Twelve Times!

On Saturday, we celebrated Jacob's 12th birthday. I honestly can't believe that he is twelve. Where did the time go? He is changing right before our eyes thanks to those wonderful pre teen hormones. Through it all, Jacob continues to be a great example to his younger siblings. For his birthday, Jacob asked if he could have a campout with the boys in his class. Since there are only six boys, Jeff offered to take them on a hike and then pitch a tent. The boys had a great time. By 8:30 the next morning everyone had hiked back to our house after being up since 5. The parents were suppose to pick them up until 10 so we let Jacob open his gifts and the boys hung out.

The best gift of the bunch, an indoor remote control helicopter. It even kept Joshua's attention.

Later on in the day after naps, we had a family birthday party complete with cake. I think Jacob enjoyed his special celebration.

Easter Sunday

We had a beautiful Easter Sunday here in Germany. The weather has been so nice which keeps us outside more than inside these days. The children enjoyed hunting for eggs in short sleeve shirts something that is never done here. Our first Easter in Germany, it snowed on us!

Getting ready to decorate those eggs.

Sarah showing off her favorited decorated egg.

The next day, the hunt is on for all of the hidden eggs. Yes, I know Sarah is wearing the same dress. She is really into in it and loves to wear it all the time.

Joshua was more interested in walking around rather than hunt for the eggs. But look out, next year he will give Sarah some definate competition.

Counting up the eggs making sure that all have been found.

Another happy end to our ninth and last Easter egg hunt in Germany. Even Joshua gave us a happy smile.

Jeff's Birthday

I am a little slow on this post. As you can imagine, we are very busy now that school has begun. I am also scrambling to get things packed and ready for our departure in two months. We still are managing to have a normal family life in the midst of our big life changes. One of the fun family times we have enjoyed was celebrating Jeff's birthday. I had planned a nice evening out in Basel Switzerland and had a babysitter standing by to be with the children,. But alas, that was not to be as Sarah began throwing up the night before. Jeff was a tropper and allowed us to go with plan B and do a family party instead.

Anna decorated Jeff's cake this year. She decided to make an American flag to help us get ready for our time back in a couple of months.

Legoland Day Two

On our second day, we gave Jacob and Anna more freedom to go on their own. They really enjoyed going on their own and then meeting us at a certain time and place. This gave us more time to spend with Joshua and Sarah while they played.

We enjoyed a special treat in the afternoon.

Joshua entertained us with a game of peek- a- boo.

After our second day at the park, we drove home with some tired and happy kids.

Legoland Part one

Here are a few images from our time at Legoland. Part of the deal that we got was a two day park pass, overnight lodging and a season pass for one price. When we went to get our pictures taken for the season passes, we were given a year pass instead which means that it will allow us to go to any Legoland park for the rest of they year. We are hoping to try it out in California sometime!

After a full day of playing we settled into our guesthouse. The kids really liked it. I liked the fact that it was quiet.

Jacob and Anna had the loft area to themselve. They really enjoyed doing their own thing up there.

Joshua and Sarah enjoyed the bunkbeds down below. We pushed the dressers against Joshua's level so he wouldn't fall out. They both were very tired and feel asleep very quickly.

All of our shoes are lined up for another fun day at the park.

Adventures on the Autobahn

This last weekend, we took a trip to Legoland here in Germany. We decided to treat the kids to two days at the park. Jeff found a special on the internet and so we decided to make it our big trip for the two week break. On our way to Legoland, about an hour into our drive, Jeff and I noticed that the other side of the autobahn had suddenly become empty with cars. This was odd as it was the first day of break for the Germans and we expected there to be heavy traffic. As we kept driving, we started noticing a heavy police presence on the overpasses and many helicopters flying overhead. It then occured to us that we were exactly where President Obama had come while he was visiting in Germany. I grabbed my camera and started fliming what we saw. You can see a row of dark SUV's followed by 1,600 police on the other side of the autobahn. The video is a bit hazy because we are traveling fast so you may need to view a few times. It was pretty exciting for us.

Enjoying the Outside

Jeff and Joshua took advantage of the nice weather we had today. They both took a walk around our home in the nice sunshine. Joshua likes to strutt his stuff these days.

Listen to Sarah making sure no one gets hurt while we are walking.

After all that walking, it is nice to just sit in sun and read a good book and rest a spell.