Step by Step

 Today I drove through this:

So I could get to this:

To buy my daughter this for her 3rd birthday. (Note, that is not my daughter.  My daughter is much cuter. No offense, little girl.)

Which may seem like a very ordinary task... but is much more of a feat when you're not at home in your comfort zone.  Navigating German roads with foreign traffic signs (in the snow to boot), using a VAT form for the first time (value added tax form), and not making a total idiot of myself while trying to communicate with the customer service people.  I can't help but a feel a great sense of accomplishment.  

And the girls were starving afterwards.  I normally avoid McDonald's like the plague back home, but there's something very comforting and reassuring about it when you're far from home.  Even though the food is still gross.

I've mentioned how cute my kids are, right? 

The hour long car ride home stuck in snow and traffic was made a little more fun by playing a game with Emily.  Have I told you she's a geography whiz?  And an alphabet whiz.

I said, "How about I'll name a country that starts with A, and then you name a country that starts with B?" and so on and so on.

We were both whipping right through the alphabet when I got stuck on K.  I thought and thought.   I could think of Kingston and Kiev, but not a country.  Em kept saying, "I know one.  I know one."  

Finally it dawned on me, "Kenya!  Is that what you were thinking?"

She replies very nonchalantly, "No, Kyrgyzstan. "  

Then once again, I got stuck on O.  I thought and thought.  And Em said, "There's only one country that starts with O, Mom."  Finally I gave up.  "What is it Em?" and once again she nonchalantly replied, "Oman."  

And yet again, I got stuck on Y.  Yugoslavia?  No, it's the FORMER Yugoslavia.  I kept thinking and thinking.  Finally Em said, "I'll give you a hint Mom.  It's next to Oman."  Duh, Yemen!

I'm not joking, this was a real conversation with my 4 year old.  She's only four and has come to the realization that she is smarter than her parents.  I was anticipating it to be much later in life. But what can you expect when she chooses the Atlas on a regular basis for her bedtime story book?  And she loves to study her map.  I'm trying to figure out what kind of career she can have as a map lover.

Black Forest Excursion

Before I blog about anything else... I have to post this pic of our little guy.  That's right, in case you hadn't heard, it's a GUY!  

The first visit to the ob went well... I was a little nervous seeing a German doctor and dealing with their healthcare system and all.  But, the doc was great... nice guy who speaks great English, was very friendly and laughed a lot.  Not that those are the most vital qualities in an ob, but at least he put me at ease.  And it was fun to find out the sex of the baby.  Ben and the girls were there and the doc asked Em if she wanted a little sister or a little brother.  She replied enthusiastically,  "A little brother!" and he said, "Well, you're in luck!"

So, onto the next topic.   I'm happy to report that our first excursion here in Germany was a success!  We ventured out to the Black Forest over President's Day Weekend and met up with our dear friends from Monterey, CA who are now in Belgium.   I was a little nervous because we have no idea what we're doing.  Everything is harder in a different country, including travel planning.  But, everything went off without a hitch.  The only problem was that I came down with some nasty sickness right before we left, so Ben and the girls went down without me Friday morning, and he came back Saturday night to get me when I was feeling better.  He's just that kind of guy.  

I was more than happy to get out and do something since our first month here has not exactly been fun (gross understatement).  The two hour drive itself was just beautiful.  I'm quickly learning what an ideal location we are in in Germany... nestled in between the Black Forest and Bavaria.  

  The girls were ecstatic to see each other.  Elsa was their very good friend in Monterey.

She's quite the character, if you can't tell

Todtmoos, the little village we stayed in was BEAUTIFUL.  This was the view from our window

I was just happy to see some blue sky, since every day has been overcast in Stuttgart.  Ugh!

The girls had fun out in the snow

We took them sledding, and they had a blast.  

C was all smiles, unlike her first time sledding

After a few runs, C had had enough, so she chilled with me in the snow, no pun intended (hehe)!

While Daddy and Em did a few more adventurous runs... I wish I had an action shot, but this was right after they biffed it on the sled.  Em threw in the towel after that. 

And just before left on Monday I got to squeeze in a little cross country skiing.  Ben got to do some snowboarding on Saturday, but I don't have any pics of that.  

I was pretty rusty on skis, since it's been over ten years, but I was just happy for the time to myself in the great outdoors.   

The Latest

Our big news this week is we moved out of the hotel!!!  Hallelujah!  We were there just one day shy of four weeks.  I was starting to go a little nuts-o.  We did pass the time at the hotel the best we could...

We stared longingly at the frozen playground outside our window, wishing for spring.  Doesn't look too inviting, does it?

Started the potty training process.  This was my tactic to get C up on the "throne."  Every time she got up there, she got to dress up as a princess.  But only if she got up there.  It has worked like a charm.  

We spent an afternoon creating "wall art" to brighten up our room.  

And the girls created a lot of crafts on display in the window here.  

And speaking of the wall art... I thought this was too cute:

Every painting I created (which is of the finest artistic quality, believe me) Em wanted to duplicate EXACTLY.  And she made no pretenses about it.  She wanted to know precisely what I was drawing and insisted that her drawing be EXACTLY like mine, down to the order of every color.  I was flattered.  So here are her copycats: 

Not sure what green vegetable she added to hers there... maybe a green pepper?

And to top off our lovely stay at the hotel, the day we moved out, C was running down the sidewalk with her hands in her coat pocket, and tripped and fell.  She couldn't catch herself, so she basically fell onto her face onto the pavement.  It was the saddest thing I've ever seen.  The whole side of her face was scraped up including a bloody and fat lip.  Ben has a great pic I'll have to post when he gets back.

So, no, we were not sad to say good-bye to Panzer Hotel.

We have since moved into an apartment on Robinson Barracks, which is on the complete other side of Stuttgart.  We are currently waiting for our permanent quarters, which will still be about a month away, but we are happy for the time being to have a little more space.  

And one of the perks of living on RB is the awesome playgrounds!  This playground will be right outside our permanent quarters.  Emily went down that slide about 15 times.  She loved it!  C still has some convincing to do.

And sadly, I spent Valentine's Day at the hospital, because the dang military health clinic here is impossible to get an appointment with.  I've been sick, so Ben took the girls on our first grand adventure, a ski trip in the Black Forest with friends from Monterey staying in Belgium (are you still with me?), while I stayed back at the apartment to recuperate.  Poor me.  Sniff.  Ben did get the lovely flowers and of course we improvise with the vase since we are still awaiting our household goods.  Hopefully the next post will be slightly more exciting!

Shaha Christmas in Kansas

Yeah, yeah, I know it's February and you're sick and tired of Christmas recaps, but you have to suffer through this last one.

Ben got a fancy pants camera for Christmas, so he went a little hog wild and got some fab pics.

The nativity skit took some creative license...  three angel fairies(?) declaring glad tidings of great joy.  BTW, matching pj's compliments of Gramma 

Christmas morning with the princess castle was a hit

For what ever reason, the Shahas are obsessed with fake mustaches.  I know, you could never guess they were fake, right?

Caroline, expressing her enthusiasm to go out in the snow

Ready for sledding

 Em's first time sledding.  She was a fan.

  Also, I'm a huge fan of the Sorrel boots I got for Christmas!  I've worn them almost every day here in Germany.

 The kids played chase in the house time and time again.  

That's C's beloved stuffed octopus... a souvenir from Monterey

Irresistible smile

Natalie and Em on the run 

 What a fun grandpa, eh?

The long-suffering uncles.  Doesn't Ben look like he's about 23 in this photo?

No Shaha gathering is complete without a jam session or two (or fifteen)

Bedtime stories with Uncle Joe

 Em and C's sophisticated uncles, Steve and Joe

Cousins Oakley and Caroline getting acquainted

After the family photo shoot, C lingers, enjoying a cup of tea

 Jack, feeling a little cheated being the only boy in the bunch of six girl cousins

 Dancing with Hailey 

 Beautiful girls... see any resemblance?

Natalie and Em at the bouncy joint... such good friends

Unfortunately C got sick, running a high fever

 

So a visit to the doctor ensued.  Ben is intently listening to the doc's instructions... feeling very secure with himself

A candid shot of Aunt Katie and Jack

The girls waiting for Grandma's homemade cookies

A trip to Union Station... so many awesome train displays 

Gramma and Em searching for Waldo.  Em was slightly obsessed with this book

 And equally obsessed with her "geo cards."  She's a little geography whiz.  Ask her what the capital of Uganda is.  She'll know it.  Ask me, and I'll defer to her.

Celebrating my birthday with my fam back in Utah

Glamour Girls

And saying good-bye to cousins in Utah... the day we leave to the airport for Germany.   

Ricky and Em... Priceless.