meh

Today was kind of a crappy day. As my facebook feed is taken over with seakhawks fever, it makes me miss my Seattle family. Not because I love the hawks (sorry, I'm not really a football fan) but just because today was one of those days that I wished I didn't live here. We got cash stolen this week, and Kimi lost/misplaced/or his wallet got stolen. Double whammy in a week. And while all those things happen back home, trying to replace said lost/misplaced/stolen cards and drivers licenses from here is a royal pain in the ass.

I'm pretty sure my kids are turning into barbarians as well. Kimi and I had a moment today where we looked at each other and just said, what are we raising? They were never allowed to this back in Seattle. Meanwhile Jonah is yelling Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! at the top of his lungs while spinning his sister around in the shopping cart at full speed in the middle of the grocery store. My lovely daughter puts on the "fake cry" and when asked if she prodded him to do that says yes. All this after walking diagonally in front of customers so that it causes them to trip while trying to walk down the aisle. I've also noticed that because children are doted on here (esp. at restaurants which is marvelous) my kids can no longer sit through a meal at a restaurant. Or just sit and wait in general. It's constant up and down and jumping off of one couch in the waiting room to the next. And while I try to keep some semblance of decorum, they are encouraged to do what they are doing by the wait staff, sales staff and the other patrons. "Are those babies yours?" asks one sales woman as my kid is literally jumping from the waiting room chairs, and then doing cartwheels down the aisle. I'm tempted to deny but say yes. Her response "oh, aren't they just so cute. You are so lucky." Really!?

So maybe the conclusion is that this place is right for them after all. They get to be crazy. It's allowed, smiled and doted on here. But man are they in for a rude awakening when we go and visit Germany, the land of order, in April

yoga, kid style after removing the cushions from the chair "because it's more fun that way"

a moment of rest before the jumping and cartwheeling began again don't let the sedateness of this picture fool you