and enjoy some of our favorite past times.

Nate opening the custom Rockies jersey we had made for him in Korea

 Of course - the main event of this trip was our Thanksgiving celebration! My grandmother makes the most amazing Southern food and so we couldn't wait to dig into the sweet potato casserole, cream corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and pie. (Oh yeah, and the turkey was good too. ;^) Our cousins who live in Lexington drove up for the day. I hadn't seen them in 5 years so it was great to catch up. I can't believe how grown up they all are! Time flies when you're all busy having fun.

Excited for the Thanksgiving festivities to begin!

YUM!

Recreating a pic from when we were little.

 Over all it was a wonderful week. We really do enjoy our overseas military lifestyle, but I can see the appeal of living closer to family. I wish Kaden could spend more time with his grandparents and grow up knowing them better. Of course, he won't really remember this time in his life either way. But we will - and I know they wish they could be closer to him too. Thank goodness for skype and video capabilities that at least allow them to watch him grow up. Hopefully we'll get to visit one another again soon!