Lest I Forget

Anna turned 14 yesterday. We made our second trip to the zoo after getting her ears pierced and lunch at Chick-fil-a. Our first trip, we missed the gorillas. Yesterday we arrived just as the program about the gorillas began. We were able to see a mother and 3 month old baby. After that, we moseyed around, taking our time, and enjoying the non-animal activities. Sadly for Peter, most of these activities require you to weigh more than his 35 pounds. He can ride the carousel, however, and after taking a few whirls around, we crossed over the bridge to the gardens and splash pad. I can tell we are going to love this zoo! You can walk inside the kangaroo exhibit. They were so excited to see us. Mother and baby gorilla Cones in their natural habitat The ropes activity they all had been looking forward to. The misery of not weighing enough to participate Pony rides

Poor Peter. His birthday was going along just nicely until his mother interrupted the fun by breaking her arm at the actual party.  A couple of days before, Jack and I went shopping together for gifts. I always like those rare days where I get time to focus on just one kid. Jack and I had fun searching through the German toy store. He also made note of several items he wanted for himself. We brought home our stash and hid it away. On the morning of Peter's birthday, I let all the kids wrap the gifts for their brother. I was hoping to avoid that moment when another kid gives in to jealousy by getting them involved in the giving. It worked. I simply cannot fathom how my baby, my youngest is all of a sudden four. His bright eyes, and the dimple on one cheek when he smiles melt my heart every time. He amazes me with his insights and attention to the little details of life. What a blessing he is! Happy fourth birthday Peter! "I'm four!" Now he has his own...

Yesterday, Therese turned 5. She is the end of the "birthday season" and we can now return to our normal eating habits! We had been thinking of going to Legoland to celebrate the three birthdays, but the mere thought of driving for four hours was a huge deterrent to the adult population of our group. Looking for something closer in, I looked up the Technic Museum. We have been to the one in Speyer, but there is a second one in Sinsheim that happens to have two supersonic jets on the roof that you can explore. There was a ticket option to add Tripsdrill to the package. I had no idea what it even was, so I clicked on the link. It was an amusement park set up like a town in the 1800's. It was a lot closer. We skipped Speyer and spent the day at Tripsdrill. We had a great day. We arrived at lunchtime. Keeping everyone occupied with the drink coasters. Concentration is required. I get this look a lot lately. Ta-da! Come on Dad! Let's go!! ...

From the warmth of my house, I stared out the window at the cold wind blowing, swirling leaves up and around and spreading them hither and yon. I felt like one of those leaves. I am caught up in the winds of a huge move and I don't have a lot of say about which way I am blown. Today, for instance, I will be packing up the kids again so that the property manager can show the house. We did this yesterday too. So much for organizing our things. On New Year's Day, though, I stood firm against that mighty wind and chose to get in the car yet again to take one almost seven year old to the Lego store two hours away for a birthday surprise. I walked behind him and his siblings. As the store came into view, he grabbed Anna's hand, gave it a good squeeze, and began walking faster. There may have even been a little jig in his steps. Before going inside, he paused outside to look at all the displays in the store window. Then, after giving me one of the biggest grins ever, he stepped ...