Laurel Elisabeth Stevens

September 25, 2010 Pictured: a traditional German housewarming gift from my friend: bread and salt Elisabeth and a few friends ready for cake! walking in our neighborhood Elisabeth turned seven yesterday. I ended the day in bed with a few tears. While we are gaining much in this move, I am feeling the losses as well. I miss extended time at home with Elisabeth and look forward already to homeschooling upon our return to the U.S. I fear that she will resist, just as she resists being friendly to me or Henry when she returns from school each day, having spent her energy traveling to and from school, cavorting with her friends, and learning, so I presume. But after thirty minutes or so--usually time alone, sometimes with a scolding, sometimes without, she is ready to enjoy her family again. I eagerly await her fall break which is two weeks in October which corresponds nicely to my mom’s visit. Today John took Elisabeth into Hannover to explore. Henry and I have spent a lot of time ...

Sunday, September 12, 2010 There were many questions from you all this week as to our sleep. Yes, thank you, we are sleeping better! After moving to his own room, each night Henry continued to complain that he wouldn’t sleep, and he still got up multiple times at night, but it gradually got less and less until one morning last week we realized he had slept from 7:30 PM to 6 AM. Yes! He gets a nap about every other day, depending on our schedule, and he usually could sleep for three hours. On the no nap days his weariness really starts to show around 4:00, but somehow we survive. The highlight of last week was a visit from my cousin Peter, who turned 21 on his last day here. He was on his way home from building water wells in Kosovo. We were delighted to have him as our first visitor, especially since he was willing to visit us in our crowded place and had his own sleeping bag. He was here from Tuesday afternoon to Thursday evening and I think we showed him our daily lif...

September 5, 2010 Being in a new place and a small apartment has shown me what I value. For better or worse I value sleep for myself and my family, pleasant conversation with each other, alone time, sunshine, alone space, food, and extended conversation with other women. Certain of these things are in short supply, while some can be remedied easily. I am so grateful for two friends I’ve made at Elisabeth’s school and realize that God has answered our prayers for preparing friends for us ahead of time. Regarding space and sleep: If all goes as planned, we have 10 more days until we move to our “suburban Hannover” home. John and I joke that we are moving from the wooded suburbs of Houston to the wooded suburbs of Hannover. We had the chance to move to the city, but we just couldn’t see ourselves in a flat. I am so excited about not having to tell Henry to stop rolling a ball on the floor or jumping on the floor for fear that it will disturb the other residents. Our new home wi...

Saturday, 28 August 2010 Exploring Celle with Elisabeth Was it really only a week ago that I sat down to type? Things have been up and down so much in the last week, I have lost track. There are certainly the “romantic overseas experience” moments—such as this morning, walking to the market via the lovely French Gardens and seeing the kids enjoy the ducks and the gigantic flower pot, then navigating the market more successfully than the last two times (having a list helps), then walking to the playground (Spielplatz) with happy children, carrying flowers they bought for me. Then there are the not so romantic moments of dealing with a grumpy, exhausted three year old who crosses with my grumpy, exhausted self, or walking home from the Celle Bahnhof (train station) in the rain again, trying to push too big Henry in the stroller and realizing the stroller is about to break, or meeting German mothers at the international school who look so elegant and well dressed in their black an...

I am relieved that I do not have to worry about Henry being the loudest one in the building anymore. the house next door is getting a new roof or something and it is very loud. the old roof is tile, so you can Imagine the noise of it being disassembled. fortunately workers' hours here are very good, so they don't work very long into the evening! I have figured out that I can post to my blog from the I pad, but still no facebook, unless you reply to my posts or post on my wall. thanks for all your messages! I am sorry I cannot check your pages yet. (yes, yes, I suppose I could find an internet cafe or something, but try to imagine what Henry would be doing then! I am so sorry that I haven't figured out pictures yet. I accidentally bought tart cherries the other day, so I was trying to make something with them, but we have no baking pans here. so Henry helped me cook them with sugar, and maybe we will eat them like that or on ice-cream. if you know me, these new thi...

Saturday August 21, 2010 7 PM Celle, Germany (This is not short, but is meant to catch up those who want to be caught up on our lives! Thanks for the emails, and please keep using the gmail address for us. That is all we have access to right now.) We have tucked the kids in to their shared bed and the cries of “He’s too close to me!” and “I don’t like this sheet! I’m not tired!” are starting to settle down. We’ve been here a week now and they have improved greatly in being able to share a bed that is slightly smaller than a double bed. The first few nights they woke up between 11 and 2 AM, sometimes for three hours, but as the week has gone by they have shifted to waking up at 6 AM. That actually works well for getting Elisabeth to school on time. Wednesday was her first day at the International School-Hannover Region, and we have made adjustments each day in our routine. I had to remind myself today (after personal meltdown #3) that this is a big transition and it won’t ...

It has been a long and exhausting day of preparing to leave for Germany. I didn't realize how much work had to be done before the packers even begin! Now that our documentation for insurance is finished, I can breathe a little bit. I'm breathing, and reflecting on the blessings God has given us in the time we've been here. So many friends and neighbors who have taken care of us--shared this great area with us, hugged us in our joy and in our grieving, brought us meals and cookies, watched our kids. This is community. I will miss you, Woodlands friends. Pictured is the fabulous cake that Jenny made for our farewell party on Sunday. I've never had a globe cake before! I found our temporary apartment on Google maps today. It is in Celle--a 20 minute walk to work for John, and a 40 minute (minimum) car ride to school for Elisabeth. This is not our ultimate plan. We will be looking at homes in Hannover, close to the International School-Hannover Region. I still h...