Seb goes to Kindergarten in Germany

Sebastian has started Kindergarten! Before you panic, it’s actually preschool (he didn’t magically age two years overnight). I think I mentioned in my last post, but am obviously too lazy to go back to check, that Kindergarten in Germany is the term used to encompass ages 3+ until 1st grade. It’s optional until age 5, I think, (which is U.S. kindergarten age, right?) and the schools here are very flexible. There seems to be a general understanding that because this is optional, bring your kid when you want and when it works best. You’re doing it for the child, not for us, or for the system. Sebastian’s kindergarten is open 5 mornings each week, but he’ll only be going 2 to 3 of those.

We chose to send him to the Evangelische Kindergarten, which is the branch of protestant schools. There are also Catholic, state, and Waldorf kindergartens very nearby. Our decision to send him to this particular one is largely based on recommendations we received from other parents, the fact that they miraculously had a spot available, and it’s extremely close proximity to our apartment—3 minutes! 

Cody took Seb again this morning, and he wanted to show Cody some of the things he likes to play with. They went in and Seb saw one of his teachers, and said, “That teacher is the nicest.” She is one of those people that you know just by looking at her that she must be incredibly sweet and kind. Seb also got to feed the fish this morning, and Cody assured me that the teachers were making an obvious effort to engage the other children into play with Sebastian.

This morning I was able to put words to something that I had been feeling for a while. I am glad that Sebastian is going to Kindergarten because we simply don’t have the space or money to be able to make our home the kind of place that I feel it should be for our young children. Now I am not saying we have a terrible home environment, and no good toys, or that it’s bad for our children to be here (I’m so glad they’re here!), but that I want our home to have things and an arrangement that nurture creativity, inspire movement, and foster independence. Right now, Kindergarten can provide a bit of that for Sebastian in a way that I can’t, or at least don't know how, and I’m happy for that opportunity for him. He is thriving from the special kind of independence of going away on his own for a few hours, and this morning, right after he asked if he could go to Kindergarten “right now,” he asked if he could put on his new big boy watch—a gift from us so he could be just like Daddy going to school. (Plus, can you imagine him as teenager saying, “Mom. Dad. I can’t believe we lived in Germany for a year and you didn’t send me to Kindergarten so I could learn German!!! I COULD know German right now!!!” Yea, I would like to avoid that scenario, but imagining it helps me gain some perspective when I get sad about my little baby leaving me for a bit.)

This is not every day, and this is not permanent, but right now, this works, and I think it’s where God has placed us and Sebastian. I am still very interested in homeschooling our children someday, and want to look carefully into future school/education options, but what I’ve been realizing is that I need to focus on what “home” is and means for our family before I get swept away by the inevitably overwhelming school years. I can’t consider homeschooling our children until I have a better understand of home, and a confidence in ours. All orchestrated by divine providence, I’m sure, I just started reading Happier at Home, by Gretchen Rubin, and can hardly put it down. I’m only one chapter in and I feel so inspired and have started filling my brain with new ideas of how to make this home thing work better for all of us.

I would also like to request recommendations for any home-related books that you’ve found particularly inspiring and helpful. And for all of you early-education peeps out there, I am realizing that I want our home to be a kind of kindergarten, as strange as that may sound. But I need songs, activities, and ideally, books about songs activities, schedules, rhythms, you name it. I’ll be forever indebted to you!

P.S. You can see a few more photos of Seb's first day of Kindergarten here and here.

Surfacing

natural born prankster?

natural born photographer, too.

lots of "i love lucy" these days. also thinking it's a crime that we didn't name bruno orson instead. he looks just like orson welles, no?

likes to play "baby" a lot these days.

you just try to take this kid's blankie... 

standing like his mama.

"17 rocks"

Probleme mit meinem Computer haben sich weiter, so dass es fast unmöglich, meinen Blog zu aktualisieren. Es ist in Ordnung, obwohl gewesen, und ich habe Zeit genossen weg von meinem Computer-Bildschirm. Leben noch passiert und ist immer noch schön, auch wenn man nicht darüber bloggen.

Wir sind am 7. Wochen auseinander von Cody los und sind enorm aufgeregt, um ihn nach Hause zu begrüßen späten Donnerstagabend. Ich kann es kaum glauben, wir haben es geschafft, aber froh, dass wir aufhören können "es" bald. Ich bin damit beschäftigt, Listen und abgehakt, und haben versucht, jeden Aspekt unseres Umzug nach Deutschland auf dem 26. dieses Monats zu skizzieren. Es ist bald und vollständig bittersüß. Wir sind begeistert, dieses neue Kapitel beginnt, und wieder beigelegt werden, aber das fühlt sich an wie zu Hause jetzt auch, und wir werden unser Leben hier vermissen über dem Melkstand. Das Leben in Deutschland wird ein harter, wenn auch spannend, Anpassung für uns alle.

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Troubles with my computer have continued (although I'll finally have it back in a couple days!), making it nearly impossible to update my blog. It's been alright though, and I've enjoyed time away from my computer screen. Life still happens and is still lovely even when you can't blog about it.

We are going on 7 weeks apart from Cody, and are tremendously excited to welcome him home late Thursday night. I can hardly believe we've made it, but glad we can stop "making it" soon. I am busy getting lists made and checked off, and have been trying to outline every aspect of our move to Germany on the 26th of this month. It's coming quickly, and is completely bittersweet. We are thrilled to be starting this new chapter, and to be settled again, but this feels like home now, too, and we'll miss our lives here above the milking parlor. Life in Germany will be a tough, albeit exciting, adjustment for all of us.

Where we've been/Where we're going

Hier hatte ich die besten Absichten mit diesem Blog von mir-das Ziel der 3 Beiträge jede Woche und dann ist mein Computer hat die Möwe anfangen, mir Mühe. Glücklicherweise ist mein Vater-in-law ein Senkrechtstarter mit Computern und hat freundlicherweise kostenlos von mir gemacht und tut sein Bestes, um es in seinen einstigen Glanz wiederherzustellen. Ich kann nicht sagen, wie schön es ist, nicht, um es herauszufinden, auf meine eigene ist!

So ein kleines Update: Es war etwas mehr als 3 Wochen, seit Cody verlassen, und es ist gleichzeitig besser geworden und härter. Ich wusste nie, dass diese kurze eine Zeitspanne könnte ziehen so langsam. Versteh mich nicht falsch, wir sind mit einem schönen Sommer, und die Zeit Ziehen hat nichts mit alles andere als Cody Abwesenheit tun. Wir haben wirklich die beste Hilfe, und Set-up hier in diesem gemütlichen kleinen Wohnung. Meine Schwester-in-law, hat Anna gnädig zu Besuch kommen uns die beiden letzten Mittwoch. Es war eine Freude, sie um sich zu haben und die Jungen

An diesem Wochenende nahmen meine Eltern und meine Geschwister zu uns Amish Country in Holmes County Ohio. Meine Kindheit war mit Wochenende Urlaub zu diesem Platz gefüllt, Besuch Amish Freunde meiner Eltern traf, bevor ich überhaupt geboren wurde, so dass es Spaß zurück zu gehen und nehmen meine Kinder da war.

Heute Nachmittag, mein Bruder und seine Familie zum Mittagessen kommen, mein Freund, ist Kate für den Nachmittag kommen, und dann wir morgen auf den Weg noch einmal für eine Woche in Hillsdale, MI. Freunde, wir kommen!
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Here I had the best of intentions with this blog of mine—the goal of 3 posts each week—and then my computer has the gull to  start giving me trouble. Fortunately, my father-in-law is a whiz with computers and has kindly taken charge of mine and is doing his best to restore it to it’s former glory. I can’t tell you how nice it is to not have to figure it out on my own!

So a little update: It has been just over 3 weeks since Cody left, and it’s simultaneously gotten better and harder. I never knew that this short a period of time could drag on so slowly.  Don’t misunderstand me, we are having a great summer, and the time dragging has nothing to do with anything other than Cody’s absence. We really have the best help, and set-up here in this cozy little apartment. My sister-in-law, Anna has graciously come to visit us the last two Wednesdays. It's been a delight to have her around, and the boys always have loads of fun with her. She is just like Cody, and the rest of their family, in that she is so good at interacting with children on their level. It's such an amazing thing. I'm not that way at all, so I'm very thankful that so much of our family is. Basically, everyone is bending over backward to make this an enjoyable and peaceful summer for us, and I couldn't be more grateful for all the hard work everyone is putting into taking care of us.

This weekend my parents took my siblings and us to Amish Country in Holmes County Ohio.  My childhood was filled with weekend vacations to this place, visiting Amish friends my parents met before I was even born, so it was fun to go back and take my kids there.

This afternoon, my brother and his family are coming for lunch, my friend, Kate is coming for the afternoon, and then tomorrow we hit the road once more for a week in Hillsdale, MI. Friends, here we come!

A Taste of Durham

This Independence Day was nothing if not a reminder of our dependence—our dependence on friends and family, on our Lord and savior, and on the help of those around us. We are loving our summer. It’s been filled with amazing time spent with our families, and lots of treasured memories, but we’re also experiencing the pains of transition. We miss Cody’s daily, loving, fun, calming and supportive presence, and we still miss our Durham friends deeply, making it hard even to hold it together as a type this. 

Yesterday, Brian and Katie joined us in Ohio for a brief 24 hours, but it was marvelous to see them, and share the day with them. It was helpful, I think, for Sebastian to see Durham friends here at his new home, but it was also difficult for him to say goodbye. He now thinks that Brendan and Alissa and Miss Megan + family are going to come see him in a few days. Did you hear that guys? You don’t want to break a poor little 3-year-old’s heart, now do you? 

In short, we love you all and miss you. You have made our lives brilliant these past two years. You are in our hearts, and we look forward to meeting again. Here’s to everyone getting into the same PhD program!

Art | Amy

This is the painting I bought at a Goodwill in Lebanon, Ohio, last week. I had no intention of looking at their art selection, but I glanced over and a woman was standing with this piece, contemplating a purchase, I think. I stood nonchalantly off to the side, waiting to see if she would take it or leave it. As soon as she put it down, and turned away, I tried to conceal my excitement, and seriously consider if this was a smart purchase. But even though I tried to tell myself not to buy it (because I'm trying to acquire only things that I truly love) there was something about it that I couldn't pass up. It strikes me that Amy was an independent lady, but also with an overwhelming kindness to her. I think maybe she was a gardener, too, who had impeccable taste and who never tried in the least to attain to any particular standards of style other than her own, and to those she held to fiercely. Her hat, crisp white shirt, and the colors used by the artist to depict her are striking in all the right ways. I think it’s a perfect weave of openness of expression and determination.

Is this good art? I have no idea, but I love it, and that’s good enough for me. I think Amy would approve.

P.S. Speaking of art, the embroidery done by this Japanese artist is breathtaking. Have you come across any amazing art lately? Or perhaps you have a favorite piece in your home?

Painting by Gary Anthony

Home | Changes and slow days

I have a lot of catching up to do on this poor neglected blog of mine, but since I despise blogging just to catch up (because I simply force myself to do it and write as little as possible, which always turns out poorly anyway) I’m going to share a bit about today, and yesterday.

The four of us went to the airport yesterday and only three of us came back. Cody jumped on a flight to Vermont, where he’ll stay for the next seven weeks. (How melodramatic do I sound right now?) Seven weeks is kind of long, but not really. It depends on who you ask I suppose. It seems long to me sometimes, and then short other times. Regardless, he'll be back, and then eleven definitely short days later, we'll move to Germany.

I am trying to work on things right now to prepare for our move to Germany, but also I’m attempting to enjoy these slow, peaceful days. After all, we did just move from North Carolina to Ohio! The boys and I are nestled in this heavily windowed, albeit tiny space mere yards from my childhood home. My only complaint is that the disc drive on my computer doesn’t work, which means I can’t watch horribly cheesy/girly movies in the evenings while I attempt to knit. Worse things have happened, I’m quite aware. So all in all, we’re taking it slow, and we're having loads of fun living near our families for a time. For Sebastian and Bruno, that means lots of time spent milking the cows and jumping on the trampoline. For me, that means, for today at least, a trip to Goodwill with my mom, two of my sisters, and the boys. They were have a 50% sale! My #1 treasured find will have to appear in another post, as it’s currently hanging in our bedroom where Sebastian is sound asleep.

Oh Sebastian, he misses his daddy. At breakfast, I asked him if he wanted to try to call daddy, to which he promptly responded, “I want to Facetime on daddy!” I am so thankful that we live during a time when this separation doesn’t mean my children can’t see their daddy, and talk with him, even though he’s miles away. 

What about Bruno, you ask. All you need to know about Bruno is that, at the ripe old age of one, he has red hair, is trying desperately to walk, and loves dogs and cats more than anyone I know. Oh this kid is a force, I tell you! I can't get enough of him.

As for Cody, if any of you would like to send him awesome doodles or pictures, since he can’t read, speak, or write anything but German starting tomorrow evening, let me know. I would be happy to pass his address along to you. 

Contact me at strecker dot me at gmail dot com.

P.S. Don'tcha love my knitting?? This is the beginnings of my first attempt at following a pattern. Methinks I need a longer needle? Also, calling all you lovely knitters: What are your favorite needles, patterns, yarns, etc.??