Circus Fun

On Friday, we planned on having a (long overdue) date night but since we all four are still not feeling too well, we decided instead to all go to a Circus in a nearby town that afternoon. Neither Derrick nor Elliot ever have been to a Circus and since this is a dying entertainment business, we spontaneously went and enjoyed a fun outing together. I have fond memories of going to the Circus as a kid and wanted that my people can have these same, precious memories. Even though the Circus was really small and set up in an agriculture center, where they didn't even put up a tent, which took a bit of the flair away, the performances were still great and exciting. Before the show, one was able to ride a Llama, elephant, pony or choo choo train.

Waiting for the show to start:

There were two silly clowns. acrobats, jugglers, stunts on motorcycles, animals and lots of laughter and fun.

2 big but gentle elephants:

More animal stars:

Very impressive acrobats, especially the lady who used a bow and arrow on her foot to shot the balloon! (She made it with the first shot)

Here is a little video clip of some of the performances as well as my boys riding the train. 

One last snapshot with a clown before it was time to head back home. 

All of us had a really great time and I'm sure another Circus show is in our future. What a fun family outing this has been! While Amelia was back in school this week, Elliot was down with a badcold and a cough. Poor baby boy was just not feeling all that well so snuggling with mommy was all he needed:

Since the weather was so spring-like again this week, we took a little stroll around the neighborhood and discovered this little gem: an old East German police car. This brings back childhood memories because we owned a car like that in the 80s. This Trabant, also called a cardbox car, as it was nothing more than that with an engine and some seats in it.  

With temperatures in the 70s F (22+ C) during the week, all the trees are blossoming and daffodils are blooming everywhere, it looks so beautiful. 

Now, we are all resting up on this chilly weekend (talk about a drop in temperatures- from 76F to 45F and below freezing at night), trying to get rid of this head cold for good and eating some comfort food. We are having a big week ahead of us so stay tuned for our upcoming announcement!

February Update

Nothing really pretty or exciting happened this past week except that I met up with a dear friend of mine on Saturday. All week long, the kids were sick (first Amelia and now Elliot) and so we spent lots of time in our pj's, playing games and watching movies. While Derrick did came home from his business trip a day early, he also came back sick. This makes me the only one who is not being affected by this viral respiratory infection. Let's pray it stays that way! 

Cat, kids and myself hanging out on the couch

I did take Amelia to the doctor on Thursday, but she did not test positive for the flu (we are vaccinated), so no medication was necessary just lots of water, rest and cuddles. In the entire State of Tennessee there were a lot of school closings these past 3 weeks due to a high amount of children and teacher being sick with the flu. Luckily, Amelia is feeling better and will return to school tomorrow after being home for a week now. These extra two days off from school due to President's Day and a teacher-work day today ensured that she recovered long enough. 

Even though there was some crankiness going on this week and both children were easily worn out, I actually enjoyed having both of them home and not to rush to go anywhere or be on time for something. While sick days always throw off the entire schedule, they are also making you slow down, relax and take one day at a time. So I used our downtime to paint some peg dolls and vehicles for the kids. These rainbow children are definitely one of my favorite peg dolls I ever made.

Since Amelia doesn't nap, she goes to bed at 7pm while Elliot stays up till 7:30pm. He enjoys the extra 30 minutes he gets with us and usually reads to us or plays with his "map" (in this case the instructions to a memory game) or uses his imagination when he plays with his toys. Here is a little video clip of him and his map:

On Friday, we decided to make our first fairy garden. Amelia likes to read stories about fairies and knows that "they mostly come out to play at night" and so we put together a fairy playground. It turned out really cute and I may have been more excited about it than the kids. 

Since this weekend and all of this week, the weather has been very spring like with temperatures reaching the 70s (21C). It feels more like April weather than the middle of February and I like to sit in the sun and listen to all the birds singing in the trees. Amelia and I did some weeding this weekend in the backyard and discovered a whole bunch of tulips ready to bloom soon. 

And then we played some Frisbee. This little girl is getting really good at it and we now play every day for a few minutes. 

While all the sick ones stayed at home on Saturday, I enjoyed a great afternoon with my friend Betsy Jo and her two girlfriends in downtown. She was in town for a girls' weekend and I was so glad, we were able to meet up. I miss spending time with her and this afternoon definitely refilled my friendship tank. We girls went to see the movie "LaLaLand", which I didn't like very much until almost half the movie was over. But the end definitely made the movie and I have a feeling, I will watch it again soon. Just something to dream about...

Movie date with a dear friend

Before heading out to dinner on Broadway, we took some pictures, of course:

And then it was time to say "See you later" but I hope we will meet up again soon.

Today was the first time venturing out with the kids and naturally, we went to Target. While I shopped nearby, the kids entertained themselves: 

Hoping that we are soon all better again and can enjoy this beautiful warm weather (even though I wouldn't mind one big snow day). Stay healthy, my friends!

I Love You Day 2017

We don't need a Hallmark-Holiday to be reminded that we love each other. We love each other every single day but to proclaim this love and make it special, we celebrate once a year "I Love You" Day in our house. We love hard and life can be tough, exhausting and messy sometimes but o' so worth it with these three.

So this weekend was all about friendship and love. On Saturday afternoon, Amelia was invited to Besti Festi - Friendship Party at a local gymnastics place by her classmate and next door neighbor, Keeley. My little girl was so excited and wishing all week long that it was Saturday already. For two hours, the girls were balancing and bouncing all over the place, playing games, dancing, making Valentine crafts and taking pictures at a photo booth. What a fun afternoon these girls had!

I couldn't resist to take a picture with my BFF too:

On Sunday, we celebrated "I Love You Day" early as Derrick is on a business trip this week. We started the day off with some decorations, cards, candies and a delicious breakfast. I enjoy decorating the table for various celebrations as it makes the atmosphere so much more festive while it doesn't cost much or takes much time. And the kids love it too!

Every day during the month of February until Valentine's day I added a pink heart to the children's bedroom door, listing a reason why we love them. Amelia especially enjoyed this activity and reading all the nice comments about her.

Mommy and her two munchkins:

We don't usually do gifts for each other but my husband knows I love flowers and so he surprised me with these beauties (and something sour to chew on).

And he gave me the biggest card ever with such a sweet poem on the inside that made me cry. Of course, the kids helped him decorate the card:

I love this man so much and I feel so blessed to call him my husband. He knows that I'm not perfect but he makes me feel perfect and beautiful in every way... In my opinion, this is what "I Love You Day" is all about.

One way, I can spoil my husband is by feeding him well. So we concluded the day by eating a fancy but home cooked meal: surf-and-turf and some sparkling apple cider in wine glasses for the kids. Amelia enjoyed the lobster tail as well while Elliot is more a steak guy. For dessert, we ate chocolate covered fruit (strawberries and pineapple was delicious but none of us liked the bananas).

Yesterday, the kids made heart-shaped sugar cookies for Amelia's class party today but unfortunately this morning she woke up with a fever and a cough and couldn't go to school.

While we did stop by at school this afternoon to set up for the party (I'm the room mom and I had signed up to bring in some food and drinks), Amelia wasn't able to stay to celebrate with her friends. But after school was over, her teacher stopped by our house to drop off her Valentine goodies from her friends, which made one little girl very happy.

Even though today may not look like a perfect Hallmark-Holiday to you, it is for me. Staying at home and spending time with my favorite people is all I need.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

Learning is Fun

I noticed lately, that I really enjoy this age of my children right now. Amelia is 5.5 years old and Elliot is 3 years old and they are both so much fun. We are out of diapers, they sleep mostly thru the nights and they understand what you are asking of them. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of tantrums (mild ones compared to Amelia at that age) on a daily basis when my son doesn't get his way and sometimes, my daughter gives a glimpse of what we can expect when she becomes a teenager (not looking forward to that at all!). But we are all getting along very well and the house seems much more calmer without all the screaming and crying. We settled in to a nice routine for our family of four. Often, the boys play together while we girls do stuff together and then we swap or hang out all together. 

Almost every night, we all play board games after dinner. Sometimes, all four of us play one game together or the girls play one and the boys play something else. Nonetheless, we are all enjoying this time of the day and 20 minutes can turn quickly in to 45 minutes when you are having fun. And since we are all kind of competitive, there is no letting the little ones win on purpose in this house. Plus, Elliot can already beat us in Uno and Sorry (Mensch aerger dich nicht)...it happens already too often.

And other nights we roughhouse: 

But right before bed, the kids love to read some books. Either together in bed or separate, but they love their books.  

There is lots of learning going on right now and I'm not talking just academically. Both of them are eager to learn new things, challenge themselves and absorb everything we teach them or show them like a sponge. Sometimes, this includes stuff you don't want them to know or do but that's life. 

Currently, Amelia is learning how to tie her shoes. We procrastinated on this for a while because it is easy to forgo it when they don't have a need for it (most shoes the kids own don't have shoe laces). We are using the bunny ear method and so far, she is doing really well. I really thought it would be more of a struggle for me and her as we are both headstrong but it has been fairly easy. It also helps that we used a Youtube video for reference. Next up is learning how to ride her bike without training wheels. For this one, Daddy will take the lead though :)

Elliot on the other hand is eager to do his "homework" with me every day. He enjoys the 10-15 minutes we spent together singing the ABC's, learning numbers, drawing something or working on his fine motor skills. 

A few weeks ago, it seemed he had no interest in the alphabet whatsoever, but that has changed now and you can often hear him sing it in the car or when he is playing. Somehow, I never can catch him on video singing it to himself though so I always have to prompt him...lol.

At the playground the other day, my little guy wanted to climb up to the top of this play structure and he was so proud of himself for making it:

But it is not just the kids that learn something new every day, it is us too. They keep us on our toes and every new developmental stage for them, brings new challenges for us. Even though we have a pretty good routine down, no one day is the same. I also challenged myself this week, and pulled out my sewing machine after a couple of years not using it. I wanted to make some pillow cases and I'm happy to report that everybody in the family now has one and I even made a couple of lace top extenders for myself. I honestly forgot how much I enjoy sewing and even though I had to consult my handbook for a couple of things to refresh my mind, it all came back to me after a while. Glad to know my sewing skills haven't been lost in the gray universe of my brain. 

Even though some days are harder than others, I love being able to spend so much time with my two children and to teach them about life, God, letters, numbers and what it means to be a family. It is all fun for them and so it makes it fun and worthwhile for us to create an environment and experiences in which learning happens and we are proud to be the first teachers our children will ever have.

One last picture  because it just makes me smile!