Christmas Spirit

I always find it amazing how much cool stuff there is to buy for kids...and I think the hats are particularly creative. This one is one of my favorites. It just looks sooooo cute. I think Quinn would like it less if he knew how he looket in it...after all, it has bear ears on it.
Last week, I played the role of 'Der Nikolaus' / 'Der Weihnachtsmann' at the local day care. I was scared to death. I knew how Santa Claus would act, but I didn't know if there were any differences between Santa and Nikolaus. After a short briefing from Eva and our neighbor, I gave it a shot.
I guess I did OK...I think I only made 3 kids cry. One little girl ran to the corner of the room as I approached.
Not too sure if Quinn knew if I was under the robe (which was really hot, by the way). When I left the room, a few kids left with me, so I had to leave the building and walk around to find a spot to change out of my robe. Kids are really curious. All in all, I had a great time, and I hope that I added a bit of joy to the kids' day.
Quinn is helping Eva out with the vacuuming.

Vacation: three's company

Part 1: Preamble

Early on the 9th of November, we were off to the US for our first transcontinental vacation together. We weren't too sure how Quinn would handle the flight, and we were prepared for the worst. We just kept telling ourselves to stay cool and calm.

Needless to say, Quinn was excited. We left pretty early for the airport to make sure we had plenty of time. Along the way, the autobahn was shut down to an accident. Autobahn closures can last forever, and we were a bit stressed...but we thankfully made it to the airport on time.

After having to go through security twice and at least one dirty diaper, Quinn was finally in his seat on the airplane!

Part 2: the New York area

Surprisingly, Quinn did great on the flight. He didn't cry at all...but didn't sleep either. We just had to keep him busy during the flight when he wasn't flirting with all of the flight attendants. After arriving at the hotel, I got lost trying to find pizza, and we had a great night's sleep to power up for the next day.

We spent the first weekend in the New York area, and we met up with Jo, a good friend of ours from Canada. On Saturday, we hit the outlet malls and did a bit of touring, and visited Ft. Nonsense - one of the 'forts' of the Revolutionary War.

It wasn't much of a fort...and this stone is all that is left. Above, Jo and Eva.

We also took a stop at one of Washington's Quarters. We just missed a tour, but it didn't seem like there was really much going on.

On Sunday, we headed to Princeton to look at the campus. I've been there a few times before, and I thought that it would be a great place to just have an easy day. We also met up with our friend Michael from Atlanta. When we arrived, there were boat races going on - I guess the real term is sculling, but I'm not cultured enough to call it anything other than boat racing with rich people. They tried to do it right and had lots of tents with tailgaiting going on...but they didn't even have any beer (at 10am) available.
On the Princeton campus...so what do you see in this picture?

Saw tons of Japanese tourists on campus taking a picture of a squirrel. I guess they don't have many squirrels in Japan.Part 3: Texas (my hometown)

So, a few folks have requested pics from my home town: well here it is. These pics were taken about 2 miles from the house I grew up in. As you can tell, there aren't many trees in West Texas. Those trees in the distance are also called telephone poles by 'city folk'.
Same spot, different direction.

At home with my folks. My parents borrowed this little horse for Quinn. When you squeezed his ears, he would make different sounds or sing. Quinn had a ball on the horse...unfortunately, the video we took is a lot better than this pic...
Mom and Quinn at the City Park.
Dad helping out with the feedings. It was AWESOME to have mom and dad around. The did a lot to help out with Quinn - even volunteering to change diapers - which helped us to get to enjoy the vacation a bit more and to relax. Thanks mom and dad!
This is one of my favorite pictures of Quinn.

Downtown on Main Street with the old Morley Theater in the background.
Santa Claus showed up in his limousine to get the kid's wish lists. Quinn wasn't really sure what to do...but he at least didn't pull at Santa's beard.
We bought a jogger for Quinn (and dad), and we spent a lot of time together - with me pushing the whole way. Quinn tends to sleep the whole time, so I guess he likes it. We also hit the city (about 55 miles away) to go shopping at the mall, and you could rent these really cool strollers for the kids. Quinn had a blast...and was in charge the whole time.
Another pics of the hands: this time three generations of Robert Gould's.

Another 3 Gen pic...during Thanksgiving.
For those critics that say I don't blog enough of Eva. Another Thanksgiving family picture. I'm in a bit of danger posting this pic (my mom thinks she looks funny with her open mouth), but my mom looks great as usual...and it is one of those rare pictures of my dad smiling for the camera. Obviously a trait that didn't pass on to Quinn.
Dad carving up the turkey. As usual, my mom cooked up a storm, and there was way more food than we could eat...which is great for leftovers.Quinn was looking forward to his Thanksgiving meal of...oatmeal.
Part 4: Breckenridge Colorado

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, we took an early flight to Breckenridge to meet up with a bunch of my friends from college. The gang has been heading up to the mountains after Thanksgiving for 10 years. The event has changed a lot over the years. First came the girlfriends, then the wives (still the same group of ladies as the 'girlfriend' group), then the children came.

This year, we had about 13 adults (If you count Joel ;-) and 6 kids - all under 4. The view from Breckenridge is above. Another shot from Breck as we were on our way to go ice skating.
Let's just say that skating with kids is extremely cool...they were having the times of their lives. Thankfully, we had a few extra adults with us to help out. Below, Ize and the twins.
Darin was one of those extra sets of hands. He did a great job with Quinn, and Quinn had a great time with his beard and trying to pull chest hair. Darin was such a natural, that most folks thought that Quinn was his son and asked him things like 'how old is your son'. Taking it all in stride, he just answered 'nine months'...very cool. Thanks Darin!
Stacy and Abby skating.
One afternoon, we took a great hike in the area, and we enjoyed one of the many, many sunny days in Colorado.

Amazing view of the Rockies.
Along the way, there were some donkeys that we looked at for a while...Quinn is still a bit young to appreciate animals.
Justin, Quinn, and Abby playing.
We brought the kids Überraschungseier (surprise egs). It was really, really sweet looking at the kids figure out what they were, as we don't have these in the US. Hunter had a great time figuring out how to put the toy together.
Zoe biting right into the Üeier...like a natural.
Here's a shot of the front of our 'house' for the weekend. The place was huge...and could sleep 20 people pretty easily. It had a jacuzzi and even a theater room (for great football watching).

The kitchen was also huge, which made preparing meals much easier. We took turns cooking the meals (one family per meal), and we ate like royalty for the weekend.
The kids played really well together. Below, Quinn looking up the skirt of one of Abby's Barbie Dolls. I guess he gets that from his dad ;-)When the kids went to bed, the parents stayed up to play games. While playing Guesstures, Anita said that she didn't want us to take pictures of her. So, in true man fashion, we all started taking pics of Anita. We probably had 6 cameras going simultaneously.
I have no idea what I'm doing here.Thanksgiving weekend is the one time of the year that the guys can play Risk. One night, we stayed up till about 4am...
We brought a huge jar of Nutella for the gang, and Deborah showed us how Nutella is best enjoyed: right from the end of the spoon out of the jar (she had already dipped the spoon end of the spoon and didn't want to double dip).

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end...and when they do, we all shuffle for the group picture. CY, Heather, Zac, and Joel are not pictured.

After leaving our 'house', we headed to Frisco for a group breakfast...and the view of Frisco is that of an old mining / mountain town.

Part 5: Boulder and Denver

Unfortunately, shortly after coming down from the mountains, Quinn started running a fever, and we stayed for two days in the house. But, we did make it to Boulder for a few hours to get some fresh air.

It is never to early to introduce Quinn to the best mascot in the world: the University of Colorado Golden Buffaloes. The 'still' version of Ralphie is below.

The most beloved view of the Boulder area: the Flatirons.
Another view of the Rockies from outside of Boulder.
During our stay, we crashed at my Aunt Jessica and Uncle Charles' place, with my cousin Landon. Thanks for letting us stay! We made sure we didn't use much TP (family joke).
On our last night, we visited my sister and her children, my niece Jessica and nephew Michael. They did a really great job with Quinn, and I think that all three of them had a great time.
Then we got up the next day at 430am to begin our 24 hour journey back to Germany. We all had a very great time, and with all good things, this vacation had to come to an end. While it was not as exotic as some of our vacations in the past, it was very relaxing and enjoyable. Plus, with us living so far away from my friends and family in the States, it is especially nice to get to see them every once in a while.

With good friends, time plays no role. Even though it has been over 11 years since we graduated from college, it seems like yesterday when we all get back together. Thanks to all for your love, friendship, and support.

...just let me win at Risk next time ;-) I'm practicing...

But, with all good vacations, despite the great time, it was very nice to be home...