Try Something New - Part II

Just in case you missed it - here is the newest Half Time Hobo Production

It's So Amazing

I uploaded this over a month ago, but didn't get the chance to share it. We were hiking and picnicking in the forest and the leaves just started coming down. It was like rain, which was pretty incredible. Enjoy seeing these first time fall experiencers reaction...

It's Zumba Time!

Amelia was inspired by a group of teachers she saw doing Zumba after school on Friday so she asked if we could do it at home. And yes, this also meant she needed some exercise clothes - which equated to her putting on her swimming skirt and top. How can you not love this girl!?!

"I Like Jam"

Gingerbread Collaboration

Having access to so many holiday supplies is pretty amazing. We picked up our first gingerbread kit at IKEA a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed putting it together last night. It was an all hands in event. (Bryce's hands were mostly in the icing and his mouth!) In the end we did pretty well for our first attempt. Next year we might even add some trees and a fence, but for now we will be happy with our quaint little creation and the wonderful smell of gingerbread it provides. We will also keep an eye on Bryce as he continues to sample the decorum. 

Try Something New - Part II

New Haske home video found here!

Happy Holidays!

This Christmas we are not traveling, but instead will be welcoming some visitors. I cannot tell you how happy I am that we will just be home and have some time to do things we haven't been able to do because we are still settling in. Did you know that we did Try Something New, Part 2? We did, but you wouldn't know it because we just haven't had the time to put the video together. So, stay tuned because in the next few weeks there are going to be some great blog posts.

There are still five more days of school, but I thought I'd get things started this morning by sharing some photos of Amelia and Bryce's new and improved summer bedrooms...it is finally starting to look like we moved in! I also post this because Amelia has been talking a lot about Mathews lately, so our summer haven has been on my mind.

We found these great mermaid prints in Yorktown.

Amelia's Mermaids

Blackout curtains were also phased out.

Cube shelves for Bryce

It was more challenging to find decorations for his room. 

We found these great planes in the Outer Banks in NC.

Sledding At Last!

Bryce's First Salon Visit

No more mommy haircuts for this little guy... He handled his first salon visit so well. Perhaps there is something to be said for waiting until you are three. It was fantastic! Both Bryce and Amelia got their haircut at the same time and then they waited patiently while I had mine done. We have definitely reached a new stage.

Farewell to Fall

Fall, and all of it's beauty, is quickly disappearing. Winter winds are blowing in from beyond the mountains and the air just has "that smell" that let's you know Winter is coming. The forecast predicts snow for the weekend. We have our gear, sleds and snow pants, ready for the first accumulation. It will be one of the most exciting firsts we experience this year. We might miss it, however, because we will be in Vienna for the weekend. I guess experiencing another first, visiting  European Christmas markets, is an easy trade off for the first snow of the season!

As we say "Farewell to Fall," I leave you with these photos from a recent forest walk and picnic...

So Many Firsts...

With the change of the seasons, it is amazing how many new "firsts" Amelia and Bryce have experienced these past few weeks.

First...
-Daylight savings time
-Morning frost
-Bike rides in the dark
-Touch of snow
-Sight of icicles on mountain top roofs
-Collection of dry leaves
-Planting crocus bulbs
-Scooter rides where you can see your breath

I must say that for Jim and myself it is also pretty magical to have seasons again after roughly 15 years!

Malta Merry-Go-Round

Halloween Revisited...

Last weekend our neighborhood community celebrated Halloween. It was a fantastic experience because it felt like what we would expect at home, with a little Bulgarian language thrown in! We got to go house to house and collect candy. The kids loved it and we enjoyed being out on a gorgeous, but chilly fall night with lots of our neighbors. We even received treats from the president, who happens to live around the corner from us. It was such a surprise to see his light on and we appreciated the easy way in which he greeted and interacted with the kids. I suppose he is a normal guy after all! After our bags were full, we returned how to pass out candy to the many children who came through. Jim joked with the older kids by trying to hand them dry pasta, which made them laugh after they realized he was only messing around.

"Happy Halloween!" 

"Look at all my candy!"

I Forgot How Much I LOVE Fall...

It's been about fifteen years since I experienced a proper fall. Last year I had a taste of crisp mornings and changing leaves when we visited Japan, but it was very brief. Fall is in full swing here in Sofia and I can't get over just how beautiful it is! Today we took a walk and just enjoyed our surroundings. Now I remember why fall has always been at the top of my "favorite season," list!

Happy Halloween

Here are a few photos from our school PTO Halloween event last weekend. Apparently, Halloween is a big deal in our neighborhood so we will see what this weekend brings...

Happy 5th Birthday Amelia!

When you are five you make pink fairy cupcakes and decorate them yourself

You say things like, "Seriously?" or "But Mooom!"

You go to school all day and you start to string sounds together to make words

When you are five you scooter down hills while yelling, "Look out below!"

You finally fit the red cowboy boots that were only for dress-up

You accessorize and layer like your life depends on it

When you are five you ooze happiness and bring smiles and laughter to everyone around you

Happy Golden Birthday, Amelia

October 5, 2015

Pink icing for our pink loving girl

Are they done yet?

Birthday Pancakes

New Bikes

I meant to share this a few weeks ago...

Happy Birthday Bryce

Our little Brycie Boy turned three on September 13th. Our friends and their two boys joined us for a pizza party. The sounds of cars, planes and trains, with the occasional royal decree mixed in, filled our new home. It was a good thing Bryce had on his airplane costume, because as soon as the birthday finished he thrust himself forward, as if in fight, and blew them out! It was priceless, and luckily, captured on photo.

Mommy had fun with this one!

"Happy birthday dear Brycie!"

Ready for take off!

Strike a Pose

Love these two!

Bryce LOVES his school

Ok, so it is not the best picture, but you can get the idea. This is Bryce's daycare or "Kindergarten" as it is called in Bulgaria. It is adjacent to complex, and so close in fact, that we can see it from his bedroom window. Bryce rides his balance bike or scooter there each morning. Jim shadows him on skateboard and Amelia weaves in and out on her scooter. Every time we pass by Bryce exclaims, "There's my school!" We are so thankful that he is happy and well cared for and will soon be speaking more Bulgarian than the rest of us! He gets to go swimming each week, they take walks through the area, play outside together and do lots of group activities. He couldn't be happier.

Amelia is enjoying her days at the "big school" with mommy and daddy, although we rarely cross paths. She was initially pretty nervous, which somehow surprised us. I guess we figured she was always so easy going and didn't realize that this transition would be a bit tough for her, too. Now that we have noticed the signs, we are doing what we can to help her adjust to a new home, school, friends, life, etc. She rides the bus after school most days and joins Bryce for a brief time until we finish and come to pick them up. It is a relief to have this option because having Amelia hang out in our classroom each day after school just didn't make sense. Hopefully she will also benefit from the language exposure, too.

So Many New Experiences...

We are certainly having no shortage of new experiences these days. Around every corner is something new to discover. We are so happy to be here in Bulgaria, where life is healthy and just what we were looking for. Just a five minute drive and we can be on a hiking trail; it's easy when you live at the base of a mountain. The food is incredible and our living situation couldn't be better. Here are a few photos from some of our recent new things...

Jim is pitching in and helping with the cooking from time to time...

Roasted Toasted Ciabatta from the Moosewood Collective cookbook...yum!

Amelia started a ballet after school activity

"I loved it! I want to go again!"

Bryce is our little hiker....rocks, sticks and dirt...what's not to love?

Wearing long pants or sleeves, while playing soccer after dinner. 

It cooled down yesterday and the locals say that fall will come quickly. 

(Our apartment is half of the middle floor on the righthand side)

And for me? Well, I am doing all of the driving as our car is a manual. We will have to share a photo soon. It is funny to go from rarely driving during the last ten years to driving everyday. I think we are both surprised how well I am finding my way, but just in case we got a GPS this past weekend. Watch this space to see where it takes us!

Amelia's First Ballet Lesson

Amelia had her first ballet lesson today. She loved every minute of it! It was so lovely to watch her beaming as she tried to follow along with the teacher. In this clip she is trying to move with "scissor legs."

No Longer an Empty House

After just two weeks, we received our shipment. It actually arrived a few days before we did, but the paperwork to get it through customs took a few days. This is the fastest we have ever received our belongings and so although it was exciting, it wasn't the same "Christmasy" sort of feeling we would have had after waiting 6-8 weeks. Nevertheless, we are happy to have the things that help us feel at home, especially toys for the children and to have expanded our wardrobe. The only problem is we are still unpacking. We received 56 boxes and are down to 14, most of which I did while Jim was away on a softball weekend in Budapest. Perhaps this weekend we can at least get everything else opened up. The process of organizing everything will probably take weeks.

Look, there is the shipment! The moving truck is here!

The kitchen is filling up and there are still more boxes coming...

The train table, doll house and toys are here! Hooray!

Books, clothes, artwork, and more

Did the shelf make it in one piece? Yes!

Let the unpacking begin!

Life is Good

"Look at my new balance bike!"

Have you ever seen tomatoes as beautiful as these? They are incredible...best I have ever tasted. 

The peaches are amazing, too!

Scooter Girl is on the move. We even have real hills to ride on...a first for this family!

Amelia has worn these boots everyday since our shipment arrived.

We had a few chilly days last week and Bryce got to wear long pants...

another new experience for this tropics hailing boy.