Ben's parents arrived on the Sunday evening before Christmas and the boys went berserk - screaming, jumping, somersaulting, running around. It was pretty exciting to see someone we know.
On Monday, we drove to Trier, Germany for a Christmas Market. It was bitterly cold. We went in search of a carousel and Karen got right down to business shopping and buying food.
After several epic meltdowns by Otto and Aksel, we bought ourselves another half hour with candy canes and continued to walk around the city. Karen found herself a nativity scene cut out of a log and a giant cake ball, which she said she ate a lot of as a child in Norway. I had, of course, seen these giant, chocolate covered marshmallow balls at all of the Christmas Markets and had wondered who would buy them. I now know.
Karen, Otto, and I went to several grocery stores that evening stocking up on items for the next four days (nothing would be open).
On Tuesday, we went to a new Airplane-themed park in Cents. The Moshers joined us and we kept warm by eating Ashley's sugar cookies and sharing a pair of Oliver's mittens (Otto didn't stop talking about the mittens for weeks).
Then Ben, Karen, and George escaped for the afternoon to Vianden Castle, and the Luxembourg missionaries came over for dinner and Nativity watching.
On Christmas Eve, the boys and I went on a walk and bike ride around the neighborhood while Ben, Ingrid and George went to pick up Ben's hand-tailored new suit. Karen went on a walk of her own, finding three bakeries and my favorite home interior store (appropriately named, Home Interiors) around the corner. She returned when she had run out of money and couldn't get the ATM to work.
George and Karen then hopped on the bus headed downtown to the Luxembourg City Centre to wander around, window shop, and see the Christmas Market and Ben delivered a Book of Mormon in French, German, and English to Birgit Goldak. When they returned, we fed the boys dinner, sang Christmas songs, ate the last chocolate out of their advent calendars, watched the Nativity movie and tucked the children in bed.
The four adults sat down to a roast, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, bread, egg nog, Schweppes, tarts, and chocolate cream pie.
By 8 the next morning, Otto was waking everyone up and encouraging us all to go downstairs for presents.
Grandma for the win as Otto unwrapped a red helicopter with a rescue grab hook for carrying plastic injured people to safety. He didn't care about anything else.
We labeled all of the toys (as we normally do) with a silver sharpie O and A, so the boys would know which toy belongs to which munchkin with the hope of eliminating some arguments, and then we turned our couch into a bed and watched the Curious George Christmas Movie.
We spent the afternoon at Bambësch Woods, Aksel helping himself to a dozen Ferrero Rocher's, eating leftovers, napping, packing for Utah, and eating pie.
My favorite memory from our Christmas in Luxembourg was watching Otto cut out this Nativity set and glue to popsicle sticks I swiped from the hospital. We watched the Nativity movie at least once a day for the entire month of December, and each time our home was filled with the Spirit of Christ as our small children learned about the birth of our Savior.
It would have been a lonely week without Karen and George. We are so glad they came to visit and filled our home with stories from their own mission in Sweden, Ben's favorite chocolate cream pie, laughter, Norwegian chocolate bars, blessings, and mishaps (like Karen falling out of the shower and limping for two days).
Living in Luxembourg at Christmastime is an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Things I want to remember about our fifth month in Luxembourg:
A Thanksgiving feast at the Oliver's on the Sunday following Thanksgiving.
Waking to snow on the ground one morning.
Introducing the joy of a chocolate advent calendar to Otto and Aksel.
Meeting the Holdaways in Cologne, Germany to see the Cathedral and several Christmas Markets.
New friends, the Packer family, from Seattle, Washington!
Conning the Packers into riding the bus into downtown Luxembourg to visit the Christmas Market.
Meeting Becky Packer and her kids at the bus museum, the castle park, and getting together to let kids play, ride bikes, and chat.
Sending Ben to IKEA for a live Christmas tree.
Decorating our Christmas tree with Otto.
Realizing our Christmas tree was dying prematurely.
Making lots of cookies.
Otto getting strep throat for the second time on a Friday night. Waiting for nearly three hours to be seen at the children's clinic (hospital). Trying really hard to not hate a preschooler.
Otto requesting oatmeal for breakfast.
Ben working late.
Going to Parc de Merl.
Regularly sending cookies to school with Otto to share with his class (his teachers LOVE them and always ask for them).
The boys listening and running around to the song, See Me Run.
FINALLY getting an appointment at the pediatrician. It only took five months. Unfortunately the US schedule for vaccinations and the European schedule for vaccinations aren't the same. All of our children were subjected to unnecessary shots (in my opinion).
Yudri dropping off sushi.
Going to Justine Howarth's baby shower and eating chili on rice.
Everyone sick with colds, coughs, sore throats and runny noses.
Ingrid standing on her own and taking her first steps.
Going to Zig Zag one morning, only to have it be closed at our arrival. We bought ourselves a sugary gingerbread man at the Delhaize bakery on our way home as a consolation (and then we went back to play later that afternoon).
Listening to Otto count and identify colors in Luxembourgish.
St. Nicholas Day.
Askel asking for chocolate, regularly.
Ben coming home from work early due to the grand opening of the new PwC building (employees weren't invited).
Watching The Big Bang Theory.
Elder Gomez transferred away from Luxembourg.
Our neighbor, Nathalie De Kerchove, gave us some toys and a bike her children no longer use.
Ben meeting Scott Oliver for lunch.
Riding bikes around the neighborhood and at the elementary.
Eating dinner of fondue at Birgit and Kristoff's home.
Dates to the Luxembourg Christmas Market.
Going to see the play, Little Women.
The Cahoon Family moving home from Luxembourg to Alpine, UT.
Regularly discussing what a disservice socialism is for all aspects of life, especially within the Church.
Ben taking the train to Paris for work.
Otto's unrelenting melt downs and unrealistic demands.
Putting all three children to bed at 6 pm on a regular basis.
Taking Aksel and Ingrid to English singing time at a little library in Gasperich called Il Était Une Fois.
Borrowing eggs from the Rodriguez Family.
Having the White family over for dinner.
PwC's Christmas Markets and parties.
Eating a lot of kebabs.
Taking Aksel to the children's clinic (hospital) to get checked for an ear infection because the pediatrician couldn't fit him into her schedule. Waiting for more than four hours to be seen and then having to lay on top of him while the doctor cleared his ears of wax and then diagnosed him with a double ear infection. This experience made me hate our pediatrician for not thoroughly checking his ears the day before. And it made me hate socialism. And it made me hate doctors and nurses that ask me to convert my child's weight from pounds to kilograms.
Otto's parent-teacher conference.
My dad having a stroke.
Otto saying, my nose won't stay still! and I need chopsticks for my lips!
Driving to Vianden Castle one Sunday afternoon.
Otto's preschool Christmas program.
Aksel acting out lines from Finding Nemo.
Ben and Darrell White giving Sebastian Mosher a blessing.
Ben giving his Secret Santa champagne and getting a Santa hat and mug in return.
Watching the Mentalist.
