Halloween 2012

I've really enjoyed our Halloween traditions this year! McKay had to do a presentation on a holiday that our family celebrates and he picked Halloween. Yeah, presentations in 1st grade! I love it! He did a great job and I liked being reminded that we actually do have traditions with intentions, even for Halloween.

Sometimes traditions feel binding and overwhelming for us moms, but I'm trying to retrain myself. I'm trying to analyze holidays for what I want our family to get out of them: traditions that create memories as a family, time to serve others and share our blessings, and outings to celebrate with our communities. I'm finding that if I approach holidays like this, I don't get as overwhelmed/resentful and can find the joy of holidays.

Pumpkin Carving
In preparation for Halloween, we carved pumpkins for Family Home Evening last week. We had Ryan's coworker Helen Garza, a.k.a. Garbonzo, over to enjoy dinner and carving with us. Little did we know, she had NEVER carved a pumpkin before! No time like the present to learn, right? She was such a good sport as we pretty much handed her a pumpkin and a kitty face Morgan wanted and put her to work. 

Your big debut here, Helen!
Working your kitty magic!

Ryan enjoyed his carving tradition where he put the hand mixer's beater on his drill and whips all the pumpkin guts away from the edges for easy scooping out. The kids checked on our carving progress now and then, but were mostly interested in watching Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin movie.

Easton had to use all his might to carve part of his and it was hard work - such a thick pumpkin!

I love all the faces they make below! My cute kids!

Serving Others

I love ding-dong-ditching around holidays! I love how it makes me feel good to be thinking of these friends while I prepare it and imagining their joy at being thought of. Who doesn't like a yummy surprise?!

We boo'd five neighbors this year (underlined link is to last year's experience/explanation). Usually I like this to be an anonymous service, but this time I put a Happy Halloween tag with our names on the pumpkin bread loaves because one American neighbor family won't eat stuff from people they don't know. Since I can't always remember some of these neighbors' names, I thought perhaps they were the same and having our names would be nice. The kids were ecstatic the next day when we found a bag of Haribo gummy candies tied to our van door from a thankful neighbor! That's a first! Easton said, "Mom, I'm so glad you put our names on the bread so they knew who to give treats to!" HaHaHa!

Community Activities

The kids are out of school this week for fall break - a tradition in Germany. Most of the kids' best buddies are away on vacation and their church friends who go to school on base don't have it off. We've enjoyed laying low during the day because our evenings were full: the "boo-ing" for Family Home Evening on Monday night, a ward Trunk-or-Treat activity on Tuesday, and traditional Trick-or-Treating on base Wednesday. So each morning this week, the kids have raced to get their chores done so they can have some video game time in the morning. They are loving their school break!

I wish I had taken some pictures before and at the ward Trunk-or-Treat family night. Easton was Batman, McKay was Darth Vadar, Morgan a tiger, and Jake a frog. Hurray for costumes already in the box! The ward activity was a lot of fun with a yummy pot luck soup buffet spread and we invited the Frikken family from school. They are such a great family, we love being with them!

All day Wednesday the kids changed their costume ideas every half hour it seemed. I will seriously have to be on the look out for some more versatile costumes in bigger sizes for next year! I am not as crafty as others yet, but the kids seemed happy with the selection and their choices.

We went to Ryan's office to show off the kids and then Ryan took them to the movie theater where there were some children's activities. I had to run back to the security gate to sign in a friend's family but we all met up to do our trick-or-treating. I'm really grateful for those families who live on base and supply all that candy and decorate their spaces for the event! It's a fun tradition and we are always running into friends the whole time because it is such a small community.

The reality of trying to take a picture with my four kids.
It's "like herding cats!" 

Jake couldn't be bothered to pose for pictures when there was a ball to kick in sight.
He is nuts about playing soccer and tests every item he comes across for kick-ability.
If it rolls, it passes the test - even cups with no handles roll well enough he thinks.

She insisted all afternoon to her big brothers, to the point of screams and tears, that she is a lion not a tiger!
She regularly brings out the ogre in me, but I love her as fiercely as a tiger!
Look at that sweet face!

With all the action of getting out the door for trick-or-treating,
Jake here embodies what I'd rather be doing for the rest of the evening. 

He so badly wanted to be out walking with his siblings but they were too fast and the footings too unsure. Last weekend's big snowfall has been creating mud bogs that are too much for his little legs to conquer.
But look at that smile! We make cute babies, no?

You can barely see our stealthy ninja, McKay.
He was pretty excited to see this picture!

If you're a kid, what's not to love about costumes and candy?!

We headed for Indian food afterward and were happy to find ourselves the lone customers. Good food, fun conversations, fun holiday! The icing on the cake? An episode of Downton Abbey while hearing snippets of what McKay called, The Treat Trading Convention. He made a haul, just like Easter!

Side Note:
I recently read on a blog about wards that celebrate Reformation Day instead of Trunk or Treat! How cool is that?! In northern Germany on October 31, 1517 is the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the church door which ignited the Reformation and has shaped world history. Having recently listened to a book about the building of the magnificent St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, the costs of which were creatively covered by selling indulgences - I just can't help myself! I told Ryan I might have to do my research and come up with a 20 minute simple multi-media/faceted presentation to pitch for a ward party idea. I'm such a nerd, this is such an exciting idea to me! The one friend I did pitch this too said I would be laughed out the door and I'd have to agree. Our trunk-or-treat pot luck was such a perfect laid back family activity that everyone seemed to enjoy, I'd hate to mess with a good thing. But we're in Europe! It's a German holiday! Most everyone in attendance will have recently visited and heard about these places and people in their travels. Any takers? Anyone??

Side Side Note:
We're so grateful our friends and family seemed to have fared alright through Hurricane Sandy!!! 

Loverly Days

We started our Valentine's on Saturday. Making cards for class and baking sugar cookies, it was a busy, tasty day! We sacrificed cute and classy on the alter of practicing fine motor skills. But why is it that when we do an all out baking day, someone gets the flu hours later? Hmm . . . This time it was Morgan and McKay with Ryan following on Valentine's Day itself. Humbug.

A conversation with Morgan as I got started baking:

Mom, what are you making?

Cookies for us and our Valentines.

Mom, I be your makers helper, awight?

And a great "maker's helper" she was! She insists on pouring every ingredient in for me. Then she watched as I began rolling out and cutting the cookies. After my first go, she wanted her own space to make some. She loved playing with a handful of my scraps and it was just too cute! She had paid close attention to my process and I was surprised at how well she did! We pitted two favorite sugar cookie recipes against each other. Ryan has a favorite and I have mine. Both are tasty, mine has lemon extract in the dough and coconut extract in its icing. YUM!!! Ryan's favorite dough uses powdered sugar and almond extract. It's a tough call!

Here's our FHE and getting ready for giving cookies with their class Valentines. The kids were all about the frosting and sprinkles!

Jake turned 6 months old on Valentine's Day! Where does the time go?!!!

On Valentine's Day Morgan, Jake and I went to help with McKay's class. They did creative stations about magnets before decorating our cookies. Morgan loved joining McKay's class and it was very cute to see him lead her around.

That evening, we enjoyed a special red candlelit dinner all together and I'm happy to report it went off better than a sleep-deprived busy mom could ever expect. On the menu: Five cheese pasta, cherry jello, strawberries and fresh whipping cream, and Martinelli's sparkling cider. I forgot the spinach salad in the bewitching hour that surrounds dinner. Grrr. But everyone eagerly ate what was on the table and not one tear was shed over this meal. "It's a Christmas Miracle!" Alright, wrong holiday, but seriously, HURRAY!!! We went around the table spotlighting each person and why we love them. Besides the wonder created by eating by candle light, seeing the kids' big grins from feeling loved by their family members was my favorite part of the day!

Christmas Markets: Augsburg & Ulm

Before we left the cousins' house, Lizzie had to get in some more baby time after letting me braid her thick pretty hair. I love Lizzie in braids and hope Morgan will let me keep braiding hers as she gets older. Lizzie just couldn't get enough of Jake this weekend and took every chance she could to play with him or hold him. So sweet!

We made a couple stops on the way home from Munich to see more Christmas markets. After all the yummy foods at the Munich Christmas market, the kids were pretty excited to try some more.

- Augsburg Christmas Market -

This is a cute smaller market with lots of great food! We didn't get to browse the options very long because the kids were hungry and impatient. They wanted hot chocolate and donuts as soon as they saw them. Ryan and I tried this dumpling in a vanilla sauce sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Yum!

I got a kick out of seeing all these cute faces lost behind a mug. Good stuff!

Morgan and McKay were dying for a hotdog so we got a couple different kinds to share. While we ate and roamed, an Alp horn ensemble decked out in their winter garb started their show. Some pretty young ladies dressed as angels posed for a photo op while representing Augsburg's famous angel performers. Each weekend evening, these angels put on a musical performance from the windows of the buildings that ring the town square.

- ULM Christmas Market -

The Ulm Minster, the tallest church tower in the world, is the backdrop for this festive market.

The kids loved the merry-go-rounds and we're suckers for those happy grins!

Any guesses what sweet treat they can't take their expectant eyes off?

Cotton candy bigger than their head! Have you ever stood in a line or que in Germany? It's an experience! You have to be assertive and vigilant or you'll never make it to the front of the line. It was a tad exhausting keeping the boys moving forward and giving a stern look to those who would take advantage of my little men. But ah, the sweet reward in the end!

Ulm has these life size nativities with live animals which the kids loved.

Apparently famous, the Steiff teddy bear factory is not far from Ulm and it was Morgan's favorite display. She would have watched the robotic stuffed toys forever! Perhaps you can see my three in the center window?

Jake was a trooper the full day. As long as he got to eat before we got on the road each time, he was good! Ryan and I were just happy to have spent some fun time with the kids enjoying the best time of the year.

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!