Computer Problems

Not that I have been blogging too much latetly anyhow, but due to my computer problems I won't do that for a while now. THe computer is always overheating after 15 minutes and shutting itself down. It's really frustrating. So I decided only to go on quick once a day to check my email and that's it. I'm on the outlook for someone to repair it. I hope it won't take me too long to find somebody. Cross your fingers ;-) And of course I hope that I won't miss the birth of Baby Girl C because of that!!! (wink to Caro)

Snow Days

It's been awfully cold here in Germany. It all started on Monday morning. Just little snowflakes coming down, but it continued snowing all day and with the cold temps outside (about 21 F) it stuck to the ground. Lucas loves it of course. It's the first time he's ever really seen it and actually 'played' with it. All day he said 'neeeeeeeee' (the German word for it is Schnee) and pointed outside. I packed him up real good with his too big snowpants and went outside with my cousin's kids.

Other than that we haven't really been doing much this week. My parent's are on skiing vacation in Austria and my friend Beata was on a little four day vacation as well. Now they are sick, so I hope they will feel better soon.

I'm not going to lie, I feel horrible not having much to do during the day. Of course I do my housework and cooking every morning, but that only fills the mornings up until after his naptime. But I try to put some nice things and distractions in our days as well, so Lucas is worn out. We were outside every day, even though just for a little bit so we don't freeze too much.

Tomorrow I think I will go to the furniture store into the indoor playground area, so Lucas gets to spend some time with kids. It will be weird going there by myself, as I always go with my friend, but we really need to do something else.

Just for daddy

because Daddy hasn't seen Lucas being a big boy. ;-)

Happy 2009

A little late, but I still wish all you guys the best for 2009. May all your hopes and wishes for this year come true.

I'm very sure, that 2009 will be a good year, especially since I can say now that Brian is coming home THIS year. YAY!!!
What about my new year's eve? Well, my parent's changed plans in the last minute and invited their friends over to their house, so I wouldn't celebrate the night all by myself. At first I felt bad, because I didn't want anyone to change their plans just for myself. But in the end I was very thankful. Thank you so much Mama and Papa for having me and Lucas over and doing all this!

So on Wednesday afternoon I just wanted to do a few more chores around the house, before I planned on driving over to my parent's house. Around 3 pm my mom called me and asked how long it would still take me. It appeared that it started to ice-rain outside. She heard that the roads were very slippery already especially around Speyer. So I let everything the way it was, got Lucas and myself ready and out we went. I didn't even realize it until I stepped outside the door. The ice already stuck to the ground. All the cars were going really slow, so it took me about double time to get there. It wasn't too bad just yet though. About 3 hours later it was really bad. The roads were complete ice. You even had to be very careful to walk outside.
Well the guest came around 7pm and we ate Fondue. Yummie! I just love it. Lucas was really good and not moody at all. Well, he's a people person anyhow, so he enjoyed himself. My parents told me to keep Lucas awake until he would start being crappy or falling asleep. So I did that. I put him down around 9.30 pm cuase he was very tired. Then we all played Activity for Adults, which was really fun. Lucas woke up around a half an hour before midnight, so I put him back asleep. In the meantime we had a little emergency case with my 'little' brother who was at a party, but I won't go into detail. He's all fine again now... lol
At midnight of course it was crazy on the streets with all the fireworks and everything. I was sure Lucas would wake up, but he slept all through it and woke up again once they stopped shooting. I guess it got too silent or something. I went to bed aroudn 2 am and that was basically the whole night. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures. I only took a few in the midst of the firework shootings on the street and that was it. Sorry Brian, but at least I got a few pictures of fireworks just for you. They didn't turn out too well, but better than nothing.

Once again, thank you so much Caro!!!

It's been a little hectic these past couple days, so I never even got to thank Carolin. I went to the mailroom last Monday and I had some boxes from Caro for her mom in as well as two boxes from Grandma Evy for christmas gifts. Carolin told me, that I was allowed to open that one box and take out the first gift on top. I opened it and couldn't believe what I saw. She made me three stockings with our names on them. They're just so cute and I can't wait until next year, so we can hang them up!!! Thank you so much, they're really nice.

Of course it was also really nice of grandma Evy to send us so many christmas gifts. She can't read this, but I'm hoping that Mel or Matt will tell her, that we're very thankful. I'm also preparing my boxes to grandma Arlene and Evy. It's going to take me a couple weeks still to get everything together, but it's in the process.

Oh by the way, can you believe it????? When I went to the mailroom this time, I got the box open with my first try! YAAAAAAAAAAY I'm improving... hahah

Christmas

This year's christmas was being held at my parent's house. Every year my mom's side of the family takes turns on where it's being held. One year in Bavaria, one year in Stuttgart and one year here. So this year was right here. My dad had a few deliveries, but they weren't too huge, so him and my brother Daniel were cooking the christmas meals.

I went over after Lucas' afternoon nap, early afternoon on Dec 24th. My aunt Petra and her family, as well as my mom's parents had already arrived. As a matter of fact I met my cousin Konstantin with my brother Marius at the gas station, which was pretty funny, before I went over to the house. Lucas was already excited about my aunt's dog and of course all the people in general. They already started with the coffeetime. It didn't take too much longer and my other aunt Dagmar (Petra's twin sister) and her family arrived as well. My dad and brother Daniel were in the basement cooking and my dad's mom came upstairs for coffee as well. We then decided, taht we would hand out the gifts a little early this year, so Lucas could play with his toys and everything before the dinner. So around 4 pm, the kids all went upstairs with Lucas, while we put the gifts underneath the christmas tree. When they came downstairs, Lucas seemed really confused. He didn't know, why all of a sudden everyone was singing and watching him. He was the first allowed to open his gifts. Of course the first thing he was was the bike that my aunts got him. I don't know if this also exists in the States. It's a bike without pedals and very famos amongst toddlers in GErmany. He's still a little young for that, but he should be able to use it by spring. Lucas was a little overwhelmed with all the gifts.
He got

- the bike
- toys from Little People
- a Tonka car race track thingy
- two books- a speaking vaccuum cleaner
- a bathrobe
- one outfit
- money
- handle hauler car
- wodden blocks (village with cars)
- and my parents will also get him a new bedding set and a new jacket

I know my kid is way too spoiled... and that's just the gifts from Germany.... Of course he already got his gifts from grandma Arlene and the box from Grandma Evy is also on its way.
As for myself, I told my aunts and brothers, that we don't exchange gifts anymore. But I got something from my grandparents (money ;-) and my parents made me the greatest gift ever!!!! They will invite Lucas and myself for one week in Egypt. We were talking about going on holidays together next year, as Brian is gone and also because it will probably be my last opportunity to go on vacation with them, since we will move in 2010. But I was planning on paying for it and we haven't even discussed yet were, when and what. So they knew that Brian is supposed to come on leave in June. Summer time was also not a good idea because of my dad's business etc. So they decided to go to Egypt, because it will be warm there in May. We will go the last week of May and of course my brothers will join as well. The hotel looks awsome and it's all inclusive.
Alrighty, enough about that. More about christmas now.... After we exchanged gifts, Daniel served an appetizer. He made Sushi and some Wasabi sandwiches. Then it wasn't too much longer and we were called downstairs to eat dinner. In the meantime my uncle Horst and cousin Ninja arrived. My cousin Philip and his girlfriend were there as well, but only for about an hour. Uncle Horst got Lucas a gift as well. It's a little tent like thing with about 30 balls inside. We had a very yummie salad as a starter, venison goulash with homemade spaetzle and as a dessert we had cinnamon parfait with hot cherries. Very yummie. I went home after dessert, as it was already 8.30 pm and past Lucas' bedtime. By the time I got him down, it was 9 pm. Around midnight he woke up cryin and I couldn't calm him no matter what I did or said, he was crying, crying, crying. I knew it was from all the impressions he got that day and I guess it was a little too much for him.
Luckily he let me sleep an hour longer than usual and we woke up around 8 am. We went back to my parent's house for lunch. Everybody on my mom's side slept over. I guess they had quite a nice party until 3 am that night.
So for lunch we had goose with red cabbage and knoedel (dumplings). lucas didn't like that.. but i guess that was because he had too much to eat before...My dad made schupfnudel ( type of thick noodles made of potatoes, flour and eggs) for one of my cousins and lucas ate a few of them.

Everybody stayed until after coffeetime. I stayed there a little longer and played Wii Fit with my brother.

Today, I went over for coffeetime to my friend Beata's house. Her and her hubby invited me. It was really nice to chat with them and they even got something little for Lucas and myself.

All in all, it was a very nice christmas. Of course one thing was missing very much and that was BRIAN!!! It was really sad not having him here, but everyone was thinking about him and asking for his well being etc. I was very happy that I got to talk to him for about five minutes!!!

So enough writing, here come the pictures

The Weekend before Christmas

Wow, it's almost christmas already. I can't believe it... It almost seems like it's been christmas just a couple months ago.

So what's new on our end? Yesteday I went to Heidelberg to pick up the pictures that I had taken of Lucas. A babystore there had a special offer. A photographer was there for two days and you could make appointments and have pictures of your kid taken for a special price. Of course it was a little spendy, but cheaper than other offers I guess. We only had about fifteen minutes, so we don't have too many different poses. But they turned out pretty cute, I think. I can't get my scanner to work. So I took pictures with my camera of the pictures.... don't mind that quality, the real ones look really cute. And once I get my scanner running again, I'll scan them *lol* I'll also see if I can duplicate the ones that I'm going to scan. If the quality ain't too bad then I'll send some to you Grandma Arlene!!

Lucas is doing better cold-wise. Every once in a while he's still coughing, but that's ok. The pinkeye is better as well, you can hardly see anything anymore, but I'll keep on giving him the eyedrops until Monday, cause the doctor said five days.

How do you know that it's time to get up??? When your little one puts two socks right next your head.... *lol* Lucas wanted me to get up already (he was just awake for ten minutes) and took two socks (they were even matching) from the clothehanger and set them right next to my head... *lol*

He's coming more and more after me... hahah. In the morning when I wipe my glasses with a wipey, I place the papers next to me, while I clean them and Lucas takes them and throws them right into the gargage... And today he was lining up some wodden blocks very neatly

Did I tell you guys about my scare two nights ago? It was 2 am when I got awoken by somebody running up and down the hallways. At first I got really scared, you know me being halfasleep and halluzinating things.... then I recognized those really loud elephant-like steps... they belong to the Turkish man living all the way on top of our building... He weighs about 300 p0unds or so it seems and I already have to listen him stomping down the hallway at 6 am in the morning... Him and his family were running up and down the stairs from 2 am till about 2.45 am.... I was about to call the police, but then I decided against it, because if you know me I'm the person that always keeps her mouth shut.... I just wish I would've said something, because this family is always the one complaining about things that aren't even true about other neighbors in this house....

Today I made a pasta casserole (American recipe) and Lucas LOVED it... he wouldn't stop eating... but then he started keeping it in his mouth and playing around with it, that's when I knew he was done... lol. It also had spinach in it and I LOVE spinach... Brian hates it ;-p

This is how I found Lucas a couple days ago, after we came home from my family's house. When we get back I always open all the windows, to let some fresh air in before I shut all the shades. I keep Luca's jacket and everything on, so he won't get cold.... He climbed in his bed and red a book. I was wondering why he was so quiet... hahah. But when I went to get my camera, he already started to climb out of the crib

And last but not least pictures just for Brian... Hey Baby, don't you just miss this face????