A Georgia Girl in Germany

As I type this, the kids are winging their way back to Germany after a month-long visit with Matt, including a stop-over in Iowa to visit Grandma, Grandpa, Great-Grandma Cook, Aunt Chris, Uncle Steve, Madelynn and Aiden. I know they had fun visiting everyone, but they're also ready to no longer be living out of a suitcase (although MacKenzie wasn't thrilled with when I told her that meant she'd actually have to put her clothes away in her dresser instead of leaving them in a pile in her room). I'm ready to give them all huge hugs and kisses when they get off the plane...jet-lagged, tired and all.

These first two photos were taken during an office cookout...all three of the kiddos loved riding the see-saw! Benjamin didn't want to get off, but I got tired after a while and would try to sneak away for adult conversation. But, they managed to pull me back for several encore rides.

The other two photos are simply classic summer enjoyment photos. Zachary's popsicle was gone before I had a chance to snap a photo, but MacKenzie and Benjamin took their time savoring each and every messy drip...hence the necessity of eating them outside! Benjamin managed to have blue, sticky, popsicle drool all over his mouth, hands, arms and legs. He's definitely mastered the "boy" method of making a mess with summer desserts! Fortunately, he still enjoys his baths, so cleaning-up was just as much fun as making the mess.

It's hard to believe that their summer vacation is coming to an end. Zachary has a Cub Scout Twilight Camp next week, and MacKenzie has a Girl Scout camp the following week...then they start back to school on the 28th--5th and 3rd grades, no less! I'm not ready for summer to be completely over, even though it's beginning to feel and look like fall over here. Sigh.

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Zachary

The weekend before we headed back to the States for our vacation, Zachary joined some of the boys in his Cub Scout den for a hiking trip to Garmisch. They experienced a tire blow-out on the way there and had to put up with unexpected downpours of rain that managed to find its way into their tents at night, but he still said he thoroughly enjoyed the trip. They went to a water park, spent two nights in the mountains and rode the gondola up the mountain so they could hike further up from there. His den leader commented that he pushed himself on the hike/climb more than she’s seen him do previously…and he had a good feeling of accomplishment when he made it to the top. And what a view of the northern Alps and the valley below!!

Labels: Cub Scouts, Germany, Travel, Zachary

MacKenzie celebrated her 8th birthday at the local bowling alley with every girl in her class plus two other friends. The boys outnumbered the girls in her class two-to-one, so they really learned to stick together! What a group of friends they became!

I had everything packed to take for the party, but Benjamin decided that the candles didn’t belong in the bag…so he unpacked them and left them on a pillow in the den. Soooo, when it came time for MacKenzie to blow out the candles on her cake, she was a good sport and blew vigorously to make sure everyone could tell that she blew out the invisible candles that I convinced her were there. Whew!

She was very excited at her final gift…the opportunity to head to a local sports store and pick out her own bike…without training wheels. Of course, she had to select one that fit her style and personality--purple! She had a couple opportunities to ride before heading back to the States for the summer, and was starting to get her balance figured out. Hopefully she picks right back up where she left off upon her return.

Labels: Birthdays, MacKenzie

OK, I was about to post photos from MacKenzie's birthday party, but realized I couldn't do that yet since I didn't post these photos of Zachary's big day...when he turned 10. It really hit me that he's now a decade old (I'm not old enough to have a 10-year-old!), but I'm really not ready for him to be 11 in another few months. I suppose time doesn't stop, and no matter how much I threaten to put books on top of their heads to keep them from growing taller, they continue growing taller, smarter and more mature (sometimes) every day.


Hard to believe Zachary’s a decade old already! What happened to my precocious little boy!?!! Times they are a-changin’! We tried to go see Harry Potter #4 at an original-language theater in Vaihingen on his birthday (Nov. 20), but our reservations didn’t take, so we had to wait until the following weekend. So, instead, we celebrated his birthday by splurging at a delicious ice cream place in the nearby mall...and, of course, having cake and opening presents at home.

Labels: Zachary

Shortly before school let out for the summer, Zachary and MacKenzie had been getting antsy to go somewhere, so we loaded up and went to Legoland Deutschland. It’s not terribly far from here--just over an hour away--so it made for an easy day trip.
Zachary was really interested in the rides, and they all seemed to enjoy having a carefree day to spend surrounded by Lego creations of all sizes. The Harbour Cruise boat ride was fun for all of us. Zachary and MacKenzie managed to navigate the waters well, but Benjamin took our boat a little off course allowing a couple other boats to pass us before we ended our circuit.

We all liked the aerial view from the Pedal-A-Car ride. Yup, you guessed it, we had to pedal our own Lego car above the park. Actually, Zachary and MacKenzie chauffeured Benjamin and me since the pedals were only in the front seat.

But, I think Zachary and MacKenzie most enjoyed the Jungle X-pedition (aka Log Ride). They had to go solo since Benjamin wasn’t tall enough to ride, but you can see by these photos that, while they had looks of sheer terror on their faces as they came down that last plume, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
If you couldn't see their faces very clearly, here are the close-ups...

MacKenzie was worried about getting too wet on the ride, so Zachary was a very considerate big brother…he let her wear his waterproof jacket since his poly shirt would dry quicker than her cotton one. What a gentleman!

Another highlight was the Build and Test Center, where we saw a mock-up of a Lego factory and assembly line. There was a display of MANY of the Lego people--from Star Wars and medieval to Harry Potter and everything in between. We even were able to see how they stamp the decals on Lego pieces…then got souvenir pieces for ourselves (and one for Uncle Bubba too since he’s still a Lego kid at heart).

After touring the “factory,” we came to the gift shop (what a marketing ploy!). They had bins after bins of different colors and sizes of Lego pieces. I gave each of the kids a bag and let them select a few individual pieces. MacKenzie chose mostly outdoor pieces (flowers, trees and bushes), while I helped Benjamin select a variety of individual pieces in some of the less commonly-used colors. He caught on quickly that he was supposed to get two of each, and began selecting two from each bin as we walked down the aisle! Zachary begged me to get either the Star Wars Death Star or Star Destroyer for him, but they were 370-Euros each (about $480)!! Still didn’t stop him from drooling though!

What amazed me throughout the park though, was the sheer magnitude of Legos everywhere we turned. I know, I know…what else would you expect from Legoland!?!! But, still, it was amazing to see the level of detail in all the wonderful creations. Such as Scloss Neuschwanstein (see our “Castle Weekend” post to see the real castle to compare to the Lego version here made with more than 300,000 Lego bricks)…
The skyscrapers of Frankfurt am Main, with 925,000 Legos (although not to scale as the buildings would have had to have been SIGNIFICANTLY taller)…











Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) and the Campanile in Venice (keep checking back for future blog updates…if all goes well, the Venice blog update will appear in early September)…Zachary and MacKenzie on the other side of the Netherlands…

The world’s largest Lego building, the Allianz Arena in Munich, with more than a million Legos, including specially-made translucent pieces that glow red, blue and white just like the original soccer stadium, and more than 30,000 mini Lego-fans…

The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (see the “Berlin!” post) for a photo of the real-life comparison…














The Brandenburg Gate and its surrounding plaza (again, see the “Berlin!” post)…

The Berliner Cathedral and nearby TV tower (although the Lego version wasn't identical to the soccer ball-painted version I saw in Berlin in the midst of World Cup fever)…

Downtown Berlin…
Siegessaule, the “Victory Column” with the figure of Winged Victory, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the background (in Berlin)…


And the kids enjoying themselves with some of the kid-friendly sculptures.

Finally, we topped off the day with pretzels and ice cream for supper. I know, it’s not the most nutritious supper, but we rarely do that…besides, it makes for a memorable end to the day for the kids, and that's what the day was all about.
I think even Albert would have approved of making an exception that evening (BTW, his eyes moved as if he were watching us!).

And on the way out of the park, Zachary and MacKenzie were good sports and posed for a variation on the flower field photos that I so enjoy taking…

Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary