The Black Forest

As the weather starts to warm up we are going to get out on the weekends and make this most of living in Europe on the military's dime! Leevi has a four day weekend every month that we will try to plan something. And sporadically we can do quick day trips like this one to the Black Forest. It was exactly 2 hrs away which was a perfect distance before the girls got antsy (or before I have to use the bathroom!) Yay for Leapsters and Portable DVD players! Although we did play good ole Eye Spy for quite some time and Kai napped! :)

Our first stop was at one of the world's biggest cuckoo clocks! I wish I had taken a picture of all of the cuckoo clocks inside the shop...it reminded me of Pinocchio!

This clock was on the other side of the building and you could pay a Euro and have it sing and dance anytime! The girls loved it and I think we did it three times! :) The video...

Inside...I L-O-V-E her pout face!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That lip just gets me! :) When we were getting back in the car to head to the waterfalls Leevi saw this drain pipe and told the girls that here were the big falls!!! Hailey got a kick out of it! :)

Just around the corner in Triberg im Schwarzwald (Tree-berg) are the waters of the Gutach. There were awesome hiking trails that zig zagged back and forth across the mile long falls!!!!! And of course there was a typical wooden German playground...And these massive granite stonesAfter our hike we had a late lunch at a German cafe complete with Black Forest Cake!

It started to sprinkle around 3:30 so we called it a day and headed back home. We will definitely go again as I'm sure there were things we missed!

Cuddlebugs

The girls like for me to call Leila into bed with them when we say goodnight (although 9 times out of 10 she's already there!) I often find someone snuggled up close! The vet scolded me last week when I told her how often Leila gets a bath! :) She's so easy to wash because her fur is so short...she's quicker in the tub than the girls! :) No stinky dogs in this house!

All four of my loves crashed out...a rare night that they suckered Daddy to stay and snuggle!

More Church Humor (I could write a comic strip!)

At church today... Kailee: "Mommy, everyone is sleeping!" Me: "Shhhhh....Kai, we are praying!" Kailee: "Now everyone waked up!" :) Kailee's little church survival kit (A Polly Pocket plus accessories, Strawberry Shortcake, A Baby in my Pocket, My Little Pony, some rings and silly bandz and the all important pink satchel that gets filled and refilled)...this bag stays packed (and refreshed with coloring pages) and hangs on our coat rack next to my purse to grab as we walk out the door for church! It keeps her quietly entertained throughout the sermon.

Spring has Sprung!

Spring has sprung....which is why I'm so far behind on blog posts since we are outside every chance we get! It's been sunny and in the high 50's mid 60's. These wild daffodils have been popping up all over post!

Stripping down in the sunshine!

On Wednesday after preschool we had an impromptu lunch picnic at a park on the walk home with friends/siblings from Hailey's class...Charlotte, Kailee, Hailey, Anna, Lizzy, Jocelyn, Isabella, and Noah (the lone boy!)

Isabella, Hailey, Lizzy, Kai, Jocelyn, Anna

And then later that afternoon we met Isabella and Noah in the "flower garden" behind our houses for a Polly Pocket/Princess playdate.

We hope this gorgeous weather is here to stay (although our winter was pretty mild and I never got sick of the snow...we only got it in December. I am over the "bulk" of winter...hats, coats, gloves, layers, etc and excited that we'll be able to get out of the house much quicker!) These beautiful sunny days aren't typical weather here in Mannheim...let's hope the rainy cold stays away!

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2011

St. Patty's Day crafts... Kailee's rainbow and LeprechaunHailey's Pot of Gold (with glitter glue that will take a week to dry!!!) and her rainbow leprechaun (and more glitter glue!!)A blast from the past....the babies 2010 (Gavin, Jackson, Kai, Hailey, Brooke) Hailey and Kailee 2009

Church Humor

The girls each had a funny thought at church today so I thought I'd share. We love our church because it's on post and it doesn't start until 10:45am (I don't like having to move too quickly on a Sunday morning!). There are 3 kids from Hailey's Preschool class that she goes to Sunday school with so she likes that too. Kailee could go to Sunday school with Hailey (and she know all of Hailey's friends because we see them practically everyday) but she likes to stay with Leevi and me. She does great and colors or plays with a pony or Polly Pocket and quietly keeps herself entertained. I've heard her playing with her babies at home and making them say "I don't want to go to church. I don't want to go downstairs" (where the sunday school is). She always says, "I want to stay with Anna's Mommy and color a chicken" hahaha...I find it funny that she doesn't want to stay with me but with Anna's Mommy who we share a pew with. :) And I had know idea why she was talking about a chicken but once we got to church I realized that she remembered one of the coloring pages they have for the children as we walk in (a mother hen sitting in a nest with eggs)

So today at church we sang some songs and then the children were dismissed and Kailee was playing at our feet as the Chaplain was preaching and two different times she popped up and said, "Is he talking to me?!" :)

And later at home after church Hailey asked me to sing that song for her about "Braces" from church...it took me a second of her singing to recall that she was thinking of "Your grace is enough" grace is, not braces!

And since I don't like to have a post without pictures here are some of the best big sister in the world!

She had about 6 clips on her ears (earrings according to Hailey) but she shook them off when I went to get the camera!

Tidbits from the girls...

I can't get enough of this little face!!!She is typically very trustworthy with markers...

The wonderful sound of silence while I was making dinner...

Another trip to Kids Inn...I think Hailey got the same face paint as last time

Kailee's tidbits:

When helping Leevi fix a chair..."This screw isn't listening to me"

When she woke up in the middle of the night..."You can snuggle my back if you want to"

"Hailey pats my back at night"

When playing house with me..."I'm the mother and you're the dear"

Me: "Kailee, do you need to sit in timeout?" Kai: "No-ie" (That always breaks the tension!)

Me: "What happened to my good listener?" Kai: "The monsters took her away"

Me: "Where did all of these boogers come from?" Kai: "Daddy put them in there"

And Hailey:

She was looking in the mirror stroking her hair and said, "I'm glad that God made me so beautiful!" hahahaha

Leevi has been traveling a lot this month and a morning after he left again Hailey said, "I'll help you handle Kailee while Daddy is gone."

"That car is driving too fast...but he doesn't have any kids in the car so that's ok...and you can only drive fast if you are late for work." :)

When picking up Leevi from his week long trip: "Mommy, would you like to go somewhere like Daddy does and relax for a week with no kids?"