Cookies, Snowballs, Teeth and a Hurdy Gurdy

This is Lena, Maddie's best friend here. She came over today for a playdate. They worked their way through all the toys of interest, colored and cut out paper dolls, and then we made cookies (which I am proud of not only for the end product which was edible and recognizable as a ginger snap, but also because I had to explain the whole thing auf Deutsch). She's a smart, quiet girl and very creative. I like kids who can make up games.
So I didn't pick the picture with goodWill in it. But next we all went to the Opera Palais Weihnachtsmarkt with Anni. Rob and I were agreeing that this one is our favorite. I don't know if it's the crowd (not too highbrow or lowbrow) or the stalls (fun, handmade things), or the fact that there are only two rides and they're way at the back and for little kids. Ours rode both the carousel and the ferris wheel. I thought they'd be terrified, especially after their Funkturm experience, but Sebastian came off yelling "Dat was wary COOL!".
Will bought a snowball from this antique truck. It is sort of like a fortune cookie dough that's been squashed into a ball, then filled with one flavor (e.g. nougat) and dipped in chocolate. It's huge, and now that I think about it, he never did eat it. It's in Rob's backpack. I don't know how he or Maddie would eat it, because the two of them keep losing teeth so fast. Maddie just lost a bicuspid and Will has a lower front tooth that's nearly sideways it's so loose.
There was also a hurdy gurdy man that Sebastian loved. His sign said Uncle Jou and Sebastian kept running up to drop money in his cup.
And we had kinderpunsch of the wassail variety. The kids are connoisseurs now, and they each blew their own and proclaimed it 'wary good'. The stall actually had a sign saying that they would accept payment in Deutsch Marks which have been out of circulation for four years now. I'll have to find out from Rob what in they world they do with them!

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