Irrland!

This post is of special interest for all our friends with kids who are thinking of coming to visit us. We will take you to Irrland! We came here for the first time during our visit in Germany in September 2010. As it was another gorgeous weekend, we headed out for some fresh air and fun for kids of all ages.

 First stop was the cart rental (we learned on our last trip that regular strollers will get stuck in the sand).

 Then a couple of laps on the bike.

 These wobble lakes (Schwabbelmeer) are all over the place. Filled with water, they make for some good exercise.

 Loads of animals roaming around.

 ...including this tall horse just waiting to give Sophie a ride.

 Berit almost breaking the horse's back.

 The fastest slides I've been on. Sorry about the cabbage head in front, but it's the only picture I have of the really steep slide in the background which I went on (without Sophie of course). This one shows Sophie/Meike racing Berit. Oh, and built into the structure is an old airplane, which are also to be found all over the park.

 Again, again, again!

 Climbing the volcano.

 The summit team.

 Another bouncing mountain. Insurmountable with socks.

 Are we having fun yet?

 We missed the pumpkin patch this year, but at least we found a three-dimensional hay labyrinth.

 Sophie walking on the water.

And last but not least: some hot chicks!

Oktoberfest (Warning: almost no Sophie in this one)

Girls night out (my "little" sister Berit and I) to the Oktoberfest in Xanten (http://www.oktoberfest-xanten.de/). We left Princess Sophie behind with Oma for the evening.

We found out once we arrived at the festival tent at 7:30pm that while we were taking our sweet time getting ready - as girls do - the party was already in full swing. Who would have thought that it starts at 5pm already? Don't others have kids that need to be put to bed first? 

 We were lucky to get two more tickets and had some catching up to do. While the other folks were already dancing on the benches, we inhaled our roast pig and chicken respectively, took some big sips of beer...

 ...and joined the party.

 Back to the roots?

 That liter of beer looks so light in Berit's hand.

 This boy must have borrowed his dad's lederhosen.

  German dance floor for advanced dancers

 Yuck! We're definitely not in California anymore! No wonder my head and throat hurt the next morning! And it was not from the beer and the singing. 

 The demise of a Grown German Man in pictures.

 Is it me or is he spinning?

 A little off balance. By the way, his friend actually took a picture of his pal as well before he helped him up. I love how these men take care of each other. 

You might say I'm such a cruel nurse just watching this guy go down, but it was self-inflicted, right? And see in the background the paramedics were already on their way to him - except he then declined their help. He's a tough MAN after all. And it was nothing a cigarette couldn't fix.

Of Monsters, Rain Boots, Koffers, and Bees

With all the rain last week we had to think of some silly games for inside.

 How about this for a scary Halloween costume. Note to self: must visit California next year in October for pumpkin patch, Halloween and some of the best weather of the year.

 A perfect fit I say.

 They journey to and from Anke's was almost over and I had still not taken a picture of Sophie's own brand new 'Koffer.'

Finally back for more ice cream when the sun came back. We had a bit of a bee scare this time. Look closely - it's flying right by Sophie (it only looks as if it landed on her hand). Sophie of course panicked and screamed. Talk about getting the German stare from the other tables! The bee finally drowned in Sophie's ice cream. What a way to go. 

(Just noticed the shot of the cigarettes and lighter - yuck!)

In Rainy Gütersloh

Daddy is back at work in Detroit, so Sophie and I decided to join Oma on a four-day trip to help babysit cousins Kiron and Luca in Gütersloh. Luca had just spent a few days in the hospital and has to take it easy at home for a week before he heads back to school. He is definitely getting plenty of attention - Sophie adores him!

 The two little ones getting to hang out in Luca's room 

 It's been very rainy for the past few days, so we took the opportunity to play in Kiron's "Kindergarten" in the back when there was a break in the clouds. Apart from a swing, and real bunny rabbits, he also has a trampoline (which Sophie kept calling a Zeppelin for the first day) and a walnut tree with plenty of fresh walnuts to munch on in the play area. 

 After Sophie got to join Kiron at music school today, they wound down in the bath together squirting water on each other's heads.

Here is a picture of their last spa date in April 2010.

Cousins!!!

For an afternoon today we had all five cousins together at Oma's house. It was chaotic at times, frequent roll calls, noisy, never dull but above all good fun!

 From the left: Luca (11), Thore (17 months), Sophie (3 1/2), Talea (3), and Kiron (2 1/2)

 So glad Oma lives on a low traffic street (play street)

Someone is going to be tired tonight!

 Dirty feets!

 Girls' play

 Boys' play (with supervision from auntie Berit)

 Kids' play

 One more shot because they are just so cute!

Ice cream treat for holding still for the family portrait

A Trip Down Memory Lane

(Get ready for a lot of pictures)

We took Sophie to see my old stomping ground and hometown Bad Bentheim today. She was so excited and could not wait to see the castle. Too bad I did not have the camera ready to capture the look on her face when she first spotted it in the distance. 

 Ready to explore the princess castle.

 Look at that blue sky!

 The princess garden - unfortunately no access for little Sophies.

 Daddy is telling stories of princesses and knights. And pointing out some bullet holes from a certain era that shall not be mentioned at this time, and cannon balls from the Napoleonic Wars along the way.

 The castle park. Octoberfest tent on the left. 

 The princess and the castle ghost

 Walking down the stairs like a princess

 Three icons in one picture: that old Mercedes, the Bismarck statue, and the defense tower

 After Sophie had literally explored every corner in the castle from the top of the defense tower and the dining hall to the dungeon, we joined my brother Stefan's family at the Forest Farm (Waldbauer) - a place that my grandmother used to take me to over 30 years ago. 

 Talea and Sophie trying in vain to lure the deer

 Thore and Sophie on the see-saw, with Alexandra's help

 A big family dinner Italian style - looking forward to many more of these

My uncle Gerrit and brother Stefan with the kiddos while Alexandra and I get to finish our wine.