America - SUPERSIZED

Here it is: a supersized blog post about our superfun stay in the States. After almost a year and a half we are back, and it feels like home. Especially since the immigration officer at the airport welcomed us home at least three times, after reprimanding us for showing Lia's German passport in addition to her American. And so we brought her home, our German peanut, who spoke English from day one, with the cutest Saxon accent you can imagine.
"I want to eat!" is what she yelled at the restaurant in a not so (German) polite way, and got a supersized sandwich to be devoured alongside a supersized friendship. Oh, the things that could have been...

But let's just live in the moment.

Lia and Lorenzo having a giggle and tickle fit,
spitting food while enjoying each other's company.
Sigh.

I'm sure Lia must have had a million uncanny déjà vu moments.

Been there, done that.

And here's one of our favorite déjà vus:
corn on the cob with the Cardarellis. And beef for the baby!

And the little Non-American? He received a complete makeover so he could blend in with the crowd. Professional mohawk and army style shave that left half an inch of hair.

Change of shirt included for a smooth result. "Gotta love that hair!" is what the old Southern lady on the bench enthusiastically yelled, when we left the hairdresser's. Thumbs up for Ben, who didn't complain (as long as we silenced him with food).

And while we're at it, mohawks for everyone! Oh wait, not for the princesses. A little trim will do. It's buy one mohawk get one free!



Eating bread in the infamous bread aisle. Here's where it all started. "Your son is cute! What bread do you feed him? Spelt?" Strangely, the bread eating kids have multiplied.



More adventures! Strawberry picking at the Hall Family Farm! You can either collect them in a basket...



... or put them directly in your mouth!



And here is Lia with the guys. With Thiemo's guys! All expatriates from Germany who have decided to live in Charlotte of all places! (All wearing flipflops!) The cool guy in the back? Our lovely host Hans! We were allowed to stay and wreck his house during our stay in Charlotte, and he seriously loved having us!
Dankeschön, lieber Hans.



We certainly felt at home! Even though Ben was pretty cranky when this picture was taken, he slept through every single night and has turned this sofa into his personal parking garage. One fire truck is still parked under the sofa.



The diva. On her way to the big (pine)apple in the South.
Charleston!



Have I mentioned the great weather? Temperatures in the high eighties! Nothing under 30 degrees Celsius accepted.



Ben did really well roaming the streets of Charleston.
Looking for a lucky penny.



And here we are at the hotel. Chinese food and TV.



Beauty (a)sleep! Shhh!



More pics? Ugh.



And one more!



Ok, two pics! One with Mom, one with Dad, and then finally....



... the fun begins!
My absolute favorite three snapshots of Lia, all action shots.
What else.



Happy child. Going wild! And all mom had in her bag were a dry shirt and dry underpants, pink with white polka dots. Now that was some not so Southern sight!



And finally. The beach!

Needless to say, the kids loooooved it. Ben was such a trooper. First time, and he walked straight into the sea. With the first wave he crawled full speed out of the water, only to walk back in, eating fistfulls of sand all the while.



Yes! You're a beach baby, Ben!



Two seahorses and a mermaid.


What else is there to say? Other than:
We had an AWESOME time!

P.S. One more American post to follow. A quality one!

P.P.S. The flight went really well, especially the night flight on our way home. Exhausting, but ok. We all slept until noon the next day, no kidding. 16 hours of sleep for the kids. Crazy.