A trip to the museum

Here is another post from Neil: Today Finn got a reward for doing a good job cleaning his room, putting laundry in the bin and brushing his teeth (without being asked). Lily already had her reward and chose to go swimming at the indoor swimming pool. Since my swim trunks got ripped within 15 minutes of getting in the water (thanks Finn) I am kind of relieved that we have no pictures from that event. Finn actually chose the classic trip to Playmobil Funpark, but since they are closed for the winter we went to the Deutsche Museum instead.

Here are some pictures. They really love playing with water. The first time we went there Lily got her right boot soaked (it was a cold winter day and we travelled by train) so I got to dry it with a blow-dryer. I had to smile when I saw a father today drying a wet boot...

First we got some lunch

 Then we headed down to the children's area

 The water gate was a big hit.

 This guitar needed some tuning. Finn and Lily got straight to work.

My highlight was the original WW1  submarine (are you also reminded of "Das Boot"). We also spent a long time working in the "Mathematical Cabinet" doing puzzles and playing with blocks. I looked up the solution to one puzzle that had me baffled. There is so much neat stuff there! I think that I actually enjoy going to the Museum there more than the kids do!

November!

So here is what we've been up to - in reverse order. Newest news first. :-)

November has been really nice so far. We even went hiking in the Alps one weekend, and stayed at a "Huette", a serviced cottage, over night. We had a great time, even if we got rained on pretty badly at the end. It took us a couple hours to get back down the mountain to our car, and we were absolutely drenched when we got there, but not a single word of complaint from Finn and Lily. They loved the adventure.

Also, we were pretty crafty. Finn, Lily, and Neil worked with clay at a pottery place. They made dishes, Lily made a cute dog, and Neil and Finn made dragons. This is Finn's dragon. It has a secret chamber to store treasures in, or a candle. 

And myself? I didn't play with clay, but I got to make desserts for a birthday party the kids attented. It was a mermaid themed pool party, so I brought a birthday cake, cupcakes, and a sand pail dessert consisting of blue jello, vanilla pudding and cookie crumbs. 

Finn and Lily are doing well. Lily is getting used to going to first grade and doing homework every day. She is enjoying school so far. Finn also likes school on most days. He sits beside Lily and helps her when it's needed. According to their teacher they are stellar students and very well behaved. Glad they can hold off on the fighting until they get home. Finn likes to read. I think he'll grow up to be a bookworm like his Mama. Today he came home with a children's novel from the school library and read the whole book in an afternoon. Something about beasts and dragons. :-)

Neil is enjoying having every Friday until Christmas off to reduce his overtime. A 4-day week doesn't sound bad, but it's a little pointless when the amount of work you have to do stays the same. He sure is keeping busy at work. The kids really enjoyed spending time with him during their fall break earlier this month. Canoeing, swimming, wall climbing, working with clay, and we went to Munich two Sundays in a row (once to the zoo, and once to a minerals and crystals exhibition).

The cats and bunnies are doing fine, too. So far the cats are not showing any signs of distress from their heart defect. Hopefully that will be the case for many years to come. The funny bunnies are busy digging up the yard, leaving little piles of droppings in their wake and running away from us when it's time to put them in their hutch at night. I'd say, it's pretty much bunny heaven compared to being kept in a cage all day like others of their kind.
And Mo, of course. My dream of a horse come true. He is in amazing shape for his age and I enjoy being with him so very much. This horse will make a rider out of me. Every little move I make in the saddle elicits a prompt response from him because he thinks I'm cuing him to do something. I'm learning to have a much better seat with better balance and timing. Fun times!

See you around! :-)

Canoe Trip

Here is a rare post from Neil. Finn, Lily and I went on a canoe trip on Monday and I would like to share a few Pictures.

The weather was beautiful.

We took time to stop and explore. We even climbed a steep hill to reach...

 a real cave (luckily no bears).

 It was a fun adventure in a beautiful fall landscape full of colours.

We mastered some tricky rapids (we went down this one again with Lily too).

It seems Finn didn't like getting wet. Lily didn't mind so much (the second time anyway - the first time a wave came over the side she was upset too.)

We fed ducks and saw herons, falcons, a rabbit and a fisherman. All in all the trip was a big success. More adventures are sure to follow this week, since the kids have fall break and I have time off work...

Anyone reading here still?

Well, I guess there's nothing to read, is there. Before I get caught up on the past half year or so I will post a few videos. Enjoy watching and check back soon for updates!

This one I made some time ago in a sappy moment. I guess my family was nice to me for a change so I felt overwhelmed with love and gratitude. Or something like that. :)
The music is Sting, live in Berlin. One of my favourite duets of all time!




And here are two recent ones of Mo.

This is Finn loping on Mo for the first time. Thankfully, although not a children's horse, Mo is very well trained and generally calm, so I can trust him to do a good job teaching Finn and Lily to ride.



And here is a very happy me with my horse. Mo really is my childhood dream come true. I am learning to be a better rider and communicate with him better about what I want him to do. The other day I just took the bridle off to see how that would go. And it went fine. Half a year ago I am sure I wouldn't have been able to do this with him. And not because of him!



Slowly but surely I will update the blog with pictures and stories from our summer. We had Grandma and Grandpa here from Canada, did a lot of fun things, Lily started first grade, lost her first tooth etc. Life is good, and we're keeping busy.

See ya around!

Our newest, biggest family member

Ever since I can remember I dreamed of having my own horse. Well, that dream has come true! The owners of the horse I've been riding since March asked me if I wanted to buy him. Mo is the kind of horse I have always dreamed of - so, we did! And, to my surprise, I didn't even have to do much convincing with Neil. Mo is an older, seasoned  American Quarter Horse gelding in great shape, with excellent training, sensitive and honest, and very reliable. For Mogli, nothing much changes as he stays where he is, except now he often has two little kids loving on him and spoiling him with carrots. And sometimes they are sitting on him while I supervise. Eventually they will get to ride him, too.

We think Mogli is absolutely beautiful, inside and out, and thus it came as a shock when I learned what his registered name is. :)  His grandsire is the famous Hollywood Dun It, a legendary stallion whose "offspring are renowned for their attractive looks and extreme trainability" (that's a quote from the website that I linked to; just click on the name above). Mo's breeder certainly didn't think so when it came to the first, because he named this beautiful horse, wait for it, UGLY DUN IT. His former owner refused to ever call him that, and so he became a Mogli.

Mo has won many ribbons in the sport of reining, (you can click on the link to learn more) true to his heritage. This is him during a competition in 2012, his last show season. Now he is retired from the show ring, but he is still just as fit and willing to work.  

Here he is doing a sliding stop.

And here is his new owner, happy as a clam. :)

And the whole family (Neil behind the camera)

All right, darling, we'll make a cowboy of you yet, but please, not on my horse. Judging by how Mo is swishing his tail, he seems to agree with me.

And this is how real lil' cowgirls climb up on their horse. A leg up from Mama? Pah! 

In other news, the other furry family members are all doing well also.

Lily's bunny sure has some relaxed attitude going on. Timmy is much more "flighty" and doesn't like to be carried around so much.

The kids won't be out of school until July 31st here, but weather permitting, we're having some summer fun anyway. At Jana's house

or on our patio. (Or we go to the big pool or a pond for a swim.)

Blue, our natural born chiller, doing what he does best.

And here is Timmy, still looking at bit surprised. I had taken him to the vet that morning and picked him back up that afternoon. Snip snip. Two bunnies are enough. Tomorrow I'll take him back to get the stitches out. Such is life. :)

Things are going well here. Lily loves her new bunny, Flöckchen ("Small Flake") a lot, and Finn has somewhat recovered from the shock of accidentally killing Snowbell. New bunny safety rules are in place, so hopefully something like that can never happen again. The kids are still out of school for Pentecost Break, so we are leaving for a few days to go visit Oma and Opa (Neil has to work). 

Finn, Lily and I built (well, assembled) a bunny hutch the other day, and Timmy and Flöckchen love their new home. Now it will be up to daddy to take care of these two fluffy bundles for a few days!

And here is a video of Finn riding Fritzi. The two of them have progressed to loping, which Finn loves (who doesn't?). Fritzi is just a bit stubborn at times!