Meisenheim Christmas Market #6

On the feast of the Immaculate Conception, we started the day with Mass.  Driving to church it started rainy.  It had been partly sunny when we left the house.  When we walked into church it had just changed from rain to snow.  Coming out of church the ground was covered in about a half inch of snow.  In a normal car with normal tires that's not a problem, but in my giant rear wheel drive van with questionable quality tires awaiting replacement (takes forever to get parts for this over here) it is a little nerve wracking.  We were late to Brian's Christmas party as it was and the traffic was bad because of the sudden dump of snow.  Luckily, there were no really steep inclines on the way and we made it safe and sound to the party.

After the party, the sun had melted the roads and the snow looked as if it was gone.  We went home and changed for the next Christmas market.  It was still very cold, so we dressed in lots of layers.  Hannah really didn't want to go, and Drew and Judah were also asking to stay home.  She ended up babysitting them while the rest of us took Brian's mom to the market.  It was about 30 minutes away. 

One of the first stalls was a couple of Germans who sang country music and loved Texas.  We stopped to chat with them.  His first words were, "Texas is the best place on earth."  This market was full of woodwork crafts.  We got a couple of candles made of wood and a candle holder carved out of a tree trunk.  There was various live music all along the walk through the Christmas market.  At the very last stall I found myself a nice winter hat since Genevieve has taken over my hat from last year and she looks too beautiful in it for me to take it back.

Speaking of taking my clothes, it looks like that day has finally arrived.  Hannah wore my shirt to the Christmas party.

Christmas Market Buddies

It started snowing as we were already walking to the van and the drive home was rough.  It's dumping snow that fast these days.

St. Nicholas Day and the German Kindergarten Program

Brian always goes to work late if possible on St. Nicholas' Day because that is when we do our stockings and sometimes another gift.  We started this tradition about 9 years ago when we lived in Germany and Brian was deploying before Christmas and he wanted to see the girls get their gifts.  We do wrap a gift for under the tree too, but I try to stick to one gift each and then maybe a shared gift for Christmas Day.  They get a lot from family and the "stuff" is really overwhelming with so many kids.

Right after taking a bite of his chocolate Santa, Drew's tooth got really loose and he let Brian pull it.  It was his first tooth to loose!  Loosing a tooth because of chocolate isn't a bad way to do it, right?  He cried and has been a bit of a weeny about the whole thing.  However, he was happy to accept the dollar in his tooth pillow that I made him when he was born while proudly proclaiming that he knew I was the one who put it there.

A party for families was scheduled for after the school day ends at 2pm.  We were excited to be able to take Nanna with us and watch Drew and Judah do a couple of songs for the families.  I brought some American brownies to share because they were a big hit last year.

Drew was a little embarrassed this time and half performed his song and dance.  Judah was the cutest smiley thing ever!

After that we were supposed to rush over to the big three's Gregorian Chant practice, but we were getting a new window in the kitchen installed and  had to miss it.  I'm embracing the Joy of Missing Out!

Missing Tooth and All!

Judah was so very cute when he did the hand motions and clapped with the songs!

Drew is the oldest in the Kindergarten now and so he was the leader penguin in the second song they did.  He collected more children to follow him each round, when the chorus was sung.

Weilerbach, Christmas Market #5

Nanna and Genevieve

Brian's mom, AKA Nanna, came specifically for Christmas markets, and so Brian was going to squeeze as many in as possible for her.  Monday evening, there was a market close to our house that is a good one, not too small.   We bundled up and met Brian there after basketball practice for a festival dinner.  They had a loaded Christmas hamburger with pear-bacon chutney and onions that was pretty amazing.  We got three of those and shared them.  Then we got an Irish meat plate that was just as good as last year to share.  Some of the kids shared some salmon sandwiches and probably other stuff that I don't remember.  Everyone had hot chocolates or Mexican punch or Gluwein.  These things are all about the food, you know!

There were a few shopping stalls and live music as well.  Bobby LOVED the live music!

My Bob Lamb enjoying the live music.

Judah enjoying the hot chocolate!

The next day, while I got an oil change and a tire check, Nanna and I  (plus Bobby!) went to a Christmas Bazaar to do some Christmas shopping.  We had coffee and lunch and even had time for a grocery stop before picking up the boys from Kindergarten.  It was a full day.

We fed the children kid food for dinner, and the adults went out to a late dinner at the most preciously decorated restaurant ever about 20 mins from us, the Pfalzer Hof.  The Christmas decor was really too cute.  I had a delicious salad and we all ordered fancy, unique desserts.  A gingerbread parfait, a speculos tiramisu, and panne cotte with orange sauce.  They were all delicious, but the tiramisu may have been the best.

Lichtenburg, Christmas Market #4: Snowy Edition

We started the day with Mass and then swung by the Landstuhl Christmas market to pick up food for lunch on our way to Genevieve's basketball game.  (Hannah's game had to be missed because it was earlier and further away.)  After her game, we drove 45 minutes straight to a castle to go to the Christmas market.  However, by the time we got there it was pretty snowy and they were not letting people park at the castle on the hill.  They were doing shuttles in a "bus" that was smaller than our van.  They only held 8 people each and the line was really long.  After standing in line for about 15 minutes I start thinking this is a really bad idea.  I don't mind going out in the cold with the kids if we have a quick exit strategy, but if the line to get on the shuttle to go up is an hour or so long, then it will be close to the same coming down.  This didn't sound like a good plan to me.  Brian insisted on going since we'd driven all that way.  After a 20 minute discussion, finally I took all the littles and Hannah with me and went home.  My plan was to come back and get them after I got the kids set up for dinner.

However, that plan was changed when I drove all the way home on the snowy roads and then got stuck going up the hill to our house.  I managed to get out of the way, pulling over to the side and ooching up as far as I could manage so it looked like traffic could pass me.  We got out and walked the rest of the way, but a person driving by insisted that my van was not enough out of the way (though he got by just fine) so I said I'd come back and shovel myself out without the kids.

A good friend offered to send her husband to pick up Brian, Nanna, Genevieve, and Isaac.  I grabbed a shovel and went back to the van.  I was really close to the top and then it would be all down hill, so I decided I'd shovel myself tracks up to the top.  A neighbor came out though and salted the road in front of my tires.  I was then able to drive up the rest of the way and made it home.  The whole thing was very stressful and a mess.  I wish, wish, wish, this van was better suited for winter weather driving.

Nanna arrives and goes to her first (#3 for us this year) Christmas market.

And just a few days later, Nanna arrived Saturday morning right before Advent started, so while Brian was away picking her up from the airport, we decorated for Advent.  We put out the stockings, the Nativity scenes, the Jesse Tree, the Advent wreath, and some tinsel.  Then I put out our Advent boxes.  I finally found three more for the youngest three kids.  Now everyone has one!

They certainly do take up a lot of room, but the kids love them.  They had to cover Brian's new bar and the top of his old glass case too.

We had to move this, bar and all, once we got our tree, because this is the only place it would fit.

That afternoon we went to the Christmas market in the neighboring village where the boys go to Kindergarten.  I brought pizza waffle batter to donate for the kindergarten's fundraiser stall.  It was a small Christmas market with only a few stalls.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay for the Christmas performance that the kindergarten children were doing because we had to get the kids and Nanna home and head to Brian's Christmas dinner with his lab.  But, before we left, St. Nicholas made an appearance and gave all the kids baggies of chocolate and an orange.

Climbing

The next week for homeschool gym day we had a make up climbing day since we missed the previous week's climbing day when I was sick.  The kids had so much fun!  Bob and Judah just played on the mats, but everyone else climbed their hearts out.

Isaac

Drew

Bobby and his best friend

Genevieve

Hannah

The ride down was by far the favorite part!

Teenager in Da House *edited with the cake

This girl woke up and just like that she was a teenager.  Thirteen is going to interesting.  Hannah has that special spot as our personal guinea pig as we learn as we go in navigating this whole parenting thing.   Just look how very grown up she looks.  Sniff.  Sniff.

I'll always remember the moment she was born and the doctor held her up.  She had her blue eyes wide open and had a beautiful head full of dark curly hair.  And she was huge!  I couldn't believe  I was finally a mother.  And then she cried and cried and cried.  We've had our good days and our bad, but I love her everyday.

Her 13 year old privilege was to be able to have caffeine, so this is her with her very first cup of coffee. 

After church, a basketball game for her sister, and helping a sick friend out, we found time to open gifts and go to dinner at her choice of restaurant.  She wanted Chinese and so her daddy found a Chinese buffet for her.  Everyone found something to eat there and all kids were happy with the ice cream and chocolate fountain for dessert.

Hannah had asked for me to draw her a Zentangle panda bear for part of her birthday gift, so how could I resist that request?

Happy birthday, to my little Mini Me!  

*I forgot to mention the cake issues.  One was we were coming back from the cave market trip the day before her birthday, and before that we'd been dealing with Thanksgiving and my illness, etc. so I had not even thought about a cake for her.  She brought it up on the drive home from Holland and I was appalled at myself for forgetting all about that part of her birthday.  So I told her that I'd make one the next weekend and we would take it to Mass for the hospitality afterwards because her best friends would all be there.  She asked for a cake with her name and age on it and decorated with candy.  I made that for her, BUT I forgot to take a picture of it until it was half eaten.  I know, Mother of the Year, huh?  So here it is half eaten...

It was pretty.  I promise.  :(