Rockin' Out!

Like all other first-time parents, we try to capture our little girl at every little moment even if it is something so seemingly mundane.  These last few months have just been a joy just experiencing Sina discovering the world around her and surpassing milestones in terms of her development.  So this is probably the umpteenth video clip I've posted on her between this blog and Facebook.  It's mostly to keep her grandparents and great-grandparents as updated on her as possible, but man, these cute moments are too cute not to share with the masses--at least to us. 

Sina LOVES music, mostly because Malu has exposed her to it since she was born.  Now she LOVES to dance to music...especially when, most of the time, mommy and daddy are dancing like crazies in front of her.  She loves to play copy cat!

Last month, Sina only recognized the word "clap" whenever she heard or saw it.  Now she claps every chance she gets and gets even more excited everytime we acknowledge her clapping with a "good girl".  Love it!

And apparently she loves Eminem too because if you turn the volume high enough (after you lower the background music from my blog, of course), you can hear him rapping.  Hey, everyone needs variety, right?

Oh, and most of the comments we get about these video clips have to do with her hair.  Yup...still out of control.  And it's not like we don't fix it....it doesn't matter what we do, she'll pull at it, roll all over the floor playing and mess it up.  It just won't stay neat.  And forget about putting clips and headbands and other accessories in...she pulls those out too.  I'm afraid we have a tomboy on our hands (thanks Malu) and I won't even go into how she hates dresses.

Enjoy...and happy hump day to all of you guys back home!

Gettin' Crafty!

One of the great things about being stationed at Stuttgart is that the post always has tons of events to keep Soldiers and family members occupied--whether it involves sports, travel, or in this case....crafts!  Patch Barracks has an award-winning Arts & Crafts center. I've never seen anything like it.

It's like a mini-Michael's!  Check it out!

All the scrapbooking supplies you will ever need, although you can't tell in this picture.  Behind these stands is a coffee bar.

You can paint ceramics and have little parties.

They have enough fabric for you to get your sew on!

And they have a framing shop.

They hold a number of classes for quilting, sewing, fused glass and so much more.  My friend, Zinda, and I decided to take a mosaics class!  Oh, it was so much fun...and relaxing.

Gluing on the tiles was the hardest and most time-consuming part.  I wanted to do something simple and went with a flower.  Here it is before grouting. 

Not sure why I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but I did snag a picture of Zinda and another person from the class with our pre-grouted tiles.



Using the grout was the fun part (I mean, who doesn't like to have a reason to get dirty, right?) and everyone's tiles came out looking great.  You really can't go wrong with mosaics.  Mine is sitting on our kitchen counter as a trivet.  Love it!

And I'm sure our husbands are just thrilled about us finding something new to blow our money on!

I'm planning on taking an intro to sewing class soon! I'll let you know when I do.

I'm also starting to get back into the kitchen again.  Last night I whipped up a really good porkloin recipe.  Check out my recipes blog!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Strasbourg, France {Part Deux}

Wow, I can't believe it's been a week since I posted Part I of my Strasbourg trip.  It has been a long and busy week.  Great news is that Malu and Sina are back and I feel whole again.  You wouldn't believe how much she'd grown in a week and a half.  Her bottom front teeth are now in, she can say "Dada" and she looks like she grew about three more inches.  Oy vey!

Anyway, here's the deal on the rest of my Strasbourg trip.  I'm sure most of you see a trend when I go to visit places.  I go to sightsee, but I also go to EAT!  Boy, did I eat.  I'd been to France before (to Paris), but it was quick one-day trip to Euro-Disney and I honestly don't remember what I ate that day.  On the bus ride to Strasbourg, I'd made up my mind about a few things regarding food:

1.  I was going to eat at a French restaurant.

Done!  I mean, why have pasta in France, right? I wanted real French cuisine!  Lorie and I found this cute little place not too far from the cathedral. 

 2.  I was going to try real French Onion Soup.

Done!  French onion soup is one of my faves!  I'm not sure why I expected this to taste any different than French soup in the States.  I actually decided that Ruby Tuesday's French onion soup is better, but it was still delicious and comforting given that it was still pretty cold in Strasbourg at that point.

3.  I was going to try something different.

Done!  Introducing...tarte flambee.  It's essentially a French pizza.  Actually, the crust had a texture very similar to a tortilla.  This one had onions and bacon on it.  And roquefort cheese.  Man, I'd heard that roquefort cheese was strong...and I love bleu cheese, but gosh, you could smell this thing from a mile away.  The first piece of this was okay, but I couldn't eat more than two.  The cheese was that strong.  Next time, I'm going with a milder cheese.  They had muenster and I'm not sure why I didn't opt for that in the first place.  At least I can say I tried something new.

4.  I was going to have creme brulee.

Almost done! I had the creme, hold the brulee. And it was drenched in caramel sauce. It was heavenly.

Even my friend Lorie had a delicious dessert.  I think it was some kind of strawberry cream pie.

Oh, and I never mentioned this before...Lorie and I have become good friends through work.  She's the budget analyst for our directorate and is just a sweetheart.  I invited her to go with me and I'm glad she agreed to be my companion for the day!  Even more...she's a fellow Coloradoan!

5.  I wanted to have a real crepe!

Done!  There were crepe stands everywhere.  Some within a few feet of each other.  I'd filmed a clip on my crepe being made, but I didn't feel like downloading it.  Banana and nutella.......need I say more?  They have tons of crepe places here in Stuttgart, but now I can say I've had a real French crepe. 

So glad I knocked out everything on my to-do list!

And here are a few more wonderful things about Strasbourg...

Souvenir stores galore.  I bought tons of postcards.  They had these ceramic dishes and those kugelhopf (bundt) pans everywhere.  I once came across a kugelhopf recipe in my Tuesdays With Dorie baking group years ago.  I had to buy a special pan to make it, but never actually made it.  Well, kugelhopf is very popular in this region of France, as well as Southern Germany and Austria.  I saw kugelhopf pans and cakes everywhere that day.  Who knows, maybe I'll dig out my kugelhopf pan this weekend and make some!

Amazingly, I abstained from buying any kugelhopf.  Not like I didn't eat enough at that point already.

I had some Gluhwein.

It's a hot, spiced wine.  Oh, it was delicious!  Can't wait to have more of that.  It's popular here in Germany too!

Like any other European city, there was a farmer's market.

Just the way I like it...bustling with people and good eats.  Or herbs and spices like these.

And fresh flowers.  So vibrant!

Sweets on every corner!

Including my favorite french macarons!

And finally....cafes on every corner as well.

A fruitful day, if I may say so myself.  It's a good thing it was a five-hour walking tour.  I had to burn off those calories somehow!

Strasbourg is one of my favorite cities so far and I'm definitely going back!  If anyone wants to go with me, let me know!

Strasbourg, France {Part "Un"}

This entire week, I'd been debating whether to spend my Saturday at a spa (not sure where the spa is but there was a one-day USO trip for it) or go to Strasbourg, France.  I asked for feedback on Facebook and everyone was telling me to go to the spa and the spa was a great idea at first--I didn't really feel like going to Strasbourg without Malu and Sina.  But on Thursday night, I asked my friend, Lorie, if she wanted to go and she agreed! 

I am sooooo glad that I didn't miss out on Strasbourg!  I loved it!  It was a shorter drive than our trip to Salzburg--about two hours.  And I enjoyed it more than Salzburg too.  Can you believe it?  Two hours and instantly, you're hearing a completely different language and experiencing a completely different culture.  Amazing!  I'm going to make this Strasbourg post in two parts because I have way too many pictures and I'd like to spread them out.  

For those of you that are interested in reading all about Strasbourg, I've linked this to Wikipedia here.  I've taken tons of pictures.  Yes, and because I did, I missed out on a lot of our tour guide's commentary about when buildings were built, the kind of architecture...that kind of stuff.  Sorry I wasn't more attentive. 

But Strasbourg, France is the capital of the Alsace region in Northeastern France.  It is situated on the Ill River, which flows into the Rhine River that borders France with Germany.  I took a lot of pictures like this, blocks of land linked by bridges and giving way to some of the most breathtaking views.  There were even boats that roamed the city.  I didn't get to ride though--maybe the next time we are there.

This portion of Strasbourg, which surrounds the city's cathedral (which you will see soon) is known as Petite France and is renowned for its medieval cityscape of Rhineland (German areas along the Rhine River) with its black and white timber-framed buildings.  Hidden among these buildings are shops and restaurants.  Lorie and I had lunch somewhere in there.  I'll post more about that tomorrow. 

When you first drive into the city, you are immediately captured by the city's landmark--the Strasbourg Notre Dame, or Roman Catholic cathedral.  It's spire towers over the city and was once the tallest building from the mid-1600s to the late 1800s--the Empire State Building of that day.  Today, it is surrounded by a huge shopping district in the middle of the city.  The cathedral is made of sandstone and the architecture and details that were given to the carvings, moldings, everything...is stunning.  I thought Paris' Notre Dame was the best I'd seen until yesterday and I spent a good portion of time there just staring at it  Take a look...I took a video in the cathedral square.  There was a guy performing, whom I thought was a lady.  He sounded great.

Here are my favorite pictures of the cathedral.

The front of the church.  The time when a really good camera would come in handy.  I couldn't get the entire facade.

This is toward the backside of the cathedral.  The cathedral is known for its astronomical clock.  It rings every quarter-hour and they say that parts of the church move when it does.

 

One of the cathedrals front doors.



Another front door.



My favorite picture.  Looking up to the spire from the front door.

A view of the cathedral from the shopping district.

We actually went inside the cathedral too and I tried to take good pictures of the stained glass windows.  Unfortunately, that was just too plain difficult to do.  It's way too dark inside there, but beautiful.  We also sat in there for good while just to take it all in and to say a prayer or two.

And that was just portion of our day.  For the most part, the weather was okay.  It was rainy and wet in the early morning (we started our tour at about 1000 hours).  Then, the sun peeked its way out around lunch time and then again towards the end of the day, which made touring a lot more comfy, but I still had to keep my jacket on.

I spent another good portion of our tour just people watching.  And seeing what people wear over here is very entertaining.  Some people are just way out there and look completely ridiculous.  Others are stunning (many of the French women, and I find it's the same for Germans) and it is amazing that, with all of the good eats around here that they all remain so thin.  Um, all the walking and biking helps out with that, I'm sure.

And I'll just throw this in....we noticed that the French don't care to pick up after their pets too much.  In all of the grassy areas that we saw....poop everywhere.  Even in the streets.  And I ended up stepping in some.  Worst part of my day.

  Tomorrow, I'll post more...and mostly about my favorite.....FOOD!  So stay tuned!

Oh, one more day until Malu and Sina get home!  Yay!

Spring Bazaar!

There is a Spring Bazaar on Patch Barracks every year.  I'm all about bazaars!  Vendors from all over come to post and sell their finest wares. I just love being amongst the chaos.  I really don't know what it is.  But it's fun to look around, buy stuff, eat and watch other people doing the same thing.

The bazaar had everything you could imagine from all over (Germany, Italy, etc.)--wine, beer, textiles, woodworks, furniture, rugs, Italian leather...you name it--it was there.  I took a few pictures.  I've found that vendors and shop owners here can be really sensitive about people taking pictures of their merchandise.  So I tried to be as respectful as possible.

Table Runners and Wall Decorations

Not sure if it's beer or wine.  Whatever, it's alcohol.  They had lots of it.  I bought a few bottles of Italian wine myself :)

Matryoshka Dolls from Russia.  My parents had a few sets of this in the house when we were growing up. 

Cheese!  Yum!

Polish Pottery galore.  My friend told me that this vendor, Andy, is one of the best.  They're all individually painted and gorgeous.  They even had a line of lady bug printed items.  Cute!  I wanted to buy some, but the line was sooooooooooooo long.  I'll probably just go to Andy's on a trip to Poland (USO does tours).  It'll be cheaper there anyway.

Other knick knacks.  The prettiest hooks and doorknobs I've seen.

I really liked these hand-painted drawer boxes.  I used to see these in World Market and Pier 1 all the time.

I was pretty proud of myself.  I didn't spend as much as I thought I was going to, what, with all the temptation I endured.  I walked away with some wine, some Cinnabon cinnamon rolls that were being sold at a food tent, and a this really cool carrier basket by Reisenthel.

They're really popular around here.  You can carry it like a bag (it has a strap) and hook it to your shopping cart. They even sell covers for it.

Amid the chaos, I lost my wallet and didn't even realize it until after I'd stood in a food line for about 25 minutes and was about to pay the bill.  I'd left it at the wine vendor where I'd made my last purchase and luckily, they hung onto it for me.  There are still some good, honest people out there.  And...how horribly typical of me.

Anyway, I've been relaxing at home for a few hours and it's just great.  The weather has taken a turn for the worse over the last few days and it was a cold day for shopping (there were several tents and buildings, but you had to walk to each one; and they weren't heated).

I hope the weather is not like this in France tomorrow, although I reckon it will be.  Hope everyone who has a training holiday like we do here today is enjoying it.  Happy Friday!

Blog Award!

I am so behind on this....about a week ago, Em from Life to Bragg About gave me this Stylish Blogger Award.  I'd recently stumbled upon her blog and I can't remember how.  Just a few things about her:

She's an Army wife--hooah!

She's stationed at Fort Bragg--as I was years ago.

She's gorgeous and extremely fit--so jealous!

She is a fabulous (and healthy) cook!

And she's going to have a baby--how exciting!

So Em, thanks so much for this award!  I'll definitely keep following along on your blog!  As with most blog awards, the Stylish Blogger Award has a few conditions:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.

Done.  See above.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

     1) I'm stealing this one from Em--No one can ever find my veins.  When I was in college, I was denied at the blood donation place because my veins were too small.  In fact, when the medics were trying to confirm that I was pregnant (during my deployment to Iraq--see story here), it took eight of them to draw my blood.  And after every blood draw, I always end up with a massive bruise .  It sucks.

     2) I miss school and would love to go back after I'm done with the Army.  I have an MBA, but would love to pursue either a degree in accounting (become a CPA) or in nursing.  I also secretly (well not anymore, cat's out of the bag now) want to go to culinary school.  Just for fun.

     3)  I want to have another daughter.  A boy would be nice too, but Sina has been so much fun, I can't help but want another girl.  The downside is having to fork the bill for two weddings, but still, they're fun.  And if we do have a girl, I'm thinking that I might name her "Sue Ella"--Malu says the name sounds too Southern Belle-ish.  But I like the name for two reasons--one, suela (pronounced "Sue Ella"), in Samoan, means Jewel.  This would be in honor of Malu's Aunt Jewel who recently passed away.  Second, growing up, my dad always called me "Ella" (for the "elle" part in Michelle) and it always made me feel special.  And Sue Ella would be whole first name, so I'd have to find a good middle name.  And who knows, all this could change as time passes.  And now that I keep repeating the name in my head, maybe it does sound a little too old fashioned.  Maybe "Ella" would do fine.

     4) I'm obsessed with caprese salad these days--tomatoes, mozarella, fresh basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Delicious!

     5) For someone who used to jump out of planes, I'm terrified of flying now.  Is it me, or are flights these days just a little too turbulent?  It freaks me out. 

     6) I'm going on a trip to Strasbourg, France tomorrow.  Yay!

     7) I still really want to learn to use a sewing machine.  I think that I could make some really good stuff if I only knew how--stuff that I could sell!

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.

    I haven't really been browsing any new blogs lately, but I'll tag just a few:

     Crispin Chronicles

     Army of Two

     The Patriotic Peacock

4. Contact these Bloggers and tell them about the award! 

     I'll be doing this soon!

Well, I'm off to start my day.  There's a huge Spring Bazaar going on today and I can't wait to go.  I hear they have some Polish Pottery---here I come!

~7 Months~

Thanks to everyone who kept Malu and Sina in their thoughts as they traveled back to the states.  After worrying about the flight all day yesterday and overnight, I called Grandma's house this morning and was happy to hear Malu's voice.  At that moment, they'd just gotten home from the airport.  They'd made it to Utah without any problems.  He said it was yet another problem-free flight for Sina.  That's my girl!  I am so happy that they're there and it was so nice to hear Grandpa Jim laughing with Sina in the background (she was tugging on his beard).

This picture of my two loves was taken during the first week of Sina's life.  She was such a little itty-bitty of a thing!  It's hard to believe that she turned seven months old last week and Malu and I agree that we've seen her progress the most this month.  It has been so much fun. 

On February 17th, Sina started crawling.  Last month, she'd get in the crawl position but was still stationary.  Well, no more....she's moving at full speed.  As a matter of fact, you have to keep a constant watch on her now (when she's out of the crib) because she's pretty swift.  When she sees something she wants, she'll make a bee-line for it.  She'll crawl over me trying to get a toy, a bowl of food, or anything that I've set aside. 

Last month, Sina got to the point where she could sit unassisted.  This past month, she's now at the point where she can stand up.  Now she can't stand up by herself for too long, but when she's supported like this...by hanging on to the couch pillows like this or onto her crib bars....she can maneuver herself a few inches to either side.  It's amazing how agile she is.

She loves, loves, loves to practice walking.  And she can do it for a pretty significant distance before she gets tired.  Malu has her walking down the long hallway from our room to the bathroom (which is about a 15-feet distance) all the time and she just laughs, smiles and coos the entire way.  If you're wondering what's on her head...it's one of those head massage things with the spider-leg prongs that make your head tickle.  Malu likes to play around with it on her and she'll just shudder from the sensation. 

She is so funny and I can tell that she's going to have a bubbly personality.  She's doing this copy-cat thing these days.  When you blow raspberries at her, she'll do it right back to you--over and over again.  I had a video clip of it, but deleted it by mistake.  It's so cute.  She'll literally "ppffftttttt" right back at you if you stick your tongue out and do it to her--only her version of it is a little bit messy.  Unfortunately, she'll also blow raspberries during dinnertime when she's in a silly mood and that can also be messy.  Malu even says that she says "boo" when he says it to her. 

Speaking of dinner, Sina recently started eating some of the steamed chicken and apples meals I've been making in her BabyCook.  I had to mirror the Gerber chicken and apples because making her just plain chicken or just plain vegetables was an epic fail.  She was looking for something with some taste.  So steamed apples or sweet potatoes combined with the steamed chicken gives her the flavor she's looking for.  She's eating 7 to 8 ounces of milk every four to five hours now and has pretty much mastered the pincer grasp.  Now a lot of her Gerber puffs go into her mouth and not onto the floor.  That being said, she's definitely putting on more weight, although we're not sure exactly how much she weighs, or if she's grown in length.  We won't know that until her 9 month check up.

We started her on the Your Baby Can Read program last month and big props to Malu for being so patient and interactive with this and exposing her to the videos, flashcards, and books throughout the day (as he's still waiting on his transfer packet from his last unit to go through before he can start working here).  Although she can't speak the words, we know that she recognizes them. 

For example, when she hears the word "clap" she kinda waves her arms, banging them together.  When she hears "mouth" she says "aahhhhh" and has her mouth wide open.  So we know that some progress is being made and we're definitely not trying to force it on her.  If she tires of it, we take a break and go back to it later.   But we love how she enjoys it.  When she hears the theme song at the start of the video, she laughs and smiles like crazy.

Bathtime is still such a fun time for us.  Her new favorite thing to do is to hold her mouth open under the shower spray (we have those detachable shower heads) so that she can have water flowing into her mouth.  So half the time, she's sitting there with her mouth open.  It now makes rinsing her mouth after brushing her gums a lot easier (surprisingly, no teeth yet).

So yeah, this past month has definitely been one of the most exciting so far.  We can't wait to see what the 7th month has in store for us, but man, she's going to continue to break my heart if she keeps growing so fast like this.  If she starts walking...I'm done!

Sina, you are our everything! We love you so much!  I hope this next week flies by so that I can smother you with kisses again!

Although they're not here and I'm missing Malu and Sina like crazy, it's been a nice weekend.  My boss and his wife, Denise, were so kind to invite me to dinner yesterday.  The beautiful weather allowed us to take a brisk walk downtown to a Chinese restaurant that had a wonderful buffet.  Today, I went to church for some spiritual nourishment, watched "Rango" at the theater on post (which was a horrible idea since every kid on post was there) and enjoyed chili at a cook-off event also on post.  All in all, a great time and now I'm refreshed for a new week. 

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend too!

A True Gem

Christmas 2009 in Utah.  Auntie Jewel is at the far left.

If anyone follows me on Facebook, you all probably know that Malu's (well, our) Auntie Jewel (pictured here to the far left) passed away early Wednesday morning and it's been a sad time for our entire family.

When Malu was a teenager, his father sent him to Utah to help his grandparents out, which is pretty common for Samoan families.  At one time, both his Auntie Jewel and Uncle Mike (his dad's siblings) lived at his grandparents' house.  Since both grandparents were working at the time, Malu said that he was often in Auntie Jewel's care, so he credits her a lot for raising him.  When Malu and I were dating, he'd always spoken so reverently of her and when I met her for the first time (back in 2006) I understood why.  I will always remember how beautiful, intelligent and poised she was.  She was soft-spoken, but exuded so much confidence.  She was a credit to society--a dedicated and hard worker at the sheriff's department.  She was a great mother and role model to her two beautiful children (also pictured here; named Sala and Daniel) and before we had Sina, Malu always told me that he wanted to be as a great a parent as she was. 

Malu's R&R in Utah (May 2009): from L to R: Auntie Jewel, Malu, Me, Lulu (my SIL) and Daniel

For the past five years, Auntie Jewel battled carcinoid cancer.  She fought it with everything she had.  Half the time, we could never tell that it was affecting her; for when we would call, she sounded as healthy as a horse.  She would never let on that she was in pain, although the cancer tore her apart.  I wish I had even an ounce of the strength she did. 

We were told that as she took her final breath, you could see the pain leaving her body.  I know that it was God telling her that she didn't have to fight anymore and that He was bringing her to a place where she would be at peace with Him...and looking over all of us.  So although this is a devastating loss to all of us, we find solace in knowing that she is in good hands.  And I have to add that I am so glad that Sina was able to meet Jewel.  She won't remember it years from now, but we (especially Malu) will be so excited to tell her about her lovely Auntie Jewel--really everything her name encompasses--a true gem.

Malu's Visit to Utah (May 2008): Jewel & Malu with Daniel & Sala

I pray for Malu's entire family--his grandparents and brother, Uncle Mike, who fought alongside her every step of the way, as did her husband, Uncle Bill.  I pray for all the family that will be flying in from all over the world to pay their respects to include Malu's dad, who will be flying in from American Samoa this week.  I pray even more for the children she left behind.  I can't even fathom the depth of their grief at losing their mom at such young ages (I believe, 10 and 7 years).  Even Jewel was young--I believe in her mid-40s.  I pray, and pray, and pray that God's peace be with them.

Tragedies like this always remind you just how fragile life can be.  Therefore, we must embrace life and live it to the fullest.  I charge all of you to do the same.

Malu and Sina will be leaving for the States tomorrow morning as the funeral will be held next week.  I really want to go, but duty calls, as always.  We also thought it would be best for Sina to be with her daddy (and meet her Grandpa Vila for the first time) instead of leaving her at daycare with strangers for an entire week and a half while I worked all day.  Although it will be a difficult time, I believe they will have some fun too.  I pray for their safety in the skies and that time passes quickly so that they can be in my arms again.

Thanks to our family and friends for their words of encouragment, love and support during this difficult time.

And thanks for listening!  Have a great weekend everyone!