Tongue Fold

My Mom can fold her tongue, I can not. Paul can fold his tongue, Emma-Louise can not.
And Christel-Ann can not just fold her tongue, but twist it sideways at the same time!
I don't know if I should admire this strange ability? It was worth photographing and posting a message. Now try it and post a comment if you can do this!

Herb Garden

I have been growing my own kitchen herbs in various containers, but usually ended up at the grocery store for one herb or another "all the time". I finally dedicated an area to be our herb garden and Paul built it for me!

Fall in Georgia

Fall is the reward for surviving summer! The hot and humid summer days that have been blanketing Savannah for the past couple of months are no longer, the air is crisp enough to think "Fall", baking apple pie instead of eating heaps of ice cream.
This past week we had several "less than ideal" days, the convertible stayed closed, the umbrella came a long on most days, but that was okay, because the week-end rewarded us with the most gorgeous weather. An awesome breeze and we have the air condition turned off and the windows open instead. It's been months since we've been able to do without the a/c. The Girls are playing outside, Christel-Ann went to a sleepover to a friends house and Emma-Louise is playing "only child" and loving the attention! She has the neighborhood children to herself, doesn't have to share.
Saturday night Paul and I went with friends on a little "cruise". Put the boat in at Houlahan's Boatramp on the Savannah River and cruised through the port.
Dave, who is a former Navy guy was finally captaining a boat, who knew he had to get out of the Navy to do that!

Felt like home, seeing the giant container ships loaded with "Hamburg Sued" containers and the industrial development on one side of the river. That there's a wildlife preserve on the other side was not like Hamburg, but I was looking on the port side.

It was a very nice late afternoon, warm enough to be out in short sleeves and sandals (uhm yeah shorts too).


We cruised along the Savannah River and looped around Elba island

as the sun started to go down it got cooler on the water

we headed to River street, docked the boat and headed to Wet Willies for some chocolate Thunder (sorry, no picture) and then to the Oyster Bar for Dinner.
Back to the boat

and cruised back to the boa tramp. We idled along a container ship that was unloading a yacht

I played captain some

but really preferred being with the passengers

Back to the boat ramp, said our good-byes and went home. Emma-Louise had planned to sleep at her friends house, but when she saw that we were home decided that she would rather enjoy some time being an only child. In the morning she requested her favorite breakfast and now she is anxious to be a little sister again! She sent Paul to pick up Sissi! Sunday afternoon and time to think about the week ahead. Monday the two ladies are starting Dance class and Christel-Ann's band practice will start this week as well. She is continuing to play the violin in the school orchestra but is also going to play the clarinet for the band.
Lots of things going on, life as usual.

Sea World

Just a few pictures from Sea World! It is what Emma-Louise wanted. She wanted to celebrate her birthday with Shamu, she received a special button that read "It's my birthday". She was tall enough to go on a real ride! More details about the Sea World trip in the next few days.

Savannah, Cocoa Beach, Sweden and back

Friday evening we drove to Cocoa Beach on the "Space Coast" of Florida.
Along came Gilberto, one of Paul's soldiers, and Lauren, our neighbors daughter and very good friend of Christel-Ann and Emma-Louise.
We drove to Cocoa Beach and spent the night. Saturday we got up early and went to Sea World. Sunday we first went to Sweden. Ikea. We spent a couple of hours at the beach, then headed back to Savannah. More about Sea World later....

Weather

This time of the year is wonderful in Georgia! When I take the Girls to the bus stop at 7:30 it is a mellow 21C and during the day the day the temperatures don't rise much over 33C anymore, the evenings we enjoy on our deck without long sleeves. We are still weeks (months) away from true sweater weather, but I have bought a cute fall outfit...couldn't resist.
I run in the cooler morning hours and after getting home it is light long enough for a training bike ride. Did I mention that I got a bike? If any of you would like to see the beauty, google Giant OCR3 for women. Fast. Fun. I will likely add a picture later!
We are off to Florida for the week-end!

Daddy, was machst Du? (Daddy, what are you doing?)

This is good! Paul took the Girls to school this morning. He walked the Girls to their classroom and Christel-Ann quickly dissapeared and Paul took Emma-Louise into her classroom and said "good-bye" then walked across the hallway into Christel-Ann's classroom to say "bye" to her. Upon entering, there was a slight look of panic in Christel-Ann's face. Paul exchanged some words with her teacher, looked around (I guess he was trying to see if he spotted "Alex") and then Christel-Ann asked in German, so that noone else would understand "Daddy, was machst Du? *pause* Du kannst jetzt gehen" (you can go home now).

Life as we knew it may be over!

Emma-Louise's birthday and life as we knew it is over. Christel-Ann got a "note" in class today. A note from Alex (short for Alexander). Asking for her phone number and if it would be okay to call. But right now he is in trouble and not able to call (now personally I think that is funny) but as soon as he has phone privileges again he would like to give her a call.
Yikes! We are lucky that Christel-Ann shows us everything that happened at school, including the note.
This shall be interesting!

4 no more!

She is 5! And ready to go to school!

Her first piece of Real Estate!

Happy!

More about the birthday later!

4

Emma-Louise is still 4 years old...

Birthday Wishes

Emma-Louise has always been a bit "strange". And she has always known what she wants. Wishes, if she has them, are precise. Christmas of 2006 she asked for 2 things. A pink Jogging Outfit and a pink Camera.
Yesterday she invited a friend and was asked what she would like and she immediately said "a stuffed animal". Just so happens that she has received a few stuffed animals from the friend and loves them all dearly (read: bed companions!). Another friend asked her today what she would like and she answered without a doubt in her voice "a brown Hairdryer to blow dry my hair". Isn't that great?

You never know what you are made out of.....

...until you TRI!

I paid the bike store a visit today. Ordered the shoes. Tried on some TRI-gear and couldn't help but feeling like I was wearing "female hygiene products". Not sure if I will get used to "that" feeling and decided I will be able to swim, bike and run in the stuff I already own. Found a bike that I like....
October 26th. 3rd Savannah Triathlon. Still wondering if I should find some folks and do a relay team, but isn't that "cheating"?

Rock of the Marne Triathlon

Neither of us participated, but we were still active! Active volunteers, all 4 of us. We were in charge of one of the water stops behind the transition area. Emma-Louise was quickly enthused and was handing of water and Gatorade like a pro!




Christel-Ann and Paul were filling the cups, While Emma-Louise and I were handing them to the athletes.

Christel-Ann also made sure that all the cups ended in the recycling container!
Volunteering at a race was a great experience for all of us and we will definetly do it again at local races. But for now I am hooked. I want to do a Sprint-Triathlon. We met some amazing people! My admiration goes to a very nice couple, both well in their 70's that used this event as training for the ironman in Kona! Wow!

What's for Dinner?

That:


Paul is still living the BeachBum kind of life. While I was at work he went fishing with a friend. Spend all day out on the boat on the Savannah River, enjoyed the sun and company.
Did I mention that I was at work?
Anyway, we are looking forward to Dinner.

I want my Uncle Klhani!

Kalani to everyone else but Emma-Louise will clutch her little bottle with pink sand and shells and make that very simple statement. Followed by "I miss my Uncle Klhani".

5th Grade

Surprise, surprise dear child...school is serious business! Until 4th Grade everything was just plain boring and easy. 4th Grade was a challenge and now this is the last year in Elementary School. Christel-Ann does have a homeroom teacher, Mrs Heaton, but she changes classrooms for Math, Science, Social Studies (and of course music, art, PE). She liked her teacher right away, however noticed that it's no more "lovey-dovey". Mrs Buckley, her 4th Grade teacher told them, tried to prepare them, but Christel-Ann and some of her friends are quite surprised at the difference. They have never been handed a syllabus. Surprise, surprise on the second day of school there was a math as well as a science test. Christel-Ann scored a 100 on both and had to admit that it was probably a pretty good idea to not let her be a mental loafer this summer!
Off to her last year at Elementary School and she does think it is kind of neat to see her little sister at lunch, she is not too cool to say "hello", but does make a point to let her know that she will be on the playground that is not for "little ones".

Pre-Kindergarten

Or the German version "Vorschule".
Emma-Louise has a teacher, Mrs Heidi Schaffner, and a paraprofessional, Mrs Smith in her classroom. Most important part of her classroom routine is her "responsibility book". A small book that has a note about her day. She is to give it to us every day and we need to either write in it or simply sign it off. So far so good, she really enjoys putting on her uniform, going to school and making new friends. She is a little bit upset about not having any homework. Every day this week she has played in the "Science Center".

School Girls

Pre-K and 5th Grade.
Both Girls are in Elementary School. Emma-Louise's first year and Christel-Ann's last year. And it does get better! Their classrooms are across from each other! Next week they will start riding the bus together and when they get to their wing, one (Emma-Louise) will go to the left and the other (Christel-Ann) will go to the right. And it does get better than that! Pre-K and 5th Grade have the same lunch schedule. They will see each other at lunch! More later...