Strawberry Picking

Our little village is an agricultural one, so we are surrounded by pastureland and crops.  During the summer, one farm features a strawberry patch where visitors can pick their own berries.  Of course, we had to make a trip to the strawberry patch.

Festival Season

We lucked out and the state fair (the same one that we went to last year when we first arrived in Germany) was going on while Grandpa Joe and GranDebbie were in town.  It was held in Ramstein last year, but we got to go to the nearby village of Alzay this year to enjoy some games, food, sites, and parades.

GranDebbie and Grandpa Joe arrive!

GranDebbie and Grandpa Joe arrived for their first trip to Germany.  We had to help them stay awake after their long flight and adjust to the time difference, so we spent the afternoon in Pirmasens at a chocolate factory and the science center.

Holden's Pre-k Graduation

In general, we think that celebrating graduations other than those from high school and college is a bit silly.  However, it's hard to deny that four and five year olds dressed up in caps and gowns is pretty darn cute.  Holden graduated from his Strong Beginnings Pre-k program on Friday.  He is officially headed to kindergarten this fall.  Here are a few pictures from the graduation ceremony.  Sorry that some are blurry; it tuns out that four and five year olds have trouble standing still, which adds to their cuteness.

 Holden receives his certificate from his two teachers.

 As part of the ceremony, the kids take turns saying what they enjoyed most during the year.  Holden liked dressing up as the Transformer Bumblebee during the fall harvest (i.e. Halloween celebration).

 All the places Holden will go.

Scout Bridging Ceremonies

The end of the school year is always a busy time.  Recitals, field days, and celebrations close out extracurricular activities and count down the last few school days before summer.  This week, Joseph and Lena bridged from their 2015-2016 scouting ranks to their new ones.

Joseph couldn't resist jumping over the bridge to go from being a Bear Cub Scout to a Webelo (short for "WE'll BE LOyal Scouts").  Cub Scouts are Webelos for two years before moving on to Boy Scouts.

 Lena was a Daisy Girl Scout this year.  Her troop leader and I took care of the desserts for the bridging ceremony.  She made cupcakes, and I made brownies topped with daisies (get the connection?).

 Lena with the other girls in her troop that bridged.  Unfortunately, not all the girls who were originally in the troop were able to bridge.  Sweet little Kaitlin died early in the year in a tragic four wheeler accident.  All the girls were saddened by her passing.  Some beautiful pictures of her at some events with the other girls were included in the end of the year slideshow.

 Lena crosses the bridge as a Daisy...

 and becomes a Brownie who is welcomed by second-year Brownie scouts.