Liz's parents, Bob and Linda, came to visit us here in New Zealand in early September. We were all very excited to have them here, and glad that they were able to spend a whole month with us to really see what life is like here. Aside from Bob's time in Vietnam, they had never been out of the States before. And this is definitely the longest they've ever been away from home. So, we were proud of their courage to take a ridiculously long trip to visit.
Elias and Cohen were nearing spontaneous-combustion levels of excitement for their arrival. We met their plane here in Gisborne after 30+ hours of travel. They were tired, but actually looked well considering the flight time, and adjusted pretty quickly to New Zealand time.
We tried to show them around the North Island a little, explore Gisborne's local charms, and let them catch up on much needed rest. I think they were both a little stir-crazy initially without any responsibilities to tend to here. Linda took over laundry duties and spent lots of time reading to the boys and trying to get snuggles from Cohen. Bob was drafted into hours of play with the boys; or maybe he drafted them into it; I'm never quite sure.
Liz and I took advantage of the free childcare by taking an overnight trip up the East Cape and escaping for a few date nights.
We had a great time with them here. We were sad to see them go, but so grateful for the time we had. We can't wait to see all our family again soon.