A Fun Holiday Weekend

Thanks to another Germany holiday on Thursday - and then a "Bridge Holiday" on Friday - we had a nice long weekend to have some fun!  We decided to stay semi-local and just do some day trips - easier on the girls and less packing:)  So...
THURSDAY - St. Peters Cathedral in Worms & The Eltz Castle in
     Our day began in Worms (pronounced Verms) touring the St. Peter's Cathedral.  Upon arrival, we realized that we were just in time to watch the "Fronleichnams-Prozession" - Corpus Christi Procession -- AH HA..so that's the holiday we have today:)  It was very interesting to watch the various groups, Priests etc... walk by and listen to the congregation sing  a Hymn I knew the toon to!  It would have been nice to have a Catholic standing with us to explain more of this! But, once they walked by, we were able to tour the Cathedral. This one stands out from the others because of the amount of gold!  Just incredible beautiful - and great place to sit, relax and pray!
     We then walked around the town and found the Hauptstrasse and a neat little cafe. Like most of them in Germany, there's a great outdoor sitting area and you just walk up and find a seat. We indulged ourselves and enjoyed Milch Cafes, some sort of breakfast sandwiches that were like very large Bruchettas, and then ended with LARGE ice cream treats...totally crazy!
     Then, it was time to travel to Munstermaifeld -- and the perfect time for naps for the girls. The route there took us through some beautiful countryside...hills, forest, then open land for miles, green...green...green!  We arrived our destination and actually took a short hike up to the castle along a great little stream. The castle is not as well known, but is the one of the best kept secrets. It is still owned (and seasonally occupied) by the Eltz Castle as in one of the only known castles to have never been destroyed -- since 1472!!!  We took the official tour (the girls did great) and saw app. 13 rooms out of the 80 there!  Good stories and neat artifacts! 
After a brief stop for a wineshorle (their own wine) we hiked back to our car.  We decided to stay and have dinner at the restaurant nearby and had delicious..and I mean delicious weinerschnitzel! Actually, jagerschnitzel..meaning with mushroom sauce...and some friend potatoes that would have had my Dad's mouth watering!! YUM-O!  It was finally time to head home...and 1 1/2 hrs. later we arrived and ready for bed!

The beginning of the Procession



These "stations" were all around the town and made out of flower petals - and then the little girls were going aorund with baskets afterwards to collect petals!




This picture does NOT do this Cathedral justice...imagine more bright gold!




The Eltz Castle from our hikin path below

 FRIDAY - Local day...Linda toured places for the girls' birthday party and made that decision..more later..and then met friends for dinner (and got to see their new little 1 week old baby boy, Jayson!)
SATURDAY - Palitinate Region for Hiking and Wine
    Time to experience the most loved feature of many locals...hiking, biergartens, local wine and BEAUTY!  So, off to Deidesheim. Now, this is countryside exactly like Napa Valley!!! Wine vineyards everywhere - oh, but with castles on the hills!  We found our hike and wandered through the forest along another stream. We sand "Going on a Bear Hunt" over and over and over...because now BOTH girls have the hang of the song and help make up the verses!!! (and Daddy usually ends up being the bear we find!)  After about 30 mins, we found the great little Biergarten tucked up in the hills. We dined on Brats like no other...really..amazing --and served on the largest pile of sauerkraut I've ever seen. The girls played on the playground and it was back on down the hill.  Unfortunately, the weather was a tad cool and semi-wet or it would have been the perfect day.
     After reaching the car, we drove off to find a winery Tim has visited before and enjoyed. We found it, tasted a little, watched Rylee go off and play with the owner's daughter on the trampoline!!!, bought a few bottles, and then ventured on.  Next stop...Schwetzingen for some Kaffee and Kuchen (coffee and cake). We found a great KaffeeHouse with a view to the Schloss (castle) and had a great apple streudel and cherry tart --oh, and milch cafes and hot cocoa!!  Another day of indulgence!
    We are now home and preparing for one more day of fun! There's apparently some sort of festival here in town tomorrow so we're meeting some friends and checking that out. Oh, it includes lots of food!!! YAHOO:)


Rylee making friends quickly - anything for some play fun!




An example of this countryside

    

We might just live in a Cinder Box

That's right folks....we've discovered that our apt. is also a cinder box...!!  HOW did we find this out? Well...our landlords went on vacation for a week and the day after they left, the water went ice cold.  So, Tim ventured to the very messy basement to solve the problem.  WHAT did he discover? The hot water is apprently warmed by a large blue beast of a pellet stove/wood burner/ furnace thing-a-ma-jig!!! This thing is HUGE!!  So, Tim messes with the beast all week long and manages to get us just enough hot water each day to survive. We found out today....Oh shoot, it's broken!  So, hopefully fixed tomorrow with minimal cold showers!!  Another HILARIOUS experience!!!
PS - this does explain the ocassionaly nice wood burning smell we've noticed! And to think...we thought someone was just turn wood in a fireplace!!

Rylee Turns 5!

Today was the day our eldest turned 5!! It seems strange to say that because we've actually been introducing her as 5 or almost 5 since we got here:)  But, today it's TRUE and we had a GREAT day! It was our tradition family celebration day with Rylee in charge of most all decisions and planning of the day! She chose Food: Pfannkuchen (pancakes) for breakfast, lunch at the playplace (chicken nuggets and pommes (french fries), and Mac-n-Cheese and hot dogs for dinner.  For her fun acitvity we went to Pinocchio Park in Mannheim - amazing fun!!  She unwrapped presents throughout the day and she even convinced Daddy to come home early from work. We spent the evening watching American Toons on Slingbox ---truly a perfect day for Rylee!!!  She warmed my heart all day by saying that she was having the "bestest day of my life"..and then tonight came up to me in all sincerity and hugged me and said, "Mom, you really did give me the most magical  day. All my dreams came true!"  Yes, I choked up and just held on to her. There's NO better gift for me then those words and actions!!! Rylee is growing in to one strong, loving, intelligent, energetic and creative little girl! Enjoy these pics of her day...

The day started with the fun of a decorated home! Germanys traditionally decorate the entire home to celebrate - we had streamers and balloons on her bedroom doorway, on this arch and then all around the kitchen table! She LOVED this part!!!

How precious is she??? We incorporated the German tradition of a Birthday Ring - it's made of wood and you light a candle for each year as well as the "life candle" in the middle!  We lit it during all meals and while opening presents. Some families keep it lit all day - but we weren't that brave (or crazy?)!

Rylee's choice for her fun activity for the day was to go to Pinocchio Park - an amzing indoor play place!!! We spent 4 hours there having a complete blast!



Amazing jumping on the 1 of 6 trampolines at Pinocchio Park!




Her Cake...Can I just say that cakes and cake mixes are NOT the same here...and there's no such thing as canned frosting. It has a slight glaze on it--but then the most important part per Rylee's request - Gummy Bears!(very Germany also)




The Gifts...2 traditional German toys(Doll and the wooden doll that I just noticed didn't show up in this picture - it's hanging from the light above her :)



The Evening Meal...Gool "ol Mac-n-Cheese from America with hot dogs - and some local strawberries and veggies thrown in to round out the healthy dinner!

Grandparents Visit - off to Hoogeveen, Holland!



Last week was a wonderful week!! We had Papa Bob and Grandmy Etcy here with us!!!!!  What a thrill to have family here - and be able to speak and listen to English so much:)  It was not an error-free trip by any means, but everyone was so positive that it turned out great!  The funniest "error" was that we had to drive around a BEAST of a car...a true Transit Bus..b/c the German rental companies don't really believe in the mini-van or SUV ---it's a small car or a BUS --- so we drove a MANUAL bus! Wait...let me clarify --- LINDA DROVE A MANUAL BUS!!!  That's right folks - I drove that beast around on these small streets and parking areas - with no dents to show for it!!  Absolutely hiliarous- but actually a great way to travel to Holland and back! 



The Transit bus parked outside our Apt.

Mommay Linda & the Girls in the spacious backseat!

Tim - our main Chauffeur in the Transit Bus

Tim, I, and the girls took the train from Ladenburg to Frankfurt to pick up Mom and Dad. It was a fun way to travel - easy and fast!

Waiting for the train in Ladenburg!

After their safe arrival in Frankfurt, we spent the first two days around here. We spent Day 1 in Ladenburg. The hightlights:

-enjoyed ice cream at the local shop

-toured the town

-attmepted Dinner at the Weinheim (error #2 - it was closed for this night), so enjoyed a meal at the Piano Lounge -quiet and nice!

Day 2 was spent Heidelberg. The hightlights:

-shopped at the local Bakery for baked yummies for breakfast

-went to the Outdoor Market on the Marketplatz

-attempted to exchange the Transit Bus for something small (error #3) with no luck - OH, and did I mention that the AIR CONDITIONER didn't work in this bus??? YEP - and no easy fix, so we had to make due!! (Lucikyly, God answered prayers with cooler weather during the week!)

-Took the Tram up to the Heidelburg Castle - and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the courtyard grounds with our fresh purchases form the market!

-devoured apple streudel, ice cream and milch cafes at Kulterbreie (one of the hotels Tim stays at often)

-Dinner at our local favorite Die Kartoffel (The Potato) where we cooked our own steak/shrimp on hot stones!

The next day, it was off to our HOME COUNTRY of Holland!!! We had a short stop in cologne where we toured the Cathedral there! Upon arrival, there was a service in session so we listened for afew minutes. We then went off to get some lunch at the bakery where Dad tasted something 'new"...a jelly donut!! But, it WAS good! Then, back to the Cathedral for more tour.

 

After our Cathedral Visit, it was off to HOOGEVEEN Holland. We knew we entered the Netherlands when we saw flat land that went forever, more water and dairy cows everywhere! We also noticed that Mom could decipher the road signs better then Tim!!!After a few hours,and  major hail storm that turned the autobahn white, we arrived in Hoogeveen. We were sure we'd become famour vistors, but NO ONE seemed to care! Dad tried showing MANY people his ID but with no luck! WHAT? No dinner at the Mayor's home?? Ok - fine we'll go downtown to T'Olde Schippershuus and enjoy some puffertjies!! We drove around town to see our first windmill up close and enjoyed some ice cream. Then, after some futile attempts to find a playground, we returned to the new Bowling Center at the Hotel!  Fun Day for sure!!

 

The next morning began with a 12 mile run for Tim, Dad figuring out how to connect to the internet on the hotel computer all by himself, and the women all relaxing! After a wonderful "european-style breakfast' of breads, jams, meats, cheeses, fruit, yogurt, juice and coffee, it was time to head to Zaandam (just outside of Amsterdam).  We spent about 1/2 the day at Zaanse Schans - a cool traditional Dutch Village with windmills, wooden shoe shop, pannekuchen shop, restaurants, and more! Very fun time!

 

We toured the middle windmill - it made chalk!

Some of the Zaanse Schans Village

 

Don't they look good in wooden shoes???

Later that day, we went to our Hotel  and enjoyed some italian dinner at pizzeria Porto Fino.

The following day, we were off to a Concentration Camp.  It was a highlight and yet lowlight for all of us. Camp Vught National Memorial located at s-Hertogenbosch was emotional for sure - too much to write here -maybe more later!

After a long ride home thanks to some bad traffic, we arrived back in Ladenburg.

We spent the last day of their trip, relaxing a little in Ladenburg. We shopped, played at the playground, visited Tim at SAP and then had an early birthday celebration for the girls! We ended the day with a normal German-style dinner: spargel, brats and cheese and meats! Nice ending-- The folks left early the next morning and after 20 or so hours of travel, they arrived back in Sheldon safe and sound!
THANKS FOR THE VISIT GRANDPA BOB AND GRANDMA ETCY!!! WE LOVED EVERY MINUTE!!!

Potty Training Idea

So...how DOES one get a reluctant almost 3 year old to put her poopie in the potty????

Easy....just put the Ipad in front of her!!!

Yep, potty trianing is actually going VERY well! She basically has it mastered with very little help from me. The only "issue" we have not is that she'd MUCH rather pee pee in the bushes instead of the potty. (Germans are very relaxed about kids going in the grass/bushes when in "nature") In fact, during our recent long car trips to Paris and the Netherlands, she wouldn't even go in her diaper in the car so we had to stop and let her go!  I'm VERY relieved that this is going so well, and we are all very proud of Chloe!

To Paris for Pigeons!

Some say Paris is the City of Love. Well, the Motter Family says Paris is the City of Pigeons! Those city rats were everywhere, but they provided the greatest entertainment for the girls. We're pretty sure their main memory of Paris will be chasing the pigeons.  As for our greatest memories: LOTS of people (holiday weekend), cool sites, stinky bathrooms, amazing architecture, very long lines, mediocre food. Overall, a tad disappointing for me b/c I was sure this would be my highlight trip, but it was just ok. I know for sure that I'm not a large city girl:) However, I'm still VERY glad we went b/c I loved seeing some of the amazing sites.

Here's a few highlights from the trip:

1. Neat hotel wth a GREAT location - right on Avenue Champ Elsyees, only 3 blocks from the Arch de Triomph!  There were amazing stores and restaurants all around us - but none we could really enjoy with the rediculous prices and the attachment of 2 kids:) However, we did enjoy a Starbucks each morning!!!!

2. Day 1 - Eiffle Tower and Trocadero Gardens (girls loved splashing in the large water pools) and Arch de Triomphe and girls enjoyed playing in a neighborhood playground we happened to walk by

3. Day 2 - Spent the day using the Boat Bus to hop on/off at various locations. We saw the Notre Dam Cathedral, tasted Berthillon Ice Cream, ate a great lunch while looking at the Cathedral, girls played in a large sandbox on the south side of the Cathedral (and were apparently great photo opps for many Asian tourists there), saw the Louvre and walked around Tuilleries Gardens where we also enjoyed a nice afteroon Cafe au Lait.

4. Day 3 - KID'S DAY - Educated ourselves at the Cite de Enfants (Children's Science Museum) and then meandered through and played in the Parc de al Villette.

So, we saw lots - went inside nothing (lines and kids) - ate only mediocre food (biggest shocker) - and didn't even find a Pandora charm for me!  But, we did see amazing sites, many fun people to watch, ate wonderful croissants and ice cream, and chased birds!

Craziest part was feeling "at home" when we crossed the border back into Germany. We realized that we could read or at least figure out the road signs and just felt more comfortable!  STRANGE!!!

Here's some pictures from the weekend:

Eiffel Tower



Arch de Triomphe





The Girls Posing with the Eiffel Tower







Racing to see Statures - and Birds!





Notre Dame Cathedral





The Family Shot with the Cathedral




Notre Dam from the Boat Bus





The Girl at The Louvre



Play time at the Kids Museum



Peek-a-Boo Chloe





Life is a Maze - but more fun with your sister at your side!

BIG News from the Girls

We are experiencing some pretty big accomplishments while here  - and here's the 2 Latest....
RYLEE - LOST 2nd TOOTH!!!! Yep, that's right.  Apparently Ryle may have assisted with this tooth coming out some when she shoved a black tube thing into the hole of her first lost tooth -and accidentally knocked the tooth next to it lose? And then there was the weeks of relentless wiggling. To end the escapade, Chloe pulled a plastic food item out of Rylee's mouth and so, a week ago today just 10 mins. before bedtime, that little baby popped out!  and YES the Tooth Fairy visits Germany as well!!! She left a sweet little note in 1/2 English and 1/2 German and then left 5 Euro:) (The best she could arrange on short notice)

CHLOE - POTTY TRAINING...notice I'm not saying "trainED" b/c as you all know it's a work in progress.  But, she's doing very well except for the poopies. She seems scared to push those into the potty. So she basically holds it until she has her diaper on at nap or bedtime.  I'm so much more relaxed with her on this issue and it's been nice. I just hope she gets the hang of it a little better and it STICKS! We are very proud of her:)

So, there you have it - the biggest news from the Girls' lives:)

No Salads For Us!

I'm sure many of you have heard about the wonderful E. Coli outbreak in Northern Germany, and  if not, well...there's been a major outbreak of E. Coli illnesses and deaths due to ....??? some sort of veggie???  First guess was spanish cucumbers, but now maybe bean sprouts??  Well, all this means to me is DON'T EAT SALAD or VEGGIES!! Oh Darn - more bread, cheese and meat for me:)  Seriously, it's a tadbit unnvering but we're just really not buying many veggies.  It's hard b/c I have no idea where the produce is from in the various stores - and not even sure buying "local" is better??? So....I guess I'll have to eat LOTS of salads when I return in September:)