First Day of School

Three Hands Full Start School

Paige the 1st Grader

Reese is a 3rd Grader

Back to SCHOOL Feast

We had our first ever Back To School Feast tonight.  Stephanie Neislon over at NieNie Dialogues has done this for her children for years.  She is an inspiration and I am an avid follower of her blog.  I just love her idea of the "Feast" and thought that this year we would start doing our own dinner to honor the girls going back to school and all that the new year has to offer.  I had so much fun planning the dinner and making the girls their crowns.  Craig is traveling, so sadly he is missing out on the girls first day of school tomorrow AGAIN.  The last two years he was in Afghanistan.  NEXT YEAR he will hopefully be here.

Reese, Claire and Paige with their crowns in front of the dinner table.

Me and my Three Hands Full.

Paige is going to be in the 1st grade.

German bubbly for kids (non alcoholic), schnitzel, spaezle, salat and brotchen were on the menu all in honor of our new home.

Reese goes by Taylor (first name) at school will be a 3rd grader this year... While Claire will be in  a 3's class.

They helped serve

Paige dishing up everyones salat

Claire spilled her bubbly so she ate her fancy dinner in her panties.. LOL.

Wordless Wednesday - Watch Out Wallet

Thursday Three - Three Hands Full at Niederwald temple

Niederwald lookout “temple” built in 1788... was a great place to snap a few pictures of my Three Hands Full girlies..

Reese

Paige

Claire

Deutschland - 8 Weeks

Three Hands Full has been in Germany for 8 weeks now.  

Who is going to be our first official guest?

Frankfurt Friday Four - Cosi Cosi

Cosi Cosi is a favorite little Bistro in our Dornbusch area of Frankfurt.  Almost everyone here at the consulate siedlung has either taken us there, pointed it out, told us we need to eat there or asked if we have been.  It is YUMMY.  The guys that work in there are very friendly and love kids.  There are tons of things on the menu I can't wait to try and the prices are fantastic.

The girls and I went last week for a birthday dinner for Paige.  

 

The Special girl and I... We had a great time.

Claire and Reese waiting for their pizza and schnitzel.

This was my salad?  No greens but it was delish.  I cleaned my plate.

We sure missed Daddy, but there will be many opportunities to try anything and everything on the menu. 

Thursday Three - Lorelai Claire

Three favorite pictures of Claire taken here in Germany.. was easy to do.  She is a mess.  I love her, she is at such a fun age right now.  Her vocabulary is growing her gross motor skills are crazy, she loves to skip and twist and hop all while walking down the sidewalk.



she is such the ham sometimes..

I know she is thinking "really Mom, I don't want to do this"

quiet... she is totally plotting what she can do with the water and how to throw it at me...

hmmm what 'three' things can I share next Thursday?



Wordless Wednesday... MyLove's gifts. Amber earrings from Tallinn, Estonia

Am going back to work... A Mommy's Delima

Shortly after initially getting settled here in Frankfurt I realized that I would be pretty bored once the girls went to school.  Our house would be beyond spotless and laundry done within in one day a week, easily.  Back in California I was very involved in several volunteer opportunities.  Two mornings a week I was at the older girls school volunteering in their classrooms, I would have LINKS about every other week or so and Family Readiness meetings about the same.  So easily three days a week if not more were occupied.  I loved it.  I miss it.  The ladies at LINKS and at 9th Comm Battalion kept me sane during two back to back deployments.  They were AMAZING.  I also miss them.  

I don't have LINKS here and there isn't an active Family Readiness Team here.  The girls school is a 30 minute drive one way, gas is very expensive and well at the moment I don't even have a car.  LOL. 

The day I took Claire's paperwork over to her preschool I had a very nice chat with the new director and after just a few minutes of talking about our families history of moves and well, just life she encouraged me to put in an application for a teaching position at the school.  I walked away wondering if I should and decided that Craig and I could talk and pray over it.  The next week I took back some documents needed and again after a brief conversation, the director again suggested I apply for a position and soon.  (A little back story for you, back in February when we received orders for MCESG I inquired about a job posting at the school for the Registrar position that was posted on the website but was told by the previous director that the position was filled.)  That night after talking more with Craig I decided to dust off a resume and apply.  I also applied for part time clerk position at the consulate.  Then turned it over to God's hands to decide.  The consulate job hours would be pretty much the same as if I worked at Carl Schurz, however it is year round.  I am not sure I am ready to hire a nanny to watch the girls over fall, winter, spring and summer breaks.  I still want that job as a Mommy.  The next morning I received a phone call from the Human Resource office requesting an interview for a Teacher or Teacher's Assistant position at CS.  I was super excited.  A week later I went in for the interview and I walked away feeling very confidant and happy.  Then last week I was called again to discuss potential options.  The Registrar position is back open and I want to be considered for it.  At the meeting we discussed the process of hiring all the Teachers and TA's before they could hire a Registrar.  I told them I really want to be a part of the team and I would be happy where ever they placed me.  Yesterday I decline the Teaching offer and signed the papers for a Teacher's Assistant position.  I am very happy.  Eventually the Registrar position will be open.  I know at least one other very qualified lady that will also be applying.  It is in God's hands.  I have done what I can, if I get it YAY.  If someone else does then I will still be happy and make the Teaching Assistant position ME. 

I thought I would want a job at the consulate, "A Real Big Girl Mommy Job" where I could maybe meet Craig for lunch and wear nice outfits and super cute shoes and be me, Denise.  After a lot of praying I realized I am not ready for that.  I can still be me, Denise, pretty much where ever I want to.  It is a choice.  Germany is going to be a lot of fun.. We are basically in the wagon wheel of Europe.  God has blessed our family with this opportunity and now with the extra added income travel option are boundless.

Thursday Three - Alexandria Paige

Here are my three favorite picture of Paige here in Germany so far...

Paige just turned 6 on Monday... she is something else.  I love her humor and her ability to take me from infuriated to giggling..  She is growing up so fast and is so strong.

at the Romer

exploring Rudesheim

being very European waiting for the ubahn

Claire is next week...

Wordless Wednesday - WWII bomber flyover