Days off with Grace

Tuesdays are my only day during the week where I have nothing to do and stay around the house. So, Grace and I take advantage of that time and do something fun. (Plus I know my days are numbered before she goes to kinder next year.)

With all of the boxes we have from moving we cut one down and made a pony house for her ponies. She loved coloring and decorating her box with rhinestones.

 Of course, Emma was there the whole time. Old faithful.

 Here is the final result. She plays with this just about everyday. It's usually the same...choose your pony, line them up and have a pony party!

Hitscherhof Pumpkin Fall Festival

It's that time of year again for the fall fest at the pumpkin farm. We had to take the annual picture in front of the giant pumpkin, eat the amazing pumpkin soup and have the kids play in the hay.   

It was a fun, successful day to celebrate the coming of fall.

This is the best one I could get of the kids. They kept sliding off the pumpkin.

I forgot to get a picture of the soup before we devoured it!

Jackson, Grace and their friend and our neighbor, Hannah.

 This is the kids favorite part...playing in the hay!

 I love the variety of pumpkin they have. I bought some to put in our window boxes. I'll post those soon...

First Day of Preschool

Today was Gracie's first day of preschool at Faith Baptist Church. She couldn't be more excited to start school again! Jason and I were talking and it's hard to believe but this time next year she will be going to school with Jason when she goes to kindergarten. Now that is hard for me to believe! When did my baby girl decide to grow up so fast?

 Grace with her teacher, Ms. Shelly. I picked Shelly for Grace knowing that she would be a perfect fit for her. One of the advantages of being a teacher at the school. ;-)

So far so good...she adores her!

First Day of 1st Grade

The day has arrived...Jackson is in first grade! He has been so excited to go to school for weeks now. We found out last week that he got accepted to the "german immersion" program at his school. There are 2 classes in the first (and second grade) that are designed to teach the children german language and culture. In the german immersion enrichment program, students will:

-Learn the German language and culture 

-Acquire a deeper understanding and appreciation of our host nation’s language and culture.

-Learn Math, Science, Health and Social Studies skills though thematic units present in German (50% of the day).  

-Develop listening skills and speaking skills in German.

-Learn how to communicate with others using simple words and sentences in German.

-Maintain and continue to develop skills in English.

-Learn Reading, Writing, and Language Arts presented in English (50% of the day).

We are so excited for his year and all that he will be learning. I am not sure how much he remembers from his time at the german kindergarten two years ago, but I am hoping that what he learned comes back...and then some.

We started out the day with a good breakfast.

 Had to get the sign for the first day!

 Waiting patiently for the other students to arrive.

 I am thankful Jason is going to be able to take Jackson to school and pick him up some days. It is so nice to know Jason is just across the street.

 Frau Whitely leading the students to the classroom.

 At the end of the day Frau Whitely gave the kids a "schultüte." Basically it is a cardboard cone that is decorated and filled with fruit, chocolate and candy. It is given to the students to make their first days sweeter. 

All in all the first day was a huge success! I asked Jackson what he liked about his teacher and he said, "everything!" 

Whoa, where did summer go?

I can't believe it's been two months since my last post! I have been very bad about updating all of our summer adventures. We had a fantastic time on all of our summer travels all over the U.S. Now that we are back home in Germany we are busy moving into our new home. So stay tuned for pictures!

Our Texas Summer (well some of it)

After we went to Seattle to visit friends we headed off to Texas! I was so excited to see my family most of which I hadn't seen in two years. Crazy to think it had been that long, but when I think back to the last time we were there Grace was only 2, and Jackson 4, then whoa...that is a long time!

We had so much fun while we were there. Unfortunately I don't have most of the pictures from the summer because we used my mom's camera a lot. But when she is back home after their 2 month road trip I will be sure to add more to the blog. So this is it for now...

What would a trip to Texas be without shooting Jackson's bb gun.

 When we first moved to Germany Jason worked with Rebekah and I took care of Cole during the day. It was so much fun to catch up with them, and meet their new addition Ava.

 Jason flew back to Germany 10 days early to meet up with his brother and friends to do a bike trip around the Netherlands. This is just before he went to the airport.

 Jackson and Grace with my brother. Brad was able to stay for a good amount of time. We enjoyed every minute of Uncle Brad time!

 Jason had flowers delivered the day he left for Germany. Such a sweet man I have!

 Jackson is in deep thought on how to make homemade ice cream.

 Gaga helping Grace turn the wheel to make the chocolate ice cream.

 Fun times in Gaga and Daddy Don's jacuzzi tub.

As you can see from just a few pictures it was a wonderful home. I can't wait to get the others up so you can see all the cousins together!