Boys, Boys, Boys

Our boys. They're growing up too darn fast. And for the past couple months of their young lives, our family life has been somewhat strained, since Tobi has had to spend the last couple months in Dubai. While we all miss him, we see him every few weeks and talk to him daily.






Alex, now quite the talker, said it all a couple days ago when he pointed to Tobi's shoes and proclaimed, "Papa shoes? Empty." Yes, Papa's shoes are empty, but we hope they won't be for long! It looks like Tobi might have a permanent position lined up for Erlangen, which means we will be one big, happy family again!

With Papa being gone, I try to distract the kids as much as possible and make sure they're having fun (read more about my sneaky tactics here). Today we went to the Nuremberg Zoo, tomorrow we'll go on a little hike and head to Oma and Opa's for lunch, and next weekend we'll spend in Zeeland (if all goes as planned).

Let's see, what else can I tell you? Erlangen's annual beer festival just ended, and the boys seem to have it in their blood ("Papa, can we go to the Beer Festival today?"). You can read my blog posting about the Erlangen Bergkirchweih here.


And what about me? Well, I'm doing my best to "hold down the fort". In some ways, caring for the kids on my own has come easier than I expected and has helped me to grow as a mother, but man am I tired by the time I get both boys in bed. In addition to parenting I'm trying to find some time for my writing, which - needless to say - has not been easy. I'm patient though.

A big milestone for Alex has been school. His first school (or "Kindergarten") picture was taken a couple weeks ago (which I think you'll agree is very cute!), but we've decided to keep him out of the Kindergarten (or "Krabbelgroupe" / pre-school) until the Fall. The Mama-boy that he is, he cried every time we dropped him off and we gave it eight tries. And, since he's not even two yet, we're okay just waiting a few more months before attempting it again.

On the home front, our garden is coming along nicely, and the boys love their new trampoline. Also noteworthy: Lukas likes to take care of "business" (small AND big) in the garden, which is somewhat of an uphill battle (oh the joys of having boys!), Alex finds new way to harass our poor dog every day, Lukas and I are busy planning his first lemonade stand.

Him: Mama, I want to make a lemonade stand.

Me: But you need a cause, honey. Something that will make the people want to buy your lemonade.

Him: Okay, then I'll use it to help all those whales stuck in the oil in America.

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Of course we're all fighting colds (and Alex is on antibiotics again for ear infections - sigh). No big surprises there, but we are looking forward to a nice healthy summer.

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And how cute is this? The boys' new favorite song is the tune from the FIFA World Cup, "Waving a Flag" by K'naan (click here for see the video on youtube). "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, Oh-oooooh, Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!" It certainly is fun to hear them both singing the melody, and the upcoming World Cup is definitely putting soccer on the radar for little Lukas.

In a couple weeks we'll head back to Dubai for what I hope will be our last trip over there this year. If all goes well, any future visits will be for vacation only, and not to visit Papa! Though it will be unimaginably hot, we'll try to enjoy the beaches, pools, and malls for a couple more weeks, potentially taking a side trip to Oman before we return. (It sure would be nice to see more of the Middle East than just the UAE!) We'll just have to see how that trip unfolds...

Well, I had better hit the sack. Thanks for following our family's ongoing adventures, and please write in with yours, however "near" or "far"!
~Liz