Celebrating Jochen's 40th Birthday

Photo of Friends Who Joined Jochen on the Walk to the Lookout Point

For his 40th birthday Jochen invited 50 friends and family to gather with him for a day at El Toro Canyon Regional Park, located in a picturesque oak-filled canyon behind Montecito. A BBQ lunch was provided, followed by a one-mile walk up to a marvelous lookout point with 180 degree views of the Pacific Ocean and Carpinteria Valley.

Meanwhile, the kids enjoyed clambering on a natural sandstone formation in the park and throwing water balloons with Uncle Brett. In the late afternoon, in typical German fashion, kaffee und kuchen (coffee and cake) were served. While lingering over the many homemade pastries, friends and family performed skits or shared funny anecdotes about Jochen with the group.

One of the best was an original sketch written by Shana titled "Jochen Says" where she played a game show host and invited contestants up to guess what Jochen's answers to various questions would be, before he gave the final word. Questions were multiple choice, including the following:

1) What does Jochen miss most about Germany?

a. Good 'ol Mom and Dad;

b. Nationalized Health Care;

c. The Variety of Birkenstock Available; or

d. All of the Above

2) When Jochen wakes up in the morning, what's the first thing he thinks when he looks in the mirror?

a. Atta-Boy, Let's Get This Day Started;

b. I Sure Could Use Another Hour of Sleep;

c. You're A Handsome Dude; or

d. I Wonder What Toby's Up To Now?

In keeping with Jochen's bent toward environmental stewardship, those who answered the questions correctly went home with eco-prizes: LED flashlights, compact flourescent light bulbs, a canvas Trader Joe's bag, suggestions on how to cut down on junk mail, etc.

This was a song written for Jochen and sung by the group to the tune of The Sound of Music classic: "A Few of My Favorite Things":

Most of his days he's a man on a mission

Laundry, Trader Joe's runs, cooks meals in the kitchen.

Scheduling play dates, teaching German like mad

That's Jochen's life as a stay at home Dad.

He loves his boys but not cleaning their messes

Falls apart if one comes and confesses

That once again something broke, needs to be mend

He asks himself, "Is there ever an end?"

Chorus: Now's he's forty.

No more twenty.

Does that make him sad?

No, Jochen enjoys every day of his life,

He's thankful and truly glad.

He enjoys volleyball and playing soccer

Although no spring chicken,

Not quite off his rocker.

Once a week he jumps, digs, sets. block, serves, hits

Good for his body and keeping his wits.

He has a sweet tooth, eats cookies galore

Gummybears, skittles, ice cream and much more,

Nibbles on white chocolate chips by the pound,

He'd better be careful or soon he'll be round!

Chorus

He did not approve of farm animal treatment,

"No longer can I eat meat" that is what that meant.

Schnitzel is out, 'cause Tofu tastes quite swell

Veggie soyburgers, and soups do as well.

He'd like to see peace, better care of creation

Enough to get by for all men in each nation.

Hopes he can contribute his humble part,

But life is so busy now where does he start?

Chorus

March Birthdays

Each March, Joshua and I share our birthday week. This year we enjoyed a special outing together, because my Dad and his wife drove down from the Bay Area to take us both to Disneyland. It was my first trip back to the theme park in 23 years, and Joshua's first visit ever.

The major highlights for Joshua were "shooting bad guys" on the Buzz Lightyear ride with Grandpa (twice) and being selected from the audience to participate in Star Wars Jedi Padawan Training, which included fighting Darth Maul with a lightsaber on stage. Disneyland also has a tradition that when you're wearing a birthday button, every employee who sees you is to wish you an enthused "Happy Birthday!" Joshua reveled in all of this unexpected attention.

This year it was Joshua's turn for a birthday party with his friends (we trade this privilege each year). He chose the theme of soccer, which was little surprise since he's enamored with the sport and just started AYSO again. We invited seven of his friends to come in their soccer jerseys for a soccer scrimmage on a sunny, crisp Sunday afternoon. The game was held at the local elementary school (at one point it was all of the boys against Jochen!) and then we walked back to our house to share cake and ice cream and open gifts. A simple but meaningful celebration.

Yet there were some minor challenges beforehand. Joshua decided that he absolutely wanted rainbow sherbert ice cream for his birthday. That's why on Saturday, he and Jochen walked down to our local Vons to pick up ice cream. However, the only size available in that flavor was a hefty one-and-a-half gallon tub. They lugged the entire tub of ice cream all the way back home.

Fast forward to Saturday evening when I went to Book Club at 7:30 and Jochen took on the task of putting both boys to bed. First Toby, then Joshua. In our family, the way it works best is to read, sing, and pray with each boy separately before tucking them in for the night. This works out great when there are two of us, but is logistically tougher when only one parent is home. Suffice to say that Jochen thought Toby was safely tucked into his bed when he turned out the lights and left to go read stories with Joshua.

For those who know our family, you can probably guess what happened next.

After putting Joshua to bed, Jochen took another peek into Toby's room (where all was well), and then calmly headed downstairs. By sheer luck, he happened to enter the livingroom, where he spotted something unusually large peeking out behind one of the chairs. As suspected, the huge tub of ice cream was on the floor, ajar, with a spoon still in it and a fair amount of orange sherbert missing.

Somehow, Toby managed to slip downstairs, hoist this heavy tub out of the freezer, open it up and dig into the frozen treat with his spoon. Then, he just as quietly returned to his room. Fortunately, at four-and-a-half, he's not so good at covering his tracks and we've learned to look for signs that something is amiss.

After placing the ice cream back in the freezer, Jochen's next step was to devise a vice system for keeping the fridgerator and freezer double doors closed and the ice cream safe from pilfering-- at least until Joshua's party.

We're quite certain Toby made another try at the ice cream, though we didn't witness it. His habit is to hop out of bed at 5:00-5:30 a.m. and roam the kitchen before we're even awake. I imagine he was quite bewildered by the locked freezer. Fortunately, this left plenty of sherbert leftover for those who came to Joshua's party.

Jedi Training at Disneyland

Smencils

For the uninitiated among you, “smencils” are gourmet scented pencils made from recycled newspapers rather than wood. Cotton candy, watermelon, cinnamon. . . these environmentally friendly pencils are all the rage at Joshua’s elementary school. Indeed, what began as a fundraiser for fifth grade science camp has developed into a full-fledged sensation among the students.

As a parent, I see this as brilliant on the part of the school. Forget about Bakugan, action figures, and Pokemon cards. They’ve somehow inspired kids to collect writing instruments — something that can only be used to draw, write letters, or (gasp) complete their homework.

When the fundraiser began before the holidays, Joshua came home and announced he needed a dollar for a smencil. After he explained what it was, I told him he was welcome to buy a smencil, but with his own money.

After hearing enthused reports about the different scents available and the writing utility of the smencils for several weeks from Joshua, I wasn't surprised when he told he me he’d like to take a dollar from his piggy bank at home to purchase one. Afterall -- according to him-- each student in his class owned at least two or three of them by this time.

I might add here that, for a six-year old, Joshua is unusually conservative with the $5.00 to $10.00 in his piggy bank, carefully considering how to maximize his purchasing power at Toys-R-Us or the 99 Cent Store and seeking opportunities to increase his funds, wherever possible. Since he doesn’t yet receive an allowance, this often takes the form of the following:

“Toby, I’ll give you five whole pennies if you trade me for your quarter.”

“Okay, Josh.” with an eager nod from Toby. “I like pennies.”

Or,

“Hey, Toby, wouldn’t you rather have a nickel than a dime? It’s a lot bigger. I’ll give you my nickel if you trade with me.”

“Yeah!” from his unsuspecting younger brother. (At least until I intervene.)

The only hitch was that by the time Joshua made the decision to spend his hard-earned dimes on the smencil (each smencil costs one dollar), the school fundraiser was already over.

Due to the popularity of these items, he was certain the smencil selling table would return. So he faithfully carried a dollar to school and back for 2.5 weeks and miraculously did not lose it. During the same time period he lost a new athletic sweatshirt and misplaced his lunchbox on the school playground, but the dollar in his pocket never even made it to our laundry basket!

Then, just yesterday, he arrived home with a bubble gum smencil in tow. It was a minimum day at school, so I happened to be home eating lunch when he sauntered through the door with Jochen and Toby, proudly touting the sweet smelling pencil and offering all of us a whiff.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Joshua queried me, holding the smencil to my nose.

“It definitely smells like bubble gum,” I agreed.

“Here Daddy, don’t you want to smell it again?” he urged Jochen.

And then, as Toby attempted to snatch it out of Joshua's hand, “No, Toby, it’s not yours. I’ll tell you when you can sniff it.”

All was well until the next morning when Joshua bounced into our room with an indignant air. “Toby stole my smencil! I found it in his closet,” he blurted out, waving it in the air.

Uh-oh, I thought. Toby's penchant for snatching and hiding items of interest has not waned. Recently I discovered an unopened soda can, Jochen’s wallet, and a pair of missing toenail clippers tucked away in Toby's room. Whenever something is missing in our house we all know the first place to look. Fortunately, Toby was downstairs eating an orange when Joshua searched his room to locate the coveted smencil.

After tattling on Toby, Joshua marched purposefully downstairs and I waited for the explosion. Instead, I heard what sounded like friendly conversation between the two of them. Twenty minutes later, as I drove Joshua to school, I asked him what they talked about.

“Oh. I told Toby I would give him my bubble gum smencil.”

“Really?” I asked, somewhat in disbelief.

“Yeah, I figured that it doesn’t really smell that much like bubble gum.”

“Wow, that’s very generous of you.”

“Well, Toby really wants one or he wouldn’t steal mine. And besides, I decided that I’d rather have a chocolate one.” At this point he pulled another dollar out of his pocket.

“Mmmmm. And you really plan to give him your new smencil? The one you bought with your own money?”

“Yeah.” Joshua paused and then in a conspiratorial tone, he added, “But I did tell Toby, he can’t steal the smencil while I’m gone again, or else I won’t give it to him. When I told him that, he promised me he would be a 'very good boy today’. I told him, ‘Well, you don’t have to be good the whole day, Toby, just half the day, until I get home again.’"

“I see. Only half the day, huh?” I commented, as I bit back a smile from the front seat. But what happens if they’re not selling smencils at school today?”

“I told Toby he might have to wait, but as soon as I get a new one, he can have my bubble gum smencil." Grinning widely he asked, "Would you like a chocolate one, Mom? I could buy you one. I know you like chocolate. That way whenever you’re at work, you could just lean over and smell it to remind you of chocolate.”

I gently turned down the offer of a chocolate-scented smencil, but praised Joshua for the charitable thought.

Jochen and I strive to intentionally cultivate a generous spirit in our boys, but given their ages, temperaments, and general proclivity toward competition, we rarely see this exhibited toward one another. This was apparently one of those moments where Joshua’s enthusiasm for the smencil and his desire to share this with his brother merged and he extended grace instead of ire to Toby. Who knows? Given a little time, our family may own an entire fruit-flavored smencil collection. . .

Family Firsts in 2008

Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, our family celebrated many firsts in 2008. Not the least of which was a move to a new home three miles west. Other family firsts this year included:

Jochen— Visited his family in Germany without the kids for a week in April; was visibly relieved when Obama won the Presidential election; took on leadership of a Sunday school class with Trish and two other couples at church; couldn’t live without the Jon Stewart Daily Show; served as referee at most of Joshua’s Saturday morning soccer games during the AYSO season; continued the four-year old tradition of taking the boys to Deutschstunde – a meeting with 2-3 other German families every Monday afternoon for a German lesson and a meal together; cheerfully completed the myriad home improvement projects generated by the move to the new house; and, studied diligently in an intermediate Spanish course at Ventura College this Fall.

Tricia— Introduced Toby & Joshua to C.S. Lewis novels; discovered that she doesn’t know how she survived this long without a DVR; was delighted when Barack Obama was elected; took on leadership of a Sunday school class with Jochen and two other couples at church; enjoyed having friends over on several occasions for a Raclette meal, after receiving a Raclette table-top grill for her birthday; traveled to Las Vegas for the first time to enjoy a "girls weekend" in April; was inspired by a three-day Urban Planning conference held in Hollywood in September; and, finds the freedom to extend hospitality to a wider group of friends (the new house offers more space) an unexpected joy.

Joshua— Attended a weeklong surf camp in July and loved it; played on the Eagles AYSO soccer team this Fall; lives for recess at school, so he can play soccer with the second and third graders; learned to tie his shoes; recently joined a weekly basketball club and learned how to dribble a ball; became the Wii Fit “tightrope walking champion” at the Tonai's house; developed a passion for reading in Spanish, English, (and German, too!); celebrated his 6th birthday with a pirate party at Aunt Betty's beach house in Seal Beach; traveled with Mom to spend a long weekend in Crescent City with his former foster family in March; fearlessly jumped from the 3 meter diving board in swim class (about 10 feet); became enamored with Where's Waldo? books and the game Hangman; and, discovered a new TV show called Las Aventuras de Henry (a Canadian show dubbed in Spanish and shown on Vme, the new Spanish version of PBS) that he doesn't want to miss on Saturday mornings.

Toby— Proudly began riding a bicycle without training wheels in September and started off-roading two days later; discovered a new love for the Magic Treehouse book series, which he listens to on his CD player; enjoyed a gymnastics class in the Spring; attended preschool for five mornings a week in preparation for Kindergarten; spent much time in our hall closet wishing himself to Narnia, after listening spellbound to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; was the first in our family to break a bone (he broke his collarbone in the Spring); continued to insist that his imaginary friend, Soren Lorenson (see explanation in the 07/13/08 blog post), is quite real and, indeed, responsible for much of his own on-going mischief; and, consumed all of the chocolate in his Advent calendar by December 9th.

Entire Family— Celebrated St. Martin’s Day (November 11th) with seven other German-speaking families by parading through our neighborhood after dusk with colorful, homemade lanterns; cultivated a love of collaborative storytelling and Mad Libs for Kids as an entertainment alternative to the DVD player on long car rides; discovered some great beaches in Santa Barbara this summer; continued our family tradition of spending Thanksgiving weekend with the Tonais in Ladera Ranch; and, ventured down to the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood for a special showing of Tinkerbell.

We remain thankful for all of you— our family and friends— and would love to hear about your “family firsts” in 2008. Wishing you a blessed, peaceful Advent season!
Warmly,

Tricia, Jochen, Joshua & Toby

St. Nikolaus Day 2008

Following southern German custom, Toby and Joshua placed boots on our front porch the Eve of December 6th. During the night, St. Nicholas arrived to fill them with mandarin oranges, walnuts, and other small gifts.

Afterward, we continued our tradition of celebrating St. Nicholas Day with other German families in Ventura.This time the kids helped by preparing homemade fettucini for our meal, and using a pasta maker for the first time. (A big hit.) The adults read stories about the real St. Nicholas -- the 4th century Bishop of Myra (a city in modern-day Turkey), each child shared either a poem or song they memorized in German, and then St. Nicholas made a surprise visit; leaving behind a personal letter for each child, some Christmas chocolate, and a new German book for each of them.

Our New Home!

Most of you know we've been searching for a new home in Ventura. We finally found a lovely 4 bedroom home that suits our needs.
We close escrow August 26th and move the last week of August. Our new address
will be 6304 Fremont Street, Ventura, 93003. Our new phone number will be (805)
654-1959. We hope to have you all over for a visit soon!