ONE More Month

Wow!!  In one month we will be off.  No photos and not really much to write just marking off the day.  One more month... Until then we will be thoroughly enjoying summer in Seattle! Oh, and packing.  There is always packing to be done.

First Day of Summer

Today was the first official day of Summer vacation and it was a not too shabby.  We actually all slept in until 7AM and then had morning snuggles.
We ran some important upcoming birthday (Marty's) errands and then headed to our friend's house for the afternoon.  They recently moved to a lake front house and we thoroughly enjoyed all of their water toys and their company.

When Marty and I first met Jen and Markus  Jen and I were both pregnant with our second children.  Our due dates were one day apart and we ended up having Benjamin and Ellie within hours of each other.

We both vividly remember texting each other from our respective hospital beds when we were alone at night while our husbands were both back at home with our first borns - Josie and Mia.

We have so many cool things in common with this family that it would be take too long to list here.  We do not see each other nearly enough but when we do it is magic.

Thanks, Jen for an awesome first day of summer.
We ended the day with dinner on the deck while the beach towels dried in the sun... ahhh, SUMMER!!!

First and Last

Today was the last day of school. First grade and fourth grade at Fairmount Park Elementary is in the books!!  Both kids did an incredible job in all of their school subjects and achievement testing.  Smart, kind, beautiful kids.  I'm SO proud to be their mom.  

Photo below is from the first day of school this year.  Such growth in all areas!  

Field Day

Friday was Field Day at school.  Last year we flew to Germany for on Field Day so even though the kids enjoyed it (our flight took off after school)   I wasn't able to volunteer.   Both kids were shocked that I wasn't there helping out that day and told me they wished I had been there.  This never happens.  It always seems that they don't care whether I'm there or not so I took this to heart. This year, despite my LONG to do list I signed up to help out ALL day for Field Day.  Benjamin's class was in the morning from 8-10:15 and then Josie's was in the afternoon from 12-2.  I thought "oh, perfect!  I can squeeze in a quick swim and run an errand or two in between the two."

Well, that morning, Josie asks me if I'm coming to her class poetry slam from 10:30-11:30.  I explained that I was already volunteering ALL day with field day.  I swear, I can never win!  My desire to please and satisfy should probably be adjusted as it will never be possible.  I ended up going for 20

minutes of her poetry slam and was able to still get an extra quick swim in.  As much as I was kicking myself for signing up for the ENTIRE day when I have so much packing to do it was really fun to see the kids and their friends have so much fun!

Benjamin came to my station several times to say hello.  Josie only came once and it was super quick but another teacher did get a picture of us together.   We are REALLY going to miss this scho
ol. The boys in the background of the hula hooping picture hula hooped for one hour and 25 minutes!!  They were both just walking around like no big deal.  Nuts!!

Father's Day and Strawberries

Every year around Father's Day and/or Marty's birthday we head to our favorite U-pick berry farm in Carnation.  Harvold Berry Farm is a ma and pop type farm.  No bells and whistles just really SUPER yummy strawberries and raspberries.  The kids hate it.  It typically is one of the hottest days of the year when we go and they melt in the beating sun, but do love to stuff themselves with the warm, ripe berries straight off the plant.
This year, opening picking days for strawberries happened to fall on Father's Day.  Marty has no greater wish than to fill up on these tasty nuggets.  So, off to Carnation we went.  Because it was Father's Day the kids didn't complain as much as they typically would.  The fact that it was a cool, comfortable morning probably had something to do with it.
In under an hour we had picked 32 POUNDS of bright red, beautiful berries.  Who knows how many more pounds we stuffed down our mouths while picking.

We knew that Oma and Opa would love some strawberries so we headed to their house on the way home to hand deliver the berries and wish Oma and VERY happy 89th birthday (on June 21st) The kids had a great time playing Schafkopf (a German card game) with Oma and Opa.

The kids were great at helping me make strawberry pie.  They are actually becoming quite helpful in the kitchen these days.

I love that they like to cook and I need to try to care less about a perfect outcome and enjoy that they like to cook with me.
No Father's Day weekend would be complete without a trip to Home Depot.
Happy Father's Day, Marty.  I cannot imagine a better man to be a father to our kids.  The love is deep and unconditional!

Happiness

The other day we went to our favorite Chinese restaurant in the ID, Shanghai Garden, and this was in my fortune cookie.

I'm not at all second guessing our decision to go but lately I've been a bit more introspective and wondering how we will all do during our year away. It has been so easy to focus on everything that has to happen before we leave and now, maybe because I'm trying to procrastinate with the packing, I've been a bit less excited and a bit more anxious.  I know a big part of this is that we have not heard back from JFK about Benjamin being accepted.  Nor have we heard back from our second or third choice schools and I am now spending my non-packing time looking at different International School options in Berlin.  We may have to look farther afield.  I hope not but also know that we definitely want them to attend the same school and that neither of them would do well in the local, all German, public school.  For today, I'll focus on my fortune and choose HAPPINESS over anxiety!!

Friends and Family

Lately I've been getting emotional when I think of leaving friends and family.   Not so much for my sake but for the kids.  It isn't that I won't miss my loved ones terribly but I have gone weeks or months and sometimes even years without seeing some of my closest friends and sometimes even family members.  I know we are solid and will keep in touch and it will be just like it was before we left.  I have A LOT of history with most of them.

But I get sad when I think about Josie and Benjamin leaving their best friends.  They both have really incredible friendships with several different people that I know will be hard to replicate in Germany.  Josie and Elliott have been best friends and in the same classroom since Kindergarten.

They have such a cool, independent, honest friendship.  They are like sisters in the very best sense of the term.  I know they will keep in touch but it breaks my heart to know they will be separated for a whole year.
Benjamin also has a best friend, Callum.  They met in preschool and became fast friends.  He really doesn't have another friend quite like Callum and he loves to hang out with him.

After preschool they went their separate ways to elementary school but have kept in touch with play dates mostly on vacations or early release days.  Benjamin, will find friends in Germany but I hope we make it a priority to keep in touch with Callum and his other best buddy, Oliver, while we are away.  It will be harder with the boys because of their age and the fact that they are boys and their time together isn't filled with deep conversations or anything.

Marty and I will miss our parents a ton too.  Because of the radio job he plans to come back to Seattle a couple of times throughout the year so he will see his parents then and my parents are hoping to visit us in Berlin.  So hopefully it won't be a full year until we see them again.

Marty and I will miss our good friends too and hope many of them make their way to Berlin to visit us.   So many photos of friends but here are a few of my recent faves.  Marty has friends too but doesn't often take pictures of them 😉

School and Packing

Well, my "release all things to leave your hands open to receive" theory has not worked... yet.  No word yet on Benjamin being accepted to JFK but we did find out that the school does, in fact, send out rejection letters to students who have not been admitted.  Since we did not receive one of those letters for Benjamin we are trying to remain positive and think that this means there is still a good chance a spot will open up for him.  And, no word from our second choice school (Nelson Mandela - also free, public and bilingual) nor our third choice school (Berlin International - bilingual, IB program, private, costly but very very good)

Packing is at an all time high right now.  I've been sorting, packing, organizing and donating like a mad woman.  I've been stacking the packed boxes that are ready to go in storage in the basement on the fireplace hearth.  It is getting pretty full.  The front porch seems constantly full with donations even though I've been scheduling the donation pick-up truck once a week.  I really want to have the house 90% ready to go by the time the kids are done with school... which gives me precisely 6 days.  Actually more like 4.5 since I have other appointments and things going on next week and signed up to volunteer all day for their "field day"  It will all get done.  It will all get done.  It will all get done...

Release

The stress of getting the kids into school has been weighing on me.  After nearly a week of knowing Josie was accepted to JFK but still not hearing anything about Benjamin I wrote them an email this morning.  The reply was this:
"At this point, we have no spaces available for 2nd grade.  We are fully aware of the sibling relationship, however, if there is no space we are unable to admit even siblings.  You will be notified as soon as this changes and if we are able to offer you a spot for Benjamin"

Gut punch!  But then Marty reminded me that this is their school policy and basically the same thing that they told us about both kids just two weeks ago... but then Josie was accepted. He also reminded me that they didn't necessarily shut us down and our position is the same today as it was yesterday. They "are always full and when there is a space they will let us know" and there just isn't space...yet.

I have been praying and trying to do a lot of positive self talk! We really set up our entire trip and year around the kids getting into this particular school. I keep reminding myself that he is now the VERY top tier of priority for being accepted.  He moves up one notch from just having 2 American parents to also have a sibling that will be attending. Only an American diplomat's child entering the 2nd grade would be accepted before him.

I also reminded myself that even though we are 99.9% certain we are moving to Germany, I had not yet unenrolled our kids from their Seattle Public School.  I was hanging on to those spots for what?  Because it was scary and sad to give up a hard fought spot at an incredible school!  Because I love our school and didn't want it to be so final. Because what if Benjamin doesn't get accepted to JFK?  Then, what?  I would have him attend his local Seattle school, Fairmount Park? No, of course I wouldn't.  So after coming to grips with saying goodbye to a WONDERFUL school, I unenrolled both kids today.  I kind of figured I had to let go in order to receive.   And either way we will be fine.  We have weathered much tougher things and will probably face even tougher things in the future.   So, suck it up.  Things will be fine.  Right?

Paralyzed by the Packing

Packing has never been my strong suit and because of this  I have moved very little in my life by choice.  The last time I moved was when I moved into our current house when we got married 12 years ago.  The last time Marty moved was into our current house just a couple years before me.  When we first moved in our house was very big and relatively empty.  Fast forward 12+ years and two kids later and the house is so far from empty that it isn't funny.   In fact, it is quite full and not only full but full of stuff that we haven't even looked at or thought about in years.  Along with packing (and making lists) purging is also not one of my strengths.  No matter that I haven't used said thing in 3 years, what if I will need it in the future.  So, I keep it.  Over a decade of not being forced to move and my inability to give anything away has left us with a mountain of a job to tackle before our looming July 29th move date.

With our upcoming move I am in full on packing, purging and organizing mode. Again, NONE of these things come naturally to me and quite honestly, I detest all of them.  I've been waking up in the middle of the night and then am awake for hours worrying about how we will get everything packed up in time.  There are boxes all over the house in various stages of being packed and sorted.  It's not pretty over here right now but I just keep telling myself that bit by bit, box by box we will get there... I hope!!

Lists

I'm not much of a list maker.  I actually love lists but always forget to make them.  And I then I end up not doing at least half of things I probably would have if I had made a list in the first place.  It is just not a priority although it probably should be

Now travel lists, they are different story all together.  I could do this kind of list making ALL day.  Marty always makes fun of me for my travel dreaming and planning.  Some people play Candy Crush or solitaire to pass the time.  Or watch TV or ?? I don't know.  There are a lot of things that people do for fun or relaxation.  I choose to dream, plan and make lists of places I want to travel.  This next year is going to be so satisfying with all of the travel and travel planning and travel dreaming.   Only people who REALLY know me will know how happy writing this post makes me!!

Below are our family travel wish lists for our year in Europe.  All of us said "in no particular order" before making our list.  We are not THAT picky:
Benjamin:
Greece (inspired by Percy Jackson)

Italy (to see Mt Vesuvius)

Egypt (to see the pyramids)

Ukraine (he has no idea why)

Josie:
Sweden (to go to the Ice Hotel)

France (to see the Eiffel Tower - again)

Italy (she was only 6 months old the first time she went so obviously doesn't remember much!)

Greece

Marty:
St. Petersburg, Russia

Train trip to Warsaw, Poland

The Baltic Nations (Estonia, Lithuania)

Croatia

Portugal

Karrie:
Portugal

Greece

Ireland

Sweden

Turkey

Revisit:
Italy

Croatia

Spain

Slovenia