Date Night

Note to self: do this again soon.Note to babysitter: friends like you are invaluable. Thank you.

Guess Who is Home from 5 days of Training?

And guess who is so happy to have him back!

Bluetooth

Today, while creating play dough masterpieces with Vivian, I had an enjoyable moment. We have this plastic Shrek head that has spaces for 20 or so teeth that one is supposed to make out of play dough and then put in his mouth. You have to make a tongue too, and then there are all sorts of dentist tools that come with it, for pulling out the cavities, or drilling into teeth or whatever. Kids love this thing. They love it. However, the point of this vignette is different.

At one point in her happy jibber jabber Vivian said, "Mommy, what about a bluetooth?" I had a very adult brain freeze when I heard that phrase and it conjured images of the wireless earpieces and various electronica seen on the streets of NYC and elsewhere rather than the doughy blue tooth she was extending toward me. I had to smile to myself as I wondered how many of my P'ton Class of 2003 classmates would use the phrase "bluetooth" in my context, rather than the more mainstream. I have to admit, I feel monstrously blessed that it is a playdough tooth in my world. Thank you, God, for giving me what I didn't know I needed, but love more daily.

Fasching Parade

The fasching season is culminating this weekend all over the world, but little did we know that we are at the heart of much carnival tradition here along the Rhein. I am going to let the pictures tell the story on this one:

Sunday Sweater Studs

Thanks to the godparents for the mini-argyle. Viv and I got to attend Mass with these two fine gentlemen this good morning.

Home School Schmomeschool

I realize that some time in the near future, as a mother of a 4-yr-old, I must get very serious about setting out an organized course of study for our homeschooling venture. However, is it so wrong if I am currently content that she spells secret words for me on the toaster oven which is stowed away in the kitchen (under the recycling containers we had to hide from Seth) and then proudly displays them? Seriously.

Need a Babysitter?

Man, how to do this occurrence justice in words?


Well, Vivian has a large bucket - I would say 1 foot wide by 18 inches long and about ten inches deep-- full of all sorts of plastic humans. Polly Pockets, Barbies, Doras, dollhouse figurines... you name it, it is all in there. Well, little brother waded through that entire bucket by himself the other morning and emerged with these three babies in his hands. They are the only babies we have, and they are small, so they settle to the bottom. Two have blue shirts and their diapers and the girl has a pink shirt, but is, otherwise, identical. He was toddling around with them grasped in his little hands for a good twenty minutes, like their big giant caretaker. This is a big sacrifice for Seth because it prevents him from being able to pickup floorsnacks. Maybe there is a nurturing side here that has heretofore gone unrecognized!

Valentines Day with Rota Virus

Daddy is down for the count with an awful virus, so our hot date of Thai food and PX theater movie has been postponed for a week.

Nonetheless, we had a wonderful Valentines Day. I wrote about it more here.

In Honor of Valentines Day

Some college girlfriends and I are writing the stories of how we met and fell in love with our husbands here.

The Two Sides of Cabin Fever

There is a known phenomenon amongst stay-at-home-mothers referred to as "cabin fever." This is when the days are grey and cold and long and one struggles to figure out how to occupy young children who are restless and not getting enough time outdoors. Last winter we were in the deep South and didn't experience winter at all, but Wiesbaden is as gray as it comes. Nonetheless, I would just like to report that my two little bear cubs are handling all of our den time quite well. They love to rough house on our bed, on the couch on the floor and their personalities are perfect for the activity. She seems to know how rough she can really be (not very) and he is such a solid little chucklehead that he doesn't even seem to mind when she does get a bit carried away. They crack me up. They play a new game with the throw pillows on our couch called "moving men." The roles: Seth is the burly mover (he is 29, like Daddy) and Vivian is the frustrated foreman who walks around telling him what to do. They both love it, and when he babbles back at her in baby gibberish she will always look at me knowingly and say, "geesh, and he only speaks Gerrrrrrrman!" Hysterical. Vivian is also fond of concocting strange invention-harnesses while singing the work song from Dumbo. Below is a photo of a particularly annoying one from the weekend that involved her jumprope tied to the refrigerator door handle and then tied to an upside down plastic stool that was perfect for tripping on.Oh, and Seth always wants someone to perform the five little monkeys on the bed song for him, or read him a Clifford book while he gets to hold the stuffed version of the big red dog.

Life Here

Look closely and see if you can tell why this is my photothought for the day as I appreciate life with my 4-year-old Fancy Nancy Superwoman Princess.

Prayers from Here to Afghanistan

Asking your prayers for Daddy, who is on a five day mission to Afghanistan and back. Please and thank you.

Vivian's debut as documentary filmmaker

If it is good video you are looking for, look at another post. This one is here because it was captured by Vivian. She was trying to catch some of Seth's first steps on film a couple of weeks ago. Her narrative about the upcoming birthday party and Daddy eating "torpedo chips" (they were Pita Chips) earned the clip its place on this blog. I hope you can understand her little voice.