John & Kate Plus Mandy... and Charlie!: It's Been a LLLOOONNNGGG 3 Years

John’s sister Carol, her husband Dan, and their three children Thomas, Audrey, and Colleen, are officially in the US!! They have been living in Okinawa, Japan since May 2009. It was a very sad day in sunny California when John and I hugged them goodbye at the airport in San Francisco. When they left for the other side of the world we felt as though this day would never come, but it is here. They are back in the US (and Midwest!) for good and we couldn’t be happier.

Since they have been living on a little bitty rock on the other side of the world for the last 3 years, I figured there are quite a few events that have occurred that they aren’t aware of. In order to get them up to speed with the times of 2012 and to have a little fun looking back over all that has happened the last 3 years, I have summarized a variety of events – some worthy of nationwide news, some more important to just our family.

Okay Fennell's, here's a rundown of the things you need to know:

There are now 7 billion people on Earth.
Old Yankee Stadium is no longer standing.
There's this new contraption called an iPad. It's pretty cool. Your niece Ellen has downloaded over 30 apps for it just in 2012 alone. She could probably show you how to use it.
As the World Turns, All My Children, and Guiding Light are no longer on daytime television.
Osama Bin Laden is dead.
Prince William is no longer on the market.
No more Oprah a.k.a The Pope-Rah
Tiger Woods, yeah, so, he wasn't the quite the hero we thought he was.
I had a baby! Her name is Kate and she can't wait to meet you!
You had a baby!! I think you are up to speed on this one...
"Occupy" anything has become a well known reference.
All US television is now broadcast in digital instead of analog. I'm still trying to figure out why I was supposed to care about that one.
The Cardinals won a World Series…again!
Chicago's dream of hosting the 2016 Olympics didn't quite work out as expected.
The Statue of Liberty's crown is once again open to the public.
The "Keck's of Sonoma" are now the "Keck's of Normal." It just doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but it sure does feel good.
Eyjafjallajökull, one of Iceland’s smaller ice caps, had a volcanic eruption that disrupted air travel across Europe for over 6 days.
Bedbugs. They are gross. Enough said.
BP had quite an oil spill that was expected to permanently destroy the Gulf of Mexico and its coastline. Oddly enough, we are going there for vacation next month.
If you need a ride somewhere, don't go with Brad and his family. They've wrestled with 3 deer since you left...and lost.
The US Space Shuttle Program is no longer active.
A silent film won an Academy Award or rather 5 Academy Awards. Really. It's the first silent film to do that since 1927.
Toyota had a little PR nightmare, which means they might not be the leaders in safety that we thought they were.
After changing diapers since 1999, the Kecks of Savoy finally moved on to investing their money elsewhere. Be easy on Gary, he's pretty broken up about this.
You can no longer order a new set of Encyclopedia Britannica's.
Phantom of the Opera is no longer the highest grossing Broadway Show. That title now belongs to The Lion King.
2 Words: Bieber Fever
2 More Words: Obama Care
The Kecks of Colorado enjoyed 258 inches of snow!
The Washington Monument was cracked by an earthquake.
We've watched Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Farrah Fawcett, Steve Jobs, Amy Winehouse, Patrick Swayze, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joe Paterno all pass away.
Eva Longoria, Billy Ray Cyrus, Heidi Klum, Mel Gibson, and Katy Perry (and many, many, many others) all got divorced. Surprised? I didn't think so.
Casey Anthony is no longer assumed guilty...at least in the eyes of the US Government.
2 catastrophic earthquakes hit both Haiti and Japan. Clearly you know about this one... better than any of us, but a list of things that happened in the last 3 years wouldn't be complete without these two. Did I mention that we are glad you are out of there?
Sit down for this one. High speed internet is now available at RR 1 Box 236, Neoga, IL. No more dial up at the Keck Ranch. Maybe the Mayans were right about 2012.

There's been a lot going on since you left for your Okinawan adventure on May 7, 2009. Still, one thing hasn't changed. From the vineyards of California to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the cornfields of Illinois - your entire family has always been there supporting you, loving you, and missing you like crazy. We are so glad you are home!! Now, open a bottle of wine already! Cheers!