Christmas Eve

We have had a wonderful Christmas Eve. We started the morning with some wonderful cinnamon rolls made by some special friends. They were yummy! Then the kids opened their gifts from the extended family. We have church tomorrow morning, so we wanted to spread out the gifts to both mornings. They had a great time playing with their new toys till lunch and rest time. We then went to our church's Christmas Eve service. It is wonderful being with our church family since we can't be with our own. After church we had some delicious goodies in the new church cafe. When we arrived home the kids got into their Christmas PJs and watched a movie. Then time for bed so that they can be ready for a fun Christmas morning!


Jack was done opening gifts when he opened his from Nana and Poppy! Cars 2 Movie, along with huge stuffed Mater and Lightening McQueen.


Great new crafts supplies from Great Nana!


The Animal Choo-choo from Uncle Jon, Aunt Diane and girls.


Great puzzles from Great Nana.


A horse lego set from Uncle Jon, Aunt Diane, and girls.


New Leapfrog books from Great Nana.


"Hey, would you stop taking pictures of me and help open this gift?"


The kids in their Christmas PJs this evening.


Their stockings are stuffed and ready!


More presents under the tree.


I love our Christmas tree!

10 Months Old!

Charlotte is 10 months old today! What has she been up to?

- She is on the MOVE! She crawls everywhere and fast. We've "gated" her into the living room and she'll often peak through the gate looking for her brother and sister.

- She is still loud. She says Daddy and Mommy, along with a lot of baby gibberish. She has a crazy laugh that we hear often.

- She pulls herself up in the crib, but hasn't tried it anywhere else yet.

- She gives the cutest "kisses." They're more like open mouth attacks, but still very cute.

- She hasn't displayed any separation anxiety, but I won't be surprised if it happens soon.

- She still doesn't have any teeth but has started to drool a lot more in recent days. Maybe she'll have a tooth by Christmas?

- She hasn't had her midnight crib parties lately, and we're hoping they're definitely a thing of the past!

- She is such an amazingly easy going baby, with a huge personality. She can give us some looks that make us wonder what we're going to do when she's a teenager! :)


She'd had enough!

The Nutcracker

One of my fondest memories as a little girl was when my Mom & I went to see the Nutcracker. I dreamt of being a little ballerina and dancing. Well, today my precious Isabella danced in the Nutcracker and did a fabulous job. She looked so beautiful in the Dance of the Flower. An extra special treat was that her Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Williams, came to see Isabella and her friend perform!








Ms. Williams and Isabella (with the flowers Daddy brought for Isabella)

St. Nicholas Day!

Today is St. Nicholas day in Germany. It is always celebrated on December 6th, and is a tradition of children leaving their shoes outside for Sankt Nikolaus to leave them goodies. During the night Sankt Nikolaus goes from house to house carrying a book in which all the children's deeds are written. If they have been good, he fills their plate, shoe or boot with delicious fruits, nuts and candies. If not, they may find potatoes, coal, or twigs. In Roman Catholic areas of southern Germany, such as Bavaria, Sankt Nikolaus still comes as a bishop with flowing beard. If you want to learn more about who Sankt Nikolaus was this website has some great information: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/who-is-st-nicholas/

I love that the kids get to experience two cultures of Christmas here in Germany. I hope that we continue this tradition even when we go back to the States!


The kid's shoes ready. It was raining outside, so we left them on our inside staircase/landing.


Charlotte checking out what Isabella received, and Jack just happy that he didn't get coal. :)


It was a fun morning before school!