Back in Berlin

We had a great time in Portugal.  I'll likely post a few pictures about the trip later but I know from past experience that if I don't start right away with the present I get overwhelmed and then never start blogging again.
So... here we are October 21st and the first day back to school for the kids in 2.5 weeks! What a crazy long break.  It felt good, like a mini summer but hard to get everyone up this morning.  Myself included.  Even though I really do like to have my own space and time having the kids schedule free for nearly three weeks was really nice.  Benjamin would typically stay up super late reading and then would sleep in until past 10am.  Josie would have probably woken up later too but she normally sleeps with Mogli and he would have her up by 8ish.   As rough as this morning was I am fully aware that tomorrow will be worse.
Tomorrow Josie is off on another class trip to Havelberg.  Just for one night and I know nothing else about the trip.  Other than students can bring cell phones.  That was about all the information I have received.

I'm never ready for vacation to be over but at least the weather in Berlin has been warm and welcoming.  Yesterday we spent many hours in the yard trying to salvage our transplanted roses.  When we bought the house the front was loaded with 3 or 4 beautiful, old, red and orange rose trees. 

Because of the construction we dug them up and replanted them in the back of the garage to try to protect them from the brutal summer sun.  They seem to have survived which is a huge first step.  We pruned and replanted them all over the weekend and hopeful that this week of upper 60s low 70s weather will help them transplant and survive.
Over the 18 days of vacation Benjamin read 11 books!  It really is hard to keep up and keep him supplied.

The kids both had a really good first day back at school.  After school Benjamin and several friends headed to the traffic bike school so he could get his 4th stamp.  They need 6 by the end of the year so we are doing pretty good.  Then his friend Lukas came over to our house and Josie came home with a couple of friends.  They all played out in the front yard with Mogli in the warm spring like weather.  All in all I have to say it is not so bad to be back in Berlin.

They did make quite a bit of progress on our house but still no new bathrooms and the basement is unusable.  There is still no insulation in the attic floor/bedroom roofs and we have to walk through a construction zone to get from our bedrooms to the downstairs (only functioning) bathroom at night.  But hey - we can use the back doors again, the whole is filled and we have new back stairs!!  Baby steps!!