Visitors!

We have visitors! My parents came in town last week and we are having the best time. They brought us a suitcase full of peanut butter, girl scout cookies, and other such delicacies . We have walked miles and miles and visited many of the highlights of Budapest. We have also eaten lots of gelatto...I think that is the highlight of their day. My mom wakes up thinking about which flavor she will try today. Good thing we are walking a lot! The kids love having them here and have been troopers as we have toured. As long as we have the stroller and backpack, they are good to go. Here is a smattering of pics from the week....

Heading to Margaret Island
Margaret Island petting zoo
Margaret Island - Cade and the peacock had a standoff

Heroes SquareParliament from across the river

Dad discovered kurtoskalacs - his new favorite food
Zoo - we fed the camels, the giraffes, the hippos...pretty much all the animals.

Zoo playground
Gelatto stop at Daubner - our favorite

Cade loves his strawberry gelatto!

Tomorrow we head to Austria for a few days. We thought we rented a minivan, but it is much smaller than that. We can all fit, but there is literally NO room for luggage. So, everyone gets a grocery bag to pack in for 5 days. Just kidding, sort of. It will be interesting...stay tuned!

Easter fun!

Chelsea and I had the best mommy - daughter date yesterday! A mom in our play group organized an Easter baking class at the Hotel Intercontinental. It was so much fun!!

First came the donning of the hat and apron.....

Ready to cook!

The kids all listened as the chef explained how to make Easter bread.

Ta-da!

In Hungary, eggs are brown. I guess Easter egg dye doesn't work too well - so painting eggs literally meant painting eggs.

Such concentration!

We also used icing to decorate chocolate eggs. Yummy!

Last came marzipan creations - we made bunnies, mushrooms, and apples.

One of the professionals gave us the lollipop and rose. The staff was so great with the kids.

When we left, Chelsea said it was the most fun thing she ever did. I asked her what her favorite part was and she said, "All of it. Actually the best was just spending time with you."

That was my favorite part, too.

Hoarders

Before we moved, I went on a buying spree. I guess I was worried that Budapest wouldn't have such things as diapers, wipes, toothpaste, etc. Or maybe it was that there is comfort in the familiar, even in the small things.

6 months later, we just now ran out of diapers and wipes. We still have 11 tubes of toothpaste, 6 things of deodorant, 7 bottles of contact solution, and a few bottles of children's Tylenol, etc.

Apparently hoarding is Larry's love language, as he is so happy to have such a stockpile. I am glad to know the secret to marital bliss!

Spring!

We are so happy spring is here! We have a tiny park down the street, but last week we found this large park about a mile from our house. We had a nice downhill walk there.....and a good workout on the way back!

Which one of these is not like the others?

We don't feel the need for ski jackets and hats when it is 70 degrees outside.

Big boy tackles the tall slide....

but still likes to hold a finger.

This is a spinning thing that is common around here.

Graffiti makes the park a little more colorful!

We are certainly enjoying the sunshine and have finally put away the winter coats. Yesterday, it was about 75 and I thought it was hot.....what will I do in Houston in July?

The Strange Things

To commemorate the anniversary of our first 6 months in Budapest, here are some of the strangest things that have happened to us...

*People peeing......it seems we have quite the knack for stumbling upon grown men urinating wherever they want to. One day we pulled up to the ATM and surprised someone. Another day it was on the corner by the grocery store. It never ceases to make us laugh and wonder why they can't walk 10 feet to the bushes.

*People making out....This happens everywhere, all the time. There is no shame and apparently no need for privacy.

*Free drink....one day, I was at IKEA and the kids and I got a drink in the cafe before we left. As we were about to leave, a young, nicely dressed girl came up to me. She started in Hungarian, but switched to English when it was obvious I didn't understand her. She asked if I was finished with my cup. I said yes and gave it to her, a little baffled. She walked over to the fountain drinks, refilled it, and went on her way. How gross is that??

*Dead people...not something we ever desire to see, but again it seems to happen too often. Once on the highway, once on a sidewalk, and once Larry witnessed it at a subway stop. The sad thing is many people walk right by. Very strange.

*Bike wreck...this is one of the scariest things that has happened. A couple of weeks ago, we were cruising at a fairly high rate of speed down a hill. There were 3 bikers following way too closely, without helmets of course. We had to turn left, so Larry put on the blinker and slowed to a stop. One of the bikers got impatient and decided to try to go around us on the left as we turned left. We heard a giant thud as he hit our car on the drivers side. It was quite scary and I seriously thought he would be dead. As Larry opened the door, the guy popped up and said, "bocsi." (Excuse me). We were so thankful he was okay, but it was so funny/strange to hear him say that!

I'm sure there are many more strange things to come!!

Farm Fresh

Friss Tojas = fresh eggs

Eggs here are brown and unrefrigerated. Fresh from the farm!
They are so fresh that there is often a surprise on them. Today's find is.....

a feather!
Feather surprises are much more fun than chicken poop surprises!

Hungarian Hair

Sorry for the tiny picture - bad quality because it was off the phone.
I finally gave in and got my hair cut here. I couldn't stand it any longer, and it certainly wasn't going to make it till we go back to Texas in June! I called A-List, a place many of the ex-pats go, and just took the appointment they gave me. I decided to take Chelsea and get hers cut as well. My appointment was with a guy named Joseph. He was nice enough, but didn't speak much English. The receptionist at the salon asked me what I wanted and then translated. I was feeling brave and basically said he could do whatever he wanted with my hair and Chelsea's. He kept cutting, and cutting, and cutting.....I was a little afraid! Finally he was finished, and I was really happy with the result. Unfortunately, since then I haven't been able to make it look anywhere close to the same! Oh well.
Chelsea has a cute new bob. She woke up the next morning and said, "It didn't grow back yet!"