The Petty Four

2012-02-02T16:57:00.000+01:00

I have used the same photo header on this blog for over a year...UNTIL TODAY.

I had been waiting for a REALLY great photo, and this one fit the bill.

I mean, really. It doesn't get any better than that. The shirts are sooooooo cool.

And just in case you're thinking "oh my gosh, I cannot BELIEVE she made t-shirts with a family blog title on them," I didn't make them. Our friends made them for us!

Right before we left Germany we received a care package from our awesome college friends who now live in DC. These shirts were inside. Talk about a cool gift!

Our friend Tony is visiting Cheltenham this week -- and his wife Brooke were the masterminds behind these amazing shirts -- and he was able to snap this photo just before bedtime last night. I think it's appropriate that Tony was our acting photographer. :)

Party of Seven

2012-01-29T10:56:00.010+01:00

One of the very big perks of living in Cheltenham is the close proximity to our dear friends Susan and Richard. (You might also know them by their aliases: Swatty and Tricky.)

Once we get settled in our house (the castle) we will be a 30 minute walk (7 minute drive) from our door to theirs. Considering they are two of our closest friends on earth, this is a Really Big Deal.

Four months ago, Susan and Richard experienced a big change in their lives: the birth of their first child! We are so excited that our dear Swatty and Tricky have joined the ranks of parenthood. Their son is lucky indeed.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce the newest member of the gang: Rory Michael.

Rory and Kate -- fast friends already

Rory and Ella -- so happy together

It boggles my mind to think that the four twenty-somethings who met for drinks six years ago are now thirty-somethings with three children between us!

Our lives have certainly changed, yet many things remain the same. Our games of spades and moon are still animated and laughter-filled, but they now take place after all the kids are in bed. We still love to get together for delicious meals, but our quiet dinners for four have evolved into fun-filled lunches for seven.

This weekend at one of those luncheons, Susan and Richard asked Nick and me if we would be Rory's godparents. We were touched and honored to be asked and accepted without hesitation.

The way I see it, this makes Ella and Kate Rory's godsisters. And it just might make me his fairy godmother. :)

We love you, Rory!

Ladies Who Lunch

2012-01-25T16:50:00.000+01:00

Today the three PJ ladies went to lunch together.

I am pleased to report that we have officially entered an era where Ella and Kate are actually low-maintenance luncheon companions! After four years of cutting food, wiping mouths, bringing our own sippy cups, and entertaining little ones while we wait for our meal, today I managed to do NONE of the above.

They were so very grown up! They ordered for themselves and actually managed to say please without prompting. We played a coloring game while we waited for our entrees. They fed themselves while I paid attention to what was on my plate.

It was so much fun to sit there and talk with my two little ladies while someone else (not me!) served lunch.

Ella had tomato salad, penne with butter and parmesan, and pear sorbet.

Kate had tomato salad, pepperoni pizza, and strawberry (pronounced straw-bree) ice cream.

Next thing on our agenda: table manners.

Judging from the photos, ~~these ladies who lunch~~ Kate needs to learn how to wipe her mouth and sit facing forward in her seat if I am going to be seen out on the town with her in the future. :)

Bits and Pieces

2012-01-22T19:06:00.038+01:00

What have we been up to lately? See for yourself!

Staying up until almost 11pm...that's what happens ANY TIME Kate gets an afternoon nap nowadays.
(Also pictured in the background: CHRISTMAS BOXES from our trip to the States.)

Sunday lunch at Zizzi. (Photo 1)

Sunday lunch at Zizzi. (Photo 2)

Eating lots of Ella's Kitchen pureed fruits.

Trying out my new hair straitener...and showing my sister the results via FaceTime.

Eating dinner (with children!) in Cheltenham's swankiest restaurants.

Going to the library and checking out chapter books.

Lots (and lots!) of silly iMessage photos to all of our family in America.

Sorry about all the crappy phone pictures, but DANG it's fun to rejoin modern society!

I mean, c'mon, people! FREE iMessage and FaceTime to ANYONE back home with an iPhone4?! BRILLIANT. I don't have to sit in front of the computer to see my family!

And for the first time in THREE LONG YEARS I can actually call/text/message my mom, dad, sister, and more while I'm away from my house. Don't get me wrong, I would still PREFER to be at home (with a full keyboard and large screen) to do all those things. But the point is that now I know I CAN do it on the go.

You have no idea how much all that means when you live an ocean away.

P.S. Who would have thought I would EVER shamelessly plug an iProduct?! :)

American Food

2012-01-20T22:07:00.013+01:00

I'm not talking burgers and fried chicken, ya'll. I'm not even talking about the southern classic biscuits and gravy (an idea, btw, that Brits find abhorrent as "biscuits" are cookies and the only gravy they use is brown gravy).

I'm just talking about all the normal stuff you cook with every single day. Chicken. Bread. Canned goods. Milk. Pasta. Cheese. Eggs. Fresh fruits and vegetables.

The good news is I can get all this stuff and more in British stores. (My oh my, I cannot begin to describe how much I love Waitrose!) With minimal effort (not English-German dictionary required!) I can get everything I need.

The bad news is that it all costs a little more than it would in the States. And the REALLY bad new is that several of the convenience foods we (especially my children) adore cannot be found. Whole wheat Eggo waffles. Maple syrup. Amy's cheese enchiladas. Jif smooth natural peanut butter. Corn chips. Hot enchilada sauce. Taco seasoning packets. (Really anything spicy of the Tex-Mex variety.)

Fortunately for us, we have the option of shopping at an American commissary. And, perk of all perks, the commissary has one of those CAR CARTS.

Ella and Kate thought this impossible-to-steer monstrosity was the coolest thing they had ever seen. They had never ridden in one (deprived children!) until yesterday. It was a big moment in their lives.

I thought this picture was cute...until I realized that it is patently visible that the back of the cart was positively FILLED with crappy food: Tostito's, Totino's pizza, corn dogs, Reese's cups, Dove chocolate, Land-O-Lakes hot cocoa mix, etc.

First of all, I see a definite CHOCOLATE theme emerging. Secondly, I have NEVER IN MY LIFE purchased Totino's pizza or corn dogs (CORN DOGS!) for my children. What on earth made me think that was a good idea?! Last but not least, NO WONDER the American people struggle with obesity.

Now that I have photo confirmation of what shopping for AMERICAN FOOD makes me do, I think it's probably a really good thing that the nearest commissary is over an hour away. :)

The Boob Tube

2012-01-18T13:22:00.001+01:00

This is a perfect example of how my kids watch television.

Ella sits or lies, completely sucked in. It's a little scary how her whole face goes blank and she refuses to make eye contact when the tv is on. She would seriously watch television ALL DAY if I would let her.

Kate dances, jumps, shouts in response to the characters -- for Kate television is a truly interactive experience. On the other hand, it's a little scary how she can't sit still for more than five minutes and loses interest at the thirty minute mark.

In case you can't tell, I totally hate the boob tube. I don't like to watch it myself (unless it's the Food Network) and I don't like the noise of it in the background.

But most of all, I don't like what it does to my kids. One kid is too lethargic, the other kid is too energetic. One kid pays too much attention, the other kid doesn't pay enough attention. I wish I could say my kids didn't watch television at all, yet it's on for at least an hour every day in our house.

Lately we've been watching even MORE than that. I try to take it easy on myself. After all, it's winter. Not to mention the fact that 95% of our toys, books, and craft supplies have been packed up since mid-November and will most likely get unpacked in mid-February. That is THREE MONTHS without the majority of our books, toys, art supplies, dress-up clothes, etc. Three months in the middle of WINTER.

Interestingly, these three months have been Ella's and Kate's first exposure to LIVE television. The concept of programming is totally foreign to them. All they have had up to this point is our (limited) selection of DVD's, so when they want to re-watch an episode they saw yesterday they truly do not understand that I cannot just MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

Commercials are another new experience for them. For almost an entire month Ella would wail, "OH NO! My show went off!" every single time a commercial came on. Now she's totally into it. Commercials told her about LEGO Friends and Wuggle Pets and all kinds of other amazing things that she heretofore had no idea existed.

I have a feeling next year's Christmas list is going to be a LOT longer...

Freakin' Weekend

2012-01-16T00:55:00.002+01:00

We were in the States for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Which means that Nick was off work for SEVEN straight weeks.

Needless to say, going back to work was hard on my sweet Nicholas. He missed his girls during the day, and his girls missed him too.

happy to be reunited with her Daddo

Nicky-beau and Kate-mo

This three day weekend made us all VERY happy. So glad that MLK allowed us to ease back into the work routine. :)

I Think We Just Had a Moment...

2012-01-15T23:23:00.000+01:00

Moving back to Cheltenham is a dream come true for Nick and me. Ever since we left here in 2007, we have talked about how we would jump at the chance to live here again someday.

Yet when Nick was offered the job here this August and we actually saw our opportunity to move back, we didn't jump immediately. In fact, we balked and tried our best to talk ourselves out of it.

Why? Because it's hard to live 5,000 miles from home. Half a world away from family and friends. Nowhere even close to support and help and convenience. Besides, we had already been living in Europe for three years. We were both very ready to get closer to home. And the realities of living "across the pond" for six years in succession were difficult to face.

Trust me, friends, it's easy to sit there in your giant, air-conditioned American house with your mom a short drive away (and with Target round the corner and Walgreen's just down the street) and say, "Wow! I would LOVE to live in Europe."

I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not. But the decision to move here was a tough one.

After one week here, I'm beginning to remember why this was a dream destination. I am starting to believe that this will be better than the last three years in Germany.

Exhibit A: The Play Farm. It's Ramba Zamba Light. It's on a smaller scale and the Department of Health and Safety has nixed some of the unbridled wildness, but it's still loads of fun. In the words of Kate, "The Play Farm is just like Ramba Zamba, but without any of the scary alligator guys."

Just look at that cow and sheep -- nothing wild or scary about them!

Exhibit B: Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant. Not only was the food excellent, this place had character. Even in the bathroom. The best part was when two giggling 70-something English ladies walked out of their stalls and said to each other in their posh English accents, "Did you see that? No doubt why they are called CRAPPERS!"

Yes, that is a toilet tank. And yes, it says "CRAPPER'S."

Exhibit C: Bath Road Shops with Susan. On Friday we drove to Swatty and Tricky's house for a picnic lunch. After a cup of tea and biscuits, we "popped round to the shops" near their house. Susan and I with our three kids in their matching strollers made a trip to the post office, hair salon, public toilets, and the charity book shop. After about an hour, Susan turned to me and said, "Strawbs, is this imagined what it would be like to live here again?" I stopped dead in my tracks, squealed like a little girl, jumped up and down a few times, and hugged my dear Swatty right there in the middle of the road.

(Thank God no one photographed that!)

Exhibit D: Churches of Cheltenham. We made our first trip to Christ Church this morning. It was a great service -- the girls even went by themselves to Sunday school! -- and we were warmly welcomed by at least a dozen people. It's a nice welcome indeed when the vicar scribbles down his phone number and urges you to call him if you need anything at all during the move-in process. After church we went to lunch at Zizzi...which happens to be inside an old church. After a fun morning and a delicious lunch -- complete with a dessert course of orange and lemon sorbet -- Ella exclaimed loudly, "Mom, I LOVE church!"

There they are...at lunch in church.

The Verdict: Very Victorian

2012-01-14T22:18:00.006+01:00

Although it's not completely official at the moment -- no let has been agreed at present -- we have decided that Option B (aka The Castle) is our top dwelling selection.

The location is not what I had in mind, but since we arrived in Cheltenham there hasn't been a single property available in the location we most desired. Apparently the rental market isn't really hopping in mid-January. :) Yet in many ways the location is perfect. The short commute for Nick and the proximity to the girls' future school could not possibly be better. And a 15 minute walk to our favorite restaurant is good for digestion, right?

Although the property has all the quirks of a 100+ year old house, the owner has agreed to every one of the items on our "wish list" that will make the home much more livable. We asked for a garden shed for extra storage...check. We needed more cabinets in the kitchen...will do. We requested that we have final say on all finishing touches (paint colors, carpet and hardwood flooring, window coverings, etc)...and the owner said yes. We meet with her on Monday afternoon to spell out exactly what we have in mind.

Currently the house is completely gutted, so it's a perfect time to make all these changes. Nothing that we have asked for is unreasonable, yet many landlords are reluctant to sink money into a rental property. We think that the owner's willingness to improve the house is a very good sign.

Approximate move in date if all goes well: February 1. I will keep you posted on our progress!

You Will Never Believe This...

2012-01-12T23:30:00.001+01:00

I am typing this post from my brand new iPhone. That's right, friends, Aubrey has officially entered the 21st century.

Watch out, virtual world. Here I come.

P.S. With God as my witness I solemnly swear that I will NEVER become one of those a-holes who ignores real live human beings sitting right in front her in order to fiddle with my phone. I saw that COUNTLESS times on our seven week visit home, and every time I wanted to punch his/her freaking lights out. If that is the 21st century, do I REALLY want to be part of it?? Discuss. :)

House Hunters International

2012-01-11T15:30:00.002+01:00

Today we viewed SEVEN different potential houses for rent here in Cheltenham. It was a loooooong afternoon of house-hunting. Envisioning how we would arrange all our furniture in seven different houses in a matter of four hours made my brain hurt. (I suppose that's what happens when you've been away from work for five years...)

Fortunately, the taxing afternoon was well worth it. We found a couple of gems that would be excellent places to call home over the next three years. I've included our top two options House Hunters International style. All the relevant specifications (and a few photos) are listed below. Please weigh in asap -- we need to make a decision by the end of the week!

OPTION A: PITTVILLE
Recent £150,000 Renovation

2 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 1 car garage

This house is admittedly plain on the outside, but every detail of the property is highest quality. The landlord recently sunk £150,000 ($225,000) into the addition of an extra living room and bedroom, new windows and carpets throughout, additional insulation for energy efficiency, a new fence around the entire property, landscaping galore (the house comes with a gardener), security system, electric remotely operated property gates, and more.

The main living room is bright with views of the garden on three sides and has a gas fireplace.

The kitchen is large and modern and outfitted to the highest standard. (Just look at that giant AMERICAN sized fridge!)

Two of the best parts of this house are the huge yard (this is the back) and the secure parking for an armada of cars.

HIGH POINTS: Snug, energy efficient, ample storage in the garage, large fenced yard, security system, new fixtures and flooring and appliances, 15 minute walk to town center.

LOW POINTS: Bedrooms are ultra basic with small, high windows (no pictures are shown, but you can see the small windows on the upper level in the first photo of the house), no separate dining room, lacks the character of a period home, 30 minute commute for Nick by car (45 by bike).

ELLA WEIGHS IN: Our firstborn refers to this as "the brown house with the pretty garden."

OPTION B: MONTPELLIER
Updated Victorian

2 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, street parking

As you can see from the photo, this house is certainly not lacking in character and charm. It is Victorian to the hilt, and has fortunately been kept up-to-date on the interior with new carpets in the bedrooms, new windows throughout, and fresh paint. When we viewed this house it was a construction zone. All the updates are being done as I type, so if we quickly sign a lease soon we might be able to have some input about paint colors, flooring on the main level, etc.

The main living room has a gorgeous bay window, amazing original crown molding, and nice built-in storage. It conveniently adjoins the second living room (which is almost as big as the main living room).

The kitchen has a gourmet gas range and various ovens, new (blue) cabinetry, and it connects through to a formal dining room with loads of built-in storage.

Master bedroom that spans the entire front of the house and looks out onto a forested area (no houses across the street).

The garden is small, but it is completely fenced in with a gate which is accessible from the street.

HIGH POINTS: Gorgeous period details with updated floors and windows, three large bedrooms with ornamental fireplaces, large kitchen with formal dining room, 10 minute commute for Nick by car (10 minutes by bike).

LOW POINTS: Very little attic storage (would require us to rent a storage unit), one tiny bedroom, none of the fireplaces (there are six total) actually work, moderately energy efficient, 25 minute walk to town center.

ELLA WEIGHS IN: Bitzy calls this house "the castle."

Where will we live for the next three years? Stay tuned to find out! :)

We're HERE!

2012-01-09T21:41:00.002+01:00

After SEVEN weeks in America with our awesome, accommodating, long-suffering parents, we have arrived in the UK.

To be honest, I'm too tired to even think about putting together a coherent post -- much less putting together a gigantic backlog of posts of all the excitement from the month of December.

We've been here for four days, and we're still not over the jet lag. It MIGHT have something to do with the fact that Ella came down with a serious stomach virus on Sunday night. We are still tired (as in the bone-tiredness that comes from jumping out of bed eight times a night while on puke patrol) but at least the sickness seems to be behind us now.

Even though we're neither whole nor well, we are safe and sound and ready to begin our time in Cheltenham (pronounced CHELT-num) England!

Make New Friends but Keep the Old

2011-12-03T22:19:00.045+01:00

When I was in junior high I had six best friends. By the time we graduated from high school, we were still friends, but not quite as close as we were in junior high. Nevertheless, every year -- sixth grade through senior year -- all seven of us got together to celebrate Christmas with handmade gifts and homemade food.

Now that we're "grown ups" we get together every year or so to catch up, crack up, and enjoy each other's company. Most of the time I miss these mini high school reunions. (Our class was comprised of 30-something kids, so the seven of us constitute almost 25% of our graduating class. If you include the classmates two of my friends married, we are up to almost 30%.) It's almost never possible for ALL of us to be there at the same time. (This year Christa wasn't able to come.)

But this Christmas I was able to be there, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my time with Ashley Ruth, Kendra Diane, Heidi Jo, Heidi Kay, and Joni Renae. The six of us are responsible for all 13 (or 13.5 including Baby Walker) of the little munchkins pictured below.

It totally blows my mind how amazing these ladies are. I feel so incredibly blessed to have known them (literally) almost all my life.

Ashley, Kendra, Heidi Jo, Heidi Kay, Aubrey, and Joni

With (most of) our husbands (a couple were at work) and ALL of our offspring.

Heidi Jo (kindergarten teacher) provided age-appropriate crafts.

Ella and Kate were totally into it.

Showing off the finished product.

Kelsey and Ella were joined at the hip all evening. Ella invited her to come to England for next year's Burns Flat Christmas party. :)

World's Best Sister

2011-12-01T22:42:00.032+01:00

In case you didn't already know, my sister is awesome. Every girl who doesn't have a sister is to be pittied. Every girl who doesn't have MY sister as a sister is just plain missing out.

My sister is my best friend. With her I laugh harder, bitch louder, and relax more completely than with anyone else in the world. She is just that awesome.


Seriously, I don't even CARE that she makes me look fat.

She's the only person in the world who agrees with me that it's a great idea to pretend to fish on a boat parked in the street.

She even agreed to go get a (dusty) Coors Light out of my parents' pantry so we could pretend to be drunken street boat fisherwomen while her son peeks over the side of the boat.

You don't even KNOW her and this picture makes you LOVE her.
(Boat in background is the boat in photos above.)

This masterpiece of muscle poses, shoulder sits, and general hilarity is our specialty.

For once, my sister and I are not being silly. Mom really brings out the best in us.

It was bound to get silly at some point. :)

Kara Laine Price Locke is one hot chic. :)

World's Best Cousins

2011-11-30T23:40:00.027+01:00

Price and Brennan are two of the greatest cousins a kid could ever ask for. Ella (age 4), Price (age 3), Kate (age 2), and Brennan (ALMOST age 1) spent hours playing together.

They ran around outside, chased Grandpa through the house (thank goodness for the invention of SILENT CHASE!), drove Price's truck, participated in marathon games of hide-and-go-seek, did crafts at the dining room table, ~~banged on~~ played the grand piano, got down with their bad selves during family dance party, and giggled together for countless hours.

Two days after Kara, Ty, Price, and Brennan went home to Medford, Ella yelled, "Hey Pricey, let's go... MOM! Where did Pricey go?!? When is he coming back here to Nana's?"

Cousins are totally awesome.

world's best cousins

The One, the Only, the GREAT Granny P

2011-11-29T23:41:00.019+01:00

My gorgeous Grandma celebrated her 92nd birthday this year, and we were lucky enough to get to have lunch with her on her special day.

The small birthday celebration was not our only visit to Granny P's farm. Nick, Ella, Kate, and I spent several afternoons out with Grandma chatting, playing, laughing, and admiring her Christmas village.

Grandma, or Granny P to my children, is the spunkiest 92-year-old I have ever known. I love that lady so darn much!

granny p

Good Times with Nana and Grandpa

2011-11-26T23:38:00.021+01:00

I am so thankful to have been able to attend the Price family Thanksgiving celebration and the baby shower for my cousin Erin. When you live half a world away, you miss all that stuff. Being there in the flesh is beyond fantastic.

But one of the most amazing things about this visit to my parents' house was all the glorious down time. Crafts and projects with Nana, singalongs with Grandpa at the piano or on his guitar, hide-and-go-seek with Price, peek-a-boo with Brennan, pictures with Aunt Kara, dancing on the ceiling with Uncle Ty...SO MUCH FUN.

I love my family. I am so incredibly blessed.

nana and grandpa's house

Price Family Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T23:36:00.173+01:00

Thanksgiving with the Price family is never dull. After missing the last two years, it was especially wonderful to spend the holiday with my big, awesome, hilarious, loving, LOUD family.

In the spirit of the holidays I put together a list of some of the things that make my family's Thanksgiving celebration so darn special. And since we are a family of musicians (when I say "we" I mean my dad and uncles) I put it to music.

Okay now guys. Everybody SING!

TWELVE FEATURES OF A PRICE FAMILY THANKSGIVING
(sung to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas")

At the Price family Thanksgiving my true love gave to me...
12 Real-life Prices
11 Cassero-oles
10 Different Desserts
9 Price Grandchildren
8 Great-Grandchildren
7 Different Last Names
6 Cups of Spiced Punch
5 Kinds of Meeeeeeeeeeeeeat
4 Pettyjohns
3 Cheese Balls
2 Stinky Morgans
And a Baby in Erin's Belly!

Notes:
12 real life Prices are people present whose last name is currently Price: Noma Mae, Ron Jr, Gina, Tiffany, Sean, Erick, Brenda, Amie, Chris, Kathie, Scott, Elizabeth, Kennadi, Ascher, Boone, Megan, Kaiser. (Actual number: 17...let's just round down to 12 for the sake of the song, okay?)
11 casseroles...but only one actually matters: CHEESY BROCCOLI AND RICE. And yes, it's perfectly okay to stretch a three-syllable word into four.
10 different desserts including (but not limited to) pumpkin pie, pecan pie, raisin pie, pumpkin log, cheesecake...and I only listed the ones I consumed.
9 Price grandchildren (offspring of Ron, Dan, Erick, Chris, and Regi): Ron Jr, Sarah, Aubrey, Scott, Kara, Erin, Boone, Sean, and Amie.
8 Great-grandchildren (offspring of above Price grandchildren): Tiffany, Wynter, Kennadi, Ella, Price, Ascher, Kate, Brennan, and Kaiser.
7 different last names represented: Price (obviously), Dye, Kay, Morgan, Locke, Pettyjohn, Schneberger.
6 cups of spicy percolator punch downed by yours truly. But I know for a fact Keith drank AT LEAST as many as I did.
5 kinds of meat: turkey, ham, beef sausage, duck, and chicken. Sure is nice having a butcher in the family. We love you, Keith!
4 Pettyjohns. That's us!
3 cheese balls. I singlehandedly ate one of the three.
2 stinky Morgans. Explanation necessary? I think not.
1 baby in Erin's belly. Any day now, Baby Schne! We can't wait to meet you!

Oklahoma Thanksgiving

November Sunshine

2011-11-23T23:35:00.024+01:00

I know I said it in my last post, but November weather in Oklahoma can be absolutely glorious.

One Saturday we spent the afternoon in Nana and Grandpa's front yard. Nana Kathie pulled out tons of awesome kid toys and played like a kid herself. Uncle Tyler, Aunt Kara, Price, and Brennan got in on the action and loads of silliness ensued.

(Grandpa not pictured. He was doing some weekend work at school. BOOOOOO!)

playing outside

Autumn Leaves

2011-11-19T23:35:00.031+01:00

The day after we arrived in Oklahoma, Ella and Kate were raring to go. (Coming back this way jet lag is so much easier.) Cousins Price and Brennan and Aunt Kara came to see us, and we had an incredibly fun weekend laughing, relaxing, and watching the kids play together at my parents' house in Burns Flat.

One afternoon we went over to see my junior high bff and her children who were visiting their Nana Cathy. It was great to catch up with Joni and see her gorgeous children again.

And while we were there, our kids enjoyed playing in the leaves in Cathy's backyard. After three cold winters in Germany, it was amazing to be out in long-sleeved t-shirts in late November!

Up in the Air

2011-11-18T22:08:00.026+01:00

For the record I feel really guilty about my last post. I was in a bad mood because I woke up so early and I had a seriously bad attitude about spending the next 21 hours in transit with two small children.

Little did I know that those two little munchkins would be the best travelers in the world. I realize that I ALWAYS say that. Our kids are great travelers because they HAVE to be in this family. But this time it's even more true than ever before.

These kids played for HOURS with their new travel toy. They colored and played with stickers for another hour. They watched Tangled for two hours. We took a three hour family nap. (Normal for many 2- and 4-year-olds, but both of these girls dropped naps completely just after their second birthdays.)

Nick and I were blown away. We napped. We read our books. We chatted to each other while the girls watched their movie.

At one point I suddenly realized that I had read almost 100 pages in my book and I immediately felt guilty. I quickly put it away and apologized to Nick for making him deal with the kids on his own. He turned to me with a weird look on his face and said, "I'm not doing ANYTHING. They are just being THAT GOOD."

When we were picking up our luggage with two happy smiling kids in Oklahoma City, twenty-two hours after we woke up in Germany, Nick said, "Are you SURE you want to have another baby? Our life is so EASY right now!"

The idea of starting again with nighttime wake-ups, breastfeeding, teething, naps, etc is almost repulsive right now, but I still REALLY want a third child. But after that dream flight, bringing a fifth Petty into the world is truly up in the air.

Auf Wiedersehen, Deutschland!

2011-11-17T07:17:00.001+01:00

T-minus three point five hours until the Petty Four leaves German air space.

It is currently 7:10am. I am showered, dressed, completely packed, and ready to walk out the door.

Unfortunately our driver doesn't arrive until 8:00am.

While most people would be happy to be ahead of schedule, I am mentally cursing myself. Why the heck did I get up so early?! I could easily have squeezed in another half hour of sweet precious sleep!

Today is going to be a looooooong day. A 21-hour day (barring any plane delays or missed flights) to be precise. While a travel day like that is always hard, it is INFINITELY HARDER with children. Those of you who make long flights without children, you have no idea how lucky you are.

But once we make it through this long, difficult day, our whole family will be in America for SEVEN WEEKS. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year in OK and MO.

There is no place like home for the holidays!!!!

11/11/11: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2011-11-11T21:29:00.000+01:00

When I was a kid I always felt a little thrill when I looked at a digital clock and it said 11:11. Word on the street was that the number 11 was lucky, so TWO elevens had to be double lucky. I also liked catching 9:27 (my birthday) and 12:25 (Christmas).

In the spirit of full discretion, I still get a little bit excited when I see those times displayed on the old timepiece. I just thought it sounded less...peculiar...to say that I liked it when I was a kid. An adult who cares about stuff like that is kind of a dork.

I think dates are cool too. And today is 11/11/11. That is THREE elevens! TRIPLE LUCK! (I cannot believe I just managed to make myself sound more like a dork.)

I didn't do anything of note today. When someone asks me "Where were you on 11/11/11?" I won't have a cool answer. (Not that anyone would ask. Only truly dorky people would care about something dumb like that.)

But just in case some weird person asks Nick what he did on 11/11/11, he will be able to tell them that he and Mattie (aka The Thuse) took the Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) from Calais (France) to Folkstone (England) on that thrice lucky day.

To be perfectly honest, I am a little bit sad that I didn't get to go with Nick and Mattie on the Chunnel. That's something I have always wanted to do. (Let's just keep the dorkiness rolling, shall we?)

Even though I missed out on the Chunnel ride, I am so happy that our car and our cat will be stashed safely away in the UK while we make our 7-week trip to America. Not only will Mattie be super happy with our friends there, everything will be WAITING ON US when we arrive in January.

We are slowly chipping away at our relocation to-do list, and this time next week I will be in the great state of OKLAHOMA!

Care Package

2011-11-10T19:59:00.010+01:00

Yesterday we received a package in the mail from our awesome friends Brooke, Tony, and various other (unspecified) University of Tulsa alums in the DC area.

This was a timely arrival as it was our first day that our house was completely empty. The girls sincerely needed a distraction, and this package delivered. The box was full of great stuff, but these shirts totally stole the show.

That's right. Shirts that say "THE PETTY FOUR."

And not just for the girls. There are shirts for all FOUR of the Petty Four.

You better believe you're going to be seeing all four of us wearing our shirts in the near future.

A huge HUGE thanks to Brooke, Tony, et al for being such wonderful, caring, hilarious friends.

B&T, we should be sending YOU care packages (maybe some of these...) after all you've gone through in the last two years, and here you are spoiling us and making me laugh every time I see those shirts. Sending lots of love from Deutschland to DC.

P.S. Hoping for a repeat of this US vs UK Fourth of July competition in the summer of 2012. :) Come visit us as soon as you can!

Moving Madness

2011-11-07T22:32:00.001+01:00

The movers came TODAY!

All our worldly goods are packed up. Half of it is ready to load into crates first thing tomorrow morning, while the other half is already on the truck.

Our house is a maze of boxes and bubble wrap and furniture wrapped in blankets. It seems backward, but this is the part where I stop feeling sad. My home looks like a haunted house, but I feel totally awesome and energized.

I've already forgotten about the previous two weeks of reflection, sadness, and tears. I have officially moved on to the adventure/adrenaline phase! For now I'm just going to focus on the excitement and pretend that the ugly, let down, homesick REALITY of relocating is never going to happen.

The totally weird part about this move is that we won't see our household goods or choose a new house for at least three months (perhaps as long as FIVE months). That's a LONG time to be in a state of limbo. I'm just hoping that the excitement of visiting family and celebrating the holidays will keep the girls from getting too freaked out about living like gypsies for 12+ weeks.

My children thrive on routine, and routine is going to be hard to come by over the next few months. Hopefully they take it all in stride the way they have today.

This is our playroom. There are 17 boxes labeled "toys." I swear we donated TONS. I would have insisted on more, but my kids were kind of freaked out. (See previous two posts.)

Playing amongst the boxes.

Sister silliness or big sister torture? You be the judge.

Our dresser came out through an upstairs window.

Loading the truck. Moving madness at its finest!

It Takes Two...Plus a Village

2011-11-06T21:11:00.001+01:00

Last week we were not in a good place. I was nostalgic and weepy about leaving this phase of my life. Ella was totally freaked out about leaving the only home she remembers. Kate was on edge because Ella was freaked out. And Nick was consumed with all of the last-minute details of a work-related move.

On Thursday of last week, Nick came home to three crying girls. He took one look at us and immediately adopted the "divide and conquer" strategy. He put Ella in her bedroom with a book, Kate in her bedroom with Barney and a cup of milk, and me in the kitchen with my pots and pans.

It sounds like my husband is a sexist who thinks his wife's place is in the kitchen, but cooking dinner all by myself is a truly soothing activity for me. Basically he put each of his ladies her happy place with specific tasks that are calming for each of us.

Then Nick made his rounds. He hugged me and assured me that he could handle the ladies. He gave Kate his undivided attention and gave her the Daddo snuggles she loves more than anything on earth. Then he focused his full attention on Ella and carefully set her world to rights.

I still don't know what my husband said to my daughter, but it soothed her soul. In about half an hour she went from frantic and freaked out to placid and pleasant.

Nick remembers moving when he was four years old, and he knew what was bothering Ella in a way that I didn't understand. (I lived in the same house until I went to college.) In 30 minutes he got down to the root of what was bothering her (I had been trying all day) and reassured her that everything would be okay (another thing I had been trying to do all day).

I had been giving it my best effort, but it wasn't enough. My husband walked through the door and restored our happy home in no time flat. We were able to end the day with a happy dinner, hilarious bath, and a relaxed and loving bed time.

I believe that kids need two parents. If one is struggling to meet the needs of the day, the other can step in and lend a hand. Or, as in this case, completely save the day.

I don't think I have ever been happier to be married to this particular Superman.

The next morning, I shared the sad story of the previous day with two girlfriends. My amazingly creative (photographer) friend Felicity suggested that I put a camera in Ella's and Kate's hands and let them take pictures of their favorite parts of our house. Then my wise and sensitive mother-in-law Julie suggested that we make a memory box with mementos of our favorite times and activities.

My mommy mentors gave us the perfect Friday afternoon activity.

The girls and I made a list of our favorite places, our most cherished routines, and our best loved activities in this house. Then we took pictures of ourselves.

These are the results. (A few photos were taken the following day.)

Preparing breakfast with my little ladies.

These are the "assigned seats" at our breakfast/lunch/dinner table.

This is Ella's favorite place to read.

And this is Kate's favorite place to look at her books.

This is Thusie's favorite place to rest.

This is our favorite place to do an art project.

This is our (read: Kate's) favorite potty. No mean guys in sight!


This is where we put our shoes and jackets. (The girls were calling all the shots.)

This is our favorite place to skype and send facebook messages.

This is where the girls play hide and seek on a daily basis.

This game (devised by Kate) is called "Baby Races." It was the hottest game of the summer, but Nick and I are still unsure of its rules and/or objective.

This game (devised by Ella) is called "Nut Hunt." The goal is to pick nuts up off the ground and place them in one's bowl. It was another favorite in our house this fall.

If Ella (miracle of miracles) actually takes a nap, this is where the magic happens.

Let the record show that Kate has never in her life napped here. But she INSISTED on being photographed pretending to do so.

This is Thusie's favorite place to drink water.

This is where the girls take baths.

And this is one of the most cherished parts of my day.

Last week confirms that raising children and making a happy home is a joint effort. Just when I feel like I'm at my wits' end, my husband, my family, and my friends lend a hand and save my life.

Thanks to all of you (including those of you in the blogosphere) who listened while I fretted. Your input and sympathetic ears helped make my life easier.

Our House Is a Very Fine House

2011-11-03T09:48:00.000+01:00

The movers come to pack up our house on MONDAY.

I can't believe it's already time to leave. Didn't we just get here??

I must have a split personality. I feel so sad about moving on, but I barely even LIKE Germany! An emotional, tearful meltdown seems to be just under the surface at all times. I don't love my house, I don't love our neighborhood, I don't love German food, I don't love German culture...yet I feel heavyhearted about leaving. Like I said, split personality.

This is where my babies became little people. Where we became a real family. Where I started to feel truly comfortable in my mom-skin. Where I made many dear friends. It's the longest stretch of time in our married lives that we have lived in one house.

To top it off, while I'm feeling sad, Ella and Kate are extremely apprehensive about the move. They ask about a dozen times a day, "We will take ____ with us to England?"

Sometimes they ask if we will take silly things, like our potty, windows, doors, etc. Kate tells me every day that she wants to take the downstairs potty with us to England, but "not the upstairs potty where the mean guys are." What the heck does that mean?!

Sometimes it's something basic (yet not vitally essential) that we use on a daily basis (like a computer, lamp, microwave, bed, etc). Queries about these items are accompanied with a look on their faces that clearly say, "I hope you say yes because I don't understand how we could LIVE without them!" These kids would never make it in the 1800's.

Sometimes they ask about a beloved toy, in which case the question is posed with quivering chins and glistening eyes. Yesterday afternoon Ella burst into tears at least a dozen times while going through the toys in our playroom. Every time Ella would start to cry, Kate would cry too because she HATES to see Ella upset.

My sentimental Ella Mae and tenderhearted Lizzie Kate, I wish Daddo and I could make this easier on you. We're doing our best, but it doesn't seem to be enough.

Nick and I keep trying to explain that we will have a new house in England and, though it will be different, it will be our HOME.

Meanwhile, I fight the tears and count the days.

Only three more sweet mornings like this.

This morning with my girls, their ponies, and a cup full of "bean soup."

And only four more silly lunches like this.

My sous chefs helping make BLT's yesterday afternoon.

I believe that our life is England will be wonderful, but there is no way it can be better than this.

Athens Lost Its Marbles

2011-11-01T20:45:00.000+01:00

Our awesome cat whisperer friend Paul posted this comment on an earlier post.

Was there any mention at the museum of the ongoing argument that the Greeks are having with the British about the Elgin Marbles?

Instead of replying via email, I have decided to write an entire post about the so-called Elgin Marbles.

First of all, if you're wondering what the Elgin Marbles are, you are not alone. A few years ago one of our friends went to the British Museum in London expecting to see small, spherical pieces of glass (you know, regular marbles), and grew confused when the signs kept pointing him into a room full of sculptures. When he asked the nice English docent to tell him exactly where he could find the little marbles (he even used a hand gesture to indicate that he was expecting something small), she replied incredulously, "Sir...they are ALL AROUND YOU."

The "Elgin Marbles" are the friezes and pediments of the Parthenon in Athens. Lord Elgin, a British aristocrat, was granted permission to sketch the Parthenon sculptures in the early 1800's. Instead, he carted the treasures of the Parthenon to England and never returned them.

Personally I think referring to these ancient Greek sculptures as "Elgin Marbles" makes it sound as though Lord Elgin has some legitimate claim to them. (He does NOT.) As though the Brits didn't steal one of the greatest treasures of Ancient Greece and refuse to give them back. (They DID.) If they called them "Athens Marbles" or "Greek Marbles" or "Parthenon Marbles" people would wonder what the heck they were doing in London and think the Brits are big time art thieves. (They kind of ARE.)

Anyway, on to Paul's question. There was no mention of the Elgin Marbles at the National Archaeological Museum because everything that has to do with the Acropolis is housed at the Acropolis Museum.

We visited the Acropolis Museum on our first day in Athens. (No photography was allowed, or I would have posted some.) It was built just a few years ago and is an EXCELLENT design. Every aspect of the museum is tailored to display the treasures of the Parthenon in the best light possible. The Greeks built this new museum hoping that it would convince the Brits to return their treasures, but they never had any guarantees from the Brits. (Kind of putting the cart before the horse, in my opinion.) So even though this museum is AWESOME -- the architecture and displays are vastly superior to those at the British Museum -- this gorgeous museum which is positioned right next door to the Acropolis contains mostly reproductions. It is just plain sad.

When we saw the so-called Elgin Marbles in London, I didn't feel all that sympathetic with the Greeks. After all, it's not as though Lord Elgin spirited all that rock away in the dark of night. It took him years to box it up, cart it down the hill, put it on boats, and sail it to England. Were the Greek officials SLEEPING during all of that?! Why didn't they put a stop to it??

But when I saw the Parthenon stripped of its gorgeous sculptures and the Acropolis Museum full of reproductions, I was angry with the Brits. (Hard for me to admit, as I love pretty much all things British.)

There is no doubt that the ancient sculptures of the Parthenon should be returned to their rightful home in Athens.

Give 'em up, London. Those aren't your marbles.

P.S. If you think this is an interesting story, read Stealing Athena (historical fiction) and learn a little more about Lord Elgin and his marbles.

City of Athena

2011-10-31T22:16:00.000+01:00

We capped off our 10-day trip to Greece with one last day in Athens.

It was a patriotic holiday in Greece (cool backstory, check the link), and Athens's city center was closed down for parades, Greeks in traditional dress, and flag-waving patriots. Hard to believe that just over one week earlier there were violent protests in the same square.

We spent the morning at the National Archaeological Museum. It was awesome.

Then we had a late lunch at the best Greek restaurant I've ever been to. In our two days in Athens, we ate two meals there. They were the two best meals I had the whole trip. AMAZING.

It was a perfect way to end an incredible trip.

athens -- archeological museum

Colossal Caldera: Santorini

2011-10-31T21:58:00.000+01:00

Our final cruise stop was on the island of Santorini. Nick and I both wanted to visit Santorini for years, so we had super high hopes for this portion of our trip.

All the islands we visited were beautiful. The whitewashed buildings, the brightly painted domes and doors and shutters, the blue sky and sea...STUNNING. Santorini has all that with the added benefit of being an active volcano.

Thousands of years ago, Santorini was a much larger island than it is now. When the volcano erupted and all the magma underneath the island spewed out into the air, the crust collapsed without the support of the magma. The ocean rushed into the crater that was formed, and the once oval-shaped island became a narrow C-shaped island with ocean filling the middle of the C. (C is for caldera.)

Fira is the largest town on the island, and it is perched atop the cliff on the edge of the caldera. While Fira abounds with touristy junk shops (unfortunately that is true of many of the Greek islands), it also has gorgeous churches, streets, hotels, and restaurants. Most of all, it has a simply unforgettable view of the caldera.

When our ship sailed into the middle of the caldera, I got goosebumps. I got goosebumps over and over again when I looked down into the caldera from the edge of the cliff on the island. Watching the sun set in Santorini is a truly unforgettable experience.

Unfortunately, we only had about five hours in Santorini. Cruises are nice in so many ways -- great food, floating hotel, effortless transportation, etc -- but my one huge complaint is that I have no control over the timetable. While five hours was MORE than enough time in some places (Patmos and Crete) it was not even CLOSE to enough time in others (Santorini and Mykonos).

Fortunately we were smart enough to arrive in Mykonos early, stay there for three days, then board the cruise ship when everyone else on board was only docked there for five hours. I wish we could have gotten off the boat and stayed a few days in Santorini. While it is super cool to have been there, now I just want to go back and stay longer.

Much longer.

We loved Santorini. We will be back. :)

santorini

Cruisin' the Aegean: Patmos and Crete

2011-10-31T19:15:00.001+01:00

Our two least favorite ports of call were on the islands of Patmos and Crete.

Patmos’s claim to fame is that John of Patmos was exiled here in the first century AD. During his exile, St John received the visions that he recorded in what became the New Testament’s Book of Revelation.

We visited the legendary cave and found that it is now crammed full of Byzantine iconography, reeks of incense, and is guarded by a stern-looking Greek Orthodox priest. There is a small hole in the rock with a head-sized indentation where St John may have rested his head.

I'm really not sure why the boat stopped here for so long as a visit to the cave takes one hour at the most.

patmos

Crete is the largest Balkan island and the center of the ancient Minoan civilization from approximately 3000-1100BC. The Minoans were totally awesome – so awesome that the ancient Greeks modeled their society on the Minoans who lived hundreds years before.

Unfortunately very little of the Minoan civilization remains in and around Heraklion, the largest city on Crete. There are some ruins of the Palace of Knossos, but we opted not to visit them because we had heard from many sources Knossos was totally anticlimactic after visiting the incredible city of Ephesus only two days earlier. So we walked around the city and saw the old port, ship-building shelters, fountains, and churches from the era when Crete was occupied by the Venetians from 1200-1600AD.

Once again, the boat stopped for almost five hours in a town where we enjoyed ourselves for about half an hour.

Then again, there are worse places to be than an island in the middle of the Aegean on a warm Mediterranean morning. :) I feel like a brat saying it wasn't that cool...but it really wasn't that cool.

crete

Hit the Rhodes Jack

2011-10-31T18:43:00.001+01:00

Our cruise ship stopped for an entire day in the main city on the island of Rhodes. We expected Rhodes to be pretty cool, but it was more impressive than we had imagined.

At first glance it looked as though just entering the old town would be a challenge. The tall city walls are as imposing today as they were when they were built in the 14th century by the Knights of St John. We entered through the main gate (stopping for a family photo, naturally) and perused the shops in the city center.

We walked up the Avenue of the Knights and spotted the Inns of England, Spain, Provence, and Germany. We visited the Palace of the Grand Masters and admired the architecture. The palace was reconstructed by the Italians in the early 1900’s when they took control of Rhodes, and there were multiple plaques dedicating the palace to the great Benito Mussolini. (Weird.) The mosaics (taken from the nearby island of Kos) were gorgeous, and Ella examined them critically after her short lesson from the mosaic artist in Mykonos. :)

The churches in Rhodes differed from the Greek Orthodox churches we had seen on other islands. What were originally Catholic churches from the time of the Knights of St John were converted into mosques when the Ottomans conquered the island in the 16th century, then converted back into Catholic churches by the Italians in the first part of the 20th century, and are now mostly Greek Orthodox. If buildings can suffer from mental illness, those churches are schizophrenic.

We enjoyed an excellent lunch of mezes on a lovely square in the old city. With our bellies full and our dogs barking, we headed back to the boat and spent a glorious sunny day at the pool under the Mediterranean sun.

rhodes

What the F Is This? It's Ephesus.

2011-10-29T21:59:00.000+02:00

After three days in Mykonos, we boarded a cruise ship and sailed to Turkey. Our first port of call was Kusadasi, which is only 20 minutes from the site of the ancient city of Ephesus.

Oh yeah, in case you can't tell, Nick came up with this post title.

And while we're on the subject of my dear husband, he claims that Ephesus was the "sleeper" site of our tour of ancient Greece. (Ephesus is in modern-day Turkey, but the city was Greek to the core.) Neither of us had high expectations for Ephesus, so we were completely blown away.

This place is AMAZING. We just couldn't get over it. While Rome and Ephesus both flourished at the same time, the ruins of Ephesus are so much more intact than those of Rome (specifically Palatine Hill and the Forum).

There was a theater and a basilica, streets and temples galore, terraced housing complete with frescoed walls and radiant floor heat, public baths and latrines, and the most gorgeous library facade in the ancient world. While we walked through the city it was eerily easy to imagine that we had gone back in time.

Cruise Ship Time Machine -- it hits theaters in fall 2012.

Obviously it's getting late if I'm writing sentences like the one above. Did I mention we got up at 3:00am (Greek time) to get on our plane back to Germany?? If you know me at all, you know I get slap happy when I'm tired.

I will leave you with this: WE LOVED EPHESUS. Hopefully you enjoy the pictures.

ephasus

Go Greek: The Island of Mykonos

2011-10-29T21:13:00.001+02:00

After one day in Athens, we boarded a plane to the island of Mykonos. It was the shortest flight I've ever been on (less than 20 minutes total) and without a doubt the prettiest aerial views I've ever seen.

We spent three awesome days in Mykonos taking in the views, soaking up the sun, and getting lost in the labyrinthine streets of Hora.

Because we were there at the very end of the tourist season, the party scene Mykonos is known for was (thankfully) nowhere to be found. The streets were busy but not crowded, and the beaches were almost empty. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and were able to just...relax.

I know most people vacation to relax, but our trips in Europe are filled to the max with sightseeing, research, and planning. Seeing the sights of Europe is totally amazing, but it's not always RELAXING. Especially with two young children in tow.

In Mykonos we were able to take our time and take it all in. The girls loved the beach, the cats, and the sunshine. Nick and I loved spending time with our little family in one of the most idyllic settings on earth.

mykonos

Greece Is the Word: Acropolis of Athens

2011-10-29T21:13:00.000+02:00

The Petty Four just got back from an absolutely incredible 10-day trip to Greece.

We scheduled this trip in May, back when we thought we would move back to the States just after New Year. This visit to Greece was supposed to be an epic "farewell to Europe" trip. Little did we know at the time, we would wind up moving to England for three more years. :)

Farewell to Europe or not, visiting Greece was a lifelong dream for Nick and for me. Ever since we both took Plato and the Greek Polis (that's a class that only ~~uber geeks~~ cool people in the Honors program can take) during our freshman year of college, we have both dreamed of going to Greece.

Our Grecian adventure began in Athens. Talk about a weird time to be in town.

The day we arrived was the most violent day of the protests at the Parliament building (two blocks from our hotel). When we drove into the city center, there were armed policemen clustered everywhere. Other than that, the streets were completely deserted. Trash was piled on every corner because the garbage men had been on strike for 12 days straight. Our driver sadly remarked that the city center looked like a war zone. He told us he was sorry that we had to see his "beautiful city" looking like this. When we walked into the hotel, the smell of smoke and gasoline burned our nostrils.

The next morning dawned clear and bright. The streets had been hosed down, shops were open, and it was business as usual for most Athenians. We avoided Sytagma square, the scene of all the violence the day before. Instead we visited the Acropolis, strolled through the Acropolis Museum, and ambled through the streets of the Plaka.

It was an amazing day in Athens. It was hard to believe that the day before had been such a sad day for the city. It almost felt wrong to be so happy and carefree when Greece (and the entire Eurozone) is in the midst of such a massive financial crisis, but walking around the Acropolis truly was a dream come true.

See for yourself in the pictures below!

athens -- acropolis

Two Little Monkeys

2011-10-19T15:05:00.000+02:00

Let the record show that I have inadvertently ordered multiple items from Old Navy several times in the past year. Living overseas it costs so much to ship the extra item back that it almost isn't worth it. So, to make a long story short, I usually wind up keeping my multiple items.

Sometimes this is very very bad. Like when I ordered two of these.

U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you're UGLY.

I don't even know why I thought I needed ONE of these, much less two.

But sometimes you get lucky. Your "mistake" becomes something totally awesome.

This year I ordered two monkey costumes from Old Navy. What is better than one precious little girl in a monkey suit? TWO little girls in monkey suits!!! Just try and tell me this isn't awesome.

Two little monkeys standing on the bed.

Admiring themselves in the mirror.

Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Let the jumping begin!

Look at those smiles.

Kate gets some serious air.

Ella takes a leap!

And lands on her monkey bum.

Who knew monkey business could be so fun?!

I mean really. Those smiles say it all.

No heads were bumped in the making of this video.

Kate's Smooth Look

2011-10-13T16:28:00.000+02:00

Yesterday afternoon Kate requested a snack. When I suggested fresh sliced strawberries with honey, Kate replied glibly, "Ummmm...no. I think Oreos."

I laughed like a crazy person (because that's what I do) and when I looked down at Kate to renegotiate, this is what I saw.

I laughed like crazy (again) and said, "That's a cute funny face, Kate-mo."

She remained in that position and without cracking a smile or breaking eye contact, Kate replied in a pouty voice, "This is my smooth look."

another variation of Kate's Smooth Look

For the record, Kate's Smooth Look did earn her two chocolate-filled Oreos and a glass of milk. I'm a sucker for the Smooth Look.

And just for your viewing pleasure, here are a couple of pics of my girls coloring this morning.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

2011-10-11T15:16:00.000+02:00

Since Nick had a three-day weekend (a special thanks to my friend the arrogant sea dog, Chris Columbus) we decided to make a day trip to one of the most photographed towns in Germany: Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Throughout the day I had multiple deja vu experiences. I think I have seen so many photos of Rothenburg that my mind had begun to believe I had actually been there.

I'm taking the easy way out when it comes to describing the town itself. You can read all about Rothenburg on Wikipedia. You also might enjoy this somewhat jaded commentary from Rick Steves.

While it pains me to agree with the Nazis, the town was German to the hilt. The half-timbered houses, the Marktplatz and Rathaus, the (misplaced) pride in its Franconian wine and food, the leaded crystal and beer steins in every shop window, the legend of a wine-guzzling city mayor...UBER DEUTSCH.

RODT (RO-DEE-TEE yeah you know me!) was picturesque and filled with excellent (if kitschy) shopping. Since we move next month, this was most likely our final day trip in Germany. I think it was a great one to end on.

rothenburg odt

According to Kate

2011-10-09T21:52:00.000+02:00

KATE ON GEOGRAPHY: England is part of the United States.

Lately Kate has started singing the "Fifty Nifty United States" song. She doesn't have it completely memorized yet, but she's getting close. My favorite part is when she gets to the M's and sing "Maryland, Massachusetts, England!" Move over, Michigan! England has taken your place in the union.

KATE ON CHARACTER: Even criminals can have redeeming qualities.

This week The Lion King came out of the Disney vault. Kate LOVES lions, so this was very exciting for her. Imagine her distress when she realized that Scar, one of the lions in the movie, was a MEAN lion. After watching the movie two times, Kate told us very seriously, "Scar is kind of a mean lion...he made another lion die...but I really like his song."

KATE ON AGING (part one): Nick looks very young.

Tonight at dinner Kate said, "Daddo, when I am big -- when I am 10 like you -- I will try spicy sauce."

KATE ON AGING (part two): Aubrey looks very old.

Tonight at dinner Kate said, "Mommy, when your eyebrows go up why do you get those lines on your forehead?"

KATE ON NAMES: Everyone should be named Elizabeth.

This afternoon Kate said, "Mommy, you are Aubrey Elizabeth, I am Elizabeth Kate, and Charlie Brown is Elizabeth Charlie Brown."

KATE ON CHRISTMAS: Let heaven, nature, and Marylanders sing.

Kate's favorite song in all the world is "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." No matter how often we correct her, she insists on singing "joyful froggy nations rise" and "Christ is born in Maryland." Wow. I love that kid.

Life's a Garden...Dig It

2011-10-08T20:34:00.001+02:00

We have had the most glorious fall weather I've ever seen. The girls and I have enjoyed every ray of sunshine. It feels like a sneaky bonus because Germany is usually cool and grey by mid-September.

Here they are outside in skirts and short sleeves working in our flower bed...in October!

dig it

A Zeed Indeed

2011-10-06T15:35:00.008+02:00

Yesterday afternoon Ella came down the stairs sobbing and holding her nose.

ELLA: Mommy! [gulp] Mommy! [sniff] Look at my nose!
AUBREY: [looks her over thoroughly] Sweetie, I don't see anything wrong. There's no blood...it doesn't look red...
ELLA: No! Look IN my nose!
AUBREY: Okay, okay. Move your hands honey. [peers into nose] It really looks okay to me. There isn't any blood. Does it hurt?
ELLA: [frantically] Can you see the seed?!?
AUBREY: Uhhhhh...what seed?
ELLA: The popcorn seed that's inside my nose!
AUBREY: Oh no...surely you didn't...
ELLA: [sobbing] I DID! I didn't MEAN to, but I did! It just went up there and got stuck!
AUBREY: HOW DID IT "JUST GO UP THERE"?!
ELLA: I was smelling it and it went up!
AUBREY: Okay, Ella. Here's what we're going to do. [trying to be calm] BLOW OUT as hard as you can.
ELLA: [humongous gigantic sniff inward]
AUBREY: AAAAAAAUUUGGGHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOO! I said BLOW! Like you're trying to get snot OUT of your nose! The OPPOSITE of smelling!!! FORGET IT! Don't blow, don't smell, don't do ANYTHING!!!
ELLA: [wailing] You have to do SOMETHING, Mommy! I don't want this seed to stay in my nose!

So I got a flashlight and a pair of tweezers. This is what I saw.

That sucker was up there so far that there was NO WAY I was going after it with a pair of tweezers.

So I called the doctor's office. This is how my conversation with the German receptionist went down.
AUBREY: Hi. My four-year-old stuck an object in her nose. Can we come in and get it removed?
RECEPTIONIST: An obb-jeck?
AUBREY: An object...umm...a really small thing...a popcorn kernel.
RECEPTIONIST: Popcorn? Kernel?? Was ist das???
AUBREY: A seed. It's a seed.
RECEPTIONIST: A zeed??
AUBREY: Yes. A seed. Like what you plant to grow a flower. A SEED.
RECEPTIONIST: A zeed...I do not know this zeed.
AUBREY: Okay, it's little. It's a little thing. And it's in her nose. We need to get it out.
RECEPTIONIST: A little...zeed? In her nose?
AUBREY: [slowly...and probably loudly] She. Put. A. Little. Thing. In. Her. Nooooose. It. Is. Stuuuuuck.
RECEPTIONIST: Please hold.
[a long while later]
RECEPTIONIST: Bring her in. The doctor will look at the...zeed. It is in her nose?
AUBREY: [joyfully] Yes! A seed is in her nose!
RECEPTIONIST: [sounding skeptical] Okay. A zeed in the nose. We will see you soon.

A few minutes before we were about to walk out the door, Ella squealed and said, "Here it is! It came out!"

I called the doctor and gleefully reported that the zeed was out of my daughter's nose. She didn't sound happy about it. I couldn't figure out why she was so grumpy until I realized that the poor receptionist probably thought I was prank calling her.

But it was not a joke. And I have the pictures to prove it. :)

Britain Bound

2011-10-01T19:56:00.001+02:00

This fab foursome will be moving to England in January.

We made a cake to celebrate.

After deliberating for what felt like months (in reality we had less than two weeks to accept or decline the offer) my husband and I decided to move our little family back to the UK. It's hard for me to explain WHY. (I will spare you the four-page pro and con spreadsheet I created.) At the end of the day it boils down to one thing: Nick and I have dreamed of living in Cheltenham one more time ever since we left in 2007.

So we're living the dream and moving to England.

It sounds so crazy when I say it out loud. But it's really happening.

We leave Germany next month. Let the packing begin!

Going In-Seine: Mo's Mosquitoes

2011-09-30T21:19:00.044+02:00

My children were eaten alive by mosquitoes on our trip to Paris.

We have gone through the entire summer in Germany without even SEEING a mosquito, so we really weren't prepared. We don't own any insect repellent, and I never thought I would need to buy any for a trip to Paris.

Unfortunately, Ella and Kate both have pretty severe allergic reactions to mosquito bites. The bites swell up to the size of grapes. Their skin gets red, hot, and very tough (almost scaly). The site where the mosquito actually bit them gets a tiny (about the size of the head of a pin) pus-filled blister.

These giant bites itch like mad. Ella is old enough to refrain from scratching most of the time. But Kate...not so much. She scratches the little blisters off (WHY must she scratch the blisters off?!), her bites bleed and wind up more inflamed than they were already.

To keep her little fingernails away from her bites, Kate has been walking around all week looking like this.

This fashion statement elicits many comments. Kids think it's super cool, but their moms don't seem to agree. The moms tend give me strange oh-my-gosh-WHAT-in-the-world-is-under-those-Band-Aid looks. Like Kate might have an infectious disease. One said, "Wow! You're such a cool mom to let her go out with Band-Aids all over her face."

So today we removed the Band-Aids (from her face, the ones on her arms and legs stay on) and she walked around like this.

Poor baby. These bites are a week old and they still look pretty bad. And did I mention that Kate seems to also be allergic to the Band-Aid adhesive?? That girl can't catch a break.!

Paris in the Fall

2011-09-26T16:29:00.100+02:00

Maybe it's that the weather was absolutely positively PERFECT. Crisp mornings, cool evenings, and days filled with sunshine and golden light.

Maybe it's that all the other Eurotourists were in Munich at Octoberfest. While they were busy shouting "PROST!" we were enjoying uber short lines at every site in the city.

Maybe it's that this was my third trip to Paris. I know the lay of the land, I have ideas on how to prioritize and save time, I have favorite restaurants and shops in various parts of the city.

Maybe it's that autumn is hands-down my favorite season. This was my birthday weekend, and to top it off I was with my sweet little nuclear family and a beloved uncle and aunt.

For a million different reasons, I LOVE Paris in the fall. (Me and Frank Sinatra.)

This was just an awesome trip. The girls were on their best behavior, the food (and wine!) was to die for, and I got to revisit old favorites AND have completely new experiences. Below are (in chronological order) the highlights of the trip.

EIFFEL TOWER AT NIGHT (day one). I had the privilege of viewing the Eiffel Tower at night for the first time after a grown-up dinner out with our dear friends Susan and Richard. But since that trip took place in the middle of summer, the girls (and my dad) were fast asleep and missed the whole show. Since it gets dark around 8:00pm nowadays, Ella and Kate were able to see la Tour Eiffel in all her glowing glittering glory. They were captivated. And I absolutely loved watching those radiant little faces ooh and ahh while the Eiffel Tower sparkled just for them.

THE TOP OF NOTRE DAME (day two). Everyone has an opinion about what constitutes the Best View of Paris. In my opinion, the top (or second level) of the Eiffel Tower doesn't compete, the steps of Sacre Coeur don't compare, and the Montparnasse Tower doesn't hold a candle to the view from the top of Notre Dame. Quasimodo may have been repulsively ugly, but there is nothing unsightly about his view of Paris. It is positively breathtaking.

MONTMARTRE (day three). This hilltop arrondissement is something else. I have looked up at the startlingly white facade of Sacre Coeur (made of the same gypsum that is ground to make Plaster of Paris) on my previous trips to Paris, but didn't realize how much more there is to Montmarte. Its history of artists in residence (Van Gogh, Picasso, Pissaro, Degas, Renoir, Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec, and many more) is impressive, and the art for sale on the Place de Tertre is a dream come true for people like me who like to pick up a little something for the walls on trips. It's the home to such iconic sights as the (preserved) Moulin Rogues and the (derelict) Chat Noir. Walking through the streets of Montmartre, I felt (for the first time) like I could enjoy being Parisienne.

And apparently I'm not the only one. On our ramble through Montmartre, Ella told us that when she grows up she is going to be an artist and live in Paris. Somehow I can actually see that happening...

paris in the fall

Uncle Danny and Aunt Ruthie Visit Europe

2011-09-19T14:46:00.032+02:00

For the last half of September I was able to play hostess to two of my favorite people on earth: my Uncle Danny and Aunt Ruthie.

Ella and Kate decided almost instantly that Uncle Danny and Aunt Ruthie were kindred spirits. Dan and Ruth came with presents in hand (American Girl books for Ella Mae and a Hallmark Charlie Brown book for Lizzie Kate) and within minutes all four of them were fast friends.

During the first week of their visit, Dan and Ruth recovered from jet lag, spent the day in Wiesbaden, explored our village on foot, tore it up with the girls at Ramba Zamba, cruised the Rhine, and made a day trip to Strasbourg. In between day trips and local sightseeing, they spent every minute playing with Ella and Kate.

I did a horrible job taking pictures during this visit, but Dan and Ruth took lots. Until I supplement my small photo stash with some of theirs, you will have to be content with the ones below.

Uncle Danny & Aunt Ruthie

Who's Preggers?

2011-09-16T08:16:00.020+02:00

Just so we're clear... IT'S NOT ME.

But the jury's still out on Kate...

When I noticed that Kate was watching TV with Barney stuffed up her shirt bouncing on a beach ball, I was immediately reminded of the countless hours I spent bouncing on my yoga ball with each of my sweet babies in my belly.

The best part is that Kate has no memory of me being pregnant. It's pure instinct. :)

Deux Ballerines

2011-09-13T09:26:00.001+02:00

This week the girls started ballet classes.

Ella had to wait until she was three, but the new ballet teacher in our community offers a "mommy and me" class for two-year-olds. Kate is beyond excited about going to ballet "just like Ella."

For my money, there is NOTHING cuter than little girls in leotards, tights, and tutus.

See for yourself!

little ballerinas

Tea for Two

2011-09-12T09:05:00.002+02:00

This weekend the girls asked to have a tea party for "JUST THE LITTLE GIRLS."

I might not have been invited, but they allowed me to photograph the event. :)

tea for two

A word about tea sets for children.

We have this tea set made by Green Toys. While it's great in that it's not breakable, BPA-free, made from recycled materials, blah blah blah...the pot LEAKS! Worthless. And messy. And FRUSTRATING for a refined pinkies-up little lady like Miss Ella Mae.

Since the girls are both super careful, I think it's time to upgrade to a real porcelain set. But I'm having one heck of a time finding a pretty set for little girls. I love the looks of this one from Pottery Barn, but it doesn't have a creamer or sugar bowl. UNTHINKABLE.

The real problem here is that I am a PATHETIC internet "researcher." I cannot think of anything I like less than sitting in front of the computer, going from site to site, zooming on images, reading customer ratings and reviews, etc etc. I know there are Pinterest-loving people out there who will do this for HOURS, but I am not one of them. (Question: WHERE ON EARTH do they get the time?!)

I would most definitely be willing to pay someone else to do this for me. Someone should come up with a service. Of course, I'd much rather have free advice from other moms who have done the research for their little ladies. Any takers? :)

Ella's Fourth Birthday

2011-09-09T21:09:00.001+02:00

On Wednesday Ella Mae celebrated her fourth birthday.

That afternoon Ella and I discussed how much kids change in a single year. To illustrate my point, I listed some of the impressive things that Ella Mae learned while she was three.

--She started ballet lessons.
--She performed on stage in her first recital.
--She conquered her fears and braved every slide at Ramba Zamba.
--She learned to count to 100.
--She started reading.
--She figured out how to write the capital letters.
--She read her own chapter book.
--She started drawing her own pictures.
--She composed her first messages on the computer.

As I was going through this list, Ella stopped me and said, "You want to know my FAVORITE thing that I learned while I was three? I learned how to SNORT."

Impressive with a capital I.

When I asked Ella what she hopes to accomplish while she's four, she said, "I want to learn how to skip on both feet. And I want to get really really strong. And I want to figure out how to snort LOUDER."

Way to aim high, Ella Mae. Keep that up and there's no telling to what heights you will soar.

Man oh man. I love that kid.

ella's fourth birthday

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T21:22:00.004+02:00

After Kate got to come home from the "hospital hotel" late Saturday evening, we found ourselves with nothing to do on Labor Day weekend.

(We had originally planned to be in Greece this week. That trip has since been rescheduled thanks to my friends Olcay at Mediterra Holidays and Zach at Lufthansa.)

On Sunday we decided to go to Paul's Bauernhof Kurbisfest the next village over from ours. It was an awesome afternoon. Pony rides, all the fresh-pressed apple juice we could drink, A-MA-ZING pumpkin food, hay rides, miniature ATV rides for the more adventurous (not for my girlies, thank you!), and pumpkins galore. It is a shame that the Kurbisfest only lasts for one day because we would have walked over every day all week.

On Monday we went into Wiesbaden for lunch and shopping. It was another gorgeous day in Germany, and I was so happy to spend it with my family outside the hospital.

I mentioned in my last post that Kate will have routine cardiology check-ups for the rest of her life. These first six months are the most important.

At her appointment next month, we hope to see a membrane of new cells all over the surface of her occluder device. This is really important because that membrane should stop the small amount of shunting through her occluder device. It is normal to see this shunting at this point. The amount of blood shunting through is MUCH less than it was, but there is still a tiny bit passing through. We are hoping that all shunting has ceased in one month.

In six months, the device should be completely covered by tissue. If all goes as it should, at her six month appointment Kate will be able to stop taking blood thinners and we will go on with life as normal.

Fingers crossed and thumbs tucked that Kate's recovery is completely textbook!

back to reality

Heart of Gold: Hospital Day 5

2011-09-04T10:10:00.023+02:00

Late on Friday afternoon (day 4), Nick met with Kate's surgeon and cardio team to do a follow-up EKG and ECHO. Everything in Kate's heart looked absolutely perfect.

Dr Kampmann, Dr Pick, and the rest of the team were obviously proud of their successful repair of Kate's heart. They showed us before-and-after readings, explained what we were seeing on the ultrasounds, and answered all of our questions with smiles on their faces. They were enthusiastic and excited. I totally envisioned them high-fiving as soon as they were outside the door.

Dr Pick, who did all of Kate's pre-operative ECHOs' and EKG's, repeatedly called Kate his "little angel." He was our go-to doctor before we checked in to the hospital, and he assisted Dr Kampmann during her procedure. During this exam, he loved on Kate like she belongs to him. And in a way, she does.

During that meeting Dr Kampmann brought out an occluder device like the one used to repair Kate's defect, and Nick got to handle it and see exactly how it worked. It looks like a tiny little wire mesh hamburger. It is soft and flexible, collapses entirely into itself so it can fit into the 1.3mm catheter, and has a tiny hard end where it screws into the catheter.

The occluder is made of titanium and copper (will Kate set off metal detectors in the future?) but it looked like a tiny lump of solid gold to us. That little piece of metal means the world to my child in terms of her health and her future.

Speaking of her future, Kate has no restrictions whatsoever. She can run, jump, dance, play on the playground, etc.

Nick and I will keep her catheter insertion wounds (they look like a tiny little vampire bite to the groin) clean and avoid submerging them in the bath until they close completely. Kate will also take 50mg of aspirin every day for six months.

Kate will see her cardiology team in one month. At that point her heart will have formed a membrane of new cells all over the surface of her occluder device. In six months, the device will be completely covered by tissue.

Kate will have routine checkups in three months, six months, and one year. After that, her checkups will be yearly. When she reaches adulthood, she will visit a cardiologist biennially.

Late last night (Saturday) we were allowed to go home after 5 days and 4 nights at Mainz Uniklinik Kinderchirurgrie. The medical care our baby girl received there was absolutely top-notch. We are so happy to have been there for Kate's VSD repair, but we were also very relieved to be going home.

When Nick and I were getting ready for bed, we checked on our girls like we do every night. Ella was asleep with her bookmark in place and her flashlight turned off. Kate was sprawled out on her belly with Barney and Baby Lucy under each arm.

Every night since Kate was a tiny baby Nick and I have placed our hands on her heart before bed. We could always FEEL the whooshing heartbeat -- like a wheeze -- under our palms. With hands on our baby's heart, we said a silent prayer that her heart would heal.

We have done that every single night for over two years.

Last night we went in to check on Kate and put our hands on her chest just like we always do.

This time there was no whoosh, no wheeze. Just a steady thump underneath our palms.

With our hands on Kate's chest, we each said a new kind of prayer last night.

kate hospital

Heartfelt Thanks: Hospital Days 3-4

2011-09-02T22:20:00.000+02:00

First and foremost, THANK YOU ALL for your kind emails, facebook messages, and comments. Nick and I have been completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and kindness from our family and friends.

I honestly do not know if we will ever get around to responding to each of the 200+ personal messages in the way we should, but please know that we have read each and every message and been touched by all your wonderful words. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

On to daily matters...

This evening marks Kate's fourth ~~sleepless night~~ overnight stay in the "hospital hotel" that is Mainz Uniklinik.

The above sentence sounds bad. The situation stinks for Nick and me, but it's really okay for the person who really matters: Kate.

Our little Wunderkind has managed to sleep through the night in spite of cardiac monitors attached to various parts of her body (three on her chest, one on her toe, one on her wrist), a giant snake of electrical cords connected to those monitors (5 different cords each night), the incessant beeping of each monitoring device (malfunctions caused the beeping to go on almost continuously last night), and the intermittent cries of our roommate (a 15-month-old with PDA).

As I said, Nick and I have not fared so well. Consequently, we have been tag-teaming the nights in the hospital. Nick got to be home (i.e. sleep well) last night, and tonight is my night at home (woo hoo!).

This afternoon I started to complain to my mom about how the Germans love to keep people in the hospital as long as possible. After all, this procedure is OUT-PATIENT in the States. Why the heck do we need to stay 5-7 days?!

My wise mother cautioned me to think about my words. She pointed out that Kate's heart wouldn't have been repaired in the States since the Americans don't use this particular device. German doctors are careful about follow-up and want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are sending a child home perfectly healthy. Maybe it's not so bad after all.

Thanks for the perspective, Mom.

I think I was just burned out when I talked to mother dearest. Yesterday (Thursday) was a very long day.

Kate was restricted to her tiny little bed and we were instructed to keep her leg flat. That's HARD for a very active little girl like Kate. We watched videos galore, but after telling Kate to LIE DOWN about a dozen times in a ten minute span, Kate wailed, "But I just want to JUMP, Mommy!" At that point I didn't blame her one little bit.

Add to that the forcible return to diapers. Because they didn't want Kate's leg to bend at the hip due to the catheter insertion sites, she had to wear diapers all day. Every time she needed to go, she would whimper, "I need to go pee-pee, Mommy! Pleeeeeease let me go to the potty!" I had to make my big girl lie on her back to pee-pee and then change her diaper "like a baby." The shame! As soon as she would finish, Kate would yell, "CHANGE ME! I pee-peed! This is so yucky!" So much for potty training. (Sigh.)

Today was a much better day. Kate was allowed to escape the confines of her bed. She was allowed to bend her legs and use the potty.

I have three favorite memories from the past two days.

The first was when I listened to Kate's new heart for the first time. Instead of the "whoosh whoosh" heartbeat that Nick and I had monitored daily for 2+ years, there was instead the "bum bum" of a normal heartbeat. Hearing that healthy rhythm was an emotional moment for me. It felt like my child was truly a DIFFERENT person with a totally new heart. My astonishment was shared by the medical students who were ushered in to Kate's room before and after the procedure to hear the change. All three students were wide-eyed when they listened after the repair. They beamed at me from ear to ear, congratulating us all on the miraculous change to Kate's heart.

Second was when Kate brought out the brutal honesty. There was an older nurse in our ward who came by to check on us multiple times. This lady was...unfortunately unattractive. Every time we saw her (three times today alone) Kate would point rudely and stage whisper, "MOMMY! That's the lady with the MEEEEEAN face! Like the guy on the UP MOVIE!"

Best of all, Kate was finally allowed to see Ella. The reunion of the sisters made me cry. Ella hugged Kate so hard that her little arms were shaking. There were spontaneous exclamations of joy and lots of hugging. We sang "We're All Together Again," Swatty-style.

The Petty Four was so happy to be reunited that we didn't mind that our reunion took place in the lobby of a hospital. For us, it was magical.

Whole Hearted: Hospital Day 2

2011-08-31T23:40:00.015+02:00

My baby's heart is fixed.

Just in case you didn't hear me, MY BABY'S HEART IS FIXED!!!!!!!!

Today Kate's doctor was able to successfully close the defect between the ventricles of her heart with an occluder device.

Kate will probably never remember this whole ordeal; it will just be a story that we tell her about her early childhood. But today is a day that Nick and I will never forget.

To borrow one of Kate's favorite phrases, it's been a long day in here. The nurses woke Kate and I up at 7:30am demanding that Kate eat breakfast asap. She wasn't supposed to eat or drink for six hours prior to hear surgery, and the doctors wanted to cut her off at 8am just to be safe. Kate hurried to eat two pieces of toast and drink a glass of milk for breakfast.

Because the catheter lab was running a little bit late, she was not allowed to have food or drink for the following EIGHT hours.

If you have small children, you know how hard that is. I spent all morning trying to make sure Kate was too busy to feel hungry. But it's tough to stay all that "busy" when your child is hooked up to an IV drip. The park was off limits, toys in the playroom got all tangled up in her cords, and you can only take so many walks up and down a white hallway.

By 11:00am I was out of tricks. We had played with ponies, done some coloring, watched an episode of Dora, stretched our bodies, danced to music, built with Legos, and made two phone calls to Ella. When Nick walked in the door just before noon, I was totally ashamed to tell him that there was only one toy left in the magic bag of new things.

That magic bag was supposed to last all WEEK.

I turned the show over to Nick, and he and Kate sculpted with Play Doh for an hour. After that our magic bag was officially empty. And it wasn't even 1:00pm.

That's when Nick asked Kate if she would like to watch a new video that he bought the day before. Anything to keep her mind off of the lunch she wasn't allowed to eat. Kate chose an episode on the new DVD, and we were about five minutes into the show when we realized that the awesome new video was probably not the best idea in the world.

Talk about a backfire. For the record, Nick is not in the habit of torturing his offspring. This was a one-time kind of thing. Needless to say, the DVD was immediately ejected.

The DVD debacle went down at about 1:00pm. Kate was called down to surgery at 4:00pm. I honestly don't know how we got through the last three hours.

Did I say "we?" I mean Nick. I was exhausted from a sleepless night in the hospital and my stomach was knotted with worry. My superman of a husband took over and kept Kate happy while I played Angry Birds for an hour. (Sad, but totally true.)

We walked Kate down to the catheter lab at 4:00pm. After a tense two hours, they called us to come down and get our Mo-mo.

When we entered the room, the nurses were all smiling from ear to ear and Dr Kampmann came straight out to shake our hands and inform us that Kate's procedure was a success. Dr Kampmann said that Kate's defect was quite large -- about 4mm -- but he was able to position a flexible mesh occluder device with no difficulty whatsoever.

As the doctor talked a bit about the procedure, he explained that the up-close measurements through the catheter revealed that Kate was in the beginning stages of pulmonary hypertension. Because we acted now, her defect was able to be repaired early, while the tissue was still elastic enough that the damage to her heart could be corrected quickly.

Dr Kampmann also mentioned that it would not have been possible to use the particular device he used to close Kate's heart in the States. While American doctors use the same occluder to repair a different heart defect (PDA), it is not (yet) approved to repair a VSD. The devices that are approved for VSD repair in the States would not have worked for Kate. If we lived in America, Kate's repair would have called for open heart surgery.

To quote the 2011 Father of the Year (who happens to be my husband), if we ever wondered why in the world we came to Germany, now we know.

By 7:40pm, Kate was beginning to wake up. She talked to us in a slow sleepy voice and had trouble focusing her eyes. When she tried to look at the computer, she blinked and drawled, "Woah...there are TWOOOO Tianas."

By the time I left the hospital at 9:00pm, Kate was doing great. She was in excellent spirits and so happy to be drinking apple juice (finally) that she didn't even mind that we meted it out in 3ml sips. Kate requested that her Daddo stay with her tonight, which is why I am at home writing about our day. I cannot wait to go crawl in bed and snuggle my big girl. I haven't seen her in two days.

I can't begin to explain how grateful Nick and I feel tonight. Thanks to all of you, our family and friends, for your support, love, and thoughts. Thanks to the cardiologists who worked on my baby girl. Thanks to our Heavenly Father for answering our prayers.

For two years there has been a 4mm hole in the fabric of our family, and today it was expertly repaired. For that, I am profoundly and wholeheartedly thankful.

Kate VSD repair

Kate And Her Mitten... Hospital Day 1

2011-08-30T23:15:00.000+02:00

Day 1. Check.

Kate and her crew (Aubrey, me [guest poster, Nick], Barney, Night-Night [yes, I used a proper noun for a blanket], Apple Jack [new pony], and Baby Lucy [yep, this makes 4 parentheses within a parentheses]) showed up at the hospital bright and early. Kate plowed through the normal line-up of tests without issue. This time, however, they performed some blood work and installed an I.V. tube that left Kate with a brand new, bright blue mitten on her left hand. To cover up the I.V. tube, they wrapped most of her hand and upper wrist in blue gauze! I thought it looked a bit like a boxer's wrap, but then I remembered that I have girls and that it probably wasn't worth mentioning. Instead, we followed Kate's lead, who after seeing it for the first time exclaimed, "Mommy, look at my silly mitten. It's like an oven mit. I could get muffins out of the oven!" Kate's mitten was the talk of the day. At first she liked it, but she quickly realized that it is hard to handle a tiny Pony hair styling kit with only one fully functional faction of fingers. After that the mit was no friend of Kate's. I've got to hand it to her, though, she didn't let it get her down. By her end-of-the-day bath she was taking special care to avoid getting her left hand wet because she "didn't want her mitten all wet and yuck!" As our final order of business for the day, we met with one of Kate's doctors and found out that the procedure is scheduled to start tomorrow at 3:00 pm and will likely end around 6:00 pm. We will do our best to keep everyone informed.

Aubrey and I were very lucky to have been able to spend the whole day with Kate. We've had so many offers of help, and we definitely cashed in on some of those today. Ella had a great day with Miss Jenn, Max, and baby Liam. In fact, she could barely talk to us on the phone because she was having so much fun. Ella and I had dinner, which was delicious, courtesy of our friend Lori. And a special thanks goes to our friends Paul and Nathaniel who came by the hospital to see Kate and give her a wonderful blessing. There is a whole world of people out there pulling for our little girl.

I've Got a Dream

2011-08-29T23:07:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow morning we will check Kate into the Mainz Uniklinik's Kinderkardiologie ward for bloodwork, an EKG, and ECHO, paperwork, and various other pre-operative consult things. Ella will be at home with a close friend while Nick and I concentrate on our little Kate-mo.

Kate will stay overnight on Tuesday since her catheter procedure will most likely take place early on Wednesday morning. Ella will stay with another close friend in Mainz on the day of Kate's surgery. It probably sounds silly, but Nick and I are glad that Ella will be physically close to the hospital on that day.

Germans like their patients to stay in the hospital long after any surgery -- even a minor one like this -- which means that Kate will live at the hospital for a minimum of five days. Only one parent is allowed to sleep in Kate's room, so one of us will stay with her and the other will go home to Ella. Nick and I will most likely alternate so that both of us will get a chance to get a good night's sleep every other night.

I know in my mind that Kate-mo is going to be perfectly fine. If they are actually able to do the repair, this time next week she could actually be BETTER than she is right now. But my heart worries and my stomach feels nauseated. All you mamas out there know what I mean.

Nick and I are so grateful to all of you who left comments, wrote emails, sent facebook messages, etc. We have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness of our family and friends in the past week. Our friends here are watching Ella, preparing meals, grocery shopping, and generally making our lives easier. Our dear friends all over the globe -- in Germany, England, Greece, Morocco, Japan, Australia, the United States, and more -- are thinking about and praying for Kate this week.

This outpouring of kindness and well-wishes has made me cry more times this week than I have in years previous. If you ever start to worry that the world is becoming a mean, bad, hateful place, something like this is bound to lift your spirits and renew your faith in humankind. Thanks to all of you.

And just to make everyone laugh a little bit today, voila! :)

I love how she emphatically corrects herself on "BIT."

Also love the way she gives up on "ventriloquy."

And how can you not appreciate the irony of her song choice considering how totally messed up her own hair looked during this video?!

I've definitely got a dream. It involves repairing that little girl's heart once and for all.

Fingers crossed and thumbs tucked!

Hole in My Heart

2011-08-24T21:09:00.001+02:00

Elizabeth Kate was born with a hole in her heart. A ventricular septal defect, or VSD for short.

Kate's VSD was first detected when she was six weeks old, and we have monitored it closely with cardiology appointments at three months, six months, one year, and eighteen months of age. All the news up to this point was positive. The defect was still there, but there was no cause for immediate concern. Hopefully the hole would heal itself eventually. In the meantime, we watched and waited.

Last week we had Kate's two-year cardio exam. The news wasn't what we were hoping to hear. Kate's heart is enlarged, blood is pooling in her lungs, and there hasn't been any improvement in the last six months. On the positive side, her organs are all a-ok, her growth and development is perfect, and none of this stuff (heart enlargement, blood in the lungs, etc) is life-threatening. But we need to start trying to be proactive and take care of the situation. The time for watching and waiting is over.

It begins with a catheter procedure.

Kate's surgery is scheduled for August 31 at Mainz Uniklink in the Kinderkardiologie unit. During the procedure the doctors will measure the pressure in both sides of her heart, get an on-side measurement of her defect, and evaluate her situation to see if she is a candidate for repair.

Ideally, the surgeon will find that Kate's heart is perfect for a catheter repair and will use an "umbrella device" to close the hole completely right then and there. If Kate's heart doesn't allow for this -- if there is any danger whatsoever of damaging the valves of her heart -- the surgeon will not attempt a repair and we will go back to the old drawing board.

As our pediatrician told me yesterday, we should "tuck our thumbs" (the German version of "cross our fingers") and hope that they can repair the defect with a catheter because the other repair method is not so nice.

I am tucking my thumbs, crossing my fingers, and praying with all my might that all of this will be behind us this time next week. Kate's VSD has been a constant source of concern for our whole family ever since it was first detected. Even though Kate's heart is the one with a physical hole, this mommy feels like there is a figurative hole in my own waiting to be repaired along with Kate's.

So this weekend we're packing our bags again. For a week-long vacation in the hospital. We'll be there, trying our best to entertain a very independent, active two-year-old in a hospital bed. Please pray for Kate...and for Nick and me too.

A huge thanks to my awesome girlfriends Janelle, Felicity, Jenn, and Tiffany, who have taken a huge load off my shoulders by offering to watch Ella during this time as often as necessary. I trust these ladies to make Ella's life easier next week, because it won't be easy for her. Not only is Ella going to worry about her sister, she will also worry about her parents being gone. On top of that, she is bound to be disappointed that we cancelled our 10-day trip to Greece -- she was really excited about spending her birthday on the beach. I don't want her fourth birthday to be a huge let down.

Please keep us all in your prayers.

Nick and his Lizzie Kate

Larger than Life

2011-08-24T12:06:00.000+02:00

This life-sized art project took us a couple of days.

I traced the girls. (My apologies for their freakishly tiny left legs. Still not sure how that happened...twice.)

Nick drew in Kate's features, while Ella filled in her own. (You might have already guessed that.)

Ella did all of the coloring on her picture. (I had to trace in horizontal lines for the dress colors. She was getting really frustrated that her lines weren't straight.)

Kate did a little coloring too, but her color choices and placements were somewhat unusual. (Of the body-art variety.)

Ella really wants to hang these up on the wall...in our living room.

Somehow I don't see that happening.

This Little Light of Mine

2011-08-23T23:03:00.017+02:00

I have a confession to make. I am ashamed of this post.

I'm not ashamed that it happened. Kids get colds, mommies get frazzled, bad days are a part of EVERY mom's life.

I am ashamed that I acted like it was a big deal. Because it wasn't.

Let's put things in perspective for a moment. I have a dear friend whose baby has been diagnosed as "failure to thrive." They have been living in various hospitals for almost two months. My "bad day" would be a great day for her. I have several friends who have recently experienced miscarriages or had serious difficulty conceiving. They would be more than happy to have two kids, even if those kids had snotty noses and whiny voices.

People who are going through actual hard times can read about the petty problems in my life, but it is completely thoughtless (not to mention extremely self-centered) for me to act as though my trivial issues are truly a big deal.

I have noticed a definite trend in mommy bloggers. Many say that they NEED to hear about the difficulties of others. It makes me sad is that many people in our society love to read about other people having a bad day. They describe these petty "bad day" stories as "REAL." These "real" stories makes them feel "normal," like they aren't alone, like they aren't "bad moms." Reading about someone else's bad day makes them feel better about themselves.

Isn't that a little bit...twisted?

I'm a mom with a 2-year-old and a 3-year old. Of course I have bad days! I have bad days ALL THE TIME! Do I yell at my kids? YES! Do I give in when I should stay strong, offer sugary snacks when I should provide health food, put my children in time out when I'm frustrated? HECK YEAH! Do my darling ankle biters occasionally make me want to lock myself in the bathroom for a few minutes just to get some peace? OF COURSE!

Why would any mom think she was alone in doing those things or thinking those thoughts? Why would reading about a great day make her feel less normal? Why would someone else's good times make her feel like a bad mom? I truly cannot answer those questions.

All parents are in this messy, noisy, crazy boat together! You are not alone when you mess up or have a rough morning! We ALL have problems and stresses and long days!

For me, that's not the part of our life I want to focus on. The bad times are a given. The good times are blessings. I believe that a bit of perspective and a positive outlook make me a better parent. It makes it easier for me to face the things that are really, truly difficult.

This blog is for family and friends who live 5,000 miles away from my girls. This blog is for my kids to look back on our life and know how much their parents adore them and enjoy their company. My family, my friends, even my kids are realistic enough to know that rough times happen. I don't have to dwell on them or write about them every time they come up. They are minor bumps in the road.

I will continue to write down my girls' hilarious statements. I will continue to record their achievements and milestones. I will continue to brag about my children shamelessly. I'm their mom. That's what I am supposed to do. :)

I am thankful for my children, my husband, and our sloppy, crazy, awesome life together. That's what I choose to blog about.

This is our REAL life. It is filled with LOVE. LAUGHTER. LIGHT.

And I'm gonna let it shine.

Today Is the Greatest

2011-08-22T21:38:00.002+02:00

It's been an awesome summer. Travel, visitors, activities galore.

But sometimes it's the ordinary moments that flood your heart with joy and thanksgiving.

While I took my shower this morning, Ella played with her sticker dolly dressing book.

And Kate "read" a story. On its side, no less. (Sure beats the old days when she screamed in her bouncy seat the whole I time I was getting ready.)

We had lunch with Nick at work.

After dinner the girls danced and sang along with their bible school songs.

Kate exclaims on a daily basis, "God's wild! God's great! God's awesome!" That's one sweet little holy roller.

Wrapped up in towels after baths.

Mattie supervises every minute of our evening routine.

Reading a chapter of Jack and Annie (The Magic Treehouse series #28) before bed.

Such a great way to end the day.

At 9:30 I went to check on Ella only to find her still awake reading another Jack and Annie book. She was 42 pages into it.

I let her finish the chapter she was on (the sixth) and then it was lights out for real. When I told her that it's not okay to read so late after bedtime, she said, "I wasn't really READING with my voice. I was doing something really cool: I was reading quietly with my MIND."

Festival of Festivals

2011-08-21T21:22:00.032+02:00

Germany is all about the fests. The big one that all Americans are familiar with is Oktoberfest, but we've also been to Erdbeerfests, Wilhelmstrassefests, Kurbisfests, Volksfests, Rheinfests, Sommerfests...and I'm just beginning to scratch the surface.

I love me a fest any day of the week, but the one fest I like EVERY day of the week is Wiesbaden Winefest.

Seriously. It's amazing.

We went into town to enjoy the fest four days this week. (I would have gladly gone seven.) It was awesome.

The only sad thing about this year's Winefest is the knowledge that this is our last one. In 2009 and 2010 I ended my blog post about Winefest with the words "There is always next year."

This year I can't say that, but I can say that if I ever do come back to Wiesbaden, I would try my level best to make sure my visit coincides with Winefest. :)

winefest 2011

Little Miss Kate-mo

2011-08-15T15:33:00.000+02:00

Kate names the Little Misses.

Not to steal Kate's thunder or anything (poor second kids!), remember when Ella did this at almost exactly the same age? It seems like yesterday!

Rough Day

2011-08-13T20:35:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was not a great day for me.

I started out sleep deprived, which is never a good thing. Kate came into our room moaning just after midnight. It was immediately apparent that she had a runny nose and a fever. We tried to make her comfortable and send her back to our room, but (to make a long, tearful story short) she wound up ~~sleeping~~ moaning through the night in our bed.

About six hours later, Ella stumbled into our room coughing pitifully and saying, "By dose is stuffy. I can't sbell edythink."

Two sick kids + one sleep-deprived mommy = recipe for disaster.

We got through breakfast, but there was whining (but I don't WANT peanut butter on my waffle) and melting down over the smallest things (my straw is a little bit beeeent). And that was just Ella. Kate seemed to have forgotten how to speak overnight. All attempts to communicate were literally moans: aaahhhooooowwwwgggghhhh. One hour into the day, the moaning was starting to get under my skin.

By 10am we were in the doctor's office because I'm that mom. Ears were clear, throats were clear, lungs were clear. Just a nasty runny nose, fever, and lots of moaning. I went home armed with drugs: nose drops (children's nasal spray), expectorant (so hopefully the snot wouldn't become green), and fever reducer (we STILL cannot get children's Tylenol at the PX). Unfortunately, none of the medications addressed the biggest problem: THE MOANING. (I actually described that as a SYMPTOM. It was THAT BAD.)

Then we got home and had to fight the Battle of the Nose Drops. Kate lost it the moment the bottle was out of the box. Her shrieks of "I DON'T WANT NOSE DROPS!" quickly turned into even louder, more passionate moaning than I had heard up to this point. She screamed like she was being tortured while I held her down and squirted nose drops into each nostril. (Let's face it, she pretty much was being tortured.) Ella didn't scream about the nose drops, but it was almost worse to see my stoic little girl flinch in pain while the medication burned its way through her sinuses.

When we finished with the ~~torture~~ administration of nose drops, I rewarded the girls with vitamin C lozenges. Ella grimaced and crunched hers up. Kate spit hers out immediately moaning, "Thooooooose aaaaaaaare yuuuuuuuuuuuuckyyyyyyyyyyyy!"
So much for the extra vitamin C.

At 10:45 I made a big salad for Nick's annual summer work picnic. (Excellent timing.) I washed my hands well repeatedly, not wanting to infect all the Americans in the area with whatever runny nose/feverish/moaning disease we had contracted here at our house.

At noon I arrived at the picnic, sick moaning kids in tow. It immediately started raining. I seriously could not catch a break. But wait a tick! The Wiesbaden Booster Club was selling wine at this year's summer picnic! For a brief shining moment, I thought my day was looking up. I purchased a plastic cup of riesling, took a sip, and felt my shoulders relax. Ahhh.

Two seconds later, I spilled my entire glass. SERIOUSLY?!

I spent three hours at the picnic responding to Ella's demands of "AUGH! I NEED A TISSUE!" and trying to interpret Kate's moans. Finally I had reached the end of my rope. I loaded the girls up in the car, muttering like a crazy person when I had to walk back to the park pavilion to retrieve my salad dish.

After the picnic Nick went back to work, so I had the privilege of spending two more hours with my fractious children. I may or may not have at one point yelled, "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! You have a COLD!! It's not like your freaking appendix just ruptured!!!"

When Nick came home from work, I fled the scene. Seriously, I was OUT OF THERE. I went upstairs and talked to my sister on the phone, blissfully oblivious to what was going on downstairs. Quick dinner, followed by quick bath, followed by quick tuck-in. It was only 8:00pm, but it was all I could do not to take a Tylenol PM and end it all.

It wasn't my best day ever. Let's just leave it at that, shall we?

Before and After

2011-08-11T22:04:00.000+02:00

I love my long hair. That being said, I have a real problem with women who wear their hair long when they are (no nice way to say this) TOO DAMN OLD to wear their hair below their shoulders.

I'm 30, I have two kids, and my hair falls below my bra. I'm not too old yet, right?! You'll tell me when I am approaching the critical point, RIGHT?!

Just to be sure, I chopped my hair off today. "Chopped" as in the pieces that were formerly the shortest pieces are now the longest pieces. As in a good 8 inches off the back. As in I'm already starting to grow it out.

On the up side, it feels so HEALTHY. And I feel age appropriate for the first time all year. :)

Before.

After.

Ella was my photographer. Way to go, Bitzy!

Please let me know if you like it. If you hate it, please bear in mind that I'm growing it out. :)

Stuttgart Weekend

2011-08-08T20:19:00.000+02:00

Our Maryland friends Ryan and Jenny moved to Germany about six months before we did. They have made multiple trips to Wiesbaden in the two-and-a-half years we've lived here, but we have never made it down to Stuttgart to visit them.

Finally Jenny and I decided this was getting ridiculous. We knew we needed to nail down a date for us to drive down south, and we picked the first weekend in August.

We had a wonderful time with our friends. We stuffed ourselves with Ryan's killer pancakes, ate crepes (and fed the ducks) at Stuttgart's Sommerfest, walked through the beautiful little village of Bebenhausen (gorgeous), explored Bebenhausen Abbey (dates from the 12th century), enjoyed dinner at the most child-friendly Biergarten in all of Deutschland (playground and petting zoo on site), and tore it up at the awesomest indoor pool complex I've ever seen (awesomest is totally a word).

Our girls had an absolute blast playing together. Hannah, Ella, Caroline, and Kate are little stair-steps, and they all enjoyed each other's company immensely. Hannah is a ball of energy, and she is amazingly sensitive and kindhearted. Caroline is one of the most verbal two-year-olds I have ever seen in my life, and she has an adorable fun-loving personality. Ella and Kate are lucky girls to have wonderful friends like Hannah and Caroline.

Every time Nick and I get a chance to spend time with Ryan and Jenny we only wish we were able to see them more frequently.

We ♥ the Wilson family!

stuttgart 2011

In the Bag

2011-08-05T12:29:00.057+02:00

We leave for a weekend trip in less than three hours, but I haven't even started to pack.

Three years ago this would have terrified me, but after 2.5 years living in Europe I can pack up my family with my eyes closed.

I am most definitely not saying that travelling with two small kids is easy. Actually it's a gigantic pain in the arse.

Even when you limit toys to one backpack and clothes to one suitcase, you still need sippy cups and snack traps and wet wipes. (If you want to keep your children relatively clean, that is. If you don't care if they get messy you can travel with less.) Strollers, backpack carriers, etc. (Anything to keep from lugging tired kiddos around in your arms.) Crayons and paper for three-hour restaurant meals. (Welcome to food service in Europe, friends.) Snacks for take-off and landing on the plane. (If a kid's ears start to hurt due to pressure change, the whole plane is in for a painful ride.) And don't forget car seats! (You can't get a cab or rental car without seats for all kids under six.)

Gone are the days of putting some clothes in a suitcase and toiletries in a bag. Food and drink? A bottle of water once you're through security...maybe a granola bar. Entertainment? Throw a book in your handbag. (Can you tell I get really nostalgic when I think about how easy it was to travel before the kiddos?)

Many of my friends pack days ahead of time. Some of my friends have spreadsheets with packing lists. But I pack the night before or the day of departure. And my packing spreadsheets only exist inside my head.

This is an easy trip. No flights, relatively short car ride, one weekend, summer(ish) weather. And it helps that we're going to visit Americans (read: they have power transformers) who have similarly aged children (read: they have toys) who are both also girls (read: they have PRINCESS toys).

I have thought several times that I should type out a list of what must be packed for a week or weekend trip with me, my husband, and two small children.

I will do that...someday.

But right now I've got to go pack.

Little Artist

2011-08-04T23:21:00.009+02:00

Ella Mae loves art. Coloring, painting, sculpting, you name it. She can sit still for hours working on crafts of any kind.

As much as she loves art, until two weeks ago, Ella flat-out refused to draw. She would color printables, drawings, and pages from coloring books, but she would not draw a picture entirely on her own.

Until last week.

One day as I dropped her off at afternoon pre-school, I took her to the art center and got her all set up with paper and crayons. Since there are no coloring pages, I asked her to draw me a picture. I suggested a rainbow, and Ella quickly promised to deliver. She was so anxious to get started that she said, "You leave now, Mommy. I've got to get to work on your rainbow!"

When I came back three hours later, Ella Mae presented me with this.

As Ella explained, "It's a rainbow...but there are blue raindrops and yellow sunshine too...all the things you need to make a rainbow."

Every square inch of the paper is colored. She did it completely on her own. (She also got the bright idea to cut out the edges. I had no idea there were scissors just laying around in the art center, but Ella found them and trimmed a border and as she says, "none of my teachers helped me one little bit.")

How awesome is that?! (The drawing, not the unsupervised cutting with scissors.) I dare you to tell me that's not a MASTERPIECE! :)

Later in the week, she got a blank piece of paper, a set of markers, and came up with this.

Ella describes her cat, Richie, as follows. "He's kind of brown like Thusie, and his little bitty paws are white like Thusie's. His nose is pink like Thusie's, but his eyes are blue like mine. [thinks for a moment] I like this eye [points to the right side] a lot better than this one [points to the left]. Eyes need some white in them I think."

Please remember that Ella only colored inside lines before. Now she is the one drawing the lines! Also, she named him (and spelled his name) completely on her own. Richie. Awesome.

Then early this week, she wanted to watercolor. Once again, she created something completely on her own.

When I asked her to tell me about this picture. She said, "It's a beautiful pink flower." When I waited for more, Ella went through a play-by-play of her whole creative process. Mixing each color with water, dipping her brush to get paint, placing each and every brushstroke, waiting overnight and then painting her name the next morning.

No lines at all. Just a whole lot of imagination.

(I asked her if I could frame this and hang it on our wall. She said no. Because she painted this picture for Rainbow Dash, her My Little Pony. Then she oh-so-generously offered to paint me one of my own.)

The day after her watercolor, she drew her first human.

Not only is it a human, the human is printed on a pink shirt that she drew for Rainbow Dash. (Why is a stuffed My Little Pony the recipient of all Ella's art??)

Then today she drew this Tinkerbell.

"She has white wings and she's flying through a pink and blue sky. Her hair is standing up kind of crazy because she's flying REALLY FAST."

Coloring book Tinkerbells like this might be a thing of the past.

The artists at Disney might not agree with me, but I like Ella's version better. :)

VBS 2011: Pandamania

2011-07-29T20:05:00.063+02:00

This week the various worship groups (Catholic, Lutheran, Chapel Next, etc) in our American community joined forces to put on a TREMENDOUS Vacation Bible School for kids ages 6-12. Because I volunteered to help out with VBS, my little bitties were able to take part in the pre-K classroom all week long.

We had a fabulous, exhausting week. Ella and Kate got to make snacks, work on crafts, sing and dance for hours on end, play with their friends, and spend time with the wonderful ladies who volunteered in their classrooms. I got to dust off my teacher hat and direct hoards of kiddos.

For the record, a K-6 crafts classroom is NOTHING like a high school math classroom. I am eternally grateful to people who work with small children. I love the little ones, but Lord they wear me out.

I took a family poll on our last day.

Kate's favorite parts of VBS were "eating snacks and waiting for Mommy." Bless her simple two-year-old heart.

Ella's favorite parts of VBS were "doing lots and lots and lots of crafts...and singing the God songs all day...and talking about the Bible stories...and dancing to the God songs too." Bless her interdisciplinary heart.

My favorite part of VBS was without a doubt the fourth day.

After crafts were done, I ran down to the praise-and-worship wrap-up session to watch Ella dance and sing. When I caught her eye, she ran to me, gave me a giant hug, and immediately returned to the front row to join in the singing.

As I watched her sing every word to every song, a cute little 15-year-old volunteer named Emily smiled at me and said, "She's so cute! Is she your little sister?"

I was...totally stunned. For a minute I seriously thought my ears weren't working. I looked at this adorable high school sophomore and said, "Sweetheart, she's my daughter. I'm her MOM."

Emily's face contorted in disbelief and she gasped (in a tone of pure horror that only high school girls can use effectively), "NO WAAAAAAAAAY!"

I nodded like the wise old lady that I am and said, "Honey, I'm THIRTY."

Emily blinked for a minute and stammered, "I've been in your crafts class all week...I thought you were like...twenty or something."

Bless her naive little heart. :)

pandamania vbs

Pandamonium

2011-07-25T08:15:00.000+02:00

Earlier in the summer I volunteered to help out with Vacation Bible School at the American chapel. When I said I would act in whatever capacity was needed, I never in my life expected to get stuck as the head of the crafts team.

Don't these people KNOW me?! I am quite possibly the least crafty gal on the planet!

To illustrate my point, when I tried to apply the iron-on Pandamonium-themed decal to my t-shirt, I stuck the decal to the paper instead of my shirt. I had to call the VBS director last night and ask if she has any extras. I completely expected her to relieve me of my craft-related duties on the spot. I mean, really. What kind of craft team leader can't apply an iron-on decal??

To my surprise, she didn't fire me. They must be really hard up for volunteers this year...

So here we go to VBS! We're ready for some Pandamonium!

Work Week

2011-07-23T21:40:00.002+02:00

Nick had to work two days last week in Cheltenham, England, so we decided to make an impromptu trip to our favorite town on earth. Cheltenham is where Ella was born, it's where two of Nick's former office buddies currently reside, and it's home to our dear friends Susan and Richard. Most of all, my sweet Swatty has a baby in her belly that I've been dying to see. In my mind, it was easy to justify a week-long trip to the Cotswolds!

To say we had a great time would be an understatement. We revisited old haunts like Snowshill lavender farm, the Crown of Crucis country pub, and the Garderner's Arms in Alderton. We took a two-hour Cotswold pootle. We ate at Strada three times. We popped in to Tiffins sandwich shop and caught up with the lovely owners who remember us well even though nowadays we only come in once a year. We had tea with Cecilia, who spoiled my children like the doting grandma she is. We spent time with our Cheltenham-based American friends John, Kim, Ben, Kristi, and Aaron. We played spades and discussed the state of the world with Susan and Richard.

We only lived in Cheltenham for 13 months, but it feels like home in a way that Maryland (residents for 29 months) and Germany (30 months and counting) never have. That little corner of the globe is incredibly dear to my heart.

cheltenham work visit

Happy Happy Joy Joy

2011-07-15T21:47:00.001+02:00

Who looks this happy while sitting on the potty?? Seriously!

Kate is probably just excited about the gummy bear she knows is coming her way. Yes, we STILL give her a gummy bear every time she pee-pees on the potty. Sheer bribery. And I don't know how to end it exactly. Hopefully it's a thing of the past before her 16th birthday...

Anyway, after 3.5 years of trekking down the baby aisle for diapers, nowadays I am bypassing that region of the grocery store altogether. That's right, friends, Kate-mo is completely potty trained. She even wears big girl panties at NIGHT!

I am loving this whole potty training thing. My smile is almost as big as Kate's.

But don't worry. I won't post pictures of myself on the toilet.

I promise. :)

Blog Back-log

2011-07-13T23:01:00.000+02:00

In case you can't tell, I'm having a tough time this summer keeping our family blog up to date.

There is just so much wonderful stuff going on! Our days are busy and our calendar is chock-full. I used to think summer was about relaxing and taking it easy -- even being BORED -- but that has not been the case for us this summer.

I don't feel guilty about letting the blog slide. We are, for once, way too busy living in the moment to record every little detail.

And living in the moment is where it's at. I am busy with my little ladies and my amazing husband. We have had wonderful visitors, and are expecting more in September. (I'm talking about YOU, Uncle Dan and Aunt Ruth!) We are making the most of our last summer in Europe and that feels divine on so many levels.

So what if I only make a few posts each month, right?! We're busy having fun!

Here are the many (oh so many!) posts from Aunt Bev and Uncle Don's visit to Deutschland (and Switzerland and France). Hope you enjoy drowning in our back-log. :)

DE to CH

Schilthorn, Mürren, Allmendhubel, and Edelweiss: Switzerland 2011

Lake Brienz, Staubbach Falls, and Cheese Fondue: Switzerland 2011

Ballenberg Open Air Museum: Switzerland 2011

GREAT Aunts and Uncles

Strasbourg Three-Peat

Just Like a Nana

Just Like a Nana

2011-07-10T22:37:00.000+02:00

Transcript of the conversation as I tucked Ella in on one of Aunt Bev's last nights in Germany.

Ella: Mommy, you know what? Aunt Bev is just like a nana.

Aubrey: Honey, Aunt Bev actually is a nana. She is Elizabeth and Layton's nana.

Ella: [thoughtful pause] But Aunt Bev seems like MY nana.

Aubrey: She probably does remind you of your nana, sweetie. Remember how Aunt Bev is Nana Kathie's sister?

Ella: Yes... [furrows her brow] But Aunt Bev feels like a nana for me. [long pause] Anyway, she is a great nana.

At the time, I just thought this was funny. One of the quirky things that kids say.

But now that I think about it, Aunt Bev does probably feel like another grandmother for my girls. She is doting, attentive, fun-loving, and incredibly affectionate. Ella and Kate see her as a caregiver, the same way that their REAL nanas (my mom and Nick's mom) are.

Ella Mae and Lizzie Kate are blessed beyond belief to have so many people who love them dearly.

Strasbourg Three-Peat

2011-07-09T22:32:00.000+02:00

I cannot get enough of Strasbourg. It is one of my favorite places on earth. We have gone three times since we have lived here, even though there are many places in Germany that I haven't visited.

We made a day trip to France on the final day of Uncle Don and Aunt Bev's visit, and I think it's safe to say they liked it too. Uncle Don told me several times that Strasbourg is in his top five as far as European cities go. That is high praise from my globe-trotting uncle, let me tell you.

It is a magical combination -- the canals, the Alsatian food and wine, the gorgeous architecture, the French language. I was so happy that my aunt and uncle shared my love for Starsbourg.

Knowing those two, I'm sure they will be back soon. :)

strasbourg three-peat

GREAT Aunts and Uncles

2011-07-08T21:54:00.006+02:00

I am blessed to have the most amazing aunts and uncles in the history of the world.

I grew up seeing my dad's side of my family (the Oklahoma bunch) each and every day. I cannot imagine my childhood without my uncles Ron, Dan, Erick, and Regi, my aunt Brenda, and all my hilarious, rambunctious, fun-loving Price cousins. They were part of my daily life. They never missed a basketball game or a Sunday lunch at the farm. I saw my cousins in the hall at school every day. My Price family is priceless in every possible way.

On the other hand, I only got to see my mom's side of the family (the Kentucky clan) once a year. While that might seem sad -- like I missed out and don't know them very well -- the opposite is true. We treasured our time together because it was hard to come by. Each and every year is etched into my mind in intricate detail. My Uncle Don bass voice calling me from the bottom of the stairs at 5:00am to go with him to the stables. My Aunt Bev's huge smile and warm tight hug every single morning, her scrambled eggs and heavenly perfume. Kevin's hilarious anecdotes and comments on literally every facet life. Tracie's probing questions and the insightful understanding that followed. And all those golden hours with Elizabeth and Layton...

Let's just say that I didn't miss out living 13 hours away from my Kentucky family. There is love, laughter, trust, and respect in those relationships. Because we know how precious our time together is, we make it happen.

For example, my Uncle Don and Aunt Bev visited us twice when we lived in England. They were actually in our house when we found out I was pregnant with Ella, then we met up in Yorkshire one month before Ella arrived. We met up with them last summer in Lyon, France. And then this year they came to Germany.

For the first time ever, I was able to take my globe-trotting aunt and uncle THREE places they had never been before. They joined us for our trip to Bernese Oberland, Switzerland; spent four days here with us in the Rheingau region of Germany; and journeyed to Strasbourg, France for a taste of tarte flambee and quiche Loraine.

We had a fantastic time and made more memories that I will treasure for my lifetime. Thank you Aunt Bev and Uncle Don for coming to visit us. I enjoyed every minute of your stay.

fun times with aunt bev and uncle don

Ballenberg Open Air Museum: Switzerland 2011

2011-07-04T21:37:00.000+02:00

In the morning we packed up the car and said a fond farewell to the lovely hosts at Hotel Staubbach.

We have stayed in hotels all over Europe, and I have never seen any where the staff does such a fantastic job of interacting with their guests. Every morning while we enjoyed a delicious breakfast the front desk workers walked through the dining room, asking the guests how their previous days' plans panned out and offering advice for the day to come. The staff at Hotel Staubbach saved us loads of time in planning and their every recommendation was spot on. If you ever have a chance to go to Lauterbrunnen, stop by Hotel Staubbach.

On our way home we stopped at Ballenberg, the Swiss Open Air Museum. This place is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's part petting zoo, part campgrounds, part museum. Most of all, it is historic homes paradise. If you love that kind of thing like I do, you will love Ballenberg too.

Ballenberg features homes from all over the diverse regions of Switzerland. Each historic building (1600-1800) was in danger of being razed or bulldozed in its original location. So the people of Ballenberg came in, bought the structure, moved it brick-by-brick to their giant acreage, and lovingly restored it to its original state. I LOVED THIS PLACE. The brochure instructs you to go inside and explore the layout and furnishings of 4-5 homes. I went inside at least 20. I couldn't stop myself.

I was a 30-year-old woman pretending to be Heidi. All. Day. Long.

I ♥ Ballenberg.

switzerland departure

Lake Brienz, Staubbach Falls, and Cheese Fondue: Switzerland 2011

2011-07-03T21:26:00.000+02:00

On our second full day in Switzerland, we took a nice cruise on an Alpine lake. The color of Lake Brienz is impossibly vivid. (Once again, I found myself cursing my camera for doing such a poor job of capturing the colors.)

Midway through our cruise, we stopped in Giessbach to see the falls rushing into the lake. Then after our cruise we hiked partway up the Staubbach Falls that we saw from our hotel balcony. They were two completely different waterfall experiences. In Giessbach the noise is deafening and the colors are exhilarating. At Staubbach Falls the view is all muted tones of greens and greys and a large percentage of the water dissipates into a mist before it ever hits the ground. Both were amazing, but in completely different ways.

I, for one, enjoyed my last dinner in Switzerland immensely. I had cheese fondue (for the second night in a row) and (for the second night in a row) I ate every morsel of cheese and bread in sight. Swiss fondue is the real deal. Eat your heart out, Melting Pot. :)

switzerland day 3

Schilthorn, Mürren, Allmendhubel, and Edelweiss: Switzerland 2011

2011-07-02T21:12:00.002+02:00

On our first full day in Switzerland, we made the ascent to the top of a nearby peak. Schilthorn boasts a revolving restaurant, a spectacular view of the famous Eiger (Ogre), Mönch (Monk), and Jungfrau (Young Lady) peaks, and a shoot-em-up scene in the James Bond film In Her Majesty's Service.

The Schilthorn was amazing, but the sights about halfway down the mountain were just as good. The town of Mürren is gorgeous and inviting. The Allmendhubel park has the best playground I've ever seen. And the Alpine Wildflower Trail alone is worth the trip.

I have wanted to see real live edelweiss all my life. On this day I saw eight different varieties. (I may or may not have picked one to take home with me...)

You can bet I was humming the Rogers and Hammerstein tune all weekend long. :)

switzerland day 2

DE to CH

2011-07-01T19:26:00.066+02:00

Call me thick, but all my life I've wondered why this sticker stands for Switzerland.

There is neither a C nor an H in Switzerland. Can't the Swiss spell, for crying out loud??

Turns out they can. CH stands for Conferderation Helvetica, which is how the Swiss refer to their government. You learn something new every day.

Speaking of learning something new, did you know...
--Switzerland is not part of the European Union. They have armed guards at all border patrols (weird when you're used to crossing borders all over Europe with only a sign to alert you to the change) and their own currency (the Swiss Franc).
--Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of per capital GDP and the richest country in the world in terms of per person total wealth. (No wonder they don't want to switch over to the Euro.)
--Switzerland is famous for its neutrality, but it has a strong military with compulsory service for all adult males. Virtually every house has at least one gun, as well as well-stocked emergency food, water, and first-aid supplies.
--Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Thankfully, English is almost always included on every sign.
--Switzerland is the home of the literary character Heidi. In addition, it was once home to Albert Einstein and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It is currently home to Roger Federer, on whom I have had a major crush since 2005. :)

Anyway...

To celebrate the Fourth of July, my Aunt Bev, Uncle Don, loving husband, and two darling children loaded up in a van and drove south for a long weekend in the Swiss Alps.

We stayed in the small town of Lauterbrunnen, which is absolutely lovely. It is home to Switzerland's tallest freefalling waterfall (of which we had a spectacular view from our hotel balcony). Everywhere you turn there are stunning vistas and idyllic scenery.

On our first day, we settled in at the hotel, got the lay of the land, had dinner at a local restaurant (Cheese fondue? Yes, please!), watched the local "folk night" performance from our balcony, uncorked a lovely bottle of Swiss wine, and unwrapped three bars of Swiss chocolate. Yummmmmmm.

Please understand that my photos don't do this place justice. I make no claims to be an artsy kind of person, but it was disheartening even to me how dull these pics looked compared to the real thing. Perhaps you should just close your eyes and try to imagine the natural beauty that surrounded us. :)

arrival in switzerland

Playing Hooky

2011-06-27T18:27:00.123+02:00

Today we skipped out on preschool and headed to the pool! When it's 85 degrees outside and you don't have air conditioning, the pool is the only place to be.

But if I'm being perfectly honest, I had another reason for wanting to skip preschool today. It wasn't just the beautiful weather. I didn't want to face the other parents after making such a fool out of myself on Friday.

Picture this. It's drop-off time. I'm congratulating myself on being early so Ella can get situated in the classroom while things are still relatively calm.

But as soon as Ella got her backpack and fleece stowed away in her cubby, the lady at the front desk of the school came in and said, "You! Ma'am! You didn't scan your bar code!" And she proceeded to give me a lecture about the importance of scanning the bar code thingy that lets them know who I am.

The other students and parents start rolling in, and I'm feeling sheepish about forgetting the CRITICAL BAR CODE SCAN when Ella's teacher says, "Aubrey, did you remember to bring the baby wipes today?" Each child is required to contribute one item to the classroom, ours was baby wipes. I bought them before class ever started, but I kept forgetting to bring them. This day was no different.

So there I am feeling like a fool, making a mental checklist of things to do when I pick up Ella at 4:00.
1) Scan bar code.
2) Bring wipes.
3) Try not to be a space-cadet mom.

Just then, a kid bursts through the door holding a giant car yelling, "VRRROOOOOM! Ms Greenwood! This is my car for show-and-tell!"

Ella immediately looks up at me and says, "Mommy, what did I bring for show-and-tell?"

REALLY?! Did I forget my child's very first show-and-tell?! Yes. Yes, I did.

As if I haven't already gotten enough attention today, I approach the assistant teacher, face flaming, and confess that I forgot show-and-tell. Because forgetting the bar code and the baby wipes wasn't enough. Obviously I was unconsciously planning a triumvirate o'forgetfulness.

And then it got worse.

One of the dads walked to the door and YELLED, "Who drives the silver Honda? I found these setting on the trunk!" Maybe it just felt like yelling to me, but I swear every adult in the entire building swiveled his or her head to look at this man -- this jeering ogre -- holding my car keys above his head and making sure that everyone knew how bad I am at this responsible mom gig.

As I did the walk of shame through the sea of Ella's classmates' parents to reclaim my keys, I tried to smile back at the pitying eyes and bless-your-poor-little-heart expressions that surrounded me.

In a span of five minutes, I had been exposed as a moron. The kind of mom whose 3-year-old keeps her in line.

I was thoroughly shamed for skipping the bar code check-in, which is clearly a matter of national security. I was reminded for the fifth time to please bring those baby wipes, because I'm sure kids' rear ends were suffering as a result of my forgetfulness. I got the we'll-let-it-slide-this-week-but-don't-screw-it-up-again show-and-tell pep talk from Ella's teacher. And then every adult in the building watched me reclaim the keys I had left setting on the top of my trunk.

Geeeeeeeeeeez.

So I may be an idiot who should not be trusted with children, but this story has a happy ending.

When I made a mad dash to my car to make sure all the possessions that I had left in my front seat (wallet, iPod, passport, etc) were still present and accounted for (they were), I discovered the baby wipes in between the car seats (SCORE!) and I unearthed Ella's ballet bag and slippers (the PERFECT first show-and-tell item). Baby wipes...check! Show-and-tell...check! Automobile present and all possessions accounted for...check!

And you better believe I made a bee line to that bar code scanner VERY FIRST THING when I went to pick up Miss Ella Mae. Bar code scanner thingy...check!

Maybe they won't take my children away from me after all. :)

Preschooler

2011-06-24T13:56:00.011+02:00

Today Ella Mae finished her first week of part-day afternoon preschool.

Here she is on her first day.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this whole preschool thing. I am positive that Ella isn't being exposed to anything that is a challenge academically. I also worry that the "socialization" she will pick up at this age consists of negative behaviors. Most of all, Kate and I miss Ella terribly while she's at school.

But Ella was dying to give it a try, so I decided to let go of my desire to be a control-freak a little bit and enroll her in a six-week summer program. The class sizes are small and she already knew several of the other girls in her class from ballet and MOPS.

Ella Mae picked out a cubby, hung up her backpack and fleece, and walked right into her classroom on the first day of school. She said hello to both of her teachers. She explored the classroom, hugged her friends Madilyn and Elizabeth when they arrived, kissed me goodbye, and went off to play with her friends without a backward glance.

I'm supposed to be the grown up, but I cried the whole drive home.

Accidents Happen

2011-06-23T13:55:00.009+02:00

As a toddler, Ella was EXTREMELY cautious. Consequently, she rarely had any of the normal shin bruises, skinned knees, and minor head wounds that most kiddos sport on a regular basis. While some kids here age were plastered in Band-Aids daily, Ella almost never even used them.

Then she turned three. And suddenly my cautious child started taking risks.

I'm not saying she's Evil Kenevil or anything, but Ella is definitely no longer as concerned about trying something a little bit dangerous. She climbs trees, jumps off tall steps, runs full-tilt down hills...you know, normal kid stuff.

While I'm glad to see Ella feel more comfortable and confident in her own body, we are now using Band-Aids on a daily basis. Bumps, bruises, scrapes, and abrasions are part of practically every day.

And recently she got her first shiner.

Look at that shiner above her right eye.

We were at the food court, and Ella turned directly into the corner of a table. Her eyebrow is right at table-height, and she took a direct hit right on her brow bone. There was a purple lump the size of a marble almost immediately, and by the end of the day gravity had pulled the bruising down into the eye socket.

Poor baby. It breaks my heart to see my angel girl with a bruise on her face, but as she told me today, "It looks kind of pretty...like I'm wearing eye shadow or something."

Even with a black eye, her mommy thinks she's stunning.

Just for good measure, Kate wanted pictures of her eyes too. :)

No shiners in sight...for now, at least.

Beautiful Lizzie Kate.

Wunderkind

2011-06-22T21:36:00.080+02:00

As promised, an update on our Lizzie Kate at age two.

Stats. At her two year checkup, Kate was 32 inches tall, weighed 22 lbs 1 oz, and had a head circumference of 20 inches. How does she stack up to other kids her age? She is in the 3rd percentile in weight, the 5th percentile in height, and the 97th percentile in head circumference. Looks like we have another bobble-head doll in the family. :) Kate is wearing 2T shirts and dresses, 24-month pants/shorts/skirts, and size 5 shoes.

Eating. Kate is a very, very picky eater. She's the only toddler I know who point-blank refuses to eat cheese or pasta. (Sometimes I wonder if she is actually my daughter.) Because of the cheese and pasta thing, dinner is difficult. I believe firmly that kids should eat the meal that the rest of the family does, but that means that sometimes Kate won't eat much dinner. Since she is so small (see stats above), that bothers me. But usually I can manage to make sure her "bewwy" gets full, even thoughsSometimes it seems like she eats peanut butter and honey sandwiches every single day. (That would be sooooo boring for me, but Kate doesn't seem to mind.) As far as what she does like, she loves all fruit, fresh or dried. The only vegetables she will touch are tomatoes, green peas, and green beans. She loves bread (especially if it's coated with a layer of peanut butter and honey). She enjoys sausage, hot dogs, meatballs, and chicken, but refuses to touch lunch meat. She loves yogurt, milk, and ice-cream. If I let her, Kate would probably drink over half of her daily calories. She starts every morning with orange juice and finishes every day with a giant cup of milk. She won't drink water during the course of the day unless it is a 50/50 water/juice blend.

Sleeping. Kate is a fantastic sleeper. She sleeps 11-12 hours every night and takes a 1.5 hour nap every other day. Kate loves her big girl bed and her bedtime routine. She never fusses at nap time or bedtime. (Except for the week after we came back from the US in April -- holy jet lag!)

Toys. Being a second child, no toy compares to the ultimate toy: Kate's older sister Ella. While Kate enjoys playing with things by herself, the thing she loves most is attention from her big sister. But when Ella needs some time alone, Kate has no trouble amusing herself. She is infatuated with her Dora dollhouse from Nana and Grandpa. She goes down her new slide at least 30 times a day. She adores Charlie Brown, and she asks to wear her Lucy shirt every single day. Kate loves to play with stickers and she has recently gotten the hang of watercoloring. She loves for us (Aubrey, Nick, or Ella) to read her books, and she will spend 15 minutes or so looking at them by herself before she moves on to another activity. Recently Kate has gotten really into puzzles -- she can do all of our 24-piece puzzles by herself, but her favorite thing to do is help her sister with parts of the big 150- or 200-piece puzzles that Ella enjoys. Like I said, attention from Ella is what Kate craves the most.

Motor Skills. Kate ascends and descends stairs on her own nowadays. She refuses to let us carry her, and we are okay with that as long as she stays on her belly. She loves to climb. It doesn't matter how high, how steep, or how precarious the footing. Kate will go down slides, but only on her "bewwy." Everything else at the playground (swings, see-saws, zip lines, etc) are a no-go. Kate just learned how to truly jump (both feet off the floor) this week. When you consider that Kate has only been walking for about 9 months, she has made tremendous progress. She now runs as well as her three-year-old sister. (Kate isn't as fast as Ella, but her form and steadiness are just as good.) Kate's fine motor skills are coming along. She uses a fork and spoon extremely well. (Which isn't really surprising considering she hasn't let us feed her for almost a year.) She can thread the straps through the loops on her shoes and operate the velcro buckle by herself. She colors well and paints very well, but she does not do much freehand drawing. She has shown no interest in writing her name or drawing letters. (I'm sure it's nothing a little encouragement from Ella won't solve.)

Mental Stuff. Our German pediatrician now conducts the two year checkup in two separate appointments: one with the doctor and one with a developmental psychologist. Kate had her appointment with the developmental specialist yesterday, and he was blown away by Kate's speech. He actually called in the pediatrician just so she could listen to the "Wunderkind." (His word, not mine.) Frankly, Kate's talking blows me away too. Not only does she speak clearly, she uses complex sentences and talks about difficult, abstract concepts. I've never seen anything like it. Kate knows all her letters and their sounds. She can tell you what letter most words begin with. She can identify all the basic shapes (circle, oval, square, rectangle, star, and heart, but anything with five or more sides is an octagon) and all the colors on the color wheel (plus a few others like "skinny" and "squishy blue"). She can count to the mid-20's (the highest I've heard is 24). Kate LOVES to play games. She has mastered our alphabet Go Fish (matching capital and lowercase letters) and beginner Uno (a smaller deck with no "reverse" card). She can follow directions when we play Guess Who?, but she hasn't gotten the hang of asking questions that actually help her identify her opponent's character.

Potty Training. Kate is completely potty trained. I take no credit. The apartment in Rome potty-trained both of my children. I'm not kidding. Before we went to Rome, Kate had mastered #1, but still struggled with #2. As soon as we arrived in Rome she pooped in the potty and never looked back. We had her in a pull-up or swim diaper the whole time we were in Italy just in case -- you never know when you're going to be able to find a bathroom there -- but she was completely accident free. As soon as we got home to Germany, it was panties all day and "night time panties" (a pull-up) at night. Her pull-ups are completely dry every morning, so we'll go panties round-the-clock as soon as we use up this package of pull-ups. If she says she has to go and we're a few minutes away from a potty, she can hold it until we get there with no problem. Simply amazing. Thank you, Spanish Steps apartment, for potty training my children.
Discipline. I only THOUGHT Ella was easy. Kate is a dream. Sure, she whines sometimes. She cries occasionally when she doesn't get something she really wants. And sometimes I have to remind her to use nice words and a nice tone with Ella. But correcting her is a piece of cake. There is no need to raise my voice or use harsh words -- if I were to do so, my sensitive little girl would be crushed. If she's doing something that isn't okay, I remove her from the situation, she pulls herself together in 15 seconds or less, and then apologizes immediately. Kate isn't overly stubborn (unlike her older sister), so discipline is a cinch in comparison.

Miscellaneous. Kate smiles with her whole face: twinkling eyes, wrinkly nose, and a giant grin. She is a happy girl and she has such a pleasant attitude. She shares everything -- even her most prized possessions -- willingly. Kate gives the best hugs. She is gentle with Mattie and she loves all animals. She adores her sister with every fiber of her being. A little attention from Ella will make her entire day. She refuses to go to bed until she has said, "Goodnight, Ella. I love you."

KZ Dachau

2011-06-18T21:09:00.000+02:00

At the end of our blissful week in Bavaria, I wanted to keep the party going and drive an hour further east to Salzburg (Austria), the Chiemsee, or the Konigsee. Just look at those images!

Question: Who wouldn't want to go to one of those places?!

Answer: My husband.

To give him some credit, Nick is almost always up for anything. But he had worked long hours all week long and knew that he had to make the 4.5 hour drive back to Wiesbaden. He just wasn't okay with the idea of driving another hour in the "wrong" direction.

Since he is the driver, I didn't grumble (at least not very much).

We had all of Friday afternoon and evening ahead of us, and Nick decided that we should take a break on our drive and do some sightseeing en route to home.

Where did my husband choose to stop, you ask? Dachau. The concentration camp.

So much for keeping the party started.

The thing is, I really feel strongly that it is important to see a concentration camp. Atrocities like that need to be acknowledged and remembered.

Even though I would have preferred a little time to wrap my head around what we were going to see when we walked through that horrible gate, the experience was perhaps all the more powerful because I did not have time to prepare. I had no defenses for the images or the emotions.

The disturbingly mocking statement on the gate. The gigantic field where prisoners were forced to stand for roll call each morning and night. The seemingly endless rows of tightly-spaced barracks. The forbidding guard towers. The sinister gas chamber (whether or not it was actually used). The crude cremation ovens. The appalling statistic that the camp, built for 6,000 men, held almost 30,000 at one point. The heartbreaking images and information that filled the museum (we did not take the girls inside).

It was a gut-wrenching experience and a silent drive home.

Even so, I am thankful that I have been to Dachau. But I never want to go back.

dachau

Bavarian Work Trip

2011-06-17T20:29:00.007+02:00

Three days after my parents left Germany, Nick had a week-long work trip in Bavaria. Rather than stay home and live life as a single parent, I loaded up the girls and our gear in the car and we all went along with our Nicholas.

We stayed in a fantastic child-friendly hotel. There were pools, playgrounds, ping-pong, and a kids' activity room. While Nick went to work we had no trouble occupying ourselves: breakfast in the restaurant, a couple of hours at the playground, pbj lunch in our room, a couple of hours at the pool, baths and snacks, a nap for Kate and quiet time for Ella (she read Little Miss books to her ponies for two hours one day), and next thing we knew Nick was back from work!

In addition to all that fun, I had no dishes to do, no beds to make, no laundry to take care of, no house to clean, and no meals to prepare. The air was clean and crisp, the weather was fantastic, and our hotel was right at the foot of the German Alps so the scenery was gorgeous. We had good luck with restaurants (no slices of beef and pickles surrounded by gelatin in sight), and Bavarian people are almost as friendly as Oklahomans. It was a blissful week.

I had planned on using our "vacation" in Bavaria as a time to get caught up on blog posts. But I forgot to pack the power supply cord to our laptop, so the hours that I would have spent posting and/or skyping stateside was instead spent playing with my children. I didn't feel very productive, but it was a very simple week. Funny how being "unplugged" can be so refreshing for some people and positively maddening for others. :)

We didn't take many photos during our week-long stay -- we were too busy playing together to take pictures -- but I have awesome giggle-filled memories of swimming, digging in the dirt, and playing hide-and-go-seek multiple times a day with my two little ladies.

Bavaria

Rhine Cruise 2011

2011-06-10T09:05:00.001+02:00

Every year that my parents come to Germany, we go on a Rhine cruise together. So to celebrate my parents' last day in Deutschland, we drove to Rudesheim and boarded our boat.

The scenery was gorgeous, as always. Without a doubt, the best views of the Rhine valley are from the water. With a castle every quarter- or half-mile, a town every couple of miles, and vineyards as far as the eye can see, it is a picturesque journey.

We stopped in my favorite town along the cruise: Bacharach. We had been to Bacharach with my parents in the summer of 2009, and they had always wanted to return. So we went back, did some shopping, toured the church, and had lunch. (Even if you're not up to looking at all 34 photos of the day, you really must take a peek at what I ate for lunch.) Bacharach was lovely, and we got back on the boat to go back to Rudesheim.

Grandpa (aka Mr Ice Cream) insisted that afternoon ice cream in Rudesheim was a must, so we ate our cones while we walked around town. An hour or so later, we headed home to enjoy our last evening of my parents' company with Nicholas.

It was a fantastic way to cap off my parents' trip to Germany. We love you guys!!!!!!

Rhine Cruise 2011

Tuscany 2011

2011-06-08T22:03:00.012+02:00

After an amazing visit to Rome, we loaded up in a minivan and headed north. Nick, our fearless driver, did an amazing job of carting us around the highways and byways of Italy. My brave husband actually said it was FUN to drive there! Looked like a complete mess to me.

Boys and girls are soooo different...

We stayed in a villa with two separate apartments -- one for my parents and one for us. Our hosts, Tony (from Sicily) and Antoinette (from Long Island NY), were two of the loveliest people imaginable. We took up hours of their time asking various questions. How difficult was it to renovate Tony's family home into an agritourismo villa? How does Long Island compare to Tuscany? How do you harvest olives? How do you make your olive oil? Would you eat the olive oil we get in the States?...Oh no! WHY NOT?!

Not only were Tony and Antoinette wonderful, but the tiny town of Rosignano Marittimo had everything we could ask for. Excellent restaurants, delicious gelato...like I said, everything we could ask for. :) Several beaches were a five minute drive away, and Pisa, Florence, Siena and more were all under a 90 minute drive.

We spent our first day relaxing under the Tuscan sun. A trip to the beach, a giant antipasti luncheon on our patio, a ramble around Tony's farm, and a leisurely dinner in town.

Heaven. On. Earth.

(No wonder Tony detests New York! If he didn't have three sons in Long Island, I suspect he would never leave his family home. Like Tony, I think I could have spent a lifetime right there on that hillside and been perfectly happy.)

Our second day was supposed to be split between Florence and Siena.

I'm not going to mince words: Florence was the biggest sightseeing bust I have ever experienced. Between ridiculous traffic, horrible weather, and failing to meet up with our pre-booked tour group, we were completely sunk. Our tour was supposed to take us through every major sight Florence has to offer: the Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi Gallery, Duomo, and Academia. We were supposed to spend three hours soaking up the history, culture, and art of Florence. Instead, we trudged around in the rain. Did we see David? No. Did we climb to the top of the Duomo? No. Did we cry into our gelato? Yes. (At least I did.)

I was disappointed that I missed out on Florence and so sad that my parents missed it too. I felt like I had let everyone down with my poor planning, which made all the disappointment even worse.

But my family is nothing if not optimistic. We saw what we could see, enjoyed an AMAZING lunch in Florence (not my mom, with her disgusting vegetable mush, but the rest of us), and loaded back up in the van to head to Siena.

Talk about an amazing town, and I will tell you about Siena. Siena's power as a city-state once rivaled that of Florence and Pisa. But in the 1300's, the Black Death (or bubonic plague) swept through Europe and hit Siena especially hard. Siena lost over 1/3 of her population in a matter of a few months, and the city never recovered. The streets are winding and unmodernized. The sights are uncrowded and picturesque. While there isn't just a ton of stuff to see in Siena, I could have rambled around for a couple of days at least. There is some magic there.

On our last day in Italy, we drove to Pisa to see its leaning tower. How funny that a structural nightmare could put a town on the map! Although the tower was iconic, the part of Pisa that amazed me was the baptistery. Talk about acoustics! We were fortunate enough to be inside while the ticket guy did his hourly performance, and my dad walked out with a weird on his face. That place wasn't built as an instrument to administer baptism, it was built to be an instrument. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

To sum it all up, we visited Rome and Tuscany for an entire week and were left wanting more.

I will return. Even if it's only to sit on the beach and gain 40 pounds due to olive oil, pasta, wine, and gelato. You hear me, Tuscany? I WILL BE BACK. :)

Tuscany 2011

Roma in Roma

2011-06-04T20:32:00.048+02:00

My dad's first name is Roma, so it is fitting that this year my parents traveled with us to (you guessed it) Roma!

We saw all Rome's biggest sights in our three days in the city: Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Vatican City, and St Peter's Basilica.

We also ate our WEIGHT in pasta, pizza, antipasti, and gelato. Rome is without a doubt my favorite city in Europe where dining is concerned, and my Italian-food lovin' Ella Mae agrees with me completely. :)

Nick and I had seen many of the big sights on our visit to Rome last March (here, here, and here), and they were equally impressive this time around.

On top of all that, we took time to things that we didn't have the time to visit well last year. We bought a gorgeous painting from a local artist, we climbed the dome of St Peter's, and we took a guided tour of the ancient sights (so we finally know what we were looking at last year).

After two somewhat closely-spaced visits to Rome, I feel that I have adequately covered the main sights. I have ticked all the major boxes and loved every minute of it.

The city is crowded and hot and crazy and intense. It is antiquity and modernity living side-by-side in a way that works. It practically vibrates with life and color and style and attitude. I never thought that I would feel the need to go back after this visit, but I already want to return. Something about Rome speaks to me in a way that few European cities do.

Rome literally takes my breath away. I can't wait to go back.

Rome 2011 (June 2-4)

Heidelberg Castle

2011-06-01T18:48:00.026+02:00

Since no trip to Germany is complete without a visit to a schloss, we all headed out for a day-trip to Heidelberg on the first of June.

Heidelberg Castle has a long history and a lovely view of the town and River Neckar below. It also houses the German Pharmacy Museum, which was very well done.

Overall, Heidelberg Castle is...fine. At this point in time, many of the the castles and cathedrals of Europe have begun to blur together in my memory. Unless there is something extremely special or distinctive about one, I have trouble recalling its specifics.

Which is why it's always good to take photos (with captions!) so I can jog my old-lady memory. See album below. :)

Heidelberg Castle

Eight Years Ago Today...

2011-05-31T16:17:00.002+02:00

...this guy...

...married this girl.

Their families were so happy.

Their friends were happy too.

But no one -- and I mean NO ONE -- was happier than this girl.
Just look at that GIGANTIC smile.

They had two beautiful babies together, traveled all over the world together, and they all lived happily ever after.

The end.

Kate Turns TWO!

2011-05-30T15:58:00.004+02:00

Today my sweet baby turned TWO! This is a photo of her first thing in the morning.

Kate is so lucky to have Nana and Grandpa here to celebrate with her this year!

We all had a special breakfast, opened presents, then hightailed it to an awesome pool where our birthday girl could splash around to her heart's content. In the evening, we had a family celebration with cake and ice cream.

Kate's Second Birthday

I will post an update on Kate-mo at age two after her two-year checkup, but for now here is a pictorial mini trip down memory lane.

Katie Pooh Bear on the day of her birth.

Happy Moskers at six months.

Lizzie Kate's first birthday in Espana.

Christmas Kate-mo at 18 months.

Water baby at age two.

Man Cave

2011-05-29T14:10:00.166+02:00

I love being a stay-at-home mom with every fiber of my being. I know without a doubt that taking a few years away from my career to spend time with my girls was the right choice for me.

But approximately 2 out of every 5 work days, I envy Nick when he walks out the door.

I don't want to work with computers. I don't want to socialize with the ~~geeks~~ people Nick works with. I don't want to spend nine hours away from my children.

But I would love to get 30 minutes a day all to myself.

Which is exactly what Nick gets on his daily commute.

I know this sounds crazy, but that 30 minutes of every day that Nick spends alone in his car is responsible for some major differences between me and my husband. Nick does pretty darn well with the German language. Why? Because he has listened to every Michel Thomas CD there is while in his car. Nick is well-informed about headline news stories. Why? Because he listens to news in his car. Nick is familiar with current music that is popular in many different genres. Why? Because he listens to pop radio stations in his car.

I only know enough German to survive in a grocery store and read a menu because I have never taken a class of any sort. I am woefully uninformed about what is going on in our world because I don't take time to read, watch, or listen to the news. I have no idea what music people are listening to because the only tracks that are allowed in my car right now are "Ella's car CD" and "Dangerous." Unless a pop song is featured on an episode of Glee, I never hear it. Seriously.

I know that lots of other stay-at-home moms out there feel my pain. If your life is like mine, you are forced to go to great lengths to get some time to call your own. You wake up at an ungodly hour and tiptoe into the office/exercise room/kitchen praying that you don't wake your sleeping baby beasts, you do an elaborate juggling routine of the family schedule every day to get your children of different ages with wildly different sleep needs to take a nap at the same time, you beg your mother or girlfriends to take the kids off your hands for a few hours swearing cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die you will repay them someday. If your house is like mine, you fantasize about closing the door when you're in the bathroom without one of your children barging in to see what Mommy is doing, demanding to know why Mommy closed the door.

So, yeah. I think it's safe to say that the half hour that Nick gets all to himself in the car every day make me green with envy.

Nick's car is his man-cave. And he puts the time he spends there to good use.

Two days before my dad came to visit, Nick decided that his cave needed a little TLC. (Personally, I think that Nick was ashamed for another man to see the state of his man-cave.)

Nick had run poor old Beamer Zeemer into the ground. The man is HARD on vehicles. The button that you push to roll down the driver's side window was pushed deep into the console. The fabric ceiling liner was hanging down looooow. The sun visor on the driver's side was dangling down blocking the 1/3 of the view out the windshield. The sun visor on the passenger side was completely ripped off. Worst of all, the handle of the gear shift popped off in the driver's hand at random (read: important) times. Like I said, Nick is hard on vehicles.

So last week Nick took his car to the service department of The Beamer Zone. In about two hours, Beamer Zeemer was good as new. A big thanks to the guys at The Beamer Zone for fixing up my husband's man-cave and making it presentable once more. :)

Joplin Tornado

2011-05-28T07:55:00.003+02:00

Since the deadly F-5 tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri on Sunday evening, I have received dozens of emails and phone calls from friends and family asking about Nick's family who lives there.

Nick's parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are safe and sound. They weren't injured and their houses weren't damaged. On the down side, many of their places of employment -- Joplin High School and St John's hospital -- were completely destroyed. We have no idea what this means for Nick's mom (teacher), his uncle (another teacher), and cousin (an endocrinologist at the hospital). They are just thankful at this point that they have homes to seek shelter in at the end of the day.

Joplin residents still don't have television or internet, they aren't allowed to drive in many areas of town unless they are emergency essential, their comings-and-goings are restricted by mandatory curfews, the skies are swarming with helicopters keeping law and order, and they have no idea how long it's going to take just to clear the debris. My mother-in-law says it feels as though they are living in a war zone.

The news from Joplin is mind-boggling, even to a girl who grew up smack dab in the middle of tornado alley. Every time I think about what my loved ones have witnessed, tears prick behind my eyelids. When I talk to Nick's mom or cousin, those tears flow.

Like when my mother-in-law told me how thankful she is that we took the time to drive by the house Nick was born in. It is completely flattened now.

Same thing goes for the family-owned restaurant where our family gathered this March and took this photo.

There isn't much more I can say. Those darn tears are bothering me again and my heart is aching for my family and all the residents of Joplin. Please keep them in your prayers.

If you want to read more about Nick's family, see the following posts of my friend Shay. Her sister-in-law is Nick's cousin, so I am fortunate enough to say that our family circles overlap somewhat. Read more here and here.

Kinderspielparadies

2011-05-21T08:07:00.003+02:00

If you're a regular reader, I'm sure you're thinking ENOUGH WITH THE RAMBA ZAMBA ALREADY! But what can I say?! It is Ella and Kate's favorite place on earth!

Quite literally, it is a children's play paradise.

After going to RZ for two years, Ella has finally managed to conquer her fears. She can now climb every ladder, zip down every slide, and bounce on every bounceable surface. This is huge progress for my timid little girlie!

Ella even went through the alligator! I didn't get that one on video, and it's probably a good thing because Kate WAILED when the alligator chomped up Ella and Mommy. I hurried Ella down the slide and ran to Kate, whose face was covered with tears and drool. She hugged me tight and sobbed, "I so worried bout that awwigator eatin you and Ewwa."

Sweet Mo-Mo. Next thing I know she'll be climbing into the alligator herself! :)

ramba zamba videos

I'll Tumble for Ya

2011-05-20T08:59:00.000+02:00

Ella did her first somersault a couple of months ago. Then she mastered the art of the forward roll when we were visiting my family in Oklahoma. She was three and a half years old.

Never mind that Kate is not yet two. Ignore the fact that she is still working on getting both feet off the ground when she jumps. Forget about how she is too timid to go down most slides on her own.

Kate is convinced that she is at least as old as Ella...perhaps older.

In yet another attempt to illustrate that she is just as big, coordinated, and mature as Ella, Kate nailed the somersault yesterday. Occasionally she flops (literally), but most of the time she is successful.

Check our little gymnast out!

Ella somersaults! And attempt #1 for Kate-mo. :)

Kate's attempt #2.

SUCCESS!

Little Britches

2011-05-18T17:12:00.012+02:00

My not quite two-year-old is potty training. Can you believe that?! I sure as heck can't!

Here she is in her big girl panties!

Kate has been asking to use the potty for almost three months. While we were in the States for our six-week visit, any inquiries as to her age were answered with the statement, "I one now, but when I turn two I gonna wear panties and pee-pee in the potty!"

Notice that she never promised to poo-poo in that potty. That omission speaks volumes.

We started potty training one week ago today. I removed the diaper, put some panties on her, explained where her bodily wastes should be deposited, and we went about our business. Eleven pairs of panties and three giant urine puddles later, Kate nailed the #1. That was day three --she has woken up dry from nighttime and naps ever since. She is wearing panties all day and during naps, and she is wearing a "special panties" (a pull-up) to bed just in case.

But #2 is a completely different story. She knows that poop goes in the potty and not in panties, but she hasn't actually converted the knowledge to action. Likewise, I know that Kate poops in the morning, but I have yet to catch it and get her on the potty in time. I clean a nugget out of those panties every morning. (My life is soooooo glamorous.) I'm telling you, I watch that girl like a hawk all morning long, but she still sneaks it past me! I only learn about the poo after the fact when a contrite, reeking Kate walks up to me and says, "I'm sorry Mommy."

Clearly knowing is only half the battle.

Confession: These panties are hand-me-downs from Ella.
Am I scarring my second child?
Should I purchase a whole new set of 2T panties
even though they are just going to get soiled??

So Kate is officially on her way to being potty trained, I just hope that she figures this poop thing out soon.

So far I've taken it in stride. I have calmly reminded Kate that poo-poo goes in the potty and not in panties, cleaned her up, washed her undies, and sent her on her way. But I predict I will continue to think of her daily nugget-in-the-panties as an instructional opportunity for exactly two more weeks. After that I fear my patience will begin to unravel.

For the record, I didn't want to potty train this early. I refused to let her try to use the potty for three months even though she was asking me on a daily basis. Please don't think I'm a bad mommy. But I know myself and I know that I can't handle on-again, off-again potty training.

I have seen kids who use the potty some times, then ask to wear a diaper other times. I couldn't allow that. I would go insane. Another thing that drives me insane are those people who claim their children are "potty trained" at 17 months only to be back in diapers a few months later. That would make me lose my mind. If a child regresses that severely, I say he or she was "trained" too early. And I think the back-and-forth is hard on the child and on the parents.

So Kate-mo, take it easy on your mom and figure this thing out soon. Okay, thanks. Bye. :)

First Ballet Recital

2011-05-14T22:26:00.002+02:00

Today Ella Mae had her first ballet recital. She and her ballerina friends danced to the Sesame Street song "Ladybugs' Picnic."

Ella was the cutest darn ladybug I've ever seen. See for yourself in the photos and video!

ballet recital

A huge thanks to Miss Erika for making Ella's first year of ballet so enjoyable!

Keukenhof: Two Girls, Two Shoes, Two Trips, Tulips

2011-05-09T20:17:00.004+02:00

My oh my, how things have changed.

Ella and Kate at Keukenhof this year.

Ella and Kate at Keukenhof last year.

Then again, some things never change.

Ella wearing wooden shoes this year.

Ella wearing wooden shoes last year.

The expression on that face is almost identical!

I'm telling you, seeing the tulips in Holland is one of my all-time favorite Euro-trips.

I must admit that I was a little bummed out when I saw the signs on the little roadway: Due to the unexpectedly hot, dry season, our gardens bloomed much earlier than anticipated this year. We hope you enjoy your trip to Keukenhof. But the gardens were still beautiful. Yeah, there were loads of snipped stems and beds void of blossoms. But there were many beautiful things to gaze upon.

We went early last year during a cold, wet spring. And we went late this year during a hot, dry spring. So even after making the trip to the Netherlands two springs in a row, we have yet to see the tulips at their peak. I honestly cannot imagine how amazing Keukenhof would be when everything is in bloom. Whether it's early or late in the blooming season, the natural beauty literally takes my breath away.

And I'm already planning my three-peat visit to Keukenhof. What are YOU doing in April 2012?! :)

keukenhof 2011

Amsterdam XXX

2011-05-09T09:01:00.000+02:00

This is the Amsterdam coat of arms.

And this is the flag seen flying all over the city.

Call me clueless, but I didn't know that "XXX" had anything to do with illicit content. (I also didn't know that PG-13 is a harsher movie rating than PG.) So until he explained himself, Nick's jokes about Amsterdam's flag and coat of arms went completely over my head.

I was aware that Amsterdam has a racy reputation, what with the prostitution and the marijuana and such, but sketchy activities were nowhere to be seen in the vast majority of the city. I would go as far as to say that you have to consciously seek out such entertainments, even in Amsterdam.

Granted, I don't know much about either occupation.

I got a whiff of horrid smelling smoke and wheezed, "Oh my gosh! I just smelled marijuana!" Nick rolled his eyes and pointed to a man a few feet away saying, "Aubrey, that's a cigar." I might have encountered some weed smoke somewhere, but if so, I didn't know it.

While searching for a restaurant on our first evening in Amsterdam, we stumbled across the fringes of the Red Light district. We were walking along when I excitedly pointed out a yellow tabby to the girls: "Oooh! Look! A kitty cat!" The girls immediately looked where I pointed, and Nick whispered, "Nice diversion, honey!" I was puzzled until Nick and our travelling companions pointed a scantily-clad lady in an upper window. I was blissfully unaware.

In all of our walking around, I got a glimpse of one actual red light and two ladies selling their wares. I think Nick and the others saw at least twenty. And just so you know, both gals I saw were wearing camisoles and panties. There was no real nudity. You can see much worse than that on television!

To sum it up, I didn't feel like a bad mom taking my girls to the capital city of hookers and Mary Jane. They were more interested in the cats, bridges, playgrounds, and ice cream anyway. :)

All in all it was a great trip to Amsterdam!

Amsterdam 2011: Day Three

2011-05-08T22:53:00.000+02:00

We started our last day in Amsterdam with a trip to the Dutch Resistance Museum. I loved the way this museum was done. There was so much to see, yet I wasn't overwhelmed with all the pieces and information. I thought it did a fantastic job of making me consider the options of a Dutch citizen during the Nazi occupation: adjust, collaborate, or resist.

After the Resistance Museum, we went to tour a historic canal mansion: the Museum Willet-Holthuysen. The last owners of this gorgeous house were childless and donated their residence to the city of Amsterdam after their death. It has been open to the public since 1896, and it is full of period furnishings in the style of Amsterdam's Golden Age.

We spent the rest of the day walking around Amsterdam, admiring the architecture, enjoying the glorious weather, eating ice cream (the girls refused to eat the pancakes), playing with our children, and purchasing souvenirs. We bought wooden shoes, imitation Delft pottery, and this shirt...just kidding. How tasteless do you think we are?! :)

Actually we lucked out and ran across a modern art market on the Rembrandtplein. There we bought two gorgeous watercolors from a local artist. Talk about the perfect thing to take home from our weekend in Amsterdam!

amsterdam - day three

Amsterdam 2011: Day Two

2011-05-07T20:59:00.000+02:00

If NYC is the city that never sleeps, Amsterdam is the city that sleeps in.

Very few tourist attractions are open before 10 or 11am. It's as though you're expected to stay up LATE. I suppose legalized prostitution and cannabis has something to do with that...

But for responsible parents (read: non-fornicating, stone-cold-sober parents), that is kind of rough. Our kids are awake by 8am, so we have to have to get going early. Thankfully one museum in town opens at 9am, and that is where we could be found bright an early on Saturday morning.

The Rijksmuseum houses art from Amsterdam's Golden Age (roughly the 17th century). It contains an excellent collection of Rembrandts, Vermeers, delftware, and curiosities such as this doll house. Currently the main building of the Rijksmuseum is undergoing renovation work, so the museum's vast collection has been concentrated into the very small Phillips Wing. Basically that means on the very best is actually on display, so it was super quick as far as art museums go. All things considered, the Dutch masters aren't my favorite artists of all time. They were without a doubt incredibly talented, but for some reason commissioned portraits, still lifes, and minutely detailed landscapes only hold my interest for so long. I'm glad we went, but I am also very glad that we got to see the "quick" version of Amsterdam's Golden Age.

From the Rijksmuseum, we boarded a boat for a canal cruise. The weather was gorgeous, the tour was informative, and we got to see (and pass under) a goodly number of Amsterdam's 1300 bridges. The highlight of the cruise (for me at least) was when a little pleasure boat crashed into our big cruiser. Our captain was a little put out with the incompetent driver of the other boat, but for me it was good entertainment. Fortunately no one was hurt, neither boat was damaged, and no one wound up treading water in that absolutely filthy canal.

After our cruise, we walked through the Vondelpark. As we walked, our early risers fell sound asleep which allowed my sweet hubs and I to enjoy a leisurely trip to the Van Gogh Museum. I have never considered myself a huge Van Gogh fan. All I knew about old Vincent is that he was a patient in a mental hospital, that he committed suicide, and that his work was easily identifiable (even to an untrained, visual-arts-challenged soul like me). But I left the museum with a new appreciation for the man and for his work.

When we had finished with Van Gogh, we walked back to the Dam and decided to go inside the Nieuwe Kerk because it was covered by our pass. The church was not so special. (Nowadays it isn't so much a church as a place to house art and temporary exhibits. Occasionally they hold a coronation or a royal family wedding on the premises, but it isn't what I think of when I think of a church.) However, the "I amsterdam" pass is pretty fabulous. It's just good value. Not only does it cover admission at practically every sight in the city, it includes a canal cruise, all public transportation (trams and buses), and bypasses all lines. We saved ourselves at least €40 each and loads of time spent waiting in lines, which we all know is simply priceless any time, but especially when you have small children.

The one thing that we had to do that was not covered by our pass was the Anne Frank house. For me, this was the most moving and memorable experience of the weekend. I first read the Diary of Anne Frank when I was 12 years old. I have spent the last 18 years of my life trying to imagine what her experiences were like, but my guesses didn't even come close. If you haven't read her diary, read it now. If you haven't visited this building, make the trip some time in your life. But if you're just not up for such an investment of time and/or money right now, at least take a few minutes to watch this.

Since Nick had visited the Anne Frank house while in Amsterdam for work in 2009, he stayed with the girls while I took my time going through. I was thankful that I didn't have children in that tiny, cramped, totally swamped-with-tourists space. I was thankful that I could cry without having my daughters look worried and say, "It's okay, Mommy. Please don't cry." I was thankful for the long walk back to our hotel to get myself together. But most of all, I am thankful for my life and my freedom and my beautiful little family.

amsterdam - day two