Emma's Birthday and our visit with Deanna in Nuremburg

Following our trip to Prague, we detoured down to Nuremburg Germany for an overnight visit with Deanna.  (Russ' sister lives there so we have family only 3 hours away!)  We met up at a theme park called Playmobile FunPark.  Playmobile is a toy brand here in Germany similar to Little People or Legos.  Basically themed playsets.  The FunPark is basically huge replicas of the playsets that the kids can play on.  It was such a great day!  

Here... of course... Leo is trying to take the sword from the Viking...

Emma, of course, gravitated to the Princess...

This Castle had rope climbs and rock-climbing walls all around it, my monkey children (and my monkey husband) made it up in no time...

Deanna, Myself and Emma in the stocks...

...and attempting to get across the 'ocean' from the dock to the Pirate ship...   it was actually a workout!  And yes I am very surprised that noone actually fell into the water!

This climbing tower actually went pretty far up!  I have my camera on the highest zoom it would go!  I say no thanks!  When did I start disliking heights?

And for the best part of our detour!  The next morning, Deanna brought us to a friend of her's home for breakfast.  We walk up and they had set up their backyard in a big breakfast picnic!  Lots of fruit and breads and meats and cheeses...  They had even hung up a few balloons since it was Miss Emma's 8th Birthday!  We walked in and these wonderful people we had never met gave us big hugs and then sang Emma Happy Birthday!  It was incredible and surreal!  We loved every minute!

... and it just goes to show that regardless of what language you speak...  EVERYONE speaks KID!  Language served no barrier at all as the kids ate breakfast, then went off to play and then to get ice cream at a parlor across the street...

fast friends already...  Emma is going to write Sarah (with a little translation help from her Nanny Danna) and is determined to keep up with her new German pen pal!  It was a beautiful day!  Thanks Deanna!  We can't wait to see you again!

Whew!  Our trip was over and we headed home to unpack and have our own little family celebration.  It was the same day as my family's annual Crawfish Boil for Easter so we Skyped with our whole Cajun brood!  It made us feel a part of it even though we couldn't be there physically!  Then we had cake with Emma (following an oh-so-healthy dinner of PB&J's) and she opened her presents...


The present is actually for both her and Leo's birthday which is next month... we are taking them to DisneyLand Paris for a weekend in May.  So it is back to more PB&J's here at home to offset the cost!  

Tomorrow the real world sets back in as we get back into our routine.  Leo Michael just started T-Ball and Emma is continuing with gymnastics and piano!  I will post more pictures soon!!!  

Have a blessed Easter Season!  We love you so much and we miss you!