Ben turned 10

No doubt he looked extremely gorgeous with his hair wild and long, but as his vision has been slightly impaired for quite some time now, it was time for Ben's first haircut. Two months before his first birthday I took him to the village barber. Or should I say butcher? Short bangs, long sideburns. I'm afraid Ben turned into a little trailer buddy, and if he wants to impress upper class girls as well, we need to find him a fancy city hairdresser asap.

Mom's desperate attempt to cover up the hairy mess with gel:

It seems that Ben will live through a bunch of bad hair days, but he's sure to survive. Without the gel he looks a whole lot like Julius Caesar, but be it Beckham or Caesar, that boy is cute no matter what. There are two sides of a cut, just as there are two sides of a coin, and both of them suit him equally well. Even his tough and manly side has recently been softened. I probably shouldn't be writing this, but Ben has been spotted playing with Lia's doll Lotta! Never before did Lotta receive so much attention. Some of what I witnessed certainly needs to be rated PG 13, with Ben drooling all over Lotta's face. Therefore I can't post pictures of this romantic encounter, after all this is the internet! Let's just stick to Ben's tough side. Spikey hair and fuming tires included.

And much, much more has been going on! Ben's two upper central incisors have erupted! Also, the little guy is now standing on his two feet! Totally stable for five seconds before elegantly squatting back down. Not too long before our little monkey will practise his upright walk. In the meantime, Ben uses everything that isn't attached as a walking aid. Chairs and boxes are pushed from one side of the room to the other, and sometimes he will hold on to the back of my pants to walk along with me. He is a content little baby, up until his sister enters the room. The very second he lays his eyes on her, he gets ecstatic! A couple of days ago he did this crazy frog dance when spotting his sister. Dancing. Here we go. Another 'feminine' side that goes along with his Caesar cut and tender loving care for dolls. Ben's got RHYTHM! Nothing better than to fly through the living room in Mom's arms. Or shake his head 'no,no' to the rhythm. Sooo cute. That little baby of mine is developing his own personality. He has even learned to express his anger rather dramatically by lying flat on the belly and stretching out his arms and legs. So don't you dare take his favorite toy away from him! Or Godzilla will surely catch you! In about a month! Getting ready. Ruuuah.

3

Rumor has it that a certain nutty someone turned 3. Can it be true? Has it been a whole year since our little girl had her grand entrance in a fluffy pink feather boa at My Gym? Has it been a whole year since she got kissed full force on her lips by a little Italian boy? A whole year since we packed our bags (or car) to leave the New World and start anew in Germany? I guess so. There have been plenty of changes, pleasant and not so pleasant ones, but all in all, we are so glad to see that one happy Peanut was perfectly coping with all of last year's challenges. Since December 6th a very wise three-year-old proudly raises three little fingers into the air when asked her age!

Presents aplenty at 6 in the morning!

And what a sight to behold when it's still dark outside:

A bunch of girly birthday muffins for the kids at kindergarten:

And the perfect present for someone whose Dad is in Sales: a mini-shop!

Mini-customer inclusive.

"A strawberry for you, sir? That's 350 Euro, please!"

How to lift three candles?

Here is one more for good measure. And good luck!

Happy birthday, Peanut!

Lia's big day

For the last weeks Lia has been painstakingly practicing and polishing her kindergarten skills.

A certain someone is more than ready to leave the house...

And then comes December 1st 2009. Lia picks her pink kindergarten bag (it's all about options), poses for Mommy with a surprise goodie cone, and confidently marches to kindergarten.

Ready? Of course we are. No, not WE, but Lia. I am scared ****less, but that's just me, an overly worried mother who is not very good at letting her baby go. In an attempt to mentally prepare Lia for the new phase of life that is about to start, we have been reading books about kindergarten and talked so much about it, that Lia has started to think of herself as an accomplished kindergarten kid weeks before her enrolment. "Hello I'm Lia and I'm going to kindergarten!" "Ich geh schon in den Kinnagarten!" I think I've brainwashed her quite a bit. I simply wanted her to have an idea of what lies ahead of her. I've also told her a couple of times that the little girl that lives in our street will be in the same group with her. So on the morning of her big day I asked her: "And who will be in kindergarden with you?" And she smiled a big smile at me and answered: "Lorenzo!" And that's when I got all teary and my (still) two-year-old daughter told me not to cry. Quite the opposite of what some other families go through on their first day of kindergarten.

When I went to pick her up after her first day alone in kindergarten, I was so nervous that I was running instead of walking. Of course Lia was happily playing with the other kids and refused to go home with me. And this is her first masterpiece for mom to stick on the fridge: a sparkly nocturnal sky.

Peanut is now a real kindergarten kid. She's all ready to fight over toys and charm her new little and big friends. She is a member of the bear group, and hence a real, proper "group bear" as she calls herself now. "Ich bin ein Gruppenbär!" Hard to believe that our nutty Gruppenbear is turning 3...

9

The Benz. Our star actually turned 9.

Has it really been NINE months? Nine months that this superspecial snoopsy boy is part of our crazy Cordes life?? I still can't believe that this one really is mine. My blond, blue-eyed son. Absolutely crazy. Absolutely Cordes. Man, do we adore him. And a man he is. I have always had a distaste for stereotypes and alleged gender differences. Poor Lia never got one of those cute toy kitchens or mini household items, and we have always encouraged her to also bend it like Beckham besides shaking her hips. But BOY was I wrong. Ben is a natural Beckham, a boy in every stereotypical sense of the word. Ever since he is out there exploring the world on all fours (and now twos!), he has been expertly rolling balls, inspecting wheels, and studying technological items of all sorts. His very best friend is the vacuum cleaner. Whenever one of us is vacuuming the house, Ben will follow us like a little puppy, never leaving his best friend's side. There is absolutely no need for a play pen. If I want to leave Ben unattended, I simpy pull out the vacuum and leave the room with a clear conscience, knowing that Ben will not move an inch until I'm back.

Or I might as well stick him into the dishwasher.

That would do the same trick.

It might not come as a surprise that Ben HATES getting dressed. My gentle boy fights me every single time I'm trying to put clothes on him. Needless to say I have become quite a wrestling expert.

And the energy! Already walking alongside furniture. Thata boy.

I could try and work against what seems sooo natural. Put pink PJ's on him ;) and buy him a toy kitchen and a doll. But I know he'll flip the bird once he has sorted his fingers out. And look how handsome he is in blue. Why change something so perfect.

And so happy.
Happy ninth, old boy!

Fall(ing) from the sky

Let's face it. We are back home. It's fall, and we are grounded. No more blue skies travel for us, at least not until May (surprise!). So we have to make the best of gray skies and the German fall. But we are known for our ingenuity, aren't we. Sitting at home with nothing to do only happens ever so often. And if we do, we do so without socks on, dreaming up the feeling of warm sand between our toes. And haven't I also promised an American friend of mine not to put tights on my kids?? And I'm keeping my promise. Leggins only.

Last year's fall pic was slightly more Cardarelli,

but this one at least spells FUN (and GAP).

A German tradition, but a first for Lia: a lantern parade, organized by the local fire department.

Lia had to concentrate so hard on holding her lantern up (with a real candle and a wobbly wire construction) that my poor girl was always falling behind the group and almost got run over by the fire truck that followed the parade. But she did love it!

Saying goodbye to all of her pacifiers was another major event this November. Probably more traumatic than fun, but let's hope that no psychological damage was done. Lia had to put a box with all of her pacifiers under our walnut tree, and at night a little fairy came to take them away. That bloody cow. Previously the fairy had written Lia a real nice letter with all the necessary instructions. So Lia had no choice but to (French) kiss each one of her beloved pacies goodbye.

Ben was watching from the living room, cheering Peanut on.

Next morning, there was a really nice present waiting for Lia under the walnut tree. Courtesy of the fairy. Who was rather cheap, given the fact that the box was half empty.


Ah, and what's November without baking cookies??
Precious flour dusted cookie with pink frosting in hair, not for sale!


Lia's professional use of her rolling pin certainly kept all other kids in their places.


Lia's first cookie is a piece of art. A grumpy old snowman who wears his eyes on his hat. SWEET!

The wild, wild East

Travelling eastwards with the aim of visiting family has become a habit of ours. Fortunately, exotic family ties are not only to be found in the Middle East, but also in the East of Germany. Adventures are also to be had fully dressed. Ain't that a relief. A visit in Jena with the grandparents at Auntie Su's and Uncle Chrischie's is a whole lot of fun!

And please, that smile! So content. We'll give Lia a minute to pee in peace, before the action starts...

Yoga with Su! Downward facing dog. Ruff.



And appreciating your neighbor. Namaste.



Inner peace and all, Lia sets out for a relaxing excursion with her favorite uncle.



And later sits down with Chrischie for a philosophical discussion.



Yoga also teaches you to appreciate the nature around you.



Lia experiencing the highest state of consciousness.
Or let's just say:
That's one happy yogi.


Might be travelling further East. To India maybe? Not sure we have relatives there. And what's peanut in Hindi? Gotta find out.

Israeli and nuts

Here it is, the final part of our Israel blog. What can I say, other than: all good things come to an end. I do have a million more pictures to blog and a million more cousins to present, and it would in fact be great to pretend that we are actually still hanging out in Israel, but ... for Moses' sake, why not? For one more blog post, I will do just that.

Greetings from the Mediterranean! Wish you were here!

Here's Lia in her bathing suit from the sixties with her Super-Granddad, (wearing his bathing trunks from the sixties as well), getting ready for a nice swim.

And this little fella would NOT look up, as he was too busy counting grains of sand and sticking them into his mouth. Beeen! Ben? Ben!! Oh, forget it.

Back from the beach at Nurit's, yes, another cousin! To be precise, the daughter of my mother's cousin! Our grandmother's were sisters, and I'm actually named after Nurit's grandmother Rosa. Here she is eating up Ben, who is busy counting grapes.

Lia coloring in Nurit's garden in her favorite outfit. That girl does have taste! The colour of her underpants have been chosen with great care.

And look at all those girls! These are not my cousins. They are my sisters!! From left to right: Yael with her daughter Noa, me and Peanut, Roni, Anat, and Efrat. They are my lovely adoptive family in Yagur, a kibbutz I stayed at for half a year after highschool. Being "adopted" by a family in the kibbutz was part of the program I took part in. I was actually assigned to a different family, but before that could happen Anat and I became friends and she introduced me to her family. You could even say that she picked me up in the pub and took me home (in a literal sense!). There wasn't exactly a shortage of girls in this household, but it was love at first sight, and so I stayed and became the fifth daughter.

And Noa instantly became Lia's new best friend. Oh wait, cousin, that is! So here we have yet another cousin. And so cute, too. Later that night the two girls, also known as Dubi and Peanut, took a best-cousin-friends-shower together.

And what's Israel without a shopping spree in TA? Before getting married to Thiemo I spent my bachelorette party with this girl in Tel Aviv, a party that lasted 3 months and would not have been the same without Keren! My hen in crime. Expert shopping consultant that Keren is she checked out the best locations for children's clothing in advance and welcomed my Nuts with some pretty cool presents. Lia is just about to pull out a shirt that reads 'Princess' in Hebrew. Love it.



Keren and I met in 1994 on the campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. But Tel Aviv suits us so much better. I love that city. Get ready, Tel Aviv, there's a whole new generation of crazy girls ready to conquer you! One in my arm, and one in Keren's belly! Congratulations!



Here I am slightly choking Keren, whose sun glasses go really well with Ben's stroller. Hey Ticko, you should consider getting a red stroller, too! This picture was taken two streets away from where my Mom once used to live. So that makes three generations of crazy girls in love with Tel Aviv. And off we go, to buy some cute stuff and have coffee.



The girl is a pro! So Tel Avivian, and that passion for gossiping!


Sunshiny little nut. Israel suits you, too, I'm so glad to see that. Look how well you blend into the scenery:



And how happy you look, bare feet and all. With and without accessories. The little green and red bag you bought in Tel Aviv is adorable! It has the shape of a house and is called "Sheli mehabait" - "mine from the house". It's for little opinionated infants who won't leave home without extremely important things they need for the road. So what will you put in your bag when you're leaving Israel?



Certainly memories of the new friends you've made,



and of how you left your mark and conquered Israel in no time,



and most of all the love, the lifestyle, and how to let loose.
Oh yes, that does call for a bigger bag.

It's always sad to leave, but don't hang your head, little Boten (which of course means Peanut in Hebrew). Because your Israeli adventures are going ...

... to be continued.