They are my sunshine

The beginnings of our garden

2011-05-13T22:33:00.004-04:00

I wished for a garden and my hubby went out to build me one. So he's been spending a bunch of time building this: it still needs soil and deer fencing, and of course plants. I love it and can't wait to start planting.

In comparison, here is what I accomplished in a similar time frame (almost) - weeding the asparagus patch and staking it out in the simplest way possible. Sad, isn't it?

Happy Easter!

2011-04-22T23:28:00.002-04:00

Digital greeting card created with Smilebox

Lilly is 4!

2011-03-29T01:40:00.005-04:00

Last weekend my baby girl turned 4! It's hard to believe how quickly time has passed.

Lilly - 1 year

Lilly - 4 years

Western Day

2011-03-20T22:58:00.003-04:00

Lilly had on Friday Western Day at preschool. She got to dress up as a cowgirl and they had a theme day. Lucky girl also got to bring in special snacks to celebrate her birthday. She chose granola bars, animals crackers, and princess gummies - she had a great day!

Lilly hatte am Freitag Westerntag im Kindergarten. Sie durfte sich als Cowgirl verkleiden und auch noch was Gutes mitnehmen um ihren Geburtstag zu feiern. Sie hatten einen tollen Tag!

Fuer Dani

2011-03-01T13:35:00.001-05:00

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag kleine Schwester!
Wir haben Dich sehr lieb und freuen uns schon auf viel Zeit zusammen im Sommer!
Liebe Gruesse von uns allen!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T22:08:00.001-05:00

Free digital greeting card generated with Smilebox

Spass im Schnee

2011-02-05T23:59:00.007-05:00

Opa, wir haben Dich sehr lieb und denken an Dich. Pass auf Dich auf. Liebe Gruesse senden Dir Lilly, Jamie, Alex, und Shaun.

I love this picture!

Schneeballschlacht! Snowball fight!

Snow day!

2011-01-20T21:15:00.004-05:00

Lilly had a snow day today and they both had a fun day with Jasmin. I came home to two happy little critters. We are all looking forward to another snow day tomorrow. These pics are from the last snow day - we'll get some new ones on the next post.

Barbapapas

2011-01-16T08:49:00.003-05:00

My kids love the Barbapapas - a show I grew up with. They don't watch much TV, but when they do it's often German shows from the 70's and 80's. Shaun and I love watching them too :)

Meine Kinder lieben die Barbapapas.Sie schauen nicht viel fern, aber wenn, dann sind es sehr oft deutsche Kindersendungen von den 70er und 80er Jahren. Shaun und ich schauen sie auch gerne an :)

Chilly day fun

2011-01-15T16:18:00.004-05:00

It seems so cold and blah outside that we've been having fun inside. The kids love painting and playing, climbing on Papa and talking to Godi. My little snuggle bug is looking at pictures with me, nibbling on a couple of pretzels.

Watching a movie

2011-01-14T17:04:00.002-05:00

The kids love eating popcorn and watching a movie - well, Lilly does. Jamie stays only as long as there is popcorn. He's not much into watching TV.

Die Kinder lieben Popcorn und einen Film anzuschauen - naja, wenigstens Lilly. Jamie bleibt nur so lange es was zu essen gibt. Er mag das Fernsehen nicht besonders.

Punkee

2011-01-13T13:43:00.006-05:00

Jamie's favorite thing for the longest time was a pumpkin - any kind that he could carry would do. Needless to say, Halloween was heaven for him!
Fuer die laengste Zeit war Jamie's Lieblingsding ein Kuerbis - egal wie gross, solange er ihn rumtragen konnte. Halloween war ein Traum fuer ihn!

Churning butter

2011-01-12T14:38:00.001-05:00

Christmas pictures

2011-01-10T23:41:00.003-05:00

A digital scrapbooking design by Smilebox

Christmas Day 2010

2011-01-09T11:45:00.007-05:00

Somehow Lilly is hogging almost every video clip, mostly because Jamie rather observes...don't worry, there'll be more of James.

Irgenwie stiehlt Lilly in fast jedem video die Schau, aber es kommen mehr von Jamie.

We spent Christmas morning at home, then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to celebrate Christmas with them. We all had a very nice time and the presents were awesome!
Wir waren am Weihnachtsmorgen zu Hause, dann sind wir nachmittags zu den Grosseltern gefahren und haben ein sehr schoenes Weihnachtsfest mit ihnen verbracht.

Here are some Christmas videos

2011-01-09T10:50:00.009-05:00

The Christkindl came to our house on the 24th and the kids were as excited as could be about the loot.
Das Christkinderl ist am 24. gekommen und die Kinder haben sich wahnsinnig ueber die Geschenke gefreut! Ein ganz grosses Dankeschoen an Omi, Opa, und Godi!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T23:05:00.001-04:00

This free digital ecard made with Smilebox

First Preschool Field Trip

2010-10-24T20:15:00.005-04:00

Lilly had her very first preschool field trip a few weeks ago - to Burger Farm. The kids had a blast picking pumpkins, watching a puppet show, talking to the animals, running thru the hay maze, and playing at the playground.
Lilly hatte ihren ersten Schulausflug zur Kuerbisfarm. Die Kinder hatten Spass beim Kuerbis aussuchen, Puppentheater anschauen, mit den Tieren reden, durchs Heulabyrinth zu laufen, und am Spielplatz zu spielen.

Outside

2010-10-15T17:32:00.005-04:00

My little friend... Mein kleiner Freund...

Big boy haircut! Neuer Haarschnitt!

Attitude!

Hiking

2010-10-15T17:07:00.002-04:00

We love hiking in the woods behind our house and up to the field on the other side of the creek.
Wir wandern gerne durch den Wald hinterm Haus und auf der anderen Seite vom Bacherl rauf aufs Feld.

Grandparents Day

2010-09-27T23:22:00.005-04:00

This past Friday Lilly had her first Grandparents Day at Preschool. She was so happy to see Grandma and Grandpa. The kids had a little program, sang songs, and enjoyed cookies and lemonade with the Grandparents. They were really cute.

Letzten Freitag hatte Lilly ihren ersten Grosselterntag im Kindergarten. Sie war so gluecklich dass Grandma und Grandpa gekommen sind. Nach einem kurzen Program, singen, und Keksen mit Limonade, haben die Grosseltern ein Geschenk bekommen und die Kinder durften spielen gehen.

And Jamie was enjoying Grandma and Grandpa's visit as well.
Jamie hat es auch gefallen dass Grandma und Grandpa auf Besuch gekommen sind.

Jamie

2010-09-10T15:20:00.004-04:00

Today we went in for Jamie's 18-month check-up. He is doing great! 33 inches, 25lbs 12 oz., and otherwise on track with his development.
He has become such a little rascal! He loves to get into absolutely everything and discovers new things on a daily base! I love this age!

Heute waren wir beim Kinderarzt fuer Jamie's 18-Monat Untersuchung. Er entwickelt sich praechtig - er ist 83,8 cm gross und wiegt 11,7 kg. In letzter Zeit ist er so ein richtiger Schlawiner geworden - er laesst nichts in Ruhe und erforscht pausenlos neue Sachen! Ich mag dieses Alter!

18 months and 3 1/2 years

2010-09-03T16:29:00.006-04:00

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted something - I'll try to be better about this.
Here are the newest pictures of our little ones.

The plants are alive!

2010-07-18T15:10:00.003-04:00

Anybody who knows me also knows that I cannot keep a plant alive for the love of it!
I've killed numerous plant over the past 15 years, mainly because I forget to water them. I am happy to report that out of 12 plants I got since we live in our new house, 11 are still alive! Three I almost lost, but with some advice from Mom and putting them outside, they have come back from the dead. That is a major accomplishment for me!
Jeder der mich kennt weiss dass ich ums verrecken keine Pflanzen am Leben erhalten kann! In den letzten 15 Jahren habe ich zahlreiche Pflanzen umgebracht, meistens weil ich sie nicht gegossen habe. Deshalb freue ich mich um so mehr dass ich von 12 Pflanzen die ich seit wir im neuen Haus wohnen bekommen habe, nur 1 umgebracht habe. Drei weitere sind fast draufgegangen, aber mit ein bisschen Hilfe von der Schwiegermama und dem schoenen Wetter draussen, sind sie wieder vom Tode auferstanden.

The last couple of days were just a lot of relaxing, playing with the kids, getting some housework done, re-potting plants, weeding, etc. I love spending time at home with the kids and I love having the space to spread out.
Die letzten paar Tage sind wir auf der faulen Haut gelegen - haben mit den Kindern gespielt, ein bisschen Hausarbeit gemacht, Pflanzen umgetopft, Unkraut gejaetet, usw. Ich bin sehr gerne mit den Kindern zu Hause und freue mich dass wir jetzt den Platz haben um im Haus auch richtig rumzutoben.

Lilly cracks me up!

2010-07-17T13:27:00.003-04:00

Lilly and I are playing tea party and we have gone thru several cups of pretend strawberry and raspberry tea, she's added ice cubes to my tea so I can drink it sooner and then we enjoyed a pretend cookie with the tea. All for a sudden she gets up from her play table and says: "I have to leave soon to get some milk from the store for my horsies." Then:"Oh, wait, I forgot my purse in the car." She gets the purse, hangs it on a door handle announces that it's now time to make lunch for her Papa. She gets wooden beads (eggs) and explains that she needs to crack them in a pan so she can make scrambled eggs.
Lilly has a wonderful imagination and it's running full-speed all day long. It is such a joy to have a little girl!

My babies 1 and 3

2010-04-15T23:44:00.004-04:00

I absolutely love these pictues of my little ones. They capture them very well.
Thanks Sonja!

Visit from nature...

2010-04-02T21:23:00.004-04:00

We were just playing in the bedroom when we heard a scratching at the front door. At first I thought it was a cat or a dog, but when I peeked out the window I saw a big turtle! A Snapping Turtle! I was really surprised. So we went outside to check our visitor out. His shell was about as big as a basketball and by the time you add on the head and tail that thing was considerable! He got stuck in our flower bed, so our neighbor got him out and after a while he was off to the pond in the back. Wir haben im Zimmer gespielt als wir ein kratzen an der Haustuere gehoert haben. Zuerst habe ich geglaubt es waere eine Katze oder ein Hund, aber als ich aus dem Fenster rausgeschaut habe war da doch tatsaechlich eine grosse Schnappschildkroete! Das war das letzte dass ich erwartet habe. Wir sind rausgegangen um uns unseren Besucher anzuschauen. Sein Panzer war so gross wie ein Basketball und mit dem Kopf und Schwanz dran war das Ding schon ziemlich gross. Er ist im Blumenbett steckengeblieben, also hat unser Nachbar ihm rausgeholfen und nach einer kleinen Weile hat er seinen Weg zum Teich fortgesetzt.

Our neighbor tried to show the kids why they weren't allowed to get close...Jamie got a bit scared...
Unser Nachbar hat den Kindern gezeigt warum sie von der Schildkroete wegbleiben muessen...Jamie hat das geschreckt...

Favorite phrases...

2010-03-24T21:44:00.008-04:00

Here are some of my favorite phrases and mispronounciations Lilly has produced in the past few weeks:

* crocodidle (Crocodile)

* I cannot like this!

* Mama, I not a crastinator! (after the 3rd thing she wanted at bedtime, I told her she's a procrastinator)

* Mama, we have to share (whenever Jamie gets a new toy)

* Let's play crispy with Wally (play Frisbee)

* I'm not a crastinator! - It was bedtime and she had to have one more cuddle, one more kiss, "I miss Daddy" (he had just put her to bed), water please, have to go to the bathroom and then she wanted to read again. I told her she is a procrastinator. She disagreed with a smile and the cutest mispronounciation.

* slippely (slippery)

* quickely

...and there are more - I'll post them when I think of them.

Lilly is THREE!

2010-03-22T01:04:00.005-04:00

Lilly had been already looking forward for several weeks to her birthday. She waited patiently, declaring every morning that it is her birthday, hoping it would work :) When it didn't work she acted all hurt.
Finally the day came and we started it out with her favorite muffins and a video chat with Omi and Godi, then we talked to Opa and a couple of friends. She got to open her presents and play with them all morning. In the afternoon her friends and grandparents came for her "Horsey" party. She had a great time celebrating with her friends, playing games, unwrapping presents and enjoying her cake.

This photo album customized with Smilebox

Lilly hat schon seit Wochen auf ihren Geburtstag gewartet. Sie hat jeden Morgen verkuendet dass es ihr Geburtstag ist, in der Hoffnung das es irgendwann mal klappt. Wenn's nicht funktioniert hat war sie eingeschnappt.
Endlich ist der Tag gekommen und wir hatten ein schoenes Fruehstueck, haben mit Omi und Godi geskypt, und mit Opa und Freunden geredet. Sie durfte ihre Geschenke aufmachen und hat den ganzen Morgen damit gespielt. Nachmittags kamen dann ihre Freunde und Grosseltern zu ihrer Geburtstagsfeier. Lilly hat sich eine Pferdeparty gewunschen, also haben wir die Kueche und das Wohnzimmer mit Pferden, Hufeisen, usw. dekoriert. Sie hatte ganz viel Spass beim Feiern, Spiele spielen, Geschenke auspacken, und Kuchen essen.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY JAMES!

2010-03-08T00:31:00.002-05:00

We have been very busy this past week with three birthday parties, one being Jamie's, going to a show with the kids, making new friends, and enjoying the wonderful weather. So finally I got around to putting a few pictures from Jamie's birthday party together. We had a great time and it was nice to have friends and family over to celebrate. Thanks to all for coming and to many others for all the presents, birthday wishes, cards and phone calls.

Create a scrapbooking design

Lilly 33 months

2010-02-21T17:14:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T23:32:00.007-05:00

I am looking forward to a very nice Valentine's Day with Shaun, Lilly and James.
I already got beautiful flowers, a card, and a little present from Shaun, with another one coming... I am getting spoiled.
Ich freue mich auf einen schoenen Valentinstag mit Shaun, Lilly und Jamie. Ich habe schon schoene Blumen, eine Karte, und ein kleines Geschenk bekommen - und eines kommt noch...ich werde total verwoehnt.
Besides other little presents, Shaun got the kids awesome Valentine balloons, shaped like a frog and monkey. They'll love them!

And here are a couple of other cute and funny pictures from the photo shoot... Und hier sind noch ein paar andere Fotos... Thanks Sonja.

Jamie 10 months

2010-02-03T22:34:00.007-05:00

James definitely enjoys his snacks...what a mess!

James geniesst seinen Snack...er macht immer einen furchtbaren Saustall!

Very proud on his new tractor...ganz stolz auf seinem neuen Traktor.

He loves the tunnel they got from Opa for Christmas.
Er liebt den Tunnel den sie vom Opa zu Weihnachten bekommen haben.

He was exhausted on the way home from a restaurant - in his new big boy carseat from Opa.
Er war total fertig auf dem Weg nach Hause in seinem neuen Autositz von Opa.
And he cuddles up with his new special doggy from Grandma.

Random December Pictures

2010-01-17T20:30:00.003-05:00

Making a gingerbread house. Much of the candy went in a little girl's mouth :)
Ein Lebkuchenhaus verzieren. Viele von den Suessigkeiten sind in den Mund eines bestimmten kleines Maedchens gegangen :)

Finn and Jamie - they are fascinated by each other.

Naked boy...

Playing with Mama...Spielen mit Mama...

Jamie's first tooth - many sleepless nights....
Jamie's erster Zahn - viele schlaflose Naechte...

Videos....

2010-01-02T00:02:00.008-05:00

Lilly discovered that the Christkindl came... Das Christkind ist gekommen...

Jamie likes his toys. Jamie mag seine Geschenke.
Lilly's favorite present - her horse. Lilly's Lieblingsgeschenk - ihr Pferd.

Getting our Christmas Tree

2009-12-20T10:37:00.007-05:00

According to family tradition we went to get our Christmas tree with Grandma and Grandpa. They found the right tree within minutes - we took over an hour! But we found the perfect tree.
Jamie was cozy in his sling with a big blanket around him. And Lilly helped with the tree search - it wasn't easy.

Afterwards we went to Grandma and Grandpa for dinner and family time.

First snow

2009-12-19T22:18:00.004-05:00

Today it snowed for the first time and Jamie experienced the cold white stuff for the first time! He wasn't sure what to think about it, but didn't mind it much either.
Lilly was busy making snow angels and having a snow ball fight with Mama.

Heute hat es zum ersten Mal geschneit und das war auch Jamie's erster Schnee. Er war sich noch nicht so ganz sicher, aber war ganz okay damit.
Lilly hat Schneeengel gemacht und wir hatten eine Schneeballschlacht bei welcher Wally die Baelle gejagt hat.

Visiting Santa!

2009-12-13T13:12:00.004-05:00

This was Jamie's first Santa visit and he wasn't too excited about jolly old St. Nick. Lilly took a few minutes to warm up, but then told him happily what she and Jamie wanted for Christmas and even let Santa have her reindeer. In exchange for some candy she even sat on his lap :)
We had cookies and juice and then headed to a friend's house to play. It was a very nice afternoon and now she keeps on asking to go back and see Santa.

Das war Jamie's erster Besuch beim Weihnachtsmann und er nicht besonders begeistert. Nach anfaenglicher Scheuheit hat sich Lilly dazu ueberwunden Santa von ihren Wuenschen zu erzaehlen und hat sich mit ein bisschen Bestechung sogar auf seinen Schoss gesetzt :)
Dann haben wir noch Kekse und Saft gehabt und sind dann zu Freunden zum Spielen gegangen. Wir hatten einen sehr schoenen Nachmittag und die Kinder waren fix und fertig dananch.

Love her smile!

2009-12-13T01:59:00.003-05:00

The pictures are 4 months old, but I just ran across them and I love the smile!
Die Fotos sind zwar 4 Monate alt, aber ich liebe ihr Laecheln!

Jamie - 9 months

2009-11-28T15:18:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that Jamie is already 9 months old! He's been crawling for about 5 weeks, pulls himself up on everything, tries to stick all kinds of things in his mouth - his favorite being leaves. He adores Lilly and wants to be around her non-stop.
Kann kaum glauben dass Jamie jetzt schon 9 Monate alt ist! Er krabbelt seit ungefaehr 5 Wochen, zieht sich ueberall hoch, und steckt sich alle moeglichen Sachen in den Mund - am liebsten sind ihm Blaetter. Er betet Lilly an und will pausenlos um sie rum sein.

My guys...

2009-10-10T11:46:00.002-04:00

I had a very nice and relaxing date with Shaun last night. We went to a concert and afterwards went out for dinner. Jamie has been awake at 1:30 in the morning, laughing, rolling around, trying to crawl - we'll never get to sleep again. He woke up this morning very early and extremly happy. When that little man puts his mind to something, he won't change it easily. Like when he wanted to play with Shaun's computer this morning - he kept on crawling toward it, reaching, hitting at it, etc. (Shaun sat on the floor)
Shaun said: Jamie is like pushing mud up the hill.
I love this expression because it applies so well to raising kids!

Lilly is running around the first floor, playing with her pretend dog, telling him to play quietly because Jamie is asleep.
We are blessed with two adorable children. I enjoy every minute of it - well, maybe not the ones in the middle of the night when I'm up with my baby boy instead of fast asleep. But soon that will change (I hope so).

NEW HOUSE

2009-10-06T12:28:00.002-04:00

Just in case I haven't mentioned it yet: We bought a new house in Cincinnati. We are very excited to move in two weeks, but the preparations come along slowly.
We are trying to get all the stuff for the children's rooms together first since they are the only rooms that need immediate attention, plus Lilly doesn't have any furniture yet since Jamie will inherit hers.
I'll post some updates soon :)

Progress - or not...

2009-10-06T12:26:00.000-04:00

There I was, the cabinet with the pots and bowls mostly packed up, when Jamie woke up.
So, good mother that I am, I went upstairs and changed the soaked little critter and his bed sheets.
After a lovely game of “where is mommy’s stinky monkey” we came downstairs to find all the mixing bowls and baking pans lined up all over the family room floor and Lilly was getting ready to play the “drums”.
Now she already lost interest in the pans, but Jamie bangs with his hands and a spoon on my metal mixing bowls while Lilly returned to the kitchen to hopefully not get more packed stuff out!
Whenever I try to get something done with her around, it’s like taking two steps forward and one step back - with a detour.

Almost crawling

2009-10-04T15:11:00.002-04:00

Jamie has been making tons of progress with moving around, but he isn't crawling yet. He does the little soldier crawl and he is perfetly capable of getting himself across the room and in all kinds of stuff, but not in the old-fashioned way of crawling. :)
He has the motions and the position down, but can't really figure out to put them together. It's pretty funny to watch. I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.
Wally got a nice haircut today and I am looking forward to not have all his fur everywhere!
Jamie hat jetzt schon fast rausgefunden wie man krabbelt, aber eben nur fast... Er ist in der richtigen Position und macht die Bewegungen, schafft es aber nicht beides zusammen zu machen. Er schaut allerdings ganz witzig aus wenn er so durch den Raum robbt. Lange wird's nicht mehr dauern.
Wally war heute beim Hundefrisoer - es war auch schon hoechste Zeit. Ich freue mich dass er jetzt fuer eine Weile nicht so haaren wird!

Neue Leiberl

2009-09-29T13:36:00.005-04:00

Die Godi hat den beiden neue Leiberl gemacht und sie schaun total suess aus. Und Lilly ist total stolz auf ihres. Danke Godi.
My sister made t-shirts for the kids - totally cute! And Lilly is so proud of hers!

Playing at the pool

2009-09-14T02:38:00.009-04:00

I'm eating!

2009-09-13T13:31:00.007-04:00

Jamie's first meal!

One of my favorite things in the morning - playing in Mama's bed

We are a lot outside - enjoying the weather whenever we can

Precious baby boy

2009-09-08T18:57:00.005-04:00

James in his baby legs - I think they are cute, Shaun thinks they are very metro sexual. Whatever! We also love the cloth diapers. I'm so glad Sonja's and Ricki's influence rubbed off on me. Thanks girls!

My babies

2009-09-08T18:30:00.007-04:00

At the park in Oakley...

2009-09-08T16:19:00.011-04:00

James isn't so sure about the swings

Best friends...

Fun at amusement parks

2009-09-08T16:03:00.011-04:00

Riding trains at Carillon Park in Dayton. Lilly couldn't get enough!

Lilly and Jake at Coney Island (it's been a couple of months)
We had a lot of fun

Jake is a great big buddy to Lil, until she decided she didn't want his help anymore and bit him - that was the end of our trip to Coney

Being out all day is exhausting.

At Wegerzyn Gardens

2009-09-08T15:42:00.010-04:00

We had tons of fun all summer long.

Playing at the creek

More summer pics...

2009-09-07T23:14:00.018-04:00

Celebrating grandpa's birthday with cakeballs

Sleeping - how Mama likes it...

Wide alert - how Papa likes it...

Playing nicely, another one of my favorite things...

Starting early on computers...

Playing at Wegerzyn Gardens with Brooklyn - we spent a lot of time there this summer.

They found a worm between the veggies - after taking turns holding it for a while, that poor thing was curled up and probably had given up all hope for survival. We rescued it in the end by putting it between tomato vines.

Going for one of many walks.

Enjoying the walk.

What we did this summer...

2009-09-07T16:59:00.022-04:00

Obviously not posting pictures :) - I know, I was really bad about that. I've had a folder with pictures to post in my file, but never got around to it. I hate the waiting when it loads. But today is the day! So I am going to show you a bunch of pictures from this summer, get the blog up-to-date, and try very hard to keep it that way :) Offensichtlich habe ich diesen Sommer zwar viele Fotos gemacht, aber keine auf die Seite gemacht. Ich hab's mir schon so lange vorgenommen und bin irgendwie nie dazu gekommen... Aber heute ist der Tag dafuer - ich werde ein paar Fotos vom Sommer draufmachen und dann hoffentlich nicht mehr so weit zurueckfallen. :) Lilly discovered one morning my lipstick, snuck in her room and used it like the sunscreen stick - all over! Eines Morgens hat Lilly meinen Lippenstift entdeckt, sich in ihr Zimmer verzogen, und sich dann bestrichen wie mit dem Sonnencremestift - ueberall!

Very tired after a party. Sehr muede nach einer Feier.

Hanging outside... Draussen spielen...

Playing play doh with Mama...also outside since Mama isn't interested in picking the stuff out of the carpet Mit Mama Play doh spielen...auch draussen weil die Mama das Zeug nicht aus dem Teppich rauskletzeln will

Loving on Jamie...

Old, old pics

2009-06-26T09:00:00.002-04:00

Fun away from home

2009-06-26T00:20:00.004-04:00

We stayed for a few days at a friend's house and we all enjoyed the change of scenery.
Wir hatten fuer ein paar Tage einen Tapetenwechsel - hat uns allen gut getan.

Yummy treats

2009-06-26T00:04:00.006-04:00

Lil had a blast spending picking strawberries, which we used to make homemade ice cream - that was really good.

The girls also had a lot of fun satisfying their sweet tooth making cake balls. I love her facial expression. That's the first time she got to go wild with chocolate - M and MC taught her well :)

At the zoo...

2009-06-14T10:35:00.004-04:00

We had fun at the zoo with with B&C.
Jamie was more or less hanging out in his stroller and Lilly got so tired walking that she and B shared a stroller in the end - poor B, being squeezed in like that :)

Jamie - 2 1/2 months

2009-06-14T10:09:00.003-04:00

Time flies...
Die Zeit vergeht...

Mid-May

2009-06-14T09:51:00.003-04:00

We went for one of our many walks. This time Lilly took one of her babies. By the end of the walk her baby stroller was on the bottom of mine and her doll was riding along in Jamie's stroller as well :) For the most part Lilly really prefers walking over sitting in the stroller.
Wir sind auf einen unserer vielen Spaziergaenge gewesen. Dieses Mal hat Lilly ihre Puppe mitgebracht. Am Ende des kleinen Ausflugs war ihr Buggy in meinem Kinderwagen und die Puppe ist mit Jamie mitgefahren :) Lilly geht sehr gerne spazieren und geht viel lieber als sie im Wagen sitzt.

Some videos of our critters...

2009-06-06T10:08:00.008-04:00

Lilly and her bff playing at the mall. It rained, so we went to the mall and let them loose. It was a fun day for all of us. FYI: Do not take two shoe-crazy girls in a shoe store! Lilly und ihre beste Freundin spielen im Einkaufszentrum. Es hat geregnet, also sind wir drinnen spazieren gegangen. Die haben auch einen schoenen Spielplatz und nach dem Mittagessen durften sie mit den Autos fahren. Zum Erinnern: nimm nie zwei Schuh-verrueckte Maedeln mit in ein Schuhgeschaeft!

What a windy day!

Happy Mother's Day to me!

2009-06-06T01:10:00.004-04:00

I enjoyed Mother's Day with my two precious kiddos...nice breakfast...cuddling on the coach...

...then we went to the park and looked at ants...

...pitty (pretty) fowers (flowers)

...slept

...discovered new animals, sounds, and plants...

2 months old

2009-06-06T00:40:00.004-04:00

Little hands and feet...the best

I love this picture - he looks so big.

The weather was nasty, so we took the girls to the mall for some serious playtime. They loved the cars!

Going for a walk with the whole family - fun with Papa.

My beautiful babies

2009-06-06T00:28:00.004-04:00

Sonja took Lilly's 2-year and Jamie's 1-month pictures. Thanks - we really like them!

And then there was a birthday...

2009-05-03T15:54:00.005-04:00

Lilly had a very happy 2nd birthday! Unfortunately I never got around to post the pictures. So here are a few...It was an Elmo party - Lilly's favorite character.

Alles Gute zum 3. Geburtstag Marko!

2009-04-24T19:13:00.003-04:00

Mein Patensohn Marko hat heute seinen dritten Geburtstag. Es tut uns leid dass wir seinen besonderen Tag nicht mit ihm feiern koennen, aber hoffen dass ihm seine Geschenke gefallen haben. Wir haben Dich sehr lieb, kleiner Mann, und wir wuenschen Dir das Beste fuer das kommende Jahr!

Lilly und Jamie wuerden ja so gerne mit Dir spielen!

Random pictures from April

2009-04-20T04:58:00.006-04:00

Easter at Grandma and Grandpa's house

2009-04-20T04:57:00.007-04:00

Jamie overslept Easter Jamie hat Ostern verschlafen The littlest bunny...Der kleinste Hase...
The Easter Bunny was good to Lilly
Der osterhase war sehr grosszuegig zu Lilly

We had a Happy Easter!

2009-04-18T16:12:00.004-04:00

Jamie likes hanging out in his swing - at least for a little while.
Jamie mag seine Schaukel - wenigstens fuer ein Weilchen.

Lilly likes reading to Jamie and showing him all kinds of things. It is so cute how she explains everything to him.
Lilly liest gerne fuer Jamie und zeigt ihm alle moeglichen Sachen. Es ist so suess wenn sie ihm erklaert was passiert.

The Easter bunny was good to Jamie - and that was only a part of what he got from Austria.
Der Osterhase war gut zu Jamie - und das war nur ein Teil von den Sachen die er aus Oesterreich bekommen hat.

The Austrian Easter bunny came in the morning after we talked to Godi, Opa and the gang. Lilly really liked her presents.
Der Oesterreichische Osterhase ist morgens gekommen nachdem wir mit Godi und Opa geredet haben. Lilly hat sich sehr ueber ihre Geschenke gefreut.

Isn't that a cute smile? I love that he starts smiling much more.
Ist das nicht ein suesses Laecheln? Ich schaue ihm so gerne dabei zu!

We went to a bunny breakfast the Saturday before Easter. Lilly had a great time hunting for Easter eggs, doing crafts, and enjoying a nice breakfast. When it came to getting closer to the bunny, she wasn't so sure about it. Jamie was much more cooperative.

Wir waren bei einem Osterhasenfruehstueck am Ostersamstag. Lilly hatte Spass beim Eier sammeln, basteln, und einem guten Fruehstueck. Allerdings hat sie der Osterhase nicht so begeistert. Da war Jamie schon viel einfacher.

Sooo far behind

2009-04-10T20:21:00.004-04:00

Okay, I am officially so far behind in posting - it's not even funny. The next few posts will be very random... My editing program doesn't work, so I downloaded another one and that doesn't update to the original files or update new pictures - I can't wait to have some time with tech-support to get this straightened out!
Last weekend we went with Sonja and Jake to the Kite Fest in West Chester. We had nice weather and a bunch of fun. It was amazing to watch the trick artists do their routines. Lilly and Jake got kites and were flying them high. They also got to play and run a lot around. We finished the day with a fruit smoothie and ended up with a light sunburn!

Ich bin so weit hinten nach mit meinem Blog dass es schon gar keine Entschuldigung mehr gibt. Meine Fotoprogramme funktionieren nicht, deshalb habe ich Probleme die Fotos runterzuladen.
Letztes Wochenende waren wir mit Sonja und Jake beim Drachen Fest. Es war toll den Trickartisten beim Drachensteigen zuzuschauen. Lilly und Jake haben ihre eigenen Drachen bekommen und haben sie auch fleissig geflogen. Nach einem Nachmittag voll Spiel und Spass hatten wir noch was Gutes und sind mit einem leichten Sonnenbrand nach Hause.

"This is so easy, I don't even have to look"
"Das ist so einfach, ich brauche noch nicht mal hinschauen"

Jake is practicing for his new sibling - he'll make a great big brother!
Jake uebt fuer sein neues Geschwisterchen - er wird ein toller grosser Bruder sein!
d

Visiting...

2009-03-30T09:36:00.004-04:00

Lilly is so very proud of her little brother... I could kiss on her non-stop.
Lilly ist so stolz auf ihren kleinen Bruder... Ich koennte sie pausenlos knuddeln.
Morgan and Jamie

Morgan and Lilly - she absolutely loved playing around with Morgan, chasing her dog, and eating tons of snacks...

Precious baby feet...

Aren't I cute?

Jamie - 11 days

2009-03-29T20:44:00.004-04:00

Just looking around...

Lilly's first steps

2009-03-29T13:57:00.003-04:00

I've been looking through some pictures on Shaun's computer and found these. Lilly is 13 months and was taking her first steps. It's hard to believe that she is already two!
Ich habe durch Shaun's Fotos geschaut und dieses Video von Lilly gefunden. Sie ist 13 Monate und macht gerade ihre ersten Schritte.

Playground fun at 13 1/2 months...

Birth Announcement Picture

2009-03-26T14:12:00.002-04:00

...taken by our favorite friend and photographer - Sonja B. :)

First few days at home...

2009-03-24T20:20:00.004-04:00

Lilly enjoyed all the presents she got from friends for being a new big sister. Thanks you!
Lilly hat sich ueber die Geschenke gefreut die sie von Freunden bekommen hat. Danke!
Wir hatten einen Kuschelabend fuer Lilly, Mama, und Papa nachdem Jamie im Bett war.We had an evening for snuggling with Lilly after Jamie went to bed...

First photo session...

2009-03-24T14:44:00.003-04:00

One day old - einen Tag alt!

Coming home

2009-03-24T14:36:00.003-04:00

Eingepackt und auf nach Hause! - Let's go home!

Grandpa and his little guy.

Lilly was so excited to meet her new baby brother. She bounced all over the place, was kissing on Jamie, and showing all together a lot of excitement. She has been very helpful with him since the beginning. We are very proud of Lilly. She hasn't really been jealous or displayed any negative behavior.

Lilly hat sich so gefreut ueber ihren neuen Bruder. Sie hat rumgetanzt und wollte ihn pausenlos streicheln. Sie hilft mit dem Windel wechseln, Flasche geben, und spielt mit Jamie. Wir sind sehr stolz auf Lilly und bis jetzt war sie auch noch nicht eifersuechtig.

Special Delivery!

2009-03-24T14:04:00.004-04:00

Finally I get around to posting some pictures of our newest family addition - our little Jamie. These are some pictures from his first day in this world. He was born after only about three hours of active labor and a week of backpain. We are very happy to say that he is healthy, has all his fingers and toes and a strong set of lungs, which he exercises regularly.

Endlich habe ich mal Zeit ein paar neue Fotos aufs Blog zu machen. Hier ist unser kleiner Jamie an seinem ersten Tag in unserer Welt. Er wurde nach nur drei Stunden Wehen und einer Woche Rueckenschmerzen geboren. Wir freuen uns sagen zu koennen dass er gesund und gluecklich ist, alle Finger und Zehen hat, und noch dazu ein kraeftiges Paar Lungen, welche er regelmaessig benuetzt.

Grandma was in the delivery room with us - she got to hold her first grandson when he was only a few minutes old.
Grandma war mit uns im Entbindungszimmer - sie durfte ihren ersten Enkelsohn zum ersten Mal halten als er gerade ein paar Minuten alt war.

James Robert is here!!!

2009-03-10T22:13:00.002-04:00

7 pounds 11 ounces
20 inches
2.26.09 at 3:09pm

Happy 4th Birthday, Jake!

2009-02-26T06:16:00.003-05:00

Today my godson Jake is turning 4! Happy Birthday! We hope you are having a very special day! Hugs, Ally, Shaun, and Lilly

4 days over!

2009-02-25T18:52:00.006-05:00

This baby has no sense for time! So far he is four days late and it doesn't look like he'll come tonight either. We have another doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. Maybe all the sitting on a ball, taking baths, walking, centering, and other stuff finally helped. On the weekend Lilly helped me get ready - she makes a really good little hairdresser.

Dieses Baby hat keinen Sinn fuer Zeit! Bis jetzt ist er vier Tage zu spaet und es schaut nicht so aus als ob er heute noch kommen wuerde. Morgen haben wir wieder einen Arzttermin. Mal schauen ob das ganze auf einem Ball rumzurollen, heisse Baeder, Spaziergaenge, meditieren, und andere Sachen geholfen hat. Am Wochenende hat Lilly mir geholfen meine Haare zu foenen - sie ist ziemlich gut als Frisoese.

The Big Day is here! (or not)

2009-02-21T07:31:00.003-05:00

Today is the 21st of February! Due date for our little baby boy to arrive! We'll see if he'll be on time like his big sister was. - It would be nice... A few days ago I received a UPS package and Lilly fell in love with the box - she used it as a bed, hide-away, etc. and had tons of fun with it. It's funny that the boxes are always more interesting than the content. And now she already waits for the brown truck to come - it brings presents!

Heute ist der 21. Februar - und unser Kleiner soll heute kommen! Wir werden sehen ob er so puenktlich ist wie Lilly war. - Es waere schoen... Vor ein paar Tagen habe ich ein Paket von UPS bekommen und Lilly hat sich in die Schachtel verliebt - sie benuetzt sie als Bett, zum Verstecken, usw. und hat sehr viel Spass damit. Es ist witzig dass die Box immer interessanter ist als der Inhalt. Jetzt wartet sie schon immer auf den braunen Truck - weil der bringt Geschenke!

4 days to go...

2009-02-17T14:31:00.003-05:00

Since yesterday I am on maternity leave - now I am ready for this little critter to arrive. Lilly and I had a fun day. We played peek-a-boo under the covers, played with blocks and dolls, and went for a nice walk. She pretended to talk on her cell phone while pushing the Puppe.

Seit gestern bin ich in Karenz - jetzt kann der Kleine kommen. Lilly und ich hatten einen schoenen Tag. Wir haben unter der Decke Verstecken gespielt, hatten Spass mit Blocks und Puppen, und sind auf einen schoenen Spaziergang gegangen. Lilly hat auf ihrem nicht existierenden Handy geredet und dabei Puppe rumgeschoben.

Nailcare

2009-02-17T14:15:00.006-05:00

Here are some pictures from last week. I love watching her sleep... and she is doing her nails - it was hilarious to watch!
Ein paar Fotos von letzter Woche... Ich schaue ihr so gerne beim Schlafen zu... und sie macht ihre Naegel - total witzig!

9 days...

2009-02-12T19:01:00.002-05:00

We went to the OB today and I am 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced. Several friends have been guessing that I won't be making it to the due date.
Heute waren wir beim Arzt und ich bin 3 cm und 75%. Mehrere Freunde glauben dass ich es nicht bis zum Geburtstermin schaffen werde. Wir werden sehen...

Where we deliver: Kettering Memorial Hospital

2009-02-11T09:12:00.002-05:00

To all who have asked about directions to the hospital: go to this web-site and on the left side is a "directions" button - follow from there. Visiting hours are from 11 - 8 and kids under 12 aren't allowed. We are planning on staying for 24 hours after the baby is born. Hope this helps. :)

http://www.khnetwork.org/kettering/

Baby Gallery: you'll be able to see here a picture of our little guy once he's arrived under "G".

http://www.khnetwork.org/wcs/babygallerykmc/

10 days...

2009-02-11T07:57:00.003-05:00

Time has gone by fast...only 10 more days - and he is baring down pretty hard. Except for the slight fear that my water will brake anywhere but home, I think I'm as prepared as I'm going to get for our little offspring to arrive. A nice memory: the first hour we spent with our Lilly-Belle.

Die Zeit vergeht so schnell...nur noch 10 Tage - und er laesst es mich wissen! Ausser dass ich mich ein bisschen davor fuerchte dass mein Wasser nicht zu Hause bricht, bin ich so weit dass unser kleiner Zwerg kommt. Eine schoene Erinnering: die erste Stunde die wir mit Lilly verbracht haben.

100th post!

2009-02-09T13:37:00.002-05:00

It only took about a year for me to get 100 posts together, but here I am!
There are 12 more days until our little boy arrives - if he is on time. Today he is stretching like he is practicing for Yoga. This probably makes him as tired as I am. I really could use a nap, but there's no time right now. Maybe tomorrow again. For all those who asked - I deliver at Kettering Memorial Hospital.
Lilly got to spend Friday night at Shaun's parents' and she did very well and had lots of fun. We are glad that she feels comfortable enough to spend the night away from home. It was her dry-run for delivery day :) We spent the rest of the weekend playing, cleaning, organizing for the baby, and Shaun put a new floor in the kitchen.

Enjoying the snow

2009-02-07T10:44:00.002-05:00

We enjoyed the snow - playing, sledding, and going for a walk. She is my little snowbunny.
Wir haben im Schnee gespielt, sind Bob gefahren, und sind mit dem Hund spazieren gegangen. Sie ist mein kleiner Schneebaer.

Playtime!

2009-02-07T10:33:00.004-05:00

Lilly loves playing with her friend B. Although, she really can be a little bully. She is still learning to share :)

Visiting with friends

2009-02-07T10:20:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we finally got a chance to see friends for a belated Christmas. We had a very nice lunch and afternoon and Lilly enjoyed playing with their dog Snuggles - I don't think he was so fond about it. We'll have to get together more often!
Freunde besuche... Vor zwei Wochen hatten wir endlich Zeit ein sehr verspaetetes Weihnachten mit Freunden zu feiern. Nach einem guten Mittagessen hat Lilly mit dem Hund gespielt - allerdings fuerchtet der sich ein bisschen vor kleinen Kindern.

It's snowing!

2009-01-28T08:48:00.002-05:00

We are getting a bunch of snow and are about to enjoy it! Lilly gets a total kick out of watching the snow falling thru the window in her room. She is disappointed that the squirrels aren't out today :) Since I finally got my new camera, I will be posting soon some pictures.
Bei uns schneit es und wir freuen uns schon aufs Spielen im Schnee! Lilly steht vorm Fenster und schaut den Schneeflocken zu. Sie ist ein bisschen enttaeuscht weil heute die Eichhoernchen nicht draussen spielen :) Jetzt wo ich meine neue Kamera habe werde ich auch wieder oefters Fotos aufs Blog machen - versprochen.

We have a new president!

2009-01-22T20:47:00.002-05:00

We are very excited about our new president and are looking forward to change!
Es tut gut einen neuen Presidenten zu haben und freuen uns dass sich bald Dinge aendern werden!

Playdate

2009-01-17T06:12:00.004-05:00

Friday we went on a playdate with B and C. The girls really like the museum and had especially fun checking out the animals.
Am Freitag waren wir mit Freunden beim Museum. Die Maedels haben sich besonders ueber die Tiere gefreut.

Isn't this the cutest woodchuck you've ever seen?
Ist das nicht das suesseste Murmeltier dass Du jemals gesehen hast?

Going for a walk...

2009-01-17T05:42:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we enjoyed the nice weather and went for a nice long walk. It fills my "once-a-week exercise" quota. Isn't that sad?
Letztes Wochenende haben wir das schoene Wetter mit einem langen Spaziergang genossen - meine "einmal-pro-Woche" Bewegung. Ist das nicht traurig?

Everybody who knows Lilly, knows that there is no way she'll ever survive for longer periods of time without her blankie. It used to belong to Shaun when he was little.
Jeder der Lilly kennt weiss dass sie es nie lange ohne ihre Kuscheldecke aushaelt. Vor Ewigkeiten war das Shaun's Lieblingsdecke.
Our Wally...Lilly knows about every command for him and now we have to learn to distinct between using them with the dog and with people...
Unser Wally...Lilly kennt mittlerweile jedes Kommando fuer ihn, aber muss noch lernen dass diese nur fuer den Hund und nicht fuer Leute benuetzt werden koennen...

Chicago

2009-01-17T05:26:00.002-05:00

Last week I went with my BFF (doesn't that sound like I'm 15 years younger) to Chicago to enjoy a night away from the kids and see the musical Wicked. We had a great time and a bunch of fun. I didn't take many pics since Sonja is the photographer and I rely on her copies, but here are a couple I like. Thursday the sky was unbelievably blue and I thought it was cold, until we reached this week below 0 temperatures in Dayton as well. Sonja, thanks for a fun time!

Letzte Woche war ich mit Sonja fuer zwei Tage in Chicago um mal kurz vom Familienleben wegzukommen und uns das Musical Wicked anzuschauen. Wir hatten total viel Spass und waren auch in einem super Hotel. Am Donnerstag war der Himmel blau und wolkenlos. Ich dachte es waere kalt gewesen bis es diese Woche hier in Dayton minus 17 Grad Celsius gehabt hat!

When she was brand-new...

2009-01-16T17:12:00.004-05:00

Since I haven't downloaded any new pictures since Christmas, I thought I show you some shots Sonja took of Lilly when she was brand-new...It won't be long and we'll have another little one.

Da ich schon seit Weihnachten keinen neuen Fotos mehr habe, dachte ich mir dass ich Euch ein paar Fotos zeige die Sonja von Lilly gemacht hat als sie noch nicht mal einen Tag alt war...Es wird nicht lange sein und wir werden noch so einen kleinen Zwerg haben.
Sonja was one of the first people to ever hold Lilly Belle. I am looking forward to have her there when our little boy will enter this world.
Sonja war eine der Ersten die unsere Lilly gehalten hat. Ich freue mich dass sie auch dieses Mal da sein wird wenn unser kleiner Mann kommen wird.

Thanks

2009-01-05T08:54:00.004-05:00

We spent yesterday with Sonja and her family for a belated Christmas and had a very nice and relaxing day. Lilly was excited to see Jakey. Sonja took a very nice picture of Lilly, but according to old fashion she didn't make it easy for her. :) Thank you for the nice picture!

Wir waren gestern bei Sonja und ihrer Familie fuer ein verspaetetes Weihnachten und hatten eine sehr schoenen und ruhigen Tag. Lilly hat sich sehr gefreut Jakey zu sehen. Sonja hat dieses Foto von Lilly gemacht, obwohl diese ihr es nach alter Tradition nicht einfach gemacht hat. Danke fuer das schoene Foto! Und ich weiss, sie muss zum Friseur.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:26:00.003-05:00

We wish our family and friends a Happy New Year! We spent the evening playing with Lilly, fixing and eating good food, watching a movie, talking, and waiting for the new year to come. It is hard to believe that yet another year is over. We have been blessed throughout the year and are very grateful. We had the opportunity to attend a couple of seminars early on in the year that really helped change our outlook on life. Then we learned that we are going to have another baby and we had a chance to visit my family in Austria and have our little girl baptized. Unfortunately my mom also had a couple of strokes this past year, which have changed her and my siblings' lives considerably. We met some other challenges along the way, but try to focus on the good, believing that the not so good stuff has a lesson to teach us.
Thank you to all of you who have stayed in touch and let us be a part of your lives!
Have a blessed, happy and prosperous New Year!

Wir wuenschen unsere Familie und Freunden ein Gutes Neues Jahr! Wir haben das alte Jahr ohne grossen Aufwand ausklingen lassen - spielen mit Lilly, gutes Essen, einen Film, reden, und aufs neue Jahr warten. Es ist schwer zu glauben dass schon wieder ein Jahr vorueber ist. Wir hatten ein gutes Jahr und haben vielen Sachen fuer die wir dankbar sind. Wir haben erfahren dass wir ein zweites Baby haben werden und wir konnten meine Familie in Oesterreich besuchen und Lilly dort taufen lassen. Leider hatte meine Mama auch zwei Schlaganfaelle im vergangenen Jahr die ihr Leben und das meiner Geschwister wesentlich veraendert hat. Wie jeder andere haben auch wir noch mehrere gute und nicht so gute Nachrichten bekommen, aber wir probieren positiv zu bleiben und glauben dass aus allem etwas Gutes gelernt werden kann.
Danke dass so viele von Euch sich die Zeit nehmen und mit uns in Kontakt bleiben. Wir wuenschen Euch ein gesundes, glueckliches, und erfolgreiches Neues Jahr!

She loves the Waltons!

2008-12-29T17:24:00.002-05:00

Our little one doesn't watch much TV, but on holidays its a tradition to watch the Waltons at Grandpa's and Grandma's house. She loves the show and gets really excited when the music comes on. This video was taken way past her bedtime and she still had energy to dance!