Sunday, May 16, 2010

A few things that are happening in our lives






By Liv

Neustadt is treating us well. The town itself is small and it seems like there is a "holiday" at least once a week when all the businesses are closed and the streets are empty. I still haven't figured out where everyone goes on those days.

Stella is almost 10 months old. Some of her recent achievements include: pulling herself to standing using anything in sight: chairs, stools, your pant legs; and crawling like a madwoman. We can't stop her! She also has started using sign language for "dog" and "more". We have been signing with her since she was a newborn, but this is the first time that she has replicated the signs. She recognizes the signs for "milk" and "eat" but hasn't yet been able to replicate those ones.

She also is starting to say more - imagine that! She says, "Mama, Daddy, Mom, bye-bye" and if you ask her what a cow says, she replies, "Mooooo!"

We have taken the train to Hannover as a family once, and Nick went by himself once. We went to take care of our visa paperwork and had a great time walking around the big city and checking out some of the many big stores and fashion centers. It's amazing how bustling a big city seems after living in such a quiet place for just a few short weeks.

One of the first things that I think of when considering a vacation or a big move is food. I love to cook and I love to eat even more! German food is something that I am not quite used to. There is a never-ending amount of pork in the grocery store, and being a non-pork-eater, I have found it difficult to find other options on my shopping trips. But I am quickly learning how to recognize some of the few ingredients that I am used to.

While walking through town, I noticed that many of the restaurants are advertising some type of white asparagus as part of their seasonal menu. So I checked them out online and it turns out that they are a German delicacy. Of course this meant that I HAD to try to cook them! I called my friend, Hilde, who is German, and asked her for some cooking advice. My first attempt at German white asparagus was a success, although I wouldn't say they were the best thing I've ever made. We paired them with schnitzel, of the chicken variety and some german boiled potatoes.

In the meantime, Nick has been trying to find some German language classes or tutors for us so we can expand our vocabulary because so far, we are able to just get by with our speaking skills. We could definitely use some improvement!

We miss everyone and look forward to posting some more stories as they arise. Love from the three of us to you!

2 comments:

  1. Great pictures. My favorite........Stella doing your laundry!

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  2. LOVE IT! LOVE IT! i miss you all so much! Stella is stunning! You are gorgeous! Even Nick is handsomer than ever!

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