The move is a go

There has been a lot weighing on my mind lately, but any time I even think about sitting down and writing about it I am immediately distracted by all my children needing things.(Gosh, selfish kids). I usually don't get much computer time these days not that it is necessary, but it does help me sort of relax. Even now Luke is screaming and crying in his bed and Thomas is nursing. It really never stops. I missed aerobics today because I was just too tired to load up the kids in the snow and drive there, but in hindsight I should have done it anyway, I feel so much better after I go to aerobics. It is the first Thursday I have missed(minus Christmas break) since the beginning of November.

 When I first thought about writing we weren't sure if we were going to move or not. We actually thought we would be staying. I began thinking about summer t-ball and swim lessons, fall soccer and kindergarten, about bunk beds, framing the kid's artwork to hang in the kitchen, and actually talking more to the moms at Montessori. Now I have to get back in let's move away mode.

 Jack is not excited at all. He says home is where your heart is and his heart is here. He is also scared about going to a school that will be taught in a language different than English. 

Pete was given a part-time teaching position at the university. Classes start April 2nd so that gives us a firm deadline for getting there. I still don't really feel like getting everything ready but there is a lot to do. Plus, I have to figure out the rules for bringing food and breast milk on the plane.

 We have a busy schedule the next few months anyway. Jack has his first birthday party for a school friend, I emailed the dad and asked if we were allowed to stay; he said that would be fine. Over-protective? Maybe. Luke and Jack will have birthdays before we move. In February we are going to Vanderbilt for a conference and we are going to Henderson to visit my family. Our plan is to leave Indiana by mid-March so we have time to visit family before we leave. Also, we want to spend as much time with Tigran as possible. It is a really hard decision to leave your pet, but it just wasn't possible and he is already neurotic so the flight over may have been too much for him. When we thought we were staying we were so happy because we wouldn't have to leave Tigran; he has been our friend, protector, and family member for 7 years.

 We are full of conflicting emotions right now. The possibility of staying has made leaving that much harder, plus with things in my family being chaotic I feel bad for leaving. Pete has started tutoring a 7th-grader with autism and it gives him such fulfillment and purpose that I know it will be hard for him to give that up.

 The mother of the boy Pete tutors is German, and she gave us some advice/tips. 1. Remember to bag your own groceries otherwise the cashiers will yell. 2. Bring your own bags or if you forget remember to buy them at the beginning of the line,not after you have bought the food- another big deal that will cause irritation and yelling by cashiers. 3.Always carry freezer bags anywhere you go. (Not sure why but I can handle that) 4. Germans only eat warm bread so after noon the bakers sell the morning bread at 50% off because it is considered old/stale. So that along with our knowledge that 5. You seat yourself when eating out and you may have to share a table with people you don't know 6. There is no such thing as tap water outside your house. If you ask for it they look at you like you just asked to drink toilet water. 7. You don't tip but you can round up to the nearest dollar amount. and 8. Everything is closed on Sundays and be warned that shops close early during the week so get everything done early! I think we will figure it out-eventually.

 Here are a few more family pictures of us. I haven't pulled out my camera in a long time so I may just keep using these for awhile.