5-4-3-2-ONE!

Happy Birthday Ava Rose!

Can't believe you are already one year old! We love you so much and are so elated you joined our family. You brought so much peace and joy amidst some crazy times!

We will always remember how you love your feet--you express yourself very well with them, as we can read your excitement as well as your frustration through the vigorous kicking and circling of your tiny little feet. You even waved with your feet instead of your hands from early on!

Your beautiful eyes are always the first thing people notice about you.

You've learned lots of new tricks from Daddy, as well as a few of your own.

And you've been such a trooper in our new home / country (where tops are considered optional for girls)! The Germans LOVE you. 

And so do your brothers and sister!

Heading to the airport

So... as you face your next year of life remember, you have:

5 siblings that ADORE you,

4  sharp, little teeth with which to defend yourself (see 5),

3 scary, huge sets of stairs to learn to maneuver in your new house,

2 languages to master, and...

ONE exciting, wonderful year behind you where you have learned SO much. (And don't forget your ONE set of parents who love you and will always be there for you.) You'll do just great, you spunky little thing you!

We love you so much. Thanks for all the joys and laughs and strength you have brought to our family.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!

Here's a little Ava Rose "live"--to see how she's changed! 

btw: She started walking on her Birthday-yea

post script: OK for those of you that are so on top of things that you noticed this is 8 days late, here's my excuse: 2/3 of our family has been sick the last two weeks including me so I am just now getting to things. Sorry Ava. 

BFF, well almost

Making our way to the market--rain or shine
Landsberg 

Have you ever felt a little sheepish when you've been to the store so often, possibly the third time that day, and you try to go to a different cashier so you don't have to explain yourself? Well it's not like that here. People make multiple trips to the little markets because there's nothing like fresh bread and broetchen, and the refrigerators are so small, that you can't keep more than a few days worth of food. The children and I have made it a daily ritual to all walk to the market where they each buy themselves a Brezel (practicing their German) and I pick up a few groceries. Of course we always have to throw in a few bars of chocolate and packs of gummi bears for the road. (Can you tell we love German food??) And among a land of strangers... it's actually kind of nice to know I've made a friend at the check out!

Ashton is a great German communicator.

Check out all the great options-- YUM!

Livi is the most adventurous in trying out new things.

And Happy Fall, wish it could last a little longer!

Starnberg Schloss from our balcony

From our balcony in the other direction--I always wished for
a little more foliage in our yard...wish granted!

Oh and happy belated Halloween! I was secretly kinda glad that we were leaving the stress and commercialism of costumes and candy-buying behind in America. However...the Germans have adopted the holiday over the last 4-5 years and think it's great. They are all about the scary, gory side of Halloween--ugh. So we joined in--pretty half-heartedly. But here are Boston and Ava at the party put on by the single adult ward: Boston as a bloodied-up BYU football player (he chose the face paint--described what he wanted to a sweet German girl who probably couldn't understand a word he was saying!), and Ava as a sweet little feline. The missionaries put on a spook alley that was actually really good. Fun times!