Keeping up with Life

I'm sure you all want an update on what the weather is doing here in Mid Tennessee 😃 Well, we enjoyed some desperately needed sunshine this week and warm temperatures before it started raining again on Thursday, Friday and today. The rivers and a lot of areas are still flooded, which is also impacting Spring sport season. Here are some pictures from last Sunday from our local park, where I usually go running at. Elliot was supposed to have his first practice last Tuesday on this field, but since 4 to 6 year don't play water polo yet, it had to be moved. The soccer fields are under water and so are the running paths. The new rain of course does not help. 

But it gets better: Today, the cold rain will turn in to snow showers by tonight and it is forecasted to be below 20 F (-6C) for the next few nights.We all thought winter was over... Still, all those February showers brought us March flowers (and the trees are blossoming too): 

But not only the weather is crazy here, so was my work week. Officially, I'm still on part-time but I work much more than that lately. This week, our Dutch colleague was here and we had lots of team meetings and a team get-together, which resulted in me working 40+ hours. Luckily, most meetings involve food, which makes 5 hour planning meetings bearable.

On Friday was Read Across America Day and Elliot's preschool had a Dr. Seuss Character Day. I realized on Thursday afternoon at work that we do not have a Dr. Seuss costume yet. So, at 10pm that night I did a quick sewing session to create his cat costume. It turned out pretty good and the boy was a happy Cat. Meet Cat in the Hat: 

Of course, there were many kids dressed as Cat in the Hat at preschool but also some other characters: 

For the past two months, my boy talked about having a birthday celebration for his stuffed dragon. He came with a tag and a date on it and thus, February 23rd we surprised "Saphire" with a birthday song. Look at how happy this made my boy. Maybe it sounds childish but the kids are living for those small moments. 

Last Sunday was a full day: Amelia and I went to church to watch Evie's baby dedication and congratulate the proud parents.  Dominik and Bettina are members of a big congregation and thus, there were lots of other babies who got dedicated that day.  

After lunch, we went quickly home just to leave again to go to a special birthday treat. Instead of a party, Amelia's friend, Myah, invited a few girls to get their nails done. Amelia was very excited as this was her first pedi- and manicure in a salon ever. 

Happy 8th Birthday, Myah!

While we were out, the boys broke in Elliot's new cleats by playing some ball in the front yard. 

Since it was sunny and warm out this week, we took our guinea pigs outside for the first time. They loved chomping on the fresh grass: 

Now, we hope the weather settles down a bit and can start spring planting season soon. 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain, rain and more rain. This has been our motto lately and we are on the verge of having one of the wettest Februaries on records in terms of inches of precipitation. So far it rained 13 out of 22 days days. The grounds are soggy and everyone is in need of a day with lots of sunshine. While we may not have had any snow days this year, we are using them as flood days. The kids are out of school and preschool today due to severe flood warnings. Luckily, we are nearing the end of this 7 day stretch of rain and hopefully the month progresses drier than it started off. 

All working together at the table today either doing homework, actual work or snoozing (the cat):

Since my return from Europe, it took me a good week to adjust as I went right back to work and there, everyone seemed to be sick. No wonder I succumbed due to germs, jet lag and overall fatigue from working lots of extra hours in the last two months, that I crashed last Friday. So rest and some extra sleep as well as some cuddles was just what I needed last weekend. Surely, the cat didn't mind. 

Derrick also had another work trip, which meant that we celebrated "I Love You Day" (aka Valentine's Day) without him. We made the best out of it but it surely wasn't the same. 

The children both had a little celebration at (pre-) school and dance class with cupcakes and to exchange their Valentines. But on Friday when Daddy returned, all was great again.  

That week, Amelia's school also hosted their annual science fair and her grade was tasked to make a poster about a habit. Of course, she chose a horse habitat. She didn't win a ribbon but nonetheless, we are proud of her great idea and hard work on the poster. 

Meanwhile, President's Day rolled around and both children were eager to tell us about their favorites presidents: 

Amelia: Barack Obama - because he is black- (her words) and  Elliot: Abraham Lincoln - because he freed the slaves (his words). Elliot and his patriotic head gear, showing me a stickers while we drive. Never a dull moment here:

Between working and being a mom, I'm also a vet, fixing a stuffed horse's boo boo. 

Our guinea pigs also got a second story added to their cage, all made from leftover materials. 

Just in case you are wondering how the cat and the guinea pigs are doing, I would say well...becoming fast friends. 

Amelia was home from school on Tuesday for Teacher Conference day, so I took the day off and the kids and I went to the Adventure Science Center. While it is relatively small, the exhibitions are fun, especially when there are not many people in attendance. Here are some snapshots of our time at the museum. 

Our favorite exhibit by far was the tinker garage, where you can build, from all kinds of materials, fun rocket ships, cars or anything else imaginable.

I finish off today's blog post with this gem: Our Saturday wake-up call at 6:15am.

Short Trip to Europe

Due to some integration issues with our acquired company in Holland, I was asked, last minute, to join the CEO and the head of Global Sales to go to Holland in the end of January. With Derrick just being back in town after being away for a week, it was my turn to pack a suitcase and head off to the airport last Sunday. But not before some kisses from my favorite people:

I flew with American Airlines this time and was lucky that my flight was only half full, which meant I got a whole row to myself. This was great, as it meant I could lay down and sleep for a few hours before heading straight from the airport to the office. 

Business travel always sounds glorious but in reality it means long work days (16-20 hours) and one hardly sees anything from the surrounding areas except one the way to and from the office. We did go to the old LightFabrik for dinner one night, which was located right next to our hotel in Gouda. 

Goedemorgen from Gouda:

While the Polar Vortex affected many parts of the U.S., including Tennessee, and the children were home for 2.5 days, it was not as chilly in Europe but we even saw some snow. A few pictures of Gouda to prove that I was actually there:

And a few scenic pictures on the way to the airport on Thursday afternoon. There are water channels everywhere and huge container ships navigate those channels with ease, despite them being quite slim. 

Unfortunately, my flight to Berlin was delayed due to heavy fog and below freezing temperatures. But the flight crew kept us entertained with updates, an optional visit to the cockpit and the de-icing procedures for the plane. 

Once landed, I was delighted to spend a few hours with my father. There is never enough time on those short trips but definitely better than not seeing them at all.

Eating my way thru Europe, a slim selection of the delicious meals I enjoyed:

The next day I was able to sleep in and enjoy a leisurely morning with my mom. I shopped for all the "necessary" supplies to bring back to America and even stopped by a popular gummy bear factory. 

Even though it was chilly and wet, my mom and I managed to get in our obligatory evening walk thru the neighborhood:

On Saturday, it was drizzling all day, but Juergen, Mom and I still went ahead and window shopped a bit in Potsdam. I could not resist the big chocolate bear:

The rest of the evening was spent playing cards:

By coincidence, my little brother was in Berlin that same weekend while I was there, so we had the chance to catch up. My brothers and I enjoying a Sunday Brunch together:

And that concluded already my short trip to Europe. It was only a few days but despite the few hours of sleep and the extra work stress, it was so worth it as I had the chance to see and hug my family. Long flights can be tiring but this view never gets old:

Flying in to Philadelphia

Meanwhile on the home front, Derrick managed to keep everyone alive (despite a brief stomach bug) and sane while school was cancelled/ delayed multiple times that week: 

Elliot and his friends even enjoyed a puppet show at school, hosted by the Nashville Library:

But best of all was coming home and being reunited with my babies: