Pre-Christmas season post....

Just barely making it before it's OFFICIAL Christmas season.... I think. ok, ok. not really. December 1st should be the beginning of the Christmas season but it's really already begun.


 But November was good prep for a busy Christmas time... St.Martin is big here, then Anjun's Birthday... and a recent trip to Frankfurt to get Marlo his passport. And of course, the busy schedule of keeping two small children fed, happy, dry and rested... a husband trying to enjoy some family time while also working on our future and things around the house... all part of being a mom and small family I guess.


 First was St. Martin... a Catholic holiday (these Germany LOVE Catholic holidays.. seriously, I learned in my integration course they have the worlds most holidays off of work. And they're pretty much all Catholic holidays).

Basics: little kids make little lanterns and follow a man in a red cape on a horse singing songs...

It all ends with a parade, bon fire and goodies. Quite sweet... and Anjun and I's first St Martin!!!!!!!

Anjun got a handmade Fire truck lantern... made by yours truly. It was a hit with little boys everywhere.

Bath time is always a good time for some skin time... and Marlo is just so kissable....

And cute while he's wet... Anjun agrees. He was going back and fourth from kissing\admiring his bathing brother to freaking out that he was not also simultaneously getting a bath because whatever Marlo gets or has Anjun MUST also have. oh my...

But this lead to both boys somehow being naked and Anjun delivering this masterful hug

The excitement is priceless. But he gets so excited that his hugs are more like him man handling poor little Marlo and squeezing him as hard as he can.

Then Anjun's Birthday party... started out with some family and then some friends came, and it was totally as crazy as a birthday party should be. A trip to Anjun's favorite spot... a lake nearby and a walk.

Then of course, cake, toys, playing, and a little paper crown that had a '2' on it. Every now and then he would reach up either to straiten it or to re-realize it was there. He was very happy wearing it. omg, pic below...












Marlo is doing the CU-TEST little sounds with droll, flapping lips and a little squeal mixed in. this pic catches him in the middle of one of them. It's so freakin cute. Did I mention how cute it is? It's so cute. really.

Check. out. this. face. Do you see it? (below) No, really look at it. Anjun got a workbench... FINALLY a place where he can hit things as hard as he wants to. As loud as he wants to. And we cheer him on, not scold him and take something away. This is perfect for his current phase in life. But the face. He's looking as me, in the corner of his eye, like 'you're really going to let me do this!?'

Enjoy the busy beginnings of Christmas season.


 Much love


The Weddings

October...I mean November

Somehow my late October post has turned into an early November post. I wonder how that happened... oh, wait I know, I HAVE TWO YOUNG CHILDREN. and nothing (I mean literally, nothing) happens in the time frame it used to. Let's hope this helps me with an important lesson of letting go. Marlo is getting to be a very talkative little man. I am amazed at the rate at which he's growing. He's fallen into a nice rhythm of naps in the day - and still sleeps happily in his bed or in the baby wrap (check out the snow bear hat!!!).

Anjun LOVES to climb up his chair and open the window and check out what's going in in our little village. He can now say bus and butter (two of his favorite things, to ride and eat respectively) and has been playing around withtrying to say juice and please...

Sebas and I recently celebrated our anniversary. Check out my cake. It's a half chocolate, half almond cake (my fav=choc, Sebas fav=almonds/marzipan) in three layers with raspberry marmalade, marzipan and chocolate between each layer and over everything a cream/chocolate combination and a Marzipan OM on top. omg. It was so freaking good.

Anjun LOVES to kiss Marlo, recently he grabs him and wants to give him a hug... he also gently 'pets' him, and does the cutest little shrugging-his-shoulders-and-smiling-slash-squinting-his-eyes-and-hunching-over-thing when Marlo does something cute. Clearly he gets that from us... ok, probably more me. And of course, all this loving is mixed, sometimes combined with threatening to hit, bite and or throw things at Marlo. Oh, the joys of being a parent of a two year old and baby....

In the above pic Anjun started with kissing Marlos head, then he gets sucked in like a huge magnet and rubs his cheeks against his head... then neck..or ears... then back to kissing.  All while closing his eyes and humming/squealing.  It's so precious. 

This is a timer shot while we're having our last picnic just around the corner from our house. Timer shots are the only way we get a family pic in these days... check out the one on the bottom of this post :)

Marlo, wrestling an owl!

Anjun picking the grass... he's growing up so much. He'll be two in a week. whoa.

And this is what happens when we try to get a spontaneous timer family shot. Next time, a german holiday: St Martin and Anjuns second Birthday!!!



 'til then


 LOVE
 The Weddings