What's been going on

We have been here 4 months now. I think as a family we are feeling settled and comfortable in our surroundings. One of the fun things about being some place new is that there is always something new to discover! A street we have never been on, a neighboring village we haven't made it to yet. So each weekend we look forward to a new experience.


This weekend we finally made the short road trip to Bonn. It's only 30 minutes away and we had a great time. It had a huge pedestrian shopping area (of course the shops were closed as we went on Sunday) so it was great not to have to worry about cars while walking around. It also had a wonderful park. The kids had much fun on the play structures and Landon had a great time on a set of stairs.

Language classes are moving along. I'm still a deer in headlights everytime someone says something to me, but my germantoddlerese is improving. Today I learned how to tell time! Landon is really starting to say some words. Alianna is his favorite teacher! He loves repeating her. They play so nice together. I know everyone says it won't last long, but I'll take we have right now. It is great to sit back and watch them chase each other. They have all sorts of little made up games they play. They laugh their hardest when they are together!

Ali's Birthday Cycle

For Alianna's birthday, a neighbor named Mattias, fixed up a little motorbike as a present. He painted it red and fixed the battery. It was very sweet. So here is a little video of her receiving her present.

It's been a busy, fun time

So it's been awhile since my last post. Landon and Alianna have both had their birthdays! Frau Schumacher had a wonderful party for the kids. Grandma Jan came to visit and surprise Alianna for her birthday. While she was here both Larry and Alianna were on holiday from school and work. The first week we spent in Belgium at a resort called Center Parcs. It was so much fun! Think of the Homestead meets Great Wolf Lodge. We had a great apartment with 3 bedrooms and a kitchen. Center Parcs had an indoor waterpark and a spa! It also had an indoor pirate play area called Discovery Bay. We all had a wonderful time. We even spent one day walking the streets of Antwerp. After we returned home to regroup, we went to Movie Park in Germany. It's owned my Warner Bros. and looks like a movie set. The kids enjoyed Nick Jr. land and they had rides for both Alianna and Landon. Landon was so excited to ride Diego's Jeep and Ali loved Jimmy Neutron's roller coaster. Once we returned home from that adventure, Ali and Larry spent the next day skiing on an indoor ski hill! They had a 4 person chairlift, real snow, 25 degrees and it was all indoors. And since Larry doesn't know how to stay in once place, we repacked a third time and head for a drive down the Mosel River to Eltz Castle and the city of Bernkastel-Kues. This was Jan's favorite part of her stay! However, we all loved it. So that sums up quickly the past few weeks. I will add some pictures soon.

Now back to routine. Landon will start nursery in November and our next holiday break is over Christmas. We will be spending it here in Germany. I am excited about the upcoming Christmas markets. We are also hoping to go skiing in the Alps over Christmas. Bis bald...