Birthday parties!

The birthday celebrations continued this past weekend.  Saturday we had Gus' birthday party at the bowling alley on post.  The kids bowled, had pizza and cake, and spent some time running around.  It was a successful party!

Sunday we had Cormac's party at the Play Zone (it is an indoor play area attached to the coffee shop on post).  The kids had pizza and cake and spent the rest of the time running and playing. It was also a big success!

St. Barbara's Day

The weekend before last Pat and I went to the St. Barbara's Day Ball.  St. Barbara is the patron saint of the artillery.  The artillery team invited us because Pat was one of the officers they were giving the Order of St. Barbara.  We had a good time and it was a really nice ball.

December Birthday Boys

We had a busy past few days with birthdays.  Cormac turned 7 on Sunday.  Gus turned 9 on Monday.  We had family celebrations at home for both since this next weekend each will have a birthday party.  It never ceases to amaze me how big they are getting!

Perfect Attendance!

While Gam-Gam was visiting the older boys had a school assembly to celebrate perfect attendance for the first quarter.  Gus and Cormac both received certificates for perfect attendance.  They were both very proud.

Cormac's class had the most kids with perfect attendance with 7.

Gus was one of three in his class to get the award.

Gam-Gam's visit

Gam-Gam came for a visit before Thanksgiving and stayed until the end of November.  The kids were thrilled to have a visitor!

The day she arrived we went over to a nearby dairy farm that was having a Christmas market.  The kids (and Gam-Gam) spent a lot of time checking out all of the different cows.

Thanksgiving day we went to Regensburg for the two Christmas markets they have there.

The day after Thanksgiving we headed to the Czech Republic to stay in Prague for a couple of days.  They have a well-known Christmas market that is in different squares throughout the city.  Here are the kids with Gam-Gam on the Charles Bridge with Prague Castle in the background.

Cormac is rubbing the cross at the spot where St. John of Nepomuk was thrown in the river by King Wencelaus.  You are supposed to rub the cross and make a wish.

Maggie and Gus in front of St. Margarita.

The boys next to the Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall.  It's the third oldest astronomical clock in the world (built in 1410) and the oldest one that still works.

Goulash lunch.

On one of the last day's of Gam-Gam's visit we took the train to Nuernberg to go to the Christmas market.

Thanks for the great visit Gam-Gam!

St. Martin's Parade

November 11 is St. Martin's Day.  It is celebrated throughout Germany with the kindergarten children parading through the town with lanterns.  Since Maggie and Cadel attend the German kindergarten we were all able to participate in this tradition this year.  Last Friday we went up to the castle in our village and met up with the rest of the kindergarten children and their families.  We paraded through the old part of Lupburg and ended the parade at the church for a short service and songs.  It was a really cool experience and it is always a lot of fun to see Maggie and Cadel interact with their German classmates.

The kids all got lanterns at school.  Once a child gets a lantern they use it every year on St. Martin's.  The lanterns even had real candles in them.

New 'dos

Cadel decided he wanted to put all of Maggie's hair clips in his hair (all of them, at the same time).

Then he decided to put every single one of the clips in Maggie's hair.