Bandit goes to school

Adeline's class is finishing up their housepet series with dog and cats. This morning, Bandit participated in the classroom discussion about dogs. The children sat in a circle while Adeline explained all of the various dog items I had brought with me. The kids thought it was cool to see his baby teeth as she passed them around the room.  Bandit chewed on a little bone as he laid by me, while Adeline talked about what he ate, showed his toys, and discussed how she cares for him. The teacher added more detail on some topics and asked questions to see if the class understood why Bandit and dogs required certain items to be taken care. The class found it interesting that Bandit has a passport, too.  Bandit started to get a little rowdy around the boys, but he calmed down and everyone took a turn petting him.  Adeline did a fantastic job presenting Bandit to her class.

Signs of Spring

It is beginning to feel like Spring is coming as our temperatures are starting to warm up and the flowers are starting to bloom. The fresh air is bringing fresh energy to everyone; unfortunately, it also means new bumps and bruises, too.

On Tuesday morning, the sidewalk did not give when Emmie fell as she was skipping to school. What made her fall even worse was she was skipping downhill, so her downward momentum increased the severity of the injury. I am thankful it was just scrapping to her skin and she did not break her nose or any teeth on the brick sidewalk. Fortunately, a few pretty band-aids helped to relieve the pain.

At school, Adeline's teacher had the kids run around the school yard to get some fresh air. Somehow, she tripped and her upper chest landed on the edge of the wood bench she was approaching. Luckily, it was just minor cut near her armpit and we could treat it at home.

Family outings

Saturday afternoon, we participated in our church's family game time. It was fun to gather with other families for fellowship and play games the kids enjoy. Everyone had fun participating in the group games and when the candy prizes were being handed out when a win occurred the competition increased.

Sunday afternoon, we watched the local women's basketball team, Rhein Main Baskets, play. Adeline is part of Hofheim's children's basketball program, so all of the kids made a line for the team to run through and slap their hands at the beginning of the game.

It was a close game and exciting to watch. I asked Emmie during one play if she saw the player steal the ball from the opponent and her reply was- that was not nice of her to do. I think we will have to teach Emmie a few things about competing in sports before she starts playing. The Rhein Main Baskets are ranked number 2 in the league and added another victory to their stats.

Back to Work

With Eric home last month, we did have a few afternoons which felt like mini-vacations; however, now we are all back to work full-time this month. 

Wednesday evening I attended a city meeting with regards to the kindergarten situation. It appears word is spreading about this issue because the mayor has had numerous media contact her about the situation, how  it happened, and how it is being handled. The positive aspect was they shared the new building plans and timeline and allowed us parents to give input before it is finalized. The downside part was they gave us a history timeline and there are gaps in it that could not be explained from the city staff who was present.

Since no one is home to puppy sit, I have taken Bandit with me on errands and to my class. He minded his manners in the drugstore. He laid down while we were standing in line because it was a long wait even though there was another dog two customers in front of us. At class it took him a little while to settle down, but he eventually fell asleep under my chair during the lecture.

Bandit has now lost two baby teeth and caught up with Adeline. We are waiting to see if Adeline will lose her top two front teeth first or if Bandit will lose more teeth first. 

Friday afternoon, Adeline started her new instrument lessons on the violin. She is eager to learn how to play it, but instead of practicing it at home, the teacher gave them a poem to learn about the chords. Afterwards, the girls got haircuts. Adeline picked her short bob length, while Emmie just had a trim.

This week, Eric attended new hire orientation. He also had information to share with me about the new health care system we are now covered under. This will be a new learning curve for me since we are now part of the German health care system. 

Getting Creative

We were creative artists for the afternoon at the Tonstudio, a pottery painting shop, in Mainz. It was a great time to be there as we were the only ones. Adeline picked out a scalloped plate and cup to paint her design on. Emmie selected a butterfly dish and little scalloped plate to decorate. The girls had fun selecting their colors and then painting them on. Emmie continued to add color and detail to hers as she liked some of the things her sister was doing.

A few hours later, the pottery was completely painted. The girls were sad we could not bring the pieces home with us immediately, but are are looking forward to using them at mealtime in the next few weeks. 

A long walk

The week concluded with Eric attending a seminar in Munich where he got the opportunity to meet some new colleagues and us adjusting to being on our own again, but this time with Bandit.

Bandit whined a few times since the house was empty after the girls were in school, but then settled in under the couch to sleep the time away. In the evenings, he has made his bedtime the same as the girls as  he crawls into his cage when they get into their bed.  Emmie found his first baby tooth that fell out on Friday, so it was quite an exciting discovery.

On Saturday, the sun was out and it warmed up a little bit, so we took Bandit for a long walk. We walked in the farmer's fields as the sun was warm even though the air was still chilly. This also gave Bandit a chance to stretch his legs and mingle with other dogs. Eric told the girls if they walked to Wieweide, he would buy them a treat. A little over an hour later, we were ordering cake and drinks as we sat outside on the patio with Bandit. The girls played at the park before we strolled back. 

Karneval

Sunday afternoon we celebrated with the town at the Karneval Parade. We staked out our spot on main street after the heavy rain/snow storm passed by and waited. We had fun watching the numerous floats and bands go by. The wet pavement did not stop Adeline and Emmie from gathering candy and treats thrown from the floats. They each picked up enough to fill up their own bags. It was a good time on the streets of Hofheim. 

On Monday, Adeline did not have school and Eric's task on his first day of work was to pick up his computer in Frankfurt. To pass the time, we watched the big parades in Cologne and Mainz. This year we noticed there were many political floats with the elections taking place soon. 

Tuesday afternoon, the girls put on their costumes one last time for the local church's Kinderfasching party. Eric was able to join us for this event and watch the girls play the various games. Emmie and Adeline were winners in the dance contest and enjoyed their gummy candy prizes. Adeline was co-champion in musical chairs. It was a fun time for the girls on a chilly afternoon.