Laurel Elisabeth Stevens

October 29, 2010 After writing this, I noticed that an orange glow was coming through the westward windows. It being 9 AM I was confused. Then I looked out and saw this beautiful tree. The sun merely coasts across the southern edge of the sky these days--always low sun. Shadows are so different way up here. . . This is the beginning of phase three of our adjustment. Phase 1 was our month in Celle. Phase 2 was our three weeks in our new house before my parents arrived for a visit. Phase 3 is the time that began after my mom left this morning. Our house now has pictures hung, coat racks up, curtains in three r ooms . . . I just returned from taking Henry to kindergarten. My mom left for Houston early this morning, taking a taxi to the airport at 5:15, then John left to go by train to Dusseldorf at 5:40. At 7:25 Henry and I walked Elisabeth to the tram stop, about a ten minute walk, so she could meet an 8th grader to accompany her to school. It was still quite dark when I ki...

**I am having trouble blogging because I keep waiting for time to edit, perfect, add more relevant stories. But I guess for now I’ll share some of my thoughts with you! Thanks for reading a glimpse of our lives here. There’s certainly lots more to tell and I don’t even think these are the most interesting parts, but it is what I have right now! October 7, 2010 I brought Henry to his sixth day of Kindergarten today and was very close to giving up on it completely. But I just don’t do that. Bummer, too. I would really like to give up. But then what? I am sure we are not the only family who has gone through this, but I certainly feel like we are when I am there. Though I am learning lots of German by staying with him for 2 1/2-3 hours at kindergarten, it is still often a blur of language all around me. So when I told Henry that I was going to go to the store for a bit and would be back in an hour and he began to cry and beg me to let him come with me, I was nearly in tears my...

Flying to USA, as a non resident this time. Leaving for a business trip this morning was lonely, really lonely. It wasn't just the hour (05:00), it was the awkwardness. This is the first time I am flying to the USA and I am not returning home. Germany is my permanent residence now. There is still a lot of settling in to, a lot of system and vocabulary to figure out; but my home and, most importantly, my family are there now. I got German lessons from the taxi driver on the way to the airport. I went through security right at the gate less than an hour before departure and I didn't have to take off my shoes. This is all very odd to an american conditioned by the FAA. But, this is my home now. Waiting in the airport for the planes this morning I keep going through the pictures of the family I have on the iPad. I bemoan that I forgot a camera so that I can't take a picture of the 747 I am on for Henry- he loves that planes are named by number and often makes up his own...

Pictured: Henry on a fair ride Henry on his favorite scooter at Kindergarten. Round and round and round. . . Ich musse schreiben wann ich am feeling good about things. That is about how my German goes. I get half way through a sentence and then get stuck. I need to learn words like happy, kind, and try. I think those are words I want to use often, but cannot. Today was the third day that I took Henry to kindergarten. This is a five minute walk from our house and it is affiliated with the Lutheran church we visited last Sunday. The director asked me to stay with him for the “settling in period” which could be, she said, up to two weeks. That surprised me when I first heard it back in August, but now I am starting to understand. The first three days there have followed the pattern of much of our transition. One day is great, the next is discouraging, and by the third there is a light. The structure of the kindergarten is very different from pre-school here. There are aspect...

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...