Adventures in the Land of the Not Quite Right...

Happy Birthday to you....

2012-02-07T17:23:00.002+01:00

It's not much, but I'm sure she'll love it! We love you Honey!!

ohhhhh, we're halfway there! ohhhhhh, livin' on a prayer!!!

2012-01-27T20:52:00.005+01:00

Yours truly. Would you believe that I actually wear this sweatshirt with normal clothes, and I own two others. Maybe I am stuck in the 90s?

Playing catch up with pictures of my little man...

Oh how I love that goofy boy, meltdowns and all.

The crazy angels

She wanted to wear neon hoop earrings so bad. I just wasn't ready for that.

He was SO proud of knocking down one pin!

Wonderful surprise gifts from the battalion commander and his wife. They were filled with 'hugs and kisses.' So sweet to think of us!

Seeing his daddy on the screen really upset this little guy. His momma too.

Emma came crying soon after as well...They never act like the deployment upsets them, but clearly tonight I was able to see that.

Sweet Gari-Ann is always behind the camera, I caught her in my frame this time!

"Six months shot down" Apache wives are cool too...

My loves. I would probably be drowning without them.

Hillary was Iceman from Top Gun!!! So original and awesome!!!

That's right, we are officially 6 months down in this deployment! To celebrate we had a bowling party with an 80s/90s theme! I think the best part was shopping for all the accessories! As I was getting Emma dressed for the big event, she had the nerve to ask why we used to dress this way?! Girl, you don't know! Neon, side ponytails, crimped hair and workout attire were the best! And I was Emma's age when it was all in style, but my mom knew what the trends were! Mason and Emma had pretty long days at school so meltdowns were expected and came in full force before the end of the night. Even with the tears, we had a wonderful evening with great friends. The guys had put together a slide show of pics for us, and let's just say there wasn't a dry eye in the house...even just normal patrons in the bowling alley were crying. My precious Emma had a hard time seeing Daddy on the screen and remembering that he was far, far away. Enough sadness, let's see some neon!!!

beautiful ballerina

2012-01-26T19:49:00.004+01:00

I feel like I only have pictures of Emma. My problem is the 50 prime lens that I have takes a beautiful shot, but if the tiniest movement occurs it becomes out of focus. So....you see where this is going with Mason. He's like flash lightening in the ones I've tried to capture of him. I promise to try harder...we do have bowling pics coming up tomorrow!

What we did this week...

2012-01-22T12:50:00.003+01:00

Disclaimer: I am in love with the new lens that Dave got me...I have A LOT of learning to do, but so far it has done nothing but impress me!

Well this week was a bit of a whirlwind, but we survived! The spring semester of grad school started Monday and on Tuesday I started my new job as an aide. My classes seem like they are going to have very few projects/exams so that is great and the I love my students that I work with now. Of course we still had ballet this week and I was able to snap some pics of Miss Em. She also read her very first 1st grade level book this week! She is now taking tests (accelerated reader) after completing her books, so that is a big step for her! We are very proud of our little bookworm. Mason is doing very well at his German school, speaking more Germglish at home which is quite hilarious. Our halfway party for the deployment is this weekend and I am EXCITED! Not only because it's downhill from here, but the party is 80s themed! I can't wait to share pictures from that! Neon and workout apparel, two things I still love dearly! :) We are getting very excited for these next few months because we have not only one, but two visitors coming! Grandma will be coming in March and these babies cannot wait! Then in May, Chelsea will be coming for an extended summer visit! In between classes, work and children I have been researching hotels, trips, etc. for my visitors. I cannot wait to have them both here!

:)

2012-01-18T21:06:00.000+01:00

Mix match day...

2012-01-18T07:03:00.002+01:00

Emma put this together all on her own! And she hates to not match...it will probably bother her all day long!

Spirit Week...

2012-01-17T07:13:00.002+01:00

Crazy hat day for Miss Em.

Back to reality...

2012-01-09T12:36:00.003+01:00

Dave left a handful of days ago and has already made it back to his base. Sad and depressed doesn't even begin to describe my mood. We did have the most fabulous R&R ever though. We just lived, no worries, no itineraries, just lived in the moment. We loved every single second of it. The kids are doing remarkably well after the second goodbye. Emma was pretty bummed the first 48 hrs but perked up at the thought of Daddy being home in the summer! Mason keeps asking if we can go pick Daddy up from the airport, poor guy. He must think that Dave is just sitting at the airport waiting on us. Soon after all this, I was blessed with a stomach bug that I am still trying to get over. Hopefully my loves will not catch this one because....Momma is a working woman now! I accepted the special education aide job at Emma's school, so not only do I get to see her more during the day but I HAVE A JOB! The best part, it's only part time so I think I will still be able to keep my 4.0 through grad school this semester. Sorry I have zero pictures, but I couldn't take any of the airport sadness and being sick kind of played a part in that too. Dave did buy me a new camera lens, so I am sure I will be showing off lots of pictures as soon as it arrives! Love to you all!

Back to vacation photos...

2012-01-01T20:10:00.002+01:00

Our 5 days at the Edelweiss resort were incredible! I love being in the Alps and the downtown area reminds me so much of being in Colorado, but with really good German food! Dave was able to snowboard while we were there and the kids and I spent basically every day at the pool. Emma has begged me since our last visit to the resort if she could get in the hot tub. I figured she would hate being out in the cold (since the hot tub is outside) but both kids LOVED it. We had to drag them out each time! We also had the chance to visit Innsbruck, Austria and it was really cool! Of course, I hated having to leave housekeepers, prepared meals, pools, room service, etc. but we did have to return home and resume normal lives...all good things must come to an end!

Check out the snow behind us! The kids and I actually sat outside in the hot tub in blizzard conditions at one point!

love

This was the view from our balcony at the resort...

We made a pit stop at the Hofbrau house in Munich. Best german food/atmosphere!

I had a slight panic attack when Dave had them sit here. I just knew Mason was going to tumble down into the unknown...

No lie, my children just had to make snow angels as soon as we reached the summit of the Zuhgspitz.

awww Innsbruck, how I loved you.

Bring on 2012!

2012-01-01T20:01:00.002+01:00

A few moments before the countdown to the new year...

Yes, I danced on my friend's couch for most of the night...just like a club but with children running around...

Our princess...fearless

Mason held the flame a little further away...good boy.

I had a pretty amazing 2011, I can only imagine what 2012 holds for us!

2011-12-27T16:52:00.001+01:00

Frohe Weihnachten!

2011-12-25T09:35:00.003+01:00

Just here to share a few pictures of our Christmas! We are packing up today to spend a week in the Alps so I knew I needed to get these up for everyone to see. Thank you to all who sent presents, you made our Christmas so special with your heartfelt and meaningful gifts! Our family is truly blessed! We love and miss you all! Merry Christmas!

Dave and the kids made gingerbread cookies for Santa (Dave said he requested them)

Mason getting a little help, he was piling the icing on!

Emma believes she is a pro at this...

First glimpse of what Santa had left...Mason's pirate castle is hidden by Emma

Oh Lincoln Logs for Dave and Mason! ;)

Waiting patiently....

Daddy I got a gun!!!

sorry mom...

2011-12-22T09:07:00.001+01:00

the camera card reader ate my pictures...I took a gazillion pics of Emma's dance performance last night and was left with just one after transferring them over. At least this one is a doozy! ;) Love you all!

Daddy's home!

2011-12-20T09:04:00.001+01:00

Eating Brats in Nuremberg

Right after landing, they are glued to his side...

Patiently waiting with their signs...

2011-12-16T07:50:00.002+01:00

I took a lot of time off! The last few weeks have been filled with farewell dinners, Christmas parties, finals, projects, Kinder projects, etc. But I am glad to say that all that craziness is OVER! I am also very happy to say that our time with Dave will begin very soon! I hope I haven't jinxed myself with that, but should be arriving within the week, I hope. :) I'm including some videos because I have been horrible with taking pictures lately. Hope you enjoy them!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSCC7oCoPZs

(This is the commercial that we filmed with General Hertling and his wife Sue)

(This is the song that Kindergarten sang during their Bugz Christmas performance. They were termites who were very, very hungry!)

2011-11-29T07:58:00.002+01:00

Last night I had the pleasure of joining a small group from our military community to celebrate the month of the military family. The guest speaker was Sue Hertling, wife to General Hertling. That name might sound familiar because we have had the honor of meeting with GEN Hertling once before! If you remember correctly, he even took a liking to Emma and her giant bow. Sue sent our unit information about the wonderful Battalion Buddies that the kids were given right after Dave's deployment started. The event was amazing and we even got to take part in the Hertling's holiday greeting to our deployed troops! Emma stole the show during that as well, but I am waiting for a youtube link so I can share it with you all! Mrs. Hertling spoke to the crowd about the importance of supporting your solider, but of also supporting each other. This is so true when living overseas far away from your regular family. I would be lost without my military family, at every duty station! The girls in Korea helped me to become the person I am today, optimistic about every opportunity! My wonderful girls in Colorado became the very best girlfriends I could ever ask for, as well as family friends! My girls here in Germany, well they are everything. To say you can survive a deployment alone is a lie. Mrs. Hertling spoke of a scene from the Sex and the City movie about the unspoken connection between friends Miranda and Carrie. Miranda didn't have to tell Carrie that she needed her company, Carrie just knew. And my girls just know, and I know that about them. It's amazing to be able to share this journey and bond with them and I am one very lucky girl for that! Don't think I forgot about my 'real' families in the states, you guys are amazing too!!!

What we did this week...

2011-11-27T16:49:00.003+01:00

Remember this guy?? Funny, Emma is wearing the same hat, scarf and jacket from last year's picture!!

The kids really love to take funny face pictures for some reason...

The stairs lead to the wall that surrounds the city of Rothenburg

I convinced them to take a nice one...I'm so jealous of those baby blues!!!

Aside from our huge Thanksgiving celebration, we tried to keep the rest of the weekend low key. We hit up the Schweinfurt bazaar (which sucked) and their px for Christmas goodies. Luckily, I was able to get some things at the exchange, so that made up for the lack luster bazaar! Today we ventured out to the Rothenburg Christmas market today and I think it grew from last year! We also ran into the very same St. Nicklaus from last year as well! I love tasting all the yummy treats and collecting my gluhwein mugs! I just order hot chocolate instead of the nastiness...lol! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your families, I was lucky enough to talk to all of ours, plus dave and celebrate with some wonderful ladies! I am so very thankful for those of you that still like to keep up with us!!

Thanksgiving...Army and German style!

2011-11-25T18:59:00.004+01:00

It's not Thanksgiving until you burn the marshmallows!

Everyone lining up their prized dishes! YUM!

A candy stand at the Christmas market

Emma enjoying her hot chocolate like a big girl..

oodles of snow globes!

This is the Playmobil princess castle that Emma asked Santa for...little does she know it's sitting in our basement storage room! :)

Lebkuchen. German gingerbread!

My precious and I in front of the Kathe Wolfhart store. She looks confused, but it was very cold out! We left Mason at the German kindergarten for the day...good decision.

Crepes are amazing!!! I ordered one with cinnamon and sugar.

This year since all the men are away, Charlie Company had Thanksgiving dinner at our house! We packed the house with wives and children and TONS of food! It was a great time together with the girls and to really be thankful that we have created our own family here in Germany. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a die hard Black Friday fan. I don't always have crazy items to fight for, it's more about the tradition for me. Well, Germans don't do black friday so I have made my own tradition of going to the opening day of the Nuremberg Christmas market on 'black friday.' I go on this day because it's less crowded and the real winter weather hasn't really hit yet! Today was FREEZING! But no snow or ice, so that was great! I didn't find any great crafty things but I did get my annual gluhwein mug sans gluhwein. It's comparable to hot wine with some odd spices, yuck. We did indulge in some Starbucks and retail therapy in the big city though! Our good friend Miss Gari-Ann came joined us as well! Tomorrow we are hitting up the international bazaar at a nearby base, I can't include pictures of that because they might contain gifts to be given at some point... :) I also just made a 5 day reservation for our family at Edelweiss Resort while Dave is home on mid tour! Hopefully we won't have to revisit the German hospital again while there!

Happy Early Thanksgiving!!!

2011-11-23T07:22:00.002+01:00

Just a photo to share our turkey shirts with you! Our wonderful friend in Colorado Springs whipped these up for the kiddies! We hope that you have a wonderful day of Thanks with your families! We are celebrating with our Charlie's Angels (our company's nickname for the spouses) since we are all without our hubby's this holiday. We miss and love you all!!!

What we did this week...late...

2011-11-14T17:36:00.003+01:00

After the lantern parade. It was freezing! Winter decided to show it's face in Bavaria I guess!

A proud little man. Last year he was with the 'baby' class and I had to walk with him on the parade, but this year I dropped him off! I had to walk with the other parents and pray that he wasn't going to light anything on fire while out of my view!

Checking out the flame. The two boys next to him are American as well and his best friends at school!

These are old, but I don't think I posted anything but her video. She had a parent night a few weeks ago to showcase all they had learned so far.

I meant to have this up yesterday but our day turned into mush pretty quickly after sleeping through my alarm. I know it was a Sunday, but we had planned to try out the chapel on post and yesterday was just not our day. The good thing is Sunday's usually come once a week so I think we're good! ;) The school has had me working A LOT lately and just recently they asked me to apply for a permanent position. The job would be working one on one with special needs children, which I basically already do since I sub for those ladies A LOT! This job would really help me with some of my graduate coursework as well, so that was awesome! I should hear from the principal soon about interviews and such, so cross your fingers! We have parent/teacher conferences coming up this week so it will be interesting to see what Emma's teachers have to say about our princess! Mason also had his lantern parade at the German school this last weekend. The best part, in just over a month we get to see our most favorite person in the whole wide world. NOT Santa, but Dave/Daddy! We are super excited to have him home for his mid-tour leave!!!

German Lantern Parade

2011-11-11T19:11:00.002+01:00

Every year, the German kindergarten has a lantern parade. I have yet to find the real reason they do this. Last year I thought it was to welcome St. Nick but this year the lanterns were decorated like cats, mice, dragons and bats...so I'm no help! Here is a video of Mason trying really hard to give his mother a heart attack with an open flame. Yes, the lanterns ALL have lit candles in them, even the babies! Europeans are much more trusting of their children than us uptight Americans! :)

2011-11-04T14:57:00.003+01:00

This is Emma's parent night at Tap. There really are no words for what you are about to witness. I will say, Emma's tap video was much better than the ballet video! Just make sure you have gone to the bathroom(you might pee your pants) and are not drinking anything(or spit your drink out from laughing) while watching this video.... :)

What we did this week...

2011-10-30T16:50:00.004+01:00

A lot happened this week, so that means...you get a lot of photos!! Yay! I am proud to report that no one had to visit a hospital this week, although I contemplated having my mental status checked a few times! ;) These pictures are backwards...so if you want to play out the week in the right order, go to the bottom. If not, continue on!

Um, hello! This cutie won $50 for having the best costume EVER!! Her mom pretty much rocks. :) And she knows how to sew now too.

The kids said I had to dress up as well, so meow...

Charlie Company's wonderful candy apple booth at the Howloween Fest. We sold out!!! Making money to have a wonderful welcome home party for our guys!

I guess Buzz needed a snack?

He had his eyes closed for every.single.picture I took before the fest. Oh well, he needed a cat nap.

Emma's last soccer game, thank you Baby Jesus.

I guess you can't celebrate All Hallows Eve anymore at school, so Emma's class had a pumpkin party!

Which meant everyone brought pumpkin snacks...a little much I thought, but the kids (everyone except Emma of course) loved all the goodies!

Mason really wanted everyone to see me stuffing my face with cupcakes, they were the ones I made for the PTSA, so he took like a million photos at the Hoedown...this was the best one. :)

So I got him back, he didn't seem to care as much as me.

Emma's Hoedown stage. The dances and songs were all so cute!!!

Tap has been added to Emma's dance schedule, let's just say she has the skills for making some noise!

Oh the tongue is out again! It's hard to concentrate I guess!

Buzz in all his glory...

2011-10-28T08:02:00.002+02:00

Aunt Brenda, I tried really hard to get him to enunciate his words! He was just giddy from getting to put the costume back on before Halloween!! :) He is also talking about 'boogers' because he sneezed just before this and had a mess on his face! Boys!

For your Thursday night viewing pleasure...

2011-10-27T20:12:00.002+02:00

Emma performing during her elementary Hoedown. Not sure why we had a hoedown, but we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! :)

Christmas Card preview...

2011-10-24T08:44:00.003+02:00

Because I'm sure it's not just my mom who is dying to sneak a peek!

What we did this week...

2011-10-24T08:27:00.003+02:00

A Bavarian mural painted on the side of the resort. Can you find Emma and Mason? :)
Mason, after lots of tylenol/Motrin, at sunset in front of the Alps!
Someone is feeling much better!
Emma would have stayed in the pool all day!
Poor little man in the hospital! He did think his I.V. splint was super cool though!

Well, sorry for the absence again. We ventured to Edelweiss Lodge and Resort this weekend for a family retreat. It was a bit awkward in the classes because it was all couples and then our small group of wives, but I found most of the lessons to be really insightful! The chapel hosted the retreat and for attending, our rooms and most meals were covered! It was a great mini vacation, but of course it wouldn't be a real vacation without some drama! Mason started running a fever and acting kind of funny very early Saturday morning so I rushed him to the German hospital in town, well the German taxi driver did. He was SO kind too, he carried Mason all bundled in blankets into the hospital for me and even came back to pick us up later! What a wonderful little man he was! He also gave Mason some candy in the taxi for being so brave. The E.R. wanted to admit Mason, but changed their minds as soon as his fever was controllable and he returned to his silly Mason self. He was talking to them in German, so I think that was a good sign. Mason was instructed to stay on a strict pain reliever/fever reducer schedule for the next 48 hours and eventually perked up enough to play with the other kids. It was scary for a bit, and I'm sure I scared his father with my cryptic messages, but all is better now. Mason actually goes back to his own doctor today to have his white blood cell count tested again. Back to the resort, we got to spend an entire afternoon in the indoor heated pool ALONE! I'm not sure where all the families were, but we didn't care! It was a great time and we even had childcare throughout the weekend at various times! We have a lot of Halloween events coming this weekend, so be prepared for multiple posts and pictures! Oh and Emma has requested to do more videos, so be on the look out for her! :)

A tad bit Patriotic are we...

2011-10-20T15:32:00.002+02:00

The Happiest Place on Earth...kind of.

2011-10-10T17:56:00.007+02:00

beautiful at night!

Main Street at night

Can you spot some pink princess ears?

All Mason and Emma wanted to do at the end of the night was ride the carousel!

Loved the Halloween decor!!!

It finally stopped raining so we could take pictures with our ears! Mason didn't want to be part of this...

Emma was chosen by a 'bad guy' during the parade...suits her well I suppose! haha

Mason waited all day to see this man, and boy was the smile on his face BIG!

I remember seeing the green army men when I went to disney years ago!!

She was pointed to the boy next to us, but Emma loved it!

The parade is starting!

Patiently waiting....

Beautiful princess/mouse/girl...

By this time, Mason wanted nothing to do with us or our family photos...

Yes, he's trying to sleep on the curb.

The kids loved the Pirates ride so much, we did it twice!

Check out Mason's wet pants! It rained a lot, but we made the best of it!

He could have shot aliens all day long!

The kids just had to go to Pizza Planet, my fault for telling them about it, and it did not live up to the movie legend. The kids still loved it though!

Emma and Gari on the teacups, I did not participate here. :)

First ride of the day, It's a Small World. Mason was terrified, but quickly warmed up to the idea of rides being in the dark...

I'll say sorry ahead of time for this being brief and for not blogging for so long. We've had a few weeks where morning suddenly became night and Monday morphed into Sunday all in the blink of an eye. This past weekend we made a spur of the moment decision to visit EuroDisney in Paris, France! It was awesome, despite the pouring rain for the first half of the day! We traveled to Ramstein Air Base where we spent the night and caught an early morning bus (4 a.m.!) that dropped us right at Mickey's doorstep. Our good friend Gari-Ann was a trooper and made the trip with us! She loves the mouse more than the kids I think! She was a great help with the kids and they loved having her along for the ride. Emma's best moment of the day, riding Big Thunder Mountain. I believe her actual words were, "This is awesome!!!!!" Mason's best moment of the day, falling asleep on the sidewalk, haha kidding! No he really did that waiting for the parade to start. His favorite is a tie between lunch at Pizza Planet (from Toy Story) and riding the Buzz Lightyear ride. I tried to buy him mouse ears but he refused and accepted a pez dispenser instead, lol. Boys. The trip was great, the kids slept and we rode every ride we wanted or at least tried to! Emma told me today she didn't want to tell Daddy how much fun she had, because she didn't want him to be sad. I think he was ok missing this fast and furious trip, but will definitely make the next one!!! I hope the pictures can make up for my absence over the last month!!! They aren't the best quality because I didn't take our nice camera and it was dreary out!

mid-week quickie...

2011-09-14T20:57:00.003+02:00

It is late and I have visions of counseling theories bouncing in my head...so this will be short and sweet. Emma started ballet tonight! I think it went well, she said she loved it and showed me all her moves! I can tell right now that this girl is going to take after her Aunt Cha-Cha. She has some mean moves on the soccer field and can run like the wind, her plies might need a little work. But I'm probably going to be the worst ballet mom ever given my history with it! Enjoy the pics!!

What we did this week...

2011-09-11T14:23:00.004+02:00

She got to be the goalie for the last 2 minutes of the game...she thought she was hot stuff!
she has the ball in this picture, but I couldn't really get a good shot through all the kids...
After she was pelted in the face...she cried for a minute and then asked if she still got to play...love her!

Emma and her teachers!
Her spot on the listening carpet is the moon...
Go Moe Go!
He is a determined little guy!

well, we made it through our first week of Kindergarten! We also made it through the first week of soccer madness. Emma and mason both had two practices this week along with a game each. I am happy to say that we all survived, well Emma stopped the ball with her face, but she's fine. We also had Emma's open house this week at school. She was so excited to show off her classroom and journal book. She spent the entire time in her classroom working on her drawing in that book! haha. She is a very detailed person. It's good to know we made through another week, and a busy one at that! Next week we add Ballet to that mix...oh yeah and a 3 child birthday party... :)

the day my baby turned into a big girl...

2011-09-06T19:24:00.003+02:00

Ok, so these got completely out of order and I am way too exhausted to fix it! Sorry!! Today, my princess started Kindergarten! I know, I know...she's been in German school for the last year, but that was like a block from my house and I could pick her up whenever I wanted to. Now, she is riding the bus to a school on the Army post 10 minutes away! Gahh!!! She was so excited when she got up this morning and the feeling continued until she got in line for her class. I thought the flood gates were going to open, because a few around us already had, so I calmed her down and reminded her about all the fun, new things she would get to do. She regained her composure and the smile quickly returned! I think it bothered her a bit that so many Daddy's were there as well, but she is such a strong girl and never once pouted or complained. Although she did ask if Daddy would ever get to see her classroom. Lucky for Daddy, open house is this week as well! I have a lot of friends who work at the school and all gave good reports for Emma's first day, as I knew she would LOVE it! I was a bit worried about the bus ride, but they have an attendant who rides with the little ones and helps them on and off the bus! Love it!! She quickly rushed home to show me the book order form(Scholastic!!! Brings back SO many memories!) and her homework folder. She was on it! Then we were off to soccer...this is going to be one busy fall! But that means the time will fly by until Dave is back for RnR!!

Mason waiting patiently for Emma at the bus stop...I made muffins and they were divine!!
You were expecting a yellow school bus? Not in Germany my friends...Emma rides in style!
Walking home from the bus stop!
Finally got some soccer pics for Daddy of his princess!
He is so proud of the progress she is making! I think we have an athlete in the making...
Official first day photo! I downloaded through grade 12 so I can continue this tradition with the kids! Love the signs!!

Lining up with the other kids outside...check out all the parents...they practically ran inside when the teachers announced that we could come in the classroom today!
Pretty girl found her seat!
The PTSA had a Boo-Hoo party for the Kinder parents and these were our parting gifts, a packet of tea to help us relax on the first day of school and a cotton ball to remind us of the softness/gentleness of our children. Talk about some tears!!

just a peek...

2011-09-06T10:41:00.001+02:00

what we did this week...

2011-09-04T12:33:00.003+02:00

Mason's favorite part of practice, stretching...
Believe it or not...there is only one hole behind that bulletin board that was a mistake...
busy busy busy
VA being so considerate to allow me to use my own benefits...now if they would just start paying me we could all be happy...

This will be short because as you can tell from the previous post, we have entered the storm. So far, the storm has been kind but we know that can change at any moment! I'm catching up on my classes during this long four day weekend so if I stay on the computer too long, I'll be too distracted to go back to studying...haha. I don't have any soccer pictures of Emma yet, but I promise to snap some of her this week. We had our first day of dual kid practices and it went well, we are lucky to have our neighbors on the same team so they just walk Emma down to Mason's field when her practice is over. Mason is still iffy about soccer, he likes it for about 10 min and then wants his sticker(they get stickers for staying for the entire practice). I hung a bulletin board this week to I can keep track of our controlled chaos and I'm really enjoying looking at it rather than flipping through my planner or phone calendar. I also received my award letter from VA that they approve of my graduate program and will allow me to use my benefits to pay for it, thanks VA! Emma starts BIG school on Tuesday and I think she is finally ready, mom...not so much. But I do go in next week to sign my sub paperwork so I will be able to see her occasionally. Mason will be going to the German school for the same time that Emma is at the big school, so that will be a big jump for him. I am testing his levels of crankiness here. The weeks are flying by and we love it! I hate wishing time away, but I miss my husband and I know he misses his babies!

the calm before the storm...

2011-08-30T19:23:00.002+02:00

the storm I like to call our lives that is! I'm not sure what I was thinking when I signed both Emma and Mason up for soccer this fall. Probably that they both would enjoy it and it would be a fun after school activity for them? I think I forgot to factor in games, practices, snacks and oh yeah that I am missing the other adult in this family! Oh and on top of this, Emma starts ballet in two weeks! So on Tuesday and Thursday both kids have soccer practice, on different ends of the game fields, Mason has games on Friday night, Emma plays on Saturday afternoon and dance class is Wednesday night. Throw in a few graduate seminars, FRG meetings and the fact that Emma will be attending a REAL school and we might have created a monster of a storm! Oh well, we like chaos and being busy I guess. This will definitely test my level of planning and organizational skills. Whew! I'm tired from typing this out! Here are a few pics of little man doing his best "david beckham" pose. hahaha.

what we did this week...early addition!

2011-08-26T10:01:00.003+02:00

I'm having to update you all today because the kids and I, plus one super sitter, are heading to Ramstein AB this weekend for my very first Masters seminar. To say that I'm nervous is an understatement, but I am also very excited! Ramstein is home to the largest military exchange in Europe, probably the world...but I'm not sure. As much as I am excited to some very needed shopping at their PX and commissary, I don't know how much free time I will have! But I have researched the hours for each and determined that it can be worked out! haha! The kids and I also celebrated my birthday this week, I'm pretty sure I had food poisoning on my birthday, but it was still a wonderful day with them. The kids started back to the German school this week and boy did they miss it! Emma only goes until the 31st of August and then she is done, which is kind of sad since she loves this school! I think she is starting to get excited about the 'big' American school though and it doesn't start until September 6th!

I believe it is German tradition to make these 'school kid' cones for children that will be starting their first year of formal school(Kindergarten). Since Emma has been attending class with the German kids who will be attending the big German school next month, she was included in this cute tradition! Inside the cone, adults put candy, surprises and school supplies! So cute! Emma also made this cone in her class!!
Each student was able to pick out a 'theme' for their cone, of course Emma picked the fairy princess!
Emma with her wonderful teachers! I'm not sure there will be a dry eye on the last day of school for her! These ladies have been more than wonderful in helping incorporate Emma into the German kindergarten and exposing her to the language! Susanne, Sophia & Marianne
Mason's normal sleeping arrangement...I have to tell each one goodnight, give kisses, hugs and tuck them in...correctly. Mason will let me know if I the 'tucking in' wasn't up to par. :)
Mason with his two loves, Daddy and Bumblebee...life is complete for this little man, for right now at least...
The Daddy Dolls came in the mail this week and I was a bit worried about the reactions. Emma really misses Dave so I wasn't sure if it would make her more sad or upset, but she was very happy to see his face! I really had no clue how Mason would react, he still thinks that Daddy is going to walk in the door at the end of the day and that is hard for him to comprehend. He seemed pretty excited to play with Daddy and even more excited to see Daddy and Bumblebee play together! Boys!
Honey sent this great book that I had wanted for a while! It is a great tradition to start with the kids!
Who is going to be the cutest kid at school? This girl. Her backpack is amazing!!! I want it.

busy busy bees are we

2011-08-24T07:54:00.002+02:00

My new textbooks for the first grad class...very exciting!!!
This has been a popular week for mail in our house! We are SPOILED ROTTEN! I'll show you what we got later on...
I did want to include these beauties. Emma is having the birthday party of the century next month and both sets of grandparents are supplying special treats and favors...these came from Honey yesterday. She is going to be SO excited...

what we did this week...

2011-08-20T23:02:00.003+02:00

I made these babies for our weekly girls dinner night. This night should not be confused with our weekly pizza night! These are red velvet brownies with cream cheese frosting...yummo!!!
My sweet friend Linda made me a faux cap and diploma since I wasn't able to walk in the UMUC commencement ceremony, they only have one and it was in May...so this leads to....(see next pic!)
Fun graduation modeling photos that my mother would take of me! Instead, I did self photos...haha. Here I am with my diploma....
And the lovely cap...

Sorry for the lack of photos and fun information this week, it was kind of rushed! I was trying to wrap up my last two finals before I was officially considered 'complete' with my undergraduate! Sometime next month I will be the proud recipient of a Bachelors of Science in Social Science! woot woot! This truly would not have been possible without the endless support from my family and friends, sure I did the work but they cheered me on! And watched my kids and helped when I stuck on paper topics and answered surveys and the list goes on! I start my graduate program on Monday and I honestly say that I am EXCITED! A bit nervous about being back in a 'real' classroom but super excited to learn about the world of counseling! I will only be taking one course this first session so I expect to have lots more time on my hands to blog and take pictures! I am trying to get some pictures from Dave so we can show you a bit of his day to day operations in the sand. Oh and the birthday party of the century is being planned for a very special princess so be ready for that picture overload!!!

the day we had coffee with a General...

2011-08-15T17:04:00.003+02:00

Today General Hertling traveled to our small post in the back-country of Bavaria to probably do some other important Army business, but wanted to stop in and check on our group of spouses. I think VIPs are checking in on us often because we are just a company deployed in support of a whole different unit, not our own...so it's sort of unique I guess? It is really nice that they think of us though. His wife had suggested the organization that donated the Battalion Buddies that I blogged about before, so all the kiddos brought their bears in for him to see. He didn't make a huge speech or to-do which I thought was very considerate of him, he acknowledged that we all had small children who were antsy, hungry, needed the potty and so on. Emma did win him over with her toothless grin and sweet southern bow. So, he just had to hug her. I don't blame him, she gets away with a lot in this house.

what we did this week...

2011-08-14T11:30:00.005+02:00

Another week down! This last week pretty much flew by because we had things scheduled everyday, from playgroups to coffee to pizza night. I turned in the last term paper for my undergrad and I have to say it feels pretty amazing! Ask me again next week though, when I am reading through my syllabus for my first grad class, lol! We were able to also have what has become a weekly get-together at our house last night. Bad Lyndsay, I have NO pictures from it! I really love having them on the weekends because I find that those are the days that drag the slowest. We had some amazing food, company and even played a hilarious word game that had us all feeling less than stellar in the brains department! Here are the pictures from our week!

A very happy girl after getting to shake hands with the cast of the USO Sesame Street show!
The USO put on a FREE show for military kids with the cast of Sesame Street, it was about a little girl having to move to a new base and leave her friends behind...very fitting.
Mason was very excited about the show, but not so comfortable with the characters coming too close to him!
What happens after the toy gets too close to your face...see picture below.
When the kids walked into the show, the USO volunteers handed out these great light up toys, until the kids figured out they could spin really fast...Emma wrapped my hair up in hers and Mason hit himself in the face multiple times with his...lol.
Emma wanted to choose dinner one night, so she picked a spinach, cheese and bacon tortellini bake. I love that she is such a good eater!!!
Posing during the Marshmallow fight...
Mason proceeded to shoot me, then gave me kisses. I guess that makes up for it?
He was very 'into' pelting his sister with the marshmallows...
On Tuesday nights, a little gasthaus down the road from our town has a discount pizza night. So, we have made it our girls night out, with children of course. I LOVE their pizza, as you can see not much is left of this one! The owner is very sweet and sets aside a section of the restaurant for us girls to take over for a few hours. He also makes this wonderful hot sauce that compliments the pizza perfectly! I know you are thinking, hot sauce and pizza? It works, I promise.

do the slugs like marshmallows?

2011-08-10T15:07:00.002+02:00

We will find out this week, that's for sure! Side note, the children are wearing jackets because the high this week is....60. Oh, summer I would tell you that I miss you and to come back...but you were really never here! :)

what we did this week...

2011-08-07T15:01:00.005+02:00

Biggest news of the week???

We got to snip one of these off!!!

Well, we survived our first week into this deployment! I knew we would, but it seemed to drag at times. This was also the last week of school before the German school break. The kids will be out for two weeks before returning for the new school year. Emma is schooling it up, she will attend the last week of August at the German school before moving onto Kindergarten on post. She is a bit nervous about leaving her German friends behind but I think she is excited for 'real' school as well. I had lots of get togethers with my girlfriends this week, I think we needed things to look forward to, so we just made up excuses to meet up! Last night was a dance party using the Xbox Kinnect. I'm just glad there is no video evidence of my performance to Lady Gaga's Poker Face! I think the kids enjoy getting together as well because they can all relate to missing Daddy. Rio was purchased this week, and if you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for???!?! It is by far the cutest animated film I have seen in a while, and trust me...I see them ALL. I really like the latin soundtrack too. Dave is doing well, flying a lot, but that is his job. School is winding down for me, but not for too long! My first graduate class starts an entire day after I graduate with my Bachelors of Science in Social Science. An entire day off, who would have though?! No, I am very thankful because I am able to have this paid for through my veteran's benefits.

These two were supposed to be in time out on the stairs...but ended up playing around and trying to win me over...
some special gifts arrived last week that I've been hiding until I get the "I'm bored!!!" during their school break...I expect to hear it within the next 24 hours...
Yummy cherry coconut cupcakes I made for the dance party...I can use coconut in everything now that Dave isn't here to tell me how disgusting it is. :)
Mason had some asthma issues this week, but is much better!

Well, we survived our first week into this deployment! I knew we would, but it seemed to drag at times. This was also the last week of school before the German school break. The kids will be out for two weeks before returning for the new school year. Emma is schooling it up, she will attend the last week of August at the German school before moving onto Kindergarten on post. She is a bit nervous about leaving her German friends behind but I think she is excited for 'real' school as well. I had lots of get togethers with my girlfriends this week, I think we needed things to look forward to, so we just made up excuses to meet up! Last night was a dance party using the Xbox Kinnect. I'm just glad there is no video evidence of my performance to Lady Gaga's Poker Face! I think the kids enjoy getting together as well because they can all relate to missing Daddy. Rio was purchased this week, and if you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for???!?! It is by far the cutest animated film I have seen in a while, and trust me...I see them ALL. I really like the latin soundtrack too. Dave is doing well, flying a lot, but that is his job. School is winding down for me, but not for too long! My first graduate class starts an entire day after I graduate with my Bachelors of Science in Social Science. An entire day off, who would have though?! No, I am very thankful because I am able to have this paid for through my veteran's benefits. Biggest news of the week?

It's a Daddy bear!!!

2011-08-05T20:11:00.002+02:00

A wonderful company/group provided our company's children with these Battalion Buddies. What a thoughtful and compassionate thing to do! Emma and Mason loved receiving their buddy bears tonight at our FRG(family readiness group) meeting. Emma has since changed her bear into a dress, didn't see that one coming!! We had a potluck tonight with all the girls and it was awesome! There was some amazing food and I'm pretty sure I stuffed my face! We took The Pioneer Woman's Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork. If you've never had it, you better run to the store and buy all the ingredients! It is a nice change from the usual BBQ pulled pork. I'm hoping to have some pictures from Dave soon so I can share them with you all. He's been pretty busy flying lately and I've heard from other wives that the internet was down yesterday and parts of today. We are missing him, but the first week is almost over!!! Only 50 some odd left right? :)

2011-08-05T14:46:00.001+02:00

this little piggy went to market...

2011-08-04T07:19:00.003+02:00

Mason argues with me that he does not sleep in my bed...I have proof.

guess what came in the mail today?

2011-08-02T12:57:00.004+02:00

these little beauties! Now I can't decide if I should keep them for her birthday or just show her the pure awesomeness they are! I'm a bit bias about Toms Shoes if you can't tell...

What we did this week...

2011-07-31T09:57:00.004+02:00

I really hope I can keep this weekly post up, I won't make any promises because we all know that I 'sometimes' forget to update the blog....Hopefully 52 WWDTW will help pass the time? Probably not. You can't blame a girl for trying! We've been able to Skype with Dave once, their internet is spotty and not reliable, but way better than nothing at all! The kids are doing well, I was worried about Emma since she is old enough to understand that Daddy will be gone for a very long time, but she has become my rock. She's a nurturer by heart, and is always checking on me and asking what she can do to be my big helper this year. Not to say we don't bump heads, she's a spitting image of myself! Mason has yet to fully grasp that Dave will not be coming home anytime soon. Every time the doorbell rings, he runs thinking Daddy is home! Breaks my heart. He asked last night if we could drive my car to Afghanistan to pick up Daddy from work. So, now that we are all sad and sobbing, here are some recaps of what we did this week.

My landlord came over yesterday and asked if I had 5 minutes to pull some weeds out of the stone walkway...sure, 5 minutes..no problem!
5 minutes turned into 3 hours of pulling weeds, mowing, edging, raking dead grass and basically getting lectured on how to take better care of my yard. Let's just say, I'm a little sore today.
Emma's flower garden. Oh, I weeded that thing too!
She was so happy that her flowers were finally blooming!
Mason with a Tiki Mask, or a Tiki Mask with Mason's body?
Hula hoop competition! We had a Luau right before the guys left and it was a great time! Good food, friends and lots of laughs.
Riding with Daddy. Emma loves to ride her bike with Dave, she's a bit mad at Mason right now because he doesn't ride so this limits her area of bike riding for the moment...
He just likes to pose on the bike, there is no riding involved. :)

goodbyes suck

2011-07-29T16:22:00.002+02:00

They do. Even short goodbyes suck. I would like to say that we say, "see you later," but we aren't cool like that. Our goodbye was short and not sweet. I lost control of all the emotions that had been building inside of me since we were given the short notice of this deployment. I'm sure Dave knew that was coming, I'm a crier. I cry over really sad tv dramas. It's true. But today my tears were replaced with uncontrollable laughter. Our monthly battalion coffee for spouses was this morning, and a good handful of our girls showed up. We giggled over our stories of saying goodbye to the loves our lives and the funny things that have happened to us over the hours that they have been gone. Believe me, strange things happen when you're on your own. We've made plans to keep us busy and I'm really looking forward to them. I also hope to start a post on Sundays showing what the kids and I did all week, more so to keep us busy and to let Dave see what we have been up to as well.

so I lied...

2011-07-23T09:54:00.002+02:00

about the next post being sad pictures, hahaha. We went to Rothenburg, possibly my favorite town in Germany, to try taking some family pics on our own. We have a super nice Canon Rebel and a tripod, so we knew the potential existed...lol! What we got was amazingness. I can't believe that we got so many great shots with all of us actually looking at the camera and smiling! This was my one request before Dave left and he happily set it all up for me, I just coordinated outfits! I've been printing them off this morning, and they print well, but I think I will still upload them to a professional printing site. For the family members, play ignorant if you happen to see one of these photos on our Christmas card. :)

Preparing for goodbye...

2011-07-21T21:34:00.003+02:00

These pictures are not the best quality because I didn't take our nice camera to the hangar. Just imagine trying to take pictures inside a dimly lit large warehouse...and that is what I got from these. Dave's company had their deployment ceremony the other day where they 'case' the colors/guide on until the unit can stand back up in theater. It was a very short ceremony, thank goodness, but it ended up being drug out because we were waiting on a VIP to show up. He was very apologetic to the families for making them wait but expressed how much he wanted to be a part of this day, he has two sons that fly apaches so I'm guessing it is near and dear to his heart, lol. Dave has been working a bit still, but will head out very soon. I'm not a fan of prolonged goodbyes so I'm hoping to just rip the bandaid off and get this countdown rolling. Dave is probably the most torn over this whole situation, on the one hand he loves his job and on the other he hates being away from the kids, and me I guess, hahaha. We have some fun small outings planned in the next few days to keep us busy so I'm sure the next pictures you see will be the sad goodbye for real. I'm choosing to stay positive over the whole ordeal and so far it's working, we'll see how well I'm keeping that up next week!

the end...

2011-07-12T18:29:00.003+02:00

Trevi at night, finally. We kept getting there too early and not wanting to fight the crowds before the lights came on.
we had to stand on the metal railing to just get a picture above the crowd, it is crazy at night!
view from our table at dinner one night. Most of the places we ate had views like this, lovely! You also ate very close to other diners and other restaurants too!
BEST gelato ever! Check out that line! No Roma Pass accepted here though, boo.
like animals, hovering over their food...
If you look very far in the back, there is a screen with the Pope on it...he was speaking in Italian, so I'm not sure what was sad, but I'm sure it was good!

fountain in St. Peter's square

Spanish Steps with my babes

Roman ruins...

2011-07-12T18:13:00.003+02:00

Circus Maximus. They have a huge excavation project on the other end of this open area to help preserve the ruins that have been found so far.

Mouth of Truth. They were charging for pictures with your hand in the mouth, Audrey Hepburn would be sad. Am I seriously the only person who has seen this movie? Dave had no idea why we trekked all over Rome looking for this guy. Oh and you had to enter the church after your paid photo, and let's just say we weren't respectfully dressed to enter the Lord's house that day, it was HOT!
Ruins over looking Circus Maximus racing grounds.

ongoing excavations...
tiles from a bathhouse, or THE bathhouse. It was HUGE!
Baths of Carcalla

Colosseum

2011-07-12T18:02:00.004+02:00

view from the top level of the Colosseum
see that line? we skipped it!!
diva, love her

sitting on Roman ruins isn't right unless you make a funny face!

2011-07-12T17:42:00.003+02:00

St. Peter's and Vatican City in the background

Inside Castel Sant'Angelo
Walking up to Castel Sant'Angelo (Angels and Demons portrayed it to have a secret passageway into the Vatican!)
The famous sculpture from the movie, the knife is said to be pointing to the secret lair of the Illuminati....we love a good mystery!!!
Just to the left of the white building with the carriages on top, is the Colosseum!

Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain

2011-07-12T17:31:00.002+02:00

Painter Raphael's tomb
The only source of light inside the Pantheon is this opening in the ceiling.

Mason tossing his coin in so he can return to Rome
Emma tossed a lot of coins...
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
I just liked this...lol.

St. Peter's

2011-07-12T17:23:00.002+02:00

Vatican City in our background, so cool!
Emma walking in St. Peter's square...
Mason, apparently not wanting his picture taken...
Dave and the kids with the Swiss Guard

Vatican

2011-07-12T17:14:00.003+02:00

The Swiss Guard, they protect the Pope!
This was inside the Papal Apartments, I think past leaders lived in these buildings...

The ceilings were gorgeous!!!

Roma...

2011-07-12T17:13:00.001+02:00

Day 1-

Our first full day in Rome was spent in awe of all the beauty and mystery that Rome has. I had reserved our entrance tickets online for the Vatican in advance, and this proved to be worthwhile. As we rounded the corner a few streets down from our hotel, we saw the LONG line of people who had not bought tickets in advance. Yay! I did something completely amazing on the first day of the trip! Haha. Our tickets would allow us to walk through the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel without a guide or time restrictions. This was good and bad. Dave and I would have loved to learn about all the collections from different time periods, but we also knew that a 5 and 3 year old would only last so long looking at sculptures. The pieces stored within the museum were amazing and they just kept going. I can’t tell you how many rooms make up the museum, but it is a lot. The tour ends with the Sistine Chapel, where of course you can’t take pictures. I was well behaved, it might have been because we were in such a holy place, so I didn’t sneak any pics. It was very dark inside the room and SO SO SO crowded. I would have much rather been able to enjoy it freely with a guide, but it was still pretty amazing to see it up close and personal. After reading many guide books, I found out that if you follow along with a tour group you can actually skip the ginormous line for entrance into St. Peter’s Basicalla. We did just that. Score 2 for Lyndsay!! It was very overwhelming and I wasn’t sure if I was to pray, cry or jump for joy at actually being able to walk through it’s entrance. A little startling, we saw three well preserved dead men, who Emma thought were Santas’. I’m pretty sure they were past Popes’. I did have one upset about this entire holy place visit, they warn you of their strict dress code, and so we covered our shoulders, chests and knees to adhere to policy. I saw so many men in short shirts, women in tanks and short skirts, I was just upset not that they were let in, but that they couldn’t just follow the rules! Oh well, God knew our family was abiding by the rules on this day! After our first Italian meal, delicious!, we changed out of our respectable wear and into something more hot weather friendly. Dave is an amazing navigator, I mean he is a pilot, but I never fail to thank him for navigating us on the metro in different countries. He took us to many piazzas, like an open plaza area, and other great touristy spots like the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, most of the fountains featured from Angels and Demons and a castle for Emma. We were pretty worn out that first day, but it was very worth it!!!

Day 2-

We bought the Roma Pass the day before which allows us to enter two attractions in Rome for free as well as ride the Metro/Bus system for 3 days. It was pretty amazing. Another fun fact about the Roma Pass, you get the skip the lines. We like to skip lines in 90-degree heat!!! So our second day began with us skipping past the huge line at the Colesseo (Coliseum) and laughing at all the people stuck outside. We didn’t really laugh, but Dave kept shaking his head saying he couldn’t believe they didn’t know about the Roma Pass. Emma began this day sad, as she thought she would get to witness real gladiators fighting beasts. Dave promised to let her watch Gladiator when we returned and I said no. haha. This place was amazing. The fact that a good portion of it is still standing is incredible. The Romans didn’t do things small, they went big. Again, we opted to just tour ourselves rather than make the children follow a guide for hours in the sun; they just had to follow us. After the massive stadium, you walk right into some of the most famous Roman ruins, where the forum once stood. I loved the fact that there were pieces of old columns just lying around, like no big deal. We followed most of our mornings in Rome with a light lunch and then shower (it was HOT) and resting before dinner. Most restaurants don’t start serving dinner until almost 7pm so it was nice to be able to relax and change out of sweaty clothes before enjoying the breezy evenings. This evening we ate the BEST pizza ever; we also stumbled upon one of Rome’s most famous gelato shops in the city, possible country and ate there ginger and cinnamon gelato multiple times a day! We again visited the Trevi, we loved that area, and I also wanted to see St. Peter’s at night. It was beautiful, there weren’t that many people out on the square yet either so we were able to just stroll around and let the kids run crazy. Easy for them.

Days 3,4 and 5-

We didn’t really have any set schedules these days and mainly just wondered around the city and revisited places we wanted to see again or were overly saturated with tourists the last time. We made it to more ruins, the old bathhouses of Rome, Circus Maximus, the Mouth of Truth (Roman Holiday anyone???). We also were able to see the Colesseo, Trevi and the Vatican at night during these days. I think everything in Rome is so much more beautiful at sunset and just as the sky is turning from dark blue to black. A very memorable moment was on Sunday we went to St. Peter’s Square to see the Pope speak, we thought he would be in town, but alas he was living it up at his lake house so he spoke via video screen instead. It was still pretty amazing. The trip was so much more than I had thought it would be. I mean, I knew that I was going to be seeing some pretty awesome sights, but to be so close and touch some of them made the reality of the history lesson all the more real. I can only hope that Mason and Emma can look back at these pictures and feel the same overwhelming happiness that I felt when sharing it with them.

2011-06-22T22:52:00.000+02:00

2011-06-22T22:38:00.002+02:00

So...this was my first time uploading pics with the new 'fast' internet! I'm really excited about the possibilities that this provides! With our old internet provider it would take hours to upload the normal 5 picture blog post and today, 2 minutes! Yay! These pictures are from Dave's birthday weekend in Heidelberg. They have some really old castle ruins along with some amazing places to eat! Most of you know that Dave will be going to the desert soon so our posts might be slim with just pictures until then. We are trying to enjoy as much family time as possible before he has to depart. School did start back up for me, but yay...I graduate in August!!! I never thought this day would come and I'm having a hard time making a definite decision about starting grad school or not. With this new deployment schedule we aren't sure how much time we will have left in Europe and my Masters needs to be completed here in Germany since that is where my school is 'based.' So some tough decisions to work out in the next few weeks, but I do have plans to sub at the elementary school next year to help pass the time and I also applied for a job that would support my career path! So some good and some bad, but we are having a blast in Germany and cannot wait to share our Rome pictures with you after our trip in a few weeks!!! Don't worry, I'll tell the Pope or 'poke' as Emma calls him "hello" for you all! Love to everyone!!!! :)

2011-05-31T11:09:00.001+02:00

2011-05-31T10:44:00.001+02:00

Spain teaser...

2011-05-31T10:26:00.003+02:00

Just a few for now, we got in at 2am our time after 18 hours on a very packed bus of families. Spain was amazing, someone needs to come visit me so I have the excuse to return, this time fly though. :)

2011-05-21T20:07:00.000+02:00

2011-05-21T09:33:00.001+02:00

an entire month

2011-04-24T14:21:00.004+02:00

I'm sorry for the lack of blog action, school again has taken control of my life. These classes are starting to die down as finals approach and I won't be quite so busy this summer before grad school starts. Oy, it's a never ending adventure I'm on huh? Life has been going great for us here in Germany. The weather is beautiful and the kids live outside most days, I do allow them to come inside for showers, eating and sleeping. hahaha. We have our first set of visitors coming next month so I am super happy about that and we also have a big vacation coming up for our little family. We are taking a trip to Spain! Instead of doing the planning ourselves and searching for the absolute cheapest options, we decided to go with a pre-planned trip that includes all the extras. I think for this one trip it will be nice to 'indulge' for a change. I promise to not make you wait too long for those pictures! Love you all!

Berlin

2011-03-21T08:35:00.003+01:00

We had a whirlwind weekend trip to Berlin and let me tell you, Berlin is too big for one weekend! We tried to see everything and it just wasn't possible. Berlin wasn't filled with huge cathedrals or traces of the medieval past that we've seen in other German cities, mainly because it was heavily damaged over the years. Berlin had so much more though, like traces of the Cold War and parts of the city that just haven't caught up with the more affluent side. We arrived early on a Friday afternoon and headed straight for the Brandenberg Gate and it was just as amazing as I had imagined it to be. Of course, we hit the local Starbucks to add to Aunt Nancy's growing collection of landmark mugs! The next morning was the start of our busy, busy day! We not only went back to the gate, to get Lollycakes pictures, but also visited the Berlin Wall memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, Tiergarten and the HUGE Berlin Zoo/Aquarium. Sunday we wrapped up the trip with a visit to the Sansoucci Palace grounds in Potsdam. I have to say this trip was so special for Dave and I to be able to share what happened in Berlin with Emma. She was full of questions all day and it was very hard for her to understand why things happened the way they did. Seeing the actual portions of the wall was breath taking, as well as seeing actual pictures of events surrounding the construction and demolishing of it. You would need an entire weekend to devote just to the history of the wall and seeing all that Berlin offers about it and we only had a few hours so I can't wait to go back and learn more. Checkpoint Charlie was the only access for foreigners into Berlin as well as the Allied Forces. I think Checkpoint Charlie is a must see just for the tourist photos, but there was also a museum and more wall history that we just didn't have time for, or children who really wanted to walk slowly and be quiet, lol. SO again, that is something to do if/when we go back! CC was followed by a LONG walk through the Tiergarten which is much like Berlin's version of Central Park. We headed to the Zoo from there, which the kids loved. Getting to visit the grounds of Sansoucci was a treat since we were all pooped from our Berlin visit but I'm glad we stopped! It was also very spread out and has been placed on our list of things to see again! All in all, it was a great weekend, just too short! So I will hush now and upload the pictures! :)

the small post

2011-03-21T08:10:00.002+01:00

I wanted to include these pictures before the overload of Berlin pictures that is coming...These were taken earlier in March. Emma and Dave were able to attend the Daddy/Daughter dance sponsored by the Girl Scouts here and they both had a great time!!! Fasching, is the German's version of Halloween and it takes place right around the same time as Mardi Gras. The kids really enjoyed being able to dress up twice in one year, haha. It is also warming up here, well a slow gradual warm up. So, to enjoy the rare sunshine and 50 degree weather we are having, we purchased a really nice patio set for our backyard! The kids love it and we eat out there almost every night! I've really enjoyed spending that time out there with them, away from tv, phones and computers. Stay tuned...Berlin is up next!!

oh Prague

2011-02-20T20:23:00.003+01:00

There is way too much to try to tell you about Prague...but that is where we spent this recent weekend. It was an amazing trip even though it was a mesh of old world Baroque style buildings and graffiti trash of the Eastern Block of Europe. We took a guided tour our second day, and even though we spent the first part of the tour on the wrong bus it was a great way to see all the sites in Prague. Somehow the tour company believed we were Germans and placed us with the German tour group, which was fine, but I can't translate that fast in my head and then to Dave. So, we met up with our 'real' group on the first stop of the tour and the rest was grand! My other favorite part of the trip was Mason eating three real meals a day! Mason is our muncher, snacker, etc. On this trip he actually ate the entire plate that was put in front of him and has continued to do so since arriving home! I couldn't be happier! Instead of trying to explain all the wondrous sites we saw, I will just share some great pics!

Busy Busy

2011-02-09T19:41:00.003+01:00

Emma is officially a Girl Scout Daisy. She had her troop investiture ceremony last month and they are smack in the middle of cookie sales. I have to say, Emma is a natural. She just walks right up to those soldiers and lets them know that they will be buying some girl scout cookies! First, who can say no to cookies and second, who can say no to her? lol! I'm sure Dave and I are the only ones raising our hands. We went to visit Nuremberg last week while picking up an antique desk and had a lot of fun visiting the old fortress and new places to eat! Dave has a four day next weekend and says we will be going out of town, I'm hoping Prague or Brussels! He is busy in the middle of the advanced course, it is a requirement to continue to move up in promotions. I like this school schedule he is on though, 8-5 most days with some letting out even earlier! I think the kids really enjoy having him home in the mornings and evenings! I'm taking a pretty heavy load this semester of all senior psych and behavior courses, but I am loving every second of them. They are really helping to prepare me for my future in Counseling. The sacrifices and hard work really start to pay off when you can actually enjoy what you are doing! I am hoping grad school will be just the same! Love you all!!!

sleighing...

2011-01-01T20:13:00.003+01:00

or sledding. Emma prefers to call it sleighing but that sounds vicious, at least to me. We took the kids to the giant hill across the road from our little town and let them have at it. Mason loved it until he busted his face in the snow and then he was down, but who wouldn't be after that? Emma didn't want to leave and announced she wants to 'sleigh' everyday. hahahaha.

Is Disney inside the castle?

2011-01-01T19:50:00.002+01:00

This week after Christmas we traveled to Neuschwanstein Castle which is most famously known for being the inspiration for a few of the Disney castles, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. I say both, because of course on the internet there is great debate over which one was actually the original inspiration, so to cover my mistakes I noted both. :) Emma overhearing this, believed we were actually going to Disney World...she was a tad bit disappointed, but was soon won over with a carriage ride up the hill to the actual castle. We visited both Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles and both were exquisite inside and out. Both were castles for the Kings of Bavaria, Ludwig and his father. Poor Ludwig didn't get to live in his fancy castle for too long. He had a spending problem and instead of just taking the checkbook away from him, they had a doctor declare he was 'mad' and dethroned. Geesh. I'm glad I'm not a Queen or anything.... This family was also very obsessed with swans, they were everywhere in the decor, and I mean EVERYWHERE. Emma was very concerned with why there were so many of them. The little hotel we stayed in was so cute and the food was amazing!!! All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I cannot wait to visit when the weather isn't as cold and the fog doesn't block the castle!

Merry Christmas Ery-body...

2010-12-26T07:41:00.003+01:00

That's how Mason says it anyway. You can tell my Dad is on vacation because he hounds me all day about not updating the blog. He gets upset when I post pictures on Facebook, because well Daddy doesn't do the FB. :) So here you go Daddy! We had a wonderful Christmas indeed! After some aircraft troubles, cancelations and delays, Dave made it home to Germany at lunchtime on Christmas! The kids have just been thrilled to have him home, poor Dave though is having to play catch up with the jet lag now. We are hoping to do some Euro-travel during our break, if the weather stays nice. We got a couple feet of snow the other day and seems to keep on coming. Santa knew that Daddy was going to be arriving late on Christmas so he scheduled his visit later on Christmas Day so Dave could be there, which I thought was very nice of him. I made a wonderful Christmas lunch/dinner that actually all tasted yummy! The kids were spoiled, like always, by both sets of Grandparents. Our house looks like a toy store disaster right now, but thats ok. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

This is what happens...

2010-12-05T14:53:00.002+01:00

When mommies have too much homework to do and aren't watching little boys like they should be....meanwhile, Emma watched him the whole time and never once told on him until she saw the prize inside the egg. Mason swiped a Kinderegg from fridge while I was in school mode. He did come tell me because if you know Mason, you know he doesn't like to be dirty at all! :)

sorry...

2010-12-01T19:30:00.004+01:00

I just realized there were no pictures of the children in the last post...thats who you really want to see right? Not me in front of giant cookies? ok. :)

You can disown me now...

2010-12-01T19:11:00.002+01:00

I am horrible, I know that. I won't even give excuses about school work, Dave being gone, strep and pink eye, I promise. :) We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with some really great friends last week. I hope you all had a good Turkey Day as well! Christmas markets have consumed me here in Germany and I am trying to attend all the ones nearby to get a collectors beer/gluwein mug from them. Great goals I have in life! We have also started some new Christmas traditions that I wanted to share! We are doing the 25 books of Christmas, where the kids get to unwrap a book each night in December and we read it before bed! I also made a huge advent calendar with some help from my Momma! She sent me the boxes and uber cute scrap-booking paper for them! The kids were so excited to see little chocolates inside the box tonight! Advent is huge in Europe so we even made an advent wreath like the ones the kids light at school! Germany is amazing at Christmas, it really makes up for the homesickness! Miss and love you all!

Memories...

2010-10-25T19:09:00.003+02:00

First off, I am sorry for lack of pictures. The kids have 'misplaced' my camera card...so basically I will probably have to buy a new one! Also, this session of classes is winding down, so I've been a bit occupied turing in term projects, 10 page papers, asking Mason what he just stuck in his mouth...you get the idea. But as I was sitting here reviewing my homework for the week I was instantly flashed back to my childhood. I wanted to share because I know that my Grandparents are loyal readers of my blog and they'll love to hear this. I was drinking a Coke and eating a 3 Musketeers candy bar and I was 10 again. What's so special about that? Well.....every time I went to visit my Granddad and Grandma in Ranger, TX they would have a Coca-Cola and cold 3 Musketeers waiting for me! I was never let down either, Grandma always had them both! And the candy bar being cold makes all the difference! I haven't had this combination in a long time and it took me out of the crazy, busy life I have and back to when I begged to go 'count the cows.' Hope you guys are doing well and having fun traveling! Love y'all!

2010-10-01T09:12:00.000+02:00

Since Emma is a September baby, she missed 'real' Kindergarten cutoff by a few weeks. SO....we enrolled her in the local German Kindergarten for this year and next school year she will start 'real' Kindergarten. Confused yet? German Kindergarten is more of a day school, but she is with children her age and they participate in crafts and German learning, so Emma will probably be speaking better German than me in a few months. Mason will also be attending this school, but he starts next month! I am really excited for Mason because he has never been to any type of day care so this should be a fun adventure for both him and me! Back to Emma, she was so excited and didn't even tell me goodbye when she ran into her classroom! Typical Em. She knows a few German phrases that I taught her, like how to introduce herself and ask what someone's name is. She also knows please, thank you and how to count to 10. I have a feeling she will be A-OK in German school. hahaha. She and I have also become very interested in Bento lunch packing. I've enclosed a picture of our very first one. Bento lunches for kids are all about exposing them to foods they normally wouldn't try by making them aesthetically pleasing to a 5 year old's eye. Emma has ate everything I've ever given her so that is not a problem, for me it is more about packing a healthier lunch than a bunch of bagged food and candy. I did give Emma a special Kinder chocolate in her lunch because she LOVES them! I figured it would be a nice surprise on her first day of school! :)

2010-09-22T16:21:00.000+02:00

2010-09-22T16:13:00.000+02:00

For you Daddy!

2010-09-22T16:04:00.002+02:00

I know this is a long time between posts, I am sorry yet again! I'm always apologizing on here! School picked up for me and I added a few more classes for later this session, so as you can imagine my internet time is being consumed by schoolwork. Dave has also been coming and going for training and shooting and whatever else they do when they leave. Mason also had pneumonia a few weeks ago and it was very serious for about 24 hours. So needless to say, all is well now and things have calmed down just enough to share some pictures! Emma says her favorite thing to do here in Germany is to go to the Blumen fields. These are flower fields that people/cities have set up with a small can to deposit your money and even some knives to cut the flowers. They go on pure honesty so most of the time I put a little extra in, especially since Mason running through the rows destroys at least a few flowers...boys. Emma had a very nice birthday with just the 3 of us, Dave is of course away. So we plan on letting her pick somewhere to go and of course taking her spending money to Toys R Us. They have those here ya know? I've been getting in touch with my crafty side with all this alone time. A friend of mine here introduced me to German flea markets and I am obsessed. Hope everyone is doing well! It is getting cooler here, although this week has been warmer for us!

What are we loving?

2010-08-24T12:13:00.000+02:00

This is Dave's favorite drink, Emma likes it as well. It is like coke mixed with orange soda? Gag me Dave. :)

Um box of milk, yes please! This keeps me from having to steal milk from the farmers in town...I kid! I love this! It was like 11 Euro, but SO worth not having to go to the store every other day. Especially since Sunday, the day of rest, really happens over here.

This is why I have to run miles through the corn fields...I am addicted. It's like milk chocolate with a milky creamy center...heaven.

My other addiction. This is mine and Mason's favorite drink. Sparkling water! He thinks its coke, works for me!

2010-08-21T15:38:00.000+02:00

2010-08-21T15:28:00.000+02:00

Give me a second....

2010-08-20T18:54:00.002+02:00

While Mason finishes this last glass of wine, kidding!!!! It's his new favorite drink, mineralwasser. I think I said this yesterday but you automatically get sparkling water if you order wasser here. Mason thinks its the coolest thing ever, and today while at Colmberg Castle for dinner he was given an adult glass to drink out of. I'm having crazy problems trying to upload pics to Blogger so I can only do one at a time for right now. Just that one photo takes me 5 minutes so.......just hang with me and we will get this figured out!

2010-08-20T12:11:00.002+02:00

and the Halls are overseas once again....

2010-08-19T22:39:00.001+02:00

Oh my goodness, what a whirlwind week we have had! First off, Hallo! We made the 9-hour flight from Dallas to Frankfurt on Monday and Dave made it just in time to pick us up! The kids did awesome and we really had no problems on our short flight, haha short compared to the Korea flight! Kid meals on planes are the coolest thing, I wish I got a kids meal! Emma and Mason lived it up with pudding, Twix, fruits, pizza, chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, juice, milk and of course bread. Bread is served with every meal in Germany even breakfast. I got a roll with my omelet! After our uneventful flight, we had to travel by train to the area where we lived. I remember looking out the window of our train car and telling Dave that I loved all the cute little German towns, he replied that is all that there are here, cute little German towns. Lol. The kids slept for most of the flight so they were adjusted to the time difference already, I on the other hand was not so I fought sleep most of the day. After arriving at our car (more on that later) we drove a short distance to our new home in Marktbergel. It’s a postcard type of village and I can’t wait to share it with you all! We had some running around to do and Dave tried to give me a tour of the countryside so I would stay awake, lol. We got to meet an old friend of ours and his family for dinner that first night and it was great to see them! All in all, we had a great first day in country! Our last few days have been spent in processing our family for medical, base privileges and whatnot. It has also been spent shopping. Why might you ask? Well reason 1, our stuff doesn’t arrive until next month so we still need some basic things like cleaning supplies, trash cans, hangars etc. Reason 2, it’s about 40 degrees cooler here than it was in Texas, so our poor children had no coats! Luckily we have located both the IKEA and H & M, two of my favorite stores and very reasonably priced! Onto my favorite part of this post, what I am loving about Germany: the candy! I hate gummy candy ask my family, but it is SO good here! Chocolate: um they have this stuff called Kinder chocolate with a milky inside, um it’s crack. Water: It is served as sparkling water here, you must specifically ask for tap water, how did they know I loved sparkling water??? Bakery: There is one in every town and the pretzels and rolls are to die for!! Norma and Aldi stores: I love this little grocery stores because they are CHEAP! You have to pay for your cart and must bag your stuff, but totally worth it, plus I bought a really nice white wine for 2 Euros yesterday! Ok things that I am still not sure of. Driving: We have to drive everywhere because we live in the country. There is no yellow dividing line, it’s white so I am already confused. Poop: We live in a town where people park their tractors in their driveways…. need I say more? Recycling: I am all for this but their system is a bit odd and it will take me a while to figure it out, needless to say I have to dig through my trash this weekend. Fashion: Do these people care what they look like? No, but that could be a good thing and a great piece of advice for us all! I still don’t get the purple hair and black socks though. So as you can see we are really enjoying it here and I promise to have more pics up soon, we are just swamped with things right now. Tomorrow I take my drivers exam, pray for me. Oh a funny story to leave you with. We had our pictures taken by a group of Japanese tourists…I wonder if they thought we were German or if they recognized Emma from all the pictures she took in Korea??? Love you all!!!

About that time again...

2010-07-27T18:01:00.007+02:00

I know, I have fallen behind on my mommy-blogger duties. If you know me, you know that it will probably happen again so I won't say I'm sorry yet again...haha. Our summer here in Texas has been a whirlwind of adventures. We've had visitors from South Carolina, we've driven West and South to visit family and even taken a plane ride. We have a few weeks left before we head to the land of schnitzel with noodles and crisp apple strudels, yes I love the Sound of Music. I'll just leave you to some pictures of our wonderful summer instead of boring you with words, :).

2010-06-06T22:36:00.001+02:00

2010-05-31T18:17:00.001+02:00

reality has set in....

2010-05-23T04:42:00.004+02:00

that we are moving away from this gorgeous state in just a few weeks, like 3 to be exact! That's a plus for you guys though because I will probably update the blog more since we will be back in a foreign country again. SO since I realized that we are leaving very soon and we will be very busy during our final weeks, I decided to get out and see some of our favorite sites here in the Springs. I'm sure we will be making more visits as time to leave draws closer, but I wanted to share some pictures of our favorite things here. I took the kids the other day to Garden of the Gods to take a picture in my fav spot, the heart cutout. I'm not sure if anyone else thinks it looks like that, but I love it!!! Today we also spent some time in Manitou Springs and driving the jeep off road on Gold Camp road. The kids love driving on Gold Camp road because it takes you winding up and down Cheyenne Mountain(I think?), it could be another mountain? lol. You can see Helen Hunt falls and other water falls from high up as well as the Colorado Springs airport! The kids and I have been enjoying the sunny days and working on our tans so we don't fry when we get to Texas next month! I know I am very excited about this next chapter in our lives but as always, I hate to leave this one behind. On a positive note so I don't get all sappy and depressing on you, I bought an elliptical to take to Germany with us. The positive about this is, the money that was spent to buy it, I won back that same night at BINGO! hahahahahaha. You can't get any luckier than that huh? Oh and I also received two A's and a B this semester. I'm extremely excited over these grades because it was my first semester of all senior/upper level courses! With a crazy life and crazy kids, I'm pretty sure that I made my own Dean's List, lol! Thanks to everyone for all of their encouraging words and thoughts! Get them ready for the summer semester!! Love you all!!!

and....

2010-05-20T02:13:00.001+02:00

I forgot to say that Mason's new word is "Gotcha!" He says it for anything that he has to grab, hold on to, is trying to reach, Emma's hair, etc. I just heard him say it in the bath tub to his car and thought you all should know...lol. Alright, there is nakedness running around my immaculately clean house, this must be stopped.

What we've been up to...

2010-05-20T02:03:00.002+02:00

I just want to let my father know how much I love him, I am updating this for him right this very second. He said he might die or something if he didn't see new pics of the kids....that might be a stretch from our actual conversation but that's what I got out of it! So, daddy, I am writing this while the kids are in the bath pouring gallons of water onto my bathroom floor...yes mother I can see them, they are still alive. Emma is practicing swimming for Honey's pool as we speak, type, whatever. I finished finals last week so that is basically where I have been. After staring at the computer for 3 online classes I really have no desire to do anything computer related at the end of the day, but I am on break until June 1st, yay! The house we live in here in the Springs just started showing this week and that is really cramping my style, and by my style I mean keeping a house that two tornadoes live in, quite clean. It's near impossible but I am happy to report that it's going on 4 days of cleanliness, be proud! Emma is done with soccer, thank goodness and has one session left of skating. We have already found a place for her to skate this summer while in Texas and she is really excited about it! We should be leaving here in about 3 weeks and I am really excited for this new adventure we are going to have. I am very sad to leave my friends though, they have been wonderful and I will miss them terribly!!!! Good thing aviation is a small world, I know I will see them again someday!

She gets it!

2010-04-22T02:40:00.004+02:00

That's the 'aha' moment Dave and I had at the rink last night with Emma. For the most part of her last level, she skated like any new skater would, until she fell down. When we watched her last night I was just SO proud. She was gliding, switching her feet during her skate(big deal because last session she didn't want to lift her skates off the ice out of fear of falling), turning circles, jumping up and landing on her toe pick, all kinds of crazy things! I had explained to her before the class that this was a 'big girl' skating lesson and not a 'baby class' like her last one. Mainly because most kids don't return after the first session but Emma wanted to keep on keeping on. And she showed us why last night. Can you tell that I am a teensy bit proud of her? Don't get me wrong, she had her fair share of falls but I can definitely tell that she wants to be out there. Who falls with a smile on their face? Emma.

yikes

2010-04-19T22:45:00.002+02:00

I did it again, letting the blog go for a few weeks. Sorry! I'm in the middle of two very long research papers that I am finally seeing the light on and Emma's little schedule has been keeping me very very busy. As of right now she is having Soccer games on Mondays and Wednesdays and Skating on Tuesdays with extra practice times through the week if we can squeeze them in. Plus we have been busy with our appointments on post that clear us for living overseas, again. It's a pain but I know they just do it to make sure we receive the best care available, but its a chore with two little kids! I'm putting up some pics of Emma 'in action' at her games. She is quite aggressive and not standoffish like most of the kids on the field. She goes right for the mob of little kids with the ball and even gives an elbow or two, I blame that on her father. :) She has yet another game tonight so maybe I will try to get video up! It's hard to watch her and Mason at the same time when Dave is flying. Last week Mason was running laps on the track around the field, ummmm he's not my kid at all! Speaking of running, I convinced Aunt Chelsea to run a 5K this summer, I'm pushing for the 10K but no matter what it will be fun and just like the old days! Wonder if our dad will be there yelling at us to keep our form, open your stride, pick your head up! No doubt that mom will be there with snacks like she always was for us! Ewww, Chelsea do you remember when we used to eat those power bars?? gross, don't bring power bars mom. I'm thinking Emma should run in the 1K, get her started early. She does like to run, hahaha. Ok, I think I just babbled through an update on here so I wouldn't have to think about China or women in the workplace(research papers, boo). Hope everyone is doing well!!! Our time is coming to end soon in Colorado!!!

Soccer...

2010-04-06T18:00:00.003+02:00

One of these kids is not on the team...I'll give you 2 guesses. LOL! He really wanted to play though, he even ran out on the field a few times, oops. Dave reminded me of my dad a lot during the game, constantly cheering and coaching! It was really cute to watch. Emma did really well for her first game, she even dribbled the ball down the field, and then proceeded to kick it out of bounds. Oh well! The 'Burn' as their team is named, completely stomped on the other team but I don't think that any of the kids knew that! She seemed to really enjoy herself and was very proud that she didn't touch the ball with her hands, her Daddy has been working really hard with her on that one...hahaha.