Happy Birthday, Jeanette!

Since I know of more English-speaking friends reading my blog than German-speaking ones

and because you might be able to understand my English better than my German,

here we go in English.

Happy Birthday

To The Greatest Aunt in Berlin Ever!

Dear Jeanette,

I have many very fond memories of you. Although you have always lived many hours away, you have always been dear to my heart. Growing up, I loved having the chance to travel to Berlin and visit you and Dieter every year. I still can't believe that, starting at age 4, my parents just sat me in a plane and sent me off to your house. Actually, traveling solo as a kid was great fun. We got all kinds of fun toys and were able to check out the cockpit while talking to the pilots. Since them, I've been wanting to become a pilot.

I really enjoyed going with you to the German-Turkish preschool that you were directing. I still remember how to count in Turkish. To 3. And I loved riding the subway, tracks, and double-decker bus. You would give me all the comfort I needed and all the independence I wanted.

What better place to visit than Berlin? My visits broadened my horizon by miles and I could not believe all the museums, festivals, and cultural events that are taking place daily. I am so glad I was able to give Karl and Noah a little glimpse of your city in 2007 and really hope we get to visit again soon.

If it had not been for you and your research, I would have never had the opportunity to be an exchange student in the US. A million thanks! We definitely share some of the same I-want-to-see-the-world genes. Being homesick? What's that? You and Dieter inspire Karl and me with your travels all over the world. We know where to turn when in need of a travel guide. Whether we need info about South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Scandinavia, ..., or even our own backyard here in the US, you have plenty of experience to share and stories to tell. We can't wait to get together and spend days catching up on all your travel slides.

Until then, we hope you stay healthy and strong and keep us updated on your travel agenda. We send hugs and kisses over the ocean to you.

Love,

Sarah, Karl, Noah, and Max

The Great Escape

Yep. You guessed it.

We escaped to Sedona again.

We just can't think of a better way to spend our Saturday.

This time, Karl went down early with a friend to go trail running.

The boys and I went to soccer practice and then joined them.

While I was enjoying a nice road ride,

Karl took Noah and Max mountain biking.

They had great fun playing in the warm sun.

Max took a little nap in the car

while Karl and Noah got some ice cream.

Apparently, it was not long enough.

He was not happy about our hike down to the creek.

The boys enjoyed having their rain boots

for some wading in the very cold creek.

Noah making sure his shorts don't get a drop of water on them.

Checking out a little tree that was chopped down by a beaver.

We found a nice, big, pretty flat rock that became our island.

Perfect for skipping rocks and making big splashes.

We kept telling Max to stay off the edge of the rock.

To no avail, of course.

I don't usually get nervous, but I really did not

feel like fishing him out of the freezing river.

He got a little tired of our nagging,

so he went to the lowest point and just jumped/toppled right in.

Time to go home!

Coming home to a not-so-clean house with

bags to unpack,

dinner to make,

tired kids to put to bed,

and lessons to prepare

is not my favorite part

but I will take it!

Best Friends Sledding

We need some some snow here in the high desert. We had a whopping 1 degree on Wednesday during the day but no snow! It has not snowed here since December and we are experiencing some withdrawals.

So to cheer ourselves up, we want to post some pictures of the sledding fun we had with our dear friends back in Utah. We stuck everyone in their snow suits and headed over to our favorite little sledding hill. Perfect for toddlers and young children.

Noah is a big fan of jumps.

But, apparently, not a big fan of sleds.

I was super excited to be hanging out with 2 of my favorite girls, Jen and Mandy. Watching our kids having fun together is wonderful!

Noah is also a fan of Fay. Who is not? She is beautiful and fun.

He liked taking her over the jumps. At first she was a little skeptical but soon enjoyed it as well.

Max was a huge fan of little Julia's hat and sled.

I am a fan of Utah, friends, and family, and soft snow.