The Eli Special Feature

Well, our 4-year-old (gasp! can this be true?) has had an adventurous life during his short time on earth. Tonight, we honor him in our special feature. The One, the Only (literally the one and only here in Germany)... ELI

So, Eli, tell us about yourself: Hmmm... I like to ask "why" even when I already know the answer. My favorite activities at school are playing in the sandbox, riding the Bobby Cars downhill - see my video below - and tumbling in the gym. Tattle-tailing on my sister is a new found delight. And I think that all the adults in my life - including my bachelor neighbor and my friends' moms and dads - are really my friends first and would rather talk to me than anyone else in the world. I love pears, dark chocolate, and peanut-butter & honey sandwiches. "Anyways" is one of my most used words and, anyways, I really don't like to play alone, ride my bike, try new foods, or get my picture taken - even though mom says I used to be a pro in front of the camera. Otherwise I'm just a typical, very sensitive boy who memorizes car makes and models, gives driving directions (including speed limit advice) to my parents, and speaks German as well as English.

What are the things you wish for? And what will you do when you grow up? If I could, I would wear a striped, collared polo-shirt paired with grey sweats, black socks, and my bright green Crocs every day. I also wish that I could get a cat (though we do have a neighborhood cat that likes our yard) and that it would always be winter and there would always be snow. Someday, when I grow up, I'm going to be a truck driver so I can drive all day long. Anyways, I might also want to be a train driver or a baseball player.

How are you keeping busy lately? Well, I started playing soccer, so that's big news. I've only been at it for a few weeks but I really love going for that one hour every Tuesday afternoon. Mostly I chase the bigger kids around (our group is 4-6 year-olds) and try to kick the ball into the closest goal, whether or not it belongs to my team. I also kick the ball when it's being set up for another kid's penalty shot or when the coach has it stopped with his foot. Sometimes I get tired and sit in the middle of the field during the game. So - it's really going well!

How have you been feeling? That's another thing... I really don't like the "little tiny bugs that get into the back of my throat" and I don't like going to the doctor except there is one nice doctor and she gives me gummy bears. I've been sick with one thing or another since we moved to Germany. First, I had a stomach bug and threw up for the first time ever. Then I got Strep two times in a row. And now the doctors think I have Mono. Mom almost cried because it means I am super tired, crabby, and my tonsils and lymph nodes are so swollen that I talk funny. And this could go on for several weeks! The good thing is that I never seem to get a fever when I'm sick and usually keep eating and drinking.

Back to your Birthday... how was it? Great! I was healthy on the day of my party and the weather was wonderful for the first time in weeks. My best friends all came and fought over who got to sit by me or hold my hand on the way to the park. And I got cars, games, and backyard soccer goals from my guests. On my actual birthday my place at the breakfast table was full of presents! I got lots of train stuff, Legos, books, a video, and a puzzle. I brought chocolate-chip cookies to school (which they don't have in Germany and everyone loved) and that night my neighbor Gabe brought me a big present with cars, a car-carrier, and candy. It was "awesome."

Any future plans? I've been wanting to try riding a horse - but only if it will go slowly - at the stables in our neighborhood. And we've got some vacations coming up. Vacations for me are all about what mode of transportation I will see or experience. What I remember about London, for example, is that we took a train to get there, rode on subways and double-decker red buses, and even got to go in the giant ferris wheel called the 'London Eye' (I think we did some other stuff but I don't remember what it was since I was always looking at the traffic on the road). Mom says that in May we're going on one trip where we'll drive our car for awhile and maybe even ride on a boat. Then after that we'll take a train to Paris! We'll ride the subway while we are there and another boat and maybe even a Taxi! So, needless to say, I am very excited. After that it's two airplanes to the United States to see all my cousins and Grandpas and Grandmas. It is going to be busy. But I would be just as happy to sit in a chair on the main road in our town and watch the traffic go by all day long.

Any last words? Yes, to all my younger fans. Never say "I can't" because you will be able to do something if you just keep trying (like puzzles, zippers and buttons for me). Also, I love you and miss you all and can't wait to see you soon. Tchuss! (That means 'See ya! Bye!')

Eli

Tragedy & Triumph

Tragedy: My husband, whom I love dearly, breached our unwritten marriage contract last week when he dared to purchase and bring home a scale. Many times in the past he has said we should get one and I said "not in my house." I came home from a 'girls night out' to find the atrocity in the middle of my floor. Wrong, wrong, wrong. The abominable contraption gives a person's weight (something I kept hidden from Kevin for many years) in pounds, kilograms and, of course, stones. He looked a bit sheepish but tried to pass it off as a gift so I could see just how much weight I'd lost since moving to Germany. Uh huh. Now it is in the corner behind the shower where it should be forgotten. But really that's the best location to get a good number just before I get in the shower in the morning, after going to the bathroom, before eating breakfast, and without clothes.

Triumph: In our area there are three 'Deere Families.' A fourth family returned to the States recently and gave us some good stuff they no longer needed and couldn't use in America. But they did not have the ultimate appliance, the one find all 'Deere Wives' (as we are known) yearn for and may spend their entire stays seeking. The venerable Crock Pot. The esteemed Slow Cooker does not exist here, in general, and American versions cannot be converted due to the high voltage needed and electrical incompatibility. However, there have been persistent rumors that European versions do exist... ("A lady in my church has a cousin who's neighbor once saw one!" and similar stories). Now, 145 kilometers away there are 20+ Deere families and they come and go frequently. One Deere Wife sent out an email with a 'for sale list' recently since she is headed back to the States with her husband soon. I usually don't even bother to read them as I have no need for more stuff but for some reason I did read it. And buried low in the long list of furniture, European appliances, and junk was a crock pot. It had been 2 hours since the email came but I hit that 'Reply' button and my fingers flew over the keyboard as my heart raced with hopeful excitement. And I GOT IT! She said 3 additional people asked about it after me (heh, heh). She wanted about $30 for it, is all, and somehow didn't realize that she could have gotten $hundreds$ if she'd simply held a mini-auction. It's mine! It's mine! I did have to drive 145 kilometers in terrible traffic and rain, tormenting my daughter and myself to meet her at the monthly 'Deere Wives' breakfast in order to pick it up, but that's a small price to pay for such a jewel. I acquired it this morning. We had BBQ wieners tonight.

Pin-Ball-Autos; Mary Cooks / Eli Kicks

European roads are very narrow. Think 'Chicago alleyway' narrow for every neighborhood street. This necessitates more road rules and smaller cars. The road rules we've figured out, the smaller car...? Well, more on that later.

If a car is parked on the side of the street (which means half on the sidewalk, half on the road), and this is always, then there is no longer room for two cars to pass each other in opposite directions. Speed deterrents like large, cemented flower pots cause the same situation. And horses. We have horse traffic here. SO, in all these situations one car must give way. Who goes? First Rule: The car coming up the hill, if applicable (hills are quite steep, all cars are manual transmission, better not to stop going up). Second Rule: The car on the clear side of the street - meaning cars are parked on the other side - so that driver must pull in and wait. Third Rule: Survival of the fittest, biggest, fastest. It's all pretty organized, actually, and flashing your lights means 'you go first' to the opposing driver.

While the Polizei are rarely seen on the autobahn the speed cameras are everywhere, as is the traffic and construction, which is even more out of control here than in the Midwest, I think. Anyway, we arrived with flawless driving records. This didn't stop the auto insurance company from scalping us for our two boring cars - we're not exactly driving bright orange, Mach-1 speeding Lamborghinis, here. But, they may have had good reason. Since arriving in Germany - that's 6 months ago, already - we've experienced the following:

• 4 speeding tickets: all for Kevin, in rentals; two on one trip to France - talented!
• 2 parking tickets: one in Austria, one downtown; meter-cops abound.
• 4 "oops, sorry" incidents: most of these are mine due to my not small car and the too small streets and driveways previously mentioned. I knocked in another car's mirror when performing the "you go. no, you go" maneuver described above. No damage since many mirrors are designed to fold in/out. I scraped up the hubcap of our rental in a tiny entrance to a parking garage, but they never called us on it. I backed into the drivers door of an SUV leaving some one's house in the rain at night. No damage since it had that bounce-back shell material. And Kevin scraped up the front corner of our car after getting too close to the light pole at church.
• 1 "total" accident: Kevin was rear-ended in a rental last week in heavy traffic on the autobahn, domino effect hit the car in front of him, nothing more than a sore neck.... but the rental was considered totaled.

The lesson is that driving in Germany is dangerous. But road trips are fun. Just be nervous, paranoid, and suspicious - you'll be fine. Kids can't get there license here til they are 18 and that's after about $3000 worth of required driver's ed. The written and driving exams are brutal, we've heard. Iowa has a deal with Germany - we get International DL's for 35 euro's and a passport sized photo - no exams required. Phew. On second thought, maybe it would've been better if we'd had to work for our driving privileges....

Mary cooks! Yes, we're terribly proud. Mary has mastered the oven and stove top controls and now opens the door to the oven, usually when I'm baking something. Safety devices are on order since Friday when, thanks to my helpful daughter, my first batch of chocolate chip cookies were burned to a crisp at 500 degrees before I realized what she had done. Sigh.

Eli's soccer career: While he still wants to be "a truck driver and a baseball player" when he grows up, Eli is also interested in soccer. Hence he begins playing this week in the 4-year old group at the field near our house. We bought some shiny, fast "fussball cleats" this weekend and he's excited. Pictures and stories to follow at a later date. Mostly I just want him to get outside... with a ball... and no Hot Wheels cars in sight. (Pic below is Eli with best buds Charlie, his sister Olivia, and Marc).