Hiya!

The babes rocking the travel bed. In "Euro Green," as I like to think of it.

Literally rocking, BTW. They're both big into rocking. Sometimes I find the bed far from where I left them in it.
(photos courtesy Onkie Justy)

U.S. Whitts @ German Whitts

Changing of the guards in Berlin with Papa

Onkie rocking Zara. Not a purchase.

Bathtime is more fun with grandmothers!

Papa, Mimi and Onkie J = fantastic guests

In just 10 days, we four had fallen in love with our visitors.

The babes were first class travelers, sleeping in 4 different beds in about 5 days.

Highlights were exploring Copenhagen, Berlin, and discovering Schwerin.

Top notch. More details to come.

IQ Results: brain damaged, then genius.

Well, this is interesting. I'm in the dark (fantastic way to enjoy a 5 star) hotel taking mini IQ tests on iPhone while babies are sleeping and the fam is exploring Berlin. My first IQ test after nap? 78. This? 146. That's going from a state of mental retardation to MENSA. According to the title, I got 4/5 answers right. Yet looking below at check marks, I got all five right. I'm smarter than they gave me credit for?

So, double genius? From below average to genius? Or...this IQ testing program is probably (!!) not legit, unable to compute the correct number of responses. And not reflecting a legitimate IQ. That understood, why do I still enjoy taking these kind of tests? I think I miss the standardized test days of my youth. Seriously!

Series Score:4/5 Time:2:39 Min Your IQ:146 - Genius

Q 1. Level: Difficult What will come in place of the question mark in the given series?

∆

∆

∆

Explanation: Each symbol in the group shifts one place to the left, the first symbol shifts to the last place. It gives the next group. So, after = > <, the next group should be > < = .

Q 2. Level: Medium In the given series, which letter will occur at the place of question mark. aa?bbaa?b?ba?bbb

∆ aabb

∆ abab

aaba

∆ baba

Explanation: There are 16 letters in the series. Make groups of 4 letters each. The letters in the first group are in the reverse order in the second group. Similar will be the case with the next two groups.

Q 3. Level: Medium 1, 2, 6, 24, ?

∆ 96

∆ 72

∆ 48

120

Explanation: Two times the first number is the second number. Three times the second number is the third number. Four times the third number is the fourth number. So, five times the fourth number should be the fifth number, which is 24 x 5 = 120.

Q 4. Level: Easy Find correct alternative to replace the question mark

∆

∆

∆

Explanation: The symbol '0' moves to the next corner of the letter M in the clockwise direction.

Q 5. Level: Medium In the given series any three numbers will have similarity, one number will be different.

∆ 77

78

∆ 69

∆ 61

Explanation: Except 78 all numbers have odd digits at the units place.

This page is generated by A. Challenge, an iPhone/iPod Touch application.

Sent from my iPhone

Splash!

A little bit of color floods out the gray (skies). The third coat is dry, and I am already scheming for more . . .

Dedicated? [Crazy?]

Tom Cruise takes home teaching seriously.

Brain Drain never looked so mature

First time media watching:
Baby Babble, to be exact.
Mini furniture makes children look so grown up!

[Effective? Who can tell.
But...after two views, they're chatting back to the hosts.]
]

Timmendorfer Beach and Aquarium

This beach is a favorite of native Hamburgers: it has a beautiful seaside promenade dotted with chic boutiques, cafes and gelato stands.

I simply never tire of people watching.

Mister Bug is always up for smiling at babies, even when it's himself.

The girls

The guys

Lady Bug clutching her horsey's mane while bunny watching.

Mister Bug

Lady Bug extends affection via kisses.

They were digging the up close and personal glass wall.
The sharks kept circling.

Fighting back against the gray

August and September's gray and rain have kept us inside, preventing us from exploring the beautiful nature around us. I read an article saying Hamburg's record heat in June and July was followed by record precipitation in August -- of the "never been recorded so high" variety. Actual documentation of these extremes made me feel better about my personal struggles with the dreary weather.

This sweet song randomly pops up on my "baby play" ipod playlist, and has kept me going on hard days. Not a particular fan of Pocahontas, this version features Judy Kuhn, a striking, vibrant voice. The orchestration is rich and full, with sweeping movement that imitates the river theme.

"What I love most about rivers is you can't step in the same river twice . . . The water's always changing!"

An important reminder to stay focused in the beauty around us now. We'll never be back to this exact spot in our lives, with the opportunities, challenges, growth and people each waiting to be uncovered!

05_Just_Around_The_Riverbend.m4a (4789 KB)

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We have since separated their beds

One morning last week, we flipped on their lights to find this scene.
Context adds meaning.
This is how it happened.
[Click on pictures for clearer view of expressions.]

Cut Henry --
Cute.

Cut Isabella --

Unjust.

Pull out to panoramic view --

Tragic.

Her bed was empty of her blanket, cuddle bunny, and toys.
Fortunately (and unfortunately), on another day, it could have been
his bed that was stark empty.

Meeting Raw Carrots

Boltenhagen and Wismar

This past weekend we wanted to go to the beach to celebrate summer. I am in denial summer is leaving us here in Germany and although I really enjoy Germany in fall, I firmly believe it is summer until September 21st! Yes, Germans may think I am crazy when I go to work without a jacket or scarf in the cooler weather we have been having and yes, some Germans may have raised their eyebrows when our family ventured onto the beach to play in the sand and the water when the wind was blowing and there were white caps on the water...nevertheless, we had a wonderful time.

We decided to go somewhere different from where we have been in the past. A friend of ours recommended Boltenhagen, a seaside town in West Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, also formerly East Germany She even said we could find 30 cent ice cream, which would be our 50 cent ice cream in Büchen! Unfortunately, we did not find the ice cream but we did find 1 Euro Fischbrötchen. I had salmon and She had halibut. The Bugs had them too of course - they are such great eaters. We enjoyed playing in the sand, wading in the water, watching people pass by in sweatshirts and scarves...yes, it was a bit nippy even though the sun was shining. There was a small number of people braving the cool, white-capped waters of the Baltic Sea, mostly older people who I thought may think they have nothing to lose. I watched as one man who appeared to be in his eighties stripped down and went out into the waves. I sat for a few minutes watching him, really thinking it might be a death watch but he made it back safely to shore and was even nice enough to offer us his Strandkorb. Unfortunately, we were not able to take him up on his offer because we wanted to have enough time to take the scenic route home through Wismar, a charming Hanseatic city and then to Ratzeburg, a lake town in Schlewig-Holstein.

It was a stunning drive. Wismar is charming and very colorful for a former GDR city. The drive through the countryside on the way to Ratzeburg was breathtaking! We had just had a rainstorm and then the sun came out as we drove over rolling hills, through forests and villages and past plowed fields. Oh, the beauty of late summer! Here are a few pictures from our day out.

This past weekend we wanted to go to the beach to celebrate summer. I am in denial summer is leaving us here in Germany and although I really enjoy Germany in fall, I firmly believe it is summer until September 21st! Yes, Germans may think I am crazy when I go to work without a jacket or scarf in the cooler weather we have been having and yes, some Germans may have raised their eyebrows when our family ventured onto the beach to play in the sand and the water when the wind was blowing and there were white caps on the water...nevertheless, we had a wonderful time.

Baltic Sea

We're close to many beaches, but this particular stretch is our favorite. Clean and soft, private and cozy, the sand is flat for ages, so the babies are able to walk and play in shallow water for many meters.

This was our first beach day as a family.

It was charming!

Lady Bug is fearless in water, leaving us on the beach to crawl straight into the surf.
She was fascinated with the salt water. Splash, lick, splash, lick. It took some time before we recognized her eager pattern of licking her salty hands.

Mister Bug ferociously enjoyed daddy time.

Lady Bug propelled herself into the deep.

And was a romping explorer.

What is not to love about this little buddy?

Mister Bug proved himself to be a sand lover. I see sand castles in our future.

Mister Bug enjoyed rough and tumbles with He. . .

And Lady Bug her snuggles with She.

And I have the incredible fortune to spend my life with him!