Sledding

We are in Germany again and got here just in time to go sledding before the weather warmed up and all the snow melted. The kids had a blast going down the hill and Lily didn't want to get off her sled anymore. Hopefully we'll have some more snow soon!

Odds and Ends

- Lily is wearing pants, shirts and shoes Emmi wore last year. Never mind that she is almost TWO years younger then her sister. She sure is a growing girl and added almost 1 1/2 inches to her height over the past two months. Which means she can reach a whole lot of new things now, including doorknobs. I think I have less then a month before she figures out how to open them. If she can't reach something she wants, she also sure knows to help herself...

- Emmi who has always been VERY sensitive to cold, now mostly refuses to wear anything but skirts, dresses and short sleeves. And I stopped fighting. She does put on clothes once being cold outweighs her sense of fashion (that does not include pants or socks). I am dreading going to Germany though. I know she'll wear warm clothes eventually but I am sure Oma will have a nervous breakdown before that. My Mom is convinced that not wearing a hat gives you an ear infection, sitting on cold rocks does the same to your bladder and getting cold in general will give you the flu. And most woman in Germany my Moms age think the same and I know they will give me an ear infection telling me about it once they catch sight of my summery dressed daughter. I actually asked our pediatrician about it and she told me that the only thing Emmi would get from running around naked in the snow is frostbite. But this piece of information is totally lost on my Mom :) Who knows, maybe she can convince Emmi to wear appropriate clothes (i. e. socks in 20 degree weather). She'll be my hero if she does!

- While sitting at the table with a bowl of spaghetti Emmi came up with the following statement: "It's still a long time before we all die". End of statement and she went back to eating. ?????

- Emmi's friend Lena came over for a sleepover on the weekend and they had such a great time. They played "House", made Pizza, watched Piglets Big Movie and everybody was sound asleep by nine. I really hope this is what all future sleepovers are going to be like. (I know, lots of wishful thinking...) I can't believe Emmi is old enough for sleepovers!!

- Lily still hates the Y. She gets frantic once we start walking down the hallway towards the child watch and wants me to turn around. Just before we get to the toddler room we pass by the door to the pool which is the last straw of hope for her that I might turn there. Once it is clear we are not turning she starts crying and doesn't stop until I pick her up again a full 15 (!!!!) minutes later. So instead of me working out, Lily and I go swimming while Emmi hangs out in the preschooler area which she really likes. (Even though she tells me every time before I drop her off that she is going to cry while she is there. But I guess she is too busy and never actually gets around to it ;) )

- I love raising two sisters!

Christmas Morning

I am not sure who was more excited Christmas Morning. Us or the Kids? Dugan and I were up before the kids were and we could hardly wait for Emmi to wake up. Emmi remembered right away what day it was, but when we asked her if she wanted to go see if Santa had come her response was: "Yeah, but first I have to get the bugger out of my nose!" (???) Lily had no clue what was going on and got a little mad when Emmi woke her up. But once they walked into the living room they were super excited. And Santa got it right! Emmi got a "Baby Doll with hair" just like she had asked for and Lily got her own big Baby Doll just like Emmi's (Just what Mama asked for so the fighting would stop ;) ). I think Lily was just as excited about the big chocolate bar she got in her stocking as she was about the doll :) . Christmas as a kid is a lot of fun, but Christmas with kids is just as great!

Ich bin mir nicht sicher wer am Weihnachtsmorgen aufgeregter war, die Kinder oder wir? Dugan und ich sind noch vor den Kindern aufgewacht und konnten es gar nicht erwarten dass Emmi endlich aufwacht. Als sie dann endlich wach war hat sie sich auch gleich dran erinnert welcher Tag war, aber als wir sie gefragt haben ob sie nachschauen mag ob Santa da war, war ihre Antwort: "Gleich Mama, ich muss erst noch den Popel aus meiner Nase holen!". Na toll. Lily war nicht so begeistert von Emmi geweckt zu werden, aber als wir dann endlich im Weihnachtszimmer waren war die Welt wieder in Ordnung und alle waren sehr zufrieden mit Santa. Emmi hat eine Puppe mit Haaren bekommen die sie sich gewuenscht hat und Lily eine grosse Puppe so wie Emmi (die Mama sich gewuenscht hat damit die Streiterei aufhoert). Noch besser als die Puppe fand Lily fast noch die Tafel Milka Schokolade die sie in ihrem Stocking bekommen hat. Weihnachten als Kind ist toll, aber Weihnachten mit Kindern ist fast noch besser :) .

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas this year in Houston with Dugan's Family and we had a wonderful time. We had our immediate Family party Christmas Eve and the girls had so much fun hanging out with their Aunt and Uncle, Cousin Coleman, Mark, Melynda and Ash, Nanny and Papa and Meme and Grandaddy. Compared to my family in Germany, Christmas at MeMe and Grandaddy's house is loud and crazy but definitely a lot of fun and I am so happy the girls get to have so much family around. Something I never had growing up.

Of course they loved all the gifts they got! Lily's favorite are wooden Icrecream cones that she has played with every day and Emmi loves the Microwave she got for her Playkitchen. After a fun filled day, Emmi made sure to leave out a cookie and Milk for Santa and some lettuce for his reindeer.

Reading books with MeMe

Nanny doing a crossword puzzle

Sooooo ready for Christmas!

Trying out some gifts...

Cookies and Milk for Santa!

Dieses Jahr haben wir Weihnachten mit Dugan's Familie in Houston verbracht und wir hatten alle viel Spass. An Heiligabend hatten wir unsere Familienfeier und die Kinder haben sich ueber alle Geschenke gefreut die sie bekommen haben. Im Gegensatz zu leise und besinnlichen Weihnachten wie ich sie von meiner Familie in Deutschland kenne geht es hier eher laut und froehlich zu, was ich inzwischen eigentlich auch ganz schoen finde. Vor dem Schlafengehen hat Emmi noch einen Keks und Milch fuer den Weihnachtsmann und Salat fuer seine Rentiere bereitgestellt...

Bits and Pieces

- Remember our little baby bunnies? Well, they sure have grown quite a bit!

- It's December 21st and I spent half the day raking leaves in the backyard while the kids were running around naked playing with the water hose. Merry Christmas!

- We (re-) joined the Y last week. I am so excited! They have great childcare. There is a huge jungle gym for the big kids and a separate toddler and baby room. And they provide off site childcare for date nights! Unfortunately Lily doesn't share my enthusiasm for it. She did fine when we dropped her off on the weekend but today she spent 45 minutes screaming. She was so worked up she still had the hick ups when we were already back home. So I'll start dropping her off for just 15 minutes at a time and hope she'll get used to it. After all this is the same kid that doesn't care if I pretend to leave her in the grocery store!?

- Emmi is on an English language strike. According to the books I read on bilingual children this is normal around this age. She refuses to speak English unless she has to. She only switches to English if she is sure the person she is talking too definitely doesn't speak German. Before we met Santa she asked me twice if I was sure that he didn't speak German :) . She is on age level in both languages but her spoken German skills are about 6 months ahead of her English which makes her prefer German over English I think. It doesn't bother me and she communicates just fine in English but I wish she would speak English to me if we are around English speakers.

- We adopted a family this year through the Williamson County Brown Santa Program and we were matched with a two year old girl named Maria and her Mom. Emmi was so excited about picking out gifts for Maria and couldn't wait to meet her. We delivered our gifts last Sunday and it made all of us feel good to deliver some holiday cheer to this truly deserving family.

- Emmi has the weirdest food preferences for a three year old. She is quite a picky eater but with a very interesting variety. The only sweets she likes is anything chocolate or pudding. She doesn't like Fries or Pizza but loves Salmon and Broccoli. And the other day at Whole Foods she ate an entire package of Tuna Avocado SUSHI!?

- I think Christmas in Texas is finally growing on me. True, there is now snow and no Christmas Markets but I do enjoy all the Christmas Lights everywhere, Gingerbread House making, meeting Santa... . After all it's not so much about where you are, but who you are with. And listening to Emmi sing "Rudolph the red nose reindeer" and watching Lily dance to it would put me in the Christmas Spirit in the middle of August.

- I found 4 grey hairs last week. FOUR! I am not even thirty yet!

- Emmi hates seams in socks. She refuses to wear any. If I do get her to put some on she is screaming bloody murder if I try to make her wear shoes over them. "It's to TIGHT". This is really not a big deal in Texas since she can wear her Sandals most of the year anyway but I am not sure what we are going to do in Germany. I did order her some seamless socks and I am hoping it will solve the problem. She also has a problem with several other clothing items we are trying to deal with.

-I think Lily will eventually be taller then Emmi. And I already know Emmi will hate it.

- Es ist der 21. Dezember und ich habe den halben Tag damit verbracht Laub zu rechen waehrend die Kinder nackt im Garten rumgerannt sind und mit dem Wasserschlauch gespielt haben. Frohe Weihnachten!

- Wir haben letzte Woche unsere Mitgliedschaft in der YMCA erneuert. Das freut mich vor allem wegen der guten Kinderbetreuung. Fuer die groesseren Kinder gibt es einen Indoor Spielplatz den Emmi toll findet und fuer die Kleinen ein extra Spielzimmer. Und zusaetzlich zur normalen Fitnesstudio Kinderbetreuung kann man die Kinder auch Samstagabend abgeben und die Zeit zu Zweit geniessen. Leider teilt Lily meine Begeisterung ueberhaupt nicht. Als wir sie zum ersten Mal dort abgegeben haben war alles in Ordnung, aber heute hat sie 45 Minuten lang wie am Spiess geschrien und war so aufgeloest dass sie immer noch Schluckauf hatte als wir schon wieder zu hause waren. Jetzt werde ich sie oefter mal fuer 15 Minuten abgeben und hoffen dass sie sich dran gewoehnt. Immerhin ist das das selbe Kind das sich einen Dreck schert ob ich so tue als wuerde ich sie alleine im Supermarkt lassen wenn sie nicht zuhoert und kommt!?

- Emmi streikt und zwar auf deutsch. Englisch redet sie nur wenn es sich wirklich nicht vermeiden laesst. Als wir den Weihnachtsmann getroffen haben hat sie mich zweimal gefragt ob ich mir sicher bin das er nicht deutsch spricht :) . Ihr Englisch und Deutsch sind beide altersgemaess, aber in deutsch kann sie sich besser ausdruecken und bevorzugt es.

- Emmi hat ziemlich ungewoehnliche Geschmacksvorlieben fuer eine dreijaehrige. Sie ist ziemlich waehlerisch und bei wass sie sich dann manchmal so aussucht muessen wir nur die Koepfe schuetteln. Suesses mag sie nicht besonders, ausser es besteht aus Schokolade oder Pudding. Pommes und Pizza mag sie nicht, dafuer aber Lachs und Brockoli. Und gestern hat sie eine ganze Portion Tunfisch Avocado Sushi gegessen!?

- Ich hab letzte Woche 4 graue Haare gefunden. VIER! Und ich bin noch nicht einmal dreissig!

- Ich gewoehne mich so langsam an Weihnachten in Texas. Es gibt zwar keinen Schnee und Christkindlmarkt, aber dafuer gefallen mir all die mit Lichtern dekorierten Haeuser auch ganz gut. Und Weihnachtsmann und Lebkuchenhaeuser sind auch ganz schoen. Und wenn ich Emmi zuhoere wie sie Weihnachtslieder singt und Lily dazu tanzt wuerde bei mir auch im August Weihnachtsstimmung aufkommen...

- Ich glaube Lily wird mal groesser als Emmi. Und ich glaube Emmi findet das bestimmt nicht so toll.

Dear Santa... I've been good!

Emmi und Lily durften endlich den Weihnachtsmann besuchen. Emmi hat sich schon seit langem darauf gefreut! Ich dachte dass sie es sich es in letzter Minute vielleicht doch noch anders ueberlegt und sich lieber hinter mir versteckt, aber da hab ich falsch gedacht. Sie hat ihm ihr Bild ueberreicht das sie fuer ihn gemalt hat, von der Puppe die sie sich wuenscht und hat ihm mitgeteilt dass sie das ganze Jahr lang lieb war. (Ich frag mich ob er sich das wohl nochmal von mir bestaetigen laesst?) Dann hat sie sich ganz freiwillig zu ihm auf den Schoss gesetzt. Lily war erst nicht so sicher was sie von der Sache halten soll, aber nachdem sie Emmi zugeschaut hat, hat sie sich das ganze dann auch genauer angeschaut.

Emmi and Lily finally got to visit with Santa! Emmi has been anticipating seeing him since forever! And as Santa does every year he came to the Luminary festival at the Wells Branch Homestead. I thought Emmi might make a run for it once it came down to actually talking to him but she didn't. She handed him her picture she colored of the Baby Doll she wishes for from him and told him that she was nice all year. (I wonder if he is going to double check this with me?) She even voluntarily climbed in his lab. Lily wasn't to sure at first and kept her distance but after watching Emmi she decided to check him out too.

Picking a Christmas Tree

We went with Will and Audrey and picked our Christmas Tree a couple of weeks ago on Evergreen Farm in Elgin.

Emmi and Lily agreed surprisingly quick on a perfect tree.

Papa cut it down...

...and Emmi carried it home.

The End.

At least as far as Emmi was concerned.

She was super happy with her two feet tree but I wanted more.

I wanted something at least as tall as me and non native to Texas. And I got it.

If I can't have snow on Christmas I want at least a perfect tree...

Audrey, Will, Keegan and Avy picked too.

And after some fake tractor riding...

...and some real Marshmallow roasting...

...we took our trees home.

And next year I'll have to pick a taller tree since we were actually able to fit it IN our car, which means I didn't get a picture of a tree tied to the roof of our car. Bummer ;) .

Vor zwei Wochen haben wir unseren Christbaum von der Weihnachtsbaum Farm geholt. Emmi und Lily durften sich ihren eigenen Baum aussuchen was Emmi super toll fand. Ich wollte lieber was groesseres und auf jeden Fall keine Fichte. Und fuer Faelle wie mich gibt es zum Glueck auch "importierte" Baeume. Wenn ich schon keinen Schnee krieg zu Weihnachten muss wenigstens ein gescheiter Baum her :) .