Playground greatest hits

Today was slightly less rainy than Wednesday, so the kids and I spent most of it downtown, at one of their favorite playgrounds. But first, some photos from yesterday. This picture of Isaac reminds me of one of those poses you might get at Sears portrait studio. He was just chilling out in the chair next to the computer yesterday morning while I did some work.
The kids built a fort in the living room and made it into quite the comfortable living space. By the time they were done, Sam had all the pillows and blankets under there, and Katie had transferred the contents of the pantry into their "house." They even had a fireplace built out of Legos.
This is Kuba (a Polish nickname for Jakob) playing in the fort. He's Jagoda's two-year old brother.Playing in a fountain downtown today by the Hauptbahnhof. The hot weather is gone, and we are back to highs in the high 60s (fahrenheit). Ahhh. We are trying not to think about the 110 degree highs they've been having back home in Arlington. I got the biggest kick out of Sam's choice of outfit today. I think he looks like Dorf (that Tim Conway character), ready to go golfing. Had to take a picture of this steeple as we were walking to the playground. I'm always amazed at how trees seem to be able to grow even in the most inhospitable environment. It's at the top of a church steeple, for goodness sakes! Grace loved this bouncing teeter-totter at the park. The playground is a pretty simple one, but the kids love it. We had it to ourselves all afternoon. Grace and Isaac each took a good nap while Sam and Katie were doing some heavy duty imagining. (Even I nodded off on the park bench a few times.)It rained while we were there, but it was light enough that we didn't need to seek cover. Today, we finally saw the outdoor ping pong tables in action. A teenager and his mom played at one of these tables for an hour and a half or so. (It was the rhythmic bounce of the ping pong ball that lulled me to sleep.)This beautiful orange rose was growing in the corner of the playground. Its aroma was incredible. Sam said, "I wish I could eat that flower, it smells so good."This evening, the whole family was watching "Upps!", which is the German equivalent of America's Funniest Home Videos, goofy announcer and all. The humor of a chubby guy doing a bellyflop into the pool is universal, no matter the language. Last night, we watched "The Love Bug." We are seeing some great classic movies from our childhood while we're here, all dubbed into German of course.Grace was eating popcorn using her favorite technique. First, dump out whatever Mom gives me, then eat it off the floor.
I have figured out that Isaac is usually content as long as he has something to clutch. Set him up with a toy he can put in his mouth, and he is ready to go. He is nearly sitting up by himself. I think it is going to be a tight race to see who makes it to walking first - Grace or Isaac. Grace is showing an interest in standing up, so she might get there before Ike. Either way, it'll be a miracle if our stroller makes it to the day they are both mobile. Dave has noticed that the back wheels are looking loose on their axle. It just has to hold out a few more days until we are back to the US. That stroller is our minivan these days.