A Little Holiday Fun!

Welcome to the 2006 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! You know the drill. Send on to one person and the person that sent it to you… Don't be a scrooge!!!

1. Eggnog or Hot Cocoa? Hot Cocoa
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them tree? Wrap, the elves are good like that!
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, but I should get some!
5. When do you put up your decorations? The day after Thanksgiving, it is hard enough to wait until then. This year we are doing it a little late because we were in Venice for Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? STUFFING
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Going to get our tree and decorating it. My family LOVES Christmas music, so it was always so festive.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My neighborhood friends, Holly and Tammy Thibedeau, told me. My mom tried writing a letter from Santa that year saying they were lying but I wasn't buying it. Of course I had to tell my lil sis too...sorry April!
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? As a child,yes. Lily will be waiting for Santa and opening in the morning.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? As a family listening to Christmas music and all doing a little.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I LOVE SNOW!!! It doesn't feel like Christmas without a Winter Wonderland.
12. Can you ice skate? Kind of...it's been forever and I would need to practice.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? That is a tough one....I have enjoyed some many thoughtful things at Christmas.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with my family, watching the twinkle in Lily's eye.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Cookies
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Getting all the Christmas stuff out the day after Thanksgiving and decorating the tree/house. Making cookies and sharing them with family and friends.
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving presents?Giving by far
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I love them all, Jeff say's I wear out the Christmas CD's every year. If I had to pick one...Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas....hee hee hee!!
20. Candy Canes Yuck or Yum? Yuck, no peppermint for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!! We hope you all have lots of yummy turkey. We'll be thinking of you all while enjoying pasta and yummy gelato on Venice. I'll update with OB news when we get back!

Time is Flying!

This past week with out Jeff has been a busy one. I am thankful to have Kim just a few minutes away to keep me company. Lily has been her normal, rambunctious self and I have been busy trying to keep up with her. I have had a few spells of nausea, but I feel like I am starting to feel a little more like myself again. This week Lily and I went to a fabulous pot roast dinner at Kim's. Bernie and Jon where also there and it was a wonderful evening. Jon and and Lily made fast friends. By the end of the night, Jon had Lily laughing hysterically. Wednesday proved to be a tough day. I was pretty nauseous all day and to top things off the BMV broke down. It took three of my German neighbors to get it going again. Just put it this way....if you're looking for the battery in a BMW, check under the back seat. It will save you lots of time and energy. Thursday was Kindermusik and running lots of errands. Lily unfortunately woke up with a cold, so we were home bound much of the afternoon. Last night was another great night. Jacquie, Karen, Kim and I had dinner at my house and then we scrapbooked until almost 2 AM!!! It was great!!! We all got organized and ready for our scrapbooking weekend in January. Everyone turned out some really nice pages too, thanks to Karen's new die cutter. Tonight is round two for scrapbooking, so it looks I like I may get Lily's baby book finished after all. Jeff is working hard and traveling around the States. We are so excited for him to get home and go to Venice. Next week Lily and I have a couple of play dates and a dinner invite from Beth. I'm lucky to have such sweet friends to look after me while Jeff is away!

Finally... An Update!!

No....I did not forget about our blog. It just seems the days are passing by so quickly, I hardly have a minute to sit down at the computer. Here is what the Prager clan has been up to the last few weeks.

Lily is a complete joy!! We can't believe how much she is learning every day. She can now count to ten, mostly skipping seven and eight, but has since recalled four. She loves to scream out "NINE, TINNN!" She is also learning her ABC's. She can't sing them yet, but when Mama or Dada stops mid letter, she can usually tell you which letter comes next. She is quite the little assistant around the house, she loves to help Mama dust the living room. In the process, she has also learned to climb on top of the TV stand to get a closer look. She's our little monkey. Coloring is her new favorite activity. She can sit and color all day if we let her. Her favorite object to color is "Melmo", a.k.a. Elmo.

Jeff has been keeping really busy with work. They just sent him on a business trip today for a few weeks. In his spare time he's been playing volleyball with friends and of course, chasing Lily everywhere. I have also been keeping busy with our rambunctious toddler. I still can hardly believe that she'll be 19 months this week. With baby 2, I am almost 12 weeks along now so the nausea has subsided some. We have an OB appointment on the 22nd so I'll be sure to update with new ultrasound pictures after our visit. I also have had some fun evenings out with the gals and still enjoy my monthly Bunco night. While Jeff's gone I have some fun scrapbooking nights planned with a few friends. I am excited to get Lily's books caught up before number two arrives.

We have planned a Thanksgiving trip to Venice over the long weekend. We are really looking forward to another trip to Italy and some quality family time. We also have been really aggressive this season and are just about done Christmas shopping. We are really looking forward to enjoying the Holidays here in Germany. We can't wait to go sledding, drink hot chocolate, decorate the tree and visit all the Christmas markets. The weather has turned cold and we even had a touch of snow a few weeks ago. It's sad to think it's our last winter here in Germany.

Well....that's how the Prager's have been keeping busy. I promise to update more often. We hope you are all doing well!! Drop us a note, we would love to hear from you!

Kim's Birthday Dinner

(The Gals... Beth, Bernie, Kim, me and Jacquie)
On Tuesday night (Nov.7th), a bunch of us gals took Kim to the Ox for a belated birthday celebration. They had live music so it was a really festive atmosphere. We enjoyed good food and great company. I made Kim a double chocolate cake for her birthday. It didn't look extremely pretty, but I think we all enjoyed the large mound of chocolate! Thanks for a great evening ladies!

Happy Halloween Lilybug!

Lily really enjoyed Halloween this year (unlike the complete scream fest last year). I got her all dressed up and brought her into Jeff's office around 5:00. She fluttered around with big smiles. We met up with her playgroup friends around 5:3o for some pictures and trick or treating around Patch Barracks (the Germans don't really celebrate Halloween). From the first house until the very end, Lily ran around and yelled "trick or treat." She really loved walking like a big girl and collecting the candy. She even stopped at a pile a leaves to jump in and play with her fellow ladybug friend, Gabi. We ended the evening with a stop by Subway for dinner. It was such a wonderful night for the three of us. I was so happy watching my little Lilybug bounce from house to house with her Daddy. The weather was brisk, but we just layered a little. Overall the evening was a real TREAT!! Happy Halloween everyone!

My first house!The Gang!

The Three Musketeers!

On the evening of October 20th, Kim, Bernie and I boarded the USO bus and headed out to Boleslawiec, Poland for some Polish Pottery shopping. The bus ride was a long eight hours with all the stops. However, it was nice to just sit back with the gals and chat while the bus driver did all the work. I must admit being on a bus when you're nine weeks pregnant doesn't help the nausea, but I pushed through it. Anything for good shopping!! We arrived in Poland early Saturday morning and hit the road running. We started at about 6 a.m. and shopped until about 5 p.m non stop. We did stop for some delicious perogies for lunch, but just to refuel so we could keep shopping. The highlight of the day was when the tour bus left us at a ceramic shop. The area had several shops in a close vicinity so the guide gave us a 1.5 hour time line for shopping. Kim, the punctual one of the group, noticed twenty minutes before the scheduled departure that the bus was no longer in sight. I was in line buying a piece of pottery I had been looking for all day and decided to stay put. Bernie, the technological one, got out her paperwork and cell phone and started making calls. After several minutes had passed, Kim decided to run down the street to check near by shops for the bus. The three of us could hardly believe that the bus had actually left us. While in line Bernie and I chatted up some gals from Ramstein (another near by base) and secured ourselves a ride back with them if need be. After 40 minutes passed, the bus pulled back into the parking lot and the guide came off the bus with his head hung low. We were ready to let him have it, until he started apologizing profusely. He stated that a bunch of ladies had walk up the street and hit another store. He asked if we were in the group and they said yes. The three of us jumped back on the bus and decided it was all part of our grand adventure. Besides, we had more shopping to do. We finished out our day and arrived back in Stuttgart early Sunday morning. Overall the trip was a large success. I found lots of great pieces for myself, friends and family. I also had a wonderful time just hanging with my girls.

On the bus...ready to spend some money in Poland!!

Happy Birthday Kim!

Happy Birthday Kim!! We're so glad to have such great friends just a few streets away. Have a wonderful day. We'll enjoy cake soon....

Our Little Pumpkin!

Here are some cute fall pictures from Lily's 18 Month photoshoot. Jeff and I took these pictures at the church in our town. Lily loves having her picture taken...she always says "cheese." Here are a few of our favorites!

Kindermusik

Every Thursday morning Lily and I pack up and head over to Kelly Barracks for our 10:30 Kindermusik class. Our teacher, Jennifer Buxkemper, teaches singing, dancing, playing instruments and listening skills. Lily is one of approximately ten children in the class. She absolutely loves sings and dancing with the other kids and moms. Her favorite part of the class is playing the different instruments and dancing. This is Lily's third Kindermusik session, so she has ultimately grown up singing and dancing. This session is entitled "Milk and Cookies" and all the music is themed around cleaning, cooking and food. Songs like "Muffin Man" and "Clothes in the Washing Machine" are some of Lily's favorites. The class also offers a homekit which includes two cd's (of all the music we sing in class), two books, an instrument and all the sheet music for mom and dad so we can teach her the songs at home. The 15 week class runs through January and Lily truly loves spending time with her teacher and friends every week.



Getting our sticks to sing The Muffin Man

Lily, 18 Months

Our Lilybug officially turned 18 months yesterday. Time is flying by so fast; it seems like just yesterday we were holding our tiny, bundle of joy at the Sindelfingen Krankenhaus. Fast forward….our little baby is long gone. We now have a full blown toddler on our hands. Lily is so active, she truly runs the house. She loves climbing, jumping and running everywhere. Her new favorite activity includes pulling all the couch cushions off the couch and love seat, making a big pillow pile and dive bombing into them. It’s quite a sight; you can’t help but join in the fun. Lily is also quite the chatty Cathy these days. Some of her new and favorite words are “sky, blue, sit, cheese, ball and baby”. She can say between 15 and 20 words now and can count to five with a little prompting (although she always seems to skip number four). She can recognize most animals and is pretty good at making their noises. Her favorite songs include, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, If You’re Happy and You Know It, The Wheels on the Bus and Old MacDonald. She loves her dog, but has discovered a new fondness for the cat now that he tolerates her. She enjoys her Kindermusik class every Thursday morning and loves going for walks, playing at Kinderland and swinging at the playground. She still sleeps like a champ, 12 to 13 hours a night, but usually only naps for about 1.5 (we’ll take what we can get). So, that is our Lily in a nutshell. I could ramble on for hours about our little pumpkin….but I’m sure you all have other things to do. Enjoy the pictures, as always; there will be more to come. We love you so much Lily!!!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!! What a wonderful example you have set for the rest of us. No work today...enjoy a night out together!

We love you!

Happy Birthday Amy!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Amy....Happy Birthday to you!!! We hope you have a wonderful day!

Stuttgart Zoo

Monday, October 9th, Jeff had the day off from work so we packed a lunch and met some friends at the Stuttgart Zoo. We have lived here two years and have yet to venture over to the Zoo. We had heard wonderful things about the Stuttgart Zoo, especially the beautiful Botanical Gardens. The weather cooperated with us so we had a bright, sunny day to walk around and watch the animals. This was Lily's third zoo experience, including Dublin and Berlin. She absolutely loves the elephants and the monkeys. On this day, she made a new little friend, Mr. Goat. We watched the animals for most of the morning and then headed over to the Petting Zoo after lunch. We ended the day with a walk through the Botanical Gardens. It was truly a great day for all.

Our First Ultrasound, 7 Weeks

This afternoon I had my first OB appointment with Dr. Voss. I had all my lab work done and my first ultrasound. It was WONDERFUL to see our baby's heartbeat. It was just a little peanut, measuring 9.5 mm. I couldn't even tell which end was up, but I could have watched that little heartbeat for hours. Dr. Voss said that I was measuring at 7 weeks, 1 day (just as I suspected). That gives us a June 6th due date. Dr. Voss joked with me about my comfort level with this second pregnancy. She still recalls the nervous, young American, full of questions, from two years ago. I do find myself much more at ease with this baby because I know what to expect. I also am settled into our life here in Germany and familiar with the German health care system. No trans-Atlantic moves for me this pregnancy.

Dr. Voss prescribed me some anti-nausea medicine because I have been fighting some pretty bad "ALL DAY" sickness. I have also have been pretty tired, as expected. Thank goodness for Jeff. He has really been picking up the slack around the house and with the dog. I truly have great friends and a wonderful support system so I am really looking forward to having another baby here in Germany.

Dr. Voss printed some pictures of the baby for us to take home. There is not much to see at this point, but we still want to share our baby's first photo. Our next OB appointment is November 13th. We'll keep you all posted!!

Kinderland

We spent the last few weekends hanging at our new favorite spot, Kinderland! It is an indoor gym for children with ball pits, cars, bouncing houses, trampolines, slides and a large maze with all sorts of fun activities. Lily absolutely loves running around and trying everything and anything she can get her hands on. Here are some pictures of her enjoying a few of the activities they have to offer. It's nice to have an indoor place to play when the weather is rainy or cold. I think we'll invest in the year pass, as it's located in Tubingen, only 15 minutes from our house. Kinderland is complete paradise, for Lily (and us too).