I Am A Total Failure

I know, I know. I really thought it was going to be easier to keep up with these blog posts and man have I totally failed. I can't believe the last one I wrote was back at the beginning of December. Here we are and it's already mid-June. Summer is here! While much has happened that I haven't kept up writing about, we certainly have the pictures to capture many of our memories. I guess I can just do a month by month run down of our activities and then try to keep up from there.

DECEMBER

So we left off at the beginning of December, just after my mom had left Hamburg. We had two weeks as a family of four and I felt like we were doing great. Exhausted but great! We now had the confidence that we would be ok on our own, just in time for the arrival of Bergs parents! They arrived mid-December and we had an absolutely wonderful time. They were eager to get out and see Hamburg so there were many trips to the Isemarkt for fresh produce and fish. It was wonderful having the extra set of hands with the kids as well as having lot of help from my mother in law, Ann, cooking dinners. They actually stayed in two different Airbnb's during their 6 week stay. The first one was fairly close by and convenient to get to and from but in a very busy area. The other one was a bit farther away but nicer. The surrounding area was a little more chill, however, it was very close to the Isemarkt as well as some other really good restaurants and cafe's. It was great they were able to come when they did because B, Kenna and I had to take a "quick" day trip to Berlin to go to the US Consulate. There is a lot of paperwork when you have a child abroad and unfortunately Hamburg's consulate does not do passports. This is obviously a necessary step to take in order to ensure Kenna can travel with us ASAP. The 2 hour train ride there and back to go to a 30 minute appointment was frustrating but it was actually a pretty smooth trip and happy we got it completed. Her passport arrived about 3 weeks later so they are doing something right considering the horror stories I am hearing from the US right now regarding passport issuance. Grandma and Grandpa were able to pick Cal up from Kita and we were home about an hour later. We had a blast with them in town and were able to have a wonderful Christmas and New Years.

JANUARY

Welcome to 2022! We had a wonderful New Year's celebration with a huge meat and cheese table. We also celebrated with Berliners as is the custom here in Germany. If you have never had a Berliner you are missing out. It is a yeasty donut filled with fruit or some sort of filling depending on the flavor and then frosting on top. They were so good and can't wait to keep up the tradition for 2023 New Years. We had another two weeks with B's parents in town. We managed to get out for an evening and do a boat tour on the Elbe River which turned out to be a wonderful experience despite some challenges we endured getting onto the boat in the rain. As we sailed around the Elbe at night we sipped on Gluhwein and entertained Cal. I would be lying if I said B and I were not buzzing. It was good to see Hamburg in a different way and also at night which is something we don't get to do much of given the kids go to bed so early. My in-laws left about mid January and it was hard to say goodbye. We are so lucky we had the opportunity to have family in town for the first two months of Kenna'a arrival. The rest of January was pretty uneventful.

FEBRUARY

February was also pretty uneventful. We started to get back in the groove of living as a family of four. We also celebrated Rosie girls Birthday on February 14th. She is a big 4 year old girl who is starting to go grey already. I think the kids have aged her prematurely also. For all the changes we have endured over the last 4 years, Rosie has been the only constant. We are so lucky to have her and I am so happy that we brought her with us on this adventure.

MARCH

March seemed to fly by so quickly. I turned a whopping 37 years old and for my birthday we took our first trip of the year and went to Copenhagen. I will do a separate post on this trip as it was so wonderful and way too short. Needless to say we loved Denmark and I hope we can go back again before we leave Europe. March is still pretty cold, dreary and dark in Hamburg so happy that it seemed to fly by quickly.

APRIL

April was the start of a very tough month. We seemed to get sick over and over again. I was the sickest I have ever been and it lasted about a full month! We took so many Covid tests and they all just kept coming back negative. I am still not convinced that we didn't have it. It was such a hard time because I was so ill and having to get up and take care of the kids while not sleeping, I just couldn't seem to recover. There were a few breakdowns and lots of tears during this time. All I can say is, I do not know how single parents do it. To be so sick and have your kids home and sick all day with you is just the worst thing ever. Let's just forget April even happened.

MAY

The beginning of May was still rough as we were all still sick, me especially. By the grace of God we all started feeling better about 10 days into May. It was divine timing given we left for Italy on May 13th! The four of us flew to Rome and stayed there for 2 days before heading to Tuscany for 8 days. We met B's parents there and stayed at a wonderful Villa. Again I will do a separate post on this trip as well because it is just too much to write and we had the most amazing time ever. It was such a successful trip and gave us a lot of confidence for our upcoming trek back to the US at the end of June. By the time we returned home from Italy we were all healthy and happy. The weather also started to change to Summer. We have had wonderful sunny days with weather in the 70's. Absolutely gorgeous. B's parents also flew back to Hamburg and spent another week with us before returning home to the US.

JUNE

OMG we are finally current! June has been great so far. We have been eating healthy, working out regularly and just gearing up for our trip home at the end of the month. We were able to rent our flat out on Airbnb for the entire time we are gone. As stressful as it is to add getting our home ready for someone else to come live in on top of packing for a month long trip, it is well worth it for the extra money we will make while gone. Also, it is forcing us to consolidate our things and purge what we want to get rid of or donate. We have a summer party to attend for Calvin's Kita next week. He has made a best friend at school named Noah. It is adorable watching them play together, especially because they both have long mops of curly hair! We have gotten together with him and his family a few times now. They also have a 4 month old daughter so Kenna will have a friend too!

We are finally feeling settled in here in Germany and can't wait to make some more memories here in the second half of Summer, this Fall and Winter. We are definitely planning some other major trips but first things first we are coming home! After more than a year away we are so so excited to make this trip. Stress and all, it is going to be so worth it to hug my family and friends. See you soon Chicago!

Schones Wochenende!

-Katy