Merry Christmas from Lukas & Dominik

Construction Activity

We've been busy: In the last few weeks, we've assembled a large backyard playset for the kids and drained our pool for a new liner to be installed.

The playset was purchased at a fundraiser auction last fall. This spring, we disassembled and transported it back to our house with the help of some colleagues. Mike then power-washed and stained it. We prepared the site for it by removing most of the sod and grading it for proper water drainage, then covered everything with heavy-duty landscape fabric. The playset was assembled in one evening with the help of our friend Marcus and Grandpa Bob. All we need now is a truckload of sand, as we had to decide against any other ground fill due to cost. Dominik already loves to swing in his own special way!

The pool was drained over the last few days with sump pumps and the pool company came today to remove the old liner, do some minor patch work and fit the new liner. Now it's filling with water with a filter attached and a vacuum between the liner and the pool walls to prevent wrinkles. It (almost) looks like new again and we're looking forward to many pool parties this summer!

As usual, more photos can be found on Uta's facebook profile: http://www.facebook.com/.

Bilingual Baby - Echt Zweisprachig

Dominik is not even two and probably doesn't have 50 words in his vocabulary yet, but he is already interpreting German into English for us. It goes like this:

"Dominik, sag mal 'Auto'" [say 'car'] - "car"
"Sag mal 'Laster'" - "truck"
"Sag mal 'Ente'" - "duck"

[Photo: Easter egg hunt, 4/12/09]

Rest in peace, Fifi

It was a tough decision, but I think we did the right thing for you. I'm glad I could be there until the end and say good-bye. We will always remember you fondly as the spunky little kitty that would defend her territory against the smallest chipmunks and the biggest dogs. Remember hissing and spitting at Kayla through the basement door? Remember bringing mice into our bedroom? Remember chasing through our old house from top to bottom whenever there was another critter walking by the windows? Remember sleeping on our computer monitor or on the tiny shelf in the entertainment center? Remember your kitty castle with little holes all over that you could stick your paws through to bat at us?

Maybe you can be a doggy in cat heaven. I know you would like that; and Dominik would finally get it right!

We love you. Rest in peace.

Snow Day

Well, it wasn't really a snow day, but it could have been, had it started snowing 12 hours earlier. By evening rush hour, several inches of the pretty white stuff had fallen, and we spent a fun evening outside, sledding, skiing and shoveling.

Growing up fast

Dominik is growing up so fast. In the last couple of days, he added such critical words as NO, HI, and ON (or AN in German)!

Skiing Together

In a mixture of boredom and insanity, I decided to take both boys skiing by myself a few weeks ago. Dominik had never been out and only practiced once in the basement, but immediately started walking on his plastic "skis" over to the bunny hill. Lukas has been getting good enough that he can ski without tethers and too much interference from me. So we spent a few hours on the bunny hill, with me riding the magic carpet up right behind Dominik and then skiing down with him between my legs. Exhausting, but fun!

Fettsack

Seit einem Jahr oder so nennen Nadja und ich Dominik ab und an liebevoll "Fettsack". Ist er ja nun wirklich nicht, das Kind ist ein Fliegengewicht mit seinen 20 Pfund. Aber er hat so süße dicke Wadeln und so einen runden Bauch nach dem Essen. Nun ja, vor ein paar Tagen begrüßte Lukas dann Nadja morgens mit "Fettsack"! Ab sofort heißt Dominik jetzt "Kiek", nach seinem momentanen zweitliebsten Wort, Keks, und das Wort Fettsack hat Hausverbot.

Wir sind wir

Santa scares little boys all over the world


Dominik taking apart our furniture


Lukas hiking at Taylor's Falls

Special Chippendales Performance

Dominik doesn't like clothes. When winter came, he kept pulling on his long sleeves and was quite mad when I put footed pajamas on him. Every day, I find his socks in the strangest hiding places around the house, and we rarely bother to put them back on anymore. Yesterday, I came home, he was already short-sleeved and bare-foot. After saying our hellos, he disappeared around a corner, then came back, handed me his jeans and walked away again. Spent the rest of the evening in his onesie. I can't wait until he learns to unbutton those and starts taking it all off.

More than Words

Dominik's current collection of words:

1. oh-oh
2. wow
3. papa
4. mama
5. daddy
6. nada (nadja)
7. goo-goo (guck-guck = peekaboo)
8. ee-ah (hee-haw = i-ah)
9. moo (cows)
10. bah (sheep)
11. cool
12. digga (tiger or "Dicker"?)
13. doggie (all things furry)
14. papa bear (this is from a German kids CD)
15. lookatdad (look at that)
16. tssinder? (what's in there?)
17. duk (truck)
18. tunnel

This is starting to get interesting, because there is more every day now. Finally!

The Boys in 2008

A photo album of favorites of 2008 has been posted on Uta's Facebook profile.