Luke in Miss Abigail's class

Luke is very, very lucky to be in Miss Abigail's class for a second year. We LOOOOOVE her!

Note the house shoes.

 

More September Goodness

 

This evil fox likes to lurk in our backyard. Yeah. Scary.

 

 

The following pics are from our friend Olaf Wenke:

Making Chinese dumplings at the Robertsons' house.

Lukie at a Dahlem Ward dinner.

Between the Rainstorms

In the four weeks we've been back in Berlin, I think I can count the sunny days on one hand.  We have had a LOT of rain this Fall, which is good for the plants, but not-so-good for my morale.  I'm pretty sick of grey skies and muddy puddles and being trapped indoors relying on electronics for entertainment.

   

When I saw these three buzzed heads gathered around the iPad, I couldn't resist taking a photo. I may also have given all three heads a good buzz rub. The boys were less than pleased.

But between the rainstorms, we've had some good sunny moments.  Pepper's latest obsession is soccer - or "futbol" as it's called here - and he signed up for his school's team.  They allow anyone who is interested to join the practices, then they post a list of players who can play in each weekend game.  Pepper was ecstatic to see his name on the list for the first game against Berlin British School.

 

As you can see, the weather was absolutely beautiful, and Brad and I actually got sunburned in the three hours we spent watching the two matches.

 

 

Somehow, even though he is one of the smaller players, Pepper ended up with the biggest uniform.

 

Between the matches, Pepper took some time to coach the next generation.

 

 

 Go Pep!

Sadly, they lost both matches to BBS, and the team was pretty dejected after the games.  But, Pepper came home all smiles because he got to play.  It means a lot to him to feel like he's part of a team.

 

 

Yesterday, we had another hour or so of sunshine, so Pep and Lukie and I walked to the park. 

 

There are two parks just up the street from our house, and it is very nice to be able to slip up to the park so easily.  One park is just a few houses away, and the other park is about a block farther.  The farther of the parks is really the favorite, because it has a zip-line and a soccer field.  There are almost always boys playing pick-up matches on the soccer field, and Pepper and Adam have learned how to ask if they can play in German.

 

 

You can see the soccer-obsession/older-brother-worship is still at play.

 

Pepper giving his best with the random German boys.

 

Tonight, there was another break in the clouds and the boys went out in the backyard to play a game of their own invention - Bonkaball.  I guess Adam got tired of playing soccer all the time, so he added the badminton rackets to spice things up.

 

 

 

In spite of the overall gloomy weather, I must admit that I am much happier this Fall than I was last year.  As I go through all the start-of-school motions, I remember back to last year when they felt monstrous and monumental.   This year, back-to-school nights, ordering school lunches, and purchasing school supplies are all routine, simple tasks, not near-impossible like last year.  And, it's been nice to return to familiar faces and established friendships, which we didn't have last September.  

 

All summer, in America, friends and family asked me about our first year in Germany and almost invariably they'd say, "Do you just love it?" Honestly, I couldn't say "yes".   I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't "just love it".

 

So this year, now that I know I can survive, I've made it my goal to "just love it" here.  I think the biggest thing I will need to change is my tendency to apologize for being an American.  It is very easy for me to feel self-conscious of everything I do, because I feel like I am so Different.  So, I kind of retract into myself, unsure of every move, gesture, or word.  I call it being "Folded-Up Jill" because that's how it feels.  

 

It's dumb, because when I'm Folded-Up, I am so wrapped up in myself that I'm not reaching out to other people or allowing myself to be open and friendly.  I'm sure that I've missed out on opportunities for friendship and warm relationships with the people here because I've been so Folded-Up.  And, I think that is probably the biggest reason I don't "just love it" here in Berlin yet.

 

Yes, there is a lot of rain here, and yes, life can be hard.  But, I really want to look between the rainstorms and find as much sun as I can.  

 

It's time to unfold.

First Day of School

Well, it's here again - the First Day of School.  I must say, it was MUCH easier to send my kids off to school this year than it was last year.  I'm glad I never have to live last year's first day of school again.

All the kids go to the same school, and this year we have the distinction of being the family with a child in every level - high school, middle school, elementary school, and pre-school.

Here are the kids excited to start learning! (yeah, right)

Jessica starts 9th grade.  High School - yikes!

Pepper's in 6th grade.  He was so nervous to start middle school.  When I took the kids in the car to drop them at the bus stop, Pepper didn't want to get out of the car until the very last minute.  I think he was trying to postpone the inevitable.  Later that day, I was at the school with Luke, and I ran into Pepper on the school grounds with a friend.  When I waved, the friend asked Pep if I was his mom.  Pepper rolled his eyes and said, "No".  Apparently, he is adjusting well to middle school.

Adam's in 4th grade, and he was the only one actually awake and excited to go to school.  The rest of us were really feeling the effects of jet lag.  When I was preparing breakfast, Adam followed me around, jabbering and offering tips and advice.  Half awake, I was less than appreciative.

Lukie started his day a couple hours after the other kids.  Even with two extra hours of sleep, he wasn't ready to wake up. 

With a little prodding, this was the best smile I could coax out of him.

You can see that it was a very rainy morning, which didn't help our spirits much. But still, everyone came home from school with smiles on their faces, so I guess all is well.

Happy Learning!

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let these pictures speak for themselves.

And that, my friends, was our summer.  Lovely.