A Thursday

Trying to finish the task at hand this afternoon – finding final resting places for the kids’ clothes in a land of no closets! I shooed the boys outside so they wouldn’t wake Morgan and continue to drive me crazy with their rowdy energy.

The soccer ball and cones were in the shed which scared them because of a big spider web. They came whining to me that they couldn’t get the ball because of a spider . When asked if they saw the spider yet, Easton said he hadn’t but he could be anywhere and get them!

Since Easton had once again put on his Indiana Jones getup rather than his warm coat and hat, I said, “Indiana Jones isn’t scared of spiders, only snakes. And you’re Indiana Jones so you’re not afraid of spiders either, right?”

“Well, . . . I’m not Indiana Jones. Look Mom, [removes cowboy hat] I’m Easton.”

HILARIOUS!!!

I went out and got the ball for them and kept an eye on how things progressed for them. Here’s the play by play:

Playing “soccer” only lasted a minute but the strategic setting up of the cones took at least three minutes. McKay slipped on a chunk of embedded snow in the grass and was just in tears, for only a minute til he realized he wasn’t wet or hurt. They started to think they wanted to come inside but I was struck with genius! “Boys, could you go stomp on the chunks of ice and then throw them into the ravine?” Sure, mom! They’re jumping off the stone wall stomping their hearts out. Then they picked up some sticks which instantly became swords to help beat the ice into submission or whack a few bushes here and there. Ah to be young and adventurous!

Tree whacking didn’t last long either so I ran and grabbed two empty spray bottles, filled them with real warm water to keep their hands warm and they got to work spraying everything down in the yard while fiddling with the nozzle settings. In the end, it didn’t help me finish my project but it sure was good to get them outside!

While walking home from school today, Easton told me that Indiana Jones belonged to a church, an old church. I asked if IJ went to our church and Easton said that IJ lived in a different one with a temple. I reminded him that we too have temples and he thoughtfully mumbled, “Mm, hmm.”

At dinner tonight I was telling Ryan about the conversations of the day and Easton piped up with, “Indiana Jones lives with the prophet in the temple.” Hmmmm . . . haha!

It’s been a week since Easton’s school Fasching party where they all dressed up like Halloween. Easton insists on wearing his Indiana Jones coat and hat each day still. It really cracks me up because each morning as he puts the getup on, he’ll say something to me like, “Mom, when Indiana Jones gets on the airplane, he does this [lift hat and look out “window”].” He’s all about IJ’s mannerisms which he picks up from the little video snippets in his Lego IJ xBox game.

This post makes me look like a better mom than I am. But I sure do love these cubs of mine!

A Tuesday

Do you have a personal assistant? I have always wanted one. Someone to keep track of details I tend to forget so often. Well, in desperation soon after moving to Germany, I picked one up at the PX on base. She’s not very pretty, but highly functional which is all that mattered in my dire state!

My personal assistant can keep my two year old entertained, divert him from a meltdown/tantrum with her beeping gadgets, keep track of time outs and items baking in the oven, ensure I don’t allow the boys too much time playing xBox or iphone games or that they share time evenly, reminds me when to pick up Easton from school, and she even glows in the dark!

Okay, she’s only a cheapo Timex watch, but she’s saved my sanity many, many times! I think I blogged earlier about how our hotel didn’t have a clock in the room except a tiny one on the phone display which didn’t glow in the dark. Waking in the dark to feed Morgan made not knowing the time unbearable. I wanted to know if this would be the feeding of the night or if I could plan to be up a time or two more before the boys and sun rose for the day. Since then, I’ve realized the value of her other functions. I’ve never been a watch wearer, but this gal has made herself rather indispensible over the past two months. The clock and timer are the most used options obviously, but the stopwatch, alarm, and now even the pulse modes are getting some use.

I find it kinda funny when I glance at it and the word MARATHON on its display catches my eye. If I’m checking my watch, it’s usually because the moment I’m in feels as if I’m enduring a poorly planned (on my part) marathon! If I were to ever endeavor to complete a marathon, I wouldn’t be running for the fastest time but just to finish! That’s how I often approach many of my days unfortunately, just to finish.

I loved the lesson this past Sunday in Relief Society about Elder Bednar’s recent General Conference address, Pray Always. The part that I’ve been thinking about is where in Moses 3:4-5 it talks about how everything was created spiritually prior to being created temporally on the earth. Elder Bednar likened this to how we should spiritually create our day in prayer prior to living it temporally. Someone in class commented that they believe the late Sister Hinckley stated she prayed to be able to accomplish those things each day that were of eternal significance. WOW! I could really benefit from applying these principles and others taught in this talk! I’d definitely have more purpose and I really think there’d be more joy in my days! My morning prayers could become my ultimate best personal assistant if I utilize this gift.

Thank you Timex for creating my current personal assistant. And I’m so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the gifts of prayer and personal revelation allowing me to communicate with and be guided by Him.

A Monday

I wrote the three days up on their respective day but didn't have time to upload my pictures and post on the blog until tonight.

Woke up a bit groggy. Trying to figure out how to get Morgan to sleep through the night since I’ve spoiled her since birth by letting her fall asleep eating. I was so disciplined with the boys and they slept through the night by 2 mos old. Morgan is now four months old which dawned on me this past Sunday! Where did the time go? Oh yea, I remember, we moved to Germany on short notice! It’s still messing with my brain!

(Note: I'm not really a girly bow on the baby's head type but when I put one on Morgan Jane's noggin Sunday for church, the boys fell in love with her "princess hat". They made sure it was on at all times or exclaimed to me when such tragedies occurred.) Back to regular scheduled program.

Now that me and kiddos are out the door at 8:30am all bundled up to walk Easton to his German preschool, I’ve resolved to take advantage of the time by going walking at least three times a week. The sun was bright today and the snow and ice have been melting allowing the sidewalks to be passable again so today was a walking day! I’m still figuring out all these winding streets and was determined to try and find a little market I’d seen last week to see if they have my favorite German cereal. It’s a Gourmet Musli with dried cranberries and cherries, vanilla yogurt chips, almonds and granola. I haven’t found it in the last four stores I’ve checked! I’m getting a little panicked because heading back to the Kaufland market below our old hotel is just not very convenient to park and run in!

On the way home (I set my timer for 20 min and head back a different way when it beeps), we stopped at a bakery for my favorite pastry thus far – the apfelrolle (the closest thing to Ryan’s apple pies I crave). Kinda offsets the purpose of me walking, but SHOOSH! I don't want to hear it - I'm still feeding two!

The lady gave McKay half a pretzel which til now have not been very enticing to me. I am a huge bread fan but have been trying to cut back for my UC’s sake. I took a bite and was smitten! They’re so much better than ones in the US! They’re so soft and light. McKay ate the whole thing although he did give me a bite now and then. He’d say, “That’s all, no more Mommy. It’s mine.” But he’d sweetly give me a bite anytime I asked.

Just about every window I pass has flowers in it and orchids seem to be the going favorite. I wonder if I could keep some plants alive in my kitchen window? I want to give it a shot as soon as I have time to track some down. I think having potted flowers and plants right above the kitchen sink might actually ensure their survival. We’ll see!

Today’s to do list keeps growing. I’ve begun our taxes, need to secure landlord insurance for our townhome in Virginia, nail down more details on a hopeful trip to Tuscany (Italy) next month, methodically reclean the kitchen and living room with perhaps a surprise sweep of my room, put away the clean laundry still sitting in the entryway from Saturday’s Laundromat run . . . and somewhere in there keep McKay entertained, Morgan sleeping and fed, pick up Easton, make lunch and dinner . . . we’ll just have to see what gets done today! People are more important than tasks right? Easy to say til you’re sitting in the midst of a daily-created sty!

Wishing you a fabulous, hopefully sunny day!

Pure Joys

As I review this week - many big things happened. Ryan got a chance to shine in a presentation he led at work which was very well received by the client. We finally got a washer, dryer, and refrigerator! (Insert happy dance!!!) Easton started going to German kindergarten (preschool). And we finally received all our US mail for these past three months - guess it's time to buckle down and do taxes! (Thanks for the Valentine package Bare family!!!)Click on it to see it larger.
Easton's kindergarten is every day and we're only sending him for the program aspect of it for three hours. (Sorry, I have to remember to get a picture of him there.) They sing, do crafts, eat lunch, and all the usual preschool stuff. The rest of the time it's open, it's essentially a day care. He's enjoying it and I love that it costs less depending on how many children you have. If you only have one child in your family, you would pay 84 euro/month. Since we have three, we only pay 41 euro/month. I love that it gets us out the door all bundled up at 8:30am to walk around the corner to his school. This is now my plan to get in a good walk at least a few days a week to lose the weight I've gained since Thanksgiving! This move has had me eating like I'm perpetually on vacation and that's just not going to fly well - especially with all the pictures we're taking! I don't what this aspect of our experiences remembered!

Anyhow, Easton's kindergarten had their Fasching party on Thursday which was like a Halloween party. Easton dressed up as Indiana Jones again and couldn't be persuaded. No one knew who he was among all the cowboys and fairy princesses. This party was to celebrate pre-Lenten Carnivale. I keep finding confetti around the house that he was covered in. That same day in town, I saw about a group of about a dozen dressed up matching witches with their wagon heckling cars with snow balls. This aspect of the celebration is also meant to scare away winter to welcome spring. There are numerous festivities we could have attended but with the cold weather and lots of other things to do, we didn't get to any of them.

Ryan "got" to study for a work certification all day Saturday so I thought it best to get the rest of us out for the day. I'd heard from a few friends that Germans do swimming pools real good so I thought I'd give one a shot. After making a grocery run on base to stock up our new fridge (FINALLY arrived!), I packed up the kids and we headed to the pool.

It didn't disappoint! I loved everything about it! Efficient unisex dressing rooms with maximum privacy, separated showers/WCs, and fabulous pools! Hope you can see all the features from the pictures. An Olympic size lap pool, spring and platform diving area, 2 or 3 story climbing wall, 3-5 foot pool, and kid pool. I definitely had my fill of men in speedos - YIKES!!! I thought it interesting that there were no lifeguards and you could eat your own food on deck. We were there for almost five hours and I had to beg Easton to get out so we could go. He's so pleased with his new underwater swimming skills! I must say I wondered if this day would ever happen!

Easton crawled and walked so early as a baby that I naturally thought he'd do everything else early. He was a timid talker until he knew he could really do it and swimming has been the same deal. All of his friends have been fearless swimmers forever now while he's been so timid. But it happened on his own time - a parenting lesson I need to remember for the future!!

My favorite thing about this outing was seeing my boys playing together like true buddies for HOURS without incident! It was AWESOME!!! Laughing, playing, discovering . . . these past couple outings we've had have really made me grateful for the opportunity to witness my kids experiencing pure joy! The grins on their faces, their excited chatter, their confident posture and best of all - they want to share it with me, their mom. I kept hearing President Monson's line from his last General Conference talk -- "Find joy in the journey."

I found several of these joyful moments this week. Morgan is growing so quickly that I hold, kiss, and squeeze her as often as I can! I think I spoil her too much and so she's not sleeping through the night yet and I can't figure out how to make it happen like I did with the boys. Childhood is so fleeting! As I snuggled with McKay after his bath, I am so grateful for this lovey-dovey kid! He's begun asking to be held and snuggled this week as I've taken the time to do that with him. And Easton still needs that affection, play time with Mom, adoration, and conversation. That's a bit more taxing on my sleep deprived brain, but I know Heavenly Father will bless my efforts!

Family life truly is made of many moments of pure joy if we look for them. Don't get me wrong, time outs, bills, and diaper explosions make those moments fleeting, but savoring the joyful moments has made me pretty darn happy this past week!

Garmisch Trip - Day 3

Click on the album to see it larger with captions.

DAY 3, Rule #3 – Be flexible and keep tabs on the weather and kids’ blood sugar!

Our kids clamor for cereal every morning almost as soon as they wake up. We headed down to the breakfast buffet to get them their beloved cereal, but as we’ve found – if you don’t get them a lil of whatever is meant to be smothered in syrup, you’ll wish you had! Today was those cardboard wanna-be waffles. This morning, Ryan had also grabbed a small icing covered apple roll and grabbed one for Easton. Easton ate the icing off and then whined that he didn’t want the rest. Remember the previous post - he loves any frosting! McKay saw this and had to have an apple roll too. After eating the icing off, he complained he didn’t want the rest because “it too spicy.” He uses this excuse any time he doesn’t want to eat something, it’s always something real bland, and oddly enough this kid loves spicy stuff – salsa, strong ginger snaps.

After enduring breakfast, we saw a clear beautiful morning and decided we needed to go up Zugspitze – the highest peak in Germany. It has a four country panoramic view and border crossing to Tirol, Austria on the summit. It’s a round trip by way of a cogwheel train then the glacier and Eibsee cable car (on the German side of it). Info relevant to my family - Mount Adams in WA that I think we've all climbed at least once with Dad is 12,281 feet (3,743 m) while Zugspitze is 9,718 ft.

I never made it to the summit cuz of unexpected altitude sickness, but as we ascended Zugspitze by cable car, all I could think was how fun it'd be to take a black garbage bag and slide down it like we did on Mt Adams! In fact, I loved these little slides I saw kids carrying around that resembled plastic shovels just big enough to slide on.

We checked out of the hotel and rushed over to the train station. All the snow made it crazy trying to park with all the skiers parking wherever they wanted. If we didn’t catch the 10:24 train we had to wait an entire hour so imagine the fun we had trying to get our little ones to hurry in all that snow! Easton isn’t used to wearing his snow boots and was having holy fits all morning, especially when we asked him to hurry. His screaming made it sound like we were scaring the living daylights out of him and he was screaming for water of all things. ARGH!

We got to the train platform as everyone was boarding and it took about an hour and half to reach Eibsee. We had many stops picking up mostly skiers so I was glad we’d gotten a seat at the initial stop! While on the train, the one picture I wished I’d taken was of a small church with an onion dome steeple and a terraced cemetery in front of it. The grave markers appeared to be intricately carved wooden crosses.

Up at Eibsee, we got on the glacier and Eibsee cable car to take us to the summit. Once we were up there with a gorgeous clear view in every direction, the boys started their theatrics. I’m so sad I didn’t really get to take it all in because I was trying to reassure them we’d be inside soon. They whined and cried the whole time. McKay hates cold winds and I’m still not sure why Easton was whining.

We crossed over to the Austrian overlook and decided to have lunch since it was 1pm. Perhaps low blood sugar was to blame for all the weeping and waling! But our ordeal wasn’t over! The boys whined while we got the food from the cafeteria. They whined that they wanted dad’s KitKat. (Apparently he doesn’t know to hide all such treasures from munchkins til they’ve eaten the main course). They wailed when I was splitting the big plate of spaghetti three ways. As we were trying to get McKay to stop his holy fit, Ryan accidently knocked over one of the hot chocolates all over McKay’s leg, the table and the floor. An entire cup! What a mess and imagine McKay’s howling! I avoided all eye contact with the people around us – all of which were older with no lil ones present of course. Lucky them!!! I’m sure we were quite the show! And of course, Morgan then needed to eat right that moment!

As we were getting up to leave and cleaning up more of the mess on the floor, a real nice lady who enjoyed the show was trying to joke with us about what happened in her broken English. Ryan replied to her, pointing at McKay, “Yeah, terrible twos!” I quipped, “You knocked it over, Ryan” and he said, “Oh yea, terrible twenties!” The lady was laughing, but I had to laugh at what comes out of our mouths under fire. We haven’t seen our twenties in a few years and this was just one more shining example of how glamorous parenting in public can be.

Once our bellies were full again and we were able to enjoy our scenic overlook, it was time to head back down the mountain. We took the cable car down and boy were our ears popping a lot! Too bad I didn't take up someone's advice to have us all chew gum! The cable car was so packed like sardines that I had to keep telling myself not to freak out and succumb to claustrophobia! Don’t be fooled by the smile on my face in the pics! McKay and Easton were holding on to my legs and I just kept reassuring them in order to keep my mind off the situation. Finally, McKay had had it down in the darkness and frankly, I was a bit worried about him being trampled if he lost his footing so I picked him up. Easton looked a bit frightened, but he kept it together thank goodness! I was sooooo glad to get out of there!

We had a nice train ride down again and I just couldn't believe what a beautiful clear day we got! Once the kids began getting antsy, Ryan started taking real closeup face pictures of the boys and had them laughing their heads off! It was rather funny but I was exhausted. Every pic he took of me on the way down totally showed it!

Once we all got settled back into the car, McKay crashed in his car seat before we got out of the parking lot! Easton, Morgan and I weren't far behind once the heater was on. I tried taking pics of my favorite murals on various buildings as we left town, but they all turned out horrible! I'll try again next time. Ryan got us home in good time. At one point he said,"Look, I'm going 110!" Miles per hour! A bit alarmed I replied,"But should you?" It was a passenger safety and life of the car concern - and then I faded back to my nap. Ryan sure loves the autobahn!

Garmisch Trip - Day 2

If I had to say what we gained from this vacation was what rules us Carters should follow to make a good trip.

DAY 1, Rule #1 - Try it, you might like it!
DAY 2, Rule #2 – Taking it easy on vacation makes it feel like a vacation!
Day 3 -- coming up next!

I was truly looking forward to Saturday morning because I was scheduled for a massage! YAHOO!!! First, however, we had to eat breakfast and I had to have Morgan good and full so she’d sleep for Ryan and not be a screaming banshee.

Meals are such a trying experience at this stage of the game – too bad it has be seen in public now and then. I had Morgan in one arm and tried to hold my tray in the other and then eat one handed. Ryan loaded up for the boys and himself and then had to pop up and down to meet their whining needs. Bless him!

I tried a Swedish massage with those hot stones. Man, I should invest in my own set of stones – that was awesome! I liked my masseuse until she got comfy chatting with me and began to show her loose lipped, worldly young 20s-ness. It would have been fine except for the profanity. I actually like getting to know all sorts of people and finding out about things they know or have done that I’d like to add to my life list, or bucket list. She’d always wanted to live in Europe and grown up poor. She went to massage therapy school and then signed up with the Army so she’d get school paid for and get to travel. We have new friends here who did this with dental school and sounds like a good plan to me!

The only other kink to my massage was the fountain that was my nose! ARGH!!! I kid you not, it would not stop running and running – totally disgusting! I couldn’t breathe and was so mad I couldn’t just relax and enjoy those hot stones massaging away all the knots in my back from this move and carrying Morgan around. Guess I’ll just have to do it again when this cold finally takes a hike!

After my massage, I hurried back to our room fearing the worst with the boys bouncing off the walls, Morgan screaming, and Ryan . . . but all was serene on the scene! HURRAY!!! I was so grateful Ryan didn’t have to suffer while I was away! It was snowing still and continued all day. I offered to take the boys swimming while Ryan caught a nap. The plan was that Ryan and Morgan would come down when she woke up.

So off to the pool we went! The boys loved sprinting to the elevators to push the buttons. I realized I missed seeing their lil bods in swim suits and bare feet scampering about. They grow up so fast! I would have enjoyed taking my book to read poolside but the boys are just too little and still require vigilant eagle eyes.

My eyes and mind did wander time to time as I was mesmerized by the different types of falling snow outside! It was like watching a bonfire, I just got lost in it. By the end of the three hours there with the kids, I’d seen so many different types of snow falling and realized how joyful and rejuvenated it made me feel! I just couldn’t get enough of it!

I realized a few other things too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a collection of tattoos in one place before! Men and women! Guess that comes with the military, eh? Also the ratio of fit men and women here to my stateside pool time in little ol’ Leesburg was staggering. I won’t delve into my feelings of flabby inferiority; let’s just say it was alive and kicking!

I actually had a good time watching the boys play in the pool. Because it was pretty quiet there while most hotel guests were out enjoying the snow and slopes, McKay ventured off the steps. First he took a few rounds holding on to the edge where he exclaimed he was “swimming” and then he timidly walked away from the edge and was real excited about that because it meant he could follow Easton wherever. Easton surprised me the most because by the end of our time there he began going completely under water all by himself! I wasn’t even asking him to try it! He just did it on his own! YAHOO!!! I wondered if it’d ever happen! This my kid who has howled any time water got in his eyes whether he was in the tub, shower, or pool. I only wish we’d stayed longer at the hotel to hang at the pool so he’d pair up his new doggy paddle with his underwater bobs. He’s rather proud of his new skills and we keep congratulating him on it!

Easton cracked me up with his attempts at being social. There was a little boy there with his family. One time as the kid passed by, Easton roared at him in an attempt to play with him. The kid was the youngest of three boys and Easton’s age and he understood the growl gesture and so Easton and McKay had fun chasing the boy around the pool until the family left. The second attempt of this tactic didn’t work. Easton growled, the kid again was the youngest but had an older brother and sister and mom who you could tell doted on him. This kid yelped and swam away leaving Easton a little sad and concerned.

I called Easton over poolside and told him that if he wanted to play with the boy he should say, “Hi, my name is Easton. Will you play with me?” My cute little sponge took it in and when the boy warily swam by again, I saw Easton cautiously approach him and deliver his new greeting with perfection. The boy said yes! They started chasing each other and McKay joined in, of course. I found it really funny how McKay eagerly tried to engage kids with a simultaneous growl to Easton’s. This time, McKay was still using the growl tactic but was real curious as he saw Easton try a new strategy. I’m excited to see this all play out as they get older and learn from one another.

McKay does size people up pretty fast and I watched him get out of the pool to stand on the side of the deep end. He started gesturing and ordering a 14 yr old real timid boy (perhaps with some sort of delay) to do something like swim in another place. The boy kept silent as he slowly backed away from the edge where McKay was, all the while keeping a steady eye on this pint-sized dictator. Once McKay had said his peace, he walked back around to the stairs of the kiddy side of the pool. He’s too funny sometimes!

Ryan and Morgan finally emerged a bit after 2pm so the boys had swam 3 hours! Ryan and I grabbed some poolside paninis which the boys refused to get out of the pool for. Finally I got them out of the pool and fed them. It was great we ate so late because me and the boys weren’t much hungry for dinner so Ryan could justify going back for another filet mignon. We ended our lazy day in true fashion with rented movies. I wish we were better prepared with snow gear for everyone to enjoy all that snow but this day was perfect for us. Next year we’ll be better outfitted to take it all in or maybe we’ll just opt for the same ol’ thing!

Conversatin'

How did you spend your President’s Day? Ryan and I spent it making our European travel wish list calendar on our bed with the kids coming in and out to play! It was lightly snowing all day long and the boys were content to just be home playing. Easton was eager to take dad up on the promised xBox game time and McKay reaquainted himself with the toy room whose floor is now exhibiting a nice and neat lineup of his Rescue Heroes. There's something so adorable about watching a kid squatting while meticulously attending to his toys!

Since we’ve moved to Germany, it’s rather rare for us to have Ryan home and to not to be out running errands or out seeing sights. Nice to have a quiet day at home and neglect chores for the most part!

We think Easton may have tweaked his knee when he skied this past weekend. While jumping on my bed with McKay this afternoon he hurt it and has been whining and moaning about it all evening. He’s either limping or sliding around on his knees to get around tonight. Hmmmm . . .

I called home and chatted with my parents while making dinner tonight. After I monopolized the conversation about our latest adventure (sorry, Mom and Dad), they gave me the update on Nana, my cute paternal grandma. She’s in a nursing home right now after a bad fall that broke her hip. She’s got Alzheimer’s so she can’t remember why she’s there, is loving all the attention by the staff, but also can’t remember her hip is broken and that she needs a wheelchair. Mom mentioned she was worried Nana may have injured a shoulder too and that she needs to be able to use a walker and move on her own before she can return to the nice assisted living facility.

I was mentioning this all at dinner and Easton piped up and said, “I broke my walker too.” (meaning his knee) Ryan and I giggled a bit at that and I tried to explain what happened to Nana and what a walker was. I love what kids say but was so happy to hear him voice his thoughts and not just whine about the meal or ask how many more bites he had to eat before leaving the table!

As Ryan was making cookies and I was overseeing the boys eating their dinner, I was telling Easton how I had told Grandma and Papa about his new swimming skills. Easton grinned real big and said we needed to take them to the pool at that hotel so he could show them. Then he said, “But we’ll need to get a bigger car to bring them there.” Ryan laughingly piped up from the kitchen and said to me, “Have you been coaching him to say that?” I haven’t but I won’t deny it was rough giving up that minivan rental and going back to our Honda Accord! I know Easton liked the van too because he got his own row in the back seat. Ahhhh, maybe someday we’ll be able to upgrade!

Is it just me or is it hard to have nice conversation at dinner? I know it’s supposed to one of the most important things we can do to keep our families healthy and develop lasting bonds, but . . . early evening is just not my best conversating time!! I’m hungry, I’m tired of fussing with the kids and they with me. I don’t really like to cook especially since it falls under my daily mundane chore list. So by the time it all gets to the table and we’ve actually settled into the meal after overcoming the “have I had this before, did I like it” conversation and who gets to say the prayer war – it’s hard to feel like being chatty, much less engaging to all members of my family. Let’s also add that we’re usually trying to figure out how to make the kids eat their dinner and not encouraging a conversation that will help them stall eating what they already are refusing to eat. And by the time I have situated myself at the table and prepared my plate for optimal consumption (ie. every bite tasting balanced for greatest enjoyment), Ryan’s done eating or almost finished. Any ideas out there or is this simply a phase, a right of passage? Please tell me it gets better?!

Well okay, I know it gets better because I thoroughly LOVE going home to family dinners where many of us linger after the meal to avoid cleanup . . . uh, I mean to chat. No really, there is a bit of mayhem while plates are being filled and wolfed down – survival of the fittest comes to mind with all those boys and men – but it is truly a fun occasion to be at the Bare’s around dinner time. And it seems the table grows in length like Pinocchio’s nose to accommodate all our latest editions of spouses and kids! What fun! But do I have to wait 15 years until dinner is fun at my house? Also, at home there’s more hands to share the prep and cleanup. I think if the whole process was more social here at this juncture, I’d enjoy it more. Who knew I was so needy?!?!

Garmisch Trip - Day 1

Since we've arrived in Germany, we've kept our ears open for favorite destinations. Ryan had heard about Garmisch from coworkers and he got us reservations as fast as he could for President's weekend. On the US base in Garmisch, there's a resort/lodge. Ryan says it's nowhere near Utah ski resort status, but it was a nice getaway. We will try to head back for their big 4th of July fireworks and do a bit of camping we think. Anyhow, Garmisch is in Germany's southern Bavarian Alps and is gorgeous!

We started our trip dark and early Friday by being out the door at 5:30am to get to Garmisch in time for Easton’s ski school. It had been snowing pretty lightly and steadily all night and continued through our drive which made it take longer to get there. Ryan does love driving on the autobahn and I’m so glad he doesn’t mind driving! At least every half hour, if not more, Easton would say, “Are we there yet?” We got him there just 20 minutes late.

Ryan has loved to ski all his life and has been excited to get our kids skiing. We signed Easton up for an all day ski class. When we first mentioned it to Easton, he had a fit saying he was scared and doesn’t like to try new things so we dropped the discussion. The day before our trip, I told him he would be going to a special class to play in the snow, make new friends, and have lunch and snacks. He thought that sounded fun so we avoided telling him about ski school until he was getting out of the car. He didn’t like the idea, but Ryan bribed him with xBox game time so he gave in. I think Ryan could have taught him how to ski, but I think Easton does better for strangers. We’re always told what a well behaved kid Easton is at church and being in any learning session. We hoped ski school would work the same way!

A nice girl outfitted Easton with all his gear. McKay saw it all and wanted his own boots – “Mommy, I want boots.” And his latest new regular addition, “ I want my own.” It was pretty funny seeing Easton try to walk in those ski boots and falling all over the place. McKay and I dropped Easton off at ski school and by the time we left him there, he was a happy camper with a goofy helmet!

Ryan eagerly headed off to the slopes while McKay, Morgan and I headed back to the hotel to check out our accommodations and have some down time. We were supposed to meet up for lunch, but I got lost and only caught Ryan as he headed back to ski. He said Easton was loving his class. HURRAY!!! McKay said he wanted to go back to the hotel for a nap and to “watch a woovie”! Yes please! I love how this kid loves to snuggle! Someday I’ll get to go have adventures of my own but this season of my life has its own perks like snuggling with my wee ones!

We headed back to see Easton ski at 2:30 and Ryan was already there helping him. I LOVED THIS!!! Easton was eating it up and skiing much better than I ever expected! He didn’t even freak out when he’d start skiing backwards after letting go of the rope tow! The pictures tell it all. Look at those truly joyful grins! McKay really wanted to ski so bad and I now even have an inkling to try it next year if we can have Morgan and McKay taken care of! (Click on the picture if you want to see it bigger.)


Once back at the hotel, we hit the pool and Ryan took to the hot tub. McKay stuck to the stairs with me and Morgan while Easton roamed the 2’ deep area. Afterwards, we cleaned up and headed for dinner at the Pullman. The food was really good and the live pianist playing Sound of Music medleys and view of the snow falling gracefully outside created the perfect ambiance. Well, it would have been perfect if we didn’t have the kids falling apart! Ryan loved his filet mignon and spinach artichoke dip, Easton loved the bread, I really liked this strawberry butter on the bread and the Jagerschnitzel was alright, and both boys enjoyed their scoop of icecream at the end. I’ve always loved apple desserts, but no apple strudel or roll here even compares to Ryan’s apple pies! I’ve become such a snob on that front!

A good long day where everyone enjoyed their activities and we all sacked out by 9:30pm! I said to myself,"Self, Great Day!"

Cookie Lovin'

Story #1
Easton's primary teacher made some really yummy frosted Valentine sugar cookies. I got her recipe and we made them today. This afternoon, McKay helped me mix the dough and after dinner Ryan made the frosting while Easton helped use the cookie cutters and did a little "quality control." After the first batch came out of the oven and had cooled, I let Easton frost his cookie. He scarfed it down while Ryan inhaled what seemed like half the pan.

After Easton finished and was licking his hands because this kid LOVES frosting, I asked him to go wash up and head to bed. (McKay had crashed on the couch snuggling with mom.) Easton obeyed beautifully and Ryan asked him for a goodnight kiss. Easton came in for the kiss and at the last second, surprised Ryan by licking his face!

Ryan said, "Why'd you do that!?"

Easton simply stated,"You had frosting on your face."

'Nough said!

Story #2
Yesterday I watched a friend's little girl who is such a great playmate for my boys! My friend had brought a small stash of bless-ed Girl Scout Cookies, the lemon ones. When I gave McKay and his playmate each a cookie, they started pounding them down. The little girl, however, told me she didn't like it and since I was setting them up for a little movie time, I just told her to put it in the trash in the bathroom. She came back with cookie in hand and I didn't pay much attention to it.

Last night, I was in that bathroom and noticed some odd whitish stuff wiped on the wall and bits on the floor by the trash. I was totally stumped! Then I remembered the earlier incident and had a good laugh. She didn't like the cream filling! What kid doesn't like cream filling? I've known plenty a child to only eat the cream filling and leave the cookie portion. To each his own, eh?

Story #3
Today I gave a long, lengthy catch-up call to a good friend. We laughed, we cried, and my 2 year old ate half a package of Oreos! I had to laugh as his Oreo "ring around the mouth" kept getting darker and darker as I saw him pass me back and forth between the kitchen and the playroom where I had again set him up with a movie. (Ummm yes, this is an almost daily routine each afternoon for my sanity.)

I was totally into my conversation, feeding Morgan, and not feeling up to the horrific tantrum that would ensue so I just let him do it. At first McKay "sneaked" as best he could past me trying to be as quiet as possible for a two year old. It was hilarious to see him avoid eye contact! I played along acting as if I didn't see him. His little feet would patter a little faster as he got closer to the playroom. I can only imagine hoe much he was enjoying this! By the fourth or fifth pass, he'd just give me his "I'm so adorable" and happy squinty eye grin. Once I was up, I found out just how many he'd eaten and what do you do but have a good laugh and enjoy a truly happy, snuggly, sugar high kid!

Happy early Valentine's Day! We're heading to Garmisch for an Alp skiing, indoor pool swimming, outdoor hot tubbing, spa treatment enjoying, cave exploring four day weekend! YAHOO!!!

My sister, the Cat Slayer

This is not meant to offend anyone, but it's too good a story to not share! My youngest sister, Abby, has had an interesting year and this is one of my favorite recent emails, although the huge black eye from a rough basketball game ranks high on the list as well! I got her permission to post this . . .

"About two months ago, our neighbor down the street went out of town for 4 days, and asked for me to watch and feed her cat. She kept her cat outside, and just told me to get the food from inside the house, and fill the bowl which was out on the porch. . . but the cat was not supposed to go inside.

On my first day on the job, i did as i was told and i was getting the food from the house. As i opened the front door to go out, the cat started to come in, so i freaked out and slammed the door shut. BAD IDEA! the little cat's head was on one side of the door, and the body on the other (still attached) and i didn't know what to do. There were still 3 days that i was supposed to be feeding this cat... and i had killed it on the first! EEK!

I quickly put it in a garbage bag, and kept it hidden in our garage, b/c i wasn't sure if the lady would want to bury the body. that was another bad idea. . the garage started to smell a bit after day 2, but mom and dad were completly oblivious to the whole thing.

When the lady returned, she was pretty upset with me, and get this. . . she didn't even pay me! I fed her cat for one day. . . and watched it for the other 3. . . so i should get something, right? just kidding. . . i wasn't expecting her to pay me. . . and she never even thought to offer after she had seen her 'baby' in that plastic bag. I never told mom or dad... but somebody from church squeeled on me. Blasted relief society! the word got around. . . and dad was sure proud! Basically the whole school knew about it, and i have come to be known as CAT KILLER! i guess i earned that.

Now that was just cat #1, and i promise it was an accident. i got that other one about three weeks later on my highway drive for Driver's Ed. I nailed that cat going 70 mph on the freeway, and i didn't even see it coming! to make things worse. . we were in a white car, so the remains of that cat were left in the grill of the car. .blood and all!!! GROSS! so, i guess i'm tied with dad. . we've both got two cats, and i've got an advantage. . . i'm starting young! that's 2 within a 2 month span! People keep telling me that at this rate, i'll have a dozen by the end of the year. . . but my business has slowed down a bit. . sorry to let you down. I promise they were both on accident. . but no matter what i say. . . i'm still known as the local CAT SLAYER! one of my friends made me a little "buisiness" card. . . saying" Abby Bare - Cat killer - No charge - 'if you've got a pesky feline, she's sure to get 'em!" Oh boy. . .I'll never live that one down!"

26 Random Things About Me

So much has happened in the past 2 1/2 weeks since we've moved into our apartment here in Germany. I don't even know where to start but I need to post something here or I'll lose my handful of devoted readers.

I've recently really enjoyed reading a few friends' Lists through FaceBook and loved them. While Ryan watched his favorite show "24", I thought I'd procrastinate unpacking/organizing boxes and do my own list.

Here's the Rules of what I chose to do when I was Tagged: Once tagged, I am supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about me. The last one hit me after I initially posted the 25 and it's rather important to me so pardon the departure. At the end, I chose 25 people on FB to be tagged. I had to tag the person who tagged me. If I tagged someone, it’s because I wanted to know more about them - but it limited me to only 25! Grrrr. I'd love to see this type of list from my parents, in-laws, and siblings mostest! (hint, hint!)

1. I've been made fun of many times for how I make sandwiches. From PB&J to ham and cheese, every bite must taste and feel the same! Spread to the edges, People!

2. I have a real hard time cleaning the kitchen or anything that will take more than five minutes without music or podcasts to listen to. If you have favorite podcasts, let me know!

3. I love music but hate to take time to select it or rate it. Recently discovered the Genius function in iTunes and love how it creates playlists for me! I like such a range of music that it's hard to select just one genre because it depends on my mood. I tend to gravitate toward easy listening folksy acoustic types if I can find it. Wish I knew more artists that fit that bill.

4. I also love color but never know what to say when asked my favorite because it depends on the season and the moment! I recently painted our new living room green so I can theoretically change decor w/ the seasons.

5. I'm a procrastinating decorator. I don't know how to shop for decor or put it together but know what I like when I see it all together. My visions of what I want either can't be found in a store or I can't afford it so I just keep putting it off.

6. I have always wished I could be a creative writer or storyteller. I do, however, really enjoy writing what I've experienced.

7. I have always had a hard time being on time or wearing a watch, but can't stand not knowing what time it is, especially when awoken in the middle of the night.

8. I love to read but have a hard time figuring out what to read. I rarely read a book unless it has been recommended to me. I don't like to walk into a book store or library without a list of books I want to read. Without a whole lot of time to read at this stage in my life, I don't want to waste my time on duds or trash. Lately I love well-written biographies, histories, and historical fiction, and young adult fiction. If you have favorite books, please let me know!!!

9. I love getting to know people, understanding who they are and what shaped their lives.

10. I have never liked going to popular artist concerts because of the crowds and I get tired of listening to the same person/style for that amount of time (with very few exceptions).

11. Two of my favorite random treats are semi-sweet chocolate chips with Costco's Spanish almonds (MISS THEM IN GERMANY!) or those versatile semi-sweet chocolate chips evenly placed on a layer of peanut butter on a graham cracker. Hmm . . . must have some right now!

12. If I were to do college over again, I think I'd most enjoy graphic design or even more, geographical information systems - I really like maps and wish I could find/create random maps for stuff I want to visualize.

13. I wish I was more of a tech geek, artist, or had some other real marketable skills. If I went back to school I'd minor in them.

14. I like having friends of all ages because all "kindred spirits" weren't just born in the 70s!

15. I hope to someday become a family history buff because I want to understand my ancestors and the events that shaped their lives.

16. I like to be comfortable so it's a rare event when I don't get into pajamas or sweats right after walking in the door.

17. I think my maiden name "Bare" helped me get a husband. When telling Ryan my last name, I'd started "helping" people remember my name by explaining, "ya know, Bare, like Bare butt." Not glamorous, but hey - none of my life is and it's all good!

18. I am way too non-confrontational, trusting, and have a hard time sticking to my guns when I need to. The dream job I thought I wanted - to be a UN pro-marriage/life/family lobbyist - just wasn't meant to be for many reasons. But I recognized early on in my internship that this personality trait and job don't jive at all! I'd just rather be nice than get my way with strangers. Wish I was that way with family more often!

19. My whole family teases me about how I sneeze and tease others when they do a "Tracie sneeze." Ryan says I always sneeze in threes or fours which he thinks is odd. Is it?

20. Being born and raised in the same town all my life made me itch to see and experience new places. I thought going away for college would satiate it but doing the BYU study abroad to the Near East only fanned the flame even though I also enjoy being a homebody!

21. Taking AP American History my junior year in high school became a defining year for me. I discovered that even though I wasn't the most gifted student, I could work, cry, and pray hard enough to hold my own among those that were. It gave me great satisfaction to know I could essentially do anything I set my mind to. My teacher off-handedly joked that because I was LDS, I'd be barefoot and pregnant by the time I was 19. There's nothing wrong with that if the right man came along and the time was right, but this lit a fire under me to get more education and experience before I began that stage of my life. I wanted to know who I was first and what I was capable of - a great asset to have on mundane mothering days. I am so grateful for the path the Lord has led me on - He truly has made more of my life than I ever could on my own! For heaven's sake, I'm living in Germany right now!

22. Birthdays have never really been a big deal to me so I apologize if they are for you and you feel I neglected you on your big day.

23. As the oldest of ten kids, I love to laugh with my mom over my young mom experiences and hear her say how glad she is that she's done with this or that! My mom put up with so much from us so I love to make her laugh and hear her honest empathy.

24. I hope to stop looking at holidays as more work added to my to do list and start making them opportunities to create fun memories as a family.

25. I hope to be like my mom and her dad (my Grandpa Bob) who take classes all the time for the love of learning something new.

26. There are three things in life I have truly, deeply yearned for: a best friend/husband, children, and to be learning exciting new things. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father that these have been His will for me in this life!

PHEW! I never thought I'd finish this!