Summer Vacation // Week 6

I felt a little badly for M because we didn't really go out and do anything fun, but I comforted myself in knowing he had tons of fun with his swing set and we had lots of visitors who wanted to check out the new house.



Freshly painted! Click photo to see the finished product.

I did not take many photos this week.  We had our first visitors for a meal on Thursday! It was great movitation to get things in order.  I had warned them things may not be perfect, but we were honored that they were able to get together during their short visit to Belgium.


I adore this dress. She wore it 3 days in a row...
 

Saturday we did lots of little things, making the house a home...

Summer Vacation // Week 5

What a week. Started off in one address, ended in another...

I had big plans for the week. We originally planned to move on the Saturday, but moved it to Friday, so we and some of our helpers would be able to attend the memorial service in Germany.  When you think you have 5 days to prepare and then suddenly it is 4, a bit of panic sets in. Especially when the Monday morning you nearly pass out and lay in bed half the day and Tuesday go to the doctor to find out you have a painful throat infection.  The doctor said the antibiotics should work by the next day. SOOO glad he was right. Wednesday I knew I had to step it up a notch.



Mateo obviously had a blast with his cousins

I dropped M at his aunty's and I got started. Side note: I had packed a lot during the month, but a lot I saved for the end, because it made more sense to pack the whole kitchen instead of half the pots and pans, ya see?  In the morning it was still super painful to swallow and by the afternoon it was more scratchy and when I went to bed my throat felt normal!




 

 

She loves being in the yard, even though it doesn't look like it here.

Did I mention it was warm? I thought I lost 5 lbs during the move from all the sweating, but unfortunatly not.  After making tons of progress, I picked up M and took him to his other aunty's. He stayed there until Friday morning. Love my SILs!  That evening we received the keys to our new place! The plan was to start painting our bedroom, but we decided to drive over a few loads and go to bed on time. 

Thursday I packed up tons in the morning and moved what I could to the living room, because I knew a few helpers were coming. And help they did!  Wow!  I'm so glad they were there. They carried so much over and helped hubby take down and put up M's cabinet (NOT to be underestimated).  It was such a whirlwind of activity. I don't even remember when we did what, except that hubby started painting and I probably was making lists somewhere.

Fun with the mirrors

Friday was moving day! But starting at 3:00 pm. First hubby painted some more and took down lights at the old place. In the meantime I picked up M and drove him to Oma's (love my MIL as well!), picked up paint and the dolly.  I thought the move went pretty well. By the time I went to bed my kitchen cabinets were full and we had a bed to sleep in. Pretty good all things considered!  There was an incident with the boiler that kept us up until 2:00 am, but I kept falling asleep waiting, it is almost like I dreamed it.

I'm so glad we are past this stage!

Happily in the new place

Good thing I was smart and set apart clothes for us. I knew Saturday we would probably have no idea where anything was.  My in-laws were kind enough to bring M to my SIL's, so he could stay there for the day.  We headed sometime in the morning with my BIL and MIL to Germany.  Baby L was such a good girl in the car! 


Ready for our first night in the new place

Looking so grown up at our lunch stop

It was a special service. So many people! I thought that was probably very nice for the family and close friends to receive so much support. 

It was around 9:00 when we got home. Hubby put M's bed together and I stuck drawers in his cabinet. It was his first time to sleep in his new room. He woke up in the morning saying, "Mama?" I guess it was probably a little strange for him.

Sunday afternoon we put L's dresser together and hubby painted some.


Summer Vacation // Week 4

Liora's 3rd time to Germany

It was 35 degrees! This park had a stream that was perfect for the kiddies to cool off, yet it was not dangerous.

I love Mateo's expression

Baby time

He tasted yummy

We stayed with our friends, J & C. Mateo and their daughter get along really well. It is cute to see them together.

Sunday afternoon stroll

Watching the tram

 We had a lovely weekend together with our friends.  Our last day there we received some heartbreaking news. A girl we know passed away in a tragic plane crash. I'm sure anyone reading this blog has heard about it, so I'm not going to post more about it...this made for an emotional day and week.  The next couple of days seem like a blur to me.

Mateo's goodies from his party.

He is really loving his cousins' pool. He is so brave! He now can jump off the bottom step.

 Monday: Germany
Tuesday: Prepare for party
Wednesday: Party
Thursday: BBsit, shopping
Friday: Harry Malter-I went alone this time with the kids. It was much less stressful than during spring break. It was a good temperature and there were not as many people. Both kids loved it and were well behaved.

 

Saturday hubby and I were able to have an afternoon to ourselves (plus baby of course) to do some shopping.  It ended up mainly clothes for hubby, but we did take a look at a lot of furniture to end up deciding that we didn't feel like buying anything.

 

Sunday: Quick and Sales

Summer Vacation // Week 7

My last post was a month ago. I am going to blog about last week, since it is most fresh in my mind.

Mateo started his long awaited (by mommy) sport camp. His 4 cousins were also participants, but I don't know how much he actually saw them. They went full days and he went just in the mornings.  DId I mention mommy was pretty excited about the few hours 'alone'. Funny how when you have 1 kid, everything seems hard. Have 2, get rid of 1 and 1 seems like nothing.

Sport camp is tiring

Day 1 was pretty rainy (as it has been the past 2 weeks around here).  I decided for my 'me  time' I was going to SLEEP!

Day 2 I spent the entire time Mateo was going cleaning the kitchen and preparing food.  In the evening we took care of our furniture swap. A piano for a buffet. At our friends' place we ate tacos together. Yum!  It's always funny to see how the little ones interact with each other.

Someone was up bright and early, so I tried to run while pushing him in the stroller

Day 3 started my running around.  I picked up my nephews and dropped the also at the camp.  I visited a friend's new rental place, then stopped at one store and I found my NIGHTSTANDS! I have been looking at tons of sites and stores and didn't find what I wanted in the right size and price. The ones I found are perfect.

There was a huge fight about the spaghetti. I came back to this...I guess that is why there was the fight.

 He fell asleep at the table and I put him in the car and he slept the next 2 hours. I drove to meet someone to pick up some 2nd hand baskets for our cabinet we planned to buy, then I checked out the speel-o-theek, but it was closed and then I visited a new thrift store.

His bestie arrived!

V stayed 2 nights

 Thursday our little guest had a hard time understanding why she couldn't go to the sport camp with Mateo.  I took her to the garden center, grocery shopping and to pick up another piece for our cabinet.



Liora is 9 months! Click for her 9 month post.

Visiting our friends. Their boy is 3 weeks younger than Liora.

Friday was a holiday here. Mary's ascension.  We worked around here, then I dropped V where she would stay the next 2 nights and we picked up her sister from my MIL's.

I bought L & V the matching shirts 3. 5 years ago. Now Liora fits in V's!

Here is the product of our Saturday. Well, mostly hubby's. I watched the kids. But I did go with him to Ikea. It was Mateo's first time in the day care. He loved it. 8 hours later...our 2,5 m cabinet was ready.

 

Did I mention it rained alot this week? Sunday we had my BIL/SIL and girls over for dessert. The kids were allowed to watch Robin Hood, which just so happens to be hubby's childhood favorite, so he was just as pleased as them to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Summer Vacation-Week 3

It is Friday. But it is 32 degrees. I am doing everything I can to avoid the inevitable. Cleaning and packing. ALL the packing isn't bad. We are going away this weekend, so that is fun.

The first week of summer vacation was rough. The 2nd a little better and this one even better. The sun helps! First, we can go out and second, I decided I am solar powered. Only now Mateo is having a hard time falling asleep at night from the heat.

Sunday was again pouring down rain, but we managed inbetween the downpours to take a nice long walk by my BIL/SIL's new digs.

Monday I started the day AND week off right by running early in the morning. You read that right, running. I started a plan last week. Couch to 5K in 8 weeks. So far, so good.

Tuesday was the highlight of the summer vacation so far. A day at a safari park! My favorite kinds of animals. We went with my SIL/BIL and their BIL and kids. Fun times.

Wednesday was catch-up-on-everything day. Then we headed to Oma's to enjoy the sunshine a bit.

Thursday we went on a walk and ended up at my SIL's, visited there a while, then went back in the afternoon to swim. I took Liora in the pool, but she was not impressed.

Today I went running before the rest of the family was awake and before it was too warm. Good start of the day, but that was about the end of my productivity. I went shopping for as long as the kids could handle it. It was so cool in the stores! Although to put things in perspective. When I left our house seemed boiling hot, when we got back and it was 32 outside, inside felt surprisingly refreshing.

Summer Vacation-Week 2

Hubby was once again sick. Too much soccer watching my opinion. Sunday was a birthday party, but we did not stay very long because of said sick hubby and the rain.

I finally watched the DVDs mom sent that she had made from VHSs.

Who wants rain in the summer? NOT us! Torrential downpour rain.  But these were good packing days. We were supposed to have an expat teddy bear picnic, but the rain cancelled those plans.

Monday was ok weather, so Mateo was able to play outside with his cousin a bit.

Tuesday we went to an indoor playground for 4 hours :) One of my favorite places to go. Mateo is thrilled and occupied for hours and I can peacefully visit, read or surf with a cappucinno with whipped cream.

Liora loved the high chair so much, I decided to buy her one. Gotta love sales! €7 from €15.

Wednesday. Typical stay-at-home-do-nothing-because-it-is-so-gray-dark-depressing-with-rain day.

Thursday we went to Ikea with my sister-in-law and 4 kids. We had planned the kids could go to the play area and we would have a restful shopping experience with a coffee and dessert in the middle. Nope. Not with 6 kids.

Friday the rain stopped enough for us to head over to my SIL's to visit with HER SIL.

Stamp fun. Thanks Ruth! Perfect for all the rainy days we've been having.

Saturday hubby had to work, so it was a productive day at home.

All that rain can make you a little stir crazy, so we headed to the playground IN the rain.

Summer Vacation-Week 1

We are finishing our THIRD week of summer vacation. Wow. I wanted to blog each week. The week before school was out, I made a nice schedule. I haven't looked at it a single time...my basic idea is that if we are home, we try to have free-play time, table-time, outdoor-time and then a little screen-time. If we go visiting or have errands, I try to scrap the screen-time. Oh, built into the day is also time for household duties and PACKING.

Throwback to week 1.

Liora started sitting alone

Excited to hang these up in the new house





As soon as Mateo finished his last half-day of school we went to visit friends, then to pick up his bestie. She stayed the night. It is cute how excited they get to go spend the night at each other's place.

Hubby woke up very sick on Saturday, which started the summer holidays off on a not-so-pleasant note and Mateo got a high fever Sunday, so he was under the weather the first few days as well.

Tuesday was of course THE game between Belgium and the USA. I dressed myself in the kids in Red, White & Blue.

Thursday was finally the perfect summer day. We went and visited family and Mateo got to swim while I got to sit in the sun. I felt very good that day.

Friday was the FOURTH. (see last post)

Saturday was another 2 games...