W51 of Y2

Yes, ANOTHER birthday party!

This time it was for a boy in Aiden's class but when I went to pick him up he wasn't ready to leave yet so Whitney and Connor got to play a little too.




The party was at Pinocchio which is like all your other bouncy house-type places here in Germany except it has a hochseilgarten (high-ropes course). You have to be 8 years old to do this course but they let Aiden go since Connor was with him.

If only we knew the nightmare that was about to unfold....

Here they are still excited and acting cocky.

All fitted into their harnesses and ready to go up. Still smiling.

The first problem... the bucket. Connor sat down in the bucket with his feet hanging out and then got half way across and got stuck. He couldn't get his feet back into the bucket and couldn't go anywhere. He tried so hard to pull himself to the other side, but it didn't work.
By now both of the boys are in tears and starting to panic.


Aiden tried to go on the other side to help him but was too far away.

So Aiden went across and pulled with all of his might and finally got Connor across.

The next problem... Connor and Aiden climbed onto this log together and then were too scared to let go of the red rope to grab the other white rope to get across. It didn't help that the other one kept making the log move. They were both screaming and crying for me to get a worker to help them but there was no way anyone could help them - they just had to get across. I couldn't stop laughing so that made the boys even more mad.

Aiden finally got across but Connor refused to move. Soon there were 8-10 little kids behind Connor waiting to go but no one could move until Connor did. Finally one of the dad's that was up there helped Connor across on the logs.

They were so happy to get down. I had to prove to everyone that they were ok afterwards here. I had to buy them all an ice cream to make up for laughing at them though.

Valentine's Day

I know it's not Valentines Day yet but we decided to celebrate on Saturday instead of Monday since it was on the weekend.

We've been wanting to eat at this restaurant in Ladenburg for a long time, Die Kartoffel. We had heard so many good things about it! I love this city, it is so charming and the restaurant is perfectly situated in the heart of it.

The menu is simple. You pick your meat and your topping for your baked potato and that's about it. They bring your meat out on a hot stone and you cook it yourself at your table.

Such a wonderful evening with my sweetheart!

After dinner Jeremy surprised me with flowers and chocolates. I love him!

W50 of Y2

This week the kids had their African Day celebrations after school. Aiden won this elephant. I begged him to let me have it but he wouldn't part with it.

I had to stay in Stuttgart one night this week for work so Jeremy came and stayed with me. We walked to an nice Irish Pub next to our hotel for dinner. Fish & Chips... my favorites! :)

Friday night Jeremy and the boys had to register their cars for the pinewood derby the next morning. So... I let Whitney get as Fancy as she wanted and the girls went out to dinner! She seriously picked this outfit out all by herself... including the purse!

I wanted to take Lindsay to my favorite Schnitzel Restaurant in Hemsbach.
This is the Zweibeln Schnitzel.

Whitney was the perfect little lady all through dinner. When it was time to go the owner of the restaurant came out and put her coat on for her. She thanked him with a curtsy. lol!

This is how you will find Aiden most of the time at home lately... snuggled up with Lindsay.
He especially loves her!

The Pinewood Derby

This was a pretty big deal this year. Connor did it last year but didn't really know what to expect or what was going on. This year he was really looking forward to it and Aiden was so excited that he could participate this time.

Whitney was so proud of her big brothers!
First the Tigers. Aiden's car in the front row, the first one on the right.


Aiden was sooo cute! He was cheering, smiling, jumping up and down every time his car won.

Aiden got second place. The way they judged the race was really dumb! Aiden never lost a single race and was way ahead of every single car that he raced. However, he got second somehow. The kid who got first never even raced Aiden's car. I was really annoyed by this but decided not to make a big deal about it because Aiden seemed super happy to have second and didn't seem to care.

Whitney was having fun eating popcorn and cheering on her brothers.

Now for the bears. Connor's is in the front row, first one on the left. (it's a little blurry)


Connor was MUCH more serious. This was the closest I could get him to a smile. He was mostly just biting his fingernails the whole time looking really nervous.

He ended up getting first out of the Bears!

Since both of the boys placed in the top 3 that meant we had to wait around until the final championship at the end of the day. So we went to the park. It was really windy but a really beautiful day.
Drinking hot chocolate


Yes, that's Lindsay at the top inside with the boys. This is why we love her!

The Final Championship

Connor and Aiden were so cute cheering each other on, giving each other thumbs ups and high fives, etc... I had so much fun just watching them!

Then... the moment we were all fearing. Aiden and Connor had were in the top 3 out of all the scouts and had to compete against each other.

Here it is! You can hardly tell but they said Aiden's car was just barely ahead of Connor's.

Aiden ended up getting first out of the entire Pack and Connor had second. Connor was a good sport and was happy for Aiden. We had the missionaries coming over for dinner that night so we had to rush straight home to make taco salad and the boys were so excited to tell them blow-by-blow everything that happened. Such a long, exhausting, but totally unforgettable day!

W48 and 49 of Y2

In A Slump!

My camera battery died right when we got back from Rome (because I took so many pictures!) and it has been charging for the last 2 weeks. I haven't taken any pictures since we've been back - and it's not because we haven't done anything either.

Let's see... when we got back from Rome the kids were all so happy to see us. They had so much fun while we were gone. I feel so blessed to have the best au pair we've ever had! I didn't worry about the kids at all while we are gone and fully trust her. It is such a relief to be able to leave to go to work or to leave the country and know that the kids are happy, safe, and in good hands. I feel like we really hit the jackpot with Lindsay! She really is like one of the family.

That week it was back to work and recovering from being gone. That weekend we devoted all of our time to the kids as a reward for being so good while we were gone. We had sleepovers Friday and Saturday night for the boys. It was fun.. but exhausting! Sunday we went to our new ward. We decided to start going to the American ward here now instead of the German ward. It was a really hard decision and we have been praying about this for a long time. We really love the people in our German ward - they have been like family to us ever since we moved here. We originally wanted to go to the German ward because we wanted to learn the language and immerse ourselves in the German culture. Well, Jeremy and I both got jobs working on the bases where we are surrounded by American's and speak English all day. At night we are home with the kids and it's a mad rush just to get their homework done, feed everyone dinner, and get them to bed on time. We just never have time to learn/practice German. We never interact with any Germans during the week, and if we do - they all speak English anyway (even when I'm actually TRYING to speak German with them!). So, we decided that after being here for 2 years... we are probably not going to learn German any better than we know it now. Also, Mannheim bases are closing and everything is in Heidelberg for us now (school, scouts, jobs, shopping, etc...). The American ward is in Heidelberg as well so it just made sense. Now we are the small fish in the big pond in our new ward.

This last week Whitney, Jeremy, and I all got a terrible cold. We went to bed at 8:00 just about every night. We got caught up on sleep at least. We are all just now starting to get over it. This weekend we were busy with birthday parties. Connor and Aiden went to one for a classmate. He is in Connor's class but invited Aiden too. Aiden eats lunch with Connor's class and plays with Connor's class at recess. He seems to be closer with the 3rd graders than his own class of 1st graders. The 3rd graders are all really sweet to always include Aiden. That is one thing that I love about their new school - it is small enough for their classes to do things together. Friday night I got home late from work and Jeremy surprised us all by taking the whole family to my favorite Greek restaurant down the street. It was totally what I needed!! Then last night Lindsay and I went to a birthday party for a co-worker in Kaiserslautern. We went to a Flammkuchen restaurant. YUM!

Well, that's about it. We are all so happy and doing great. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't stop and think about what a wonderful life I have. I have 3 wonderful, funny, sweet, healthy kids. I have a wonderful husband, partner, and best friend who is sweet, helpful, loyal, and always keeps me laughing. I can't think of anything I'd rather do more than to just be with him all the time. I am so thankful for him. I have a wonderful aupair who loves my children and is such a great help to me. I have a great job and supervisors that care about me. I am proud of my job and working with the Military. I can't tell you how many times I'm sitting in my office and I hear the Army band practicing in the gym across the street from my office or I hear a group of Soldiers running together and chanting a song or (when I'm still at work at 5:00) I hear the national anthem playing overhead and I get choked up. I'm so proud of our Military and that I have this opportunity to work with them. I have wonderful friends all over the world. I am so thankful for my family and Jeremy's family for the love and support they give us. I talk to my Dad just about every single day - he really is one of my best friends. I just don't think I could be any happier right now. I know this post is a little mushy and exactly what Emily Matchar is talking about in her article. But, I don't get to do this very often. I promise... next week I will be back to posting pictures! :)

Have a great week everyone!

W47 of Y2

You will see no pictures of any of the kids in this post!!!

That's because Jeremy and I escaped to Rome for our 11th wedding anniversary - without the kids. It was everything we imagined it would be.... and more!

The snow covered Alps looked so cool from the plane

First sight of Rome! You can see St. Peters square and the Colosseum from the plane.



Jeremy was soooo smart and arranged for a private driver to pick us up from the airport to take us to our apartment.

Our apartment wasn't ready yet so the owner asked us to come back in a few hours. This was fine with us though - we couldn't wait to get out and explore the city!

Our first meal. Pizza, of course, and this other thing.... I can't remember the name. The crust tasted like a donut though.


Burlusconi's house (Italian Prime Minister). There were a lot of people there with camera's so we waited for a minute to see if something interesting was going to happen.... but it didn't.

Vittorio Emanuele II Monument at the Piazza Venezia

Foro Romano

The Via Sacra with the Arch of Constantine in the background

The Colosseum

A very expensive cannolli. 15 euro for this and a bottle of water.
We quickly learned to never sit at any tables inside of cafes!!


Trevi Fountain - if you leave money the legend says you will return to Rome.
I left money and Jeremy didn't. hmmm...
Outside the Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

Which way next?

Nuns and Priests everywhere. At first I kept wanting to take pictures of them, but soon I realized they were everywhere!!

Fountain of Neptune at the Piazza Novona


The bakery by our apartment that we went to every day.

walking down the alley to our apartment to get settled in

The outside of our apartment

Our little midget door

Room #1

Room #2

Cozy kitchen
Bathroom(s?)

We loved our apartment. The owner told us it is over 400 years old! We felt a little like we were in a cave though and our clothes, blankets, and towels always felt wet. It was the weirdest thing. The location was perfect though. We were in the middle of everything!

After getting settled we went back out for dinner. This time we went to a square close to our apartment Campo de' Fiori which was known for being the site of public executions. This guy in the statue was burned alive on this spot in 1600 for believing that the earth was round. They built this statue, after they realized he was right, as a way of saying sorry.

We decided to eat at Sloppy Sams and outside too! The weather was so nice.

All of that just on the first day!! Whew!


The next morning we started out at the farmers market at Campo di'Fiori again. It was just around the corner from our apartment.

Breakfast is served!

We also picked up lots of little goodies to snack on during the day and everything we needed to make an authentic Italian dinner in our apartment for that night.

Stopping along the river to look at the map. Castel Sant'Angelo in the background, also known as Hadrians Tomb and is known for the tortures that took place there.

Can you believe we found a USO on the way to Vatican City? We stopped in for a few minutes... just because we could.

The cutest dog walking around looking for someone to play with.

We took a 3-hour tour of the Vatican Museums. While I wanted to take pictures of everything... I didn't. I am only posting my favorite pieces in the museum. Of course, they wouldn't let us take any pictures at all in the Sistine Chapel.

A well-deserved lunch after the long tour

We were so tired after lunch and the sun was so hot we just sat in St. Peter's square and vegged. I think Jeremy was sleeping, actually. Here is the Obelisk that is said to have the remnants of Christs actual cross in the ball on the very top.

Sunglasses were a MUST on this trip!

Gelato!!

After a while a young choir marched onto the square and sang


Ok... time to move on. I swear, I think we could have sat there ALL DAY!

Back to our apartment to cook the yummy food we got from the farmers market that morning. SO GOOD! I am determined to find an Italian market somewhere here in Germany now. We had wonderful pasta cooked with garlic-infused olive oil with pesto sauce and a tomato/chili sauce.

Somehow we found the energy to go back out after dinner to see some of the sights at night. You can see St. Peters Basilica in the background.

We walked by an Irish Pub, that used to be a theater in the early 1900's, that was playing the Steelers vs. Ravens game and stopped in for just a "minute" to watch the game...

...Well, that "minute" turn about 3 hours. Shortly after we got there the place got so packed full of Americans that we couldn't have gotten out if we wanted to. It was fun though. They were all either English teachers or University students. We felt a little like chaperons at the high school prom but it was fun.

Our friends from that night.

The next morning Jeremy wanted bacon and eggs. So, being the good wife that I am, I ran right out to the supermarket just around the corner from our apartment to gather supplies.

I loved these little cafes all over the city. They don't look that nice and the tables are in the middle of the bumpy "street" but for some reason they just looked so charming. It must have been the red and white checkered table clothes.

Someone told us about this church (aka Capuchin Crypt) that houses the skulls and bones of 4000+ Cappuccini Monks. It was on the way to the Spanish Steps so we thought we would check it out. We couldn't take photo's though - it was pretty impressive to see all the different arrangements of bones. A little eerie... but interesting.


Right next to the Crypt we saw a Hard Rock Cafe. Looking at all of those bones sure worked up an appetite!

YUM!!!


The top of the Spanish Steps. We learned that Sundays, in Italy, are for going out to be seen and to see the city. Everyone was out! It helped that the weather was so nice too.

Jeremy insisted that this guy take my portrait. I didn't realize how awkward it was going to be to stare at someone in the eyes for 30 minutes!

Then to make matters worse a crowd quickly developed and would look at the picture and then look at me and make a little face. I was dying to see what they were looking at!

At the bottom of the Spanish Steps

Piazza del Popolo with the Pincio Gardens in the background.



Rome was full of many different types of street performers. This one was one of my favorites!

One last walk across the bridge with a great view of St. Peters Basilica one last time.

11 years of marital bliss to my best friend. I love you!

The night before we could barely walk down this little alley because people were packed outside the Ristorante waiting for a table. We thought it must be good, and it was so close to our apartment. So we decided to have our last Italian dinner here.

Mixed Frieds. Not really sure what everything was, but they were all soooo good!!!

Rissoto and Roman Pizza

Tiramisu for dessert

Waiting to board our plane Jeremy had to translate Italian into German for this couple.
During this trip he was speaking Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and English!

Good ol'Ryanair. We had a great weekend. None of this would have been possible if we didn't have the best au pair ever! We are so grateful for her.

We felt like we saw everything we wanted to see and were ready to get back home to our babies.

However, Rome will not be forgotten anytime soon.