Happy Thanksgiving!

I am missing my peeps. For Sure. 

Wish we were there!

But thankfully, there is a lot to smile about right here in my lap!

:) sbc

Man's Best Friend

Or, in this case, Boy's Best Friend...

Working together to clean up (or shall I say cover up) a dried oatmeal spill 

Cheese!  

Some days Pete gets chased by a fire engine (ok, most days), some days he is a pillow and some days he is the table upon which Nathan balances his legos. On this day, he is a pony:

Most of you know that I rescued Pete (and then moved him not once, but twice, around the world), and that he came to me with food aggression and a lot of other issues. He's come a long way, and the poor thing just keeps getting ousted to the bottom of the totem pole…first a brother and now a baby sister! 

Pete's a docile, old man now, content to lounge at the base of a high chair or bask in the sun for hours on end--unless it is the bewitching hour--then he joins right in and needs something, usually so urgent that he sits at my feet and barks while I am helping Nathan with his dinner and feeding Evy hers. Good times.  It took my mom, who has NEVER been a fan of Pete, to point out that we are a bit harsh with him at times. So now I more gently say, "Please go lie down, Pete."

Good dog.

:) sbc

The Amazing Spiderman

Thanks to a costume loan from Sami and a special delivery by Gram and Beepa, Nathan was Spiderman for Halloween. We had several dress rehearsals and attended a little party put on by Mother's Corner, an expat group for moms and kids.

Peter "Nate" Parker by day

Transformed into a superhero 

Surprise! It's Nathan!

About to rescue Pete 

Gram, Beepa, Daddy and me all had to try on the mask before Nate would give it a go

Beepa with his pumpkin masterpieces

Nathan cheesing for his jack o lantern

Thanks to Whatsapp (if you don't have it, get it, it's the best), I got to see the Allen girls in their costumes, too! 

Sophie as Flo

Sami as Spidergirl 

Sage as Katniss from Hunger Games

:) sbc

It's The Great Pumpkin, Natey Wi!

During Hadi's first Saturday, we took a beautiful drive further into the Germany countryside that landed her, Evy, Nate and me at a farm which included a pumpkin patch. While Hadi attended to Evy, I was able to enjoy some one-on-one time with Nath. It was a beautiful day and we had fun. 

The perfect pumpkin(s)

Transporting my little pumpkins to the carving station 

My helper quickly lost interest and wandered off 

But he returned for the ooey-gooey part

Not too sure about the inside

My pumpkin

Checking out the scene

A ride with his new jack-o-lantern

He even found a little pumpkin for his baby sister 

:) sbc

Helping Hands

As if we weren't fortunate enough to have the help of my parents, they were not the only ones to make the trek over here.  Four days after my parents left, Hadi arrived! 

Like my parents', her support was invaluable, and we are so thankful. 

With the extra set of helping hands, outings, including a couple of dinners (including a cocktail!) were made possible (and FUN)! 

Here's Hadi's arrival:

While we certainly kept her busy, she did get to enjoy a few moments with her little friends…including when she saw Evy's very first smile! 

We love you, Hadi!

:)sbc

Be Our Guest

The day before we met Evy, Kyle picked up my mom and dad from the airport while I took Nathan to school.  We decided to surprise Nate by sending my dad to pick him up. As the rest of us waited in the courtyard, we heard Natey exclaim, "BEEPA!" through the open door and windows. He came down the stairs and saw Gram and grinned from ear to ear.  Priceless.

My parents are great. If you know me, then you know that already because I often talk about how great they are. We feel so fortunate that they made the trip out here to help--not to have fun, not to tour, not to shop--but to help. And help they did. 

We are especially thankful that Nathan got some one on one time with Gram and Beepa while Kyle and I were at the hospital waiting to meet Evy. Knowing he was with them put me at ease in a way I can't accurately describe.

I could go on and on: the home cooked meals, the help with laundry, the burping of babies, the changing of toddlers, the hanging of the remaining pictures and the tackling of the to-do list.  

Next time, Mom and Dad, we will have a different kind of fun, I promise. Thank you for everything. 

:) sbc

What's In A Name? (Chapter Two)

If you'll recall, Natey Wi's name came with a story. I have fondly looked back at that post many times, mostly while I was pregnant with Evy, and it's not the post itself that gets me, but Lynn Michael's comments after the post:

M.Lynn M.June 17, 2011 at 9:19 PM

Shelby and Kyle,
It is a beautiful story.
It has turned tears of sorrow.........so many years ago..........to tears of joy.
What a testament to family values and love.
Lynn

Lynn was there through all of it, and understands--even more than I can--what it meant to turn those tears of sorrow to joy. Ok, now I am crying again (seven weeks postpartum, hello hormones)…let's get back to Evy. Her name has a little story, too. 

Evelyn:  Evelyn is the name of my maternal grandmother. She died before my mom was my mom. What I mean is, before she had a husband and kids (this is a whole other blog post, trust me). I am not sure exactly what she did in life to produce such great children (looking at you, Sandra Bruer and Cheryl Bupp) but I grew up loving the name and have always had it at the top of my names list.

Carys:  In the Welsh language Carys means love. Love is all you need.

And that's what's in this name. 

:)sbc