The Great Blog Catch-up: European Edition

We left on a Monday. 

 We had wonderful friends who took the day to help us make it to the airport in one piece!

We arrived on a Tuesday. 

I used to be able to sleep on planes.  Um, not so much anymore! 

We arrived around 8 am and got right to work.  We worked until 10:30 pm.  The next day we woke up at 6:30 am and went to the gym and then went right to work again.  It was a hard first day, but we didn't have any trouble with jet lag after that!

We have done so much since arriving in Germany 3 weeks ago.  We have signed everyone up for school next year, got shots and scheduled sports physicals, signed up for CYS and classes, toured the local hospitals,

got an apartment picked out, got German licenses and international ones, applied for jobs (Emma and I), and lots more.

We learned this word :Schnecken!  You have to watch out for them on the cobblestone road- they are every where!

We learned that they now have German malls!  Crazy!  They are still different than American Malls, though.  Right along side of the fine clothing is the butcher shop and the backeri and their is a fruit stand in the middle!   I loved it!

Not having a car has made it hard to enjoy much of Germany, so far.  We had 2 families in the ward that have lent us their cars at various times, so we have been able to go to church, visit the Ritter Sport factory,

 the Mercedes museum,

 the Strawberry festival

 There were all kinds of street performers including a couple of kids juggling the soccer ball.  They were amazing!  Max is coming back from putting coins in their hat!

 and downtown Stuttgart.

This is outside the New Palace which is now used as government buildings, so you can't tour it.

Maxwell turned 8 while we were here in the hotel.

Joe got a new bike the same time as Max.  They both needed a new one.

 It had been raining like crazy for days and his birthday was no exception, so we went to the bowling alley

Max got third!

 and then to go see Epic, the movie.  It was certainly Epic!

  The next day we went to an indoor pool. 

Swimming in the rain!

 Emma said her poor American mind had been blown, but I have to say that I was fairly impressed.  Over half of the German's had learned that speedios are not the bombdigity!  But seeing 1/2 of them in speedos and little kids running around butt nekked and having only one dressing room for both males and females was just too much for her!

  The pool had diving boards and a climbing wall that you jumped off of into the pool.  Neither Emma nor I were able to even pull ourselves out of the water to go up the wall!  Rob and Sam went all the way to the top more than a couple times. 

This last week we have settled down and have lots less to do.  It has been a challenge to keep the kids busy and happy and not have their brains running out of their ears while they stare mindlessly at video games and TV.  We love going to the USO-

 they have free soda and cookies and they let us borrow videos without even having to check them in or out.  We also play greed (dice game) and golf (card game) downstairs.  We still don't know when we will get into our apartment (they are patching and painting and cleaning.)  That will be our next big project- once we get in.

Today we got our van!  We are so excited to go see Europe now!

The Great Blog Catch-up: American Edition

We are in Europe now and enjoying as much as we can without a car and with the wettest Spring they have had in over 500 years.  It has rained almost every day since we arrived almost 3 weeks ago.  Many towns are under water and being evacuated.   We are not one of them, thankfully. 

Now, when we last left off, Rob was about to leave...and so was I!

We left together in the truck, loaded down with two motorcycles and all the guns and ammo Rob couldn't take with him to Germany.  He decided to take the round about way to Idaho, via Texas.  Now you are right, if you are scratching your head and saying, "that's not really on the way to Idaho!"  Not only is it not on the way, it's way out of the way!  He effectively doubled his drive.  But there was an important reason for that.  We were going to run the first ever Army Marathon in Fort Hood, Texas!  After what happened at the Boston Marathon just a week or so before, I was a little nervous!

We made it down alright and the next day we went to the expo.  We realize real quick that this wasn't going to be your average marathon!  This was definitely a starter marathon!  It was kind of hard to even find the expo, first of all.  Most of the area was for a Ham expo.  I said, "I want some Ham!"  And then I realized there was more to that sign.  It said Ham Radio expo.  Well, that's why all those goofy cars with huge antenna's were hanging around!

We ran around the rest of the day and then met the rest of our team for dinner that night.  Afterwards we got all ready for the race, except I had forgotten my shoes in the truck.  Rob said, "We'll just get them when we leave tomorrow morning."

I got all ready the next day and then sent Rob to get the shoes.  No shoes!  We searched the room.  No shoes!  We searched both again.  Still, no shoes!  We ran to a few of the places we thought they might have fallen out at, but never did find them.  We just barely got the team to the starting line before the gun went off.  And there I was stuck with everyone's stuff- in running clothes, a number pinned onto my shirt and flip flops.

 I instantly went from marathon participant to support staff!  I ran around and cheered everyone on while I tried not to cry too hard.  It is not often that you really want to be in pain and get upset because you aren't.  I can only remember crying one other time, because I wasn't in pain and that was when I was more than a week overdue with my 4th child!

Rob's friend from work and his brother did awesome and ran faster than they had planned.  Our friend and running partner, Dave, ran a better time than he did his first marathon.  Rob got a bad cramp around mile 18 and barely made it in- hobbling.

 Needless to say, he got his worst time.  He says he still isn't a hundred percent back after that marathon.  But I think the fact that he has finished 5 different marathons is a statement of how amazing he truly is!

The Team

I had to buy new shoes before I could run again.  Besides the entry fee, the trip down, the flight home and the hotels, that was just one more expense to make that the most expensive marathon, I never ran!

Rob drove to Idaho and visited his family and mine for all of us.  The kids stayed in school while I became the taxi driver.  We lived on post in temporary housing, which made for about 60 miles a day driving to and from 3 different schools, seminary, soccer, YM/YW, scouts, etc.  Rob stopped by on his way over to Germany for a couple days to pick up the van and take it to Virginia to port.  Thankfully, Rob had a friend that loaned us his car so that we could still drive our 60 miles a day.  It seemed like a very long month as we finished up school,

I volunteered in Max's class, so I could take lots of pictures without the teacher getting upset!

 soccer

On three the yell was Go Max!  Mostly because Max was going - away!

 and Emma went to Mormon Prom.

 I love that she had so many friends that wanted to be there to get her all ready!

Super dooper cute!  The lady (Karen) who was taking pictures with me, said, "It's like the have their own language. 

I'm so glad it all went well, though. I was so scared every time I got into that borrowed car.  Scared that we would wreck it or someone would scratch it or something bad would happen.  I am so thankful it didn't.  Thank you to all those who helped us in our last couple months in Ohio!  We loved living there. 

Some of our many friends in Ohio.  These were the ladies that helped me learn to quilt better!  For some reason I can't find the pictures of the friends I went out to lunches with or the big party they had for us where they took a group photo and framed it for us!  Loved them all, though!

We loved the families we met there!

  We will miss you all!

Transition

We are in transition!  All our stuff is gone.  We have given up the house keys and now we are in temporary living until the 20th of May.  Rob leaves tomorrow.  Things are crazy and complicated.  We put 65 miles on the car, already today, running everyone to and from school and Emma still has to take the car to ref a soccer game and we have to pick up Sam from a track meet!  Transitions sure aren't cheap!
Relationships are transitioning as well!  Since Rob is leaving, it's like we are all leaving, at least in the minds of lots of people.  Sam was released as Deacon's quorum advisor.  I was told to just hang out and enjoy, but I am not released- I just don't do anything!  At work, I got tired of everyone asking, "You're still here?  I thought you left."  So I turned in my resignation earlier than I was planning to and just stopped going.  I always hate this disconnect time!
Poor Emma has had high school "friend" drama as well, that will probably change a few relationships.  Oh well, we are in the middle of transition anyway, right?!

First, Second and Third

This is the first known picture of the these two friends.

This is the second Master's degree for Robert, but definitely the hardest.  In his first Master's degree he didn't have to write a thesis.  For this one he had to do 86 credit hours and write an entire book- over 90 pages.  This was the happiest day of his life from the last 3 years!

Congratulations to Rob on his Master's in Nuclear Engineering!

Rocket science is for those who dropped out of Nuclear Engineering!

This was our third and final Easter egg hunt with our Ohio Family!

Only Joseph and Max were able to participate this time, 

although Emma filled and hid the eggs with the rest of the young women.

Both Joseph and Max were in the last group to find eggs, too- the Senior Primary!

Say WHAT?  

Our little family is certainly growing up!

BTW- all of these pictures (except the graduation photos) were taken on Manual- I'm getting better!

Personal Progress x2

Yesterday they held a ceremony to celebrate 3 people getting their Personal Progress award.  Two of those people live in the same household.  See if you can guess who they are.

The story of the video mishap and why Sam hates it, to come!

Buck up Little Camper

I hate February!  Can't stand it!  It's the most miserable time of the year.  I hung on this year, but those last 4 days of February took forever.  I finally made it- March!  I thought we were home free and then on the 6th of March- 6 days in, mind you, it snows!

Ah well, it was  pretty

and the kids got a snow day

- which was nice!  I actually don't mind winter, if I can be lazy and sit by a nice roaring fire and read a book and eat fattening food.  Unfortunately, life plods along, except on Snow Days- which is why I love them!  If it's going to be cold and miserable- at least let it snow enough to have a snow day once a week, right?!

During February and March, we did keep busy.  We tried out a couple new recipes.  Max "the Joker!" enjoyed a berry smoothie. 

We had a fabulous night at "My Sister's Closet" put on by the Mia Maids.

This is where the women in the ward donated clothes, jewelry, make-up and body care things and then the Mia maids put it all out to look like a boutique.  They gave each of the girls a cute reusable shopping bag and let them shop in groups.  They had two rooms set up like fitting rooms and a room with treats.  Very well done!

Max got to come,

because Dad was finishing up his 3rd and finally rewrite of his Thesis.  Dad is getting his signatures now- Yeah Dad!

Sam tried to build the biggest snowman ever,

until I told him that the tallest one was over 122 feet!

I made silhouette using photoshop. 

I love on-line tutorials!

We had New Beginnings.  These are all my Laurels!

Now I am practicing with a friend to take better pictures and someone else has agreed to help me learn to make yummy cake!  I also have gotten rid of a whole truck load of stuff and that was just the downstairs.  I still have to do the main level and our bedrooms.

  Luckily, I have moved on from slogging through winter to full on panic mode!  Our unaccompanied baggage guys come in 3 weeks!  Ahhhh!

The Story of Sam

Robert came home the other day when the kids had a snow day and both of us had to work.  He came to take the kids out to lunch.  He found Sam throwing a lego guy repeatedly, trying to hit a lego basket that was hung from Emma's sweet 16 balloon (we have found balloons that stay up for months!)  He asked him what he was doing.  Sam said, "I'm trying to get the lego guy into the basket to weigh the balloon down, so that it comes down to the ground."  

See, originally the balloons are so full of air, that the boys build lego baskets and put all kinds of lego men with guns and cannons and things in there.  Then we send the balloon riding the air waves around the house for protection.  Little by little we strip the men of their weapons and then the basket of it's men to keep the balloon aloft.  We are down to just the basket now with Em's balloon.

The balloon was at the top of our 2 story ceiling in the foyer at this particular time. 

Sam was trying to throw the guy up that high, through the ribbon that held it on and into the basket.  Rob told him that it was a 1-1000 shot, but Sam insisted that he had already done it once.  Rob didn't believe it and said, "I'll bet you $300 you can't get that shot."  All the boys decided they would throw for that bet.  An hour later the other boys quit (Joseph was even crying.  He wanted to buy his own computer so bad!)  But Sam kept it up for quite awhile.  When Rob got home from work he found a note and a picture to prove that Sam had actually done it.  The note said, "I did it!  Now where's my $300!"

I shook my head when I heard the story!  Didn't my silly husband know who he was talking to?  Sam has always been the most  stubborn boy I've met.  He started walking at 9 months.  By the time he was 1 1/2 he would turn off the buttons on the TV to make us mad.  Yelling didn't deter him.  Slapping his hand didn't deter him.  He would look at us and cry, because he knew he was going to get his hand slapped, but he would still reach out and push the button.  He was potty trained in a day.  When I was teaching him to tie his shoe he kept trying over and over and over until he was crying.  I had to force him to take a break!  Remember the shorts and winter war?  This kid is beyond stubborn!  He keeps telling us that one day he wants to be a fighter pilot and I have no doubt that he continues to have that dream he will one day be a fighter pilot!

Now if I can just get that stubbornness to work with how he looks and smells (boys!)  These are his school things. 

Yeah, that's not the opening to his bag, that's a tear all the way down the side!

He tells me that neither of them need to be changed.  I wonder if either will make it all the way through the year! (10 weeks and counting.)