Ben

I know you are all not going to like hearing this, but truly, I have a corner on the market...my husband is the greatest. And here's why:

1} He creates traditions

2} He shows his faith by the way he lives

3}To him, each meal I cook is the best meal EVER

4} He lets me be emotional and irrational

5}He uses humor to cheer up grumpy girls (including me)

6} He is idealistic and knows what he wants to be and do

7} He is SO easy to talk to

8}He encourages me to be my best and to do things for myself

9}He gives excellent counsel

10} See below

I took Natalee to the store with me the other day. This is no ordinary feat. Most of the times I take my kids grocery shopping with me, I leave feeling like I just aged 10 years. And I tell myself , "I am never doing this AGAIN!" But this time with Natalee was different. Other than throwing 4 chocolate puddings into the cart {for the family night treat, mom!} while I wasn't looking, she was an angel. It was easy. For the first time, taking my little 3 and a half year old in public was easy. Life is good.

Nat is my cooking helper!



{HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS}

1. "My Mark", as Natalee calls him, came out to visit us right before Christmas. He arrived right before we got hit with the big snow storm. He brought such a warmth and light into our house {and not just because he came from Arizona}. He was positive, upbeat, and helpful in every way. He was only able to stay 5 days and we still miss him.

2. Skyping with my 4 siblings and my parents all at the same time, despite being scattered across 3 states and 2 countries.

Here are some pictures from our holidays!

{Christmas Market}



{Snowgirl we built together}



{First live Christmas tree since our first Christmas together--2001. This blasted thing dropped needles like nothing I've ever seen. This will be our last live Christmas tree. }



{I have never felt so cozy while shopping for a Christmas tree}



{Over a foot of snow}



{I just love this picture of us on Christmas Eve. I can't be any happier being married to Ben. He is right there with me, no matter what.}



{Kaitlyn graced us with some ballet on Christmas eve.}





{The guy wanted pie instead of cake! Happy 28th Mark!}



{Helping a very frustrated, yet determined Kaitlyn iceskate for the first time}



{Ben, Mark and the kids took a trip to some ruins by the Rhine river while I was in bed with a migraine. Squeezy girl!}



{One of Ben's favorite winter sports--sweeping the snow}

Wedding

We recently had the great pleasure of seeing my youngest brother, Andrew, get married in the Salt Lake Temple. He married a girl named Emily, who is from Orem, the town where Ben grew up. It was a peaceful day without stress or problems (I guess I can easily say that because we left our girls at home in Germany with a friend)
The night before the wedding, we gave Andrew a fun little groom's shower at the hotel, complete with 10 boxes of pizza and 2 large envelopes of advice and letters of endearment from each person. The morning of the wedding, Ben and I spent at the temple and then went straight to the ceremony afterwards. The usual picture taking took place after and then we had a luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial building, followed by speeches and entertainment--always enjoyable. For once, I didn't mind sitting at the kids table (well, we aren't kids anymore....are we)

The week before the wedding, I stayed with my parents in Arizona...just me...in my old room. I felt like a teenager again. We ate out practically every meal but I didn't mind that, seeing that decent take-out here in Germany leaves much to be desired (Chipotle, Baja Fresh....oh how I miss you!) While I was in Arizona experiencing monsoon storms, Ben and the girls were back here enjoying warm sunny weather. I was so lucky to spend all that time with my parents.

The highlight of my trip had to be seeing my 4 siblings, all arriving at the hotel in Salt Lake City at the same time. I stood at the end of the hall and had a happy-tears moment as I greeted each of them. There is nothing like a family reunion.

Letting Go

I tend to be a little bit on the controlling side sometimes. I know how I want things to be and look and act. As a mom with very independent and strong willed kids, however, I am learning that sometimes you just have to just let it go.
This was one of those days as our 3 year old assembled her very own outfit...and she felt it was all very normal. That's all that matters, right?

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What a goofy little thing.

#29

The neighbor down the street couldn't believe that I would want to take my kids to the zoo on my birthday....but didn't argue long with me when I offered to take her daughter with us! So the zoo....yes.... I wanted my kids to know that my birthday is not only special to me, but it should be to them (gosh darnit!) I would be taking off later that evening for a movie-night with friends and wanted the girls to know that birthday doesnt equal mom abandoning the family. (especially when it comes to obsessions of mine like Twilight)
So, here are some pictures from my birthday










Kaitlyn loves lions. Infact, her favorite scene from Planet Earth by BBC is when the lionesses attack the elefant and eat it. Lovely.


6 hours of my day...I must admit....was spent in the grips of Twilight. While the girls were at kindergarten, I watched the first 2 movies on my couch....just me, a blanket and some snacks. Later that night, I went for ice cream and then to see Eclipse with 10 friends from the ward. Yes yes....I am almost 30 and I like teenage books about teenage boys who take their shirts off. And, whats worse, is that I am seeing the 3rd movie again this week. Pathetic!

I topped off the night with a phone call with my mom...which of course was the perfect ending to my day.


The following night, Ben and I went out for Mexican food and then to the Düsseldorf Harbor along the Rhine. We had hot chocolate and apple strudel and people watched. I had recently noticed the summer onslaught of capri pants worn by men so I was pointing out cool people who were wearing them to Ben to show him that its not THAT lame. I am far from being so convincing.

Hello sad, neglected Blog!

I am determined , yet again, to make this blog what it was originally intended to be....and I wouldnt feel so much pressure if I lived by our family and old friends {as in, "good-ole friends"} So here is to my new resolution....lets call it a half-years resolution....to write our history down.

We recently started 2 new dinner-time traditions.

The first one{Ben gets all the credit here}: Preparing for the meal-time prayer. Tickle your face.....tickle your ears...tickle your cheeks....and so on. The last one is always, tickle your elbows, and then the girls' arms are in a perfect position to be folded. I am learning a lot as a parent when it comes to praying children. Their world looks different in their eyes. They pray for things like--please bless that my toe will get better, help me to have fun with my friends, etc. We alternate who speaks the prayer when we have family prayer--and often times I feel like our family really needs a good, heartfelt prayer. Then Natalee is up to bat--and she thanks God for the day and to bless her owie and that's the end. Here's a picture of the latest owie. It was probably worth praying for. {sorry, its a little graphic!}

The second one {I will take credit for this one}: Box of index cards at the table. Sharpie. What was your favorite thing about today? Lets write it down and keep it as a memory.

Sometimes I wonder how I will feel when my children are out of the house and the front of my fridge is uncluttered...when the glass door to the backyard is spotless....and I am pretty sure I will miss the painted pictures and the fingerprints.

I recently got released from my position as relief society president in my ward in Düsseldorf. It was a surprise, since I had only been doing it for a year, but it has opened up my schedule quite a bit. I am now having fun in the primary with the kids teaching music! This is the best calling for me...because I love to teach, I love music, and I love being crafty and creative. I can get up infront of the kids and make all sorts of grammar mistakes and say wrong words and they still think I'm the best thing since sliced bread. {Which reminds me...I miss nice, soft sandwich bread from the states TERRIBLY}

I have to throw in a Germany story, of course. I will make this one about soccer...since this blog is technically about the whole family. Germany is a country with a past...well, all countries are...but Germany has an especially tricky past. For this reason, Germans do not like to show extreme patriotism. They dont have a pledge to the flag, nor to they even fly their flags very often.

Except....during the World Cup.

Since June, every 3rd or 4th car had a flag attached to the window or side-mirror covers of the German flag. People hung flags out their windows, wore flag dresses, and I am sure....ate flag wienerschnitzel {somehow}. I marveled at the extreme switch from relative non- patriotism to extreme patriotism.....all because of a sport. And of course, as a non-sports lover, I certainly do not understand this phenomenon.

Ben and the girls decked themselves out in flag stripes {free, courtesy of the local grocery store}

Natalee is now in Kindergarten with her big sister (which is essentially German daycare), so I get 3-4 hours of ME TIME every day! Natalee is the youngest one in her group and really has attached herself onto Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn's friends. However...I do not regret putting Natalee in one bit because her ability to speak in German has exponentially increased since June 1.

This is Natalee and her little friend, Mary Grace. She is another American girl that also goes to our church. I am amused as I watch these 2. Natalee is the dominant one. She tells Mary Grace exactly what to do and she does it. Mary Grace follows her around, totally laid back and not minding a bit. I smile becaise these girls mirror their mothers' personalities. I wonder what other things Nat has learned from me!!

Kaitlyn likes to play the piano. I put stickers on some of the keys to guide her to learn a few songs. She likes to play 2 German songs--Fuchs du hast die Ganz gestollen (the fox stole the goose) and Alle meine Entchen (All my ducklings).

Absolutely no interest in taking lessons from her mom or even opening a lesson book!

pIcTuReLeSs PoSt

Sometimes it is nice to return to the blog and actually write something about our lives other than status updates on facebook. Unfortunately today, all I have is words.
We visited the beautiful city of Berlin last month with Ben's parents and brother. We survived in that city for one reason only...my organized and smart Ben. He planned everything out and was really the only reason we had any clue where to go and how to get there.
One unfortunate thing, however, is that Natalee got a hold of the camera and left it on a city bus. (Okay...WE left it on the city bus.) The bus drivers supposedly checked their buses at the end of their route and found no camera. So we are still camera-less which means no pictures for the blog.
There are some days here in Germany, when I just want to drive to the airport and go back home...to the comforts of family, culture, language, my job as a nurse, and the hot-as-heck summers in Arizona. I have had a few days when I have felt like I was back at day one...as if I was in a brand new country. But I am continually amazed at the seemingly insignificant moments that strengthen my resolve to stay in this land, to keep going, to enjoy it even. I was riding my bike with Natalee in the trailer behind me and heard the clingle of noon church bells. This sound today was enough to keep me going...for at least another day, that is. I think about the future day that we will eventually return home and my heart sinks. I have so many good friends here and the people are for the most part genuinely kind and helpful. It will be a bitter sweet day.
We had a recent rude awakening from our friendly neighborhood utility company. When we first moved here, they set our utility usage at what is customary for a typical 4-person-family. But they should have known that we are not typical!! We ended up with an 850 euro bill at the end of the year. We told some of our German friends and they reminded us that Germans have been raised to be very earth friendly etc. etc. and so we just have to learn to be that way too. Ben and I have become very energy conscious--probably for the wrong reasons--and now hang-dry most of our clothes, turn off lights more and have changed several of our bulbs to energy-saving bulbs. We determined that our dryer and dishwasher are the biggest energy consumers. However, I refuse to handwash all dishes!!!
A quick update on the girls...
Kaitlyn, just about halfway to 6, is slowly but surely growing out of her tantrums that we so dearly dread. She has so much energy and spends most of it at Kindergarten and then for about 4 hours after school playing with friends. She makes sure to include in her prayers how grateful she is that she gets to play with friends. Sometimes she will tell me that her friends know more than me. We are so busted--this girl is only 5 but has a social life like a teenager. She is learning to read English and thanks to an idea I got from my sister about teaching kids piano using stickers on the keys, she can also play a few songs. It is nothing I ask her or force her to do--she just sits down and plays when she wants.
Natalee, turning 3 next month (though she swears she is actually 4) can be the sweetest little thing...except at 630 am when she is crying MOMMY at the bottom of our stairs. She also likes to come into our room crying at very odd hours of the night. She even woke our adjoining neighbor one night. Natalee has always been a little sensitive--and I always say, "once a colicky baby, always a colicky child. " It is our daily challenge to have patience and understanding with this little emotional one.
With emotions however comes spice and excitement for life...and I am so grateful that we have kids that are full of fun, wonder, life and vigor.