My little Angels

Portraits taken at Hohenzoellern Castle, 22 Oct 16 A few months ago I was presented with the opportunity to move to Germany and, after almost no consideration at all, we decided to take it while we could.  Rachael and I had always wanted to move here and couldn't pass up the opportunity to travel and raise the kids on a second language, so here we are. We've been here about a month now and are still trying to get us and the kids settled in.  We've been living in a temporary apartment for about 3 weeks now and finally move into our house this upcoming week.  We've had the chance to travel a bit but have mostly been focusing on settling in with the kids and getting them back on track with a normal schedule, whatever that's going to look like.  We are hoping to get Joe enrolled in Kindergarten here as soon as we can and get him out and starting school for the first time. Joe's been reading a ton for the last few months.  He's at the point now where we c

Joe helping Nora open birthday presents Again with the late posting.  With the two kids being as active as they are and my work schedule I barely have enough time to take my shoes off when I walk in the door before I'm engaging with both kids.  I love the attention from them when I get in but my personal time, including time for this, is at a premium these days. Last month we went to Gainesville, Florida, to stay with Rachael's sister Holly and celebrate Nora's first birthday.  It was wonderful to have a chance to do it with extended family and everyone had a great time.  Joe's really starting to become affectionate with his cousin Marissa and they were inseparable until she got sick a few days into our trip. Nora's just about at the point now where she could start walking on her own and we wouldn't be surprised.  She's taking a very cautious approach to it all but can stand unsupported for minutes while she examines whatever happens to have her eye

Our family took went on our cruise last month and we got just about everything out of it we'd hoped.  Rachael and I got to relax some, Joe got to meet new friends and played all day every day, and we had an opportunity to just spend time together as a family before everything got crazy again. Joe and Nora at the fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico We moved into a new apartment again, which is our 4th residence in a year.  We plan to stay here for 18 months, but it still feels like a bit much, even for someone used to moving frequently.  Fortunately I'm now close to work and I'm hoping I'll have more time to spend with the family once things settle down with school.  Unfortunately, though, school is 3 nights a week and right now I'm spending those 3 days studying right after work and leaving me missing both kids tremendously.  It's been hard with both of them-Joe says he misses me and Nora won't let me put her down when I do get to spend time with her.  I

Nora and Joe under the Christmas tree We finally got through 2015, which was a pretty long and painful year for us personally.  We've been dealing with housing issues, which are looking to finally come to an end when we move for the 3rd time in a year at the end of this month.  We also dealt with some deaths in the family and me working a significant amount of overtime, which ended with the turnover to 2016, and we're looking forward to some stability here now that I'll be home soon.  We're moving into a new townhouse in a few weeks that is just a mile or so down the road from my work.  The hope is that I'll be home a lot more being so close to work and that I'll finally get some good exercise in every day since I'll be able to walk. This weekend we're going on a much-needed vacation-a Caribbean cruise that I can't wait to take the kids on.  Joe's old enough to enjoy the on-board kids activities and understand some of the outdoor excursions