my mantra

The days are going by so quickly! I realize it's still June, but with how fast it's already going, I know it'll be the end of August before I know it. Seth LOVES Kevin being home. I thought the transition from summer to school was rough last year for Seth, but this year it'll be lots worse. He certainly loves his dad.

(Funny how you don't have to model or teach these kinds of things to kids! I probably shouldn't let him climb up there, but I had to take a picture. Most of the flats and homes here have iron gates on the entry level windows and doors to help prevent break-ins, which are so common, and in fact, just happened to one American family this week who is in the States now and live two streets up from us.)

Kate has been teething. I never knew when Seth got a tooth until I saw or felt it. He never had fevers or was fussy. Kate is by no means horrible, but she at least lets us know. :) She has been more fussy and just needing to be held a lot. Her appetite hasn't been that great either. But last night she has a temperature of 103.4. That is too high for teething I think, and I was a nervous wreck all night. But she slept peacefully the entire night, unlike me. I kept checking on her to make sure she was okay. She woke up a much happier and fever-free baby this morning. Praise the Lord! I see the tooth just starting to poke through her gum, so I hope that most of the pain is behind her.

We have been getting together with people left and right. It's been so much fun! There aren't many people around this summer, and it has been fun to visit and hang out with people I normally don't have the chance to do. I remember thinking our first summer here that it would be such a bummer because most people went back to the States, but I quickly realized just how fun it was. This summer is great, too. Kevin has even gotten to do lots of school work in the afternoon. He is happy about that!

And Starbucks JUST opened here this week. I am not a coffee drinker, but I do enjoy other fun beverages that those coffee places offer as well. And to be honest, I could care less whether my fun beverage comes from Starbucks or some place else. It's just that it's from home, and I love the atmosphere at those places. The closest one was in Vienna, and people would go to Vienna just for some Starbucks. (It's only like 2 hours away.) No one can actually believe it is here because they have been saying for years (even before we moved here) that Starbucks was going to open up in Budapest, and we all just thought it was some grand rumor. And now it's here! We might take our change jar and enjoy a "free" beverage there soon.

There are a lot of English camps going on this summer, and I am hoping to help in some sort of capacity. Unfortunately with little kids, the times don't really work for us, but I figure I could help in some other way. I need to talk to some people in charge. I want to help in some way, but with naps, nursing, and bedtime, I just don't have the flexibility like others. As I am reminded by others, this is just a stage so enjoy it. It's not that I am not enjoying it. It's just that I feel useless right now.

I guess that's kind of how I have felt all year. It's been a rough year for me. My "year" is still based on a school calendar, so I tend to process and think through things more at the time of year than in January since I still feel like our year is only part way through then. But this year has been one with a lot of good learning and growing experiences. I have learned a lot about friendships, about the type of person I want (and don't want) to be, and mainly about surrender to Christ. My mantra these days as I stress is "I surrender all." Someone reminded me that Jesus had stress too; it's what we do with the stress that matters. I handle it well one moment and then not the next. Still learning and growing. I pray I'm never finished. I'm just burnt out though now.

"Kranks Jesus" for summer and time to spend with my family without all of the stresses that come with the school year!