Friday, April 14, 2006
We're off to Ireland!
This should conclude the blogging for a few days. I won't have internet access and I wouldn't be able to upload photos anyway. I wish you all a Happy Easter with your families. I promise to give you a detailed update when I get back. In the meanwhile I give you my favorite Easter line ever...

"Tank you Eastuh Bunny, bawk! bawk!
Noni's Emma Report - Day 8
Hi There, Mommy and Daddy,

Today was a bit different because Noni decided she just couldn't stand to be away from me and decided to stay home. I think she loves me. We did go into her office for just a few minutes this morning to do a job she needed to get out today and then we came back home.

I had a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, banana and milk and I did a good job of eating almost all of it. Noni cooks me two eggs and you only cook me one. My tummy couldn't quite hold all that.

Again today I went through my alphabet books one by one and I looked at every page in each one. Noni keeps thinking she hears me say words that match some of the pictures, but she may be hearing things. I am enjoying those books. I played with the castle some more cause it's cool. Noni took more pictures.

I went to bed for a nap at 10:30 and didn't wake up until almost 1. Noni was surprised. She fixed me lunch right away because she was afraid I was starving and I ate some of it, but not all. There's a picture of that too.

The morning started out cool, so I wore jeans (Noni took a picture) and then the day got hotter and I had on shorts. Noni took pictures of that too!

I had the best time exploring the top drawer in Noni's bathroom where she keeps her combs and all kinds of neat things. I pulled it out, she put it back. I pulled it out and she put it back. She said I should put it back and I just looked at her. She thinks I didn't understand, but I did. I did put a couple of things back to make her happy. Noni took pictures of that too!

We went to TARGET for a while before we went back to Noni's work to pick up her paycheck. That must be something important. Noni bought me some lightweight jammies because the nights aren't real cold and the jammies I brought along are a bit warm. They are nice jammies and I got 2 pair. Noni took a picture in one pair of my jammies before I went to bed.

When Popi got home we went out to dinner. Oh, but before I tell you that, I want to tell you that I had a snack of applesauce and banana before we left for supper. We went to McDONALDS!!!!! YEAA!!!!!!!. I got a kid's chicken nugget meal, Noni got a hamburger and Popi got a No. 2 cheeseburger meal. Well, mommy and daddy, before I had finished my meal, I had eaten all 4 nuggets, about 1/3 to 1/2 of Noni's hamburger and a big bite of Popi's burger and about half of my fries. I was a bit grumpy before supper, but after eating I was a happy camper. I was giggling and playing with Popi and my toy and people in the restaurant were laughing at me. Then Popi let me loose and I ran around and entertained the few people that were there.

We went to Costco to get some swirl yogurt and I LOVED IT!!! I kept asking Noni for more and more. She only game me little bites because she didn't want me to have a brain freeze headache, whatever that is. It was good.

Then it was home, to bath and then to bed.

I have missed you, mommy and daddy. I cling to my Tigger a bit more than before and Noni lets me keep my nook a little longer when I get up. I'm doing OK. Noni will be home with me again tomorrow and we have some errands to run.

I love you and miss you both,
Emma



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Thursday, April 13, 2006
Brief update
Today M. and I went to the Hauptstrasse in Heidelberg. We had a fantastic time, just the two of us. We visited the castle and rented the little audiophones to listen to the tour in English. Unfortunately halfway through the morning the battery in the camera died. Darn! I was so upset. No pictures from the rest of the day. Well, we did buy a disposable camera with film. So it will be weeks before I can report much on today. I may not get to blog again tonight anyway. K's giving a birthday party for a friend here tonight and the ribs are boiling right now, in anticipation of a good barbequeing and grilling. I imagine we will be up late tonight. I also imagine much beer and wine will be flowing and many humiliating dares will be endured. I can avoid them by never losing a hand of UNO, but...that's kind of hard.
Noni's Emma Report - Day 7
Hi Mommy and Daddy,

I started off my day today with a smile as usual. The weather was suppose to be nice and warm today, like yesterday, so Noni dressed me in one of my new shorts outfits you packed for me. Since we know how much you like purple, we chose that one. Don't you like the way it looks on me. I do. Noni and Popi raved about how cute I looked in shorts. I think they like to see my legs. Noni talked about how pretty my little legs are.

I had another good day at the babysitter's. When Noni came to pick me up, I was so happy to see her.

We came home and Noni pushed me on the swing for a while and then we walked around the yard. We heard some funny noise, Noni said it was some kind of siren, and we saw a truck with flashing lights up at the corner from Noni and Popi's house. We started walking up to see what was going on, but we saw Popi's car waiting to cross the intersection, so we just waited for him to come home. He said he thought an accident had happened. I hope no one was hurt.

I played with all my toys again for a while. Popi asked me to help him fill his bird feeder so I went along to help him. His birds are eating a lot of birdseed very, very fast. We walked around outside for a while until supper was ready.

Noni had fixed us spaghetti and she fixed me some broccoli (which I just loved) and had some applesauce too. I ate very well and then I was trying to tell them something I wanted on the table and I got real aggitated when they didn't understand. They tried hard though. They showed me everything on the table, but nothing was right. Finally they let me down and I went to the bedroom and asked for my pacie and Tigger. Noni thought I might be really tired so she went ahead and gave me a bath. I wasn't much interested in my bath, so she hurried it up and got me all dressed and ready for bed.

It was a bit early to put me to bed, so she and I went downstairs and she put on an Elmo DVD for me to watch. I sat very quietly in her lap and watched it for a while. Then I got up and started to play with a few things and watch the show at the same time. Popi came down after a little while and watched the show too. He asked me if I was ready for bed and I just laid down on the floor like I was going to go to sleep. He decided I was really, really tired so he put me to bed after Noni kissed me goodnight.

I finally finished my medicine today and I didn't seem to have much of a runny nose today. I hope all of that is finally going away.

I love you and miss you,
Emma

(P.S. from Noni - Emma was asleep within 2 minutes after Popi tucked her in. I just think she was very tired.)

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Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Most of them DO speak English
The merchants, that is. They certainly do know to greet you and tell you your prices in English. I try to greet people in German. I know they appreciate the effort. So by tomorrow, when M. and I are on our own, we hope to be able to manage without causing an international incident. It's amazing how much I've picked up since I've been here. It's lots of fun.
France was cancelled
We woke up to crappy weather and decided to give it a pass. We've been stuck in the stows on the autobahn too many times. We've spent too many hours in the car and today we're taking a break. K. took us to the PX and the military clothing store, which was bust. Then we went for lunch at Europa, which was quite good. Italian food. After that we stopped by the MiniMal where I had yet another chocolate crisis. We also picked up a few assorted goodies. The girls got off from school around that time and we all went home. Now K. has gone out to the commissary and we're sitting around chilling, wondering if we'll ever be hungry again.
My chocolate problem
I'm having a bit of a problem. Chocolate keeps following me home. I really do plan to give most of it away. I have to. I certainly can't eat it. But every other time we go out I somehow think we need more. I'm probably done with Rittersport. I should have bought stock before we came.


Here's the source of my problem. When confronted with a selection like this I lose my mind.



Oh, and I seem to be having a fresh pastry problem too. Backerai are from the devil, sent here to tempt me. And the fresh brot, argh, give me a break!
Noni's Emma Report - Day 6
Hi There, Mommy & Daddy!

It's Tuesday already and I had another good day. Everything went very well with Miss Wanda today except I was a bit stubborn about wanting my nook. Miss Wanda tried to hold me off, but I just wouldn't have it, so she gave in just a little bit. Sorry about that.

Noni picked me up early today after her dental appointment and we headed home to play and fix supper. She got me some shrimp for supper at Kroger but the guy who steamed them put on way too much seasoning and even after Noni peeled and washed them, they were still too spicy to each. Even Noni couldn't eat them. What a shame because you know how much I like shrimp. I ate plenty of other good things though.

Popi had a meeting of his motorcycle club this evening, so when he left for the meeting, Noni decided to take me in the stroller for a walk around the lake. When we got to an area where there's hardly any traffic, she let me out of the stroller and I explored a lot. I walked on people's grass, tried out their sidewalks, and checked o th water meter covers in the middle of the street. I even stopped one time and just made circles until I made myself dizzy. Made Noni laugh too! When I got tired Noni put me back in the stroller and we went back home.

After we got home, Noni set up my new swing under their back deck and she pushed me in the swing until I got really, really tired. I got my bath and decided tonight to do some coloring on my friends. I think Noni sent you a picture of that. I'm all tucked in and ready for a good night's sleep and another big day tomorrow.

Popi showed me your pictures on your blog this evening. It was great to see your faces.

Please tell Uncle B and Aunt K how much I like all the alphabet books they gave me. I go through almost every one of them each evening. Sometimes Popi goes through them with me and sometimes Noni does. They are really neat books!

I love you both! (and miss you too!)
Emma


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Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Yes, we bought lousy t-shirts
Hey, summer is coming, we'll be going for walks...

I really wanted a World Cup shirt because, first, I like the graphics, and second, they'll be rare at home. The Deutschland shirt is for Emma. It's size 2-4 but it's 100% cotton so who knows when she'll be able to wear it. We also bought a pin and a magnet. Now that the touristy stuff is bought, we can look for cool stuff ;)

Scenes from Rothenburg
This is a shot along the main street. It got prettier as you went.


I didn't even check the name of the place we had lunch. We decided it was a German restaurant run by Italians. I had schnitzel again, K. had bratwurst, B. had chicken cordon bleu again, and M. tried the hamburger steak, which he said reminded him of salisbury steak at home.
At the end of the meal K. discovered that her purse was missing. She was freaking out and I was freaking out and the men were blithely doing their thing. I guess only women realize what a magnitude of disaster it is to lose your purse. She scoured every inch we had covered in the restaurant and then headed out the door to backtrack. About twenty minutes later she showed up with it. She had left it in the last store where someone had spent money. She had put it down to help C. try on hats and had walked off without it. The guy working there had held if for her. Everything was still there. A miracle.


This is the main clock tower. Every hour the two windows open to show a depiction of one of the Councilors saving the city from destruction in 1631 by drinking a 3 and 1/4 liter tankard of wine in one draught, on a bet.


This is one of the fountains in the city decorated with eggs for Easter.


Kathe Wolfahrts is a Christmas shop found throughout Germany. This auto sits in front of the original store, which is a convoluted and winding affair. It's a veritable Christmas wonderland.

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Rothenburg, a walled city
Here are some pictures that M. took over the outer wall.



Kriminalmuseum
One of the "attractions" of Rothenburg that my brother wanted to see was the "torture museum." Basically it showed the artifacts of the medieval criminal justice system. Pretty horrifying if you ask me. I do not need that kind of fuel for my imagination. K. and I kind of breezed through and went shopping ;)

Did you know?
There are these awesome machines in different places around the cities where you can take your bank card and get money? Will wonders never cease?

Schneeballen
This appears to be a specialty of Rothenburg, as many bakeries were competing for our shneeballen business. Me, I spread the business around ;) Let me say two words...fried dough. What else do you need to know? They're awesome. OK, the texture of them is crunchy, that might help you picture it better.

I am totally loving the real bakeries around every corner in Germany. I could gain a ton just looking at the selection. I've tried several things and haven't been disappointed yet. M. tried something this morning that he thought was going to be a chocolate donut. It turned out to be light cookies with a layer of soft chocolate in between layers and then coated with chocolate on the outside. He was one happy camper!

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Noni's Emma Report - Day 5
Hi There, Mommy and Daddy,

I had a new adventure today and I'm going to tell you all about it.

First of all, I had to get up a tad bit earlier than usual so Noni would have time to get us ready before we headed to the babysitter. It wasn't so bad. I adjusted very well and was my usual cheery self getting ready. I even had time to play with the toys before Popi bundled me up and put me in the car. Noni had her hands full, so Popi got the honors this morning.

I met Miss Wanda, Toby (her poodle) and a couple of little girls when I got to Miss Wanda's house. As soon as Noni put me down I spotted a little girl in the corner playing with some really neat toys and I headed directly for her. I was so busy playing that I didn't even tell Noni goodbye. I don't think she was upset, but I was having such a good time.

At the end of the day when Noni came to get me Miss Wanda gave me a glowing report. She said I ate well, napped well and played well. The only thing she was surprised at was that I got a little upset when she left the room. So she didn't leave me hardly at all. That was very nice of her. You should have seen what Noni put in my lunchbox. I had water, yogurt, banana, raisins, a toddler stew meal, peanut butter pretzels and crackers. When I got home Noni looked in my lunchbox and all that was left was about 3 crackers. I almost ATE the WHOLE THING.

After we got home and Popi arrived we got ready all over again to go out. We went to a very good pizza place and I had both pizza and spaghetti and because I had eaten so well, Noni gave me a little bit of ice cream at the end of the meal.

Mommy and Daddy, did you know that Noni and Popi belong to a clogging group. Well I found that out tonight. They took me to the place where they practice their clogging. I met some really, really nice people and I even got to watch them dance a couple of dances before Noni hustled me home to get my bath and go to bed. They had these really neat things on the bottom of their shoes that make a really great noise when they danced. I love it! And I was so into watching them I hardly moved. Noni took a picture of me I think. Oh, and please don't tell Daddy that I listened to bluegrass music, because I know he thinks it's hazardous for your health and might even fry some brain cells. I wouldn't want him to worry that that would happen to me. Noni and Popi wouldn't let anything like that happen to me. I kind of liked it.

I had a really fun bathtime again and I giggled and giggled for Noni. She took more pictures of me. Mommy, she's just like you. Every time I turn around there's a camera flashing in my face. Most of the time I never look at her when she wants me to but sometimes she catches me off guard and gets a good picture.

It was a fun day and I'm looking forward to playing with the little girls and Toby again tomorrow. Don't worry, Mommy, I was perfectly fine and did my best to be a very good girl.

I love you both a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck, a barrel and a heap, talking in my sleep about YOU!!!!!

Emma

P.S. Please tell my counsins and Uncle B and Aunt K that I send them a big hug and kiss.

Oh, and mommy, when Noni asks me where are my ears, I point right to them and say "ears". Then she asks me where my hair is and I put right up there on the top of my head. I'm working on the "hair" word and am getting closer and closer each day. I know where my mouth is when they ask and even my nose. It tickles Noni because when she asks me where my nose is, I stick my finger right up it.

Bye, Bye!



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Monday, April 10, 2006
Miramar Schwimmbad
We started off our day at a schwimmbad, which is an indoor/outdoor water park. They had tube slides, innertube slides, wave pools, whirlpools, kiddie pools, saunas...basically anything you could want. We had a great time. Uncle M. even helped Mary build up her courage to go on the big slides again. It was a great place for the whole family and we had great fun!





FYI, here is a better demonstration of the size of a smart car:

Die Kartoffel
It stands for "The Potato" that's where we had supper tonight. It was entirely fabulous. They bring you your steak on a hot stone and you cook it yourself. It comes with three different flavors of sauce you can dip the meat in. The potato comes literally covered in a sour cream and herb blanket. And the salad was the best one we've been served since we've been here. We were served very quickly (as opposed to the hour and a half we waited on our schnitzel!) I really loved the experience from start to finish.

The menu:


Here is the meat on the stone. If you like your meat rare you'd have to eat it really fast. I suppose that's why they give you dipping sauces, because your steak is most likely to be cooked through by the time you finish.


This is the room where we ate. The couple next to us had their big dog laying under the table and the waitress even brought the dog water in a bowl. Apparently it's common to bring your dog along for dinner. You can sit in that restaurant and probably pick out fifty things you could never do in the United States.


This is the basement. K. says that's where you want to eat in the summer because it's so much cooler.


Finally, the view of the restaurant from the outside. It's just so amazing to see places like this that are so traditionally German and are completely authentic. Around the corner we should have taken a picture of their competition, "The Onion."

A chilly walking tour of Ladenburg
After finishing supper we walked the shopping area of Ladenburg. Everything was closed but it was a beautiful little area.


Every self-respecting German town has a fountain.


Apparently it's traditional for tourists to humiliate themselves on the goat statue.

A perfect day
It was wonderful. Everything we did was fun and went our way. To top off the evening we rode down into Heidelberg and had dessert on a cafe by the river.

Here is the Heidelberg Castle lit up at night:


A crummy picture of the little boat/cafe where we had dessert. I had a cola light with apple streudel and M. had espresso with a sundae.


Happy 7th Anniversary B. and K. So glad we could come along and help you celebrate!


Here's a picture of the old married farts.

Noni's Report - Day 4
Dear Mommy and Daddy,

Today was really bright sunshiny day, but a little cool.

I woke up at my usual time and Noni and Popi were busy getting ready to go to church. Noni fixed me a light breakfast and then she dressed me and we headed off to church. Since it was Palm Sunday Noni and Popi thought they were having nursery for all three services, but that wasn't the case. There was no nursery for the first service. They took me into the sanctuary with them and I did pretty good for a while, but finally Noni decided I needed some space and we went out to the lobby. That was my opportunity to explore and I really did. I walked all the hallways, visited a couple of empty classrooms and had a really neat time crawling down a row of chairs. Noni just shook her head and laughed at me. I was very careful though and didn't hurt myself at all.

We had pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast when we got home and then I took a nap for about an hour and a half. When I got up Noni fixed me lunch and I had that toddler meal you don't like the smell of (mashed potatoes with cheese and broccoli) and I ate the WHOLE THING. Noni chopped us some string cheese for me too and I ate most of that.

After lunch Popi wanted to cut the grass, so Noni bundled me up like it was 30 degrees outside and I got to ride around on the lawnmower on Popi's lap. I watched the birds and watched the golfers and kept an eye on the kitty cat next door. Popi said I hardly moved the whole time I rode around with him. When we finished the lawn, I came inside and played in the rec room while Noni did some ironing. That looked like work to me.

I pushed the stroller all around the rec room. I didn't want the doll baby in it so Noni loaded it up with plastic eggs and I pushed those things all over the place. I got hung up a time or two on the furniture, but managed to work myself free. After a while I lost patience and started crabbing when I got stuck. Noni asked me if I wanted to take a nap and I thought it was a good idea and held up my hands for her to pick me up and take me. I was ready.

After my nap, we put our coats on and went to pick up Great-Grandmommy to go to dinner. This time we ate at Wendys. I had 3 1/2 chicken nuggets and a container of mixed fruit yogurt. I got another Potato Head like the last one I had. I ate all of the yogurt and then Popi let me have some Frosty. That was the best. Noni let me spoon it out of the cup myself and I didn't do bad. At least I didn't get any on my bib or clothes. We took Great-Grandmommy home and visited for a while. She laughed at things I said and did. That was OK with me. I looked through a little album she had on her coffee table and I found a picture of both of you in there. I kept flipping back and forth through the album and then coming back to your picture. You know, mommy and daddy, I think you're pretty people.

Noni thought you might like to know some of the words I've said while you've been gone. Here are a few: shoes, Popi (yes, I'm finally beginning to master it), baby, kitty cat, bath, hat, hot. They keep saying all these words to me and I'm trying to say them, but sometimes there are just too many.

I had another fun bath and then Noni and Popi both tucked me into bed. I will sleep well tonight, and then tomorrow I get to go play with some other kids at Miss Wanda's.

I love you and miss you,
Emma

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Sunday, April 09, 2006
Toast Hawaii
In Triberg I tried another new dish. I can tell you it's quite terrifying to look at a menu and not understand a word. You start to wish illustrations were included with every description. Fortunately the restaurant we chose for lunch yesterday had an English translation under each German description. The only problem was that I couldn't find a thing they were describing that I'd ever seen before. The only thing I could find that listed ingredients which I found to be entirely edible was for Toast Hawaii, the same thing my brother ordered. Here's what I ate. Ours included two pieces of bread and the cheese was toasted even more. No cherry on top. It was edible, but I couldn't eat the whole thing. Oh, and salads over here are an entirely different entity all together.
Noni's Emma Report
Here it is in it's entirety:

Day 2
Hi Mommy and Daddy,
Today was my first full day with Noni and Popi.

I got up at 7AM and played with Popi before he went to work. Then Noni fixed me some breakfast. I watched Elmo while Noni got dressed and did her hair. We shopped at Costco for a while (Noni bought me a new outfit) and then she started to take me to her office. BUT, I was so tired I fell asleep in the car so Noni took me home and put me in my nice bed for the rest of my nap.

I woke up just when Popi called to say he would meet us for lunch. Noni changed my clothes because it was so nice and sunny and warm. I wore my new Dora outfit. It looked so cute on me. At least Noni thought it did and so did Popi. We had lunch with Popi at Burger King and I ate a very good lunch. You would have been proud of me. Popi walked me outside while Noni packed everything up and we chased flower petals that were blowing in the wind. I giggled and thought that was fun.

After Popi left us, Noni took me to the Court House and I met Miss Lynn, who gives me such nice gifts and some of the other ladies that work there. It was such a pretty day that Noni let me walk around the Courthouse lawn and around the Square before we got in to the car to go to Wal-Mart. We shopped for some fun things at Wal-Mart and I was such a good girl and stayed in the seat the whole time. Noni bought me a swing that Popi is going to put under the deck. She got me some milk, yogurt and egg rolls too.

When we got home I played in the yard for a little while and Noni let me swing on the neighbors' swing. I was getting tired, so I took another nap until about 5, when Popi got home. I was so good - I played so nicely while Popi put some fertilizer on his yard and Noni fixed our supper. I ate a good meal, Mommy and Daddy. I had egg roll and lots and lots of macaroni and cheese and lots of applesauce too. It was yummy! Popi shared his pound cake with me after supper was over and Noni was doing the dishes.

You know, Mommy and Daddy, remember the castle Noni has - well I remembered all by myself how to drop the people down the tower and open the door at the bottom to let them out. I did that for a long time and I love to make that flagpole on the top spring back and forth. That made me laugh. There's a cool village there to and I remember how to wind the siren to make the noise and to spring the lamppost back and forth and make a funny noise like the flag on the castle. Popi found me the people to drop down the tower and then showed me how to play with them and the village.

Noni let me run around barefoot and in my onesie for a while before I took my bath. The bath was the best - I just squealed when I saw my kitty cat friend and I called his name over and over again. Then the green elephant made the coolest noises when I squeezed him under water and then let him up. I just laughed so hard over and over again while I did that. Noni and Popi thought it was so funny too that they just laughed and laughed. Noni kept pouring the bucket of water down my back and that made me giggle too. Bathtime was so much fun! I was in such a good mood and I was very good while Noni dried me off and dressed me for bed. Popi watched my bath and then helped get me ready for bed. He even tucked me in. I am tired, Mommy and Daddy, but I've had a very good day.




DAY 3
Hi Mommy and Daddy,

I had another good day at Noni and Popi's.

I woke up around 8 o'clock. I played in my pajamas with ALL the toys until breakfast. I ate a very good breakfast of muffins, bacon and eggs. I played again with all the toys, but especially the castle and the village. The castle has a lot of neat doors and things to open and shut and I can drop those people down the tower and pull them out the bottom. Popi read some of my alphabet books to me and then I got tired and took a good nap.

When I got up Noni fixed me a grilled cheese sandwich, but I wasn't very hungry. I had had a big breakfast and just nibbled at lunch time. Then I got all dressed up for the birthday party. When Noni and I got there there were balloons everywhere. I couldn't keep my eyes off them. When Noni would pull the string down so I could see them good, I would back away. I'm not real sure I want to be that close to them. I wandered around and heard a lot of people talk about how cute I am. I kept right on moving. I found a little boy who I liked to play with. They had a bean bag toss and this little boy and I would throw the foam clown noses we were given to play with. I had a grand time. Noni thought I might have a crick in my neck tomorrow because of all the time I spent looking up at the balloons. Noni shared this drink they had - it was called punch - and you know, Mommy and Daddy, that stuff was so good I barely left any in the cup for Noni to drink. I held so tight to that cup because I liked that stuff so much I wanted to drink it all.

After we got home I took another nap and slept till about 4:30. Popi needed to get some things at Costco so we put our coats on and headed out again. I rode in the cart so nicely the whole time for Noni. You would have been proud of me. Then we went to Golden Corral and had supper. They have the BEST mashed potatoes. I ate bunches and bunches of them. A few green beans and some macaroni and cheese My tummy was full.

Noni thought I had a lot of energy to burn so we went to the Mall. They put me down and just let me wander and roam wherever I wanted. We went in one or two stores, but mostly I just charged down the Mall. I kept hearing people talk about how cute I am - do a lot of people think I'm that cute? Noni says you betcha. I went into Claire's Boutique and Popi and I checked out the beads. There were lots and lots of them. Later I went into the Hallmark Store and you wouldn't believe all the bunny rabbits and chicks that I gave hugs to. I picked them up, hugged them real tight and then ran to show Noni and Popi what I had found. I found soft long-eared bunnies, fat round bunnies, bunnies with long, long legs, little bunnies in baskets and some chicks in their eggs.

As we headed back to the end of the Mall where we came in, there was this great big, huge bunny rabbit sitting in a big chair. Noni thought I should go sit in his lap to say "hi". I did and just as I got settled and began to think maybe I didn't want to be there, this bright light flashed. I really, really decided I didn't want to be there so Noni came to my rescue. She turned me over to Popi while she did something and he and I sat on a bench and watched other kids go up to say "hi" to this great huge bunny. Noni came back with a big packet in her hand. I think it might have had something to do with the great big bunny. Maybe she'll show you.

That was the end of our evening at the Mall, but I really, really enjoyed walking and walking and walking. I did some yakking and squealing as well. That made Noni and Popi laugh. It was so much fun. We'll have to do that sometime after you get home.

I was very, very tired when we got home. Noni fixed my bath water and when I got in the tub, guess who was there? KITTY CAT!!!! I was so happy to see kitty cat and I got all excited. Maybe I just thought I was tired. I played with kitty cat, then the bucket and don't you know Noni poured more water over and over and over me. Then we played a new game. She held my ankles together and swished me back and forth up and down the tub. That was so funny - it really made me giggle. All my toys and the water would go rushing by me when she would swish me back and forth.

Now I really am tired and I'm all ready for bed. Hope you had a good day!!

I love you and miss you,
Emma



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Wurzburg and The Residenz
Today a friend of K's accompanied us to Wurzburg to see the Residenz. Actually what she did is drive there and then offer to take all the kids for ice cream while the grown ups took the 45 minutes tour. We didn't have to think twice about that offer. We met up again after the tour and she gave us a "running" tour of the shopping district and showed us the bridge over the river. After that we all drove back to her house, which is a traditional German house, and had a raclette dinner together. By 4:30 p.m. we were home again, everyone stuffed full and ready for a nap. Of course I had my obligations here to tend to ;)

Boo for dreary days for picture taking:


Here we are doing a sprint through the shopping district. K's friend had a lot on her plate today. Besides, most of the shops were closed on Sunday.


Here is the bridge over the Main River.


The Smart Car is very popular in Europe. They are so tiny they're cute. Here is a Ford that is somewhat equivalent. It was called a StreetK or something like that.

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