One Month Down

Guten Tag!
It's hard to believe, but we've already been in Germany for a month!!! It's sure been a month of many emotions and experiences....can't wait to see what the next 4 months hold! We are busy planning our next vacations now that we have Tim's vacation schedule for the summer - sure nice that Germany takes so many days off:) We are also beginnign our preparations for my parents visit in June!!1 which means a trip to Hoogeveen Holland - SUPER! (well used Germany expression!)We're also discovering that there are numerous neat little towns around us - all with some neat history, destinations, festivals, etc.. It's always a toss up about weather to stay local or travel farther on the weekends. We want to just see and do it all!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers! Tim and the girls did a nice job of creating a fun day for me/us. We spent much of the day in Heidelberg with a good hike up the hill to the Castle. It's location is just amazing and we loved just walking around the courtyard, playing in the grass and the water fountains, and looking at the amazing views from high atop the city. We just HAD to hit starbucks which was my first highlight of the day. It's just so nice to have FLAVOR in my cover!! Otherwise, it's just milchcafe(milk coffee) for me with some sugar! The coffee culture here is VERY different. The 2nd highlight was our dinner back here in Ladenburg at their most famous spot: Kartofflen (the potato). They serve your meat on a hot sizzling stone - and you cook it yourself, and the baked potatoes are SUPER. Overall, a great day!

We've been spending time with our new friends Ellie and Hannah (from Boston). We had a playdate at their flat last week and the girls were in heaven to be in an "real" kids room with toys galore! Ellie is 8 months pregnant so her energy level doesn't always allow for playgrounds so I think we'll be hanging at their place more - which we'll love! It's nice to have friends only 15 mins. from us by bike!

Bikes..oh yea, did I mention that I - all by myself - managed to locate and bring home a nice used bike for myself??!! Yea ME!! Then, I found a kids seat from another friend here to attach to the bike for Chloe - so we are SET!! In fact, on Saturday our whole family went on a bike ride for the afternoon. Rylee rode between Tim and I and it was just amazing! What fun! We rode to the neighboring town and refreshed at the Biergarten and then rode home for ice cream! Chloe LOVES her seat behind Momma. So, now we have quick and easy access to the bakery and fruit stands...which we're hitting after nap time today! Strawberries are in season and are available on most corners it seems - oh, along with that never-ending spargel!

I'm still working on getting the kids into the preschool (kindergarten) here. My friend, Katrin, is going with me on Wed. to translate with the Director. Just need a little more info and then hopefully we can start the girls for 1/2 days or so. I THINK they may even be together in the same group so that would be great! We are also considering starting gymnastics, but will depend on what we do with schooling. So, right now, we are still having very mellow days. Sometimes that's wonderful and other times we all go crazy. We just wish Daddy didn't have to work so we could just have fun all the time...but then what money would we have to do that fun stuff with?? And on that note...it's too bad the German's don't pay by the hour b/c Tim would be a millionaire by now!! That man is working WAAYYY too much..goes in between 7 and 8 and ends between 6-7pm. With more work from home some nights. I'm trying to get him to switch to the "germany stayle" of working shorter hours, but he's just too "American" We're trying to adjust to later dinners and bedtimes, but??? :)

OK...enough for now! Love to you all - Tschuss (say.."choose"/ good -bye)
Linda