March 29, 2009

March was a pretty quiet month for us. We had a few events at Rhiannon's school and the weather has been getting much better too. The kids have been able to get outside more. Brad is also banging himself around more so I have recently ordered 24 feet of foam edging that I am covering all the marble and brickwork in the house with. Hopefully that will prevent a few of the looming bumps and bruises. Jim should be flying up over Europe within a few weeks, a huge milestone he's been waiting a long time for. Another friend from Florida (whose family we just met) has arrived and they have two boys, one the perfect age for Brad. It seems our "group" is expanding and we've all been spending a lot of time together BBQing, hanging out, and letting the kids all play together. It is really starting to feel like home here. In two weeks we leave for Scotland!

Just Playing Around

Spaghetti Fest

Rhiannon's Sideways Music Class

Almost every weekend, Jim has been going to an open podium at a place called Cafe Classic in The Netherlands. He sings and plays guitar along with the other patrons. Sometimes he plays alone and other times people will join in on the piano or the drums, etc. I finally was able to go with him last night and it was a great experience. There were so many talented people in there, and they all collaborate together. The owners were so welcoming and friendly and explained how they always wanted to have a place where people can come and play music together. We heard the blues, Spanish guitar, American music and Dutch music. It is a really cool place and I hope to hang out there more often. It was great to see how happy Jim is playing for a crowd.

March 13, 2009

Dusseldorf

Last weekend we took a day trip to Dusseldorf. The kids must have run about 5 miles total that day. We got some great pictures and they got nice and worn out. It was also one of the first really nice days of Spring here. This weekend should be even better which is about time because honestly, we have had just about enough of the rainy weather here.

Watching American Idol

Yes Brad is wearing a girl's hat. He likes to copy Rhi.

Brad is continuing to talk better every day. He loves to hug and kiss when someone is upset and frequently comments "Poor baby!" He is copying every behavior and move that Rhiannon makes and also many of the words we say to him. He has recently become very excited about American Idol and hums the tune to the show when it comes on. He is rather fearless with everything except when it comes to the Happy Birthday song. He will cling to the nearest leg and hide his face. He is so afraid of it. Oh and he absolutely loves his pockets. If he has pockets in his clothes, his hands are stuffed into them. It's so cute. Brad really loves music. He's been playing the guitar with daddy and always yells out "a shong" when he hears one he likes on the radio. And he knows they come from speakers. Whenever he sees a speaker in a ceiling he tells me about the songs that come from it.

Why are they so miserable? It's Germany for crying out loud!

Inside the T-Mobile machine that blew rose petals around.

It is also hard to believe that our little girl is reading and writing so proficiently for a 5 year old. I don't regret for a minute putting her into school early. She brings home blank books from school and she can write and draw whatever she wants in them. Here is a sample of her most recent work.



Our next big trip is to Edinburgh, Scotland for Easter weekend. Wrapping up this post and we'll see you all again (online) in another week or so.

March 2, 2009

Karnival 2009 Langbroich, Germany

Who knew we had such a wild town. It was much crazier a few nights later in the tent in Birgden but of course I forgot the camera. Karnival is similar to Mardi Gras but people dress up in wild costumes and it ends on Fat Tuesday signifying the beginning of Lent. There are a lot of parties and parades and debauchery all over the region. Our town was trashed. Here are just a few of the pictures from that day.

Yes he went bush diving with a condom protected carrot and onions... That's when our camera ran out of batteries. Thank God! It was quite a memorable time and we are really going all out for next year now that we know what it's all about.