Springtime Happenings

I just love this picture.  Waiting to leave for church.  She just LOVES church, can't you tell?  :)

Thank Heaven spring is here!  

Although, don't be fooled, spring in Germany can be quite cold.  Today it was in the forties.  But the sun was out so we'll take what we can get!  It's been wet and rainy and WINDY this past week.  The worst kind of weather when you can't even play outside. But, one afternoon the conditions were just right for flying kites... sun and wind and James down for a nap :)  Ben got these cheap kites like a year ago from a gas station.  I usually roll my eyes when he makes such purchases because I know he's never going to get to it, even though he has the best intentions.  Recently, though, Caroline has been begging me to fly a kite (since sadly, Dad is rarely around), and I've been putting her off.  Last week when we came in from running errands, she asked yet again, and I had no more excuses.  Sure, why not?  I said. No time like the present.  So I finally pulled them out of his closet.  

I've never actually flown a kite.  So, after doing a quick "wikihow" search we gave it a whirl.  The first go-around it got stuck in a tree.  The second attempt C got tangled up in the string.  But soon we got the hang of it and it was really fun… even though the girls couldn't do much because it's actually kind of tricky.  They took turns being the "launcher" and then I got Em to start timing how long we kept it in the air.  Our longest was exactly one minute.  So now we have to beat that record next time around. 

 Other noteworthy events, C and J and I went to an easter egg hunt hosted by the USO on Panzer Kaserne.  It's a good 30 minute drive for us, and because we got stuck in horrible rain and construction, we arrived ten minutes late.  As we rushed into the USO building, C burst into tears to see that the hunt was all over… and I was fuming, ready to "choke somebody out" as Ben would say.  What kind of family event lasts only five minutes and gives no leeway to people who have to drive a good distance?  I found an employee and vented my frustration… C was howling and I was on the verge of tears myself.  I know, it sounds crazy over a stupid egg hunt.  Happily, they did some rearranging and put together another hunt for the stragglers (us and two other families). All was happy in C's little world.

 And this sequence of pics of J on the easter bunny's lap is hilarious… it's the shy, "I really don't want to be here but am doing my best to not have a total meltdown" look.  He does it whenever he's put in an unfamiliar/scary situation.  It melts my heart every time.  

Emily lost her front tooth this week!  She came home from school with it basically hanging by a thread from her mouth, with a little blood around the periphery of her gums (sorry to be graphic).  It was DEFINITELY ready to meet its demise.  But she was in TEARS, fearful of me pulling it out.  I gave it a gentle tug and out it came.  There's nothing cuter in the world than a little girl losing her tooth. 

 Except maybe her letters to the tooth fairy:

Today, Easter Sunday, was really nice. The sunshine poured into our bedroom windows this morning, blinding me a bit as I attempted to sleep in… but it also sweetly made me think of the resplendent morning of the first resurrection. 

Today felt odd because we didn't have church on account of General Conference… and since it is not broadcast until 6:00 pm here, we had the day wide open.

We went to the park this morning and saw some of our favorite friends… the Beckers who were having an egg hunt with their cute kiddos. C manages to crash every party. 

And this gang of girls, coming back from the community church services here on base:

  We invited a couple families from the ward, the Baums, and the Rogers over for Sunday lunch.  Mmmm.. it was delicious!  Then we met up with our LDS neighbors, the Gillmans and the Sotos for an epic egg hunt… with over 200 eggs and 17 kids!  The men hid eggs at the nearby park, which was great terrain for an egg hunt with all the trees and the playground.   It's nice to be with friends and neighbors who help alleviate some of the homesickness that always seems to befall me on holidays.  

Miles is going after the camouflaged egg at the end… can you see it?