London Day 2

On Friday, we took a bus tour out of the city to explore some of the English countryside and legends. :)

First stop was Stonehenge. Brrrr, it was cold and breezy!

The stones are pretty phenomenal though... I can't imagine HOW they brought them here and arranged them, nevermind WHY they did it. Those wacky druids.

Next we went to Glastonbury. We were unable to climb up Glastonbury Tor because of the weather, but we walked around the Chalice Well and Gardens.

Legend has it, that Joseph of Arimethea brought the Holy Grail here and dropped it down the well??? Um, okay. Anyway, the water is tinted red-- either because of the mystical blood of Christ or some other reason. hmm... Rob & I both tasted it--- pretty strong iron taste.

It is quite striking though-- and the gardens are beautiful.
Glastonbury Abbey was the next stop. Henry VIII had it torn down when he began the Church of England, but the ruins are spectacular. Joseph of Arimethea was also a visitor here, we are told and brought the crown of thorns. The Glastonbury Thorn tree was the result-- which blooms at Easter and Christmas.

Hands on history. :)

Part of the chapel.

The kids had a rough time with being on the bus so much, but everyone survived.

Charlotte is turning into such a little "poser."

I love this one in Glastonbury. The town was a nice spot for lunch (Cornish pasties are yummy) and for shopping for all of our New Age and Wiccan needs. Or not.

The last stop of the day was in Avesbury. This tiny town is in the middle of another ancient stone circle-- like Stonehenge, but bigger, free, and where you can touch the stones.
Our guide David is giving us the overview here-- he was pretty amusing, especially when he got into an altercation with another driver on a one lane road and had left his mic on. (She called us bloody foreigners!)

It was really neat to walk around this henge with the sheep.

Rob with the stroller. Thatched barn roof up ahead of him.

The end of the stone circle and Day #2. The ride back to London was AWFUL.

There was so much traffic, we were 2 hours later than expected. Thankfully, Toby slept much of it and Charlotte made friends with 2 Hungarian tourists who played with her and fed her candy, etc. Charlotte made friends EVERYWHERE we went on this trip-- she is so outgoing. It actually reminded me a lot of traveling with my mom. :)

London Day 1

Yay!! We are home from London safe and sound-- and I LOVED it. :)

For me, London was always the place I would say when people would ask, "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?" (I don't know why, but it is surprising just how OFTEN I've found myself answering that question.)

I took about 200 pictures in 3 full days of sightseeing. lol

Here is a break down of our trip (and just a few photos)...

Charlotte and Little Polar on the Tube.

Acting (as always) at the Tower of London.

This guard was outside the Royal Treasury-- where Q. E.2 keeps her crown jewels on display--- He was so young!!! And he had to periodically march back and forth in front of his little hut. What a lousy job.

Tower of London. We saw where they found the two princes bones under the stairway. And a really cool exhibit on Henry VIII called "Dressed to kill" all about armor and weaponry. And messages etched into the walls by prisoners. And Traitors Gate. And the ravens that live at the Tower (legend has it that if they ever leave, the Tower will fall and so will England.)

London Bridge over the Thames, just beyond the Tower walls.
Happy 4th Anniversary my love!

After the Tower and some lunch at a trendy place called Leon, we took a little rest by St. Paul's cathedral.
Then we headed to the British Museum... "the largest collection of imperial pillagings anywhere" according to my dear husband. ;) Here is Rob next to the Rosetta Stone-- terrible picture, but I love it anyway.

Some of the many sculptures from the Parthenon in Greece. Greece would like to have these back. Apparently, it's an ongoing debate.

After the British Museum, we stopped by the British Library to view their "treasures." SO COOL! I loved seeing Jane Austen's journals, Handel's draft of the Messiah, a Gutenberg Bible, an original copy of the Magna Carta (they handwrote several copies), Beatles lyrics on napkins, and on and on and on. :)

AFter some Indian food on Drummond St., we headed back to the Hotel Elizabeth on Eccleston Square (Churchill once lived a few doors down.) This was the TINIEST triple room (this is Charlotte's bed in the window bay)-- but very comfy and covenient, and had 12 foot ceilings.

Also, we loved that the hotel had access to a private garden across the street where we liked to sit in the evening and let the kids run and play on the playground. :)

as promised

big baby to little man

BIRTH day 2008

One year old 2009

We went to the Kinderarzt this morning for Toby's well baby visit.... and he is a well baby. :)

After examining our little man, Dr. Hachmann said he didn't have any concerns, and that Toby seems to be a healthy, happy boy. (I like calling Toby "little man" because he just has this maturity about him... he's very even tempered and easy going.)

Toby didn't even wimper when he got his MMR booster. He just steadily looked at the doctor the whole time, and was rewarded with a goldfish cracker for being such a tough guy. ;)

At one year:
Height: 31 in. 85th %
Weight: 24 lbs. 65th %

We go back in 4 weeks for another shot for Toby AND Charlotte's 3 year check-up.

Sesame Street LIVE!

On Friday I took the kids to see Sesame Street Live at the Wiesbaden Army Air Field.

Charlotte was so excited at the prospect of meeting Elmo!
She insisted on wearing a red (Elmo colored shirt) and her fanciest dress up skirt for the occasion.

This event was free because it was sponsored by the USO.
They handed out these Elmo spinner toys to all of the kids at the door.

They also handed out Sesame Street DVDs about dealing with deployments, homecomings, and "changes." I watched that one with Charlotte the other night-- it's all about a dad losing use of his legs and being confined to a wheelchair. They had some footage of soldiers with amputations talking with their kids at Walter Reed... military families really do NOT have it easy.

We had gotten there early and were able to sit on the floor right up front! The soldier in front of us was there to keep kids from mobbing the "stage."
Charlotte hasn't watched much Sesame Street but she LOVED that Zoe was also wearing a tutu and pink shoes. On the way home she told me that she and Zoe were best friends.

I was surprised, but at the end of the show this was actually necessary (and ineffective) as tons of kids ran up to shake hands with the characters. It actually made me nervous Charlotte was going to get trampled or lost... but she ran up too and cried afterwards that she didn't get to Elmo because he was on the other side. (Cookie Monster was near us I think.)

I was worried that the sound was too loud for Toby, so I wrapped this USO bandanna over his ears.
He LOVED it. He was completely mesmerized by all of the singing and dancing and didn't move once during the show.

PS. This is the photo that prompted me to go get my hair cut asap... I was NOT happy with the result. But I'm getting used to it I guess, and it will grow out soon enough. I'll post a new pic with me in it soon so you can tell me what you think.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Toby turned ONE last week! We had a little celebration on Saturday at our home. We had dinner and cupcakes and attempted to decorate sugar cookies. :) It was fun... and boy, Toby knew EXACTLY what to do with his chocolate cupcake!

Thanks for joining us Gabriel and Max!

Toby at bedtime with his froggie and a toy car.

Our sweet boy at one year!

Here's a little bit about what Toby is like at one year:

* He doesn't have nearly enough hair to need a first haircut yet. ;)
* He says a few words-- Mamamama, Daddy, esh (yes), no, jink (drink), and just yesterday- Lala (Charlotte)
* He is very cuddly & lovey... but he doesn't usually mind someone else holding him.
* He has 4 teeth on top and 2 on the bottom.
* He has never liked baby food, but loves grown-up food, or anything Charlotte is eating.
* He walks and climbs and likes to build with blocks and read books. He says "uhhhhhhhhhhhh" -- that's how you know he's reading. Actually, that is also what he sounds like when he sings. (Clearly taking after Mom in that department.)
* He is the happiest, sweetest, most content little boy I've ever met.
* We are thrilled to have him in our family. :)

Maybe you haven't heard...

I've been thinking about sharing these items, but haven't wanted to spend the time and energy on a blog post on each. So here are some minor news items about each of us:

Rob
*got a bike and has been riding it 6 miles each way to and from work a few times a week-- he got his first flat tire yesterday.
*is going to be working swing shift off and on for who knows how long.

Julie
*started jogging a little over a month ago, and while it is still pretty rough going, it is getting a little bit better each day.
*is suddenly obsessed with the Duggar family. That woman is amazing.

Charlotte
*makes up and says hilarious things every day... today I asked her what her name was- no reply. So I said, "nice to meet you" and held out my hand to shake. She held out her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Jesus." What?!? She also gave me a lengthy explanation of why it was unjust for Daddy to taste her brownie after dinner last night... "Daddy says 'eat all your broccoli and you can have brownie' and then Daddy eats my brownie!" (He took one tiny bite, and then replaced it with more from the pan.)
*submitted her registration form for German Kindergarten today. She'll start on August 1, 2010. Yay!!!

Toby
*is no longer nursing and has started sleeping 10-12 hours. Woo-hoo!!
*has decided on a "lovey." He suddenly has decided that his stuffed green frog is his favorite stuffed animal and he cuddles with it and sleeps with it every night and naptime.

kiddie kandids

Y'all familiar with that photo place in the mall? Aside from the fact that they spelled "candid" with a "k," I always thought it ironic that the photos are very posed and not at all candid-- I mean who puts their child in a wicker chair with a big floppy hat on these days?

Now HERE are some real candid photos of our kids...

Pajama time this morning. After breakfast it is important to go jump on the couch a bit and sort of lounge around until someone gets hurt or Mom discovers that someone needs a diaper change.

Charlotte and Toby noticing that they have just about the same size hands. Two days ago a lady at the grocery store asked me "Zwingen??" Um, nein, they are NOT twins. (I expect to get a lot more of that over the next year or two as Toby gets even closer in size to Charlotte.)

Snacktime at our last playgroup at a park in Buttelborn. I didn't get the kiddos attention before snapping this photo. I'm sure there are better ones out there from the other moms.

Toby playing peek-a-boo.
I can't tell you how hilarious this is! I've tried to get it on video, but no luck yet. Toby puts a towel or shirt over his head and then runs away as fast as he can. The problem being, of course, that he can't see where he is going with something over his head. So he runs directly into walls or furniture and then lays on the floor crying.
Is it terrible that Rob & I laugh hysterically at this behavior?

Versailles

We left Paris on Sunday morning and headed to Versailles for the day. Chateau Versailles was Louis XIV's "fun palace" and monument to the most wonderful person he could think of-- himself. He was the master of self promotion and celebrity. The last king to live here was Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette.... until the Revolution when they were made "a foot shorter on the top."

Rob had been here before, but I was excited to see all of the decadent grandeur for myself. :)

Our first stop was the garden.
(That's the palace back behind me.)

I'm glad I don't have to trim the hedges around here.

Louis XIV liked to call himself the Sun King, and compared himself to Apollo a lot. This fountain shows Apollo rising up on his chariot out of the water.

We were there for the "fountain show" but the crowds were pretty massive by that time of day-- this was still early in the morning. Oh, they also had classical music playing throughout the gardens while we walked around.

This is the front gate to Versailles. This was the line at 9 am. When we got in line for the palace around 11 am, it was 45 minutes long. By the end of the trip, we had been on our feet for 4 hours- Charlotte included. She was a very good girl... and only told me about 20 times "I'm soooo tired."

Leah in the Hall of Mirrors.
Also, the Treaty of Versailles was signed here to end World War I.

Statue of Louis XIV to the left. Paintings of Louis all over the ceiling.
Yeah, he was a fan of himself.

I'm not sure the fireplace is big enough... what do you think?

Paris

Bonjour y'all!

We just returned from an exhausting weekend in Paris... a trip to cap off Leah's Summer in Germany. We had a great time, and the most perfect weather we could have hoped for (70s all weekend)-- especially considering that the hotel we chose since it advertised AC, turned out to not actually have AC and we were on the 5th floor.

We reaffirmed that we are not "city people," and that traveling with children is a lot more work than traveling just the two of us. But we had a good time seeing the sights, and everyone survived. We took about a zillion photos, but here are just a few of my favorites.

Rob & I at the Arc de Triomphe

Sacre Coeur Cathedral (from the corner view.)

The doors of Notre Dame Cathedral--- I tried to prep Charlotte for this trip by having her watch Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. Wow!! That movie was way too scary for her, and she burst into tears when they threw food at Quasimodo, so I had to turn it off.

Riding the doubledecker Red Bus around gave us a different view of Paris and let us rest our weary feet.

The landmark that doesn't need explanation.

The streets of Paris---
sooo crowded on a weekend in August.

Leah at the metro stop in Pigalle. This is the "smutty" part of town just down hill from the beautiful Sacre Coeur. Home to Le Chat Noir (not there anymore) and the Moulin Rouge, which we saw only from a distance since I opted not to walk Leah past the 80 or so sex shops between us and there.

This is part of a series of sculptures outside the Musee d'Orsay called "Women of War." Charlotte put on her best "mean face" and posed like the statue. I loved seeing all of my favorite impressionists in this museum soooo much, that I forgot to take any photos.

Waiting for the Metro on Saturday evening.
The next morning we drove to Versaille before driving home.