backyard play

gregor (3 soon to be 4 in may) and i have been playing a lot of fussball in the backyard lately because the weather has been great, and gregor i have come to find out is super athletic. and has energy to spare (so i often take him to the garden to expend the energy much like you might run a dog, in the most loving sense possible) we usually start by trying to pass the ball through each other's legs. we started to get pretty good so he told me to back up and kick it as hard i could through his legs. no problem kid... i passed it as hard as i could to him, and just before the ball got to him it must have hit a bump or something because it bounced right up and hit him in his boy parts as he was spread eagle. to my surprise, no tears. instead he busted out in laughter, "leigh leigh you hit my visi visi!" (although probably an overshare, 'visi visi' is what the boys use to refer to their man parts.)

Paula and the terrible twos

It’s not terrible, but rather sassy. When I first arrived Paula didn’t really speak. She could understand pretty much everything in English, and German of course because she had 5 people constantly talking at her in German. On her 2nd birthday, on December 1st, Paula decided she would change things up. It was like she learned 50 new words over night (English included). Lately she repeats everything I say, and a lot of what Gregor and Julius say. Since Gregor and Julius attend English kindergarten they subconsciously speak only English to each other – it’s pretty amazing, and rather funny to hear them converse. Paula has now joined the conversation, and can now say phrases she hears all the time.
She can say, “Please push me on the swing.”
“Cheese, please.”
“Ya, funny!”
And thanks to me she can say, ”Happy girl!” “You silly goose.” and can sing “Down by the Bay.” She even called Anna (her mother) a ‘silly goose’ the other day in the kitchen when Anna dropped something!
Naturally she knows how to scold in German as well, because only when we need to speak very fast or get a point across do we speak in German. So she often says, “Hör auf!” or “So geht’s nicht!” But my 2 favorite Paula phrases are, “Leigh, Leigh immer noch weh tan!” Which (in terrible German grammar means, “it’s still hurting!”) and “Nur ein bissi.” Which means (in German Kinder talk) “just a little bit” when she is begging for sweets or more food.
Paula is now attending a "Kinder Gruppe" in a close by Montessori preschool once a week on Wednesdays. Every time I ask her, "How was Kindergruppe? What did you do?" She says, "Pretzi essen!"

Sick day

Hey Deutschers, we need to talk.
You're brilliant, obviously. World renown for your inventions and quality products: BMW, Gutenberg's press, X-ray, Siemens... you catch my drift, right?
However, there's a problem: I'm sick. I need the drugs. Tea and honey are not going to cut it. Because tea and honey will not reduce my fever, allieve my monthly girl issues, lessen my hangover headache or temporarily stop my nose from running.