Vacation in Balkonien (vacation at home)

It's August in Munich and typicaly Blah. It's really a pitty that Bavarian kids have their summer vacation in August and the first two weeks of September. The last couple of years the weather has been cold and rainy. Not really summer vacation.

This year we for some reason decided to take our vacation in August and to stay at home. Munich and the area has so much to offer, we thought it would be good idea. Unfortunately we have been rained upon almost every day. We have managed a few day trips and outings. To Lucas' pleasure we went to the zoo and finally go to the see the polar bears (they had been on vacation in Berlin while their enclosure was being rebuilt). We went to the impark summer festival and went on the giant ferriswheel and some other fun rides. Lea was a gas, I think she enjoyed them even more than Lucas. Luckily on some kiddy rides Mom or Dad can go along, then she can ride too. The kids and I also went on a hike to Riessersee with my friend Sabine. She thought of a great trip that would keep Lucas interested and motivated! It was great and he did a great job of walking up and down the mountain. He really enjoyed the historical bobsleds that we saw. Unfortunately it was too chilly to go swimming, but maybe next time. 

Other than that we've been enjoying the house and yard. We finally got our front garden and the rose garden lanscaped the way we wanted. And the kids have been enjoying playing on the swing set and slide between rain showers.

Only a few days left before Ralph heads back to work and Lucas to Kindergarten. The weather is supposed to become more summer-like towards the weekend. Here's hoping!

Brotherly and Sisterly Love

I'm a lucky Mom. Most of the time my kids get along well. Sure Lea bothers Lucas when she takes one of his cars after he has meticulously parked them or when she tears apart the train tracks as he's trying to set them up. But he certainly gets back, he loves to take whatever toy she happened to be absorbed with or better yet, he has to test all the toys she gets as presents!


Lately we've been noticing that they are doing more and more together. They look  at books together and Lucas shows her how things are put together. And I managed to catch this cute moment where they were horsing around. Really priceless.

1st Shoes

Before I went out and bought Lea shoes I dug out Lucas' 1st sandals and they just happen to fit. Lea was so excited to have her own shoes that she went ouside and started walking everywhere. Once she mastered the pathway she ventured off to the grass. No matter what the underground, she wanted to try it out in her new shoes!


A few days later we went and bought her some shoes of her own (girlie of course). Everyday she crawls less and less and seems to be getting faster and faster. Guess I'll be putting on my running shoes soon to be able to keep up.

Lea's 1st Steps

Since she started, she just can't stop! Here a peek at Lea cruising around the house.

Visit from the past

We had a visitor from your past. Lucas' "Tagesmutter" (Babysitter), Angelika, who used to care for him before he got a spoke in the Kindergarten came to visit on Friday. The two of them were hoping, that they could play with the water course that she had given him as a farewell present. Unfortunately the weather didn't co-operate; it was 19°C outside and raining non-stop. But the two of them had a great time playing and catching up.


Angelika joined us for dinner and Lucas showed her that his eating habits had improved somewhat (in that he would eat, not how he would eat). And Lea put on her best show and managed to get her dinner pretty much everywhere.


It was nice to see Angelika again, she played such an important role in Lucas' life in the first 3 years. I hope that Lea will be able to bond as well with her caregivers when she starts daycare.

Wildpark Poing

Lucas' Kindergarten organized a family outing to the local Wildpark (Wildlife park). Ralph was out of town on business so it was just myself and the kids. We had a great time. Lea was particularly thrilled about the animals, she kept squeaking each time she saw something. Lucas was feeling much braver on this trip and was keen on petting a few animals and even feeding them.

During the lunch break Lucas and his friends hit the huge playground while Lea and I hung out with the other parents and toddlers. I was amazed that Lucas just took off to play. Usually I have to go with him until he feels comfortable but I guess being around his friends he felt confortable enough to play without having me nearby. The poor thing did get disoriented when he went to come back and wandered for a while before I ended up finding him. But still even then, when I happened to find him wasn't too upset. Amazing!

Lucas went to check out the bears with his friend Louis. The two of them were so cute together! They were holding hands and being silly. Louis even shared his cookies with Lucas. I'm sure that in Lucas' books they are now destined to be friends forever!

Despite the extreme heat on that day (something like 35°C), we had a great time and no one had a melt down. The three of us are getting good at these outings. Hopefully the great summer weather will continue and we can go on a few more trips.

Happy 10 years!

July 10, 2010 - 10 years of marriage. Supposedly not many couples even make it to this mark. Hard to believe, for us it feels like it was only yesterday that we exchanged vows.


To mark the special occassion we decided to escape for a few days. Ralph's parents came and took care of the kids and we took of for Stegersbach in Austria to the Balance Resort. It was a beautiful luxury hotel and we were quickly able to forget the everyday stress and could relax and enjoy being together. We wined, we dined, we went on a romatic picnic, played a short round of golf. Everything you could ask for.


Now we're home, our children still love us and Oma and Opa are on their way home. Tomorrow, it's back to reality.

Lea on the move

We all scream for ice cream!!!

The summer weather we have been waiting for has finally arrived! Every afternoon my kids shed their clothes and cool off either in the wading pool or by eating ice cream. Lea in particular tends to get ice cream spread from her head to her toe - but how she loves it. Lucas doesn't like to make a mess (sometimes) so he has even gone as far as to wear nothing but his birthday suit and a bib :) So sorry we can't share that pic on the web. But here a few cute pics all the same.

Date night

We went out for the first time in over a year! It was so nice. As much as I love my children it was nice to eat a meal and really enjoy it. And the conversation. It's amazing how much doesn't get said in a normal day. Although it was  a day before his birthday (German's believe it brings bad luck to celebrate before the date) I think it was the best present I could have given Ralph.


And the best part, we could relax because we knew the kids were in good hands. We found a great babysitter, named Emily, who is here for a couple of weeks. She's a gem! Lea was great for her and was sleeping peacefully when we got home.


Here's to a few more evenings, just the two of us....

Happy 1st Birthday Lea!

 It was a great day! We couldn't have picked it any better if we had tried. On her birthday we had a quiet family celebration in the evening. We gave Lea her own swing so that she could swing with Lucas. She loved it so much she would complain every time it stopped. Dinner was pizza. Not typical but great finger food and she loved it. Dessert was a cupcake. Was actually meant to be decorative but Lea doesn't like to miss out on anything so she tried her surgary treat (or better said smeared it everywhere).


On the 9th we had a children's party. Since all of her little friends have bigger siblings it turned out to be a big party. Her guests were: Maggie and Max, Nina and Anna, Isaak and Elias. It was really hot so the kids stripped down and played in the water to keep cool. Dinner was a BBQ classic: burgers and hot dogs. And for dessert a strawberry cake. Lea seemed to really enjoy her special day.


Here are some pictures from her parties. 
http://picasaweb.google.de/lh/photo/LFmlURzkAYuYEv9reAfeqA?feat=directlink

Lea's trip to the hospital

There's never a dull moment in our household. Just when you think that you might be up for a "normal" day, someone will shake things up.


Last Thursday it was Lea's turn. After a very bad night, she returned to bed shortly after having woken up. When I went to check on her I noticed she was breathing very quickly. After an hour it was clear that this was not normal so we headed off to the pediatricians. Thankfully they were able to squeeze us in. When I got there I couldn't find a parking spot so I parked on the emergency spot in front of the building. Turns out it was reserved for situations just like ours. Lea was having problems breathing and was not getting enough oxygen. So a few tests and phone calls later we were off to the clinic.


Once admitted then had Lea hooked up to a sensor which monitered her oxygen saturation and her pulse. Our poor baby! She quickly became a trooper and put up with the tubes and wires. She didn't however appreciate the inhalation - she put up a fight every time! She is a fighter though. By Friday afternoon her fever was gone and she was able to go off the oxygen for a half-hour in order to go and play. She really was tired of being confined to her crib and the area in front of it. She was quickly returning to her busy self.


By the evening she was doing much better and her appetite had returned. The nurses decided to try the night without oxygen. She got through and in the morning her vitals were good so they let us go home! Thank goodness!


Now she's back to her normal self. Except that she seems to have lost her voice. Lea usually has a very schrill cry when she's upset but I haven't heard it for days now. She has developed the habit of spitting to communicate her dissaproval though. Tomorrow it's back to the doctor's office then. Better to be safe than sorry. We really don't want another trip to the hospital.


By the way. This picture was taken Saturday morning. Little miss is using her breakfast pretzel as a telephone!

Sunny Days

I thought I would post a sunny thought considering how rainy and cold and miserable it is again.

Last Monday was a holiday and Family Huber and Family Nebel went for a bike trip to Forst Kasten. A great beer garden with not only great food but also lots of entertainment for the little ones.

We had a lovely afternoon eating, relaxing and watching the kids play.

Here's hoping that those days will soon return again...

My Green Thumb, Part I

Part I in the tale of my garden. Thursday was a bank holiday, so Ralph was home and could entertain the kids while I worked in the garden. Unfortunately the weather was rainy and cold, but since my plants arrived almost a week before, the job had to be done. So, no such thing as bad weather - only bad clothing!


In almost 5 hours I managed to weed out the larger front garden and put in the new plants, dig up a new garden behind the garbage bin, weed the mess beside the gargabe bin and plant some new herbs. Hopefully it will dry up soon and then I can get the mulch down before the weeds attempt to take over again!


Here's hoping part II will contain pictures of my thriving gardens on the front lawn.


Next project, the wild field growing around the house and the back garden (maybe...)

My first Mother's Day gift

I missed the Mother's Day breakfast at the day care and we completely forgot the day in Paris but then when we got back I had such a lovely surprise! I found my gifts so cool, that I had to share them with everyone.

our Trip to Paris or A Squash and a Squeeze

Family Huber went to Paris! Our friends Kerstin and Benoît live in Paris and since we haven't seen each other in awhile, Benoît thought it would be great idea to surprise Kerstin for her birthday. So, last Friday we packed our bags and off we went!












The trip there went well. And after unpacking our bags in one of the tiniest hotel room I think I have ever had (see the pics further down) we headed off to Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower. The view is best from there and we thought Lucas might find it cool. It took us awhile to walk down to the Eiffel Tower though since there are lots of things that distract small children on the way (like men selling useless junk toys, carrousels, walls that need to be walked on...) Things that neither Ralph nor I had noticed on our previous trips to Paris.


It was lots of fun visiting the city with kids. Sure it was different. Honestly, Lucas could have cared less about a lot of the sites but he was finding cool things that we never have noticed before and enjoying the bus and boats rides. Never before would I have imagined that I would be searching through Paris for a playground (which isn't quite as common as you would think).


Here are a few highlights from our trip:

Lucas with Kerstin's cousins (left) and sister (right). Isn't this every boys dream?

We love Berthillon ice cream! Even Lea couldn't resist. The wait is long, even when the temperature is cool, but so worth it. The good news, lots of places carry on the island carry it now, so the wait isn't quite as long as it could be :-)















Since the line for going up the Eiffel Tower was incredibly long we managed to convince Lucas that it would be equally cool to take a ride on the Batobus. So we saw the sights from the Seine. Turns out is also a great place to change diapers (we had to do it somewhere - there are NO change tables in the city).













Lucas goofing around while we were waiting for dinner near the Centre Pompidou. He can be so cute!





















Sleeping kids in front of Notre Dame!Sight seeing can be really exhausting. I guess we'll be revisiting this site with them on our next trip°!

Check out our squishy room. We were wall to wall bed! When we first saw the room the bed for Lucas wasn't there yet. We asked for a larger room and he said that it was the only room the second bed would fit in! Did I mention that the room is on the ground floor? Anyway the first night Lucas slept in the single and Ralph, Lea and I slept in the double. Lea unfortunately didn't understand that it wasn't a slumber party and was a party girl all night long. Thankfully Benoît was able to borrow a travel bed and after that our nights were much more peacefull. And thankfully the bed was a pack n' play; it fight exactly in the spot and we were still able to open the bathroom door half-way!




Our resumé: great trip! Paris a great city that you can visit again and again and again... Warning to those with small children: Paris is not child friendly. There are barely any escalators (you can forget about elevators) in the metro and they are usually going the wrong way. The restaurants often have children's meals and the wait-staff are great with the kids but you won't find a highchair nor a change table anywhere. Oh and supposedly it's not uncommon that hotels don't have baby beds either. But if you and you're kids are flexible than nothing to keep you from enjoying the romantic city with your kids :-)

What does your 10 month old do?

You've got to love Lea. Just when you think that she's can't surprise you anymore you turn around and voilà she's doing it again!

Most babies at 10 months are busy crawling, pulling themselves up. Some like Lea walk around pushing chairs. But how many climb up slides? Look at her! Lea had been working at it for a couple of days but this evening her socks fell off and the off she went. She didn't get very far until I put a toy that I didn't want her to have at the top and then up she went, grabbed it and slid down. She thought it was so great she spent at least 10 minutes climbing up and sliding down.

We love Lea - she's always coming up with something new to keep us on our toes.

Let the sandbox be opened!

Spring is here and the kids are loving the great weather. Lucas couldn't wait to jump in to the sandbox (understandable since we don't have a swing set). Well, where Lucas is Lea is not far behind so we dressed Madame up on her rain pants and put her beside her big brother. Lea loved it! Especially the taste. I think when that there was defniately less sand in the box when I took her out.


Since then Lea seems to be "addicted" to the outdoors. Everytime I open the door to the terrace she beelines there and heads outside. Grass, leaved, pinecones... everything has to be turned over and tried out. It's going to be a fun summer. Not to mention the washing...

When they're quiet

Shh, do you hear that? Nothing. Pure silence. What a blissful noise!


Not that I don't love my kids, but sometimes one needs some peace and quiet.


I went upstairs to feed Lea and chat with a friend on the phone and she fell asleep while drinking. And then on the way downstairs I realized how quiet it was and was preparing myself for the worst (because we all know what it usually means when children are being quiet) and lo and behold I found an sleeping angel. I guess he mussed have been playing "bedtime" and actually fell asleep.


And what am I doing with this peacefull time? Nothing. I'm leaving the mess and chaos as it is, the wet laundry in the machine and am sharing this moment with you.

And the winner is...

Our package has arrived. It was just like Christmas! I am so happy to finally have full set of diapers. And the winner? Tots Bots FlexiTots for Lea and Tots Bots Bamboozles for Lucas. There are also 3 bum genius pockets for when Lea and I are out and about. And talk about perfect timing. We ran out of disposables for Lucas and the next day we were on to cloth. Lucas likes it and he's gotten used to having to wear underwear every day. I can't say it has helped him potty train (I still have to think for him) but he doesn't put up as much of a fuss when I tell him to go. He even goes by himself sometimes. And when we're out and about we have trainers (extra thick underwear), which in the case of an accident buy me a little time to get to somewhere where we can change.


Regrets? None yet.

Just an ordinary week

It's Saturday night and we just got home from having dinner at Christina's house. The children are sleeping, Ralph is watching golf and I am reflecting upon the week. Somehow I didn't manage to write this week although there were so many entries I had written in my head during the day but had forgotten by the time little people were sleeping peacefully and all was still in the house.  


Highlights in the last 7 days:


Saturday
I got to go out! It was Diana's birthday and the ladies went out for dinner. I left Princess Lea with Ralph and Lucas and she was well behaved! She even learned how to say Papa. But just to make sure that I didn't think I had been replaced, she woke up just before I came home and patiently waited with her Papa, staring out her bedroom window, waiting for me to come home.


Monday
We started out by going to the gym. Lea was sleeping when we arrived so I was optimistic that I might finally get a full workout in. Turns out Lea had other plans, after 20 minutes I got called back; the couldn't console her. Not even Lucas could help. Will I ever get any use out of this gym membership?


Lucas got his sling off. His collar bone is more or less healed. We do need to avoid activities where he might fall on his arm for at least a week or two.To Lucas' dismay this includes riding his push-bike.


Tuesday
What a long day. It rained and poured and we didn't want to go out in it. And since Lucas' arm isn't 100% we couldn't go to his gymnastics course. To help the day go by we baked a cake and Lucas helped the whole time. He is turning out to be a great helper (when he feels up to it).


Thursday
Ralph went out for the evening so I had to bring the kids to bed alone. Lucas' independence made a re-appearance. For weeks now he's been on a baby-kick (I'm a baby: change me, feed me...). But at bed time since my hands were full with Lea he actually got himself undressed, got on the toilet himself, helped get his pyjamas on, brushed his teeth and didn't throw on tantrum. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things continue this way


Friday
The weather was ice cold but so nice sunny, so we got the bike and the trailer out and took them for a spin. Spring can't be far away now.


Saturday
Correction on the spring part. This morning we woke up to a winter wonderland. Anyone seen the shovel?


We went to Christina's this evening for Thai curry. During dinner Lea took the opportunity to finally start sitting. I was ecstatic (I find these little milestones very exciting). Then, while I was getting her ready for bed she decided that to avoid getting her diaper on she should make a quick getaway - on all 4s! She crawled and I have to say was pretty quick for a beginner.


Well, that was the last couple of days. Amazing what little things can help break up / brighten the monotony of the week. 

Qual der Wahl or Decisions, Decisions

I'm not sure how many people know this, but about 4 weeks ago I decided to change to cloth diapers. Please don't ask me why;  I'm not really sure myself. I just woke up one morning and decided I didn't want to deal with disposables any more. Maybe it was the fact that I have two kids in diapers (my older one actually needs more diapers some days than the baby) and I got tired of driving to the store every 2 - 3 weeks and coming out with 6 packages of diapers and pull-ups. Or maybe it was the mountain of garbage we were creating and I felt that we needed to reduce our contribution to the landfill. Or maybe I just needed try it out and see for myself what it was like to diaper "naturally".


When Lucas was born I tried to convince Ralph that we should cloth diaper but I couldn't and lots of people discouraged me from doing it. When Lea was born I entertained the idea again but decided against it. But then one day I thought - why not? It really can't be that much more work. And well, unless you try it you will never know. So I did...


Well, cloth diapering is not really all that much more work. I will never forget my friend Nathalie's answer when I asker her why she cloth diapers: Whether I walk down the stairs and throw out a bag of diapers or throw a load of laundry in the machine it doesn't really make that much of a difference (Did I mention she lives on the 4th floor with no elevator?). Well Nathalie, now that I have started I have to totally agree. I throw the diapers in when the kids go to bed and hang them up before I go to bed and by the next morning they are usually dry. Not too much more work at all.


The challenge to clothe diapering is finding the right diaper. Having tried different disposables (discount, Pampers, environmentally friendly) I know that even though they look the same there are differences. But with cloth - wow! You almost need a degree to understand the differnces. We have now tried out 9 different diapers (no. 10 should arrive tomorrow) and 6 different wraps. We have cotton, cotton lined with polyurethane, bamboo viscose, one-size, all-in-ones, pocket diapers and size diapers. Some are better suited for night, some are thick, some are slim...


It all started with 10 Kooshies that I got on ebay. They were okay but used and a little abused and we kept leeking. So I bought some boosters (extra absorbent cotton liners) from a lady in Austria who also sold me 2 other types of diapers (used). And as I still wasn't convinced that I had found the right diaper I contacted a company in Austria who sold me 4 other diapers and new wraps. Armed with those and a few from Diana we have begun the test phase. I actually have a chart upstairs beside the change table where I document what I felt about each diaper to help me make my decision.


But the fun doesn't stop there. Did I mention that I want both kids in cloth? Yup! Lucky Luke is switching too. I figure at the rate we're going with potty training that he'll be wearing diapers, at least at night, for quite some time so I can definately still save money with him too. His trainers (super padded underwear) should arrive next week and once Lea has put all of the diapers to the test and I know which one is best for nights it's his turn.


And what does Ralph think of all of this? Let's just say he just he's shaking his head.... And what do I say? Why didn't we do this all along? As the add from Kushies says "You don’t wear paper underwear. Why should your baby?"


Stay tuned for the final verdict!

Spring is in the air!

Spring is coming! At least that is what it looks like in my garden. Today I spotted the first snowdrop - a sign that spring can't be that far away. Here's hoping that it is not just a teaser and that warmer temperatures are on their way. We are all suffering from cabin fever and can hardly wait to get the bikes out of the garage and to get moving.

In my front garden the snow melted and there were pansies. I'm not quite sure if they are frozen remants from the fall or they bloomed under the snow. I do hope that the other plants faired well over the winter and that we'll soon be able to begin planting!

What a glorious day! Today was one of those perfect winter days where the sun is shining, the snow glistens and the moutains just call your name. Since one of the perks of Ralph's job as a spokesperson includes occassionally having really cool cars for the weeked and this was one of the thoses weekends, the combination of incredible weather and the urge for a test drive made today the optimum day for a trip.

So after breakfast we all piled into the BMW 5GT (http://www.bmw.ca/ca/en/newvehicles/5series/gran_turismo/2009/introduction.html) and headed towards Brauneck (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Brauneck-+und+Wallbergbahnen+GmbH,+Gilgenh%C3%B6fe+28,+83661+Lenggries,+Germany&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=35.957999,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=Brauneck-+und+Wallbergbahnen+GmbH,&hnear=Gilgenh%C3%B6fe+28,+Lenggries,+Germany&ll=47.677741,11.555064&spn=0.007469,0.01929&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A) .

When we got there we loaded the kids up on the toboggan and and headed off to the ski lift. The two of them looked so cute bundled up! From the lift we had about a 20 min. walk to the hut where we were having lunch. We grabbed a table outside. In the sunshine it was almost like summer! We had some yummy fare - pototo soup and wiener and strudel for dessert. Unhealthy but very typical hut food. Besides, rumour has it that at high altitudes only half of the calories count :)

After lunch Lucas hung out with the avalanche training course that was taking place behind us. He was keeping participants entertained while they were waiting their turn. Lea didn't want Lucas to get all of the attention so she entertained the ladies waiting to use the washroom when we went in to change her diaper. As is often the case, there wasn't a change table so we had to improvise; a wide bench in a hallway. The ladies got quite the chuckle as I tried to pin a squirming Lea down, try not to drop the contents of the diaper bag and her snow stuff on to the wet floor and get a cloth diaper and wrap on a moving object. In the end I did win and we did manage to get home without any leaks!

After 3 hours of glorious sun we packed the kids back up and headed towards the ski lift. We enjoyed the panoramic view and watching the paragliders. At the lift we took in the last rays of sun on our faces and took the gondel down.

It was an amazing day. And even though Lucas didn't really move all that much it must have been exhausting because he slept during the two hour drive home!