At Last
The time has finally come for us to move into our new home! We are spending the day today packing our bags again so that tomorrow morning we can load up the car and move into our house! I am not sure when we will have internet access at the house, so I don't know when my next post will be. But continue to watch for it -- I will post pictures of our house and the village.

Liam's First Birthday Cake

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Happy Birthday to Liam

It seems so hard to believe that an entire year has gone by! It seems like yesterday that my sweet Liam was so small. We celebrated Liam's birthday on Saturday with his own little carrot cake, and a Froggy party. Since we are still in temporary housing, I just did a little party for him with the family, and after we get settled in our house we will have a bigger party with some friends.

My life has been so blessed by this sweet little boy. I am always so amazed at how these little babies are born with their own personalities. It wasn't long before we could tell that Liam is unique -- different from his older siblings, and so special. He is really laid back, and happy. I love how he is always ready with a smile for anyone, and how Braden and Lydia can make him laugh harder than I have ever heard a baby laugh! Happy Birthday to my sweet boy!

"Let's go to France today!"

That is what we said when we got up on Saturday morning. How neat to live somewhere where we can decide on the spur of the moment to go to another country! None of us had ever been to France, so it was a really exciting experience. We drove to Forbach, and had lunch at a sidewalk cafe. Then we drove to Le Chateau du Schlossberg, and walked around the ruins of another castle. This castle (from what I can understand from the brochure and museum information -- my French is a little rusty), was first mentioned in books in 1251. It was destroyed during the 30 Years War in the 1500's. The tower is still standing, and we were able to go into the small museum and climb up to the top of the tower. The steps to the top are a huge staircase, spiraling around the inside walls of the tower. Braden's fear of heights (which he comes by honestly -- I too get jell-o-like knees when I am on the top of a tall building), was getting the better of him, and he decided not to climb to the top. Morgan and Lydia were already ahead of us, so I decided to stay at the bottom with Braden. I turned around and started to descend the steps so I could meet him where he was at and help him back down to the bottom. But before I could do that, he passed me on his way up the stairs. He was resolutely ascending the staircase as he said, "I just said a prayer, and I'm not scared anymore! It really works!" We went to the top and enjoyed the view of the entire city.

After that, we went to a really fun park on the castle grounds, and the kids had a great time playing, while Morgan exercised his language skills talking to a nice family in French. He did great. I decided that if I could be any superhero, I would be Lingua Lady -- able to speak any language in the world! We really love to be able to blend into our surroundings and communicate with everyone. I look forward to going to Romania and Ireland, where I can speak the languages, and also to learning German and brushing up on my French! It was a wonderful day -- I wonder where we'll end up next weekend?

Burg Nanstein

Two Saturdays ago we went and spent the day at the castle down the road. We had a wonderful time exploring the ruins. I have visited other castles in Europe that have been well preserved, and still looked much how they looked when royalty was still living in them. Burg Nanstein is different -- it is the ruins of a castle built in the 1500's. It was so interesting to walk around the castle and imagine the people who lived there and worked there, their lifestyles and the history.

Following our explorations we had lunch at the castle cafe. Braden and Lydia had kids' meals, but they weren't your average chicken nuggets or hamburgers. They had salads, fries, soda, and schnitzel. They loved it. Morgan and I had really good Bratwurst. I can't express in words just how much I love Bratwurst. I developed a love for it when I lived here the last time with my family in the 80's, and there is just nothing quite like it in the States. I have had it many times since I got here, and never tire of it!

We will be taking day trips most Saturdays, and are planning some bigger trips to Paris, Romania and Ireland. We hope to go on lots of trips, but those are the ones we have been discussing recently. We are so excited for all of the exciting adventures that await us!

Wie heisst Du?The other day, while we were playing at the park, a little boy was trying to get Braden's attention. "Wie heisst Du? Wie heisst Du?" I heard him repeat. Braden didn't realize he was talking to him. I told him that the little boy was asking him his name, and told him to say "Ich heisse Braden." He repeated after me, and then I told him to ask the boy what his name was. He responded, "Daniel." Braden looked so proud of himself that he actually communicated with a playmate in German. I was proud of him myself. I am hoping to find a tutor to come to our house and teach us all to speak German. What an incredible opportunity for us!

We Recycle . . . In Germany

I am so impressed with the recycling program in Germany. They recycle EVERYTHING! When we first got here, I practically had an anxiety attack every time I needed to throw something away, because I couldn't figure out where to put it! But I think I have figured it out now. We bought this nifty garbage can to help us separate some of our garbage. The yellow container is for all of our recyclables, except paper and glass. We actually recycle plastic bags, plastic wrap, foil, cans -- everything. The black bag is for what is called Restmulle, which is whatever cannot be recycled. Most of what ends up in there is diapers. The green container in the front of the garbage can is for our compost. Everyone composts here. If they don't use it themselves, there is a separate dumpster outside for it, and the garbage collectors take it all and compost it. We have two separate containers for glass and paper. At the end of the week, we only have a small bag of Restmulle. It is amazing to see how little we really need to throw away, and how much we can reuse.

Crab Feast!

We only had a short three days with our family in Maryland before we left for Germany, but we had a wonderful time. We were able to visit with everyone, the kids played with their cousins, and we had a crab feast at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

I thought I would write a post on crab feasts for my friends and family who are not from Maryland. Before I married Morgan, I don't think I ever had real crab in my life, and I know I had never picked one! Within a week of getting married, Morgan took me to a restaurant in Maryland and taught me how to pick crabs. Being from New England, I was more of an "expert" on clams, so he ordered clams. Well, picking crabs is not like riding a bike! Every time we have them in Maryland I forget how to remove the succulent, sweet meat from those hideously ugly creatures. Morgan is always very sweet, and picks a pile of meat for me. But this year, I wanted to do it myself. So with Morgan and Uncle Pat's help, I think I finally have mastered the art!

The funny thing about crab feasts, is that it is almost impossible to actually get full on just crab meat! So there are lots of other yummy treats there to fill you up. Everyone brought something, and we had quite a feast. Grandma had spent days getting ready, and it was a wonderful party.

We were so happy to be able to see everyone before we left. I only wish we could have stayed longer. New Mexico was nice, but Maryland is home. The smells of flowers and wet grass and salt air, the sounds of the birds, the sights of the National Monuments as we drove through DC, the bay as we walked on the boardwalk at Chesapeake Beach (Peak-a-Bay Beach, as Braden used to call it), all made us feel so much at home, and wish we could stay to enjoy more time. But more than anything, we wish we could have spent more time with all of our family.

Update
It is time for an update! So much has happened in the 12 days we have been here. Our first week was filled with in-processing tasks: getting new ID cards, going to the finance office, opening a German bank account for paying rent, taking driving tests, etc. I think the driving test was the most stressful part . . . I had unpleasant flashbacks of sitting in the BYU testing center, trying to remember all of the facts I had studied and memorized. The test was surprisingly difficult for someone who has been driving for 16 years! I never realized just how different driving rules can be in different countries. In Germany, right of way is different than in the states. There are relatively few Stop Signs compared with back home, so if you come to an un-marked intersection, the person on the right has the right of way. It's not like four-way intersections in the States where we take turns. There are also things called Priority Roads, and Priority Intersections, where intersecting traffic always has to yield. You just have to be really attentive, and watch for signs so you know who has to yield. It will take a while, but I'm sure it will become second nature in no time.

Our car arrived yesterday, and we were so happy to have it again. A very nice woman at Morgan's work had lent us her little car, so we were able to go house-hunting together, and run our errands. But I have missed my car! After leaving behind all of our family and friends, selling our house and a lot of our possessions, it was so good to have something familiar. It now has German license plates on it, and has had its first Autobahn experience.

We have found a wonderful house that is only nine minutes away from Morgan's work. It is absolutely huge, so I don't know what we are going to do with all of the rooms! In its 3400 square feet it has 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, three living areas and an open kitchen. We wanted to find something big so we will have room for guests. Anyone who comes will have plenty of room in our new house! It also has a nice backyard, and is walking distance to a really nice playground that is nestled back in a wooded area. And we will also have easy access to some hiking trails that go through the forest. I am really excited to get settled in. The current residents won't leave until the end of the month, so we are going to move in in a few weeks.

In the meantime, we are staying in a really nice temporary apartment. It is owned by a German lady who rents her six furnished apartments to Americans who are coming and going. The apartment has three bedrooms, a washer and dryer, satellite TV (from England), and a nice big kitchen. So we are definitely very comfortabe, but we are still anxious to have our own things in our own space.

The kids are doing well, despite their boredom. I can't imagine how boring it must be for them to have to wait in waiting rooms while we do all of our in-processing business, but they are doing great. Lydia got sick last week, so we met our new pediatrician. We just use the German medical facilities, and they were wonderful. Morgan and I are really looking forward to learning German. We don't like going to other countries and not being able to communicate, so hopefully we will pick up the language fast!

Well, that's it for now! I will post some pictures soon, and keep you all updated on our new life in Germany!