Guess who's coming to China?

After a lot of discussion we have decided that we are going to bring the kids with us to China. We have always wanted to bring Caelan, but we were (OK, still are) worried about how Garrett will handle the trip. There is no way that we would bring one and not the other. I am so happy that we have made this decision, I want to be able to enjoy our time in China, and I know I wouldn't be able to do this worrying about the kids at home. I just kept thinking about what a basket case Caelan was while Bob was in Africa. Granted, he was gone an entire month, but she cried nearly evey day. And Bob may have been just as bad, I am not sure, what I do know is that he missed the kids terribly.

I am a stay-at-home-mom and the longest I have been away from the kids was last weekend when Bob brought the kids away for two nights and I stayed home to clean the attic. Sparkling, by the way:) Well, that worked out fine, but other than that I have been away from Garrett only a handful of nights (actually 4- when my girlfriends came to my parent's cottage last summer, Nora's wedding in September, Molly's wedding this June and one night while we were at our cottage I had to drive home for a doctor's appointment and steam clean the carpets). Only one of the nights I left him with someone other than Bob. I certainly haven't prepared him for life without Mom for two weeks.

Even my mother agrees that the kids should be there. That or she has realized after our 2 night visit last week that two weeks with the kids might put her over the edge. She has volunteered to come with us. And my dad doesn't want to miss out, so he will likely be coming as well. This will work out really well, since my parents can watch Caelan and Garrett whenever we need help. I know that once we have Lia, her needs will be our priority. I am also hoping that having the kids there will put her at ease more quickly. Our only problem now is that we have two more plane tickets to buy! Oh, and passports! Visas!

Oh, and I will bring the kids to a local class so they can learn some Mandarin! That starts in September.