Kindergarten!

First of all, GRR!! I just spent about half an hour writing a new post, and when I tried to add a picture, somehow everything got deleted! So... here I go again. :-/

It's hard to believe we've been here for a week already -- time goes by so quickly when you're having fun. :) And tomorrow, with the beginning of a new month, Lucia gets to go to the Kindergarten!! She is SO excited! (Technically, it's the equivalent of preschool in the U.S. -- that's just what it's called over here.) We stopped by there on Monday to talk to the head teacher to see if we could register Lucia, and they worked with us! (Sometimes shocking in Germany... ;-) ) It's rather unusual for her to be able to go for just one month, so I'm really thankful that they allowed her to sign up to go every day from 9 until noon (like most of the other kids). The head teacher told us they happened to have some room at the moment, and that she would try to find Lucia a group with some other girls her age. I'm really hoping that she'll make some new friends quickly. We've been reviewing the fact that she'll have to speak German in the Kindergarten for the kids (and teachers) to be able to understand her, and I've been giving her some phrases she can use to make initial contact (like ... What's your name?, Would you like to play with me?, etc.) She seems to understand, but we'll have to see how things go tomorrow. :) I can't wait to hear her report after her first couple of days; she tends to be a bit timid at first, so we'll see how quickly she feels comfortable there and part of things. She has a little backpack that she'll take with slippers (what they wear in the building) and a morning snack. I'll have to take a picture of her tomorrow and post it. :)

Today, I went to Bad Kreuznach with my dad while he taught in school. He dropped me off in the town center to do some shopping for about four hours, which was fun. I mainly just walked around and looked at stuff; it's just so interesting to see the differences in clothing, toys, and other kid stuff (like back-to-school things...) What I like a LOT is the fact that kid stuff is not overly commercialized like it is in the U.S. -- you almost have to search to find things with Disney princesses on them (for example). I tend to avoid Disney princess things like the plague (O:-) don't tell Lucia...), and I LOVE that the kid things here have more whimsical designs, cute colors/patterns, butterflies, flowers, without being branded necessarily. It's really hard for me when I see things like that not to buy them right away since I feel like they are hard to find in the States, but so far I've resisted successfully. :) (An example below: I had alread bought the purple flower rain boots for Lucia, but then I returned them... how much do you REALLY need fleece-lined rain boots in Dallas?! :) )


In other news, David continues to hold down the forts back at home, which includes his old job, his new job, working out details with our new house (like... closing next week Wednesday!! Woohoo!), packing up our old house starting tomorrow with movers coming in the morning, and working out all the details around somehow getting our fifth family member, Loxley, down to Texas. I would like to publicly acknowledge here that I feel TERRIBLE that I can't help him much with that job, and if I had realized how difficult it was going to be to get all that worked out, I don't think I would've dared come to Germany and leave him with all that. He is more than proving his love for me by not already having secretly abandoned him in the wild, and I've told him countless times that I owe him, big time. I'll get you a motorcycle, baby, whatever you want. :) You're my hero, and I can't wait to come home to you to repay you for all this headache in some small way.
Oh, and he's also trying to work out details around our labor and delivery plans for November... we have another little hurdle to take in that regard. Long story short, he could really use your prayers. There are a LOT of details that want to be remembered, and there often just isn't enough time in the day.

Thanks to all who have already physically helped us in some big or small way, and then thanks to all who have been praying for us. We can tell that we are being guided, and so far things are coming together fairly smoothly. We'll continue to keep you posted. :)

Phew, We Made It!!

Here we are, in Germany, after a long but fairly uneventful trip. Thanks to all who were praying for smooth travels and well behaved children. :) They did as well as I could have asked or expected of a 4- and 2-year-old, so that was a huge blessing. (To David's parents: The flight was NOTHING like our trip over last summer!!!!! :) )
We left Julie's (David's sister's) house around 2 p.m. on Tuesday and arrived at the O'Hare airport with right around two hours to get checked in, through security, and to the gate. Due to some unforeseen car trouble that morning and a frozen yogurt trip that definitely could NOT be skipped, Rhea didn't end up getting much of a nap (or lunch, for that matter, since she had just enjoyed some YoYo Land and didn't feel like eating much after that). That certainly put a damper on her patience and flexibility as a little traveler, but she did ok. (She was NOT a fan of her water bottle going through the x-ray machine, or of her mother having to step to the side to be patted down because Lucia's backpack somehow managed to trip their explosives monitor...?!?!, or staying strapped in her seat by herself while I took Lucia to the bathroom on the plane.) The two hours at the airport worked out perfectly, but only because there were lots of helpful people who noticed me attempting to travel with two small children, plenty of bags, and swinging a pregnant belly around in front of me. We were waved through to the fast lane in security several times, a couple different people helped me get all my luggage to the appropriate counters (or watched my kids for me as I took a couple of trips), etc. I accepted any help I could get and was very thankful for each person who noticed us and chose to assist.
We got to our gate with about 40 minutes to spare, which allowed time for potty, gave Rhea a chance to eat something (she pounded several PB&J's - between her and Lucia, they polished off all of the sandwiches and Mama didn't get any). :-) We got on the plane early and the attendants got the girls settled in with some entertainment - a few coloring books and pens to bridge the time until take-off.
The first half of the trip was fairly uneventful - I pulled out a few little "surprises" I had packed for them on the plane, tried to let them watch Tom and Jerry (though unsuccessfully), and Lucia enjoyed the animated movie "Blue" on the personal screen. (The first ten minutes or so, she watched attentively until she finally told me, "Mama, I can't understand what they're saying because they're speaking Spanish!" Whoops... I then found the English channel and she continued watching happily. :-) )
Rhea enjoyed coloring some, read a few books, watched the little screen (though didn't care for headphones), had some snacks, and simply relaxed. She was pretty exhausted by the time they served dinner and didn't care to try much of her food (other than two cherry tomatoes in her salad and some of the dinner roll). Unfortunately, she kept kicking the seat in front of her, and as it got later and later, she got more uncomfortable and agitated and there wasn't much I could do except for holding down her feet as much as possible and waiting it out until she finally fell asleep. Lucia was out around 8:15 p.m., Rhea not until 9:40!! And that after not really having a nap! Yikes! But they both slept more or less until after we landed (with a few little wake-ups in between). I think I might have gotten around 1.5-2 hours of sleep in myself. So not bad overall. On the first plane, Lucia asked me to tell her what London was like. I told her it was in England and that the queen of England lived in London. So a little bit later, she said, "Mama, when we get to London, do you think we can go say 'hello' to the queen?" When I hesitated a bit with my response, she reassuringly said to me, "Mama, maybe, just MAYBE." (A few days later, she asked me, "Mama, what kind of queen is the queen in London? Is she like the queen who wanted Snowwhite to be born?" I said I thought she was probably a lot like Snowwhite's queen mother. :-) )

After we landed in London, both girls were wide awake and in pretty good spirits (especially considering it was 1 a.m. our time!). Lucia was a HUGE helper by carrying her own backpack and pulling her little suitcase for me. I wish I could've gotten a picture of her, but my hands were full and there was too much to do at all times (plus my camera was buried under all the snacks in my way heavy backpack). Oh well. She said several times, "Mama, pulling all this stuff is hard work, but I'm not going to give up my job!" So sweet and very helpful. :-) It warmed my heart.
Our layover in London was only 1.5 hours, just enough to get from our arrival gate to our new departure gate with another security screening in between. (We even got to ride one of those little black carts through the airport! :) ) I didn't even have time to stop and find the German cell phone to turn it on and call my parents until I was already ON the plane to Germany.

After we had landed in Germany, the only hiccup left to hurdle was the fact that in the past year, they had installed coin-slots on the baggage carts (ones where you get your money back when you return the cart), but of course coming from another country, I didn't have the right coin to get a cart. So once again, I had to figure out how to pull three rolling suitcases, carry a car seat, push a stroller, with a backpack on my back, and keep track of Lucia with her suitcase. Another helpful lady ended up accompanying me through customs and out to the meeting area where Oma was already waiting for us -- we had FINALLY made it!! By this point, I was thoroughly hot, utterly exhausted and my feet hurt, but all three of us were generally in good spirits. If the trip had been any less ideal than what it was, I'm sure I would've been in tears just from sheer exhaustion -- I was pretty close as it was. :-) But the girls did great and my afternoon nap at the house once we finally arrived was heavenly. (I could've slept until the next day. :) )

I'll include a couple of pictures of our travels as well as our first day or two here at Oma and Opa's. We miss our Papa back in Texas, but are thankful we can keep in touch with phone, Skype and e-mail.

At our gate in Chicago, waiting to board the first plane.

Playing happily on the second plane (London to Frankfurt). It's about 3:00 a.m. in this picture. :)


Looking out the window together - not much longer until we land!!

Taking the stroller out for a little walk around the house (after her nap today - Friday).

Helping Opa put together the sandbox right before it started to rain.

Almost done! And tomorrow, the girls go with Opa to get some sand!!

Our New House!!

This is just a quick post to update you all on our transition from WI to TX. It's going FAST, and our week of house-hunting is almost over already! The most amazing piece of news is that we were able to sell our WI home after only 11 days on the market (in this economy!! - Thank you, God!), and two days later we put an offer in on a house that we really liked here in Texas, which was accepted. So... we currently feel a bit homeless since we're starting to say good-bye to our old house (the girls and I actually won't ever see it again), and it'll be a while before we get the keys to our new house! For those who would like to see pictures of the new place, I'm including a link below - it's to the MLS listing, but I don't know how much longer it will be available since the house is now under contract:

http://www.mlsfinder.com/tx_ntreis/kw_92/index.cfm?action=listing_detail&property_id=11608548&searchkey=c50db973-f655-cc96-5ed8-f964154bb905&npp=8&sr=9

We are really glad we were able to get the home, especially considering that we didn't really have a good second option. We feel pretty good about the neighborhood and already met some of our new neighbors (who have three teenage daughters, so we might even have potential babysitters!!). :-)

It's been incredible to be reminded again of how much paperwork and crazy details are involved in a transition like this, but between the two of us and the lack of little ones running around, we've accomplished quite a bit over the last several days. Thanks again, Julie, for watching the girlies for us -- we do miss them quite a bit and talk about them all the time, but this has been a life-saver!! :-)

We even had enough free time in between for me to DRAG David into a salon to get a professional haircut (the first one in 8 or 9 years, I believe :-) ) -- and I really like it!! Just too bad that I have to leave my handsome for 7 solid weeks now!

So... our current date for closing on our new house is September 7. The girls and I will be back from Germany and moving in on October 6, and we'll all be ready for visitors after that!! (Or... you could come visit David and keep him company even before then. :-) )

On a side note: The weather in Texas has not been as bad as we've feared, though it has been in the high 90s and up to 110 degrees every day since we got here. Thankfully, it's a very dry heat, so it feels like someone is using a blow dryer on you when you're outside, or you're sticking your head in the preheating oven. I keep saying I'm really enjoying it, but I also haven't been pushing girls to the park in a stroller,or trying to pull weeds or anything. And by the time we get back in October it shouldn't be quite so hot anymore. When we talk to native Texans about the weather, they keep saying that this summer has been unnaturally hot, so what we're experiencing should be as "bad" as it gets. Have I mentioned that I like it? :-)

Ok, off to our next errand -- so many things on our to-do list!

Little Rhea is TWO!

This is a post to commemorate Rhea's second birthday and her little personality, now that she is 2. We had a crazy day on Monday, which included listing our home for sale at 8 a.m., swim lessons for Lucia, and then some quick party prep time for Rhea's party at 5 p.m.! We had almost all of our friends here for nachos, ladybug cake and ice cream, and everyone seemed to have a good time (including David, who for once wasn't tied to the grill, which was great). We wanted to have a good sized party partially for Rhea, but also to give us one last chance to see everyone before we say good-bye to Wisconsin this Tuesday. Only five more days in this house! Time is flying...

The party was a full success, even though the little ideas and details that Mamas have in their heads for events like this weren't all realized. There just wasn't enough time... to make a few crafts, do Rhea's or Lucia's hair (all day :-/) or put them in cute outfits. Oh well. :) (I never got around to fully getting myself ready either... but on those days I'm glad I'm the one taking most of the pictures. ;-) )

One of Rhea's favorite birthday gifts was a little spray bottle David and I got her. Now both Lucia and Rhea have one, and they enjoy squirting each other, drinking from it, and squirting me. (I did have to tell Rhea today that the couch and living room lamp did not enjoy being squirted with water ... maybe we'll start keeping the bottle in the garage with the outside play toys. :) ).

She also now has her own little camping chair (after her many requests in the past, when Lucia sat in her chair, "I sit too please?"), and her own "wain bella" (rain umbrella).

These are little tidbits of Rhea at the age of two:

She wakes up between 6 and 7 usually, and calls for Mama. David or I usually go get her (along with one or two of her beloved fuzzies) and pull her in bed with us until we have to finally roll out of bed. She lies still and enjoys cuddling and sucking her thumb for a while, but rarely goes back to sleep. Eventually, she starts whispering "Hi Mommy" - especially if she catches me opening my eyes. :) Sometimes she simply states, "Done." and starts crawling out of bed, ready to face the day. Other days she will lie there and tell me, "mluesi" (Muesli) - which is cereal in German, or, "dwinkie" (drinkie), or "Milch please?" (milk). Occasionally, she'll ask for "ice cweam" or "Kanummi" (Kaugummi - chewing gum) -- can you tell she has an older sister? Lucia didn't even know what that was at this age... :) (And no, Rhea hasn't had real gum - I usually give her a chewable vitamin or mint when Lucia gets to have a piece of gum.)

She is still a very cuddly and affectionate little girl. She loves to give hugs, run up and body-slam into your lap or legs, climbs your back when you're sitting on the floor, and throws her arms around your neck (when you're at a low enough level). :) She has mellowed considerably, possibly because she is now very adept at expressing herself and can communicate almost any need or desire. ("I need mowk too please" (milk), "Mamas Schoss?" (Mama's lap?), "Ich gerne play" (I'd like to play), and she responds to almost any "why" question from one of us with "because ... owie." She's very proud of her "owies" (usually on her knees) and enjoys showing them off to anyone who is paying attention. Mama: "Why is your baby crying?" R: "Because... owie." :) She LOVES her baby and has one with her almost all the time. We'll see how she takes to baby brother/sister in November. :)

She also loves her big sister and enjoys copying whatever Lucia is doing. I often find them playing together peacefully (usually "people" - their Playmobil collection is continuing to get a lot of attention), or they sit at the little table in Lucia's room coloring ("I dwa too please?"), or they sit on the couch in the living room, each with a book. Of course they have their fair share of not-so-happy interactions, too - I can usually hear one of those coming on because Lucia is desperately trying to get Rhea to stop doing something (like pulling her hair or shirt), or they are having issues sharing a toy. But overall, they are great friends and get each other to laugh better than anyone else can.

Though Rhea has her moments when she acts like a two-year-old, complete with VERY emphatic "NNNNO!"s (on occasion), overall she is very sweet and unusually polite for such a peanut. She regularly says, "no sanks", "yes please", after meals: "sank you. I cused." (for "may I be excused.") She's at a really fun age and can easily melt our hearts with her sweetness. Though she is fairly determined when resisting our instructions or trying to hold her own during a "battle" with Lucia, it doesn't usually take much to turn her back into her sweet, cooperative and joyful little self. She easily says "sawy Cia" (sorry, Lucia), or "sawy Mommy", and gives great hugs of repentance.

One of her main desires at this stage is doing things her "sowf", or "Leina!" (alleine - alone), whether it's washing her hands, going potty (on occasion) - recently, after I helped her onto the potty during dinner, she told me to "go way eat, sowf!", getting into and out of her car seat (a pain for Mama because it adds 4 or 5 minutes to each car trip, eating, etc. I'm glad she has an independent spirit, but at times it would be very convenient if I could just help her and the event could go that much faster. :)

She doesn't show much stranger anxiety and never has. We've never dropped her off that she has cried or clung to either of us; she's always very comfortable to go play, whether it's with a sitter, in the church nursery, or at a friend's house and I leave for any amount of time. She has a great sense of humor and playfulness, is into plenty of mischief (like... coloring the back of our love seat with a sharpie last week :-/ -- thankfully, it was the BACK of the chair), and knows exactly the way to Mama and Papa's hearts. We love you to pieces, Rhea, and look forward to all the things this new year has in store for you! You're growing up so fast!!

Here are her party invitations (though the time and date changed in the end):

Rhea being her cute little self:

Styling Mama's sunglasses at the pool during Lucia's swim lessons:

Rhea's party favors:

Her bug birthday cake:

After Rhea blew out her two candles with all the kids standing around waiting to get some cake and ice cream:

After the mess was complete: :)

Gift opening time:

Her new camping chair!

And... tadaaa! The "wain bella" :)

All in all, it was a happy birthday! :)