Rudesheim

Rudesheim, a romantic little village on the Rhine River, is nesstled amoungst lush vineyards in the Rheingau region whose origins date back to pre-Roman times. At only 40 mins. from our home, it was the perfect destination for a beautiful autumn day.

The photo above was taken on Drosselgassee; a narrow street, just 144 meters long, in the heart of old town Rudesheim. It was a sensory feast featuring live music, singing and dancing, shopping, and tantelizing treats.

No day trip is complete without German Eis....so fabulously creamy and sweet. So many flavors to choose from.....

Taking a break and enjoying a pretzel. I'm so glad to have found something available in every German bakery that all three of our kiddos will eat.

My handsome brown-eyed Star Wars Lover. This picture was taken just before a German shop keeper yelled at me for picking up a stuffed animal for a closer look. Apparently, she takes her merchandise very seriously. I've learned that you just can't take the grumpiness personally....not all Germans are grumpy, just the vast majority.

I loved this turquoise hat and will probably go back and get it for Lauren the next time we're in Rudesheim. Isn't she so posh?

Ava also had to be in on the hat trying action. Anything that Kade and Lauren do, she has to do as well.

Taken outside of the Kathe Wohlfahrt Store, a wonderful delight filled with German decore' and lovely Christmas decorations. This is a must stop for a truly lovely shopping experience!

Maybe in a Few more years....

Had to share this little cutie today. Is there anything more adorable than pink bows and lingerie?

I can't imagine that anyone is still even checking this blog after my blogging vacation, but I hope that you still are because I have so much to catch up on. I can't wait to share all of our European Adventures with you! Life is finally slowing down (after two baby showers that I am hosting and a huge craft night at church that I am in charge of all in the next three weeks), I am just about finished decorating our home and will post pics soon. Also coming up will be pictures and journaling from our fabulous trip to Switzerland! Stay tuned....cause I'm Baaackkkk!

'Ahhrrrr We Be a Family 'o Pirates

Dumpster Diving and an Unexpected Visitor

Germany has an interesting garbage removal and recycling system. Basically, you have recycle just about everything except dirty diapers, seriously, I'm not kidding. It is a good thing though. I feel as though I am doing my part to be a little kinder to our planet. When we moved to Texas after four years of a very Green life, I had a hard time with all of the waste that our family threw in the trash. Actually, we just received info that our old community in Rockwall, TX is beginng a recycling program. Go Rockwall!!

Anyway, in Germany, they basically don't have a service for getting rid of large pieces of furniture or unwanted household items. Instead, they have "Junking Days". I wish we had our household goods and I could take pictures of all of the fabulous things that we have found over the years through Junking Days....Kaden's bedroom night stand (which we refinished), the red chair that I use to have in my entry way, the solid wood round table that was in my living room, the two cute chairs in my bedroom (which my mom helped me make slipcovers for).....just to name a few.

So a few days after we moved into our home, we noticed that our neighbor had a black leather sectional outside on the curb infront of her home. Not wanting to be too presumptuous, I asked if she was getting rid of it and if so, if I could have it. It was perfect for our game/toy room in the basement. She said, "Yes", and I couldn't wait for Kevin to get home to help me haul our treasure home.

We had kind of a busy evening, and by the time that we got the kids in bed and had time to get the sectional it was about 11 p.m. Although we share a fence with this neighbor, to get to the front of her house was about a two block walk. Now two blocks is a short distance to walk, unless you are carrying a heavy leather sofa. Luckily, the sectional came apart into three pieces. The first piece Kevin and I carried home together. However, half way there, I started laughing hysterically (must have been the hour) and it took me about 10 mins. to regain my composure enough to muster the stamina for the rest of the journey back to our house. Kevin threw the middle section over his shoulder and huffed it home by himself as I was still laughing. What a stud I'm married to. Finally, we realized that we had a wheelbarrow at the house which proved to be quite handy with the last piece of the sofa.


So we had all three pieces infront of our home, we just needed to carry them into the house and down the stairs. Kevin had a brilliant idea to bypass the stairs, take the furniture through the backyard, down the slope, and into the house through the walk out basement. On our way down, we found this little guy rolled up tight in a ball and sleeping in the grass. Lucky for us we didn't step on him first. We lovingly nicknamed him "Hedgy" and Kevin was as giddy as a kid in a candy store. He loves little critters.

This picture shows Hedgy unrolling a little bit. He was so cute. We learned that hedgehogs hibernate during the winter. Sometimes the young ones don't find a very safe place for their long winter nap, and Germans will rescue them, put them in a shoebox, and keep them safe in their basement all winter. Seriously, they do this. I guess it's pretty common.

Kevin was so excited, that he insisted on waking up Kaden to show him what we found in our backyard. Kade is a little dazed in this picture, but he thought it was pretty cool. How many kids can say that they have actually held a hedgehog? Good thing that Hedgy slept through it all, I'm not sure how aggressive they can be. Come to think about it, we probably should have checked into that before bringing a wild animal into our house and waking up our slumbering son insisting that he touch it.

After Hedgy's photo shoot and play date, we carefully set him back outside and continued to carry our sectional downstairs. Ahhh....finally finished. What a night!

Here We Go Again.........

Same foot; different toe. There is something about broken toes and moving that seems to be a painful reoccurring combination. Just over two years ago, I was pregnant with Ava, and preparing to move from Germany to Texas. Admittedly not one of my smartest ideas, I decided to rearrange the furniture by myself one day. The result? The removal of my big toe nail. Not a pretty sight just entering sandal season in the heat of Texas. It took 5 months to grow back.

Fast forward to this past May as we were preparing to move back to Germany from Texas. If you really want to read the full glorious story click here, if not, the short story is that I broke my middle toe. Right before a trip to Disney World I should add. It took about 6 weeks to fully heal.

Lastly, just a few days ago, as we were packing our bags and preparing to move out of the hotel, I accidentlly tripped over a suitcase and broke my fourth toe. Perhaps I should start wearing steel-toed boots. Or, perhaps we should stop moving and finally settle down somewhere.

Family Photos

While we were in Idaho this summer visiting family, we took the opportunity to have family photos taken. There is an old saying, "The cobbler's children go without shoes". This has been true for us with photography. When you're a photographer, it's tough to be in family photos because you're the one who is always behind the camera. For those of you who haven't seen Kevin's work, check it out here.

So I was excited for our photo session with Caralee Case, a friend from high school. She did an amazing job, and if you're in South East Idaho, lucky you!

Our kids were really tired because our session was scheduled at their normal bedtime...darn natural light and summer nights. Anyway, they were a little on the grumpy side, but after lots of bribery and sugar, they did come around a little. Caralee was able to get some great shots regardless...check them out - Now I just need to decide which one to frame....

I Love My Job

She was sophisticated, beautiful, and exquisite. She floated into the room with a perfectly manicured child clutching her hand. Both were all smiles. Designer heels and bag accented her tailored plum colored dress perfectly. She wore a floppy staw hat with a plum colored sash. Who wears a hat to breakfast in a hotel? I was a stark comparison in my GAP jeans, T-shirt, Mary Janes and bed hair. Honestly, I was just happy to make it down to breakfast with three kids who were at the very least dressed before the the doors closed.

As luck would have it, the stylish woman in purple and her adorable daughter sat at the table next to us. The kids hit it right off and chatted about everything from losing teeth to what books they were currently reading. There amid juice boxes and Fruit Loops, we learned that their family lived in Ukraine and were just passing through on their way to Florida for a vacation. I'm not quite sure why formal introductions were never exchanged, perhaps it had something to do with my squirmy toddler who wouldn't stay in her seat and kept bolting out the door or the bowl of oatmeal that was spilled all over the carpeted floor.

As she was about to leave the breakfast room, she clutched my arm urgently and said, "You really should consider a live-in nanny." She gushed about how much more time I would have to travel, spend with my husband, sleep, and take care of myself.

I replied, "I think I would miss my kids too much".

"Of course you still see your children", she continued, "but you see them when you're at your best".

I thought a lot about our conversation today. Would my children be better off just seeing me at "my best"? Even at my worst, am I setting a good enough example for my children as they gain an understanding of the importance of Motherhood? Sure, Motherhood isn't always glamorous; especially when it includes bodily functions or temper tantrums.

I don't even know her name, but she had a tremendous impact on me. The answer is no, I don't think I would want a full-time live-in nanny. I would miss chubby arms wrapped around my neck whispering secrets into my ear, wonderful sticky kisses, and the 3 a.m. wake-up calls and sweet snuggle time when the rest of the house was quiet and sleeping. I would miss Kaden's contagious laugh when he finds something hilarious in a book that he is reading. I would miss Ava reaching up to me with arms outstreached and saying, "Hold you". I would miss snuggling with Lauren and scratching her back as she drifts off to dreamland. I would miss being a full-time Mommy. So thank you beautiful, elegant, lady. Thank you for bringing me perspective at a stressful time in my life and reminding me of all the reasons why I love being a Mother.

How blessed I am that our Heavenly Father trusts me (ME with all of my imperfections and many faults) to raise three of his sweet Spirits.

Click here and here for spiritual enlightenment and perspective on the sacred calling called Motherhood.