Christmas as a family of five!

At home in Straffan, Ireland...

Lina going through her stocking.  :)

Benicio playing with one of his stocking stuffers.

She's thrilled to be adding to her plush princess collection.

Excited about his Fireman Sam puzzle from Lina.

Lina opening her present from Isandro: a Hello Kitty necklace and ring.

Scooby Doo pillow from her Grandpa and Nana

Big sis helping Benicio open his present.

Isandro testing out his remote control Monster Truck.

Someone wants to learn how to knit... which means mama has to learn how to knit.  :O

Frozen PJ's!

The only shirt out of three that actually fits him.

Isandro got his first Lego set with instructions.

Lina thanking Isandro for his present.

Christmas in Berlin - Part 2

Another fun thing we did with the kids during the day was a little trip to Legoland in Berlin.  They loved it of course!  The rest of our time there also included more Christmas markets, are you surprised?!  We were supposed to head back to Ireland on Christmas Eve, but on the 23rd, we realized late that evening that our passports were stolen!  Long story short, we had accidentally left our backpack next to the car when we were leaving one of the Christmas markets, and someone had taken ALL FIVE of our passports and my wallet, and then left the backpack in the parking lot.  They ended up turning in the passports the next day, along with my wallet, but had taken all the cash in my wallet.  Even though our passports were returned, it ended up being too late at that point, because we had already paid to get emergency passports made Christmas Eve morning (we were at the US Embassy for 4 loooong hours), and ended up missing our flights anyway.  We ended up staying an extra two days in Berlin, and celebrated our family Christmas the morning of the 27th once we were back in Ireland.

ROAR!!!

Trying to be like Batman.

In awe...

Hehehe ;)

Lots of cool Lego sculptures of the landmarks of Berlin.

Weihnachtsmarkt - another cool Christmas market.  The buildings glowed different colors and displayed "Merry Christmas" in different languages onto the building.  

There is the same building in blue.  So pretty!

Lots of delicious food to be eaten at the markets.  You're silly to eat at a restaurant beforehand because there is just too much yummy food to choose from at the markets!

Manuel getting a yummy chicken kabob!

Pretty things, pretty things. :P

Lina loved riding on this huge ferris wheel!

More fun kiddie rides.

The Linden, a street in Berlin that has these trees lit up at night, looks so cool!

Two of my finds from the markets... put incense inside and the smoke comes out of the chimney and the mouth.

Christmas in Berlin - Part 1

When we arrived in Berlin, we basically had enough time to check into our place and eat dinner, so adventures started on day 2.  We went to a huge aquarium/zoo that was four levels, full of sea life and other animals.  The kids really liked it!  Then that evening we went to our first Christmas market, which was the main reason for our trip to Berlin.  We read a lot online about how amazing German Christmas markets are, and it's the truth!  They were full of interesting stalls with different foods, drink, crafts, and other trinkets.  Even carnival type rides for kids (probably the kids' favorite part!).  I have to say, the markets were my favorite part about our trip to Berlin.

This huge snake really liked Lina. ;)

Our first Christmas market... I'm hooked!

LOTS of sweets.

Cute tables set up throughout with candles and decorations so you could stop and grab a bite to eat or sip on some hot mulled wine or apple cider.  YUM!

Lina watching in awe as they make her a yummy ham and cheese crepe.

Love, love, love the atmosphere of the markets!

Kids' favorite part of the whole thing!

Next day included Brandenburg Gate and Berlin Cathedral...

Playing peek-a-boo with Isandro while Manuel gets Lina all cozy in the stroller.  Yes, we know she's 6 years old and too tall for the stroller, but it saved us on this trip.  It was so cold at times, and windy, so having those two able to get cozy in the stroller with blankets was totally worth it!

My little kangaroo babe peeking through his pouch.  ;)

Berlin Cathedral

Really beautiful and peaceful inside!

Whoa... would love to hear that organ being played!