March Madness

We all filled out our basketball brackets for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. All of our brackets each have a different winner, so it should be interesting to see who wins. It was established the winner would get to select the restaurant outing.  Eric finagled the computer to the tv, so we were all set for the first weekend of watching basketball.

On Saturday evening, Eric and I attended a company outing at the Wirtshaus Reichenbachtal. The event was held at very neat alpine-styled building in the forest, so we had to walk to it. They first offered hot appetizers outside on the terrace overlooking the forest. When it got dark, an artist who works with live fire entertained us. We then proceeded into the building for our meal. The quaint interior represented  alpine huts similar to those in the mountains. The salad and meat fondue were delicious. We did not stay for dessert because it was getting too late. It was a nice evening out for us. We learned the place can only be rented out which is a shame as it would be a nice afternoon outing with family and friends.

We watched a few more basketball games on Sunday evening to conclude the weekend. A few friends came over to enjoy the games as well. Adeline and Emmie are tracking our win/losses on the brackets, then Adeline and Eric tally up the points. Ending the first weekend, I am in the lead, but only a few points separate us, so next weekend it could change.

Happy Spring

We are very happy it is officially Spring! The weather has warmed up and we are enjoying being outdoors in the sunshine.

Bandit has been superb in staying in the yard while the doors are open. He even hopped up on the girl's picnic table to sun himself one afternoon. The girls found this funny. The girls had fun playing bubbles with Bandit, too. He would jump around and try to bite them as they kept blowing bubbles all around him.

Adeline is very proud of herself that she has taught Bandit to sit while waiting for his food. Initially, he would crowd the bowl waiting for the food as soon as he heard the food container rustle, but now he sits patiently while she fills the bowl and for her to give him the okay to eat it.

In addition to the spring cleaning, I managed to get the winter tires switched with the summer ones at the tire shop. Plus, I took Bandit to the neighborhood animal clinic to get him some heart worm pills. Unfortunately, I learned it is more like an animal hospital after our visit, but it was still a positive visit for me incase we ever did need to use them. I now have to find a regular veterinarian office for Bandit.

Garten AG

Adeline started her gardening class on Thursday afternoon a few weeks ago. The first week, they planted little pots of Kresse. It has been exciting for her and Emmie to watch the little plant grow at home. On Saturday we added the herb to our salad for some extra flavor. She was very excited to contribute this to our meal.

Her class has also made a flower bed in the school yard. She first learned how to prepare a flower bed for planting flowers as they cleaned the weeds out of it. Then teacher showed them how to dig the hole and handle the flowers with care. The kids are enjoying freshening up the school yard with the bright flowers.

Emmie and I took Bandit to the market for the first time. The vegetable lady adored Bandit, so she gave Emmie two pieces of carrot- one for her and one for her to share with her friend. Bandit loved the treat and the two of them munched on carrots while I continued my shopping.

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.