a little taste of fall...

I clipped a recipe for pumpkin dip about three years ago. It sat in my folder of recipes patiently waiting to be remembered. I finally sat down and organized my recipes and pulled the ones that were perfect for fall. I made the dip two days ago and it's wonderful! Plus, very easy to make. Kinley and I made some more today so we'd be stocked for the weekend. This time we doubled the recipe so we'd have some to share...

aren't the colors just perfect together?

tada! some for us and some for a friend :-)

If you'd like to try it out, here's the recipe:

3/4 C (6oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C canned pumpkin

2 tsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Place first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add syrup and cinnamon and beat until smooth. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. I like to serve it with apple slices, pretzels and graham crackers. Oh - gingersnaps just popped in my head - they would be terrific too. Yum!!!

Jones' First Soccer Game

Soccer here isn't what we thought it would be. Considering how crazy Germany is for 'fussball' we kind of assumed the on-post teams would would fill up fast and be energized by the local love for the sport. Not so. The sign-up that was supposed to close in July, extended until August due to lack of interest. The kids didn't have their first practice until 07 Sept. There is one practice a week on Tuesday, and a game that Thursday. Plus, the season only lasts for about a month. Which is fine with us. Much rather have kids and parents playing for fun and exercise and sport instead of a die hard need to crush the opponent. The only downside is if all three years are similar in coaching and practice, the kids will be really behind when we relocate! Here are some photos from the first game. Kinley doesn't have games, but she does have a uniform, so when she wears it next I'll snap some photos to post.

 Good buddies Jones and Kyle excited for their first game.

A little pre-game warm-up.

Some stretching between plays.

Both teams listening to some last minute rules of the game from the ref.

My little man looking a little unsure about the goalie gig.

A well deserved water break.

Look at that powerful kick!

First day of Kindergarten!

We just dropped Jones off for his very first day of Kindergarten! He had his backpack and supplies all ready, his lunch packed, and his giraffe neck pillow/blanket/and "friend" with him for quiet time. He was very excited! I put on a brave face, too, but am still trying to come to terms that my little boy is now in school!!! He's just so big.

They have a dress code at school - no jeans, only navy/khaki/black bottoms, and red/white/blue/black solid or combination shirts. He looks cute, but he really wanted to wear his dinosaur tshirt! Oh, and he can tie his shoes all by himself now! It took only two times of Dave showing him how and he caught on. What a smart bug :-)