Father's Day

Happiest of Father's day to my own Father - Dean Groves- who has always been very loving, mostly patient (imagine having to teach 4 kids how to drive, swim and ride a bike!! "mostly" is a big compliment) always there when you needed advice and my biggest cheerleader.  Thank you, Dad.  I love you. 

And to Marty who couldn't be a better dad to our kids.  They have no idea how lucky they are to have such a loving dad.  We often fight about the fact that he is way to easy on them.  I'm definitely the authoritarian in the family. He gets angry sometimes but will ALWAYS apologize if he has been too harsh.  He is there for each of the kids in ways I wouldn't even expect - and even more so since we have moved to Germany.  He LOVES those kids with every ounce of his being.  I often worry a bit about how he will be once they are grown and gone.  They are his entire life and his entire

heart. 

On this Father's day we decided to go for a little bike ride along the Mauer Weg with the kids.  Marty and I have done it several times and we thought the kids would have a blast doing some of the smoother parts with roller blades and scooters.  So we first stopped by a nearby park and played a bit of Ultimate frisbee and then onto the bike path.  The kids loved it.  Josie often would hang on to Marty's bike rack and he would pull her and have his hand on Benjamin's back.  I managed to snap a picture but this really sums up his parenting.  Very supportive, hand on the back, pulling them both along.  

At one point Josie was riding along while hanging on to the back of Marty's bike, they rounded a corner and all of a sudden there was gravel.  Well, if you've been on roller blades at all you know that gravel is NOT your friend.  Josie went down hard but somehow forgot to let go of Marty's bike.  Marty, unaware, kept going. She was drug through the gravel a bit, me yelling at her to "Let GO!" and Marty eventually stopping.  She was a bit scraped up but handled it like a champ!!  It was like watching someone who is water skiing go down and not let go of the rope!! 

Just beyond the gravel was a nice park so the kids played there for a bit as Marty and I debated the plans for the rest of the day.   It is the World Cup here and we don't have TV so we keep saying that we should plan to go to a restaurant to view it.  Our friends, Hollis and Lowell live above a cool Greek restaurant that we have been wanting to return to and Hollis and I even made tentative plans to eat dinner and watch the game together.  But... it was HOT and we were all sweaty from the bike ride and Josie was all dirty from being drug through the gravel.  And VERY unlike us we decided to go for it.  To ride the train/tram about 45 minutes away to watch the Germany vs. Mexico game (yes, a family divided!) 

As it was last time we ate there, food was delicious.  Hollis and Lowell and their three boys were fabulous company and we all enjoyed the end to Father's Day.  

I was definitely the least popular person at the restaurant as Mexico defeated Germany 1-0. 

We rode home all full and satisfied and happy.  Me a bit more than the rest.  VIVA MEXICO!! 

Ceramic Class

Josie and her friend, Suzy, have been taking an adult ceramics class in Neukolln - a lively part of Berlin about a 50 minute train ride away.   Josie has always enjoyed art of every kind but throwing pottery and using a pottery wheel was completely new to

her.  It was an adult class but the instructor let the girls sign up and they have been completely holding their own. 

Two dudes on the town

For the first class, Suzy's mom took the girls to and from the class.  Monday was her second of four classes and it was my turn to accompany them. 
The education and skill our kids are learning here are deep and wide. And so much of it has to do with just figuring out how to navigate an enormous city.  I really feel like many of our outings are big life lessons in how to get around a city that will stick with them for life.
The two girls, Benjamin and Suzy's younger brother, Leopold and I all hopped the train.  We made it to their class (Josie and Suzy leading the way) with time to spare. 

Donner on the left, falafel on the right.
7 Euro for all of this goodness. 

After we dropped the girls off the boys and I headed out to find a good falafel/donner place.  This area of Berlin is known for the Turkish influence so we figured we would find good kebabs.   The boys ordered and devoured.  It was delish!

Empty plates in minutes

Then we headed to a nearby park.  We walked and walked and found one.  After some park time we headed back to pick up the girls and decided to try to find ice cream on the way back.  Strangely we couldn't find an eis shop
Josie was still cleaning up - go figure.  That girl really gets into her art.  She

always has.  Whenever she does an art project, or any project for that matter she leaves behind in her path of destruction quite a mess.  But she loves it.  Benjamin tried to help her clean off her wheel. 
anywhere.  We ended up at a local grocery store for second class ice cream from the case and then back to pick up the girls. 
And then back to the Ubahn - the girls leading the way again.
They played "ninja" on the train ride home and then we all biked home.

Hot Dinner

I know I am bordering on being annoying - maybe I've already crossed over - with my talk of the heat and weather but really never in my life have I been in this type of summer weather so long even before summer has officially started.  The heat was actually pretty oppressive and it is not even mid June yet.  Crazy.

Saturday after the soccer tournament we went over to Fionnaula and Wolfgang's for dinner.  The bike ride over was a nice way to cool down a bit with air at least breezing by. 

Benjamin decided that Danny and Theo would like to play water balloons and water guns to try to stay cool so we packed them up.

  The kids spent at least an hour filling up all the water balloons with breaks here and there to shoot each other with water guns.  Of course the water dried within minutes because it was so warm. 
After dinner they had their big water balloon

fight, then some trampoline and sprinkler fun, ice cream and a game of cards.
Another wonderful evening with good friends. 💕

Soccer Tournament

Benjamin has been playing soccer since December.  Sadly for him there have been no actual games but rather just training and scrimmages. 
At the end of the season they have an outdoor tournament held at the school.  A couple of other local schools were invited and they mixed and matched ages.  The Kindergarteners through 2nd graders played together and then 3rd graders through high school played together (!?!)

Since Benjamin has been playing on the 3rd grade team he was in the upper level group.  His fellow teammates (all 3rd graders) took on teams that were in 4th grade, 5th grade and 6th grade.  Some of the better 3rd graders even played a team of 9th graders. 
Benjamin's team killed it! 

He couldn't have bee happier when the first game he played was against the 5th grade girls team.  And the 3rd grade boys crushed them 5-0.  Josie wasn't playing but several of her friends that have been to the house many times were playing.  He knew what it meant to crush an older sibling. 
His team played 3 more games and they one 2 more games and barely lost to the 4th grade boys team 2-1.  All in all, his team was 3 wins and 1 loss. 

Not only did he play with heart but because it was over 90 degrees, he showed even more grit than normal to stick it out.

We have decided to keep him with kids his own age next year.  Although he held his own with kids a year older we all think he would enjoy it more with his classmates and kids more his own age.

Staying Cool

I am definitely NOT complaining, it is just strange to live in a place where it has been consistently sunny and warm for nearly 2 solid months.  It is even stranger to realize that the first official day of summer hasn't even arrived and arguably we could have another 2+ more months of summer-like weather.  I feel sometimes like I live in Hawaii or some other place that has sun and warm temps all year round.  I know I will need to remind myself of these long, sunny, glorious days come winter but right now it truly is blissful and makes you forget all about those short, dark days.

The past week was really hot but this week was also still quite warm.  The kids, in particular Benjamin, really got into water guns and water balloons.  It became the nightly activity. 

Benjamin would spent hours filling and tying a bunch of water balloons when Marty was doing his radio show and the minute he got off, or sometimes they would wait until after dinner, the three

of them got into big water balloon fights on our terrace.  We really have one of the largest terraces I've seen here in Berlin and since we still don't have anything on it other than my clothes drying rack, it is the perfect spot for the water balloon fights.

I also went to another show with my friend, Fiounnaula.  And

nothing says "summer in Europe" than an Aperol Spritz.  Which IS the summer cocktail here - prosecco, aperol liquor, and mineral water.

Going to bed with this heat and these long days have proven to be challenging.  All of our bedrooms face the West.  Our bedroom in particular gets the sun the longest and the hottest.

This pic was taken at 9PM.  It felt more like I was sunbathing rather than trying to go to sleep.

Finale

Our good friends, Fionnaula and Wolfgang, invited us to go with their younger boys to a theatrical performance called Finale.   Something related to the circus and acrobats.  We weren't quite sure but we love them and trust their opinions and when they say a show is good we go whenever we can.
We actually kind of all got dressed up, which is RARE.  We drove their car and took their boys with us because they were returning on a flight from another part of Germany.   It was also rare that we drive anywhere so it was half treat and half reaffirming that we love not having a car. 

There is definitely the trade off of getting somewhere much quicker, but you have to deal with directions and traffic and finding a parking spot, etc.  I'm so happy that both Marty and I firmly agree that not having a car here has been a benefit more than a

negative.  But... we got there in half the time because we were in the car!  And it was still super hot so had we ridden the train we would have all been sweaty.. .
The show itself was truly one of the best shows we have seen in a very long time.  It was a group of very talented street artist.  There was jugglers and acrobats and and stunts and thrills.  Benjamin nearly lost it he was SO into it.  He was sitting in Marty's lap so he could see better and he just kept saying "O.M.G"
"How do they do that??" 

"WOW!!"  Both kids, actually all of us, were rapt from start to finish.  A really really great show.
Afterward because Wolfgang knows the performers, we met them and got a few pictures.  Benjamin was particularly impressed with this guy who climbed the pole and did amazing stunts. He wanted to ask

him after the show "HOW did you do it?"  He just assumed it was some kind of trick.  He wanted to know if the guy had sticky shoes ;-)  So funny.
Afterward we went out to a very cool Vietnamese Restaurant.  YUMMMM.

It's so nice to laugh together.  LOVE the laughter caught in this picture. 

HITZEFREI

We returned to Berlin from Rome on Memorial Day Monday.  We got back in time for a quick lunch at our favorite Indian restaurant on our way home from the airport.  Strangely enough, it was warmer here in Berlin than in Rome.  Who would've thought!!
We went to the lake a lot during the week and then later in the week after several days of temps over 90, as the city, our apartment and especially the kid's school had a whole week to really heat up and store up that heat, we got an email from the school administration saying that for the last two days of the week school

would be release two hours early for "hitzefrei"  heat free. Kind of like the reverse of the late start for a snow day.  In the afternoon Josie's class room (top floor) got above 95 degrees in the classroom (!?!)  SO... we went back to the lake!  I'm so thankful we live so close to Schlachtensee - just a 15 minute bike ride or 2 stops on the Sbahn. 

And we ate a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables for dinner.  Yum!!