Playmobil Fun Park

We had a stretch in January and early Feb with super cold weather (albeit with blue skies).  We were in the low single digits (less than -10°C), and we were all bouncing off the walls.

So, to add some spice, we headed to Playmobil Fun park to let the kids play a bit.

Emily is much more into role playing with the figures than Quinn...

...but Quinn really had a great time as well.

The slide and climbing wall was also a huge hit.

Quinn sporting a double chin.  This is the first pic where he looks like his Papa ;-)

I'm not much of a photographer, and have no idea to tell the camera to focus on one thing and make the rest blurry (like Eva)...but I really like how this one turned out.

Emily and Quinn were playing with the playhouse.

We even could convince the kids to take a picture with a huge Playmobil man.

On the way home, we took a pic of Eva's Christmas present, a TravelBug, a type of 'thing' that is designed to travel from one cache to another.  This TB's goal is to be taken in pictures of the bridges around the world.  Yes, I know it may seem a bit odd, this caching hobby of ours, but if you are interested, we can tell you the details.

This was what I was mentioning earlier:  Eva really knows how to take pics.

Random January Pics

A few weeks ago, after finding a cool looking pretzel recipe from Zagat / Googl+, I decided that it would be a good idea to wake up at 5am and try it out.

As with all new projects, it took a lot longer than I was expecting.

Unfortunately, the picture looks better than they tasted.  I'll try a new recipe sometime soon...this one was way too time intensive.  Until then, I'll be heading back to the bakery for pretzels.

This is one of the reasons I love Europe (and Germany):  EuroStyle.  After flying back from the States, I had  a few hours before I had to give a presentation to a group of approx 100 people.  While this totally sounds jet setty and snobby, if you knew how poorly I sleep in planes, you would understand:  I headed to the lounge, where they had some sleeping quarters, slept for an hour or so, and headed to this super cool shower.

Thanks to Lufthansa for helping me be prepared for the presentation.

Emily with her new Hello Kitty coloring book.  Quinn  with his.

Miss Hello Kitty

Emily has been in a Hello Kitty phase for a while.

Yes, those are Hello Kitty bed sheets as well...

Yes...we wish we could wean her off of her pacifier.

Oh...the thing on her head:  she got a winter hat for under her bike helmet.  She loved it so much, she wouldn't take it off.

Goal, Part III

Quinn scored another goal in practice today, his third in total.  This time, he got the ball near the other team's goal, and just kicked it in.  He also got his first assist:  a corner kick past one teammate (who wasn't watching and didn't do anything) to another who kicked it in the goal.

When I came home from work, Quinn jumped from the table and told me all about it.  Best of all, the first thing he said was that his team won, and that he scored a goal.

On a slightly different note, as I was helping Emily take off her coat in day care yesterday, one of her friends came in, and her mom asked the child to get her house slippers.  The kid didn't do anything...so Emily jumped off the bench and found the slippers in the rack and gave them to the mother.

I find this simply amazing:  I still don't know all the names of my new colleagues at work, but Emily knows which slippers go to which kid.

Yes...I'm a proud papa...and Eva is a very proud Mama.  Thanks for letting us share.

Random January Pics

I'm still trying to catch up with the pictures from January...so here are a few random ones, mostly taken from my cell phone.

Emily is helping me fix the towel holder in the bathroom, help being a very relative word.

With Winter in full force, we headed to an indoor playground to let the kids burn off some energy...

Meet our Vegetable Lady (unsere Gemüsefrau).  Yes, this is a random pic...but it does show a bit of our lives behind the scenes.  We've been buying our veggies from the Gemüsefrau for quite a while:  they are farm fresh, her van is only a few hundred meters from our house, and the local produce is not any more expensive (mostly less expensive) than at the grocery store.

While there is a slowly growing trend to buy local produce, Eva and I very much try to only buy fruits and vegetables from the region...or from Germany...or Europe.  It's less of a 'nationalistic feeling that drives us to this...it is our own sort of being 'Eco-friendly'.  Why buy apples from New Zealand, that have to fly half way around the world, when you can buy apples from Germany.  We don't buy strawberries (normally) in Winter because they have to come from far away places.  The exception:  bananas.

The other benefit:  the local farmers are benefitting...and getting more for their hard work, and we get awesomely fresh fruits and veggies.  One of the many reasons we love our quality of life in our home.

Quinn crashing...

One of the (somewhat common) way many pubs keep track of your bill:  on the beer coaster.

Emily should be sleeping now...but decided to put on her galoshes.

Shanghai'd: Part II

In December, I headed to Shanghai to escort some of our Canadian customers to our factory.  Since this was my last official task in my old job, there was less pressure than normal.  Since I had worked with my Chinese colleagues for a while, I knew the customer would be impressed.  In short, less stress than normal.

After the customers were finished with their tour of the factory ... and their detailed questioning, we headed to a 'local' Shanghai restaurant, where the food was good, and the 'mask changing' entertainment super cool.

The highlight was a very short trip to Old Shanghai, where one of my Chinese colleagues lead us around...and showed us some of the shady parts of town.  Definitely easier with a local that could speak chinese.  

On the way home, as we headed to the airport, we took the TransRapid - the Siemens magnetic levitation train (known as the MagLev in Shanghai) - that can cruise a cool 420km / hr (approx 280mph).  Unfortunately, it only topped out at 301 when I was there.

Song told me that I should have stayed another day...so that he could show me his hometown.  He would have been a great tourguide...and my next trip to Shanghai, I will take him up on his offer.

She ain't Texan

Last night, I made a bowl of chili, and to the request of my wife, I kept the heat down.  (My wife is a weenie when it comes to spicy foods...and it looks like my kiddoes are the same).  While it wasn't true Texas Chili (I put in rice, beans and some corn), it was good.

Eva was happy with the chili, I added more spice after the fact, my son finished his bowl (with some assistance of extra catsup)...

...but Emily didn't touch it.  She bit into a bean on her first bite, and didn't eat another bite.

Can't believe a child of mine won't eat beans or chili...


...more pics will be posted soon!