When i was a little girl, we had a direct line of four generations of women in my family until i was in my mid-twenties. To document this unusual fact, we took a ‘Four Generations Portrait’ almost every year*. My own great grandmother passed away the year before i moved to New York (at age 96!), but since Mika was born, we could line up again: great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and daughter. Of course, Tobin is welcome to join in as well and we made sure to document the two guys in attendance on their own.

* Xmas 1968 – the first ever four generation photo, featuring my great-grandmother Hedwig … and Spring 2005 – the first four generation photo with Mika:

Mika made several houses for ladybugs, beautifully decorated inside and out. Unfortuately, the few ladybugs she caught were rather active and would fly away before she could put them into her fancy homes. A little grashopper was more cooperative though: he stayed all afternoon, even after the kids opened the ‘front door’ to release him back into the wild.

What to do when the forecast doesn’t live up to expectations? Omi Hiltraud to the rescue: the pool, a table, and an assortment of plastic sheets were turned into a perfect, rain proof hideout. The kids played, ate, and even (pretend-) napped in their new house all afternoon.

Chris and Alex met up with us at Schabi’s Fischimbiss, where the kids pretty much cleaned the plate of delicious fish they were supposed to share with me. We topped off lunch with ice cream next door, and headed over to the DOM … which had yet to open for business. Mika enjoyed riding her scooter on the deserted (car free!) streets between fair booths, and after some time at nearby Planten un Blomen park and playground, we went back to enjoy the rides. Unfortunately, Mika wasn’t up for any of the carousels, but Tobin fearlessly rode every car we would let him get his hands on…

New favorite game of the day: “Umschmeissen”. Tobin tries to knock down Mika in quick succession until they’re both a heap of laughing, wrestling, exhausted limbs on the ground.

This year is the first time that both kids are effortlessly speaking German, so it was a special treat to visit Omi Hilde in Bremen. We’ve been staying in close touch since last Summer’s visit, and both kids loved talking to her and enjoyed the day at her house tremendously. Mika let Omi Hilde in on the latest Silly Bandz craze, and Omi Hilde showed the kids some old crafts of mine.

This year’s weather is somewhat overcast, but pleasantly warm nevertheless. When we arrived, the grass still showed signs of the June/July heat wave, but it has been recovering slowly. As every year, the kids love to help around the garden and enjoy fancy picnic dinners.

Extra special play date for Mika, Esme, Tobin, and Cleo: their half German heritage (and Summer travel schedule) aligned so we could all meet up for a day at Hagenbeck’s Tierpark. The kids checked out animals of all sizes and played forever at the big playground.

It’s time for our annual visit to Germany to reconnect with family and friends. By now the kids are seasoned air travelers and generally excited and cooperative (phew!). Our departure had a two hour delay though, which added to the 3 hours we had to be at the airport in advance anyway. Good thing Sung fought for a gate pass so we could pass the wait relatively relaxed together…

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The kids worked hard on Daddy’s present (a one-of-a-kind book), and rehearsed his birthday song with lots of gusto – days in advance (video #1). This morning however, they performed a much sweeter rendition (video #2) and we all ate birthday cake for breakfast.

Despite today’s sweltering heat (96°F, which felt like 102°F/39°C), we met up with Team Baker Stohlmann for a backyard BBQ dinner. Food and company were terrific, but all of us quietly dissolved into puddles. Good thing the kids enjoyed playing so much that they didn’t get cranky … just sticky.

Bruno came over for a last play date before our big summer break. We won’t see each other again until early September, when the boys start preschool … and Bruno is becoming a big brother (!)

Have a great summer and stay cool … on every level. xoxo