Toby turns 9 and Amelie turns 4!!

When you have two kids with birthdays just one day apart it seems inevitable that they will share a party at some point. We seem to be sliding towards that this year with Toby and Amelie, though we tried our best to celebrate them individually.  Each birthday we let the birthday kiddo decide whether they'd like to have a small party with friends or go somewhere as a family.  This year Toby chose for us to go to Miramar- a big indoor pool complex with water slides that our family all enjoys.  Amelie thought that sounded GREAT, so she chose that too.  So what we did was celebrated Toby's birthday dinner at home, then a few days later went to Miramar for both Toby and Amelie, and then a few days after that had Amelie's birthday dinner at home.  It was a lot of celebrating in a short time frame!

 

For Toby's birthday dinner he chose seven layer dip and for his "cake" he asked for homemade cinnamon rolls. Not the prettiest cake, but soooooo tasty.  He's a smart kid.

 

When we go to Miramar we like to get there right when they open, on an American holiday, and enjoy the slides and pools with hardly any other people.  After the German schools get out, more and more kids and families start to arrive, and by evening the place is packed.  (I assume, we've never been there in the evening. One or two evenings each week are FKK- naked time- so that isn't really our scene.)

 

We have been to Miramar many times, but I don't think I've ever taken pictures, so this time I ran around and took some photos right when we arrived and then put my phone away in a locker so I could go swim with the kiddos.  Our first stop is usually the outdoor heated pool.  Rob and the kids are going down those steps into the water to swim out of the building to the lazy river.

 

This is the large wave pool.  All of the kids like the Krokodilrutsche (crocodile slide) that goes across the back of the pool.  There is also a kiddie splash pool off to the right of this pool and hot tubs to the left.  (As a side note, Jacob solidified his independent swimmer status this day by swimming half way across the pool to me!)

 

Looking through the ceiling, you can just see one of the water slide towers. There are 8 water slides total I think, some with inner tubes and some without. One of the craziest things about going down the water slides here is that there is no worker telling you when it is safe to go.  You are expected to wait a reasonable amount of time after the person in front of you goes, and this usually works out just fine.

 

The outdoor hot tubs are nice when it is chilly out. There are also massage areas and spa areas, but we are always there with the kiddos and haven't bothered to try those out.  And there is a decent counter service restaurant where we get our bratwurst, pommes, salad, and caprese.  It was a fun day for all of us.

 

Then a few days later we had cheese fondue for Amelie's birthday dinner.  She went through MANY cake ideas, before finally settling on a unicorn cake.  With a little help from the internet, this is what I made.

Toby's Birthday Interview

1. What is your favorite color? Red

2. What is your favorite toy? Kid's Kindle

3. What is your favorite fruit? Apples

4. What is your favorite tv show? American Ninja Warrior

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? "Sandwiches- with ham, and cheese, and turkey, and lettuce, and all that stuff."

6. What is your favorite outfit? Shorts and a t-shirt

7. What is your favorite game? Monopoly

8. What is your favorite snack? Chewy granola bars

9. What is your favorite animal? Owl

10. What is your favorite song? Yellow (Coldplay)

11. What is your favorite book? The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

12. Who is your best friend? "I don't know, I have lots of friends."

13. What do you want to be when you grow up?  An Architect

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Volleyball

15. What are you really good at?  "Math, I like math, math is fun."

16. What is a food that you hate?  Mushrooms

17. What do you like to do with Mom or Dad? Play a board game

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Frosted Flakes

19. What is your favorite dinner? Seven Layer Dip

20. What makes you happy?   "Video games and money"

 Toby is still such a fantastic kid. He is mellow, makes friends easily, does his school work without much input from Rob or myself, and is always full of empathy for others. I think it's safe to say he understands German better than anyone else in this house at this point! He is a perfectionist, and sometimes gets frustrated with himself, but we just remind him that he is awesome, and to not be so hard on himself.  We love our gentle Toby!

Amelie's Birthday Interview

1. What is your favorite color? Purple

2. What is your favorite toy? Cat in the Hat

3. What is your favorite fruit? Oranges

4. What is your favorite tv show? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter and jelly

6. What is your favorite outfit? "Ballet outfit, I think."

7. What is your favorite game? Forbidden Island

8. What is your favorite snack? Cheese-Its

9. What is your favorite animal? Horses

10. What is your favorite song? Jingle Bells

11. What is your favorite book?  Busy, Busy Ladybugs

12. Who is your best friend? Caroline

13. What do you want to be when you grow up? "I wanna have a shop and sell cupcakes and drinks, like hot chocolate.  Cupcakes will be two dollars."

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Play soccer

15. What are you really good at? Riding my bike

16. What is a food that you hate? Green beans

17. What do you like to do with Mom or Dad? Play games

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Toast with eggs

19. What is your favorite dinner?  Cheese fondue

20. What makes you happy?  Cuddles!

Amelie is equal parts excited to be getting older and determined to remain the baby of the family.  She does her best to keep up with whatever the big kids are doing and asks regularly why she can't go on the school bus yet.  But at the same time, she wants to cuddle with mommy, and loves days when we stay home together.  She loves to paint, do crafts, and help do chores. She is also able to write her name, all of the capitol letters, and numbers one to ten. I am glad I get to have a little longer at home with our ambitious Ameloo.