Lions, tigers and bears oh my!

Rana was thrilled to see real-life versions of her favorite

movie characters at Frankfurt's Zoo today, including...

Marty the Zebra from "Madagascar"

Mambo the Penguin from "Happy Feet"

monkeys and baboons like in "The Lion King"

Melmann the Giraffe from "Madagascar"

a wide variety of birds, ducks, fish and more,

many of them with babies trailing along behind them.

It was a great outing despite scattered rain showers,

especially because we got to spend time with Annie's
old friend Teri, who was visiting from England.

Cool Dude!

Out and About

The sun returned to Marburg this week and

we got out and about to soak up some rays!

Rana ran around the sidelines at Najeeb's soccer game

and was the first to yell "GOOOAAAL" when he scored.

We strolled through the Riverbank Fair

and enjoyed an afternoon in the park and dinner with friends.

Joane and Hendrik

Our old friends Joane and Hendrik came to visit us in Marburg.

Rana loves the English and German counting book that they gave her...

...and had a great time playing with both of them,

goofing off at the table,

giggling,

feeding the ducks,

and just spending time together.

What a lovely visit!

23 Months Old!

Hard to believe Rana is so close to turning 2 years old!

Mother's Day Flowers 2010

As Rana says, "PRETTY!!"

Daycare!

Rana started daycare this week and loves it!

She loves playing with the other nine kids in her group,

singing songs, climbing on the loft, and even had her

first experience with finger paints!

Annie accompanied her for two days, but she stayed alone

for an hour and a half on Day 3, so she is starting to adjust.

We are excited for Rana to have more interaction with kids and

more opportunities to PLAY...and we're looking forward to a

little more structure in our daily lives with work and school, too.