Raclette

Raclette grilling is a tradition in Germany that we have enjoyed several times since we've been here. Each person has their own tiny little pan where cheese is melted over meat and veggies. Rose-Marie pulled out all the stops this time! We sat at the table preparing these customized, yummy treats for several hours on this night. Afterwards, the adults enjoyed pineapples baked in rum and then smothered in vanilla sauce. I'm thinking we might need to invest in one of these grills!

Pumpkins

We carved jack-o-lanterns while we were at the Osterholz home. Rose-Marie and I got all the pumpkins for free since they were leftover from the Fall festival in Weibern. We went nuts picking them out! The kids had fun carving them and it wasn't TOO messy!

Fall Break in Weibern

School was out for 2 weeks, so we took the train to visit our old friends, the Osterholz family. Whenever we can make the trip to see them, we head to the Eifel area of Germany. There's never a shortage of laughs, wine and good times when we are there!

WERDER BREMEN

A couple of weeks ago, Thomas finally found some tickets to see our favorite Bundesliga team- Werder Bremen. It was a Thursday evening game that began around 7, which meant getting home late on a school night for Hannah. Sarah opted to see a movie with the Goerler girls, but the Goerler boys joined us in Bremen to see the action. Werder pulled out a win over Spain's Athletico Bilbao. The final score was 3-1. It was a little chilly, but the excitement in the arena made us forget about the cold! Lebenslang Gruen-Weiss!

Maulwurf heisst MOLE!!!

When we stopped by Oma's house this week, she had left something out in the yard for us to see... it was a "Maulwurf", or a mole. He was much larger than the ones our kitties have caught in Georgia. She then showed us his "work" in her yard. Boy... he really did do some damage. The "Maulwurf" is a protected animal in Germany according to her. So.... when I asked what happened to her little, dead mole friend, she said something in German that I couldn't quite understand....then, with a little wink and a sly smile said, "I couldn't help it." That part I understood.

Erntedankfest (Part 2)

Thomas' hometown, Haemelhausen celebrated their harvest this weekend with the traditional "Erntedankfest" parade. Our neighbor, Karin is in the riding club in Haemelhausen and was sweet enough to ask if our girls could ride in the parade with her and the club. Ironically, Thomas' cousin drove the tractor. The procession was actually underway for several hours, but the girls enjoyed every second! They were still in "party" mode after we got home that night. The wagon was decorated with sunflowers and greenery and looked pretty amazing.

Sarah's Prinz is here!

Well, I think Sarah has met the love of her life... and at the age of 10! Here he is... the fabulous Prinz, translation... Prince! Since the girls have been riding, Hannah has remained with Tiger, but Sarah has tried a couple of different ponies who were sweet, but not ideal for her. Prinz has changed all that! He's slightly larger than the other ponies.... and just look at that sweet face and those eyes! Here are some shots of them together.