a church day

This morning the kids and I made it to church about 25 minutes late which was really not too bad because ever since maybe January we have really only made it for sacrament meeting a few times - more often we have gotten here so late it's been the second hour or even the third hour a couple times. It's something we've had a hard time with past couple months and I want to work on so today I was glad we made it out the door sooner.  It was about 30 something degrees and no snow really just ice hear and there so not bad. I stuck #4 in her car seat without changing or feeding her and stuck her stuff in a bag and grabbed a bagel and quesadilla? :) I had quickly made in the microwave - thought it was more likely to get eaten.
Sacrament meeting:  #2 laying on my lap or on the floor flying his "double" paper airplane he had made. #3 copying #1 - the girls were kneeling facing the bench and playing with boats they had created out of their shoes with little paper squares as sailors. :) #4 on and off my lap playing w paper boat I'd made her. #5 smiley with family in row behind us. Husband up on stand smiling at us. Oh #2 stand on my lap waving to Husband up on stand.

Travelogue - Germany/Austria - Pre-Trip & Vienna Day 1

Today my husband and I left on a trip for 12 days to Austria and Germany with his family.  We had someone come stay with the kids. The kids were all excited for her to come.  They all did really well when we left this afternoon (actually yesterday afternoon - time change).  When the cab came to pick us up we all kneeled for a prayer (not all of us I guess, I'm pretty sure 4yo girl was watching for the cab out the window and a couple other kids weren't holding still or kneeling).  Husband gave a nice prayer and we hugged all the kids and they all were happy enough wishing us well and not seeming to worried about us leaving "Bye!" "See you later!" "Have a good trip!"  6yo boy held the door open for us and the other older girls waved out the window as we got in the car.  The babysitter was holding the 6mo baby girl.  It was nice to have the kids do so well and not be upset about us leaving.  I think it helped that we went away in August with Husband's family and the kids had a good experience while we were gone - things went well.  So they didn't seem too worried this time as it is something not too unfamiliar to them I suppose.  

We made it to the airport and checked our bags 4 minutes before the hour cut-off to check bags for international flights.  It was a relief, but I guess we both still had quite a bit on our mind so it didn't necessarily feel like we were really on vacation yet.  I still needed to text the babysitter some phone numbers and email her more info I hadn't gotten a chance to write down for her.  Husband still had work to finish (two patents).  

The photo below is funny :) I like how we're looking at something other than the camera lens.  We are Frankfurt here.

 

Flat Stanley came with us. :) He arrived safely in Austria

It was snowing when we came out of the airport in Vienna.  That was neat.  Below is a building across from our hotel.  Additionally, the UN is actually across the street from us.

We got a cab ourselves and got settled in when we got here.  We slept and I got up after about four hours and met some of our family members who had arrived. 

My husband Great Aunt and her husband planned this whole trip for us all to join them on.  I met up with them for a tour briefing with the larger group we'll be traveling with.  They are both really great people and fun to travel with and really generous and you can tell what a pleasure it is for them to be able to share these experiences with us and it really is a pleasure for us as well.

We had a nice dinner (husband kept sleeping and I brought him dinner - he has only slept a few hours a night the past four days).  

Husband got up and he is now working on finishing his patents and I'm trying to decide how much time I should spend journaling, etc and when I should go to sleep.  Probably now.

tv-buying outing

I thought I would establish a place where I could write down our happenings here and there, what we have going on, what things are like around here, my thoughts, etc.  

This morning the kids got to school late again.  I took them to the library yesterday after school for a pretzel-making program (they played on the playground at school before we went).  We stayed there a bit so it was late by the time we got home and they had to start homework and eat and get ready for bed and I just had a hard time helping everyone get settled and get to bed and it was getting late.  Husband luckily got here but not till about 9:30 because he had church meetings after work.  So it was 10pm by the time people were getting to bed and I was so tired I just cleared the dirty dishes out of the sink (which I was pretty proud of myself for doing at least) and went straight to bed.  But I knew it may be hard in the morning to get things ready on time because I hadn't gotten things ready before I went to bed.  And I woke early morning with #5 (4mo girl) and was up a bit thinking so I was tired in morning and didn't get up till husband woke me at 7:45 and didn't get kids up till 8:15, so obviously they were late for school (which starts at 8:30).

BUT, there were definitely good things that happened in the course of us setting ourselves up to get the kids to school late this morning, so I wasn't as discouraged about it this today as I might usually be.  The kids really enjoyed the library program, afterward #1, 8yo girl, checked out 12 books including Horrible Harry, Puppy Place, Jokes & Riddles; #2, 6yo boy, checked out a Star Wars book - new interest of his, #3, 4yo girl, checked out two Dora books, #4, 2yo girl, almost chose Dora and a pony book, #5, 4mo girl, didn't check out anything.  This morning Husband hugged me and talked to me about some of the reasons he loves me - he said he is grateful I am not trying to pursue other interests and instead just focus on and am satisfied having my focus be the kids.

Tonight we took a family outing to buy a tv!  I felt like we were in a different era. :)  Like we were taking a family drive down to the electronics store to buy our family's very first tv and our kids had never seen one before or something. :)  It was pretty funny.  It's particularly funny I think because we really never have purchased a brand new tv before.  This is the first brand new tv we've bought in our marriage of 10 years. :)  Pretty funny.  Our first tv my brother purchased for us as a wedding gift.  We sold it when we moved 4 years later.  Then a few years ago we paid my husband's friend $100 for the couch and analag tv they were getting rid of so we'd have a tv when we moved here.  We have kept that tv downstairs and we have used it to watch DVD's and VHS tapes.  We haven't had any other tv's in the house we have used.  So when Husband told #3 "We're going to buy a tv!"  She said "Ware!?  It's just like I dreamed!" (I guess she really did have a dream where we had a tv in the living room or something like that).  Then she said "So a kid could actually walk into the living room and turn on a tv?" :) or something of that sort.  Pretty funny.

So we went to Costco, then Walmart, then Best Buy.  The kids were pretty good sports.  We pushed everybody in two carts in Costco and Walmart and #2 figured out ways to climb in and out and made up a game of sorts.  In Costco we ate at the food court.  #2 & #3 were fighting about who got to sit by me and who got to sit in the cart I was pushing.  I thought it was pretty sweet but didn't like the fighting.  I did figure they certainly won't always fight about that, so I appreciated it and tried to give them both attention and hugs and tried to manage the whining patiently as best I could.  #5 slept a while but then woke and my husband carried her around and the other kids switched carts and were back and forth and climbing around etc.