I can’t believe my baby is in the double digits (sob)! She was thrilled with her wake-up present. Honestly, I think she would have been happy with anything- she’s so easy to please and such a sweet girl). she calls her Gertie (after my parent’s beloved dog whom she misses SO much) Her birthdays always […]
Quinnie
Quinnie and Audrey (aka Team Wolf)
All 4 cousins had a great time together last summer, but it has to be mentioned- the incredible friendship/ bond between Quinnie and Audrey. They are fairly close in age, so they had lots in common. Quinnie hung on every word Audrey said. She looks up to her like a big sister. They were stuck […]
Quinnie the Knitter
Right after we moved to Germany, Oma gave Quinnie her first Strick-Liesel. Lots of kids in German grow up using them (Simon even had one!). Oma taught Quinnie how to use it, and she quickly became obsessed. I don’t know how to knit, so thank goodness for Oma! Here’s a How-To Strick-Liesel video (in German) […]
Quinnie Lately
“Lately” as in random photos from the past year that haven’t been used in other blog posts… When did she start looking like a teenager?! She’s growing up too fast… I love that her silly side is still going strong. Quinnie and Kiera both have a natural ear for music. They’ve taught themselves quite a […]
It’s SO hard to say Goodbye
Funny thing about girls this age- when they have to say goodbye at the end of a play date, they act like it’s the end of the world. It’s about a 10 minute process- they just can’t let go. It’s kind of sweet, actually. After this 10 minute goodbye, Quinnie’s friends begged their Father to […]
Quinnie’s 9th Birthday
Quinnie decided that she wanted to have a sleepover birthday party this year. She wanted to have her friends sleep over the night before her birthday so that she would wake up with them on her actual birthday. I told her she could invite four friends (any more than that and it becomes too chaotic […]
Herbstferien 2015- Italy (post #2)
This vacation in Italy was even more special than usual because Simon’s cousin Tina and her family were there at the same time. Her kids are the same ages as our kids. Tina and Simon (and their siblings) grew up spending summers in Italy, and luckily for all of us, their parents kept their homes […]
Basilika Sankt Gereon
One of the perks of living in Köln? Being eight years old and getting to sing with your school choir (Chor) in Basilika Sankt Gereon! Definitely click on that link to see a pic of the outside- I didn’t get a good one myself. The Wikipedia page on Sankt Gereon states that “the first mention […]
Sleepover and Easter Prep
One of Quinnie’s best friends is Antonia. They’re in the same class at school, and desk mates. Anto (as her friends call her) really helped Quinnie a lot when we first moved here and Quinnie didn’t speak, read, or write German. Quinnie caught up very fast, and that’s partly due to Anto’s help. They were […]
Heartbreak Day/ Bullying
One day last week I picked Quinnie up from her after school program and she seemed quiet and a little down. We sat on the grass to rest. I asked her if something was wrong. After some gentle prodding she said that she was having some friend problems, but didn’t want to talk about it. […]
Quinnie Lately
Quinnie has always been very inquisitive and eager to learn. I love that about her. Lately she’s been especially interested in other cultures. Last year she worked on world maps in her class at school. Check them out… When I asked her what she was doing with the dish towel on […]
End of The School Year “Handwerker” Party
Quinnie’s school always has a themed “end of the school year party” right before summer break for the students and their families. The kids are very involved in planning the party with their teachers and parents- months of preparation go into it. This year the theme was “Handwerker” (Crafts People). It was amazing. Every classroom […]
Camping at Mandersheid
At the end of every school year, all of the classrooms on Quinnie’s floor at school go on a camping trip together in Mandersheid (about a 90 minute drive outside Köln). Families/ siblings are also invited, but the students usually camp together in their own tents. Simon and Kiera went with Quinnie, while I stayed […]
Flat Cassidy and the Enduring Power of Friendship
I knew when we moved to Germany that Quinnie was going to really miss her San Diego friends. But I also thought, “She’s 6 years old- how strong can a 6 year old’s friendship be? She’ll make new friends and it will be fine.” Well, she has made some good new friends, but I’ve come […]
Playdate with Matilda
Every once in a while the stars align and both Chloe’s and my schedule work out so that we can have a play date after school for just our big girls. They love it when there aren’t any younger siblings around to interrupt… The girls at school pickup- begging for a playdate dress up is […]
The Syringe Saga
One day a few months ago I was out shopping and taking pictures- looking forward to a day off (Opa was going to pick the girls up from school!). About an hour into my blissful day I get a phone call from Simon, and I knew right away something was wrong. Simon: “Um, just got […]
Flashback Video (Quinnie’s Rasselbande Performance)
I just came across this video from 2 years ago of Quinnie and some of her classmates performing a song at her German Preschool in San Diego. Wanted to publish it here so that I can always find it. Quinnie loves to perform and is a total ham (as you will see- she ends up […]
Quinnie and the Birds
Both of our girls are obsessed with chasing birds- Quinnie especially. No matter how many times I explain to her that it scares the birds when she chases them she cannot resist. I’m not sure if it’s because she loves seeing them fly or what. She’s been yelled at by quite a few people (strangers) […]
Quinnie’s 7th Birthday!
Both of the girls’ birthdays fell mid- week this year so we decided to just do intimate family celebrations on their actual birthday. Later we will have a big joint birthday party for both of them (and their friends) at Silly Billy’s (a huge indoor play area with jumpy castles and slides, climbing walls, etc., […]
Robert Smith Lips
I think one of the happiest moments in Quinnie’s life was about 6 months ago when I gave her some old makeup and perfume of mine that I was going to throw away. I was pretty surprised by her excited reaction- I had no idea she was at all interested in these things- she’d never […]
Quinnie Pigs
As I mentioned before, Quinnie is obsessed with pretty much any kind of animal. She’s like an encyclopedia of knowledge concerning animals and teaches me new things about them every day. She’s always been this way. She has never been interested in baby dolls (same with Kiera). During a play date, when her friends are […]
Quinnie’s School
We were very lucky to get Quinnie into the same school that Simon, his sister, and his Tante Bärbel went to. Cousin Maxim goes there also! It’s a very popular school and placement there is much- coveted. We just found out that Great Uncle Martin designed some of the inside of the school! Before school […]