Ringing in the New Year!

What luck to celebrate NYE with my brother Todd and his wife Abby. We joined a group of our friends for a spectacular evening at the Lowenbrau Kellar.  Thanks to my mom, dad and Dominic for celebrating with Nathan and Jack.

Train in, cabs out, no driving tonight!

They turn the Kellar into an elegantly decorated space. There is a three course dinner with unlimited drinks, a performance and a fabulous live band.

At midnight Munich is lit up with fireworks both professional and personal, The leftover smoke is impossible to fully describe but it lasts well into the next day. After midnight a traditional weisswurst breakfast is served. Weisswurst, pretzel and Prosecco. A fabulous way to start the new year!!

London!

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

Since Santa brought tickets to Harry Potter World a trip to London was in order.  Travelling with 12 people isn't simple but we pulled it off splendidly. But really could they put a few more people in immigration in London?

To say we had hungry people when we got to the hotel would be an understatement.  There was a pizza and wings place across the street - immediately sold, no time to look for anything else! The beer flights didn't hurt.

We walked over to the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. It was a Christmas market and a carnival, fun to be had. It was really cold though.  So after some treats and a ride on the dodgems it was time to head back. Not many photos taken - except of Jack, back on Dom's shoulders.

After we got the kids settled and our kids babysitting their cousins Todd, Abby, Steve and I headed out to meet our friends Lana and Marc. Favorites from Munich who happen to be living in London. So great to catch up with them for the evening!

Missy & Lana

The next was busy and fun. While the Mowinski group took a bus tour, we walked around the waterfront, toured the HMS Belfast and the Borough market.

AJ always finds a great photo op.

Afterwards we met the rest of our gang at the train station for Harry Potter Studio Tour.

The next day we spent the morning at the Natural History Museum. London is crazy crowded at this time of year. While it took forever to get in, the kids enjoyed the exhibits once there.

Spent the afternoon having tea with Granny while the boys swam and worked out, the girls think they win! Thanks Grandpa Teddy for the treat!

Best laid plans of the evening led to a only so-so dinner at a pub. We had the hotel make reservations for us at a supposedly great Fish and Chips restaurant called Seashell. However when we arrived they had "lost" our reservation. They were completely unwilling to help us, they wouldn't even call us a cab.

So we found a nearby pub and although the food wasn't what we expected we did have a super fun night! And really how awful could a mac and cheese burger with tater tots be?

Todd is psyched about a mac and cheese burger!

Steve, Granny, Missy, Grandpa Teddy, Todd, Abby

Dom, AJ, Rachel, Nathan, Stefanie 7 Jack

The kids created this fun drawing with a folded piece of paper They could only see the photo right above.

Harry Potter Studio Tour

Granny, Grandpa Teddy, AJ, Nathan, Dominic, Todd, Rachel, Stefanie, Missy, Abby, Steve

We are all so excited to be visiting the Harry Potter Studios. Our kids are lucky, they visited in 2013.  However, four years ago they left eager to return so they are thrilled.

Since it was Christmastime, the great hall was decorated just like it is for Christmas in the movies.

While much of the studio tour is the same, we were excited to see that many exhibits had been added. There is a 9 3/4 train platform as well as a train to tour. There is an expanded canteen area with more than butter beer. And there is a Forbidden Forest which was definitely a highlight. If you're a Harry Potter fan this is not to be missed.

Fun photography angles make AJ appear to be a half giant like Hagrid.

The kids all put their own twist on trying to get through to the train at Platform 9 3/4.

AJ

Rachel

Dominic

Stefanie

Who wouldn't want to board the Hogwarts express?

Butter Beer is an excellent treat before finishing the tour. Rachel opted for Butter Beer ice cream instead, she wasn't disappointed.

Nathan & Jack

Steve and Dominic

Stefanie & AJ

Rachel & Missy

Todd & Abby

Grandpa Teddy & Granny

It was a terrific day!

Merry Christmas!

Steve, Missy, Stefanie, Rachel, Abby, Todd, Melanie, Doug
AJ, Nathan, Grandpa Teddy, Jack, Granny, Dominic

 Merry Christmas from all of us! We are so happy to be celebrating with the Mowinski side of our family this year!

Happy Birthday Missy!

Dominic, Stefanie, Missy, Rachel & AJ

The best way to celebrate my birthday? With all four kids here to help!  Also here? My mom, my dad, my sister, my brother and his whole family.  I am the luckiest!!

All the kids are home!!

This is what makes us happiest - having these four not so little people in our house.

Stefanie and AJ arrived a few days ago. In true AJ Christmas travel fashion they had an adventure. They missed their connection in Philadelphia and were then put on a plane through Dublin. AJ would have loved to have gotten stuck there but no such luck!  It only added a few extra hours to their trip and a day without luggage. Dominic luckily had no problems with his direct flight!

Landshut Weihnachtsmarkt

A fabulous mom, Doris, at our school organizes a tour of a city with a fabulous Christmas market every year. I do my best to join her. Even when I've arrived from the US the day before.

This year's tour was in Landshut, a beautiful old city in Bavaria. My friends Vanessa and Lois joined me on the tour. We had a great time learning about the old city, and exploring the Christmas market. 

We are so lucky there are so many beautiful places to enjoy here!

Army BEATS Navy again! (and we were there to see it!)

The Army/Navy game is THE football game for West Point Cadets and Navy midshipman. Only Steve had ever been and since it is Dominic's last year we decided to  make it a family affair.

Rachel and I flew in on Thursday and met Steve who was already in Delaware for work.  We shopped the next day and met Steve's sister Rita and her husband Rick for lunch.

That afternoon we picked up Stefanie and AJ at the airport and then headed to Philadelphia for dinner.  First we went to the Christmas markets. They aren't quite the same as Munich but still fun to experience.

Then we had dinner with my parents, Dominic and his buddies as well as their parents too.  Crazy, fun, loud pizza place. Good meals and fun to watch all the "kids" interacting.

Loving having these four together!

Afterwards, Dominic and his friends went out to enjoy the nightlife. (no photos, please)

We were up bright and early for the game. Since it was snowing, traffic was slow. We were of course there in plenty of time for the game since the cadets march on to the field THREE hours before the game. 

Hopeful they are going to stay warm!

AJ was determined to get to Game Day and he did. He got there just in time to see Coach Corso pick Army to win the game and score a game day hardhat.

AJ

So the snow, once it started it did not stop.  ALL.DAY.LONG.  We were basically in a snow globe for the six hours we were there. And yes, it was cold, really, really cold.  I am however glad we didn't miss the opportunity to see the West Point cadets march on to the field.  Dominic would have liked to have volunteered to not be part of this but we made him promise that he would participate since we were there. I may have said something along the lines of "We flew all the way across the ocean..."

Dominic is on the left in the fourth row.

The United States Military Academy Corp of Cadets

Dominic was able to spend some time with us in the stands. This was great because we had a crowd. Sitting with us were my parents, Steve's brother Motty, Steve's sister Vicki, her husband Mike, their son Mark and his girlfriend Brittany.  My cousin Scott also came to see us, he is USMA Class of '88.

Me with my two favorite Army guys - Scott and Dominic

The crew!
Steve
Grandpa Teddy, Granny, Missy, Motty, Rachel, Stefanie
AJ, Dominic, Brittany, Mark, Vicki & Mike

My parents left the game after halftime. They were staying in Philadelphia and it was bitterly cold so they opted to watch the end of the game in the warm and comfortable hotel room!

Granny & Grandpa Teddy with Missy & their grandchildren

We were all glad we stayed until the end because the game really went to final seconds. We were all super excited that Army won for the second year in a row! So were the cadets...

The drive back to our hotel in Delaware was long and snowy, but we ended with a fun dinner together before we all headed home the next day!