Sam's journal

Since Sam is missing his last three weeks of kindergarten due to our trip to Germany, we are trying to incorporate at least a bit of structured learning into our days here. Every day, Sam makes an entry in his Germany journal - he writes the date, draws a picture of something from the day, and then writes a sentence to describe the picture.

Here is a summary of his journal entries thus far (adjusted for spelling):

• 12.05.09 I went on an airplane.
• 13.05.09 I went to the park. (Drawing of him swinging.)
• 14.05.09 I went to the playground. (Drawing of him and Katie on the see-saw [of course, Katie is stuck in the up position, as in reality when they ride it.])
• 15.05.09 I threw up today. (You can imagine the drawing.)
  
  Yes, Sam has now thrown up on two continents in his short life. (To which Isaac says, "Big deal, I throw up every day, North America, Europe, over the Atlantic Ocean, I'll do it anywhere.") Happily, Sam's illness was shortlived. He slept through the morning and then was back to his normal self, as evidenced by his desire to try some German candy as a way to test out his stomach's ability to hold down food. I didn't have any candy, so we went with a banana.

I went for a run/walk this morning after I fed Isaac. It was lightly raining and I felt like I was back in Columbia, Maryland again, where I used to live. Like Columbia, Bielefeld is covered with walking trails which wind through tall forests of trees between the neighborhoods. I discovered a new playground, which we set out to explore in the afternoon, after Sam's recovery was complete. As you can see, Grace loved the swings.




An interesting feature of all the playgrounds we've visited in Germany: they have outdoor ping-pong tables.

Some random things we've learned: the seven hour time difference between Bielefeld and Arlington comes in handy for a working mom. When I sit down to work after the kids are asleep, it's the middle of the day back at UT-Arlington.

Dave has discovered his German colleagues are not much for chatting at lunchtime. They are all about eating (I applaud their focus) - Dave gets left in the dust.

Our trusty stroller. This thing is a trooper. It used to belong to my brother Dave and his wife, Kelly. The stroller lasted through the three Strei kids, and then we inherited it. As we arrived in Frankfurt, we looked out from the gangway when we got off the airplane and saw all the strollers that had been stowed on our plane being hauled with our stroller. And now everyday, it is toting kids and groceries, traveling over cobblestones and mulch, and generally serving as our family van. If its front wheels make it through this entire journey, it will be a miracle.