It's Not a Party Unless....

Someone loses their undewear!!!!!!

Ok, that might have been the old definition of a good party... and I'll admit those are Aidan's (who is less likely to follow in his father's underwear losing habit than his brother likely will) who lost them while crossing the street to go to the pool at the Anastasia's house.  But it made for a good opening line.

I had planned on writing at least one blog entry in between now and the party we hosted over the weekend but I've been in moving and visiting chaos to say the least.  I have so many wonderful friends and family who have been helping me out with not only moving my belongings but watching my kids so that I can move said belongings to my garage to go out to the POD.  But with that chaos comes very little sleep, a racing mind and heart and stress... lots of stress.  Stress with work, stress to see everyone as much as possible and stress to get this move out of the way so I can move on with my life.  And yes, I thought this move was going to be much simpler than it has turned out to be.  Again, I thank all those who have been involved in this process for your patience with me and our stuff... if I were all of you I'd be saying good riddance to those Marcus' who come to visit and then require constant babysitting and moving assistance - we are a pain and we love you for everything you've all done to help us!!!!  I promise it's almost done!

But I digress - this entry was supposed to be about our party.  In order to see everyone humanly possible in such a short period of time I decided a few months ago that it would be a good idea to host a potluck/open house while we are home.  However, I did not anticipate getting violently ill the two days before the party.  And by ill I mean constantly vomiting, can't move from the bed, children fend for yourselves (meaning scream if someone is dying) kind of ill.  My stomach still hasn't fully recovered and it's Tuesday as I write this.  But I was determined to host this open house so I could see everyone, especially knowing that several people were driving significant distances to see us - there was no way I could disappoint!!  Not to mention I really wanted to see everyone too!!!!

And I'm so glad we moved forward with it.  At least 50 people were here, many of them with children I've never even met, whether due to distance or to the fact that they'd been born in the time we'd been in Barcelona.  So it was beyond a joy and pleasure to see everyone.  The kids all go along amazingly, whether they were kids that some had never met or the oldest of friends - no kid sat alone.  I purchased squirt guns that morning and since it was well over 80, they were a hit.  We had kids running and screaming soaking wet all over the yard.  It was an absolutely perfect day!! 

I've got lots of photos to follow - I'm leaving out most names as there are lots of kids and I'm not sure all the parents want their kids names posted on the internet, but if you are my friend, chances are you know who they all are anyways!

I love this one of my mom and Aidan!

Shirts versus skins

At the end of the day, the party did not end.  We headed over to the Anastasia's across the street for a late evening swim and hot tub.  Liam finally made the move into the water, albeit it was the hot tub, but we're making progress given that he barely will even put his toes to the edge of a pool.  And yes, he left kicking and screaming as he probably could have stayed there the entire night. 

Liam finally getting in the hot tub with Aidan giving him a hand

And now he may never leave!

All in all, it was a perfect day, we got to see so many wonderful people in our lives (of which we talked to for about 30 seconds - next time I promise it will be longer!) and I'm so happy all of you came out to share the day with us.  We'll hopefully see everyone again next year unless you come out to Barcelona to visit us :) 

Now... on with the move...hopefully the final batch is going out tonight and then we can start to truly enjoy this trip!!  Ok, so that I can truly start to enjoy this trip as the kids have been having a blast!

Julie



Movin' Movin' Movin'

One of the great things about the timing of our vacation is that it is also the time when our new renters want to move in - so I didn't have to make a special trip to clear out our house.  However, one of the bad things about the timing is that I have to move during our vacation.  And as I mentioned in my last entry, it's been a bit of an obsession of mine for the last week trying to get everything ready to move into our POD that arrived on Monday.

Every day I move things.  Up from the basement, out of the bedrooms, up thru the kitchen and out to the garage.  Thankfully much of our furniture was already out in the garage ready to go because the boys in the neighborhood had moved it out in order to redo our hardwood floors.  But there was an entire room in our basement filled to the ceiling with boxes.  For days I have moved the boxes into the garage.  To the point where our 2 car garage was full and there was no more walking space.  Which made me nervous.  Why?  Because my POD is only as big as a one car garage AND I still have furniture in the bedrooms.  How in the world is it all going to fit? 

Thankfully I have the most amazing friends in my neighborhood who offered to spend their boys night helping me to move the furniture and some of the boxes into the POD.  Thank you so much Bill F, Bill W, Dave, Rich and Dennis - you guys rock!!  It was like a big puzzle ... with beer.  There were a few anxious moments here and there, especially when they saw how much needed to be moved and how little space there was.  But Bill W with his headlamp and engineering skills put all the pieces of the puzzle together and coordinated with the guys where everything should go. 

Bill with the headlamp - it just doesn't have the same effect with the camera flash

Bill F starting the bubble wrap fight

Bubble wrap everywhere!

Poor Dennis had to clean it up every time!

Rich contemplating a kick of the giant bubble wrap at Dennis' head...

Man down...

They got about 85% of the garage completed by 1AM this morning and I think we might actually be able to get just about all the things in to the POD with the exception of perhaps a few boxes here and there that might need to go to the attic.  There were a lot of laughs as well and once again I'm reminded of why I miss this place so much!

Julie

Living Life in Limbo

We've been "home home" for almost a week now and are starting to settle in to some old routines.  It's rather nice and I could get used to it.  It feels like I've never left and I think that's going to make leaving even harder at some point. 

I've been to Target, to Toys R Us, the grocery store, even the liquor store... it all makes it feel even more like home.  Only right now it's not.  We're in limbo.  We're not settled into our house, we're moving out of it for the time being.  Our furniture is in the garage, at least most of it and all our worldly possessions are in boxes either in the garage, attic or basement waiting to be moved.  I feel as though a lot of the time here has been spent prepping for the moving, actually moving things or really just thinking about the move. 

I met our new renters the other day and they are beyond lovely - I like them a lot.  So much so that we spent 3 1/2 hours just chatting away about life in Europe, transitioning back to the US, the kids, the house and life in general.  I think they are going to be a great fit for our house and our neighborhood - now if I could just make our stuff magically appear in our POD, life would be good, right?

The great thing about staying in my neighborhood though is that while I'm constantly thinking about the move, I'm not overscheduling us with things to do.  This trip we are very much going with the flow and seeing as many people as we can but not making appointments necessarily to see them - we're letting a lot happen spontaneously which is taking some of the chaos out of our lives and makes our trip that much more enjoyable.  Things like ice cream dinner at the Ice Cream Machine or chinese food (tonight...so excited!) with our friends and spontaneous playdates are the fun things that have been sorely missed over the last year and a half. 

We've been spending a lot of time with family as well.  My mom and dad have been a huge help in getting the house ready for us to come back and also watching the kids so that I can pack things up.  Both boys have spent a few nights with Josh's parents (Liam leaves today for his time) for some one on one time with them as well. 

Liam has been the most interesting to watch this vacation so far and has shown me how much in limbo we are between our two lives - our US life and our European life.  He doesn't remember where things are, including our house.  We were visiting friends in the neighborhood the other night and on the way back he asked me where we lived.  It kind of broke my heart a bit that he didn't know.  He asks me things like "what's that noise?" to which I reply "those are birds Liam".  But he's also excited by the time here and told me that he'd like to live here again.  He was especially excited by Toys R Us and the HUGE selection of toys they have - he was beyond excited at that trip and has talked about it for the last several days.

It's still strange and surreal to be back, especially in our house.  Most days it feels like we never left.  Conversations pick up where we left off, routines continue on like putting out the trash on Thursday night and I continue to move our stuff out of the house.  We were living like this before we moved as we waited for the container to come to bring some of our things to Spain.  So I guess I should be used to it by now.  But I look forward to the day where we are in one location for a long time again and can settle back in and not just for vacation.  I miss our friends in Spain and of course, I miss Josh who is there working (sorry you can't be with us!) and so now I'm torn between two worlds that I love but love differently for different reasons.  We're going to make the best of our time here over the next week and a half that we have left since we know it will be a while til we'll be back again.  But it gives me peace of mind knowing that when we come back for good there will be change certainly, but that the friendships and relationships remain the same.

Julie

"Home Home"

In the last year and a half, Barcelona has become home.  Not necessarily because that's where our heart is, but because that's where we live, for now.  However, when it comes to the kids in order to avoid confusion when we would say things like "ok, let's head home" from somewhere, we started calling our home in Attleboro, "Home Home". 

And so this year we decided that since we were between renters that we would stay in our actual house when we go "home home" to visit.  Last year we stayed with family and friends and never once entered our house.  I decided this with much trepidation as this could go either very very well or very very badly.  Aidan has been suffering from an adjustment disorder of which we have only recently found out - it explains a lot of his behavior in the last year and a half but also makes coming home something I was a bit ambivilant about now because my fear is that he will only get worse when we have to go back "home" to Barcelona in a few weeks.  But I also could not deny him his once a year trip home to see his family and his friends. 

But staying in our house potentially could come with a price to pay because of course, he wants to get settled in and he wants to be with his friends... but eventually we will have to leave.  And not only will we have to leave but while we are here, we are also moving all of our belongings out.  Our new tenants do not need all of our things (and that's fine) and so I've arranged for a POD to be delivered so that I can move our things out while we are here.  Yes, just one more adjustment on our plates right?  Our floors were refinished last week (thanks Lisa!) and so all our furniture on our first floor had already been moved to our garage which makes the process at least a little easier for me which is good but it also means that when we arrived at our house, the first floor would be completely empty.

Aidan woke up yesterday at 5:30AM (sleeping late compared to last year's 3AM after flying in) and had the BIGGEST smile on his face that I have seen in months.  He knew that we were going "home home" today.  Liam was just confused which made me sad.  He woke up at 6:30 (whew!) and when I told him we were going home he asked me if we were getting on another airplane.  He's 4 and he's lived almost half of his life in Spain already - something that does not go unnoticed by me when it comes to things like coming home and how familiar or unfamiliar he is with people or places.  He has not been home in 10 months and that is close to 1/4 of his whole life - significant at this age, especially when it comes to memories. 

We left for home and got here around 9:15 in the morning, after all, we'd already been up for several hours.  You could see the excitement on Aidan's face as we got off the highway on to Rte 123 heading towards home.  There were neighbor friends walking their dog as we got out of my dad's truck.  Liam, again was confused trying to figure out where we were.  He clung to me as I chatted with my friends. My dad and Aidan immediately went inside - Aidan was beaming!!  Then Michele and Ashley came running outside and tears were shed and hugs commenced.  But Liam didn't recognize either of them.  It broke my heart.  More friends came by - Debbi, Dennis, Scott, Tracie.. and all the kids.  Max, Nate, Aaron... they all started running around inside and outside the house as though we'd never been gone.  Even better because there was nothing for them to break as they raced thru the house.  It was an amazing moment.  And one I won't soon forget.  It doesn't matter how far we go or how long we've been away, this is home and yes, you can go home again.  I love these people and am so lucky to have them as my friends!!

It was after 11 before I managed to even set foot in my house which was totally fine because I was embracing the moment.  Aidan still had his friends over and they were running back and forth between yards.  I love that he's 7 now and can have the freedom to run more in the neighborhood without me having to be there every single second - amazing what a year and a half of growth will do.  My dad and I brought the kitchen table back in the house along with some chairs, made a few notes of things to do and visited with a few more people before we headed off for a Father's Day lunch at Longhorn (Aidan's absolute favorite restaurant in the whole wide world). 

After a nice lunch with my dad we went back to the house.  Aidan could not wait to see his friends again and when his door wouldn't open right away he climbed right over Liam, opened his door and raced out the truck.  Yes, he was that excited and happy and nothing could have made me happier than seeing that thing called a smile on his face again... it's been too long since we've seen it on a regular basis.  He and Liam spent the afternoon at Tracie and Scott's house playing with probably half the neighborhood - and they played hard.  I could see them from my house on the jungle gym and playing in the water that they sprayed down the slide and just running running running.  I'm amazed that they made it thru the day without collapsing from exhaustion!! 

While they were there I headed to the grocery store and what an amazing experience!  Since my last visit I've found that yes, I can get by with less stuff from home and that I'm doing just fine.  And so I found myself not grabbing every single thing that caught my eye and showed some self restraint.  It was hard but I did.  And Josh, Edy's is now making instant milk shakes - just add milk to the frozen ice cream and stir - I thought of you and yet, I was good,  I didn't buy any because do I really need it???  But I meandered down the aisles soaking up every moment.  There were a few moments where I had to say excuse me to get out of someone's way and it would take me a second to not automatically say perdone in Spanish as I was accustomed to... because while I only speak in English with my friends in Spain, in my daily life everything is done in Spanish and it is strange to not need to do that again.  I brought my wonderful groceries back here to unpack and started to go thru the house a bit.  I completely lost track of time til Michele and Lindsey came over to get me for dinner...

We had a great steak dinner at the Anastasia's after and the kids ran and played some more.  Liam was finally starting to open up more which was great.  He'd been so shy since we'd first arrived.  Tracie said that he played with the kids all afternoon but refused to come near any of the adults.  When I said it was time to go home, Liam said, "do we need to get in the car?"  And I said no and pointed across the street to our house.  "We are just going there".  "But what about Papa?  Where is Papa?"  And once again I had to explain to him that Nana and Papa's house is not our house, but where we stayed last night and most of our last trip last summer.  And that this house is our house.  It broke my heart a bit that he didn't rememember - after all, Josh and I have had this house for close to 11 years now and for our youngest child to not remember it, well, it most definitely saddened me. 

I got the boys to bed and had to leave the light on in the hallway so that they would know how to find me at night since it was their first night home.  Aidan surprisingly after all his playing, could not sleep and was determined to help me to start going thru our storage room.  He was a huge helper but also didn't seem to get that we were moving out and not back in.  He wanted to put things where they belonged and didn't seem to understand why I wanted to move it all to the garage.  I think he finally understands, though he's not very happy about it.  By 9 he was in bed.  I wasn't that far behind though I was determined to make a dent in the storage room and probably got about 1/4 of it cleared out which was impressive for day 1.  I was also on a mission looking for some stuffed animals that Aidan left behind - unfortunately I have a feeling that they had gone into the donation pile before we moved but until I know for sure, I will continue my search. 

The boys have done amazing with their jetlag.  I write this entry long before 7AM and have been up before 5.  I was up at 4AM yesterday and 5AM today... both kids are still sleeping and so I will embrace the quiet time while I have it.  On tap for today - dentist appointment for the kids (much needed), a trip to the Cape where Aidan will spend the next few days and a home inspection at our house on the cape and then back to Attleboro.  Going to try to get some work in as well as while I'm on vacation, I'm never truly on vacation - work calls! 

I didn't get many pictures yesterday as I wasn't always with the kids but I have no doubt you'll see a lot coming up once we all get our bearings... more to come this week I'm sure!

Aidan and Lindsey after swimming in her pool... they always always take such cute pictures together!

Julie

Travelling Home (to the USA)...

Finally, the day was here!!  Hard to believe we waited 8 months and we were finally ready to go home for our vacation.  "Home Home" as Aidan calls it.  We had a 1:30PM flight out of Barcelona and so left our apartment just before 11 to grab a cab to the airport.  We had plenty of time at BCN airport and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading to our gate.  There was a great play area (albeit very small, but it kept the kids occupied) right next to our gate.  So far with the exception of some bickering between the boys, this is going to be managable.  Or so I thought...

The flight was delayed with boarding, but I've got a 3 hour window built into our plans so I figured no big deal and hey, it means less time waiting around in Heathrow, right?  Wrong... we got on the plane in Barcelona only to find out there is bad weather in London and so the flight will be delayed for another hour... on the tarmac.  Seriously?  You knew we were being delayed and yet you felt the need to cramp us up into this little plane rather than delay the boarding a little longer? 

So now I get a little anxious because they "think" it will be an hour but not really quite sure.  My window is now down to about an hour and a half because we've already been delayed almost a half hour at boarding. 

We finally get on our way and I spend the whole flight stressed about making it to our connection.  I talk to the stewardesses who are kind but not super helpful.  They tell me that yes, the papers in my hand are correct and I really DO need 90 minutes between terminal 3 and terminal 5.  Ok, well at this rate, I'm not going to have that - do you know if they will hold the plane?  They say that the flight does not really take off at 5:10 but closer to 5:30 and that I will probably be ok as long as we land by 4. 

Liam using his "binocular" (really his ViewFinder) to look out the window as we leave BCN.  He LOVES flying and just kept saying how cool it was to be in the sky.

Well, we didn't land til just after 4 and of course it took forever to get off the plane.  So really it was 4:15 before we were on our way.  And we ran... like the wind!  We had to take 2 buses, several moving walk ways and a tram to get to terminal 5 plus we had to go thru customs and security all over again.  The boards stated that our gate was already closed but we were determined to make it.  Those kids ran for their lives and I was/am so proud of them for doing their best.  None of us wanted to stay in London.  Poor Liam kept falling and I just would scoop him by the arm and scream "keep running!". 

We finally made it to the gate and the attendants say to me, "where is Liam Marcus?".  Well, duh right here with me.  So they look at him a little embarrassed... "We have him as a random search".  Seriously???  He's 4!  But at that point I had no more strength in me and we need to get on that goddamn plane!!  So they very quickly pat him down (I assure you, non invasively) and we get on the plane. 

Here's the kicker... so we get on the plane, the plane that at every board I saw said gate closed.  They announce that the last passengers have finally boarded but that unfortunately due to poor weather here in London we will not be leaving the airport for at least another hour.  Fuck you!!  Yes, I said it and for those offended, I'm sorry... but yeah after running for 45 mins thru that massive airport and stressing me and my kids out, yeah I'm pissed off.  But the good news is, we're on the plane.  The stewardesses were super nice and gave the kids some crayons and coloring books.

Finally, we get in the air for our "long" flight home (as we've already done our "short" one from BCN to London).  I figure at this point it will be uneventful and the worst is already over.  But no, it's not.  About 1/2 hour into our 6 1/2 hour flight, Liam decides to return the favor of the pat down and puke all over their plane.  I wasn't prepared for him to do that and so had to catch it in my hand.  Yeah, good times!  I clean him up and thankfully had a change of clothes for him.  Again, the stewardesses were super nice and helpful here, and despite the weather issue, I really liked flying British Air (I've flown a different airline each time I've gone on this trip back and forth from Spain to the US so it was my first on BA).

Finally on our way "home home" and he's soooo happy, though you can tell he is sooo tired too...

Only one more puke to go about 4 hours into the flight but this time I was prepared.  The lady in front of Aidan was a bitch and she kept saying he was kicking her seat but he wasn't.  He would occassionally put his feet against the base of her seat in order to push himself back up in his seat.  I asked him not to do it and he didn't do it often but she gave me the dirtiest looks - I wanted to slap her since these kids were being superstars and she had no idea all they'd been thru during this trip.  I had actually planned to say something to her when we landed figuring we'd all be waiting to stand to disembark but she bolted from her seat so quickly that I didn't get the chance to. The kids ended up sleeping and other than being a slight mess when we were getting ready to land (after all it was 2AM Barcelona time by then), they were great. 

As we were flying, I kept thinking back to how long this day is and what wear and tear it is on us physically and emotionally.  It made me think... is it worth it?  Why can't everyone just come visit us?  And as I got off the flight to meet my parents who were just sobbing (and yes, I shed a few tears too) with happiness to see us, yes it was.  Aidan ran into their arms and hugged them like it had been years instead of 10 months (not that that isn't long too) since he'd seen them.  And to the surprise Sue said was waiting in my fridge when I got home (Monroe Dairy choc milk), yes, it was worth it.  And to Lisa who has been managing my house and move from afar?  And Dennis who has been taking care of the house and the car?  And the list goes on and on... yes, it was worth it.   But I have to say it was a shitty day and I couldn't wait for it to be over...

Only it was as I was leaving the airport and told my dad that Aidan's car seat booster was packed in the bottom suitcase that I realized that in my haste to get the hell out of dodge that I forgot Liam's carseat in the baggage claim area.  So I had to go back into the airport and into the baggage claim claim area where they were super helpful and after about 10 minutes they had Liam's car seat for me.  Whew!!!

It was on to my parents house for the night, finally!!  I vaguely remember the drive there and getting settled in.  The boys were hyper and excited to finally be back home home again.  We were all in bed by around 10:30 that night and all I could do was hope that they would sleep past 3AM (which is the time they woke up last year on the first night back - which really is 9AM BCN time so it was late in their minds).  Finally... back home...

Julie

Liam's End of Year Party

Aidan had his end of year party last week and this week it was time for Liam's.  The class surprised all the parents by being lined up in a row when we walked in with freshly made mortar boards on their heads and the tee shirts they had made on with their first initial in the front.  They looked soooo cute!

All lined up and ready to sing!

They immediately started off singing a few songs for all the parents. The first of which was We're Going on a Bear Hunt. I found this especially amusing because we read that book all the time and it's one of my favorites and yet not one time when we have read it has he told me that they sing it like a song at school instead of reading it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqUBs6Zs7i4

Class singing 3 songs

Aren't they cute? And yes, that is Liam constantly saying "Hi Mommy" and telling everyone that they should not eat mud!

After they finished their songs, the teachers gave awards to each of the kids.  I thought this was so wonderful as to how they made each child feel special in their own way and Liam's compliment was right on - he is always smiling and happy (when he's not throwing a tantrum).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hN-59wtvso

Awards

And the final thing they did before everyone was ready to eat was to throw their mortar boards in the air.  Yes, I realize Liam was picking his nose in the video... ah to be 4 with not a care in the world, right??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkRUAFgjtHU

Throwing the mortar boards

You would think no one has ever fed these children with how fast they ran for the snack tables and inhaled all the food.  But I think it's safe to say everyone had a great time!

Liam and his friend Arjun

During the party I also found out that Liam speaks Spanish pretty fluently!!  You can imagine my surprise since his vocabulary with me comprises of colors, no toca (don't touch), ayudame (help me), hola, gracias and his and Aidan's favorite, culete (probably spelling it wrong but it means butt).  Apparently he speaks with all his local Spanish friends in Spanish... who knew!!  What a great way to end the school year though, let's just hope he retains some of it after a summer of travel!

The proud nursery school graduate on the way home from the bus stop

The last day of school is Friday, June 17th and then the kids and I take off for the States on Saturday morning for our vacation.  We're getting very excited not just about the last day of school but about going home!!  I promise to do my best on updating the blog while we are away with lots of pictures and insight from how everyone is reacting to being home again.

Julie

Aidan's End of Year Party

Last week Aidan's class did a great end of the year party that started off with a video that the teachers made for all of the parents.  We received the DVD today and I immediately uploaded it on to YouTube.  It's 20 mins long so just beware but as Aidan's mom, I loved every single minute of it, especially the music.  I have to give credit to his amazing teachers, Ms. Erika and Ms. Poonam for putting it together.  Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv5lj1Sg01Q

 

After watching the video, everyone had some snacks and chatted for a bit.  It was a great way to end the school year.  We're going to be so sad to be leaving the first grade class as it was a great experience for both Aidan and for us as a family - his teachers were amazing!!!  And while Aidan is sad to leave, he's also excited about soon being a second grader!!

 

 

Isa, David, Aidan and Ines

Aidan and Ms. Poonam

Aidan and Ms. Erika

Julie

 

Anxious

In less than a week the kids and I will be back on American soil for the kick off to our summer vacation.  I'm very excited about the trip although less than thrilled about the idea of travelling for 10+ hours with two small children on my own.  However, right now, the flight itself is actually the easiest part on my mind. 

So what's on my mind?  Well, let's see... work, final days of school which include at least one school meeting and one party, a final night out with some friends, a doctor's followup appointment, and of course packing.  Oh and also trying to organize from abroad the preparations to move our belongings from our house.  I've given kudos on that one before, but have to give yet another shout out to Lisa, Dennis, the boys in the hood and of course, my mom and dad.  Thank you for all you are doing to prep the house for us! 

I was out and about today with a friend at the beach, a bit of a last hurrah since Josh was gone all last week and I've got the kids for the next month.  As we were out I was trying to decide what it was that I was anxious about and why I was stressing about our upcoming trip.  After all, I've juggled far more than what I just wrote above when it came time for us to move to Barcelona. 

I think in part, my life has become in a sense easier here.  I haven't pushed myself in a while both at work (sadly and need to remotivate on that - but that's likely another entry) and at home like I did at home in the States where everyday was filled with activities and challenges, and while I have many challenges here they are not so much of the scheduling sort which are the kind that tend to overwhelm me.  And now when I go home, I actually feel quite overwhelmed.  But the amount of people, the stimulation of my surroundings and the fear of no longer fitting in.

Yes, while I'm still so close to my friends and family, I feel a bit like an outsider now, looking in.  My last two visits it was managable.  The first visit I was just so thrilled to be home (and still am) and was overwhelmed by the transition from Spain back to MA.  The second visit was a whirlwind and half of it was spent at girls weekend in NH.  I most definitely felt the love that week!!  But this time, I'm staying at home most of the time, so I won't be a "visitor" per se, but living in my house.  Is that going to change things?  Will we settle in to some old routines or will our new lifestyle enable us to start some new routines?  Will we even have the time for a routine?   

I'm also concerned about Aidan and how he will handle being in our house for the majority of our stay.  Is it going to make things harder for him to come back to Barcelona when we are done?  Or because the fact that we will be moving our belongings out of our house and essentially right now it's almost empty as it is, will that make it easier? 

So will it continue to get easier to go back home or harder?  Can you really go back home again?  I guess really only time is going to tell on that one.


Julie

BFIS Young Authors Fair

This morning was Young Authors Day at the boys' school for nursery thru Grade 5.  The teachers had books on display that the children had made during the course of the year.  I didn't go last year thinking it wasn't a big deal and now I feel terrible that I didn't do it because in fact, most parents go and it is a big deal to the kids to present their books to their families. 

I started off with Liam's class and was thrilled to see a number of "books" that he had made.  There was a book from his Spanish class, a book about a Monster as well as a journal he worked on over the course of the year.

Each child in Liam's class made 4 books

Liam and his friend Henry

My favorite book of Liam's

The kids narrate the story to the teacher

The good guy always wins, right?

Another Liam book

Liam showing his book that he did in Spanish clas

Liam and his teacher Ms. Tere

After Liam's class I headed over to Aidan's where they were actually presenting the parents with the books.  Not all the parents were there so I looked at his friend Arielle's books with him.  He had journals and math/writing books and other books.  I loved seeing the work from September thru present day and can see all the progress he's made.  Unbelievable the things they learn in just one year!!

Ms Erika explaining to the kids how to present their books

All smiles!

Aidan and Arielle

Aidan also had his end of school year party this week and the teachers / class made a DVD.  I want to upload that when we actually get the DVD (next week) so keep an eye out for an entry for his party.  A few tears were shed for sure as the DVD was so cute!!

Julie