Reunion in Munich

This past weekend was the weekend Josh has waited his whole life for - Oktoberfest.  Second only to the birth of his children, this is probably the highlight of Josh's time in Europe or for that matter, on Earth ;).  

Just a quick side note before I go into our trip to Munich.  A moment of pride if you will.  On the way to the airport, the cabbie took us on a bit of a joyride so to speak, probably assuming we were tourists.  He claimed he got the wrong terminal (even though I clearly stated Terminal 1) and then got "lost".  Our normal cost to get to the airport is 25 to 30 euros depending on traffic and at 5AM you can be assured there is NO traffic in Barcelona.  So when the meter came to 41 euros you can bet I fought it tooth and nail IN SPANISH.  AND I WON!!  Ok, there's my moment.  I'm happy :)

We arrived in Munich first thing on Friday morning after an uneventful flight.  Like in Barcelona, the train and metro systems were very efficient (thank you German engineering) and we quickly found our hotel.  The hotel was in a perfect location albeit with very weird see thru bathrooms - yes after 18 years of being together, I do still like to have my privacy and so I found it a bit awkward.  But given how little time we spent in the hotel, it was worth it.

Josh demonstrating how see thru the bathroom is....

One of the first things I noticed in Munich was the cars.  Yes, I know that Germany is the home of the BMW, Mercedes and Audi, however, I also recognize that doesn't necessarily mean that all the inhabitants here can afford them.  But apparently that's not true because the crisis most definitely hasn't seemed to have hit Germany because 3 out of every 4 cars was one of those.

I've digressed again, sorry.  But part of travel is about experiences and observations, right?  The best part about our trip, aside from being Oktoberfest, was that our awesome friends Kyle and Kelly, made the trip out to meet us in Munich.  We met up with Kyle and Kelly shortly after checking in to the hotel and since Oktoberfest didn't start til Saturday, we did the touristy thing for the day.

Munich is a beautiful city with a haunted history.  It was a mix of old and new, mostly new though with a European flair.  Founded in the 1100s but likely inhabited long before that, Munich was a hub for artists and inventors and the like for centuries.  In the 1500s it became the capital of Bavaria (for those that don't know, Bavaria is a state within Germany).  However, it also was the place where Hitler and his Nazis hailed from and only 10 miles from Dachau, the first concentration camp.

Because it was a hub for the Nazi's it was also heavily damaged during WWII and was hit by 71 air raids over 6 years.  Which means that the city was essentially rebuilt after WWII.  Hence the mix of old and new that I mentioned.  What I also noticed, which I found a bit strange, was the chicken wire on many of the buildings, covering many statues.  I googled hoping to find out the reasoning for it but can't seem to find one - my guess is a pigeon problem, but it would have to be pretty excessive to chicken wire EVERYTHING!

Don't actually know what this building and statue are but I liked it and so here's a pic!

As we are walking to Marienplaz (big center city square)

I thought this was your typical market kiosk but had yet to see the big market

Cool statue

I think we just saw this guy on Barceloneta Beach a few weeks ago!!  I guess in some cases it doesn't matter where you are - a bachelor party is still a bachelor party...

We spent the afternoon doing the touristy thing.  My favorite had to be the markets.  Primarily food markets, they were quaint little stalls that looked nothing like the huge open markets that we have here in Barcelona.

New town hall at Marienplatz - stunning!  And I loved the flowers along the building too!

May pole in the distance

The start of the markets

Gorgeous food booths 

Chestnuts both opened and still in their pods.  At first I will admit, I thought they were sea urchins til I noticed the little nut in the middle...

Um Botox????

May pole closer view

We like to keep our bicycles locked up with our historical treasures!

Cute little fake animals

Lunch was at a biergarden near the markets.  Delicious beef stew, pork and more.  Pork and veal definitely are the popular meats of choice here in Bavaria.

After lunch we went on a mission... leiderhosen for the boys and dirndls for the girls.  Yes, we were going to Oktoberfest in full costume.  When in Rome... or I guess in this case, Munich.  And we weren't the only ones looking which only helped to get us in the spirit of the festivities.  You'll have to wait for the next entry to actually see pictures of us decked out though :)

Having found our costumes for the next day we headed back to the hotel to drop off our winnings and then back out to hit the pavement some more.  We stopped for our first beers (ok, everyone else had a beer, I had water since I still wasn't ready to jump on the beer-wagon yet) and just hung out for a bit enjoying the scenery around us.

Freaky gargoyles at the New Town Hall

This is the Frauenkirche, a Cathedral known for its 2 brick towers and onion style domes at the top. 

This picture is for Aidan... GAME STOP!!!

Dinner was very typical German / Bavarian fare - and at a very old restaurant to boot.  http://www.augustinerkeller.de/.  When we called for reservations they told us they were full but we had to pass by anyways on our way back to Marienplatz so we just stopped in and surprisingly, they had a table!!  All the restaurants we went to over the weekend we found had fresh pretzels instead of bread with meals, just one more thing to remind us that we weren't in Barcelona any more!!

Kyle and Kelly

Big beers with some fresh pretzels

Theme of the weekend...mmmmm Beer....

Next up... Oktoberfest!!!

Besos,
Julie

Life is Not All Sunshine and Roses, Not Even in Spain

I've been feeling it coming most of the summer... the coming of the downward spiral.  The need to isolate and to bury myself in anything but a social atmosphere (which at least for my bottom line right now means work, so at least there is financial gain).  I've been for the most part feeling the need to be devoid of most human contact.  I recognize what I'm doing and yet, lately, I just don't care.  I thought our trip to Menorca would make it go away, it was a distraction but no, it didn't go away.  This isn't a Spain or a US thing.  This is just a phase of life thing.  This is just turmoil in life that just... is.  I think you just can't have life be sunshine and roses 365 days a year... sometimes these things just happen - it's what you learn from it that counts.

And the good thing is that I know that this too, shall pass (see I've learned from the past).  It has before and it will again.  I don't deal well with change, never have.  I've learned to adjust but it doesn't mean that emotionally I don't pay the toll because I do.  Summer was hard.  Having the kids home is hard.  Yes, they are my kids and I love them with all my heart.  But as a person who craves routine, summer often throws my whole system off and the kids suffer the repercussions of that unfortunately.  For all those moms at school who said on the first day to me how sad they were that the summer was coming to an end, I must say... YOU ARE INSANE!  I say that in the nicest way possible of course.

Because the kids are a part of this problem as well.  With most of the summer at home, we were all at each others' throats - too hot to go outside to play and while our house is bigger than our old one, there are only so many days in a row that you can spend in one place before you want scream.  The boys are at a difficult stage, though I'm sure every stage has it's difficulties (or at least they have so far).  Defiance being a BIG one.  Lack of listening skills, yes, typical of any child though the force seems strong in these two with this ability to tune out their mother.  Strong emotions another.  Drama drama drama is the name of the game these days.  Some of the drama is to be expected and some is just tween/child drama, but drama nonetheless.  And I don't need it these days.

Life is a balancing act, we all know that.  It's cyclical - but as I've said before on this blog, life as an expat is cyclical but on speed.  Nothing here happens at a reasonable pace.  And so a part of that balance is the kids.  I haven't done well with balancing social, work and kids for the last 2 years - I'm the first to admit that.  And so this fall I'm trying to reprioritize and make them first on this list for the 3 hours a day that they are awake and in my care, I don't think it's an unreasonable thing.  Though the moment they get off the bus, 9 times out of 10 one is near tears out of exhaustion or frustration or just plain pissed off at something his brother said or something that I don't have (like gum, god forbid I don't have any gum on me!).  It makes those 3 very long hours filled with moments of "what made me decide being a parent was a good idea?", "how is it possible for one person to fail so badly at parenting", "my entire day was peaceful until they got home" or "why does everyone else seem to have children that listen/behave/are respectful/etc etc etc and I don't?".  The list goes on and on...

Let's add in Aidan's struggle with the start of the school year for the exact kind of reasons I'm struggling.  The dynamic in his life is changing yet again and as an adult, I get it and I'm struggling, so ask the same of an 8 year old kid who gets it on the surface but just can't grasp it emotionally and see what happens.  And then add in the fact that school is a struggle for him on a good day, much less one when he's once again trying to find his place.  You've got two peas in a pod who don't deal well with change constantly butting heads and unable to put into words how we are feeling at a given moment (yet both of us MUST get in the last word) - it doesn't come out pretty in any way, shape or form.  His struggle becomes my struggle.  And it pains me that I can't help him because these days, I can barely help myself.  Being a parent is never easy, but it's even less so when you are already not in a good place and you have to try to create a better place for them.

To be honest, I'm not even sure what I want to communicate in this entry but it's taking all my energy just to write it because I feel the need to do it and I've started this entry several times and keep getting stuck.  But like every other entry in this blog, I feel that you need to witness the good, the bad and the ugly in order to fully understand our lives abroad.  And sometimes that means writing about things that location really has no relevance to.  Because my funk really has nothing to do with my location.  This could just as easily happen in Attleboro as it can here in Barcelona.

So what does it have to do with?  I just don't know.  Change, in general I guess.  Part of me knows that it's friends that have or are leaving, though to be honest, I'm sick of hearing myself whine about it no matter how difficult it's been (and it has been hard).  The other part of me just feels empty of caring about it or much else for that matter.  Issues at home in the States.  A disconnect from home (again).  I know this is a multi tiered thing going on - several things coming to a head at once.  But the more I think about the change, the more I don't understand why it's bothering me so much and yet, here I am, just wallowing.

As I reflect back on my life at home which I've learned to look at without the rose colored glasses, I see a great life.  But it's not a perfect life.  And it's a different life than here which is just fine and believe me, this life, while privileged, it not perfect either.  Nothing wrong with different.  The last 2+ years have been filled with social opportunities, with chances to meet people that I might otherwise not have met or built relationships with.  And I've taken full advantage of that opportunity.  So much so that my work and my family life have suffered unnecessarily.  And what bothers me is the simple question of, why is the fact that my life is changing bothering me?  Isn't life all about change???

As I look back on my life I home and the course that my life is taking here, I see similarities.  My social life was not what it is here and I was just fine with it.  Yes, I have a lot of great friends at home.  But I didn't see them daily and I actually spent a good chunk of my time alone or with the kids (which would explain my shopping habits and the NEED to get out of the house).  That's what my fall is looking like and in a way it scares me and yet it also comforts me.  This is what my life was like at home and that was my comfort zone - can I make Barcelona my comfort zone?

But there is at least some difference between here and there.  There I know I have a support system.  I know at the end of the day I'll see my friends as they get home from work and all the kids come out to play.  I know that I can arrange to see any of my family with a quick phone call.  Here, my support system is falling apart.  There are new pieces to the puzzle to add in, sure.  I'm not alone by any means so let's not take this pity party too far - I have friends here still, great and amazing people.  But my daily life is changing and it scares me - it reminds me of when we first moved here and while I know I'm not starting over (again), it still feels a bit like it.

I feel lost.  I don't know my place any more, either here or at home.  I feel like I'm in purgatory - not able to move forward because I don't know where I should be going and obviously can't go backwards.  I'm an emotional basketcase, crying at the drop of a pin.  But yet, also emotionally distant and moody.  Part of me wants to be back home in the States and the other part of me feels that I would be no better there than I am here.  In addition, I'm struggling with my ability (or in my mind these days, lack of ability) to parent well - feeling that I'm failing constantly.

So what am I going to do to turn this around?  Because yes, I will turn this around.  Like when we moved here, I'm giving myself a time limit on this wallowing before it goes to far.  And so I run, a lot, like several days a week (in addition to working out 5 days a week).  I plan travel and have at least 2 more trips to plan for this year.  I am a social creature by nature and while I don't want to socialize lately, I will force myself to socialize til it feels natural again.  I am going to get my drivers license so I feel less trapped with a new found ability to escape the city when I need to or to simply just take the kids on a playdate outside the city without jumping thru hoops.  I will re-focus on the needs of my family.  And I will throw myself into my work.  Somewhere along the way, things will feel normal again.  

But in the end, I will learn from this experience just like I've learned from every experience here.  Life can be tough no matter where you live and location doesn't always make a difference.  Life happens.  Life moves at warp speed.  And we can either let the bumps in the road take you down or we can use those bumps to jettison ourselves to a better place.  And while there are moments lately where I feel like it's been taking me down, I'm at least trying to get myself to that better place that I know is out there - I just need to look harder.

Besos,

Julie   

Our 11th Anniversary

This post is about 2 weeks delayed but with the return to school and work, it's been a bit crazy around here trying to catch up.  We returned from Menorca on the 1st which also, coincidentally happened to be mine and Josh's anniversary.  Eleven years of wedded bliss!!  I had already arranged for a babysitter for that evening so that we could go to dinner, but Josh, as always, had something up his sleeve.

As always, the master of surprise, Josh had arranged for our sitter to stay over so that we could enjoy a kid free night in the city where we would stay in a hotel for a night.  Just 3 metro stops away is like an entirely new world when you have kids.  You look at the city from a completely new light.  At first I was ambivalent.  After a week of sleeping in a strange bed, I had been looking forward to getting back home and sleeping in my own bed.

But not to worry, that feeling shortly passed as within moments of stating this to Josh, the kids started to demand something, anything and I turned to him and said "what time is the sitter coming??".  Fast forward to 4PM and we were off and running to our hotel to check in before our 5PM massages.  No, Josh is not new to this game - he knows what makes me tick and a massage was exactly what we both needed.

After relaxing in the spa for a bit, it was time to get ready for dinner.  But first we enjoyed a complimentary bottle of cava from the hotel and then a drink at their rooftop bar with views overlooking the city.  But wait, we're not done drinking yet (after all, we have no kids!), no, we headed down to Hotel Casa Fuster which is one of our favorite bars - it's where Woody Allen comes to play when he's in town.

Dinner was at Da Greco, one of our favorite Italian restaurants.  However, I was a bit put off when they put us in a room of all Americans (yes, I know we are American) where not a single person was under the age of 65 and most were talking with ridiculously loud voices.  It was like saying, this is where we put all the really loud tourists and we're lumping you in with them.  Regardless, the food, as always, was delicious.

But my favorite part of the night away from the kids was not actually the night but the next morning.  Josh is on a new kick, running.  And given it's one of my favorite ways to let off steam, this is something I've waited a long time for him to get back into (as in, hasn't done in over 15 years).  He started again over our vacation on Menorca but since we can't exactly leave the kids alone we hadn't yet been able to run together.  So being away for the night meant getting up early (yes on our night away we did not sleep in) and hitting the pavement.  Not a word was said during the run, but to me, it was a moment that brought us closer and gave us something new to bond (and compete) over.  After 18 years together (11 of them married), it brought me back to the beginning of our relationship and reminded me of why we fell in love in the first place :)

Besos,
Julie

Back to (Driving) School

Back when I was a teenager, the biggest thing to have (aside from a boyfriend) was your license.  In Massachusetts back in the (gulp) 90s, you could get your permit at 16 and license at 16 1/2.  My dad used to let me drive the truck home from Five Corners in Easton back to our house starting when I was maybe 13 or 14.  That was back when you could do that stuff and not worry about DSS coming after you for breaking the law for letting your kid drive 2 1/2 miles.  It was a bonding time for me and my dad.

When I actually got my permit, my dad took the bull by the horns and immediately had me driving in Boston.  No fear for this man!  It's one of my fondest teen memories, driving with my dad during the summer days into "town".  Looking forward to my children someday having licenses fairly terrifies me and it makes me admire the patience my dad had with me, never backseat driving (if anything telling me to go slightly faster which I regularly remind him of when he tells me I now have a lead foot).  I'm thinking Aidan and Liam can get their licenses when they are ... oh 25 or so... that seems good for me.  A nice responsible age.

I didn't get my license on the first try and was pretty much devastated.  It was the WORST DAY OF MY LIFE (followed by many other teen drama WORST DAY OF MY LIFE moments).  All this hard work and it was a stupid mistake that caused me to fail the drivers portion of the exam.  A few weeks later I tried again and passed...whew!!  That was about 20 years ago.  Yes, 20 years.  Damn I feel old as I type this.

So why the trip down memory lane?  Because I'm going back to drivers ed.  One of the reasons why Josh and I chose not to have a car here in Barcelona was not just because there isn't a huge need, but because technically, we need to have a license here and the ones from the US don't transfer.  We were only here originally for 2 years and thought, well, we can manage without for 2 years.  And during those first two years I thought about it here and there.

When we extended the first time, I gave it some serious thought but then we were plagued with, "but where would we park a car and how much more would that cost us?  Is it worth the expense to have the car when we can rent if needed?".  Not to mention the cost of actually getting the license, we're talking about a mortgage payment here - as a friend of mine accurately said the other night - in the US it's a right to have your license, in Spain it's a privilege.  And it's so true because I think many people can't afford to get their license which would explain in part the high percentage of motos versus cars (not to mention the fact that a moto costs a lot less than a car).   

But then we extended again, meaning we still have just under 3 years left here.  And we moved.  To an apartment with it's own 2 car garage.  And so the parking issue is no longer a problem for us.  And with essentially half of our time left here, we decided to make the leap.  I'll go to driving school and get my license (again).

We actually have to go through drivers ed from start to finish - no shortcuts for previous experience or a condensed class to review the differences between driving in the US and Spain.  No, I have to take five - 8 hour days of classes and practical exams, the written exam (which is now on computer), then driving classes in the car (as many lessons as I want to pay for) and finally, the driving exam.  The classes and written exam are in English thankfully, one less worry there.  But of course, the hardest part of it all is the driving portion and that, my friends, will all be in Spanish.  I'm not stressed about it or anything...

However, it's not quite as simple as just showing up to class.  No, that would be too easy.  First I needed to go to a specific doctor's office in Barcelona that handles certified physical and eye exams before you can even sign up for drivers ed.  It's not like walking into the DMV at home and doing a simple eye exam.

On Wednesday I went to the doctor's where I was told you can just do a walk in appointment, just be there early!  Of course, I was a bit too early.  I went right from the bus stop arriving at the doctor at about 8:20 only to see the sign on the door stating that they did not open til 10.  My shit luck and not quite starting off this process as smoothly as I had hoped.

I hit the gym and then went back for a second attempt, hoping that the lines wouldn't be out the door.  I was pleasantly surprised to be the only one there.  So before I talk about my physical exam, let's refresh what the requirements are (or at least were back in the 90s) for going to drivers ed.  Um... you attend class.  Oh and you pay for class.  That's it.  When you pass you go for your driving portion you have to do an eye exam but that's AFTER you take the class and pass the written portion of the test.  Here, in Spain, you don't just walk into drivers ed, you have to do it with a certified paper stating that you are healthy enough to attend class.

I was smart enough to bring my NIE (my Spanish social security) info with me which they needed and then they brought me right into a room where the doctor took my blood pressure.  I'm pretty sure he said it was good which didn't surprise me - even pregnant I had excellent blood pressure.  He did a hearing test where he held a machine near me and it would beep.  I wasn't sure what to do since there was no button for me to press to acknowledge that it beeped or anything - so I would just say "si" each time I heard it.  Apparently I passed that part because we moved on to the eye exam.  It's good to know that I know my ABC's in Spanish since I had to read them on the far wall.  And no, Josh, I didn't need my glasses.  

From there I went into another room where we did some hand/eye coordination stuff.  First there was a line, like a 1980s video game type of a line and on that line was a dot.  Near the end of the line was a square that blocked out said line which then reappeared on the other side of the line.  The dot moves along the line and then "behind" the square.  I had to hit the button when I thought the dot would reappear.  Hmmm... ok.... 

The next two tests were similar except required a bit more focus.  The first was red road with a white dot along it.  The road was heading up... it kind of reminded me of one of those video games that the boys had as kids where you have to keep the car in the track.  Same thing.  I had to keep the dot in the track and the track moved from side to side as the road changed direction.  Not too hard.  But wait, there's more!!  Now you have two roads, one for each hand and each eye!!!  And you have to maneuver the dot along each of those roads staying within the lines - near impossible I say!!  I mean come on, I have great hand / eye coordination but really, using both hands to drive two different dots along 2 different winding roads?  Again, apparently I passed.  Whew!!!  

Then it was picture time - because the certified form isn't a certified form without a picture.  Smile and say queso!  Ok, part one of this debacle of getting my license is done.  Again let me remind you that all this certification means is that I'm healthy enough to TAKE THE CLASS.  This has NOTHING to do with my actual license exam.  Now on to part two... paying for said class.

So yesterday I went up to Sant Gervasi to go pay for the course.  This was a much easier process than getting the doctor's certification.  However, with me I needed to bring 2 copies of my passport, 2 copies of my NIE (social security), 4 pictures (that I took at a metro station on my way to pay for the class) and the doctor's certification.  Craziness!  I'm pretty sure in the US you just bring your birth certificate to prove you are old enough to take the class and that's it.  600+ euros later, the class is paid for and I start my first class in 2 weeks.  The class is in English as is the written (computer actually so typed???) exam.  But the actual driving portion will be in Spanish.  I'll keep you posted as I'm sure there are going to be some interesting insights into the world of drivers ed and some kind of debacle here or there to keep you entertained!

Besos,
Julie

The Most Wonderful Time of Year... Back to School!

The day I've been waiting for has finally come... back to school!!  Now don't get me wrong.  I love being with my kids.  But I also love structure in my life and summertime means a lacking of said structure and routine.  I can handle it for a little bit, just like I can handle the kids arguing for a day here or there... but after 10 LONG weeks of listening to them, the time has come.  They MUST GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

Actually we had a really good summer overall, it was only the first three weeks of August that were painful.  Extreme heat even by Barcelona standards... heat to the point where we didn't leave the house unless we absolutely had to.  Like even the grocery store, at one block away, was a trek.  Add that to the kids having very few if any friends in the city during the month of August.  And what do you get?  Stir crazy!!!  Yes, we were all stir crazy by the time we left for Menorca last week.  It was a much needed escape out of the city to put us back in a good place before school started.

We didn't get the teacher assignments for the kids until Friday at 5... just enough time before school starts so that the parents don't have a chance to complain or ask for a reassignment.  I was happy with both of the kids' teachers.  Liam would have Ms. Valerie, the same teacher that Aidan had for kindergarten.  And his co-teacher is Ms. Alex, who was his co-teacher back in pre-k.  This was great and makes for a much easier transition since he's already familiar with at least one of the teachers and we absolutely adore her.  He was disappointed that only a few of his close friends were in his class and his other close friends were in the other kindergarten, but given that Liam is absolutely a social butterfly, this was of little concern to me.

Aidan's teacher, Ms. Merixell, I really don't know anything about.  But like Liam, Aidan had his co-teacher before - Ms. Poonam had been his co-teacher in 1st grade and she is just one of the loveliest people so we were both excited that she would be in Aidan's class again.  But he was excited about having her and he was more excited about the kids in his class. A bunch that he knows already plus he liked the idea of new kids being in his class - he lost 3 close friends this summer to relocations...and so he's excited about the idea that there were new kids starting that he might be able to befriend.

Monday night it was "reasonable" bedtime by 8PM.  Given that most of their summer they haven't been in bed before 9 or 10, starting to live and enjoy more of the Spanish life, they were less than thrilled with the idea of being in bed before the sun goes down.  But with a warning that 6:30AM comes around early, off they went.

They woke up super excited about the day.  Aidan being the negotiator that he is, convinced me the night before that if he got ready on the first day, argument free, could he download a season of a cartoon he's been wanting to see.  And being the sucker that I am and really wanting the first day to go smoothly, I agreed.  He knows me way too well sometimes.  Aidan didn't argue about the clothes I picked out (in my defense, I only pick out clothes for him on the first day and on picture day... is it too much to ask that you don't argue about those 2 days???).

Showing off his cool clothes (yes I convinced him to wear madras, I am supermom)

I'm soooo excited!!!!

Can you find Jake underneath Liam??

A little tv downtime before heading to the bus at 7:35

For the first day, everything actually went pretty smoothly and we got out the door on time to head to the bus stop.

On our way to the bus stop.... yes, I'm ready to hit the gym right after drop off.

The bus pulled up and everything just felt familiar again which was a nice feeling.  Ana, the bus monitor greeted the kids with kisses and asked about their summer (all in Spanish, which of course, they refused to answer in... maybe this year will be different???).  I got on the bus with them to head up to school to drop them in their classrooms.  And ever prepared, I had a puke bag for Liam, just in case.

At the bus stop

So excited for his first day of kindergarten

A bit blurry but notice that this is not your typical yellow school bus but in fact a luxury tour bus... yes they travel in style here...

We got to school without puking incident thankfully - though I fully expect a call sometime this month that he's puked on the bus.  It's inevitable and will happen.  But for now, we got there unscathed.  And the kids were beyond excited, immediately hooking up with their friends that they haven't seen all summer!

I did eventually have to corral them so that I could drop them off together.  And of course, I needed that photo op of each of them at drop off ;)  

Aidan and his friend Pablo

Aidan outside his class

Welcome to third grade!!!  

Liam and his friend, Logan

Liam outside his class

Totally comfortable in his class already - he barely even said goodbye to me!!

Both kids had a great day and got off the bus full of energy and couldn't wait to tell me about their day. I can only hope that this enthusiasm lasts a bit!!  Although on day 2, the novelty was already wearing off for Aidan and he begged me to let him sleep later... guess you should go to bed when we tell you!!  Regardless, I can't believe we now have a kindergartener and a 3rd grader in the house... when did they get so big???

Besos,

Julie