Halloween 2018

 

We celebrated Halloween this year in our usual Germany fashion.  We picked out pumpkins and carved them, a little too early so they were good and rotten by actual Halloween.

 

We also decided this year to do a group costume- which we haven't done since Jake was a baby. Studio C is a BYU sketch comedy show and they have a skit called "The Crayon Song Gets Ruined" which our kids love to watch.  So this year, we were (some of) the crayons from that skit.  It took some convincing to get everyone on board, but in the end they all liked helping to paint the banner for the trunk or treat and be silly together.  Good times.

 

I made our costumes super simply with felt by the yard, some wire, and a hot glue gun. I feel like they shouldn't have taken as long as they did, but the kids were happy with them so that is what counts. At the trunk or treat we also enjoyed chili and the kids played some carnival style games. It was a fun evening with our church congregation.

 

On actual Halloween, we stayed home and ate curried squash soup and made pumpkin and leaf shaped sugar cookies to decorate. 

 

We did get a few trick or treaters again this year, but only about a dozen. 

 

It was a sugar filled good time, but we look forward to possibly doing some door to door trick or treating in the States next year.

We finally celebrated Charlotte turning 12!

 

Charlotte is our only kiddo who consistently wants to have a birthday party.  Since we had so much going on with Fall sports, house guests, and Halloween, I asked her to wait a few weeks to celebrate.  So this past Saturday she had a few girlfriends over to play games, have lunch, and just hang out together.  She was a very happy girl.

 

I can't believe they fit four people on this Twister board.

 

For lunch, Charlotte requested a sandwich bar and pomegranates.  I added popcorn to try to round out the menu a little.

 

Just Dance on the Wii, bouncing on the trampoline, and a lot of giggling... I think they had fun.

 

And finally "fudgy chocolate cake" as requested.

 

Charlotte's Birthday Interview

What makes you happy? "Art, reading, chocolate... there's a lot of things that make me happy."

 What is your favorite toy? My stuffed animals

 What is your favorite animal? Polar bears

 What is your favorite fruit? Blueberries
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Nutella toast
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? "Cheese breadsticks from the school cafeteria."
What is your favorite dessert? Chocolate fudge
What is your favorite thing to do? Read
What is your favorite movie? Harry Potter
What are you really good at? Art and writing stories 
What is your favorite song? "I really like 'Have It All' by Jason Mraz right now."
What do you and your mom do together? "Curl up on the couch and read or watch movies."

What do you and your dad do together? Ride bikes
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Harry Potter World (Orlando, Florida)
What do you think your parents are too strict about? "Video game time, maybe."
Who are your best friends? Esther, Brenna, Sydney, Kaylee, and Anneke
What are some of your favorite things to say?  "Ditto!" and "Pickles"
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go to the beach.
What is your favorite book? Harry Potter
What do you want to be when you grow up? An artist and an author

Charlotte is a great big sister and friend. She loves having just a few good friends in her group and is happy spending time on her own reading, or re-reading, a good book. I admire her ability to be herself in any situation and be true to her ideals. She is honest, kind, smart, and funny.  We are so thankful to have her as part of our family.

The Springers came to visit!

A few weeks ago Rob's cousin Nathan and his wife Emily came to visit us. We had a great time talking with them and just hanging out.  It was especially fun for me to hear Emily talk about when she first met Rob and Nathan- long before I met Rob- and what he was like in college.

 

Just after they arrived we made a daytrip out to visit Burg Eltz.  This is one of my favorite castles in Germany, and I was so happy to go there one more time. The Eltz family has owned this castle since the 1100s... 33 generations!

 

Amelie got to come with us while the other kids were at school and she thought she was pretty hot stuff.  (Not that she isn't.)

 

One of my favorite parts of visiting this castle is the walk through the woods from the parking area.  (There is a shuttle option, but I love the walk.) It's like, "oh, we're just on a little trail in the woods" and then "WOW!  Fairytale castle!" I just never get tired of that.

 

We took a lot of photos of the castle from the walking trail, because it is just so pretty.

 

Nate and Emily. 

The light was behind them, which obviously wasn't ideal, but they were super cute. 

 

And one cousin photo too!

 

Ohhh, Germany.

 

After our day at Burg Eltz, Nate and Emily took off to go visit Munich and around that area on their own.  But they came back at the end of the week so that Rob and Nathan could go do something together. While they were occupied elsewhere, I got a babysitter, and Emily and I went to an indoor pool/spa type place in Darmstadt called the Jugendstilbad, out for lunch, and then took a walk around downtown Wiesbaden. It was a lovely laid back day with great company.

 

 

Meanwhile, Rob and Nathan went to the Nürburgring for a very not laid back day.

 

They took a tour of the roughly 13 mile European Grand Prix track with a professional race car driver who explained how to approach the difficult sections and the correct "line."

 

 

Then they rented cars (BMW for Rob; for some reason our minivan and pick-up truck weren't high on his list of dream race cars) and each raced four laps around the track.  There are hills, blind corners, and people can drive any type of car out there that they want to. Rob said it was madness and the track was closed four times during their time there to clear accidents from the track. I'm glad they wore helmets, and that I wasn't there to see it.

 

At some point they realized they'd have more fun if they were each other's passenger, so they got to spend more time there. (I'm hoping they are parked in this photo and that is why Rob's helmet isn't on.) They also had lunch, and enjoyed talking with their driving instructor, and hearing stories about the worst drivers he's seen there. It was a bucket list experience for sure and I'm glad these two got to share it together.

Fall Fun and Felsenmeer

 

It feels like the last two weeks or so have flown by in a blur. Aside from our usual school, work, sports, church, etc., here are a few of the things that have been keeping us busy.

 

 

We've said some more goodbyes. You might think that it gets easier to say goodbye to friends with as often as we and our friends move, but it really doesn't.

 

 

Rob took the boys to a father and son campout.  They made tinfoil dinners and spent a pretty chilly night in the tent.

 

The next morning the three of them went fishing.  I think this was the first time for the boys, and while they didn't catch anything, they had a fun time with it.

 

Rob is not a huge fan of fishing, but took them because they wanted to try it, and he said it was more enjoyable than he expected.  (This is possibly because they didn't catch any fish.)

 

Meanwhile the girls and I spent our night at home eating brownies, watching The Princess Diaries, and "relaxing."  A good time was had by all!

  

Next up we spent a few days dog-sitting for one of Rob's co-workers.

There is still a lot of stress about dogs in our household, ever since the Bingo fiasco. This little puggle was much more manageable and well-behaved, but confirmed to us that no matter how well-behaved, we really don't want a dog.

 

While we had the doggo, we watched General Conference, and went for a hike in the Felsenmeer.  The weather was perfect and we weren't the only ones who thought so!  The area was super crowded that Saturday, but we had a fun time anyway.

 

 

You can hike up this rock fall, over the boulders, about 1.5-2 miles straight up.

 

 

Rob climbed with the big kids while I took Amelie and the dog up the switchback style trail that was a longer but easier climb.

 

 

Some of the boulders are enormous!  And there can be big holes between them as well. It is a really challenging climb for kids especially, but they loved it.

 

It's also a cool place to snap some photos.

 

I took this picture from a bridge over the rock fall.

There is evidence in the area (partial columns, etc) that the Romans used this area as a quarry.  I love thinking about the history of places we visit in Europe.

 

A LOT of hiking trails in the Odenwald pass through this area, and I wish we could explore all of them.

 

 

At the top of the rock fall there is a little snack hut.  They sell drinks, pretzels, and bratwurst.  I love this about Germany: you can just be hiking in the woods and all of a sudden there is a restaurant or ice cream stand.

 

 

 So that is part of what we have been up to lately.  

There is more, but that will have to be another post.

Amelie turned 5!

 

Amelie and Toby's birthdays are so close together!  We celebrated Amelie's the very next weekend. The kiddos had no school on Friday, so Rob took the day off and we went to Miramar Friday morning as Amelie's requested birthday activity. We love the pools, small kid friendly water slides, and even getting a Jaegerschnitzel for lunch. There was much discussion about whether this would be our last visit to Miramar... we'll see, we might get there once more this winter.

 

 

 We had an early dinner of cheese fondue (per Amelie's request) while I baked a birthday cake, but we had to hurry a bit as Friday night she had her first soccer game ever.  She did get a few good kicks in, but she also spent a fair amount of time twirling and a LOT of time talking and socializing.  She loves everything about soccer.

  

 

When we got home, the kiddos got into their jammies and I quickly frosted the cake and decorated with mini Shimmer and Shine toys. We had planned to get an ice cream cake due to our busy day, but the Commissary was all out! Amelie was happy with her cake and other little gifts though and said it was a super fun day, so that is what counts.

 

Amelie at five is a firecracker!

She loves preschool and making friends. She loves to "practice the piano" every day and we actually love to listen to her do it. I love that Amelie is curious and asks lots of good questions.  She wants to "be big" and help, and sometimes gets frustrated with being the youngest child in the family.  But other times she likes to remind me that she is my baby and wants to curl up and cuddle.  I love reading books with her, and it is amazing how much she has matured and mellowed out a little bit this past year.  We love you Lulu!

Amelie's Birthday Interview

What makes you happy? "Cuddling, treats, and getting to buy gum, and toys, and all that girlie stuff."
What is your favorite toy? "Dawn (a Little People toy) and Seahorse (a light/music toy she sleeps with.)"
What is your favorite animal? Horses and Unicorns
What is your favorite fruit? Raspberries
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? "A waffle with syrup on it.  Lots of syrup."
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni and cheese
What is your favorite dessert? "Just frosting!"  (oh boy)
What is your favorite thing to do? "Cuddle, and hug, and smooch, and play tag sometimes."
What is your favorite movie? Shimmer and Shine and My Little Ponies
What are you really good at? "Playing on the trampoline and playing the piano." 
What is your favorite song? Twinkle Twinkle Stars
What do you and your mom do together? "Cuddle, sometimes watch a movie."

What do you and your dad do together? "Play games on his phone, and cuddle, and bike rides."
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? "Paris or France."
What do you think your parents are too strict about? "Make bedtime one minute later."
Who is your best friend? "Caroline and Olivia, but they moved. Autumn, Maybe, and Booklyn are some of my new friends."
What are some of your favorite things to say?  "Mom!"
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go to the beach.
What is your favorite book? The Monster at the End of the Book
What do you want to be when you grow up? "A musician. I want to play instruments all over the world."

Double Digits: Toby turned 10!

When I asked Toby how he felt about turning ten he said, "Double digits! That's what everyone tells me."And it's true, there is something about reaching a whole decade that feels momentous.  That said, we celebrated Toby's birthday this year in a low key way, which seems to be his preference.

 

In the morning we attended his first volleyball game of the season, and were joined by his friend Finnian to cheer him on.  Toby is the only boy on the team, and I thought that might bother him, but he loves playing volleyball SO MUCH that I think the rest of the team could be made up of monkeys and he wouldn't care.  This photo is post-serve. At this age level a lot of kids still have trouble getting it over the net, but Toby aced all of his serves.  When a server hits five in a row, they rotate to give everyone a chance. He was 5 for 5.

 

His team won the first two sets (best two out of three) and that was it for his volleyball morning. I'm glad he is loving this sport, it is fun to watch him play.

 

 

After volleyball we went home and took Finnian along to play for the day. We had red beans and rice for lunch, which was Toby's requested birthday meal, and then birthday cake which was a lemon cake, with lemon curd filling, and vanilla buttercream frosting.  It was a new one for me, but Toby loves lemon, and it was super yummy.

 

After dinner and cake, Toby opened his gifts and the kiddos played until it was time for us to go to Charlotte's evening volleyball match. We had tossed around a bunch of ideas for what to do for Toby's birthday, but this was his choice: a playdate at home with a good friend. Toby continues to amaze us with his mathematical mind, his kindness and empathy, and his desire to be and do good. He may be nearly as tall as me, but our Little Man still loves to cuddle up and talk about his day and his ideas, and I never get tired of hearing about them.  We love you, Tobs!

Toby's Birthday Interview

What makes you happy? "I don't really know. A lot of stuff I guess."
What is your favorite toy? Legos and paper (to explain, Toby does origami, but he also just makes his own amazing creations out of paper too.)
What is your favorite animal? Owl
What is your favorite fruit? Pomegranate
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? French Toast
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Tacos
What is your favorite dessert? Lemon Bars
What is your favorite thing to do? Play video games and play with paper
What is your favorite movie? "Movies are okay.  I like movies, but I can't really point out one specific movie that is my favorite."
What are you really good at? "Some people say I'm funny. I like to draw mazes." 
What is your favorite song? Coldplay- Adventure of a Lifetime
What do you and your mom do together? Cuddle a lot

What do you and your dad do together? Play board games
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? "I'd stay in Germany."
What do you think your parents are too strict about? "Bedtime is a little too early."
Who is your best friend? Porter, and Jack, and Jack, and Finnian
What are some of your favorite things to say?  "I don't really have a favorite thing to say. I think I have a bit of a large vocabulary."
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go to the beach.
What is your favorite book? Anything by Rick Riordan
What do you want to be when you grow up? An architect.