Carter Chronicle

This Week

2012-02-09T05:46:00.002-05:00

It's just the little stuff that is our life right now but I see big things in it too. Things that I want to remember and savor . . .

Easton has officially begun Scouts! He participated in his first Pinewood Derby last weekend and thought it was pretty cool. Tuesday night this week he went to his first scout meeting. They learned to fold the American flag and leg wrestle. Easton said he beat all the other Wolves in his den. Since I'm in Primary each Sunday, I get to witness the ladies keeping all the kids in line. It was so fascinating to see these fathers manage lively boys and not get frazzled! I'm so excited for Easton to participate. He looked up to the boys as they recited the Pledge of Allegiance and Scout Oath. So great to have a good bunch of boys learning to be leaders. When Easton heard the words "scout camp", he officially decided if this group camps, he's IN!

This also begins us trekking up to the church building for youth night. The scouts don't meet each week, more like every other week. I really enjoyed having the time to just talk to Easton without Morgan interrupting! On the way home, I mentioned something about their Carter cousins moving back to Seattle probably this summer. Easton got real quiet and then he tearfully said, "It's like someone is dying . . . Mom, they're my best friends." Oh man! Just typing this again makes me teary! I hope we're able to find good times for the kids to Skype or maybe even play some xBox Live together. I can't believe I'm advocating for video game time, but it's something Easton loves to do with his cousins and Uncle Eric.

The boys get out of school each Wednesday at 12:30 and have tennis lessons at 3pm. This past Monday, we have declared Waffle Wednesdays and we're really enjoying it. Each week I learn a little something new about my parenting. The first week was just for fun. The second week I learned I needed to surrender control of what they put on their waffles and just go with what they wanted. (I'd made a really yummy fresh strawberry sauce and they didn't want it - just the Zarbitter chocolate spread, peanut butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, and whip cream - spread separately on different portions of their waffle.) Another week it was about showing the boys and starting Morgan on better using their utensils to spread stuff, cut, and eat their own waffles. They were highly motivated and at lunchtime I have more energy and patience to teach than I do at dinner. I can't remember the other couple of weeks specifically, but yesterday I found I needed to start teaching better table etiquette. How to ask for, pass, and thank people for items needed. It's been such a great experience for us and I'm sooooo grateful for our Waffle Wednesdays!

Morgan had to have a cavity worked on and in two previous attempts, she wouldn't let the dentist do the work so we had to put her under general anesthesia. Good grief what a long day! Arrived at 9 for the appointment and didn't leave until 1:30 - and she couldn't eat before or until we left. The observation period of two hours after the procedure were torture because she was needy and hostile. Good thing I love her. The best part was after they gave her the silly juice before the anesthesia. She got real dopey and had me sing to her for a half hour. At one point she looked up in to my face and said, "Mom, you have two eyes." Thanks, sweet girl!

I've officially given up for now on putting Morgan in German kindergarten. The daily battle to get her out the door and to stay there was wreaking havoc on my psyche and my love for her. I often expect too much of her and need to tone it down. So I've started doing "preschool" with her at home for the past few weeks and she loves it. I love it because I'm trying to make more attempts to spend quality time with her. We do a couple different things, but the easiest part of it is starfall.com each day. A homeschooling friend showed it to me a couple years ago. We do our calendar, letters, numbers, colors, and stuff on there together. Once I let myself let go of German kindergarten for now, a sense of sweet peace swept over me. We might try it again next fall and I've requested she be put in the class with our German neighbor and with the teacher who speaks English for me. We'll see if it comes about, but for now this decision is saving my relationship with Morgan at this time.

The kids got Christmas money from my parents that they've been eager to spend. We were at the PX and looked for BeyBlades - the newest craze to hit their schoolyard break time. Essentially they're tops with a ripcord. They each bought two and were so excited! McKay is obsessed and I love overhearing his battle conversations, even with himself as he talks to his battling tops. McKay has a hard time focusing on anything because he can't get enough -- eating meals, getting ready, and so forth. It's real fun for a busy mom, but a great threat or bribe! Ryan returned from a short trip to the States for a conference and brought the kids 8 + the stadium. Easton declared it the best day of his life AND in another moment of sheer joy dopily said, "I love my family!"

Jake has officially left the carpet -- that is, the small area rug we having in the living room or playroom. He is a scooting machine! He also had his first table food -- mashed avocado. Yep, this kid is growing up! He's still nursing like a champ and we're still trying to get the sleeping through the night routine down. I often wonder if my milk is good enough, if I sit still long enough, and all sorts of "enough" evaluations that I have to tell myself I'm not messing him up. Yet. There's still plenty of time for that. The pediatrician hasn't raised any red flags yet so we'll take his word for it. I love that Jake loves to kiss and snuggle in now and then. Man I love babies!!!

I'm learning to make tasty dinner rolls from a friend who's an expert. My first attempt on my own wasn't the greatest, but they were yummy still. Guess I'll just have to try again!

I've also started playing soccer once a week with some German ladies. It's just indoor pickup essentially, but I love it! I get a real thrill out of a well-executed attack and score, a good defensive delay and steal, the feeling of working together with a team. I'm soooo out of shape that I have to keep my expectations of my body in check, but it's got me pulling out the workout videos to help with that so I can enjoy playing soccer that one night a week. They play Mondays at 8:30pm and while it may sound less than ideal, it's perfect. I don't have to wrestle kids there or find a sitter - except when I had my neighbor come over to watch this past Monday while Ryan was out of town. I wish they played twice a week but this is probably for the best. I just enjoy playing so much more than "working out."

I'm also really enjoying preparing my lessons each week for my primary class. Fun to be back in the Book of Mormon! I love having the weekly deadline pushing me toward daily scripture study. I love applying the things I read to myself, my family, and the lives of the girls in my class. I have 11 girls with another moving in soon and the set of twins bring their neighbors. It's a full room and I have to bring my A game to keep them engaged but they seem to enjoy my efforts. Ryan's got Elders Quorum to direct so we often are swapping Jake week to week. Good thing he loves the sling so I can have my hands free! My girls are eager to pass him around, but I'm not eager for the distraction or a host of new germs to join our family. A couple of the girls also have serious food allergies so I'm stumped on what I can bring for treats. Oh well, I've never been good about that being part of my repertoire!

I should write something about what Ryan's up to but he just got back from his work trip and has a "table top exercise" this week so we haven't had much time to catch up. He's still eyeing tennis lessons because we really like the boys' instructor and he loves that workout. We haven't gotten in much skiing as we'd planned, just too much going on. We're both wanting to shed some pounds and trying to figure out our approaches. He's been calendaring our travels for this year and has conceded that I'll take the kids home for a good chunk of this summer. I'm soooooo excited!!! Down time with my family is much overdue and I had a hard time justifying asking it because, Hello! We're in Europe with all its destinations and the expense of going home! I did such a good job selling the trip to him that now he wants to come too, at least for Matt's wedding when he'll get to see everyone and be present for family pictures. Again, this became about me -- sorry. Ryan, you'll just have to write on this here blog if you want your life story told ;)

Super Glue Gestures and Momzilla

2012-01-22T17:22:00.006-05:00

{I'm still working on the second half of our Israel trip posts because once we got into Jerusalem, we have some fun stories to share! But back to real life now and there's been plenty of that!}

It feels like I've been running nonstop for months now, even before Jake's birth. I'm more emotional since his birth - like I'll get real teary more often than I've known myself to. This phase of our life is just so darn busy and downright demanding hard during certain times of the day. Sadly, it's the hardest when everyone is home and I have to try to bring my A game when all has already been spent, running on fumes you might say since Jake's still not sleeping through the night.

I've had to give myself a some little mantras to repeat to myself so I can muster through. In those "moments", even while losing it, I have to take a deep breath and tell myself (and sometimes Ryan when he raises those eyebrows at me) -- that Life is sometimes real hard and busy with these little people but that's okay. It doesn't mean something's necessarily wrong or needs fixing. It's a season of our lives and there are lots of moments of real joy to savor. Joy doesn't mean easy. Those knowing laughs and smiles between me and Ryan, the great baby smiles and sweet laughter and snuggles of our kids are those moments to savor.

But hard is hard. Young kids are physically and emotionally demanding! Keeping house is relentless and I am not good at it. But hard doesn't mean living in a place of despair. I recently heard a phrase about grieving and healing which I've added to my moments of self-therapy. Despair and frustration are places I'll visit sometimes often in the course of my day, but I don't have to live there.

And you know why? Because I have Ryan. I love my husband! I need him because he gets me, puts up with me, and still loves me! (Yes, I also have prayer and that's a big part of my survival too, but that's another post.) I have three scenarios to share and then I'll come back to this bit about why I love Ryan.

SCENARIO: I've probably bitten off more than I can chew for our coming week - as evidenced by a couple new haircuts two kids gave each other tonight when they were supposed to be, and I fully thought, were sleeping. Ugh! Or perhaps better evidenced by the outpouring of friends offering to come to my rescue at church when I took this show on the road today! Ages of kids being watched - an almost 1 yr old and almost 4 year old. (Sisters in my ward are just that - Sisters! Relief Society Sisters!)

SCENARIO: So after our trip to Israel, we'd had the kids home for only one full day and during the frenzied dinner bewitching hour I was falling apart (rather an all too common sight, I'm afraid but I hear I'm in good company with other moms). The kids already had fallen apart and it simply wasn't pretty - hungry, tired, emotional, needy. Enter Ryan getting home from work.

We were both in the kitchen meeting different immediate needs and he told me today he'd just had to pay some speeding tickets I'd recently accrued. (Soooo aggravating, those darn speed trap cameras!) I don't recall what happened next, but I must have snapped in some way at something and he chuckled and said how different, how quickly I've changed. I thought he was referring to my speeding tickets and then he clarified that no, he meant the girl he was with in Israel vs. this . . . Momzilla (totally my term, he never said it but I've decided it fits just now). I had to smile through gritted teeth - it was funny in the moment but there was more than one child or task needing our immediate attention so on we went. It's sad, I totally agree with him.

SCENARIO: Some time in the last few weeks, McKay was playing with our Advent calendar on the piano that was waiting to be packed away. He accidentally knocked over the Willowtree statue I'd given to Ryan for Christmas last year announcing we were pregnant with Jake. And if you'll remember, that announcement trumpeted and voided Ryan's long and meticulously planned, highly anticipated gifts he was giving to me and the kids - cruises. The statue is totally replaceable but in that moment and since it just seemed to highlight to me what I deem one of my greater weaknesses. See what happened? Who took the brunt of the fall?

Poor guy lost his head and his right foot protecting his wife and baby! Notice Mom and baby are still intact, looking serene together despite their protector's seriously disturbing demise. I'm sure she's really torn up about him, but maybe this moment captures her finally getting the baby to stop crying?

Point is . . . Ryan regularly gets lost in the shuffle of me in motherhood. Heck, I get lost in the shuffle too, but I've already talked about that. Old news. We love our babies, we do! We haven't been able to say we're done having them yet because we love them all so much. But as all couples can attest - having kids changes your relationship - in so many ways you can't even fathom them as cute 20-somethings falling in love.

Last fall Ryan and I were having a stifled conversation where Ryan was trying to kindly show me my weakness. He used these terms, "I feel like I'm not on your list." Ouch. I am a list maker. And you know what, he was totally right! I was so busy trying to keep up with the kids and the house that I hadn't made room for him! And in that moment I wasn't humble. I wanted to say, "You're right, you're not." But I think I gave him a heavy, defeated martyr's sigh. It's all I got most of the time and it's overused.

So back to this week. I love you, Ryan! He came from work with this:

So even though it took me a couple days, I got to do this and think about all the kind super glue gestures my sweet husband makes all the time and how little he really asks of me in return.

Like filling the van up with gas yesterday. I have NO idea when I would have fit that in this week and it meant a lot to me that he noticed and seriously eased my burden. So while my kind gesture of making our life real crazy busy this week by offering to watch two young kids may have seemed like kindness to a friend going overboard, it was about Ryan. He loves to travel and to give me a break from being Momzilla so I can remember and be that girl he married. This kid watching craziness is a swap so we can go travel. And in the 36 hours so far that we've survived having 5-6 kids 8 and under, I've repeated that to myself over and over. But better yet, I guess you could say that not only do I need to perhaps simplify my gestures and better communicate my intentions to the one I'm doing it for, but I also just need to do more of them! Thanks for inspiring, supporting, and enduring me, Cute Boy!

Side note: These kids I'm watching are real easy tempered, good kids. For instance, they're good eaters and sleep 12-14 hours per night. Hello!

On the way to Jerusalem

2012-01-05T14:43:00.015-05:00

One of the highlights of the trip for us was the opportunities we took to talk with locals. We spent an hour talking with Yuval who runs the Bar Bakfar moshav. So fascinating! We wished we'd planned more time for that into our stay there. I've started writing up our conversation and may get to posting it later.

But for now, I'll stick to reporting on the sights and sites of the day. We drove south from the Galilee to Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea. What an interesting drive! We began in the lush Galilee valleys surrounded by banana trees, greenhouses of every size, and flowers. Green, very very green. When we'd arrived a few days earlier we'd been in a downpour and the land just soaks it up. I kept telling Ryan how he was getting a special visit with all this flora.

But within an hour driving south, the green was gone! Here’s some of the sights we enjoyed on our way.

A shepherd with his herd of goats and sheep.

The border fence looking toward Jordan. We passed many bus stops that seemed like they were in the middle of nowhere but there was often a few IDF soldiers waiting for a bus. In the middle of nowhere! It was just odd.

We had to turn around and snap some pics when we came upon a camel herder on his white pony leading at least two dozen camels!

This one was waiting for a tourist to go for a ride at a gas station. We saw this sort of thing at quite a few gas stations along the road skirting the Dead Sea. After driving about two hours, we arrived at Qumran National Park. Can ya see the caves in the mountain side?

The Dead Sea and the Qumran Visitor's Center. No more green down here!

In 1947 a young Bedouin boy was searching up here for a stray goat. He threw a rock into one of the cliffside caves thinking the goat may have climbed inside but instead of bleating, he heard jars shattering. He climbed up to the cave and was disappointed to find old parchment, not hidden treasure. Bedouin family members took some of the parchment to a shop in Bethlehem to see if it could sell and a Hebrew University antiquities professor happened to be looking around in the shop. He hit the jackpot and bought as much as he could. Long story short, these bits of parchment have come to be known as the Dead Sea Scrolls and are the oldest original portions of the Bible, Apocrypha, and some Talmudic writings from the meridian of time.

Next we headed down to Ein Gedi Beach to let Ryan float on the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. The Dead Sea is so salty you are super buoyant. It was so fun to see Ryan giddy happy! It's wild being that buoyant! I had no desire to do it again after my BYU experience because of how gritty it makes you feel and I would have taken too long washing up afterward for what we wanted to do that day still.

Getting in and out of that water was another story! Big waves and a current slams you into jagged evaporated salt encrusted rocks along the shore. It was a serious challenge. Ryan cut his hands and got a gash on the side of his foot. Talk about pouring salt in your wounds! OUCH!

By now it was 2:30 and we didn’t have time to make it to Masada that day so we headed to our hotel in East Jerusalem, just off Salah Din Street and 10 minutes walk to the Old City. Stepping out of the car the smell of the city washed over me. It’s so exciting to be back here! While settling in to our hotel, Ryan and Jake got some cute face time. Jake loves to squeal in response to Ryan talking to him – it’s adorable!

We headed in to the Old City through Damascus Gate and on through to the Western Wall. It was fun to walk that maze of streets again and hope it spit us out where we wanted to be! There was an IDF graduation ceremony going on and a good number of tourists and observant Jews praying at the wall. Boy did it take me back in time!

We wandered the Old City a bit but needed to find real food. Near Jaffa Gate, we spotted Rossini's and sat down for some dinner. Rossini's was actually listed in my Frommer's guidebook as a fave and now we know why! It was delicious!!! Warm fresh bread with three different spicy spreads followed by an appetizer small portion of a creamy mushroom chicken alfredo. We'd had a hard time deciding what we wanted to eat and the chef and waiter said they'd let us try a bit of what looked good. We would have licked our alfredo bowls if it were considered decent! Yum! But we were brave and tried a traditional Middle Eastern/Mediterranean meal which we can’t remember the name of. But it was good!

This is a small little restaurant and the chef likes to come out and talk with the patrons. We didn't really know he was the chef until I read up on him later. Apparently he's famous and has catered for two Popes' visits to Jerusalem! We had fun chatting with him, he's a Christian Palestinian who was born in the Old City - meaning within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. His parents were from Jaffa, moved back to the Old City before Israel was created in 1948, had to evacuate during the 1967 war when Israel took over the Old City, and then their home was turned into a Jewish hostel for pilgrims in the Jewish Quarter and is still one today. Oh there's so much more to that conversation! It was so interesting! At one point, we asked him about how to buy a kefiyah - the Arab headscarf men wear - and how much they cost so we could do some fun bargaining in the suqs. He insisted on getting them for us and we took him up on it! We knew we wanted to come back to eat there anyways.

Afterward, we waddled fat and happy back to the hotel through the Damascus Gate and called it a night! I love this city!

Lower Galilee, Israel

2012-01-03T14:35:00.015-05:00

Day 2 in Israel is complete and we still enjoy each other! Hurrah! Although we're not loving the seats of our rental Mazda 2 car! Ugh. Having to fit a rear-facing baby seat behind me leaves me no leg room or ability to recline and Ryan's just too long for economy-sized cars! Ryan did find a great deal though - I think is was just $200 for the entire week and that included full insurance coverage! Just one more day of driving though until we'll be walking our legs off in Jerusalem!

You might be curious to know our daily routine on this trip. It's really not as intimidating as you might think it would be to travel here. Breakfast here at the moshav is at 8:30 so I get up and get moving as Jake or the need to shower dictates. Today I was up at 7:20, yesterday it was 8. We get on the road at 10 after eating, chatting with the staff, topping off Jake's tank so he'll be a happy camper, and packing up necessities for the day.

I try to narrow our itinerary down to three or four sites for us to see per day and let Ryan give me his opinions. Sites here in the winter close at 4 or 5pm but most require you inside the gate by 3pm. It's a little aggravating, but it's going alright. I just have to keep telling myself that Ryan just wants to see as much of the lay of the land as possible and he'll be happy. With the great, filling breakfasts at the moshav, we haven't needed to stop for lunch but have stopped for snacks. If Ryan's doing the shopping, it's bags of chips and candy bars to see us through to dinner. And every gas station or convenience store clerk needs to tell you about every relative they have in the States or that have visited the States! But let's get on the road, eh?

We started the day in Nazareth at a new living history museum - Nazareth Village. Most people come to Nazareth to visit the shrines and churches, but we opted for this instead because I'd read good reviews and we generally like living history places everywhere we go. When we tried to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, our GPS couldn't see us through the maze of streets so we gave up. We were happy with the Village and really appreciate what they are trying to provide here in the Holy Land. They've done a thoughtful, good job. Here's some of what we saw and talked about:

A shepherd with his flock of goats and sheep.

A replica of a rich man's tomb.

An olive press - this part hooks up to a donkey to walk around in circles as the stone crushes the olives for the first press. Then the olives are put in woven bags to be pressed using a system of weights as shown below.

A carpenter and his workshop.

A living area spread for a meal. The network of houses they've made here was really cool. They're really trying to do everything authentic to the time.

Women washing, dying, spinning, and weaving with wool.

A synagogue true to the time of Christ.

As Ryan was settling himself for bed tonight and I sat here trying to sort and upload photos with a recap of our day, I asked him what he'd liked about today.

"I'm glad we didn't stay in Nazareth!" A reference to the insane web of roads and snaking stalled traffic.

"Zippori's mosaics were cool." Sephoris/Zippori was a vibrant, thriving city being built up during the time of Christ. Just an hour's donkey ride west from the sleepy little village of Nazareth back then, its likely craftsmen like Joseph the carpenter would have found work here. A relatively newer excavation site, we saw some great mosaics - this is the most famous - its "Mona Lisa" uncovered in a mansion near the citadel at the top of the hill.

The synogogue's mosaics were also pretty cool and gave me a good spot to stop and feed Jake.

"Megiddo (Armageddon), I liked the ruins. And seeing the valley and military installations." We got here an hour before closing but Ryan still got to enjoy walking all over up there.

It's interesting to see how archeological methods have evolved. Archeologists used to approach a big mound site (a "tel") like this by taking a slice of the pie -- cutting down through multiple layers of civilization at once. Now they systematically work in squares so the ground begins to look like a giant waffle where they focus on one layer of civilization at a time. Both approaches can be seen at Megiddo. But Megiddo is also fascinating because as you look out across this beautiful massive flat valley, you can picture centuries of armies and peoples moving up and down it. It's amazing!

Two shots of the valley as seen from the top of the tel.

And yes, Ryan was on the lookout for military installations. We saw many as we drove across the valley back toward Mt. Tabor near where we are staying.

The setting sun and a look down the steep side of Mt Tabor as we drove the hairpin turn, switchback road up to the top.

"I liked the church," Ryan said. I remember this site from my time here before. It's a very peaceful, simple beautiful church and grounds with a nearby monastery on the top of this huge hill. It really is bigger than your average "hill" but I don't know what else to call it. As I reread the accounts of the Transfiguration, I've got to question how plausible it was for Christ, Peter and James to walk all the way from Banias near the border with Syria where we were yesterday to here at Mt Tabor in 6-8 days. My bet is on Mt Hermon up north, but regardless - this is a very nice spot and vantage point of the northern side of the Jezreel Valley.

Around the side of this church to the left here is a balcony to look down into the valley. It was almost 5pm and we could hear the Muslim muezzin singing the call to prayer down below us. I really love that! Too bad my watch can't be programmed to sing a beautiful call to prayer like that many times a day. I could use more reminders and I really appreciate this aspect of the Muslim faith.

And last but not least, a flock of adoring Asians work for Jake's smiles. Will this be the closing theme for each day? We end with Masada tomorrow, a major tourist site, so I'll let you know!

For dinner tonight we grabbed a pizza from the Pizza Honey, recommended by our moshav staff in the nearby Circassian village of Kefar Kama. We also had to stop and grab some pita and hummus from their favorite Arab restaurant. Oh how I've missed the pita bread! We watched "Moneyball" while stuffing our faces and reminiscing about a great day in the Holy Land. Love this sunshine!!!

Shalom!

2012-01-02T13:57:00.007-05:00

We're in Israel! Did ya know my life online began when I did my study abroad with BYU Jerusalem back in 1997? It’s true! I regularly sent my family these horribly long emails so they could share in my adventures and so I’d have a record of it all.

This time it's Ryan, me and Jake (almost 5 months old now). And I'm our tour guide! Talk about overwhelming after the month we’ve had! Luckily, I know my man. Ryan's a wanderer, he loves to drive the countryside and get a feel for the land -- not visit every archeological site and museum with a scholar. Phew! Navigate, I can do that . . . or not so much.

We arrived January 1st around 2pm and made our way north to Haifa. First of all, the airport was an unrecognizable upgrade to the podunk digs I flew into in 1997! Our plan was to do some quick overview stops to vantage points on Mt. Carmel (Elijah's face-off with the priests of Baal), Megiddo (Armageddon), and Mt. Tabor (Mt of Transfiguration). This plan would have worked a lot better had the map download we did to our GPS worked! We quickly learned that we do not speak or recognize Hebrew writing! And by 5pm we were also in a downpour as darkness descended. So we were driving blind. We stopped and got our bearings at one point and miraculously made it to our accommodations.

We're staying at a small family moshav (a cooperative agricultural community) called Bar Bakfar near Nazareth. It's small and simple, but very friendly and they spoiled us with a great breakfast featuring different local cheeses, spreads, fresh baked breads, omelets, and the best fresh lemonade we've ever had!

Because of a day full of rain, we decided to do the Golan Heights above the Galilee. We made a full loop around the Sea of Galilee in one day as we hit all these sites.

We hiked around Banias, or Caesarea Philippi, to see the waterfall - one of three headwaters for the Jordan River. It was here that the record of Mark in the Gospels says Jesus asked Peter to tell him who he thought He was. Most Christians venerate this spot because they believe Christ told Peter that Peter was the "Rock" the church would be built upon. However, us Latter-day Saints believe the Savior was teaching them about how He was the rock and a belief in him is the foundation of our faith. I hope I stated that right. It was also near Banias that a woman was healed from some sort of blood issue by touching the Savior in a crowd.

Next we made our way to Nimrod's Fortress. It was built by locals in the 12th century to defend against incoming Crusaders. I sat in the car and fed Jake while people watching and Ryan climbed to his heart's content. The rain was coming down hard and most of the time I couldn't see the fortress right in front of me. Once the clouds passed, the fortress provides beautiful sweeping views of the valleys below. Next we made our way toward Gamla but got there after last admissions. These site hours are tricky during the winter. Along the way we stopped in Qasrin for some snacks and also saw a lot of Israeli military training bases and exercise grounds. Ryan was pretty pleased with himself for spotting the wall built along the Israel-Syria border.

We circled around the Sea of Galilee and found ourselves at Yardenit as the last visiting busload groups finished up their baptisms. I was curious to see what Ryan thought of it but he enjoyed it for what it was. One group was from the States and the other from Indonesia. Ryan stationed himself and Jake near the Indonesians because they brought their own musicians.

Asians love babies and young kids! This might be a theme of the week . . .

Ryan got a kick out of this jar of honey in the souvenir shop.

The restaurant we wanted to eat at in Tiberias didn't open until 7pm so we had to go with plan B. We headed up to Korazim to the Vered HaGalil restaurant that was recommended in our guidebook.

Jake was happy to be out of his carseat although he's been a fabulous traveller! Gotta love a baby who takes a pacifier or is just as happy sucking on his fingers and has newly discovered he can bat at a toy with those appendages!

Once we got back to our place and sorted through all our fun pictures, we got a kick out of a conversation reminiscing over where we were 20, 15, 10, and 5 years ago. Such a blast!

20 years ago . . .

Ryan - junior in high school (that's about all he disclosed)

Tracie - freshman in high school, crushes on boys, athletic trainer for basketball/wrestling/gymnastics

15 years ago . . .

Ryan - post-mission working/schooling in New Hampshire, six months from moving to BYU

Tracie - arriving in Israel with BYU Study Abroad!

10 years ago . . .

Ryan - decided to stay in DC post-internship and find job, apply for Masters programs

Tracie - living, working in DC, single and tired of it but a couple months shy of meeting Ryan

5 years ago . . .

Ryan - waiting for new job to begin at EDS, end of job hunt after a surprise lay-off when company was bought out

Tracie - working in DC and not balancing being a wife, mother of 2, and full-time working gal very well

And now, we're always pinching ourselves! Four kids, a job abroad Ryan is really enjoying, and lots of opportunities to travel. Don't worry, it's still real life - we have household plumbing and car issues to drain the bank.

Journaled this Dec 21st

2011-12-21T17:57:00.006-05:00

I have half a dozen posts waiting to be finished. It's pretty indicative of my life right now. A lot going on and nothing ever getting my full attention or being finished. I'd like to finish posts about a few more Christmas markets we enjoyed, the kids' latest antics, dental adventures, things that I've read/seen/heard that have inspired me, Christmas preparations, our first good snow, Easton's 8th birthday and more. But today I just want to document my overwhelmed-ed-ness that is my life and how grateful I am for Heavenly Father answering my tearful prayers for perspective. Here's a little bit of the backstory:

Our kitchen sink won't drain which means we also can't use the dishwasher - since Saturday, but I'm now regretting anything eaten off of dishes since Wednesday. We've hit it with Drano, a plunger, the yard hose, a 5 and 10 meter (30 feet) snake thingy all to no avail. Ryan's given it everything he's got and I love him for it!!! And get this, the pipes were just given a professional cleaning 3 weeks ago after we had a major leak addressed. Don't worry though - the plumber said he can come NEXT Tuesday which is better than the one who said he might be able to make me an appointment in the first week of January. Great. So tomorrow I officially move a table into the bathroom so I can wash the accumulation of dishes, pots and pans. It ain't pretty! This is all great timing with the kids now home for Christmas break and all the cooking, baking, and eating we were looking forward to this weekend.

The van. We just got snow tires and fixed one of our sliding van doors only to have the other sliding door give out four days later. It's caused an uncomfortable fit of rearranging seats and a boat load of patience to load and unload the kids many times a day. The van's also in desperate need of an oil change but I can't seem to get it to the shop on the days and times where they can have it done in a reasonable amount of time for my schedule. The front headlight is out but the plumbing disaster has taken main stage even though I may have gotten a traffic flasher ticket for it. Or the ticket was for going 70km/hr in a 50km/hr speed trap strip of road. Twice. Grrr.

I walked around with a wet cold foot all day today because my only pair of boots apparently has a hole in them. And so do my favorite house slippers I also discovered today.

I can't seem to find time to eat or figure out what to eat when given a moment to remember a meal time has come and gone. We haven't had an overabundance of activities, just a steady stream of regular errands that need to be run but I can't seem to stay on top of them, the house work, the meals, and all the other things a wife and mother juggles.

I started Morgan in German kindergarten two weeks ago with mixed results and a lot more time than I ever bargained for in the drop-off attempts. It's had me examining my motives, parenting skills, her needs . . . when I have time for actual thoughts of course.

Last night as Ryan could see my frustration over the plumbing and other things tipping me toward the breaking point, he asked if he should send me to a hotel. Poor guy, I think I snapped back at him about what good would it do? The tasks still had to be done and I'd have to leave that lovely place to get home before he left for work because he can't take the day off right now.

As I sat in Morgan's room folding a mountain of laundry tonight I let the tears just come. And I prayed for my Heavenly Father to comfort me, to help me see the true sources of my anxieties and be able to communicate my feelings and articulate my needs to Ryan. In Ryan's attempts to help me find solutions, I always get defensive because there's nothing like having your weaknesses pointed out and always so visible all the time!

So my life is really busy right now. Who's isn't? So there's been some big bumps lately. It happens. I was reminded of how exhausted Ryan was the three days I was in the hospital after having Jake. He'd arrive with the kids all disheveled and amazed at what it took to get everyone out the door and where they needed to go. Never mind the chores, there wasn't time to do them so it waited until I got home and we all tackled them together. Ryan saw that he simply didn't have time with all the running around and taking care of all of us. So we chatted about that reality briefly so he'd remember how it felt to be in my shoes. I'm always having to remind myself of what Ryan's day at work must be like so that I don't overdo my expectations of him. It's a daily challenge for me.

So it's almost 1am and I'm falling asleep as I type. I can expect Jake to wake up twice between now and 7am when it all starts again so that gives me a chance to get more sleep tonight than I got last night.

Sindelfingen Christmas Market

2011-12-20T18:18:00.008-05:00

Easton and McKay participated in their school's Sindelfingen Christmas market performance. It was a fun place to meet up with their friends and pretty cute to see them singing traditional Christmas carols in English and German. This is actually a great local market each year with great food and a good variety of booths.

Easton was in the far back left so we couldn't see him at all. McKay's class was front and center and he sang his heart out. After the performance, Ryan went off with some work friends while the rest of us headed for the fire pits to roast bread on a stick and enjoy some kinder punch.

Somehow I ended up with 7 kids to supervise at the fire pits and everyone was starving - including Jake in the stroller. I gotta laugh at the smile on my face cuz that's not really how I felt on the inside. You know the feeling -- you put on a happy face trying to help the kids enjoy an experience when you'd give your left arm at the very least to be home alone reading a book in your pjs nice and warm. Once everyone got their bread on a stick over the fire, it was crazy keeping them safe! Fire, sticks, children = bad combo but they were happy!

Finally, I was able to corral my own bunch into the school's tent where I could feed Jake and then we were off to go find Ryan. He'd found some great eats as always! Roasted potato wedges with some sort of yummy dip and then some cheese toast. The cheese toast was awesome! They had a huge wedge of cheese that they'd put under a broiler to melt just the top. Then they'd scrape off that melted top, put it on a fresh piece of German bread and slather on a bit of jam. Heaven in my mouth, I say! I would have loved to eat another slice but Morgan announced she had to go potty so we had to run back to the van for a date with our port-a-potty.

Next up that evening: Getting the Christmas tree from our favorite lot!

My 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-06T04:06:00.024-05:00

Growing up, my family sometimes did a Secret Santa 12 Days of Christmas to another family. I've had the itch to do it every year but this year was it. I was going to do it to my two visiting teaching families. I collected my ideas and made a plan -- I even had all the daily poems written with fallback ideas ahead of time! Ryan was a bit skeptical about fitting nightly outings into our bustling evenings so I found my happy medium even though it goes against the grain -- I grouped our deliveries into three nights plus the final reveal. Simple enough right? Well, they weren't next door and we had to drive 10 minutes to one family and then another 10 minutes to the other. It was partly this distance that killed me in the end.

Anyhow . . . We made the first bundle drop with the first "four days" of gifts. One of the recipients posted on Facebook two days later that she'd just discovered the gifts on their doorstep. She thought we'd been coming for four days already and hoped that we hadn't been discouraged. Their actual door is around the back of their house while the front of their house is lined with 8 bays of french window doors that they typically use. But there's no doorbell in front to ding dong ditch so we used the door that did, only it must not have rung when we rang and ran! Oops! But it sure was fun running like heck with my boys' in nervous fits of giggles!

The second bundle went off without a hitch. I wish I'd included my kids in preparing the gifts but I just kept telling myself I was teaching myself first and next year I can work on that aspect. One thing at a time! Wrapping the gifts gave me grief because finding materials here has not been easy and I simply haven't found a good system of storing an ounce of anything else in our small apartment. But I was feeling good about doing something special for these ladies and their families.

Then Saturday before Christmas our kitchen sink drain began to be really slow. By Sunday it was painfully slow. By Monday it stopped draining completely. Tuesday we got a good snow fall. It was Easton's 8th birthday and we changed our birthday plan at the last minute to allow the kids and Easton's guest to play in the snow, have cake and presents at the house rather than go to Sensapolis. Suddenly I had to feed my crew rather than being fed at the birthday destination. It all went well in the end, but with the kitchen drain not functioning things were starting to pile up. While the kids were in the snow, Ryan and I were using a 5 meter snake down the drain since Drano and checking the pipes under the sink hadn't worked. The third bundled gift drop was supposed to be the next day.

It never happened. The kids had a Christmas market at school in the afternoon and we had tennis lessons, dinner, bedtime and another attempt at the drain. There's always tomorrow right?

Thursday the kids were out of school, McKay was coming down with the flu and I was losing my mind as the stack of dishes and what we wanted to do for Christmas weekend was overwhelming me. We just kept thinking we'd find a solution on our own. By now I'm desperate and put out a Facebook plea for help to take Morgan and Easton off my hands for the afternoon. I was rescued, but the 15 meter snake did nothing for the drain issue. The handful of plumbers I'd called didn't have availability until JANUARY 9th! By now I've given up on getting the batch of gifts out. I was shutting down.

Friday was more of the same although our German neighbor was able to help us find an emergency plumber. Turns out the 5 meter pipe cleaning we'd had done a few weeks prior didn't go far enough. The plumbers cleaned down 20 meters (65 feet) into our building's pipes in order to get us a functioning drain but said they'd have to come back after the holidays to go further. We had been getting the backup water, no one else in the building was so blessed. So by Friday afternoon, I had a functioning kitchen again! Just in time for Christmas Eve. PHEW!

My plan was to bake and deliver our favorite cinnamon rolls and apologize for dropping the ball on our 12 Days of Christmas. Who would complain about cinnamon rolls?! We had a nice quiet day at home other than that I was baking all day. McKay and Morgan were under the weather. As I finished up and had everything wrapped, I called the two families to see that they were home and only caught one of them home. We bundled everyone up, delivered to two of our neighbors and then a family arrived to carol us! Then it was suddenly 7pm and the kids were falling apart. We needed to act out the Nativity and send them to bed. I shelved my outing in favor of preserving my family's Christmas Eve. And then I got hit with the flu just hours later.

Distance. Wrapping. Life. Those three foiled my perfect plan. As I confessed to my visiting teachees weeks later, they totally understood. I wish I'd been able to finish with a flourish, but it would have been at too a high cost to my family. My original purpose was met - I wanted to serve these two great families and show them I care and they felt special.

I know this is long, but I have to include these other snippets I wrote the same week I started the 12 Days of Christmas. If I don't include it here it will get posted in January all out of place and that will drive me crazy. Recently a friend posted little snippets of her mother's journal. Her mother died of breast cancer young and this friend has entered motherhood without her mentor but the journal entries help her feel connected to her. Breaks my heart! But it makes this journaling all the more important to me.

On Wednesday night my visiting teachers brought a plate of baked goodies. I am ashamed to admit that I ate 90% of it by 3pm Thursday afternoon. Best sugar cookies (hello coconut extract!) and chocolate caramel oat cookie layer bars I have EVER tasted! I needed to bake cookies for the Relief Socity meeting cookie exchange this evening but due to my sugar overload, I felt good about simplifying my afternoon/evening by not baking. Should I bother going to the meeting if I wasn’t participating in the exchange? Hmmm. Instead, I took the chance to make extra chicken noodle soup and have my kids help me take it to a couple sick neighbors' homes. And then we sat on the couch all snuggled together trying out some new free math and science apps on the iPad that my homeschooling friend told me about. I really enjoyed my time with them before heading to the RS activity. I was reminded that this is the season of my life where it's all about these little ones. Man, that's hard to remember!

. . .

I've just returned from our ward's simple but fabulous Relief Society Christmas meeting. I've been in wards where it's a complete extravaganza of the senses - the food, the table settings, the music and program, just beautiful all around. This ward's monthly meetings are more low key yet no less deliberate in their goal to edify the sisters who attend. I love it all and always feel I've missed out if I haven't made the effort to get out the door. This time they had a nice simple message that touched me followed by a great assortment of pound cakes shared by the sisters. And of course the cookie exchange for those that wanted to participate. I'm so glad I didn't let that keep me from going anyway. I tried my first cake pop tonight and now understand the craze! Yum! And another friend made a flan cake - half flan, half cake in a bundt pan drenched in caramel. Serious YUM and purdy to boot! I don't even like flan much, but this was amazing! I got to chat with some of the sisters I don’t usually get to and I always love that.

. . .

The other night I had left our apartment door open in the echo-y shared stairwell to run some things down to our storage room. I'm always nervous to leave our door open because of our noisy little people. But as I came back up the stairs, what I heard touched me and it was like a light bulb going on. I heard my family but wasn't with my family. Easton was at the table counting out his multiplication tables. McKay and Morgan were using the couch as a trampoline. And Ryan was trying to juggle conversations with all three from his digs in his Man Chair. There wasn't any screaming, it was just my busy little family doing their thing. And I wanted to be back in there with them. I actually wanted to enter that world that had me running this way and that 24/7 because I love them all so much!

. . .

I finally got Morgan started in German kindergarten last week so now we are leaving the house by 9 each morning. And while she's adjusting, I never know how long the drop-off will take and therefore how presentable I need to be. The first few days she loved it but now that the newness is starting to wear off, she's worn out after two hours. No one in her class speaks English, although one 4 yr old girl can but doesn’t want to. It's stretching me to use what little German I've acquired to communicate with the teachers who barely understand any English. It’s rough. In all, I'm just excited for Morgan to have this opportunity and feel it's worth the sacrifice to put myself out there and get out the door each morning.

. . .

Just this morning, I had to load up Morgan and Jake for a dental appointment for Morgan. I was running on time and pretty happy about that - I'd even showered and had done my hair and even had makeup on today by 8:30! But the van was dead and I had to call my busy neighbor over to give me a jump. Yesterday, I got winter tires on the van (600 euro) only to find that one of the sliding doors refused to open. We just fixed the other side door last Friday for 200 euro. Does it ever end?!

Those days of December were rough but in the midst of it I felt guided. There seemed to be a purpose and lesson for me in it all. It was all about that dreaded "getting out the door" which let's be honest, can be so overwhelming especially in December! But as I got out the door I was thinking about why. Was the effort worth it? Turns out it was, but it was never pretty and perfect.The themes and filters I viewed it through was to make time to serve others, to take time to re-center myself, and to stretch myself.

Christmas Markets: Augsburg & Ulm

2011-12-06T04:06:00.011-05:00

Before we left the cousins' house, Lizzie had to get in some more baby time after letting me braid her thick pretty hair. I love Lizzie in braids and hope Morgan will let me keep braiding hers as she gets older. Lizzie just couldn't get enough of Jake this weekend and took every chance she could to play with him or hold him. So sweet!

We made a couple stops on the way home from Munich to see more Christmas markets. After all the yummy foods at the Munich Christmas market, the kids were pretty excited to try some more.

- Augsburg Christmas Market -

This is a cute smaller market with lots of great food! We didn't get to browse the options very long because the kids were hungry and impatient. They wanted hot chocolate and donuts as soon as they saw them. Ryan and I tried this dumpling in a vanilla sauce sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Yum!

I got a kick out of seeing all these cute faces lost behind a mug. Good stuff!

Morgan and McKay were dying for a hotdog so we got a couple different kinds to share. While we ate and roamed, an Alp horn ensemble decked out in their winter garb started their show. Some pretty young ladies dressed as angels posed for a photo op while representing Augsburg's famous angel performers. Each weekend evening, these angels put on a musical performance from the windows of the buildings that ring the town square.

- ULM Christmas Market -

The Ulm Minster, the tallest church tower in the world, is the backdrop for this festive market.

The kids loved the merry-go-rounds and we're suckers for those happy grins!

Any guesses what sweet treat they can't take their expectant eyes off?

Cotton candy bigger than their head! Have you ever stood in a line or que in Germany? It's an experience! You have to be assertive and vigilant or you'll never make it to the front of the line. It was a tad exhausting keeping the boys moving forward and giving a stern look to those who would take advantage of my little men. But ah, the sweet reward in the end!

Ulm has these life size nativities with live animals which the kids loved.

Apparently famous, the Steiff teddy bear factory is not far from Ulm and it was Morgan's favorite display. She would have watched the robotic stuffed toys forever! Perhaps you can see my three in the center window?

Jake was a trooper the full day. As long as he got to eat before we got on the road each time, he was good! Ryan and I were just happy to have spent some fun time with the kids enjoying the best time of the year.

Thanksgiving also means . . .

2011-11-29T16:43:00.008-05:00

Christmas Markets begin!!! We're beginning to feel like pros at this market tourist thing . . . fatty pros with all that yummy food on the tail of our Thanksgiving feast! But now that we've seen quite a few markets each year and the kids are getting older, we took a chance to enjoy some markets with them and some without them. It was a win-win this Thanksgiving weekend!

On Friday, we took the kids by Ubahn into downtown Munich for our first Christmas Market of the season. They loved riding the train and Morgan's expectant, demanding face was so fun to watch! For us, the markets are mostly about the food -- fried potatoes of every variety with tasty dips, hot chocolate and kinderfruchtpunsch, roasted nuts of all kinds and their aroma filling the air, lebkuchen treats, brot & brats -- essentially we aim to alternate between sweet and salty/savory foods. Ya got to have a plan of attack! The markets also boast beautiful ornaments, home decorations, fluffy leather slippers and good, scented candles and soaps . . . but that's not what's fun with the kids.

Not a great shot unless you know that two tantrums are in progress here. Ryan scored us some roasted chestnuts, but McKay and Morgan both wanted to be the one to hold the bag. Ahhh, good times!

Here's Ryan showing McKay and Morgan the finer art of getting to the chestnut.

The kids' favorite of the Munich market was seeing the ice skaters at the rink and picking out a winter hat so their ears didn't freeze. (See previous post to understand why I forgot to pack such essentials as hats and mittens.) They also enjoyed chasing pigeons and weaving in and out of other market goers. I laughed at how reflexive it's become for me to say "Ent-schul-di-gen" (Excuse me). Hmmm, I wonder how you say "Please excuse them"? Apparently, it's all the same - I had to check.

No trip downtown is complete without a stop at Rischart's for hot chocolate and a sweet treat or two. The place is always packed. This time we grabbed a plate of traditional German cookies to share with the cousins and Ryan just had to have one of their cute gingerbread houses. We were grabbing-to-go since Morgan had reached her limit of fun and we took our stuffs to the train. Not even five minutes on the platform and Morgan was in melt down mode refusing to drink her cup because she'd burnt her tongue, McKay spilled his entire cup all over the floor which had people dancing to dodge it, and Easton's lid was leaking down his front because he'd chewed a whole in it somehow. Ahhh, kids are fantastic! But all in all, it was pretty fun to see them enjoy the market!

The Hills Are Alive . . .

Saturday morning, Ryan and I left the kids at the cousins, except Jake, and we hopped over to Salzburg - home of the Sound of Music movie and Mozart. We had such nice weather the whole weekend, it was nice to not be freezing our keisters off! Jake's a trooper in the babybjorn carrier so it was smooth sailing! It's like he's in his own little sleeping bag stuck to Ryan's chest! Bunting sure is quite the science! One of my favorite memories of Salzburg this time was seeing strangers stop and smile as Ryan and Jake would pass by them.

Ryan and I trekked up to the fortress and boy am I out of shape . . . as if I needed any more proof than still being in maternity pants! Oh well. We were a little underwhelmed up there except for finding a new favorite phrase while reading a history of the fortress. "Decorative pomposity" - we've sure seen a lot of that in Europe!

Even though there was all sorts of good food at the market, I needed to be able to sit and feed Jake so we went back to a great little restaurant on GoldGasse we'd found on our first trip here in 2009, recommended by our hotel clerk then. (Memay, it's two doors down from the cute little boutique ornament shop you found last year.)

At 2pm, it was bustling and we ended up having to share a 6 seater with an older German couple. They were polite and we exchanged lots of smiles since Jake was being cute and smiley with all the attention. At one point, I gesture/asked if the woman would like to hold Jake and she beamed. I sure wish I'd dove into the language like Tamsyn, because it would have made conversation a lot easier. We were able to share some meager info and swapped camera pics of their grand kids and our munchkins. She even offered to hold Jake while our lunches arrived. They were just there for the dessert - the original Salzburg Nockerl. It's a whip cream tasting meringue textured top over warm rasberries. Real yummy! They shared a bit of it with us, not knowing we'd had it before on a previous trip.

Then we got out and browsed the market huts . . .

and some shops . . .

laughed at how we bet Mozart must be pleased his image is being used to sell chocolates . . .

and just soaked up the holiday feel of a cute old town.

That night, I just had to snap some of these cute shots of our little Jake. He's quite the slobbery, finger chewer-sucker during the day and by night he's a thumb sucker for sure. Lucky for us though, he loves the pacifier too which makes driving survivable!

From this top-down angle, my kids all look the same except for different shades of hair.

Man I could eat him up!

Our Thanksgiving weekend

2011-11-25T12:40:00.007-05:00

This Thanksgiving I was grateful for family memories and traditions, online recipe and shopping sites, our opportunity to live here in Germany, and FOOD, glorious food! That may seem rather shallow, but my gratitude runs deep. Real deep!

So our plan was to pack up Tuesday night for our extended weekend at the cousins' in Munich, have me load up and shop before getting the boys from school Wednesday, and just pick up Ryan on base before heading out of town at 1pm. But plans are simply made to be broken!

Jake and McKay "helping" me make the kids a snack after school.

Our apartment feels drafty so Jake gets to wear a hat almost all the time when he's up.

He totally digs hats.

I spent most of Tuesday finishing up laundry to be packed and overseeing a plumber looking for the source of our kitchen sink and dishwasher leaks. Yeah, fun stuff being an adult. Then as we were cleaning up dinner, my sweet Visiting Teachers stopped by for a visit I had completely forgotten about. Now officially behind "schedule." Wednesday was pretty busy as I packed us up and finalized the last minute shopping list in the morning (organizing it in the order I walk through the commissary because that's how I roll), picked up the kids from school, and then came back to the apartment to load up the van. Luckily, I was able to drop the kids at Ryan's office and blissfully shop alone for Thanksgiving amid crazy last minute shoppers. There were no parking spaces and most people had to wait in line to get a cart! I didn't even mind the craziness since I was shopping alone! Finally we got on the road to Munich at 4pm and the kids were so excited to go see their cousins!

We sure had a tasty laid-back Thanksgiving feast, if I do say so myself. Cooking by committee rocks! Eric did a brined turkey, cornbread and sausage stuffing, gravy, and Memay's rolls. Tamsyn did the "frog eye" salad and Memay's cranberry sauce. Ryan made Grandma Dale's apple pie and a candied sweet potato casserole while I did dishes and regular ol' creamy mashed potatoes. I'm so lucky!!! We all concurred that it's so much better to slave over a feast and be able to eat it with other adults who also savor the food because the kids just don't appreciate it yet! Oh we were so delightfully stuffed!

While Ryan spent a good portion of the day checking out Black Friday specials online, I spent most of the day scanning a book of pictures Memay made for Eric so we could have some copies of Ryan's childhood we didn't have already. I was lost in thoughts of gratitude for our parents. Many of those images captured moments of pride and joy in their family's life. It reminded me of similar pictures my mother saved for me and my siblings and ones I am collecting for my own family. I am so grateful for our parents and their love for us! Family life isn't all roses, but these captured moments are great reminders to hold on for the sublime, fleeting moments that seem to make it all worth it. One of my favorite pictures was of Ryan's dad in a recliner with Ryan, Eric and Dan as little kids snuggled atop him. I have many shots of Ryan with our munchkins in a similar position and it makes me smile just thinkin' of it. When I wasn't scanning, I was nursing my little Jake and enjoying his cooing smiles. Man he's such a sweet happy kid!

We feasted at 6pm once all the cousins were home from their international school there in Munich. Eric had invited a visiting old colleague and his daughter who are here for two weeks on business to join us. Dinner was followed by the sharing of musical talents. I learned about Hayley's amazing perfect pitch talent. Eric, Tamsyn, Camilla and the guest took turns on the piano. We were all feeling pleasantly, or in some cases, painfully plump. How blessed we are to have such a feast and enjoy it with family who make us feel so comfortable in their home!

Eye Candy

2011-11-21T17:45:00.006-05:00

I'm a sucker for Ryan's beard, it suits him. And I love seeing him with our babies!

Now to the Baby Blues fixed on me - once he hears me, he's done with Dad!

Sorry, Ryan! You can be his favorite in a year when all he wants to do is wrestle!

The milk wagon wins this round.

All bundled up to run errands or pick up the boys from school. Poor guy doesn't care much for his car seat time, especially if that pacifier pops out or if Morgan is throwing a tantrum about her car seat straps being too tight. That half hour drive to or from church can be torture!

Everyone around here works hard for those smiles!

Ryan's coworkers designed a set of cute onesies for Jake as a baby gift. It refers to one of their favorite office jokes about some silly rumor of Mormons worshipping a big blue ox! So here's Babe!

Easton often finds Jake and settles in to play. Such a doting big brother!

Jake resembles Easton as a baby the most but there's some of McKay in there too now and then.

McKay likes to count how many smiles he can get out of Jake. How to entertain two big brothers with a little brother? Give them a camera!

We done yet?

It's pretty exhausting giving face time to all these busy bodies!

I love this little man so! Holding him melts away all the cares of the day. His routine is predictable and he's just so darn easy-going. Still working on sleeping through the night but I get such a kick out of him getting chatty at his 4-5am feeding. During the day, if I don't want to put him down but must get going, I put him in this sling made by my old coworker, Suzanne Stanmeyer. Within about five minutes of buzzing around doing chores, he's out like a light! Nothin' sweeter than holding him tight!

Jake's Blessing Day

2011-11-06T16:39:00.008-05:00

As is customary in our church, we took the opportunity to give Jake a name and a blessing on November 6 in Sacrament Meeting. We also invited some friends and coworkers and were surprised when they all agreed to come! One family wasn’t able to make it at the last minute but we truly felt humbled by the great people we’ve come to know beyond our congregation. We’ve never invited friends to church before as a family but this seemed fitting since some of them had asked about our services or faith before. It was just nice to share this event with all those whose friendship means a lot to our family.

Because we were going to have visitors, I put together a small reception before the meeting so we could enjoy our guests. It turned out fabulously with the help I received from four friends – Monica Woods brought her beautiful delicious rolls; Linda Jones plated everything including her famous chocolate chip cookies and made it all look beautiful; and my two Visiting Teachers, Betty Turpin and Lori Southwick, were there to be my extra sets of hands, to keep the food and water stocked as well as clean up while we ushered everyone to the meeting. These ladies' help allowed me to relax and enjoy the day!

Our Jake with Ryan's coworker buddy, Jason (Jake) Rekas.

Brother Cunningham of the bishopric had reserved four rows for our group up front which was most helpful, but also a little embarrassing. Our ward has grown from the 150 people when we arrived three years ago to a burgeoning 250 always filling up the overflow seating area. I felt bad displacing the usual early-bird families who sit in those pews! But it was so nice to be able to sit together with our friends and Eric and Tamsyn’s family who drove up from Munich to participate. How lucky are we to have family this close!!!

After the opening remarks and business, it was time to bless Jake. Ryan had asked the following to be in the priesthood circle with him: his brother Eric; the bishopric - Bishop Fred Jones, Eric Elliott, and John Cunningham; Rhett Jeppson whom he works with; his Elders Quorum presidency counselors Loir Crucy and Kevin Garlock; friend Chad Woods . . . am I forgetting some? I will always be grateful for Sister Jones pulling Ryan and I aside as we set up the reception. She tenderly stated how she loved baby blessings because seeing a circle of strong men who honor their priesthood encircle a tiny baby is simply one of life’s sweetest moments. It set the tone for our experience that day.

Ryan did a very nice job on the blessing, although it got off to a rocky start. With that many men in the circle, it was hard to determine who if any of them had a good hold on Jake! At one point, Ryan and Eric both grabbed on to him because they felt him slipping. Once Ryan had a good hold of Jake, the blessing proceeded smoothly. In his testimony he bore later, Ryan recounted how he likes to take some time before he blesses our children to read the notes his mother wrote up from his father blessing him as an infant. We are so happy she did that for him! With so much going on, I didn’t get a chance to take notes – I was so enjoying the day we were sharing with friends and family. What I do remember of the blessing is the overwhelming feeling of honor it is to have little Jakob Reid in our family and the gentle spirit he brings.

After the sacrament was passed, it was time for Testimony meeting. Our ward typically has nice testimony meetings, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was a little nervous about who would get up and what might be said. I count it as one of the day’s greatest blessings that the testimonies shared were simple experiences of faith and gratitude to a loving Heavenly Father. References were made to members finding past friends and reuniting on Facebook or through a Google search. Ryan had to joke and add Evite to the list when he got up and thanked our friends for coming.

I wish I’d had more time with our friends before they left and the rest of our meetings began. It was so wonderful to have them there! Ryan’s coworkers: Eric and Alli Adams, Lisa Lowe, Jen Karro, Jason (Jake) Rekas and our family friends Joe and Heather Merrill with their kids, and Melanie Williams. After church, I had dinner ready in the crockpot in the building’s kitchen for us to eat with the cousins before they drove back to Munich. It was so fun to sit and catch up with them! Our poor ward had to smell delicious food the entire day at church while fasting. But it was all for a good cause! Our sweet Jake!

Halloween!

2011-11-06T15:44:00.008-05:00

Another fun Halloween! With three events to attend, I had fun letting Morgan choose her favorites from the costume box or talking her into what I wanted her to be! Such a fun age for this silly holiday! The boys sure loved all the candy!

The first event was McKay's "Early Learning Center" class party at the international school. They held a costume party on Friday before Halloween because of Fall Break. Once the kids donned their costumes after lunch break, they did a fashion show followed by spooking the rest of the classes in the building. It was so fun seeing them run together in a pack from room to room! A couple of us parents ran a few games, activities, and the food spread. Morgan sure loved being a part of McKay's class and he seemed proud to show her the ropes.

Morgan the bumble bee, McKay as a "pirate skeleton."

We got home and Ryan was ready to carve pumpkins. I was a bit worn out so I don't have pictures of Easton designing and carving his own pumpkin for the first time. We were so proud and so was he! McKay did a bit of his own too but left it to Dad to finish up. Morgan just tried to keep up with them as always but then bossed Dad around as he made her scary pumpkin.

On Saturday our ward held a Trunk-or-Treat activity that was really fun. Our ward just keeps on growing and we really enjoy all these new families! When we moved in the ward had about 150 people and now it's up around 250 I heard recently. This time Morgan wore part of her dirndl to be Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. So adorable! She loved it since we'd just introduced the kids to the classic flick a week earlier. I love that I didn't have to buy a single thing for this one this year!

Easton had originally wanted to be Sonic the Hedgehog but I told him I wasn't going to be able to make that one but that I could do Mario and he thought that was cool enough. It turned out real well I think and I knew my old overalls would come in handy some day! I only had to buy the red shirt and some colored felt for the hat and buttons. In most pictures, Easton is pressing his lips to hide his mouth while trying to smile because he said you can't see Mario's mouth, just his mustache. Funny boy!

McKay had wanted to be a pirate but I didn't gather things in time and the kids lost the eye patch in their building excitement over costumes. Luckily he liked a costume in our box! So he said he was the "pirate skeleton" because of the red dagger. He loved having his face painted.

Just about every time we're getting ready to head somewhere, the kids are kept waiting for me. They often head outside to play and often end up on the trampoline. Meanwhile I'm gathering last minute items to get us out the door and hoping no one starts a fight or gets hurt so I can finish uninterrupted and we can go. That's why I love this next shot!

And last but not least, we went Trick-or-Treating on Halloween night on Patch Barracks. Morgan's the only one with a costume change - a black cat again! We met up with Ryan after work and the kids only lasted an hour - it was great!

Can you spot me and the kids in this next one?

Morgan had to inspect each piece she was given and show it to us. Her little dress was just too cute on her as she skipped along keeping up with the boys. She did NOT like people in masks. She called them scary bad guys, but she would still take their candy - just held out her basket as far as she could so she didn't have to be near or look at them. So adorable!

We ran into Easton's best buddy from school - Anthony Frikken and his wonderful family. So fun to trick-or-treat with them for a bit! I love going on base because you run into friends right and left!

Morgan loved this big screen showing of "Wizard of Oz",

kept saying, "Mom! It Wee'Oz wi' Dorfy!"

Back at home while the kids sorted out their loot and chowed down on favorites . . .

I caught Ryan and our little man chatting about the evening's adventures.

Happy Halloween!

Scripture Power!

2011-10-26T00:50:00.007-04:00

*Written, but not forgotten back in October. Where did September and October go?!

I've been stewing for a couple weeks over a profound mothering moment I had with one of my children. I had discovered this child had stolen something from school, had lied to me and was now sad and scared about confessing to his teacher. I pulled him to my lap and felt guided by the Holy Ghost in the words and things I shared. As his tears fell, I was able to tell him that sadness for what he did was part of the repentance process. I shared the story of Alma the Younger's conversion - how he and his friends had worked very hard for some time making trouble for people of faith until an angel appeared to them and told them to stop, largely in answer to Alma's father's prayers for his son. We talked about how Alma the Younger repented and made things better and what needed to happen now with the items stolen from school. The tears stopped and while scared about what the teacher might say the next day when the items were returned and a confession given, my son felt that glimmer of hope that everything would be okay.

As I read the October Visiting Teaching message about the profound influence righteous women, or "Mothers Who Know" have on the rising generation, this little experience with my son came to mind. I could have raged at my son for what he'd done, held him to the demands of justice, and very well have wounded his heart. But my heart was softened in that split moment as we stood looking at one another - me knowing something wasn't right and him not wanting to be caught. And I knew as I've reflected on this experience -- that the difference in me had come from one thing. I was deliberately consistent about being in my scriptures that week as an experiment. I'd had no particularly profound studying or "Aha!" moments, but I was consistently in them each day that week. There is great power in consistency.

In a recent Relief Society podcast I'd been mulling over, General Relief Society President, Sister Beck, spoke about how finding balance in our life was more about aligning ourselves with the Lord than being able to successfully juggle all the demands on our time. She particularly zeroed in on how consistently being in the scriptures each day was the best way to align ourselves with the Lord and thereby receive those blessings in the hour of our need. In this instance, I felt that promise being fulfilled because I was able to be the mother I want to be. One who teaches values by sharing principles and doctrines of the gospel in the moment it is needed, guided by the Holy Ghost.

The question at the end of the Visiting Teaching message asked, "What inspiration will I find in the Book of Mormon to face the challenges I face today?" For me, spending time in the scriptures each day keeps their stories and messages in my mind, ready for application. Daily time in the scriptures turns my heart to the Lord and allows the Holy Ghost to direct me because I'm more apt to listen, less quick to loose my patience because I have greater perspective in those trying moments. I know I am a better mother, a better woman each day that I'm in the scriptures. I was able to take hold of a teaching moment with my son and by extension, my other son too. I learned and they learned in action by applying Alma the Younger's experiences to our situation. It was truly one of the best feelings!

In short, it's like the chorus of my kids' favorite Primary song:

Scripture Power! Ev'ry day I need

The power that I get each time I read.

You've been Boo'd!

2011-10-21T06:31:00.006-04:00

One of the best sounds in the world is to hear your family trying to contain nervous, excited laughter together!

Have you ever gone Boo’ing? We went Boo’ing for Family Home Evening on Monday night and it was a blast! Last week I was reminded of it when reading a favorite blog and when I explained it to the boys, they loved the idea. In fact, they immediately disappeared into their room and began drawing and cutting out ghosts with “You’ve gust been booed!” written on about a dozen sheets of paper. Easton thought it was gut-laugh-funny to write “gust” – he’s got such an easy sense of humor!

I baked up three loaves of my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip bread and wrapped them up so that we could go out right after dinner. I showed incredible restraint because I've been craving baked sweet breads lately. We were going to drop these treats on doorsteps of friends, ring their doorbell, and run like heck so we wouldn’t be found out. The kids were sooooo excited they could barely stand it!

Easton climbed the three sets of stairs to get to our neighbors with two little girls. He dropped the loaf outside their door, rang their doorbell, and ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He heard them open the door and begin calling out “Hallo? Hallo?” to which he couldn’t stop giggling over and Ryan couldn’t stop grinning!

Meanwhile, I’d already begun walking up the street with Morgan and Jake bundled up in the double stroller. McKay was hanging back so he could Boo the Blauchs as Dad and Easton left our building. McKay soon came running up the street with Dad with the biggest grin on his face! Success! Dana was brave enough to answer the door at night while her husband’s deployed but called to make sure it was us so she felt comfortable eating the treat from someone she knew.

Then we walked into downtown Schonaich to get our last door done, the Williams. This one would be tricky because they have a big friendly labradoodle and a locked gate we know how to open. Ryan took Easton, McKay, and Morgan on this one as I headed around the corner and down the street a bit – ya never know how families with strong young boys are going to react to being ding-dong-ditched and I wanted to get a good start. Soon enough, my crew came running and giggling down the road to join me. Seriously my favorite thing ever – hearing them all trying to contain their nervous, excited giggling!

It was the perfect clear, crisp fall evening and the walk home was filled with giggles and stories of their success. We've had a beautiful sunny fall this year! My family growing up enjoyed doing this sort of thing now and then for FHE. As much fun as it is to be on the receiving end of delicious treats, I think it’s so much more fun being the giver!

And because I'm in a serious sweet bread baking mood and perhaps you are too - especially pumpkin -- here's the recipe!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread - Moist, Delicious, Easy!

5 eggs

1 cup oil

1 15oz can of pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

2 3.4 oz packages instant vanilla pudding

2 cups chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix first three ingredients, beat well. Add remaining ingredients except pudding and mix until blended. Then stir pudding into mix, add chocolate chips, and pour into bread tins. Bake for approximately 1 hour - mine took 1 hour 20 minutes to pass the clean toothpick test. I placed foil on top for the last 30 minutes to prevent the top from getting too dark.

Makes 3 medium sized loaves or two 9x5 loaves. Recipe begged from my friend, Diana Porter. Enjoy!

Morgan is 3

2011-10-16T13:08:00.005-04:00

My fairest little baby is growing up.

This little blue-eyed blondie is excited to be getting big!

When asked how old she is now, she declared, "16!"

When asked how he'd describe Morgan, Ryan said, "She is large and in charge!"

Dr. Grumbach, our local German pediatrician adeptly surmised last year, "She's not the biggest, so she's got to be the loudest!" I quote him often!

Her Favorite Foods:

Peanuts, rice cakes, yogurt, cheddar cheese, sour cream (on its own, everything else is a mere vehicle to deliver), whole wheat bagels with strawberry cream cheese, frosting but not really cake, and popcorn.

Her Favorite Activities:

Playing with "my boys" or girlfriends, jumping on the trampoline with them, snuggling and being tickled and thrown around by Mom or Dad, brushing teeth like the big kids and an electric toothbrush, being read to, counting (2, 9, 10 = 1, 2, 3 to her), singing songs at the top of her lungs, bossing her toys around, having her nails painted, and now potty training - she's in it for the treats!

Her actual birthday was a bit of a crazy day so we celebrated a day later. I wrapped her gifts and Ryan and I collaborated on her cake as the kids swirled around us. Morgan was so excited for her "birttay cake" and "p'esents". We invited our neighbors, the Blauchs, over to join us for her cake and presents which she thought was great! I loved hearing Morgan sing Happy Birthday with us.

McKay's favorite thing about Morgan on her birthday was "She blowed the candles out all by herself without me." I definitely saw a crosswind from his direction as she blew them out, but it sure was fun to see this little miss sunshine so excited about the celebration in her honor!

After cake and presents, she and Sophie jumped on the trampoline as giggly girls. When the boys joined, it just got louder. Easton's favorite thing about Morgan is that, "She plays fun!" Especially on the trampoline. He likes to make up little games kinda like Simon Says as they hop around. The rest of the kids love how he mixes it up.

Morgan's gift to us - staying dry with no accidents and much less reminding today!!! YAHOO!!!

Slice of life

2011-10-15T16:41:00.007-04:00

These little ones give me a chance to swing between such a complex spectrum of emotions in such short succession it's dizzying! Here's what they've been up to.

Potty-training Morgan has begun after months of Ryan's urging and my cringing. She has been ready for a while and with her starting German kindergarten next month, it's a nice deadline for me.

My strategy? Talk it up, clear days free of errands, push the watered down juice, naked bottom time, and set my watch timer to go off every 15 minutes so I remember to ask her if she needs to go. For the first five days, we were in the bathroom almost every five minutes because she wanted the potty treat, she was bored, and loved knowing how to get my undivided attention every five minutes. I'd forgotten how involved this process is once you add in the intricacies of adding underwear and pants!

She's a tough negotiator on the potty treats. When she earned her first celebratory treat, I dropped one M&M in her hand. She gave me a look of death before collapsing on the floor in a full-blown tantrum. She wanted 10 M&Ms! We compromised at 3, since she's 3 now I explained. She drives a hard bargain!

One reason I held off was that I had to have a travel potty. A friend recommended one of these and it's perfect for the van! Fits right under our van's front passenger seat. The first week with soccer games and practices finds me spending more time at the van with her trying out her new potty than actually being on the field. Factor in nursing Jake too and I'm a veritably circus act! For $16, this Kalencom travel potty is sheer genius and works with regular plastic grocery bags and a paper towel.

In all, Morgan has had more dry days with no accidents than wet ones so I really can't complain. Last night, her first night without a diaper, she stayed dry. It was time to try since she woke up the other morning dry and went to the potty first thing -- with McKay's help! He's such a proud brother "teaching" her how to do big kid things!

Grade 2 school picture

Easton made me seriously proud yesterday at the dentist. Isn't he handsome?!!! McKay was there to get a cavity worked on and afterward got to pick a toy out of the treasure chest. Easton knew the routine and was anticipating the toy. As I was finalizing insurance details with the receptionist, she told me how proud she was of my son for asking for a toy in German. What?! Then she told him how proud she was of him in German and he got a sheepish grin. "Kann ich haben eins?" he'd said and didn't even think much of it. Awesome! Yes, we've lived here almost three years, but this is my son who told his German kindergarten teachers that he didn't want to learn German.

He's gaining a lot more confidence recently in a lot of areas. He scored a goal in one of his first soccer games this season. He regularly sits down to do art projects lately - 3D models of our house mostly although he recently found a stack of Sonic the Hedgehog coloring sheets among our colored paper stash. But his favorite? Yo-Yo! Ryan and I found a free yo-yo while organizing our storage area a month ago. Ryan showed the boys some tricks he know and Easton went to town on the basics. Ryan got him a better one to practice with and hardly a day goes by when Easton's not found practicing skills like walking the dog.

Taken by hospital photographer, August 16

McKay is loving life lately having joined Easton at the International School of Stuttgart dual language campus. His class has 16 boys and 6 girls, only six German speakers although about half the Americans in class attended German kindergarten like McKay did. He loves having lunch and break with Easton and all the K-2 kids. He's on the verge of really reading and enjoys "reading" the beginner books from school to us. The PE/art teacher at the school, who's Spanish/Czeck, told me she just can't say no to those eyes of his! The boys are both participating in an afterschool activity led by Easton's new teacher, Ms. Clem, called Chef's Academy. McKay loves to help in the kitchen so it's great for him and I love that Easton's tried new things and found that he liked them.

McKay's got some natural athleticism that we really enjoy watching. He has a knack for knowing where to position himself and other parents have commented on it too. He practices with Easton/Ryan's soccer team on Tuesdays, has tennis with Easton and his buddy Evan on Wednesdays, and his soccer team practices on Thursdays with a game on Saturdays. He's scored a goal and had a couple assists this season and his coach loves that he seems to grasp the game and drills a bit more than some of the younger teammates. I get such a kick out of how he runs to me after each kick and asks if I saw his "big kicks." He's so adorable!

Jake is now getting chatty with all those sweet smiles. He is seriously such an easy-tempered little guy and if I had my way, I'd hold him all day long because it makes me seriously happy! We all coo and baby talk to him to coax those smiles out and I think we wear him out pretty fast because he takes a lot of naps although we're still working on lengthening those nights!

Jake had his 2 month checkup with our German pediatrician and is doing very well. I'm fascinated by these checkups because they seem so much more thorough than I remember our stateside ones being. They do sonograms at each appointment to check different organs and joints that are more prone to disease or malformation, such as the hips and kidneys. He checks Jake's reflexes by holding him up in the air in different ways. At this visit, Jake just lay there coo-ing and smiling as Dr. Grumbach checked him out. It was so adorable! He did have to get a shot in each thigh but was quick to calm down when I picked him up. Oh how I love him!!!

Easton still loves to hold him and be my last minute packup lifesaver while McKay and Morgan ask to hold him now and then. I love hearing Morgan mimic my tone of voice when we go get him up from his naps -- "Oh baby Jake," she'll say in a sing-song voice.

Garmisch Getaway

2011-10-08T15:30:00.008-04:00

Ryan loves our Bavarian Alp getaways to the Army's resort called Edelweiss. He craves his mountain fix, the American amenities at the hotel and particularly a really yummy American style filet mignon. So it comes as no surprise that Ryan is on their email list with special offers like the half off deal they advertised in August. We called the cousins to see if they'd like to rendezvouz there on Oct 3 when the kids would all have German Reunification Day off school. They were game! Hurray!

Fast-forward a couple weeks when Ryan saw how burnt out I was from sleepless nights and suggested I go check into a hotel with the baby to recoup. So sweet an offer, but the only problem was that I was too far gone to even imagine orchestrating replacing myself for a day and a half! I got close a few times checking local hotel options and my calendar to figure out the best days to be gone but it was just too complicated and expensive. I enjoyed teasing Ryan about taking him up on the offer when the evenings got hairy.

Then it dawned on me -- why not just book an extra room for me and Jake at Edelweiss?! After some sweet-talking on Ryan's part with the hotel, he was able to make it happen. Hallelujah!!!

To get the rest I needed/wanted, I should have disappeared for the entire trip but didn't want to miss out on time with the cousins and the stuff we wanted to do with them. We did our usual where the adults enjoyed dinner in the restaurant while the older Carter cousins watched the little ones up in the rooms with a pizza feast. Poor Camilla's arms and back got a workout from soothing Jake who became pretty fussy for them! It's so wonderful to have these girls around!!!

The following day we enjoyed the buffet breakfast, pool time, a hike up Partnach Gorge, and some good ol' fun on the rodelbahn {alpine slide}. It was fun to hear about the rest of the cousins' summer and how the beginning of the school year was going. We got a beautiful, sunny 70 degree day to enjoy the changing fall folliage around us on the walk up the gorge. Camilla shot these pics of our time.

Jake was zonked out the entire walk in his happy place.

Kid has a serious receding hairline!

The kids' reward for being happy hikers was those chalky candy necklace/bracelets. Ryan asked Easton if he could "look at the time" and tried to take a big bite out of the large clock piece. Easton wasn't too happy about that and wrenched free as we gave Ryan a hard time for teasing him. Easton recovered quickly but went to work on that piece so Ryan wouldn't get another go at it.

I actually can't remember what we did for the rest of the day after we parted ways with the cousins. We still had another night and day at Edelweiss and I was disappearing until 11am the next day. What did I do with my freedom? Read more than 2 pages of my book at a time w/o passing out from exhaustion, feed Jake, sleep, shower and get completely ready for the day - I even put on eye-liner! I seriously can't even remember the last time I did that, it's been years! It was glorious!

See, I've never been as excited about our jaunts down to Edelweiss as Ryan. I am more rested by days off at home where the kids can wake up, watch cartoons, and feed themselves breakfast while I sleep in behind closed doors. At Edelweiss, the kids wake up and we have to be up because they are hungry and on top of us. Then we have to get everyone dressed and ready to be seen, hobble down to the buffet breakfast where they demand specific favorites which you can't get fast enough for them, only to have them eat a few bites here and there before slinking off to watch the lobby's kid movie. By the time you've finished your meal and take them up to the room to get swimming gear on, they're hungry again.

The restful part of my getaway was not having to participate in all that. Thank you, Ryan!!! My little man Jake didn't cooperate too well with the sleeping part of my night off, but look at this face! He's easily forgiven!

This family picture means a lot to me. Ryan hates to wait around for things to happen - it kills him. When we met back up at 11am, he'd already loaded the kids into the van. He knew I wanted to take a family picture while we were down here but I don't think he figured on the process. By the time we'd gotten the kids' shirts changed, hairs put in some semblance of order, scouted out spots to take the picture, put bandaids on knees that got ouchies, and soothed tantrums, it was time to feed Jake. A full hour later and we were ready. Ryan was so patient with the process even though I knew it was seriously testing him as he paced. Man, I love him!!!

Afterward, we headed into downtown Garmisch because we'd always wanted to but never made the time for it on previous trips. We meandered, got the kids lunch and then some yummy gelato and then quickly browsed some fun Bavarian clothing stores. The best part was just walking the pedestrian zone and enjoying the atmosphere on a gorgeous day.

Cutest old man in his regular Bavarian attire. It's cool and familiar to me now to see the well-worn lederhosen paired with the dressier jacket and hat.

We love the Bavarian murals!!!

What's not to love about this cute crew! They'd just passed a young couple who did a double take counting the kids with Ryan. It was funny to witness from a distance. When I was younger, a bigger family didn't seem like such a big deal. Now that I've got four young kids, I often question my ability to keep up with them and look back and smile at how challenging I thought it was with just one baby, then two young boys, then three kids. Four is definitely working me right now! Tamsyn told me I'm in the hardest stage with them all being so young. I'd have to agree at the moment although there's much to love about it all the same.

A happy girl with her proud daddy who's man enough to wear the baby harness and give his wife a break. I'm one lucky girl!

Life with our newborn

2011-09-28T17:41:00.003-04:00

This is the first baby I've had with kids in school. Boy does that change the pace of our days! As I looked at these pictures again, I was overwhelmed with the peacefulness of those first moments I had with him. I was so curious who this new little man in my life was and hoping my efforts to be his mother would be enough. I miss that peace most moments of my day.

Quiet moments like these are what I dreamt of as a young girl holding my younger siblings as babies. They liked me but I wasn't quite mom to them. I absolutely love these moments I get holding my babies. The intoxicating new baby smell. My newborn nestled against me completely passed out in a milk coma. Ahhh, it's heavenly!

Jake's schedule is pretty predictable -- sleep, eat, baby bjorn time -- no matter where we are (home, practice, errands, church, the park). I've got a lot to get done each day and not enough time, so after feeding Jake, we get some face time where I make all sorts of faces and talk baby babble to coax smiles from him. HURRAY! I work hard for these first smiles because it's so affirming in my sleep-deprived, busy day! It's like the daily thank you I get for all my efforts and lately I crave it!

So after Operation Smile, it's into the Baby Bjorn so I can do chores until he zonks out and I can put him in bed. It's quite hilarious to see his eyes start to roll back in his head while carried around trying to hold his heavy noggin up!

Easton's gotten really good at holding and pacifying Jake in my times of need. On Sunday mornings, Ryan has early meetings before church so I have to get me and the four kids out the door by 8:30. It's been rare that I have both my hair AND makeup done on the same Sunday since I almost always did my makeup while Ryan would drive us to church. This last Sunday, however, Easton held Jake those last crazy fifteen minutes of getting ready and got Jake to pass out. I was so happy and proud of him I told him he was my lifesaver. He sure liked that! My makeup still didn't happen, but I'm getting used to it.

Ryan's still trying to sneak in time with Jake in the evenings. It's not easy when the other three kiddos are dying for his undivided attention and I want help. I'll often ask Ryan if he'd rather hold Jake or do dishes after dinner. He picks Jake every time but Jake's ready for his walkin' time after being fed which means Ryan doesn't get to just sit and hold him. At some point he's gotta be up walking or Jake's hollering. Ryan's picking up on this and often circles by the kitchen to check my progress. Subtle hint? Not necessarily Ryan's ideal bonding experience after a long day at work.

My payoff the last few evenings was that Jake hasn't needed me to walk him after his feeding, but has zonked out snuggled up under my chin held close. Oh how I love that soft fuzzy head of his and the smell. Oh that smell! But the tradeoff is that the dishes haven't gotten done and therefore slapped me in the face in the morning. There's hardly anything as defeating to wake up to as a dirty kitchen. Why'd my mom have to go home?! WAAAAAH!

Last week I had a stroke of genius for my sanity -- introducing the bottle on evenings when I need to clone myself. Perhaps that seems like a no-brainer, but to invest so much time in getting nursing established and believing mom's milk is best, it's a big deal to me.

Now Ryan or Easton can feed Jake either his meal or top off his tank while I attend to making dinner, cleaning up dinner, or supervising homework, baths, teethbrushing or whatnot. Ahh, it's done me a world of good! My ego isn't too puffed up cuz my genius-ness is very fleeting. A certain 5 yr old who colored all over his bedroom wood floor and his almost 3-yr-old sister keep me humble hour by hour!

2011-09-17T18:41:00.005-04:00

Two weeks ago I wrote . . .

This past year, Ryan's been pulled into the sphere of disaster relief utilizing social media technologies -- open mapping systems, text messaging and such that were first used on a grand scale after Haiti's big earthquake to get relief where it was needed. He got to attend a number of meetings this past week on the subject and came home with the following declaration:

"My career right now could go either way -- supporting disaster relief or war efforts. In the Last Days, that's job security!"

I teased him that since our food storage isn't up to snuff yet, he'd better make himself essential so that we'll be essential people to feed when things got dicey!

As our new life as a family of 6 and being back on the school schedule has begun to really sink in, Ryan and I have both come to the conclusion that parenting these 4 little people is really hard work! The evening routine really works us over every night and it's amazing how nice it is to have a partner in this adventure, . . . unless one or both partners are grouchy and impatient. Good thing that never ever happens around here! Phew! So in no particular order, a more/less list has been running through my head. Wanna hear?

More kids = more messes, more fighting, more tattling, more laundry, more teeth to brush, more diapers to change, less hands than are needed, more back seat drivers with differing climate and listening preferences, less sleep, less free time, more gratitude for the oldest child when he's a great helper, more lunches to make, more awe at how beautiful their smiling faces are, more baths and showers to manage, more people with dinner opinions, more of your favorite cereal being eaten or smashed into the couch and rug before you wake up, more melt downs, more chauffeuring to practices and appointments, more dishes, more trash to be hauled away, more giggles on the trampoline and tricks to watch, more "I Love You"s after prayers, more "I'm hungry, what can I eat?" nagging, more Sunday clothes to iron, more missing shoes to find, more snacks to pack for every outing, less patience than is needed, more humility and sacrifice is required. Luckily, I've got one big cute boy to share the journey with!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

September 27

And that cute boy had a birthday this past weekend! I'm pretty happy with the gifts I thought up this time around. Ryan enjoys playing tennis with a coworker or two on his lunch break but has never had lessons. The boys have been taking tennis lessons this summer so I asked Ryan if he'd be interested in lessons through the winter with their instructor.

Ryan came home from his first lesson walking on air last Friday! He was really pleased with the techniques and corrections he'd been taught. His other birthday gifts included a dutch oven, a 220v white noise sleep machine, and some sports pants to match his soccer coaching jersey. I got a sitter for ALL four of the kids and we went out to dinner at our new favorite German restaurant. Alone! We had a lot of fun chatting and just being out again!

On his actual birthday we made his favorite rucola ravioli dinner (I've done better versions) and a big chocolate cake. While this isn't the best picture, it's got all my favorite people in it! I'd say 37 never looked so good!

School's in, Fun's over!

2011-09-13T16:30:00.005-04:00

When I laid out what needed to happen tonight, Easton melted down. Clean up dinner?! Shower?! AND do homework?! The waterworks began.

He is in full-blown mourning for summer! Then he wailed that he wanted to move back to Virginia. Ryan and I tried to keep our chuckling to a minimum, but we lost it when he finally said what was really bothering him - he wanted to go to a place where he didn't have to go to school or do anything he didn't want to! {Virginia seems to epitomize that to him - he was 4 when we moved here.} He's actually having a great time at school and having McKay there just adds to the fun -- it's just that his days are no longer his own. Being cut off from electronics practically overnight has also been harsh on him - no time for cartoons, movies, and video games that were my safety net this summer while nesting and then being in that hazy newborn sleep deprived state.

I'm feeling the same angst though. My days are not my own to do with as I really please. Ryan had a rough day at work and as we swapped woes, I told him that although I've got great job security, most of the time I don't want the job. I nurse 1-2 hours of every three while getting antsy about the stuff needing doing around the house. When I get a chance to tackle the chores, I get frustrated that I'm living in the movie Groundhog's Day, picking up the same messes over and over. I get to be the meany enforcing rules, schedules, chores, and eating of healthy food before treats are considered. My life is good. Real good.

A friend called to check on me last week and it was just the sort of upbeat chat I needed. She's the mother of 9 children and with the beginning of school, our hearts and minds were in the same place. Each afternoon/evening we and our kids were losing it! Contention reigned at home and us moms were wracking our wee brains and pleading for divine intervention!

We both had lost our tempers with our toddler daughters that week. The kind where it's a wake up call. We began swapping impressions of what we thought might help and it was so great to have come up with many of the same things! It simply boiled down to elements that require a daily plan with big picture goals and not so much the fly-by-my-seat survival mode I'm in.

For both of us, calming instrumental and classical music was on our list. Finding a moment to give each child some one-on-one time or to play together. More regular scripture study was in there - it centers me and helps me keep my big picture goals on the horizon even though the high wears off too quickly and my heart is "pricked" all the faster when I falter. Having a solid meal plan with our week's schedule in mind and an evening schedule for everyone to see might help. My friend and I could feel the adversary pulling at us, helping us find fault with others, encouraging our impatience, and feeling too worn out to put forth effort for the things that matter most: making home a haven from the world, teaching our kids the gospel and the value of work and contributing to the family and home. I was soooo striking out on almost all those fronts daily!

Ryan suggested that we might need a sticker/reward chart of some sort to help the boys track their level of helpfulness in deed and attitude. The video games were taken away a couple weeks ago and that hasn't seemed to remedy anything. McKay is totally in chart check-off mode right now with the Primary scripture reading chart and it feeds his competitive nature. He's sure to remind us each day and keep us on it.

On another note, my dad emailed each of us kids his conversion story yesterday - 8 pages! It's so awesome!!! I used part of it for our Family Home Evening lesson last night. Essentially, after a few years of dipping his toe in to see what the Mormon faith was because of a certain blonde beauty, he finally dove into the Bible and Book Of Mormon and began to gain a testimony of Jesus Christ and then the truthfulness of the restored gospel. He experimented with the principles he was learning - prayer, the Word of Wisdom, not swearing. To accept the gospel and be baptized was no small feat, considering he hadn't been raised in any faith and first had to determine if there really was a God. But once he gained a testimony, he took the next step toward baptism. A year later, he and my mom were sealed in the Cardston Alberta Canada temple - married for time and all eternity.

Brooks' wedding, August 2008

Almost 37 years later, they've raised ten children and sacrificed much of themselves to help us understand and live what we believe. My testimony was first rooted in years of observation of people like my parents who earnestly strived to live the gospel -- "By their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:20.). Then I too began to love the scriptures and understand that Heavenly Father has a plan of happiness for us. That families are eternal and that . . .

"Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Raising kids ain't for the faint of heart! It's hard work! I never imagined my days so full that I'd lack time to sit down and just "be", have such disjointed conversations, forget to eat so regularly, lose my temper so fast with someone I love so much, or that it'd be so difficult to use the bathroom without intruders or being needed.

Big picture - life is good and I am blessed. Big picture goals - sometimes brutally hard but totally worth it. The school year has begun, but I'm finding my homework much more demanding and important than I ever imagined!

A decade later

2011-09-11T15:23:00.005-04:00

Ten years ago today I felt great fear for the future. The chaos of the Pentagon metro station and parking lot was set against dark black smoke billowing from the opposite side of our nation's military nerve center. And then I watched the Twin Towers fall in a nearby apartment building lobby with strangers while military clad leaders used the elevators to scope out the damages from the roof. My roommate and I were glued to news coverage the rest of the day once I was able to get home many hours later.

Ten years have now passed. I now live in Germany. I am married to a kind, funny, smart hardworking man that I love. I am the mother of four beautiful children. I know my Heavenly Father and Savior love me and have a plan for my happiness.

As I sat in Sacrament meeting this morning, Ryan and I exchanged adoring grins as Easton held Jake in a cozy snuggle, brushing his chin and cheek against Jake's soft head.

This life is such a gift. In that moment I was so grateful I've had these ten years.

I needed to be reminded of that today. Attempting to balance sleep deprivation, mothering, housework, meals, dental issues, social retardation and life in general have had me in serious survival mode. It hasn't been pretty much of the time.

Tonight we got out my copy of the September 12, 2001 Washington Post. We talked with the boys about what happened. It seemed like something out of a movie to them. Bad guys and good guys. It's just that simple, right?

Then we did our family scripture reading. The boys checked it off on their charts, mindful they're one day closer to that gigantic Rittersport chocolate bar prize in Primary. We did our eeny-meeny-miney-moe routine to choose who says family prayer and McKay got it. It was followed by personal prayers, I love yous, and the kids climbing on Ryan's back to be dumped either on the couch or bed while I was nursing Jake.

This is my life today ten years later. Beautiful moments. Unbelievably hard moments. They all pass and are often forgotten. Today I remember and am grateful for the treasures I have been given.

August 31, 2011 - A big day!

Me and Ryan's 9th wedding anniversary.

First day of school for the boys.

Mom's last day as my extra set of hands.

Jake's Debut!

2011-08-25T13:31:00.006-04:00

Jakob Reid Carter

August 14, 2011 at 23:07

3100g or 6lbs 13oz

50cm or 19.7 inches

Boblingen Hospital, Stuttgart Germany

Here's the short version of his arrival:

My water broke at home for once, as if trying to give Jake a hint that it was time to move on. But he was pretty content where he was. For the next 16 hours, my contractions weren’t strong, regular, or showing progress and he refused to drop into position. He finally made his debut 21 hours later with the help of oxytocin and a "walking epidural" that for all intents and purposes did no good in my book.

All in all, our foray into the German hospital system was a success and we were pleased with our experience.

He is simply perfect – the calmest, sweetest little guy! There aren't enough hours in the day for him to get all the adoring attention each person in our family has to give!

I apologize that my brain, our life since coming home from the hospital, and computer issues have conspired against me giving updates since Jake was born. Once school gets underway and my mom has to return home, I'll share more. Promise!

Sibling Summer

2011-08-08T04:05:00.009-04:00

When I woke up this morning. Usually they're sprawled around the room separately wrapped in their own blankets but today they were snuggled together watching cartoons.

After school got out at the end of June and we took our trip to Provence the following week, I feel like July whizzed by in a blur of appointments and running errands with a few play dates. Then nesting hit me with something fierce. Point is, I haven't arranged many outings or play dates for the kids this summer, just let them be. Does anyone else feel like the busy-ness of the school year steals time away from their kids' friendships with each other? I do. Easton would enter the van each day after school worn out and wanting some solitude while McKay and Morgan vied for his attention.

Our recent weeks seem to float by in a blur of the kids playing board games, building Snap Circuits, helping with and learning new chores, dressing up in costumes for make believe, watching movies, riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline (heavenly!), visiting the library and so forth. It hasn't been very warm this summer so we've only been to the pool twice! In Virginia, the boys were so little and we were at the pool at least 2-3 times per week for my sanity to break up the day. But this summer has been different.

It's a golden time. The kids are still so young and close enough in age to be good playmates. Innocent. I often feel like I'm clinging to it. As they snuggled on their dad's "man chair" this morning, I saw Easton turn his head and give Morgan a kiss on the cheek just because. A few minutes later she nuzzled him and he gave her a hug. I'm holding on to those moments this summer.

Not to worry, they're normal. Two hours later and every other minute someone is screaming, fighting, or whining for something to eat. Hello real life, so nice of you to drop by.

Soon the baby will arrive, my mom will be here to help for a couple weeks and then school and soccer will start. For now, we'll just soak up what we have like last night. We played Ticket to Ride a couple times with the boys and snacked on brownies and popcorn until 10pm because we could. I sure love my little life and the people I get to share it with!

Nesting Validation

2011-08-04T17:52:00.004-04:00

The past few weeks have seen our house in various levels of chaotic upheaval while I am nesting. As I uploaded pictures of Easton's teeth tonight and saw the past couple weeks' worth of pictures and videos, I was part horrified and part validated. Horrified at the state the house was immortalized in and validated because it's been largely remedied. Phew!

I've been on a mission to rearrange each room to suite our growing family in this little three bedroom apartment in the land of no closets. Ryan did his part by keeping his eye on the yard sale site, getting us some great deals on pieces that worked better for our spaces, and hefting or assembling as my need arose. Poor guy! It always took me a few days to figure out the arrangement I wanted so he was always on call. And the kids? They've had to patiently endure being cooped up with a distracted mom who is ever grateful for that trampoline saving her sanity and theirs! We finally got some sun this week so they could turn on a sprinkler and bounce away.

But back to the video evidence - it's real and not pretty! There's one of McKay after a bath in his underwear and red cape running the length of the apartment to show us how his cape flies behind him because he's so fast. Morgan had to join in on that one, of course. Or the boys flying their paper airplanes around the living room. But there was odd stuff in their way the entire time. You can imagine how those real nice sweeps of the entire apartment in all it's disheveled glory distracted me to the core as I watched! A desk or wardrobe in the hallway obstructing either the bathroom or the laundry room; a dresser or two on the patio waiting to be carted off or painted; a couple large book cases in the entry awaiting final resting places; a stack of papers awaiting action or filing; and always two to four loads of laundry on or near the couch waiting for me to sit down that evening to fold.

Most days I've exhausted myself puttering around finding large and small places for all our things or getting rid of them. It's felt good to be reminded of our progress tonight, but Martha Stewart or any design star won't come knocking on my door any time soon!

Toothless

2011-08-04T16:53:00.006-04:00

Easton's dangling tooth and it's neighbor finally let go tonight! They've been torturing Ryan for months now - yes, I said RYAN! Just about every day Ryan would ask Easton if he could pull the dangler and it would end in either Easton's quick retreat or a holler of fear as Ryan would wiggle it for him.

The neighbor, not the dangler, came out first. Somehow knocked free as Easton and McKay were bouncing on the trampoline. He doesn't know how it came out, just that it did!

Hey you Guys!

Just kidding, but the gaps on either side of the dangler just did me in! Couldn't pass up the Goonies reference!

Ryan and I kept trying to convince him to let dad pull the dangler but Easton was too scared of it hurting. Then I saw him in Morgan's room throwing a stuffed bear over and over. When I asked what he was doing (because I thought he was trying to hit the ceiling fan and really make the bear fly), he said he was hitting himself with the bear to knock the tooth out. Morgan knocked one of his teeth out before this way on accident. Apparently hitting himself was preferred to dad's method.

After a search in vain for string while I got dinner on the table and much cajoling, Easton let Ryan "wiggle" the dangler once more. Out came the dangler!

So how much does the tooth fairy pay these days? I laughed out loud at Ryan's suggestion because it was over the top. But now I feel cheap and deflated. Oh what to do?!

Our week in review

2011-07-24T18:23:00.003-04:00

This week went by in such a blur! We had outings or errands to run each day and since I'm such a happy home body, it wore me out and I had to take an afternoon nap twice just to survive! I should haul this aching body to bed after all the nesting I've done this weekend, but I didn't want to forget . . .

Morgan was moved out of the crib today. She'll be three in October, so it's quite overdue but just in time! She was so excited and asked me to get her b'anky and read her a book in her bed. She never got up once tonight! Phew! I haven't been in a hurry to move her out of the crib because she never tried to get out and it'd been pretty nice to have her trapped in there sometimes. In the mornings she'd just hollered for Easton to get her out unless she heard me or Ryan up. Same for her breakfast. It was a beautiful thing while it lasted but I'm excited for all her latest big girl-ness!

Ryan got the boys an electronic money version of Monopoly this weekend and they can't get enough of it! I think they played non-stop yesterday for at least 5 or more hours a break for dinner and then back at it for the evening! We're having quite the cold and rainy snap lately so they haven't been as eager to head out to the trampoline. Easton loves being the banker and managing the game which is fun to see him working those skills. McKay seems to have a pretty good grasp of how the game works and both boys quickly got the hang of Ryan's explanations of making good property trades. It's a bit surreal to hear them talking about having 7.2 million dollars and buying up properties. Every time I hear the electronic transaction going on it sounds like they're playing with my printer and I have to resist the urge to get upset. Where's the volume button?!

McKay's best buddy, Evan, had to have his appendix out last Monday so I took the kids to the hospital to see him and play board games. Before the hour was out, McKay and Evan were up to their usual mischief and Easton was in tears. They'd tried to lock him out of the children's wing. The two are both second born boys and take pleasure in uniting against a bigger foe. Easton's a sensitive soul, poor guy!

We went to a ward cub scout camp fundraiser on Friday night. A friend of mine was in charge of it all and it turned out really great, especially since it was the only bit of sunshine we'd seen in days. Prayers were answered because the minute the closing prayer was said, drops began to fall! We were fed hot dogs, chili, chips and drinks followed by a range of Minute-to-Win-it and classic picnic games -- like the 3 legged race where McKay and Ryan discovered they're not such a good matchup. McKay was eager until the second step taken and the pain/fear set it. Ryan's excitement and the crowd taking off had him mistake McKay's tearful cries for happy laughing. Poor kid probably won't ever want to try that one again! The evening ended with roasting marshmallows and making s'mores! It's been so long since I've had one with campfires being against the law in Germany . . . unless you're on US property like this camp training area we were in! Ryan got a kick out of swapping stories with a ward guy he works with about who's got the deepest pioneer roots. There was such a good turnout and it was great fun to chat with old and new friends in the ward as well as Easton's best friend from school's family joining us too. A third of our ward congregation changes over each summer as military families on three year assignments arrive or depart. We're losing and receiving some great families!

Easton and McKay were chatting tonight over more Monopoly and Easton said that Dad was older than Mom because he was tallest. McKay concurred but then the boys got curious and asked if me if I would/could grow taller than Dad still. They were a little surprised that we were done growing taller but were pleased to hear their own chances were still good for quite some time. They're both very eager to be taller than Dad some day!

Morgan has taken to calling her brothers, "my boys." It's pretty darn cute - especially when she is excited to have put on a dress, twirls around happily and then announces, "I go show my boys! . . . See me boys?!" Everything is possessive -- her toys, her friends "my 'ydia (Lydia)," "my 'avney (Davney)" and so on. It's so fun to have a little girl and she's losing her baby roundness and stretching out. Ryan and I just love this age she's in . . . except for the screaming when she's not getting her way. Yikes! Quite the bossy Bessie!

Ever seen or heard of the Food Nanny? I've watched a couple of her episodes online and really like her meal planning idea of assigning days of the week themes - Italian night, Mexican night, soup night and so on - sounds like it could help get more participation in the discussion of what should be on the menu which I often draw a blank on. I haven't assigned my days yet, but it's swirling in my brain. We recently got a low pressure cooker (for faster prep/cook time) and a juicer which seem to be a big hit. As for the juicer, the kids really liked the initial attempt of apple, carrot, celery combo that I made into a smoothy with a banana. With my discovery of a bakery nearby that bakes delicious fresh baguettes for dinner time, I might just have a new favorite theme to rotate into the dinner repertoire - juice and bread night! That is, if I can keep myself from inhaling the baguette before we sit down to eat! Guess I'll have to buy more than one to be on the safe side.

Ryan's little '95 BMW commuting car is ready to give up the ghost. He's only had it a year and he estimates the dumb thing has probably cost at least $300/month to own with all the little things failing and adding up. So he's on the hunt and having fun dreaming of some of the fun rides he's seen advertised by owners on our local version of craigslist.

I was a blubbering mess today at church - totally hormonal and blessed to feel the Holy Ghost so strongly. Our youth got back from the first international EFY held this past week and shared some of their experiences. 27 languages were represented and I was so happy they had this opportunity! While English was the dominant language group represented, our youth had many chances to be humbled by the strength of their peers in countries where they or their families are the only members in their city or country even. The speakers also addressed the themes of living a Christ-centered life and it being Pioneer Day in the church. The adult speaker spoke of his mother who was the first member of the church in his family and how she wasn't perfect, but left a legacy of being willing to always start again on the fundamentals of a gospel-centered life. I was teaching about Jesus Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the Last Supper so the sacrament hymn "I Stand All Amazed" got me right off the bat. Darn pregnant post-nasal drip, I was a mess! I loved sharing my testimony with my class and am always grateful for the opportunity -- I soooo need the practice and love seeing the potential of these young ladies!

We've been moving furniture around between rooms this weekend getting ready for the baby and I've now sorted through every box of kids' clothing we own and gotten the baby stuff out and washed. He can come anytime now since he's got a place to sleep and clean clothes to wear. It's so exciting to see all those teeny tiny baby socks and imagine favorite outfits being filled soon!

Happy are we!

2011-07-18T15:42:00.007-04:00

Today was just good. Not WOW, but satisfying. I feel really blessed, even though I didn’t accomplish a darn thing to meet my nesting needs and we just watched the series finale of one of our favorite shows - Friday Night Lights. But here’s a list in no particular order of what I’m loving in the moment today in spite of it all!

Watching my belly shape-shifting never gets old! Such a miracle!!! Only one month left as of today!

Perfectly cool weather temps for a rotund lady like me to not swell up and have cankles thus far in my pregnancy! Yahoo! 60-75 degrees is my happy place.

Morgan now doesn't fit snuggled up next to me on the couch because of this big belly. As we watched the Women's World Cup final last night between the USvJapan, she kept falling off and getting mad at me. I couldn't help but laugh!

I love that just about any mood Morgan's pulling can be remedied by tickling, or threatening to tickle, with "spider fingers"! Oh how I love her girly laugh!

Listening to the boys make up games and including Morgan - life is so much better w/o the tv on! Why do I forget this so easily?

McKay entertaining us with his hip-swiveling dance moves! Pure comedy!

The Italian market's incredulous cashier's reaction when I acknowledged the three munchkins fighting over treats I wouldn't buy were indeed all mine and that I was happy to add another to the brew soon. Coming from a family of ten kids has forever skewed my perception of what having a "big" family means! To me, big = over 5 kids. Perhaps it's the fact that you have to graduate from the standard minivan at that point?

At the commissary, Morgan hollered excitedly for 'vacados for "wacamole 'n ships" until they were secure in a bag going home with us. It's become a regular lunch around here along with a plate of sliced up fruit. Today was strawberries, per McKay's request. Yum!

The thought of being able to sleep on my back soon when the baby will no longer cut off circulation or limbs going numb by doing so. I'll have to ask Ryan then if he prefers the snoring pregnant lady to the hungry wipper-snapper invading his slumber. We've currently got a good rotation of musical beds going on at our house between the two of us having sleep issues!

A kind friend's hand-me-downs for Morgan and the boys. Morgan is all set for snow and rain with all those coats and boots! Yahoo!

Great deals from the yardsale site this weekend courtesy of Ryan: an almost new trampoline $50, desk for boys $15, and a standing wardrobe $15 so I can finally situate the kids' clothing and bring up the baby clothes from storage. It's about time we see what we've got!

Watching the kids buzz around Ryan as he put the trampoline together tonight.

Morgan got her songbird on during the final assembly phase belting out tunes she'll make up and words to go with them. She sings what's on her brain. She'll just repeat random phrases like "Hello Me -ah" and "E-Y-S" (abc song) or sing what she is doing. Tonight it was about going up and down the step ladder. Pretty funny stuff, she's a riot!

The happy faces of my bouncing babies!

And last but not least, our favorite Vapiano dinner re-creation tonight! Gotta love a dinner that's fresh and ready in less than 30 minutes! If you haven't been to a Vapiano's before stateside or here, it's kinda like Subway for italian food - with a bit more ambiance. You request your pizza, salad or pasta at a counter and they make it in front of you.

Our Vapiano's Rucola Ravioli

fresh ravioli - ours was spinach ricotta but I'm tempted to try the basil ones from a local Italian store
1-2 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp onion, finely diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock (I mix some up with a 1 tsp of "Better than Boullion" and a cup of water)
1 bag fresh greens, rucola and spinach work well
cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
pine nuts, we prefer ours toasted
salt and pepper, as desired
for heat, one or two red hot chili peppers finely diced

Bring water for to boil for ravioli. I add a good swirl of salt and oil to my water cuz I've been told to. When it's almost to a boil, heat a saucepan on medium high heat.

Swirl olive oil and butter until melted.

Dump ravioli into boiling water. I plan to boil the ravioli for six minutes and so I set the timer when I dump them in. Now saute onions and garlic for a few minutes (add the chili peppers now if desired - a little goes a long way!). Right before taking the ravioli out, add the chicken stock to the sauted mix.

Strain the ravioli gently and then add to the sauce. Plate as soon as possible - I make each person their own plate. Top the ravioli generously with greens, sprinkle on the parmesan cheese, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and pine nuts. Enjoy!

My kids, when starving, were excited to eat it and even said "thank you, Mom" for making it! It's simple and without extreme flavors but then five minutes into the meal they got picky - as always - and ruined my zen moment. Typical. They're not fond of the ricotta spinach filling . . . or the salad greens . . . or the tomatoes - it's always something! And I begin dreaming of eating meals at a restaurant in complete peace and solitude.

And then I look through the pictures from this evening and can't wipe the grin off my face. I am blessed!

But This is France!

2011-07-16T16:08:00.004-04:00

Young kids are always eager to figure out who's in charge and test boundaries. It's universal. So it came as no surprise that when we vacationed with the cousins, the little ones weren't quite sure who was in charge since both sets of parentals were around. Easton and Lizzie scientifically figured it came down to who was oldest and they discussed it many times. Lizzie was quite proud that her parents were older and it was pretty cute. However, our favorite saying/inside joke that emerged from the trip came courtesy of my nephew, Miles, who is 4.

He was playing in the living room on our side of the villa and Ryan told him to stop doing something.

Miles tested out, "You're not the boss of me!"

Ryan rebutted saying he was indeed the boss of him and that Miles needed to stop what he was doing.

After a short contemplative pause, Miles replied incredulously, "But . . . but, this is FRANCE!"

It was confusing - he wasn't at his house and he wasn't at our house! What a conundrum! Ryan likes to holler, "Vive la France!" anytime we laugh over the incident.

Provençal Day Trip

2011-07-11T15:14:00.023-04:00

I'm determined to get this trip blogged as soon as possible because our Ireland trip last month still weighs heavily upon me. But not as heavily as a severe case of nesting that kicked in today! I mapped out the kids' rooms late last night and had Ryan un-bunking beds as soon as I felt it safe to ask after dinner.

So Ryan and I were able to get away together for a day without the kids. Ryan's always itching to go and explore while I'm the happy homebody. Make that a happy homebody who doesn't like heat, a vehicle with no air conditioning, and carrying around an extra 30lbs with an opinion of its own. So I was a little anxious about our day out and that we'd try to tackle too much, but it was wonderful! Seriously simply charming and beautiful and tasty!

We'd been well-prepped to fall in love with it after hearing Mark and Nancy rave about it for a few years now. They highly recommended reading Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence" and some of his other titles which we really enjoyed. A&E even has a 2 disc series dramatizing the books which we recommend as some light fun.

The L'Ameillaud Vineyard we stayed at is up between the two villages of Cairanne and Rasteau. Our route that day took us 45 minutes down to the L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue's market day followed by another 45 minute drive more south to the market in Aix-en-Provence. Then we ventured back north through the Luberon National Reserve soaking up the fields of lavendar, sunflowers, and vineyards while stopping to see the hilltop villages of Bonnieux and ochre Roussillon.

My handy little camera broke a while ago so we either had Ryan's serious camera (more than I like to heft) or the iphone. We left the real camera in the car while absorbing the delights of the markets as temporary locals. It's so nice to wander freely like that, yet then I get home and kinda wish I could share those images that will forever be romanticized in my memory.

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the Venice of Provence. A nice quaint market day happens every Thursday although we hear their Sunday market is famous for antiques. We loved the sights, the friendly vendors who let you sample their honeys, cheeses, melons and what not. This place has a number of old water wheels that powered a thriving textile industry centuries ago and oh how I wanted to buy some of those beautiful comforters! There were also lots of vendors selling meats, shoes, gauzy linen and cotton clothing, flowers, produce, jewelry, olives, and much more. This measly lot of pictures here just doesn't do it justice!

After promising to come back and buy some delicious Gruyere Savoiu cheese, we took the cheese vendor's recommendation for the best boulangerie-patisserie. We grabbed a baguette and pain au chocolats in the midst of a line of locals there and then crossed the street to a little cafe with three outdoor tables so we could people watch and have some hot chocolate with our breads. It happened to be the best hot chocolate we've had since the Tubingen Chocolate Festival! Yes, it was that good! I had the 72% Venezuelan cacoa and Ryan had the 70% Argentine cacoa. Be still my heart, now I'm craving it again! Happy were we! Thank you Couleurs Cafe!

We bought some lovely light, smooth acacia honey that we had to get replaced because the lid came off in the vendor's sack. Phew! Glad it hadn't been in my bag! There were so many really nice people among the vendors, you felt like you lived there and weren't numbered among the scores of vacationers invading their market for snapshots.

Next it was down to Aix-en-Provence.

I'm a horrible shopper on vacation . . . from a vendor's perspective. When I like something, I put it back and say I'll come back if I can't stop thinking about it. Then I get so enthralled by the sites and choices that I talk myself out of my favorite items or forget about them until we're far, far away. Oh well, that just makes more travel possible right?

We simply ventured up this main pedestrian street where the market was being held. At the end, there was a very popular pizza-by-the-slice place we decided to try. Pizza Capri, it was called. It was seriously so good! The crust was just the right thickness and tasted light and toasted and airy while the toppings were just right. We grabbed an empty bench and watched fellow tourists and many locals saunter by either carrying the same pizza wrap or looking like they wished they were. Then it was time to hit the road.

I loved the tree lined roads that kept us pretty cool as we made our way into the Luberon National Reserve. It was between 86-89 degrees, phew!

Here's 34 weeks on the dot, baby!

We loved the sight of villas with their expansive, neat rows of vines sprinkled with fields of sunflowers or lavender! Driving through the Luberon was by far Ryan's favorite memory of the trip I believe. All the winding, narrow roads up and down the hills begged to be driven in a sporty little convertible with the wind and sun adding to the sheer thrill of the ride. I did my best to enjoy it for it's unparalleled beauty while trying to manage the shifting waterbed that sits upon my lap. Does that description make sense to anyone else?

We came around a curve and the adorable hilltop village of Bonneiux was before us. We had to drive all the way through it and then turn around to get pictures twice. It was just that cute! And what a great view of the valley spread out below.

And then the ground started subtly changing color,

becoming more red as we neared the ochre cliffs of Roussillon.

This was a very adorable place to wander and take pictures, but Ryan can attest that I was done at this point. Oh how my body ached by Roussillon and that was before we'd reached Ryan's favorite part of the drive! I couldn't help but think of that Greek lady in Athens who wished me, "Happy Liberation!" and how much I wanted it! I found a decent bathroom, some great gelato, and a seat in the shade while Ryan had fun with his camera.

There were big gusts of wind while meandering through the village

so I had to hold my skirt down to remain decent! Where's my ride? "I got hot!"

After Roussillon, the drive became very dramatic and uniquely scenic. There's the red cliffs in the distance before we headed up into some hills and got to the best winding drive of Ryan's life.

At one point, Ryan gleefully giggled, "It never ends! This is AWESOME!" Sheer delight rang in his voice. As the terrain flattened out again, he wistfully declared, "It'll be a long time before I forget that drive!" I don't have pictures of the drive because I was bracing myself in my seat. When we reached this traffic circle I really wanted a picture of the sculpture. However, Ryan had to circle it a few times because I had to wrench my large-and-in-charge self from my seat to be able to snap a shot or two on the move. Ever try to take pictures while riding a roller coaster around a curve? That was the comedy unfolding before Ryan as he watched me trying to get this shot!

And back to the flat vineyards at the base of these hills. What a great day!

Time for a dip in the pool! Don't mind if I do!

Provençal Pool Fun

2011-07-10T17:23:00.016-04:00

We just spent a week with the cousins at a secluded villa on a vineyard with a pool in the southeastern part of France called Provence. You know Ryan loves an area when he stops to look at all the realtor office posting boards! I'm tempted to list the things I love about the area but I want to get some pics of the kids up first, mostly for the Grands.

I'll start with what we did together the most -- hang out at the pool! Actually, if you logged actual time, the kids probably had more Nintendo DS time than pool time, but if the parentals wanted peace and quiet to read and nap - that's the way it was. The daytime heat hovered in the mid to upper 80s each day which made the water temp of the pool rate from a little chilly to very refreshing. I loved lounging under an umbrella kept cool with a constant breeze while listening to a combination of the kids playing and raucous cicadas chirping. It was even better when I didn't have to be watching the kids and I got to steal a nap there in my chair!

This is a mix of all the days I had some sort of camera with me at the pool. Pool fun was made possible by variations of plastic and foam toys. Many did not survive the experience! Ready for some pictures? First off, my favorite cast of characters:

McKay cracked us up in his pool garb, but he loved the freedom to go wherever in the pool he wanted to go! Goggles were new to his pool attire and between them and wearing his hats low, those ears just kill us!Morgan spent most of her pool time on the sides watching or being a part of the action. I think the water was a little cold to her liking and not having a big shallow baby area cramped her independent style. She loved running up and down the lengths of the pool, making us nervous! But she had to be in the middle of it all!

McKay would have done this all day if Ryan had been up for it! And that's not to mention, Easton, Lizzie and Miles too!

I believe this sucker pop lasted McKay a few days. He's our candy saver/stockpiler and often ends up giving them away. But to have a cool lollipop is to be truly happy for a kid!

Morgan liked to take a breather like the adults with her collection of odd pool toys around her.

Morgan LOVES playing motorboat!

Morgan and Miles also loved squirting Camilla with these pump sprayers and then they'd run off to refill and get her again and again. Camilla is such a good sport with the little ones!

Partners in crime!

The little kids always requested cannon balls and would congregate nearby to witness the splash.
McKay found some shades and I took these pictures in a minute's time. Classic McKay!

Nothing like a hunk of fresh baguette poolside in the morning!

Rand was so fun for the younger kids. He's always thinking of fun things to do like when he spent an hour with McKay trying out different ways to jump into the pool. First, cannon balls - sort of.

Then a demo of stiff-as-a-board-falling-forward.

And then classic boy battle themes.

Add the shields and swords now.

Morgan and Miles thought that looked like fun!

Until it wasn't any more. Run for it, Morgan! He's gonna catch you!

Two peas in a pod, usually playing some sort of Airbender imaginary game.

The squat workout I gave away

2011-06-27T17:19:00.005-04:00

I paid Easton 2euro this afternoon to sweep and scrub my kitchen floor this afternoon. Was it worth it? Heck yes!

Just in case you too aren't counting down the weeks until our new arrival, I'm approaching 33 weeks pregnant. I'm writing this post for two reasons - but more may pop up like the fact that I should document that I made a multi-course meal AND that it occurred on one of our hottest days so far (85+ with no AC)+(cravings are obeyed 'round these parts). But first, I'm proud of Easton and his willingness to learn new chores and stick with it until it is done lately. He regularly asks how he's doing as well and recently (if there's NO time constraint on him), he's fun to chat with as he works near me. And secondly, as I joked on Facebook to my brother Luke who was excited about doing the best leg workout his weight-lifting bulk could muster, I had to laugh that I paid money to get out of doing 15 minutes of squatting uncomfortably and precariously on a wet floor. And I'm proud of myself for my ingenuity to boot!

On the way home from school today, I asked Easton if he'd be willing to do this chore for me if I paid him. With a field trip to the pool tomorrow with his class, he was more than game to have some cash on hand! Yes, he's still in school but it ends on Thursday thank goodness! I can't wait for the break and not having to make lunches!!! I really need to delegate that one but supervising it sounds almost worse still.

{I have the cutest memory of my brother Luke who was in kindergarten or first grade one time I was home from college. One morning, he was making his lunch at the table while my mom and I were chatting. He was making himself a sandwich with mayo, cheese and pickles. He had taken a table knife and was cutting randomly, odd-sized pickle chunks out of a large pickle rather than slicing it - doing the best his little self could and pretty pleased with himself. I want to say he'd done the same hack job on the cheese but the pickle is crystalized in my memory.}

Back to this evening . . . While I began mixing up hamburger with seasonings for good ol' grilling burgers, Easton was rinsing out his rag and told me he fell in love again today. I asked what she looked like, wondering if it would be another blue-eyed blonde like his first crush. Nope, it was a girl and a boy from India who had visited his class for a bit today checking out the school. Apparently she was beautiful, an exotic knockout I'll bet and I had to smile that his taste is not bound by pale faces. How fun! He doesn't remember her name but thinks she might be in his class next year and then he'll find it out. Then while I peeled and sliced peaches at the table, Morgan and McKay salivated while we sang ABCs and the "I'm Peanut Butter, and you are Jelly" song as Easton sang along from his scrubbing detail. I got to teach Easton how to get the corners and sweep up crumbs with a rag to dump in the trash. Funny how you forget kids don't come programmed to know how to do chores!

Ryan got home and wanted to go on a run so I pleaded with him to take Sasha, the doberman we're dog-sitting across the street, with him. And thankfully he didn't mind us eating without him because I was starving and if I had to endure one more hunger meltdown from McKay in that state it would not have been pretty. Morgan and McKay always approach me as I'm a good ten minutes from finishing dinner crying for food that instant or they're sure they'll die. It drives me insane, particularly because of it's timing and how it delays the whole shebang.

An hour after Easton started on the floor and I started on dinner, the kids and I sat down. Correction, the laborer was paid for job well done and then we sat down to eat. He asked to be paid in dollars, not euro which is good for me but not going to work for him tomorrow at the pool. Hmmm . . .

So once a lady gets the meal made, serving it up in front of a hungry crowd scrutinizing every item placed on their plate makes one seriously second guess every straying from a one pot meal. Too many options for disagreement and meltdowns at a crucial moment when mom just wants to eat a bite while it's still warm, preferably without having to order someone to their room. Here's how it went tonight with minimum input allowed for burger fixings:

Easton - plain bun and burger, decided he loved the peaches with or w/o the yogurt and is not an onion dip fan but please pass more chips. And thanks but no thanks to the pina colada.

McKay - plain burger with ketchup on bun but he added lettuce later, didn't like the peaches with yogurt at all, loved the chips, dip and pina colada.

Morgan - She gets the works on her burger until she can demand otherwise and since I knew I'd be eating at least half of hers that she'd leave uneaten, I made it the way I like it. She threw a fit when I put a little yogurt on her peaches and had to be threatened with bedtime if she didn't stop for us to say the dinner prayer. Liked the chips but turned down the dip to my shock, and sipped on her pina colada indifferently.

We're big on smoothies lately and I'm loving the peaches but not their other admirers who've taken up residence in my kitchen - fruit flies. Ryan and I loved the plain greek yogurt I sweetened with vanilla and a little powdered sugar to top them off and you can't have burgers with out chips and onion dip can you? We actually haven't grabbed a gas tank for our grill yet so I just broiled the burgers in the oven and it worked out real well. I have to admit I really only cook two real meals per week right now but usually one is a new recipe, usually to Ryan's chagrin. Last week I did well on a white chili experiment though and this week it was the burgers and hopefully a successful go at our favorite Vapiano rucola parmesan ravioli recipe I haven't quite mastered yet.

And now I'm off to bed with a happy tummy and a clean kitchen! Nothin' beats that unless you say you're coming over to be me for our morning get-them-out-the-door routine!

Sommerrodelbahn

2011-06-20T16:22:00.007-04:00

Upon returning from our trip to Ireland with Easton, we picked up Morgan and McKay at the cousins' and enjoyed an evening at Edelweiss Lodge with the promise of great weather the following day. We love these alpine slides - a summer rite of passage when in Bavaria! I didn't ride, but was the honorary photographer obviously. I've already posted these pictures on Facebook, but gotta have them here too - the more official family record.

Here's Ryan and Easton showing us how it's done!

I think McKay liked it. Just maybe a little!

I wondered about Morgan, but she came off the first ride skipping and hopping asking for another ride despite this face and white knuckle grip on Ryan's knees.

And her second ride - the forced grin says, "See, I'm having fun!" Still white knuckle - but she's developing a love for speed!

In fact, the following day the kids were asking to ride their bikes down the hill and into the cul de sac on our road out front. For the first time, I let Morgan ride her big wheel-like tricycle on the road with the boys because I could tell she wouldn't take no for an answer. She was a speed demon and neighbors came out to see her since they heard her high forced laugh as she sped down each time. After the second time down, I made the boys go get me one more helmet for her - I'd never seen her ride with such abandon! She was the happiest girl in the world for that hour!

They truly are best friends and it makes me so happy!

Look at that face, I could just eat her up!

Nothing can deter this boy when an un-interrupted chance to play video games presents itself! This is soooo Easton with the DS and I have many pictures of McKay totally passed out on any given car ride.

UNO, Chores, Monies, Masters and Nuggos

2011-06-20T15:03:00.005-04:00

UNO!

Last winter we took a trip to Berlin and I'd remembered the UNO cards which proved great family fun in the evenings. Easton understood the game pretty well and McKay was beginning to grasp it but felt more comfortable teaming up with me or Ryan. Well, no longer baby! McKay is a full-flegded UNO master! Since winter, I will often arrive to pick him up from his German kindergarten and have to wait as he finishes an UNO game with his teachers or classmates. I have loved watching him play there because he uses his German quite freely! I love that it has built his confidence in the language and helped him play with kids outside his usual circle.

Recently McKay's brought his love of the game home and every day last week while Ryan was stateside, the boys would quietly go off to their room for unlimited rounds of UNO. I heard them plotting to wake up early to play together, they'd play after we brought Easton home from school before dinner, but mostly they'd forsake story time to go and play in the evenings before I confiscated the cards and mandated lights out. First thing the kids did with Ryan when he got home today was to play UNO while I finished up dinner. UNO and riding bikes have become McKay's great equalizers with Easton these past couple months. I love to see him beam with pride in his new-found abilities. I'm hoping to add reading on his own by the end of summer - he's real close and seeing pride on that face lights up my days!

CHORES

We had a golden moment last weekend. On Friday night before bed, I mentioned to the boys that before any video game time happened on Saturday, they had to have their room, the play room and living/dining room picked up, sorted, and vacuumed. There was a little moaning, but not too much. The next morning they woke up and did their breakfast and a couple cartoons letting me sleep in. I got up and began buzzing around doing chores when the boys saw 10am approaching - video game time. They told each other it was time to get their work done and went to it. I didn't have to ask them or remind them even once and they worked on the rooms for a little over an hour before finishing. They goofed off here and there as always but I just let them go at their own pace. The boys really did a good thorough job for their ages and I was so impressed by their attitude! It had me rethinking how I frame their chores a little.

For all the griping I do about video games, it is seriously the one thing I can threaten or advocate if I need something to happen! (I'm still a bigger advocate of xBox than the Wii because of the family timer feature where the game shuts off when the time's up.) I must also admit that I had to let them know we had no plans to go anywhere that day either so they didn't feel under a time crunch to finish. Timed deadlines don't work well for them yet unless I'm working right with them and we're working in 2 minute increments to see how much we can accomplish.

"MY MONIES"

The boys are eagerly using some little coin purses / wallets we got them in Greece. With trips to the store and now the pool or other places, the boys are seeing all sorts of opportunities to buy things they'd like. Last summer I posted an extra money job list, but I have a feeling this year's list might actually get some usage. It cracks me up that McKay denotes a coin's worth by it's size. He'll trade a euro for a 50 cent euro or a US quarter. Easton's always willing to help him count out his money and it's a favorite past time especially if they know a trip to the commissary is eminent. So far we haven't had any blatant stealing - PHEW! But we've had plenty of coinage left out and not put away when reminded followed by tears flowing when Morgan refuses to hand over her new found treasures.

YOUR MASTER

Easton's class when to a prehistoric museum and fossil dig last week. He has proudly shared his fossil that he hammered and chiseled down to a manageable size. When gifts were being exchanged tonight for Father's Day and Ryan gave them their surprises from his travels, Easton decided he wanted to give the fossil rock to Ryan. The best, however, was when McKay said, "Dad, you can show it to your Master, do you think your Master will like it?" The boys are always asking Ryan if he'll tell his boss at work this or that and it's just really funny as they try to relate and understand Ryan's days at the office and who he interacts with. Ryan's real fortunate right now to have great bosses that let him work for their clients with very little micromanaging. In fact, Ryan's recently been recognized at different levels within his work for his contributions which is great, but it's even better that he's really enjoying his work and seeing it have an impact!

'NUGGO YOU A BED

I wish I video'd the kids more often at Morgan's age because their conversations are just so darn cute! She asks to snuggle and tells you exactly where and how. "Mom, I 'nuggo you a bed a pee-yo a wankie a ticko" = snuggle on the bed with a pillow, a blanket and tickles. "Dad, I sit a p'ay a you a chair a suggo" = sit and play with you in your chair and snuggle. Morgan loves to rattle off recently seen animals and family members who love her. "A cat a love me. A seep (sheep) a love me, Baaaa. A Kay a love me . . . " -- we don't have any pets yet but they are begging for them! But oh heavens, her car demands! If she's bored, I am told, "A mommy talk a me!" or I am commanded to listen to her sing or talk to me. She hollers out song requests, but usually for "Sitto Souts" = Scripture Scouts. If I roll down my window, she'll demand hers to be down too and to a certain level. I really don't think she'll mind being the only girl of the family for however long that might be! Queen of the roost!

As for me, this pregnancy has been the kindest to me of them yet and I feel so blessed. He's baking away and measuring up as he should. We may have come up with a name but more research and seeing the little guy upon arrival will tell if it sticks. When walking for any stretch, I often laugh at how my posture must accommodate my growing proportions and unavoidably I waddle like a duck. There's just no way around it! I've taken a liking to being able to gently nudge or bounce the kids in the head with my belly and telling them the baby just wanted to say "Hi." It always puts a grin on their face.

While Ryan was stateside for a recent conference (his third this year which is rather astounding as a contractor), I had trouble putting myself to bed. By mid-week, naps were required. My favorite was the afternoon I put Morgan down for a nap and then laid down on the couch to offset gravity and rest. As I was setting my timer for the inevitable nap, McKay asked to snuggle me and we napped for an hour like two peas in a pod! I'm amazed he could fit on our small love seat with me but the closer the better in his book! The other kids are too wiggly, but McKay is the best napping buddy to be found!

We're now gearing up for our final trip before the baby - a full week in Provence, France, with Ryan's brother's family. In my few quiet moments of the day I've been struggling with whether to research the trip or begin writing up our trip to Ireland here. Provence will be hot and dry, but we'll have a pool at the house we're renting. As I've been reading Peter Mayle's book, "A Year in Provence," I've been dreaming of the food and pool accessories to beat the heat as the resident beached whale. In any case, there's no doubt the UNO cards will be a must-pack item!

2011-06-18T03:59:00.001-04:00

I've finally posted about our May trip to Greece if you hop down past my Denial post :)

Denial

2011-05-24T17:46:00.007-04:00

can be is such a happy place, until . . .

~ I don't own a full length mirror, in fact the mirror I use is pretty much good for seeing only what a headshot would show and the lighting is bad. This might explain a lot to anyone who sees me with regularity. Now you know. But when pregnant, I find this hugely beneficial to my daily mental health! When I do actually get full length passing glimpses of myself in glass doors or what not, I get a good laugh because breaking into tears in public is too much effort. Especially if it's one of the two days I did my makeup that week, hence being in public!

~ A dear friend is moving soon and it's a good thing she had me calendar regular get-togethers leading up to her departure so I'm not as big of a remorseful basket case as I could be in a few weeks!

~ I recently checked out a BBC series called "Muzzy" for the kids from the library. It was highly recommended on a homeschooling blog I read sometimes. It's a cartoon that's used in schools often for language learning and so I got the one in German. McKay will sit and translate the German one for us and it's been amazing to see how much he's absorbed at his school although I've rarely heard him speak German to his friends or teachers beyond a word or two. I was telling him tonight how smart he was and that he could try to speak more German to his friends and teachers since he knew so much - more than anyone in our family and could learn so much more by trying more. He just looked at me and said, "Yeah, I can do it cuz I'm smarter than you." He's already been correcting my accent recently when I've been listening to and having to repeat phrases aloud. Mr. Smarty Pants!

~ Everyone in this house is ready to potty train Morgan except me. For heaven's sake, she told Easton she needed to use the toilet and he started helping her to the bathroom so I had to take over. I'm just not ready until our next trip is over because it's a burden I'm unable to hand over to anyone while I'm off galavanting. However, Morgan has now shown she can do it and I'm all for celebrating the moment . . . but I will totally be buying more diapers tomorrow to restock the depleted supply.

~ What's one more cookie to a pregnant lady anyhow. Expandomatic pants are your friend and you can't tell me any different!

~ Preparing to leave my home and babies for eight days didn't have me scrambling to pack the night before. No, it had me obsessed with going on a family bike ride and ice cream stop so that if something happened to me and Ryan, our kids would have a fun family memory of our last evening together. The hills of our surroundings are nothing like the flat landscape of our blissful Netherlands family ride and my bike seat had me feeling it for many days to follow! Did I mention I'm six months pregnant?! And at one point Easton was in tears refusing to go on the hills were too much. The packing scramble happened in the three hours before we left the following day. I really don't know how Ryan puts up with me! I think it might be my enchiladas, but many days I'm truly stumped.

~ While taking one of my kids to a friend's house to apologize for and return his first ever stolen goods, my friend's kids got home from their school bus upset. Her son had been treated very badly on the bus and kids had been watching some really bad R rated movies on their portable electronics. It was just the latest for them but I was suddenly very grateful we have to drive Easton to and from school -- no matter how many naps my younger kids will be woken from or not be put down for even though my sanity takes a beating.

~ The kids are fascinated with my growing belly, especially the belly button spread. While laughing at my button, McKay noticed a few of my silvery stretch marks around my button and he asked what they were. I told him it's where the skin has had to stretch a lot to let the baby grow, but that that particular one was from him when he was in my tummy. Usually delighted by any feeling of power he has over us, he totally surprised me when his eyes got real big and he asked if it hurt me and he kissed it.

~ Walking some ruins and villages in Greece showed me I am sufficiently pregnant enough to be a bit tipsy. I can't just hike to the top of the Acropolis and not be huffing, puffing and snapping at a kind husband asking a simple question about my preferences because my prego clothes don't breathe and "I got hot!" When I thought going up was a challenge, going down proved far more precarious than planned since my body and feet didn't communicate well. Balance, what's that? I hope it comes back!

~ Easton's almost ready to lose one of his top front teeth. He will enter that cute and awkward stage of in-be-tween and I'm not ready. Every time I look at that loose tooth that Ryan desperately has wanted to pull for over a week now, I send that tooth some serious happy thoughts to hang in there for this momma who wants her baby to never grow up.

~ Eating out sounds so nice because I won't have to cook or clean it up. But having to sit up and eat properly over my plate on a table with a belly in the way makes me wish I could be reclining on cushions, hand fed by servants if I'm going to bother with the whole business.

~ While on our last trip, Ryan and I were eating and actually having a conversation because there were no children demanding our attention. We got talking about world affairs and Brazil at one point. Ryan was expounding on it's government and economy during the time of his mission and how it's been changing when I did the math. It's almost been 20 years since he was there! That totally knocked our socks off! Ahhh, seems like only yesterday . . .

I've always joked with Ryan about how he lives in his own little reality but I'm finding that more and more I'm really the one who is in need of a reality check! But I love my bubble.

Greek Island of Santorini

2011-05-22T16:54:00.014-04:00

We took the 8 hour ferry to the island of Santorini. You can also fly into Santorini’s tiny airport or take a faster 5 hour ferry. It left first thing in the morning and Ryan’s nose for navigation once again saved our bacon! We got right on the metro strait to the harbor no problem but then once at the harbor we weren’t sure which direction to go. There were a number of ferries and they weren’t well signed/marked. You essentially had to walk up the boat to read it’s electronic reader board or have a numbered harbor map. Not a good scenario in a time crunch.

We hiked up all the stairs in the ferry to get what we thought would be a nice scenic spot up top within the glass enclosure to enjoy the ride. Once the ferry got going, it sure was cold and windy up there! After an hour or two of reading and shivering, I decided to go indoors and see if I could find somewhere to thaw. Ryan joined me later. Even though the ferry was very big, everyone was still off-balance as they moved about the boat. It was real odd to be running into things with the boat shifting under my feet! Guess my sea legs aren’t up to par. Ryan got restless just sitting for 8 hours, that's not his cup of tea!

When we arrived at Santorini docks below central Fira, we snagged a bus up to the main bus stop. Then we discovered that the next bus south to Akrotiri where our B&B was located wasn’t for another hour and a half so Ryan astutely grabbed a cab. We heard from fellow travelers at breakfast the next morning that they had waited for the bus and it had dropped them a good mile down the winding hill of our B&B which they had no idea how to get to. I still haven’t figured out how they found the B&B!

Even though it was probably 60 degrees, Ryan had to try the pool. There was an Australian couple at the pool and he let Ryan know it was not for the faint of heart, but in Ryan went! Ryan didn’t last long and then we were off to find food. Wouldn’t you know we found a Mexican restaurant and that sounded good?! Senor Zorbas – had a beautiful view, a yummy chicken chimichunga with fresh sides and Ryan’s favorite dish ended up being the spicy chili and virgin pina coloda. We ate there another couple times before the end of our stay since we haven’t found a decent Mexican joint in Stuttgart yet.

Apanemo B&B, Akrotiri was a quiet, very friendly and helpful B&B with a fantastic view of the Caldera. Breakfast consisted of choices of fresh breads and spreads, deli meat and cheese, as well as fresh plain Greek yogurt that we drizzled with honey and sliced canned peaches. By now we were getting a real taste for that Greek yogurt although this stuff had a stronger flavor than the Athens hotel buffet. Our room was very spartan and comfortable, but not inspiring for a romantic getaway. The individual beds were about the size of a good-sized cot and we joked about me falling off when I did my prego midnight rollovers. Good thing they were low to the ground! We loved having our private terrace with a beautiful view of the Caldera. Here's the Caldera (crater), an active volcano.

I think the island of Santorini could be adequately enjoyed in 24 hours. Ryan liked that we spent 4 days there and what we did. [My internal travel clock still operates on a four-day getaway maximum. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a mom or if it’s just me.] Here’s my suggestion: Arrive by air or by sea and get to Oia {pronounced Ee-yah} to take your time meandering and taking pictures of the amazing views, enjoy the sunset with 1,000 strangers and grab a nice evening dessert or meal at some terrace restaurant with a great view. If you have a good chunk of another day to play, it’s fun to rent a car to drive around the island and see all the beaches and villages. Lots of tourists chose to rent 4-wheelers to see portions of the island. I know the beaches on the eastern coast of the island cater to the party and dancing scene which a friend said her and her husband really enjoyed, but that's not us so it wasn’t on our itinerary.

Santorini is on many cruise itineraries and there were usually 3 liners in the Caldera each day. It was interesting to see these fat sitting ducks trying to stay in one spot while their patrons enjoyed the sights.

Cruise ships use a separate dock than we came into. The cruise day trippers have three choices up the cliffside: pay to ride a funicular car up, pay to ride one of these donkeys up the switchback path, or hoof it behind the donkey train and enjoy their rear view and stench.

Southern coast of Santorini.

These tiny Greek Orthodox churches with manicured rock and shrub gardens dotted the island.

Pregnant profile 26 weeks.

A strong wind blew in with us for a few days and hampered our desire to sit and soak up the sun so we drove around the island and beach hopped. The Perissa and Kamari beach fronts were still grooming themselves for high season manicuring the sand, painting tables and chairs, and repairing thatched umbrellas. It was kind of nice to see them quiet and peaceful with less skin. The small pebbles of this beach were not my favorite for a leisure stroll! Ouch!

A mansion home with a lot of land. Check out the evergreen tree with the branches' needles pointing up like they defy gravity and soak up as much of that direct sunlight as possible.

Oia [pronounced Ee-ya]

I told Ryan I really hoped this trip would be an actual vacation and he delivered! We got some good sun without being in sweltering heat and crowds. I read two books on this trip alone! We got massages and pedicures – yup, Ryan too! It was his first pedicure. As the ladies set to work scrubbing and pruning our ragged feet, Ryan had serious misgivings. "This is considered relaxing?!" he kept saying. But then he got a darn good massage and was a whole new man. We've got a convert folks!

We spent a lot of time in Oia. It's so picturesque that you want to stop and take pictures every couple of steps. There's a main pedestrian lane lined with shops, galleries, and restaurants with fabulous views. Here's one of our favorites because of the beautiful terrace view, kind jovial proprietor, sweet young waiter and simple good food.

Ryan's kantaifi, a sweet nut and honey treat.

White-washers were very busy keeping the stark white of the village gleaming.

Northern tip of Oia with the classic windmill.

Dusk looking from Oia to Fira.

We really pampered ourselves the last day by staying in a cave apartment in Oia with our own terrace jacuzzi. It was a nice private alcove out of the wind so we actually sunbathed and just relaxed for an entire afternoon. It was lovely! I have to say, by the end, my fingernails and hands regained a youthful glow again. Who knew such a break from my daily routines of dish and diaper duty could work such miracles!

But all good things must come to an end. The man we rented a car from in Akrotiri gave us a ride back to the docks to catch the 5 hour ferry to Athens. In the 15 minute ride, he gave us an earful of his thoughts on Greece and the EU and specifically Greece's relationship with Germany. Essentially, he said the EU is great for the strong economies and devastating for the smaller economies where locally-owned shops die as the bigger consumer chains from stronger economies take root. For instance, all the grocers and so forth. No more occupying armies like times past, the EU meant economic imperialism to him. There were a lot of unfinished homes and buildings on Santorini due to the world economic crisis. This island's economy is based on tourism and a smidge of agricultural products - cherry tomatoes, honey, wine, olive oil. It was interesting hearing his perspective.

And then to Athens to catch the New Acropolis Museum before our flight home . . .