We thought we would give a little update on the girls and how they are doing. Allie will be 4 months old tomorrow! Where has the time gone??

ISABELLE:
Likes: to say "Mommy" 1000 times a day, her new room, picking out her own clothes (she likes patterns, purple, and anything that doesn't coordinate), attempting to jump up and down, meeting new friends.

Loves: Barney, Elmo, her sister, mommy and daddy, gummies, mac and cheese, suckers, watching her "movies", books, going to the park, and being outside.

Dislikes: potatoes (except french fries), being done with bathtime, trying new foods, not being able to be attached to Mommy's hip 24-7.

Hates: Being told "no", not being able to get down from the stroller in the store, when the battery runs out of her DVD player, when she can't see her relatives and friends on a regular basis.

New words/ phrases: She likes to stand on anything and exclaim, "I'm tall". "Happy birthday...cake". Everything she really really likes...she says "the best". She is obsessed with eye color...apparently she really likes "blue eyes", but knows that hers are green.

ALLIE:
Likes: her pacifier, bathtime, and to be held sitting up, to look at toys

Loves: to watch her sister, her mommy and daddy and anyone else who will pay attention to her, to look at books, to be held, stroller rides

Dislikes: being put down at naptime, to sleep at naptime, not being able to see Mommy, time-zone changes

Hates: having a coat put on, not being attended to right away, being hungry, not being able to see her relatives and friends on a regular basis

New vowels: Oooo, aaah, gooo, she is starting to laugh...more like a "huH, Huh"

Germany is so interesting!

I can hardly wait for the football season to start! GO HAWKS! I need to represent them even thousands of miles away!
I love the Hawkeyes too!
After 7 long years...finally Jamie is getting to know his family!
Allie is looking a little nervous...she hopes that Isabelle is just giving her a kiss.
When I am happy...I am very very happy...when I am not...I am freaking out.

They have an open-air market 3 times a week with local fruits, vegetables, and flowers in the Marketplace. Isabelle loves the fresh blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
Our landlord Rosi invited us to go with her to the market and showed us around the city some more. She and Helmut (her husband), have been so instrumental in our transition. Last night, we cooked a traditional Schwabian meal together and enjoyed some great German beer.

There are sunflower fields that dot the country-side. These sunflowers are for sale in the marketplace.

Allie enjoying a walk in the Marketplace.
Isabelle socializing at a local park.
The Neckar River flows through the city of Tuebingen. It is very picturesque. The city is so colorful with bright and beautiful flowers, and houses.
Locals boating along the Neckar.
The Marketplace.

We walked through the city this weekend. People mainly travel by a bicycle or walk, although there are cars that you need to watch for. The city has many alleys and windy streets and some really steep hills. We can see the city's castle from our balcony. The weather was nice this weekend with the exception of Sunday afternoon. It seems to cool down significantly when it is rainy...in the 60s. Down the street from our flat is a nice supermarket, a meat market on the corner, and a milk market. There are bakeries with delicious pastries and coffee shops and lots of restaurants. There are alot of Turkish restaurants as well. It is so nice to just load the girls in a stroller and walk to where we need to go. We went to Ikea on Saturday to purchase a crib for Allie and thankfully we had GPS in our rental car! The exits on the Autobahn are sometimes a little confusing...but Jamie thinks I just can't read a map! On Sunday, the stores are closed except for restaurants. We try to speak German as often as we can, but everyone seems to answer us in English! It is very frustrating! Jamie went to the clinic today to get oriented. He will be applying for our residence permit (so we can get a visa) and open a bank account. I hope to find a peditrician for the girls...as it is almost time for Allie's 4 month check-up and immunizations!

Isabelle losing the battle with jet-lag.
Isabelle enjoying her new room.
Allie loves her glo-worm.

We finally are unpacking in Tuebingen. The 8 hour flight went surprisingly well. Allie slept for the majority of the flight, and Isabelle was fairly well behaved! It was way better then we expected! They have been struggling with the difference in time zone...lots of tears, meltdowns and whining. They both actually slept last night and so we are hopefully going in the right direction!

Our apartment in Tuebingen is very nice...2 bedrooms and a bathroom with shower and a separate toliet. Allie and Izzy are sharing a room, which also is a toy toom. The city is quaint, friendly, and very beautiful. The weather has been chilly and raining, but should hopefully be nice this weekend. We are slowly finding our way around the city. We live very close to downtown. They have an open air market Monday, Wednesday and Friday and we went to the market yesterday which was so neat. Our landlords made dinner for us last night, and have been so helpful with the things that we need to do here...(open a bank account, post office, residence permit). They are wonderful! My German will hopefully get better. I have been watching Dora along with Isabelle in German. It seems to be a little easier to follow then the news!

We will will post more pictures soon. Thank you to everyone that gave us a wonderful send-off in Des Moines. This should be an exciting year.

Isabelle on a visit back to Iowa. She loves to be outside and see the animals.

Allie loves to be social and has recently realized that she likes to chew on her hands.