Bye Bye Wall 1 & 2

What happens when three Happys gather in one house...?  

This.....

(yes, the wall was one big mirror...)

Kids thought it was great.

After Paul's brother and dad left I didn't talk to my husband for three days.  

I was a little traumatized by the whirlwind of destruction.

These two walls are now gone and it's not that bad now that I am used to it.  I'm still mourning the loss of my pantry, but I've adjusted.  I keep reminding myself that my kitchen in Germany had a total of three cupboards so I'm doing pretty good in the great scheme of kitchen life.

What do you think Mom?  :)

Now we have room for the ten foot long shuffleboard table in the green pig room.  Everyone needs a ten foot long shuffleboard table.... We can play when you and Dad come visit.  :)

The Happy Ballerina?

   

How sweet.

HA!  If anyone knew how much crying and screaming and bribing went on for this "sweet" and "happy" child to simply PUT ON her dance recital costume it wouldn't be so "sweet".  It would be more of a "thank goodness THAT is over"

I had some serious doubts as to whether or not my little ballerina would even make it on the stage at all.  She cried through her original fitting of the costume; she refused to move her feet during the dress rehearsal.  On the morning of the recital she screamed while I lovingly put her hair into a bun, she protested getting into the car, and she pouted all the way through me checking her in with her class backstage.  The entire process was a step below miserable.

Andrea finally musters a smile once she is surrounded by her surprise bribery items backstage.  She has a new colorwonder set, full PEZ dispenser, goldfish snacks, and a pink kitty cat water bottle.  All to ensure I could leave her and go to my seat...

I left her backstage and we all sat and waited in our $20 seats.  (FYI, having to pay a total of $80 to watch my own child dance in a school auditorium is NOT amusing to me.)

AND TADA!!!

HER DANCE

At the time I didn't realize how, uh...  unorganized it was.  The first 30 seconds are really good, it's kinda all downhill from there.  :)  Nevermind though.  I was just thrilled beyond belief that she made it on the stage!  In the end, it was worth it.  HA.  Maybe...  :)  She was the cutest ballerina ever and we were all proud of her for doing it.

PS.  This happened way back in June.  :)

Kryzers in NH!

A few weeks ago Shelly came to visit.  Shelly was the first friend I made in Germany and she rocks.  She is totally selfless and non-judgmental, she has the biggest laugh and even when something, or a situation, clearly sucks, she has a crazy way of making it seem okay.  I never would have survived Germany without her.  

People always ask if I miss Germany.  Nope, I just miss my friends.

 

 

Scotty's best friend in the whole world ...even to this day, is Clay.  Those two are like two little peas in one crazy whacked out pod.  They just get each other.  :)  

I had decided that the reason I found some of my best friends while living overseas because we were all coping with the same, often crappy, situations.  Sharing a common enemy really does bring people closer together and if the common enemy happens to be the entire German Population then ...well, that's how it goes!  :)  

I never thought about it until recently, but I think it was the same for my kids.  The friends they made were in the same situation: new school, new culture, no family, moms going slightly crazy while dad traveled the world working...  I miss my kids friends.

Reason #86 why Shelly is super awesome: She kisses frogs.

Reason # 194:  She jumps really high on trampolines.

Night time wrestling matches were hilarious!  : )  These four kids did not have one argument the entire time.  Little Tiny Angels!  Ben and Andrea would fall asleep immediately; Scotty and Clay would stay up talking and that was totally fine with me.

How cute is little Ben!  Poozie and Ben had a great time!  :)  These two used to have "Tempertantrum Throwing Contests" in the German ISH cafeteria while all the expensive mommys, who were wearing their furs and high heels, gave Shelly and me evil, unapproving stares.

 Michaela.   A little too cool for us.  "Ewww, don't get sand in my area".  Uh.  Okay Michaela.  :)

I should have taken a close up of this bright orange salamander.  :)  It was the coolest animal ever!  I love that Ben decided to take one home ...without telling us.  HA!!  Luckily we figured it out and returned the little orange guy back to his family.