Pfandhausen Fest Jungle Play

The nearby village of Pfandhausen held a fest in May and the kindergarten kids put on a jungle performance for the village folk in the school gym. Loralynn and her school-mates practiced their parts in the jungle play for about six weeks before the day of performance. Loralynn was assigned to be a jungle-person with three other girls.

Unfortunately Dan wasn’t able to attend to watch, but Tana and I were there in the big audience. We were altogether sure if she would be willing to be part of the play, but to my delight, Loralynn got up and went on stage when it was her turn. She had told me ahead of time that she couldn’t dance—so she didn’t do it on stage either—but I was so happy that she was courageous enough to stand on stage in front of such a huge audience. Several other kids just stared at the audience as well while they were up front or even refused to go on stage entirely. I don't blame them! That's intimidating for a little one! Watching the little kids “perform” on stage brought tears to my eyes because it feels like Loralynn is growing up so fast. Tana, even at 22 months, enjoyed watching the play off and on for the 30 minutes. Here’s a little clip of Loralynn with her leaf skirt on.

Only pick the red strawberries

Loralynn loved picking strawberries with Andrew and Kristin.

Loralynn taught Kristin and Andrew S. to pick only the red strawberries. She is an expert by now since she's been to the strawberry patch three years in a row and she is only 3 1/2 years old. She had a grand time with Kristin and Andrew and really enjoyed their attention.

Dan was still vacationing in Finland/Russia, so I really looked forward to hanging out with friends while picking strawberries.

Tana sat contentedly in the stroller at the patch as I used every maneuverability skill I had to push her down the row. I was about to give up but knew that time would probably be limited once I let her loose in the patch. The poor cheap stroller wheels couldn’t stay straight.

Crystal and Mike C. came with us, too, with baby Cassie in tow. We all picked a load of strawberries. Loralynn's cuteness attracted an older German man that started to put ripe berries in her bucket as well for "teaching me new English words". I actually appreciated the help and I'm sure Loralynn liked his compliments.

Once Tana was freed from the stroller, she enjoyed tagging along with Kristin and Andrew as well. After dumping Loralynn's bucket in mine, we amassed nearly 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of strawberries for a grand total of 8 euro ($10.80). Loralynn and Montana still have yet to develop a taste for strawberries (or any fresh fruit for that matter).

My berries were almost immediately doomed to mashing for freezer jam and blended for fresh homemade ice cream. Unfortunately, we had to freeze the remaining third because we’re going on vacation this week. They will eventually be made into pie, cake, and smoothies. I love picking fresh strawberries!

Summer sun brings 100 degrees

We had to buy sunglasses for Loralynn's school play so we bought Tana some, too.

Starting off the summer, Loralynn and I got short haircuts together and found a fabulous outdoor plastic tea set for 8 euro (about $10.80). The girls played with the tea set outside on their mini picnic table for almost two days straight. The most awesome part was that they could use water in it and spill it all over!

Dan picked a bouquet from the fields behind our house.

We were totally prepared for the three days of tremendous heat we experienced last week while Dan was in Finland/Russia. The outside temperature was nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit with a lot of humidity. Mind you, there is no air conditioning anywhere. I pulled out every fan we owned and scattered them throughout the house, but really the only relief was going to the public pool Silvana Schwimmbad.

Having a wet "tea" party outside is a great way to keep hydrated in the summer.

Invasion of the pirates

Dan and Loralynn were the most authentic pirates on the ship.

All aboard! Only pirates allowed on this ship sailing the Main River in Schweinfurt. Actually, all of the school staff was invited for this end of the year party. It was a family affair and finished off the year in a fun way (even though there was still a week of work to be done before summer break officially began for Dan).

This is the first time I've worn earrings.

It was pirate-themed and Dan helped to deck out our a little family with eye patches, swords, a hook, ear rings and loads of pirate stickers. Loralynn just happened to have the perfect outfit and Tana’s went over just fine, too. Dan made do with his Arabic man-dress (which he tucked entirely into his pants!) and his lederhosen vest. Chest hair suited the occasion perfectly! I scrounged up what was easiest to find and could make me pass as a piratess. The best part was that we didn’t have a purchase a single piece of clothing for the four of us and we still made out well.

We spent most of our time in the sun on the upper deck chatting here and there and watching our funny girls. We ate the bratwurst and pork steak provided for dinner and watched the boat sail through the water—two hours upstream and one hour back down stream. The weather was very warm for a change.

My favorite part of the trip was watching Loralynn (now over 3.5 years old) come out of her shy demeanor when she had a sheet of stickers in her hand. She was bold and hardly asked for my assistance. We had about 70 people from our schools on the boat and she must have given almost everyone a pirate sticker—if not two or three stickers. She was bubbly and super enthusiastic as each person asked or received a sticker with excitement.

Loralynn and Tana shared a "pop rocks" popscicle.

She went on for a long time like this and when she ran out, I produced another sheet of stickers and she wandered around with Dan. When that sheet was emptied, I produced yet another sheet of stickers and took my second round with Loralynn to give them out. Her excitement made my heart so happy.

Just near the end of our cruise, a downpour of rain began almost without warning. We all sought cover under deck. It pelted the boat and water with thunderous noise, but luckily as we pulled into the dock, it slowed down to a light rain. We were able to make it to the parking garage without being entirely soaked.

It wasn’t until a few days later that we realized we had left our camera behind (and I’m pretty sure I left the new sunglasses that Dan had bought me for mother’s day). We were able to retrieve the camera intact, thankfully, but the sunglasses never turned up.

Middle school farewell & Volksfest 2013

Dan and Joel sing "Call me maybe" with new lyrics.

Last week all the middle school staff and faculty gathered for a farewell party at a Chinese buffet restaurant. The food was good and the entertainment was even better. Dan and Joel sang a farewell duet to Rebecca and Steve R. who were finishing their careers with DoDDS. Dan rewrote the lyrics to the popular song, “Call me maybe” to pertain to their departure. Then each teacher who was moving away this summer was given a tribute speech by one of the teachers staying. The finale was a cute performance of the Sound of Music song “So long, farewell” with dancing and twirling teachers.

This week, the weather cleared up and we have had sun for several days in a row! We went to the Schweinfurt Volkfest family night and had a good time with the girls (even Tana, who has been feeling under the weather lately). Tana rode her first tot rollercoaster with Loralynn and loved it (see short video clip below)! We met up with Laurie B. and two of her girls for a chat in the beer garden. Dan and Loralynn rode the ferris wheel while Tana and I sat with the stroller and our things. As we exited, we gave Loralynn a taste of cotton candy,  and she got what I think is now her favorite dessert: vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate. Tana didn’t want a thing in her poor little tummy.