Poland

 For our last long weekend before we make the big move we drove across Germany and visited Dresden and Krakow.   The city of Dresden was completely destroyed in WW2 however it was still beautiful and it still felt like an old European city.   I didn't take as many pictures in Krakow because I was truly enjoying the city.  It was a magical place and I hope we can make a trip back to Poland again to spend more time there. The streets were beautiful and I enjoyed our day of wondering all over the city.    The salt mine in Krakow was amazing and probably a favorite for the kids.  After the tour guide told us to lick the walls to really "taste" the mine Rosalyn would not stop licking her fingers and the touching the walls.   I think she had her salt intake for the next few days.   Elizabeth loved the dragon's den and probably would have stayed there all day waiting for a dragon to appear.  She loves everything and anything about dragons.

Nathan always being silly

The dark portion is the only bit of the cathedral that is still standing.

 

The amazing lody (ice cream) in Poland.  Rosalyn picked caprese salad and it amazingly tasted just like you were eating a caprese salad. 

We decided to skip visiting Auschwitz on this trip.  Emotionally I was not in the mind set and instead visited Schindler's Factory Museum.  I thought it would be more about Schindler and how he saved Jewish lives but it ended up being a very well done museum about an overview of Krakow during the war.  These were some cement bikes outside of the museum that the kids enjoyed.   

 Our last stop was the pottery area of Boleslawiec where I was able to shop a bit and get some Polish Pottery.  This was an adorable little restaurant that had amazing perogies.  

 And of course a long drive home of 8 hours isn't complete without playing a game of chess against yourself.  This girl loves chess and Elizabeth wont play her any more because she always wins.  

Time really does fly

I have not posted on this blog in three years and now I deeply regret it.   We have had an amazing three years in Germany and we are now getting ready to move onto our next adventure in Alaska.  I even just realized I had written a post when we just moved into our house three years ago and didn't publish it!!!  Social media and everything about the internet is a constant challenge for me I have a love hate relationship with FB and am trying to decide if I should permanently delete my account. (I have temporarily deleted it in the past and it was always fantastic.)   I love  staying connected with friends, especially given our lifestyle of moving all the time, but at the same time it can be an unhealthy distraction from the things that are truly important. How do people handle the constant influence from social media!?!

Back to the main topic.  Every time we move it is a constant reminder to me about time and the fascination about how it does really fly by.  It feels like just yesterday we were making the exciting move to Germany and we were all learning how to adjust. (Really I have felt like we have been on vacation for the last three years.)   We have been able to travel to 23 countries, the kids all speak Deutsch and read at their age level, and we have made so many wonderful friends. It has been an amazing experience but has also come with challenges.  I often wonder if putting the kids into German school was the best idea and I hope that they are thankful for it later on in life but as a parent I always wonder.  Should I have focused more on music?  Will they miss out on the patriotic programs at school that are so American and all the other activities that I cherished as a kid?  Will being the minority help them later on in life or will it hurt them?  The last is my number one question. 

The concept of time is so interesting to me.  We spend so much time planning and looking forward to the future and then it passes so quickly. Moving every few years really puts things into perspective.  Last night was our last Girl Scout activity with an amazing Girl Scout community that the girls had the privilege to be apart of and I was able to be a  brownie leader.  We made so many memories this last year that I am so thankful for and now I look back and they all happened so quickly. (Once again I did not take enough pictures of the awesome Bridging event.) 

And then this morning was Nathan's last cello lesson with his first teacher.  I still remember calling multiple teachers to find him one for the short period of six months.  One teacher would not take him on because she knew that we would be leaving soon, a constant struggle living this life, and then the next was willing to teach him even though his schedule was full.  But we were flexible and I could not have asked for a better start to what hopefully will be a long and most importantly a fun cello adventure. 

So for now I will continue to try to live in the moment since I spend so much time planning for the future.  And I need to constantly remind myself to enjoy those moments that I spend so much time planning for.  Between practicing for the next lesson or recital to planning for our next family adventure and everything in between.

Rosalyn will still be a brownie so was able to welcome the new Daisies into Brownies.

Elizabeth bridged and became a Cadette!! 

(The only picture since Rosalyn snatched my phone) 

Nathan's last cello lesson with Mr. Ruetlinger.  A teacher we will cherish forever.  

 

Living in Germany

It has been a while since I have written and so much has happened. We have moved to Wittlich, Germany and it has been an adventure to say the least.  The kids are all attending German schools and doing great.  Of course the biggest adjustment was for Elizabeth who started third grade.  We were a bit worried to just throw her into a German school but it has been wonderful and she comes home everyday with a huge smile.  We are learning that the schools here are very different then in the states.  There is much more hands on fun learning and so far NO testing.  She is in an extra German class and picking up the language very well.  She just came home the other day and gave me a lesson on numbers in German.

We have been very lucky to do some traveling before Andrew starts having to travel for work.  The first TDY happens in a week. :(  But I am thankful for all that we have seen and the memories that we have made as a family.  I will be catching up and posting pictures of our adventures so far.  But will try to keep up on things as they happen now that we have internet again.  Germany is very funny about internet.  Only a certain number of people can have internet in a village and not all places are set up to have internet.  Luckily we are in a bigger city, but it took a while before we could connect because the line was still tied up to the previous tenants. It definitely is not as easy as in the states to just call and connect or disconnect.  There are many loops to go through and rules to follow.  However now that we are connected I am excited to document our adventures here.

The biggest change and unexpected happenings for us is our living situation.  We really were thinking we would find a house in the country and the kids would be able to continue there love for nature and run free.  Instead we found a house that is smack in the middle of a small city.  We live above a photo shop right next to buildings on both sides.  The kids HATE having to learn to be quiet during business hours.  It isn't so bad now that they are in school, but before school started it was tough.  Luckily there is an awesome city park that we walk to and the kids can go play and get energy out.  Elizabeth loves being in the city and being able to walk to anything.  For the first few weeks she would just go on and on about how wonderful it was and say it was a wonderland.  She has had her moments where she misses being about to just go play outside.  She has always talked about wanting to live on a farm so this has been a bit different then what we expected.

More to come on our adventures in Germany.

Switzerland

When we arrived in Germany we lucked out in the fact that Andrew's new squadron was all gone on a TDY in Las Vegas.  So we had the luxury of being about to jet off on our first European adventure to Switzerland.  It was a very tough decision on where to venture off to first. lol   I didn't know how to plan trips in Europe so pretty much we learned as we went.  Our van had not arrived yet and the car we purchased here in Germany was a small Ford station wagon and it did not have a radio so that made for a fun first road trip.   I immediately fell in love with Switzerland.   The mountains are amazing, the chateaus on the mountains are amazing, the people are friendly, and we found out is the most expensive country in Western Europe.  The roads are amazing, yes those are the things that I am fascinated by.  In Switzerland there are tunnels after tunnels when you drive through the country.  Since we did not have a radio the kids made a fun game of singing the word tunnel as a triad every time we went through one and then holding onto the last pitch until we had made our way out of the tunnel.  Elizabeth also made her Pete the Cat into a radio so when you pushed a shoe or paw it would play a certain genre of music. ie Them singing that music.   Road trips have become a big part of our family memories and I love listening to them make up games, tell stories, and hear them sing as we make our way to our next destination.  Of course it always comes with some fighting and tears at times.   On this particular trip we made it to the Matterhorn, rod the steepest cogwheel Train in the world in Lucerne, and we stayed at one of the Girl Scout World Heritage Centers.

Book Fair

Apparently there are book fairs and then there are book fairs.   If you have or have had an elementary age child you know about the book fairs that happen a few times a year. Being military we have so far seen three book fairs at three schools and Liz is only in second grade.   Today Elizabeth came home from school and said, "Mom you should see the book fair at this school it is beautiful, just beautiful!!"   I do agree that this school does a great job and we had a great time at family night picking out a few new books.  I hope that Elizabeth keeps her joy of reading throughout her life and continues seeing books as beautiful things.

Sedona

We spent this past weekend in Sedona and then made our way over to Prescott where Liz and I had a great day with her Girl Scout Troop and Andrew and the little ones explored Prescott.  It was a great weekend.  We all had so much fun playing at Slide Rock, eating an overpriced Mexican meal on the main drag in Sedona, fishing at an overpriced trout farm, and camping under the stars.
Despite the money spent the trip was so worth it and the kids had so much fun and I would do it again hands down.  The scenery is breathtaking and the towns along the way are charming.  And to top it off Rosalyn lost her first tooth!!  Made the trip even more memorable.

Conversations

I love the little conversations that I have with the girls and this particular one I wanted to write down to remember.   The other day we were walking out of the Botanical Garden here in Phoenix and Rosalyn and I were a bit behind.

Out of nowhere she said, "Mom I haven't told any of my friends at the gym about Great Grandma dying.  I don't know why but I didn't want to tell them yet."

Elizabeth is much more emotional when it comes to death mainly because she is older and understands it a bit more.  So this conversation was a little out of the norm for Rosalyn.  She is a little more abrupt about death.  We are very open as a family about life and death and what happens to us all. I try to express to the girls every time we visit great grandparents that it might be the last time we could see them.  Most are in their 90's and being military and moving around and not always being close makes it hard at time, but I want them to enjoy, remember, and cherish the time we do have with them.

Rosalyn continued to share with me that she made a remembrance pile of rocks on the side of our house near the garbage cans so that she can remember Great Grandma.  This little act of remembrance from Rosalyn made me a bit tearful and so grateful for the sweet girls I am blessed with.   And I now know what the little pile of rocks is that I keep finding by the garbage cans and I will no longer put them back into the garden.
 

Night Flying

This week Andrew entered the part of his training where he is learning to fly at night.  And not just flying an airplane but training on all the things that fighter pilots do at night while wearing night vision googles.  I will leave it at that since his job does terrify me a bit.  Thankfully now he is just training and I know that he is loving every minute of it.
   I was lying in bed reading and heard jets like I do many evenings but this is the first time that I know that one of those jets is my husband coming home from his daily mission.  Now that I am used to the constant jet noise I really only notice it in the evening when the house is silent and all my noise makers are in bed.
 As I look out the window at the twinkling stars and a few planets it is amazing to think that Andrew is out there flying at jet speed.  There really is something magical about the night sky.  He is doing what he has wanted to do since he was a little boy when his Grandfather took him up the one and only time in his plane. ( He only took Andrew once because of the fear of being responsible if something happened)  I am so proud of Andrew and all he has accomplished the last 11 years in the military.  He didn't have an easy childhood and didn't have the privileges and opportunities that most of his fellow classmates had that studied at the academy, however through dedication and perseverance he made his dream come true.  So now I look to the stars and pray that he stays safe as I do everyday. I thank God every day for Andrew and for the three beautiful children we have together. I know that his job is dangerous and it honestly scares the hell out of me, but I will stay strong and trust in God that everything is how it should be.

Weekend in Vegas

This last weekend we had the opportunity to visit Uncle Austin and Aunt Michelle in Las Vegas. Since this is one of the only chances we will have for a while to live so close to family we are taking all we can get.  We had the amazing experience to see the Cirque Du Soleil show Zarkana thanks to Austin who works for Zarkana.  He controls the winches and pulleys during the show and maintains them.  The girls absolutely loved the show.  Since Nathan could not attend Rosalyn and I went to the first showing and Elizabeth and Andrew went to the second.  It made for a very long night but it was so worth it.  Rosalyn's favorite part were the clowns and Elizabeth's was the people that rolled around and did tricks in huge metal rings.  All the acts were very impressive like most Cirque shows.   Of course I didn't get any pictures with my sweet Valentines day date but we have the memory.  If I remember I can try to upload a picture from Andrew's phone of him and Elizabeth on their date.

The next day we went to an amazing place in Vegas called the Container Park.  Vegas is not just for adults anymore.  The whole block is made out of shipping containers.  I only took pictures of the play structure in the middle of a big circle of shops and little restaurants that are made out of the same containers.  I am so impressed with what so many cities are doing these days.  This one tops my list of favorites and I think the kids would agree.  They even had a little treasure hunt of little things hidden that the girls loved doing.

At the entrance of the park is giant praying mantis that an aerospace engineer made for his wife for their 15 year wedding anniversary. Every night at 5:00 it is woken up by a drum circle and it shoots fire from its antennas.  Made for a perfect ending to the day at the container park.  The girls had so much fun beating on the drums.  Nathan loved the drums but wasn't so sure on the fire...it was a bit hot.  

Thank you Austin and Michelle for a wonderful weekend.

Sweet Elizabeth

Love my sweet Elizabeth!!

Girl Scout Camp

This last weekend Liz and I had the opportunity to go to Girl Scout camp together.  It was much needed time for just the two of us to spend together.  She has been going through a rough time lately of not acting like herself and being mean to her siblings.  I almost canceled going since she has been acting so horrible but really I think the weekend together is just what she needed.  As a parent I sometimes forget that kids have feelings too and they aren't perfect all the time.  There are other issues and struggles that kids go through and we are here to guide them and show them how to deal with those issues and hard moments in life.  I often times have to remind myself the same things.  When I am feeling irritated and stressed I often take my feeling out on those closest to me, Andrew and the kids, and I often need to listen to my own lectures that I give the girls.

Here are a few pictures of our wonderful weekend together.

The path to our cabin.

The girls working in small groups preparing a skit on conflict and resolution.

It was a bit chilly but a beautiful weekend to spend in the woods.

The girls performing their skit.

Working on her story stick.  All the girls sticks were put together to make a story quilt.

The weekend was all about girls making their own stories in life and taking them back into the world to share with others.

Playing the game froggy.  Elizabeth's new favorite game.

 We both had a great weekend meeting new friends and spending time with each other. Now that she is getting older we wont have as many opportunities to go to camp just the two of us so I enjoyed the time as much as possible.  The best part was no cell service and technology and spending the weekend in the mountains with just Elizabeth.  

Rules

My little Rosalyn can be a little sneaky at times and I am pretty sure she will always be my child that Andrew and I will have to keep an eye on and today she proved it.   Actually I think she and Nathan will be in cahoots together as they grow up.

 Elizabeth on the other hand is my rule follower.  I will never have to worry about her getting into trouble.  For example at lunch time the kids can talk until the last 5 minutes and then it is quiet time so that they can finish their food and go on with the day.  We join her for lunch on occasion and she will under no circumstance make any noise or talk during that 5 minutes.  Just one of the many examples of her rule following.   Thank goodness she is my oldest and will always keep me updated on what the little ones are doing and if they are not following the rules.

Rosalyn however loves to bend the rules and she also loves technology which we don't do much of.  Occasionally I will let her play one of the three games on the iPad or, her favorite, watch a show on it.  The other night Andrew and I couldn't find the iPad.  We didn't think much of it since we didn't really need it and just figured we set it down somewhere.  The next day I put Nathan down for his nap and finished reading with Rosalyn and she very willingly stayed in her room and said, "If you need me I will be in my closet." Now we are in the phase of just quiet time and sometimes she will nap but she always tries to work up a deal to not have quiet time.  This was out of the ordinary.  Yes she snuck the iPad into her closet the night before so she would have it during quiet time.  She wasn't being very sneaky this time but she has once before spent a good couple hours on the iPad during quite time while I thought she was sleeping.  My little Rosalyn will always have me on my toes I am sure.  As for now she is so darn cute when being devious and often very clever making it hard to get angry.  It only took two times but now I always make sure I know where the iPad is before quiet time.

Rest in Peace Grandmary

Today started with a bit of a shock.  My grandmother passed away this morning.  I know that she was old and frail and all life comes to an end but it is still hard to accept.   On one of our last visits with her she asked me if I would play my violin at her funeral.  Since funeral arrangements are not set and might not happen for while I put on the TV for the kids this morning and played my violin for a good hour.  Something that I don't get a chance to do often lately.  I played pieces that she would love and practiced a few a bit more in detail that she would love at her funeral.  It is amazing how music can calm an aching heart and bring joy during a hard time.  I only pray that I can play for her service if my Grandpa decided to have one.  Until then I will play for her whenever I have the chance and remember her memory.  I have many wonderful memories of my grandmother.  She taught me how to sew by hand and  she is where I learned my love of folk dancing.

I have a few specific memories that I love about my grandma.

When I was little, maybe around 4,  I had a bank that had to be broken to get into.  I don't even remember what the bank looked like but I remember during a visit she and I trying to get money out of it with a knife and yes we broke it.  My mom was so upset with her mother and me.  I always found it funny getting into trouble with grandma.

When I was visiting her during high school she brought out some old pictures of her family when she was little.  She had 12 sibling and she asked me to guess who she in a family picture.  I knew instantly and pointed her out.  She asked how I knew so quick and I responded, "You look just like me!".   Yes, my special bond with my grandmother is that I am her.  Her parents were Ukrainian immigrants and my Ukrainian heritage has always been my favorite lineage.   My favorite folk dancing was Ukrainian, Ukrainian eggs are probably one of my favorite holiday traditions and
something I will pass onto my children along with our Ukrainian Easter dinner traditions.  I have even had random strangers come up and ask me if I was Slavic.


I only wish that we were able to visit more during the last 10 years but thankful for the visits we did have and the chance that we had to live in Texas and able to make weekend trips to Albuquerque.  I am thankful that the girls were able to meet my grandparents and have memories of sitting in great-grandma's lap while she sang to them.

Love you Grandma

Sick and at home

So we have started the year off a bit rough with Nathan having a bad chest cold.  He has a horrible cough that hurts him horribly and is keeping him up all night.  Hopefully he finds some relief soon and we can continue back to the gym, story time, library, and parks.

It is rough for a little boy to wait for his blanket to be washed when he is not feeling well.

I didn't catch the pure joy on camera but the moment it came out of the dryer he was beyond happy. 

Last Day of Christmas Break

After the family had all left and we were feeling the after Christmas blues we decided to get out of the house and hit the Children's Museum again on Sunday the 4th.    This will be a once or twice a month thing now that we have the membership and we can no longer take many weekend exploration trips now that Andrew's training is busier then ever.   Here are just a few of the highlights.

Nathan and Dad in the flying bathtub.

The kids love the huge tree house.  They could play in it forever.  The huge windows are great but not good for picture taking with my bad camera phone.  

Not sure what to call this but Nathan especially loves it.  Put the scarves in and they blow out in different areas.

Finally this little reading nook that we didn't find last time. 

We had another great afternoon at this great place with many more to come.