first sleepover

Our friends Vasso, Sava, Alexi and Melina came from Belgium for a visit. On the last night, Melina and Dessi had a sleepover in Dessi's room. So excited! They clamored and laughed for about an hour, then passed out. Perfect!

first day of school for adai

Here we are in the kitchen before Adai's first day of German kindergarten. Dessi started there in September, but we wanted to wait till Adai was 2 1/2 before sending her in. Adai's German is already pretty good from her 5 months with a tagesmutter. Apparently she understands most everything, although she speaks very little so far (which is normal for a second language for a child her age).

Fasching

Fasching in Germany seems to be the equivalent of Carnival. It starts the week before ash wednesday with parades, etc., and at night the women go around snipping off men's neckties with scissors, then kissing them (I heard this, but I have not seen anyone doing it and eric's necktie seemed unharmed to me).  Today all the kids at Grainau Kindergarten dressed up, our girls are ballerinas (of course). Here they are in the kitchen before heading to school for the morning.

 I think this one's my favorite: