Paris with the Mère

HALLOWEEN

Autumn...(contented sigh)  I love you.   The crisp air, scarfs, the leaves changing color completion, and of course Halloween.  We celebrate it all month long around these parts. 

side note:  One of my best talents is choosing good friends.  In the words of Lacey, "I'm not just good at it.  I'm really good at it."  One such friend is Erin Glover, who is a blogging diva.  She caught some pictures of our wii characters. Her blog is linked here.  Go way back, there are like 10 blogs with the little men in it, including USAG trunk-or-treating. :)

 Benjamin's costume was my magnum opus.  He told me he wanted to be Bowser, from Mario Wii, months ago.  DRATS-They don't sell Bowser costumes...so I made one.  He looked awesome, though he wouldn't wear the shell front or a jagged necklace , but you could still guess who he was.  

 I was inspired by a Coorduroy book, who made a dragon costume.  I liked how he did the mask as 
a hat.


So on Halloween we went trunk-or-treating.  And the following Saturday we went to the property party, which is always awesome.  The kids run around, we dance and eat yummy food.  Good times!

Family Pictures...round I

Benjamin's THREEEE?!?!

Benjamin was born about 7 months ago, so I really wonder how it is possible that we are celebrating his 3rd birthday, and yet there were three candles on his birthday cake.

    

At 3 years Benjamin loves:
His mom
Sleeping with his mom


Snuggling his mom
The beanie baby monkey
Nursery
Going to school at Kevin's house
Granola bars
Jake and the Neverland Pirates & Octonauts
Seth's night light
Gum
Gabby
Dispensing water from the water cooler
Popcorn
Nutella
Chocolate milk
Riding his "tryc" around the family room
Laughing with Seth
Isaac
DisneyLand Paris
Watching movies in the car
Remembering funny things that happen in movies
Pretending he is a dog
Bowser
Singing
Diego
When I sing "I can fly" from Peter Pan.  It's his lullaby of choice.
Pretending he is Diego and I am Alicia...or Luke SkyWalker and princess Lea respectively
Suckers after he gets his hair cut
Reading books or just looking at the pictures

At 3 years Benjamin is not a fan of:
Seth or Isaac riding his "tryc" around the family room...at least not when he wants it
Eating dinner when everyone else is eating... nor sitting at the table
Flossing
Turning on the light in the bathroom
When Seth takes something away from him, he gets feisty
Holding my hand in parking lots
Walking far distances
When I don't snuggle him at night
Climbing up high at parks or on ladders

Benjamin is a delight to have in our home.  He is easily entreated.  It is such a I am thrilled that he can be reasoned with.  He changes his attitude quickly if he thinks it will make me happy.  And when I am upset, he knows how to reach my heart, he just tilts his little head and says to me with a smile, "Be happy." It is amazing how well it works.  He has a vivid imagination.  He can play for hours with his little action figures all by himself. I love listening to the conversations he develops between his little toy men.  They are usually engaged in animated dialogue, and he often changes his voice lower to sound more masculine.  He is my joy.  I love, love, love him and I am overjoyed that the feeling is reciprocated. He is a very loving man.  He is quick to give a hug if it is requested, and maybe even if it isn't.  His papa is a big sucker for the little man.  Benj gives his daddy unsolicited love and Eric just beams.  I think Benjamin makes Eric's eyes sparkle more than anyone else, even me.  It's as if having Benjamin's love is the biggest compliment in the world, and Eric cant get over how lucky he is to have Benjamin's love.

Zweibruecken with the mutter

 Ha ha.  Theses two pictures together make me giggle.  I like these four...especially when they are together.

 This not-so-little house in Zweibrucken was my first home.

This dear lady is the owner of this home.  She must have seen us taking pictures because about 30 seconds later she opened her front gate and invited us into her garden.  It was lovely, and Christy (my mutter) was in raptures.  All of these scrubs used to be grass.  My siblings would drag me across the lawn in my playpen because they were in charge of watching me.

 "Our" timing was perfect, because as soon as we left the house my mom saw a red car drive up the road and turn into the Zeigler's home.  We were told they still live there.  I dont think I have ever seen my mom move so fast as she ran (sorta) down the lane to meet up with them.  Doris was her dear dear friend and recognized my mom almost immediately.  I enjoyed getting to witness this reunion.

  Later, C.h.  found a bakery and baught something like butter bread. It reminded me of sweet latino bread from my mission. Mmmm.  She calls it butter kucken.

 This is one of my favorite little männlichs in the world.  While we sang the mien licht song, that our friends the Volzs taught us last year.

 This DARLING church rang like crazy after the hour dongs...I think I counted 91 ding-dongs.

 Um...I would like to point out Seth in this picture. What a little pouter...

 WARNING: Fat ladies should not flip over these bars. 

 This Trier, Germany cathederal is where the apostle Mathieas is burried.  I thought the flowers were lovely.

 This kid is missing THREE front teeth.  He scared me and I was teasing him that I was gonna rip his tooth out and made like I was going to grab...which I did.  When I told him is was in my hand, he didn't even believe me.  You see, he has been teasing me that he has had it in his hand, so he thought I was doing the same.

 The roman colossium, is the largest outside of Rome, and it was awesome.  We went down under the oval arena to where they kept the animals and where some of the other gladiators waited.  MUS-TY.

 Even the parking lot at the colossium was picturesque. 

Bruges with the Moeder

Bruges- (In Flemish it is pronounced BROO-ghah...a little raspy on the shah if you please or broozh in French.)  is a quaint little mideval town near the shore in northern Belgium.  And I sorta love it.  The stepped gabled brick buildings are very indicative of this area, and I want to see a chimney sweep hopping up them-but I dont know if they do that.  BTW Christy took this picture and is very pleased with herself.

CH and one of the three existing windmills in Bruges.  This picture cost us 30 Euros...in parking ticket fees. Doh.

 After the windmill spot, we drove into the middle of one of the squares.  This little gent saw us and approached our car to ask if he could help.  Christy mentioned we were looking for a place to park.  He kindly said he would give us directions or, if we would permit him, he could get in the car and go with us.  "I dont speak a lot of English, but enough to say 'Turn left. Turn right.  Turn left here."  He was the kindest, dearest little man in all of Bruges.  I didn't have change for parking, only a 5 Euro bill.  He took it to get change.  When he returned he admonished us to be very careful.  "There are many pick-pockets around.  They will just take your money and go."  Then with a smile that gave a twinkle to his eye, "But I am not so dangerous."

 
When I returned to my car, I found this little note, carefully taped to my windshield.  Isn't he a dear?

 We ate fish and chips at this busy little friterie.  There was man do it all...so we understood when he forgot 2 drinks and tarter sauce (which costs an additional Euro).  Ha.  Those were the best Belgium fries I have eaten.

Then we found a little gem of a lace shop named Rococo, Wollestraat 9, Brugge-Belgium.  It is a Belgian lace manufactory and has been in the family since 1833.  Christy had prayed before our trip, that we would be guided, and boy howdy were we ever.  There was a lady in the shop from Chicago who is a lace curator.  She knows her stuff, and because she did, the dear owner took her to show her all of her pieces and treasures...and I got to follow them around.  The lady has a site that I have added to "sites I like" over on the right.  She mentioned that the lace work that the shop owner, she was probably my age, did was "Excuisite."   I purchased a lovely, not-cheap handkerchief and will use it whenever I go to a temple dedication.

The owner was led to know what to show us and tell us about because of our questions.  I was interested in patterns.  She showed us how the teacher who owned the journal below (best handwriting I have ever seen) taught her students.  The colors shown here tell the student what tied or knot the lace maker should use.  The owner mentioned it was like how "Dō is the same.  Everyone, everywhere would know it is the same key.  It is the same with Lace.  The purple color tells the maker to use a half knot."  Hmmm, I found this very interesting. 

This is really extraordinary.  Little straight pin are pushed into the pattern on the pillow and then the lace string is "woven" into different knots and so forth. Those are  A LOT of spools. 

 
A much simpler design.  I think this one is from one of the daughter of my favorite shop owner.

This is an interesting piece.  I understand that there are maybe only four pieces like it in the world by the creator of it.  The lady who made it up used both needle point lace and bobbins and it was very interesting to the curator.  She pointed out the place where the different techniques mingled...but I didn't get that exact spot.  Doh. 

We took a little bus tour and it was informative and made little Brugge seem bigger than it is because we drove up and back the same streets several times.  It was fun to go with my mom, and gave some good details we wouldn't have known otherwise.