Identified Flying Object

*FYI: Please scroll back some. Blogger has been having issues and the entries I set up to post over the last couple days ended up posting all at once this afternoon. Enjoy!

The first night we were home from vacation was a very stormy night. If you remember, Hana had a very high fever, therefore, she slept in our bed so I could monitor her temperature throughout the night. Joe fell asleep on the couch and there he stayed. I did not want to bother waking him only for him to come to bed and have to deal with me checking on Hana and giving her medicine as needed.

It rained and thundered and the wind blew like crazy. At some point something hit the side of the house. Our bedroom looks into our backyard and this is was the side that was hit.

Being raised in the country, I assumed it was a tree branch since that is what usually hit our house when it stormed when I was little. The next morning I told Joe about it and I went outside to investigate. The only thing I found was this:

Joe said he thought it must be a base to something because you can clearly see an outline of "footprints." But a base to what? I flipped it over. 

Well, it's German, whatever it is.

A week later I was sitting out back while Hana played and I was talking to my mom on the phone. I was in the midst of describing the unidentified disc to her when I set back in the love seat and leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a second. When I opened my eyes, they focused on this: 

"Mom, I think I see legs and feet on the roof of our porch!" I can only imagine what she was thinking. A few feet from the supposed legs and feet I spied this: 

And all the way up by the wall of the house I spied this: 

I tried and tried to get it down myself, but it was just too high for me to reach. I got the step ladder and a broom and worked hard with no success. Hana was as obsessed as I was. She was up in her playhouse describing what she saw to me. "I see blue legs and a grey hat, Momma!" What on earth could it be? I was puzzled, intrigued and had to figure it out. Joe would not be home until very late, so I had to set my curiosity aside for the night, as I didn't think it would be safe to climb a ladder with only Hana present. I excitedly told Joe the next morning and was very disappointed by his lack of enthusiasm. We loaded up the car as we were headed to the lake, but just before we locked the doors I took Joe by the hand and led him to the back yard saying, "I just want you to see it."

That did the trick! Now he was as curious about this mystery as Hana and I were! He got his ladder and a long tool and went to work.

Piece by piece we met our new friend.

 He is even adorned with what appears to be either rabbit or possibly squirrel hair.

 Meet our new friend, the German Nutcracker.

Anyone missing a nutcracker? I think we'll glue him back together and hang up signs around the neighborhood. He couldn't have traveled too far, could he?