Anderson Family Blog

Goals update

2012-01-30T08:45:00.002-05:00

First, I have lost 5 lbs. It's not much, but the numbers are moving in the right direction, so I'm pleased.

Second, to report on my $250 budget for groceries, eating out, and household necessities. I did not meet this goal y'all. In fact, I went about $100 OVER. There were several contributing factors to my overage... I had the chance to buy meat from Zaycon- $1.69/lb for chicken breasts and $2.99 for 93% lean ground beef. I split 40 lb cases of each with a friend, but still, I hadn't anticipated spending so much on meat. Also, several Food Lion grocery stores are going out of business in the neighborhood so I stocked up on baby food and items I rarely see on sale (like yeast and cocoa powder) at a 25-50% discount. Also, we did our Bountiful Basket almost every week- I think this is the best value for fresh fruits & veggies I could get, and I need those on hand if I'm going to lose weight.

So anyway, I'm calling January a success because we still significantly reduced our spending in these areas, and despite some unexpected car repair costs, we did not have to pull money from our savings. And the items I spent money on were carefully considered and I knew they would reduce our spending over several months... so I put the long term benefit ahead of the short term goal. That is actually progress for me. :)

As for not buying anything new- I did it! And I had some fun experiments in January! I made homemade yogurt in the crockpot! I baked bread. I froze veggies. I packed 95% of Rob's lunches (we did miss a few.) We packed picnics instead of eating out. We had date nights at home after the kids went to bed (DVD, board game, ice cream.) We read more books from the library and used more library services (storytime, birdfeeder making activity.) We visited the temple in Columbia, SC. I didn't feel like we "missed out" on having fun in any way. I bought myself a "new" outfit at Goodwill, just to test the waters, and I was really pleased. I couldn't believe how many designer label items were there- some with tags still on. So I got a pair of brown cords (Coldwater Creek,) a white dress shirt, and awesome red shoes for $15. I was worried when we were invited to a little kid's birthday party that I'd have to make an exception, but then I decided we'd give a gift card to one of those bouncy places instead. Fun experience gift + I did not buy any plastic junk made in China that will end up in a landfill = happy me.

And finally, my goal to speak my mind more freely. I'm working on it. To do something proactive in this area, I made a profile on Mormon.org and posted it to Facebook. I'm not in the habit of openly sharing my beliefs... in fact, talking about anything close to my heart inevitably leads to waterworks. So I'm taking babysteps and starting out by sharing more in writing.

Now on to February! I'm not sure... I want to continue along these same lines, but with Valentine's Day and my birthday, we do have some plans this month. Also, I realized a few things that I'd like to purchase that will save us money in the long run (hair clippers for one.) So... I'm going to continue with my weight loss goal. And I think set a $400 budget for groceries, eating out, etc. $100/wk! Yay!! That should be an easy goal to meet after this past month. :) Any suggestions?

Is it Jacob, or is it Memorex?

2012-01-15T18:34:00.005-05:00

If you get that reference, congratulations! You are at least as old as me. :)

We comment a lot on how much Jacob and Toby look alike, and I remembered this one picture of Toby at 5 months old that I just LOVE, so I decided to replicate it with Jacob at 5 months old and do a little comparison. No doubt they are brothers, but I can definitely tell them apart and see their unique features. Can you? Check out these two photos, make your guess, and check the comments for the answer.

Baby #1 (or is it?!?)

Baby #2 (hmmmm)

Weird that I mirror-imaged the photo set-up without meaning to. Now, no fair scrolling down for more photo help before you've made your guess, but here is an update on Jakey at 5 months old.

Jacob is my Lovey Bear. That's what I call him, because he wants to be with me ALL. THE. TIME. If I'm not actually holding him, he wants to be sitting in the high chair while I cook, or catching my eye from across the room. This boy loves his mama.

He has started eating solid foods and now has some baby food at dinner time with us every night. Sadly, it's not making him sleep longer. *sigh*

He drools SO. MUCH. Maybe he is teething? Maybe that's why I don't get to sleep more than 2-3 hours at a shot? I dunno.

He loves to giggle and babble. He now says da-da-da-da, blows raspberries, and squeeeeeals- with joy or annoyance as the occasion requires.

He's discovered his feet and thinks they are really, really cool. He doesn't like when I cover them up with socks. (It leads to those squeals of annoyance I just mentioned.)

He is SO. FAT. He has that buttery, soft, squishable chub over the entire surface of his body. I just kiss him all day long and tell him that I'm going to eat him up I love him so! (Anyone catch that reference?) By the way, why do we resort to cannibalism when expressing love to our babies? I have no idea- but it just feels right. :)

PS- This last photo is from a picnic we took in the park recently. On a 70 degree day in January we can go on picnics in the park!!! I am not tired of GA yet.

New Year, new goals

2011-12-28T19:30:00.002-05:00

As 2012 approaches, I've been giving a lot of thought to what I would like to accomplish in the coming year.

Obviously, I want to lose 25 lbs. (If you know me at all, you know this is pretty much a standing resolution when I am not pregnant.)

But mostly I have been feeling inspired by a friend's recent "spending fast" (buying nothing for one month) that was in turn inspired by another blogger's 2011 goal to purchase nothing NEW (used items from thrift stores were acceptable, but of course there were still groceries and household necessities to buy.) I like both of these ideas, but a year is a long time to commit to, and I know I do better when faced with bite-size projects. So I've decided to take this idea a month at a time for as long as it is interesting. I LOVE that my sweet husband listens to my ideas (even if it is with an amused look on his face) and is willing to participate in my hare-brained plans! :) So for January, I am not going to buy anything NEW, and I am limiting our month's grocery/household items/eating out budget to $250.

Do I hear you asking, "why?" "What in the world is the point of this bizarre exercise anyway?" There are a lot of points actually, and maybe I will be better at expressing them as time goes on, but it has to do with watching our savings account shrink... with watching our children's rooms fill up with toys (I would like to blame Santa, but I must take full responsibility)... with seeing our children argue MORE as they have more STUFF to fight over... with the undeniable craving I have to go to Target and Kohl's and Chik-Fil-A... with the culture of consumerism! I don't know. It's just time to try things a different way.

And finally, I am going to try to speak my mind more freely. This is soooo hard for me to do. I am a people pleaser, a peacemaker, I want everyone to be happy... and I don't really think there is anything wrong with that, per se. However, I feel like I have missed opportunities to have more meaningful conversations at times, because I didn't want to ruffle anyone's feathers. So watch out y'all! lol Just kidding. But seriously, I am going to try harder to say how I feel and not be so worried about the response it gets. And if you are on the receiving end of this, please know that it is in an effort to deepen our friendship, and not the opposite. :)

I wish you all a happy new beginning in 2012!

first foods, first Christmas

2011-12-27T14:22:00.004-05:00

Just before Christmas Jacob had his 4 month check-up. He was 18 lbs. 14 oz. (100th %) and 27 inches (98th %). Jakey is the 1%! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) So, ya know, he could be a Sumo wrestler or linebacker or something. ;) He is adorable and very healthy. He smiles at everyone and is particularly attentive to Rob and Toby... I think those are great choices of people for him to look up to. Anyway, the doctor agreed that we ought to start some solid foods, and there was much rejoicing.

He was very happy to have a spoon just like everyone else.

Cereal, however, was not a hit.

I am looking forward to a little bit more independence and to sharing the feeding responsibilities, but I'm glad we're not ready to stop nursing yet. I love the quiet, cuddly feeding time with my baby.

On Christmas Eve, Charlotte and Toby were so excited they couldn't contain it! Jacob was a little overwhelmed by the noise and energy, but it was fun to see them all playing together and having such a great time.

These kiddos are best buds.

They loved their gifts from family and Santa, but they couldn't wait to give Jacob the stuffed animal that they had picked out for him and wrapped.

It's okay Jakey, you'll get used to it.

Lights of the South

2011-12-11T12:28:00.005-05:00

We've been passing two different bugs around our house for several weeks now, but we have been trying to get out when we can anyway, and last Monday night we went to Lights of the South for family home evening.

The kiddos LOVED this! We took a hay ride through some pretty elaborate light displays (a depiction of Christ's life, followed by many, many familiar movie characters, and Santa's workshop, etc.) This castle they are in is near the end of the hayride.

This is a photo of it from outside.

Rob and I are curious about their electric bill.

We also visited with Santa. Jakey was very awake and alert at this place. So much to look at!

Charlotte and Toby were all business.

Toby told Santa he wants a football and a skateboard for Christmas. (The skateboard is a new addition, and doesn't seem like a good idea for a 3 year old to me.) And Charlotte asked for a Barbie. (She does already have some Barbies, but she would like a new one.)

We also ate popcorn, and played on the playground, and a lonely old man followed me around for awhile telling me about his dogs, which made me think of my mom (who talked to EVERYONE,) so I listened to him with a smile and wished him a Merry Christmas.

We also decorated our tree. It was fun to do all of the ornaments again this year. (This is Charlotte with Rhett Butler- I have several book character ornaments that my family gave me when I started library school.) Last year we only put on homemade and unbreakable ones since Toby was just 2. The kids were so much fun to watch hanging them all so carefully-- but only up to 3 feet high. I rearranged things a bit after they went to bed. ;)

I don't know this kid. LOL

Sooooo serious.

(Have I ever mentioned how Rob and I both were told that all the time when we were kids?)

And last but not least... Jacob is turning 4 months old in a few days. He is ginormous. We'll have the official weigh-in just before Christmas, but our scale puts him at 18 and 1/2 lbs.

I love these boys. :)

Charlotte will always be my girl and I love her and am thankful for her every day, but I gotta say, I love these cuddly, sweet, gentle boys sooooo much.

an attitude of gratitude

2011-11-28T14:44:00.003-05:00

Next week we will have been back in the US for 6 months already! In some ways it has been super easy to transition back to normal life- Target, Walmart, 2 cars, 24 hour pharmacies. And in some ways it has been really difficult- tighter budget, more time commitments, trying to make new friends.

But this past month we decided to try and focus on our blessings and to try to do more for others. There are a lot of people (in the US, and throughout the world) that are struggling far more than we are, and we are truly, truly thankful for our material, spiritual, and all of the other blessings in our lives. :)

I forgot to put this photo on the last post- Spanish Moss. :)

We are thankful for the beautifully diverse world we have to live in.

We are thankful for 3 healthy, happy children.

Jacob has learned to hold things and now everything goes into his mouth as quickly as he can get it there. We find it's a challenge to teach our children about gratitude. We want to give them what they need, and many of their wants... but we also want them to understand that there are so many who have to go without and to have compassion and charity. I know little kids are pretty naturally egocentric, but we're still discussing ways to help them understand this. Any suggestions?

This is our "Thankful Tree."

Throughout November we talked about things we were thankful for at dinner time and put them on our tree. Some of my favorites: Halloween, 'snowmans' & Father in Heaven (from Toby,) my brothers, cheese, & Ariel (from Charlotte,) a singing voice, the mountains, & Julie (from Rob,) and Robert, Chinese take-out, & prayer (from yours truly.)

Oh look, it's the Savannah river again. (My organizational skills could use a tune-up.)

Fall photos from the CSRA

2011-11-27T20:36:00.003-05:00

That's the Central Savannah River Area ya'll.

We heard about this place not far from us where you can walk or bike along the Savannah River and canal, so one Sunday afternoon when the leaves were prettiest, we took the kiddos for a stroll...

Pensive Charlotte- see it does happen sometimes.

This face! I love it.

I am really loving this Fall weather in Georgia.

Summer was brutal, but if the other 9 months of the year are this lovely, then I'll take it!

Halloween happenings

2011-11-09T09:20:00.005-05:00

Hello again.

Three children certainly eat up more of my time than two did! I've also upped the ante by joining the YMCA gym and trying to exercise there 3-4 times a week. So, along with ballet, library storytime, and playgroups, our days have become quite busy. I will do my best to not let the blog go too long without posting.

The Halloween festivities this year seemed to go on and on and on.

Two weeks before Halloween we went to Kackleberry Farm.

This was the gentlest, sweetest, most lovely donkey I have ever seen. He actually wanted to be pet by children-- even when they clearly had no food to offer. I want one. ;)

We did the first stage of the corn maze.

(By all reports stage 2 was much more challenging and time consuming, so we opted out. Maybe when our kids are a bit older.)

We had our family photo taken on a giant rocking chair!

We did some other fun stuff too. The kids did a zip line, rode slides, watched singing rooster puppets, and fed the goats, sheep, and other animals. And we also picked out 2 pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. It may have been a real pumpkin patch, but it was not very sincere, and with the addition of the fire ant hills throughout... well, next year we may just pick them out at Walmart.

A week later we carved our pumpkins into Jack-o-lanterns. (Actually, I carved pumpkins to Toby and Charlotte's specifications - because it was too "cold and smooshy" for them to be involved with- while Rob held the baby on the porch swing. Sometimes I wonder why I am the only one who cares about these traditions in our house.)

Toby is ready to fight bad guys... as long as they're not too scary.

Charlotte's pumpkin is a witch stirring her brew from one of those pattern dealios. Charlotte is attempting to look sweet and innocent like Snow White.

Charlotte's ballet class encouraged the kiddos to wear their costumes to class. This was also the day the parents were allowed to come in and observe. I took several short videos, but Charlotte was often behind another little girl and out of sight. I like this one though. I'm glad she is enjoying it and engaged in what the class is doing and listening to her teacher. :)

We also wore costumes to storytime at the library.

Then we attended our church Halloween party and trunk or treat.

Snow White, Casper, and Spiderman.

And THEN it was finally the big day.

REAL door to door trick or treating! Rob took Charlotte and Toby around the block while Jakey and I handed out candy. The kids were back after an hour and fully satisfied with their booty. They helped hand out candy for the next hour and had so much fun with that, that Charlotte wanted to hand out the candy she had collected as well! (Weird kid.) Rob and I however were quite done with Halloween at this point so we vetoed that plan, blew out our pumpkins, and outened the lights.

The kids had a blast. Which I think is the point of Halloween for us. It is the one holiday that is just about being silly and having fun and eating treats. And that is ok. :) Before bed that night Charlotte told me that some people had given her "whole handfuls of candy! I don't know why! I'm just a little kid, I can't eat that much candy you know!"

Happy belated Halloween.

belly laughs

2011-11-02T14:34:00.002-04:00

I can barely get a little laugh out of Jacob. He smiles at me all the time and is cuddly and adorable. I figured he just wasn't a big laughter kinda guy. Then yesterday, I saw this....

Clearly, Rob knows something I don't.

I'm so glad he is our kids' daddy and my sweet husband. :)

Charlotte is 5!

2011-10-25T15:05:00.004-04:00

Our baby girl turned five last week and we took a family trip to the ZOO in Columbia, SC to celebrate. We were really impressed with this zoo. It was small-ish, but had some enormous exhibits and lots of space for the animals. And no animals escaped. While we were there. At least, that we know of. ;)

Our very own 3 little monkeys.

I loved this family of giraffes. They were so beautiful.

Our visit wouldn't be complete without a ride on the carousel.

And a long time spent watching these amazing creatures.

Back at home, we enjoyed Charlotte's birthday cake that I made to her very exact instructions. (Chocolate cake, strawberries, pink frosting, chocolate hearts- NOT frosting, but real chocolate, and so on. She even made me a drawing to look at... but I improvised anyway: 2 tiers, not 3. I'm a rebel like that.)

Happy birthday Bubba!

Charlotte has her own flair for drama and love of life. She loves to laugh and dance and adds so much energy to our home. She is a great sister to her brothers and looks out for them when we are with other kids or in unfamiliar situations. She is my mini-me... and yet she is completely her own person. We love you Charlotte. :)

Charlotte's birthday interview:

What's your favorite color? Pink

What's your favorite movie? Rapunzel (Tangled)

What's your favorite song? Hmm, that's hard. My favorite song is Sunbeams. (Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam.)

What's your favorite food? Macaroni shells and popcorn and strawberries and treats. I love treats.

What's your favorite thing to do with Toby? Play with him in my dollhouse and my kitchen.

What's your favorite thing to do with Jacob? Talk to him.

What's your favorite thing to do with mommy? Fold laundry. (LOL)

What's your favorite thing to do with daddy? Play 'big ball' with him.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a cooker.

What makes you feel happy? Sunshine makes me happy! (laughs- she has a shirt that says that.) I laugh when Jacob moves around his hands and does silly things. I like that.

Jacob at 2 months

2011-10-25T14:44:00.003-04:00

Jacob is already 10 weeks old! At his 2 month check-up last week, we learned that he is in the 95th percentile for height and weight. He was 24 1/2 inches long and 14 lbs. 6 oz. so he is a BIG baby. Just for the sake of a reference point though- Toby was that same length at 1 month old.

We've been getting to know Jakey more and more each week...

He is a cuddler. (And therefore spends a lot of time in the sling pictured above.)

He will only sleep on his tummy or side.

He's quick to smile, but slow to laugh.

He studies Charlotte and Toby like there will be a test tomorrow on how to be a big kid.
He is the cooing-est baby I have ever met. (I have a video of this, but it wouldn't upload.)

He looks so much like Toby that I mix their names up daily.

Every night I sing "Row your boat," the alternative "Glub, glub, glub your boat, gently down the stream, ha, ha, ha, I fooled you, I'm a submarine," and "Three little ducks" to him.

He does NOT like it when I eat: broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, onions, garlic, or salad. (I eat them anyway and just get less sleep.)

He despises the bouncy seat.

And finally, he loves his mommy. :)

the art of doing nothing

2011-10-10T16:14:00.004-04:00

Last Monday my spontaneous spouse and I made the decision to go to Hilton Head Island for a couple of days to visit with Rob's cousin Nathan who was there on vacation with his family. On our way home we detoured to the Columbia, SC airport to pick up my sister Pam and her son Connor who were coming to visit through today. So this week has ended up involving a lot of driving, eating out, lounging on the beach, more driving, watching movies, going for walks, playing Scrabble, more eating out, and spending time together. Also, Rob & I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary.

In other words, it's been a pretty awesome week. :)

Nothing says October like warming up after a swim in the pool.

This is what happens when you wear a regular diaper in the hot tub.

Thanks for the Public Service Announcement, Wyatt! ;)

I don't know why Toby poses like this, but he sure was cute with his poofy hair. (I've since had it cut quite short again.)

Nothing says 'vacation' like digging a moat boys!

(Can you tell that Nate got the short Nichols gene? He's only a smidge taller than Rob, poor guy.)

Emily helped me keep Jakey out of the sun and wind. I kept him in the sling all day because the wind was UNREAL. Thankfully they had this fabulous umbrella to help block it, but still the blanket just about disappeared under all of the blowing sand.

Back home with Aunt Pam, we spent a lot of time chit-chatting and enjoying the beautiful weather. This seems to be a favorite spot for rocking the baby. And what a big boy he is already! I can't wait to hear how big he is at his 2 month check-up soon. He spends most of his time eating, sleeping, and growing, though he is gracing us with a few more smiles these days. (I'll try to capture one this week.)

On Saturday we went over to the Fall Fest behind the Library.

Charlotte, Toby, and Connor rode a couple of rides.

Cowboy Toby.

I always feel bad for the ponies at these type of things, but these ones seemed exceptionally clean and well fed. They also were rotated out and got to take breaks in the shade.

Connor at the wheel... potter's wheel that is.

He loved doing this so much he did it twice. I wonder if it had anything to do with the very pretty pottery teacher??

And Charlotte had her face painted as a butterfly, and struck a pose to show it off.

It was great fun. And greatly relaxing. And Rob and I even got to have dinner out at P.F. Chang's while the kiddos stayed with Aunt Pam. But alas, now the company is gone, the laundry is calling, and it's back to work tomorrow for all. :)

babies are a blessing

2011-09-25T14:59:00.004-04:00

Dear Jacob,

Today was a special day for you. It's a tradition in our church to give new babies a name for the church records and a blessing in front of the congregation, and today your daddy gave you yours. You are too little yet to remember it, so I'll do my best to record the event so some day you will see these pictures and read these words and know what an important little person you are to our family already.

Love, Mom

Rob with Jacob this morning.

Jacob wore these little shoes today.

They were Rob's when he was a baby, and Rob's mom recently gave them to us, so I wanted to use them on this special day. I'm glad Jacob's feet weren't any bigger! They just fit him.

Oh dear. We tried to get a good family photo.

This was the best of the bunch.

Rob gave the following blessing and was joined by Chris Henley, Danny Devine, and our Bishopric.

Our Father in Heaven, by the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ, we come before Thee to give this baby a name and a blessing. The name by which he shall be known is Jacob Murray Anderson.

Jacob, you have come into this world in a time of strong confusion and chaos, when many will seek to mislead you. We wish to bless you with a desire to know the good things of the gospel. We bless you with a desire to study the scriptures and the words of the prophets. We bless you with a desire to learn the gospel and share it with others. We bless you to have a desire to serve a mission and to be prepared to go to the temple and be endowed with power from on high. We bless you, that when the time comes, you will seek a wife and be married for time and all eternity. Jacob, we bless you that you will seek to be a peacemaker and to be an example to your family.

We bless you with these, and all other blessings which your Father in Heaven might bestow upon you, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

This post is brought to you by the number 3.

2011-09-18T12:42:00.006-04:00

Toby turned three this weekend!

He is still my beautiful boy with the big brown eyes.

He asked for a blue cake with fish on it.

I made this to (try) to look like an aquarium. Toby really liked it, so I guess it was a success.

We had just a couple of Toby's new little friends over for dinner and cake. And we got Toby 3 goldfish for his present. He gave them all names that start with T, (his favorite letter,) Tiny, Tubby, and Todd. So far they are all still alive. :)

3 little monkeys.

Birthday interview with Toby:

What is your favorite color? Blue.
What is your favorite food? A hot dog. And corn on the cob too.
What do you like to play? Balls.
What's your favorite animal? Fishy.
What's your favorite movie? A monster movie. (Monsters vs. Aliens)
What's your favorite song? Lullaby. (After some digging I found he means "Rockabye baby...")
What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanna build bridges.
What's your favorite thing to do with Charlotte? When Charlotte plays in my room.
What's your favorite thing to do with Jacob? Getting his pacifier for him.

We are so glad to have Toby as part of our family. He is very loving, gentle, kind, and polite. He can recognize most of the letters of the alphabet now and can almost write his name. (The letter B is arch nemesis at the moment, so he skips it and writes T-O-Y instead.) He spends HOURS building things and always wants to help dad work in the yard. Our Little Man wants to do anything that is 'grown-up' and can be quite stubborn about it.

We love you Tobs. ;)

time flies

2011-09-07T19:47:00.004-04:00

I wish I could say that I haven't blogged in the past three weeks because I have been lounging around and soaking in all the newborn cuddles... but the truth is that life is rarely that simple, is it? Take a deep breath and sit back and relax, because here are just a few photos and explanations of what we have been up to since our bouncing baby boy was born.

Charlotte started ballet at Columbia County Ballet.

She loves going to class every week and coming home to show me what she has learned every day until she has class again. She has dreamed of doing something like this and I am thrilled to see her so happy. :)

Not to be outdone- Toby is a budding engineer.

He was trying to build a 'bridge' across the legs of the highchair, but the magnets were too weak, so he came up with the idea of building this support structure. lol He is really very clever with mechanical projects and will spend buckets of time building and tinkering.

I started using a produce co-op called Bountiful Baskets.

The first week I came home with broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, honey dew, pears, oranges, and bananas. The next week was a completely different assortment. I can't wait to see what's next! We are eating a LOT of fruits and veggies these days!

Of course there has been bonding time with baby Jacob.

And Toby has embraced his big brother-hood and had his first diaper free day today!

Rob's mom came for a week long visit and we all enjoyed being a little spoiled by "Grandma" as she cooked, cleaned, babysat, and helped make life easier in a million small ways.

Also, the day Jacob was born, Rob's Grandpa Anderson (in Atlanta) fell and hit his head. He was not taken to the hospital that evening, and by the next morning was in a coma that he never awoke from. He passed away on August 30th and the past weeks have been a bittersweet time of visiting with family and celebrating a kind, generous family man's life, and of course of mourning for his loss. We did enjoy the time we had with Rob's dad (above with Jakey and Rob,) sisters, brother, in-laws, and a few of his 80-something (I'm estimating) cousins, and are glad we happen to be living just a few hours away at this time.

Also, Rob threw his back out and needed an MRI and a bit of downtime himself, and Monday would have been my mom's 69th birthday, had she not passed away 3 years ago. So... we've had a few things on our plates. It's completely dorky, but many times lately I have thought of a quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off-- "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." So, here's to taking a deep breath, and pausing to appreciate all of our many, many blessings. :)

on the catwalk

2011-09-07T19:34:00.004-04:00

Just after Jacob was born we had a phone call from Nicole Bolinger. We had met a few weeks previously at church, and her family is new to the area as well. She asked if she could come by and take some photos of Jacob for practice shooting infants. "Sweet! Free photos!" ;) So here are a few of my favorite 1 week old shots of Jacob- our 'model' baby.

All about Jacob

2011-08-16T13:52:00.003-04:00

Okay folks, here is the story of how baby Jacob came into the world! :) If you're not into reading birth stories, feel free to scroll down to the photos below.

On Friday, I decided it was time to have this baby. I've never been so ready to not be pregnant anymore! So we ordered out spicy Indian food for dinner, then I went for a long walk, and finally Rob gave me a great foot rub. (Gotta love those old wives' tales.) Around 11 pm my water broke. I actually wasn't positive that's what had happened (it's never broken with my other babies,) until about 2 am when I started having contractions. They were only coming every 20-30 minutes, so I let everyone sleep until about 5:30, when I got Rob up to get ready. We woke the kids up at 6, and when they heard why they were woken up they were really excited and so cooperative. We all had some toast and juice and took the kiddos to the home of a new friend in our new ward (aka church congregation.)

Let me just digress here to say how incredibly kind and welcoming our new ward has been. I was thrown a baby shower last week, have had multiple offers of babysitters, and we have dinner coming every night this week! People often ask how it is that we can move while pregnant, and I honestly don't think we could do it-- if it weren't for the loving service of near strangers... that then become wonderful friends. We are extremely thankful to all of you! (And that means you too my Germany girls and Westminster friends.)

We arrived at the hospital at 7 am and stayed for monitoring in the OB triage area until about 10:30. My contractions were not very strong and still 10 minutes apart, and I was only dilated to 2 cm. And my doctor was away for the weekend. (Aren't they always?!?) So his brother, the other Dr. McDonough, came to take care of me and was very nice. (Apparently their father was also an OB/gyn... talk about the 'family business.')

You may remember that I had been planning on having a natural (drug-free) childbirth. I had been concerned that the doctors and nurses at the hospital would pressure me to have an epidural and had been preparing myself to be stubborn. However, I also knew that with my water being broken, they would not want me to labor very much longer, due to higher risk of infection. So I wasn't surprised when they said we really needed to start Pitocin to strengthen the contractions.

So at 11 am I was moved to a room and we started the Pitocin. I am going to be completely honest here... this is the only point throughout the day when I was upset. I was on an IV, with a blood pressure cuff on, and not allowed to get out of bed-- exactly what I did not want. And also, with the aid of the Pitocin, I was now having very strong contractions every few minutes. After about an hour of this (by noon,) I was ready to talk to the nurse about pain 'management.' The contractions were so intense I was having a really hard time breathing through them. Although they weren't registering as much of anything on the monitor. (It apparently wasn't working.) To my surprise, the nurse said, "Let's go ahead and check you first and then you'll have a better idea of where you are at and can think about it."

So she checked and I was at 6 cm and moving fast! No wonder I was in so much pain! She immediately called the doctor in and they very quickly prepped for delivery while I did my best not to push. (I'm not a loud sort of person but this was a very loud time for me. Although Rob says not as bad as with Toby, I'm pretty sure I scared any pregnant women within earshot out of having a natural delivery.) Then at 12:29 pm our baby boy was born! He weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. He had the cord around his neck and up over his head, but was quickly taken care of. He also had ingested some fluid and his first cries sounded a bit like a broken squeaker toy, but he recovered quickly and was perfectly healthy. :)

Rob had been thinking about names for this little guy and really liked 'Jacob.' For once, I fully agreed. ;) 'Murray' was picked as a middle name after Rob's grandfather, Murray Nichols, who passed away earlier this year.

So far Jacob is a very mellow little dude. The only time he really yells is when having his diaper changed. He loves being held and cuddled, and there are no shortage of arms in our house willing to hold him, so he is already becoming quite spoiled. Here are a few photos from his first hours- I'll post more of him with Charlotte and Toby soon. :)

About 20 minutes old with daddy.

We were so happy to meet him face to face.

Jacob Murray

I had a dream

2011-07-28T20:49:00.002-04:00

I've been debating whether or not to share this experience on the blog for some time. Up until now I've only shared it with a few individuals when the time seemed right. But I've decided to go ahead and write it here, if only so that I will always remember it. :)

Shortly after Rob and I were married we were expecting our first child. We had dated for one month, been engaged for three months, and then married for three months at the time... and I was feeling a little anxious. Okay, I was feeling a LOT anxious. I had no doubts about Rob and I's current love for and dedication to each other, but I couldn't stop worrying about what the future might hold and how our marriage would hold up when faced with life's challenges over the years. I was really concerned about this baby's (who turned out to be Charlotte) future. And I was losing sleep over it.

Then one night I had a dream where I saw Rob and I, many years down the road, with a grown daughter and three sons. It was an extremely vivid and calming thought. It was exactly what I needed at the time to chase away my unfounded fears and move on with hope for the future. And I never forgot it.

So fast forward to 3-4 months ago when the doctor in Germany told us that this baby was a girl. I was perplexed. But who am I to argue with the doctor? And also, as Rob pointed out, sometimes a dream is just a dream. And so I thought, well, I guess it just served it's purpose at that time in providing the comfort that I needed to have confidence for the future. End of story, right?

Nope. On Tuesday we had an ultrasound here in Augusta. Before leaving I said to Rob, "I halfway expect to hear that we are having a boy. " And so it was! Our German doctor was definitely mistaken. The ultrasound tech couldn't believe that we thought we were having a girl and made sure to show us the proof that we are having a BOY!

So I guess I will just say to take from this what you will. I'm sure everyone will have their own opinion about what my dream "meant." But to me, it means that Heavenly Father knows me. He offered me support and comfort when I needed it most and continues to remind me of His love and presence in small ways every day. And I am so thankful for his tender care.

PS. He knows and loves you too. ;)

Play us a song...

2011-07-17T18:33:00.003-04:00

...you're the piano man. ;)

I've had that going through my head ever since we bought this used piano last week. Rob is the only one in the house who really plays the piano (I took 2 semesters at BYU, but that is barely anything.) So anyway, he has been entertaining all of our requests to the best of his ability-- which will be about a thousand times easier when we get him some sheet music. Maybe in January Charlotte will begin to take lessons? We'll see... maybe we'll wait a year. For now, we are all loving listening to Rob play for us.

Today I borrowed a copy of the Children's Songbook from our church so Rob has some music to practice with until we buy some of our own. (Also, any re-upholstering tips for the gold colored seat cushion? I'm not sure we can handle its awesomeness long term.)

Another project while we waited for our furniture this past week was this tether ball pole in the backyard. The kids are a little clueless yet, but had tons of fun out there with Rob- who was only missing his "Vote for Pedro" t-shirt.

And finally this is me at 36 weeks-- with all my babies.

This was just after nap, and Toby is choosing to be clothing-free for the photo. I also considered taking the photo of me barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen for maximum effect, but wanted to show you the fireplace instead and the vase Rob picked out and filled with eucalyptus clippings from our yard. He's so cute. :)

catch up collage

2011-07-01T09:01:00.004-04:00

June was a BIG month for us. Here are just a few snapshots of what our lives have been like.

The day we moved out of our house in Germany, Charlotte's school had their Sommerfest. Among the activities was this crazy kiddo version of walking on hot coals. Charlotte and Toby both jumped at the chance to walk barefoot across tires filled with gravel, corks, rocks, sticks, and pine cones. So weird.

Charlotte's class had a little farewell party for her on her last school day. She loved the sparklers and being the center of attention sitting with her best "Erde Gruppe" buddies Paula and Martyna. She especially loves the scrapbook they gave her with photos and memories from her year in German Kindergarten. She also enjoyed giving her teachers a book about Charlotte the sheep (in German) as a gift for the classroom.

Toby fit in too well with Charlotte's classmates. He loves doing anything that is for "big kids."

A week or so after that we flew to Augusta, GA. I took this picture of Charlotte in the rental car after 17 hours or so of traveling. A picture is worth a thousand words, no?

This is my mellow man in the rental car too. He's awesome.

We spent a week or so looking at houses and cars, filling out many, many forms and trying to find our way around our new city. THEN we ran away to the Outer Banks and spent a week visiting with some of our family members. This photo is Rob and the kiddos heading down to the water with Grandma Anderson. At dusk all of these little "ghost crabs" come out and run all over the sand. The kids had a great time chasing them and splashing in the waves.

Toby relaxing with Pop-pop at the beach house.

I think the trip worked out great... we got to spend a lot more time with the people who were able to make the trip than we would have if we tried to travel to everyone. And we all got to have a beach vacation to boot! (We did go through a shocking amount of steak, bacon, and brownies with 25 people in the house though!)

Charlotte and cousin Savannah hit it off fabulously and shared their love of stuffed animals, books, dress-up, and drawing.

They can't wait to get together again soon.

And finally, we have found a house to move into as soon as our furniture arrives from Germany. I look forward to seeing a lot more of this view out my kitchen window.

Or from my seat on this shady swing with a glass of lemonade in hand.

Soon. :)

all in a day's work

2011-06-14T12:23:00.002-04:00

Hi folks! I know I haven't been blogging lately, and I think a brief rundown of our past week might help to explain why. (The few weeks prior were similarly busy, I promise.)

Last Tuesday- shipped our car to the US and packed our bags.

Wednesday- Headed to Frankfurt airport at 7 am, and after many computer glitches and security searches (Really? What is my 4 year old hiding? We were fully cooperative, but a little sensitivity and age-appropriate explanation would go a long way, TSA. I'm just sayin'.) JUST made it onto a 10 hr flight to Atlanta, GA, followed by a 3 hr layover and 1 more mini-flight to Augusta, GA. Arrived at the hotel at 8 pm (2 am Germany time.) Somehow we were all still functioning and the kids had ZERO meltdowns. A serious blessing.

Thursday- Went to Verizon and bought cell phones, had lunch out, stopped at Target, and then the kids and I settled in for naps while Rob went car shopping. Went out for dinner and then took the kiddos to the pool. (The high temps have been between 95 and 100 degrees since we got here. Let's here it for AC!!)

Friday- More car shopping for Rob, and he bought a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer. Then we had to drive back to the airport to return the rental car and loaner car seats (our car seats finally had arrived after getting on the wrong flight from Atlanta.) Then dinner at Chik-Fil-A so the kids could play. They have been soooooo patient with all of the grown-up boring stuff, and living in a hotel room. We've had some frustrations but really they are the BEST little travelers.

Saturday- House hunting! We made appointments through a realtor to see 5 houses in the Evans area and found 1 in particular that we really like. We MIGHT be signing a lease later today. (We're still debating trying to find something a little cheaper that we like or just being done with this house hunting business.)

Sunday- Church at 8:30 am! We met a lot of really friendly people (even another 4 year old girl named Charlotte) and were invited to lunch by a super nice family that just moved in a week ago themselves. After our daily required naps, we went out to explore and found the Columbia County library and BEAUTIFUL playground & amphitheater. We ran into 2 more families there that we had met at church- 1 that arrived 1 month ago, and 1 that moved in 3 months ago. Looks like there's a lot of turnover in the summers here!

Monday- Rob went to work! Woo-hoo! The kids and I did laundry, went swimming, and kept pretty busy at the hotel. Then we all went out exploring again and got Rob and the kids haircuts and picked up Papa John's pizza for dinner at the hotel.

Today! We went out for breakfast and then I had my first ob/gyn appointment. (For those of you keeping track, I am now headed into week 32. The doctor seems nice and everything is going well with the pregnancy.) I also made an appointment to pre-register at University Hospital where we'll hopefully deliver our baby girl in August. And then Rob went to work and the kids and I are once again hanging out in the hotel. :)

So that is a look at what our lives have been like lately. We are really happy to be back in the US, and we are looking forward to being a bit more settled in before the baby is born. Next week we are headed to the Outer Banks to lounge on the beach and visit with some of our extended family... we are SO EXCITED about this trip and I promise I will blog it... eventually. ;)

hodge podge

2011-05-08T12:16:00.005-04:00

First of all, Happy Mother's Day!

This is a picture of me taken yesterday- about 6 months pregnant now and in full hippo-mode. I've been avoiding the camera (and mirrors) for some time now, but have allowed this photo to surface so that baby #3 does not feel she was completely neglected.

Now that's out of the way, there are some photos hanging out on my computer that I haven't blogged yet for one reason or another, so I thought I'd give a quick run down. ;)

We did dye one dozen Easter eggs this year- and that was enough. I hope as the kids get a little bit older these traditions become a wee less messy. Also, this is how Toby smiles for pictures now, and apparently both he and Charlotte have inherited Rob's childhood belief that all you need to do to smile for the camera is show all of your teeth.

One day (in response to 8 zillion questions about colors from Charlotte) I decided to bring out my paints and teach the kiddos about the color wheel, primary & secondary colors, and so on. They loved this!

After we went over the basics, they just went combo-crazy and covered their papers with every imaginable mixture. (They ended up with a lot of green-ish brown, but they were happy, so whatever.)

Yesterday I declared we should celebrate Mother's Day by driving to Michelstadt and eating ice cream, so that is what we did. (That was our first outing when we arrived in Germany, and I wanted to say goodbye to one of my favorite medieval villages.)

As we were leaving Rob said, "Hey we should go to Worms." Apparently he was joking, but I said "Okay, let's do it." So off we went to Worms, Germany. We've talked about it for a long time, but never made it a priority and so it hadn't happened. Until yesterday.

So what's the big deal about Worms? Martin Luther. In 1521 he stood in the shadows of this cathedral and defended his 95 theses at the Diet of Worms. This action (and others) made him the father of Protestantism. Which could be argued to be the beginnings of religious freedom... which we are extremely thankful for.

This photo makes me smile for so many reasons. :)

what a trip!

2011-05-04T16:04:00.003-04:00

Pardon me for being a bit self-indulgent today... but I've been looking through our family travel photos from the past 3 years (really just 2 years- we didn't do much the first year with having Toby and settling in and all) and put together a video scrapbook of our travels in Europe. It runs chronologically and I tried to include a bunch of photos that I haven't shared before, but also some favorites.

they like it!

2011-05-03T12:06:00.002-04:00

Tonight I made a basic Chickpea Curry for dinner. (chickpeas, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, spinach, and curry powder, served with rice and sour cream.) This is one of those back-up, I-have-nothing-else-in-the-house, it'll do in a pinch recipes for me. As I was cooking it, Charlotte passed through the kitchen and declared "something smells yucky." Great. I thought. I wouldn't have eaten this as a kid if you paid me. Of all the ingredients in it, I ate ONE as a child- tomatoes. And that goes for all the way through high school and into college as well. But I persevered and served it anyway.

Toby liked "the balls" (aka chickpeas.) Charlotte said, "mmm, thanks for the great dinner mom." They both cleaned their plates. And I was reminded once again that my children are fantastic eaters. Maybe they got it from their dad??? Rob will try anything. Or maybe they got it from my mom??? She LOVED food and was devastated by her mac-n-cheese, hot dog, pb&j lovin' kids. I don't know where it came from, but I am extremely thankful! Hopefully our next little one will be just as easy to please.

(PS. For moms of picky eaters-I did eventually learn to eat my veggies, and as an adult I have tried many different cuisines and found a few that I REALLY enjoy, so there is hope! Just keep giving them different things to try and one day something will finally click! Maybe-- I still can't stand Thai food.)

going 'au naturel'

2011-04-20T02:58:00.002-04:00

**If you are not interested in reading anything about childbirth, then close your browser NOW.**

Being 5 1/2 months pregnant, I have been thinking a lot lately about how I plan to have this baby. To review:

Charlotte was induced (a week late,) and I had an epidural (that 'clogged' before the real pain began,) and I had RIDICULOUS problems for 3 months afterwards. Seriously... it was finally taken care of with a follow-up surgery, which was also no fun, so in total my recovery lasted about 4 1/2 months (during which I cried every single day.)

Toby was born here in Germany where 'natural childbirth' is the preferred way to go. So that's the way I went, but I wasn't really committed to the process, I didn't prepare for it appropriately (which is at all,) and I didn't really know I could scream that loud for that long. (I was hoarse for days afterwards.) That said, Toby was an enormous 9 lbs. 1 oz. and yet 8 hours later I felt incredible.... well, good enough to get out of bed and shower on my own.

So, people have been asking me how I plan to have this next baby. And it is a good question that I have been considering for some time. I've decided to try to have a natural childbirth again. It hurts! There is no way around that truth, but I am hopeful that with preparation I will be more ready to cope with it this time around, and that my recovery will be faster. I have to admit, learning the baby is a girl (and will likely be a bit smaller) has influenced my choice. (And of course, if there are unforeseen complications or other things beyond my control, then we'll have to re-evaluate as needed.)

But I am committing myself this time around and I want to do what I can to be prepared... So if you mommies out there who have done this before have tips or reading materials you would recommend, PLEASE comment and let me know about them. I need all the help I can get! :)

latest baby news

2011-04-12T10:47:00.002-04:00

Well folks, this day has been an up and down one! I was scheduled to see my ob/gyn this afternoon, but then had a very scary pregnancy incident this morning. (I won't get into the gory details.) I called Rob and he came home from work and took me to meet my doctor at the hospital. Thankfully, the exam showed that the baby is fine and everything should be fine. Whew! I have honestly never been so frightened. And I am very thankful that it turned out to not be a problem for our baby girl. Oh wait, did I just say that? ;) YES, in all of today's drama we have learned that we are having another little girl. Toby is non-plussed, but Charlotte is ecstatic! She suggested we name the baby Pinkie Pie. It's been an emotional day, and I am just glad that it has ended on a high note. :)

Keukenhof

2011-04-10T08:30:00.007-04:00

After a good night's sleep, We drove to nearby Keukenhof to see the tulips and other flowers in bloom. It is still quite early in the Spring, so not all of the tulips were open yet, but there were PLENTY for us to admire and take photos of. We also ate some yummy Dutch food-- fresh stroopwaffles and Dutch apple pie with hot chocolate. I'm glad we went early in the Spring and early in the morning, because we were able to avoid the crowds, and the kids could run around pretty freely. It was a gorgeous day!

You can actually walk across the pond on these little platforms. However, Rob took the kids out on just the first one, since it was only 50 degrees out and we didn't have another change of clothes for anybody.

I love these bright yellow fringed tulips!

After our first loud chorus of "Don't pick the flowers!" The kids, thankfully, didn't try to do it again.

Just a little field of daffodils. ;)

Rob took the kids in the petting zoo.

(Me and my flip-flopped feet gladly waited outside the dangerous doo-doo zone.)

A rainbow of flowers. This place is kinda like Disneyland for botanists.

We climbed up this windmill and listened as a visiting band played below.

The view of some of the fields from the windmill.

Another way to tempt our children into the very cold water was with these crazy bridges.

Of course, Charlotte needed to try it as well. They ended up with some wet feet from this one, but nothing too major.

These blooms were as big as Rob's hand!

I've never seen such beautiful flowers.

Silly girl.

This place was much more fun for the kids than tromping around museums in the city.

We just kept saying, "Ooooh, look at THOSE!"

And "I like THESE the best!" Over and over again. :)

It was a great day and to top it all off, the kids were so exhausted they slept half of the way home. Yay!

Amsterdam

2011-04-10T07:59:00.005-04:00

On Friday we went on a quick trip to the Netherlands. It's about a 5 hour drive from our house to Amsterdam. We decided this will probably be our last European trip while we live here, so we splurged on one night in the Marriott rather than our usual budget B&B accommodations. It was nice to be in a comfy room, but we had limited time to see the city, so I picked just a couple of things that I really wanted us to do there.

This says Amsterdam to me.

Bikes, canal, canal houses.

The number of bikes zooming around is really striking. And I barely avoided being struck by one more than once!

Our kiddos with a statue of Anne Frank.

We went to the Anne Frank House, which does not allow photos, but you can see the secret annex here and see some short video clips about the experience of being in hiding. (I highly recommend it.) I found this museum very moving. I am soooo glad we went. The concentration camps are horrific because of the scale of the atrocities that occurred there, but this place was more emotional for me because of the intimacy of the tragedy. I also found it difficult to answer Charlotte's questions, but she was much more interested in this place because girls lived there "just like her."

No trip to a European city would be complete for us without stopping to buy a hunk of cheese to take home. (PS. I don't want to hear anything about how enormous I look in this picture.)

Next we headed out for dinner at an Indonesian restaurant called Sama Sebo to celebrate Rob's birthday. We had (l to r) omelet, chicken, pork, rice, fried rice, and also (not pictured) sweet and sour fruits, and sweet potatoes. We had never had Indonesian food before and chose this because Indonesia was a Dutch colony for a long period of time, and it is a very popular cuisine in Amsterdam. It was alright. Not our favorite, but we did eat it all up. ;)

Finally, we spent the evening roaming around the Van Gogh Musuem (which also doesn't allow pictures.) I have seen pictures of his Sunflowers (above) for as long as I can remember. But I never knew that in real life the paint is so glossy that these flowers actually shine! Charlotte thought they were quite "sparklish." It was really a memorable and very full day for us. And our kids managed amazingly well considering how late we kept them up.

The Birthday Man

2011-04-04T04:57:00.004-04:00

Newborn Man

The Original "Little Man" Rob- 6 mos. old "Little Man" Jr. Toby- 6 mos. old Big Brother Man

Big Hair Man

Missionary Man

(Madagascar or Ile de la Reunion)

Married Man

First Time Daddy Man with Charlotte

Second Time Daddy Man with Tobias (Same shirt? Must be good luck!) OutdoorsMan Traveling Man

Family Man

My Man :)

they grow up so fast!

2011-04-01T08:15:00.003-04:00

Okay, I'm not quite ready to burst into a chorus of "Sunrise, sunset" just yet, but our kiddos have hit a couple of milestones this week.

Charlotte had her first school pictures.

Yeah, I goofed it with the dirty pink boots. If I'd known her feet were going to be in the picture, she'd be wearing her black patent leather Mary Janes. Oh well, I kinda like seeing the muddy boots since she wore them to school each day for months. The German Kindergarteners go out to play EVERY day- rain or shine, and these boots kept her feet dry and warm.

We recently had Charlotte's class over to play for a morning... 18 kids and 2 teachers! I was really impressed by how Charlotte behaved with her friends. I was most happy to see how kind and compassionate she is. There is one girl in her class with special needs, who doesn't speak, and Charlotte took extra care to make sure she had things to play with and had fun. Likewise there is one other non-German speaker in her class (from Poland,) that her teachers told me Charlotte has befriended. These two girls can't really talk to each other, but walked around holding hands, playing, and laughing together. I am extremely proud of my sweet girl. :)

And then there's Super-Tobs.

Toby has kept me very busy this week with potty training. He has given many indications that he was ready for this step, and I have been procrastinating because, oh I dunno... I'm pregnant and preparing to move back to the US?!? However, he would not be deterred and we have spent a lot of this week in the bathroom. He has done really, really well! He loves getting a happy face on his potty chart and earning rewards like stickers, chocolate, and balloons. He even got himself out of the tub one evening and peed in his potty independently. Looks like we'll be shopping for big boy underwear tomorrow! (And maybe I'll even get a break from diapers until the baby is born in August? I can't even describe my excitement at that thought.)

road trip- part 3

2011-03-14T09:08:00.005-04:00

The last few days of our trip we really slowed the pace down and enjoyed Austria.

(Sorry if the spacing is weird, the computer was fighting with me.)

Charlotte proclaimed Hallstatt to be "better than all those other places" and Rob and I really had to agree. It was so nice to be in a small town after so much city touring. This is the MAIN road through Hallstatt. I know the photo is blurry, but I had to show you this road. We (and by that I mean Rob) drove our minivan down this road. Insanity.

The entire town is clinging to a mountain on the edge of a lake.

Gorgeous.

Just one more view of Hallstatt.
We only stayed here for lunch and some much needed fresh mountain air, but it was a highlight of our week.

Then it was time for the last stop on our road trip- Salzburg, Austria.

This is our one and only family photo from the trip.

Mirabelle Gardens with the Hohensalzburg Fortress in the background.

Doesn't it just make you want to sing, "Do, a deer?" (The Von Trapp family was from here, and they filmed parts of the Sound of Music movie here.)

Charlotte and Toby knock on the door to see if anyone is home at the Mozart Geburtshaus.

Rob and I found this museum interesting, but the kids only liked the little violin, and getting to watch bits of opera on TV screens.

The Salzburg Cathedral.

It's kinda like a Cadbury creme egg-- It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside was delicious! It would have been incredible to hear Mozart perform here as a young boy.

One teeny little part of the ceiling inside the Salzburg Cathedral.

I had every intention of us attending a marionette show while in Austria, but it didn't happen. (Combination of cost and length of performances, told us it was really not for kids.) Our kids posing in a cut-out will have to suffice.

Toby listening to the "children's tour" of Hohensalzburg Fortress. (I listened for a minute of it, and it was really boring, but he liked holding his own "phone.") Also, notice his Spongebob watch? He got that in a kid's meal like a year ago and wears it almost every day now because it is "just like daddy's." :)

"The hills are alive...."

So, here's a fabulous thing that happened. I really talked up the FUN-icular ride to the fortress to the kids. So of course, it was closed for repairs. So the four of us hiked up the extremely steep hill (with no stroller) to the fortress. (Allen, do you remember how steep this was back in 2004? ) After touring the fortress, we headed out (per Rick Steve's advice, and with a map) to walk around the top of the hill; planning to head down to the parking deck at the other end of the trail. This would have been great, if that route down the hill hadn't also been closed. So we made a big loop, stopped for an ice cream (which we totally had earned at this point,) and made the best of it by picking flowers and singing songs. It was not the plan, but it was a quiet and nice way to end our sightseeing. :)

One last photo shout-out from Rob to a special sister.

And that wraps up our road trip blogging!

Hope you have enjoyed seeing some of our photos. ;)

road trip- part 2

2011-03-14T05:54:00.005-04:00

On to Budapest!

The Great Synagogue in Budapest.

Hungary's Parliament building.

The Great Market Hall.

This was one of our favorite spots in Budapest. We browsed crazy meat, gorgeous veggies, and incredible assortments of paprika.

Toby joining Hungary's top dogs in Heroes Square.

This is a reproduction of a Transylvanian castle in the city park. A lot of "original" historical buildings in these countries were damaged or destroyed by the Nazis or the Communists. I gotta tell ya, by the time we visited Budapest our enthusiasm was waning. We were pooped. Big dirty cities, tricky metro systems, and Hungarian was the most challenging language to decipher of all. It was a struggle.

Must be time to move on to Vienna!

Rob and the kiddos in front of Hofburg Palace.

This is one of the few appearances of our stroller on this trip. Mostly, we made the kids walk... part of that was because we backed over the stroller with the minivan on the first day of the trip and it was kinda broken for the rest of the trip. It has been laid to rest since we got home.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is just gorgeous. I love that colorful tiled roof!

Inside St. Stephens.

This is a photo shout out-- you know who you are. ;)

We toured the royal apartments of Hofburg Palace. This is part of the silver museum there. There are about 40 rooms full of dishes. It's insane. Charlotte and I were fascinated by the Empress Sissi. We both agreed with her love of ice cream, but her vanity and 3 hours a day spent on doing her hair were what convinced Charlotte that princess life was not for her.

The Opera House in Vienna.

We toured inside the opera house, but several of my photos did not turn out very well. I have never been to an opera house before, and thought it was very impressive. Rob was apparently feeling inspired by the surroundings as well, as he began singing the marriage of Figaro on our way out. :)

ROAD TRIP!

2011-03-14T04:36:00.005-04:00

One day while looking at a map of Europe, I had the "brilliant" idea that we should drive a loop around Eastern Europe and see some of the cities that we might not have a chance to again. The plan grew and grew until it included 7 cities in 8 days. We covered nearly 1500 miles and spent about 23 hours in the car. Here's our route if you're curious. And now for the photos-- I promise to share only the highlights, or this could go on forever. ;)

Our first pit-stop was Nuremberg, Germany. We strolled the old town for just an hour or so and then grabbed some lunch. (Note: Throughout this trip there were many WWII and Communist memorials and museums that Rob and I normally would have been very interested in seeing... however, with 2 small children, we could not possibly go to places like the "Nazi Documentation Center" or the "House of Terror." I'm sure you can understand.)

Rob and I liked the Nuremberger-- 3 little brats on a roll with senf (mustard.) They say in Nuremberg that it's not the size of the sausage, but the flavor that counts. Yum.

After lunch, it was on to Prague.

Charlotte and Toby in front of the chapel at Prague Castle.

Charlotte enjoyed trying on some princess-wear... but a few days, and a few castles, later she told me that she definitely does not want to be a princess. Me neither. She's a smart girl.

On the Charles Bridge with Castle Hill behind us.

There are statues lining both sides of the bridge, and I kept Charlotte entertained on the walk by making up stories about each of them. She walked pretty much this entire trip!

Downtown Prague is very picturesque.

I love the towers with all the mini-turrets.

The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, dating back to the 1400s. There may be as many as 10,000 people buried here, as the graves are stacked on top of one another due to limited space. We also visited the Old New Synagogue-- completed in 1270, and Europe's oldest active synagogue. (No photos allowed inside.)

Castle Hill at sunset.

I think our favorite meal of the trip was at Colosseum Pizza in Prague. We thought it would be an "easy out" with the kids, but it totally surprised us. There was a guy playing guitar, candlelit tables, and best of all- a kid's corner! Our kids played while Rob and I had a lovely dinner.

The next morning we headed out to Bratislava, Slovakia.

The old town was teeny, tiny and very cute. They have several of these humorous statues around that the kids thought were fantastic.

We strolled to Michael's Gate (built around 1270) and had lunch in an Irish Pub.

Say "cheese."

Is that a UFO behind me?

No it's just a goofy example of Communist era bridge architecture.

We were told by a friend that we HAD to stop in Kaffee Mayer in Bratislava and have a piece of cake. This was Charlotte's choice-- and she LOVED it. :)

the ABCs of Toby

2011-02-20T12:06:00.002-05:00

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

2011-02-14T13:06:00.002-05:00

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

2011-02-08T07:53:00.002-05:00

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

The point is MUTE

2011-02-05T05:54:00.002-05:00

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

2011-02-01T03:31:00.006-05:00

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. :)

Trier and Metz

2011-01-19T12:33:00.004-05:00

As we near the end of our time here in Germany, we are realizing there are some places nearby that we'd still really like to see. Over the weekend we checked two of them off our list. :)

First stop was Trier, supposedly the oldest city in Germany.

This Porta Nigra (Black gate) is left from when the Romans ruled the town, about 200 AD. It was later used as a church for a time, but is now just ruins.

We had way too much fun tromping around the BLACK GATE in search of the dragon with fiery breath and pink polka dots. hee hee

The view of downtown from the Porta Nigra was classic medieval Germany. We noticed dates from the 1600s on many of the buildings as we walked around.

We checked out this cathedral in Trier. It is (again supposed to be) the oldest cathedral in Germany. (I thought the one we went to in Aachen was as well, but I rechecked- and apparently that is the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe.) At any rate, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Constantine commissioned its building back in the 300s. I hate to sound jaded, but we have seen SO MANY old cathedrals in the past 3 years, and we agreed this one seemed kinda unremarkable to us.

Karl Marx was from Trier. We skipped the Marx Museum, but found this 'Modehaus Marx' kind of amusing. It takes guts to use Marx's name for a capitalist endeavor. ;)

This is the Konstantinbasilika in Trier. It has apparently been turned into a church as well?? It used to be the seat of government for the ruling Romans.

After spending the afternoon in Trier we drove into France to visit Metz. Metz is not a major tourist destination, but some of my Kaufman ancestors come from there and since it is only 2 hours from our house, I have really wanted to visit.

The cathedral of St. Etienne in Metz is very central to the old town. My ancestors were Catholic, and while I don't know if they ever attended mass here, it was fun to imagine they did. It has been here since the 13th century, so they certainly could have.

Anyway, I loved this Madonna and child above the door. You rarely see Mary and Jesus portrayed as smiling at one another so warmly, but I'm sure it happened. :)

Inside the Cathdral of St. Etienne.

Outside the cathedral.

There was a flea market and open air food market going on outside as well. We 'perused the merchandise' and bought the kiddos a soft pretzel for the ride. It was a fun, simple little trip. :)

What was I thinking?

2011-01-14T02:33:00.002-05:00

Last night I thought Charlotte might like to watch While You Were Sleeping with me. It's a "clean" movie I thought- no swearing, no scary action, kinda funny moments. This should be fun, right? Well it was... but not for the reasons I expected.

The entire movie was a stream of questions from my inquisitive little one.

"Why is he sleeping?"
"How can he still be sleeping with all of those people in his room?"
"Why is she talking to him when he's in a coma?" (Yes, I was answering all of these questions.)
"Why doesn't she have a family? That's sad."
"Why is she dipping a cookie in the cat food? That's gross!" (I agree.)
"Does she love that guy?" (Joe Jr.)
"Does she love that guy?" (Jack)
"Does she love that guy?" (Sol)

"At the beginning she said 'I love you' to Peter, so she is going to marry Peter."
"Why did she kiss Jack? If you kiss someone you have to marry them." (Mistletoe.)
"Why didn't she marry Peter, Mom!?"
"She has to marry somebody so she isn't lonely anymore!"
"I don't understand why she married Jack."

"Can I marry Toby?" (No.) "When we're grown-ups?" (No.) "But Toby is my best friend, and I want to marry my best friend like you and Daddy." (Awww.)
"When I go to bed, will I wake up again?" (I promise.)

I probably wouldn't have been amused by having to answer questions for an hour and a half if we weren't watching something I practically have memorized... but as it was, we both had a good time. I look forward to watching many more chick flicks with my little chick-- when she gets a bit older. ;)

kids in hats

2011-01-03T12:03:00.002-05:00

Our friend Felicity knit the kiddos these ADORABLE hats....

Where's Toby?

This "Mr. T" is my little heart-throb. ;)

This girl cannot keep from being silly in front of the camera.

I can't believe how grown-up my baby Charlotte is. :(

our angelic little lamb

2010-12-19T04:19:00.003-05:00

Charlotte has participated in TWO Nativity plays this weekend. On Friday evening, her Kindergarten did one with all 80-100 of the 3-7 year olds. (Ambitious, huh?) Charlotte's class were the sheep and other animals. We thought she did really well, and she was VERY proud of herself. :)

Performing their first of 2 songs.

ALL of the Kindergarten children during the finale.

(Charlotte is on the lower mid-left of this photo.)

Charlotte and her best German buddy, Paula.

Singing "Hei und Stroh"

which as far as I can gather translates to "safe/warm and straw." I guess the animals would think a bed of straw a very good place for the infant Jesus to be placed? This is just the last minute of the song, I HAD to show you how Charlotte dances along when she isn't quite sure of the words. Awesome. :)

The Nativity at our church Christmas party was somewhat less successful. Charlotte (an angel) decided to have stage fright. Rob and I couldn't figure it out, but we think the difference was rehearsal time. At school they practiced all week, so Charlotte was prepared and knew what to do. At church, it was a much simpler production and the kids were just told to "act" their parts.

Now we know... Charlotte does not do improv.

An ode to Rachel

2010-12-16T02:34:00.003-05:00

Well, Rachel is feeling quite left out of our blog after having a glare on her face on my homemade for the holidays post, and we mustn't have that! So I decided to give you your very own post, Rachel. ;)

(A little bit of) Tom, Becky, Rob, Rachel, and Allyson in an old Anderson family photo.

We often mis-call Charlotte "Rachel" for some reason... partly because the letters are similar and partly because the people are similar we think. :)

Toby loved having private Yoga lessons from Aunt Rachel while we were in Utah.

Rachel with Toby, the Yogi Bear.

Letter to Santa

2010-12-15T11:57:00.002-05:00

Dear Santa Claus,

I was a good girl this year. And Toby thinks he was naughty [Toby yelling in the background "Nonny! Nonny!" in the style of Animal from the Muppets,] but he tries to be good. I would like a flashlight ["FLASHLIGHT TOO!"] and Toby does too.

I love you Santa. And I like your reindeer.

I want a pink flashlight and Toby wants a blue one.

CHA

Homemade for the holidays

2010-12-13T04:09:00.003-05:00

I decided to be ambitious and do an "all-homemade-ornaments" tree this year. That way the kids can rearrange the ornaments all they want, and if stuff breaks I don't mind so much. We already had pine cones and gingerbread men we made last year. So we just did a couple more crafts to fill it out.

These are our family tree ornaments. I picked up these mini frames at Michael's when we were in the US and cut, or printed, photos of all of our family. Then I just attached some ribbon to hang them. The kiddos really love pointing out all of their "friends" and grandmas and grandpas. I love that we managed to get everyone, and Allen is the only one repeated twice... and Newel, Karolina, and Jack's photo is a drawing done by Karolina. (Sorry Rachel, there is a major glare on your face in this photo, but I promise you look great!)

These yarn ornaments I saw on Homemade Mamas and they were super easy. Charlotte helped me do them, but she didn't like the sticky glue. Sigh. We just tied on ribbons after popping the balloons and hung them on the tree. Cheap and cute, and kinda old-fashioned looking. I like it. ;)

Shhh, don't tell Toby!

This is the quilt I made him for Christmas this year. I turned the corner down so you could see the orange backside. I wanted it to be a little bit grown-up looking for the Little Man of the house. I think it turned out really cute with the quilting done with orange thread in diamonds.

One more secret photo!

This is the quilt I made for Charlotte this year. It's hard to see in the pic, but the quilting in the center is a square spiral that "twists" a bit.

The front has ladybugs and daisies, and the back is a blue/white checked gingham & white block, checkerboard pattern. I'm sure there will be many stuffed animal picnics happening on this one.

Charlotte enjoying our Pyramiden.

The heat from the candles makes a fan on top turn and the wise men and shepherds go around the mini-nativity scene in the center. No, I didn't make this!! I just loved the photo and wanted to share it. :)

Julie's travel tips

2010-12-03T11:56:00.003-05:00

In airports and hotels, and at tourist destinations, we are constantly asked "How do you do it?" We are also greeted with comments like, "I'd die before traveling with 2 little kids." "I don't understand how they are still standing." and, my favorite, "Better you than me." And considering that we have been in 9 countries and on 17 airplanes in the past 2 years, I've decided to take a stab at writing down a few things that have worked for us. Here goes:

* Each kid gets their own backpack. In it they have their favorite stuffed animal for cuddling and comfort, snacks (healthy ones like fruit and crackers) and treats (unhealthy ones like lollipops and M&Ms,) a NEW book, a NEW sticker/coloring book, a small box of 4 crayons, a pair of headphones (for airplane movies,) and a few other toys (Toby usually gets cars, and Charlotte some little ponies.) They carry their own bags and they cannot open them until we say so.

* I carry a diaper bag with the diapers, wipes, sippy cups, snacks for grown-ups, and also a complete change of clothes for each kid. And sometimes also pajamas for each kid, cuz you never know.

* In airports we like to: ride the escalators, have the kids race from one spot to another (over and over again,) give the other passengers silly names (like Harriet and Tornado Man- nothing derogatory) watch airplanes, and discuss workers and what jobs we see them doing.

* On road trips we like to: make up stories (everybody can add in bits,) read books, look for things out the windows, and do the backpack thing. We don't have DVDs or handheld games in the car at all, though Santa may be changing that soon. ;)

* In hotels we like to: play ball (we bring a soft one with us,) have hot chocolate parties with the provided cups (bring some packets from home in your suitcase,) watch TV (we do rely on this pretty heavily in the evenings when we are exhausted,) jump on the bed, and let the kids look through photos on the camera.

*When waiting in lines we like to: give people funny names some more (I don't know why this is so amusing, but it works for us,) put the kids on our shoulders or backs to give them a break and a change of scenery (I'd be bored looking at people's knees for 30 minutes too,) have a snack, talk to strangers in line with you (I know, I'm a bad mom, but you can tell pretty quickly if people are toddler tolerant or not-- some really enjoy passing the time chatting with Charlotte or tossing a ball with Toby, and that gives us a mental break too.)

* At tourist sites we like to: play 'I Spy' and have the kids look for something (like 'pictures with horses' in an art museum, or 'blue flowers' in a garden,) celebrate when they are good at a "boring" place with an ice cream cone or fruit snack reward afterwards, and make sure to visit parks and playgrounds between destinations to burn off energy.

So those are a few things that we do. We are not completely meltdown-free on all of our adventures, but for the most part we have a good time together, and the kids enjoy it too. We hope they will have happy memories of all our family adventures together some day. :)

Waiting in the airport in Zadar, Croatia.

Nice playground in Bruges, Belgium.

There was a band playing in a pavilion nearby, so we got to listen to music too.

Bedtime stories in Grindelwald, Switzerland.

New York, NY

2010-11-30T08:21:00.005-05:00

After Utah, we flew back to JFK and had 24 hours before our flight to Germany. We checked into a hotel, got some sleep, and decided in the morning to have a mini-trip into the city for some holly, jolly fun. (And to wear out kids- very important before a red eye flight, stay tuned for more of Julie's travel tips.)

First stop- Rockefeller Center to see the (in)famous Christmas tree. This place was insane! Silly me, first Saturday after Thanksgiving. The kids were not terribly impressed by the Swavarski crystal star, and it was daytime so the lights were not thrilling either. But oh well, we tried. ;)

After Rockefeller Center we peeked in shop windows and strolled to the Carnegie Deli.

Here we had a traditional New York lunch.

Rob and I shared a Reuben the size of my head and a meat knish, while Charlotte and Toby split a foot long hot dog. Then we decided we all needed a little cheesecake topped with chocolate mousse.

Oh. My. Goodness. This place is good.

(No wonder it is so dang crowded.)

After lunch we had to work off those calories by trekking back (via Subway, train, and shuttle) to JFK airport for the long flight home. It was a good little mini-break though. :)

(Really, for the cheesecake alone I would do it again.)

Utah is the place...

2010-11-30T05:13:00.003-05:00

... to see Nichols/Anderson family and old college friends!

We had fun visiting in Utah as well, but I'm afraid I didn't take very many pictures here either. We just enjoyed relaxing and spending time eating, and playing games, walking in the park and Big Cottonwood Canyon, and talking with each other. I have a few photos to share though, and Rob's cousin-in-law(?) Marissa put some on Facebook if you're just dying to see more!

Grandma and Grandpa Anderson were enlisted to read many, many books to Charlotte and Toby. "One more, peease."

While we were in Utah, we all went to the dentist and had cleanings.

Charlotte gets the gold star for best dental patient under 5 years old! Turns out her baby teeth have "malformed enamel" and she will have some problems with them (including 3 cavities filled on this trip.) Thankfully, the pediatric dentist assures us we are doing a good job with brushing and her adult teeth should be fine.

We spent a day at the Children's Discovery Museum in Salt Lake, thanks to Cousin Annie. The kids loved playing here in the pretend construction zone, house, grocery store, and farm.

Annie's little girl Emma is done grocery shopping. We went to church with the Wolfes as well, and Toby loved being in Nursery with Emma while Charlotte was in Sunbeams with Annie for her teacher. :)

Can't make a trip to Utah without showing the kids Temple Square.

They were still in the process of setting up the Christmas lights, but we saw all of the Nativity scenes and talked with Charlotte and Toby about families being together forever.

Thanks to everyone that we got to spend time with...

and we hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Sweet home Pennsylvania

2010-11-30T04:40:00.003-05:00

We had a nice time visiting the Kaufman side of our family in PA. :)

We started off the festivities with a group hike at Hawk Mountain. Uncle Dan, Eddie, Max, Charlotte, Leah, Toby, and Connor all made it to the top! (Although we did carry Toby quite a bit.)

Melissa, Dan, Pam, Dad, and Me- Julie. ;)

The views were really pretty with the Fall leaves,
and we did see a few birds.

We also got to meet BEN on this trip... my nephew Allen's son.

He is adorable and likes cookies a lot.

We went trick or treating at Ben's house but I managed to take those pictures on my sister's camera. Pam, please email me those when you get a chance. :D

Our kiddos really liked playing Aunt Pam's piano.

We got to visit with just about all of our family in the area, and also went hiking on the Appalachian Trail one day, did a LOT of shopping, and ate cheesesteaks and chocolate milkshakes to our hearts' content. Thanks ya'll for taking the time to hang out with us!

Iceland... continued

2010-11-08T10:06:00.003-05:00

Just a few more photos I want to share from Iceland, and then I promise to move on. ;)

This was the last waterfall that we went to see, Skogafoss. It is at the base of that volcano that was causing all of the mischief over the summer with flights around Europe. You can see the ground is completely black with volcanic ash here.

The view of our car in the parking lot from the top of the waterfall. Rob is the only one who hiked to the top because it was a loooong way and it was super cold and windy out. The kiddos and I watched from the car and ate M&Ms. ;)

There are massive wide open spaces in Iceland. We spent a lot of time driving around on gravel roads in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes we just had to stop and stretch our legs with a quick game of tag in the "highway." (Those resourceful Icelanders are hauling that same volcanic ash around to make these roads.)

We returned to Gulfoss because it is just that amazing.

That is Rob and Toby up on the cliff overlooking the waterfall.

On our last day we went to the Blue Lagoon.

This hot spring was a great way to spend a few hours before a long flight. They have buckets of silica mud on the banks that you can do "mud masks" with and waterfalls to stand under. Rob and I took turns enjoying steam rooms and saunas. The kiddos had swimmies on the whole time and loved splashing around.

Note: We realize it's rather unusual to bring two small kids to a spa in Iceland, but if we didn't, then we couldn't go either, and they really seem to like traveling too. It's just the way we roll. ;)

Below is a bonus video of the Geysir going off.

Iceland is coooool (part 1)

2010-10-29T14:54:00.005-04:00

Last week we went to Iceland- which is one of Rob's favorite places in the world. I was so excited to finally go to this amazing place with him! I'm going to attempt to be brief and just share a few of my favorite photos and give you a general idea of what our trip was like....

Our first stop was to Reykjavik. We spent our first night in the City Hostel... which was not the best hostel I've ever been in, but we had a family room with private bath, and it worked out just fine. There is this cool Viking ship sculpture near the bay. We also saw the cathedral and went up in the tower to look all around.

This is the cabin that we stayed at in southern Iceland. It was very nice down by the river, and we even saw the Northern Lights the last night that we were there.

Don't try this at home. You are not supposed to stick your hands in the geothermal pools near the geysir. It's hot. (Just ask Rob.)

They have a lot of rocks in Iceland. Rocks and water. And volcanoes. And glaciers.

And waterfalls. We love waterfalls.

This waterfall is called Gulfoss and is awesome.

Rainbow over Gulfoss. Notice that there are no "safety precautions" to keep you from falling down the waterfall. We were very, very careful with the kiddos here.

Playing tag in the continental rift. This valley is the division between the North American and European continental plates. It's also a significant place for Icelanders because their first Parliament was organized there around 900 or so.

If you look closely at the rock in the foreground, you'll see a red door painted on it. This is for Trolls. Charlotte loved looking for these Troll houses out her window as we drove all over the countryside.

Seljalandsfoss.
This is a cool waterfall because you can hike behind it.

Charlotte and Rob hiked behind it. And then I went by myself, it was a bit slippery and too dangerous for Toby we thought.

Well kiddos.... more to come soon. ;)

Vier Jahre alt

2010-10-20T07:52:00.004-04:00

Charlotte turned four yesterday around 9:30 pm. :)

At four years old, she is as energetic, wild, and fun-loving as ever!

She can write all of the upper-case letters of the alphabet and knows them by their sounds. She is also able to count to 20 in English and German. Going to Kindergarten has been a really positive experience for Charlotte. She has made some new friends, has learned how to cope with people not understanding her (a new thing for our loquacious little one,) loves the social interaction every morning, and just generally is more cooperative when she is at home.

Right now her favorites (per our chit-chat) are...

Color: white (the color of polar bears and vanilla ice cream)

Food: cheese tortellini

Vegetable: green beans

Treat: ice cream

Movie: Gummi Bears (the old school cartoon we watch on Youtube)

School activity: lunchtime with her friends

Best friend: Cousin Leah

Some of OUR favorite things about Charlotte are her incredible imagination and dramatic personality, her excitement about travel and meeting new people, when she is kind and loving with Toby (this doesn't happen all the time but usually,) and how she wants to be "just like Daddy" (she may look like me, but they are two peas in a pod!)

Happy birthday Bubba!

Let's Party!

2010-10-14T07:51:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend we celebrated Charlotte's FOURTH birthday with some of our friends at Halli Galli Kinderwelt.

Charlotte got to pick out a cake at the Commissary, (which she has been wanting to do for 2 years,) and I put some My Little Ponies on it.

Dinner time! Pizza, chicken nuggets, and french fries, oh my!!

Do you think Charlotte's having a good time being the center of attention or what?

The kiddos also spent a lot of time playing.

Toby, of course, located the Legos.

Here comes Cameron!

A little sensory overload for the adorable Miss Kate,

but she found some fun stuff to do too.

Girls in the ball pit- Sarah Jane, Ella, and Aubrey.

Oh man, this was a serious party!

Charlotte was so completely overjoyed the entire time. Even after tucking her in bed at night, I heard her singing Happy Birthday to herself. She cracks me up. ;)

Charlotte says...

2010-10-13T11:44:00.003-04:00

Me: So, what do you think you might like Santa to bring you this year?
C: Um... maybe a new trash can.
M: A new trash can.
C: Yeah, for my room.
M: Okay. What else?
C: Nothin.
M: You don't want any toys or anything?
C: Nope. I have lots of toys already.

family photos

2010-10-10T11:08:00.001-04:00

Our dear friend Felicity took some pictures of our family on Saturday in the park... and I am in love with them. :)

Check them out here:

http://felicitymaria.blogspot.com

5 years

2010-10-07T04:26:00.005-04:00

To my sweet Rob,

Tomorrow is our 5 year anniversary.

At this time, 5 years ago, we didn't yet know about Hurricane Tammy and how she would crash our wedding. We didn't know how it would rain through our entire honeymoon, or how our first fight would be over a tied game of Scrabble.

We didn't know that in our first 5 years together we would have to bury a parent, give birth to 2 beautiful children, live in 3 different homes, have 5 different cars, and visit 8 different countries (soon to be 9.)

We didn't know all of each other's struggles and challenges, but our relationship has grown, our trust has deepened, and our love has been strengthened by sharing their weight and supporting one another. You know I like to plan, and I struggle with the unexpected, but I cannot deny that God has a bigger plan for us than we have for ourselves.

I am thankful for every day that I get to spend with my best friend. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I do know that we will walk through it together.

I love you with all of my heart. :)

8 Oct 2005

2010

Autumn reverie

2010-10-01T04:21:00.003-04:00

I LOVE this time of year! My poor family is being stuffed with pumpkin cookies, apple crisps, and pear breads. I just want to soak in all of the flavors, and scents, and sights of Fall every second of the day...

"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October."

- Nathaniel Hawthorne

(The paper chain is our countdown to our next adventure, the pumpkins were made by my dear friend Sarah Jo, and the framed quote from my thoughtful MIL.)

"The gilding of the Indian summer mellowed the pastures far and wide.

The russet woods stood ripe to be stripped, but were yet full of leaf.

The purple of heath-bloom, faded but not withered, tinged the hills...

Fieldhead gardens bore the seal of gentle decay; ... its time of

flowers and even of fruit was over."

- Charlotte Bronte

(The view out our guest room window. Oooooh, I just love Charlotte Bronte.)

"Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause

between the opposing miseries of summer and winter."

- Carol Bishop Hipps

(Making leaf rubbings in our jammies on a rainy day.)

“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!”

- Percy Bysshe Shelley

(Snuggled in to watch Blue's Clues with his buddies. This is Toby's "thinking face.")

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it,

and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth

seeking the successive autumns."

- George Eliot

(I cut out pumpkins and a variety of black shapes and let the kids go nuts with glue sticks... I was really impressed with the cool faces they made! There is no shortage of imagination in this house.)

HAPPY AUTUMN!!! :)

how old are you anyway?

2010-09-20T13:41:00.004-04:00

Okay so we celebrated Toby's birthday forever ago, but he only just turned two a few days ago. So now I am doing Toby's 2 year old update. :)

At 2, Toby is 36 inches tall (85th %) and weighs 31 lbs (80th %.)

In the past few weeks he has REALLY started putting some words together and communicating with us. I hear a lot of "no unt to," and "Toe do it," and "air Guy go?" throughout my day. ('Guy' is his favorite stuffed frog's name.)

Toby and I love having our mornings together, while Charlotte is at school, to go for walks, clean, play, and do puzzles together. He is obsessed with puzzles right now and is shockingly good at them. I mean, we're doing 60 piece puzzles now. I keep at the puzzles with him, because when I don't, he finds other things to take apart and put together again-- like my vacuum and the TV remote. Someone told me this means he'll be an engineer. I think I told them that's only if he survives long enough to do so!

His temperament is still amazingly mellow and easygoing. I love that about him! I also love that Charlotte told me he is one of her best friends, and that he holds my face in his two hands, looks me in the eyes, and says "wub ooo mom" before bed at night. Seriously, someday there is going to be a lucky, lucky girl in my little man's life. I already kinda don't like her. (Just kidding!)

So, happy birthday to my sweet boy. Toby, you are one in a bazillion and we love you. xoxo

Bonus Charlotte story...

Tonight while Charlotte was in the tub I asked her about her day at Kindergarten.

Me: So what happened at school today?

C: I saw a kitten by the fence on the playground and my teacher picked it up and put it on the other side so it could be with its mommy.

M: Wow, that was good that you helped the kitten.

C: I didn't help it, my teacher did. (rolls eyes.) I was holding hands with that boy with the soft hair.

M: You were holding hands with the boy with the soft hair?

C: Yeah.

M: Do you know his name?

C: Nope. He's not my friend.

M: He's not your friend.... but you were holding hands?

C: Yeah, he's nice.

M: (Thinking at least I learned something at the parents' night that was all in German when I met a mom who told me that Oliver liebt 'Charlotta'... Oliver is 6.) Is his name Oliver?

C: Oh yeah. His name's Oliver. Can I paint my nails?

M: Sure, we can paint your nails after your bath. (I realize she changed the subject, but I'm kinda glad about it.)

C: No, I want to paint my nails.

M: Fine. You paint your nails... your highness. ;)

She didn't do half bad.

Our first slumber party

2010-09-07T13:46:00.002-04:00

I checked on the kids before I went to bed last night and found this--

Cuddled up together, fast asleep in the corner of the nursery.

(I love that Toby did not forget to tuck in his beloved Lisa too.)

Legoland

2010-09-04T12:22:00.006-04:00

This week I took the kids to Legoland, or Diegoland, as Charlotte is calling it. We went 2 days and spent the night in a hotel nearby. It was quite the adventure! The kids both loved it, and I liked that we could go on most of the rides together and have crepes and ice cream. So everybody was happy. ;)

Here are a few highlights...

At Legoland, they have a lot of stuff made out of Legos...

like the entire downtown of Berlin.

And Allianz Arena.

There are over 1 million Legos in this one. Each one of those people is a little Lego guy or gal. So crazy. Somewhere there's a guy who says, "I build enormous stuff out of Legos for a living."

Of course they have a lot of amusement park rides. This was one of the few that I wasn't also on, so it was a lot easier to take a picture. (Yup, you guessed it, those pterodactyls are made of Legos.) They have a few small roller coasters and a log flume, but nothing really extreme.

We watched a magic show and performers from the Chinese National Circus. (I anticipate Charlotte attempting a lot of crazy stretches and balancing acts in the coming days.)

They also have an area called the Duplo village, which is a giant playground for toddlers. We spent a bunch of time there.

Charlotte and Toby hard at work in the "Lego Test Lab."

Now, if you are a Star Wars fan, you may be excited to hear that Legoland has an annual Star Wars event. I did not know this. And my kids have never seen Star Wars. So of course we were there for the event! There were characters all over the park, and the guy who played something Grievous doing a meet and greet. There were lightsaber fighting demos. And I will have the Empirial March in my head for days.

Despite all of this, THESE are the characters my daughter wanted a picture with.

Oh, heaven help us in 10 years.

If you can't fight 'em, join 'em.

I forced my terrified children into one photo with a couple of the 100 or so stormtroopers marching around.

So, Legoland was a huge hit. :) And we all survived, despite the menacing looks from Darth Vader... or now that I think of it, maybe he was just wondering where I got that crepe. ;)

Let's go to the movies

2010-08-29T13:11:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to do something really fun for the kids each week right now. This past week we went to see Toy Story 3 at the movie theater on base. It was Toby's first movie experience... and he was really as good as I could have hoped. Except of course that every time Big Baby came on screen he'd yell "baby! baby!" and when he left the screen Toby would yell "baby go?" If you've seen the movie you'll realize this happened about every 3 minutes for the entire film. But, like I said, it was pretty good. ;)

If you've never gone to a movie on a military base, you might not know that they do things a little bit differently. This particular theater is huge- but it is only one screen, so on any given weekend they show 3 movies at most. An adult ticket costs me $4.50 and the kids are free. Also, before the film, they play the national anthem along with clips of the military doing their thing and everyone stands and/or salutes.

As a non-military person, I find it an interesting contrast to everyday life in the States, where it seems the national anthem is traditionally associated with baseball and little else these days. My opinions on nationalism, the military, and Americana in general are really mixed. I am thankful I was born in the United States. I think we don't appreciate the HUGE blessing that is until we spend some time away from the luxuries and freedoms of home. But I also know other people who are extremely proud of their nationalities, and I don't think we, as a country, need to force ourselves, and our ways of doing things, upon the rest of the world.

Charlotte asked me after the anthem, "What is Army?" Hmmm. I explained that these people she sees on base are soldiers, and as a group they are "the Army." That satisfied her... but it's bigger than that, as I well know. Anyway, sorry to wax philosophical, it's not usually my thing on this blog, but it's really a strange life we are living here sometimes and I felt like sharing my thoughts today.

Toby turns 2!

2010-08-16T05:09:00.004-04:00

On Saturday we celebrated Toby's second birthday. We had some friends over for Indian food and birthday cake. (And peach pie... what can I say, I was feeling ambitious in the kitchen.)

Toby loves puppies right now, and especially Blue's Clues. So I made this cake and we played a quick game of Blue's Clues before singing Happy Birthday.

Toby blew out his candles like a pro.

Yum.

"Party people in the house."

Toby just adores Kate and Ella.

Jack attacks the cake...

... and then Toby attacks the cake! ;)

2 year Germiversary

2010-08-09T09:41:00.005-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated 2 years in Germany (by going out for Greek food, actually.) As we are looking to the future and questioning where we will be at this time next year, (answer: we have no idea,) a lot of thoughts have come to mind....

"There are canned goods in our cupboard that don't expire until well AFTER we will leave here."

"We are really going to miss the chocolate, and the cheese, and fresh baked bread. Really."

"We are really not going to miss Schnitzel, or chasing down the only waitress in a restaurant to beg for a packet of ketchup."

"Living in a village with a walkable pool, grocery, pharmacy, school, forest, zoo, and playground is amazing, and not a possibility most places in the US-- that are not cities."

"Not to sound like a broken record, but I miss Target, and Panera, and Chik-Fil-A... and this week-- Pizza Pipeline, is that still a place?"

"These past two years we've had a really unique opportunity to travel and experience life as a tight-knit family, without the distractions of outside activities, and social commitments."

"We miss our extended families and dear friends terribly."

"We've made some great new friendships based on these shared experiences."

"It would be soooo nice to not have to drive 45 minutes for a trip to the library."

"We need to figure out where we are going to live all over again."

In short, we are thankful that we have had this opportunity to live in Germany at this point in our lives... but we are getting ready for it to be done. :)

Charlotte and Toby are each other's best friends.

(And the silliest kids I have ever met.)

Family bowling-- Charlotte's celebratory dance.

Toby is a bowling fool-- throwing his hands in the air and saying "YES!" (They totally beat Rob & I-- but they did have bumpers and ramps.)

First day of Kindergarten

2010-08-05T07:12:00.003-04:00

Charlotte was a bit nervous this morning on our way out! lol

Charlotte started German Kindergarten today! We walked around the corner to her school and she said she was excited, but she definitely looked nervous. I was also very excited, and a little concerned about how the day would go.

We got to the school and met her teacher, Moni. She took us upstairs and let Charlotte pick out a cubby and put her picture above it. Then she gave Charlotte a necklace with her name on it. She checked our backpack and was impressed that we had everything that had been on the list- mudpants, rainboots, haus-schuhe, photos, etc, etc. Finally, we did something right on the first try! And then it was time for "Mama, sagen auf wiedersehen." And we were ready. Toby and I went home and Charlotte went off to school! :)

About 11:45 am I asked Toby if he was ready to go get Charlotte and he said "YES!" and ran to put his shoes on. (I guess mom is kinda boring, with the laundry and the potty training and all.) We walked over and rang the bell. The door opened and Moni spotted me and brought Charlotte over. And then...

Charlotte burst into tears! Oh. No. My heart just sank. Please don't let this be how this is going to go! When she took a break from sobbing, I asked what was wrong. "Mommy, I don't want to go home! I want to go play outside with my friends!" Hallelujah!!! "Okay Charlotte, we'll stay for 10 more minutes so you can play outside with your friends."

It turns out she had a FANTASTIC first day. She told me her favorite part was when her teacher read them books. Moni told me that she thinks Charlotte is wonderful. Apparently she talked all morning long. (No surprise. Really.) She even learned how to say her colors in German already! She can't wait to go back tomorrow. And neither can I! Kindergarten rocks!!! ;)

I love this place

2010-08-03T01:54:00.002-04:00

Check out this video from some BYU film students, parodying the Old Spice ads.

I LOVE the Harold B. Lee Library. I think I spent more time there in college than anywhere else. I majored in family history, and they have a HUGE records collection, where I could do most of my assignments (for some I had to take the hour long bus ride to Salt Lake and the Family History Library.) I also interned in Special Collections. I also worked as a research assistant for Kip Sperry-- which meant more time with my beloved green Filby's Passenger Lists. I also frequently slept on the couches there between classes. And don't even get me started on the Law Library. ;)

Libraries are magical places-- full of information, entertainment options, and usually sponsoring great art and cultural events. And public libraries are open to EVERYONE and rock for entertaining your kids with storytimes, activities, and books on tape (or CD, or even MP3 now.)

If you haven't done so in a while, go check out your local library, I bet you'll be surprised. :)

churchy stuff

2010-07-25T13:35:00.004-04:00

Charlotte gave her first talk in Primary today!

Here's a little background for those not familiar with our church meetings... Sunday services run about 3 hours. The first hour everyone is together in the chapel for the Sacrament meeting. Then the kids go to Primary, and then their Sunday School classes by age (12-18 year olds go to Young Men's/Young Women's.) The adults also go to a class called Gospel Doctrine, and then to either Priesthood (Men) or Relief Society (Women.) Toby goes to a Nursery for the last 2 hour block and has snacks, music and playtime, plus a mini-lesson.

This morning before church.

So, Charlotte was asked to prepare a talk for Primary. Obviously, I helped (a lot,) but the idea was hers. Here's what we said (You can probably figure out some of the Charlotte bits):

This is Polar Bear. He is Charlotte's favorite friend. We take him with us when we travel. He helps her feel safe and comfy. His favorite food is vanilla soup. We can be baptized just like Jesus was. And then we can have the Holy Ghost with us, no matter where we travel. He can also help us to feel safe and comforted. In Jesus' name, Amen.

I appreciate that kids are asked, even from 3 years old, to help teach one another gospel principles. I am really impressed when Charlotte shows me she has her own understanding of questions that I sometimes struggle with as an adult. We have also been reading Scripture Stories together for about a month now as a family and we have put Charlotte in charge of reminding us to do that each day. She has really surprised me with her enthusiasm for this responsibility. (I know the ice cream reward that comes once a week when we do it doesn't hurt!) Anyway, I am just happy to see her asking good questions and really trying to understand the answers we give. It's great to have these conversations with her already!

Bonus Toby shot.

We took the front off the crib, so Toby is now able to get in and out without climbing over the top. One night we found he had climbed out of bed and "read" the General Conference issue of the Ensign (that is a semi-annual worldwide church meeting with talks from our Prophet and General Authorities) in this chair in the Nursery and had fallen asleep in the process. (It happens to the best of us!)

not quite what I meant

2010-07-23T12:28:00.001-04:00

screaming, upset Toby

Me: "Toby, use your words."

Toby: "Words."

Karen-palooza

2010-07-20T04:52:00.004-04:00

During the first half of July my college roomie Karen came to visit! We had sooooo much fun hanging out together. We mostly stayed close to home, but still did a lot- including: a Rhine Cruise, Michelstadt, Rothenberg, shopping in Heidelberg, and a spa day in Baden-Baden. We also lounged by the pool, ate many, many ice cream cones, and watched BBC period dramas. I loved it! Karen took about a million photos, but here are just a couple of my favorite moments. I'm so glad you came Nerak, I can't wait to hang out with you again. :)

Taking a break in the shade in Michelstadt.

After riding Top Spin at Heinerfest in Darmstadt. (While spinning you up in the air, it periodically shoots water in your face.) I haven't been on a ride anything like this in years. It was awesome!

Karen is such a trouble maker,

she got locked up in Rothenberg...

And then I took her to the Vivarium and threatened her with being fed to the R.O.U.S.s... although it turns out they are vegetarians.

Toby and I climbing around some castle ruins.

Killing time on the Rhine cruise return trip.

overheard

2010-06-23T15:19:00.002-04:00

Charlotte: I want the yellow and pink jammies, and yellow panties.

Rob: (With pink jammies and white panties,) those aren't in your drawer.

Charlotte: Well, I need pink panties (to match.)

Rob: It's okay, white goes with everything.

Charlotte: (Notices pink on the elastic waistband.) Pink and white are my favorite colors. And yellow and orange. Those are my favorite colors in the whole world.

Rob: What about purple?

Charlotte: And purple. And yellow and orange and pink and white. Those are my favorite colors in the whole alphabet.

Celebrate good times

2010-06-21T12:44:00.004-04:00

These have been a CRAZY busy few days... but we have a lot of reasons to celebrate that we'd like to share with you.

First our dear friends have arrived! Yay! And we had a fun Father's Day picnic here last night with yummy food, great friends, and even some very special music, courtesy of Aubrey's dad. (Charlotte sends her love to "that grampa with the 'tar.") I meant to take pictures... but then I completely aborted that plan and decided to just enjoy the evening. And I really did! :)

Second, around my birthday back in February, I decided that I wanted to run a 5K. I have never run a race in my life. Even (especially!) in high school, I avoided exercising in front of people like the plague, and I couldn't run a mile without walking parts. Well, 4 months later, and I have been running 3 times a week every week-- 9-12 miles/week for the past 2 months! And on Saturday morning, my friend Jenn and I ran in the Frankfurt Women's Run. I am very proud of myself... although I didn't run as fast as I'd hoped. I did it. :)

Pre-race, a little jittery, and glad to have Jenn with me!

Where's Julie? (I'll give you a hint- I'm wearing a pink shirt.)

It took me a full 2 min. just to get to the starting line, which is not even in this photo.

That's me approaching the finish line behind that muscle-y chick in blue.

(I did manage to pass her.) 34:54.

Thank goodness it is OVER! I came in 311th (out of 4,000-ish,) and I was 43rd in my age group.

And finally, but MOST important this weekend, is my sweet ROB. :)

He cheered me on and watched the kids through an extremely long day on Saturday. But it's not too surprising really, as he supports me all the time in my efforts. He is such a great husband and as Charlotte told him on Sunday night, "I love you, you are my favorite Daddy, AND I like you."

Rob skipping rocks in Croatia. We love you babe!

Croatia- Plitvice Lakes

2010-06-08T05:02:00.006-04:00

Plitvice Lakes is a National Park in Croatia. It was also the center of hostiliites in the Croatian War in the 90's. And you weren't allowed to leave the trails, in case of undiscovered land mines. We took a bus trip there to see the waterfalls and hike around for the day. It was a loooong bus ride- about 2 hours each way. Rob told me there was no way sitting through that torture with the kids would be worth it-- but at the end of the day we agreed-- it totally was!

I'm having a really hard time picking my favorite photos... but here are a few.

This one turned out kinda crazy, but I still like it a lot.

WATERFALLS!

I ended up carrying Charlotte for about half the day-- it was a lot of hiking for a 3 year old. We had Toby in the little stroller, but the path got pretty rough in spots, and there were a lot of steps, so Rob would pick up the stroller (with Toby strapped in) and just carry the whole thing. Also, Europe is different from the US in that most of these areas had no handrails. There was nothing keeping you from tripping off the path and down a ravine, except your own caution.

Rocks + water + rainbows = beautiful.

Family photo, taken by Charlotte's new Italian friends from the bus.

There were so many spectacular views.

Gorgeous blue water, big mountains.

The "big one."

(That family photo posted up above was taken at the base of the waterfall in the top of this picture.)

A very happy Rob at the end of the day. :)

Croatia- part 1

2010-06-08T04:10:00.007-04:00

Last week we went to Croatia.

We'd been wanting to go to the beach for sometime, but thought France, Spain, Italy, etc. looked a little too expensive for this summer. Then we stumbled upon the idea of going to the Dalmatian coast in Croatia and we were hooked! :)

As we told our family members our plans, we kept getting concerned responses... Hadn't they recently had a war there? Well, yes, they had a war of independence from 1991-1995, but they're totally stable now. Isn't it dangerous? Not at all! Although we were warned to stay on the marked trails at one tourist site, as they haven't fully cleared the place of land mines yet. Who goes to Croatia?!? Lots of people! Overwhelmingly we heard German, but we saw license plates from all over Europe and Slavic countries. We really didn't hear much English though. And we had people ask to take pictures with our kids-- maybe they looked famous?

Here are some snapshots!

Relaxing by the pool.

Since it is still early Summer, the resort we stayed at was not crowded at all. It was a perfect getaway! (The water was pretty cold, but we went in anyway.)

Rob taking the kids out to look at the big floating play area. The Adriatic is great for kids because there are no waves to speak of, and the water is really shallow for a long way out-- or at least it was on this stretch of beach.

The next day we decided to take a boat ride out to see some of the islands along the coast. They drove us past this cave-like place, and learned that this is where they kept their war ships. We oohed and aahed appropriately, but later remarked that those must have been some tiny war ships, since our tourist ship (capacity 100) wouldn't have even fit through there.

The first island we went to was rad. Only one house on it- the lighthouse keeper's. We were left to explore on our own for a few hours and we did just that.

White rock "beaches."

I'm glad we bought the kids those water shoes.

Rob and Toby walking down the pier.

The lighthouse.

Really, really clear blue water.

The second island they took us to was to go to lunch at a restaurant. Yes, I ordered this fish. (We only had two choices.) I am very allergic to shellfish, but I do eat tuna. I've never really had other fish, and they said it was their "specialty," so I thought I'd be brave. When they brought it out all scaly, and head-and-tail and all, I realized just how brave I was going to have to be. And it was... okay. I ate it anyway. (By the way, Charlotte liked it so much, she asked to have it again 2 days later!)

The boat tour was a fun way to pass a cool, drizzly day. There are soooo many little islands out there. This one was just covered in flowers. And we got to see a group of dolphins too! Some people think we're nuts traveling with two little kids (sometimes we even think so,) but we love getting to have these adventures as a family, and this is just our life right now. :)

Geht's Schloss!

2010-05-29T14:49:00.005-04:00

hee hee- I made a play on words- in German! ;)

"Geht's los" mean's "let's go." And a Schloss is a castle. Okay, I'm a dork.

We've been bumming around some "local" castles lately. We took the kids up to Offenbach one Saturday and took a walk along the Main River. While there, we also saw the Schloss below. I think it's apartments or something now. Not terribly exciting. But those kids are CUTE, huh? :)

This evening we went into downtown Darmstadt for the Schloss Graben Fest. There are many, many fests in Germany. This is an outdoor music festival with about 100 bands performing over 4 days. They usually have about 400,000 people attend and there is a LOT of beer. And a lot of food. And we had a good time. Apparently we missed Right Said Fred (of "I'm too sexy" fame-- they performed on Thursday night. Serious bummer, right?)

Rob and I think this is the best band we heard. They are called Mr. Virgin and His Love Army... which is just kinda lame. But the music was fun- very 80's alternative rock/pop sounding.

Charlotte and Rob checking out the scene.

Toby and I after eating some yummy Indian food.

Afterwards we hung out in the Schloss gardens and listened to this drum group near the statue of young Goethe. (I don't know why he's naked, and pink. Well the pink is probably graffiti.) Charlotte and Toby really preferred this quieter, more laid back atmosphere. So much in fact, that Charlotte decided to join the performance.

I cannot begin to explain the video below. Charlotte LOVES to dance. She hears a beat, and her body moves. I have honestly never seen it move like this before, but we don't usually listen to this style of music, so who knows. I've said it a million times-- where did this girl come from?

Moving to the beat of her own drum.

kiddo update time

2010-05-26T04:40:00.005-04:00

Toby

Toby cracks us up. He is becoming a boy and is going non-stop all the time! So far this morning he has emptied a water pitcher on the floor, sat on his sister, gotten himself dressed (over top of his jammies,) and cooked me (pretend) breakfast.

He has successfully peed on the potty-- once. We jokingly call him Mr. Hygiene because he wants to brush his teeth 10 times a day, loves to have his hair blow dried, and take baths. He copies everything that Charlotte does and thinks she is the coolest person on the planet.

He is the sweetest little boy I have ever met-- he adores babies and wants to share with them. He gives Charlotte kisses goodnight every night (that she will let him.) He tucks in his baby doll, Lisa, so carefully at bedtime. He wants to hold my hand when he feels a little nervous in new situations.

He also loves going on walks, trying to ride his bike, and collecting rocks. He has started saying things like "Dude!" and "Geez!" He is really into tools-- even if the tool is a fork. Dinnertime is very long now that he insists on using his fork to poke each individual pea with it, and refuses to use his fingers. And while he is kind of a picky eater, he will eat anything that is shaped like a "ball" including brussel sprouts. Rob and I joke about using the melon baller on every food item from now on. :)

Charlotte

Charlotte is our wild girl! She isn't afraid of anything. She tells me every day now that she isn't a baby anymore and she is a big girl. And it's true! We can't believe how tall and leggy she is looking these days.

She really likes having a little brother and (usually) puts up well with Toby and shares with him. She loves to play outside and with friends. Last night she brought me home (from a walk with Rob) a whole armful of pine cones "to make Christmas ornaments" (an activity we did last December that she really liked.)

Charlotte loves anything girlie, or fancy, or princess related. She loves to run, and jump, and especially laugh. She asks us to tickle her almost daily, and asks Rob for "tickle kisses" before bed at night. She tells me all the time that she is really funny and clever... and I have to agree. :)

She starts German Kindergarten in August. And I think she will really love that. It is just 2 doors down from our house and she will be there for half days, every day. It is going to be a new adventure for her and she can't wait to get started.

Rheinfels

2010-05-19T11:54:00.006-04:00

On Saturday we made a daytrip to Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar. (It's just over an hour away.) The day was kinda chilly and overcast-- which is really perfect for tromping around an old ruinous castle, I think. The ruins are massive, and apparently the place used to be 5 times bigger than what is left there now.

Only a few steps remain in this tower. Charlotte decided she was the princess since they didn't already have one. And she talked non-stop the entire day about how the castle was broken and somebody should "bix it."

I love this little man.

That's all. No other comments required. ;)

The Rick Steves book describes the ruins as a "dead pit bull." I guess because it was big, and scary, and stuff, but now is just a shell??

They have a lot of tunnels at Rheinfels. We didn't go into the underground ones, but this was one interior tunnel. They dug them and filled them with gunpowder (at some point in history) so that they could blow up any invaders or defend against the French attacks that sometimes occurred.

This area is near the underground tunnels that you can explore. But it is muddy and dark, and not really our cup of tea.

The beautiful Rhein, and many more castles to explore.

On the way home we stopped at IKEA to buy some shelving and left Charlotte in "Smaland" for the first time. (Their in-house daycare for 3-7 year olds.) I was nervous. After all, everyone else speaks German there and she isn't usually left with strangers. But, of course, she loved it. When we came to get her an hour later she was watching UP (in German) and refused to leave. I had to go in and get her. Seriously, where did she come from?!? She is so different from Rob and I! But we adore her and I really admire her outgoing, ready-for-anything personality. She's amazing. :)

fun and games

2010-05-09T09:21:00.005-04:00

A little over a week ago we took the kids to the Darmstadter Messe. It's a local thing, very similar to the West End Fireman's Carnival I grew up going to each summer. The kids rode a few rides, we browsed the stands, and had a hot dog (bratwurst) and french fries. It was a fun little family outing. (We didn't go on the grown-up rides because they looked seriously lacking in safety measures-- even these kiddie rides had NO SEATBELTS.)

Also, last night, Rob's Elders quorum (Elder is an office of the Priesthood in our religion) hosted a family bowling night at a local bowling alley. We had a great time being silly with some of our friends. And I was amazed how smoothly everything went considering how many babies and toddlers were there.

"Don't touch the buttons!"

I don't know how many times we said that. Of course, the controls were in German, but thankfully some of the guys actually speak German. (We did find in the options 'English' and 'American' languages listed. lol)

William Blacoe and Benjamin and Anouk Woite.

Zed and Anton.

Toby was the youngest bowler, and he LOVED it.

After every turn he'd say "MORE!"

McKenna and Josef.

Harmony and her boys.

Yup, I bowled too. ;)

Charlotte just loves Anton.

(Whether he likes it or not. Though, usually he does.)

Finally, we spotted this car on our drive home.

In Germany the first letter or two is for the Gemeinde (or city area), and then the others are random. We play the license plate game a lot on our drives-- looking for familiar words or abbreviations. Rob has been looking for a WTF plate for nearly 2 years, and when he spotted it we just happened to have the camera with us. hee hee

oh what a night

2010-04-29T08:08:00.002-04:00

Not much going on around here today.

Yesterday the kids were so cranky and difficult. I was very frustrated. So we had pizza for dinner, which we had to force Charlotte to eat. And then Rob took the kiddos on a hike (or 'forced march' as we jokingly called it.) Well, then I went out for a run. (yes, I'm running now, and for the record, I have lost 21 pounds. Woo-hoo!) And I came home to "the worst domestic disaster we have ever had." (or something like that, I forget Rob's exact words.)

Charlotte had been standing on the stairs to the loft when she yelled out, "Daddy, I spilled!" Rob went to see what happened and discovered that Charlotte had vomited all over the (open riser) stairs (and the wall, light fixture, and the second set of stairs below.) Oh how happy I was that I hadn't been home at that moment. ;) Clearly she is a sick kid. And yes, we feel really, really bad about the pizza and the hike.

There were about three more incidents during the night. We've introduced the concept of the "barf bucket" and she used that like a pro-- once anyway. Charlotte also knows many, many words now to explain what happened instead of saying "I spilled."

So, today is a day at home- with chamomile tea and, so far, one piece of toast. And many movies. And laundry. And bleach. I hope this doesn't spread to Toby next. :) Aren't kids so much fun?!?

Pitstops

2010-04-14T06:58:00.004-04:00

Huh. That title just reminded me of a funny story. Among the kids that I grew up with, (shout out to the Meadowlake gang!) the boys liked to race cars. I mean, really, race cars. And so we all lived and breathed racing. When I had Charlotte, my friend Shaun teased me that we named her after the racetrack in Charlotte, NC. And then when we were expecting Toby and I told him the name we were thinking of, he informed me (while laughing) that Toby Tobias is a racecar driver! I swear I did not know that. We did not name our kids with a racing theme in mind! (That said, a special hello to Angel Daytona and Victoria Lane-- you girls are beautiful.)

So anyway... as I was saying- PITSTOPS. On our last two trips we made brief visits to places that we wanted to see anyway. It gave the kids a good chance to get some wiggles out mid trip too.

On our way home from Switzerland, we stopped in Strasbourg, France. The cathedral there is gorgeous. It's completely disarming to just be walking down a narrow street and then turn a corner and BAM-- huge cathedral.

We'd like to go back and explore Strasbourg some more. Maybe when we have some visitors. It really looked charming. Rob enjoyed chatting in French with some ladies who were admiring our kiddos. But it started to rain and we didn't stay for long at all.

Toby's been taking posing lessons from the master herself.

(Charlotte, that is.)

This is a really cool astronomical clock. There's more to it up above this photo. It keeps a perpetual calendar. And obviously, the time.

Toby and Charlotte took turns in the umbrella stroller. The goal, after all, was to wear them out for the rest of the drive. I really hope we have time to come back to Strasbourg again.

On the way to Bruges, we stopped in Aachen, Germany. Aachen has the oldest cathedral in northern Europe. Charlemagne began building it in 792. He is also buried here.

It is not the biggest... but it is probably the most beautiful church we have seen. The stone work, gilding, and layout are just breathtaking.

Beautiful.

You can really see, when you are in buildings like this, how the church was often the centerpiece and gathering place in a village. And how it inspires you to think of God as a magnificent, creative being.

Again, we didn't stay long in Aachen, but maybe we'll make time to return here. The downtown looked fun and inviting, but we only took the time to grab lunch in Old McDonalds (as Charlotte calls it,) and head out on our drive again.

Just one more note. We LOVE our GPS. Rob got it for me for Christmas. It has been an absolute lifesaver on these trips. Locating gas stations, making detours, finding parking. We love you Little Miss Maps. ;)

Bruges, Belgium

2010-04-12T06:12:00.008-04:00

This past week, we drove to Bruges for a few days. (In part, to celebrate Rob's birthday- happy birthday, my love!) We had heard great things about this little city (a five hour drive away) from several of our friends here, and our trip was really laid back and fun. If I had to pick one word to describe this place, it would be CUTE. Bruges is the capitol of cute.

And also, chocolate. We consumed quite a bit of chocolate. And waffles. But no Brussel sprouts. (Rob was bummed, but he was the only one.)

The first "old school" windmill we spied after crossing the Belgian border.

Our room at Fra Bartolo had bunkbeds. Toby's first time in a big boy bed was a complete success. Also, Charlotte thought it was very cool.

Toby attempting to call dibs on the big bed.

(Sorry little man.)

A comfy spot to sit and look out the window. We really liked this B&B. It was very affordable, and comfy and accommodating to our kids. Breakfast included homemade breads, jam, bread pudding, and even locally made cheese. Yum! (Also, I made use of the hot water bottle they provided for the bed- toasty tootsies all night long. Why did these ever go out of style?? I want one!)

There was also a backyard with chickens. The kids ran off all their pent up energy from sitting in the car and Rob and I enjoyed playing petanque (like Bocce ball.)

Cute old buildings on the market square.

Our one "splurge" on this trip was a tour in a horse drawn carriage. Charlotte thought she was a princess! (Not that I'm saying she isn't.) The guide gave us some interesting narrative, and we got to see the sights while relaxing. It was a fun activity. :)

Cute old convent.

Cute little girl dancing in the daffodils. What's that? There was a "keep off the grass" sign? Sorry.

Cute canal.

Bruges (basically) means bridges. There is a canal all around the town, so obviously- many, many bridges.

Globe trotters at rest.

In front of the "Lake of Love." I saw this name absolutely nowhere, but that is what our horse drawn carriage driver called it. "Tot ziens, Belgium!" Thanks for the memories. (And the chocolate.)

Frohe Ostern!

2010-04-05T08:55:00.006-04:00

Happy Easter ya'll!

We enjoyed dying eggs for family night last Monday and talking about the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This is Toby's "cheese" face. Be prepared to see a lot of it in this post.

Being extra sweet, just in case the Easter Bunny is watching.

Easter morning!!

The kids were so excited to see what the bunny had brought.

We had General Conference this weekend, so we did not go to our chapel on Sunday but watched the broadcast via internet at home. After naptime, we went to the Wolfe's home for some Easter dinner, an egg hunt, and fun with our friends.

Nick and Kate Pettyjohn

Jenn and Max Wolfe, and the awesome bunny cake

Rob and Toby

(I'm tellin' ya, that cheese face)

Charlotte and Max

Harmony, Aubrey, and many kiddos

Charlotte during the Easter egg hunt

Babies are getting tired

My best shot of the whole gang-

Ella, Kate, Jack, Lucas, Max, Charlotte, Toby

Oh look! It's me and my Rob. ;)

"Cheese!"

It was a beautiful, sometimes rainy, Easter Sunday. We had a great time together as a family and with our friends here in Germany. We hope you all had a wonderful day as well. :)