Trier Weihnachts Markt

We spent the day after Thanksgiving in Trier at the Christmas Market. It is a beautiful city with an amazing display of Christmas items for sale. Let the Christmas market shopping begin!


Snow globes!


The entrance to the market at night.



Jackson and Grace staying warm on the chilly night.


A huge weihnachtpyramide atop the booth that was selling them. I love how unique all the items were for sale.

This man was busy carving the wood away to make a cheribum angel. It was fascinating watching him do his handy work.

Some of the angels that were in his shop.

These reindeer were made out of greenery and I thought they were so cute. Very crafty!

Jason and Rebekah enjoying a nice glass of glühwein. Nothing like a nice, warm adult beverage to make the festival that more enjoyable! ;)

Jackson's Thanksgiving Lunch

Jackson had his Thanksgiving meal at school on Friday. It was so much fun to see him perform his songs. We are so thankful he loves his preschool! It has been a great place for him to grow in so many areas....from learning more about God, to meeting new friends!


How did I know he would be thankful for dinosaurs. ;)

Jackson and his friend Cainan (and Luke in the background).

He was so excited to be an indian.

Jackson and his teacher Mrs. Maria. She is the best!

Oh, Grace!

Grace has gone from a girl who had NO hair her first 12 months of life to waking up to hair that looks like this. Yikes! It's a good thing for water and a brush...it does wonders on her bedhead.

Grace is definitely becoming more aware of going potty lately. She will run to the bathroom saying, "T, T!" So when we were at IKEA the other day I decided to pick up a practice potty. She is far from being potty trained and hasn't peed in it yet, but she has to start somewhere, right?

Fall!

This is my all time favorite picture. This walking/bike path is right around the corner from our house. I couldn't resist taking a few fall pictures of the kids walking under the canopy of changing leaves. I am finding my love of fall and all the beauty that surrounds us here in Germany. The best part is it's just the beginning of many more seasons to come.

Halloween Festivities

We started off our Halloween festivities with our annual pumpkin carving contest. Now is your chance to vote for the best carved pumpkin. (The names will be at the bottom of the page.)
We opted out of going trick or treating on base because we heard it is very crowded. So instead we went the trunk or treat route on Sembach where Jason works. It was perfect for our kids age and the best part was it was in the afternoon instead of the evening around bedtime. The kids had so much fun going to each trunk that was decorated to get candy. Aside from the cold afternoon wind, the kids loved it. I would say it was a great, successful Halloween!

Jackson and Grace getting ready for the trunk or treat. Grace wasn't too happy about the trunk part of it!

I wanted to go the simple route with Grace and found this cute dress in clothes that were given to her. It looked pretty cute!

Jackson and his friend Sam.

Spiderman!
Grace found her love of dum dums.
Grace and Cole hanging out in Rebekah and Jason's trunk.
Hanging out in the firetruck. Jackson loved it!
The pumpkins from left to right:

Jason, Jackson (with Daddy's help), Emily and Grace (with Mommy's help)

These are for you Yaya!

Well we couldn't get a video of the kids singing happy birthday to Yaya, so this little rendition will have to do. Happy Belated Birthday Yaya! We love you so much and can't wait to see you at Christmas time.

Sir Jackson and his lady

Gaga made these adorable capes for the kids. They absolutely love them! Thank you mom!

Happy Birthday Gaga!!

Happy Birthday Gaga! Have a special day today.

We love you and can't wait to see you real soon!

Road Trip to Trier

It was a beautiful day here, so we decided to forgo unpacking more boxes and putting things in place to taking a road trip. We drove about an hour and a half northwest of where we live to Trier, Germany. It was a beautiful city, unlike anywhere I have been before. It is a city so rich in culture and history. Here is just a little history of the city:
Trier is a 2000-year-old Roman city near Luxembourg, the oldest city in Germany. It was home to six Roman emperors and has many ruins including the impressive Porta Nigra (the Black Gate), a four-story structure that was once part of the city’s walls. An interesting fact about the Porta Nigra is it was built out of limestone, but over the centuries it has darkened with age. Can you imagine what it would of looked like when it was white? "Roma Secunda", the second Rome, was another name for Trier, and nowhere else in Germany are Roman times so vividly recalled as here.
The city is situated in a narrow valley of the river Moselle and surrounded by forests, vineyards and nice villages. It is also the birthplace of Karl Marx.

Packed and ready to go!

The architecture was beautiful.
Here is a shot of the city's main square. It was busy and full of life!
I love pumkins and these were very unique!
This was taken in front of the Porta Nigra. Notice the man with his pants down...yea...I have no idea what that was about! ;-)
Ahhh...the Porta Nigra. The Romans built this out of limestone. It's amazing to think that this was once white!

Roman bath ruins that were being excavated.

More Roman bath ruins.
Grace showing off all her teeth. ;0)
We finished off the day with a fire in the chiminea and roasting marshmellows. Today was a good day!

Roses

We have a couple of rose bushes in our front and backyard. So Jackson wanted to be the big helper that he is and help me cut them and put them in a vase.
I need some pointers on how to take care of a rose bush so they produce more flowers like this. Have any suggestions?
Also, some of the trees in our front yard are just starting to turn colors. I can only imagine what the trees around us are going to look like when they really start to turn.