Florida and our German Homecoming - 3 Years with Levi in our family!

After Christmas Levi and I went for a week in Florida for a little more quality Neenie and Papa time.

How we love Neenie and Papa's beach.  We always seem to have it to ourselves.  Great for running and screaming at the ocean.  Our boy is fearless when it comes to water….

Inevitably we end up "stripped down to our skivvies" and waddling home in a towel.

What a fun time at the little hands on Children's Museum in Jacksonville.  They have thought of so many unique activities: A real stage with real seats!  A real store with checkout counters!  There was also a real ambulance, a whole train area…Great morning.  Levi and I broke out our moves:

 

And a great children's museum in Daytona too!

An electric harp with invisible strings!

Bedtime stories with Neenie

Snuggled in after dinner.

Back to Germany!  First stops are always to see friends, who make our transition so much easier.  These sweet pictures said it all.  Well, they say the rest of what these two munchkins also said that night:

Maddie:  "Levi, do you want to get married?"  Levi:  [giggles, pause] "What's married?"  

Then later, yelled from the playroom: Both: "We're getting married!!!…."  Levi: "Mommy and Daddy are married."  [Apparently, it was explained to him.]

And finally, after receiving an "I'm sorry" hug from Maddie at one point, Levi: "I would like Maddie to give me a kiss…Maddie, may you please give me a kiss?"

Oh, boy…..

A zoo trip to catch up with Lili, her Mommy, Monica, and brother, Micah.

And goodness were we happy to see these monsters again.

Levi's old enough for a daily chore: scooping the dog food in the cellar and bringing it up for them.  He's very proud of his new responsibility.

A visitor!  Uncle Keith came over for the weekend while working in Scotland for a few weeks!

And a big Bavarian meal for Keith too - hock of pork, bier, und kaiserschmarn!

This picture kills me.  Tears after Uncle Keith left.  Poor Levi had a total breakdown.  Thankfully, we'll get to see Keith and his family in Indiana this summer as we all visit family.  I see a big play date in our future.

Levi and Mommy School

Still going strong!  Just like eggs, apparently.  Who knew?  

And then Levi cooked 'em up….

Almost no snowflakes this year (strangely) in Bavaria, so we made our own!

Then we read The Snowy Day….

…and experimented with a snowball in the coat pocket, just like Peter in the book.

 
Books on tape with page turn signals make wonderful use of all the time we have in the car.

The amazing Deutsches Bahn Museum in Nürnberg.  Well worth the 1 1/2 hour drive.  Not surprisingly, one of Levi's favorite places.  He talks about "the kids' area" constantly:

"I've been to this museum once before.  I loved it so, so much.  I just played and played and looked with my eyes to see what I could touch and what I could climb on.  Mommy, in the kids' area I have something to show you…..Look, I know what to show you.  Um, um, um…this is a train.  It's on tracks.  It's cool."

Brad and I also enjoy the timeline of the history of German trains.  In the WWII section however, even Levi could pick up on the ominous mood:

"Now I would like to get out of here….[In a singsong voice]  Spooky!  Spook!  I said 'spook' because it was spooky."

Despite that, overall it is a lovely family day out:

And wandering the city afterwards….

Playing store….Levi bought everything but, well, the table.

Music time!

Relaxing with one of the books he can read to himself!  

Month 36 Chair Pictures - 3 Years in our Family

Levi Says

• [After a long walk with Neenie] Mommy!  We walked SO far!  A mile!  It was hard to get home.
• [After I made him a "car dealership" out of blocks and then tried to line some cars up] No, those cars have already been sold by the car transporter.  They are just fine.
• Neenie:  Buddy, do you want to go to the park?  Levi: No, I just don't want to get out of this house.  It's just so beautiful.
• [After putting on pi's right out of the dryer] Man, that feels good.
• Um, Mommy, WHY is there no blue sky on the moon?
• What do babies do?  I don't know a lot about them.
• [Noticing Daddy's legs]  Is Mommy fluffy?  Why do some people have things on their legs?
• It's hard to leave places.  And it's hard to fly away from places.  
• [After Neenie stole a cracker off his plate]  Why do people steal other people's food?
• [Noticing another passenger's iPhone on the plane] Mommy, he has your phone.  Why did that man steal your phone?
• [On our way to Germany] My doggies are wondering, 'Where is my best friend, Levi?'
• Levi: "I'm a state."  Me: "You are?  What state are you?"  Levi: "Montana. [Holding up his cup] This is a plane.  It's flying to Iniana to see Mommy, Daddy and Levi….I'm the sun.  I'm hot gas.  I'm Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto."
• [After a lunchtime prayer] That was a lovely prayer.
• Levi: "Why do we have two feet?" Me: "Well, that's just the way God made us."  Levi: "Why did he make us that way?"  Me:  "You'll just have to ask God when you see him."  Levi:  "When will we see God? What does God look like? ….What's God doin' now?"
• [After shooting off his foam air rockets] "We should make them like real rockets.  We should make them have fire on them…I wish we had some fire.  They're just pretend.  I'm sorry."
• [Putting his trains to bed] I love you too.  Sleep well.  No, it's still nighttime kids.  You're sleeping.
• Look at my sparkly tongue!  Look, Mommy!
• [Think he is starting to pick up some phrases from our Scottish buddies?]  I'm gettin' you because I'm cheeky.
• Maddie and Lili will both be at the zoo too.  It will be a party….That was in my head and then it came out!
• [After the first official day of our new Montessori curriculum]  Daddy: "What did you do today?"  Levi: "Um.  We did a new Mommy and Levi school.  And, look Daddy, we have that game! [points to our grain pouring activity]"
• I'd like some water so I can drink some water and water can make me full.
• Lots of, "Suddenly, I got REALLY hungry!"  [Stolen from Curious George.]
• Also lots of, "Ooooh, little fella…."
• Levi: "Mommy, I will never, ever lick you again."  Me: "I don't believe it."  Levi: "It's the truth!"
• [Looking at the top kitchen cabinet,] Mommy, I have never seen this before.  Could you please lift me up so that I can see something?
• Lots of, "Mommy, how's dinner comin'?" or "Daddy, how's your day goin'?"
• [After I tried to sing along with some of his favorite music]  Mommy, be quiet.  Just calm down."
• [At nighttime] Why are we facing away from the sun?
• All day, every day, a billion and one, "Why…" 's
• [Seeing my half-full cup of coffee]  Mommy, I said I would help you with your coffee.  [Yeah, right.]
• Levi: [overheard from the bathroom, a tearful] "It's okay, it's okay…."  Me: [I go to check on him] "Levi, are you alright?"  Levi: "I JUST NEED SOME TIME!!!!  [Fair enough.]