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10/10/2000 9:45:00 PM
Boulder Creek, CA
In the Santa Cruz mountains and the redwood forrest

September 2000

Well I guess the biggest thing for us was the pick up of our new family members: Max and Moritz! Two 6 months old black kittens ...

Hallo everybody!

It always takes me longest to write the beginning of the report - first I don't know where to start and all of a sudden it flows and it is hard to stop. Well I already wanted to write last night but I couldn't motivate myself, so I thought I could get it done this afternoon while Sebastian is at his friend's house and Benjamin is sleeping - but the second one didn't let me (he is just in the phase to do only one nap a day...), so I thought for sure this evening I'll get it started but then I got caught by Sheer in "Mermaids"... and by now it is 11.00pm and since I am not that tired I thought I'll give it a third attempt. I hope that the server is not going to brake down on me again and I can send it off without waiting for Robert to fix it. So let's see what's new at our house:

Well I guess the biggest thing for us was the pick up of our new family members: Max and Moritz! Two 6 months old black kittens from the shelter! Not only are we hoping to get rid of our mouse and rat problem that way but we also thought it be fun for the kids and the dog. First I was a bit hesitant about this since I am not so crazy about cats and Robert is extremely allergic, but after a few weeks of thinking and convincing I agreed to it - as always it was Roberts initial idea. I have to admit that it actually is  nice now and the two "bad boys" are quite cute. They are exclusive outdoor cats and have their little home in our garage. First we wanted to get only one cat but then Robert (again) had the thought (idea) to get two so that they can keep each other company and because he had an eye on these two brothers who were at the shelter already since June. After their first week indoors we let them out and they have made our place their territory. By now they got used to the dog and Broesel got used to them, and even though she likes to chase them they come out and even play together. That was not quite the case in the beginning because one of them (Moritz - the shy one) must have gotten so scared of her that he ran up high on the tree and had no clue how to get down. Even though all cat owners assured me that he will find his way down I got weak and after 24 hours asked Maura to help me to get him down. (I thought that only happens in movies - I was ready to call the fire department...) We got up the leader and after Maura managed to get him into a pillowcase (apparently some cats like the enclosure) I carried him down. He was so happy to be saved that it was no trouble to get him in there and he purred all the way back. So there is never a dull moment here.... Certainly Robert was out of town and nowhere close to help!

He is quite busy the last few weeks and out of town almost 3-4 days a week. Last week he also went to Utah for a paragliding course and a 3 day business trip to New York. Originally we had planned this as a short vacation, driving 2 days to Salt Lake City, 5 days of classes (Friday - Tuesday) and afterwards some free time to travel through one of the National Parks back home. Unfortunately he had to be at a very important meeting on Wednesday and since I did not want to be left alone in Utah with two kids and a dog we decided to cancel the family trip, because we already had paid for the paragliding course. At the end it turned out good, since Benjamin had just recovered from a 1 week stomach flu and a 2 week intense cold, so it would have been a bit too much for him anyways. The three of us had a nice and quiet weekend and he got all his strength back and started to walk! Just the last days he has also learned how to get up from the sitting position and even though he sometimes still falls down and continues on with his "funny" crawl, I officially say that he started to walk with 14 months (and to be correct he actually is only 13 months - being 5 weeks premature)!!! WELL DONE BENJAMIN!!!! Robert certainly misses such moments and is always amazed how much the two of them develop when he is gone a few days. Nevertheless we all have adjusted well to this situation and I have found a good routine to be by myself, unless it is longer than 5 days in a row, that's when it gets stress. It really helps if Robert is around even for a little time every other night to be with the kids. Sebastian needs a lot of attention in the evening and his curiosity can be very tiring, even though it is nice that he is so interested in everything I get to a point where I cannot give a straight answer anymore and tend to loose the fun side of it. I am glad that long trips are rather rare and I admire single moms more and more every day.

Well by now it is midnight and my brain is already sleeping, the fingers are getting slower and I think I should come back later. I'll crawl under the blanks with my son (Robert is in Seattle today and in LA tomorrow) and hope I'll have sweet dreams - GOOD NIGHT EVERYBODY!

Hey it's me again - almost a week later - it is raining outside, the boys are taking a nap and I finally find time again to get behind the computer. Our friend Bine from Munich is here to visit for a week and went on a 2 day "childless" trip along the coast. So I try to find time to finish this report and mail it as long as the computer is working. Our server was down for a couple of days and incase you have sent something and I did not reply by now, I probably did not receive it - or was too lazy to write back...?!?!?

There is not much left to tell about September, I did get done quite a lot that late night hour last week! The last September weekend we went up to San Francisco/Sausalito, Robert came back on Friday from New York and on Saturday morning we had to leave again. First we met our Australian friends Catherine and Paul with their kids Alexander (2 1/2) and Georgette (4 months) at the SF Zoo. We used to go and visit the zoos around the world during our many trips (once we did not have children) but never have managed to go and see the local ones. Sebastian had a great time and liked the petting children's area the best. In the evening the four of us went on to Sausalito where we spent a night on a sailboat. We had planned a sailing day with friends (Paul and Ellen - a former work colleague/friend) on Sunday and since we also were able to book the boat as a bed and breakfast, it was quite convenient and also fun to do. Sebastian had a lot of fun and was very proud to have his own stateroom. In the evening we had a nice bbq dinner on deck and thanks to a wonderful warm "Indian summer" night we were able to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary until late under the roof of thousand of stars...! Next day our skipper Wayne took us out to the bay for 6 hours, Robert and Paul helped him a lot and laid hands on the boat. Ellen helped me to keep the kids entertained and the sea air managed to let them both sleep for 1 hour - Benjamin even with a rough current and a shaky boat!!! It was quite an experience and fun, but if we should do it again the boys have to be a bit older (Benjamin at least 4 like Sebastian now) so that we all can enjoy it. I think they really disliked the thick life jacket and now that Benjamin is mobile and walking it was hard for him to be strapped in my lap all day. Nevertheless it was a great family weekend and we had a wonderful time together, Sebastian was very happy to have his Papa back.

That raps it up for this month and I hope to manage to get another report out to you in October - it's nice when I can write only for one month, than they don't get too long. Today we send you many, many dear greetings, hugs and kissed near and far - we hope you are all doing well and look forward to some replies from your ends.

Have a nice day - The 4 Schmids, Broesel, Max and Moritz (the photo shows Max, but they are identical looking - Moritz is a bit shy)

PS I have to apologize that some pictures are not too clear, but I haven't figured out yet how to get them resized without loosing quality. Robert is in bed already (he is flying to Chicago at 6am tomorrow for a day) and I need to get his advise on this. So next time I hope they will look a bit clearer.

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