So warm...

It was warm again and we were looking for something to do, besides playing ball or running through the sprinklers. That's when I remembered what my friend Jill told me...color on the ground with water and brushes. Not messy, but fun for the kids!

Es war mal wieder warm und wir suchten nach etwas zu tun, etwas anderes als Ball spielen oder durch den Wasserstahl rennen. Da ist mir eingefallen, was mir meine Freundin Jill erzählt hat...mit Wasser und Pinsel den Boden anmalen. Keine Sauerei, aber trotzdem Spaß für die Kinder!

Summer fun!

We tried out our sprinkler in the yard! The girls were to afraid at first, not sure why...Maybe that the water is too cold? Both wore their rain boots at first. Karina took them off, but didn't like the way the (wet) grass felt on her feet...hahaha!

Wir haben unseren “Wasserball“ im Garten ausprobiert! Die Mädels waren zuerst sehr vorsichtig. Weiß nicht genau warum...vielleicht war das Wasser zu kalt? Beide hatten zuerst die Regenstiefel an. Karina hat es dann ohne versucht, aber mochte nicht, wie sich das (nasse) Gras unter ihren Füßen anfühlt...hahaha!

Sesame Street at Fort Meade! / Sesamstrasse zu Besuch in Fort Meade!

Karina's first swimming lessons! / Schwimmunterricht für Karina

Letzten Donnerstag hatte Karina ihre erste Schwimmstunde. Es ist eine kleine Gruppe mit 4 Kindern und dauert tatsächlich eine halbe Stunde. Es hat ihr Spaß gemacht und obwohl sie Angst hatte, hat sie sich doch getraut alles zu machen :)

Last Thursday, Karina had her first swim lesson. It's a small group of just 4 kids and it is half an hour long. She had fun and although she was a little scared, she did everything the teacher asked of her :)

Omi & Opi visit us!

Right after coming back from our trip to WA, my parents visited us for 4 full weeks! We hadn't seen them since September 2013 in person, we had skyped every Tuesday though. The girls were excited and we had a great time! Aside from sightseeing in D.C. and Baltimore, we did some yard work and got rid of the pond, to replace it with a sandbox for the girls. Omi & Opi got a water table for them and whenever the weather was good we were outside playing. Bubbles are a huge hit these days too.
We took lots of pictures of course. There all on our Phanfare webpage http://nielsona.phanfare.com

Us, in Washington, Bellingham

Finally! We did visit Grandma and Grandpa in Bellingham :) it was Lily's first time meeting them and Karina's second time (although I'm sure she can't remember Christmas of 2010 very well...).  My thoughts about them being shy at first were completely unnecessary! The girls started playing like they knew them forever! It was awesome :) since our visit we're trying to establish a routine in skyping once a week. Somewhat successful, but always fun.

We had a great time and it was hard to leave. Nothing compares to a great relationship with your grandparents.

Cookie mouths! / Kekslippen!

Karina's 4th birthday!!

For Karina's birthday we went to Chuck E. Cheese's and the kids had fun playing. Afterward we headed home to spend some more time together, unwrap gifts and eat muffins!

Birthday girl!! 4 years old!!

Family pic! Lily in pose!

Two very cute little girls!

Strawberry muffins w/ Nutella cream cheese frosting

Gifts!!

First use of the fest tables and benches

Jill & Rob with Karina bear