Quotable Quotes

When I was transferring info. from my old calendar to my new one, I realized I hadn't posted the nice/funny things the girls have said for a year now!

So, from  Feb. 2011-today:

Macy:  Mom, how old is Dora the Explor-ah?
Me:  I don't know.  I don't think it ever says.  I would guess about your age.
Macy:  Then, what is she doing out exploring by herself?!

Macy:  Someday, I'm gonna be The Mom.  And, I'm gonna be The Boss.  I'm not gonna work, so I can stay home with my children, but my husband will want to stay home with them, too, so we'll have to work it out.

Me:  Jesus Christ was perfect.
Carly (after thinking intently):  Does that mean he never spilled his milk?

Macy:  Melissa Baxter knows how to have fun.

Macy (while it's snowing at the end of March):  I'd like some variety.

Macy:  I think it's a good idea to know the person your gonna marry's family.  That way, you can make sure they're really not a smoker, you know?

Macy:  We took a family picture at preschool.  I gotta get my teachers' phone numbers.

Macy:  Mom, how do you burp in Spanish?

Carly (while I'm trying to take a picture):  Come on, Macy, do a real smile.
Macy:  I can't or it looks like I'm in pain.

Macy (the night before Mother's Day):  Dad, you need to keep Mom up real late so she'll sleep in, and we can bring her breakfast in bed.

Me:  What's a beacon?
Robyn:  I know.  It's something you drink out of.
Me:  No, that's a beaker.
Carly:  Beacon would be more than one beaker in German.

Macy:  Mom, can you do a cartwheel in German?

Macy (to me while I'm yawning):  I can see your lungs!

Carly (looking at the picture of a model on a package of make-up remover wipes):  She looks like she's having the time of her life with it.

Carly's phrase of the month:  I have a little question for you.

Macy to Myles in the hot tub:  Your eyelashes make your whole body look like a girl, but your swimming suit looks like a boy.  Relax like you're taking your tooth out with your mouth open.

Macy (talking in her sleep):  the sugar was so good, but the table was so sour!

Robyn: My head itches.  I think I have cats in the cradle.

Me:  What state do we live in now?
the girls:  silence
Me:  Baden-Wuerttenberg
Carly:  I think Utah's easier to say.

Carly:  I don't think I've ever walked so much before.  You know, after DC with Mike, then New York, and now here without a car.

Macy (pointing to a new post for the blog):  I'd like to make a compost.

Me (reading a question from an English/German trivia card):  Who can help you if you get lost?  A policeman.
Carly:  Yeah, or Heavenly Father.

Macy (after Myles prayed in German):  It's OK, Dad.  He understands you.

Macy (after waking up early):  I dreamt a poem.  Write it down!  Look at you go, go, go!  In the snow, snow, snow!  Look at you play, play, play!  On the sleigh, sleigh, sleigh!

We were watching the movie "Rio" dubbed in German.  The girl in the movie moves from The States to Brazil. 
Myles:  It's surprising for her to open a bookstore.  She doesn't even speak Portuguese.
Carly:  Well, yeah, Dad, she's German!

Macy:  I wish if Wolfgang Amadeus  Mozart were still living.
Me:  Really?  Why?
Macy:  Because then he could come to my kindergarten and play us a song and we could give him a card and lots of presents, you know with a violin on it.

Timing

When I sat down to write about our first 6 months here, I found this post that I'd written about a year ago and never got around to publishing:

I wasn't surprised when I found this pic. on our camera. Lately, the most exciting thing in the world for the girls is when the hands align on the clock. They yell for everyone to look, and then jump up and down. Kids are good examples of noticing things we don't, of appreciating things that happen day in and day out, and of enjoying the present.

We usually think of kids as being impatient, but as an adult, I don't know if I'm much better. I want to know what's going to happen, and how, and where. I like to plan, prepare, know what to expect. It's hard not to be in control.

Sometimes, I wish I had a crystal ball, so I could just see and know and relax. But, then, other times I'm glad I didn't know what was going to happen, or I'd think, "I don't want that to happen!" or, "I could never do that!" Surprises of all the wonderful things to come would also be spoiled before they happened.

For years, we prayed for Myles to finish his project. It seemed like a good thing to pray for. But, then I started thinking that wasn't what we should be focusing on, it wasn't the whole point. There were other things to do and other people to help. We were still here for a reason. I couldn't see where we were going, but felt like we were being guided on the right path. I felt peace.

Just after Myles interviewed for jobs out of state, I was asked to be the leader over the teachers and children (ages 18 months-12 years) at church. I told our bishop, "That's fine, but we're moving soon." He said he prayed about it and felt like I was supposed to be the one to do that at that time. I got the same answer.

The companies told Myles they really liked him, but didn't have a specific place for him yet. That was over 3 years ago. Since then, the housing market has crashed (we're so glad we didn't buy in CA then), and I've been leading the teachers and children.

This past fall, when most people thought we were crazy for not looking for a job (including ourselves, at times), Myles felt like he should keep working on his project, and so he did. Because of this, he connected with a professor in Germany who does work in his area. A whirlwind of events literally blew open one door after the next for us, and we felt like that was where we're supposed to be.

I never felt the sorrow or devastation that I thought would surely overcome me for having to leave here without a PhD. This is just the next step. So, where I thought we'd have an ending, a new beginning awaits.

As the song goes, "the rest is still unwritten."

Now, today, one year later:

In some ways the past 6 months since we've landed have flown by.  In other ways, our "other life" feels like a world away.  Maybe because it is!

Although some days have been long, especially in the beginning, overall we've had a much easier time adjusting than I thought we might.  The girls haven't complained much, Myles' work is going well, and we've been blessed over and over again with friendly, helpful people.

We always said we could go anywhere as long as we had each other.  We just weren't expecting that "anywhere" to be so soon.

The other day, I was remembering that when we thought we might be moving to CA, the girls said things like, "No, way!  That's too far!  Can't we just stay here and you can work at K-mart, Dad?"  So, when we knew we were supposed to move to Germany, we were a little worried about their reaction.  But, they said things like, "Sure.  Isn't that over the ocean?  OK.  Can we start reading the Book of Mormon in German every day?"

With 6 month's worth of experiences behind us, we're able to laugh about some of our first few weeks of blunders that were anything but funny at the time.  Like when we were invited by some friends for lunch, only to walk a really long way to get there and realize we couldn't remember their last name, which you need to get "buzzed" into the building complex...to appearing homeless when we showed up with all of our stuff after 2 straight days of traveling in planes, trains and automobiles, only to discover that the lady with the keys to our apartment was sick that day...to snatching a man's keys out of his hands thinking he'd stolen ours...I'm noticing a pattern with keys here. 

Just yesterday, I caught myself walking the girls to school without noticing my surroundings.  I guess this is a sign of feeling settled in.

As for New Year's resolutions, we don't have to worry about getting more exercise, as long as we keep having trains to catch.  Myles said it would be pretty funny to have a video of us running to the train, watching it pull away, coming home, getting all our gear off, only to do it again!

A few days ago, Macy played at her friend's house from Poland while the mom and I talked with only German in common.  This morning, I found myself speaking Spanish to another friend, and tonight, we made Pita Pockets on bread from Italy.  This has been fun, meeting people and tasting food from all over the world.  And, yet, my moment of "the clock aligning" for me today was finding a post-it-note from Carly to Robyn on the bathroom mirror.

R-I love you.  You can use the little toothpaste.

Carly's Baptism

Carly turned 8 in December and chose to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Since Myles holds the Priesthood, he was able to baptize her.

Carly planned the program herself (some in English and some in German) and asked everyone she wanted to come and participate.  Robyn played the piano for a couple of the songs.

People started referring to her as "The Princess."

The scripture on her program said,  "...as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they might be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those in the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life--

Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed:  This is the desire of our hearts" (Mosiah 18:8-10).

A little Daddy daughter dance at the post-baptism party.

Our beautiful child of God.

Who would've thought?

we'd be ringing in the New Year in Germany with "Country Roads Take Me Home"?! We did have fun trying out Wii-Sing for the first time.

The girls stayed up to ring in the New Year with us for the first time, and did a great job staying happy!

For their anniversary present a few years ago, our friends took an ice-cream making class together, and now we get to reap the benefits. For this celebration, they served everything from rosewater to mango. Delicious!

We only made the streetcar stop for us once during our fireworks show. People were still blowing off fireworks at 8 AM the next day!

These friends helped us break in our new Raclette set, a tasty French tradition.

When you come to visit, we'll share it with you, too. :)

Everyone gets to put what they want into their little skillet, top it with cheese, and then put it under the broiler to melt. Very nice to get to stay at the table and talk.

Our girls were excited to find these noisemakers at the beginning of the party, but forgot about them at midnight.

And, as they say here, "Have a good slide!" meaning into the New Year.

Some German Christmas Traditions

The biggest difference we've noticed and have enjoyed is the emphasis on Advents.  Here, we are making Advents wreaths with friends.  Every Sunday for the four weeks leading up to Christmas, you light a new candle.  Some people have a special dinner, sing songs, recite poems, or play games, etc.

The girls had candles at school as well (even in kindergarten) and learned how to light their own.  They also had advents calendars where a different child got a surprise every day.  At home, most children have advents calendars, as well, with everything from chocolate to Playmobil People.

We even went to a few live advents nights at people's houses where they unveil the number on their window, which is all decorated, have music, hot drinks, treats, etc.  One time, they had a shadow nativity play in a garage when it was raining.

When we went Christmas caroling to neighbors and friends as a family, we were surprised to have people trying to give us money.  We were also surprised they were so reluctant to accept our gift of a little cardboard house filled with cookies.  It turns out that Stern (Star) Singers come from the Catholic Church and expect donations, sometimes even in a little cardboard house!

Everyone kept asking us if we were going to celebrate Christmas like the Germans and have presents on Christmas Eve or like Americans and open them on Christmas morning.  Our girls decided both would be best!

On Christmas Eve, we went to a children's Nativity service.  It was fun to join in singing the German Christmas songs.

One of my favorite parts of the season was not having a separation of Church and State.  It was fun celebrating in the church with the kids' schoolmates and as a community.

This Friday, we get another holiday to celebrate when the Three Kings came to visit the Savior.  We've heard something about hiding a toy in a cake...

Some Christmas Highlights

Santa sure knew what these girls wanted.  They love to play school any chance they get.

Macy in Seventh Heaven with her new German "Puppenwagon." 

And, we're jammin' again!

The Sweet Shop is open (at 6 AM).

Merry Christmas  from the Watson 5.

Our wonderful, talented friend.

Our German Oma.

Christmas cookies and holiday hearts!

Merry Christmas!

love, Myles, Christie, Robyn, Carly, and Macy :)

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

 My mom's favorite Christmas song is Silent Night because it was her mom's favorite Christmas song.  We always sang it every Christmas Eve, sometimes accompanied by a music box.  Her grandpa who was from Germany might've been smiling down on his great-grandkids when he heard this one:



Merry Christmas!

May you have a wonderful Christmas weekend and enjoy the peace of our Savior.

The Gift of Glitter

When I took Carly shopping for arts and crafts supplies for her B-day, even she would not allow me to buy the glitter she wanted.  It came in a little container and cost about $11!

She wanted it to make some of her Christmas presents.  Myles looked at some stores, but couldn't find any.  He asked about it at work, and they didn't even know the name for it, so it seemed like a specialty item.

I had just about given up (and run out of time) when I went into our little local store that sells newspapers and school supplies.  I couldn't find any glitter, but spotted a card decorated with some, so I took it up to the cashier and asked if they had any for my daughter who wanted to make some Christmas crafts.

No, None.

But, then, she disappeared into the back room and came back with a tub full of what appeared to be her own personal supplies--glue, scissors, and one jar of red glitter.  This quantity was much greater than the amount we'd seen at the other store, so I was worried about how much she'd want to charge me.

To my amazement, she placed it on the counter and said, "For you, a Christmas gift."

even the garbage cans are cute in Germany...

at least at the Christmas Markets!
Here, they have outside Christmas markets with food, rides and crafts that run for the whole month before Christmas.  It's not as cold as what we're used to, which is nice, but it has been rainy.

my first gift of Christmas

You know how in the Polar Express the boy gets the first gift of Christmas, and he asks for a bell from Santa's sleigh that turns out to be something magical for those who still believe?

This is the story of my first gift of Christmas, which I didn't even have to ask for.

A little over a year ago, my mom bought 3 matching dresses for our girls to wear for my cousin's wedding. It was so fun for the wedding, and extra nice that they could wear them throughout the Christmas season, too.

My mom was surprised at being able to even find 3 matching dresses from Macy's size all the way up through Robyn's. I was surprised she found ones that were in the same "family" of material and make of a dress that Robyn had previously worn and loved.

When it came time to pack for Germany, I realized that all 3 girls had outgrown their dresses. This meant, Macy's had to be given away, and she could wear Carly's.  Carly now had 2 dresses her size--Robyn's from the wedding and Robyn's previous dress with the fur collar.  We could only take one, and she chose the little bit different one.

I can't even count how many stores we went to trying to find a dress for Robyn.  Nothing was in her size or remotely modest.

It turns out that one of my best friends from our previous neighborhood has a sister who lives here (and is just as wonderful). She had a friend who gave her a bag of girls' clothes, which she passed on to us.

In the bag, we found lots of clothes just right for our girls, including the exact same dress that my mom bought for Robyn for my cousin's wedding last year. The only difference? It was one size bigger.

The brand?  Rare Edition.

Here, Advents is really big.  We had it in time to wear to church on the first Advents Sunday, and all through the holiday season.

Although this matching dress was nothing of a necessity, it sure was magical!

Carly's B-day

Carly's B-day menu:
Breakfast:  French toast with applesauce and speise quark (kind of between sour cream and yogurt) with pears
Lunch:  fresh, hot pretzels and yogurt
Dinner:  baked potatoes with ham and cheese

She and her friends busy at work on their stomp rockets.

They were right at the right age to work together and have fun!

The wind was so strong that two of the rockets flew onto the roof!

Carly was excited to have "American" brownies instead of cake.

Macy made a nice homemade card.  Robyn was cute about "sneaking" a little giraffe Carly wanted from a store when she wasn't looking.  She also got a watch, something she's been wanting for a long time.

Gram was nice and shipped her a game she had at home, but we didn't bring with us.

Our Eight-Year-Old Christmas Gift that keeps on Giving

 

We knew we were having a girl. We knew she'd be Carly. Noel ended up being the surprise. She continues to surprise us with her thoughtfulness and creativeness every day.

A couple weeks ago, she woke up, exclaiming, "Mom! I dreamt all night about Christmas gifts!"
"Really?" I asked. "What are you excited about this year?"
"Oh, not for me, Mom. I dreamt all about what I could make for everyone."

For her B-day, I took her to a fun crafts store downtown to buy her supplies.

She put a note on her door, "Knock first," so no one would see their surprises, and has been busy ever since.

 

At school, she was given a part of a poem to memorize for her class Christmas Program/Party. She worked really hard and memorized it. I was impressed!

Then, we found out that our Visa renewal appointment downtown was an hour before her program time. Myles called to try to change it, and the lady pretty much laughed at him.  I really didn't want her to miss it, but there wasn't much I could do.

So, I prayed.

I expected my prayer to be answered with an extra speedy Visa renewal for 5 people.  When we had to wait, and then the fingerprinting machine was broken, and then we missed train after train, my stomachache worsened.

We still raced from the train in the rain to the school.  Carly's teacher met us at the door and told me something I couldn't understand.  I figured she was telling us it was all over.

What I didn't realize was that Carly's teacher had reversed the order of everything to give us the greatest possible chance of making it in time for Carly to do her part.  They also saved us seats right in the front.  This seemed to surpass all cultural norms.  And, so, Carly's teacher, along with all of her friends and their parents, gave us a gift we couldn't hold, but could always take with us.

I guess I have heard that time is only something that ties down man, not God.

in tune

May 1998:

While studying abroad in Spain, a 21-year-old girl from Chicago exchanges love letters (real letters) with the man of her dreams in Oregon who even sends her a cassette tape of himself playing his guitar and singing for her.

A German couple sings in choirs together. The husband gives his last choir/guitar concert before being diagnosed with a tumor.

Dec. 18, 1999:

The young couple marries. The groom sweeps his bride off her feet, playing his guitar and singing for her. Everyone thinks they're perfect for each other...and crazy for getting married one week before Christmas. They do not care. Finals are over. Their pictures are beautiful with snow on the ground.


Dec. 2011

The not-so-young-anymore couple with 3 children is now living in Germany and thinks maybe they really were crazy for getting married at such a busy time of year. They miss the guitar they left in The States and plan on looking for one as soon as they get a chance, maybe for Christmas.

Then, they meet a German couple. The woman pushes her husband in a wheelchair. He can understand everything people say, but cannot speak. The wife discovers that the younger man with the funny accent can play the guitar (probably better than he can speak German), but has left his in a faraway land.

Dec. 18, 2011

After a busy day, the couple laughs about not buying each other gifts. But then, he pulls out his "new" guitar. This time, it is raining outside, and no one else is watching, but the picture is so beautiful.

 

bikes

One of the things the girls were most excited about when we moved was getting bikes.

They had to be patient since our first apartment, downtown, was not bike friendly, at least for kids.

Friends helped us find/fix the perfect bike for each of us.

Now, we live where there are lots of great paths, and our landlord even put in a rack for 5 bikes for us!