We left MN on Monday morning - a 6 am flight. The flight went ok. Wasn't great, there were some moments, but overall not too painful. Got our luggage and had 2 cars picking us up, and took us to a swanky Hilton by the airport. We had 2 rooms but not enough beds, so it was a rough night. I think Curtis ended up with Ethan in a teeny double and Janie slept with me in the queen, she is un fun to share a bed with! Got up and made our way over to our house, where our rental furniture was being delivered and also our air shipment. That worked out so well. The kids had fun running all over the house and yard and exploring. Eli and Jo claimed the attic, and Ethan ended up in a bedroom by himself, as did Janie and Sadie has the littlest room. It suits her:)
We then went to a grocery store with all 5 kids which was a mistake. Curtis ended up with 4 of them waiting in the car while Jonah and I did some shopping. Didn't know where any restaurants were that would accommodate us, so we cooked at home with what we had- we had pasta, with this yummy cheese sauce, and garlic bread. I was famished by the time we ate- we hadn't eaten anything all day. Woke up too late for breakfast and there was no food at the house until we came back from the store!
We are still making do until our sea ship arrives. We iron on a floor on a towel:) But it will make it that much more exciting when we do get our things! YAY! Ironing Board!!
The first week after the flight was a tough adjustment for the kids. Nobody slept well. At one point on Tuesday night EVERYBODY was awake at 2 am, so I put on a movie for the kids and went back to bed. Curtis and I were exhausted. I came down with a cold and it is still hanging on. Even though we did a day flight, I still felt so tired for days.
The kids are adjusting to school, it is a much earlier schedule, but we are getting used to it. The first day the boys took the bus, they wanted me to follow them and be there when they got off (well mostly Jonah did). So Curtis stayed with the girls who were sleeping, and I took the rental to the school. All was well, they got off just fine, and ran off to their classes. As I was driving back, I took a turn too fast, and went over a curb, and the curb popped the 2 left tires of the rental van! I pulled to the side of the very narrow road. I had no phone, and didn't know any phone numbers to call anyway (the phone numbers here take some getting used too, they are like 12 digits long with no dashes). So I said crap a few times and got out of the car and walked home. It was about a 25-30 minute walk I think. It was a little chilly but I was fine. I found a preschool for Janie on the way home too. But I still shed a few tears of discouragement when I got home. The car too 2 days to repair. But I was just fine without a vehicle! Not in a hurry to get behind the wheel again! Curtis took care of the whole mess, missing some important meetings to help direct traffic while the van was towed away.
I have my moments of why the heck did we bring 5 kids to a foreign land, but hopefully those moment will get fewer and fewer. We do get some looks as we are out and about with all 5. Wehave yet to eat out at a restaurant together- except at IKEA, our second home.
Curtis has been amazing. He drives like a pro already. He takes care of details. Honestly I don't know how he juggles all that is going on. Thursday morning he was hosting a meeting on the phone while driving us back from yet another trip to IKEA. He works so hard at work and then comes home and does lots of dishes and baby baths and laundry.
I think my next post will be about differences that I find frustrating... oh it's going to be a long one.
