Heading Back to America

On December 20th we got on the flight back to America for the first time in 3 years. 

We were so excited to see family and friends and introduce many of them to Madelyn. 

The airport in Delhi had a very cool snowy Taj Mahal that made for a must take family photo. The kids did great on the flights! 

When we arrived in Austin, the flight attendant learned that it was Ezra's birthday week and he got to go in the cockpit and meet the pilot. It was such a treat for him! 

We started our stateside time at Luke's family's house. His mom had turned the spare bedroom at their house into a play room full of toys she got from a family friend. Luke's brother's family lives near by and the kids loved playing with their cousin Gage. 

My first outing in America included Target, Starbucks coffee and Chex Mix. 

This was soon followed by Hobby Lobby. I love Hobby Lobby and went over and over while on Stateside. 

I've heard about reverse culture shock and I truly experienced a little of that on our first trip to Target. It was the yogurt aisle for me rather than the cereal aisle. Yogurt is something that only a few special stores have in my city, so seeing a 30 foot wall full of yogurt options was a lot to take in. I was also amazed at how pretty everything is. 

Ezra's 4th Birthday

Days before we left for our stateside vacation we celebrated Ezra's 4th birthday. 

Ezra loves Toy Story so it was a Toy Story themed birthday party, particularly Buzz lightyear, his favorite. I even made him a special birthday shirt. He was over the moon. 

We had a ton of friends over to celebrate with us. As people walked in they gave him presents and it was the first year he really understood that a birthday comes with presents. He is now a big fan of birthdays!

We ordered this cake from a local bakery and they did an amazing job on it. 

The night before, I hung balloons outside of Ezra's room so he woke up to a fun surprise. 

We started the morning with birthday cinnamon rolls baked in the shape of an "E". 

Ezra enjoyed his cinnamon roll with a birthday candle on our special birthday plate. 

We made a ton of snacks for the party and they were all Toy Story themed. Ezra really notices details so I went all out for him. 

I even made cupcake toppers and take away gift labels with Ezra's name on them. 

We had such a sweet time with all of our friends. It was a great opportunity to say "see you later" to our friends and celebrate this precious son that God has blessed us with. Ezra has grown into a kind, obedient, and creative kid and we love him so much!