Until the Cows Came Home

Our week in the mountains in southern Germany turned out to be a bit of a dud, partly because the weather was drizzly five out of seven days, partly because our plan to offload the kids over the day and go hiking backfired once we realized the baby childcare was only 9am - 12pm everyday. That pretty much cramped any plans to go for longer hikes (rain's not enough of a deterrent), which sort of turned this into a passive beach vacation -except there was no beach, no sun, and no umbrella drinks. The hotel itself was nice enough and had a lot of fun things for the kids, we just wished it worked as well as the other places we'd visited in the past.






Pig enjoyed the menagerie on site. He also enjoyed hamming it up in the two shows they put on. In the first revue he was a frog.

Later in the week the kids had the opportunity to dress up as Bavarian princes and princesses. Instead of a feathered tricorn hat Pig went for the glam instead.
The one stroke of luck we had was this week coincided with the local annual return of the cows from the alpine pastures down into the valley, before the onset of winter. The sound of hundreds and thousands of cows and cowbells was most impressive.

So were the super short lederhosen hotpants, which I suppose is sensible wear given the amount of cow doo-doo the cowherds trample through....




And of course, where would we be without the beer tent?


Ponchi making friends with a native.


Loden hats bought at the fair, destined to become part of our Karneval repetoire.


And, last but not least, we did manage some modest hikes, despite the elements working against us. Sure the pictures don't look too bad, but we weren't exactly whipping out the camera in the rain, either.






Did I mention Monchi is significantly heavier than when she first rode in the backpack at the beginning of summer? We're seriously worried that we'll manage to hoist her for any extended period of time next summer!

A Kong

Pig was playing on the floor two weeks ago when he casually said, "there's A-Kong," meaning my dad. He was pointing to the advertising laying in a pile, ready for recycling. Both Jochen and I took a look and just died laughing. The giggles lasted the entire night.


The ad was for a healthcare plan, and showed the unlikely fantasy of "A-Kong" doing yoga. More probably here he is earlier this year sharing a drink with Pig at the Gaffel Brauhaus.

Pig is a big fan of A-Kong!

20 Years

Of countless new addresses, job moves (Aimee), boyfriend changes (Hope), shared vacations/visits, and dog years of phone time but the threesome is still going strong. The reunion last weekend was beyond expectation on every level, particularly because there was minimal reminiscing and maximum catch-up on what's happening today. Also nice because someone new was thrown in the mix: I finally got to meet Aimee's Rob and, among other fine attributes, I'm overwhelmed by his manly lack of words, hehe. What, he's just like Jochen...what? Because I talk almost as much as Aim? I guess you think you're on to something there, you smarty pants!


The weather was absolutely gorgeous - so hot, in fact, the men were shielding their beers from the deadly rays.


Here we are in front of Burg Eltz.


And although she looks her cheery self here, Ponchi was whiny the entire weekend. She also broke out in little red dots all up and down her body, making me fearful that the house guests were going to leave with some transmittable souvenir of Cologne.

But Sunday morning Hope gleefully discovered 2 little teeth poking through Monchi's lower gums (and when I said I couldn't see them she told me to get reading glasses. That's 20 years of friendship for you!) Good grief, they took their sweet time to appear, and certainly will take more patience than I can muster to get a shot of them....


Finally, a guest appearance by Tiger Pig, who is pacing behind the new gate we installed to keep Monchi from tumbling head down on the granite stairs.

Endless Summer

I'm happy to admit I didn't have the guts a few months ago to BELIEVE that this summer wouldn't disappoint...but so far it has performed above and beyond my very modest expectations. We've been thoroughly enjoying every moment of it outdoors.

Here we are at the German Wakeboarding Championships - well, let's just say it's a developing sport here.Monchi donned a helmet for the first time this past week and is now part of the local biker gang.
On lazy Sunday afternoons we sometimes make our way to one or the other beach clubs in the city for a pretend getaway.

Pig training for Venice Beach.


Check out the palms

Jochen soon discovered Monchi is a babe magnet. Several girls under 20 (I have no idea how old they are, they're just still young and hot) came up to coo over Monchi as her father watched on, grinning like an idiot. The guys generally stood to the side and tried not to look bored as their girlfriends fussed over the baby....Girls, I can only say, take your time, cuz no amount of chill out music will give you your cool back once that bundle of joy arrives...

Love getting nekkid!

Les Cousins

Our extended family in Chicago includes my aunt and uncle and their daughter Jean's family. It now seems eons ago since our annual tradition as kids to visit Jean and John for the weekend at their grad student apartment in Hyde Park. I remember the yellow VW Beetle, Mollie the cat, the outings to the museums, and always one nice meal out at a restaurant we'd pick for its favorable review in the Chicago Magazine. Back in 1983 splashing out meant a restaurant bill of $35 for four people. I think I had my first green tea ice cream on such a memorable occasion - at that age I could not imagine anything more inventive...

Years and years and years later, the restaurants visits are now at places with a few more stars, and the outings include the next generation of cousins. Because Pig is completely besotted with Jean's younger boy, the switch finally flicked on and after 4 years of understanding English but hardly trying a word, he's now attempting a fluent pidgen (I want not milk. Give me no excooses).

The two of them are adorable together.

Waiting to start a "cooking course" on how to make guacamole.


Pretend play area in the Children's Museum at Navy Pier.


Dinosaur dig.


Real men hold hands.


Laurie save this pic for the montage. These guys are a dying breed: they have a more than a fair chance of going gold.

Best Sister

My one and only sibling:

• is five and a half years younger than me
• is about the same height but lucked out in the gene pool with the longer leg/shorter torso combination instead of my bizarre longer torso/squat leg build, and this is why she always looks taller (ok, ok, she's also skinnier than I am)
• is not a morning person. At all.
  
• did much better in school than I did
• is a prodigious saver but like me will prioritize travel above almost anything else
  
• HATES social obligations
  

This last point means she likes her own space, she's really not the chummy gushy type and she generally manages to keep what family drama/intrigue at arm's length. However, she has always been more than generous with her time and resources when it comes to doting on Pig, and now Monchi. For this last visit she selflessly gave up her valuable free time before starting her very first real job by hanging out with us 24/7, watched the two kids constantly (while the mom went awol), put up with countless meltdowns and temper tantrums (I won't say from which kid, but guess!) was our ride EVERYWHERE, and even got a Shedd membership in anticipation of our future visits.



So Hsin, congrats on starting what will be a fine surgical career - good luck on your first day tomorrow!! Make lots of dough so you can keep coming to visit us. Jochen is already looking forward to the next opportunity to dust off our hiking boots, or at least toast you with an elderberry aperitif this winter when we're back in Chicago (hopefully you'll have recovered from this last visit). Thanks so much for being so good to us....

Show Me an Incisor

After over a year's absence our 10 day trip in Chicago felt like nothing more than a whirlwind stop. I covered good ground but still didn't manage to see everyone on my wish list. There are enough impressions and pictures for a post or two, but it will all have to wait until we settle back into some semblance of a regular routine. Jetlag aside, Monchi has been spoiled rotten by both grandmothers in the past 3 weeks to the point where she no longer fancies sleeping by herself in her lone room upstairs. So far her insistent YELPING has bested us night after night: yesterday was Jochen's turn with her and this morning I found father and daughter sound asleep, back to back, oblivious to the morning sun.

Monchichi's bark is literally worse than her bite, given she has at the ripe old age of 9 months still no sign of teeth. Is this something to worry about? She gums everything and attacks bread and pastas heartily. I'm too sleep deprived to research properly - any old wives tales I should know about out there on this subject???!

Crafty!

Jochen's mom mentioned a few times in the past months that for Jochen's dad's birthday in July it would nice if Pig could make some felt napkin rings as a birthday present for him. She really really said that. At least 3 times. The first time I was like "wha??" The second time again "wha????!" And finally even I couldn't ignore it when it came up again the last time. I mean, we're not exactly a cloth napkin kind of family, so I wasn't quite sure how I would explain the concept of a napkin ring to the little piggy. Second, I've known H&H for almost 1o years now and to be honest, they've never offered me a cloth napkin in all the times I ate at their place. And yet somehow my mother-in-law is convinced this would be the perfect first kiddie craft for Pig to tackle.

The whole thing reminds me of when I went to school in Taiwan. I got as far as 2 months into the 3rd grade before I left for the US, but that short period of time remains indelible in my mind. Class size of 50 kids (imagine!), bringing a bento box to school for lunch (and having it warmed in the giant communal bento steamer), getting smacked in the palm HARD one time as punishment for losing my homework. Even today my sister cracks up when she hears me multiplying under my breath in Chinese - that's how I learned it! In any case, every few months we'd be given a craft assignment, and points would be given not for effort, or creativity, but for EXECUTION. Meaning, it had to be neat and complicated and pretty much completed by your mom. One time we had to make a Santa Claus, and I remember being so pissed that my mom was hogging everything - blowing out the egg, gluing the cotton beard onto the hollow shell, pasting the googly eyes on to the face. I took the damn thing to school and found most everyone else's parents also put their projects together. I got great points for mine (thanks mom) but it was pretty clear this was not an exercise for MY benefit.

So what did I choose to do in this case? Yep, now that I'm the mom I pretty much took over the project, too. Actually it turned out to be a group effort: Jochen was in charge of cutting the felt into strips, I sewed the buttons on, and Pig tied two knots for each napkin ring - a skill he just mastered in recent months. Ta da!!


Is this how etsy shops get started?

Saturday we go to drop off this and other presents as well as pick up Monchichi. On Sunday Pig, Monchi and Yours Truly will be on our way to Chi-Town for 10 days. We're looking forward this time to hanging out with A-Kong, A-Ma, Boh and the other A-Kong, Hsin, Beckermans, Leanne and Niki and their families, Hope and Rebecca. If you're free and in town give us a call or drop me an email. We'd love to meet up! Blog break until we return....

In our absence Jochen gets to scratch his belly, drink beer, go on another bike trip, and get some odd jobs done around the house. And I know he'll miss us terribly......(not!)

My Little Cossacks

My mom's friend Tina said from the start that Pig looked Turkish. I never saw the resemblance but it turns out she wasn't completely off. This spring when we were in Turkey one of the Kazakh waitresses asked to hold Monchi, and the picture of them together was a revelation - I think my kids need to learn how to ride a horse, pronto!




Since then my Kazakh radar has been switched ON. I spot Kazakh taxi drivers all over the place, I narrow in on Kazakh women walking down the street. When I get a chance to speak to them I am always confirmed right. What do you know, I still can't tell Asians apart but now I can spot Borat's countrymen at a drop of the hat.

What does this mean, not too much, except it allows me to ramble on about this only-to-me fascinating discovery, and to ask, is it worth it to invest emotionally in the Tour de France this year?? Astana Team was a @!#$%! mess before this year's tour even began, and while it's logical that Bruyneel signed Armstrong, can this come to anything positive?!? It's like watching a car crash in slo-mo...in the end I think I can't help but rubberneck.

At Oma Opa's

Today we drove Monchi down to spend a week at Oma and Opa's. The strike aside, the 3 week summer break has started at their kindergarten, so keeping with tradition one week is always spent at Oma's - this year Pig goes to the daycare at my work for the week and the priviledge goes to Monchi.

I can't say enough about how lucky I am to have gotten such great in-laws. Jochen's dad, whom I secretly call "The Amish Dude", is gentle and laid back and keeps me entertained with stories from the 30s and 40s. Jochen's mom is super sharp, generous, and, SPEAKS PERFECT ENGLISH, which contributed majorly to our bonding from the start. This is also her THIRD week this year getting Monchi -well above and beyond grandma duty.

I know Jochen's mom would love nothing more than to have Pig stay the week with them, as in years before, but she also understands particularly this year it's very important for him to feel older and have the chance to have time alone with the parents again. Still, he's the prince when he comes for a visit.
And summers in Oma Opa's garden are the best!