Family Pic: Christmas 2010: it is not easy to get two kids to smile at the same time into the camera.
Quinn and Emily playing Emily's piano book. Quinn even felt obliged to help Emily play with her toys. Thankfully, both kids share extremely well.
Tante Ali with the piano book...
Katja, Quinn, and Emily with one of Quinn's favorite toy.
Yes, here's proof that Eva was there as well. Since she takes most of the pics, Eva sightings on the blog are rather rare...
Eva's dad had some sand for the kids to play in, but no sandbox...so the wheelbarrow was the provisional sandbox.
At Kindergarten (this pic was taken at home earlier in the week), the kids finished up their 'Fairy Tale' (Märchen) theme, so the kids got to dress up as a Fairy Tale character...Quinn...as a prince.
...and Quinn's feet after playing for hours barefoot outside at Uncle Wolfgang's birthday party...No one will ever criticize Quinn for not being a boy...
Uncle Wolfgang had his birthday party as well (Happy Birthday!), and, of course, the family joined them for cake and coffee. The picture above is what Quinn's feet looked like after the event (playing soccer barefeet in the yard).
Blowing bubbles with Emily and Oma.
Emily and TickTack Opa.
...more pics of Kocka, Katja, Emily, and Quinn...
...they got to practice some soccer as well...
Quinn kept them both very busy...first in the sandbox.
Then on our soccer field.
Katja practicing...
...we are still searching for the first picture where Emily is actually smiling. This close, however...with Emily placing her fist in her mouth.
I'm happy because I finally get to grill in nice weather...
While I was off to work, the gang headed off to the zoo. 
...eating...
...another pic of Emily not smiling...but she had a ball...
With a loving big bro like this, how can't you smile? Truth be told, Emily absolutely adores Quinn, even if she doesn't show it on the pics. She's starting to grab his toys, and while he is a bit protective, he lets her play with his faves.
The nice spring weather also meant that everyone got ice cream!
I've been amazed by the care and love that people have given toward Quinn after the birth of Emily...by keeping him in their thoughts and giving him a small gift so he didn't feel left out when Emily got birth or Christening gifts. Below is Quinn with his new gardening gloves (He's getting good at picking weeds).
...with my parents...
...with Eva's parents...
...and with Tante Ali...
When Emily went to her U2 inspection, the doc said that her hips actually got worse since birth and that her hip isn't fully in the socket. While not a huge thing and not abnormal, Emily has to wear this 'thing' that keeps her hips firmly in the socket so that she can grow up and not have a limp.
Of course, the brochure says that this position is fully normal for a baby as it approximates the fetal position, but it just doesn't look comfy.
I guess I'm looking like I've done this before, but I was stressing a bit...making sure I didn't forget something and hoping that Emily (or Quinn) wouldn't scream during the whole service.
Our church as a great christening room. A stained glass star is on the roof of the room, so the kiddoes have something to look at. The priest warmed up the water...and Emily, suprisingly, didn't make a peep.
Our friend Tanja, also Emily's Godmother, made the candle...that Quinn kept trying to blow out.
The required pic with the kids and grandparents.
...and the required pic with the Godparents: Tanja (second from right) and Kocka (third from left).
Both my Dad and I love Legos as well, so it was a natural fit, in a geeky engineering sort of way. Above is my Dad playing a Legos variation that he invented for Quinn: Colors.
I think this was a ship...or maybe it was a huge house...or maybe a church...
Blue Eyes and his Smile.
Quinn really likes building tall towers...and uses his chair to build higher and higher...
Of course, he has to pick up his work of art and show everyone...which makes it tough when the towers are really tall...
After Emily's Baptism, Dad and Kocka got sucked into playing Legos as well...
The result of Quinn playing with our camera...a pretty good self shot.
One of many family pics. Who let me on the back row? I was on my tippie toes just to be seen.
Quinn with his Oma and Opa.
Similar to the games played at our wedding, German 'round' birthdays are a celebration where the family and friends organize 'games' (songs, slideshows, games, roasts) for the guests of honor. Here, Rainer's brother Wolfgang says in their poem that they would get Rainer a dog (which would be a huge no no)...and below is the dog - made of bread and sausage.
Eva and I even cracked open our dancing shoes.
Quinn playing / dancing with his two grandmothers.
Sisters...
Sisters, part II. Putting on a slide show with a poem with some great old pics of their father.
I really like this pic of my mom taking pics. She was in her element.
We were fearing the worst...that Quinn would get tired at 8pm and would want to go to bed. Normally at such parties, especially where he knows so many of the family there, Quinn is a trooper, and he was in his element. He danced the whole night away (I'm not kidding). He ran from relative to relative...having a ball.
Quinn spent much of the time dancing with his cousin. He was such a flirt, it was cute.
...and he had no fear of being on the dance floor alone...dancing...
The dance floor had glass tiles, so that you could see the floor below.
Finally, around 1:30, it was time to go. Quinn danced and played the whole night, without as much as a peep or cry. He didn't want to go, but Eva and I were beginning to feel like bad parents. It was obvious that he was tired, but he didn't want to quit dancing...kinda like those parties in college where it is way too late and you've had too much to drink...and you just let the night and morning linger because you don't want it to end.