Birthdays!!

I have been a total slacker with this blog and am taking New Years Day to catch up! We recently had two birthdays in our family!

James turned two on the 14th of November. James has been unlike any child I have ever known! I never see him sit still and he has an amazing ability to assess a room and zero in on all things most likely to cause damage and then find those things in a matter of seconds! There is not a stroller, car seat or highchair created that he can't find a way out of. Even when I have his car seat straps so tight I am worried I am cutting off his circulation, sure enough, a few minutes later I hear his triumphant, "Did it!" and I know he's out again! He is also unfailingly sweet and those few minutes at night when he nuzzles his face in my neck while I sing him Silent Night (his favorite song) mean the world to me! Happy Birthday James!

Isaac turned seven on the 18th of December. Isaac is special to me as all oldest children are. He has had the hardest time of the three adjusting to life in Dusseldorf. The kids in his class have been moved around a lot and it shows in their behavior. Friendships have been hard for him to find but he has hung in there and his sweet, fun personality is winning out and he is becoming a much happier boy. I am always proud of him and love him lots! Happy Birthday Isaac!

The Rain in Spain Turned out to be Snow!

Ryan and I decided that we were not going to go home for Christmas this year. While we really miss friends and family, we really want to make the most of this experience and see all that we can see before we are sent back home. Our trip to Spain was born back in October when a good friend told me about great deals on Air Berlin. We checked it out and saw we could get the whole family to Spain for little more than a song and decided to make Spain our Christmas break destination. The only catch was you had to fly in to one city and out of another to keep it cheap so, we decided to fly into Barcelona, spend a few days there, drive down to Madrid and spend a few days there, then drive down to Seville and spend a few days there and fly out of Seville back to Dusseldorf. Ryan served his mission in Madrid so we were excited for him to take his first trip back and this way we could kind of get a tour of Spain in the bargain! So we booked the tickets!
Life got busy and we kind of forgot to plan a few minor details like where to stay, setting up a rental car and hey, how far apart are these cities!? So, a few weeks before our departure we were frantically making reservations. Did you know that a lot of the hotels in Spain don't let children under the age of 18 stay? And you can't have five people in a room? We sure didn't! After a very looooong and painful process involving Ryan having to break out his rusty Spanish (it was pretty good!) we were all set...we hoped.
Our flight there was about two and a half hours and went really well. James made friends with a very patient man behind him by constantly popping over the seat shouting, "Hallo!" (James didn't learn "hello" before we left so instead he has learned a perfect German "hallo")
One of the reasons we picked Spain is we thought it would be a nice warm break from cold and dreary Dusseldorf. I am pleased (insert sarcasm here) to announce that all three cities we visited had record lows with a rare snow in Madrid thrown in for fun! It was freezing! But hey, we're from Colorado, we can do cold right! Our first day in Barcelona we went to the zoo, probably not the most popular tourist spot in Barcelona but with three small kids our tourist spots are a little different from most folks! The zoo was really fun, it was so cold we were literally the only people there so we got to see everything. We were also "lucky" enough to catch feeding time for a lot of the animals, the most memorable being the feeding of rats to the snakes. My sweet little Adam found this to be a bit disturbing and exclaimed on seeing it," This is NOT what God would want!" Thus began our first discussion of the circle of life! We had fun watching a dolphin show, seeing the hippos up close and we even had our fries stolen by a peacock at lunch time! We had a great time even though we froze. Unfortunately the kids woke up the next morning with snuffly noses and coughs but we pushed on to our next stop in Barcelona, an amusement park called Tibidabo. It was Isaac's seventh birthday and we wanted to do something fun for him. After a looong journey involving a bus, the metro, the bus again and then a tram up the mountain we arrived....to find most of the rides closed due to the cold! There were a few lame kiddy rides open and we were again the only ones there so there was no waiting in line :) Our poor kids just sat perfectly still on the rides as they were so, so cold! We gave it our best effort and lasted about and hour and a half before beginning the long journey back to the hotel. It was a unanimous decision to order room service and stay in watching Disney Channel that night!
The next day it was off to Madrid and we were so happy to see some sun on our last morning in Barcelona! We took a quick trip to the beach to let the kids collect shells and run away from the tide. Even though Barcelona was so cold I was really sad to leave our hotel. It was right on the beach and from the two big windows in our room you could look out over the Mediterranean forever! I could have stayed there forever but Madrid was calling and it was time to go!
We discovered that it was about six hours to Madrid so not too bad, factor in kid time and we reached downtown Madrid a little after nine pm. There was crazy traffic in the city as we made our way to our hotel and at this point Adam tells me that he needs to throw up. I could not find anything for him to throw up in so I did my best to distract him until we could make it to the hotel, which we did and I will forever be grateful for not having to find a way to clean up barf out of our rental car at ten pm in Madrid!
Our first day in Madrid was a Sunday so we took a day to rest and walk around a bit. On Monday we woke up to snow and sleet but we headed off to the Prado anyways...to find it closed on Mondays. There was a shop nearby that sold Lladro and other souvenirs so we decided to take a look before deciding what to do instead of the Prado. Ryan and I both wanted to see the Lladro so we took turns staying with the kids at the front of the store to keep them away from the expensive statues. As I was leaving to go take my turn to see them, Adam decided to follow me and before Ryan could grab him he tripped over James stroller right into a shelf of Lladro. I heard the crash and felt the blood drain from my head. All I could think was how many did he break and I hope they take credit cards!! Fortunately he only broke one, a 440 euro elephant, so it cost about 600 dollars. I felt just sick but at least it was just one! Not only was it expensive but it was ugly. Of all the beautiful statues in there he broke the only ugly one. The shop assistant to it to the owners to see if anything could be done but told us we would most likely have to pay for it. By some miracle, the shop owners decided it could be fixed easily and so we did not have to pay for it!! I am so glad that I am not the owner of an ugly, broken 600$ Lladro elephant!
After that adventure we decided to swap Monday's plans to tour the Prado with Tuesday's plans. So we headed off in the opposite direction to the Royal Palace. Ryan had always wanted to tour it on his mission but couldn't afford the admission so he was excited to see it. After a very long and very wet (our shoes were all squishy wet) we made it to the Royal Palace just in time for the doors to close for a private ceremony. Not to be defeated we trudged on another block to a large cathedral to discover they had just closed fifteen minutes ago!!! The day wasn't all bad though because we got to eat at Hard Rock Cafe that night which was just awesome because we miss American food like crazy!! They even had ice in their drinks!
On the walk back to the hotel from the restaurant Isaac started coughing really hard which led to (moms you already know) yes, throw-up all over his coat and scarf and the sidewalk! I have never washed barf out of a coat and scarf in a hotel sink before and can't say I want to again. Despite my best efforts his coat still had a bit of a smell to it so poor Isaac got a liberal dose of dad's cologne each morning after that!
Tuesday we finally got to tour the Prado before heading off to Seville. I really wanted to see the Rembrandt's but, of course, they were closed for maintenance and repair :) Maybe next time!
We were also sad to leave our hotel in Madrid as it too was beautiful. Despite the challenges we experienced there we really loved Madrid, it is a beautiful city with really friendly and helpful people. They we so kind, especially to the kids. It was also great to walk up and down the same streets that Ryan tracted so long ago :) (ok, not that long ago!).
So it was off to Seville and the hope of better weather. It was another six hours to Seville not counting the crazy hour and a half we spent trying to navigate Seville narrow, narrow streets with our navigation on the fritz. Mom and Dad were not the best of friends by the time we arrived at our hotel at about midnight. It didn't help that this hotel was clearly not what it had been advertised as! It was awful. I don't think the bathroom had ever been cleaned, the beds were pretty iffy and they had given our requested baby cot to someone else. It was not a restful night. Grumpiness reigned the next morning as we searched for a new hotel. Strawberries and Cream shakes from Starbucks did help all our moods though and gave us a chance to enjoy the amazing architecture in Seville. We also took a trip down to the river ( I am ashamed to say I don't know which one!) and the kids had a great time throwing rocks in the water. It never ceases to amaze me how this one simple activity always thrills them!
We were lucky to find better lodgings for the night and all rested peacefully! We headed home the next day which was Christmas Eve and I was so happy to see snow when we got there. Not the slushy nastiness of Madrid but crisp, crunchy snow that I have been surprised to discover I really miss!
We learned a lot from our trip and despite the setbacks are thankful we got to see another part of the world and learn more about that place and its people. I was proud of our family for keeping our spirits up (most of the time!) and we made some really good memories. I love my boys and my husband and really look forward to our next adventure! Next time better planning and warmer weather!!

Picture Descriptions:

Picture 1: On the beach in Barcelona with our hotel behind me

Picture 2: Frozen at the Royal Palace in Madrid

Picture 3: Boys on the tram up to Tibidabo

Picture 4: Boys playing on the beach in Barcelona

Picture 5: Adam eating lunch at the zoo

Here in Dusseldorf, it is often easier to take public transit than to circle forever in crazy traffic to find a place to park. Very few places have parking lots so you are usually looking for a place on the side of the road and parallel parking and I don't get along too well. Mostly what we take to get around is the U-Bahn. It is a cable car type train that runs through out most of the city and surrounding areas. There is a stop right in our neighborhood (one of the reasons we picked this house) and best of all it is a platform stop meaning you wait on a raised platform that is level with the train doors. Excellent for me as I almost always have a stroller.
But I'm not writing this to bore you with descriptions of public transportation, I want to introduce you to a few friends we made on the U-Bahn. First let me introduce you to Crazy Ferret Guy. We first met Crazy Ferret Guy at the Alta Land Strasse stop. He always wears the same old track suit, has long grizzely gray hair complete with beard and bushy eyebrows and he carries a ferret in his pocket. The first day we saw him we waited a long time for our train to arrive and it was just me and the kids and Crazy Ferret Guy. He kept circling around us getting closer and closer and at first I really wasn't sure what he had crawling around in his pocket but my mind went to my worst fear, a snake. As he got closer I could see it was a ferret which was a relief but still weird. We see him from time to time on the train and sometimes walking around as we drive the kids to school. He never really seems to have somewhere to go, he just wanders. At first he really freaked me out but then one day after seeing him I had a great shopping day (rare here) and decided that a Crazy Ferret Guy spotting means good luck!
Our next friend is Really Loud Cough Guy. We don't see him as much as we see Crazy Ferret Guy but that is ok. Really Loud Cough Guy has similar grooming techniques as Crazy Ferret Guy but he changes his clothes sometimes. Really Loud Cough Guy will get on the train with his enormous dog, really it looks more like a small bear than a dog, and he will hack and cough like he is about to die and then mercifully gets off the train usually two or three stops down the line.
Our last guy we have only seen once and I still can't decide if this sighting was really sweet or just kind of disturbing. This man looked to be about in his 70s and was sitting on one of the few two-seaters and had reserved the seat next to him with his backpack. Perched on top of his back pack was a photo of a woman. It looked like it had been taken in the 40s. It was black and white and she had really dark lipstick on her overly puckered lips and was posed like a movie star. She was probably about 20 or so in the picture and was beautiful. At this point, being the sentimental fool that I am, I started imagining their life story. I pictured them meeting while she was trying to make it in the acting business in Hollywood. They fell in love, had plans to marry and see the world together (particularly Germany cause who doesn't?) and then she was tragically run over by a bus before they could live out any of their plans. He never got over her and now many years later he is touring the world with her right beside him. Very sweet right? Well it was until he picked up the picture and started kissing it and I mean really kissing it with loud smacking sounds included. This went on for some time until we exited the train. We never saw him again. Maybe they have moved on to a more romantic place like Paris.
So there's a bit of our adventures on the U-Bahn. Not quite as interesting as people watching on Pearl Street but close!

First Day of School

Here's pictures from Isaac and Adam's first day of school! They are attending the International School at Dusseldorf which is an English speaking private school. We have been very impressed with the way this school is run and look forward to a good school year. This is Adam's first year at school and he will be attending full day. It seems too soon to let him go but hopefully it will be for the best! Isaac is bored to tears hanging with me all day and I think school will be a welcome change for him. Isaac and Adam both did very well leaving mom and dad on the first day and I was very proud of myself for not crying until Adam was safely in his classroom!

We Have Arrived!

Well, we actually arrived nearly three months ago but were without internet until now. Our arrival didn't go quite the way I expected to. We were supposed to be met at the airport by our "relocation specialist", taken to our apartment, taken to pick up our car and Ryan's cell phone, taken to get our money exchanged and helped with our first grocery trip.
When we got off the plane I am ashamed to say I was sobbing and had been since we touched down. I wanted nothing more than to find then next available flight back to DIA eventhough it would mean another twelve hours in-flight with our three children. Somewhere through customs I did manage to pull it together and we set off in search of our luggage and our relocation specialist. She was no where to be found be fortunately the man with a van from Ryan's new work place was there holding a little white sign that saying "Hackett Family" and between the three of us we were somehow able to get our ten bags, three children, three carseats and stroller through the Dusseldorf airport and into the van. We would be staying in an apartment for about six weeks as the house we wanted had tenents still living in it for a while. So, off to the apartment we went.
Ryan and I had not had a chance to see our apartment since it was not selected during our prior house hunting trip and we had no idea what to expect. Our relocation specialist met us on the sidewalk outside the apartment and as we started to climb the stairs I asked if there was an elevator. Stupid question. We climbed flight after flight of stairs until we were on the fifth floor! As I started to think about what a nightmare it would be to lug three kids and our groceries up these stairs we were shocked by our relocation lady telling us that she had to go! Apparently she had scheduled another appointment and would catch up with us in a few days!
This is the point where my mind goes blank. I think sometimes our brains shut off as a kind of favor to us. Saving us from things like committing murder and spending the rest of my life in a German prison.
Somehow we got her to send a co-worker to come pick Ryan up (our man with a van had disappeared) and take him to work so he could pick up his car, lap top and cell phone. While he was gone I had a chance to take a closer look around the apartment. It was a pretty nice place and quite spacious for 2bdrm'er until I noticed that not only had it not been cleaned before we came, it had not been cleaned for a while! There were stains in the toilets the likes of which I haven't seen since I had the misfortune of using the toilet in Ryan's college apartment (no fault to you Ryan, we know it was all Kurt). Memory again blanks out after this and doesn't reappear until a few days later.
It was not an ideal start to our new lives in Germany but we got through it and I hear there is all kinds of new research in the field of memory removal (thank you bookclub). In all honesty we have been amazed by the beauty of this city. Dusseldorf gets a lot of rain and there is green everywhere. The kids and I loved taking walks though the parks near our apartment. We have met some nice people and the language in coming, at a snail's pace but it is coming! We feel blessed to be here and think in the end it will be a good experience for the whole family. Getting settled in our house and starting the process of making it a home has made a big difference. I miss home. I've been homesick before at college but being here were ALL that is familiar to me is gone and I don't understand what anyone is saying is a different kind of homesick.
My family watched the movie 8 Seconds a lot when we were younger and we would often use the phrase, "Cowboy up" if something was tough. Then one day a few years back I saw a truck with a bumpersticker that said "Cowboy up or go sit in the truck". Well, I don't want to go sit in the truck so I suppose I'll just have to keep plowing through. I don't even think I could even find a truck to sit in if I wanted to.....