Au Revoir à Nico

The two weeks in California have flown by and it's time to say goodbye to Nico and Alex again after another afternoon of busy play.

 Sophie wants a little brother, too.

Big long hug. 

Nico was asking which direction it was to Germany. Now that he knows, maybe he'll come and visit us soon. It would be nice.

French Slumber Party

Drove back to the South Bay today. Sophie had a dinner and sleepover date with her friend Nico. While Andrew needed to have his chipped tooth fixed, the kids were busy playing. Time for Bea and I to catch up over some tea.

"I might have one more if s/he is at least 15 months old and as cuddly as little Alex (Nico's brother)."

 Bon Appétit!

 Post-dinner spa treatment

Personal story reader

... and then it only took Nico and Sophie a little while to fall asleep; they were so excited about the sleepover. 

Now let the wine flow!

Friends Reunited

We headed up to Nico's house today to have lunch with him, his brother Alex and his mum Bea. Sophie was so excited to see her friend again and the two of them gave each other a big long hug. Not long enough to get the camera out in time though. 

Like an old couple they hugged, played, fought over toys, lunched together, and cried together after a long day of hard playing.

 They spontaneously held hands in town and Nico even commented on Sophie's purse. 

Back at Nanny's house, Sophie was so exhausted she just could not quite stay up to see Nanny come home from work. Dreaming of Nico and the beach.

Meet the Pediatrician

Sophie needed a physical exam for her preschool. This exam is not covered by any insurance, so the staff apologized that I would have to pay a whopping €10 for it. ☺ Sophie really enjoyed the waiting room. The examination table was a fire truck! How would you like that, Nico? Maybe Sophie would have preferred a glass carriage.

 We went to the biweekly market in Geldern today. I'm very pleasantly surprised by the prices for groceries and impressed by the size of these cabbages.

 More from cat heaven: Fletcher and Nelson got to take a closer look at Berit's mice. Better than any movie. By now they have become so brave that they are venturing beyond the garden.

Safe landing after many sad goodbyes

So here we are in Germany. Having the cats here is the biggest reminder that this is not just another vacation. It definitely feels a bit strange - as did seeing the first proper rain since May. At least the weather gods were kind to us and granted us one day of warm temperatures (about which some Germans still complained) and no precipitation. 

Suitcases are unpacked and stowed away for now and we've had a good night's sleep, so here is a summary in pictures of the past couple of days:

 Sophie's solution to avoiding having to say goodbye - she simply refused to do so. Here with her friend Ciaran.

 Last quick play date in the park with friend Nico. Sophie's beloved babysitter (and my friend) Lalani came as well.

 Our last night in California (at least for a while) - not without a campfire and marshmallows at Nanny's house, oh and one more good bottle of our wine collection of course. We spotted two horned owls that night - a special farewell treat.

 9th September - tearful goodbye to Nanny in the morning. ;-( We made sure that she wasn't crying anymore by skyping with her today.

 Oh, flying has become so much easier with Sophie now - thank you Apple and Dora! And we had a first in that Sophie went to sleep when I told her to and stayed so for four hours - bliss!

 Yes, the cats survived the flight... (Fletcher is not hissing, just couldn't stand the smell he left in his carrier)

 ... and landed in cat heaven! A garden - they haven't ventured beyond it yet, an unlimited supply of grass, lots of attention and pet mice. Here is Nelson busy exploring.

 Bag chaos! It took me a few hours to clear it today.

 First "Kaffee und Kuchen" - tea time in German.

Fletcher couldn't run inside fast enough when it started raining this evening.

Tomorrow is Sophie's first day of preschool in Germany! She was very excited when she went to bed tonight. She's been assigned to the Ladybug Group - how fitting for our ladybug girl.