Happy 4th of July!!!!

The kids have adjusted to pretty much vacation life- going to bed later, sleeping till 9am (YEAH that's right I said 9am and that is a record for my kids who are usually up at dawn), and eating lots of delicious food that they are not allowed to have at home (ice cream and German chocolates and cookies every day).  The one thing my Aunt and Uncle can do is spoil my kids like crazy. The weekend was filled with trips to the butterfly garden, feeding Japanese carp the size of a  small shark,  and the petting zoo.

 Of course the kids are getting used to life here so their interactions with each other have gone back to "normal".
C: "come get me!!!" (running in the garden)
O: "I can't you are too fast"
C: "that means I won- hahah"
O: "I'm telling mommy- you are gonna get a time out"
C: "NO I'm telling mommy first cause I'm faster and YOU will get a time out"

Both run in breathless trying to scream over each other to tell me how horrible each is to the other. This is when I just start talking to them in Polish and they both get frustrated and huff and puff away...

Christopher even had a sleepwalking incident here.  He opened my aunt's glass cabinet and tried to walk into the glass shelves filled with porcelain.  NICE right?  (I caught him before a disaster requiring us to use German health services happened.)  So now at night I have to put a suitcase in front of the door so at least I will hear him as it topples over.  

On Wednesday the kids and I will say goodbye to my Aunt and Uncle and Hamburg.  We will take a 4 hour train to Bonn to see my cousin Adam and his wife Ute. Although we are so excited to see them, it will be hard to leave this place and my family here.  I am also not looking forward to the repacking I have to do for this leg of the trip.  Living out of 2 suitcases with 2 kids for 5 weeks in challenging.  Bonus- the amount of shoes I have used so far are - 1.  NOT 1 pair, just ONE shoe.  Cause you know- I still got the hot black boot on the other one.  And by the way- I have gotten more stares and odd looks when I am walking around the city.  I am assuming it's cause the boot is weird looking and not me- right? 

Some new and old favorites:  
Alsterwasser (German beer mixed with lemonade-yummy) 
Seltzer water ice tea.  Weird sounding but soooo good.  
Milka Chocolate
Fresh baked bread every day 
Eiskaffee
Sock yarn here rocks (yes I do love my sock yarn!!!)
C & A (clothing store)
H &M (which has kids clothing here unlike most of the ones in the USA)



Tomorrow we head off to the center of Hamburg.  We are taking the subway and buses because the kids are dying to go back on them. Ahhhh the allure of public transportation....I should just buy them a whole day ticket and have them ride the buses back and forth.  

We (me and my Aunt ) are going to enjoy the day shopping, going to cafes, and enjoying beautiful Hamburg Centrum.  (With two kids in tow so we shall see how enjoyable a day of shopping and perusing really is going to be- I may need some Alsterwasser to get through).