the ABCs of Toby

Affectionate- Toby loves his mom. He loves his dad. He loves his sister. He loves his froggy 'Guy.' He loves his doll baby 'Lisa.' You get the idea. :)

Boy- He is 100% male. From leaping off the couch to torturing his older sister.

Cuddly- "Tuddle me mom." One of my favorite things to hear.

Daddy's boy- He watches everything Rob does and does his best to imitate him.

Eater- He ate 4 pancakes and a yogurt for breakfast yesterday and would have had more if we hadn't cut him off.

Forgiving- He will hug his sister and accept her apology 2 seconds after she shoves him down.

Giggler- His big belly laugh often takes people by surprise, since he is otherwise pretty mellow. (see Quiet.)

Handsome- and perhaps a little vain, since I tell him how handsome he is every single day.

Impatient- He is 2 and a half after all.

Jumper- He will attempt to jump off of anything... preferably into someone's arms, but not necessarily. (see Boy.)

Kissable. :x

Laid back- It's true. My little man likes to be carried, cuddled, and lounge around whenever possible. He is not stressed out-- ever.

Mechanically minded- Toby excels at doing things with his hands. Building, taking apart, working the DVD player, getting dressed. He's a hand-eye coordination whiz. (see Puzzle man.)

Not nocturnal- Thankfully, Toby sleeps from about 7 pm to 7 am. No matter what time zone we drop him into.

Obstinate- What can I say? He comes by it honestly.

Puzzle man- He will sit and do puzzles for hours... the more challenging the better.

Quiet- He doesn't say a lot, but when he does talk, it is because he has something worth saying.

Runner- I can't wait to have a yard for Toby to play in. As it is, I have him run laps in our house to burn off some of his energy. (see Boy.)

Stud- He's already a lady's man. ;) We're going to be in big trouble one day. (see Affectionate.)

Traveler- He is ready to go, anytime, anywhere. We are soon going to add 4 countries to the list of places he has been in his short life... and the fun part is he LOVES it.

Understanding- Toby is surprisingly empathetic and aware/considerate of other people's feelings.

Violence abhoring- He rarely (not never) resorts to violence. Even when I think he ought to sometimes. (Like defending himself against a tyrannical older sister.)

Water lover- Whether in the bathtub, the pool, or the ocean. He loves getting wet.

Xenophobic- Not really. I just couldn't think of any other x adjectives.

Yummy- At least I threaten to eat him all up on a regular basis, so he seems like he would be yummy.

Zen- see Laid back.

a Charlotte story in 3 parts

Morning:

Rob is getting Charlotte dressed and can't locate clean underwear for her so he asks her to wear Toby's Lightning McQueen underoos. (He isn't really wearing them yet anyway, but I like to be ready in case he decides to potty train one day.) Charlotte points out that they are for boys and they are "kinda funny," but okay, she'll wear them.

Afternoon:

Charlotte is at a birthday party for a girl in her Kindergarten class. I take her to the bathroom and notice her interesting underwear.
Me: What are you wearing?!
C: Lightning McQueen panties.
Me: Do you know those are Toby's?
C: Daddy put them on me this morning.
Me: [laughing] Okay.

Evening:

Rob is getting Charlotte ready for her bath.
C: Daddy, I don't want to wear these panties again. They scare Mommy.
R: They scare her??
C: Yeah, they scared her and then she laughed at me.

Note: I was not SCARED, just surprised. Good heavenly days.

a video valentine

It's a little early... but enjoy! ;)

The point is MUTE

Okay folks,

Thanks to a nasty case of strep throat and a very scary German doctor... "YOU, don't talk. You don't whisper. Or you will permanently damage your vocal chords." I have been rendered mute for the weekend. But I can still type! Bwa hahaaha. So here is what I have learned in the first 24 hours of my silence.

1. When Rob insisted he had to go to work for the afternoon I felt panicked. And sure enough, within 10 minutes Charlotte had woken up from her nap crying (she is also sick, but with an ear infection) and was asking for more medicine- which I didn't know when she had last taken and couldn't call Rob to ask. So I just shook my head 'no' and put in a movie and we cuddled up until Toby woke up to play with her. The afternoon ended up being okay.

2. Charlotte is a smart cookie. She immediately understood that I would not be talking and has done her best to interpret my guesstures and baby sign language and has repeatedly told Toby 'Mommy can't talk about it!' She has been extra cooperative and just keeps telling me, 'I love you mom' which I appreciate immensely.

3. I feel a bit like Lassie. 'What is it girl? The old barn burned down and Timmy fell in the well?' Unless I actually go get paper and pen to tell Rob something, we go through a 'conversation' like this every fifteen minutes or so...

Me: holds up two fingers

Rob: 'Two.'

Me: Points to pancake recipe

Rob: 'Double it?'

Me: Thumbs up!

4. I had no idea I liked chamomille tea this much. I have gone through 3 pots all by myself.

5. Rob is wonderful. He has cooked, cleaned, and chidcared his heart out the past few days and it has not gone unnoticed. He is currently at the grocery store with BOTH of the kids... an activity I know he does not adore, but that he volunteered to do so I could rest and relax. I love him.... and I would shout it from the rooftops, if I were allowed to speak. ;)

highlights from Paris

This past weekend I went to Paris with two of my fellow mommy girlfriends here in Germany. It was the FIRST time I have gone somewhere overnight without my kiddos! We had a great time, ate LOTS of food, and packed a million things into 2 1/2 days. Here are just a few of my favorite moments.

Sitting by the Eiffel Tower on a quiet Saturday morning.

Though this was my third time in Paris, there were still a lot of firsts to experience. We toured the Rodin Museum, which I loved. This is his "Cathedrale"-- a man's and a woman's hand just touching, with Harmony in the background. (We also went to the Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre.)

Oh the food! We had crepes with Nutella (my favorite European vacation treat.) We also dined at a FANCY French restaurant, and gorged ourselves on french pastries... see below.

Bring on the French pastries!!!

However, I'll pass on the stinky cheese.

Julie, Aubrey, and Harmony are....

Mommies on a mission!

Another first for me was visiting Shakespeare & Co. bookstore.

It's an English language bookstore near Notre Dame that I have almost-but-not-quite made it to on my last trips here. It has a rich history, and made my bibliophile heart sing. ;) I picked up a book for Rob called Translation is a love affair, and one for myself of Jack Kerouac's poetry. I could happily spend a day just hanging around here.

Aubrey finds one of many little nooks to read in.

We took a quick trip out to Versailles to admire the decadence and demise of the French monarchy. Aubrey and Harmony in the Hall of Mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed.

We also squeezed in a visit to Napoleon's Tomb and the Army Museum before heading to the airport, which was a first for me. All I have to say about that is... the French sure thought highly of Napoleon to bury him like this.

In the Army museum... now THAT'S a gun.

Overall Paris was exciting, and exhausting. I am glad that I went, but I am also very glad to be back home with my family. :)