First Grade

I have a first grader??!! I am always saying this, but I have no idea where the time goes. It completely scares me. I am constantly admiring my 3 little darlings run around me and wondering at the same time, "how did this happen?"

We enjoyed a long summer and it was finally time for Adeline to head back to school last Tuesday. She was pretty excited to go back.





I suggested that I take her on her first day of school instead of ride the bus. I love her school, but I feel like it is SO disorganized! She had barely found out the name of her teacher, had no idea where in the huge school her classroom was, or who her teacher was (besides her name). It made me feel really nervous.

Off to school!



So Abe took this picture right before we left. When I got to the school and got out of the car, I realized that my TAG was sticking out of the front of my shirt. I had it on backwards! I went back to the car and had to try and flip it around before I ran her into school. Not sure where my brain is! I thought for sure this picture would have shown the tag sticking out!



When we got there, Adeline was pretty quiet and shy. She is my very independent, strong little kid that has never had problems with being brave and sticking it out. She confidently told me goodbye and I was out the door. When she got off the bus that afternoon, she exclaimed, "This was the BEST DAY EVER!". She also told me several times that Mrs. Leroy was the nicest teacher ever and maybe was even nicer than Mrs. Berlin (her Kindergarten teacher). I am very happy that she likes her teacher and knows a lot of the kids in her class. I wish I could say that she has continued to tell me that she has had the best day ever. Instead, I feel like she is constantly fighting me morning and evening. I am just crossing my fingers that it is because she has to adjust to the long days. She gets picked up by the bus just after 8am (45 minute bus ride to the Netherlands) and I pick her up at 4:15pm. It is too long for me too. I wish her day could be cut down 2 hours. Here is to hoping that my cute little 1st Grader has a wonderful year!!

8 Years

On Monday we celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary. I shouldn't really say we "celebrated" on Monday. We didn't really do anything on Monday, but we did go out for Sushi on Saturday night after running around all day with our heads cut off. We should probably strive to make our anniversaries a little more special.

It's fun to reflect back to the days leading up to getting married and specifically that day. The first thing that comes to my head is "total bliss". I loved every single second of it. I still love (almost) every single second of it. I feel like such a lucky girl to have found such a catch. Abe is my best friend and I truly couldn't ask for more. I love raising a family with him. We are always a good "team" and Abe is always stepping up to the plate with the kids. He always dives in to play with the kids, helps them get to bed, bathes them, gets them ready in the morning and much, much more. Of course I help with those things too, but he is always more than willing to help. He is also such a great help around the house. It is not uncommon for me to find him folding the mounds of laundry that ends up piling on our guest bed. He is also so incredibly patient with me. He makes me laugh. He kisses me no matter what when he is leaving for work in the morning (even if I am totally incoherent)When we got married I was madly in love with him and am happy to say that that has not changed, only increased.

I grew up in Utah, went to College in Utah and figured that I would never leave. From the moment we got married, we have always lived away. Surprisingly, it has been great being away. I still miss my family very much, but it has been so good for our marriage and our family. We always rely on each other. We are stronger. I always joke with Abe that it is a good thing I like him so much, because it would be miserable living in a different Country so far away from everything that I know. But it's not. It's a fun adventure that we can enjoy together. I love you so much Abe!! Happy Anniversary!!

Milestones

My little German...



Meika turned 18 months old at the end of July. It makes me sad to think about how fast she is growing up. Luckily she is still a "baby", but she is quickly turning into an active toddler. Well, I guess she is a toddler. I don't want to admit that. This little thing is such a little angel. I think that it would be hard for anyone that meets her not to fall head over heels for her. She is more sweet than I could ever imagine an 18 month old to be.

Meika at 18 months Old:

*very cuddly
*very laid back
*curious and adventurous... but pretty careful. We go to the park and she will be adventurous on the slides and equipment. She spends most of the time at the park sitting in the sand piles and playing contently with the sand for hours.
*Loves her sisters
*Good eater. LOVES any kind of fruit. She is always pushing the stool over to my fruit bowl and helping herself. It is not unusual for her to be walking around with a full apple or peach going away at it. She loves cucumbers, carrots, pasta, yogurt and way too many to list.
*sleeps from 7:30 or 8pm until 8:30-9:30am
*Takes naps every day for 2-3 hours
*loves drinking water from a real cup
*Has 10 teeth and it looks like all the other ones are coming in at once
*Loves being outside. She tries riding the bikes, jumps on the trampoline, collects rocks and tries to do somersaults
*very good at listening to commands
*Is starting to talk a lot. She says (and of course they are in somewhat baby language)
-baby
-Adeline
-Mama (she calls Abe "mama" too and refuses to say "dada)
-ball
-"D" for drink
-"ee ee" for fishy
-nana
-grandma
-grandpa
-bike
-please
-all done
-outside
-phone
-bye bye
-hi
-Nine (was saying this all the time when I was watching my German friend's puppy. Nine means NO in German)
-yes

I'm sure there are other words, but I can't think of them right now. I don't know what I would do without Meika. She is such a dream baby.







Adeline is now my big six year old!



Adeline is 6 going on 14 it feels like sometimes. She is still a very independent and energetic little thing. I can't imagine another girl her age being able to pass her up on her energy and determination. If this girl wants to do something, she does it. She is very imaginative and creative. She always thinks of little ideas in her head and wants to act them out or create it. It seems like she always has a plan in her head for how she wants things done and what she wants to do. She is a planner. She loves crafts and drawing. She has become quite the little artist. I've been very impressed with some of the things she draws. Adeline is very adventurous. She is always game for anything. She is a fun little buddy to go do things with. She loves clothes. She is super competitive. She loves riding horses and wearing her cowboy boots. She dreams of living in Utah. Adeline is such a good little friend. She really wants to take care of others and be some sort of mommmy figure. She is always making creations and drawing things for her friends. Adeline is type A in some ways (like her dad) and wants things to be a certain way. She likes things tidy and is mostly willing to help me clean, organize, fold laundry, etc. She loves having tasks and things to do. She does NOT like being bored. Sitting in the car for hours she does not do well with :) Adeline loves being outside and especially loves riding her bike. She probably rides it at least once every day. Because Adeline is very determined and strong willed, she sometimes can be a little tough to parent. Whenever we have some sort of argument which turns into a big tantrum, she almost always ends up coming back to me after thinking about it awhile and sincerely apologizes to me. She is a pleaser and wants to make you happy. We all miss her so much while at school. Norah is constantly asking me throughout the day, "When does Adeline come home?" I think the first time she asked me this morning was at 9am. We love little Adeline and the fun and sweetness she brings to our family.









When I went to take a couple pictures of Adeline and Meika for their milestones, I decided to take a couple of the three girls together too.









I love these little girls so much. I have been feeling really good the past several weeks following my miscarriage. For some reason, the past week though has been a little tough for me. Probably just all the reminders that I am not pregnant. I see about 2 pregnancy announcements every day. I see baby bump pictures of girls that are due right around the same time I was due. I have other reminders. It's hard. However, I have really been trying to savor my kids even more than normal. I am trying to hug them more. Spend more quality time. I don't want these years to slip away from me suddenly (like I feel like they are) and feel like I missed it or can't remember it. I don't want to have regrets. I am so blessed to have all 3 of these sweet little girlies!!

Salzburg, Austria and Garmisch,Germany

Last week we went on our end of the summer trip. On Sunday we drove to Salzburg, Austria and stayed the night in a random bare to the bones hotel. It was very cute from the outside though, but of course I didn't take a picture! In the morning, we drove to the Salzburg airport to pick up our friend Rob, who recently moved to England. We then headed into the city to start exploring. I have heard so many great things about this city and it did not disappoint. Our first stop was Mirabell Gardens. On the way there, the girls found this pretty awesome tree to play on for a bit.



Right above where you enter, you get a really good view of the gardens and the city/palace in the background.





I was taking pictures of the gardens and turn around to find this little stinker running THROUGH the gardens and hopping over all the bushes. As soon as I got mad at her, she started laughing hysterically and running away from me. She would be in big time trouble if she wasn't so cute. She was really excited about Rob being there, which also made her a show off possibly?



Once I finally got her out she started walking around like this. Of course with a big smile on her face and laughing. Oh the joys. Her underwear are also on backwards and have a little disgusting streak on them. I had changed her out of them the night before because I was so disgusted and apparently when she got ready that morning, she put them back on.







From the gardens, we headed over the Love Lock bridge to get into the main part of the city.



While we were on this bridge, Meika was on Abe's shoulders and started screaming bloody murder. She had gotten stung by a bee. Poor little thing. As I was walking off the bridge trying to console her and give her a binky another bee appeared on her neck and stung her 2 more times! It was the saddest thing ever.



Love the cute random side streets you find in Europe.







In the middle of the shopping street is Mozart's Birthplace.



Neat fountain with the Dom in the background







Inside the Dom





Love the bright amazing ceilings





No words for what this kid is ever up to





Hohensalzburg Fortress



Creepy statue outside the church



Norah with a random kid in front of this Statue



Of course Norah looking like this after while. Boy was she a toughy on this trip. What happened to my super easy kid?



On our way back to the car, we had to walk back over the love lock bridge.



I decided to lock our love too :)



And the girls threw the locks into the river for us.





Goodbye Salzburg!



Next up was The Eagle's Nest. The Kehlsteinhaus was given to Hitler on his 50th birthday to serve as a retreat and a place to entertain people. It took us about 50 minutes to drive there. Once we got up to the part where we had to buy tickets, we all hopped on the bus to take us up to the Eagle's Nest. The switchbacks up the mountain were crazy and we had amazing views. I understood after that bus ride why they don't let people drive up that road themselves... along with the issue that there would be no parking for the public.



Some of the views when the bus dropped us off at the top.







Then we headed over to the tunnel to take the high speed elevator to the top of the Eagle's Nest. You can see the roof of it from this picture.





Of course the first thing Norah does when we get to the top is climb up the railing and swing a little to get a better view. Pretty sure that Norah made Rob nervous several times (as the rest of us). Rob is grasping Norah in this picture so she doesn't fall to her death. It looks safe in this picture, however there was a pretty big drop off you can't see.



Walking up to the cross to get better views of the valley and the Eagle's Nest.













And a great view of the Kehlsteinhaus. Ridiculous and sickening to think that one of the most evil men had this amazing place.



The fireplace



Abe and Rob were really excited about the Eagle's Nest and I really didn't care about it. Why go see Hitler's Retreat? I didn't care! I really enjoyed it though. Beautiful scenery and such an amazing place. Plus, it's history!

Next up was Garmisch, Germany which is in the Bavarian Region. I LOVE this area. Garmisch is like a little Park City.... but in Germany. We stayed at the military Edelweiss hotel. Last year when we came here, we stayed in little cabins on the base. Those were sold out, so we decided to stay in the actual lodge this time. It was expensive, but it was so much fun staying in the lodge. American breakfast buffets in the morning, the swimming pool at our disposal and it was super nice.





Our first full day there it rained the entire first half of the day. We went swimming all morning and that once the rain let up, we went into town to do the alpine slide.







and a little park playing.



Then we headed up to Lake Eibsee to hang out for a bit. I love this lake. Unfortunately it has been cold both the times I have visited. It is so pretty!





Pretty sure at this moment Meika said "Duck" for the first time















We were starving after the lake and headed to the next town over called Grainau. I feel in LOVE with this cute little town. I especially fell in love with this church.





and the backside of it



The next day I was able to get all 3 kids into daycare at the base so we could head to Dachau kid free. I really did not want to bring them with us. Especially after all the questions my kids ask. After going there, I'm also glad that I did not bring Meika. It was very solemn and quiet. The last thing I would have wanted was a whining baby being a distraction. The camp made me sad and have such a sickening feeling the entire time. It's really hard to imagine everything that these people had to go through.

Entrance to the camp



One of the last standing bunkers











You can see the rows where all the other bunkers used to be. On the opposite side of the trees there was another entire row of them. Each bunker was made for about 50 people and ended up with about 300 (can't remember the exact number). Craziness.











The Crematorium. Creepy.





This was so incredibly sad. There was a room right before this one where they would have people come and strip down their clothes. They were told that they were taking a shower. Once they came into this room, which was even disguised with shower heads, they would shut the doors and gas them. So sickening.













After Dachau, we were planning on walking around Munich for a couple of hours. We were at Dachau for just over 3 hours and could have spent another 1-2 hours there. We had totally run out of time and had to pick up the girls by 4:30pm. We quickly drove through Munich and then had to go back. I was so disappointed! The city looked so neat! Here are only a couple pictures I got by car and this does not do it justice!





Abe and I were pretty pathetic when we went to go pick the kids up. It was nice being kid free for the day, but we missed them!



The next day we needed to start our drive home. It was the first somewhat clear day and I begged Abe to let us go to the top of Zugspitze, which is the tallest peak in Germany. We were planning on doing it another day, but I didn't want to pay $100 to get to the top and not have a good view. It was on our way out, so we decided to do it.





View from the Gondola



Amazing views from the top









It was pretty cold at the top. Everyone else was sporting their full on winter gear and we were all in shorts and sandals. The kids complained the entire time! Partly my fault, but we had blankets and extra coats to wrap around them. They just didn't realize how cool it was.















Next stop was Neuschwanstein castle, in which the Cinderella Castle was inspired by. My kids called it and believed it to be THE Cinderella Castle. It was a mad house even driving into the town below the castle. We waited in traffic for about 45 minutes at least. Once we got into the town to park, it was hard to drive on the streets because there were so many people. It was way worse than Disneyland on a busy day. Crazy.

Here is Hohenschwangau Castle which is on a little hill right where we parked.



The tickets to see inside the castle were completely sold out, so that was a no go. From the little town, we had to hike up a road quite a ways to actually get to the castle. Norah and Meika got pushed up the steep hill by Abe and Adeline was a great sport walking. There were horse carriages going up and down the road often transporting people, so that was fun for the girls to see. We finally reached to the top and saw the castle. It was hard to get a good view of it once you were there since it is so big.













Adeline and I decided to take an extra hike around the back of the castle and through the woods to get to a bridge that supposably had a great view of the castle. This was the back of the castle on our way to the bridge.



Good views on our walk...



We had to wait in a insanely long line just to get onto the bridge to take a picture. It was worth it though to see the view of the castle.




On the way home, we added about 3 hours onto our drive because of "Staus"... big German traffic jams. Ugh. We were at a standstill for hours and there was no reason other than going from 3 lanes to 2? I don't understand it. I feel like anytime we travel more than a couple hours in German, this is always a problem. But hey, Germans have great highways :)

We had a great trip and I felt like we were able to see a lot. I am sad that we didn't actually get to see Munich, but we were able to do everything else that I wanted!