World Records

Noah has been asking us about

all kinds of world records in the last year.

Having to say "I don't know" all the time,

we were starting to sound like not-very-smart parents.

So Karl got him the

Book of World Records

for Christmas.

Both boys love looking at it and reading in it.

Noah owns quite a few world records himself by now.

"Mama, I found the world's biggest leaf.

Hurry. Take a picture!"

"Mama. This is the world's biggest chip.

Take a picture. Now!"

"Mama. I made the Lego-man with the most heads in the world.

Where is the camera?

Mama! Max knocked it over. Oh well. Take a picture anyway."

"Mama. I found the biggest peanut in the whole world.

Can you take a picture? Pleeeeaaaase?"

Since I took all these pictures

(there are many more world records that I did not take a picture of)

I thought I might as well put them on here.

I love how serious Noah is about it.

So usually I will stop and find the camera and take a picture.

Vielen Dank fuer die Masken, Oma!

A little side not about Max.

Since he actually took a nap yesterday

(this happens about twice a week these days),

he was not quite as pooped at bedtime.

So after he had been in his bed for a while,

he climbed out,

opened the door,

stuck his little head out,

and said:

"Instead. Ich will lieber ein Movie schauen."

("Instead. I would rather watch a movie.")

Nice try, honey!

'Instead' is his new favorite word.

He uses it all the time and it matches his personality quite well.

Of course, there is always something he'd rather do

than what I want him to.

MLK Day in Sedona

Since Martin Luther King Day is one of only 3 holidays North Americans get per year*, we decided to better make good use of. We could not really think of anything fun to do in Flagstaff, since the snow up here is about 3 weeks old and very crusty, yet it still has not melted. We had heard a lot about this small town - about an hour south - much lower elevation - therefore quite a bit warmer - an outdoor enthusiast's dream. Sounds like our kind of place, right? So we chose it as our adventure destination.

What can I say? After spending the day there, Sedona has now joined the ranks of most-amazing-place-t0-enjoy-the-outdoors-in-the-spring-and-fall. Closely followed by Moab and St. George in Utah. But nothing beats Sedona's proximity to our hometown.

Nevertheless. An hour in the car is enough to get me antsy. Unfortunately, our hiking guide was far from ideal. It did not help that we, accidentally, left it at home. Once we found the trail head of our carefully chosen family hike, all 15 parking spots were occupied and our car did not display the required Recreation Pass. That would have been some pretty nifty information to have received beforehand...

We were not off to a great start, but luckily 3 out of 4 family members kept their cool**. We purchased a pass and a map, and decided on a different hike closer to town. After a few more minor issues, we were finally free! 70 lovely degrees and blue skies. Noah is ready for shorts.

Getting the jiggles out.

The loop was perfect for two energetic young boys.

Noah got a CTR ring from his primary teachers a week ago and has not taken it off since. Maybe it is time I start wearing my wedding ring again...

Somewhere we have baseball hats that actually fit these guys. But Karl's extras work pretty well, too.

Grinding red rocks into red sand. Noah kept thinking we were in Moab.

After our lovely hike and some lunch, it was time for serious business. More about my ride here.

My 3 boys headed over to Midgley Bridge, hiked down to Oak Creek and played in the mud!

My two favorite buddies.

After some major key issues (which involved me lying under the car for a total of 20 minutes, a few frustrated phone conversations with Karl, a disappeared spare key, and a helpful couple), I was able to join my family at the creek for some snacks and the hike back up.

What a great day! We had a few ideas for Spring Break in March but now we are very heavily leaning toward spending the whole week in Sedona and surroundings. We love our backyard!

Hope you had a great MLK day as well!

* Germans get about 3 holidays per month. And I don't think they are any less productive...

** No. The Black Sheep was not Max. For once. It was me.

Sunday Thoughts

So. Our new ward decided to call me into the Primary Presidency as the First Counselor. I am not sure they were aware that I had never been in Primary ever before. Not as a child, not as a teacher, not even as a substitute. What were they thinking?

It's been almost 3 months now and - truth be told - I love it. The other ladies in the Presidency are amazing and I get to learn a lot from them. Our kids are the best! After having had a hard time trying to remember their names and learn more about them, I decided to play some fun get-to-know-you games during Sharing Time and I think we all enjoyed it. I was hoping to bond with them more during the Quarterly Activities but since they are not part of the plan anymore, I will have to think of other ways to form relationships. Any ideas?

It is good for me to be preparing lessons and trainings on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Otherwise I get distracted too easily. Mostly by triathlon-related thingies. Today I got to get ready for Sharing Time, plan a Teacher Training with Jennifer, and prepare a talk with Noah. Good things church does not even start until 1:30. And Sacrament Meeting is last. Ha. It is actually not too bad and we are definitely going to take advantage of the fact that we can leave town for the weekend and not have to come back until Sunday afternoon. I am going to start enjoying that next weekend, actually...

In case you are wondering about Noah's talk. He never opened his mouth. But I was prepared. He has, as a matter of fact, never opened his mouth at the pulpit in Primary ever before. Not for a prayer. Not for a scripture. Not for a talk. He is CTR 5 now. I actually don't think it is a big deal. He helped me prepare, held up the pictures we had chosen, and seemed pretty delighted. I am thinking maybe by the time he joins Senior Primary, he will have more courage... He definitely enjoys having me in Primary every Sunday.

As I was telling my kids today, I am grateful that our Savior knows each one of us personally. He knows our thoughts and our hearts. And He really wants to have a deep relationship with each one of us. I want to get to know Him better this year by reading my scriptures and praying more often.

Happy Sunday and Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Our New Year's Eve Fun

If you want to read about Karl and my New Year's Eve adventure, go here.

In case you are German and think we are totally lame: We are. But don't worry. Most other Utahns are not much better. I sure miss the way Germans party. Sometimes. New Year's Eve without Raclette and lots of fireworks just is not the same. So I might as well go to bed at 8:30. Not missing out on too much.

Happy New Year to y'all!

Noah Today

I love this kid.

(Even though he won't let anyone cut his hair.)

I am glad he is mine.

His ran around most of the day saying:

"Hey, wait a minute, Buster!

This is my house.

Only I get to act like that!"

Which, of course, results in Max doing the same.

We had quite the fun coming up with our own versions.

The quote is from his favorite book these days:

The Taming of Lola. A Shrew Story.

By Ellen Weiss.

Such a good book. I recommend it.

Tonight he also came to me and said (in German):

"Mama, put some vegetables on the table.

So we can be raccoons and come eat them."

Sure thing.

They can have all the veggies they want.

(Earlier that day they were playing raccoons with Papa

and somehow he convinced our raccoons to eat

red pepper, cucumber, and celery for lunch.)

Wanna know what else he did today?

(Since I am already telling...)

Play indoor soccer

Sled and not get tired

Build jumps

Skateboard

Play on a frozen lake

Share with his brother

Insist on the keyboard playing really loud all day

Eat 2 bowls of lentil soup

Think I am his servant

That is my boy.