These pages are about 3 years over due, but the Germany Christmas markets were one of my favorite things, and i wanted to put together some pages for the girls' scrapbooks so I could show them that we had been there.  Enjoy!

ps. 23 weeks now...5 more weeks to the next major mile stone, 12 more till we can get off of bed rest! Yeah!

Scenery: It's hard to imagine a more magical Christmas atmosphere than the Germany Christmas markets!  Winding through skinny streets with music playing softly, snow gently swirling and lights strung over the alleys from picturesque buildings.  One such building was a house sized advent calendar!  Another market had an enormous cathedral as the background.  One winded through an underground tunnel (no snow, but much warmer :).  Nearly all had a life size nativity.  Each had something unique and  interesting, from a train ride through a mini north pole to a giant Christmas pyramid.

Above left, one of the quaintest Christmas markets.  The lighting and snow were magical.  To the right, one of our favorite houses in Germany, skinnier on the bottom than the top!  To the left, a market with a full canopy of lights and impressive cathedral background.

Above, what Daniel and I referred to as "Santa Pope," a bit of a twist on the whole Father Christmas idea.  In Belgium/Germany, Santa comes from Spain by boat.  In place of elves, he brings black Peter.  Stories vary on whether he is a black slave or black from chimney soot, but he carries a stick and delivers the lumps to children who have been bad...and not the coal variety.  Pictured is our family and the Miller children, Theron, Grant, Kate and Paige.  Doug and Rachel Miller are old friend's of Daniel and we enjoyed our stay in thier home as much as the markets themselves.  

Food: The Bratwurst were amazing, a definite favorite of Victoria's.  We also loved the Kinder Wine, a type of non-alcoholic punch served piping hot in specialty mugs that were different at each market.
Shopping: Each booth was absolutely fascinating.  We saw some of the most incredible rocks and gems as well as shaped candles, wood working marvels, smokers (little carved figurines a little like a candle that when lit would emit smoke from their mouths) and a million other novelties!
Fun:There were lots of fun activities for the children.  Lighted carousels, tiny carnival rides, a "wishing book" shown above, animals to feed...though the bunnies were so well fed we actually had to hit them with the food, and they still didn't eat it!  The kids enjoyed it, as long as they could stand the freezing temperatures!

Hello friends and family!  Attached are a few past due scrapbook pages...expect a few more in the near future, bed rest has begun!  Thankfully I'm still at home and able to get up to make the girls food and such, but contractions and cervical changes began about a month ago so the girls and I have begun "couch days" as we call them and Daniel has begun "work like crazy day and night to keep the household running while balancing a career and countless Daddy duties" days.  Thankfully we have lots of helpful family and friends.  We'll keep everyone posted, and these pages will culminate in some beautiful pictures of our two newest children! 

 Returning from Belgium to west coast America meant Nancy's first skiing trip!  Uncle Jason and Aunt Wendy let her borrow all of Zack's equipment since Mommy and Daddy weren't sure how much she would like skiing.  But despite the freezing weather (that apparently affected her mom and Aunts more than Nancy) and the draw of a sweet set up in the lodge (complete with tent ), Nancy really enjoyed the skiing and stuck with it for quiet a while!  She even managed to recover from some tough falls and difficult spots, as shown below.

 Mommy never expected to take a two-year-old skiing!  But  Uncle Jason and Aunt Wendy's offer to borrow all of Eli's equipment was too good to pass up.  Mommy and Daddy weren't sure how long Victoria would stay out, but she loved it!  Despite the freezing weather (that apparently affected her mom and aunts more than Victoria) and the draw of a sweet set up in the lodge (complete with tent ), Victoria just wanted to keep skiing!  She fell early on and couldn't get up, so Mommy tried to take her back into the lodge.  But she misinterpreted Victoria's cries...she was crying because Mommy was trying to take off her skis, not because of the fall!

Mommy wasn't sure why it was taking Daddy quite so long to get the mattresses downstairs...or why it entailed so much giggling.  But she paused her unpacking to check it out and was glad she did!  The whole family enjoyed Daddy's makeshift slide down the stairs.