Schnitzel!  Can't wait to here more about Berlin.

Classic!

Bono and Pavarotti

B and L's top 3 video picks for this week!

1.  Pudsey

2. Golden German

3.  The Zimmers

and two from DEL

1.  Shadows

2.  Magic from South Africa for Lena

Howdy, neighbors!,

Well, we're not very good at keeping this blog going!  Life just seems to take over and on time goes.  Suffice it to say that we are not boring people, we just have places to go and German exchange students to show around.  Leopold was here for 13 days and I just heard that he fell asleep for 16 hours when he got home.  That's the measure of how much we've been up to lately.  It's also a measure of how much L was running on adrenaline.  Stay tuned to hear more about his epic movie chronicle of his whole adventure--it may turn out to be almost as long as his trip!  B is getting excited and ready for his journey to Berlin--I do hope he remembers to pick up his clothes while there--because that's a rare occurrence here!

There are graduations to go to, grading to turn in, a visiting guinea pig to feed (we've passed the 2 month visit mark) and 29 incubating eggs to turn (one hasn't made it already since it had a large crack).  There are also boxes to pack and a house to clean for possible renters to see.  Oh, and the small task of buying a house--perhaps those Beuoy/Saylors have some tips about how to do this in the least stressful manner?

"Trot," is one of L's spelling words for the week.  Here are a few photos from the last dance at Cotillion.  Can you tell who the hot pink blur is?  And "who you gonna call" when you want to learn the Fox Trot (possibly named after Mr. Harry Fox)?  Mr. Bevan Fox Trot, of course.

We're not going to be exactly neighbors but our move will shorten the distance between us--really looking forward to that!  Makes me want to dance!

PIE No.2

i like pumpkin, L.
if you can't go on Wizard 101, try http://www.friv4school.com/ instead.

PIE

Hello Friends!
I am writing about pie since it is one of my favorite subjects.  Do you know why I like pie?  Let me count the ways:

1. Because it's yummy.
2. Because my favorite pie is apple pie.
3. Because I'm silly and saying "pie," makes my laugh.


Let's talk about about a different subject.  How about "What did I do today?"  Well, I went to my Dad's work and I went to our friend's house to pick up B.  And I had a great day.

If you like pie, tell me what is your favorite below.  I can't wait to see what you like.

L, I can not go on Wizard101 since they do not have pie!

Love
Loopy Loo


Thanks for your great pie pics vitamindave and lara604!

Bevan the Glogster.

Click here to see Bevan's Bio on Glogster. If moustaches frighten you--beware!

Bevan's Winter Break

Bevan
1/9/12

My Winter Break

My winter break involved driving in the car for a long and painful 40 hours to Wisconsin and 40 hours back while stopping through Champaign, Illinois for New Years to visit friends ( ‘Hope you never have to sit in the back seat with your sister for to hours with nothing to do it is NOT fun.”).

On the way there we visited some of are friends in Omaha, Nebraska. I hadn't been there for four years and most of my friends were still there. Then we drove to Wisconsin when we came to our Grandparent’s farm both of my Aunts and Uncles arrived. It was very cold and cloudy but there was no snow.

Instead of a Christmas Tree we put the presents under a giant paper snow ball my Grandpa made containing a present for each of the family that was there. It was Christmas Eve and my Grandma’s Birthday the next day was Christmas l was so excited to give the presents to everyone. The next morning we went down stairs and opened are stockings and see what was in them later we opened the snow ball and my Grandpa had tied long strings to the presents and at the end was a tag with the persons name on it my Grandpa got a large lumpy piece of coal and attached to it was a drill so he also got a present.

Then we stayed for a couple more days and then we set back for home. Then we stopped in Illinois we stayed with some of our good friends. We stayed for two days with them then we left to go back. We visited the place where my mom had lived in Missouri. Finally, we got home to Fort Collins. My trip was full of excitement. I enjoyed it except for all the pain that happened while we visited our friends and I got hit with a magnet. And of course, siting in the back with my sister being all whiny wasn't that great, but all in all the whole trip was fun.

Really True Miracles

Mr. Fluffy enjoys B's prize winning drawing--
well, when he doesn't have his back to it!

Today L took a bath and washed her hair which is a rare occurrence on our street where it's always summer, even when it's snowing which isn't happening a lot lately and quite alright with me! The thing is that after really washing her face, L looked so clean and fresh (with little ringlets) that it felt like a true miracle took place right before our eyes. When L admired herself in the mirror she observed that she looked as though she was wearing makeup--the transformation was so marked!

While in the tub, there were some loud remarks from L about the temperature of the water--too cold--and a request for her father to get some hot water out of another tap. R had a good laugh about that, which reminded him of a much younger L.B. Way before she reached double digits, Miss L was swimming in a very cold swimming pool during one of those Lombard/Breaux/Saylor/Beuoy exotic vacations in good old Iowa City. The water WAS extremely cold and so with great deliberation, L.B. climbed out of the pool with a plastic cup, walked over to the hot tub and filled her container. She toddled back to the pool and dumped the warmer water into the big pool! Somehow that did seem to make everyone seem less frozen, maybe it was the pure logic and laughter that got our blood flowing?

Another miracle is happening before our eyes as B seems more and more grown up every time we look at him. Today he came back from Cotillion all dressed up in his snazzy "dress" pants and suit jacket. We didn't need to buy "dress shoes," since his feet conveniently fit in his father's pair that are only used once in a while. Complete with shirt and tie, B looked very smart and gave us foxtrot and swing dance lessons in the living room. He learnt how to greet a person properly by looking them in the eye and using a firm handshake, that it helps to never button the last button on your suit jacket so that you can move and that there is a good way to handle a glass when you serve a drink. At a dance party, you won't find our darling B standing by the wall and wondering what to do! Do you know that the foxtrot may have been named for an actual Mr. Fox and not after the way a fox walks? B is a great dancer and his mother is going to need to practice her trot in order to dance with such an elegant and sophisticated son.

On Friday, the Wimberger girls, Amy, and her mother (who look like sisters) came to visit from near and far away. It was wonderful to meet Dottie and after lots of pizza (in stages since the delivery got confused), Richard and Dottie worked on genealogy. When some of the girls thought they had had enough, Amy and Deborah made them practice enduring a family gathering which they have managed to avoid by living out west. It's a required part of childhood, don't you think?

This weekend we also celebrated Chinese New Year with a dear family that now have two dragon daughters-an older one and a little one. B continued his tradition of making a clay creation for the eldest sister, and added a smaller version for darling I who wears squeaky shoes so you can always hear her coming. After a week of solid cooking and lots of dish washing, the girl's mother and grandmother served an amazing feast and it was great fun to see lots of friends and catch up on their news. We all thought of Uncle B, since to accomodate such a large group of people, this year's party was held at New Belgium Brewery where workers can take the stairs or use a big slide to change floors!

There was a small issue of L not listening, losing her new socks and conveniently not tasting any of the great food except some chocolate and then saying she wasn't hungry until we got home and she wanted dinner because she was "starving." But, perfection would be a true miracle and then R found the socks in his pocket, so we came pretty close and this bodes well for things in this great new year. I can't help myself, "What a lovely weekend. Congratulations!" and "Kung Hei Fat Choi!"

P.S. We're thinking of Aunt Carol and send lots of love and wishes to hear that things are improving day by day. L, I'll have to find out about Wizard 101. Every time I need people to clean up they seem to disappear--so maybe there wizard skills are improving?

xo

Deborah-Eve

Aunt Carol update

Aunt Carol is being lovingly cared for by her two sisters, Lynn and Adrienne. Twice a day she gets a ball of antibiotics, and she's taking some powerful pain medication. Her ankles and feet are swollen. I am sure she is very discouraged to have this setback, after she had been recovering so well from the surgery, but she is not a complainer, that Carol. Sending her good wishes!

No. 1 Blog

Hi guys! We got the cast list today, and I got a rockin' Oompa Loompa.

[Note from typist: I thought she said "I got a rock... and an Oompa Loompa," as a sort of wry reference to Charlie Brown's Halloween mantra of disappointment. But I was way off. She's rockin'!! "Why would you want a rock?"]

If you can, come watch me. The first three days of March, at 7:30 (plus a matinee on Saturday, March 3).

Man, writing a blog is soooooooooooooooooooooooo fun!

I've almost lost another tooth.

How's Bevan doing on Wizard101? A couple tips: stick to the sidewalks, and travel behind buildings, it's easy to find a treasure chest that way. If you tell me what server you are on and your name, maybe we could meet up somewhere. Is Lyndall allowed on Wizard101?

Hope to see you there!

Aunt Carol is home

Carol was released from the hospital yesterday evening. She's getting nurses to come to her house every day to check on her. Lynn is staying with her now. (Adrienne went to Michigan to celebrate Bart's birthday today. Happy Bday, Bart!) Lynn was taught how to administer IV antibiotics every 12 hours and change the bandage on Carol's hip, where the infection started. Carol was pretty wiped out between the pain from the PICC line (where the IV goes in), the pain from her right knee (the one that still needs to be replaced), the car ride (which jostles her), fighting the infection for a week+, and just generally getting no sleep in the hospital.

But we're so glad she can be at home and we hope get rested up and stronger. We hope to visit this weekend if she is up for seeing people.

On an unrelated note, Lena should find out tomorrow what part she gets in Willy Wonka Jr. and rehearsals start Monday. Her grandpa plans to drive to Champaign tomorrow for the rescheduled birthday celebration.

Not much else of interest happening here.

Lots of love!
Chris

Champaign Bubbles and Starting Just Right!

Oh dear about dear Carol--we all send tons of love. Is everything sorted now?

We need to make a running list of all Lena’s birthday themes and party conditions because one day we won’t remember all the details. Kudos for always taking things in stride and not postponing—we, on the other hand, still have a Harry Potter party deficit with Bevan waiting patiently! Lena hitting double digits is definitely something to celebrate along with the decade of parenting milestone--our communal years of parenting are starting to add up, even though figuring out how to parent can sometimes still feel so unchartered!

Bevan had a play date today and at the last minute I found a friend for Lyndall—I'm quite proud of myself, since that set the scene for an afternoon of hardcore playing and nobody feeling left out. I didn’t hear one unhappy word, but I did get asked to supply a number of cups of hot chocolate—I also received a gorgeous picture made out of fake petals and wood glue.

Bevan had his first fencing lesson on Saturday and loved it even though they haven’t used real “swords” yet. Lyndall starts ballet at a new studio this week. For some reason I thought there was no school scheduled for tomorrow, but I guess it was Thanksgiving break that spilled over onto Monday. Tonight we realized that it's off to class tomorrow for B & L and our holidays are over. Even our long drive is a dimming memory.

We were talking about Abe Lincoln while driving through Springfield and I told Lyndall that it’s possible to visit the house he lived in before moving to Washington. Lyndall looked concerned and said, “That will be like Goldie Locks!” Her explanation? "We’ll visit his house but he won’t be there!" I keep smiling when I imagine Abe Lincoln as a bear and whether he preferred to eat his porridge "hot, cold, or just right!"

Now I'm visualizing your family as three bears in your new house, and I'm so glad to have a picture of the surroundings. Thanks for letting us try out all your chairs and the great curry feast. We loved welcoming in 2012 with you--definitely made driving every single mile worth it, although actually seeing you makes me miss you even more!

Here's to another year of our wonderful friendship and a great 2012. We do need to record all those resolutions and make them happen.

Love you lots!

Deborah-Eve

Today is January 8.

Dear Friends over by the Rockies,

It was so wonderful to see you at New Year's! I am glad we will be communicating regularly by blog as well as other marvels of technology, like phones and such. A lot has happened in the past week. Lena got a hair cut, and turned 10! On a sad note, our dear Carol was hospitalized with a nasty infection the night before the birthday. We went ahead with the kid party at the I.D.E.A. Store (B & L would love that place!) the afternoon of the actual birthday, but we canceled the family birthday party planned for Champaign and had an impromptu party (with theme cards: Top Ten) at St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur instead. We will reschedule a party that Grandpa Bill can attend.

I hope I can figure out how to give everyone access to this blog...

Lots of love,
Chris