From Tamara at 6 Months

>>>from Tamara

Well, it’s hard to know where to start since I don’t know who knows what about me and my family. I have a blog that I keep up regularly and don’t know who reads it and who does not. So if you read something you already know, I apologize.

So, we have been in Germany for 6 months now. Time has gone fast, or so it seems. The kids are all in the German Schools. I wish I could say they each enjoy it. But they don’t. I think Hannah is the one that likes it the most. Which, if you knew Hannah and school last year, it is kind of shocking to hear. She really has come a long way in these past 4 months that she has been in the school here. Shantal ended up being moved from the 3rd grade into the 2nd grade due to differences in the American School System. Too many things in America that we learn in the 3rd grade where Shantal had not learned them yet where they learn them here in the 1st or 2nd grades. Plus, she struggles more with German than the others. Spencer, who used to love school, really dreads going everyday. I don’t blame him at all. He gets beat up on more occasions than not at school. My heart brakes for him. The teachers have come up with a plan to help with this situation during the recess times, as that is when it tends to happen the most. And then I have resulted in dropping him off at school and picking up him as well. Too bad as we don’t live that far away and walking was such a great option. We all just keep praying that things will go better and these boys at the school will stop picking on him.

Gardner ’s work is going great. He really enjoys what he does. He has recently been working in Sweden during the weeks. He just told me the other night that he might also end up going to Poland . I just hope that at some point while we are living here, I can go with him on some of his business trips. He can work while I see some sites.

Emma is real vocal and active. She has learned sign language. She is starting to actually speak words as well. She is speaking both German and English words. It is fun to listen to her. The funny thing is, we understand her words just clear as can be. But anyone else who hears her wonders why she is trying to say. It is one of those things of being around her all the time I guess.

Ian is also changing a lot. He is crawling, pulling himself up on the couch and just today, climbed up 2 stairs. I can not believe he is old enough to do that already. He is always hungry and just last week we started him on real food versus baby food. He had had bread, bananas, mashed potatoes, cheerios and crackers. He does not sleep through the night yet, as I wish he would. He still gets up once or twice a night to eat. I am still breastfeeding him. I have tried to change him over to formula recently, but he would have none of it. He refused to eat it. So it looks like I will be his main source of eating still for awhile. I don’t mind. Just liked the flexibility with the other with all my running around I have on a daily basis. We also just moved Ian’s crib out of my room and into Spencer’s room. He has slept pretty good the last 3 nights he has been in there. I am happy about that. And Spencer is happy to have a roommate!

The weather here is crappy to say the least. Seems like it one continual rain fall. We did get some sunshine yesterday and I hope it sticks around awhile. The kids all have roller blades so we spent the day on roller blades and playing at the park. It is sure nice to get outside again.

I have not kept up my scrapbooking as much as I would have liked. Seems like I have lost the desire to actually sit down and accomplish some pages. I did make some thank you cards this last month. Fifteen of them. So I am using my scrap supplies. Just have not scrapped any pages. I think that part of my problem is that everything is up on the 3rd floor. And by the time I get up there, it is so late. But then again, if it were some place else, I would find another excuse as to why I am not scrapping. I just need a weekend to go and scrap. That always works for me.

We are planning to do a little traveling over Easter break. We are going to Hannover to visit Sibylle, our Au Pair from a few years ago. Then we will be going up to Hamburg to visit an old missionary companion of Gardner ’s. I’m looking forward to seeing some sites, including some castles!

Well, you can always get updates from our family and see pictures of the kids on my Living in Germany blog.

Email from family and friends are always nice - especially for the kids.

Hope everything is going good for you and your family. I’d love to hear from you when you have time!

Tamara