Pinch Me!

No, this is not a belated St Patricks Day posting.

We just arrived in our place for the week in Florence Italy. This is an Italian keyboard so its doing funny stuff. Its 1am and Ryan just had to get in and try the jacuzzi tub. It is only like 1/3 full of water but OVERFLOWING with bubbles - a bit overzealous ya think?! He called me in there and said, I dont think jacuzzis and bubbles mix. Knowing him, it is probably more a quantity control issue :)

This place we are in is very old, built in the 1600s, so it totally smells real old and is pretty darn rustic. We found it on the Vacation Rentals by Owner site vrbo.com - it is worldwide and I love it! The jacuzzi tub here is what sold me since I know we will be walking our tails off carrying kids. We hear strollers do not work well round here with all the cobblestones, stairs and what not. Once I packed the car up today, I also discovered our hefty double stroller would not have fit anyhow. How will I survive without my daily companion??? I will come back so buff from this trip, or perhaps in a stretcher - we shall see!

The drive down took us 9 hours which went real smoothly, thank goodness. The kids did great with our sack lunches, enough snacks and two movies. We left Stuttgart snowing! We should have 60s this week here in Tuscany. We drove through Munich on down to Innsbrook Austria and on south to Italy. Austria is mostly valleys between tall Alps. The northern half looked a lot like Germany but as you get halfway through, it begins to have Italian looking words on buildings and so forth AND TONS of vineyards on the sloping hill faces. Quite surreal! And castles or churches perched up on mountains overlooking towns. Too bad it was starting to get dark and is still pretty wintry - bet it is gorgeous in bloom!

When I asked Ryan what we should listen to on the way down, he insisted it had to be something that taught us about Italy. He found us an audiobook about the history of Rome which was pretty interesting, although we are now only up to 100BC!

Tomorrow we are off to explore and take it all in kid stride! Michaelangelos David is here in Florence, his home town. Ryan had a stroke of sheer genius by finding us free audio tours online for our ipod so we dont have to be tied to tour guides while wrestling our kids and being acclaimed as parents of the year. I am just so beyond excited - who would have thunk we would be in Italy right now?! My life boggles my mind when I sit and think about it!

I speak Language

Last Friday, Easton's kindergarten hosted a parents' tea. I was very excited that many of the other moms spoke English and lived so near by! My new friend Heike has four children. Liam is 3 months old, Mason is 3 and is in Easton's class, then there's the twin 6 yr olds Sam (boy) and Taylor (girl). Heike and I have started walking in the mornings which has been great since there's all these hills around us! Quite the workout!

At the tea, the kids just played and played. Easton hadn't met his buddy Mason's older siblings, so when I saw Sam trying to strike up a conversation with Easton I listened in. Sam asked Easton, "Do you speak German?" Easton looked at him and thought a few seconds before responding with, "No, I speak language." Hahaha! Sam was a little confused and asked again only to get the same reply. I called Easton over and said he was right, but that I thought the word he could use was that he speaks "English." I loved watching the wheels turning in his head as he walked away thing it over.

Our little town of 10,000 has a community class to learn German on Tuesday mornings. A friend from church told me about it and we went together today. We meet in a big preschool room within the high school so McKay was easily entertained on his own. For 1 euro it was a deal! We began with circle time where we got to introduce ourselves in German (mine with a lot of help!). Then we broke into little groups depending on what level we were. I was the newest there although some of the others were new, but from other countries - Turkey, Poland, Uzbekistan and Italy. My little group was with two other Americans led by another woman also named Heike like my friend. We learned formal and informal introductions, how to count, and tell others our address and phone number or fill out personal info on forms. I'm struggling just counting to ten after class but I really enjoyed it and hope to head back when we get back from our Italy vacation next week. Did I say Italy? Yes I did! We're headed to Tuscany - YAHOO!

Flying Houses and Hangers

Today, McKay was spinning in circles to make himself dizzy. He got so dizzy he sat down and exclaimed, "Mommy, the house is flying!"

I was moving the children's clothes around in their room and was finally able to hang their Sunday clothes up in the new wardrobe. I had their little hangers in a box and McKay was so excited to find it. Let it be known that since moving here, he thinks hangers are his own personal arsenal of guns. He hollered, "Yeah Mom! You found it! You found my guns!" He is now running around the house with a red one and a blue one. He also thinks they are a great tool to open the doors in the apartment with.

Kiddo Update

My baby girl is now five months old! Morgan is just a pure joy! With the number of diaper blowouts each week she gets quite a lot of these little baths! She's recently started grabbing for things as seen here in her "bath tub." We've been experimenting with her baby toys during tummy time and dangling thenm over her head to watch her grab them. I was at Easton's kindergarten parents' tea on Friday with a plate full of sweets the boys grabbed, tried and didn't finish. I was talking with some of the other moms and Morgan grabbed a handful of chocolate cupcake and a bit of cheesecake! It totally shocked me, especially since I didn't see her do it - I just saw that fistful heading for her mouth! Perhaps she liked the bites McKay was feeding her just moments before! Thanks for sharing, McKay!

My little girl loves to be held nice and close when she's fed and happy. She lets me give her little squeezes of love as I hold her extra close. I love those little giggles that escape. She's into blowing raspberries now with lots of drool, gnawing on her hands and "chatting". She even finds her thumb now and again. Morgan is quite ticklish everywhere which is a lot of fun. It seems I discover new smiles and can discern what they mean. The wake-up smile as she recognizes it's me and that means it's time to eat. The wide grin as I pass by her that just says hi, I love you, I'm happy it's you. The big open mouth smile as she's being tickled. I just can't seem to get enough of her since I know this time will pass all to quickly!

McKay had a friend over and I really enjoy him having his own friends over without Easton to lean on. These two buddies were so adorable running their trucks from one end of the apartment to the other. McKay asked if we could have cookies and I told the boys we'd make some together. They were so fun to bake with. I am starting to enjoy baking with kids because of the sheer joy they have dumping ingredients in, helping to use the mixer, watching the cookies bake, and chomping away on the cookies with the leftovers all over their faces! They're just so proud to have created their treat! McKay has recently been heard exclaming, "Oh My Gosh!" I have no idea where he heard it, but it just cracks me up!

A week or so ago, Ryan had gotten fed up with my lack of organization and exhibited his job title (Business Operations Analyst) which made me laugh. He would walk into a room and say, "Okay, so what's not working in this room and how can we fix it." He really is good on this front for me and I appreciate it soooo much! In between my chores and the kids, I'd only get so far on each room and get stumped as to what to do and be too cheap to consider going to buy a solution, usually having to due with storage. On Saturday, we hung around the house and got some things done. Ryan bought and built me another IKEA wardrobe for the kids' room. HURRAY!!! In this land of no closets, I've been really challenged. The boys really enjoyed learning how to hammer those nails in and being dad's helpers! It was too cute and they really are old enough to actually be helpful or good at trying.


Easton lately has been really interested in doing more things for himself. These past two weeks he's been making his own snack - usually a PB&J sandwich or PB toast. It takes him FOREVER because he does a lot of "quality control" on the peanut butter which I'm often having to remind him about. He's quite proud of himself for this. On the way home from church he told us that he wanted fried eggs for lunch and wanted to make them himself. Ryan helped the boys do this and then they made Ryan's grandmother's fudge. It was really cute to overhear Ryan telling the boys his favorite memory associated with this fudge. His mom was making the fudge and it got scorched a little. She was going to throw it out apparently, but instead called each kid over to the sink and literally poured it into their mouths. Ryan exclaimed to the boys that it was the BEST DAY EVER! Ryan's now napping, and most would be horrified to know that I've just let the boys cut their own pieces of fudge - as many as they wanted! It was cute to hear Easton tell McKay not to eat too much because if he did, he'd feel really sick soon. I was pretty proud of Easton only cutting himself two pieces.

Swim, Games & a Volksmarch

This should have been posted two weeks ago, March 1.

Ryan’s been working hard and needed a fun laid back weekend so we tried to oblige. Me and the cubs introduced him to the Sindelfingen pool. This time we even took the kids over to the diving pool to show the boys a thing or two. Unfortunately, only the highest platform was open and I am afraid of heights. Ryan went off and then the boys were egging me on. I finally gave in and it rocked my world! It hurt! I had water up my nose and in my ears for the day and that’s all I’ll share on that subject!A post baby nursing bod should not attempt this! The boys loved it though and so I guess it was worth them thinking I was fearless and cool!

Saturday night we had a fun couple over for games. We ended up playing the Settlers of Catan Deutsch anniversary edition they had given us. It was pretty cool but different because a card you draw at the beginning determines where your settlements are placed.

The board is really neat with the “cities” being Deutschland monuments. We snacked on strawberries, chips and salsa, and Ryan baked up his chocolate cake with 7 minute white icing. YUMMY!

After church on Sunday, we met up with our new friends, the Kellers, for our first Volksmarch in the old city of Rothenburg. Ryan and Shawn work together and we both relocated from Leesburg a week apart, oddly enough! They have a cute 3 yr old daughter that the boys love to play with and another baby girl just younger than Morgan.

A Volksmarch is where many historic villages or cities have these group walks through their towns. You pay for your ticket and can select to walk a 6k, 11k, or 21k. You have to answer a series of random questions (in German) along the way and get your ticket stamped at the pit stops in order to get the prize at the end. Since we did it after church, we got a late start and ended up being the last to finish the march. The organizers were literally following us at some points cleaning up the route markers!

The Kellers are in better shape and selected the 11k (6.8 miles) for us so we gave it a shot. The route took us out into the farm country for the first half where we seriously wondered if we were only going to see the distant silhouette of the old walled city that day. And yes, we did have all the kids with us.




I put Morgan in the Baby Bjorn and Ryan got to push the boys in the stroller. I’d made a huge mistake by forgetting Easton’s tennis shoes at his school so he had his snow boots on. Needless to say, Easton didn’t want to walk for long. And where Easton goes, McKay follows. Their poor little friend was dying to walk with them but they were stubborn and enjoyed their free ride. She, on the other hand, walked almost the entire way and had energy to spare! She’s amazing!!!

I really enjoyed being out in the fresh nice spring-ish air and chattin’ my head off with my new friends! I’ll admit my body began barking halfway through and by the end we were all quite exhausted. The start and finish of the Volksmarch were in the sport house where there was rowdy music, lots of food and beer. Our friends were eager for their beer and braut, but since we got there dead last the food was all gone. We got a good laugh out of an old man sitting at a table near us refusing to toast/cheers with because Ryan had a Coke and these guys’ had their mugs o’beer. McKay is still our resident soda lover seen below chuggin' it down!

The workers kept giving the kids these little fruit taffies that they scarfed down. It was actually pretty cute to watch them spread their loot out and chow down. Then they'd jump up and run around chasing one another endlessly! A pure sugar rush!

We found a great place to have dinner while the kids milked us for whatever they wanted. The parentals were too tired to fight and pretty much placated any tantrum. The drive home was nice and quiet as the kids sacked out. I willed myself to stay awake for Ryan’s sake. I was so grateful to him for pushing that stroller with our heavy boys the entire way that the least I could do was keep him company on the drive. Ahhh, home sweet home with the next day nursing our aching bodies, and boy were they aching! We still hope to do more Volksmarches, perhaps just the 6km with the kids unless we get a better offroading stroller!

Confessions

Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.
Confession: I love to read blogs. Confession: I hate to cook or clean my house unless I’m able to listen to something interesting. While browsing a friend’s blog Monday, I came across this link which helped me clean my kitchen, bake Easton’s requested FHE treat of frosted sugar cookies, and cook up a horribly blah dinner no one really ate. (ARGH!!!) Ah well, it’s totally worth the listen!!!

Harvard Hillel, the Jewish student association at Harvard essentially, sponsored an event entitled, “Day of Faith: Personal Quests for Purpose.” A seasoned journalist, Sally Quinn of the Washington Post (an atheist), grilled five panelists about the deepest issues of their identity – their quest for meaning. The panel had students from five faiths: a Mormon, a Muslim, a Christian – Presbyterian, a Jew, and a Buddhist. The seven segments make up two hours I believe. http://vimeo.com/2149652?pg=embed&sec=2149652 Some panelists were better able to answer Quinn’s probing questions and others exhibited being in the throes of their “spiritual journey.” I kept thinking my good friend Holly should have been there to represent Catholics because she would have rocked it!

The conversation wanted to highlight the pivotal soul searching time each of us encounters in young adulthood as we take the religious traditions of our childhood and must decide for ourselves what we truly believe about God and the meaning of life. I find this a fascinating discussion and wish I took the opportunity more often to get to know my friends and family on this level.

Well, I had that opportunity today and completely bombed. While doing some self-evaluation later this afternoon, I was very aware of my failings in this area. Why do I clam up when asked to share the greatest part of my identity?! I really have lived in quite the happy little LDS bubble everywhere I’ve lived thus far in my life. While gaining a lot of strength in my formative years, it has not helped me necessarily hone my religious dialogue skills. I’m not looking to convert the world, I just hope I can become as articulate as Rachel in sharing what I know to be true because my knowledge of the restored gospel has brought me the greatest joy, comfort and peace through the ups and downs of my mortal experience thus far. Helping someone come to an understanding of these truths would be a complete bonus!

I am so grateful for the holy scriptures, prayer, and personal revelation that guide me. I have put my faith to the test many times and walked away strengthened. I cannot thank my Heavenly Father enough for these blessings in my life. This past Sunday was personally challenging and I had to ask myself why I do the things I do. I do it all because I know Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ, know me and love me. I believe in the Plan of Salvation and Happiness. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord’s true church upon the earth led by a modern day prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I believe the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet.

I loved all the questions asked by Quinn, but if I were talking to you right now, this is what I’d love to discuss to understand who you are, Mormon or not. (In fact, feel free to email me at traciedcarter@gmail.com or in the comment section and consider your journaling done for today!)

- Where are you from and what was your early religious experience before you came to [this point in your life]?
- How did you practice your religion and how did it affect your every day life?
- How do you feel about equality of women in your church?
- Who is Joseph Smith and what does he mean to you?
- Who is Jesus Christ to you?
- Do you plan to marry a member of your faith or did you and why?

Once we discussed these topics, I'd love to chat about one of my favorite talks of all time -- Julie Beck's Fall 2008, Sunday morning General Conference talk, "Mothers Who Know." I can't get enough of this talk and listened to it three times tonight while making dinner. Short, inspiring and to the point! LOVE IT!!!

PS - My other recent fave to listen to is my alma mater, BYU's Kennedy School of International Studies Lecture Series.

Home Sweet Home

These pictures were all taken within the last few days or throughout today as we've hung out at home. I've got lots of other thoughts to blog about, but just needed to say I really love my life and this little family of mine! I am truly blessed!

Last Friday I had a mean chocolate cookie craving, but no eggs. So I had the boys help me make no bakes or chocolate haystacks - what do you know them by? Anyhow, the boys love to help me cook when I let them and they were fascinated that I didn't have to put these cookies in the oven!What do you think of your new bean bag chairs, boys?McKay sporting Dad's Red Sox visor - we'll start 'em young here!When I let McKay take some pics, this one of Morgan's collar had an uncanny resemblance to the collar of another notable lady I'm reading about! Morgan's collar of course wouldn't lay down, but just cupped itself around her double chin :) Why are these types of cute collars even sewn onto baby clothes? All my kids don't really have necks, so maybe they work for some, just not mine.Hot chocolate is becoming a routine after we retrieve Easton from kindergarten. Mini marshmellows are their favorite!After Easton made himself a toasted peanut butter sandwich (HIMSELF!!!), McKay ventured into the kitchen to see if he could rustle up some grub. I knew he was in there and wanted to see what he was up to after about five minutes. I'm always curious to see why my kids are quiet for any length of time and figured he'd found something yummy between the peanut butter, unfrosted sugar cookies on the counter from last night's FHE, or some bananas. He found the hot chocolate mix I'd left out from earlier. To his credit, he only made a mess of himself and not the kitchen, even put the lid back on the can! Here he is thinking he's in trouble getting caught in the act.
This kid loves the camera and since I wasn't scowling, he felt free to feel the joy of his little venture.
Reason #1 my husband ROCKS! He fixed my washing machine's two leaks!!! After almost three months of having to go to the laundromat with this move, I can now do laundry at home! Granted, it's a German machine and takes literally 2 hours to complete a basic wash of ONE load! That doesn't include the drying time that you shouldn't even get me started on! BUT, I HAVE A WASHING MACHINE! Bring on the diaper blowouts, folks! I'm ready! McKay just asked,"What dat noise, Mom?" And I joyfully replied,"It's our washing machine cleaning our clothes!!!" This machine has 15 wash options, a water temp setting, a water level setting, a presoak option, a stain option . . . I couldn't figure it out until we got the manual! I just wish it did American sized loads for heaven's sake!
Reason#2 my husband ROCKS! He hung pictures Sunday evening!!! YAHOO - this place is starting to feel like home! Let's just hope his group's contract at work is renewed in June so we aren't moving! (Rumors are good on this front, we're not worried.) As a sidelight, the kids are eating their frosted sugar cookies but McKay is here trying to eat his new friend, Mr. Marker. More to come on that below.McKay has discovered the beauty of Crayola markers. We used them last night in our FHE lesson and he has spent much of today coloring various papers at the table. After the hot chocolate mix incident, I removed his shirt. He went back to his drawings and when I saw him just now building his "puzzle" train, I saw his new body art. His hands are COVERED. But he is a happy camper and kept to the paper for the most part.
And spanning to the left of my train building Crayola kid, are my two other gems! Easton loves when I lay Morgan down so he can play with her. He loves to hold her in the bean bag too although that only lasts about five minutes until he hollers, "Okay Mom, come get your baby now!" He likes to get close to her face and make her laugh while she grabs his ears and hair. It's very adorable to see them becoming such good friends already! Easton's hair is a bit crazy today because he's still daily sporting his "Indiana Jones" coat and hat! I tell ya, that coat is the best $3 I ever spent at a yard sale! I found it last summer and hoped one of my boys would think it was as cool as I did. I'm sooooo thrilled Easton loves it so much! When he arrives in his class each morning he won't even take off the coat and cowboy hat because he's so happy to be wearing it! He's so proud of it he wants to be sure everyone sees it! He even wears the coat to church each Sunday. My favorite feature is actually the little airplane zipper!

RECENT LAUGHS
Easton's teachers will often say "Ciao" to us as we leave and my boys think they're saying, "Ka-Chow!" My boys ritually say Ka-Chow to Ryan every morning before he leaves and are in tears if he doesn't say it back to them. So they're lovin' this "Ciao" business!

I've contemplated whether or not to post this, but I think it's pretty funny. One day recently, Easton comes up to me as I've just finished nursing Morgan. "Mom, when are you having another baby." I said,"We've got a baby right now. Why do you ask that?" Much to my horror and giggles he replied, "Because you're tummy is still big like a baby is coming." Aaaaack! Tis true though. Thanksgiving began my downward spiral which has become this move which I think I've already blogged about. Eating like you're on vacation for four months does nothing to help the waistline! Hopefully Spring comes soon so that I'm not so easily deterred from my walks!

So there ya have it, folks! My little life at home in Stuttgart. I'm excited for tomorrow because one of the kindergarten moms is having me over so she can translate the school's registration booklet for me. She's German and married to an American who works at the same base as Ryan. They're new to the area too and she's got 6 yr old twins (girl and boy), a 3 yr old boy, and a 3 month old son. Her 3 yr old at Easton's school always comes up to me because I speak English and I've been hoping to meet his parents to find out if we've got a close playmate.