And she's off!

We bought her the bicycle over a year ago.  The initial excited enthusiasm lasted less than a week before her hyper-cautious nature kicked in and she refused to ride it.  She was afraid she'd fall.  She didn't trust the training wheels.  She wasn't confident that we wouldn't let go.  She just didn't want to.  Training wheels or not (tho especially against the "not"), she would not ride her bike. Hoping to spur her along, we brought her bike on our family trip to Rottnest, where there are no cars and cycles are the best way to get around.  She wasn't having it.  She wailed at the thought and wailed louder when I got on her bike and rode it for her, trying (and failing) to make her laugh and spark her interest.

In the months since, we've talked about it as much as she'll allow.  In the past weeks, I've pointed out all the kids riding without training wheels and how fun it looks.  Lately, I have let it drop here and there that I intend for her to be riding her bike without her training wheels by the end of the summer.  How I was supposed to get her on the seat was beyond me, but I figured we'd get to that somehow.  I dropped it again this weekend, saying Stephanie could learn at the same time.  Markus took the training wheels off both kid bikes that day.  It was on.  Sort of.

Then, tonight, Ellie spied her bike, sans training wheels.  In minutes, it had been wheeled into the backyard, where Markus and I both enthusiastically assured her that even if she fell, falling in the grass doesn't hurt so it was no big deal.  He ran with her, holding onto her seat, encouraging her to pedal or steer or both.  Back and forth they went as I ferried dinner items out to the table.  And then I looked up and saw Ellie cycling all on her own, at first just a few feet before thumping her feet down in triumph...and then around and around and around the house she went until she wore a track in the grass with the sheer thrill, the joy, the freedom of it!









Just like everything else she has ever done, Ellie started riding a bicycle in her own sweet time.

Sewickley Academy

After much debate (mostly on my part), Ellie has been enrolled in the Sewickley Academy for the 2012-2013 school year.



When we first arrived, I visited Edgeworth Elementary School, the local public elementary school, and I was smitten.  It was by far the nicest public school I had ever seen.  It even made me (almost) wish I were a teacher again so I could teach in a school like that.  It was that good.

But.

Sewickley also has a top-notch private school where most people like us (international movers) tend to go.  Their system aligns fairly well with the International Baccalaureate, making an easy transition to schools in Europe.  They use technology to enhance education, not replace teaching as I woefully observed in other schools.  I was so impressed with their high school program (one of the classes is "Modern History of the Middle East").  Family participation is encouraged, and a broad range of skills are requisite (including mandatory dance class for all students--picture 5th grade boys in ballet poses).

The screening was fairly intense with over an hour of testing Ellie for skills (at age 6!), but she was accepted with open arms probably before the screening was over.  I kept telling the admissions man that she was ready for Grade 2, and he was insistent on Grade 1...until he tested her.  Then, he was all about Grade 2.  As much as it annoyed me that he was so dismissive of my assessment, I was equally pleased when he recognised her skill level.  The public school was also prepared to put her in Grade 2 just because I asked them to, but at least I know the Academy is putting her there out of recognition.  Her age would normally have her in Grade 1 here, but she has already passed the skills they teach for that group.  The admissions officer even acknowledged that she already has many of the skills they hope to cover by the second half of Grade 2.  She will be well-placed and hopefully well-taught.

The biggest reason we chose the Academy is class size.  There is a maximum of 16 students per class, though it may be 14 or 15.  Ellie is such a sensitive, tender-hearted girl, and she has yet to be in a non-Montessori classroom.  We think she will like the discipline and attention facilitated by a small class.  I personally like that the creed of the Academy is "Curiosity, Courage, Compassion". Yes, please.

My worry about sending her to the Academy versus the public school was making her too different from the other kids, especially since all of the remaining 22 girls on our street go to the public school.  I really didn't know what I wanted to do since both schools were equally good at this age level, and I debated a lot.  There seems to be a touchy-sensitivity in public school kids towards the Academy kids, and Ellie certainly has a finely tuned radar for slights.  However, while we were away on our holiday, the choice seemed crystal clear to me.  She will go to the Academy, and I'll put in extra effort outside of school to help forge friendships locally.

Portland

We have just returned from a 7-day spree in Portland, Oregon.  Though neither Markus nor I can remember who or when or why, it seems so many people over the years have insisted that Portland would be the ideal place for us to settle down, whenever we figure out how to settle down.  It is a city with an airport (critical) but it's not big, not fussy, fairly liberal and green and very outdoorsy.  We were told the lifestyle would suit us 100%...in the summer.  Apparently, you have pretty much guaranteed nice weather from after the 4th of July until the end of August.  After that, you are pretty much guaranteed that your favourite pair of wellies and a good raincoat will be appreciated.  Hmmm.

Every other time we had considered visiting to check it out, the time of year wasn't ideal.  Now that we're in the States and subject to school schedules with Ellie starting 2nd grade in the fall, we figured this was our time!  We went just after the 4th of July, and do you know what?  The weather was every bit as wonderful as we had been promised!  Escaping from over 2 weeks of temperatures near 100F and humidity to less than 90F, low humidity and cool nights (below 60F) made it a double holiday.

We rented a vacation home in Lake Oswego, a fancy suburb outside of Portland.  We found it via airbnb, and we'd say it was a cross between a bed and breakfast and a vacation rental in that we had the house to ourselves but the owner (Shela) was still there in the basement.  It was quite an unusual arrangement and not one we would seek again, but thankfully she was wonderfully nice and so friendly with the girls that it all worked out ok.  It was a lovely house, a historic home she had saved from demolition and renovated beautifully.  She had saved some of her daughters' toys and had them out on the sun porch for our family to use, which the girls loved!  Fashion Plates (which I also loved as a child) were the huge hit.  Thank goodness I packed lots of blank paper and our colouring pencils!



We try to take it easy on holiday, meaning the girls aren't overtaxed but Markus and I are often under-taxed.  We want to do and see, and we try to moderate.  This time, we did a side trip on Sunday and Monday to Mount Hood and stayed the night in the historic Timberline Lodge (dedicated by Roosevelt as an icon of the Works Progress Administration).  The craftsmanship in the lodge is stunning, and I felt privileged to see it and thankful we could appreciate and enjoy it.  Our room had a king-size bed, a single and a roll-away, so there were plenty of beds to jump on sleep in.  The pool has a view up the mountain and snow comes right to the fence.  The biggest thrill, of course, was the snow!  The girls were over the moon to play in snow for the first time in memory, and we were all very happy that we could play and wander to our hearts' content because the air was quite warm (80+ degrees F).

I have posted a ton of pictures in our flickr account, but here are a few of my favourites:










On the way home, we drove a different way so we could pass through Columbia Gorge and see the magnificent Multnomah Falls.  There are many falls and a famous dam along that drive, but the girls couldn't have cared less.  They have no love for long car rides, so that when we stopped for Multnomah Falls and got out for a closer look, they insisted they could see it just fine and could we please go home now.  The perils of childhood in our family...sigh.



One of my oldest friends, Quinn, and his wife live in Portland.  I hadn't seen Quinn in over 10 years (wow), but we were able to catch up on this trip.  They made a lot of time for us, showing us all around Portland on Saturday.  We met at the university farmer's market, ate lunch at a food cart (essential Portland fare), stopped in at Powell's Books (overwhelming!), played in Washington Park and relaxed with a beer and pizza at the Lucky Labrador pub.  Quinn met up with us again on Tuesday and introduced us to another neighbourhood for good food and the most amazing ice cream at Salt & Straw.  Then, we drove out to Sauvie Island so the girls could play at the river beach.



Portland was a great place for food and small neighbourhoods.  I am a huge fan.  The Waffle Window was a must-stop for us, and we went twice.  I admit it.  If you have the chance to go, do yourself a favour and order the blueberry cheesecake waffle.  It's a Belgian waffle topped with homemade cheesecake pudding (amazing stuff!) and homemade blueberry compote.  Holy moly.  Is it over the top rich and decadent?  Yes, indeedy!  Order it and enjoy it because where else can you have that?  Yum.

 

Wednesday was our last full day, so we visited the Oregon Zoo in the morning.  Our girls are bit rotten on zoos (Rotterdam, Sydney, Perth, Singapore, Bali, Thailand elephant rides...), so they are a bit tough to impress.  Markus and I, on the other hand, were very impressed.  The Pacific-Northwest section of the zoo is built right into the forest setting, and it felt very much a part of it.  The zoo was well-designed and accommodating to kids (you'd be amazed at how many zoos are not), building in steps up to high displays and even putting step stools at the toilets and sinks in the bathroom.  Afterwards, we went back to the Waffle Window for a snack and then to visit a bike shop we'd found online.  Being atypical tourists but tourists nonetheless, we bought atypical souvenirs: new bikes!  I found a bike I'd always wanted, and they are going to ship it to me here in Sewickley.  Markus found a very unusual adaptation piece that will convert his old mountain bike into a bike that can fit two kids on the back.  It will take two weeks before we see them, but I'm excited.

On Thursday, Markus flew home with the girls and I carried on to San Francisco, taking my mom there for a long weekend as a birthday present.  It's a big year this year, and we wanted to celebrate in a special way.  Now, we're all home again and trying to settle into some sort of routine.  The weather is still hot and humid.  The air conditioning in the bedrooms is still totally inadequate.  But we are so thankful we had such a fantastic holiday...and we can't help considering a move there perhaps someday in the future. As Markus said, at least you can count on the summers being fantastic, and that is his favourite time to be out anyway.

Childhood asthma

Ellie's asthma is very mild, but when a chest cold gets in there, oy.  She is hacking away and has been for the past hour or so (it's now 2:30am).  The weather has been completely rotten the past few days (extremely hot and stuffy--the air just doesn't seem to move between all these hills), and there have been severe poor air quality alerts for asthma and allergy sufferers.  On top of that, Papa brought home a nasty chest cold from work nearly two weeks ago.  She didn't get it too badly, but try telling that to her poor chest at night.

Unable to sleep, I came down to look up info about air purifiers (as if that would really solve it) and found a link to the 10 worst cities for asthma sufferers on WebMD.  Pittsburgh was #4.

On the list of 10 best cities, the top three were San Francisco, Seattle and Portland.

I think I have our solution!

Images of Egypt, then and now

This week, Ellie is participating in "Tomb Raiders" art camp at the Sewickley Arts Center.  The focus is art of ancient Egypt.  So far, she's created a headpiece, breastplate and cuff

and paintings of a mummy and of an Egyptian princess with hieroglyphics.  

She loves it!  

Funnily enough, this is also the week of much (more) upheaval in modern Egypt.  First, she spotted a very confusing photo on the cover of the New York Times.

"This is Egypt?  Do they have any kids?"

And then yesterday, the new Economist arrived.

It begins

The movers arrived with our container this morning, and our life in Pittsburgh officially begins.  They were so fast and professional about it that six guys unloaded the entire container and were gone again before 2pm.  The process was far less painful than we expected, and the house is actually bigger than it seemed.  We're going to take it easy unpacking everything, focusing on the essentials first (kitchen, playroom and bedrooms) and slowly conquering each space from there.  And it's a good thing we had planned to take it slow...  Hubby started a horrible cough last night, and now he's got himself a fever too.  Poor man.  Welcome to our new home.

The girls are sharing a room that looked quite small until we actually put their beds, dresser and a shelving unit in there and saw a lot of floor space left over.  Now we just have to get them accustomed to falling asleep in the same room.  That has been wildly unsuccessful in the past, but we're determined to stick it out this time.  At least we have the whole summer holiday for them to adjust before it disturbs school night sleep.  

Our bedroom is quite small too, but we thought we'd have to squeeze our tummies in to fit past the bed to the closet...not so.  Whew!  Now, if only we could find where the Perth packers put the screws for the dresser...

There is a third, quite huge bedroom that is meant to be the master bedroom.  It seemed a waste of space for the biggest room to be for sleeping only, so we set it up as a guest room/studio for my sewing, knitting and computer work.  It already looks like a lovely space, and I'm excited we chose to set it up that way.

Tonight, I'm on kitchen patrol.  I am determined to have that room ready to go tomorrow morning.  There were sooooo many kitchen boxes.  It was painful, I admit.  Not one thing broke, but that seems expected when each individual glass was wrapped in 3-4 pieces of packing paper, such that 3 packing boxes were needed to contain them.  Sheesh.  I thought I'd never get them all unwrapped, but I did!  Now I have to put them away in a kitchen about half the size of my last kitchen....but I can do that too (somehow).

Our last house was so huge that of course we knew we had too much stuff, but there was ample space to put it all so we let it go.  In this house, there is no such problem.  The house is a (big) downsize.  We need to be selective about what we keep.  I am thankful for it, truth be told.  We rent the smallest house on this street, and I feel it is the perfect size for our family of four, plus room for guests.  That huge house we had before was certainly spacious, but it never felt like a home to me.  It was just too big.  I'm hoping we can make ourselves a lovely home in this house.  And the downsize will make it easier the next time we're looking for a home.  

For now, though, it's back to work for me.  The kitchen is calling. 

We made it

Our flight was scheduled to bring us back to Pittsburgh tomorrow by 2pm.  Departure from Gulfport would be 9am, so we were up and ready to go by 7.  We marvelled at the girls' quick understanding of travel mornings, how they don't dawdle or fuss or delay at all and just get on with it quite happily.  We appreciated what great travellers they are.  We had no idea.

All day Saturday, it had rained, sometimes hard and sometimes not, but lots and lots of rain.  Sunday was the same, but the rain came in storm cells of seriously heavy downpours.  Dangerous storm cells, it turns out.  Our flight was first delayed until 10:25, then 11:25, then 12:23...and then cancelled.  I spent nearly an hour on the phone with customer service, and we were finally rebooked onto USAirways, getting into Pittsburgh at 9:30pm and to the apartment after 10pm.

Through it all, the girls were truly amazing.  We are blessed with such incredible children!  They didn't whine or fuss or meltdown (as most adults might have, let's be honest).  They did so beautifully well.  We felt so very proud (and in awe).  When boredom started setting in at around noon, I drew a face on the bottom of a paper bag and used the bag as a puppet, which Stephanie completely fell in love with straight off.  We brought the bag puppet with us.  When it was his turn, Markus decided the puppet spoke German, and we have found a golden new way to practice with the girls.  Neither could resist talking to it, but Stephanie especially was enraptured.  That wrinkled old lunch bag came alive for her.  She stroked it while she talked to it tenderly.  She dressed it in her cardigan when the air conditioning was a bit too much.  I'm pretty sure she talked to that puppet the entire flight from Charlotte to Pittsburgh (hours past her bedtime).  I tried to take a picture with my phone, but the inside of the plane was too dark to capture the moment.  Markus and I couldn't help but think how easily we'd been tempted to just go buy an iPad "so they'd have something to do", and how so very incredible are children's imaginations if you just let them run free instead.  Wow.

Ellie was also a champ, but there was no surprise there.  She is such a seasoned traveler.  Now that she reads, she cannot be stopped.  She had brought several chapter books with her, and she had those out.  One of her new favourite activities is copying her books out, word for word, into her journal.  She did that on one flight for over an hour.  But the best Ellie story from yesterday?  As we waited in Gulfport for our USAirways departure, she spent most of the time reading over the shoulder of a young guy's Sport Fishing magazine.  He let her do that for ages.  When he finally put the magazine down, she asked me to find out if she could have it.  He wasn't done with it, but he let her borrow if for the flight to Charlotte.  She read it avidly with an intent expression while he snoozed in the row behind us.  We were so tickled.  When we asked her what she liked about the magazine, she simply shrugged and said she liked sharks and it had sharks.  Well, ok then.

Look who can crochet!

We are in Ocean Springs, visiting Grandmary.  The girls managed to con Grandmary into crocheting them new baby doll purses, as it is so cruel and wrong that theirs are in the container and we haven't seen them in over two months.  Watching her work, Ellie decided she wanted to crochet too.  Mary taught her the chain stitch, and away she went!

\

She is so proud!



Now she's on a roll.  This morning, she set to work making the longest chain you can imagine a six year old child wanting to make.  The chain is a scarf, a clothesline, a giftwrapping ribbon and about four dozen other useful items all in one.  I'm not sure exactly what was going on in this picture here, but I think they were on safari, trying to capture something.



Who knew crochet could be so good?

Look who is 4!

Our darling Stephanie is four years old today!

We celebrated in advance on Saturday morning at the river with her favourite friends, Callum and Frances and their older siblings Zoe and Lydia. Stephanie continues to be wild and wonderful in our family and extremely shy and reserved around others. Even the two families we invited seemed to overwhelm her, and she spent much of the morning at home trying to convince us that she didn't want a party after all. Luckily, these friends and their moms understand her well and the party time itself was very low-key and simple. Everyone had a great time!

One of the best parts of birthdays in our house is the abundance of CAKE. For her birthday party, Stephanie wanted lemon cake (which was recently enjoyed at a friend's party, thus the desire) with lemon glaze. Huge hit! But the party being separate from the birthday day means that more cake will be enjoyed very soon.

Instead of party bags full of junk and candy, we gave the kids beautiful pinwheels. Markus organised a treasure hunt to find them. The kids had to use clues to find 4 envelopes. Inside each envelope was a puzzle piece of a picture Markus had printed out of the back of my car (where the pinwheels were hidden). The kids loved it!

The pinwheels spin so quickly in the wind that Stephanie said we don't need an air-conditioner anymore because she can make air-conditioning for us. She called the pinwheels "air-conditioners" for the rest of the day. Now, she's absorbed that this is not the right name, so she calls them "nice sticks," as in, "Mama, where is my nice stick?"

Callum gave Stephanie a pink cat swim cap, which she absolutely loves. The look is hilarious.

This morning, we celebrated in our family's traditional way: decorations and presents waiting at the table, coffee cake so the birthday song and candles can be enjoyed first thing.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! We are so blessed and lucky (and thankful!) to have you in our family!

An Ellie health update

Our sweet Ellie has had a nighttime cough for nearly 3 months now. She seems fine during the day, shows no other symptoms, but she has an awful cough at night, both at bedtime when she's dropping off and not infrequently during her sleep as well. It's been a real worry for me. Although I know she's all right, her cough will wake me too and I lay in bed, listening and concerned. We tried everything we could think of: Vicks, a humidifier, elevating her pillow, more frequent intensive cleaning in her room for dust... The GP just loves antibiotics and put her on course after course for nearly a month until I finally put a stop to it. Weeks passed without treatment, and she didn't get worse...or better. Internet research pointed again and again to asthma, but the doctor wouldn't hear of it. Finally, I took her to a GP friend of a friend who is not so antibiotic-crazed and more open to listening. She admitted asthma was a possibility but said it was very hard to diagnose in children because the test are very effort-dependent. She felt that it was sinusitis and Ellie needed a steroid nasal spray to open her eustacian tubes. That didn't help either. While I was away, the cough got a lot worse and the original GP diagnosed bronchitis and more antibiotics and ran blood tests. The friend GP gave us a referral back to the ENT who saw Ellie for ear infections over a year ago, and he saw us this week.

He sat us down, asked about why we were there, and without a moment's pause, he declared it asthma. He said anyone who says postnasal drip causes a cough for several weeks was out of date and misinformed, especially when it doesn't respond to any of the treatments the GP had prescribed. He declared it was asthma brought on by allergies. Then, he paused long enough to look at the blood test results the GP had forwarded (we hadn't seen them yet) and smacked his knees in confirmation. Asthma from allergies to dust mites, grasses and cats. He said cases like hers were most often brought on by genetic predisposition to allergy and it's not necessarily the case that exposure to the allergens triggered the response. He said the asthma was always something that was going to happen, whether she was 1 or 90, so we could just be happy it didn't come on earlier. He also said that's where his advice ended, because he referred us to a paediatric respiratory specialist, who will see us next week.

Hello there!

Did you know I went to New Orleans last week? I haven't blogged about it here, but it's on my public blog. Being back here again, I can hardly believe it happened. On February 10, I flew from Perth to Gulfport, Mississippi. Qantas has a direct route to Dallas now, which cut a few hours off each way. Even so, my total trip was close to 60 hours round-trip, door-to-door, in 10 days. Crazy? Definitely. Worth it? Absolutely!

I am a happy member of the Krewe of Muses in New Orleans, a group that might just be the best Mardi Gras krewe ever (not that I'm biased). I rode in the parade back in 2007 and had an amazing time. Since then, Muses has become so popular and overwhelmed that they have had to close membership, making my part in it feel even more exclusive and prized. There are so many members that they aren't sure when/if everyone will get a chance to ride. As much as I've missed the wonderful women I ride with (my float sticks together every year and they've included me in all their goings-on over time), I was starting to get nervous that Muses would realise that I never ride and perhaps someone else deserves my spot. Off I went!

I'm so happy I did! This year's ride was absolutely incredible. The crowds were insane! The enthusiasm was over-the-top! And the women I ride with are just plain fun. They are thoughtful, good people who know how to have a great time. I'm so lucky I landed on that float in my first year. Just being in New Orleans again made my heart glad. I couldn't stop smiling as I drove the familiar streets, stopped in familiar places and visited with old friends. The time in Mississippi was great, too. I needed to check in on our house. I wanted to visit with Grandmary. I took the opportunity to catch up with a few old friends. The trip was fantastic!

Being back here again seems very strange. I just had such an incredible experience, but it is so foreign to everyone here. They have no idea what I'm talking about when I try to answer their polite questions about my trip. Being there felt so right on so many levels that being here almost feels wrong. It's like I left "home" to come back to my family, but my family is all that is "home" about here. After over three years in a place (a significant length of time with my nomadic track record), that's a surprising feeling.

42

Okay, galaxy hitchhikers, what is the answer to life, the universe and everything?

42!

Starting off with our traditional Geburtstagbrezel and presents, then out to test-drive Mini Coopers (because why not?), a stop in at a jewelry store to admire fancy stones (again, just looking so why not?), yummy lunch out, and...a date out on the Leeuwin tall ship while the girls have a play at a friend's house. What a fantastic way to spend the day!

Happy Birthday, Markus! We love you!

It's hard being 3

Our house was due for inspection today. In Australia, the rental company inspects the property every 12 weeks, assuring the owner there is no damage (and often checking up on the tenants' housekeeping skills as a side effect). I've been cleaning all morning, and the girls were happily engaged in one of their favorite past-times, dancing. After a while, they asked and I readily agreed to put on the DVD of Ellie's ballet recital so they could dance along. It bought me such good uninterrupted cleaning time that I broke my own rule and put on a second dance DVD afterwards. That didn't work out so well.

On my pass through the living room, I could see they were both sitting and watching rather than dancing. Watching is almost always bad news. Inevitably, they get tired and grumpy and begin to squabble. It wasn't long before Ellie came to tattle on Stephanie for hitting. When I tried to have a talk with her, she bit me...HARD (yes, she broke the skin, through my shorts!). I couldn't believe it. I tossed her into her room for time out, and she spit in my face when it was time to come out. Repeatedly. This is not the Stephanie we know at all.

And then I remembered: she's 3. I've been cleaning and busy all morning, putting her needs (and whims) on the back burner. No, I can't keep doing your costume changes, sweetie. Okay, one last hairstyle change but that's it! Stephanie, I'm cleaning! It was a bit too much. Understandably.

Priority reminder!

The house inspection is important, sure, but these are my children. It was time to decide the house was "clean enough". Let the inspection chips fall where they may. I pulled her into my lap for a long, soft cuddle and felt her little body completely relax. Then, I read her a story and then another. And she wrapped her little arms around my neck, gave me a huge squeeze and apologized from the bottom of her sweet little heart for biting me and spitting. Balance is restored. Everyone is happy and relaxed again.

And you know what? The inspection went just fine.

His little shopping companion

In our current home, the grocery store is just across the road. When we need something simple and quick (out of milk?), one of us will zip over and pick up said item. Stephanie usually wants to come along. When she goes with Markus, she perches on his shoulders (usually in her pjs and without shoes).

Surf girls

Markus has been home with us for the time spanning Christmas to New Year's, and we've all been enjoyed a brilliant family vacation at home. Every afternoon when the sun relents just a bit, we head to the beach for fun in the surf. By mid-afternoon, the Fremantle Doctor blows in and churns the sea into some fun waves at the shoreline. This week, it seems the girls have lost all fear (as long as they are clinging to Papa) and love jumping the waves, no matter how big and how strong, laughing hysterically all the while.

Afterwards, they munch sandwiches in the sand and Papa enjoys a swim like the happy fish he is.

Sometimes, they get a wee bit worn out by the adventure...

Stephanie curled up on the bathroom floor before showering off the sand. Sweetie was in bed asleep by 6:30pm.

Good times!

Today was a public holiday here in Australia, a bonus day off since New Year's was on a Sunday. Markus goes back to work tomorrow (sigh). We've been so happy enjoying such good family time together over the past week and a half. At some point today, the girls realized he had to go back to work, which drew out a disappointed "Awwww!" Despair quickly returned to joy when they remembered they didn't have to go back to school.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

We've made some resolutions/plans that excite us, and we're looking forward to a fantastic 2012! Wishing you and yours a wonderful, healthy year to come!

Our family's holiday traditions and reflections on 2011

As our family grows and changes together, we find our holiday traditions evolving as well.

This year, I added the tradition of new summer solstice pajamas to mark the longest day. I hope to have an annual tradition of new season pjs on summer and winter solstice each year (and a fun bonfire for winter solstice). The girls loved this first go!

We're still working out present opening for Christmas. Markus's family opens all presents on Christmas Eve; mine does one on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning. This year, we made a hybrid version and opened all on Christmas Eve but eagerly awaited one present each from Santa on Christmas morning.

Today is the last day of 2011. We have a nicely established New Year's Day tradition of enjoying Neujahrsbrezel for breakfast in the morning, but we haven't been marking the last day of the year. Spurred on by some reflection questions I found on a blog, I mentioned the idea of sitting together and talking about the year together. Ellie hopped on board with gusto, mentioning it again before breakfast and again before lunch. For instant gratification, I downloaded the pdf of the questions I found and we sat and answered them together as a family. It was a lovely exercise, one I hope to carry forward in years to come.

What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

M: My mom moving to her house in Hannover

J: Spending time with both grandparents on my last US visit

E: New Zealand because I like the long plane ride and I like the museum

What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

M: Maintaining good work morale

J: The international moving limbo began

E: Trying to catch Figaro with Papa

(Figaro is our canary. We often let him out to fly around the house, but he doesn't care for being recaptured each time.)

What was an unexpected joy this past year?

M: Being able to go on so many vacations (Albany, New Zealand, Bali, Rottnest, Bali)

J: Watching Ellie thrive in Middle Primary and her reading take off like a rocket

E: I wasn't expecting to go to my art class because I didn't know because you didn't tell me.

(and she really liked that art class)

What was an unexpected obstacle?

M: Not being able to participate in the October job round.

J: Ditto.

E: When I couldn't really ride the pushbike yet, I could go straight and around the curves but I tried to ride around the table and I couldn't.

Pick three words to describe 2011.

M: Exhausting. Brilliant family.

J: Full. Challenging. Changes!

E: Middle Primary. Reading. (Mama gave these words as samples and she wanted to use them)

Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2011 (don't ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).

M: Stressed, stressed, stressed.

J: Knitting, yoga, scooter. (joking!)

Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2011 (again, without asking).

M: Thankful. Fun times.

J: Stressed. Holiday. Stressed.

What were the best books you read this year?

M: The Life of Pi. I Heard The Owl Call My Name. (rereads)

J: Buddhism for Mothers series. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

E: Hush, Little One. Disney Princess books. Poems. (these were sitting next to her chair when we answered questions today. Her big favorites not mentioned have been the Charlie and Lola books, Conni books in German, the Lost and Found picture books and the Rainbow Fairies series.)

S: Lost and Found books. Edward the Emu. Room on the Broom.

What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

M: Work strain aged me by more than a year.

J: Stephanie started school and I had time alone during the day for the first time in more than six years (it was a harder adjustment than I thought it would be).

E: I went to Middle Primary and started reading.

In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

M: Learning not to let others upset me.

J: Reading about Buddhist practices helped me to be more even, less reactive.

In what way(s) did you grow physically?

M: Midline expansion.

J: More frequent yoga was fantastic.

E: I can do handstands and cartwheels. I lost six baby teeth!

In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?

M: Letting my sister deal with certain things in her own way rather than trying to dictate

J: Spending time with my grandparents felt invaluable. I know I need to give the more, at least in terms of communication.

What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

M: I repaired the Bose dock. (man, did he love repairing the Bose dock)

J: The time I get with my family. Even when my stay-at-home status is trying, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

What was the best way you used your time this past year?

M: Morning sports, motorcycling to work, glorious weekends with my family.

J: More yoga. More reading about Buddhist applications to my life. Taking baby steps towards better balance for self. Having time during the week for errands and home jobs allowed me to relax and enjoy each weekend with family like a mini-holiday.

What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?

M: How to repair the Bose dock.

J: In terms of a skill, I learned basic piano and introductory music reading.

Questions we made up for 2012:

What do you most look forward to for 2012?

M: A new job. Seeing more extended family and friends again.

J: Seeing more extended family and friends again because we'll be closer (heck, almost anywhere will be closer!)

What would you want to do differently?

M: New job. Eat less sugar.

J: Talk less, listen more. Concentrate on what I want to build in my relationships with my children.

What would you like to do more of?

M: Teach my children more.

J: More date time with Markus when we're both awake. More exercise. More deliberate, healthy eating.

What would you like to learn?

M: Improve my sailing and motorcycle skills.

J: I'd like to read more non-fiction books, acquiring new information in that way.

Christmas in the sun

What do you do after opening presents, enjoying a special breakfast, and talking with family on Christmas morning? If you live in Perth, Australia, and want to maximize an absolutely perfect summer morning, you do this:

Afterwards, enjoy a (not really) traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich as you dry off in the sunshine.

Merry Christmas!