Swim Lessons

 Eyan and Silus are taking swim lessons at out local pool. They can both swim fairly well, but we thought it would be a good idea to have them go and impove the skills they have.  

We only have one car at the moment so the boys can just walk just 15 minutes, and then swim for an hour.  

I have walked with them and took the opportunity to snap a few shots.  I love that we can take a simple walk to the pool and are surrounded by beauty. 

Poppies

When Toben and I walk to Kindergarten we admire all the new flowers springing up.  He was so proud of himself that he could identify Tulips, and Lilacs.  This week he asked the name of the flower just beginning to bloom.  When I told him it was a Poppy he actually laughed out loud and said that was the name of his Opa, which in German is Grandpa.  It was such a sweet moment, you could see his little mind working and translating and getting his own little joke.

Penny Market

On the outer edge of village a new Penny Mart opened. The new one is in a better location, and very spacious. It's like a very mini grocery store. We can get fresh fruits and veggies, toilet paper, wine, as well as Guinea pig food. I will be shopping there as much as I can.

Kerve

Last weekend we had a little town Carnival.

All of the kindergarten kids had a little float that sprayed water, and threw candy. Toben had a blast throwing candy at all the old ladies and after about half way began handing the candy since the older people couldn't bend down and reach it.

Eyan walked with the grade school, and also threw candy. They had decorated a wagon with pictures of each kid holding a book. They were there promoting the new library.

At the end of the parade we stopped at the Carnival. We played games, ate brots, and drank beer. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Flea Market

There are lots of Flea Markets here in Germany, but there is one in particular that I fell in LOVE with. It only takes place on the first Saturday of each month, but I will try try try to make it there as many times as I can. It is in the town of Homburg, which is 45 minutes from us. A wagon full of kids, snacks tucked away in a cooler and euro in hand we walked from 9 -12 and didn't even get through half!

What did we find that we could not live without?

• 1 wooden sled
• 6 Lego men
• 1 dinosaur
• German Bible for 1897
• 4 ice cream cones.

Royal Ranger

On Friday evening from 5-7 Naomi attends the Royal Rangers. It is a church based group of girls that learn about God, Cooking, Camping, and all kinds of other stuff. Naomi gets to hang out with the girls, as well as play games and learn. This summer she went to summer camp with the Rangers. It lasted 5 days and she came home tired and dirty, but had a great time. Here she is in her Rangers Uniform. Isn't she cute!

The Outdoor Pool

We found an outdoor pool that is awesome! It's only 5 minutes from our house and a few Euro for the whole family to swim. There's a great baby pool, large pool with a huge slide, sand pit, play ground, and volley ball court. One of the most favored areas for the older kids has to be the high dive. There is a 1 meter, 3 meter and 5 meter jump. Silus has done the 1 meter, Naomi and Eyan have both done the 3 meter and Eyan and Martin have done the 5 meter jump! Toben and I like to watch from the sidelines and cheer everyone on.

In the picture Eyan is preparing to jump off the 3 meter dive

Flower Boxes

It's so pretty to just drive down the street and see all the window boxes filled to the brim with bright blooming flowers. Most of the flowers boxes are filled with Geraniums and others are Petunias. We chose Petunias this year, which have been really easy thus far. I like looking out the window and seeing the bright pink blumes peaking through the curtain. It doesn't matter if the sun is shinning or not, the flowers are sure to brighten any day.

Erdbeere Land

Just down the road between our village and the next there is an sign that could be easily missed, it says "Erdbeere Land" and has a big faded strawberry painted on one side. You can pick as much fruit as you want for a really reasonable price, bring your own bucket and a bunch of kids and you'll have more strawberries than you know what to do with. We have made it two times this season and have not been disappointed. We have made two batches of jam, and eaten strawberries until we could eat no more!

Playground

Not far from our house there is a small playground. For the most part it is a playground much like the ones we have at home. There is a metal slide, sand galore and a tunnel that the kids can run through or hide in. It has one very unusual feature and that is a swing that looks like a gigantic birds nest. The nest is big enough for all 3 boys to lay down and get pushed. Naomi gets a great running start and pushes her heart out. The boys scream with delight and the afternoon is passes with lots of fun.

Ramstein Aquatic Center

Ramstein Air Force Base is about 25 minutes from our house. It is a really nice base. On Ramstein you can find a Chili's, Burger King , Gyms AND the world's largest PX. Impressive I know. They also have a great pool with slides and the water isn't freezing. It does make me miss Ft.Bliss and our long summer days at the pool, but we did like swimming while the outside temperatures are still freezing.

Yabadoo

Yabadoo is an indoor bouncing balloon run off energy let the kids go wild kind of a place. Kind of hard to describe it really. Like the American Hoots except bigger and a little stinkier. It is a great place to take all 4 kids. They all leave tired, hungry and happy. What more can I say? Yabadoo!