Bye Bye Bambino Lakers!

Thursday marked the end of the Bambino Basketball season. Going into the season, we didn't really know what to expect at this age (the league is for kids 3-5 years of age). But it was a thrilling season!

This was only Benjamin's second experience with any sort of team sport. He tried soccer a couple of years ago and I literally had to lure him onto the field. This experience was much better! Shortly after the start of this basketball season, Benjamin was really excited to go to practice and especially eager for the game days!

It has been amazing and exciting to watch Benjamin as well as his teammates develop their skills and understanding of the game. At this level there is no score kept and at the beginning of the season the kids are not even required to dribble the ball. It was thrilling to watch the kids light up as they scored a basket... on Benjamin's team as well as their opponents. One game Benjamin scored three baskets and he was beaming!

As the season wound down on Thursday, the kids each received a trophy. Again, the kids were absolutely thrilled. I'm including a picture of Benjamin with his head coach as he received his trophy as well as a team shot with the kids and their trophies.

Benjamin was disappointed that it was the end of the season but happy to find out that he gets to keep his uniform and can wear it all summer long.

Now onto the summer soccer season...

Happy St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day from our bunch of leprechauns.

Finally, a beautiful day here! The boys enjoyed much of the afternoon outside playing with the neighborhood kids.

Spring is definitely in the air here this week! It has made for some really easy to bed routines as Samuel even fell asleep before Daddy finished reading books last night. Bring on the warm weather!

For all those Irish and those who are just Irish today, hope you had an enjoyable day.

Our Visit to Neuschwanstein Castle

On Wednesday of our trip to Bavaria (southern Germany), we headed to the Füssen area where the Neuschwanstein Castle is located. It was a cold and dreary winter day but a beautiful and scenic drive through the area. And all the kids got somewhat of a nap in the car that day during the hour and a half drive from Garmisch.

When we arrived, we bundled up and headed to buy our tickets for an English speaking tour of the castle. Then we stopped into a guest house and enjoyed some great German food.

Then we opted to take the horse-drawn carriage ride to the top of the mountain where the castle is located. Years ago when Don and I visited the castle we had learned what a long steep walk to the top it is and tackling that with three kids in tow just didn't seem ideal.

Samuel really adored the horses and as we got off the carriage near the castle, he leaped out and tried to pet the horses. We stopped him before he could get to them but then the driver picked him up and let him pet the horses. He was thrilled! He definitely is our animal lover.

Before we entered the castle, Benjamin was pulling the "I don't want my picture taken" attitude and Samuel was throwing a fit about going into the bathroom with Daddy. ugh. I was not excited about entering a guided tour through the castle at that point. But surprisingly enough once we started the tour the boys were attentive and curious about everything. They really thought it was cool that they were in a castle! Phew! I was so proud of them for being so well behaved (as was Grace). And Benjamin even had a question for the tour guide at the end... "How did the King die?"

Apparently, King Ludwig was a good swimmer and mysteriously drown before the castle's construction was finished. The King didn't even live in the castle a year before his death and once he died the construction of the castle was stopped. Much of the castle remains unfinished but the parts open to the public are impressive. Photos of the inside of the castle are not allowed.

Neuschwanstein is one of Germany's most recognizable castles due to the fact that the Disney Castle is modeled after it.

Ski Time

Last week we headed out for our first European family vacation! We went to Garmisch in southern Germany... the Alps! We had all been looking forward to our vacation for weeks and were thrilled when the day finally came.

We had a good four and a half hour drive to the US Armed Forces resort in Garmisch called Eidelweiss. It is a newer resort and is a very American style hotel nestled in the foot of the Alps. Shortly after we checked in we headed back out to get Benjamin and I equipped for skiing and sign up for ski lessons for the following day. Benjamin was a little hesitant at first about the prospect of skiing but as soon as he saw all the other kids on the little slope (which they call the "backyard") he was excited. In fact, as soon as we were fitted for all our gear he wanted to get out there and try skiing!

On Tuesday morning, Don dropped Benjamin and I off at the ski school and we got started! I hadn't been skiing in over a year so it took me a little while to get my confidence back up so I was glad I started my ski lessons in the backyard of the Alps! Plus, I was able to keep an eye on Benjamin and see how he was progressing as well. The young kids' ski school day was broken up with some time indoors... playing and watching movies and eating (too bad I was a little old to join him in that class!)

By lunchtime, Benjamin seemed a little discouraged and I was just hoping he would make it through the day. I hoped he would keep his skis on and maybe even figure out how to side step.

After lunch, I was headed up the mountain to do some real skiing! woo hoo. I was excited and felt ready to tackle the slopes after spending the morning in the backyard. As we rode up and up... and up... and... up in the gondolas I was getting a little intimidated. But I kept telling myself that the instructor must know what he was doing taking us up the hill. By the time we got to the top I was okay and ready to take on whatever came my way. The view was breathtaking and I was bummed the only camera I had with me was my phone. I had an awesome time skiing all afternoon.

And, apparently, Benjamin had a fun afternoon too! He begged us to let him return to ski school the following day.

So, we signed him up and then got Don fitted for skis for Wednesday. This was a good day for me to take it easy with Samuel and Grace back at the hotel. Don and Samuel had spent the previous day doing some sledding and enjoying every minute of that adventure. While Grace had spent the day in child care at the military base. Samuel was fighting a cold and a bad cough and some down time was just what we needed.

So, after a morning of rest, we caught up with Benjamin and got to see him ski! Woo hoo! Day 2 of ski school and he was up on skis, going up the tow rope and skiing down a small portion of the backyard. I was so proud of him and I could tell he was having a great time.

Of course, he would have loved to ski another day but we decided to do some other activities during the rest of our stay in Garmisch. So, he reluctantly turned in his ski equipment and is already anxiously talking about his week at ski school next year!

Our Mr. Clean

Ever since Samuel was very young he has had a helpful spirit... and that hasn't changed. I try to put that interest in doing all things helpful to good use and today was no exception. Samuel LOVES Windex! More than likely, he is fascinated by the spray bottle because I think he would happily use up an entire bottle of the stuff in a very short time frame.

Anytime Samuel notices that I'm cleaning something he jumps into action. So, today once he finished helping with the dishes, he wiped down the stovetop, refrigerator, and the stainless steel garbage cans. He was loving it as much as I was! He kept asking "What else can I clean?" So, I sent him onto a mirror in the hallway and that's when he noticed that Grace was up from her nap. So, he made his way right into her room and decided that she needed some company. When I came to check how the mirror was coming along I discovered him in Grace's room... and Grace in her crib along with about 15 stuffed animals and toys that Samuel decided she needed. Grace was all smiles! Not only is he a helpful cleaner... he's a super big brother too.