Thanksgiving also means . . .

Christmas Markets begin!!! We're beginning to feel like pros at this market tourist thing . . . fatty pros with all that yummy food on the tail of our Thanksgiving feast! But now that we've seen quite a few markets each year and the kids are getting older, we took a chance to enjoy some markets with them and some without them. It was a win-win this Thanksgiving weekend!

On Friday, we took the kids by Ubahn into downtown Munich for our first Christmas Market of the season. They loved riding the train and Morgan's expectant, demanding face was so fun to watch! For us, the markets are mostly about the food -- fried potatoes of every variety with tasty dips, hot chocolate and kinderfruchtpunsch, roasted nuts of all kinds and their aroma filling the air, lebkuchen treats, brot & brats -- essentially we aim to alternate between sweet and salty/savory foods. Ya got to have a plan of attack! The markets also boast beautiful ornaments, home decorations, fluffy leather slippers and good, scented candles and soaps . . . but that's not what's fun with the kids.

Not a great shot unless you know that two tantrums are in progress here. Ryan scored us some roasted chestnuts, but McKay and Morgan both wanted to be the one to hold the bag. Ahhh, good times!

Here's Ryan showing McKay and Morgan the finer art of getting to the chestnut.

The kids' favorite of the Munich market was seeing the ice skaters at the rink and picking out a winter hat so their ears didn't freeze. (See previous post to understand why I forgot to pack such essentials as hats and mittens.) They also enjoyed chasing pigeons and weaving in and out of other market goers. I laughed at how reflexive it's become for me to say "Ent-schul-di-gen" (Excuse me). Hmmm, I wonder how you say "Please excuse them"? Apparently, it's all the same - I had to check.

No trip downtown is complete without a stop at Rischart's for hot chocolate and a sweet treat or two. The place is always packed. This time we grabbed a plate of traditional German cookies to share with the cousins and Ryan just had to have one of their cute gingerbread houses. We were grabbing-to-go since Morgan had reached her limit of fun and we took our stuffs to the train. Not even five minutes on the platform and Morgan was in melt down mode refusing to drink her cup because she'd burnt her tongue, McKay spilled his entire cup all over the floor which had people dancing to dodge it, and Easton's lid was leaking down his front because he'd chewed a whole in it somehow. Ahhh, kids are fantastic! But all in all, it was pretty fun to see them enjoy the market!

The Hills Are Alive . . .

Saturday morning, Ryan and I left the kids at the cousins, except Jake, and we hopped over to Salzburg - home of the Sound of Music movie and Mozart. We had such nice weather the whole weekend, it was nice to not be freezing our keisters off! Jake's a trooper in the babybjorn carrier so it was smooth sailing! It's like he's in his own little sleeping bag stuck to Ryan's chest! Bunting sure is quite the science! One of my favorite memories of Salzburg this time was seeing strangers stop and smile as Ryan and Jake would pass by them.

Ryan and I trekked up to the fortress and boy am I out of shape . . . as if I needed any more proof than still being in maternity pants! Oh well. We were a little underwhelmed up there except for finding a new favorite phrase while reading a history of the fortress. "Decorative pomposity" - we've sure seen a lot of that in Europe!

Even though there was all sorts of good food at the market, I needed to be able to sit and feed Jake so we went back to a great little restaurant on GoldGasse we'd found on our first trip here in 2009, recommended by our hotel clerk then. (Memay, it's two doors down from the cute little boutique ornament shop you found last year.)

At 2pm, it was bustling and we ended up having to share a 6 seater with an older German couple. They were polite and we exchanged lots of smiles since Jake was being cute and smiley with all the attention. At one point, I gesture/asked if the woman would like to hold Jake and she beamed. I sure wish I'd dove into the language like Tamsyn, because it would have made conversation a lot easier. We were able to share some meager info and swapped camera pics of their grand kids and our munchkins. She even offered to hold Jake while our lunches arrived. They were just there for the dessert - the original Salzburg Nockerl. It's a whip cream tasting meringue textured top over warm rasberries. Real yummy! They shared a bit of it with us, not knowing we'd had it before on a previous trip.

Then we got out and browsed the market huts . . .

and some shops . . .

laughed at how we bet Mozart must be pleased his image is being used to sell chocolates . . .

and just soaked up the holiday feel of a cute old town.

That night, I just had to snap some of these cute shots of our little Jake. He's quite the slobbery, finger chewer-sucker during the day and by night he's a thumb sucker for sure. Lucky for us though, he loves the pacifier too which makes driving survivable!

From this top-down angle, my kids all look the same except for different shades of hair.

Man I could eat him up!

Our Thanksgiving weekend

This Thanksgiving I was grateful for family memories and traditions, online recipe and shopping sites, our opportunity to live here in Germany, and FOOD, glorious food! That may seem rather shallow, but my gratitude runs deep. Real deep!

So our plan was to pack up Tuesday night for our extended weekend at the cousins' in Munich, have me load up and shop before getting the boys from school Wednesday, and just pick up Ryan on base before heading out of town at 1pm. But plans are simply made to be broken!

Jake and McKay "helping" me make the kids a snack after school.

Our apartment feels drafty so Jake gets to wear a hat almost all the time when he's up.

He totally digs hats.

I spent most of Tuesday finishing up laundry to be packed and overseeing a plumber looking for the source of our kitchen sink and dishwasher leaks. Yeah, fun stuff being an adult. Then as we were cleaning up dinner, my sweet Visiting Teachers stopped by for a visit I had completely forgotten about. Now officially behind "schedule." Wednesday was pretty busy as I packed us up and finalized the last minute shopping list in the morning (organizing it in the order I walk through the commissary because that's how I roll), picked up the kids from school, and then came back to the apartment to load up the van. Luckily, I was able to drop the kids at Ryan's office and blissfully shop alone for Thanksgiving amid crazy last minute shoppers. There were no parking spaces and most people had to wait in line to get a cart! I didn't even mind the craziness since I was shopping alone! Finally we got on the road to Munich at 4pm and the kids were so excited to go see their cousins!

We sure had a tasty laid-back Thanksgiving feast, if I do say so myself. Cooking by committee rocks! Eric did a brined turkey, cornbread and sausage stuffing, gravy, and Memay's rolls. Tamsyn did the "frog eye" salad and Memay's cranberry sauce. Ryan made Grandma Dale's apple pie and a candied sweet potato casserole while I did dishes and regular ol' creamy mashed potatoes. I'm so lucky!!! We all concurred that it's so much better to slave over a feast and be able to eat it with other adults who also savor the food because the kids just don't appreciate it yet! Oh we were so delightfully stuffed!

While Ryan spent a good portion of the day checking out Black Friday specials online, I spent most of the day scanning a book of pictures Memay made for Eric so we could have some copies of Ryan's childhood we didn't have already. I was lost in thoughts of gratitude for our parents. Many of those images captured moments of pride and joy in their family's life. It reminded me of similar pictures my mother saved for me and my siblings and ones I am collecting for my own family. I am so grateful for our parents and their love for us! Family life isn't all roses, but these captured moments are great reminders to hold on for the sublime, fleeting moments that seem to make it all worth it. One of my favorite pictures was of Ryan's dad in a recliner with Ryan, Eric and Dan as little kids snuggled atop him. I have many shots of Ryan with our munchkins in a similar position and it makes me smile just thinkin' of it. When I wasn't scanning, I was nursing my little Jake and enjoying his cooing smiles. Man he's such a sweet happy kid!

We feasted at 6pm once all the cousins were home from their international school there in Munich. Eric had invited a visiting old colleague and his daughter who are here for two weeks on business to join us. Dinner was followed by the sharing of musical talents. I learned about Hayley's amazing perfect pitch talent. Eric, Tamsyn, Camilla and the guest took turns on the piano. We were all feeling pleasantly, or in some cases, painfully plump. How blessed we are to have such a feast and enjoy it with family who make us feel so comfortable in their home!

Eye Candy

I'm a sucker for Ryan's beard, it suits him. And I love seeing him with our babies!

Now to the Baby Blues fixed on me - once he hears me, he's done with Dad!

Sorry, Ryan! You can be his favorite in a year when all he wants to do is wrestle!

The milk wagon wins this round.

All bundled up to run errands or pick up the boys from school. Poor guy doesn't care much for his car seat time, especially if that pacifier pops out or if Morgan is throwing a tantrum about her car seat straps being too tight. That half hour drive to or from church can be torture!

Everyone around here works hard for those smiles!

Ryan's coworkers designed a set of cute onesies for Jake as a baby gift. It refers to one of their favorite office jokes about some silly rumor of Mormons worshipping a big blue ox! So here's Babe!

Easton often finds Jake and settles in to play. Such a doting big brother!

Jake resembles Easton as a baby the most but there's some of McKay in there too now and then.

McKay likes to count how many smiles he can get out of Jake. How to entertain two big brothers with a little brother? Give them a camera!

We done yet?

It's pretty exhausting giving face time to all these busy bodies!

I love this little man so! Holding him melts away all the cares of the day. His routine is predictable and he's just so darn easy-going. Still working on sleeping through the night but I get such a kick out of him getting chatty at his 4-5am feeding. During the day, if I don't want to put him down but must get going, I put him in this sling made by my old coworker, Suzanne Stanmeyer. Within about five minutes of buzzing around doing chores, he's out like a light! Nothin' sweeter than holding him tight!

Jake's Blessing Day

As is customary in our church, we took the opportunity to give Jake a name and a blessing on November 6 in Sacrament Meeting. We also invited some friends and coworkers and were surprised when they all agreed to come! One family wasn’t able to make it at the last minute but we truly felt humbled by the great people we’ve come to know beyond our congregation. We’ve never invited friends to church before as a family but this seemed fitting since some of them had asked about our services or faith before. It was just nice to share this event with all those whose friendship means a lot to our family.

Because we were going to have visitors, I put together a small reception before the meeting so we could enjoy our guests. It turned out fabulously with the help I received from four friends – Monica Woods brought her beautiful delicious rolls; Linda Jones plated everything including her famous chocolate chip cookies and made it all look beautiful; and my two Visiting Teachers, Betty Turpin and Lori Southwick, were there to be my extra sets of hands, to keep the food and water stocked as well as clean up while we ushered everyone to the meeting. These ladies' help allowed me to relax and enjoy the day!

Our Jake with Ryan's coworker buddy, Jason (Jake) Rekas.

Brother Cunningham of the bishopric had reserved four rows for our group up front which was most helpful, but also a little embarrassing. Our ward has grown from the 150 people when we arrived three years ago to a burgeoning 250 always filling up the overflow seating area. I felt bad displacing the usual early-bird families who sit in those pews! But it was so nice to be able to sit together with our friends and Eric and Tamsyn’s family who drove up from Munich to participate. How lucky are we to have family this close!!!

After the opening remarks and business, it was time to bless Jake. Ryan had asked the following to be in the priesthood circle with him: his brother Eric; the bishopric - Bishop Fred Jones, Eric Elliott, and John Cunningham; Rhett Jeppson whom he works with; his Elders Quorum presidency counselors Loir Crucy and Kevin Garlock; friend Chad Woods . . . am I forgetting some? I will always be grateful for Sister Jones pulling Ryan and I aside as we set up the reception. She tenderly stated how she loved baby blessings because seeing a circle of strong men who honor their priesthood encircle a tiny baby is simply one of life’s sweetest moments. It set the tone for our experience that day.

Ryan did a very nice job on the blessing, although it got off to a rocky start. With that many men in the circle, it was hard to determine who if any of them had a good hold on Jake! At one point, Ryan and Eric both grabbed on to him because they felt him slipping. Once Ryan had a good hold of Jake, the blessing proceeded smoothly. In his testimony he bore later, Ryan recounted how he likes to take some time before he blesses our children to read the notes his mother wrote up from his father blessing him as an infant. We are so happy she did that for him! With so much going on, I didn’t get a chance to take notes – I was so enjoying the day we were sharing with friends and family. What I do remember of the blessing is the overwhelming feeling of honor it is to have little Jakob Reid in our family and the gentle spirit he brings.

After the sacrament was passed, it was time for Testimony meeting. Our ward typically has nice testimony meetings, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was a little nervous about who would get up and what might be said. I count it as one of the day’s greatest blessings that the testimonies shared were simple experiences of faith and gratitude to a loving Heavenly Father. References were made to members finding past friends and reuniting on Facebook or through a Google search. Ryan had to joke and add Evite to the list when he got up and thanked our friends for coming.

I wish I’d had more time with our friends before they left and the rest of our meetings began. It was so wonderful to have them there! Ryan’s coworkers: Eric and Alli Adams, Lisa Lowe, Jen Karro, Jason (Jake) Rekas and our family friends Joe and Heather Merrill with their kids, and Melanie Williams. After church, I had dinner ready in the crockpot in the building’s kitchen for us to eat with the cousins before they drove back to Munich. It was so fun to sit and catch up with them! Our poor ward had to smell delicious food the entire day at church while fasting. But it was all for a good cause! Our sweet Jake!

Halloween!

Another fun Halloween! With three events to attend, I had fun letting Morgan choose her favorites from the costume box or talking her into what I wanted her to be! Such a fun age for this silly holiday! The boys sure loved all the candy!

The first event was McKay's "Early Learning Center" class party at the international school. They held a costume party on Friday before Halloween because of Fall Break. Once the kids donned their costumes after lunch break, they did a fashion show followed by spooking the rest of the classes in the building. It was so fun seeing them run together in a pack from room to room! A couple of us parents ran a few games, activities, and the food spread. Morgan sure loved being a part of McKay's class and he seemed proud to show her the ropes.

Morgan the bumble bee, McKay as a "pirate skeleton."

We got home and Ryan was ready to carve pumpkins. I was a bit worn out so I don't have pictures of Easton designing and carving his own pumpkin for the first time. We were so proud and so was he! McKay did a bit of his own too but left it to Dad to finish up. Morgan just tried to keep up with them as always but then bossed Dad around as he made her scary pumpkin.

On Saturday our ward held a Trunk-or-Treat activity that was really fun. Our ward just keeps on growing and we really enjoy all these new families! When we moved in the ward had about 150 people and now it's up around 250 I heard recently. This time Morgan wore part of her dirndl to be Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. So adorable! She loved it since we'd just introduced the kids to the classic flick a week earlier. I love that I didn't have to buy a single thing for this one this year!

Easton had originally wanted to be Sonic the Hedgehog but I told him I wasn't going to be able to make that one but that I could do Mario and he thought that was cool enough. It turned out real well I think and I knew my old overalls would come in handy some day! I only had to buy the red shirt and some colored felt for the hat and buttons. In most pictures, Easton is pressing his lips to hide his mouth while trying to smile because he said you can't see Mario's mouth, just his mustache. Funny boy!

McKay had wanted to be a pirate but I didn't gather things in time and the kids lost the eye patch in their building excitement over costumes. Luckily he liked a costume in our box! So he said he was the "pirate skeleton" because of the red dagger. He loved having his face painted.

Just about every time we're getting ready to head somewhere, the kids are kept waiting for me. They often head outside to play and often end up on the trampoline. Meanwhile I'm gathering last minute items to get us out the door and hoping no one starts a fight or gets hurt so I can finish uninterrupted and we can go. That's why I love this next shot!

And last but not least, we went Trick-or-Treating on Halloween night on Patch Barracks. Morgan's the only one with a costume change - a black cat again! We met up with Ryan after work and the kids only lasted an hour - it was great!

Can you spot me and the kids in this next one?

Morgan had to inspect each piece she was given and show it to us. Her little dress was just too cute on her as she skipped along keeping up with the boys. She did NOT like people in masks. She called them scary bad guys, but she would still take their candy - just held out her basket as far as she could so she didn't have to be near or look at them. So adorable!

We ran into Easton's best buddy from school - Anthony Frikken and his wonderful family. So fun to trick-or-treat with them for a bit! I love going on base because you run into friends right and left!

Morgan loved this big screen showing of "Wizard of Oz",

kept saying, "Mom! It Wee'Oz wi' Dorfy!"

Back at home while the kids sorted out their loot and chowed down on favorites . . .

I caught Ryan and our little man chatting about the evening's adventures.

Happy Halloween!