So Much

So much to write about.  I am so far behind with blogging.  My excuse is that in the past 30 days me, my husband, and our two children have lived and/or visited 2 continents, 3 countries, and 3 states.  The other day someone wrote somewhere they were tired of living out of suitcase for a week and a half and I just had to laugh.  We have lived in 3 hotels and both of or parents places.  I am tired of it.  Of course I am!  Who wouldn't be?  We have 3 weeks to go before we are all back together in our new home.  (Yes, that means me and the hubs are temporarily separated again).  Those 3 weeks cannot come soon enough!  Le sigh.  

In my head, the posts I want to write are: 

Our Trip to England
Here's me and Caleb in a red phone booth! Any Harry Potter fans out there?

Halloween

Me and my munchkins.  Two years in a row now that Chris has missed :(

The Gender Reveal

No pics...that one deserves it's own post!!

I would also like to discuss my New Years Goals and my best and worst reads of 2012.  I also love talking about Christmas and what it means to me.  See, I have so much to write about!  

For now, let me just emphatically say I love Once Upon A Time and Grimm.  Seriously, those two shows are completely up my alley!  My dear mother has DVR'd all the episodes so I am being unproductive during naptime and bedtime and watching TV.  And I love it :)  I know this won't last forever.  One, me and Chris have never had a TV in our home (we have a TV for DVDs but no TV if that makes sense).  We have no moral objections to television, but we can't quite justify spending the money.  I think we will add it to our budget in the next year however.  Two, even if we did have TV, I would force myself to self regulate since it is such a time suck.  However, I just realized that I can watch episodes on the Internet (I know, I'm a bit behind the times)!  So, I'm excited about that prospect. 

I'm also kind of pregnant.  I mean, duh, of course I'm pregnant, I meant I'm kind of looking pregnant.  And, by kind of I mean a lot.  This pregnancy has been my biggest bellied one so far.  Weird.  There better only be one baby in there.  

This was 5 weeks ago so you can imagine how big my belly looks now!

That's basically it.  Well, not really, but that's all I got in me for now.  Time for bed.  Can't seem to get enough sleep these days!

Happy Dance

We fly to America today!  I am so so happy!  If I had more time I would compose a little jig so you could actually imagine me doing a happy dance, but it's 6am and we've got to wake the kids up and hit the road!  We've got a looooong day in front of us involving lots of flying and lots of driving (and lots of coffee) so wish us well!  Can't wait to be on the OTHER side of the Atlantic when my head hits the bed tonight.  I love my country.

Flashback Friday:Stranded at Zurich Airport

Yes, I know it says Flashback FRIDAY and today is Saturday.  That's the name of Emily's link-up, but it is really an all weekend type thing, ok?? :)



It's about a blast from the past that you either didn't blog about or didn't have a blog to blog about.  This was pre-blog days.  I'm taking it all the way back to 2004 when me and some of the coolest people ever got stranded in the Zurich airport.  We weren't just going to SLEEP like the boys...how boring!!  No, we went exploring and documented our fun :)

We got stranded in the first place because my bag didn't make it on our plane so of course we missed our train that was taking us to our ultimate destination.  It would have been too convenient if we had been on a early morning flight and just caught the next train.  No, we missed the last train of the day so had to spend the entire night in the airport!

Oh, and it was a couple days before Christmas.

Here goes:


This is almost the whole group: L-R Chris (my future husband), Helton, my bestie Karole, me, and Karole's husband Blair.  It looks like me and Blair are a couple, but we were actually digging through his bag looking for his hackey sack and we just stood up real quick for the picture ;)  Also, don't mind my very red hair.  I was in Europe and doing as the Europeans do :)


This is Stacy who is missing from the above picture.  I'm pretty sure delirium has set in at this point ;)

This might be my favorite picture of Karole.  Ever. 

Clearly, I don't fit in there.  I don't even remember why that was there.  Is it a toy for kids?  I'm pretty sure most airports don't have play areas. Maybe it was a display of some sort?

Definitely losing her cool at this point!! She is so funny.  I mean, was she cold?  What is she wearing?

What the boring old boys did...

Ha, I made this one bigger so you could see the look on my face.  I swear they said, "make a funny face", but they are both smiling so nicely!  It's really quite comical close up.  

Another one of our friends is really scared of mannequins so of course we had to take this to freak him out!  Oh, these memories make me smile :)

The next morning we had time to go to a coffee shop before we caught our train.  Everyone is good spirits at least, sleep or no sleep!

My hair is so red, it blends in with the upholstery.  Lovely.  

See, they really are a couple ;) 

You know Helton is super delirious when he cheeses for the camera.

Stacy and I were super impressed with her caramel flower on her coffee :)

Yes, this is my Chris.  Before I knew he was mine mind you.  He has learned that that pose is no longer acceptable for pictures ;)

At last, we reached our Winter Wonderland...Wengen, Switzerland

So beautiful it takes my breath away.  I'd say it was worth the wait ;)

Travels

See, here's the thing.  Yes, we live in Germany, but we don't travel much.  There a couple of reasons for that.  The main one being traveling with kids, for us, almost takes the fun out of traveling at all.  We lived in Slovakia for 2 years without kids so we did a ton of traveling then and to compare it to now, it was about a billion times easier and more enjoyable.  I guess we got spoiled or something.  More often than not when we travel for more than a short day trip (or short overnight trip) I end up wishing we had just stayed home.

A lot of army people do travel though (both with and without children) and whenever I hear about someone talking about some cool new place they saw or I see some beautiful pictures, I always reminisce about my own travels and am so grateful for all that I have been able to see...er, without children ;)  Haha, just kidding kind of.

So, I thought since I never properly documented any European traveling that I did, I would share my Top 5 Places (in Europe only).  I'll try to just post one or two pictures per place.  I also have to tell you that some of these pictures are mine and some are not.  I traveled with others and we all shared our pictures and I have no idea whose is whose.  Hope my friends don't mind me posting!  These are in no particular order.

Malaga, Spain
Now, I am sure Spain has lots of gorgeous cities.  I have not traveled across Spain extensively so there very well might be much prettier cities that I have not seen.  I mean, Madrid sounds pretty awesome to me, but I've never been there.  Anyway, Malaga is on the very southern edge of Spain so close to Morocco that we hopped on a boat and got to take a day trip there as well.  Spain is beautiful.  I would go back there anytime, any place.  I loved it and will never forget it!

This is actually a picture from Morocco.  They had these pots all over the buildings and I thought they were the coolest things ever!

Wengen, Switzerland

Ok, I also haven't traveled across Switzerland extensively, but I have been to Salzburg and Zurich and Wengen kicks it butt.  GORGEOUS.  We were there at Christmas time so it was snow covered so that just made everything extra breath taking.  I seriously could post 20 photos.  But I won't.  I know these pictures are probably my friend Brooks' but she won't mind :)

Look at all that SNOW!  I don't even like snow, but I was awestruck.  It felt like we were in a magical land (you know, like those wardrobe kids).

Krakow, Poland

I only have one picture to share with you from Krakow.  It is of my friends.  Honestly, it is an awesome city and truly one of my favorites.  However, the reason I get all warm and fuzzy when I think about Krakow is because we spent cold rainy afternoons in this coffee shop (Tribeca) laughing and bonding and I will never, ever forget those wonderful moments in my life. 

I only wish my husband was in this picture with me (I am third from the left if you can't tell!).  He also spent many hours in this coffee shop, but I guess this day he was sight seeing or something :)

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is kind of a must to be included, isn't it?  If you have ever been there, you know what I mean.  There is just isn't another city in the world that is quite as cool as Prague.  From castles to bridges to shopping to eating, Prague is wonderful.  

Had to include this one since it's me and the hubs before we were dating!!  Just friends :)

Kosice, Slovakia

This city will absolute always make my awesome places list because I invested so much of my time there (2 years) and so much of my heart.  I love this land and I love the Slovak people and I always will.  If you ever go to Kosice, you must see the best of both worlds.  You must walk around the city and you also must hike in the High Tatra Mountains.  Both are amazing, but the mountains will literally take your breath away with their beauty. 

I could probably find a better picture to show you the High Tatras, but I've been writing this post awhile and I've got to get something else done before the littles wake up!

Did you notice...only one picture of a huge Gothic Cathedral??  Ok, one and a half.  I guess they just aren't my thing ;) Actually, they are quite beautiful, but I was trying to find more unique pictures.  

Do you have any favorite cities you would recommend to me?  I am open to US recommendations as well.  People get so caught up in traveling outside the US, that they don't travel at home.  And, the US is truly a place I should see more of sometime! :)

Nuremberg

When my mom left Germany to head back to the states, she flew out of Nuremberg so we decided to try to balance out the sadness of her leaving with a fun day trip just the four of us.  She left at 9am so that left us the rest of the day to explore and whatnot.  One of our army buddy's girlfriend was visiting from Ukraine so we invited them and hung out all day.  It was fun!  And I was so proud of the way me and Chris packed for both of the babies.  We didn't bring too much or too little.  We actually talked about what we should bring and we even packed the night before!  Ah, we are finally growing up ;)

Autumn telling her daddy to "Shhh" in the St Lorenzkirche (St. Lawrence's Church)

This is how Caleb saw Nuremberg.  Doesn't he look gigantic?!  He is only 7 months old!  He's got long lets like the rest of us.

Taken from the bridge in the middle of town.  It is a lovely smallish town.

Lunch...Autumn's getting ready to dump the sugar out.  I remember taking the picture and then yelling "NO'!  :)

Lunch actually was pretty crappy.  Not a good selection and over priced, but we tried to make the best out of it anyway!

Part of the fort I guess?  Sorry, I"m no history buff.

View from the top of the fort.

Pretty funny that Chris isn't holding either of his children in this picture!

Kaity and Autumn. I think it's pretty cute even though I have no idea what they are looking at :)

Only family portrait we got.  It's not great, but it's a memory!

There is this toy shop there called "Steiff".  I'm sure some of you have heard of it, but oh my goodness it is sooo expensive!  It must be like a badge of honor over here in Germany to own one kind of like FAO Schwartz in America.  This is the huge Steiff bear that was outside of the shop.  Of course Autumn loved it! (What 2 year old wouldn't?)

Overall, fun day, fun place!

The Countdown is On

We will soon be returning to America to visit family and then Hubby will return to Germany before deploying and I will stay in sweet sweet Tennessee.  Ahhhh, Tennessee.  I just love that word :)

Mostly, I'm freaking out because we have so much to do! I am mailing boxes back and trying to pack and trying to clean and do laundry and also don't forget I am taking care of a 14-month-old all day long! Plus I'm pregnant so not exactly at the top of my game.  One day at a time, right? 

I'm also freaking out about the trip home with our girl.   In case you missed the post about the trip over here, here you go: The Move Across The Pond.
It was, in a word, terrible.  And I am afraid events are going to repeat themselves.  They can't be that bad again, can they?  I refuse to re-read that post because I'm already worried about it and if I re-read it then it will just make things worse.   Babies are wonderful, but oh. my. word. they sure can run you through the ringer. 

In other news, I made finger puppets yesterday :)  I thought someone would be more impressed than she was, but oh well. She almost decapitated the butcher.  So now she can only play with the baker and the candlestick maker.

Alright, getting hungry.  It's time for second breakfast.  Actually, its lunchtime! I missed second breakfast today.  Dang!  Second breakfast is one of the major perks of being pregnant :)

Hope everyone has a great whatever today is! I'm off to eat and to pack!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was very army-ish.  It wasn't bad at all & honestly, I'm kind of glad it happened the way it did because it absolutely sums up our life right now. It is a really ususual, but fun memory. 

We are, as you know, living in a hotel in Germany while we wait for our new awesome apartment to get finished (only about a week left of waiting!).  In our room there is only a microwave & a mini fridge, but our friend's room has an actual stove.  I guess a dog trumps a baby in determining who gets the penthouse :)  We were originally going to spend Turkey Day in Prague, but at the last minute changed or minds & our friends invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner in their room.  We brought a pumpkin pie, vanilla ice cream, some wine, & bread (all bought of course!).  They provided turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, gravy, & bread as well.  It was sooooo yummy!  Baby Girl had sweet potatoes for the first time & loved them (later, she threw them up, but she loved them at first).  She wore her "First Thanksgiving" bib & was decked out in her cute fall clothes :)  It is such a fun memory!  After we fed Baby Girl we put her on the bed & let her play while we enjoyed our adult meal.  She was perfect!  Just played by herself while we ate.  We had such a good time. 

The next morning, we caught a train to Prague which was amazing as ever.  We just love that city!  It was different being there with a baby, but she was, once again, perfect!  We stayed right dowtown about a 5-minute walk from the Charles Bridge so when it was naptime we just went home & let her nap & then back out again.  We had delicious food, went to the Christmas market, had warm mulled wine, & roasted chestnuts while surrounded by Christmas lights & American Christmas carols!  It was amazing & I loved it.  It was COLD, but we all dressed appropriately & stayed comfortable.  We have this snowsuit for Baby Girl & it is hilarious.  We call her the "pink marshmellow" or the "toasted marshmellow" :)  It didn't matter how cold it got outside, when we took her out of that thing she was toasty warm! It's magical.  The only thing that got cold on her was her nose :) 

Note that this was the ONLY color they offered so although Pepto Bismal is not my favorite color, it was our only option.  I told Hubby I'm glad we have a girl because they seriously did not offer anything else at the PX.  But Baby Girl looks stinkin' adorable even in Pepto Bismal pink :)



Hat & coffee are a must!





A happy duo :)

Our favorite Eastern European candy!!

The Move Across The Pond

I thought giving birth was the hardest thing I would ever have to do.  Nope.  I would rather have 5 babies than try to repeat Sunday's events. 
AWFUL.

Let's recap.
At Hubby's parents', before leaving the airport, everything went pretty well.  My dad didn't eat, but that is normal when he is nervous.  We had to say good-bye to Bella, but that was expected.  At the airport, my parents, Hubby's parents, & Hubby's godmother all cried when we left to board the plane.  That was expected, but still very hard.  I almost cried, but held it together.

Then the real fun started. As we were going through security, we were informed that they had closed the gate.  Were we late?  No.  Were we dawdling?  No.  Apparantly at that particular airport it is ok to leave early if they feel like it.  Anyway, so we dont have our shoes on & our stuff is still being scanned & we have to grab everything & RUN!  We almost got left!  Were it not for Hubby's godmother coming to the rescue, we wouldn't have made it.  Stressful already!

The plane from WV to DC was teeny tiny & hot & noisy.  Of course Baby Girl didn't sleep; so Hubby made her bottle while I held her (BTW: I had to start supplementing my nursing with formula).   It just so happened that the can of formula we brought was brand new.  So when he popped the tab it exploded from the change in air pressure and he got coated in baby formula!  :-)  We just looked at each other and laughed.  It was kind of a stress reliever after rushing onto the plane.  At that point we were still laughing at the bumps in the road.

Then we got to DC & boarded a much nicer plane.  At this point, I still had hope.  The plane was laid out with 2 seats near a window, an aisle, 5 seats in the midde, an aisle, & then 2 more seats by a window.  The 3 of us got the 3 middle seats in the row of 5. YAY!!  (That was sarcasm in case you missed it).  So we were wedged in the middle seats.  Baby Girl wouldn't sleep.  Instead, right before dinner was served & right after everyone got their drinks she pooped!  A green nasty poop.  So I then asked the awkward foreign pre-teen next to me to please let me out.  She was compliant, but unfortunately spilled her apple juice.  Just on the tray though, so it's no crisis.  OK, has anyone ever changed a diaper in an airplane bathroom?  Not fun.  Not even alright.  It's actually a total drag.

However, we got through it & headed back to our seat.  Baby Girl was getting sleepy at this point so we put her in her carseat & gave her a bottle in hopes that she would sleep.  It worked for about 2 hours.  She woke up sweating like crazy! We had a carseat blanket thingy on the carseat & I guess it works really well! She was burning up in there poor baby.  It will come in handy for Germany at least.  Well, that was all the sleep she got.  We played with her for awhile & let her watch some TV (desperate times call for desperate measures).
 
Then we landed & were the last people off the plane & the last people to get our luggage.  We had to go wait in this holding area with all the other army families arriving in Germany.  They told us that there would be somebody along to brief us very soon and that we needed to stay in the waiting area.  No time for food or phone calls.  So we wait & wait & wait. Wait for the briefing, wait for orders, wait and wait for the bus.  Baby Girl still hasn't slept.

Three plus hours later we got on the bus.  Guess what Baby Girl did?  She pooped.  AGAIN! yay.  I had no more clothes in her diaper bag & the rest of our stuff was under the bus.  She pooped SO MUCH that it leaked through her clothes.  So we changed her & just wrapped her up in a blanket. Then a little later, Baby Girl lost her cool in a big, big way.  She SCREAMED her little heart out.  I felt so bad.  I felt bad for her because she was so exhausted & I felt bad for the entire rest of the bus trying to sleep.
 
Hubby finally calmed her down by standing in the aisle and singing to her till she fell asleep.  So she FINALLY took a nap.  When the bus stopped for McDonalds, we (ok, Hubby, not me) dug through her clothes under the bus to find something to wear.  Because of her nap she was in a good mood at this point, thank goodness.  About an hour later I realized that I was sitting on butt paste.  Yes, the tube of butt paste was under me and I got butt pasted.  It was not only all over me, but all over the seat and even on Hubby.  Great.  Then when we're cleaning up the mess, we ran out of wipes.  Great.

FINALLY, like 8 billion hours later, we arrived in the place where we are temporarily staying.  Luckily there was someone there to drive our stuff, but unluckily me & Hubby & Baby Girl had to walk 3 blocks in the cold to our hotel.  I know, it's not that far, but all 3 of us were so tired we could barely drag our feet.  And, THEN, when we got to the hotel we were talking to Hubby's sponsor and found out that Hubby has to go to the field for 3 months before he deploys.  Excellent.  I lost my marbles.  I just wanted to go back home so bad.
 
One last thing.  This actually put things in perspective for me.  When we called home from the hotel to let family know we made it safe I found out that a very close relation of mine has melanoma.  Suddenly, living in Germany didn't seem too bad after all. 
  
Now, we have orgainzed our hotel home & we're ok for awhile.  Hopefully, we will get an apartment before Thanksgiving & also meet some people soon!   

Forks!

I am so sorry I've been MIA! Life tends to get in the way of my blogging :)
Anyway, so my goooaaalll is to post daily until I catch up. I have to finish vacation first....which leads us to Forks!!

Forks is so cool! Not really cool cuz it's a little teeny town without much going on but, I mean, it's Forks! We took a day trip down there from Seattle & had a TON of fun!

Here's some pics: