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.

December 12 was the longest day of the year for us! We woke up at 3 am Germany time to make our 6am flight, and arrived at my parents home at 7pm (3am Germany time). We had 20 hours of actual travel time, the last 1 hour of which was spent sleeping. You get to a point when you are just too tired to sleep! We were all so exhausted that we made the transition easily into bed around 9. Easy. East to West...always doable. Except for one morning when I woke up at 3am, the transition was effortless.

My gifted mother and sister turned an empty room into a magical room for the 4 grandkids. This tent covered 4 sweet sleeping places and twinkle lights dangled from the middle. The amenities included a cd player, manger scene, mini-christmas tree and name cards on the front of the door. It didn’t always work, of course, to have the kids all sleeping together in here—and more than once, Ben and I fell asleep next to the kids. My favorite memory of this room was when each of my 3 younger siblings all came in on our last night there and excitedly told the kids they cared for them and that they would miss them.

Jill my sister in law is a photographer (jillthomasphotography.com) and has recently switched from digital to film. She is so talented and offered to take our family picture! Though this is not the picture my parents will hang on the wall (or might they….), I thought it captured well the personality of my fam.

My brother Sam holds a sweet spot in my Christmas 2009 memory. There were many times that I saw him playing with our kids or helping them. There is nothing sweeter than knowing that your siblings love your children too.

My mom gives the kids ornaments each year as their snowman gift. Here is a Thomas tradition that I absolutely love. My mom decorates a room with just snowmen things. She picks a special gift for each of her kids and in-law kids to represent something that they have experienced in the past year. She writes beautiful poetic letters to match the gift and explain what it means. It is something that we all look forward to every year and it makes Christmas just a little sweeter.

Lexi, my parents oversized horse-dog towers over most small children. Her tail swings at the same level of Natalee’s face which explains Natalee’s morbid fear of this sweet dog for the first week of our stay. By the end of the week, they were best friends.

Typical scene at the Thomas home. Balderdash cards. Crumpled up paper. Treats.

Okay, Jenga does sound kind of lame I know—but we had SUCH a blast playing. This game went on and on, and yours truly made the fatal move.



Christmas tradition that never dies—Gingerbread houses. This year we went for blue house theme, combined with Asian flair. (??) Gingerbreadhouse making in my family becomes somewhat of a competition and we usually fail—but we love admiring my siblings' houses!

Intermission during the Nutcracker Ballet at my old highschool. The 3 children pictured below are: Noah, our 4 year old nephew. He looks like a wild man there, eh? He is such a cute boy—loves to talk and loves Spiderman. Bentley is the other blonde dancing with our brunette. I was so pleased that these 2 girls, though 18 months apart, became such good friends on this trip. It is hard when kids are just 3 and 4 to really connect with each other. This was the first year that they really clicked. I often saw them walking around holding hands and being all girly together. Love it!

My super fabulous 20 year old sister Sydnee. She lives in LA, goes to school at the Fashion Institute of Design Management. She was a nanny for a while, so we exchanged many child rearing woe-stories…but has since seen a new light and is going to be working for my sister in law as a photography assistant. Though so many years apart in age, different religious beliefs, and in different stages of life, we connect and love each other and I am so grateful for her. We went to the Improv, a comedy club by the university, drank virgin daqueries and laughed at lame jokes. (“you should totally GET IT!!”)

Our sweet girls in front of my mom’s house in Phoenix.

These are the Farrows--Ken and Sue. The almost-empty nesters. Ken is an engineer. He has a contagious laugh and is really easy to talk to. He loves to hold his grandkids and was often seen just sitting and holding his newest granddaughter. His greatest accomplishment is of course raising my husband. I will always be grateful for this man--he has made such a difference in my life. Sue is a financial secretary part time and a mother of one last 17 year old-boy at home. She is helpful and thoughtful beyond comparison and does so many little things to help us know she cares. She is skilled at quilting and crocheting, and has given many-a- quilts to the girls and we love them!

My sport-loving husband lucked out and got tickets to 2 different football games while we were there. Football airs in Germany almost next to never, so Ben got his fill for the year (er…maybe not the whole year)

We took family pictures illegally on a golf course. Downtime proved productive for my father in law, who aptly depicted with golf balls how the photography session was going.

What are uncles for? Keeping my kids entertained and occupied while there is nothing else to do!! Mark, Bryan and Greg are fun, playful and enduring. These guys hold a special place in the hearts of Natalee and Kaitlyn.

One of the highlights of the trip to Arizona was meeting cousin Brenna. Natalee, already obsessed with babydolls, immediately went to Brenna the first morning we were there. I sat in awe and wondered….what would it be like to have a calm infant?

One of my favorite nights at the Farrows was when we stayed up til 130 am playing Settlers of Catan. Sue, my mother in law always wins games, so I was not surprised when she won this one!

I always give Ben and his dad a hard time for talking with their hands so much. Like father, like son! These guys like to talk and I love that!

One of our nights with the Farrows was spent up in Payson at a cabin. It was decorated in German fashion, actually, and was also called "Das Waldhaus"! We felt so right at home! We played card games, did fondue, and did a murder mystery game. Kaitlyns favorite feature was the preserved deer that hung on the wall. She named it Rudolph.

One of the best parts of our trip was going out onto Saguaro Lake with Mark and Greg, Bens 2 brothers. Mark owns a few jet skis as a business, and he needed an excuse to get them out on the water. It was a warm day—probably 70 degrees, but the water was quite chilly. One crooked turn on the jetski brought a huge splash of water onto my leg, so I had to roll up my pant leg and borrow Marks water shoes. I had fun, though I have to admit, going 40 mph on a jet ski was a bit scary for me. I took my turn driving the ski as well, probably only getting up to 25mph, making turns that a grandma would laugh at. It was so beautiful—where else can someone go jet skiing in the winter besides Arizona?

Our trip ended on January 6 and we continue to feel the effects of leaving.

They are 3-fold.

1.We miss our families terribly and have experienced a deeper longing for them returning back to Germany than our initial trip here over a year ago. We know what life is like here without them. That made leaving harder. It might be safe to say that we will probably not be living here the full 5 years. Our hearts couldn't take it!

2. Sleep, oh sleep. Why can't you just come to us in a pretty little package? I will never forget one night, watching Barney with my girls at 2am. Kaitlyn trooped the whole night out without shutting her eyes once. Later on that next evening, she was a zombie. To this day, 2 weeks after returning, we fight the jet lag demons and hope that they will soon go and haunt someone else!

3. Yin and Yang, hot and cold. 70 degrees in Phoenix. Too warm to wear long sleeves during the day. 35 degrees and snow in Düsseldorf--and the sun has shown its face once since we have been back.

{Arriving in Düsseldorf}