*Our* Olympic summer!

Well, our whirlwind 8 weeks of travel has drawn to a close.  If my count is correct we stayed at 18 different places in those 8 weeks.  If you count repeats (mainly my parents house and Dan and Susan's), then I packed and unpacked for 22 different stops during our travels.  Whew....  I think next summer, we'll try to keep it a little simpler!

All the packing/ getting ready in Smyrna to get ready for our long flight ahead went smoothly except that Anna pulled a big chair on top of herself minutes before the super shuttle arrived to take us to the airport and it knocked her into the fireplace.  It managed to tear quite a gash in her head that bled pretty profusely but it did stop after about 1/2 hour.  Unfortunately at the airport when I tried to put a dry shirt on her, it make it bleed again so I think the crew and other passengers were wondering what kind of parents took a bleeding child on an airplane but thankfully people were helpful and supportive.  The flight attendant brought us ice and was so sweet and helpful.

And after a long layover in Chicago (luckily they have a fun play space and some sit down restaurants), we finally ended our long summer vacation of 2012.  We ran into one of Jane's good friends as we boarded the flight as well as several other families from our school.  Abu Dhabi definitely feels like a small city as it is very rare that we've been on a flight to/ from there and not run into someone we know!  Since there aren't tons of people who want to fly to Abu Dhabi in the heat of the summer several weeks before most schools start (we always start first), our flight was pretty empty.  Jake staked out an empty row and the two of us took turns heading to the back of the plane to stretch out.  Anna slept so much I was concerned she would never get over the jet lag (which was great for the flight!).  She and all the girls were real pleasures on the flight.  It's still a long, difficult flight with a 9 hour time difference but it does get easier as the kids get older.

Happy end of summer and what a big adventure it has been!  And we are *glad* to be home (even if it is 111 degrees and humid!).