Moving Part 2: Flying with Kids

The airplane ride to Canada was more exhausting than I care to remember. It started at an unruly hour with the first flight of the morning out of Bremen and we had THREE flights total. 

worst. idea. ever.

Even Milayla was a little nervous about the idea.

I love that face of hers. And the hair. A little unsure about the adventure ahead, but ready to go forward.

The boys were all smiles. I don't think they quite realized what was ahead of them.

The first flight was short. The kids had snacks and each looked through their own books. And all was fine.

The second flight was loooonng. Amsterdam to New York.

Jason and I each took one child and each child had a bag of items that I had selected specifically for them that would be complete surprises to them (as they were new items that I had purchased). The absolute best thing I bought the kids were their own sticker activity books. Those things kept the kids happily entertained until brunch service rolled around. Milayla would not get to try out brunch service though because between putting the sticker book away and the food being placed on the tray she was completely out.

After Atticus ate he wanted to snatch up Milayla's chair (that she wasn't using) and he rested his head on the small bit of my leg that Milayla wasn't laying on and he was out pretty quickly as well. It was so sweet to have those kids cuddled up to me, I loved it. They were out for a good few hours but I unfortunately had no sleep myself...

Once they were awake they were pretty happy with their sticker books and the couple other books that we had gotten for them (lift the flap atlas, i-spy and a couple story books) for the last few hours of the flight. And there were snacks; lots and lots of snacks. Then we got a light lunch on the plane, landed, and then things got rocky. 

New York Airport is CRAZY. We had a two hour lay over and we were not sure how we were going to fill that time, well, I guess we didn't need to worry about that because between unloading, picking up our bags, rechecking in, and getting to our terminal we were just shy of that two hour mark. And by the time we got to our gate the kids were DONE. We climbed aboard the tiny little city hopper headed for Montreal. The seats were split up with one seat on one side and two on the other. Brilliantly, the airline company did NOT give us two sets of two seats together. Instead they gave us two single seats and one seat of of two different sets. We were able to switch one of the single seats without a problem but the guy that was supposed to be in my row was not too pleased about it and wanted his seat. Thank heavens for the flight attendant who basically told him to leave the mother and child (us) alone and sit in the single seat. He mumbled about the leg room and sat down. The situation got even better when Milayla figured that refusing to sit in her own seat to get buckled up would ensure the plane did not take off (she was so done with flying at this point) and then it got EVEN better when we did start taking off and she looked around to see that Jason and Atticus were no where to be found (they were behind us) and she freaked out. This wasn't a little freak out. This wasn't just crying. It was a full on freak out. I cuddled her as best as I could while we were both buckled up and tried to assure her that Daddy and Atticus were behind us. Jason and Atticus tried to talk to her but she couldn't hear them. I offered food. I offered drinks. All she wanted was to be held and feel safe. The man in the single seat made a very rude remark. I probably would have slapped him if I had a free hand. But, really, all I really wanted to do was scoop that little girl up into my arms and let her know that everything was going to be all right. Let her know that she was safe. It was a very long 20 minutes until I was given the okay to unbuckle her and put her on my lap. Once on my lap she was asleep in less than 30 seconds. She slept the entire flight. She slept through customs and most of the airport. A little boy, of about 10 years old, who had been sitting in front of us asked if he could give her a hug because she was so sweet. It was cute.

At this point most of us (except for the kids and their nap on the long flight) had been up for well over 24 hours. Completely exhausted. Barely functional. And still not in the clear yet. 

We had to do extra stuff at customs since we were not just visiting, we were moving and that took a while (though that was mostly due to volume of people waiting, not the process itself as the actual process was pretty quick and pleasant). Then we shuttled to our car rental. Waited forever. And finally made it to our hotel as bed time was approaching (we had landed at 430pm and it took us nearly 4 hours to get to the hotel..). We opted for room service and didn't care what it was as long as it meant we didn't need to go anywhere. Enjoyed baths and showers. Pyjamas. And sweet potato fries. The kids barely stayed up long enough to eat. Once their heads hit the pillows, they were asleep within minutes.

And we weren't far behind them.

The next morning, we practically hit the ground running and it took a good couple of weeks for the kids to really slip into a sleeping schedule. But we are definitely all there now. Hopefully, by the time this post goes up, everything else will be into a schedule as well (like mommy school, our home, and Jason's job!). At the very least, I am so glad to see how quickly and well the kids had adjusted and how much they really seem to love it here. It is great to see. And, really, the flights were all great except for that last one. Lesson learned - try to avoid another flight schedule like that or be a bit more prepared for the completely exhausted melt downs. I love these kiddos and what great troopers they are. 

Moving Part 1: Packing up

I think we were packed up on a Thursday. I could always check, I suppose, but I don't feel like trying to track down my phone to look at the calendar right now. So, we'll go with Thursday, Thursday the 22nd of August (sounds about right to me). Though, it probably is not of very much importance anyhow as all the days leading up to us hopping on the airplane for Canada are in one very big blur. For that reason I am very grateful that I stopped to take a few photos while in the midst of that crazy blur.

I will be forever grateful that we picked a moving company who packed our things for us. With such a tight schedule I have no idea how I would have done it all on my own. I did pack quite a bit already and we sold several things, and I had to organize the lingering items that needed to be given/returned to others so that they didn't accidentally get packed. Once the movers arrived I had to give a run down of what went and what stayed then they got to work. The moving company was an absolute pleasure to deal with. Very pleasant. Very efficient. And gave their very best efforts to entertain the kids while in the process. They set up an elevator outside our bathroom window that went to the ground and sent up the boxes. Our apartment was being packed in no time.

The kids and I hung around for about an hour before things just got a little too crazy and we venture out for a walk. Milayla and Atticus did not want to leave. We made it as far as the Rossmann before I admitted defeat and we went back, with bakery goods in hand to give to the movers. We hung around outside and chatted as Atticus demanded to go upstairs and sit on the couch. The morning was not going well for us, or at least not for the kids and I. I would have loved to take them to the back yard area and let them climb the ladder or play on the swing but I couldn't as that had been torn out and the ground flattened in favour of putting in a dog-activity playground. I guess the irony of that serves me right because I often joked that it sometimes felt like people cared more about dogs than children in that city...maybe there is some truth to it after all. So in lieu of the back area, the kids and I headed for the park and stopped to get what would be their last german Brotchen on the way. Brotchen is awesome. It takes forever for the kids to gnaw through and they love it. 

Unfortunately, there was a downside to our pleasantly warm Bremen Summer - wasps. Lots of them. And those wasps love checking out food in any form. So we didn't last long before we headed back in time to see everything packed up and ready to head out the bathroom window and out the elevator. 

The kids were so fascinated by the elevator and were practically glued to the window in Milayla's room as everything went down to the truck. We did manage to get them to sit down long enough to give Grandma a call though. 

And before we knew it, our things were loaded into the truck and we were calling for the taxi to come take us to our hotel for the last of our time in Bremen. I've learned first hand, that empty apartments are way more fun for children to play in that full ones. 

I must say, getting the kids to sit in full 5-point harnesses after riding in booster seats in the taxi has been a battle, especially when they are used to just the little straps in the bakfiets. Safety first, of course, but I'll be interested to see what kind of fun we get ourselves into once winter gear enters the picture. 

By the time everything was sorted out at the hotel we were all pretty hungry and I really had to fight the urge to introduce our kids to McDonalds and we hopped on the tram and headed downtown to try a new restaurant that we had never been to. It was the best choice EVER. The restaurant was empty. The service was great. They had a ton of vegetarian options. And, the best part, a big play space for the kids to play while we waited for our food to arrive. Not to mention, it was nice being able to stroll downtown one last time because we knew the very full weekend ahead of us would not afford the time for another trip downtown. 

We barely made it back to the hotel before we all fell fast asleep. The weekend ahead of us was full of a lot of errands. Thankfully, we had some visits with friends in there as well, so even though it was a very full weekend it was also very nice to see so many people in our last days in Bremen. We had a visit with Charmaine; lunch with Caroline, Ian and Harry; dinner with the Wekerle Family (Michelle, Martin, Henry & Niko), and a lovely little summer/farewell party with our church congregation. I am so grateful to have so many wonderful people in our group of friends. Can't wait for our paths to cross again soon! 

The party at church had a large, inflatable slide for the kids and oh, how all the kids (and some adults!) loved that thing. The kids just adored this thing and would take turns taking Jason and I up it. Milayla insisted on going down the slide on her own. Her face is priceless. She has a very concerned look on her face as she is going down, then is all smiles as she reaches the bottom and is begging to go back up again.

There are very few people that Milayla warmed up to enough to let them help her out with things (particularly during those points when she didn't really need the help), Megan is one of those people she seemed to warm up to quite well.

It was fun getting time to spend with everyone.

We also managed to squeeze in a hefty final clean of the apartment as well. We aren't exactly messy people, but there was definitely some dust to clean up after everything was packed and loaded. Thankfully, we had some very enthusiastic helpers; some friends and the sister missionaries. It was lovely to have some extra hands to help out.

Sunday wasn't exactly the day of rest that we were used to. We were able to say goodbye to those that were there and it was really nice. Atticus was sad when he realized that his Primary teacher wouldn't be his teacher in Montreal (though he has really warmed up to his great teacher here, as well!). I'm a little sad that the picture I have is blurry, but you can still see them all - Atticus, Maria and Zoey.

I'm so glad that we grabbed a picture with Sofia as well. It isn't the greatest picture of us, but we are all there and I will have a picture to show the kiddos. Sofia is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful people that I know. She was also nursery leader to both the kids in the time that we were in Bremen. She was also a great friend; she reached out to me when we first moved into the ward and was always checking in. We loved having her over for visits, especially for Christmas and other holidays. We will definitely miss seeing her smiling face every Sunday at church.

After church, it was final wrap up time. We hunted down some food which led us to the parking lot which reminded us of the very first time we came to Bremen and got lost and ended up in this very parking lot. The kids didn't quite understand why I was taking a picture of them in a parking lot, but it even has the Messe in the background.

I snagged a picture of the library as we were passing it because I still can't get over the beautiful building that the kids and I got to go to every week to take out books. 

And then it was on to the longest apartment handover in history - 2.5 hours. Yeah... after all that effort to clean the place the agent didn't even remark on the cleanliness. Instead we got charged for 2 missing keys (which were missing before we moved in, but in our naivety we didn't realize that was something we needed to put in the contract...ugh...hindsight.). Anyhow, our landlord had no qualms about the place and thankfully, the kids held up pretty well.

As we closed up the apartment to head downstairs, thinking we were done, we had one last picture. Milayla was exhausted and Atticus was so happy to finally be leaving that he couldn't even hold still..

Then it was still some time more downstairs before everything was actually done. The kids and I enjoyed the sunshine outside while we waited.

It was a packed weekend. Thankfully, despite pretty massive exhaustion, we were mostly all in good spirits. Though, after so many days in a row without naps the kids were prone to more melt downs than usual. I felt terrible as we had to just push through to get things done and those little ones just wanted a little bit of down time. Thankfully, it's done now! And we made it through! Yay!!!

Bremen Goodbyes

Because our apartment looked like this at the end of August:

life has been a tad unpredictable as we try to get everything into it's new order. So my photos and the order they get posted in are also going to be a tad out of order, but when I came across this photo below I wanted to make sure it got posted.

 This is family Spöring. They lived in our building and were the sweetest neighbours we could have asked for. They were always thinking of the kids; bringing cards and small gifts on birthdays and holidays and loved getting to see the kids on their bikes. While we were living there, Hr. Spöring had a really bad fall and was in the hospital for a few weeks and I still remember how worried the kids were that he wasn't home anymore to wave them off from his window each day as we set out on our tasks for that day. Get well cards were made, visits were had and the kids were very happy when he returned home. The Spörings truly are a family who simply exude kindness. So glad to have had them as neighbours, as examples to our children and as friends. 

Our Bremen Home

We lived in Bremen for just shy of 2 years. And in that 2 years I had every intention of taking pictures of our home after it was all decorated and making sure to show the before pictures. Well, I remembered to take the before pictures (which seem to have gone missing in the last 2 years) but I forgot to take the after pictures. Part of that is due to the fact that I never finished decorating. I kept 2 unpacked boxes behind Milayla's bedroom door for 2 whole years. Try as I might I couldn't get into the mind set of decorating the place entirely because I couldn't get into the mind set that we would be there long enough to make it matter. Besides that, buying all of our furniture was a big enough task on it's own for me. I love beautiful homes but picking out just the right pieces to fill the spaces and walls is a tedious task for me filled with hard to make decisions. I probably stress about those decisions way more than I should, though that is a point for another day. 

Today's point is that the day before the movers were coming to pack all of our things I realized that I never took pictures of our apartment in Bremen. Yes, it is in the background of several photos on this blog, but with no pictures of the actual space it is difficult to get an idea of what the back drop of those photos actually looked like. And, well, I would like to go back and show the kids just what their childhood homes looked like so that the little pieces they remember in their minds can be expanded by the photos they see here. 

I did not however think to grab pictures of everything. I missed a lot. Like our view, our table, our kitchen, the bathroom etc, but I think the essence of the apartment is there anyhow despite several things having already been packed. Our bedroom, for example, only had the curtains and the wardrobes left and a whole slew of boxes and pictures that had already been packed up and taken off the wall. The essence is still there though. It's not pinterest worthy or anything, but it's our home and it served its' purpose well for us as our gathering place, our growing place and our learning place. So without further ado - our apartment in Bremen. 

Our living room. Which used to have this dark blue, severely stained, diamond patterned flat carpet. It was time to go. The coffee table was rarely in the centre of the room as we often pushed it off to the side towards the windows to have dance parties on the carpet, build forts, or just bask in the winter sunshine that bathed our floor in the early afternoon hours. We held family home evenings here. Many a game night. Stubbed several toes and bruised far too many knees. We squeezed on the couch to watch movies and general conference as a family. And the kids often climbed into the chair to read together while I was making dinner. It was a gathering place for us. It was also a play room filled with endless giggles and lots of creative messes. Endless train tracks. And cooking lessons. The balcony out the window was the backdrop for many birthday photos, science experiments, bubble blowing and summer popsicles. And in one little corner we had our piano where Jason and I would practice away while the kids drifted off to sleep. If we ended before they had fallen asleep, Atticus would tip toe down the hallway to ask for "just one more" and Milaya would call out for "more!" from her crib. They always oozed with sweetness when they said it :). 

And then there was the table around the corner that we loved to fill with guests, that was the surface for many playdoh and paint sessions, birthday pancakes, perogy making and christmas sugar cookies. The same table where we all cheered triumphantly when Milayla demonstrated her love for indian food and drank through a straw for the first time thus ending the need for her feeding tube. We were so happy - I cried..

Mine and Jason's bedroom.

There isn't much left to look at here; just curtains, one wardrobe and lots and lots of packed boxes. When we moved in the carpet was brown and the walls were mint green. It was all topped off with bamboo roller curtains. Not my taste. New carpet. White walls (one was a really soft grey which was my attempt at venturing outside of white. Ha!). Large wardrobes. Airy curtains. Antique stained bed (thanks, Ikea!) with cream and fluffy white linens. We never got around to adding nightstands or lamps or pictures. But it still was a nice little oasis. Crisp, clean and calming. Weekend mornings, as well as saturday afternoons, this room was quite the gathering place we would all climb into the bed and read books together and take little naps. It also seemed to be the kids' favorite bed to jump on, the best bed to hide under for hide and seek and always seemed to have a couple of Jason's shirts draped over the footboard. I do miss the comfort of my own bed, I don't miss the shirts waiting to be ironed at the end of the bed..

This was Milayla's room:

Another 'work-in-progress' that never really quite made it 'there'. I had some pretty grand plans for her room, but things were never felt permanent enough in Bremen to push them all forward. So I put my crocheting skills to use (the ones that I learned solely to make Milayla a headband for her blessing) and made her a mobile out of several Amigurumi balls of varying sizes in deep jewel tones. My mom made her a beautiful quilt that she absolutely adores and I made her some pictures for the wall (she has an anagram for her name on the wall as well). And there was her picture of Jesus and her temple picture that she loved pointing out to us every morning and night just to make sure we knew what they were. The pictures never found frames because I never found the right ones, but the kids both loved playing in that room regardless. The kids often used the crib as a tunnel. Atticus would climb into the crib and join Milayla post nap time because he was so excited about her being up. Jason and I would take turns getting to read Milayla a bed time book in the chair. And before tucking everyone into bed we would all lay down on the carpet (which was not particularly soft) and sing our favorite primary songs as we looked up at the stars (that were shining from Milayla's lady bug). It was definitely a favorite moment that we all looked forward to and that we still continue...just somewhere else now. It was a well loved room. It was also the room that we hung out in as all our things were being packed up, loaded out the window and taken down the elevator to leave for Canada.

And then there was Atticus' room. Which used to be entirely pink. All the walls and ceiling. Very, very pink. That went first.

He was so proud of his room. So much so that when we were having new guests over, who had yet to see his room, he would talk me through all the things that he was going to show them. There was the bed that was his first big boy bed. The bed that he barely filled when he first went in it. The bed that he insisted was big enough for all of us because he didn't need that much space in it.

There was the quilt made by grandma (with Grandpa's expert opinion!) that rarely left the bed except to be washed or for the purposes of making a fort (and even then, he was hesitant to take it from his bed). There were the two pictures on the wall that I made for him that he enjoyed putting his opinion in on to make them perfect for his room. And then he picked out the frames.

He oozed with pride over his picture of Jesus and the Frankfurt Temple. There are the dressers that I never got around to finishing just like the ones I had pinned on pinterest... the chair with his sock monkey (from Aunt Keely) with Douglas (from Grandma and Grandpa Sayers) and Lion (from Oliver and Mareen) on the bed. There is the shoe rack that he took apart and put back together multiple times when he should have been sleeping. The Lion that nearly got confiscated in Turkey when we took it through security because the music box inside looked suspicious on the scanner (SO glad they let us keep it!). And then there was the car mat which served for hours and hours of fun on rainy days as Atticus, Milayla and I raced around the track seeing which cars were the fastest. Atticus also managed to take apart the light switch, the picture frames and part of his clock. He was a very busy boy! And I cannot forget to mention all the books that were read with Mommy and Daddy in that big 'ol bed or the bedtime lullabies with mommy that he would beg for more of.

I could go on and on about the memories of this place. We loved it. We loved the neighborhood. We loved coming home. And we loved inviting others into our home. These pictures ooze with memories, with giggles, with sweetness, laughter and lots and lots of love.

While we quite enjoyed the decor of our home it was how we spent our time within the walls of our home that made it special for us. Remembering that point; that it is our little family and how we spent our time there that made that home special; is especially important for me to remember right now because as I am typing this we have yet to find a new home and my heart has been aching for a little bit of stable ground beneath my feet.

That said, it has been interesting to see that with each hotel room, and each furnished rental that we have been to our children have very quickly referred to it as home; not because we've been in beautiful, spacious, perfect places but because we are all there together  - making memories. And sometimes, dare I say it, those memories have been creatively crowned by the spontaneity and quirkiness of the broken door knobs that trap us in our rooms, the squeaky floor boards that wake us from our slumbers, and lots and lots of laughter. So the next time we are all squished into Atticus' bed (in our current apartment) to read bedtime books or sing songs and I am silently praying that it doesn't break on us (because it HAS!) I will try my best to remember to be grateful for the love, the laughter and the memories. Though I am still praying and searching for a slightly more permanent home that we'll be making memories in soon!

(On a related note: We have applied for yet another apartment and are really hoping that we get this one and are able to move in before the end of the week. If you could send your prayers, positive thinking, tucked thumbs, fingers crossed, love, hugs, and any other lovely things our way that would be great! THANKS!!)

Montreal Lately

What a grand adventure we have been having here in Montreal. A grand adventure in deed. Our days have been packed full with apartment and car hunting while trips to the park and the swimming pool have been added to maintain family togetherness and cooperation. The kids have eaten more Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches than I could ever quantify as we are usually in route to another apartment when lunch time rolls around. The kids have been troopers and have enjoyed all these new places to explore, but I think we are all ready to find a place and move on in!

So we did find a place; it wasn't perfect, but the location was fantastic and the apartment was clean. We'll try to forget the tiny little rooms, but with a shared yard, garage and a park down the street we were pretty content...until the land lady called us to tell us the place was sold and the new owner would be living in it (we were supposed to be moving in in 2 days).

We found a great vehicle and joked about how weird it is to own a vehicle seeing that neither of us have had one in over 5 years and that we keep forgetting that we even have one - until we got a parking ticket within a few hours of having the vehicle - feels pretty legit now. Note to self: pay close attention to the street signs for when it is okay to park where - they are different EVERYWHERE.

Otherwise, someone has tried to pick pocket me - twice. We were far too trusting and are now minus a large sum of money. And I'm pretty sure that our downstairs neighbours are nocturnal and like to entertain guests from 11pm onwards every night.

The funny thing is; I still love Montreal. No views have been tainted of this beautiful city. While things have been frustrating I feel oddly optimistic. A 'no' merely opens the possibilities for many other great options. And every time I find myself getting frustrated I remember all the things that are really great. The things that make me open my eyes a little wider and smile inside. Like when I go for a run past the several parks and playgrounds where the leaves are just beginning to change into bright autumn colours. Or when I play with the kids at the playground that I never knew they could love so much, the playground that is clean, the playground that is so wonderfully diverse with children. Or when we walk down streets lined with large, mature trees and brick buildings. Or are serenaded in our grocery store with live italian opera. Or the fact there are musical swings in the middle of downtown. Or all the museums and the Botanical Gardens. Or that they have cleanest Metro I have yet to be on. Or the views of the river.

Or that our kids have become fish right before our eyes at the beautiful swimming pool that offers swim time free to residents. Or that I get to see my children's eyes sparkle as they talk about their new friends in the neighbourhood and at church and how they speak french and they think that is beyond fascinating. Or how both kids have really adapted and grown so well with this change; I am so very impressed and proud of them. Or, my absolute favourite, getting to take the children to the "small" library and taking them to the children's room and when they ask "Mommy, which shelf has books for us?" and getting to tell them "ALL of them". Oh man, I nearly cried at that last one. I wish I could describe the happiness on their face at that library when they learned that all the books were children's books in English or French. After devouring every book on the little 'new arrivals' shelf I think the kids felt overwhelmed by the rows and rows still available so they picked out books and chairs and got started at flipping through the pages. It's funny, I always thought the library we had in Bremen was quite lovely with a great kids' area, but despite us always reading books in German to the kids they always preferred English books (despite the very limited selection of one little box) and just enjoyed the library for the great play areas and singing time there. And now they seem quite excited about french and english books so it's been fun.

I could go on, but the hour is getting late and I am not sure how sensical any of this has actually been. And, really, at the end of the day it's all just extra to the fact that we are here all together, healthy, happy and making the most of it. We have had some unexpected turns, but we are trying to make the most of them and keep smiling. There are so many good things all around us there is no sense in letting a few bad things spoil the rest. And besides, those noisy neighbours just seem to be helping us all learn to sleep a little bit sounder. Being positive. Being grateful. Enjoying the moment. And looking forward.

Moving

Man oh man. Moving is an adventure – no matter what country you live in – but add in a couple foreign languages and it always makes for an exciting time. It feels like moving day was some time ago, but with boxes still lingering it’s no secret that we are still pretty fresh in Bremen. So, here is a rundown of all the adventurous highlights of our switching countries.

Of course, everything began with apartment hunting. Then it was on to packing boxes, canceling contracts, researching health care and on and on. Moving day was actually broken up into two days.

Day one: Jason took the train to Germany to pick up the moving van while Laura and the kids finished organizing everything to be loaded into the van. Jason made it home in time for the van to be loaded up. We were very blessed to have so many able hands show up to help us load the van. We had a whole crew to load the van and even had one of the Young Women to help take care of Milayla (Atticus was already in bed). Loading the van took all of 45 minutes, which meant that we had plenty of time to start the final clean after they all left.

Day two: With how smooth Day One went, we had high hopes for day two. Some ladies from church came over to help out with the final cleaning items which was incredibly helpful as it went quickly and they were great company. Then the boys headed off in the moving van while the girls headed to the train station at the airport with Angie so they could catch their train. The timing was planned out so that we would all make it to the apartment at about the same time; which was just in time for us to do the walk through with the agent, sign the papers, get the keys and eat dinner before we unloaded the van. It was a great idea, unfortunately it did not play out that way at all.

Laura and Milayla came via the train and had one switch to make in order to arrive in Bremen. They made it to the stop they were supposed to change over at without any problems. When Laura looked at the train board to find the platform of her connecting train it was no where to be found. So she showed a ticket man her ticket and asked him which train was hers. He directed her to a train that was waiting at another platform assuring her twice that it was the correct train. So the girls got on and settled in set to arrive at Bremen Hauptbahnhof 45 minutes later. Well, an hour later they were still on the train and no where near Bremen. Wrong train. Thanks Mr. Ticket Man.

After some sorting out and some assistance from Jason’s coworkers to figure out where the girls were and how to get them to Bremen, they arrived two and a half hours later than planned only to discover that due to some protocol, which we were not aware of, we were not allowed to move in. Great. We had people from church waiting eagerly to help us move in our boxes and we had no where to move them to. Not to mention, none of us had eaten dinner and it was now well past the kids’ bedtimes. Grumpiness was in abundance where patience would have been nice. Milayla even had a solid two hour crying fit; for a girl that rarely cries this is incredibly unusual. Again though, it was Jason's coworkers to the rescue! Everything was sorted out (after several hours), the boxes were moved in, and everyone enjoyed some chili that a lady from our new church congregation had brought. We were so very grateful for all the help and to eventually make it to bed.

Of course it's not all done yet. For starters, having moved from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished apartment we have the looming task ahead of us to start getting some furniture in this place (absolutely everything, right down to the light fixtures). We have made a good start and have a few of the basics, but there's still plenty more to do. The knowledge that it will all come together eventually is definitely helping us to be patient with the process. Then there were all the repairs, flooring and painting that needed to be done - thankfully most of that is done now. Other than that, most of the logistical things are done or well underway (residency permits, finding doctors etc.)

It has been a busy time, but we are really happy with how quickly it has felt like home. As things begin to come together we will be sure to start posting pictures of our apartment.

A Walk in the Park

For many weeks, our apartment was littered with flooring, paint, repair tools and many other items kids should not be around – not to mention a lot of noise. So the kids and I spent many days exploring the neighborhood and searching out some playgrounds (in rain or shine!). Here are a few photos from our journeys (taken with the camera phone, so excuse the quality).

one very happy little boy (who happens to be needing a haircut...)

Oh, this picture makes us laugh - Milayla looks like our little Evil Genius here!

he still needs to point at everything...

boat ride in the park anyone?

finally some sunshine!

collecting leaves for his art project