A Holiday...but Not Really!

James has tomorrow off from work because it is an American holiday. Thomas, however, now that he is in school and his school follows more of the German calendar, does not have the day off of school. So, while it is a holiday, it kind of isn't...the time that this will be the weirdest will be on Thanksgiving Day, when Thomas has school. We've already talked about this, though, and it might turn out OK. Thomas can go to school, we can cook all day, pick him up from school and then have Thanksgiving "dinner" at about 4 PM.



Until later,



Emily

Our Little Monkey and his Stage!

We don't quite know what the appeal is, but Toby loves our table, rather climbing up on it and playing! We find him on it, take him off and he's right back on five minutes later. We can remove the chairs but he just pushes them over. We've resorted to trying to keep anything that would hurt him, or anything that Toby could hurt off the table. Funny story, today I heard this "cling-pause-cling-pause-cling-pause" and I thought, "that sounds like aluminum clanging", and then I remembered I had an almost full Diet Coke on the table. I ran to the dining room to find Toby enjoying my Diet Coke and spilling almost the entire contents all over him!

Until later,

Emily

Summer's Last Hoorah!

For the next five days, we are going to have really nice weather, in the high 70's all the way up to the high 80's on Sunday. This is warmer than it has been over the past two weeks. I was getting my hair cut today and my hairdresser, who is German, told me this is how summer always ends. "It cools down for a while, then it warms up and gets hot and then it starts to rain and that is the end", according to Martina.

A little while later, I was at the commissary and I overheard almost the exact conversation again. And, as I was driving home today, I also noticed just a few changed leaves. So, I guess it must be true and this really must be the end of summer.

Until later,

Emily

It Was Time

(August 19, 2008)

(August 26, 2008)

As much as I truly loved Toby's blonde curls, it was time to tame them a little. I cut an inch off of everywhere, this was the first time I've touched the top, his hairline finally grew in enough and I evened it all up with that.

Until later,

Emily

All That Stress Over NOTHING!

Yesterday, I wrote a message in Thomas' "parent book" basically telling his teacher that I would comply with the request but it did cause concern about what I was going to send him for lunch now, due to his pickiness. Today, she wrote me back and said that peanut butter for lunch is not a problem at all since they sit all the kids with allergies on a separate table. It's only snack time that is the concern. Now why on earth would they state--in the letter that was sent home from the school nurse-- that it's snack and lunch that is a problem when it clearly is not? Beats me! But, the good thing about this 24-hour stress is that now I have some other ideas as to what I CAN send Thomas for lunch throughout the year. I am not limited to only one "main dish" as I initially thought. But, boy, am I glad peanut butter sandwiches are back on the menu!

Until later,

Emily

A New Record!

I got up this morning and checked my blog and was surprised to see so many comments! I think it is a new record for me! I also got a few "comments" in my email! Thanks for all the suggestions. Some of them are still too fancy for my Thomas, but I know you all are just trying to help me find a peanut butter-less substitute! I really appreciate it! It's also made me think that maybe it's time for me to buy some of those foods that Thomas hasn't liked in the past. You know, sometimes trying it again really does work. If not, Toby will probably eat it, that's what I'm finding in my household!

And, if I never find a healthy "main dish" that Thomas likes he'll be perfectly happy with just eating all the "side items". He wouldn't be the first kid to come home with everything eaten except his sandwich! And like my mom said, then I'll just have to feed him his peanut butter sandwich at home for his "after-school snack".

This situation still stinks, but it will be OK.

Until later (and thanks!),

Emily

Lunch Time Just Got a Whole Lot Harder...

For the most part, I am planning on sending cold lunch with Thomas to school. Hot lunch is expensive, 3,50 euro and next year when he starts first grade it goes up to 4,00 euro but really it is not so much about the expense...it is more about the fact that I don't think he will eat the majority of the lunches...they are way too "gourmet" for Thomas. They send out a menu every two weeks, I will look at it and if they happen to have a cheese pizza day, well, he might get hot lunch that day but other than that, he'll get cold lunch.

Not only will he get cold lunch every day but I had planned on basically sending him the same thing for lunch every day. A peanut butter sandwich, carrot sticks, a bag of chips or crackers, fruit snacks and a juice box. Imagine my horror today when I found in the parent folder that in his classroom there is a child with "severe nut allergies" and therefore, have decided to make Thomas' classroom totally nut-free. This applies to snack and lunch. I am sympathetic toward the child and his family but now what do I send Thomas for lunch? He doesn't eat lunch meat, tuna fish, chicken salad, egg salad--or anything! Luckily, he started eating cheese quesadillas a while ago, so the only thing I can think of is sending him a cold cheese quesadilla. He doesn't even like cheese sandwiches, although I'm not sure why.

To get news like this has really put me in a bad mood! Any suggestions? I'm seriously stressed out over this!

Until later,

Emily

1st Blogiversary!

My friend, Felicity, left a comment that it's actually my 1st Blogiversary! I just thought that was so clever...I had to share!

Until later,

Emily

One Year Old

Today is my blog's 1st birthday or it's 1st anniversary...I don't know which one is better. Well, it's been around for a year now...how's that?

A few months ago, a friend of mine told me about blurb.com-- It is a website that makes all kinds of books. It even makes books out of your blog! I have decided to do this with my blog since it is the closest thing that I have to a journal or even a scrapbook. I have been wondering if I should send away to make my first book when I'd had my blog for a year or wait until the end of 2008--I think I'm going to finish up the year. I'm still behind on posting pictures from this summer and it would kind of seem weird to end a book on a random date such as August 23, 2008--don't you think? Besides, I need another big project to work on in November & December...yeah, right! Oh, but wait, I'll need to wait to finish up the year so I can work on my blog book from blurb.com in January--PERFECT!

Until later,

Emily

Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary to Us!

It just so happened that Thomas' first day of school was also on our anniversary. Last year, we didn't really celebrate because we had just moved here and the year before I was in Utah, having pregnancy complications. So, this year, James made sure he had the day off. We felt that we should celebrate it, at least in a small way! Our neighbor, G, watched Toby for a while so that we could go to lunch, while Thomas was still at school. We went to a Thai restaurant in Wiesbaden. I had been there before, months ago, at a Girls' Night Out. I thought it was really good and raved about it often.

This was actually the first time that James and I have enjoyed a meal in a restaurant since we moved here. So, even though it was "just lunch" it was such a nice change of pace! The food was great, the weather was nice, and we even had a few minutes to walk around the city before jumping in the car in time to pick up Thomas.

I wanted to scan in one of our wedding pictures, but unfortunately, our old desktop (that James burned up when we moved here) had the software installed to use our scanner and of course, we don't know where the CD for that is now... so I guess our copier/printer/scanner/fax machine is now only a copier/printer (we could probably send a local fax, but we're not hooked up for international faxes). Oh well!

Until later,

Emily

Success!

Thomas' first day of school was a success! He seems tired and as he was eating dinner tonight he did comment that "It's ALREADY dinner time? I was gone to school for a long time, wasn't I, Mom?" But, from what I can tell, there were no major glitches.

Tomorrow, I'm on my own with the whole morning routine/drop-off and pick-up duties. In other words, tomorrow is the real deal for us all!

Until later,

Emily

P.S. Thomas has 14 children in his class, including him. Isn't that awesome?

Thomas' First Day of Primary School (Kindergarten)

We had a successful first morning of school. Thomas ate a complete breakfast, his teeth are brushed, his face is clean, he didn't trip and rip a hole in his jeans, we remembered to take pictures and we got to school on time...actually five minutes early! I think I even remembered everything he needed. Yep, pretty sure of that!

Since he's only been there about forty minutes, I don't know how the day will go. But, he seemed fine when we left. There were no tears, on his part, or hesitation. He seemed quiet and shy but didn't have a problem saying goodbye. So we kept it brief and then we left. I did better then what I thought I would. Yes, a few tears were shed, but I held it together pretty well, I think.

Until later,

Emily

Getting Oriented

This afternoon, we left Toby with our new neighbor, G, and James, Thomas and I attended Thomas' school orientation. In many ways, it was an orientation for all of us...first, we had to find the school, as we've never actually been there before (which I know sounds like such a "Gasp!" thing to do, but we knew he'd go to one of the international schools, and this is the smallest and the closest one to our home, so it really was a no-brainer for us as to where he'd go)...and then we had to find out where we could and couldn't park. Once we entered the school, the whole orientation thing was worked out like a science and we were quickly whisked away to his classroom.

We met his teacher, Miss Natalie, who seems cute as can be! There are only two classes in each grade, but she was the one that I was secretly hoping he would get. Only because I have heard good things about her, the other teacher is probably wonderful, too, but she is brand new, so there just isn't any "word on the block" about her, yet. I think Thomas immediately liked her too, because he gave Miss Natalie eye contact and spoke a few words to her...which to me was almost a miracle!

I didn't think to count exactly how many kids are in his class...but I know it is 15-17. They also have a full-time aide assigned to the class.

Miss Natalie had prepared a cute scavenger hunt for the kids which was really a quick check-list of places that the kids should know the location of. Now Thomas knows where the closest boy's bathroom is, where his cubby is, his coat hook, his seat in the classroom, etc, etc.

Although his school had sent out a pretty thick packet a few weeks ago, the Primary teachers also made up their own little packet. I spent the rest of the night gathering things and writing Thomas' name all over everything. Some things I don't have, so we will improvise until I get the right things or see what the other kids have. Like a "water bottle", somehow I don't think that means the clear plastic kind that you buy in bulk...but that's what I'm sending Thomas to school with tomorrow!

In his grade, he has gym twice a week. That also means the children all change into a full gym outfit. I broke the news to Thomas. This is a big deal because he doesn't like changing his clothes in front of other people. He is very modest, he always has been. He doesn't even like to change his shirt in front of others. But since he'll have his first day of gym on Friday, I figured I might as well tell him now. He was a little alarmed. Now, I'll hold my breath and see how that one goes...

We also discovered that he will be taking German! I thought formal German classes didn't start until the second grade...but they don't. He'll have German three days a week, for 40 minutes at a time. The rest of the instruction is in English.

I also found out that my afternoons will be a little more hectic than I assumed! I will be driving Thomas to and from school, and once he is comfortable with the school, it is possible to drop him off at the entrance of the school, where there will always be at least two teachers ushering the kids in, but when it comes time to pick him up, I have to park, go into the school and pick him up at his classroom every day...with Toby...Ugh! Not that it's that big of a deal, but it is a lot more "work" than I thought I'd have to do...especially when I thought I'd just be able to pull up in the car and pick him up!

But probably the biggest relief of all was to find out that they are given 25 minutes to eat lunch! I packed Thomas a "lunch" tonight in his lunchbox, for his dinner and set the timer and told him to pretend he was at school. I made sure he could open everything and do it all himself. For the things that he was having a hard time with, I found a way for him to do those things and we'll work on those skills so that he can really do them soon. But at least for now, he won't have to rely on his teacher or go without something at lunch time because he doesn't know how to get into it.

Once we got back from the orientation. Toby was really attached to Thomas. Maybe it was because he missed him for the couple hours that we were gone but James and I both said, "Toby knows something is going on".

We put the kids to bed... on time... and reminded Thomas that "OK, tomorrow is the big day!" He seemed excited. I left his room, saying my usual, "Good night, see you in the morning, sweet dreams" chant and then he popped up and said, "But--Mom--I won't get to see you very much in the morning--and then I'll be gone ALL DAY!" And that's when my very last heart string broke and I went downstairs and cried to James and told him I can't believe our little boy is already this old!

Somehow, I think Thomas' "First Day of School" is going to be harder on me than him!

Until later,

Emily

Question: What Will I Do With All My Time?

I have had a lot of people ask me what I will do with all my time now that Thomas is going to go to school all day. I pondered that too for a while at the beginning of the summer as I realized that I was going to start a new phase in my life. But, then, I have people remind me that the days will still go by really fast and before I know it, it will be almost 3 PM and I will need to hop in the car to pick him up from school!

But this is what I have come up with:

1) I will do all my "normal" things. Errands...are always easy minus one kid. Yes, I only have two children, but it's always easier when I go without one of them. Cleaning. Oh how I wish I didn't have to...but I do. I keep requesting a housekeeper (I'm not kidding!) and James keeps saying no.

2) One-on-one time with Toby. I had so much with Thomas when he was an only child, that I am looking forward to some time like that with just Toby.

3) More time to really organize:

I've actually already got a jump-start on that one; I don't know if it's because we've been here for a year and we've reached that point where even the areas that were once neat and orderly are now out-of-control or if it's the fact that we'll be here for another two years and I can't stand the thought of living this way any longer, but I have been on a real kick to get organized since I got home! I have organized/cleaned something almost every day for the past two weeks...I still have a lot to do...I could stay on this kick for at least six months and still have things to do!

4)Well, I have a new church calling that will more than likely take up some of that "free time"! Funny how that works.

5) German classes. I think this time, it's a "go". Every Tuesday morning this fall for about three hours. I'll drop Thomas off at school, zip on over to the air base and drop Toby off at daycare and then go sit in a classroom.

6) A little time for working out. I hate working out. There, I said it. But, I know there are results. I'd like to be in better shape, have more energy, be less stressed and sleep better at night. I do get it, even though I still don't like it! We have a fabulous, brand-new gym on base that is free. Not that I'm going to live there, but I'd like to go 2 or 3 times a week. I also have a jogging stroller that Toby absolutely LOVES! I bought it from a friend who PCS'd in May for $15! One way or another I hope to get my heart pumping more often that I have been for the past few years.

Until later,

Emily

Compassionate Service

Well, this morning I was called to be the new Compassionate Service Leader in our ward. (Which is what I guessed I was going to be called to be.) What this means is I am one of the main people to call when there is a sister or family in need. Not that I'm the one that has to fill the need but I am one of the people to find people to help and to keep tabs on the situation. In our ward, we deal with lots of babies being born, and people moving in and moving out, providing meals and babysitting when it is needed. Then there are the "unexpected events" and emergencies that will be dealt with when they happen.

Until later,

Emily

Toby and his Curly Hair

Toby has curly hair. It's not super-duper curly, but it is does have some curl in it. It is especially curly if it's wet or he is sweaty or I put some product in his hair when it is wet. Now maybe because I am a licensed cosmetologist, I take some things for granted, but I cannot believe how many people remark about his hair and then want to know "how I did it?" A friend of mine at church today said, "Oh, I tried to do my son's hair like that, but it would never work, how did you do it?" Her son has stick-straight hair. I mean...for the lack of a better phrase...well, duh!!

Until later,

Emily

The Storks Landed!

Today, I was coming home from picking up our mail, and a farmer was plowing up one of his fields...there were black & white birds buzzing all around the field...which would be seagulls in the US...no big deal, right? Well, at second glance I realized these birds were MUCH, MUCH bigger. I couldn't think of what they were right away, I don't think I've ever seen such a bird in real life, probably never seen a real picture, just drawings involving new babies being born. That's right, the field was covered with storks! I wish I had my camera with me, because it was a really neat thing to see.

Until later,

Emily

Long-Sleeve Weather

I don't know why I am at all surprised by the fact that my family and I are now dressed in long sleeves and long pants. After all, it was like this when we arrived here one year ago...yet, this morning as I poked my head outside and realized I would have to put away the outfits that I picked out for the boys last night and choose something else, I did find myself thinking, "It's only mid-August, this just isn't right!"

Until later,

Emily

Playing with Fire!

This morning, I lit some of my oil warmers around the house and also a scented candle which I placed in the middle of my dining room table. Toby saw me light this and as I did, he oohed and awed over it. I went into the kitchen and less than two minutes later, I came back out to find Toby had crawled up on a chair, climbed onto the table and I caught him putting his index finger into the flame, at this point he made a sound that told me he must have thought it was hot (his version of ow) and I took him off the table, while he continued to say (ow, ow, ow and shake his head from side to side). He seems to have learned his lesson...he hasn't tried to climb back on but needless to say, the candle has been put somewhere else!

Until later,

Emily

"Tay"

Toby is talking up a storm. It is so cute! He calls Tailer, our cat, "Tay".

Until later,

Emily

Well, I'm Not a Teacher Anymore...

While I was gone this summer, I had a suspicion that I was not going to be a Relief Society teacher for much longer. Simply because I had a friend keep me up on the changes in our ward and I knew that there had been a lot of new RS teachers called...far too many than they needed. So, I've been nervous about where I was going to be "put". Next Sunday, I was supposed to teach, so I went to touch base with the Education counselor to see if that was still the case. I asked, "Am I still a teacher?" She told me to talk to the RS president...but that no, I was off the hook for next week. I went and talked to the president and she said that she couldn't talk to me about it until I was talked to with one of the bishopric counselors but she did assure me that the Relief Society is still going to "have me". It's not hard to see which positions aren't filled...but, we'll see...

Until later,

Emily

Toby's First Day of Nursery

Toby's first day of nursery...not so great. We have LOTS of nursery-aged kids and the room is tiny. He got overwhelmed. And some of the big kids were picking on him. (I witnessed it). I took him in first and stayed with him for about 25 minutes...then I snuck out...he seemed fine when I left. Five minutes later, he was returned to me sobbing. He calmed down, I took him back in, stayed another 10 minutes and left again. Soon after, James happened to check on him and he said he was a complete crying, snotty mess so he just took him out for the rest of the time. They really need to split the nursery, the only thing is there isn't another spare room!

Until later,

Emily

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today, we arrived in Germany. Looking back, it actually went by really, really fast. I have met several new people in my ward (church congregation) that arrived during the summer and I also have a new neighbor. I empathize with a lot of the things they are going through right now. It can be frustrating and surprising and very overwhelming. The "glamour" of it all ends very quickly. But, then somehow, you adjust and while things are definitely not the same as home, you are able to find some normal-ness and happiness and sometimes step back and go "Wow, I never thought I'd be here!"

Until later,

Emily

We're Victims of Fraud!

You may have heard on the news that some 41 million people have been fraud victims lately. People that have shopped at The Sports Authority, TJ Maxx and DSW. Well, unfortunately, James shopped at DSW while we were in Utah and we think that's where someone got a hold of our credit card number (of course, we'll never know for sure) and then tried to use it many, many times but the majority of the times it was denied, however, they did manage to buy plane tickets to tropical destinations, supplies from a home improvement store and clothing from Ann Taylor Loft--roughly a $5,000-$6,000 shopping spree on us! Of course, our credit card company won't charge us and now the card has been shut down and a new number has been issued to us and is in the mail. The only actual inconvenience is that we used it to make most of our daily purchases, (and pay it off at the end of the month) so until we get the new cards we will have to use our debit cards (and I'll have to dig around to find what my pin is!) or use cash.

Until later,

Emily

First Time in Frankfurt

Today, a friend of mine showed me and another friend how to take the train into Frankfurt. We have a train station in our town, and it goes straight into Frankfurt, without us having to make any connections. It takes approximately 30 minutes. Unfortunately, we got rained on, and when I say rained, I really mean poured, so we didn't do much but get to Frankfurt, go into Espirt, H&M, McDonald's, buy flowers and then go back but it was a good learning experience. I don't know if I would go by myself, but now maybe I can show James and we can try some little adventures on the train instead.

Until later,

Emily

Racing the Clock!

Two weeks from tomorrow, Thomas will start school. It starts at 8:45 AM, but we will leave the house at about 8:25 (I'll drive him), he will be gone all day, until 3:10 PM. I have some normal concerns, but my big ones have to deal with meals. Meals and eating have never been a high priority for Thomas. And, he is a slow eater, which will be a huge problem once he is in school. The only effective tool that I have found in helping motivate him is using a timer. I have witnessed the kid take over an hour to eat a small bowl of cereal! So, since we've been home I have been "training" him for school mornings (since the night-time thing isn't working out all that well, yet!). First, he has to go potty and get dressed, then we come downstairs and I pour him a bowl of healthy cereal (as opposed to the sugar cereal that he & I prefer) and a cup of juice or strawberry milk and I set the timer for 15 minutes. If he can finish all that within 15 minutes, he gets the chance for 5 more minutes and a Pop Tart. If not, the remainder of his breakfast is thrown away, and there are no snacks in between breakfast and lunch and only water to drink. After that, he goes upstairs and brushes his teeth and I comb his hair.

Until later,

Emily

Is It Day? Is It Night? Is It Bedtime or Naptime?

My children's internal clocks are still having a hard time readjusting. They both seem to go to bed easy enough, at about 10 PM, but 1 1/2-2 hours later, they are both ready to play! Two nights ago, I was up with them until 3:30-4 AM and last night I was up with them until at least 2:30 AM. Thank goodness we have the spare bed in Thomas' room...I haven't let them go downstairs and play...no we just go in Thomas' room, shut off all the lights and I hope that they'll get bored enough and go to sleep again. The good news is that they are starting to wake up at a more normal time in the morning (I wake Toby up), so I am hoping that very soon it will all come together. And then it will be time to get them back to going to bed a little earlier (I prefer them to be to sleep by 8:30 PM). One hurdle at a time...

Until later,

Emily

Jet Lag!

It is past 11 AM and the kids are both still asleep! I myself, have only been awake about 20 minutes! I thought when we moved here and felt like garbage for a while it was because of all the stress we had been through and maybe a little bit of jet lag...nope, it was probably almost all jet lag! Today is going to be a weird day...like do I feed the kids breakfast when they wake up or lunch? I don't think it's going to be very productive. Oh, yeah, I'm giving myself this week to adjust so it's all OK!

Until later,

Emily

Hiss!

Hiss is the sound that came out of Tailer after what must have been one too many "loves" from Toby! To my knowledge, she's never hissed at anyone before...Toby must really be pushing her buttons...or she's like me and a little grumpy, thinking 3:30 AM is a time for sleeping!

Until later,

Emily

We Made It!

Well, we are back in Germany and although the flight was long, it was a lot better than when we flew out. Both kids were harder than we expected on the Utah to Chicago flight, but that wasn't the flight we were worried about... Fortunately, both Thomas and Toby slept through the second half of the flight to Germany. Toby was quite fussy the first hour and I thought "oh, here we go again!" but he calmed down before it got too bad and I never even had to take him to the back of the plane. I didn't sleep a wink, (by the time I probably could have fallen asleep, Toby was in a position where I couldn't move so my legs and bum were so cramped up that I was in too much pain to sleep--but the important thing was that he was sleeping and NOT screaming!) and James slept very little too so we were completely exhausted by the time we arrived. We took little naps in the afternoon and all four of us seemed really tired last night when we went to bed...then at 1:30 AM, Toby popped up and decided it was time to be awake! So, I am downstairs with him hoping that sleepiness will hit him again, because I sure know I am sleepy!

Until later,

Emily