Merry Christmas!

love, Myles, Christie, Robyn, Carly, and Macy :)

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

 My mom's favorite Christmas song is Silent Night because it was her mom's favorite Christmas song.  We always sang it every Christmas Eve, sometimes accompanied by a music box.  Her grandpa who was from Germany might've been smiling down on his great-grandkids when he heard this one:



Merry Christmas!

May you have a wonderful Christmas weekend and enjoy the peace of our Savior.

The Gift of Glitter

When I took Carly shopping for arts and crafts supplies for her B-day, even she would not allow me to buy the glitter she wanted.  It came in a little container and cost about $11!

She wanted it to make some of her Christmas presents.  Myles looked at some stores, but couldn't find any.  He asked about it at work, and they didn't even know the name for it, so it seemed like a specialty item.

I had just about given up (and run out of time) when I went into our little local store that sells newspapers and school supplies.  I couldn't find any glitter, but spotted a card decorated with some, so I took it up to the cashier and asked if they had any for my daughter who wanted to make some Christmas crafts.

No, None.

But, then, she disappeared into the back room and came back with a tub full of what appeared to be her own personal supplies--glue, scissors, and one jar of red glitter.  This quantity was much greater than the amount we'd seen at the other store, so I was worried about how much she'd want to charge me.

To my amazement, she placed it on the counter and said, "For you, a Christmas gift."

even the garbage cans are cute in Germany...

at least at the Christmas Markets!
Here, they have outside Christmas markets with food, rides and crafts that run for the whole month before Christmas.  It's not as cold as what we're used to, which is nice, but it has been rainy.

my first gift of Christmas

You know how in the Polar Express the boy gets the first gift of Christmas, and he asks for a bell from Santa's sleigh that turns out to be something magical for those who still believe?

This is the story of my first gift of Christmas, which I didn't even have to ask for.

A little over a year ago, my mom bought 3 matching dresses for our girls to wear for my cousin's wedding. It was so fun for the wedding, and extra nice that they could wear them throughout the Christmas season, too.

My mom was surprised at being able to even find 3 matching dresses from Macy's size all the way up through Robyn's. I was surprised she found ones that were in the same "family" of material and make of a dress that Robyn had previously worn and loved.

When it came time to pack for Germany, I realized that all 3 girls had outgrown their dresses. This meant, Macy's had to be given away, and she could wear Carly's.  Carly now had 2 dresses her size--Robyn's from the wedding and Robyn's previous dress with the fur collar.  We could only take one, and she chose the little bit different one.

I can't even count how many stores we went to trying to find a dress for Robyn.  Nothing was in her size or remotely modest.

It turns out that one of my best friends from our previous neighborhood has a sister who lives here (and is just as wonderful). She had a friend who gave her a bag of girls' clothes, which she passed on to us.

In the bag, we found lots of clothes just right for our girls, including the exact same dress that my mom bought for Robyn for my cousin's wedding last year. The only difference? It was one size bigger.

The brand?  Rare Edition.

Here, Advents is really big.  We had it in time to wear to church on the first Advents Sunday, and all through the holiday season.

Although this matching dress was nothing of a necessity, it sure was magical!

Carly's B-day

Carly's B-day menu:
Breakfast:  French toast with applesauce and speise quark (kind of between sour cream and yogurt) with pears
Lunch:  fresh, hot pretzels and yogurt
Dinner:  baked potatoes with ham and cheese

She and her friends busy at work on their stomp rockets.

They were right at the right age to work together and have fun!

The wind was so strong that two of the rockets flew onto the roof!

Carly was excited to have "American" brownies instead of cake.

Macy made a nice homemade card.  Robyn was cute about "sneaking" a little giraffe Carly wanted from a store when she wasn't looking.  She also got a watch, something she's been wanting for a long time.

Gram was nice and shipped her a game she had at home, but we didn't bring with us.

Our Eight-Year-Old Christmas Gift that keeps on Giving

 

We knew we were having a girl. We knew she'd be Carly. Noel ended up being the surprise. She continues to surprise us with her thoughtfulness and creativeness every day.

A couple weeks ago, she woke up, exclaiming, "Mom! I dreamt all night about Christmas gifts!"
"Really?" I asked. "What are you excited about this year?"
"Oh, not for me, Mom. I dreamt all about what I could make for everyone."

For her B-day, I took her to a fun crafts store downtown to buy her supplies.

She put a note on her door, "Knock first," so no one would see their surprises, and has been busy ever since.

 

At school, she was given a part of a poem to memorize for her class Christmas Program/Party. She worked really hard and memorized it. I was impressed!

Then, we found out that our Visa renewal appointment downtown was an hour before her program time. Myles called to try to change it, and the lady pretty much laughed at him.  I really didn't want her to miss it, but there wasn't much I could do.

So, I prayed.

I expected my prayer to be answered with an extra speedy Visa renewal for 5 people.  When we had to wait, and then the fingerprinting machine was broken, and then we missed train after train, my stomachache worsened.

We still raced from the train in the rain to the school.  Carly's teacher met us at the door and told me something I couldn't understand.  I figured she was telling us it was all over.

What I didn't realize was that Carly's teacher had reversed the order of everything to give us the greatest possible chance of making it in time for Carly to do her part.  They also saved us seats right in the front.  This seemed to surpass all cultural norms.  And, so, Carly's teacher, along with all of her friends and their parents, gave us a gift we couldn't hold, but could always take with us.

I guess I have heard that time is only something that ties down man, not God.

in tune

May 1998:

While studying abroad in Spain, a 21-year-old girl from Chicago exchanges love letters (real letters) with the man of her dreams in Oregon who even sends her a cassette tape of himself playing his guitar and singing for her.

A German couple sings in choirs together. The husband gives his last choir/guitar concert before being diagnosed with a tumor.

Dec. 18, 1999:

The young couple marries. The groom sweeps his bride off her feet, playing his guitar and singing for her. Everyone thinks they're perfect for each other...and crazy for getting married one week before Christmas. They do not care. Finals are over. Their pictures are beautiful with snow on the ground.


Dec. 2011

The not-so-young-anymore couple with 3 children is now living in Germany and thinks maybe they really were crazy for getting married at such a busy time of year. They miss the guitar they left in The States and plan on looking for one as soon as they get a chance, maybe for Christmas.

Then, they meet a German couple. The woman pushes her husband in a wheelchair. He can understand everything people say, but cannot speak. The wife discovers that the younger man with the funny accent can play the guitar (probably better than he can speak German), but has left his in a faraway land.

Dec. 18, 2011

After a busy day, the couple laughs about not buying each other gifts. But then, he pulls out his "new" guitar. This time, it is raining outside, and no one else is watching, but the picture is so beautiful.

 

bikes

One of the things the girls were most excited about when we moved was getting bikes.

They had to be patient since our first apartment, downtown, was not bike friendly, at least for kids.

Friends helped us find/fix the perfect bike for each of us.

Now, we live where there are lots of great paths, and our landlord even put in a rack for 5 bikes for us!

from a friend's nice camera

a smile across the miles

I thought this pic. was really sweet of Myles' Grandma talking on the phone to us. Thanks, Aunt Elona, for sharing. It's so weird to think that even when I started college, calling home long distance was a special treat!

a bit of Brazil in Germany

One day while waiting at the bus stop on our way to church, a man asked us, "Do you speak English?" It turns out that not only was he from Brazil, but had even lived in one of the same neighborhoods where Myles served his mission.

They didn't know each other then. But, since then, he has joined the same church as us and came to Germany for a training for work. The funny thing is Myles couldn't speak Portuguese with him. They both decided maybe it was because we were supposed to help him learn German. (His company would like to move him and his family here in a couple years). He has gone back to Brazil, and we have since met another man from Brazil who has been living in Spain. We can talk to him in Spanish or Portuguese, and are trying to help him learn German, too. It has been so fun to feel at home with these Brazilians while living in Deutschland!

In the pic. is some of Myles' favorite Brazilian candy.

Die Schule

In General, the school system is very different here. Kindergarten is not part of the public school system, and is non-academic. What they call kindergarten, we'd think of as day care, and then preschool. It starts in some places with babies as young as 6 wks. old and goes until the parents decide their children are ready for first grade, which they can begin at age 5, 6, or 7. (This makes for a wide range developmentally in one grade, especially around jr. high age). The youngest kids at Macy's kindergarten are 2. She enjoys playing with them and helping them.

This has been a perfect set-up for Macy who can still learn the language through dramatic play, etc, giving her one more year to read/write at home in English before learning it in German. (She'll start first grade next fall at age 6). She also gets to be in a German class for non-native German speakers during the first hour of kindergarten. Her vocabulary is already surpassing ours! Her teachers can't believe how much she can speak and understand already.

Then, the kids go to Grundschule (Elementary school) from 1st-4th grade. They keep the same kids together in the same class each year, so they really get to know each other well. Some people say that when 1st grade begins, childhood ends. It really is a drastic contrast from all play to all school.

The kids have a different schedule everyday. It kind of drives me nuts, but gives me a bit of one-on-one time with each one. The school day is a few hours shorter for a first grader here compared to The States. They are expected to do more work at home. Every year a child goes to school, their school day gets longer.

By the end of 4th grade, the academic path of a child is pretty much determined. Starting in 5th grade, based on test scores, they will enter gymnasium, a pre-req. for college, or a haupschule or realschule, which are more hands-on vocational tracks. I think beginning next year, parents will be able to choose if they want their kids to try the gymnasium track. (Previously, it was more limited because college was paid for by the gov.).

In some ways, school is a lot stricter here. In other ways, it's much more relaxed.

For example, children may not ride bicycles to school without passing a test and earning a bike license in third grade, but they are allowed to run around on stilts during recess, and one teacher brings her dog to school with her every day. They must be on time (five minutes early), but are allowed into their classrooms before their teachers show up. When the teacher arrives, she always greets the children with, "guten Morgen liebe Kinder," and they stand and answer with, "guten Morgen Frau..."

When the weather's nice, the teacher may choose to walk her class to a local park at anytime to play or to read. Carly said you don't have to be quiet in the hallways.

One day, Robyn came home early. She said one of her teachers didn't show up, so class was cancelled. Once in awhile teachers will cover for each other if they can, but there are no outside substitutes. When Carly's teacher was sick, the PE teacher covered for her the first day, and a fellow student's mother (with her 2 year-old brother) covered for her the next few days.

There are no desks, only tables. Children carry and take care of all their own books, folders, and supplies (markers, glue, scissors, etc.) This requires a special backpack all the kids have (another post for that).

Kids bring "Frustuck," which means breakfast, but is also like a snack. They usually eat this during recess. School gets out in time for kids to eat a late, warm lunch at home. This is the biggest meal of the day. I still haven't quite figured this out yet, because I'd like to cook this when Myles is home, not at work. Not having to take time out for a lunch hour at school means kids get to be home earlier.

Sport (PE) is important here. It's held at least 3 times a week, and the kids get to try all sorts of things like swinging on ropes, gymnastics, field hockey, etc. This is Carly's favorite so far. All the kids must change into their Sport clothes/shoes, even in kindergarten. Up to age 6, they all change in one room together. After that, all the girls change together in one room and boys in another. (This public changing was something new for the girls to get used to). Especially in kindergarten, the kids may just wear their undershirts/underwear for Sport. In Carly's class, one girl just wears her tights and undershirt.

Starting in elementary school, classes get to take turns going to a swimming pool for Sport, then later also ice skating, rock climbing, etc.

The Flute (recorder) is big here. Carly has started playing. They also have orchestra. It's funny to watch such little kids carrying such big instruments, along with their crazy-big backpacks.

Macy brings a snack to kindergarten, which she eats on real dishes. They guys at Myles' work who bring their lunch do this, as well as the teachers, etc. Even at community, church, or school-wide events, everyone eats on real dishes.

For roll call, one of the kindergarten groups stands on their chairs in a circle. When the teacher calls their name, they hop down and sit down.

In the States, my kids got in trouble if they did their work in pen. Here, they must use a fountain pen. They learn cursive with a fountain pen in first grade. So Carly is catching up on her own time with cursive and learning German at the same time.

Although homework is tiring at times, overall, school has been a positive experience. The kids have met nice friends with nice parents. They are keeping up so far, which really is amazing. Now that it's Christmas time, they're having fun crafts, field trips, and singing. They also have friendly, patient teachers.

On Second Thought...

maybe I really am crazy...or just confused.

After doing more research since my last post, I discovered that Hashimotos causes under thyroid function (not high) and supposedly doesn't have symptoms.

Mmmm.

So, now I'm more confused than before. Oh, well. I'm just trusting the doc. on this one, and we'll see again in 3 more months...

danke schön

For a variety of reasons, we're not "doing" Thanksgiving dinner this year (probably next year), but just because we don't have the same food or family nearby, doesn't mean we don't have A LOT to be thankful for!

I love danke schön because it means "thank you, beautifully." (I guess the closest thing in English would be "thanks a lot.")

We have been so blessed with people on both sides of the world who have helped make our move not just doable, but wonderful. Many people have asked, "Why Germany?" We weren't sure all the reasons for the place, but once we felt it was right, we believed everything would work out. From selling our house there in a month to finding a perfect place for our family here, everything has continued to fall into place at exactly the right time.

One hope for me was to find a doc. who could figure out my thyroid. As many of you know, I've been struggling with a crazy thyroid that nobody could seem to figure out for over 5 years now. When I saw a doc. here last week, he was nice but short on time, and we had a bit of trouble communicating, even in English. I didn't have very high expectations of learning anything new.

When I came back a few days later to pick up my lab results and prescription, I was surprised to be told I would need to speak to the doc. before getting my prescription. I was more surprised to see the word "Carconim" that seemed to have a familiar ring to it. (Unfortunately, my pocket-sized dictionary was not much help in this department).

Luckily, I did not have cancer, and my thyroid levels were fine, but I had a new diagnosis--Hashimoto-Thyroditis. After having quite a long stretch of stable thyroid levels, I was discouraged to have to adjust to not only a new brand of medicine, but also an additional type of medicine, as well.

Now, two days later, it has occurred to me that maybe, just maybe this was the answer I've been looking for! ( That Bette Midler song came to me with the lines, "Sometimes the snow comes down in June, sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon...sometimes the very thing you're looking for is the one thing you can see.")

When I was first tested for Hashimotos years ago, it came up negative. Since then, I have been high and low, but there have been multiple times when I thought I was experiencing high thyroid symptoms only to be told my levels were just fine. I was sent to a heart specialist (for panic attacks) and then to a psychologist who wanted to put me on anti-depressants that would make me tired. I was so frustrated and kept thinking it had to be related somehow to my thyroid.

So, even though my thyroid levels that they check routinely are normal, maybe because I'm a new patient here, the doc. did a complete blood work and discovered that my thyroid antibodies were through the roof--a positive diagnosis for Hashimotos. These high levels can cause high-thyroid-feeling symptoms. Yeah, I'm really not crazy, afterall!

Some people online have said the medicine for this helps. Others say not. So, hopefully, it'll work for me. At least I know what it is now.

If this was the only reason we needed to move to Germany, it was worth it. Fortunately, for us we have already seen many other reasons, too! To this, I say, "danke schön!"

Just a few other things I'm thankful for:

e-mail, blogs, and video chat to keep in touch with friends and family

being members of Christ's Church on the earth today

happy, healthy kids who are willing to try their best

Myles' daily homecoming

friendly neighbors

my 5 senses

prayer

mail

German Holiday

This was a beautiful hike on a day off to celebrate the Wall coming down. We were told to wear jeans and long-sleeved shirts to prevent tick bites, but were sure hot! (Myles actually got a tick bite on a different day, and I was worried about possible Lyme disease, but luckily he's fine).

We enjoyed hiking with friends, seeing lots of vineyards, trying freshly-pressed grape juice, and visiting a market. The drive and views were incredible.

Thinking we'd help ourselves be a little more cultured, we were sure to check out German Natl. Anthems on U-Tube so we could sing along when the time came. We were surprised the time never came. When Myles asked somebody about it, they said, "It's illegal to sing the first 2 verses of that song." Oops. Too bad those were the 2 we'd learned.

It's one thing to hear about history. It's sure another to live it. People our age have stories of their parents having to sneak across borders. It really wasn't that long ago. We're sure blessed in many, many ways.

Reunion

We were excited to have our good friends from The States who are living in Kenya meet us in Germany!

It was so fun to share about our lives in different countries. While our kids think it's normal to take the train downtown to see moving stuffed animals in storefront windows, theirs get to see the real thing on car rides through the safari.

We were blessed with good weather and breathtaking views of the castle with a fall-leaf backdrop. (Our camera definitely doesn't do it justice).

The girls loved speaking a mile a minute in English and staying up late.

My Little Frog and Toad

Some days I think, "Do I really have to wash the dishes, do the laundry, and pick up stuff all over again?!"

But then, I hear a few giggles erupting into uncontrollable laughter coming from the girls' room. I poke my head in to find Carly reading Frog and Toad to Macy (in German), and suddenly anothr plain old day has turned into pure magic.

What's your favorite one? We sure like the one where they can't stop eating the cookies and the one where one of them gets ice-cream for the other and it melts so much, he looks like a monster. I think the one where they rake leaves for each other is pretty sweet, too.

Quotable Quotes

Carly: Mom, when we go back to The States, I'm bringing a whole suitcase of German bread with me.

Macy: Mom, I know what I can be for Halloween. A bruised banana!

Meant to Meet

Have you ever met someone you felt like you already knew somehow? Like you're not starting a new friendship, but just picking up where you left off?

This is what happened in the basement of our first downtown apartment where we did our laundry.

I simply opened a door for a mom with 2 little boys in a stroller. At this point, I was still pretty terrified about trying to make/understand small talk with anyone, so when we realized that neither of us could speak German, we found that English was what we had in common, just for starters. (Her first language is Czech, then Russian and English, then French).

(By the way, Macy says you don't have to speak the same language to be friends. Even though the mom knows English, the boys don't. So, our kids were friends for a few months before having German in common. How true. They would laugh and play without having to say much).

It turns out that our husbands work in the same building, and that before landing here at the same time, we both tried moving to CA for work/study at Stanford.

Some may brush this off as mere coincidence. I see it as a gift. And, with every gift, there has to be a giver. In this case, a giver who knows every language and heart.

German Hokey Pokey

The first week of school, Carly's grade prepared a fun program for the new, incoming first graders. Instead of doing, "You shake it all about," you do, "Your heart goes boom, boom, boom."

It was fun seeing Carly up on a stage singing in German so soon after we got here. They impressed the parents by singing "School is Fun" in English. Definitely an easy one for Carly!

One of my fav. parts of this video is the mom's fun hair.

Our New Pet

Germany Is...

trustworthy

Morgens

Shutterblinds and guten Tags

Omas peddling

bicycle Baskets

through

farmers' Fields to

market Squares

loyal

tiled Rooftops, flower Boxes

black

red

and

yellow
waving

balcony's Pride

teenage Drinking

sharp Remains

scattered at bus benched
Train Stops

churchbelled Cobblestones

hosting

Cigarettes and

bakery-window
Gazing

Chocolate.

Yogurt.

Bretzels...

Cheese, bitte,

vielen Dank

the French,

the Czechs
the Polish
Greeks,

Italian Iced

Russians
eating

Turkish Doners

Milk in Boxes

Apfelmus, too

Sausage and Doorknobs
hidden Courtyards

iron Gates locked

barbed wire Fences standing

still.

flower Gardens

garden Gnomes

beer Gardens

belly Laughing

kinder Gartens

running Bikes

rainbow graffitied

tattoos,
lip-ringed
Mothers pushing
Kinderwagons

round fountained Statues'

kingly Castles

pink-haired Nodding

ice cream Licking
in sunny Rain

platz Places

newspaper Reading

walking Dogs,

yellow Post Carts and

Playmobil People

past

our new Home

First day of School

I love this shot of Robyn. She was so ready to go! She sets her alarm for 6:30 AM to be ready in time to ride on a bike path with other kids from the neighborhood to her "gymnasium."

It was so perfect that we moved here when we did because 5th grade is the beginning of this school, so it's new for all the other kids, too. (It goes all the way through Sr. yr. of our HS equivalent).

She has worked hard, been responsible for what she needs to do, and has complained very little, even though she could understand very little, especially at the beginning.

She has different classes, teachers, and schedules everyday. From kindergarten they start learning English. Although one might think English would be "easy cheesy lemon squeezy" for her, she has to know the German equivalent, so that class has been challenging, but good, too.

In 5th grade, they begin learning their 3rd language. She could choose either Latin or French, and chose Latin since she already had some Latin last year. (In 2 years, she'll take French, too). So, she takes Latin from a German-speaking Asian teacher!

English, art, and sport are her favorite classes so far. She has been blessed with nice kids at school and in the neighborhood to help her out.

Carly has been happy to go to school, too. She's pretty darn tired after listening to German all day by the time she gets home and is expected to do homework!

She has a different schedule every day, too. I'm grateful our one-on-one chances we get. In this school, the kids already learned cursive in first grade. So, when the teacher wrote words for her in English on the board, it was still like a foreign language for her! She is working hard to learn how to read and write all over again. She has also been blessed with nice friends and a patient teacher. Her favorite subject so far are English, sport and art, too!

Macy and I were surprised to see only scooters at Robyn's school. When I asked a mom, she explained that kids have to get their bike license in 3rd grade before they can ride bikes to school.

Macy is enjoying kindergarten and comes home speaking full sentences in German already. Her new best friend is a three-year-old boy. (They have mixed ages in the same group from 2-6). She loves the playhouse inside, sport in the gym, and playing outside. She likes taking kiwis for her snack so she can eat it with a "cute little spoon" like the other kids. Her teachers are very professional and caring.

Our First Visitors!

We were so excited when we heard our great friends and old neighbors, Katie and Andy, would be coming through Germany! Andy's mom is from here, and they got to take a trip with her to visit places from her childhood.

The girls talked their ears off the entire time. They were so excited to see friends, and be able to talk to them a mile a minute in English!

It was so fun to hear about their travels and get to show them our new neighborhood. These flowers lasted almost 2 weeks.

We had to take a picture with the dolls and T-shirt Katie helped make with another friend before we moved.

Our only sadness? That they couldn't stay longer! And, that we didn't get to see their kids, too.

Pinocchio's

Some great friends took us to a super fun indoor play place on one of our last days of summer vacation before school started.

I couldn't believe how tall this volcano was!

Robyn did a really cool ropes course for the first time.

Carly discovered a fun roller slide.

Macy was brave about going down this one.

On our road trip before moving out here, Myles read the chapter book Pinocchio to the girls, so it was extra fun to hang out with the characters.

Below: the girls with our fun friends!