February 15th, 2016
One of my desires in keeping this Blog is to turn it into a family photo album each year, chronicling the unique and the mundane of our life here in Germany. I want to remember both. Though our ordinary still feels strange and new on most days, there are a few aspects of life that are becoming our new familiars. Here are glimpses of both from this past week.
Ninja Boy…
Super Bowl 50…
With the time difference, kick-off was sometime around 12:30am on Monday morning. I attempted to stay awake straight through and made it until 1am. Hubby went to sleep after we put the boys down and then awoke for the game, watched it and eventually went back to sleep sometime around 4am. He wins the die-hard fan award!
Extended play time…
E had this past Monday and Tuesday off of school because of the changing of quarters. He was absolutely DELIGHTED with the extra play time he got at home with his brother. They can spend hours playing cars, airplanes and trains.
A Dinner Invite…
My new friend, Amy, invited our family to join hers for dinner on Monday night. It was our first time sitting at someone else’s table for a meal since we left home. I enjoyed hearing more of Amy’s story and sharing pieces of ours. What a gift it is to open your home and your life to another.
Parent/Teacher Conferences…
We met with E’s teacher on Tuesday morning to talk through his report card and progress thus far. She feels like he is transitioning well and has made friends with his eleven classmates. She called him a “peace-maker” in class which was a new name for me to hear someone use for our little guy. Along with his core subjects, he also has Host Nation (a German culture class), Spanish, Gym, Computers, Library and Music on a rotating basis. He continues to be strong in Math and needs to develop his skills in reading and writing (no surprise to us). E practices reading twenty minutes on school nights as homework before Mama takes over with bedtime stories. We celebrated when he read this book during one of our evening reading times this past week…
Ash Wednesday Service…
I joined a large group of folks from our village on Wednesday evening at the local Catholic Church to start the Lenten season. The service was spoken in German. However, I could still follow along a little because of my Catholic roots. Thanks Mom and Dad! To my left sat an elderly woman with a kind smile. To my right sat a woman that looked to be in her twenties. We sang, received our ashes, passed the peace and took communion together. The gathering of people outside the church afterwards felt warm and lively. The body of Christ is becoming bigger to me as I quietly observe others living out their faith in my midst.
More unpacking…
We pushed to get as many of our boxes unpacked and cleared out as possible. We have been storing all the unpacked boxes in our garage. It was filled from end to end and floor to ceiling. The movers came back and took all the boxes away on Friday. Now our house is messier than ever! My next mission is to figure out some organizational systems. This “no closet” house continues to challenge me on this front. Here is our cleared out garage…the cleanest “room” of the house.
Hotdogs for dinner…
Navigating the medical system…
Our littlest awoke Thursday night/early Friday morning with incredibly hot hands. I have never felt hands so warm before. They hurt him and brought tears to his eyes. His whole body was warm. However, his hands were definitely the hottest. We gave him Tylenol, some ice packs for his hands and began to google his symptoms. Eventually, we all fell back to sleep. When he awoke Friday morning, his hands were still warm and he was complaining about a tummy ache. With the weekend approaching, I called the English-speaking medical facility to get him a doctor’s appointment. Its on the westside of Kaiserslautern, about thirty minutes away. In the case of an emergency, we will need to use the German system. Otherwise, this medical facility is our best option. The doctor examined him out and diagnosed him with an all encompassing “virus.” As we checked out, I paid our copay in Euros. He is feeling better now though we are keeping a watchful eye on him and will return later this week if need be. How I hope and pray for good health!
When I picked E up from school later that afternoon, he had a valentine for me. He wrote out my name and his initials on the backside. I know I may not always be on the receiving end of his valentines so I’ll treasure them now!
We hope you had a good week!
