Sweet Love

It was pretty hard to get pictures of both of the girls with Erica. While she would hold one, the other would get upset and cry. We tried numerous ways of having her hold both of them, but it was too difficult and awkward looking. I ended up holding a baby with one arm and my camera in the other. We did get a few we liked--which one is your favorite?

Home Again

It was hard saying goodbye to my girls--especially since I don't know when we will see each other again--but it is so nice to be home! I still have pictures to post and things I want to write about, so this isn't the end of this blog. Oma may not still be in Germany but she left her heart there! Check back soon for some beautiful posts of Erica and her babies. Here is just one picture for you.

Happy Birthday, Erica

Lucky me! While I've been staying with Erica and her family, I have been able to celebrate two birthdays--first Annika's, then Erica's. Erica's birthday fell on Easter day this year, which was also our church's general conference so it was an extra nice day. I remember that the year Erica was born, we brought her home from the hospital on Easter day, and we were listening to general conference on the car radio, so being with her this year under some of those same circumstances was a little nostalgic for me. Yes, nostalgic.

I held each of her newborn daughters numerous times that day and as I rocked them and looked at their beautiful faces I was transported back in time; I was holding Erica again--wondering. Wondering who she was, what she would do with her life, wondering whether we would be friends. As Annika ran around the house that same day hunting eggs, again I saw Erica--Annika is an exact copy of her mom, so it was a gift to be able to relive the past in a small way through watching her. I remembered the joy Erica was to her Dad and I at that same age, her optimism and curiosity, the way she made us see things anew.

Now, I look over at her, a grown woman, talented and intelligent, still full of optimism and curiosity, one of my best friends, and continually bringing her Dad and I joy. I watch her look into the eyes of her own children and wonder. . . and I smile. Happy Birthday Erica.

Egg-citing Finds!

This easter weekend, Erica and I ventured out in the cold and the rain to check out a floh-markt, or flea market. We didn't expect to find much because it is early in the year and the market was very small, but we found some treasures. We each got antique tea sets, I found an old pewter water pitcher, and Erica scored with her find of a wicker baby carriage and an antique map of the world. As if that wasn't enough, we stopped at a German Grocery store for some easter dinner fixings, and were each given a hard-boiled egg at the check-out. Another treasure, right? But I started thinking.

Every year millions of people in America boil and color eggs and carry out different traditions with them, whether that is having egg wars, rolling them, hunting them, etc. But everyone is always cautious about eating them if they have been out of the refrigerator for too long, and lots of people would never consider eating their dyed easter eggs, but throw them in the trash. After all, American Health officials caution that hard-boiled eggs that have gone unrefrigerated for over two hours, are cracked, or colored with harmful dyes, can pose serious health hazards to children — and parents — who eat them. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw that in the grocery stores here they have colored, hard-boiled easter eggs out for sale, unrefrigerated. Even passing them out to everyone as a good-will token. Erica informed me that all eggs sold in Germany are unrefrigerated! She showed me that they are in cartons with the dry-goods. Huh? Germany is not a 3rd world country where tourists are warned to not drink the water or eat fresh foods. So what's the deal? No one here is getting sick--we ate our eggs and we've been feeling fine. So although I'm still a bit confused, it just goes to show that one man's trash is another man's treasure!

Beautiful Elise

It makes me feel so happy to see the girls snuggled up on the quilt that I made for them. There is only one quilt right now, but I am finishing up the 2nd one. I love being their Oma.

When Bigger is Better

Lucy and Elise went to the Doctor yesterday. They each weigh 8 lbs. 4 oz., so they are growing nicely, but are still quite small and so fun to cuddle with. They are now about two months old and so far, it has been quite easy to hold both of them at the same time, and Erica still nurses them at the same time. Small is definitely nice in this case. I don't know how Erica will juggle all three when they get bigger. But they can't stay small forever.

Being here in Europe, a visitor notices that things here have not grown in size over time, but that "small" continues to be a way of life. Small cars, small and narrow roads, small houses, small portion sizes, small stores, small carts, small packaging (chocolate chips come in 3 oz. boxes!!) and, small families. Of course America is known for BIG and it isn't always a good thing. We are seen as wasteful and gluttonous. I agree with that in most cases, but as I have lived here with Erica, I must say that I believe there are times that bigger is better!

Case in point: Erica has a small van (I believe that we in America would call it a mini-van). She needs it for her small?, but growing family. However, when she pulls up to her home, it is so tight of a fit, that she can't get out the driver's side door, and must climb through the car and get out on the passenger side, where there is some room by the steps. Getting the kids out in their car seats is another adventure.

Once inside, her home is quaint and inviting, yet the steps in the staircase are narrow and turn sharply, making it very difficult to carry the children up to the family's living quarters, and hard for Annika to maneuver on her own. Consequently, Erica doesn't leave home too often--but that creates another problem. People in Germany shop almost every day. There is a bakery just a few buildings down from Erica's home, and a small grocery store within walking distance. The European way is to make the trip daily to buy fresh bread and produce, and so refrigerators here are tiny. There is no such thing as buying in bulk! To open Erica's fridge is a risky venture, and injuries have occurred. Cooking in a very small kitchen is also tricky, but she seems to be figuring it out, for she creates excellent meals.

It seems that all the large appliances here do not live up to their name. You guessed it, the washer and dryer are also very small and everyone knows how much laundry new babies create. It would be so nice to be able to get all those baby clothes and blankets done at once, but alas, we have small loads going constantly to keep up with the demand.

Maybe we are spoiled, and maybe these things are just a matter of preference, but it seems to me that someone here would have said at some point: "Hey, it would be nice to be able to turn around in my shower, keep a gallon of milk in my refrigerator, or be able to park my car without a traffic controller to guide me into my spot. I'm just saying, I do believe that in some cases bigger is better.

Anniversary on the Rhine

One thing I have learned about life, is that you can never predict where you will find yourself from year to year. When Randy picked me up friday night after finishing his work a few hours away, we headed an hour from Erica's home to the Rhine River valley. We smiled at the irony of finding ourselves in such a beautiful and interesting place in the world the week of our 26th anniversary. Without much effort or planning, we had a great weekend together, exploring ancient towns and castles, hiking, eating, shopping and talking. It was a weekend I will never forget.

Flying down the autobahn on our way home.

Awake and in Awe of the World

Lucy and Elise are six weeks old and have basically slept that entire time away. This week however, they awoke. One night they both came out of their newborn slumber and stayed awake for quite some time, looking around as if to say--"Where are we??, and how did we get here?" It was so much fun to be able to get to say hello and to answer some of their questions.

Erica has three in diapers now and I believe that this family alone could fill a land-fill. Annika is not quite two years old, but she is pretty bright for her age and so we decided to give potty-training a try while I am still here. She donned her princess underwear and did really good yesterday. Today was a different story. I think the new experience was no longer fun and was becoming a little monotonous. So I told her we could go outside and play if she would sit on the potty. She liked that idea! She had been running around all morning with just a cinderella shirt on and so she chose some clothes (hand-me-downs from a friend) to wear. I thought she looked so cute in her funky clothes and I took pictures of her as she watched ants, peeked through garden gates, ran along the walking path, and explored her little area of the world.

A Blessing

The fact that Lucy and Elise were born healthy, strong and beautiful was an incredible blessing for Erica, Brad and all of the family. Sunday, Brad pronounced an inspired blessing on each of the girls at church. It was so nice that Brad's brother Jeff, and both grandfathers could also join him. They were dressed in little white dresses handed down from our friend Augustina Wilcken--thanks Augustina! The girls have been sick, and didn't feel good, so we didn't take a lot of pictures, but their family picture turned out great.

A Birthday Party for Anni!

It wasn't arranged, but somehow both sets of grandparents were in Germany on the same weekend. So, although Annika's birthday is April 1st, we didn't let that stop us from having a party on the 20th of March. I don't think it's possible for a little girl to be any more excited for an event--she could hardly contain her emotions! After her nap, she dressed in her new party dress, donned her birthday cake hat, and put on her cinderella shoes (which she wore for over an hour!) When all the family arrived, we made party hats, ate a delicious dinner, and then opened presents. She loved everything she was given, but was thrilled with her new princess set--a tiara, gown, shoes, purse, earrings and ring, which she wore the rest of the night. When we sang happy birthday she beamed and asked us to sing over and over again. She was happy as could be all evening, and it was so much fun celebrating with her.