Our Journey

Skiing the Alps

2012-01-29T10:20:00.009+01:00

First, let's celebrate the fact that I'm writing this post in the SAME month we took this trip! Hooray! Off to a great start this year! *applaud* Thanks!

This is our first family adventure of the year ... a ski holiday in Kaprun, Austria. It was somewhat of a last-minute trip. On the 1st of Jan we said, "Hey! Let's take a family ski trip together!" and teamed up with our friends, the Wagner's for a family ski trip to Austria. We spent the next week researching family-friendly ski locations and hotels and settled on Hotel Rudolfshof Vitality in Kaprun. Two weeks later, we were there! The hotel is a family-run hotel that included full-board (breakfast, lunch, late-afternoon snack, and dinner) plus a free Kids Club run by a great team of girls that had experience as "au-pairs". We enjoyed great food, drinks, great company, the adult sauna (sans kiddos), snowboarding, skiing with the kiddos ... plenty of family time balanced with quiet adult time. It was perfect. Though I must say, by the time we started to relax it was time to depart ... 4 nights/3 days isn't long enough.

Our highlight of the trip was skiing with Kelty for the first time. He's 4, and as most 4-years olds are ... he's fearless! From 9:30 - 11:30 on our first two days, Kelty enjoyed ski school while Al and I brushed up on our snowboarding skills with an instructor. After our schools, we hopped back to the hotel for lunch then back to the bunny slopes for an afternoon of skiing with Kelty until 4:30. Then we'd hit the late-afternoon snack at the hotel followed by some time in the Kids Club for Kelty and sauna/spa time for the adults. After some downtime we'd hit the pool with Kelty and then rendevous with the Wagner's for dinner. By the second night, we had found our groove and let the kids eat first at dinner then drop them off at the Kids Club while the adults finished their dinner and drinks at a more leisurely pace. :)

Daddy and Kelty on the bunny slopes.

By the second day, Kelty was riding the bunny lift by himself. It was awesome to watch him ... so confident, so fearless, and so happy!

Taking a breather with Daddy ...

... and a breather with mommy.

Kelty, done with ski school. Is there anything cuter than toddlers on ski's?

Al and I were able to hit the larger slopes on Kitzeinhorn Glacier ... the view was stunning. We decided to use our snowblades versus snowboards because truthfully, I was tired of falling. :)

We hit the Ice Bar on the glacier. It's an igloo!

We took a break enjoyed a gluhwein.

The last photo of our time on the slopes ... a group shot with the Wagner's. As always, we had a fantastic time together! We were the last family on the slopes this day ... you know what was nice ... we could actually just ski right down to our hotel. Let's get one more "awesome" in this post.

2011 Year in Review

2012-01-06T19:51:00.015+01:00

It was a great year, a busy year ... but truth be told, I spent most of it feeling a bit overwhelmed and disorganized and trying to find some balance. At one point something had to give and unfortunately is was my blog(s). I regret this decision, as now I struggle to remember all of the wonderful things we did as a family this year ... granted, I remember the big moments ... but I failed at documenting the little moments that are just as precious and sometimes of greater impact. After this "Year in Review" I officially consider my blog current and I can start blogging for today instead of trying to capture what happened in our lives months prior. It's a tremendous weight off my shoulders! So let's get started, our life in 2011 ....

January

Following our Christmas in Michigan with my family, Kelty and I stayed through mid-January. Kelty loved every minute with his Papa, Nana, Aunt Ca-Ca, and his cousins ... and so did I. Kelty has since removed the photos of his cousins from our family tree and keeps them on his nightstand. I also left Kelty in the care of my sister and parents and traveled to Florida for a few days to work at Disney and keep my show approvals in Fantastmic.

February

After almost a month in the states, we spent February re-acclimating to Germany. Kelty also became quite the little helper.

March

Spring arrived! We spent a lot of time outdoors soaking in the sun we desperately missed during the winter months. Kelty gained a new level of independence at the playground ... graduating to the "big boy" equipment. We also started a new tradition of stopping to cut fresh flowers together after school. Kelty continued with his speech therapy and we started the referral process for Kelty to be seen at Center for Communication Enhancement at Children's Hospital Boston.

April

April marked our first big vacation of the year, Greece! We spent a day in Athens followed by several days on Crete. Al and I also enjoyed our first Weinprobe with some great friends ... it was quite the experience and one never to be forgotten. Along with some amazing wine, we dined on delicacies like Emu and duck ... there was a lot of wine involved ... which is pretty much the only reason the Emu made it passed my lips.

May

We traveled back the states in May to celebrate my brother-in-law's graduation from medical school where we spent one amazing week in Vermont with Al's family. Immediately following, we drove to Boston for a week-long series of appointments at the Center for Communication Enhancement at Children's Hospital Boston where Kelty received training on an augmentative communication device to assist with his Apraxia of Speech.

June

Al and I celebrated our birthdays. I started a new Reserve job as a staff officer. We took a day-trip to Strasbourg, France and despite a rough start we had a nice visit. We enjoyed our villages festival, to include a parade and 2-mile walk into the woods to continue the celebration. Al also took a "guys trip" and spent a weekend hiking the Swiss Alps (unfortunately the hiking photos are MIA just like the month of Jan).

July

Norway! ... or as Kelty calls it, "my Norway". We spent an amazing week in and around Flam ... one of our most memorable trips thus far.

August

We did a lot of biking in August and Kelty continued to show his independence. Our family bike rides have gone from Kelty in a bike seat, to Kelty riding a tricycle and mom/dad walking, to Kelty riding a bike with training wheels and mom/dad riding along. Our longest ride this summer was during an autofrei day where Kelty rode his bike over 4 miles. Kelty also started soccer camp ... he loved it, but spent a considerable amount of time picking flowers on the field and bringing them to me. :)

September

Kelty started Pre-School/Pre-K! We also welcomed fall by enjoying our annual visit to the pumpkin festival at Hitscherhoff where we dined on pumpkin bratwurst and pumpkin soup. Al started a 6-month deployment ... fortunately to another base in Germany so we are able to see him on his days off. Poor little Pogo (our 13 year-old chihuahua) was diagnosed with diabetes and our routine now includes blood monitoring and insulin injections.

October

Kelty started riding lessons at a nearby horse farm in late October, he loves his "yee-haw". We finally found our groove with Al coming and going, despite a difficult start and a lot of stress over Pogo's health. Somewhere between Sept and Oct Kelty became addicted to Star Wars, despite having never seen the movies or the cartoon ... I blame it on the toy store.

November

Gearing up for winter! We spent several evenings with our German neighbors learning to cook traditional foods like Dampfnudels with Vanilla Wine Sauce and enjoying gluhwein, in return we had them over to enjoy our traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

December

Kelty turned 4 and we celebrated with a Star Wars Jedi party! This also marked the age where Kelty was allowed to rock climb at the indoor climbing wall on base. We stayed in Germany for Christmas this year since Al could not take leave. It was a quiet Christmas with just the 3 of us but it was still a perfectly wonderful. We visited a few nearby Christmas markets and anxiously awaited snow ... which is still yet to come!

... and that's a wrap on 2011!

Norway ... In A Nutshell

2011-10-30T10:42:00.015+01:00

A long time ago .....

One of our big vacations this summer (ahem, yes I'm THAT far behind) was to Norway! After a lot of discussion about traveling through Norway versus basing our travels out of one location ... we settled on basing our adventures out of Flam, which is nestled in the innermost part of the Aurlandsfjord. We don't regret that decision for a moment! This trip was the perfect balance between relaxation and exploration ... it's exactly what we needed.

In a nutshell. 1) Norway is the most picturesque place I have EVER seen ... I will run the risk of sounding like a complete dork and tell you that the scenery and its enormity pretty much moved me to tears. Really ... it's THAT amazing. 2) Norway is the MOST expensive place we have traveled. Whoa! To offset the cost of the trip, we knew we'd be packing our lunches and skimping on meals ... I swear, it's 3 months post-Norway and I still cannot stomach a peanut butter sandwich. Thankfully our hotel stay included breakfast ... we completely gorged ourselves every morning, packed a PB sandwich for our lunch and bought the cheapest food we could find for dinner. How expensive could it be? Converting the currency to U.S. dollar ... a personal pizza was $50 - $65, a bowl of soup was $18 - $22, a hamburger was $30+ ... and we're not talking sit-down restaurants! I'm talking little quick-service establishments! 3) Did I mention Norway is simply breathtaking?

So. We flew into Oslo late on a Friday night, picked up our rental car, and drove about an hour out of Oslo to our first hotel. The next morning we hopped on the road to drive to our destination, Flam. We based all of our activities out of Flam, a tiny little village that happens to be a cruise ship destination. Each morning we enjoyed watching a new cruise ship dock and each afternoon after the ship left and we enjoyed the peace and view of the fjords. It's as if we had the village to ourselves. It was perfect ....

A view through the fjords towards Flam ...

Grass roofs ...

Loved this. Red homes and buildings were pretty popular, it was completely stunning amongst all of the green. This little roof even had a clump of trees growing on top ...

We stopped frequently along the route between Oslo and Flam to capture photos. We had all the time we needed ....

Kelty absolutely loved Norway. In fact, he still calls it "my Norway" and has requested to go back. We spent all of our time outdoors ... I can see why he loved it!

Flam! Busy during the day and quiet in the evenings ...

Flam is home to the "Flamsbana" (Flam Railway). Every day we watched the train depart for a trip that is claimed to be the most beautiful in the world ...

A view of our accomodations, Flamsbrygga Hotel. I sat on the deck every morning, afternoon, and evening while sipping coffee. Perfect ...

Look at the reflection!

Our first day we took a boat trip up the Naeroyfjord to Gudvangen. It was stunning! The waterfalls that dominate this region are spectacular ...

So picturesque ...

Kelty was SO happy ...

I love this. A couple was sitting outside their home ... simply enjoying their view. The husband was "people watching" as the wife knitted.

We cruised by this beautiful piece of land ... Al and I both fell in love with it. If only we could find a piece of property like this to build our retirement home on! You can see the sheep grazing and a little boat pulled ashore (bottom right). sigh.

After we reached our destination, we explored for about an hour until we caught the bus back to Flam.

This makes me smile ...

The next day, we visited the Hopperstad Stave Church which was built in the early 1100's. Stave Churches are Norway's oldest surviving churches ... we were able to see a few throughout our trip, but this is the particular church we took the time to explore.

The wood is covered in tar ...

Ketly enjoyed everything about it ...

Later in the week we decided to hike to a nearby waterfall ...The start of our journey. You can see the waterfall waaaaayyyy in the background.

I forgot to mention that it had been raining ALL week and we were warned it was going to be a difficult and messy hike. It was!

We made it! We were completely wiped out but it was gorgeous and Kelty was so proud!

This was taken after I busted my butt ... you can see the mud and the deep imprints our shoes made. It took us a few hours to hike there and back but it was one of our most memorable family hikes.

We took an afternoon and drove the "snow road". It's a 30-mile scenic drive which eventually took us to the Stegastein viewpont. The views were breathtaking. Along the drive (and most of our driving excursions in the area) we always saw little rock towers .... Al stopped to make a contribution of his own.Stegastein Viewpont

Our last big excursion was a hike to Jostedalen Glacier. We drove to the national park (which ended up requiring us to board a ferry ... Kelty was REALLY excited to ride the "car boat").

From the car park area, we hiked about an hour to the face of the glacier. This is where I had a tough time capturing the grandeur of Norway. This was HUGE! Can you see the hikers on the glacier ... it will give you a little perspective of the size.

This is one of my favorite photos. Daddy and Kelty taking a break along our hike to the glacier ...

It's blue!

A family photo! The only one we have of the three of us!

On our last full day, we drove the tiny nearby town of Undredal ... which apparently has a population of about 75 people and 400 goats. It's also famous for a unique brown goat cheese ... which was so unique, we opted not to buy after tasting. :o)

We were a little disappointed not to run into any goats while we were walking through the town .... well, we found them all on our way out!

During our time in Flam, Kelty's favorite past time was climbing rocks ...

and that's a wrap on Norway!

A Journey for Kelty

2011-08-28T06:00:00.003+02:00

A very special journey for Kelty ....

Immediately following our visit to Vermont for Mike's graduation from medical school, we drove to Boston for a series of medical appointments for Kelty. Some time ago, Kelty was diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech, a neurological speech disorder that affects the brain’s ability to send the proper signals to move the muscles involved in speech. Apraxia-Kids.org is a wonderful site that helps explain Apraxia of Speech, treatment options, and resources available. I really encourage you to browse through the Family Start Guide which does a wonderful job explaining Apraxia of Speech .. it's been a tremendously helpful resource for us.

Kelty started working with a speech pathologist over 2 years ago ... wow, 2 years! Over the course of these 2 years we have literally taught Kelty every sound, syllable, and word that he now has in his vocabulary ... we've taught him how to move his lips, tongue and muscles to communicate verbally. We've literally had to train Kelty to speak. We have an AMAZING speech pathologist here, truly amazing. Kelty responds so well and we've all formed a wonderful bond ... it is through all of our efforts, including Kelty, that Kelty now has a voice. But this is a long journey for Kelty and though he has made great progress ... we have a long way to go.

Kelty with his speech pathologist, Julie ... working on finding "g" and the "guh" sound.

Kelty has no other developmental delays ... and though we are truly blessed with that, the challenge is that Kelty is very smart and understands EVERYTHING! We have in a Kelty a very bright, happy, imaginative, expressive, active and social little boy that simply cannot speak what he knows! He has stories to share but cannot tell them ... he has feelings to share but cannot speak them ... he has so much to say but a voice that fights back. He loves to talk, but his speech is filled with word approximations and mostly goes misunderstood. He makes up for his speech difficulties by animating ... I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be a little actor.

Several months as we were plugging along at our speech appointments, Julie had a little heart-to-heart with me. There was MORE that we needed to be doing for Kelty ... and our journey to get Kelty seen at the Center for Communication Enhancement at Children's Hospital Boston began ...

On May 23, 2011 after consults, referral paperwork, coordination with insurance ... Kelty had his 1st appointment at the Center for Communication Enhancement at Children's Hospital Boston. I'll be honest, Al and I were hoping to hear "Kelty is fine, just keep doing what you're doing and he'll be tracking normally soon" ... but it's not what we heard. Instead, they confirmed what Julie had already told us ... Kelty needed the aid of an Augmentative Communication Device. Over the course of one week, the speech pathologists worked with Kelty on various communication devices and decided the Vantage Lite would be best suited for Kelty. Of course the decision was ultimately for Al and I to decide and we are still in a state of disbelief, but it is our job to give Kelty every opportunity to speak and to be understood.

This device will essentially "give Kelty a voice" until he is able to communicate successfully on his own. He can build sentences, ask for help, ask for things he needs and share with us everything he know but cannot speak ... I am so excited to hear what Kelty has to say!

Now, we are in a state of waiting from the insurance company to decide whether or not this device will be covered. Though we've been assured that it will, does anyone have luck with their insurance company the first time around? If not ... we will make this work.

On the lighter side of things ...

In between appointments; we were able to enjoy a little of Boston with Al's parents, who were able to continue their visit with us after leaving Vermont ...

We visited the tomb of Paul Revere ...

We spent an afternoon at the Children's Museum ...

Every little boys dream ...

and this too ...

Hands-on learning ...

We ate at Cheers (that's my Bloody Mary)!

... and despite a busy schedule, we enjoyed some great family time and Kelty was able to have fun with his Mimi and Papa.

Vermont

2011-08-20T08:08:00.009+02:00

A long time ago .....

We flew back to the states to attend Mike's (Al's brother) graduation from University of Vermont College of Medicine (we have a doctor in the family now!) and to attend a series of medical appointments for Kelty at Children's Hospital Bostin (next blog post). Our journey back to the states in May spanned two weeks and it was fantastic! Here is a snapshot of our time spent in beautiful Burlington, Vermont ...

Al, Kelty, I, Mike, Sue, Papa and Mimi Clay shared a cabin on Lake Champlain for the week. It was great reunion spot for the family and we also spent several evenings with Sue's family. Later in the week we even had Mike and Sue's old friends Roland (aka, Rolo) and Rodney with us. It was a GREAT time!

We visited the Ben & Jerry's factory which has its origins in Burlington! Awesome!

Kelty fished off the dock at the cabin ...

Al and Kelty enjoyed some nice Daddy and son time on the dock ...

We took Kelty rock climbing! Sue it belaying Kelty in this photo. It was simply amazing to watch him climb, repel, and then immediately ask for "more, more". Mike and Sue have become fantastic climbers and it really made us miss our old rock-climbing days in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Once Kelty reaches the age of 4, we can take him to our local climbing wall here!

Family shot at Petra Cliffs Climbing Center

We spent a morning at Shelburne Farms, a working farm near Burlington. It was beautiful and Kelty loved every minute of it.

He played ...

Milked a Brown Swiss Cow ...

Chased the hens and even collected fresh eggs ...

... and made a bracelet from wool.

Our last night in Burlington and the day before Mike's graduation, we enjoyed a great family night of dinner, s'mores, games, and laughter ...

S'mores please!

... and what's time with family if you don't dare each other to jump into a 47 degree lake!

... and the reason for our trip to Vermont, celebrating Mikey's graduation from medical school! Congrats Mikey! Mike and Sue are now living in sunny California where Mike is a resident in Pathology at Stanford.

OPA! Our Journey to Greece

2011-07-10T12:01:00.000+02:00

In April we took our first big vacation of the year ... Greece! This was a tough vacation to plan. We had originally planned to hike Cinque Terre, Italy but Al's work schedule leading into Spring was complete misery. He was working 14-hour days almost 7 days a week. On his "off" days he was flying or TDY .... we were all exhausted by the schedule. So we decided to hold off on an "active vacation" and opt for a slow-paced vacation in Crete, Greece with no "island hopping". We chose an all-inclusive resort on the beach and balanced exploration with lazy days at the resort playing on the beach, swimming, collecting rocks, drinking wine on our balcony, eating .... it's just what we needed ... time to unwind. Let's go ....

We flew from Frankfurt to Athens and chose a flight with an 8-hour layover before hopping over to Crete. We jumped on the train in Athens and ventured out to see the Acropolis! I have vivid memories of learning about the Parthenon in Mr. Staley's class in High School ... never did I dream that I'd be able to see it! Well sort of. To our disappointment, the Acropolis was CLOSED! What! The area is gated and they close the area at 2:30 in the afternoon! We walked up at EXACTLY 2:30 and the gate was literally closed in our face. Not the warmest welcome to Greece. We walked around the perimeter of the acropolis and enjoyed a view of the Parthenon and the ruins from a distance ... it was still beautiful.

"Memory" ... back in my first days performing at Disney, I had the pleasure of opening the "Hercules Zero to Hero Victory Parade" when Disney released there new animated film "Hercules". My role dancing in this parade was as a "Kid of The Acropolis" at the base of the Hercules float. I still remember bits and pieces of the choreography and still have the rehearsal music! I REALLY fought the urge to break into "routine" with the Acropolis as my backdrop ...

2 bids, 4 bids, 6 bids a drachma ... all for Hercules stand up and holler!

Ok, back to the Greece ...

Looking out over Athens ...

I wonder if the little stinker will ever remember these journey's ...

When I think of Greece ... I think of pottery!

Kelty climbing on the ruins ...

After a few hours of exploring Athens we hopped on the train back to the airport and continued our journey to Crete. We arrived LATE, grabbed our car and started our drive on narrow, winding roads to our destination in Rethymno.

We played on the beach ...

Collected rocks ...

We ate some AMAZING food like Greek Salad (which in Greece is only tomato, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, a slice of feta, seasoning and olive oil) ...

Cretan yogurt ... EVERY SINGLE DAY! Did you know there are no cows on Crete? Their yogurt is made exclusively of sheep's milk! It is seriously the most amazing yogurt I have had IN MY LIFE.

We enoyed stuffed olive leaves ...

... and traditional Greek coffee. This is apparently an acquired taste. Traditional Greek coffee is made one cup at a time and brewed using instant-style coffee. It's heavy, gritty and .... unique. I'll just leave it at that.

We visited Chania, a town Al frequently visits when he fly's. It was gorgeous! While in Chania ...

Ketly explored the rock walls ...

We admired the beauty of the little alley's ...

I purchased handmade pottery ...

Al took me to the shop where he purchases olive oil and soaps for me when he visits. I bought more! ....

I love the doors ...

Kelty explored a little more ...

We simply enjoyed our time together!

A day or so later, we explored downtown Retyhmno. It's another beautiful harbor village ...

We walked around the harbor and admired the boats ...

We strolled through the town and stopped for lunch and coffee. We enjoyed some lively conversation with Kelty!

Our outdoor adventure for the trip was a visit up to Mount Ida to explore the Cave of Zeus! According to Greek mythology, this network of caves is where the goddess Rhea raised Zeus to protect him from his father Cronus ...

The 3-hour drive took us through the mountains and a few sleepy little villages ...

We stopped along the way to get a closer look at the sheep and goats that were ALL OVER THE PLACE. At one point we simply had to stop on the road because they were blocking it. This drive was a little interesting. We were literally the ONLY car on the road, with exception of a few sheep/goat farmers ... we saw nobody. I think our little trek up to the Cave of Zeus could have easily been turned into a horror movie ... we were so isolated!

After our drive to the top of Mount Ida, we hiked about 45 minutes to the Caves of Zeus ...

It was beautiful! Just like our drive ... we were the ONLY ones at the cave. Weird. We climbed down to explore little, it was pretty creepy but awesome.

Sitting at the mouth of the cave ...

The view from the top was amazing!

We gave our Greek vacation, two thumbs up! The locals were friendly and loved children! Everywhere we went they were giving Kelty candy, free ice cream, and "pretend" shots of Ouzo and Raki while mommy and daddy enjoyed the real thing! The food was fantastic and the scenery was beautiful.

... and that's a wrap on Greece!

Support Those With Apraxia of Speech

2011-06-29T13:50:00.007+02:00

The Vivint Gives Back project is giving away $1,250,000 to charities ... and YOU decide where it goes! By simply following them on Facebook, you can make your vote count ... and don't forget to VOTE DAILY! Please click the banner to start the voting process ...

I'm asking for your vote to support CASANA, the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America. In doing so, you will also be supporting the community that provides support to our family and our son Kelty, who has Apraxia.

Kelty! You can't pass up that smile!

A little about CASANA ...

Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America is the only charity organization dedicated solely to helping children that have the neurological speech disorder , apraxia. Their mission is to strengthen support systems for children with apraxia of speech to give them every opportunity to develop speech. CASANA's goals are to support the children and their families, educate current and future speech language pathologists in correct treatment of apraxia, to fund research into childhood apraxia of speech and to raise awareness about this neurological speech disorder.

Please spread the word!

Giveaway!

2011-06-26T14:18:00.005+02:00

Mallorie of GND Photography is hosting an AWESOME Summer Giveaway over at her blog! The giveaway is packed with a selection of beautiful products! Take a moment to stop by her blog. Entry is fast and simple ... simply "like" the Facebook page or Etsy shop of each vendor! For additional entries, simply refer your friends. You do not need to be local to win! Here is just a sampling of what the winner receives ...

Custom ChichiKids "Define Me" Shirt
(Yup ... I'm contributing!) Whoop!

Buntings!

Feather Headband

$25 Gift Certificate to MadHattery Boutique

$25 Gift Certificate to Rusted Chain

... and there is so much MORE! Visit her GIVEAWAY post, visit the vendors, and enter to win!

Meal Planning Board ~ TUTORIAL

2011-06-25T07:31:00.002+02:00

I'm working on a few posts to catch everyone up on our recent adventures ... until they go "live" I've posted my Meal Planning Board Tutorial over at my DIY blog, OH SO Chichi. Enjoy!

It's A Bird ... It's a Plane ... It's

2011-06-02T15:53:00.005+02:00

... SUPER KELTY!

We've been living with a superhero!

He tried to fly ....

and was very upset when he couldn't ...

turns out, our little superhero is our son in disguise ... who knew!

Super Kelty visits us almost daily ... he is a happy superhero who runs fast, jumps high and gives great hugs! When entering and exiting he puts his hands on his hips, puffs out his chest, and exclaims "Uh Huh!". I hope he sticks around for awhile!

Kitchen Command Center ~ Finally!

2011-03-16T00:14:00.001+01:00

I started drafting up plans for my little Kitchen Command Center a few month ago ... and FINALLY ... I've finished! As I've said before, the hardest part about living in Europe and having a DIY addiction is actually finding the materials. This is one of those projects where I spent weeks trying to find the right materials and waiting for them to arrive. When all of my supplies came in ... I swear, the skies parted and a little beam of light glistened through my kitchen window ... I may have heard angels singing (or it could have been my iPod).

Now I have to admit my bubble of happiness deflated a little when, as I was literally finishing up my Kitchen Command Center, I started seeing posts out there in blogland titled "Command Center" or "Kitchen Command Center". I REALLY thought I'd be debuting a "fresh" idea ... or at least name. O'well. It's all good ... because truly, I think we're all here to inspire and support one another in our journies through craftiness.

So here's my version of the ...

Kitchen Command Center

Do you see the little ray of light shining into my kitchen? Yes, this was a happy day!

Our Kitchen Command Center features a Meal Planning Board, Dry Erase Note Board, Magnet Boards and Chore Charts ... it has everything we need to plan out our week.

The Meal Planning Board was originally inspired by Charity over at All Things Beautiful. I'll be sharing a tutorial for my Meal Planning Board later this week over at OH SO Chichi, so please stop over.

I divided our meals into 3 categories; "favorites", "fast", and "new"

I embellished good 'ole clothespins to display our meals for the week (Sun - Sat). I've shared a tutorial on how to make your own "Not Your Average Clothespins" here.

The fabric makes me smile ... and crave sweets.

A simple-to-make DIY Dry Erase Note Board for important reminders, "to-do" lists, and loving notes to the hubby and kiddo! The tutorial for this is also coming later this week over at OH SO Chichi, but you can get a pretty good idea from one of my previous projects here.

My personal favorite ... the Magnet Boards and Chore Charts! I purchased these beauties on Etsy from a wonderful shop, Abbie's House. Now I know every DIY'er has that urge to make everything themselves, but I believe in supporting others in their artistry too. I {heart} handmade! When I saw these Chore Charts at Abbie's House, there was no hesitation ... they were clean, simple, and beautifully made. She was also so kind as to create two, custom "blank" Magnet Boards to coordinate with the Chore Charts I ordered. She's great ... go check her out!

I love them so much that ... you see the top Chore Chart titled "Jaime & Al" ... that's my Chore Chart (ok, so I share with the hubby ... but we know the truth)! So much cuter than scribbling out my chores on a piece of paper ... you're NEVER too old for a Chore Chart! :o)

Abbie's House has a cute selection of "chore magnet" bundles. This Magnet Board keeps all of our "extra" chores that don't have a home under the "to do" or "done" list for the day.

The 2nd Magnet Board is for general use. I clip up mail that needs to be taken to the post, permission slips, etc. I made large, 1 1/8" cover-button magnets in coordinating fabrics to match the Meal Planning Board and Dry Erase Board. You can find my Cover Button Tutorial here.

... and one last look at the Kitchen Command Center. It makes me smile every day!

Playground ~ "No Bye"

2011-03-14T23:59:00.003+01:00

Spring = More Outdoor Play! This weekend we spent a lot of time outside and amongst other things, took a trip to the playground. But all good things must come to an end ...

"No Bye"

I don't know how I managed to capture this; but it's classic! Kelty is reaching back desperately for the playground ...

... but don't be sad, he was actually full of smiles! Oh how I love the happiness behind a spontaneous smile!

Not Your Average Clothes Pin 2

2011-03-14T21:48:00.003+01:00

I just posted a really simple and quick project to re-purpose and re-style your average clothespin ... making it oh so functionally cute ... over at OH SO Chichi!

Not Your Average Clothespin 2

This is ramping up for the reveal of my Kitchen Command Center project that I started in December!

Introducing ...

2011-03-10T11:09:00.007+01:00

OH SO Chichi ... the BLOG!

I know, why stop at 2 blogs when you can have 3? I started this little project over a year ago. Once I started posting craft projects and tutorials, Etsy business stuff and linking to craft parties ... I felt a little guilty that I was taking away from the "family" side of things. So I came up with a design concept and put myself on my blog designer's waiting list. Now, over a year later, I'm debuting my Craft and Business Blog ... OH SO Chichi!

There is still more work to be done and the blog is still developing, but I've finally gotten it to the point where I'm comfortable putting it out there. I've been spending a crazy amount of time each evening working on my "label" buttons, developing content and importing projects from "Our Journey". I'm pretty proud of the work I've done!

How is this going to change "Our Journey"? I'm still going to post my home decor and craft projects; but I won't be posting tutorials here or the projects I'm linking to blog parties. Most of my ChichiKids and Etsy ventures will be posted over at OH SO Chichi as well ... though I may make a few announcements here. I'm trying to get "Our Journey" back to family oriented stories and keeping the "business" over at OH SO Chichi ... after all, I don't think everyone that visits this blog wants to read about my son pooping his pants in public ... but, hey ... if you do, keep following along! :o) I know I actually like a few personal stories thrown in the mix over at my favorites craft blogs ... it keeps it real!

OH SO Chichi. Eventually I'll start offering giveaways and hosting project parties of my own! I'm so excited about this ... but I understand I need to build some credibility over there first. Right now I'm my only "follower" ... umm, hint. I also have a portion dedicated to Etsy! I'll be posting video tutorials for my appliques and iron-on transfers, as well as applique project tutorials and promotions!

Most importantly, OH SO Chichi is more about YOU than me. I find a tremendous amount inspiration in "blog-land" and I really wanted a place to feature some of the great people, projects, and blogs out there! I'll be featuring projects and "great finds", hosting blog parties and will be on the look-out for blog/businesses to award the OH SO Chichi SEAL OF APPROVAL ...

OH SO Chichi SEAL OF APPROVAL. I've always wanted an avenue to recognize other people for their amazing talents; whether it be a blog, project or hand-made product. You know how Better Homes and Gardens has a seal of approval ... something tried and tested that they feel is really up to par? Well, that's kind of what the OH SO Chichi SEAL OF APPROVAL is about! Whether it's an AMAZING item I've purchased on Etsy or a really inspirational blog ... I wanted a way to put the word out. So I developed the the OH SO Chichi SEAL OF APPROVAL. It's basically a way to give recognition to outstanding bloggers and Etsy shops ... and they'll have a cute little button to post on their blog or in their shop!

So, please take a moment to check out OH SO Chichi and follow along!

Scrabble Tile Decor

2011-03-09T19:35:00.001+01:00

I randomly purchased a hand-blown glass Chicken at a Bizarre last weekend ... I know, right!? Let me tell you ... I don't "do" knick-knacks or random decorative purchases. So you can imagine when I walked into the house and showed my hubby our new "chicken" he seriously thought it was some kind of joke ... a chicken? I don't know, maybe it was the color ... but this little guy stole my heart. It was the fastest and most spontaneous purchase I may have ever made!

Moving along ... I needed to find a home for "Peep". I thought on top of our old wine barrel would be a great place. As I struggled to decorate this little corner, my kiddo pulled out the Scrabble box ... the inspiration was right there in his sticky little hands! I grabbed a really cool empty wine bottle that I had kept from over a year ago, pulled out a few tiles, dumped the rest in the bottle and voila! Then I decided it needed a little more color. I grabbed a bottle of craft paint, applied a thin layer and then ... VOILA! I love how something so incredibly simple can really make an impact. P.S.... Do you like the little love note to my hubby I snuck in there

Before (left) and After (right)

A few strokes of craft paint and 5-minutes later we were done ...

Scrabble Tile Letters with a Blue Tile Holder

"U R MY FAVORITE" ... a little love note to the hubby ... think he'll notice? The extra letter tiles are in the old wine bottle that is also used as a bookend for our Wine Journal. Maybe the hubby will spell out a new note occasionally ... hint, hint.

Re-purposed wine bottle turned decorative

... let's not forget the inspiration behind it all. A chicken named Peep.

Day to Day ...

2011-03-07T11:19:00.007+01:00

I'm attempting to break out of my blogging hiatus! We've been so busy! We're finally feeling a little relief from Al's work schedule, Kelty had the "crud" for a week and is now back to his former active self, I've been busy filling Etsy orders and playing around with my new Silhouette machine, I started an on-line photography course and am developing a 3rd blog dedicated to my business and DIY projects! We've also been making arrangements for a medical TDY to the states for Kelty and planning a few summer excursions to Greece, Cinque Terre, and Norway. Holy cow! Here are a few moments I've captured along the way ...

We're feeling a little Spring in the air! Ok, so it's still cold but nothing we can't manage with a few a layers! We've been taking frequent family walks and enjoying the fresh air. Kelty is sporting his new Camelbak ... he loves it.

We love our little outdoor adventures. Al picked up toddler hiking poles a few months ago when he was in the "states".

Kelty donned his "work glasses" before working on his train track ... safety first! ;o)

Repairing the railway.

Kelty takes good care of his bike.

The kiddo has a slight addiction to Lucky Charms. I caught him in the kitchen digging through the Lucky Charms bag to find the marshmallow "charms" ... what's even better is that he's wearing a Lucky Charms graphic tee. Oh how I love this little guy!

The "big" slide ... I can't believe he's big enough to do this on his own and I can't believe my heart survives watching him go down it!

An early evening bike ride to visit the horses and the nearby Horse Farm.

A few cute "un-photo" moments:

Kelty has started calling the crescent moon, "Banana Moon"
Kelty melts my heart with random kisses on the forehead followed by "Love You Ma"
Kelty has this thing about playing "robot"
He picks out 3 vitamins every morning ... one for Dad, one for Mom, and one for himself
Kelty seems to enjoy burping ... then saying "cuse me"
He navigates around our new Ipod Touch better than I do!

... and that's a bit of a photo journey of our life, day-to-day.

Decorative {Documenting Your Travels} Map

2011-02-22T06:00:00.014+01:00

This is one of my favorite "decorative documentation" projects in our house. This project can be done with a World Map, Country Map, or State Map to fit your personal travel journeys!

We are fortunate and blessed to be living in an area where European travel is easy and quite affordable. If you look over to my sidebar under "Our Destinations", you'll see we've done quite a bit of traveling in the last 2 years. Traveling around Europe when you live in Europe is near the equivalent of simply exploring your "home-state" in the U.S. We're talking ... Paris is only a 4-hour drive, Rome is a $30 plane ticket, the Netherlands is a 4-hour drive, Austria is 4-hours away ... you get my drift. So as I said, most of our destinations are just a simple drive or a cheap plane ticket away.

We wanted a simple yet decorative way to document our travels as a family. This Travel Map is by no means my original idea ... in fact, as a pilot, my husband's flying unit usually has one of these hanging in their building ... just not as "pretty"! At a semi-recent spouses' meeting, the host had a decorative version in her home and as I wiped the drool off my chin, I said ... "this is it"! That night I hopped on Amazon and found a 36" x 40" antique-style, laminated world map and ordered it immediately. Shortly after it arrived we took it to get framed and adhered to foam poster board (a good DIY project) and then found the perfect spot for it in our home. I would have loved to do this as a full-blown DIY project but we have a hard time finding the right supplies here.

Now, I have to admit ... the hubby was not really on board with this little project until he pushed-in the first map tack ... then he was quite excited to step back and see the beauty of the project! This is a great conversation piece when you have guests over and also great for the kids .. and to be honest, Al and I have spent a lot of time just looking and reminiscing about the places we've been has a family.

Decorative {Documenting Your Travels} Map

Supplies

World Map or U.S. Map
Map Tacks
Foam Board
Custom Frame

We used 1/16th map tacks to mark the cities we've lived in and the cities we've explored as a family. We decided not to mark the places we've traveled individually; just our family travel.

We didn't realize how much time we've spent on the East coast! It's time to venture "out West" when we move back to the states.

Taking a step back to get an idea of size and scale.

Thanks to my awesome husband for just "trusting me on this one"!

I'm linking this to ...

I am ...

2011-02-14T21:13:00.003+01:00

Megan from the Brassy Apple (a GREAT crafting blog I follow) recently started a new blog called "I AM".

Here is a snippet from her blog where she shares what I AM is all about ...

"We are more than just............women, mothers, teachers, stay at home moms, working moms, single, divorced, married, tall, short, blonde, brunette.........."I AM" will let you declare through a photo bits of yourself and your daily life to share with other women."

I encourage you to take a moment and check it out and participate! She accepts photo submissions! Today she has shared a photo I sent of Al and Kelty during one of our Sunday afternoon walks ... I'm so touched that she posted it on Valentine's Day since her theme this month was "love". Now go take a peek at her blog ...

DIY Jewelry Tree

2011-02-03T11:04:00.027+01:00

On my most recent trip back to the "states", Mom and I hit JoAnn Fabrics (whoop!). The hardest part about living overseas and having an addiction to DIY projects is the ability to find the supplies you need. I usually end up ordering on-line and waiting .... waiting ... waiting for the delivery ... or I make a list of projects and supplies then wait until I travel back to the U.S. and make a GIGANTIC purchase! Either method requires waiting ... and I don't like waiting!

Anyway ... I found this Valentine Tree at JoAnn's for $4.99 plus 40% off ... yippee! When I saw it I immediately thought "jewelry organizer". My only regret is that I didn't buy more! A few coats of black paint and the transformation from Valentine Tree to Jewelry Tree was complete ....

Supplies

Valentine Tree (JoAnn Fabrics is having 70% their Valentine decorations ... so go! go! go!)
Black Paint (I used spray paint)

Jewelry Tree

I place my "everyday jewelry" on the tree for safekeeping and quick access

Before ... Valentine Decoration (ho-hum)

After ... Sophisticated Jewelry Tree (cute!)

Top to bottom ...
(no, I don't keep my jewelry on the floor by our wine crates ... this was just the best lighting in the house)

The kiddo came over while I was taking photos and said "oh, nice" ... nothing like a little approval from the little one!

Then he decided I needed to wear ALL my jewelry ... so sweet!

I'm linking this to ...

Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Show Of Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans
Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice @ Seven Thirty Three
Free For All Friday @ Sassy Sites
Saturday Soiree @ A Little Lovely
Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff

No "Nugget" Left Behind ...

2011-01-31T16:45:00.005+01:00

If you're drinking your morning coffee ... put it down. If you're drinking soda ... put it down. If you're eating ... stop. Now ....

Today Kelty and I were running errands. We were standing in the middle of base Thrift Shop and Kelty announces ...

Kelty: "poo!"

Mommy: "Oh! You have to go potty!"

Kelty: "no"

Mommy: "You don't have to go potty?"

Kelty: "poo" (as he is signing the word "potty")

Mommy: "Did you already go poo?"

Kelty: "ehh" (his version of "yes")

Mommy: "Uh, oh. Ok, let's walk over the grocery store to use the bathroom."

Mommy walks with a waddling child .... out of the store and starts toward the staircase ... mommy suddenly sees a little ball roll on the floor ... mommy leans in for a closer look ... it's a "poo nugget" ... crap! ... mommy scoops up Kelty ... and walks briskly towards the door (thinking she'll return for the nugget in a minute before anything else happens) ... mommy walks down the staircase and down the stairs ... out drops another "poo nugget" ... crap! ... running faster out of the building through the parking lot and to the grocery store and to the bathroom. Mommy pulls down Kelty's pants and little "poo nuggets" spill scatter on the floor. Mommy cleans up Kelty and the floor and briskly walks outside and back to the store to (as inconspicuously as possible) pick up the nuggets. Mommy stops to pick up the last seen nugget ... looks up and whoa! there's another ... picks it up and whoa! there's another ... picks it up and whoa! there's another. Mommy followed a perfectly laid trail of "poo nuggets" up the staircase, down a hallway ... and into the store ... and through the store.

My child pooped in a store today ... and left a trail of poo about every 2 feet. Thank God people were too busy shopping to realize they were prancing around little "poo nuggets" scattered throughout the shop.

... for the love of being a mommy.

I'm sharing this with other mommy bloggers over at
Real Moms - Real Laughs!

Comforts of Home ~ A Photo Journey

2011-01-28T08:50:00.011+01:00

When I was visiting "home" this summer, I snagged my Dad's Canon DSLR daily and took photos around our property ... I was working on a "secret" photo book for my family called "Comforts of Home". Over the course of 32 years, my parents have created and maintained a home and property full of beauty and treasured memories ...

In 1978 (when I was 2, my sis was 6, and our big bro was 10,), my parents moved us from Detroit to a tiny little town in Northern Michigan. My Dad, Mom, and Grandpa Joe built our house from the ground up ... literally. No contractors, no builders, no carpenters ... just the family hammering nails one-at-a-time by hand. During the process we stayed in a little cabin near my Grandma and Grandpa Lutz, just 15 minutes away ... in this little red cabin is where I have my first memory! We moved into our framed-in house just before Christmas of 1978. Our home and property continued to grow throughout my childhood ... some rooms finished, some rooms unfinished (some are still unfinished) ... but it was a beautiful!

Our property grew to include horse stables, pig pens, a barn, tack-rooms, a riding arena, and even a log-cabin playhouse. We grew up riding and showing horses, cutting our own fire wood, bailing our own hay, mucking stalls, and spending countless hours playing on our wooded 14-acres and the surrounding woods. Horse fences were my balance beams, stump piles were home to my imagination of fighting of monsters over hot lava, the huge tree swing was home to my Olympic debut of choreographed tree swinging ... and the list goes on. I was truly blessed with a fantastic childhood. So you can imagine, I find great comfort when I return to home to our tiny little town in Northern Michigan and walk around our property; for even though the wood on the barns may be deteriorating, the horse fence no longer stands, the door to the tack room is broken, and the paint in the playhouse is faded and chipped ... my heart swells with beautiful memories of the place I still call home ...

Handcrafted by my dad, "THE REICHLINS" sign stands proudly at the end of our wooded driveway. The sign was built out of an old beam and is held by an old "double-tree" which was used for animal-drawn wagons and such.

With just a trace of its original bright blue color left, the water pump has been operated by every hand in the family. It has been used to water horses, pigs, dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits and goats. It has been used to wash horses and dirty hands, to hose down equipment and weathered barns. Its water has been sipped during outdoor chores, while cutting wood, and
after outdoor play.

This spot has held wood to brighten and warm our evenings with family and evenings with friends. It has provided just the right amount of light to catch Dad creeping out of the woods walking on stilts and wearing a gas mask. It has given off just enough glow to allow us to stray from the pit to catch fireflys and find sticks to roast marshmallows. We've sat around the fire pit and celebrated weddings and family gatherings.

The Playhouse was many things. A grocery store, a toy store, a school house. It was home to our imagination. Its pastel yellow walls have held chalkboards and plaques ... and handrawn flowers made by two little girls. The floor has held a toy box, old wooden school desks and little plastic cash registers. Most comforting, the Playhouse held the imagination and laughter of little girls at play.

The Call Box. It's always there. Even as the family, the house, and the property change ... it's always there.

* My dad is a retired cop .. he worked in undercover narcotics in Detroit in the 70's (yikes)! Though this box is not affiliated with his days on the police force, it's always been a reminder for me.

Relics of 4-H and horses, saddles, bridles, cowboy hats, ribbons, and photos. The grain barrel. Rakes, shovels, pitch forks, and wheel barrels. High School float meetings. Home to old toys, school projects, and out-of season furniture.

The Tack Room and Grain Room have held many things and many memories.

There is beauty in old things.

Rings once used to tie the horses for grooming, washing and saddling.

An insulator and a piece of wiring from the electric fence.

Still standing around the perimeter of the arena, a comforting reminder of our fun-filled and chore-filled days of having horses.

Memories of 4-H, training, riding and showing. Horseback camping, trail riding, Elk Hill, campers, horse trailers, outhouses, and campfires. Grain, bailing hay, storing hay, binder twine and mucking stalls. Saddles, blankets and halters. The big white bathtub with the heating coil to keep the horses water from freezing in winter. Running out in the dark to feed and brush the horses. Chasing down the horses after Rosetta Rose jiggled the gate hook free.
Getting bucked into the electric fence and daring each other to touch it.

Memories of target practice from the back deck.

The gliding bench placed beside the fire-pit.

It may be old, rusted, and showing years of use ... but it's a reminder that things don't need to be new or shiny to be beautiful.

Wherever we go, whatever we do ...this will always be our call to come home.

* This is an old siren. It was placed on the exterior of our home and was wired to a tiny push-button on the inside of the house ... recessed into the wood. With a push of a button our parents would sound the siren and it was our call to come in from outside. You could hear the siren a mile away!

These are a few excerpts from the 54-page photo book titled, Comforts of Home, I presented to my family for Christmas 2010. When my parents ask, "Did you have a good childhood ... do you have good memories?" ... now I can simply say ...

"Look at the book and you'll find your answer".

With all my love, Jaime

Whining Has Consequences ...

2011-01-27T15:44:00.005+01:00

Lately I'm hearing A LOT of whining when Kelty wants something ... whether it's water, juice, milk, a snack, a toy he can't reach, etc. There is no build-up to the whine ... his request simply starts with a whine and it gets louder and louder and louder ... when he wants something he wants it immediately.

For a while I was catching myself yelling back, "hold on!", and then it hit me ... I grabbed the timer from the kitchen and had a little chat with Kelty. I explained if he needed something then he needs to ask nicely and sometimes he may have to wait a few minutes until I can get it for him ... if he whines I will set the timer to 3 minutes and I will not get his juice/water/snack/toy/etc. until the 3 minutes is over and the timer rings. I'm hoping this will teach him a little patience ... and that whining has consequences.

Home For The Holidays

2011-01-20T13:07:00.009+01:00

I know, I know ... it's mid January and I'm just now posting about our holidays! I took an extended holiday break and visited with my family in Northern Michigan through the middle of January. Our internet was intermittent at best so I decided to wait until our return to blog about our holidays.

Al and I flew to Michigan just before Christmas and enjoyed the holidays with my parents, my sister Jess and her family. Unfortunately Al had to return to Germany on the 28th but I stayed behind to enjoy a little extra time with family. My sister and parents even pulled "Kelty Duty" so I could fly to Orlando and work a shift at Disney to keep my show approvals in Fantasmic! and keep my employment status! Here is a little photo recap of our holiday break ....

We rode the snowmobile ...

And any other thing that could take on the snow ...

Put the kids in matching PJ's on Christmas morning ...

We kept family traditions ...

Loved our gifts ....

We had a full table for Christmas dinner ...

John Charles shared a few of his gaming skills with Kelty ...

The kids performed countless concerts ...
(Topping the charts were: I Gotta Feeling, Sweet Caroline, Iko Iko, and Hoedown Throwdown)

We played in the snow ...

We sang some more ...

We met up with a few old friends and took the kids sledding ...

Kelty decided to play dead ...

Sang even more ...

The kids played ...

We watched movies ...

So now I sit back in Germany ... in a dusty house (Christmas decorations still up), surrounded by piles of clothes (clean and dirty), sorting through toys (trying to figure out where to put everything), and totally jet-lagged! If you were home with us for Christmas you'd probably realize this is a REALLY short recap of events, but it was this or nothing ... I knew if I waited any longer to recap then it never would have happened ... and years from now I'd look back on the blog and wonder what the heck happened to Christmas 2010! :o)

For family ... let us not forget:

~ The great search for Hailey

~ Jess and I fearing we lost our hubbies to a partially frozen lake, in the dark, with no phone and no flashlights and NO contact for HOURS

~ Miche purse shopping

~ Coffee

~ Lost teeth

~ Airplanes ... airplanes ... airplanes

~ Popcorn and movies

~ ... and so much more!

Looking Back on 2010

2011-01-01T22:11:00.022+01:00

I can hardly believe another year has passed us by. Each year seems to be just as busy and chaotic as the last ... but always full of wonderful adventures and true blessings. Let's take a look at our journey in 2010 ...

January

January we flew back to the states so I could work a few shifts at Disney and keep my approvals in the stage show Fantasmic! at Disney Hollywood Studios. During our whirl-wind trip to Florida we also visited a few of our old friends and squeezed in a visit with my sister Rachel and her husband Shawn.

The opening scene of Fantasmic!

A reunion with Kelty's little buddies!

February

I think we were simply trying to survive the rest of winter during the month of February. We had so much snow! Our brother-in-law John also started his 7-month deployment out to nearby Stuttgart; he was able to make it out our way for a few really nice visits!

We missed out on buying a sled earlier in the season but still managed to take Kelty sledding ... on our snowboards ... hey, it worked.

A day trip to Rudesheim.

March

March held a few surprises! I took a trip to Poland to shop for Polish Pottery and also re-opened my Etsy shop ChichiKids after a 1 1/2 year break. With the re-opening of ChichiKids came a pleasant surprise ... the business was a greater success than I had anticipated ... so much that I occasionally close-up shop to keep myself sane and to keep up with the demand.

Polish Pottery!

Handmade and custom iron-on appliques ... the new foundation of ChichiKids!

April

We managed a day trip to Trier and the Frankfurt Zoo in April. The sunny days of April were a welcome change to the overcast and cold days of winter.

Trier, Germany

Picking tulips in bloom

May

In May we boarded the Disney Magic with our friends the Wagner's for an absolutely amazing 10-day Mediterranean Cruise. We visited 6 countries in 10 days and would do it again in a heartbeat ... it was truly, truly amazing.

Sipping coffee on our veranda the first day at sea

Kelty and Daddy on the beach in Corsica

June 2010

June was AMAZING! For my birthday, Al arranged a Reichlin European Vacation and coordinated travel for my family to visit us in Germany! June was the start of a summer with family and we also had my older sister, Jessica, and her kids with us through August!

The family in Rome!

Back Row (L-R) Mom, Shawn (brother-in-law), Leslie (sister-in-law), Rick (brother).
Front Row (L-R) Rachel (sister), Kelty (our son), Al (the hubby). I'm taking the photo!

We took my mom to Solingen, Germany ... the birthplace and childhood home of my Grandpa Lutz! Our German neighbors translated my Grandpa's birth certificate and it contained his home address, which is where he was born. Though the house is no longer standing, this is the corner where it used to stand.

July 2010

Jess and the kids were with us most of July and the kids had a blast playing together. July also marks the month where Kelty's "prankster" side started showing its face!

Kelty playing "dead". For a look back on that story, click here.

Fun with the cousins!

August 2010

In August I traveled with Kelty to Michigan to visit my parents and give Nana and Papa a chance to spoil Kelty. :o) Summer in Northern Michigan is a beautiful time of year! August also marked a period of growth for Kelty ... somewhere along the way I started seeing Kelty as a "little boy" and not just my "baby boy".

Our 3/4 mile bike ride to visit the deer near our house ... our little stinker rode the entire way

Kelty with his Papa and Nana in Michigan

September 2010

The month of September rang in the season of festivals in Germany. We traveled to both Bad Durkheim and Bernkastel-Kues for their wine festivals and enjoyed our annual visit to the Pumpkin Festival.

Enjoying a glass of wine at the wine festival in Bad Durkheim

A photo op at the Pumpkin Festival

October 2010

Looking back, October was a ramp-up for a busy November and December. Al started another graduate course and moved into a "staff job", I promoted to the rank of Major in the Air Force Reserves, and we took a 3-day mini-vacation to London, England.

Enjoying the Fall on Sunday afternoon walk

Our walk across Abbey Road in London

November 2010

November brought us a busy month of travel. Early in November we took a quick trip to Aviano, Italy and Salzburg, Austria. Later in the month our great friends, Tina and Jordan, visited us from Florida and we enjoyed a Thanksgiving holiday weekend in Paris and Amsterdam.

A breathtaking but rainy trip to Salzburg, Austria

On-board our houseboat, The Hercules Seghers, in Amsterdam

December 2010

December was a chaotic month! I pulled Reserve duty, Al did a lot of travel for work and wrapped-up another graduate course, Kelty turned 3, and we traveled to Michigan to spend Christmas with my side of the family.

Kelty on his big day

Fun with family over Christmas

Reflecting back on 2010 ... it was quite an adventurous and blessed year. We traveled to 10 countries, enjoyed multiple visits with family, achieved job promotions and witnessed some amazing changes in Kelty ... our biggest blessing of all. In a time of economic struggle, we consider ourselves very fortunate and are unspeakably grateful of the opportunities we have been given.

... and that is a wrap on 2010!

My Sister's Shoes ... The Blog!

2010-12-31T16:26:00.002+01:00

My Sister's Shoes now has dedicated blog! Jump on over and take a look and don't forget to follow along to keep up with our journey!

Two Sisters ... Together In A Size 5 1/2

Interchangeble DIY Dry Erase Board

2010-12-20T18:28:00.013+01:00

Originally inspired by Lynette over at Get Your Craft On; I finally got around to making a few Dry Erase Marker Boards this Christmas! Did you know that glass makes a great dry-erase surface?! I changed up the materials a bit to give it my own spin; this is literally a 5-minute craft! These make a great last-minute Christmas gift!

I used double sided scrapbook paper so you can switch out the paper whenever you're in the mood for a fresh look. Simply keep the other papers in the frame behind the front paper and you can do a switch-a-roo in seconds! I bought a scrap pack that came with the tag and used my Sizzix to cut the letters "n-o-t-e-s" to embellish.

I have several variations, including interchangeable "embellishments" so stay tuned for more.

Materials

Picture Frame - I used an 8 1/2 x 11
Scrapbook Paper
Embellishments
Dry Erase Marker

DIY Marker Board w/ Interchangeable Papers

Make sure your other papers still coordinate with your embellishment!

4 looks in 1

I'm linking this project to

Sumo's Sweet Stuff (Market Yourself Monday)
Today's Creative Blog (Get Your Craft On)

A Little Christmas Cheer

2010-12-17T11:34:00.007+01:00

Last weekend Kelty had his school Christmas Pageant! He was so excited to get on stage! Unfortunately Al had "school" and wasn't able to join us. Kelty was so content during the entire event ... clapping and cheering for each of the classes that performed after him. Awwww. After the pageant I took Kelty to the BX to meet Santa where he promptly told Santa he wanted a "baw" ... ball. That's it ... it's all he wants for Christmas! After our visit with Santa we did a little shopping in the BX and enjoyed lunch together at Johnny Rockets ... it's Kelty's favorite little place to eat. I love these special little trips with Kelty.

Finally after over a year ... I've uploaded a video!

.... look at the focus. (Jessica, Kelty was wearing one of John Charles' old Christmas sweaters ... it had a little reindeer on it!)

Kelty hopped right up on Santa's lap and signed "ball" accompanied and said "baw me" (ball please). Since this visit, Kelty has requested 2 balls for Christmas.

In the Spirit of CHRISTmas ...

2010-12-11T07:08:00.005+01:00

This was forwarded to me via email but I wanted to share this.

*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*See the PC Police had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*

* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with

cash, checks and credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd! *

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*

*You won't hear the word Christmas;

it won't touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton,

Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word,

as they took away our faith*

* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged

and discarded*

*The reason for the season,

stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break'

under your 'Dream Tree'*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,

not Happy Holiday !*

Please, all Christians join together and

wish everyone you meet during the holidays a

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!

This is my 2 cents worth ....

In the name of celebrating diversity, our nation is eliminating Christianity. When in fact, truly celebrating diversity would include Christianity, along with everything else we are still "allowed" to celebrate openly. Celebrating diversity would allow us to pray in school. Celebrating diversity would allow songs like "Silent Night" to be sung along with "Jingle Bells" at Winter Pageants in school. Taking away the "Christian" things isn't celebrating diversity at all.

... and that's my ramble.

Amsterdam

2010-12-10T21:24:00.006+01:00

Still backtracking a bit ...

After Thanksgiving in Paris we drove to Amsterdam to enjoy the remainder of the holiday weekend. We were quite excited about our accommodations ... we stayed in a 100 year old houseboat situated on a beautiful canal! The Hercules Seghers didn't let us down. It was a 3-bedroom boat with all the comforts of home. One of the owners met us upon arrival and had the kitchen stocked with milk, juice, bread, wine, local snacks, pizza, cheese and such. She even had the bed set-up for Kelty and a stroller for our use. It was such wonderful welcome and truly appreciated, especially since we arrived in the evening and were all really hungry!

The Hercules Seghers

A view down the canal .. you can see the Hercules Seghers further down on the left.

Kelty absolutely loved the boat ... I think he would have been content just staying on the boat the entire trip. I can imagine staying on the boat in summer or spring would be amazing ... you can sit outside and relax. It was freezing while we were there.

"Cheers" with our shipmates!

I really had a hard time taking photos in the boat; the lighting was just all wrong. sigh. Here's a little snapshot of Kelty playing with his planes ... look at his little runway. cute.

Tina and me enjoying our morning coffee as we walked to the Anne Frank House.

The clock tower near the Anne Frank House ... I loved the bright blue and red.

Unfortunately there was no photography allowed inside the Anne Frank Museum/Anne Frank House. If you'd like to see photos, here is the link to museum site here.

It was really a pretty amazing and sober experience. The annex was larger than I had expected but I can imagine how small it must have felt with 8 people living inside for 2 years. There are 3 things that remain vivid in my mind. In one of the display cases was a tattered and bright yellow star patch ... it's just one of those things that you see on TV, see in photos, or books ... but for a moment I was looking at a yellow star that a person once had to wear. Next were the documents that appeared to be from their arrest; sheets of yellow paper with handwritten information containing the name, birth date, mother/father/siblings, and where they were being transported to. Last was Annes' original, red plaid diary. It was surreal to be in such a place.

After our visit to the Anne Frank House, we took a nice little walk to an awesome vegan cafe. Along the way Kelty and Al stopped to take on the view.

You can't be in Holland and not think cheese!!

We did a lot of simply trying to "keep up with Kelty". He wanted nothing to do with the stroller this trip ... I guess those days are coming to and end.

Oh, you may be wondering ... "Amsterdam ... Red Light District ... Coffee Houses". Yes, you can pretty much walk in any Coffee House and get what you need, whether it be something to smoke or eat. You can smell it walking by. And no ... we didn't ...we can't. Now, we may have taken a VERY brisk walk through the Red Light District just to see what it's all about .... it was interesting and one brisk walk was one walk enough.

And that's a wrap on Amsterdam!

Thanksgiving in Paris

2010-12-09T09:12:00.009+01:00

Ok, so Thanksgiving was 2 weeks ago but here we go anyway ....

Our great friends from Tampa, Tina and Jordan, came out to visit and were here for Thanksgiving! They are so much fun and we miss them terribly! We decided to spend Thanksgiving in Paris and had a wonderful vegan Thanksgiving dinner, hosted by The Gentle Gourmet, on a boat docked on the Seine River! It was such a fun and unique Thanksgiving day adventure.

On to a few snapshots of our adventures (and it's ALWAYS and adventure with Tina and Jordan) ....

My dad is graciously letting me borrow his Canon SLR camera since we're in the market to upgrade my camera! :o) I took it out as much as possible but I'm still a novice.

This photo of the METRO sign is a vivid memory this trip. Transportation was nothing short of a nightmare. We battled subway closures, dangerously overcrowded subway cars and found it nearly impossible to find a taxi. Transportation was such a frustration and though we love walking through Paris ... doing so in freezing weather with a walking toddler proved to be a bit frustrating!

On the boat enjoying drinks before Thanksgiving dinner.

Photo op ... somewhere along ONE of our walks.

A brief trek to Luxembourg Gardens.

We visited the Catacombs this trip. It was really interested, and a little eerie, to be surrounded by over 6-million skeletons. I struggled desperately to get good photos and only ended up with one that was halfway decent. *sigh* The walls of skeletons were piled about 5ft high and in some places was said to be 80 ft thick. Each section was marked with the date the remains were transported and the cemetery they were moved from.

It was quite the trek DOWN to the catacombs and a bit of a trek UP the spiral staircase ...

As tradition has it on our visits to Paris, The Louvre at night ...

A view from the Eiffel Tower ...

.... we walked a total of 5+ miles from our rental apartment, to The Louvre ... to the Christmas market ... to the Eiffel tower ... in freezing weather ... with no stroller .... at night ....

Sounds like the old saying, "When I was your age I walked to school, in winter, through 2 feet of snow, fighting off bears".

I told you it's ALWAYS an adventure with Tina & Jordan!

Next up ... Amsterdam!

Celebrating 3!

2010-12-04T07:57:00.008+01:00

Kelty turned 3! I'm just as happy to celebrate Kelty's 3rd birthday as I am to celebrate the fact that Al and I have survived 3 years of parenting! Before becoming a parent I had thought that parents do all the teaching ... I have realized over the last 3 years that children teach parents just as much as we teach them. Oh how I love our little kiddo!

We kept our celebration small again this year. Our neighbors, Heinz and Evi, came over to celebrate while Kelty blew out his candles ... we also Skyped with the families so they could get in on the action. A few hours later the Wagner family visited and we opened presents, ate cupcakes, enjoyed a pizza night and just let the boys play ....

Kelty's last night as a 2-year old!

Kelty always has to have a sip of water after hopping in bed ... doesn't help him keep a dry diaper during the night though! Notice ... no more paci!!

Al and Jordan putting together Kelty's train table.

This little layer cake is turning into a birthday tradition. I decorated the sides with an airplane, boat, car, and hot air balloon that coordinated with his cupcake toppers.

His little transportation-themed cupcakes.

Oh, there is a story behind this! I had purchased a 12-piece train mold set to make a train cake for Kelty's birthday. I had a vision of building a little track with pretzel sticks and setting out the cake train cars across the track all around the table. Ha! The night before his birthday (with our great friends Tina and Jordan still visiting from FL), Tina and I set out to make this cake. I separated the cake batter and made 5 different colors and set out to make my first batch. Total disaster ... none of the mini cakes would pop out of the mold and I ended up with blobs instead of train cars. So around 11pm I started making Kelty a mini-cake and used the rest of the batter for cupcakes. Tina does a lot of graphic design work and downloaded transportation themed stock photos and transformed them into little circles so I could make cupcake toppers! At 1am we finally wrapped up and went to bed .... did I mention they had to get up at 5am to catch their flight back to the states? Thank you so much Tina for making the "finishing touches" possible!!

Mommy and Kelty

Daddy and Kelty

During the days leading up to his birthday, Kelty would wake up each morning and say "day?" and imitate blowing out candles .... you can only imagine his excitement when the moment finally arrived!

Hooray!

Showing Heinz his new train table

Playing with Luke and Elijah

The Wagner's just celebrated the birth of their 3rd boy! Kelty adored baby Jonah!

Happy 3rd Birthday Kelty!

Looking back on 2!
Looking back on 1 (Part 1)!
Looking back on 1 (Part 2)!

Do Re Mi ... Salzburg, Austria

2010-11-14T10:07:00.007+01:00

Last week we had the opportunity to visit Aviano, Italy and Salzburg, Austria! Al had a TDY to Aviano so Kelty and I tagged along and we drove to Italy together. While in Italy, Al had to work all day but we were able explore a little in the evenings. With the exception of one morning walk, Kelty and I were stuck in the hotel room during the day thanks to the rain. Ugh. Those were loooooooooong days in the hotel room!

Al wrapped up his TDY on Wednesday afternoon and we hit the road that evening to drive to Salzburg. We were able spend one full but rainy day in Salzburg and one rainy morning .... not enough time! Salzburg was breathtaking; just as amazing as is was portrayed in The Sound of Music! This is yet another place that Al and I have decided a second trip is in necessary!

Enjoying a little Gelato in Italy after dinner ... it's a special little treat even on cold nights.

Salzburg, Austria

We took a little Cog ride up to Hohensalzburg Fortress and enjoyed a breathtaking view of Salzburg and the mountains ...

It was so cloudy, overcast and dreary that it was pretty impossible to capture the mountains, but they are there!

The older men enjoying a game of outdoor chess in the Kapitelplatz ...

We visited the Marionette Museum; Kelty really got a kick out it.

Just walking and checking things out ...

Taking a break. I'm pretty certain this was somebody's doorstep we hung out on ...

Our hotel was in the old town just off the one of the main walking streets, Getreidegasse. About a one minute walk from down the street was the childhood home and birthplace of Mozart. We walked by it half a dozen times ... it blends right in with the storefronts surrounding it. It's now a museum.

Each of the shops have beautiful iron signs and each one is built to reflect the merchandise in the shop. This was obviously the storefront of a shoe store. :o)

These little pulleys were actually the bells that would ring for the residences located above. You pulled the lever of the appropriate number apartment; you could visually follow the wire up to the street-front window and see the bells mounted inside on the window frame. Well ... we thought it was neat.

A rainy visit to Mirabell Gardens ...

I bet this little garden tunnel is beautiful in the spring and summer ...

Do Re Mi Fa So ...

I had to do it! I was standing by the Pegasus Fountain in Mirabell Gardens. This fountain was in The Sound of Music, "Do Re Mi" scene. When we go back I'd love to do the tour and visit not only the movie locations but also the "real" locations in the Von Trapp family history. I may not be able to sing, not even Do Re Mi, ... but I love the movie (it's #3 ... just behind Anne of Green Gables and Dirty Dancing).

Until next time sweet Salzburg ...we can't wait to visit you again! As I've read about Salzburg and it's very true "Salzburg is not just a place ... it's an experience".

... oh, during this lovely vacation I was still recovering from my dental surgery. Unfortunately I ran out of pain medication so momma was a little grumpy at times. :o)

Halloween!

2010-11-04T22:02:00.006+01:00

Halloween was short and sweet this year! Al returned from a 2-week TDY just a few hours before we headed to base for a little trick-or-treating! Since he was in "the states", I put him on costume duty ... he gets an A+ for picking out such a fun costume for Kelty! Kelty loves the horse farm near the house and was really excited about this costume. He wore one of my cowboy hats and an old red bandana from my "dance drawer" ... paired with the little jean jacket that Nana and Papa gave him it was the perfect "thrown together at the last minute" costume!

We could barely get him to stand still for a photo ... Kelty spent the entire evening galloping around!

Oh my gosh ... the rear view was just as cute!

Kelty took to trick-or-treating very quickly. He couldn't say "trick-or-treat" but he could manage "treat" and would sign "thank-you" after each goody. He was a hit!

Still Around - Just Busy!

2010-11-04T09:39:00.004+01:00

Wow! We are still here ... busy as ever. Al just returned from a 2-week TDY so I was playing "single-parent" for a while. ChichiKids has been eating up every spare moment and I've been busy working on our squadron's Harvest Auction event coming up this Saturday ... oh, and I just had dental surgery.

I'll catch everyone up here shortly but thought I'd share a photo of Kelty to hold you all over for a few more days ...

Owl Hat from TotzHatz on Etsy

If you are looking for a cute and unique hand-made knit hat ... this Etsy shop is fabulous. Each hat can be customized with colors of your choice ... she is such a friendly seller and very quick!

London, England

2010-10-15T15:36:00.010+02:00

2 weekends ago ... yes, I know *sigh* ... we went to London for a long weekend! I know it's been too long between blog posts when Al actually tells me he'll watch Kelty so I can blog.

We will be the first to admit that we completely underestimated London. There was so much to see and do that we just couldn't fit it all in! Unlike most of our other European vacations, we spent a lot of time on public transportation in London; the tube, buses and taxis ... everything is so spread out. But it was comforting to be somewhere in Europe where we could actually communicate in English and read a menu!

A second trip to London is definitely in order ...

We flew to London in lieu of driving. Kelty has become quite independent packing and traveling with his own carry-on luggage. I found a cheap rolling backpack for him and of course I appliqued it!

Kelty takes safety of flight very seriously and took a few minutes to familiarize himself with the aircraft's emergency evacuation procedures.

We had a quick layover in Amsterdam and I was so happy to come across this CHOCOLATE BAR! Oh my ... I do hope we have another layover in Amsterdam on a future trip!

We arrived in London Friday evening and hit the ground Saturday morning. They British are so kind to tell you which way to look before crossing the street!

Who can visit London passing up this opportunity? I couldn't ....

Or Kelty ....

Or Daddy ...

We were fortunate to visit Buckingham Palace on a day where we could witness the Changing of the Guard. We also got lucky with "up front" viewing at the gate. I had to post this photo of Kelty and his nose smushed up against the iron fence ... perhaps he was marking his territory?

Ok, to be honest .... watching the Changing of the Guard was a bit, umm ... comical. It takes about 30-45 minutes and their is a lot of "pomp" when everyone arrives during the 1st 15 minutes .... then who the heck knows what is happening after that! The men were breaking off in pairs and just marching around .... marching to this corner, turning around, marching back, turning around, oh ... let's march over to this corner, etc. I assume if I were to Google it they would be doing some sort of check of the perimeter before the change-over? But bottom line ... it's a lot of marching. :o) We left early. But don't get me wrong ... we are very fortunate have witnessed it!

Buckingham Palace as we were leaving ...

After leaving Buckingham we took a nice walk through Green Park which used to be a part of King Henry VIII's hunting grounds.

Our little London Bobby ...

We walked around the Houses of Parliament and took the token photo of the clock tower which is home to Big Ben. The Parliament building are truly massive and gorgeous!

Just across the street was Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately is was "closed" for the day and we didn't get the opportunity to visit ... just admire from the outside. I guess we'll revisit on trip number #2!

Kelty is infatuated with "transportation"; buses, car, planes, boats. Here were waiting for one of our many buses where Kelty was proudly holding onto is very own little London Bus toy.

Yes we did! This is the very crosswalk the Beatles strutted across for the album cover of Abbey Road! They actually have a camera that broadcasts the crosswalk "live" and we were tempted to call the families and say "look look" ... but we didn't. We found a family to take a photo of us walking the crosswalk ... unfortunately it's not from the same angle and because it was at dusk, the camera struggled but we still love the photo.

That evening we stopped at a famous little place know for their Fish -n- Chips.

Now, I don't eat fish .... but I HAD TO while in London. I have to admit, it was pretty good! They serve their Fish-n-Chops with lemon, salt, and vinegar.

I just had to post this photo ... when we got back to the hotel we grabbed a drink at the bar to take up to the room. We walked into the elevator and promptly after the door closed we were hit by "the gift" the previous occupant left behind .... it was a long ride up to the 8th floor!

Heading out the next morning; Kelty loves hats. I love him in hats!

Hanging with Daddy waiting for the bus ...

We visited Notting Hill and browsed the antiques shops ...

Then we took Kelty to the London Aquarium ... something fun for the kiddo since I'm sure visiting castles and antique shops is not high on his "fun list" ...

Then we took a London Taxi to the Rainforest Cafe for a fun lunch. Our lunch at the Rainforest Cafe is possibly the closest meal to "normal" we've ever experienced with Kelty. With all of the great things for Kelty to look at, we actually ate a full meal ... and dessert!

That afternoon we visited the Tower of London, which isn't really a tower. The Tower of London is popularly know for the place where those who committed treason were held and historical figures like Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey were executed. This place was so HUGE we didn't see half of it during our 2-hour visit. We did get the opportunity to see the Jewel House where the actual Crown Jewels are held (under TIGHT security) and the Armory Gallery which houses armory from the Stewart and Tudor era. This yet another place we have to go back and visit because we didn't see enough ...

"Traitor's Gate" inside the Tower. This is where prisoners entered the Tower by boat.

And that's a wrap on London!

Playtime With a Toddler Gone Horribly, Hilariously Wrong!

2010-09-27T16:31:00.005+02:00

There we were, Kelty and Mommy, playing nicely in his room banging on the drum, playing with little matchbox cars .... when Kelty decided to pull this little battery-operated hamster toy out of his stash and turn it on. He put it on his face and I said "no, no" .... so he put it on the top of my head. In a blink of an eye those little turning wheels sucked up my hair and created a snarled mess. My hair was (ahem ... is) wrapped up in the wheels of this toy! I sit here, writing this blog post (with a hamster stuck on my head), hoping Al will get home soon because this thing is REALLY starting to hurt.

So what does one do when they have a hamster stuck on their head and is patiently waiting for her prince to rescue her .....

Take photo's and blog about it ....

Yeah, doesn't seem so funny anymore .....

Then I got bored ... so why not feed the little guy?

Then I'm sure the little guy is thirsty up there perched on my head ...

What the heck, this calls for breaking out the wine halter ...

.... still waiting!

Another ... Wine Festival

2010-09-25T18:35:00.004+02:00

Ahh ... it's the wine season. That means wine festivals, walks through vineyards and wine ... oh what a joyous season!

Last weekend we joined forces with our friends, the Wagner's and carpooled to the wine festival in Bad Durkheim. Bad Durkheim is home to one of the largest wine festivals in Europe ... think a huge fair and a lot of wine.

The kids enjoyed an afternoon of rides while we enjoyed an afternoon of wine and food. We decided to stop in our favorite wine village on the way home, Saint Martin, but unfortunately the weinguts were closing up shop. We were in for another pleasant surprise though! ...

Daddy and Kelty at the start of our day

A full glass of wine .... this was so far beyond my tolerance level. Fortunately Al and Jeremy took one for the team and helped me finish my "glass of wine". Apparently Germans don't mess around with serving sizes!

We wrapped up our afternoon with a stroll and wound up in a great place for the kids to run, play and tackle each other.

This was our little surprise for the day! As we were driving through the German wine route to Saint Martin we stumbled upon a glorious site ... in the midst of the vineyards was a small section where you could pick your own grapes and pay "on your honor". A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Now, these are table grapes (tafel trauben) ... not wine grapes. Regardless, it was so cool picking our own grapes!

Don't ask. I didn't have to pee and ... well, who knows what face I'm making ... but this was the only photo Al took of me holding/picking grapes. Sigh ... I didn't really get the photogenic gene in the family.

Did I mention that I love this time of year in Germany!?

Possibly the Coolest Thing EVER ....

2010-09-20T15:46:00.007+02:00

A few weekends ago we took a day-trip to Bernkastel-Kues for their Wine Festival; while we were there I think we could have possibly found the COOLEST thing EVER!

We arrived just in time to catch the artisan parade, i.e., the parade showcasing each of the local wineries. As each group walked by they generously poured wine into small glasses that the spectators had around their necks ... and each person in the parade had these beauties dangling from their necks as well ... filled with wine! Whoa, sweet!

See? See the cool wine halter? Oh ... and Al's beer glass.

Al wanted "in" on the wine samples so he shamelessly found a beer stand, bought a beer, poured the beer into Kelty's sippy cup and proudly held the BEER glass out for wine ... (I was so embarassed)! Promptly after the parade we headed down to the Alstadt (Old City) to purchase "wine halters" of our own! Whoot! We are now proud owners of our own wine halters ... and look what you can do .............

Mmmm, you can stand and drink by your flower boxes while wearing your wine halter
(but you must have the other hand held daintily in the air) ....

You can vacuum like a happy little housewife while wearing your wine halter ...

You can wash your car while wearing your wine halter ...

You can water your plants while wearing your wine halter ....

What would YOU do while wearing your wine halter?

Home Sweet Home

2010-09-04T13:20:00.010+02:00

We just returned from a 2 1/2 week visit back to Michigan to visit my mom and dad (Nana and Papa to Kelty)! Oh, what a fabulous trip! Al was on a training TDY for the entire month of August so I made plans to visit my parents. I braved an 8 1/2 hour flight ... alone with my toddler ... and despite the in-flight entertainment system being BROKEN, we managed really well! I have to admit that I was a little proud of myself for pulling it off!

This was my first extended trip back "home" during the summer since, well ... I think our wedding 12 years ago! It was as beautiful and comforting as I remember it growing up and it was truly a beautiful thing watching Kelty enjoy "home" the way I enjoyed it when I was little ...

We spent most of our time outside and Kelty used this time to release a lot of energy!

We went dinosaur hunting in the woods with Papa on the Mule ...

Our exploration led us to the lake where Kelty played in the water ...

Kelty spent HOURS driving the John Deere around the property ... this awesome little vehicle has been through most of the grandkids! Kelty collected branches, acorns and moss ...

We played in the ball pit ...

Raced the John Deere and the electric scooter ...

Hopped on Papa's BMW motorcycle ...

Drove the golf cart ...

Fed the bunnies with Nana ...

Drove the tractor ...

Went hunting for acorns with Nana ...

Took adventures on the Mule ...

Went to the Circus ...

Made Nana and Papa very happy ...

Fed the birds ...

Played with bubbles ...

We laughed ...

Visited Kelty's cousins ...

Cut the grass ...

Played in the bounce house ...

Played in the woods ...

Had fun with Nana and Papa ...

Made some very special memories ...

Oh! And finally Al made it up to visit ...

and as we always do when we visit home ... we shot guns! Don't mess with Momma!

In hindsight, I should have blogged along the way so I could share all the beautiful details behind the photos ... but, I didn't. Another lesson learned for next time!

Thank you Mom and Dad for an absolutely beautiful visit, it couldn't have been any better. Thank you for giving us the gift of very loving home and the ability to share that gift with our children ... there is nothing more precious.

What Parents REALLY Do During Naptime ...

2010-08-26T20:05:00.004+02:00

Play with PhotoBooth!

Papa

Nana

Me!

NO Diaper ... Ok, If You Say So!

2010-08-08T22:04:00.004+02:00

Until this morning, I hadn't started potty training Kelty yet. He has been showing interest for a while but I didn't want to make any dedicated efforts until we were done traveling and were back in a routine. Kelty apparently had his own agenda ...

This morning we were watching cartoons; I was sipping my coffee and Kelty was on the couch next to me ... he gets up, says "pee" and walks into the bathroom ... I follow him and watch as he pulls of his diaper and pee's in the the potty. Whoop! That happens occasionally so I wasn't too shocked ... the shocking part came next! I said, "Let me get you a diaper" and he throws out his hand and says "No, Die" (no, diaper). Oh, ok! I explained that if he wasn't wearing a diaper then he had to go to the big boy potty when he had to pee ... he agreed.

So we went back to our cartoon and about 10 minutes later he gets up, walks to the potty, pulls down his pants ... and pee's! Whoa! Ok, now I'm taking him seriously.

We go back to the cartoon ... I decided to set the timer so we can go back to the potty in 10-15 minutes and then I promplty raced to the computer to look up printable "potty reward charts" ... I was SO not prepared to start potty training! As I'm on the computer I see Kelty get up and head to the bathroom ... I get up to follow and he puts out his hands and says, "No, me!". The little dude wanted to do it by himself! What! He went pee, emptied the potty, flushed (and said "bye pee"), washed his hands and left the bathroom. Ummm ... so I'm totally floored. Kelty went pee in the potty all day long with no prompting, no timer, no encouragement and had no accidents ... he just got up and went. We celebrated each of his achievements with cheering and clapping and "knuckles".

I put him in a diaper to run to the grocery store ... no way in heck I was going to risk that on Day 1! He did go in his diaper while we were out but once we got home and his real undies went back on ... he was back to business!

I'm not sure if this is a fluke but I'm going to run with it ... there is no way potty training is going to be this easy with him, right!? Wish us luck because I guess we just started potty training!

Riding The Open Road

2010-08-07T21:44:00.006+02:00

I'm not sure why this moment with Kelty seemed like such a momentous moment, but it did. Today Kelty rode his bike about 3/4 of a mile, on a quiet dirt path, up and down little hills to visit the deer. He was quite the sight to behold ... chugging along on his Radio Flyer Tricycle, sporting his helmet and sunglasses ... on a mission he was ... and he wouldn't let mommy help when his little legs got tired. I think he was out to show me he could do this on his own ....

The beginning of our little bicycle journey. I toted Kelty down to the path in the "Kelty Carrier" and carried his bike ... I was feeling a little out of shape! Yikes! When we reached the path we strapped on his helmet and hit the road ...

He rode his bike about a 1/2 mile to visit the deer ....

I thought this was so cute ... when he got off his bike to visit the deer he took of his sunglasses and rested them on his bike handles ...

Continuing our journey ....

When he got tired, he refused to let me push him or the bike. He insisted on pushing the bike along the path until he was ready to go again ...

That's my 2 1/2 year old little boy .... who doesn't seem so little anymore.

Felt Tot Wallet!

2010-08-06T14:43:00.019+02:00

Kelty has been holding interest in wallets, ~~purses~~ man bags, ID's, and $ for a while now. In fact, every time we drive to the base Kelty must present his ~~IKEA Card~~ ID Card to the guard and promptly salute. It was painfully apparent ... it was time for Kelty to have his own wallet.

So ... I set out to create my own tot wallet, because that's what I do! I couldn't get the vision of a little "peek-a-boo" monster out of my head so the little Money Monster made his debut. The wallet is a really simple design and I think I'll tweak it a bit here and there if I make more, but for a "1st try" I'm pretty happy with it ... and most importantly, so is Kelty!

Open at your own risk!

This seriously makes me laugh. It's as if this little googly-eyed monster is saying,
"Ahh, take it all ... take all you want!"

There is one long pocket for the "bills" and two pockets for cards/ID's. I considered a coin pocket but opted not to include it as I don't feel comfortable with Kelty and coins.

Who could be afraid of a cute face like this? Poor little monster can't even see straight.

If you want a tutorial just let me know .... it's even easier than the Felt Travel Mat! Promise!

I'm linking this to ...

Brown Paper Packages (Friday Favorites)
Someday Crafts ( Whatever Goes Wednesday)
Keeping It Simple (Motivate Me Monday)
Sumo's Sweet Stuff (Market Yourself Monday)
Lucky Star Lane (Lucky Linky Tuesday)

Fun With The Cousins!

2010-07-31T09:33:00.009+02:00

I'm almost embarrassed to blog ... the inconsistency is driving me nuts. *sigh* We've been so busy here this summer and to be honest most of my computer time has been spent managing my Etsy shop, ChichiKids. I guess I found my Etsy niche because it's been doing very well!

Hey! Did you know Kelty's cousins are still here! Yup! Whoop! We've been having a great time and Kelty absolutely LOVES playing with his 6-year-old cousin Madalyn and 8-year-old cousin John Charles. It's been quite the busy household! We've also had a few unexpected surprises like Al's Appendectomy which kept Al in the hospital for 3 days ... thank goodness my sis was still here to take care of Kelty!

So, without further ado ... here are some photo's (in no particular order) of our activities this last month!

They danced, danced, and danced some more. These kids can totally rock it out!

They just hung out. Seriously, Kelty and Madalyn look like they could be brother and sister!

They climbed the walls ... don't even ask ...

They sat quietly ... ha, right! :o)

They ate ice cream ...

They were hosed down outside after a particularly messy finger paint session ...

They were finger paint warriors ...

Kelty tried to figure out the hose ... and yes, I did!

They got MESSY ....

They dressed up Kelty ... Al REALLY loved this one. Ha!

They watched TV ...

They played with the new water table ...

Kelty tried on Madalyn's bows!

They made cake ... and ate it ...

They formed a rock band ...

We went bowling! ...

Madalyn modeled a few of my appliques! ...

Halloween sneak peak! My Halloween applique designs are so STINKIN' cute!

Oh, umm ... we went to Disneyland Paris! I can't believe I never blogged about this! Oops! My cast member perks work here too so our admission was free! Whoop!

So where does this leave us? Jess and the kids have been trying to wrap up their vacation but haven't had any luck "hopping out" yet ... it's been CRAZY busy at the PAX terminal. I'm trying to "hop out" this week with them so I can spend August in the states with my parents in Michigan!

So does this mean I'm caught up on my blogging? :o)

And The OSCAR Goes To ....

2010-07-05T09:48:00.004+02:00

.... Kelty, in his rendition of "I played dead and scared the crap out of my mommy".

The Scene: Mommy and Kelty are playing upstairs. The dogs are outside barking insistently at the folks visiting the neighbors house.

Mom: Kelty, I'll be right back. I need to let the dogs inside.

(Mommy runs down three flights of stairs to shush the dogs and bring them inside)

(Mommy runs back upstairs and finds Kelty laying sprawled on the floor next to the bed, blankie slightly out of reach from his grasp, pacifier dangling from his mouth that is gaping open, tongue hanging from his mouth ... eyes loosely closed ... body completely and utterly motionless)

Mom: KELTY! (frozen in the doorway)

Kelty: (no movement)

Mom: OH MY GOD! KELTY! (running over to Kelty)

Kelty: (no movement)

Mom: KELTY, KELTY!! (hovering over Kelty)

Kelty: AGHH! (opening his eyes, throwing his arms out ... laugh laugh)

Mom: Kelty! Don't you ever do that again!! Don't scare mommy like that! (nauseous from fear).

I kid you not, my 2 1/2 year old played dead and it was so believable I almost vomited. I thought he must have climbed on our bed and jumped off and broke his neck! I can't even describe the fear I felt for those moments! I swear, he's going to give me a heart attack with these pranks!

I do believe we could be raising a future Oscar winning actor. Lord help us!

And just in case you were having a hard time visualizing ... here is a photo reenactment for your viewing pleasure ...

The Reichlin European Reunion!!

2010-06-30T08:48:00.001+02:00

Wait ... hold on ... I need to dust off our blog address before writing this post ... ok, that's better! It has been a whirlwind of events since our Mediterranean Cruise (yes, I know ... still haven't finished that re-cap yet!)

A few months ago Al gave me my birthday gift; he had arranged for most of my family to visit us in Germany ... a reunion in June for my birthday! We spent a few months prepping the house for the additional 9 family members that would be staying with us! We converted bedrooms, bought more beds, stocked the bathrooms with enough matching linens, and so on.

It was a WONDERFUL reunion ... mixed with "go" days and "rest" days, hugs, laughter and tears. Now I'm sitting here in a quiet, lonely house browsing through almost 2000 photos capturing our short time together ....

My brother Rick and my sister-in-law Leslie were the first to arrive. Rick enjoyed the beer but we converted him to wine after our trip to the vineyard ...

Leslie and Kelty rocked it out on the guitars ...

A few days later my sister Rachel and her hubby Shawn arrived! We spent a few hours at the festival in Kaiserslautern ...

We walked through our village and ate dinner ...

Enjoyed great conversation ...

Enjoyed Gelato ...

Visited the wine village of St. Martin ...

Tasted wine, bought wine, bought more wine, and more wine ....

Enjoyed the village ...

... and more wine ...

Enjoyed our quiet evenings on the balcony ....

John took the train up from Stuggart for Jessica and the kids' arrival. We shopped in Kaiserslautern and ate Doner wraps ... and more Doner wraps...

We invited our German neighbors over for some "southern" ribs! Shawn and John had a rib cook-off, Rachel made homemade mac-n-cheese ... I made BBQ pork loin, beans and salad.

John in the kitchen ...

We introduced Heinz and Evi to an American favorite ... S'mores! They were a hit ...

Kelty rocked it out again with his guitar ... this time accompanied by his Aunt RayRay ...

Nana, Jessica and the kids arrived!

We enjoyed more walks through the village ...

We went to ROME!
(Jessica, John and the kids headed back to Stuttgart for some quiet family time)

Kelty and Nana outside St. Peter's Basilica ...

Taking a break walking to the Vatican Museum ...

Al and Rachel ...

Hey, "Mr. Gypsy" ... please stop blowing bubbles in our photos in front of the Spanish Steps ... we don't want to buy the bubble gun ... and other "Mr. Gypsy" we don't want your roses! Poor Shawn, we thought he was going to EXPLODE trying to take this photo!

Rick and Mom at the Colosseum ...

Gladiators Rachel, Mom, Rick and Me

We played with Kelty outside the Colosseum while the rest of the family visited .... Al and I have visited twice so we explored the area around the Colosseum instead ...

We walked ....

We drank .... Cheers!

We celebrated Rachel's birthday in Piazza Navona ...

Cooling Kelty down during our visit to the Basilica (sorry it's out of order here!)

Mom and I (there was another gypsy driving a toy car into Al's feet while he was taking this photo)

We relaxed at the house ....

Jessica, John and the kids came back for a couple days!
Jessica, Rachel and Rick walked down to the market ...

... while Kelty played Twister with his cousins ....

and Kelty laughed at me playing Twister with his cousins ...

The sisters got silly in the kitchen ...

Rachel and I shared our birthdays!! I was born June 10th ... Rachel was born 7 years later on the 9th ... growing up we hated it but now we love it!

Rachel and Shawn left *sigh* .... that afternoon we visited Heidelberg Castle
(John Charles, Nana/Mom, Kelty, Madalyn)

We had a little snack outside the castle ...

We visited the birthplace of my Grandpa Lutz!! This was a very special trip and I'm working on a blog post dedicated to our trip to Solingen. This trip has a special twist, as one of the German documents our neighbors translated was my Grandpa's birth certificate ... and it contained the address of his home (which was where he was birthed!)

... and on the last day, we visited the village of Rothenberg ob der Tauber

and last but not least ... because I'm saddened that my family is gone, I have to wrap this up with a funny shot of .....

My brother-in-law, Shawn, wiping is derriere ....

Our apartment in Italy ran out of toilet paper ... we had 1 roll to last 5 people two days. C'mon! So we did what any decent person would do ... stole toilet paper from restaurants and stuffed it in our bags. We were so excited to have toilet paper again!

So this was a little glimpse into our family reunion in Europe ... and truly a glimpse ... I sorted through 2000 photos to pull these out. I couldn't include all the great ones but I hope I captured the spirit of our time together! Thank you to my family for venturing out of your comfort zone, taking time out of your busy schedules and tolerating the exhaustion so we could enjoy the company of family! Love you!

Thank you sweetie for the most thoughtful and generous birthday gift you could have ever given!!

Our Mediterranean Cruise ... Part 1

2010-06-02T10:03:00.000+02:00

Oh boy, I knew if we didn't have internet on the ship the task of recapping a 10-day cruise was going to feel overwhelming ... it does! So let's get right to it, shall we?

Not too long ago we booked a 10-day Mediterranean Cruise aboard the Disney Magic with our friends, the Wagner's. We were both cruise newbies and neither of us had any idea what to expect! Originally when we priced the cruise I had called to see what the Cast Member discount was ... we decided to book the cruise. As I was giving the agent our mailing address I explained it was a military address overseas ... she asked "you're military?" ... I said, "yes" ... she said, "let me give you the military discount!". Holy cow people ... it was a DEEP discount! Anyway ... if you want more info on the cruise details ... email me! We are already talking about our next Disney cruise ... it was AMAZING!

Oh! And let's not forget that Disney upgraded us to a Deluxe Exterior Stateroom WITH a balcony for FREE! Oh yes ... in the evenings we were able to sit on our balcony and drink wine while pulling out of port. Sounds to good to be true doesn't it!

Here we go...onto the ports, pictures and fun!

Day 1 - Barcelona and Embarkation (Wednesday, May 5)

After going to bed at 1:30am, we woke up 2 hours later to drive to airport and fly to Barcelona, Spain ... where we boarded the Disney Magic! It was a mixed day of traveling by car, plane, taxi and ship! After arriving in Barcelona we found our taxi driver (we pre-arranged transportation for all 7 of us) and drove an hour to the port. After a brief wait we registered and then boarded the ship at 1pm. It was an astonishingly simple process. After we boarded the ship we explored the boat at our leisure, participated in the mandatory "evac exercise", reserved a few hours of child-care, played at the Oceaneer's Club (for the kiddo's), played at the pool, ate dinner and watched our first show!

Kelty totally dug his life vest and wouldn't take it off .... silly boy!

Exploring the ship!

Watching our first show! Now, being an entertainer for Disney ... you know I watched with a critical eye! Let's just say "2-thumbs up" ... I was VERY IMPRESSED with the Character Performers in particular! FABULOUS animation ... not just during the shows but during all of the meet-and-greets in particular!

Day 2 - Day at Sea (Thursday, May 6)

This was our day at sea! It was a really nice "warm-up" and gave us a chance to just relax, explore and go "ooh & aah" over all the amenities and activities they offered on the ship! Oddly enough, I didn't take that many photos! What!

Playing in the Splash Pool!

The Wagner kiddo's and Kelty peering out to sea.

After dinner we fit in a little dance action before our evening stage show, Twice Charmed ... it was a twist on the Cinderella story.

Day 3 - Malta (Friday, May 7)

After a wonderful day and evening at sea, we awoke just before pulling into the port in Valleta, Malta. We stood on our balcony and watched as we pulled into port. We spent the morning and afternoon just strolling through the city, poking our head into shops, drinking coffee, stopping for lunch ... there was also some sort of little festival going on and we were able to watch their marching band and enjoy a bit of traditional Spanish dancing ... (yes mom, with castanets!).

Pulling into port ... the city looked as though it was built right out of the face of the cliffs.

Look at the hot stud I picked up! ;o)

Enjoying my coffee and admiring the view, *sigh*.

Out and about in the city.

The Spanish dancer's ... mom, they were performing the basic "pa, ta, ria, ta".

I just could not pass up posting this photo ... it cracks me up every time I see it!

Day 4 - Tunis, Tunisia (Sat, May 8)

Africa! Tunisia is location in Northern Africa between Libya and Algeria but is a predominantly Muslim country. Al was really anxious to introduce me to the Souq's ... the alleys of markets dominated by persistent sellers and "back-room" goods. We left the kiddo's in child care during our visit to Tunis ... it's not really a place you want to bring the kids. This was quite the experience and a little intimidating at first ... as you are literally chased down and haggled into buying goods. It didn't take long before you develop a bit of a thick skin! I did however walk out with a pair of leather sandals and a "Burberry" shoulder bag (if you know what I mean) ... after haggling them down from 50 euro (no way buddy) to a mere 10 euro. Whoop!

On the bus to downtown Tunis

A snapshot of the Tunis

Drinking Tunisian Coffee and Mint Tea. We visited a store filled with hand-made Tunisian carpets ... they were expensive but very beautiful. I thought our friend Jeremy was going to have a throw-down with one of the Tunisian dudes as he was literally chasing Jeremy around trying to get him to buy a carpet ... he just wouldn't stop haggling!

Waking down one of the narrow alley's in the markets, I looked in to see a man chopping meat on a log ....

This broom was made out of twigs ... hey, whatever works!

A look down one of the shopping alleys ... the Souq's are literally a maze of shop.

Oh yeah baby ... my 10 euro Burberry sling!

Strolling through a residential street near the Souq's on our way to check out the carpets.

to be continued ...

A Little Something ....

2010-06-01T08:02:00.003+02:00

We are here ... we are alive, we are well! The Cruise blog is almost complete ... I knew this would happen if I wasn't able to post along the way! I have so many new things to share with you! The Reichlin European Reunion begins in less than 24 hours ... I will have my mom and sibling, nieces, nephews, and brother/sister in-laws all under our roof! You can imagine the prep work to fit 9 more people in the house! We've been buying beds, converting rooms and making sure we're well stocked with enough towels and TP! Can't forget about the TP! ;o)

So ... just a little something to hold you over.

I will soon be a Major! That's right folks ... the results of our Major's board were finally posted after 3 long and painful months. The selection rate for my career field and my Reserve category was a mere 33%. That means 67% of the captains competing for promotion were passed-over. I am relieved, I am thankful and I feel very privileged to be given the opportunity to continue to serve our country.

Now ... keep your eyes out for the super long Cruise post!

Bon Voyage!

2010-05-04T20:26:00.002+02:00

Ok ... things have been nuts around here! We leave tomorrow for our first cruise, whoop! 10 days aboard the Disney Magic cruising the Mediterranean. Internet is .75 per minute, yikes! I'll do my best to post along the way or the re-cap will just be way too overwhelming!

But ... It Wasn't Me!

2010-05-01T21:47:00.002+02:00

This week Al got a call from his squadron to come pick up some "mail" ... he new exactly what it was as he's received "a few", but this particular piece of mail was not for him this time ....

There it is, my "bad girl" mug shot ... how embarrassing! Really. This my friends, is a speeding ticket! They use mounted speed camera's in Europe! So, life is good .... blah blah blah ... and then you'll get a nice little ticket in the mail a few weeks or months later with your photo ... BUSTED! So how FAST was I going? Wait for it ... wait for it ...

36 kph in an 30kph zone

or converted for you ...

21 mph in an 18 mph zone

This was in our nearby village. Looking at the time stamp, I was just driving back from picking Kelty up from "school".

I know, I'm a speed demon ... I think our car idles faster than that!

So enjoy ... and stop laughing at my mug shot ... at least I wasn't picking my nose or something!

No seriously ... stop laughing!

Tromping Through The Tulips

2010-04-24T21:03:00.003+02:00

1st things 1st ... this week one of Kelty's classmates lost his mommy. I'm embarrassed to say that as we drop our kiddos off at "school" hardly do we take a moment to get to know each other ... most times we are in a rush to get onto our next event of the morning. The only interaction I've had with this family was email communication and an occasional call when the phone tree was activated ... but none the less ... I find myself breaking into tears. She was a teacher on-base and they had 3 young children ... she was 38. I cried when I saw Kelty's little classmate on Thursday ... as I looked at this little boy I knew he would not be going home to his mommy that night, I knew he would never feel her hug again, I knew he would probably never have a memory of his mommy. Next week I'll be bringing the kids their lunches so the dad doesn't have to worry about packing lunches for the kids ... I wish I could pack them a big, comforting hug. *sigh*

Well now, how to recover from that opening ... not quite sure how, so I'll keep it short and simple.

Blumen Schneiden! There are quite a few "cut your own" flower spots scattered along the roads here ... it's great! You'll come across a little field filled with a crop of flowers ... you cut them yourself and pay "on your honor". This is tulip season!!

After I picked Kelty up from "school" last week, I stopped by a nearby flower crop so we could pick some tulips ...

When we were done I counted up my flowers and dropped my Euro change into the can!

Oooh!

On the home front ... Kelty's latest "thing" is wearing his bicycle helmet ... all-day-long. In fact he went to bed holding his helmet the other night. He puts it on first thing in the morning and wears it most of the day, he even wears it in the car ... ha!

On Friday we had a school field trip to the zoo! Kelty was C-R-A-Z-Y! I was "that mom" who spent the entire trip chasing her child ... in fact I had other parents ask me if I wanted to stick Kelty in their stroller and they'd take their own child out. I politely declined and just tried to hold myself together. This little photo was taken while Kelty was showing off his mannequin pose ... a pose he hit on every-single-stump we came across.

A Day Trip to Trier, Germany and the Frankfurt Zoo

2010-04-19T19:02:00.005+02:00

The weekend weather was beautiful and we decided to take advantage of it with a couple day trips. Saturday we headed over to Trier, the oldest German town north of the Alps. Trier is nestled in the Mosel Valley and is a quick 1 1/2 hour drive away ... a drive taking us through rolling hills and vineyards. We spent a few hours roaming the streets, browsing through the farmers market and taking breaks for bratwurst and ice cream.

Flowers at the market ... oh how I LOVE fresh flowers! I bought 10 white tulips for 4 euro.

Kelty stretching his legs in one of the courtyards.

Time for ice cream in a fresh waffle cone ... yummy!

One of the things we look forward to sharing with my family when they come out is the laid back environment .... taking the time to sit and enjoy a cafe outside, sitting and chatting, people watching, or like this guy ... sit on some steps with your dog and read a paper. Oh, I love it!

... and the architecture

I love these moments

... and these

Sunday we decided to head over to Frankfurt and visit the zoo. The zoo was pretty packed and it seemed as though the animals were taking Sunday "off" too.

We brought Kelty's Little People animal picture book ... this is a GREAT book! Every time we stopped to look at an animal, we asked Kelty if he could find it in his book.

Checking out the monkeys. Speaking of monkey's ... oh you should have heard the chatter and giggles when we walked passed groups of folks while Kelty was wearing his monkey "leash". I actually heard one man laugh and comment with the word "hund" (dog) and "line". It was a busy day and Kelty is a quick little guy that possesses an amazing skill of wriggling out of your grasp ... better safe than sorry. :o)