This morning I was woken up by Patrick at about 7 to let me know that Finni was sick today and could I watch him while Koko did the morning run... starting at 7:40. I said that it was fine and went back to sleep after setting an alarm for 7:30. At 7:20 Koko came upstairs to let me know that Finni was going with her to drop off Nico but that she would be taking him to work with her afterwards and bring him home later in the day. So I turned off my alarm for 7:30 and reset my usual 9:00 alarm.
I ended up getting up at my usual time and having a usual morning. The phone rang and it was Koko. She had talked to her boss and would not be able to get away after 10:30 so I needed to pick up Finni and the TrioBike from the UN University. I finished getting ready and headed out to the train. I made it to Koko's building without a problem. I checked in with the security office who called Koko and said that I could wait inside. I got a visitors badge and went through the metal detectors to the lobby. I ended up waiting in the lobby for a half an hour. Koko had gotten stopped by a coworker and had been trying to bring Finni to me the whole time. She explained where to find the bike and that it would be easiest just to head straight to Nico's school from the office.
Finni fell asleep on the ride over to the school. I waited in the school yard for Nico to come out. When he did we checked his backpack for homework and again he "forgot" it. I asked him to run upstairs and get it from the classroom. (I needed to stay with a sleeping Finni and the bike.) Nico ran off to the back door of the school... but was back unusually fast. He explained that he couldn't find it. After asking a few more questions I found out that he hadn't even gone in the building. We will have extra homework tomorrow because I knew that by this time the teacher is gone and the whole floor is locked.
We headed home and once we got there Finni had woken up. He wanted some noodles for lunch, to listen to the CD his grandma had made of her reading stories and then to draw. I happily accomadated his requests because Nico was determined that Finni have a "fun" sick day. After drawing Finni just wanted to cuddle on the couch and look at the birds in the bird feeder. We all went upstairs to play with the electric car track and then it was time to go to soccer.
We were on time for soccer practice... in fact we were early! It made me very happy to know that I am getting used to the timing of how long it takes to get places and how long it takes the boys to get ready to go anywhere. Finni had brought a book to play with before the practice but then wanted to watch Nico's soccer practice. Patrick called to let us know that he would be home when we got there after practice.
When we got home I emptied the dishwasher then got ready to go out. My plans with Dana got changed from Thursday to tonight. So I hurried and got ready because I also stopped and got my visa photos taken at the Haupbahnhof. I told Koko and Patrick where I was off to and they told me to have a good time. When I got on the train I let Dana know that I was on my way.
When I got to the station I got my photo taken care of before anything else. Then I met up with Dana and we started through Bonn. We went to this Mexican restaurant that is Dana's favorite. We started off with her favorite Moctails and then got to talking while we waited for our food. We are going to be really good friends! We have a lot in common and even the things that are not shared interests are still fascinating to talk about. The food was good... I had ordered a Chicken Burrito.... which was more like a barbecue chicken wrap but it was very tasty. After we finished eating and talking we headed back to the train station. She asked if I was planning on taking the bus again on Sunday which I am... she said that we could ride the same bus and that she would let me know what time it was leaving ;) I am not going to get lost this week! I caught the train back home and talked to Koko for a few minutes before coming up to get ready for bed.
Tomorrow is my Visa appointment that Koko is going with me for. Then I have to rush back to make it to my German class but I know I can do it! I will have the report tomorrow night.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
TrioBike!
So today I got to ride the TrioBike with the bucket on it. When I headed downstairs to go get Nico from school I noticed that his bike was still in the garage but that Koko had left the TrioBike for me. So I decided that I would try it. It is quite the contraption. I will take a picture of it and post it here so that you can understand what it is. But it is a bike that doesn't have a front tire... instead it has this bucket with 2 tires on it so it is kind of like a backward tricycle. Anyways... it is weird to ride because the handlebars of the bike are attached to the bucket and so the bucket is directing. Also there is no suspension on this thing so bumps are really tough. The last thing I noticed about it was that if there is any slant at all you feel like you are going to fall over because you are biking sideways. It was really easy to ride over all though.
When I got Nico at school everyone was fascinated by the TrioBike. Parents and kids were asking me all sorts of questions about it. When we got home I made some lunch and we worked on homework. After homework we went to get Finni a little early because he had asked me yesterday that I try getting him around 2 instead of 3. It went well... he didn't give me any trouble but he didn't get his afternoon nap on the way home from school. I guess the TrioBike isn't the same as the buggy for sleeping? We played for a little when we got home then got ready to go to Finni's gym class. Nico brought a deck of Dinosaur information cards with him so that he could play with them while we waited for Finn to be done.
After class Martina came by to finish cleaning the house but started with the kitchen so I wasn't able to start working on dinner for a while. Finni had curled up on the couch and asked me to read him a story. We ended up reading 4 Curious George books, Peter Rabbit, One Fine Day, and Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?. It was a lot of reading but the boys enjoyed it. After I finished the Dr. Seuss book I went to start working on dinner. (Spaghetti, Marinara Sauce, and Sausages) I asked the boys to help clear off the table and set it. Nico jumped right up to come help. After a few minutes I went looking for Finni to see why he wasn't helping when I saw that he was asleep on the couch that we had been reading on. Nico helped me finish making dinner. Koko got home and set the table and put Finni to bed. Patrick was at Bishopric meetings so it ended up just being the 3 of us for a candlelit spaghetti dinner.
After dinner I cleaned up while Koko and Nico practiced the violin. I came upstairs and started watching Monsters Inc. (I have been watching all the Pixar movies with Commentary because all the Pixar movies at home are on VHS and now that I have them on DVD I get to see them with Commentary!!! I am such a geek but I am loving it... next are all the classic Disney movies with Commentary) I also got to talk with my mom and dad tonight! It was good to see them both.
I am now going to finish watching Monsters Inc. and head to bed. I am hopefully back on track with my blogging.
When I got Nico at school everyone was fascinated by the TrioBike. Parents and kids were asking me all sorts of questions about it. When we got home I made some lunch and we worked on homework. After homework we went to get Finni a little early because he had asked me yesterday that I try getting him around 2 instead of 3. It went well... he didn't give me any trouble but he didn't get his afternoon nap on the way home from school. I guess the TrioBike isn't the same as the buggy for sleeping? We played for a little when we got home then got ready to go to Finni's gym class. Nico brought a deck of Dinosaur information cards with him so that he could play with them while we waited for Finn to be done.
After class Martina came by to finish cleaning the house but started with the kitchen so I wasn't able to start working on dinner for a while. Finni had curled up on the couch and asked me to read him a story. We ended up reading 4 Curious George books, Peter Rabbit, One Fine Day, and Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?. It was a lot of reading but the boys enjoyed it. After I finished the Dr. Seuss book I went to start working on dinner. (Spaghetti, Marinara Sauce, and Sausages) I asked the boys to help clear off the table and set it. Nico jumped right up to come help. After a few minutes I went looking for Finni to see why he wasn't helping when I saw that he was asleep on the couch that we had been reading on. Nico helped me finish making dinner. Koko got home and set the table and put Finni to bed. Patrick was at Bishopric meetings so it ended up just being the 3 of us for a candlelit spaghetti dinner.
After dinner I cleaned up while Koko and Nico practiced the violin. I came upstairs and started watching Monsters Inc. (I have been watching all the Pixar movies with Commentary because all the Pixar movies at home are on VHS and now that I have them on DVD I get to see them with Commentary!!! I am such a geek but I am loving it... next are all the classic Disney movies with Commentary) I also got to talk with my mom and dad tonight! It was good to see them both.
I am now going to finish watching Monsters Inc. and head to bed. I am hopefully back on track with my blogging.
Catching Up
So there is something about 11 posts... I can never seem to get past it. In all the blogs I have ever had 11 is the death of them. So sorry about the delay on my last week's report.
So Wednesday and Thursday were nothing special. Except that on Tuesday night Nico's bike got a flat tire on the way home from Finni's gym class. I didn't realize what was wrong with the bike until we got home because we both had to walk our bikes the rest of the way. So on Wednesday and Thursday we were on foot. Patrick wasn't able to fix the tire until Thursday night so for the 2 days the I had to pick up the boys from school and take them to their activities via the train and walking. Finni was not happy with the situation because he is never a fan of walking. Thursday evening Nico had a playdate at a friend's house and Patrick was home on Thursday because he had night duty on Wednesday so he had the next day off. He ended up going to pick up Finni from music on Thursday and also getting the Trio bike from the shop. Thursday night Koko had meetings and so she wasn't home until late and Patrick worked on the bike tire.
Friday Koko went to London for the day for some meetings. I was in charge of the morning routine. Patrick had said that Nico's bike tire was fixed so we didn't have to take the train and walk to school. So in the morning Nico got on his bike and I was pulling the buggy. We got across the second set of tracks and Nico started saying that he couldn't ride his bike anymore. He hadn't wanted to ride in the first place that day so we had a talk about how it was a good thing to ride to school in the mornings and such... well then he showed me the front tire of his bike and explained to me that it was flat again. So we rushed home and I put the boys in the Trio bike... the bike was locked and I couldn't figure out how to release the brake so we had to rush to the train and take the train to Nico's stop and walk the rest of the way and then Finni and I had to hurry back to the train to go to his school. Finni was such a trooper... he walked the entire way! I was so proud of him for not being upset about it. As soon as I dropped of Finni at school it was time for me to get Nico and drop off his backpack at home and pick up the violins. We took the violins on the train to get Finni. Luckily Linze had e-mailed me the instructions on how to get to the boys' violin group via the train and bus. We went straight from picking up Finni to violin group and made it on time in fact we were a little early. (While we waited I got my toes smashed by a big wooden bench that fell over and my big toe now has a major bruise but that is beside the point.) We came back home after violin and Patrick got home soon after.
Saturday was a wonderful day. I got to sleep in and work on my stocking and watch a movie. I came downstairs and hung out with the family for a while and Koko asked if I had any plans for the day. I told her that I was going to go into Bonn and pick up a few things and explore a little on my own. She said that was great and was glad that I was not afraid to get out on my own. She said that the family was actually heading that way soon and I could ride my bike with them so we could all ride and chat together. Bonn is not really so far but it took about 20 minutes biking. They dropped me off right next to the Haupbahnhof and pointed me in the right direction of the pedestrian area. I spent about 3.5 hours just wandering around in stores and got a Rindwurst at a stand. It was so much fun. I headed back to where I had locked up my bike and decided to take the train back home... I had no problem navigating the station even with my bike. I was very happy with my first adventure into Bonn. I skyped with Natalie Saturday night for about 2 hours... I hadn't talked to her all week and had so much fun catching up!
Sunday was interesting. My alarm failed to go off again... I am still figuring out my phone alarm. The boys were being loud downstairs which woke me up thankfully. So I hurried and got ready and came downstairs. Patrick and Koko were getting the boys ready and explained that it was ward conference this week so church wasn't going to be until 10 instead of 9:30. But Koko was going to take the Trio bike if I wanted to take the train I should start heading out. So I went over to the stop but I had missed the early train which was going to be fine. I caught the next one to the Haupbahnhof and found my bus. When I was on the bus I knew that it was supposed to take about 20 mins and I knew the name of the stop I was supposed to get off at. Well there are sometimes when I really hate the German language because I heard the system announce my stop... I got off and by the time I looked around and realized it wasn't my stop the bus was already gone. And since it was a Sunday the bus only came every hour. So I looked at the route and saw that I was 12 stops early... so I started walking. It took about an hour but I finally made it to church and was only a half an hour late. I couldn't see Koko or the boys in the congregation so I sat in the back while listening to the translation headset. After the service was over I found Patrick who asked me where his family was... I had no idea and hoped they were at home. I also got to talk with Dana and we made plans for later in the week. I met Jackie who is in charge of YSA and she said we will have activities in a few months once she gets back from her internship. I headed to the train and got to talk with Yves who was on the same train with me. When I got home Koko and the boys were eating lunch... Koko hadn't felt so good and had decided to stay home. The rest of the evening was really relaxed. Koko, Patrick and I had our parents meeting to plan the week. I talked to Natalie for a few minutes and called Mom and Dad to wish them a Happy Anniversary.
Yesterday I had German class and it is going really well. The teacher is nice and the other ladies in the class have taken me under their wing. I get to sit next to Coreen who is from my ward and there is another lady named Mary Ann who is really nice as well. The teacher understands more now why I give her a look of confusion and fear whenever she talks to me in German... she hadn't realized that I have only been in Germany for 2 weeks. The teacher says everything in German then explains in English and repeats it in German again for us. After class I stopped at the post office and headed into Bad Godesberg since Monday is the day that Nico gets out of school late I had some time to kill. I stopped at a convenience store to get some survival snacks for the week. I got the boys from school as usual and then we played together before heading to Nico's gym class. When we got home the cleaning lady was here and I was about to start cooking when Patrick got home with tons of groceries and took over. I skyped with my mom in the evening for the first time in days because the computer at home has been on the fritz. I filled her in on my week and she told me about how the kitchen remodel is going. We also discussed what I can do in my freetime because I don't want to get my counter cross stitch dirty but can't buy any books since they wouldn't be able to make it home. Our solution is looking into a Kindle... so I have been doing some research on that last night and this morning.
I will hopefully be better about writing... Things just got a little busy last week and I was exhausted in the evening when I usually update my blog. So hopefully a report on today will be coming tonight!
So Wednesday and Thursday were nothing special. Except that on Tuesday night Nico's bike got a flat tire on the way home from Finni's gym class. I didn't realize what was wrong with the bike until we got home because we both had to walk our bikes the rest of the way. So on Wednesday and Thursday we were on foot. Patrick wasn't able to fix the tire until Thursday night so for the 2 days the I had to pick up the boys from school and take them to their activities via the train and walking. Finni was not happy with the situation because he is never a fan of walking. Thursday evening Nico had a playdate at a friend's house and Patrick was home on Thursday because he had night duty on Wednesday so he had the next day off. He ended up going to pick up Finni from music on Thursday and also getting the Trio bike from the shop. Thursday night Koko had meetings and so she wasn't home until late and Patrick worked on the bike tire.
Friday Koko went to London for the day for some meetings. I was in charge of the morning routine. Patrick had said that Nico's bike tire was fixed so we didn't have to take the train and walk to school. So in the morning Nico got on his bike and I was pulling the buggy. We got across the second set of tracks and Nico started saying that he couldn't ride his bike anymore. He hadn't wanted to ride in the first place that day so we had a talk about how it was a good thing to ride to school in the mornings and such... well then he showed me the front tire of his bike and explained to me that it was flat again. So we rushed home and I put the boys in the Trio bike... the bike was locked and I couldn't figure out how to release the brake so we had to rush to the train and take the train to Nico's stop and walk the rest of the way and then Finni and I had to hurry back to the train to go to his school. Finni was such a trooper... he walked the entire way! I was so proud of him for not being upset about it. As soon as I dropped of Finni at school it was time for me to get Nico and drop off his backpack at home and pick up the violins. We took the violins on the train to get Finni. Luckily Linze had e-mailed me the instructions on how to get to the boys' violin group via the train and bus. We went straight from picking up Finni to violin group and made it on time in fact we were a little early. (While we waited I got my toes smashed by a big wooden bench that fell over and my big toe now has a major bruise but that is beside the point.) We came back home after violin and Patrick got home soon after.
Saturday was a wonderful day. I got to sleep in and work on my stocking and watch a movie. I came downstairs and hung out with the family for a while and Koko asked if I had any plans for the day. I told her that I was going to go into Bonn and pick up a few things and explore a little on my own. She said that was great and was glad that I was not afraid to get out on my own. She said that the family was actually heading that way soon and I could ride my bike with them so we could all ride and chat together. Bonn is not really so far but it took about 20 minutes biking. They dropped me off right next to the Haupbahnhof and pointed me in the right direction of the pedestrian area. I spent about 3.5 hours just wandering around in stores and got a Rindwurst at a stand. It was so much fun. I headed back to where I had locked up my bike and decided to take the train back home... I had no problem navigating the station even with my bike. I was very happy with my first adventure into Bonn. I skyped with Natalie Saturday night for about 2 hours... I hadn't talked to her all week and had so much fun catching up!
Sunday was interesting. My alarm failed to go off again... I am still figuring out my phone alarm. The boys were being loud downstairs which woke me up thankfully. So I hurried and got ready and came downstairs. Patrick and Koko were getting the boys ready and explained that it was ward conference this week so church wasn't going to be until 10 instead of 9:30. But Koko was going to take the Trio bike if I wanted to take the train I should start heading out. So I went over to the stop but I had missed the early train which was going to be fine. I caught the next one to the Haupbahnhof and found my bus. When I was on the bus I knew that it was supposed to take about 20 mins and I knew the name of the stop I was supposed to get off at. Well there are sometimes when I really hate the German language because I heard the system announce my stop... I got off and by the time I looked around and realized it wasn't my stop the bus was already gone. And since it was a Sunday the bus only came every hour. So I looked at the route and saw that I was 12 stops early... so I started walking. It took about an hour but I finally made it to church and was only a half an hour late. I couldn't see Koko or the boys in the congregation so I sat in the back while listening to the translation headset. After the service was over I found Patrick who asked me where his family was... I had no idea and hoped they were at home. I also got to talk with Dana and we made plans for later in the week. I met Jackie who is in charge of YSA and she said we will have activities in a few months once she gets back from her internship. I headed to the train and got to talk with Yves who was on the same train with me. When I got home Koko and the boys were eating lunch... Koko hadn't felt so good and had decided to stay home. The rest of the evening was really relaxed. Koko, Patrick and I had our parents meeting to plan the week. I talked to Natalie for a few minutes and called Mom and Dad to wish them a Happy Anniversary.
Yesterday I had German class and it is going really well. The teacher is nice and the other ladies in the class have taken me under their wing. I get to sit next to Coreen who is from my ward and there is another lady named Mary Ann who is really nice as well. The teacher understands more now why I give her a look of confusion and fear whenever she talks to me in German... she hadn't realized that I have only been in Germany for 2 weeks. The teacher says everything in German then explains in English and repeats it in German again for us. After class I stopped at the post office and headed into Bad Godesberg since Monday is the day that Nico gets out of school late I had some time to kill. I stopped at a convenience store to get some survival snacks for the week. I got the boys from school as usual and then we played together before heading to Nico's gym class. When we got home the cleaning lady was here and I was about to start cooking when Patrick got home with tons of groceries and took over. I skyped with my mom in the evening for the first time in days because the computer at home has been on the fritz. I filled her in on my week and she told me about how the kitchen remodel is going. We also discussed what I can do in my freetime because I don't want to get my counter cross stitch dirty but can't buy any books since they wouldn't be able to make it home. Our solution is looking into a Kindle... so I have been doing some research on that last night and this morning.
I will hopefully be better about writing... Things just got a little busy last week and I was exhausted in the evening when I usually update my blog. So hopefully a report on today will be coming tonight!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Getting the Routine
Yesterday I got to sleep in! Koko did the morning routine with the boys so I got to sleep until around 9. I woke up and worked on some homework. I went and got Nico and we played and listened to music, had pancakes for lunch and did homework. When I went to get Finni he was not pleased that I was there to pick him up but we had to get home. He threw a fit and cried 90% the way home. He ended up falling asleep as we got to our street. I did not wake him when we got home... he got a nap yesterday. Nico and I skyped with Linze for a bit. Then it was time to take Finni to psyomotorik so i had to wake him, he is such a sound sleeper that it was nearly impossible to wake him. We went to the class then came home and I made dinner, chicken nuggets with rice and sweet and sour sauce for Koko and I. I thought it was a creative way of making kids food more grown-up. Then I got to talk with mom on skype and hear about the kitchen construction. Then I went to bed. My days are finally settling into a routine which is really nice.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Things are Looking Up!
Yesterday was soooooo relaxing! My phone alarm didn't go off in the morning so Patrick came up to make sure I was breathing. There wasn't enough time to get ready before heading to church so I got to sleep in. Yesterday was all about me relaxing and feeling better. I worked on coloring my counter cross stitch pattern all day. I also talked to Natalie most the day which was awesome. When the family got home we all just did our own thing and then the home teachers came over. They were really awesome... it is a father and son who are from Colorado. After they left we had dinner together and had more birthday cake with ice cream. We had our family meeting in the evening and we talked about this week and I also asked about the possibilities of me going home for Natalie's wedding. They looked at their own calendars and started looking at flight options! I called my family to let them know and we booked a flight! I am going to be in Utah for 4 days in May!!!! I get to see my baby sister get MARRIED!!! I am so excited!
Today was amazing. I wasn't kidding when I said that things were easier with Koko here. Everything in the house just runs so much more smoothly. Koko was doing the morning run but when we figured out that I needed to sign up for my german class today around the same time we decided that I would go with Koko and the boys to school then Koko would get me settled in my own class. The morning bike ride is so much easier when I don't have to pull the buggy. We decorated some cupcakes really quickly at Finni's school for his class to have for his birthday then headed to my lesson. I got all registered and went up to my class and found out that my hometeacher's wife is in the same class. I am so glad that I have someone that I know in a way. The class was really good we learned the german alphabet. I actually participated in class and was not afraid to make mistakes which is a first for me! (I think that going back to school next year is going to work out well as a side note, I have been worried about it but after today's class I had the realization that I have changed in the last year.) After class I came back home and worked on my counter cross stitch. Then I went to pick up Nico from school and we talked and played games the whole way home. Once we got home I turned on my iTunes while I made grilled cheese sandwiches. We had so much fun! We worked on homework then went to drop off a library book before picking up Finni. I had let Finni stay a little long today at Kindergarden because he always hates leaving and with his birthday being this past weekend I thought why not an extra half an hour to play. When we got to the Kinderhaus he still didn't want to leave so I gave he and Nico a few more minutes to play. I picked up the buggy and we rode back home. Finni fell asleep as usual and Nico and I continued to play games till we got home. My favorite game that we came up with today was that everytime we saw a train we had to decide where it was going and what the people in the train were going to do once they got to the location. Nico's best today was that there was a train going to Guam and the people were going to eat pancakes. Nico had psyomotorik class today so Finni and I dropped him off and Patrick picked him up. I made dinner that was sausages with some noodles and carrot sticks. Koko got home just after we had sat down to eat and Patrick had gone to a work dinner. After dinner the boys practiced violin and we had day 3 of birthday celebrations with cake and ice cream!
Today was amazing. I wasn't kidding when I said that things were easier with Koko here. Everything in the house just runs so much more smoothly. Koko was doing the morning run but when we figured out that I needed to sign up for my german class today around the same time we decided that I would go with Koko and the boys to school then Koko would get me settled in my own class. The morning bike ride is so much easier when I don't have to pull the buggy. We decorated some cupcakes really quickly at Finni's school for his class to have for his birthday then headed to my lesson. I got all registered and went up to my class and found out that my hometeacher's wife is in the same class. I am so glad that I have someone that I know in a way. The class was really good we learned the german alphabet. I actually participated in class and was not afraid to make mistakes which is a first for me! (I think that going back to school next year is going to work out well as a side note, I have been worried about it but after today's class I had the realization that I have changed in the last year.) After class I came back home and worked on my counter cross stitch. Then I went to pick up Nico from school and we talked and played games the whole way home. Once we got home I turned on my iTunes while I made grilled cheese sandwiches. We had so much fun! We worked on homework then went to drop off a library book before picking up Finni. I had let Finni stay a little long today at Kindergarden because he always hates leaving and with his birthday being this past weekend I thought why not an extra half an hour to play. When we got to the Kinderhaus he still didn't want to leave so I gave he and Nico a few more minutes to play. I picked up the buggy and we rode back home. Finni fell asleep as usual and Nico and I continued to play games till we got home. My favorite game that we came up with today was that everytime we saw a train we had to decide where it was going and what the people in the train were going to do once they got to the location. Nico's best today was that there was a train going to Guam and the people were going to eat pancakes. Nico had psyomotorik class today so Finni and I dropped him off and Patrick picked him up. I made dinner that was sausages with some noodles and carrot sticks. Koko got home just after we had sat down to eat and Patrick had gone to a work dinner. After dinner the boys practiced violin and we had day 3 of birthday celebrations with cake and ice cream!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Birthday Party!
So today was Finni's Birthday! I got to sleep in until about 11 then I went downstairs to help get ready for Finni's party. The cake was in the oven and so I helped Koko put together the party favors. In the favors we were putting some stickers and tattoos that I was cutting into smaller groups. Finni saw the tattoos and wanted one for himself. I guess he has never had one of the temporary tattoos so we did his on his arm and it was Pirates of the Caribbean. I also helped Finni put together the boat for a playmobil set we got for the cake decorations. Koko and I talked and worked in the kitchen while the boys had their violin lesson in the other room. While the cake was cooling and the boys were getting dressed I was in charge of decorating the house with balloons. The cake had cooled down enough for me to start decorating right as the guest were arriving. I got to meet all of Finni's friends and their parents. Koko and Finni had already made the frosting for the cake earlier in the morning and had everything they wanted on the cake so all I had to do was put it together which was very easy!
Once the cake was ready to go we all packed up and headed for the train. All together there were 9 kids and 3 adults. We took 2 different trains and a bus to get to the swimming pool. There was about a 20 minute wait between the trains and the kids were so energetic that I tried to think of the games my dad played with us in those situations but the kids were not interested in the "Elephant Game" so they played tag on the platform and the adults were the linesmen. When we got to the pool the kids all changed into their swim gear and I walked with them into the pool area while Koko and Patrick changed. I was not going to get in the pool because I am getting over being sick. I was designated as the photographer/wrangler. I got to sit on the side and take photos while counting the children... it was actually a lot of fun to watch them. There was a party helper who played games with them in the pool. They played for an hour and a half then we all went and got the kids back into street clothes so that we could do the cake. I went out a head and put the finishing touches on the cake as parents arrived to pick up the kids. We all sang happy birthday and the kids devoured the cake. Koko and I didn't get any pieces because the kids literally ate all of it. After the cake was gone and we had cleaned up the parents offered to take us home so we split up into different cars and got rides home.
After we got home Patrick ran to the store to get some things for dinner and started cooking. We had breaded chicken, spicy pasta noodles with pesto sauce, and salad. Finni's friend from next door had come home with us after the party and stayed for dinner. We skyped the grandparents in Utah while we finished up dinner and Finni finished opening his gifts. Then it was time for bed so I helped clear the table and talked with Koko for a bit before coming upstairs. I skyped Natalie for a bit, then talked to my parents and then got to talk to Amanda! I have missed Amanda so much. It kinda felt like our before bed chats because it is so late here... I don't know what I would do without skype in my life.
Here are some photos of the swimming party and the cake...
Once the cake was ready to go we all packed up and headed for the train. All together there were 9 kids and 3 adults. We took 2 different trains and a bus to get to the swimming pool. There was about a 20 minute wait between the trains and the kids were so energetic that I tried to think of the games my dad played with us in those situations but the kids were not interested in the "Elephant Game" so they played tag on the platform and the adults were the linesmen. When we got to the pool the kids all changed into their swim gear and I walked with them into the pool area while Koko and Patrick changed. I was not going to get in the pool because I am getting over being sick. I was designated as the photographer/wrangler. I got to sit on the side and take photos while counting the children... it was actually a lot of fun to watch them. There was a party helper who played games with them in the pool. They played for an hour and a half then we all went and got the kids back into street clothes so that we could do the cake. I went out a head and put the finishing touches on the cake as parents arrived to pick up the kids. We all sang happy birthday and the kids devoured the cake. Koko and I didn't get any pieces because the kids literally ate all of it. After the cake was gone and we had cleaned up the parents offered to take us home so we split up into different cars and got rides home.
After we got home Patrick ran to the store to get some things for dinner and started cooking. We had breaded chicken, spicy pasta noodles with pesto sauce, and salad. Finni's friend from next door had come home with us after the party and stayed for dinner. We skyped the grandparents in Utah while we finished up dinner and Finni finished opening his gifts. Then it was time for bed so I helped clear the table and talked with Koko for a bit before coming upstairs. I skyped Natalie for a bit, then talked to my parents and then got to talk to Amanda! I have missed Amanda so much. It kinda felt like our before bed chats because it is so late here... I don't know what I would do without skype in my life.
Here are some photos of the swimming party and the cake...
The Flu?
So I am a day behind... but yesterday I had the flu! Seriously? I woke up feeling lousy with a cough, stuffy nose, and my head felt like it was the size of a watermelon. Because I didn't have a fever I took the boys to school. When I got back I took a nap until it was time to pick them up. I went to get Nico and once I got there felt incredibly dizzy and nauseous. We made it back home and then picked up Finni. We headed to violin group lesson and we found it without much trouble which made me happy since I had only been there once a week ago. I had to bribe Finni to play with the group. When the lesson was over we headed home... we got lost 2x on the way home, go figure. Once we were home the boys were playing with magnets and then the door bell rang. It was the little girl from next door who had come over to play. So I just had to keep an eye on the 3 of them. They were all speaking german while they played so I had no idea what was going on really... I asked Nico a few times what they were playing and apparently they were hiding from ghosts. Then we went out in the back yard to play and Patrick got home. He asked how I was feeling and told me I was officially off duty. I came up to my room and watched a movie and just relaxed talking to Natalie off and on. Patrick came up to let me know that there was food if I wanted to try it. I went downstairs and found out that Koko was home. She gave me a hug and thanked me for making it through the week. I nibbled on some food and then came upstairs for my skype date with my mom. I got to talk with my mom for an hour... We weren't able to really talk since Tuesday. We finished talking so that I could go to bed but as I went to close out my computer Andres got online. I haven't talked to Andres since I left Florida! We talked and caught up for an hour. I have missed him very much! I now have a sticky on my computer screen with all my skype dates for the next week! I love my friends so much for taking the time to talk to me and keeping in contact since I don't have a U.S. phone with me here.
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