Moving

otto  zxczxcvbnmasdfghm                   vvvvgg

intro by Otto

I talked about wanting to do this earlier, but I have now done it.  I moved to wordpress.  Here is the link.

I still have some site setting up to do but for the most part it is all there.  I have to set up my feed reader (rss) and hope to have that up tonight.  I am polishing the category cloud, sidebar and other items, and suppose I could wait until it was all perfect.  But I didn't.  Blogger annoys me too much these days to put up with more.

So it's off to wordpress we go!!

Let me know you made it there and comment on the new layout over at the new blog so I know you are following the move!

-p

Hi Ho Hi Ho, it's off to school we go

For the record, I am not that much of a slacker in getting these pictures up. Otto was SUPPOSED to start school last week, but that didn't happen.  It started raining here and did not stop.  Not only was it raining here, but it was raining all over the East Coast, including North of here.  And in the 'burg, that can only mean one thing.  Flood.  And flood it did.  On both a large and small scale we were spared the worse.  Despite having firemen knock on our door in the morning of Thursday to tell us to consider evacuating, we did not take any water here at the house, though many neighbors did.  And, our town as a whole did not get the brunt of the waters like some unfortunate towns around us.  Many people here were flooded, some homes are not livable now and countess freezers and basement contents have been carried around more than they should have, but it could be much worse.  Towns close to us are still under water in parts and many families are still without homes.  We are very fortunate.

Otto was all geared up to start school on Wednesday but in the house before we were supposed to go, schools here were canceled here due to flash flooding.  A very real and scary fear in our town.  Thursday and Friday were spent with large parts of the town under water and nothing really open, including schools.  That meant school would start Monday, and it did.

I managed through taking about 30 pictures here to get ONE where they were both looking at the camera.  Miracle.

Eric came home from work at lunch (Otto's school is from 12:30 to 3) on Monday to see the little dude off, and get some shots of us all ready to go.  Truth be told we were a little worried how Mette would do with all of this.  She really likes the idea of school and knows about the dress-up closet in the back of the room so we were prepared for tears from her when she found out she couldn't stay.  Luckily, things are going ok in that department so far.

The dude, leading the way.

Otto settled in right away and, not surprisingly, found a costume to wear right away.  He LOVES dress-up and goes through many outfits and roles everyday so a well stocked dress-up box was a big draw for him.

Day 1 for Otto was a huge success.  Day 2 was a bit more difficult.  I don't think it was entirely his fault though.  His allergies have all of the sudden gone haywire.  The allergist predicted this might happen and we even have an appointment with him tomorrow morning that was made last spring, but it still caught me off guard.  His eyes have been itchy and swollen, his throat a mess and now his ears are itching him.  He hasn't slept well and is tired and cranky.  All of this together with a new routine was a bit much for him.  He was in tears by the end of the day and ready to be done with school.  I talked to his teacher and it sounds like he was just overwhelmed and not feeling great.  I am hoping tomorrow we can get him some better medicine to get him through the fall and we get back to good days fast.  I gave him some benadryl to help him sleep tonight and got him to bed early.  I wish there was more to do, but I don't think there is right now.  After the doctor tomorrow hopefully we can have a nice relaxing morning so set him up for a good afternoon at school.

He still seems excited about school which is great.  I think this is just a speed bump on our way to better days.

Mette has been handling the whole school thing quite well.  She is enjoying the chance to be her crazy little self all she wants.  Yesterday she spent most of the time naked carrying piles of material out of my sewing room to make a nest in the dining room.  All while singing to herself.

What ever floats your boat!

When it rains

It pours. And here that means it floods. Which it is doing A LOT of today. I woke up to flood sirens at 4 AM this morning. My usual Thursday workout routine at the gym was put on hold because I wasn't sure I would make it home if I went. Eric moved the Lotus to high ground early this morning. Despite the fact that our house has not flooded in the past, the fire department knocked on our door this morning to ask us to think about evacuating. We only live four doors from the river and they wanted to be safe. Until early this afternoon the National Guard was directing traffic away from our street and the bridge due to flooding. We are fortunate to not be taking water, but that is not the case for many friends. It is times like this when I am really thankful to live where we do. Sure, there are no great museums here, the lack of exciting restaurants makes dates less exciting (though not so much that I want to open another restaurant any time soon :) ). The cultural diversity leaves much to be desired, but the people who are here, they are good people. I spent the better part of today walking or riding my bike around town falling in and out of groups of friends and neighbors who were knocking on people's doors to see if they needed help. "what's that, you need a freezer from your basement carried to your neighbor's lawn? Sure! We are here to help." Everyone was checking on everyone else. Even people whose own homes were taking water went out to see if other's needed help as soon as things stabilized for them. Our whole town is like one big block party today. I keep thinking about a few weeks ago when Hoboken was flooding from the hurricane. My brother-in-law who lives there was worried not about the flood waters, but the looting that would take place. Here, everyone is clearing their homes of all their furniture and possessions and stacking them in the street or someone else's lawn, leaving them unguarded while they go in search of neighbors who might need more help. There is no fear of looting. People are serving drinks, having pot luck dinners and making the best of this wet day. We may not have the night life of Hoboken, or the proximity to New York that they do, but honestly, you can't put a price on good neighbors and community. I will stay where I am. Knowing we can visit the city when we want to works for me!

yesterday and today

(for you Jack)

The end of summer (ssh, don't tell Belinda)

Everyone has their own ideas about seasons and lifestyles, as they well should, but really, everyone should agree that fall is the best season.  I know some of you will disagree, it's ok, but for me, the cool crisp air, smells of cider and leaves rotting, it's bliss.  I am not a hot weather person so the coming of cooler days is heaven to me.  Sorry Belinda, I know you are holding on to each warm day we have.  But you also think it should be hot at Christmas and we should all eat mangos with our stockings and go swimming after presents, so clearly we take this whole "season" thing differently.  It's ok, you are still awesome and maybe someday I will experience an Oz Christmas and I will be a changed woman.

Along with the smell of cider and leaves, for most the years I can remember fall aslo brought with it the new school supplies, pencils, pens and of course clothes and shoes.  Let's not forget the shoes shall we.  It has been a few years since I was gearing up for school and even with a professor husband where our lives revolve around the school year and school days, I have been left out of that circle for quite some time.  That however is about to change.  Otto starts pre-K this week and next year, duh duh duh, Kindergarden.  He has a new backpack, new sneakers, long sleeve shirts and pants that fit his ever growing limbs, he is ready.  On Tuesday we have a meet the teacher day and on Wednesday he is off.  He seems super excited to go every afternoon to see his friends and do school work, Mette and I are a bit hesitant.  What are we going to do without him?  Mette is convinced she is going to school as well which will be a whole other issue to deal with I am sure.  Really, it is only 2.5 hours in the afternoon, but we are such a team the three of us, it is going to be tough.  Mette is starting gymnastics to help ease the pain.  We will see how that works.   Don't even get me started about next year when he will be gone all day, every day.  I am not ready for that.  Then Mette will also be going to school in the morning.  It will be so lonely.

It's is just like everyone said.  When they are tiny and literally touching you ALL DAY LONG you long for time away from them.  Just and hour here or there.  "Can I run that errand by myself" you find yourself asking your partner.  Suddenly the most boring of tasks are lovely peaceful excursions if you get to do them by yourself.  And then, in the blink of an eye, they are heading off to school.  Little bits at first, but soon gone for the whole day, every day.

Where did the time go?  How is he this big?  How can the boy who was so unsure last year, be so ready this year?  Will he been even bigger next year?  Why don't I seem to grow as well to adjust?

I love them growing up.  I love independence.  Even when it means that it takes Mette 5 minutes to climb into the car because she "does not need help!".  Or that twice as many drinks are spilled during dinner while they maneuver non-sippy cups.

I love it when they can do things for themselves without me, but I hate it when they don't need me to do things.

This is what being a parent is all about.  Getting pushed to your limit so you crave the next break though to the next level all with selective memory due to sleep loss and anxiety that makes you crave the past.  It's a beautiful, blissful world filled with fear, anger, frustration and extreme joy.

And to help make it all seem worthwhile I share this great story Mette told eric this weekend:

Daddy, I want to tell you a story about a bug.  There was a hawk that ate a pig.  The End.

Penguin Suit No. 2

I am giving an advance warning, this is a photo heavy post.  I am still working though the mounds of photos from this last trip, color correcting, cropping etc...  but if I don't get a post up tonight it will be a while before I do.  What follows are some highlights of last week's adventures in Chicago.  The kids and I headed out on Tuesday to spend some time with Yiayia and Papou before Kristin's wedding.  Despite Irene doing her best to stop him, eric made it out on Saturday for the big wedding and by the skin of our teeth we made it back to PA on Sunday.  18 hours after eric got to Chicago he was back at home.  It was a crazy but wonderful week.

Wednesday we spent most of the day at the Aquarium.  The kids (and me truth be told) had a wonderful time.

We did everything, we saw the Dolphin show, the 4D Dora/Diego show, Jellyfish, everything!

We of course hit up the local water fountain park for some fun in the sun!

Complete with neighbors grandchildren to play with we had a s'mores party in the back yard.

Mette loved the outdoor painting area at the local children's museum.

She was also the master of the check-out aisle at the grocery store.

The big day approaches so we did a little size checking in preparation for this...

Otto carried the Stefana (Greek wedding crowns) on a big silver platter with total seriousness and control!!

Mette rocked her same dress from Ben and Shannon's wedding, I just dyed it light purple/pink.  She loved it and looked adorable!

Dare I say it, this is a really nice photo of eric and I!

Working hard on picking up all the flower petals.

Here is the beautiful bride (eric's cousin) and her groom leaving the church.  Notice Mette's nice first shot with the rice!  Photo credit: Uncle Ben

Here's the whole gang.  Dee (eric's step-mother), her sister and brother and all their respective children and in the case of Otto and Mette, grandchildren.

As soon as the band fired up the kids ran to the floor.  They had been begging to dance from the moment we got it there!  They can really cut it up.

All our dance parties at home have paid off!

Letting loose!

Newlyweds Ben and Shannon taking Mette for a spin.

Ben was quite the dance partner.

Mette danced and danced until she could go no further.  At once she stopped and asked to be picked up. She promptly fell asleep on my shoulder.  It was time to make our rounds saying thank you and head home.  A great night was had by all.

I have a bunch more photos to share but I know there are some of you out there waiting to see these so I thought I should get in gear!

On a side note, Otto starts Pre-K next week!!!!  How did that happen??

And it goes on...

Ha ha Blogger, I tricked you into uploading more photos!  I win!!  (today of course)  

Alright, so back to the summer of amazing events, where were we??  Yes of course, eric's birthday.  So we have the coolest tradition ever for the boy who refuses to acknowledge his birthday.  Eric has a serious soft spot in his heart for cereal.  Specifically sugar cereal.  Then he married me.  Don't get me wrong, I like cereal too, but not the same kinds and not with the same frequency that he does.  We do however have some wonderful friends who share eric's deep love for the "good stuff" and every year we hold a little party.  We go all out.  The kids are allowed free reign in the cereal aisle to get whatever they want.  We bust out the wedding china, champagne and fine china and FEAST!!!!  All year long when the kids ask for a cereal that is not on my very short approved list I say, "yes, but not until dad's birthday" which helps to make this day THAT MUCH BETTER.  The build up is year long.

This year was a fine example of what a year of longing will get you.

There is an Amish grocery store in the next town over where you can buy bulk bags of Lucky Charm marshmallows   For the record, eric says adding them to Frosted Flakes is next level.  I wouldn't know because that is WAY out of my league.  I can't hack much beyond Fruit Loops, though I will admit they are pretty tasty.

Marcy, being the awesome person that she is, crafted this awesome contraption so we could put candles in eric's cereal out of an old jug and florist foam.  She rocks!  It gets pretty smoky these days :)

After eric's birthday we headed to D.C. to enjoy some lovely 105 degree weather.  Actually we went there to hit up some museums and hotel living.  Eric had to do research for a few days so the kids and I crashed his sweet hotel room and took in the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Zoo.  I will be honest though, we spent a LOT of time at the pool.

I don't think I ever have seen a panda as close as this.  We watched him eating and I swear "smiling" for at least half and hour.  The Zoo was wonderful but very very hot and we could only handle being there for the morning before we beat a hasty retreat to the A.C. and pool at the hotel.

Have you ever heard of the services where you get "flocked" and someone plays a prank on you and fills your whole yard with pink flamingos.  I secretly wish I had a front lawn and that someone would do that do me.  I think flamingos are such cool animals.  I have never seen a whole flock of them sleeping before but we did on this trip to the zoo.  How that is comfortable is beyond me, but it sure looks cool!!!

The National History Museum has an entire interactive level for small kids in the basement and we spent most of our time there.  Otto was over the moon to discover they had a whole corner filled with Legos and K'Nex.

I sat over in the block area with Mette knowing he wasn't going to run off anytime soon.

Mette found some great colored blocks to build with,

and make glasses out of.

Together they worked on building runs for the marbles.

But really what we did was hang at the pool.  It was such a great pool, how could you not?  The entire thing was 3 to 3 1/2 feet deep which is perfect for Otto.  He can just stand but it is enough to really push him to swim as well.  Plus they had a little baby pool to splash around in.  See the table with the umbrella on the left?  I kid you not, we had dinner there EVERY night we were in D.C.  We had all the grand plans of going for Ethiopian and wonderful other culinary events but when the kids are so happy in the pool, it cools off to a chilly 99 degrees in the evening and the pool is willing to deliver drinks and dinner.... yeah, it was a pretty easy decision.  Heaven is watching your kids frolic in the pool drinking a cold beer knowing they will sleep well tonight!!!

This is also the famed pool where Otto overcame his fear of going under the water and turned into a fish.  There he is, under the water, having a blast.  I am really hoping eric needs to do a lot more research at the Library of Congress every summer because I could get used to this!