Our Three Lil Monkeys

We have been enjoying a week full of wonderful weather here in Heidelberg! We have been spending lots of time outside rediscovering everything... and it's been fun and exhausting for the kids. Samuel has been earning some long naps after playing outside and Benjamin seems to conk out as soon as his head hits the pillow each night.

Grace on the other hand has been battling a cold and has been on the opposite extreme and has been insisting on spending a little extra awake time with me most nights and during the night. ugh.

I'm just not used to getting up with her throughout the night anymore and I'm hoping she gets over this cold and back to her normal sleeping-through-the-night routine again soon.

So, here are a few pictures of the kids outside... Grace all snuggled up in her stroller soaking up some sunshine, Samuel enjoying some time with his buddy Elmo (the bubble blowing machine) and Benjamin climbing down from what the kids call "the climbing tree." The climbing tree is a new discovery for Benjamin and he (and many of the neighborhood kids) are very into climbing on the tree... forget about all the nearby playgrounds, they'd rather climb on this poor tree. At any given time there may be four or more monkeys hanging from this tree's branches.

Hello Sunshine!

Grace after her morning nap today... waking up happy and enjoying a little time in her crib.

It was a gorgeous afternoon here after a rainy morning so we finally enjoyed a little sunshine and fresh air as I opened up the windows and let a nice breeze in.

The boys spent much of the afternoon playing outside. Now that the snow has melted and we've had some more rain, the ground is very muddy. Samuel went through four changes of pants today and Benjamin managed to go through three. Benjamin doesn't like the idea of having a speck of mud on him but Samuel was literally rolling in the dirt so he had to leave his pants at the door twice today! Such is the life of boys.

Farewell Frosty and Other Snowy Day Fun

It looks like our snow filled days in Heidelberg are coming to an end but I thought I'd share a few photos I took just last week. There was a snowman in our neighborhood that the boys were very fascinated with... mostly because the snowman's eyes were Oreo cookies! We walked by this tropical snowman on the way to Benjamin's kindergarten for about a week and managed to get a quick photo with the snowy friend before he melted away.

The other photos of Samuel and Don were taken last Monday (on Martin Luther King Jr. Day). Don had a four day weekend and took Samuel out sledding while Benjamin was at school. Samuel had a blast (of course) and I caught them having a little snowball fight outside our building when they returned. Then the snowball fight took a turn for the worst and they attempted to bombard me... who was innocently taking photos from our balcony above.

Silly me to think my camera and I were out of harms way since we were situated high above on the balcony. Watch out Winter Olympics... my boys can really hurl some mean snowballs!

Some Silly Video Clips of Grace

I captured a couple video clips of Grace recently. Last night she found the laundry basket to be quite the entertainment as she climbed in and out of it over and over again. The first time she attempted it I wasn't sure she'd be able to get back out of the basket once she got in there. But she proved me wrong... she found several different ways to escape out of the basket each time she crawled in.

Tonight she was laughing when I was tapping on a big ball. Her laugh just brightens my world.

Video Clip Starring Samuel

Samuel has recently been coming up with all sorts of things on his own and totally surprising us with lots of new vocabulary. When we first moved here in September, he really wasn't talking much or it was hard to understand what he was saying... now there is no stopping him. So, while he was reciting his ABCs tonight at the dinner table I took a second to give him a little on the spot interview... enjoy our lil man, Sam...

Grace's Latest Accomplishment

Grace has been on the move for a few weeks now... she is getting quicker and starting to pull up on things on her own. Today I heard her for some time in her crib waking up from her nap... but she wasn't fussing or crying so I held off on getting her for a little bit. Then, when I did finally go see what she was up to she was STANDING in her crib and beaming with a total look of accomplishment on her face.

So, here she is just shy of 7 months old and such a little bundle of energy. She is getting her first two teeth (on the bottom) and has been a bit fussy lately which I attribute to that. But she has also started with some separation anxiety so whenever I leave a room she tends to start with the tears. Most days she is literally attached to my hip or crawling around on the floor.

After all her recent developments, it has us wondering what our little Grace has in store for us next! Samuel started walking at 9 months old and actually took his first steps when Don was home for his R&R from Iraq. Don and I keep joking that maybe Grace is trying to show him up and walk even earlier. Crawling, teething, pulling up on things: these just all seem to be signs that our sweet baby is growing up on us... it's happening too fast. Slow down, Grace... we're enjoying these milestones but will miss all that "baby-ness" that seems to be passing us by so fast. I guess sooner or later I will have to give up and realize that they she can't stay little forever.

Samuel Is Three!

Sunday afternoon we had more than St. Valentine's Day to celebrate...we celebrated Samuel's birthday with a small party. Samuel was so excited about his baseball party! He had been dreaming about a cake that he would point out to Don every time they went to the nearby shopette. It was, of course, a baseball themed cake. So, last week, he and I walked over to the shopette and ordered his cake... he picked yellow cake with blue frosting accents (which ended up turning everyone's mouths blue). And when I picked the cake up on Saturday, Samuel was glowing.

He really LOVED that cake! (Which saved me the added task of making his cake this year. Although, I kind of missed that lil extra touch but there is always next year).

With our limited amount of space in our apartment we decided to have the party upstairs where we have an open space with tables and chairs and room for the kids to run around and be crazy. Don blew up a ball pit that Samuel had received last year from his Uncle Kenny, Aunt Gloria and Keegan. It was such a special treat since it had been awhile since it had been blown up. The kids were all over it and really enjoyed it.

We played a few games at the party and we really stuck with the baseball theme for the food: hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, popcorn, peanuts, etc. It made it so simple and fun. I think the guests all had a pretty good time. And Samuel had a blast!

It's hard to believe that our lil man is 3 years old already. I have seen the definition of boy as: "boy: (n.) a noise with dirt on it." Samuel is all that and more! He is no doubt a rough and tumble boy. It has been a remarkable year for Samuel as he has increased his vocabulary tremendously and learned to express himself in so many ways. It's hard to believe we were ever worried about his speech (or lack thereof).

He has turned into an amazing curly haired little guy that has proved to be a handful from time to time but has a smile and tender side that would melt any parent's heart. We adore our Samuel and feel so blessed to have him as our son.

Fasching Fest

Last week, Benjamin's German kindergarten class held their Fasching Party. Benjamin was looking forward to the party for weeks and was thrilled when the day finally arrived. After all, Halloween is Benjamin's favorite time of the year and Fasching is the closest thing to Halloween for Germans.

Fasching, also known as "the foolish season" is the period before the Lenten season. The official celebration is typically on Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (like "Fat Tuesday" at Mardi Gras) which is when many towns hold their parades and celebrations.

So, Benjamin's kindergarten had a magical theme this year and were instructed to dress along with that theme... elves, fairies, magicians, witches, etc. Benjamin decided to be a magician and his best buddy decided to be a witch. And Benjamin actually came up with the costume on his own. He said he could just wear Samuel's cape (from his Superman Halloween costume) but that he "needed a magical hat... like Frosty the Snowman's hat." Well, our dear ex-neighbor, Ms. Katie had give the boys a snowman building kit a couple of years ago complete with a black hat. So, we tried it on Benjamin and wa-la he had his Frosty the Snowman magical hat. He also happened to have a wand in his collection of odds and ends.

He was sooooo excited to dress up like a magician. He could hardly wait to get to school that day. Samuel was equally excited to dress up. Only he was going to a classroom that was NOT having a Fasching party! (I have been bringing him to hourly care on Fridays for over a month now for a few hours. It is much like a preschool setting open to the military community... only the kids can stay for as few as two hours at a time. He loves it and I think the socialization with kids his own age is great... and of course, it gives me a few hours to run some errands with only one child in tow). So, Don actually brought our cow (a former Halloween costume) to hourly care that morning. They didn't seem to mind and did eventually convince him that he didn't need to be dressed up.

It was really fun to see Benjamin and all his classmates dressed up for the occasion... even his teachers were in the spirit and all dressed up. He had a magical day full of special activities and treats.

Tomorrow is the official Fasching celebration, however, with Don having to work, it doesn't look like we'll be making the Heidelberg parade this year. Hopefully, next year... from what I've heard the parades are a crazy blast with lots of candy and treats for the kids... and the adults really get into the costumes and go crazy as well.

Happy Fasching Everyone!

Grace On The Move

Here is Grace on the move today. When something catches her eye she gets a move on and goes after it. Here she is in action... going after a book on her book shelf.

Mealtime Movie

Sometimes I spontaneously come up with a good idea (if I may say so myself). And today was a good day for one of those ideas. I'm working on getting a few things together for Samuel's upcoming third birthday party and Samuel has been busy watching t.v. He has recently become a big fan of the Disney's "Cars" movie (which is great in this house... because big brother Benjamin was all about "Cars" at this age). So, upon Samuel's request I started the "Cars" DVD for him (this is the third time in as many weeks that he's asked for it). Of course, he started watching the movie right at lunch time and the thought of prying him away to eat was not ideal.

We, as in Don and I, are not big fans of having the t.v. at meal times. However, sometimes breaking those rules can be the biggest treat! So, I pulled over a small table and child's size chair in front of the t.v. and wa-la instant meal table. I packed up a little lunch in a "Cars" lunchbox and Samuel was quite delighted to have his lunch right in front of the t.v. (and Mommy was still able to get a few things accomplished). In fact, he was so delighted I heard several "Thank you, Mommy"s and a bunch of "Yummy"s. Sometimes, the most simple things can be the biggest thrill... especially when you're three (er, almost three!).

Oh, and he ate his lunch quicker than he has in a loooooong time!

Grace's 6 Month Portraits

A couple of weeks ago I took Grace to get her 6 month portraits taken. She was such a good baby for the photo session and we ended up with a few great photos! Including one this great one of her sticking out her tongue which seems to have become her trademark pose!

She is weighing in at almost 20 pounds now. Carrying her in her infant car seat carrier is getting more and more difficult. But with Benjamin's school being so close it seems that most week days we really don't drive anywhere! So, I hesitate to move her up to a bigger car seat just yet but I know the time is coming very soon. In the meantime, I will keep getting a workout when I lug her 20 pound + car seat to and from the car and up to our second floor apartment.

I tried posting a video of her crawling but I'm not sure it is working just right or if everyone can view it. I will try to post another one soon. She is really on the move and LOVES the freedom she has crawling around on the floor. She also loves chasing after everything, especially the dogs and getting into everything. It's amazing just how fast she has gotten good at crawling.

Our little girl is growing up too fast!

This last photo of Grace in the pink sweater is a sweater that my Aunt Shirley in Massachusetts made for me when I was a baby. It fits her perfect and she looks too cute in it!

Thank you, Aunt Shirley for this timeless treasure. (And of course, to Mom, for saving this lil something special for your granddaughter!)