On Terrible Twos... and Stopping Wars

We've been in Dubai (and Nepal - see blog entry here) now for almost a month and, while being here is fun, it throws us out of our routine, making it difficult to find time to write.

The good news is, we're headed back to Germany today, and while packing up I came across this note that I made at the beginning of our month here (around mid June), on something that Lukas said. It's one of those things that you want to remember forever, and here it is:

Mama, I have to stop people from working in wars. I just have to sign these [invisible] papers, then I go on a helicopter and the helicopter lowers me down with a rope to show every war guy not to put wars on... so people don't get shot. 'Cause I'm the boss and because shooting's not good.

Alex has also begun talking a lot (using 3-4 word phrases regularly like "Mama-do-it" - oh, and we loved his recent use of the word "money"!), but as far as the "terrible twos" go, it's certainly all or nothing with him. To say he's a handful is an understatement. Nevertheless, at the end of ever day, when I lie there in bed with him... no tantrum is too great for Mama-love.

And on that note, I better finish up packing for our journey back to Germany. I hope to find more time for blogging once we're there!
~Liz

I love you, Du-das!

Lukas loves Alex. Sometimes he doesn't even like to get up in the mornings if Alex hasn't hugged him yet.

And the affection seems to be contageous. Everything that Lukas does Alex absolutely MUST do, and when we pick his big brother up from school (after a mere four hours), Alex smothers him with wet kisses and super sweet hugs. It looks as if they've been apart for weeks.

In huge news, Lukas experienced his first (pop) kiss! How do I know this? Because I walked in on him kissing his little Belgian / Korean friend Julie on Tuesday. When we talked about it afterwards (how could we NOT?), I discovered that it also happened while Julie was at our place for a visit a few weeks back.

Now, I knew that this day would come, but I thought it was a few years down the line! According to Lukas, Julie "always wants to do what she wants to do [kiss], and never what he wants to do what he wants to do [play]". Now most of Lukas' good friends are girls and he has never shown any physical affection towards them, so I kind of suspect that he wasn't the one who initiated it... yet at the end of the day I guess it doesn't really matter who made the first move. But how do four-year-olds know to go into a separate room and close the door??? That's what I struggle with.

Meanwhile, little Alex is growing up faster than I can snap photos. This week he walked all the way around our (large) block with Felix and I. He's quite the little athlete! When a couple jogged by us during our walk Alex took off running, saying one of his new favorite phrases, "fast, fast!". Alexander speaks (or at least comprehends) two languages fairly fluently now, "Flugzeug!", "aufpassen", "gefährlich!", etc. Best of all, he's finally saying "Lukas", although it sounds more like "Du-das". Alex is also our little destroyer, and has now stuffed change into our car CD player, dropped a cordless phone in the bathtub (while Lukas was in it!), smeared my mascara on our South African Nguni hide carpet, threw the dog's €10 food bowl on our tiled foyer floor -- of course smashing it beyond recognition, and that's just within the past week.

Most people say that the second child tends to take more risks, and ours gets hurt - really hurt - about once a week. Last week Alex fell on the sidewalk and got a bloody lip. Today he closed the child gate improperly and went flying down a half dozen tile stairs. It seems to have just startled him, but I think I nearly went into cardiac arrest. And yet I should be used to this by now with Alexander. For him they created the saying, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

If you want to see something adorable, watch both boys as they sing their new favorite song, the Celebration Mix of Keenan's "Wavin' Flag" in full World Cup form. ´Which reminds me, Lukas recently insisted while we were at the mall that we find him a "Deutschland" jersey. So cute!

Well, the kids will be getting up in a few hours, so I had better get to bed. Take care and thanks for stopping in!

~Liz

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

Making Friends in - and with - Dubai

It's been far too long since I last wrote about our two rapidly growing cutie pies. Along the way, Lukas has taken to doing and/or wearing the opposite of whatever Mom and Dad desire, and Alex has begun to string words together in true toddler fashion.

This blog entry finds us in Dubai, our "home" for at least three weeks time. With Tobi required to come for work, we found ourselves along for (a portion of) the ride.



Here in the Middle East the boys have had much exposure to cultures that they haven't previously encountered, which I love. Just this morning Lukas made friends with Adam, a 3-and-a-half year old British boy with Egyptian roots. Then there were the men from India in a park in Deira (which I wrote about on our travel focused blog), the handsome little Arabic boys on Juneirah Beach Monday, and the flirtatious young girls at the Ritz Carlton pool just yesterday. In fact, yesterday was kind of a first for Lukas in terms of situations where he's picked on because he's such a cutie (the girls were chasing and hosing him down with water)... which was quite fun to watch.

And four-year-olds are dying to understand how the world works. Just before his afternoon nap (which he now takes only on occasion), came the following cluster of questions, "Mama, how can you catch a worm? Mama, why is a gunshot not good for you? Mama, how can you catch a frog? Mama, is there Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter? And Mama, which one is the rain?"

As for Alex, people seem mesmorized by the light skinned, light-haired baby running around in the malls and at the beach (which is strange, given the amount of Westerners in Dubai). Some have even asked to have pictures with our kids, which I obviously refused (that's just a bit weird, sorry). A couple days ago he fell clumsilly to the floor in the kitchen, which was followed by "Papa, Al-la fall down!" (meaning of course, "Alex fall down!"). That's the longest string of words Alex has used so far, so we were ecstatic.

His knowledge of German is surprisingly good, too. Just yesterday Tobi spoke to Alex in German, saying something to the effect of, "Well, you could have just brought a diaper with you.". To our amazement, Alex marched right back to those diapers, grabbed one, and brought it over to him. Clever boy!

His somewhat limited word roster includes "Love you", "eat", "bat", "swim, swim", "Oh-day" (for "Okay"), "HelpYOO", "WOW!" (usually food related), "Why?" and quite a few other words. But his vocabulary is growing exponentially by the day, and he loves singing his favorite song, Old McDonald - "Eee-Eye-Eee-Eye-Oooh!". It's such an amazing age!!!

Having said that, perhaps the most wonderful reward of all is simply watching the bond continue to grow between brothers. If we're going somewhere and they're both walking, they walk hand-in-hand. Alex prefers to hold his brother's hand over his Mama or Papa's by far, and he has such an admiration for his older brother.

[Just now, while I was writing Lukas turned to me and said, "Mom, you have to see this! Alex was just dancing and it was so cute!"]

Lastly, we've done a lot of things during our time here that I hope the boys will remember for a long time to come. Dune bashing and dinner in the desert (complete with whirling dervish and belly dancing), snow skiing on the slopes of the Mall of the Emirates (as an Easter Day treat), swimming in the crystal clear water of the Persian Gulf, camel rides, and we still have nearly two weeks to go!

Sometimes I feel like our life - with all the traveling involved - is a bit out of control, like a runaway freight train. But then I look around me and I see - and read about - wonderful worldly people whose travels as children played a major role in who they are today. Which gets me to wondering, what's more of a disservice, to travel too much with children, or to travel too little?

So how are Mama and Papa coping with all the changes? Well, Tobi's working too much and studying for a big exam (for his MBA) in his "free time" and I'm adjusting to a very short stint in the Middle East by meeting other Expat Mommies (check out the Jumeirah Beach Residence's Sandpit group on facebook - AKA "JBR Sandpit Playgroup"). When in doubt, find other people that are going what you're going through. It's incredibly comforting! [she writes, smiling] I hope to jump back into some serious pitch writing and brainstorming within the next month, but for now, I'll just continue to get myself as familiar with the UAE as I can, researching hotels, resorts, restaurants, child-friendly attractions, and Emiratie culture as a whole.

The world is brimming with incredible cultures and experiences, much like a fountain, and our children, well they're soaking up every precious bit of it like the little human sponges that they are. It's the journey of a lifetime.

Grandma's Sorry, Lukas!

Over the past month, Lukas and Alex have been great sports. Not only have they met a lot of new people (some of whom they may have known, and are too small to remember), but - since I decided to use a more nomadic approach - we stayed with various family members for 2-3 day stretches... this is no easy feat for a young child.

Doing this allowed them to get to know my Mother, sisters, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and friends just a little bit better. It was far better than what we've done in the past, which was to stay at one home and see everyone at one or two get-togethers.

Of course, there have been a fair share of comical moments over the course of the month, and if you remember one that I've not listed here, please drop me a line to refresh my memory!

Most recently, Lukas (who was riding back from South Florida with my Mom and sister) admonished my mother for driving away from a large heron -- without first letting him see it.

After crying for a couple minutes he pulled himself together enough to say, "What do you need to say to me, Ga-Ga?".

Mom: "Sorry, Lukas."

Lukas: "No, you need to use it in a full sentence. What are you sorry for?"

Mom: "Sorry, Lukas, for driving away from tthe heron before you had a chance to see it."

When my Mom and sister told me about this incident a couple hours later I couldn't help but grin. He's growing up so darn fast.

Today, we begin the long journey back to Europe. We'll spend a week in The Netherlands before heading back to Germany, then a week in Germany before flying over to Dubai (where Tobi's working). Though our life will remain chaotic for the next month or so, when we're together, in a sense we're home... and in my book that's really all that matters.

"Mama, Can We Stay Here Forever?"

„Mama, can we stay here forever?“

This is the question posed by Lukas on our last visit to Germany.

Now, there's little doubt in my mind that we're making the right decision. Obviously, he feels at home there. And I have no doubt that Alex will feel the same. Already, he gets so excited when he sees Oma, Opa, Uncle Steffen, and Aunt Melanie.

But moves with young children always involve a multitude of emotions. Will they miss their friends? When we leave, will they understand that contact with those children, who they've spent years getting to know, will change drastically? It weighs on your conscience, and you end up feeling your emotions, plus the emotions that your children might have, if they were old enough to fully comprehend.

Do they know that the next time we're here we'll be visiting, and we'll likely only see this wonderful old farm house from the outside? And the big question is, will I be able to hold it together, and avoid breaking down like some emotional basket case?

This week we went for our last bicycle ride here in Zeeland. Our bikes will be transported down to Germany on Monday. It was a beautiful ride, with the sun casting long shadows of baren trees onto the fields and meadows. The kids enjoyed it. And we stopped for a visit with our friends Peter and Julia along the way. The dog was there, and – this time – didn't need much persuasion to return home with us.

Are there other moments worthy of mention? Well, Alexander said his first German word today (in addition to the slang “Hoopla“ – which he began saying last week). It was „pferd“... which is so fitting, given his obsession with horses.

Alex also got on ice skates for the first time, which he seemed to enjoy. Lukas, on the other hand, (pictured below without skates) was more skeptical.

Lukas is the thinker of two, and he's getting closer and closer to being able to read. He's begun sounding things out, and is showing a real interest in words and sentences. He also adores the new Leap Frog „Sing Along, Read Along“ that Santa brought him for Christmas, which is great. He continues to compensate for Alexander's recklessness through his über-cautiousness. Today he refused to go down a slide at an indoor play area, but when I took Alex down it, he giggled and smiled from ear to ear. I'm amazed that they're so different at this young age! Alex is a real risk taker, and Lukas will only take the most calculated risks. (Sounds like someone else I know... and I'm not referring to myself!)

In less than two weeks Lukas will turn four; his last birthday here on the „boerderij“. We'll take lots of pictures, don't worry. But no amount of photos will capture what I feel for this place, much less what it has meant to my family and I to be able to live here for these incredible two and a half years. And words? Unfortunately, they're no better. It's beyond that.