A first for Ellie... painted toenails!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
March 2014 Catch-Up: Picnic in the Park
One of Ellie's favorite pretend activities is playing picnic -- so much so that I'm teaching Ellie how to lay out a picnic blanket by herself (she has high standards).
(she's gotten more precise about where the food goes on the "picnic blanket")
Since the beautiful spring weather continued into the second weekend of March, as a surprise, we took Ellie to Killesburg Park for a real picnic! She had no idea where we were going, only that she was getting a surprise when we got off the train. After a bit of a hike (uphill!) we made it to a perfect picnic spot, with a view of the Killesburg Tower in the background.
It seems like most of Stuttgart had the same idea as we did -- lots of families, couples and groups of friends soaking up the sunshine and playing soccer or throwing frisbees. We were a little worried that Ellie would be less than impressed with her surprise, but she loved the picnic! We brought sandwiches, veggies, chips and fruit which she happily gobbled up.
At the top of Killesburg Tower, which was much more wobbly at the top than I anticipated.
The park has a petting zoo and train, which we briefly saw as we passed by on our way to catch the train back home. I have a feeling we'll be making our way back very soon! As challenging as the threes have been so far, I love that Ellie's at an age when we can actually surprise her -- and that the simple surprises like a picnic can make her day!
(she's gotten more precise about where the food goes on the "picnic blanket")
Since the beautiful spring weather continued into the second weekend of March, as a surprise, we took Ellie to Killesburg Park for a real picnic! She had no idea where we were going, only that she was getting a surprise when we got off the train. After a bit of a hike (uphill!) we made it to a perfect picnic spot, with a view of the Killesburg Tower in the background.
It seems like most of Stuttgart had the same idea as we did -- lots of families, couples and groups of friends soaking up the sunshine and playing soccer or throwing frisbees. We were a little worried that Ellie would be less than impressed with her surprise, but she loved the picnic! We brought sandwiches, veggies, chips and fruit which she happily gobbled up.
At the top of Killesburg Tower, which was much more wobbly at the top than I anticipated.
The park has a petting zoo and train, which we briefly saw as we passed by on our way to catch the train back home. I have a feeling we'll be making our way back very soon! As challenging as the threes have been so far, I love that Ellie's at an age when we can actually surprise her -- and that the simple surprises like a picnic can make her day!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
March 2014 Catch-Up: Day Trip to Strasbourg, France
By the second weekend of March it seemed the spring-time weather was here to stay (turns out it was!) so we decided on a day trip to Strasbourg, France, a 2-hour drive from Stuttgart. We heard there is a decent flea market there every Saturday so we hopped in the car and headed across the border.
We didn't find anything we couldn't live without at the flea market but we did build up an appetite and after wandering for a short while stopped in for lunch at an Irish pub. The food was decent and Brian had an excellent Belgian beer. That's right -- Belgian beer in an Irish pub in France. I don't try to make sense of these things. While eating lunch it struck both Brian and I that by simply crossing the border into another country it felt like we were worlds away from home, something we both needed! The weather was sunny and in the mid-60s... perfect for strolling around and exploring.
Please note the photograph below: at the bottom middle is Brian and to his left is Ellie (in the pink jacket). Her arms are raised as if she's about to take flight -- because she was. We had walked up a side street that opened into a small square and when Ellie saw a carousel that had been set up in the square, Brian said Ellie started yelling, "We're here! We're HERE!!!!" as if it were the entire reason we had come to Strasbourg for the day. It was adorable. :)
How could we say no? It was probably the smartest Euro or two we spent all day. She immediately found a car she liked and was in seventh heaven.
Then she realized she could sit in the front seat and drive (along with a passenger who seemed eager to join her!).
Nope, still not sick of this scenery.
Another gorgeous cathedral -- Notre Dame (they're a dime a dozen in France!).
We didn't find anything we couldn't live without at the flea market but we did build up an appetite and after wandering for a short while stopped in for lunch at an Irish pub. The food was decent and Brian had an excellent Belgian beer. That's right -- Belgian beer in an Irish pub in France. I don't try to make sense of these things. While eating lunch it struck both Brian and I that by simply crossing the border into another country it felt like we were worlds away from home, something we both needed! The weather was sunny and in the mid-60s... perfect for strolling around and exploring.
Please note the photograph below: at the bottom middle is Brian and to his left is Ellie (in the pink jacket). Her arms are raised as if she's about to take flight -- because she was. We had walked up a side street that opened into a small square and when Ellie saw a carousel that had been set up in the square, Brian said Ellie started yelling, "We're here! We're HERE!!!!" as if it were the entire reason we had come to Strasbourg for the day. It was adorable. :)
How could we say no? It was probably the smartest Euro or two we spent all day. She immediately found a car she liked and was in seventh heaven.
Then she realized she could sit in the front seat and drive (along with a passenger who seemed eager to join her!).
Nope, still not sick of this scenery.
Another gorgeous cathedral -- Notre Dame (they're a dime a dozen in France!).
We stuck to walking around the center of the city, which is completely surrounded by the River Ill, but there was no shortage of things to see.
Having survived our first true winter (however mild it was) in almost six years, it was so nice to sight see in the sunshine with only a light jacket on, especially since all of our trips leading up to this point had been spent bundled up against the chilly weather. Ellie was a rockstar and walked all over the place right along with us without complaining once, which gives me hope that we may get away without a stroller from now on. We are so looking forward to the trips we have planned for the rest of the spring and summer!
Having survived our first true winter (however mild it was) in almost six years, it was so nice to sight see in the sunshine with only a light jacket on, especially since all of our trips leading up to this point had been spent bundled up against the chilly weather. Ellie was a rockstar and walked all over the place right along with us without complaining once, which gives me hope that we may get away without a stroller from now on. We are so looking forward to the trips we have planned for the rest of the spring and summer!
Monday, April 14, 2014
March 2014 Catch-Up: Fasching
In the weeks leading up to the beginning of Lent, Germans celebrate Fasching (similar to Carnival in other parts of the world). There are parades in several of the surrounding towns that feature people dressed up in masks that can be really scary, while other towns will "kidnap" their town officials, holding them ransom. We had hoped to take Ellie to one of the more tame parades but she ended up with an ear infection that weekend. Maybe next year.
Ellie's school celebrates by having the children dress up in costumes and having their faces painted for a whole week. While Ellie didn't dress up this year (I have a feeling she will next year), she did take part in the face painting. I was a little surprised since she's never shown any interest in having her face painted in the past.
This is a "bunny."
A "butterfly."
This has nothing to do with Fasching, but look at the state of her winter coat. This girl does not take playing outside lightly!
Thank goodness for washing machines (I think her coat was washed twice that week!).
Ellie's school celebrates by having the children dress up in costumes and having their faces painted for a whole week. While Ellie didn't dress up this year (I have a feeling she will next year), she did take part in the face painting. I was a little surprised since she's never shown any interest in having her face painted in the past.
This is a "bunny."
A "butterfly."
This has nothing to do with Fasching, but look at the state of her winter coat. This girl does not take playing outside lightly!
Thank goodness for washing machines (I think her coat was washed twice that week!).
"When I'm a Mommy..."
"When I'm a mommy, I'll chew with my mouth open. When I'm a daddy, I'll chew with my mouth closed."
(For the record, Ellie's above statement does not reflect the actual manners in our household.)
(For the record, Ellie's above statement does not reflect the actual manners in our household.)
March 2014 Catch-Up: First Signs of Spring
I'm actually realizing these pictures were from the end of February, but what's a couple of days, right? This was the last truly cold weekend I can remember at the tail-end of an otherwise mild winter. While chilly, it was so bright and sunny out that we had to enjoy the blue skies and sunshine so we decided to walk (or bike, in Ellie's case) to our local park to feed the ducks.
After doing some quick research, I found out that rolled oats are supposed to be a healthier snack for ducks than stale bread. Turns out our local ducks are just as spoiled by the German bread and brezeln as we are and as such weren't very impressed with my Quaker oats. :)
At least the scenery was beautiful!
Another sign of spring -- crocuses. These were everywhere!
Ellie also found the playground and got down to business.
I'm not sure who had more fun -- Ellie...
... or Brian!
After doing some quick research, I found out that rolled oats are supposed to be a healthier snack for ducks than stale bread. Turns out our local ducks are just as spoiled by the German bread and brezeln as we are and as such weren't very impressed with my Quaker oats. :)
At least the scenery was beautiful!
Another sign of spring -- crocuses. These were everywhere!
Ellie also found the playground and got down to business.
I'm not sure who had more fun -- Ellie...
... or Brian!
Catching Up
Wow, long time no blog! March just seemed to fly by. The first half of the month we were busy with school and life in general, the second half my parents were in town for a visit so it's no wonder we blinked and March was over! I have so many pictures I hardly know where to begin -- so in order to avoid one monster post, I'm breaking March up into several more manageable ones. Time to catch up!
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