Learning New Skills

Last week we finally had some cooler temperatures which was such a refreshing treat.   And despite Peter and I being down and out with a stomach virus for 36 hours each, we still managed to  have a fun weekend.   (Peter battled his virus in a hotel in Portugal and then brought it home to me.   The girls haven't gotten it yet, so we are keeping fingers crossed that they stay well.)    Susannah had a big break-through with her swimming lessons when she swam halfway across the big 25 m pool by herself, and SA is still learning new things everyday.   She is "cruising" along the furniture and wants to do everything her sister does.   She is especially interested in coloring and has been sitting at the "big girl table" in the playroom.   She eats the crayons more than she actually colors, but it is clear that sitting in a chair like her sister makes her feel very special and grown up.  

Here are the pictures from the week:

Sarah Avery can get in and out of the playhouse by herself now.   She and Susannah play together so much more now.    

Susannah mastered the big pool last week at swimming lessons.   She swam over half the 25 meters three different times.   

She was so proud, but so exhausted at the end of class.   

Peter brought this sled home from his run one morning and the girls LOVE it.   Maybe this winter we will have enough snow to really use it.  

Peter flew to Lisbon Wednesday afternoon so he took the morning off and let Susannah ride her bike to school.   (She had applied her own sunscreen to her face.  Can you tell?)

Saturday was a beautiful day.  Peter was over his stomach virus and it hadn't hit me yet, so we headed to the zoo after lunch.   Susannah wore her cat mask all day.

SA was intrigued.

Susannah enjoyed all the playgrounds at the zoo as much as she did the animals.  

And she never took that cat mask off one single time.   

The meer cats are always a hit.  

Susannah timed herself at the "are you faster than an emu exhibit?"   I don't think she is.   ;)

Sarah Avery liked checking out the big birds too.

And the polar bears were out and so fun to watch.

My favorite part of the Stuttgart zoo is, hands down, the gardens.   It is so beautifully and meticulously manicured.   The perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday. 

Both girls really enjoyed the aquarium.

This face cracks me up.

Two sisters checking out the fish.

After the aquarium, we found a spot of grass and had a little snack break.   

Susannah had a ball running barefoot.

Pure joy.

Here is one of the coloring sessions I mentioned.   

I can't get over how grown up SA looks in these pictures.  

As Sarah Avery grows and is more capable of destroying Susannah's stuff, it isn't always happy and rosy between these two.  

But in general, Susannah is still so patient with her and loves to teach her things.   

Sunday the stomach virus wiped me out so it became Daddy Day.    They all had a good time and went out to a couple of different parks.   Hope all of you had a nice week.   Lots of love from Stuttgart!
 

11 Months and Beating the Heat

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it is still hot.   And Germany is still the land of no air conditioning.   So a big chunk of our week consisted of trying to beat the heat and praying for the sun to stay behind the clouds.  But despite the high temperatures, we managed to have a great week that included lots of time with friends and some relaxing family time as well.    In other news, Sarah Avery is 11 months old this week.   And as evidenced by the pictures below, she is very curious, very mobile, and very adorable.      

Now that she can pull up easily, she is extremely interested in crayons and paper.   Not necessarily to color; she considers craft supplies more of a snack than a hobby.  

Yellow crayon??  Yummy!

Susannah seems to be taller every single day.   How is that possible?

August school break is approaching and I think she is ready.    Kindergarten isn't air conditioned either and she comes home pretty tired from playing in this heat.   

As of this incident, we have instated a strict "water closet door must remain closed at all times" policy.    

Please notice both hands as far into the toilet as she can manage.   

In other news, SA learned a new skill this week......clapping.

She does it all the time now.  

And is super proud of herself.  

While Susannah takes her swimming lessons, SA and I have been walking the bike trails that run behind the pool complex.   They are lined with these flower fields which run on an honor system.   You pick the flowers and leave the money in the barrel.   I want to let Susannah pick some one day soon. 

Ready for ballet.

Her teacher requested that she start coming with her hair in a bun.   I'm so relieved somebody gave us this big ribbon  that camouflages my horrible attempt at a bun.   

97 degrees means Mama is not turning the oven on, so we had smoothies for dinner on Friday night.   Sarah Avery loved it!

Silly sisters.  

She loves playing with her sister more than anything else.  

Before Sunday school I had to snap a couple of photos of this big girl.  

I think she looks so much like Peter's family in these pictures.   

And that was our week.   We hope all of you are enjoying your summers.   We love and miss you all!

Neighborhood Fun and SA's Newest SkillI

This week was pretty uneventful, so I didn't take many pictures at all.   Susannah is still taking swim lessons and ballet so our afternoons are busy with those activities.   And this weekend we had some fun neighborhood events that we enjoyed.   Saturday morning was a neighborhood flea market, which was cool because we got to see the back yards/alleys of the other buildings around us.  It was festive and friendly, as most neighbors who participated were selling homemade baked goods and grilled sausages in addition to typical yard-sale stuff.   We scored a new cozy stroller sack for Sarah Avery to enjoy this winter.   Then Saturday afternoon, Susannah's school had a "Summerfest" for the students and their families.   It was hot, but we all enjoyed ourselves.   Sunday was church and a biergarten lunch with some friends.   Here are the very few pictures from the week.......

When it is hot in the land of no air-conditioning, the coolest place to be is the pool.   Luckily, the pools near us are awesome and have lots of good grassy, shady spots.   

I know this is blurry, but since Sarah Avery is always moving, it is tough to catch a picture of her that isn't.   She is pulling up all the time now, on everything, regardless of how sturdy it is.   She is definitely already more of a daredevil than her sister was.  

She knows where the toys are and doesn't hesitate to go for whatever is striking her fancy at the moment. 

She still isn't eating well, but I think we are making progress.   It is just slllloooowwww progress.   

Friday night Peter and I had date night.   We had drinks and chips at a mexican place and then sushi for dinner.   It was so much fun.  

Peter gave Susannah 3 euros to spend at the flea market.   She took her purchases very seriously.  

This girl has been cracking us up lately. Two quick examples:  

1.   She was playing with two little boys at a biergarten where we were having dinner with Peter's colleagues.   We overheard her telling them that they were going to be fairies.  
Susannah addressing the group: "Ok, we're going to be fairies"
Little boys: "Yeah, we can be knights"
Susannah (100% seriousness): "Well, you can't be knights, but you can be fairies at night."  

2.  Earlier this week, Peter was telling us about his day at dinner and he mentioned that he had a meeting with a Swedish military officer.  
Susannah: "Daddy, what did you do at work today?"
Daddy: "I had a meeting with a Swedish man."
Susannah:  "Why is he Sweetest...does he really like candy?

And that is it for this week.   We hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summers.   Love and miss you all!

Austrian Alps

Last week, as summer weather officially arrived in Stuttgart and the temperature in our apartment began a rapid ascent, Peter and I knew that our last minute decision to travel for July 4th was a good one.   We were especially happy because we had booked a place high in the Austrian Alps, which meant peace, quiet, and cool nights.    We had originally been nervous about the 3.5 hour drive with Sarah Avery, but after our hot week, an air-conditioned car sounded like a treat, with or without a crying baby.    Both girls ended up doing great on the trip though and we enjoyed three days of crisp mountain air.    Here are the pictures:

The place where we stayed had an awesome play-room for the kids.   SA liked the kitchen.

And the stuffed animals.

Susannah liked the fancy baby doll stroller.

When we left Stuttgart on Friday morning, our apartment was around 85 degrees and the temperature outside was already exceeding that at 8:30 am.   When we arrived and felt the cool drizzly mountain air, we almost cried tears of joy.  

No cars, no buses, no u-bahns........aahhhhh.

Susannah was ready to jump into the pool the second we arrived.

The view from the back yard was so peaceful.

SA liked the pool too.

Saturday morning we were up and ready for a July 4th hike.   

There were trail-heads right outside our door, so we picked one and headed out.   

SA tried to resist taking her nap so she could enjoy the views, but eventually she went out and let Mama enjoy the quiet for a little while.

And quiet it was.

Susannah insisted on wearing her Frozen Elsa singing gloves on the hike.   After combining those with her purple sunhat and binoculars around her neck, she was quite the fashionable hiker.  

We passed some friendly cows along the way.

"Wait Daddy!"

"Carry me around the cows please!"

Hiking buddies.

My hiking buddy and me.

I know this is a whole lotta pictures of a forest, but it was such a lovely break from city life that I couldn't stop snapping. 

Our hike led us down to the next little village from where we stayed.  We kept saying that the views looked like one of those 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles.

The village had a great playground.

Peter and the girls played and had some refreshments while I hiked back to get the car.

And continued to snap pictures.

Peter and I decided that this might be a great place to retire.  

Pure beauty.

This was our hotel.   We already want to return next year. 

We ate lunch in the village at a restaurant/hotel that had this awesome playground in the back.   

SA liked the swing. 

Peter and I decided that this looked like an add for laundry detergent, with the sheets and towels drying in the alpine air.   

The hotel cat was really friendly.

And they even put little firework decorations in our ice cream.   (Pretty sure it was coincidental and had nothing to do with July 4th, but we loved it either way!)

We spent the afternoon in the backyard, swimming.

And acting silly.

And grillin' some dogs.

We had a great late afternoon rainstorm that cleared the air and cooled everything down.

The next morning we woke to more beautiful mountain views. 

Peter and Susannah headed out on another morning hike (this time with her crown and sunglasses), while SA and I stayed back for a morning nap.

While SA napped, I read with this view.  

Peter and Susannah hung out at the village playground until SA and I were ready to join them. 

Then we drove up above the treeline, to have a traditional alpine lunch at 7000 feet. 

It was stunning up there. 

We felt a little guilty about having driven up as it is really a hiker's refuge.   We hadn't earned our lunch like everybody else had.  

Maybe next year we will attempt the hike up. 

We thought of Poppy when we ate the delicious schnitzel and potato salad.

Before heading back down, we snapped some photos.   Of course.  

We spent our last afternoon jumping on hotel trampoline and swimming some more.

Our Monday morning departure came way too soon.   We softened the blow a little bit by stopping in Munich on the way home to buy an AC unit.   And when we got home and walked into the oven that we call an apartment, we were so glad we did.

Happy Independence Day to everyone!   We love and miss you all!