Stillhouse Park

Die Maedels hatten am Montag schulfrei und wir hatten einiges zu erledigen. Dazu mussten wir aber auch ein Stueck fahren. Auf dem Rueckweg von Belton haben wir einen Abstecher zum Stillhouse Park gemacht. Bisher hatten wir nur davon gehoert, aber wenn wir schon mal in der Naehe waren, warum nicht mal sehen, ob wir ihn finden.

Natuerlich hatte wir weder Badesachen noch Handtuecher dabei, aber die Kinder hatten einen Heidenspass am Wasser und im Sand zu buddeln. Soren musste natuerlich auch eine Kostprobe nehmen.

The girls had no school on Monday, so they had to come along running arounds out of town. They usually like roadtrips and didn't mind. on the way back from Belton we decided to take a different route and see if we find the Stillhouse Park. We heard of it before, but have never been there.

Arriving there the girls were excited, they always love water and are alsways begging going to the "ocean". All three had fun at the water and digging in the sand, they even found a few small shells. Soren of course had to sample the sand, too. But because this was not planned we had neither towls or bathing suits with us. LOL

Oh mei!

Was fuer ein Wochenende.

Fuer Samstag hatte Aniko eine Babyshower fuer Daniela geplant. Ich habe Ihr vor einer Weile die Einladungskarten dafuer gemacht und da es Potluck sein sollte d.h. jeder bringt was zum Essen mit, habe ich den Kuchen gemacht.

Da mir einige Zutaten gefehlt haben, habe ich am Freitag nicht gleich angefangen, sondern noch rechtzeitig den Anruf gekriegt, dass es auf Sonntag verschoben wurde. Kein Problem, somit habe ich erst am Samstag den Kuchen gebacken und auch erst dekoriert. Da ich absolut kein Profi bin ist er auch nicht ganz gerade und perfekt geworden, soll sich doch einer beschweren.

Aber Sonntag frueh kam der naechste Anruf, die werdende Mama musste ins Krankenhaus und die Babyshower ist abgesagt. Mmmm. Jetzt sass ich da mit dem Kuchen. Der Nachwuchs ist inzwischen da und der Kuchen ist auch angeschnitten. - Nochmal mach ich den aber net so schnell.

What a weekend?

Aniko planned a babyshower for Daniela this Saturday. I made her invitations a while ago and because it's a potluck volunteered to make the cake. I got started a little bit late on Friday because I didn't have everything at home just in time to get the phone call that will be moved to Sunday. Ok, so it can wait until Saturday to bake and decorate a cake. Sunday evening it was finally done. Sunday morning I get the next phone call that the mom-to-be is in the hospital and is in labor and that the babyshower is cancelled. Thanks. Now I was sitting there with a big cake.

By now the cake is cut and we started eating on it, but there is more left and you are welcome. I can even make a cup of coffee for you.

Chiara

In den letzten Tagen konnten wir ueber Chiara eigentlich nur immer wieder lachen. Sie hat Persoenlichkeit und frech ist sie ja ohnehin.

Chiara-Bloomers:

Hintergrundinformation:

Chiara hat nen Freund, nicht einen sondern sogar zwei in ihrer Pre-K Klasse und das nun schon fast das ganze Jahr also ist es nicht nur ne kurze Affaere. LOL. Es ist ein ein bisschen frueh fuer das meiner Meinung nach, aber wenigstens hat sie guten Geschmack und es sind zwei suesse und nette Jungs, Eddi und Danny. Sie verabschieden sich immer auch mit Umarmung.

Wir sitzen beim Abendessen.
Chiara: "Eddis Mama bekommt wieder ein Baby (Eddi hat einen kleiner Bruder drei Wochen juenger als Soren). Es wird wahrscheinlich wieder ein Junge oder ein Maedechen."
Leland: "Was wird es wenn es kein Junge oder Maedchen sein wird?"
Chiara: "Ein TIER!"

Einen Moment spaeter.
Chiara: "Ich habe ein Problem in der Schule mit meinen Freunden (Eddi + Danny).
Wenn ich sage, dass ich nicht weiss, wenn ich von den zweien heiraten werde, dann faengt Danny an zu heulen!"
Leland: "Sobald Danny mir eine Million Dollar zahlt, kann er dich jederzeit heiraten!"

--- Uebersetzung aus dem Englischen ---

Vorgestern sass Chiara auf der Couch und fing an zu strahlen. "Mein Zahn wackelt." Tatsaechlich ihr erste Zahn war lose. Sie war total gluecklich und wollte auch gleich wissen, ob sie ihn rausziehen kann. Am naechsten Tag hat sie jeden in der Schule gleich davon erzaehlt und das war auch was besonderes, der ersten lose Zahn in ihrer Klasse. Am Abend auf dem tramplon fiel er dann doch schon heraus und nun hat sie ihre erste Zahnluecke und der Zahn kam gleich ins Taeschchen und unters Kissen

Die Zahnfee hatte aber Verspaetung und war erst nach dem Fruehstueck da. LOL



The last few days we just had to laugh about Chiara. She is such a number.

Chiara's Bloomers'

Background information:
Chiara has a boyfriend, not just one, but two in her pre-k class and this is since the start of the school year, so quite serious. She has good taste and they are two sweet boys (Eddi & Danny). LOL. They hug good bye all the time.

We are sitting at the dinner table.
Chiara: "Eddi's mom is having baby again. (Eddi has a little baby brother three weeks younger as Soren.) It's probably another boy or girl."
Leland: "So if it's not a boy or girls, what might it be?"
Chiara: "An ANIMAL!"

A moment later.
Chiara: "I have a problem at school. With my boyfriends.If I say, I don't know who to marry, danny starts to cry!"
Leland: "As soon as Danny pays me a million bucks, he can marry you anytime!"

The day before yesterday, Chiara was sitting on the couch and was all beaming. "My tooth is wiggling. I have a loose tooth!". Indeed her first toot was loose and she was all happy and excited and asked if she can just pull it out. The next day she had to show and tell everybody about her loose tooth in school. It was something quite special in her class. The very first loose tooth. Last night on the trampoline it just fell out and now she has her first missing tooth. It found its place right away in the little sack under the pillow.

And this morning the tooth fairy run late and didn't stop by until after breakfast. LOL

Sisters & Squirrels

As always when you have plans something is changing it, so perhabs I should quit making plans and just keep things spontanious, they usually turn out better that way.

On our way back home, I decided we take a different way and stopped a few times and took the camera out. My girls are always up for posing with a BIG touch of being silly, but I do LOVE those two pictures. It does show so much how they are truly sisters, sticking their heads together, being in their own world and caring so much for each other. Bella always tries to teach her little sister something and Chiara has her sweet smiles adoring Bella, but still being way to stubborn and going her own way.

When we drove up in the drive way we had again one of the squirrels sitting in the front yard. And that one really didn't care about the car or us.

Another Day - Another Post

The girls had a student holiday today so it was nice that we all (minus Leland) could sleep in and didn't have to stress getting ready this morning. Chiara was also feeling fine again. Soren was a little crab, so we went to the store to get few items and came back home noticing that I forgot one major ingredient which I never have in the house to complete my first attempt in cake decorating. Well, after the cake was already baked (not perfect, but it was only a practise one for fun) and had the frosting on, it just had to wait until later.

It was nice in the afternoon, Soren was still a crab, so we decided to head for the park. He is always happier outside the house. The girls took the scooters and after stopping at a friend's place, we walked a long way to the park. You have to use the nice days because it will get hot here pretty soon.

In between I took my first maternity pictures from a new mom-to-be . We didn't plan on and only for a couple minutes. Tomorrow we will do some outdoor shots with the dad-to-be, too. If you want to take look. You are welcome. MATERNITY PHOTOS

On our way back home I did NOT forget the missing ingredient and at home after already having a messy kitchen and dinner prepped (and at least five loads of laundry waiting) I tried to make my first fondant. I used marshmellows, because if I already go through all the trouble and work it should at least have a taste, too. It is a sticky mess, I tell you, but it looked like fondant in the end. (I am still soaking the bowl in the sink to clean.) It took more time to get a few different colors. I never ever used fondant before, but it is pretty much like play dough and you actually can snack on it. After rolling, shaping, .... we ended up with a small decorated cake, it is in no way perfect but I just tried to see if it works out at all, so all the little balls around are quite different sizes and I do have another week to practise or get a good idea for a nice looking cake for the upcoming babyshower. BUT my girls are really sweet and all excited about the cake and like it.

Step Back In Time

Ten years ago, I don't even remember if we already owned our first computer, but for sure no digital camera.

It's a long time ago, but ten years ago Leland and I got married in Wuerzburg, Germany. We had a small ceremony at the Wuerzburg Standesamt (office) and a small reception at a little restaurant outside of the town.

These are pictures of pictures, so the quality is pretty bad, but that's as good as it gets.

!Correction! - LOL

We had to visit the peditrician yesterday and of course as always the weigh and measure him. Odd as it is at his sick visits and well baby visits they use different scales and the sick visit measurements always seem to be a little (I am not surprise if you weigh him with all his clothes and wet diaper!)

But to correct our 10 months post:

Soren is weighing 29 pounds and is 31.5 inches tall. So he keeps growing and growing. LOL

He is feeling better so he started to crawl more and more and now figured out that he does not have to stay in spot anymore. Even we plan on moving in two months we have to continue babyproofing this place even more now. I already caught him today trying to sample the cat (dry) food. It looks like little snacks so I can't blame him trying. LOL.

He makes it all the way from our bedroom to the other end of the hallway and then had a hard time in which room to continue. The cat passed by him into the bathroom so that was very tempting, Daddy was in his messy computer room - always a chance to dig in something to make Daddy jump to rescue, or following me into the girls' room. So after half in the computer room he changed his mind to go for the girls' toys, he loves their room. It's just the question how much the girls will love to have Soren messing things in their room up? LOL

But I DO love seeing him crawl, he is not so frustrating being stuck in one spot anymore and it's just too cute with his butt in the air, especially when he comes towards you with his big smile because he knows he can.

Here are the latest photos of our little bugger. Enjoy them.

The missing video

Last Friday I taped all those crazy girls and Leland on the trampoline and promised to post the video. Here it is:

Our little Firefighter

Soren is 10 months old

It is crazy how fast the time passed.

Soren is 10 months old today.

He is growing up so fast and the I am wondering where our baby is? But there are still so many milestones to hit, so many things to learn and so many changes to come.

Let's see what's going on with him:

• he is about 30 inches tall (perhabs even more by now)


• he weighs in at 27 pounds (he is a BIG boy)


• he has four teeth


• he is still nursing like a champ


• he drinks water and fennel tea


• he eats baby food homemade or out of the jar and tablefood


• he loves German baby cookies (thanks Karin) and fruit and veggie puffs

• he sits up very well


• he is rolling over and turning like crazy


• and started crawling two days ago (YEAH)


• he starts pulling himself up on his knees


• and on his feet if you hold his hands


• he can walk if you hold on if he wants to


• he rides his car backwards


• he can hold his tea bottle by himself


• and can drink from a straw


• he says rrrrraaaaaaaaaaa, argh and gaga
  
• he claps and waves


• he loves toys with strings,


• but his favorites are still remote, cell phone and keys


• he smiles a lot and is a big flirt


• he has his sisters twisted around his little finger and they crack him up


• he loves books


• he and Mohrli (the cat) take naps together in his crib

• he HATES the penguin toy


• he does NOT like it when I try to sat him down on the living room floor


• he does NOT like when I leave the room and


• he does NOT like diaper changes

Letzte Woche - Last Week

It was a busy week, it started with helping Aniko moving in her apartment Monday and Tuesday. It's a cute little place and Gabriel, Soren and Delany tested all of Gabriel's toys on Wednesday morning.
We said good-bye to Shyana and Mia who moved out of the house next to us.


Mondays and Wednesday after school the girls went tumbling, Soren decided the gym was the perfect place to throw up all of his food intake of that day on Monday and was sick the rest of that and the next day with temperature and quite clingy.
Thursday Bella had her fieldtrip to the planetarium in Waco, of course I thought she would learn more about stars and the solarsystem, nada, wales and ocean ... Soren visited his playgroup friends in the morning and in the afternoon all the kids hung out with me in the garage or outside while I tried to sort out the garage and to get rid of a few unnessary things. A little bit successful, bathroom shelf, some clothes and the infant car seat are sold and the thrash can is pretty much filled up. Everything is stacked somewhere and you are physical able to enter our garage again and find the way to the backdoor, not just the cats. The rest is Leland's stuff or has to wait until I start packing up.

In the evening Soren started to crawl. He actually knows how to do it. LOL. So he also can sit up by himself. He still has to practise his crawling skills to perfect them, but it is a start. Our lazy bug also figured out to hold his bottle all himself even when he is sitting up.

Soren and Mohrli Midnight are new nap pals now. They both sleep in Soren's bed together and the cat doesn't care if he digs his toes in him, pulls his fur or kicks him. Even if he lays on top off him he hardly moves until he pulls his tail. I am just amazed. And remeber that is the cat who tries to bite Chiara if she just looks at him or sits close to him once a while. LOL.

It's Friday evening now and we are all quite tired (the girls are an exception), Soren kept us up most of the night just screaming and coughing (right this moment he is getting fed with veggy puffs to keep him away from the keyboard). So that bug kept on sleeping this morning and had about six naps already today. He does feel horrible and coughs really bad, but I guess veggy puffs just make the world better. Besides that he is just really crabby.

The girls had early out today and brought a little friend home, plus another friend turned the whole backyard into squeaking, screaming, laughing, giggling, ..... LOUD - typical girls. Leland joined them on the trampline and it was hillarious to watch. I could not resist taping into, but you have to wait until I get to post it.

My calendar fell off the wall and I didn't get to note everything down on it for next week, but I have the feeling that this weekend and most off the next week is already booked. Nothing new.

Leland came home the other day and showed me all enthusiastic his latest purchase. A Camelbak Hydration Bottle. I do have to admit that I had to look the proper official name up online, because he just figured that it plainly is an adult sippy cup. And that name stuck. LOL.

Hey, if we can't get our baby boy to use his sippy cup then we should be happy that our big boy is doing it. LOL.

That's a description I found online for above item:

Camelbak's Best Sports Bottle Yet!!!! Hydration Bottle A Sippy Cup For Adults (and kids) Kids Won't Spill Their Drinks In The Van!!!! You Won't Find T...

Sunny Saturday - Part Three LIVE

Sunny Saturday - Part Two

Are there really any words necessary. The weather was really nice Saturday and Sunday and the girls had a blast messing with the water. I didn't mind staying out of it because it was still freezing cold coming out of the waterhose. The kids didn't care, it was wet and slippery.

I think we will be fine downsizing our pool. They were quite happy with this size. LOL

Sunny Saturday - Part One

Today was the Spring Carnival at Bella's and Chiara's school with lots of activities, food, silent auction, ..... . Of course till right before Spring Break they had hardly any volunteers and Heidi got me to do Facepainting there. So I packed my supplies and Soren up this morning and headed to school. The girls came sometime later with Leland in tow. If I am doin glots of dacepainting from cats, mice, spiderwebs, princess faces, and whatever the kids asked for then Soren gets his first facepaint, too. It's just tiny put he did end up with a little blue mouse face. LOL. It just had to be.

Soren was not really excited to stay with me at the facepainting booth (until we got ready to leave then he found the table legs and empty paint boxes. LOL) So Mrs. Fox, Chiara's pre-k teacher aid strolled with him through the carnival.

Who says anybody is ever too old for rubber duckies, especially if you can win tickets?