Cookout!

Malu and I have been dying to barbecue.  Okay, maybe it's just me.  And it's not so much the barbecue I've been wanting, but rather just wanting to find some friends around here.  I have some great friends at work, but haven't quite found a group of "regulars" to hang out with like we've had at previous duty stations.  Today, we finally had the opportunity!  We met up with some new friends of ours.  Well, actually, the person that invited me is an old friend from high school.  Meet the Fargo's!

This is Adam and his wife, Nichole, who's such a sweetie.  I really love how small the Army is.  You just never know who you're going to run into and when.  By way of Facebook, Adam found out that I was heading to Stuttgart and that I'd be working in the building right across from his (he actually works in the EUCOM headquarters).  Not only that, we pretty much work hand-in-hand on a daily basis and I must say that it's been nice to have my go-to guy at the headquarters. I would never have imagined, almost 15 years ago (when I last saw him at our high school in Carthage, NY, right outside of Fort Drum, where my dad was stationed) that we'd link up--and in Europe of all places!  I must also add that the years have been great to Adam.  He's done well professionally and has a beautiful family.

The Fargos introduced us to their lovely group of friends and we had a great time, more food than we knew what to do with, drinks and tons of laughs.  Although Mother Nature couldn't quite decide how to feel today (sunny, rainy, sunny, cold & windy), we were happy with the company and it was a lovely afternoon.  Here are more pics from today...

Sina quickly made friends with Adam & Nichole

Having fun!

She was totally diggin' that hat!

Doing some walking around the gazebo

I definitely hope this get-together won't be our last!

Thanks to the Fargos for thinking of us!

I hope all of you are enjoying the weekend.

Don't forget...Monday is the last day to enter my giveaway!

The Royal Wedding

I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon and post this mainly for posterity's sake.  Man, was this truly a fairy tale wedding!

I honestly didn't even plan on watching it.  I mean, it was going on smack-dab in the middle of the work day.  Next thing you know, the boss heads out to a meeting for a couple of hours and Zinda (our secretary) and I are watching the darn thing on the 46" plasma TV in his office! Practically all the other peeps with TVs in their offices were tuning in too.  Finally, I caved in after going to the headquarters and seeing it live on CNN in the lobby of the deputy commanding general's office.  If his peeps are watching it, why not I?

I'm with tons of other people when they say that they couldn't help but think about Princess Diana while it was all going on.  I couldn't help but think about how happy she would have been if she were there and whether or not William was thinking the same thing as he stood beside his blushing bride at the altar.  Kate was gorgeous and poised and carried herself with grace.  I have the feeling that she will make as much as an impact on the world as Princess Diana did.  I wish them both a happy and fruitful marriage.

The rest of the time, I spent poking fun at the entire affair.  I mean, what's up with the "countdown to the royal kiss"?  Really?  And then, when the kiss actually happened...what a let down.  He should have at least dipped the girl and slapped a big wet one on her.  Finally....what was up with those hideous hats?  Don't get me wrong, some were cool.  But these???

Royalty or not....what were they thinking?

All in all...a beautiful affair.  I'm glad I got to witness it!

Happy Saturday everyone!

~Spring Swap~

I promised to share what I received during the Spring Swap hosted by Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots (she always does these great link-ups!) and man, am I excited to do it!

I was partnered with Jackie of In the Life of the Lefevres--a coach's wife and mother of two adorable kiddos.  Jackie is from Jacksboro, Texas, which is (and she can correct me if I'm wrong) in northeast Texas and I'm guessing it's a zillion miles away from where I used to live before I moved here to Germany (El Paso).  Anyway, I went to pick up the package earlier this week while I was at work.  The consolidated mail room is near our office building, so I usually go to check our box in the afternoons when things die down at the office.  Well, I brought the package back to work and our secretary (and my friend), Zinda, sees the package.   I tell her it's from my swap partner in Jacksboro, TX, and she says, "I know where that is!!!"  And that's because she's a Texan--of the Houston-type, I believe.

Anyway, I start taking stuff out of the box, with her help, and as I start to unwrap an item, she says something about Dublin Dr. Peppers.  I guess it's big in that part of Texas (or maybe Texas in general; I never knew).
So take a look at this...

She got me a whole bunch of Dublin Dr. Pepper stuff.  Okay, so Dublin, Texas is about 90 miles away from where Jackie lives, but it's home to the oldest Dr. Pepper bottling company and the only one that stays true to the original Dr. Pepper formula (which originated in Waco, Texas) that features Imperial Pure Cane Sugar (which means it's hella sweet).  It's so much fun to read about the history of the Dublin Dr. Pepper.  You can read it too by clicking here. 

And what's also cool is that Zinda's brother currently lives in Dublin, Texas.  What a small world!

Anyway, I got a couple bottles of Dublin Dr. Pepper to use in the Dublin Dr. Pepper cake mix I also got.  Of course with Dublin Dr. Pepper cake, you must have Dublin Dr. Pepper chocolate frosting!  Jackie must have known that I LOVE chocolate and cake!  She also gave me two cans of Big Red Cream Soda, which I've read is the unofficial soda of Texas (also originating from Waco) and I LOVE cream soda.   I also got a silicone Texas-shaped ice cube tray as well as a kitchen towel for Easter. 

I am beyond thrilled.  And when I make that cake, I'll definitely post about it.

Thanks so much Jackie for being an awesome swap partner, for making this fun and for sending me such a unique gift. I hope we can keep in touch in the long term!

Oh, and if you're curious as to what I sent to Jackie, you can check out this post on her blog!

I told you, blog swaps are (as my sister-in-law would say) sooooo the business!  I can't wait for the next one!

{Thursday Five}

I'm linking up with Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots again this week to bring you my five things about the week that were

Fantastic

Cool

Lovely

Special

&

Beautiful

{One} Blog Swaps are Fantastic!  I love them.  Nicole also hosted a Spring Blog Swap and I got my package from my swap partner, Jackie, over at In the Life of the Lefevres.  However, I'll be posting about this tomorrow because I got some really cool stuff with a lot of history behind it.  More to follow on that!  And thanks to Jackie!

{Two} Yesterday was Admin Professionals Day and our boss and his wife took the entire front office area, which consisted of me and our secretary (our NCO is on leave so she didn't get to go) to lunch.  Not only that...when we got to the restaurant, there were gorgeous floral arrangements and cards waiting for us.  Here is the picture of my bouquet!  Isn't it beautiful?  I can't thank the Godfreys and our deputy enough for making us feel so appeciated.

{Three} How cool is it that about 20 people have entered by Ritter Sport Chocolate Giveaway?  It's only the second giveaway I've done, but I didn't have a huge response the first time, so I'm excited.  Make sure you enter...I draw a name on Wednesday, 3 May!

{Four} It was a lovely day in Stuttgart today.  I hope the weather stays this way throughout the weekend!

{Five} This week was extra special...my parents celebrated their 36th anniversary this week. 

 I want my parents to know how inspirational they have been for Malu and I as as a young couple with many years ahead of us.  My mom and dad have triumphed through a myriad of challenges and obstacles and are still going strong.  I am moved by their love for each other, as well as their love for us and for their community.  They have hearts of gold and I don't know what I'd do without them.  They're not only the ones who gave me life, but my greatest friends.  I love you guys!

And to help them celebrate...Malu and I will be bringing them out to Germany for a visit!  We can't wait to see you guys.

And there's my five!  Thank goodness it's Friday (yup, it's past 2:00 a.m. here)!

And please keep all those affected by the tornadoes in your thoughts and prayers. 

Chocolate Giveaway!

Yes, CHOCOLATE , and yes, a GIVEAWAY!

We feel so lucky to have the Ritter Sport Chocolate Factory at our disposal.  In 25 minutes, you can be over at the schokolade (chocolate) store and filling a basket chock-full of those colorful squares of chocolate-y deliciousness.  So when I was in the town of Waldenbuch for their Easter market, the factory was just a hop, skip and jump away.  I went and picked up one of their grab bags and I'm going to give ALL of it to one lucky reader!  Take a look:

So here's what you're gonna get if you win:

(3) 2.3 oz Chocolate Squares

Flavors:

(2) Dark Chocolate

(1) Hazelnut & Milk Chocolate

(12) 3.5 oz Chocolate Squares

Flavors:

(1) Milk Chocolate w/Yogurt Filling

(1) Fine Extra Dark Chocolate

(1) Milk Chocolate w/Hazelnut Caramel Filling

(2) Milk Chocolate w/Whole Hazelnuts

(1) White Chocolate w/Whole Hazelnuts

(1) Milk Chocolate covered Neopolitan Waffle

(1) Dark Chocolate w/Marzipan Filling

(1) Milk Chocolate w/Whole Almonds

(1) Milk Chocolate w/Vanilla Bourbon Filling

(2) Milk Chocolate with Almond Filling (Mandelcreme)

(1) Packet with (9) Ritter Sport Minis (various flavors)

(1) Box of Creme Filled Mini Chocolates

(1) Packet with (9) Ritter Sport Minis-Eierlikor

(Eierlikor, which translates into eggnog)

&

(1) Ritter Sport Tote

All together, this is a little over 20 euro in value, which is an absolute steal in my book, because I know for a fact that each 3.5 oz. bar is almost $3 in the States.

Tell me you don't want to win this!  And even if you don't want it, enter and give it to someone as a gift!

To enter:

• be or become a follower (1 entry)
• tell me which flavor (of the above listed) sounds the best to you (1 entry)
• blog about this giveaway (5 entries) and leave me the URL to the blog

**Leave a separate comment per entry**

Yeah, I'm trying to keep it nice and simple.  I don't usually get a lot of participants, so this might be a pick-out-of-the-hat type thing rather than a random selection from random.org.  Depending on the number of entries I get on here by the weekend, I may open the giveaway up to my peeps on Facebook so stay tuned!

I will close this on Monday, 2 May, and will announce a winner on Tuesday, 3 May!

Good Luck!

***This Giveaway Has Ended***

Cutie Patootie

I figured I'd post this short clip from yesterday.  I can never get enough of our little cutie.

I spent most of the day at work feeling tired and, well, not wanting to be there.  The beautiful, sunny weather outside didn't help either. This is why I'm keeping this post short...I need to get to bed because I refuse to be lethargic all day tomorrow.  Who am I kidding? I just need it to be Friday already!

Hope everyone's week has gotten off to a great start.

Happy Easter!

I saw this picture on Stephanie's beautiful blog, Silly Precious Piggies, and had to borrow it.  I sure hope she doesn't mind.  It is just so appropriate and keeps us mindful of the reason we celebrated today...Jesus!  He is Risen!

After spending the morning receiving some much-needed spiritual nourishment, we went to my boss' house for Easter dinner.  I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but my boss and I go back a few years to the days that we were stationed at Fort Bragg.  I had become one of his company commanders back in 2006.  Anyway, when I made the promotion list to Major last year, he found me while I was stationed at Fort Bliss and asked if I wanted to come to Germany to work for him.  Umm...go to Germany?  No-brainer.  So, since we've been here, he and his wife have been more than gracious to us.  Knowing how hard it is to be away from loved ones on special occasions like this (as they have three daughters who all live on their own now), they invited us and a few other friends over for dinner.

Talk about great times.  Not only was the company wonderful, but so was the food!  There was so much, including a most wonderful carrot cake that I'm hoping I'll have the recipe to soon.  Not sure if they'd read yesterday's post, but they made sure they had more than enough eggs for Sina to play with and had a cute little Easter basket for her.  Either way, it was really sweet of them and she had a field day with the eggs as well as the attention--she was the only kiddo there :)

Banging her eggs together.

Dig, dig, dig...and yup, another bad hair day.

They even let all of us dye eggs just for nostalgia's sake.  I tell you, I can't remember the last time I dyed eggs and I was surprised to find out that it was the first time Malu had actually dyed an egg.  He said he'd drawn on some before, just never dyed one.  Guess you learn something new everyday, huh?  So, Sina got a lesson on dyeing eggs too...only after she decided to stop trying to eat them.

These eggs are yummy!

First egg-dyeing eggs-perience!

It was truly a great day of fellowship and fun.  And we could not have asked for better weather too.  We sat out on the porch and enjoyed Spring at its best...birds, flowers, trees, a beautiful breeze..even the pollen!

My loves.

As always, thanks to the Godfrey's for being fantastic hosts and for always making us feel like family.

Well, I hope that everyone had a very blessed Easter too.  I also hope that our families back home know just how much they were missed today.  We love you.

Have a great week everyone!

Bunny Ears & Other Things

Here's Sina wearing the bunny ears that she "made" at daycare yesterday.  Malu dropped her off for a few hours so that he could take an exam and she fared very well.  In any case, she wasn't very happy when I took this picture.  She was trying to crawl somewhere and I pulled her back and made her sit still so that I could take it.  Oh, the things we do for pictures.  And she's going to kill me years down the road when she sees this.

Although Easter is definitely not just all about egg-hunting, Easter baskets filled with candy and finding that all-too-cute and frilly Easter dress for church, I still wanted to make it special for Sina.  After this morning, I realized that I failed miserably. 

First off, I'd been so preoccupied with things at work and never got to put Sina's Easter basket together.  As a matter of fact, I never got her an Easter basket.  I just never made the time.  So, at the last minute (as in yesterday afternoon at work), I called Malu and asked him to head over to the PX to get some of that fake grass to put in a basket that we already have lying around the house.  No such luck...the PX ran out, so Malu ended up getting one of those [cheap-o] premade baskets with the stuffed animals and candy in it.  Oh well, no biggie.

Also, for the past few weeks, I'd been tracking that the egg hunt on post was going to be on Easter Sunday.  I mean, it makes sense, right?  Wrong.  It was this morning at 1000 hours.  No big deal....unless, of course, you show up about ten minutes too late like we did.  Ten minutes and the supposed ba-zillion plastic eggs that the Child Youth Services Center folks laid out had already been scooped up by the other crazy kids living on this installation.  We missed it.  At this point, I was so annoyed that I didn't even want to wait in line for Sina to take a picture with the Easter bunny.  

What's worse is that yesterday at work, I'd stopped by our headquarters to drop off some paperwork and stopped to talk to one of the secretaries.  She'd shown me the beautiful Easter cards she'd received from her grandchildren.  I'd realized that I didn't even think to send out Easter cards this year...to anyone. 

Now, I know that when push comes to shove, if all had gone well, Sina wouldn't have known the difference.  I mean, the girl is only 8 months old.  But I would have liked for it to a better experience for all of us.  I really don't know how my mom did it for my sister, brother and I all those years.  She'd worked full-time and was always busy, but somehow, through it all, she'd have everything together for every holiday.  At Easter, she always had our baskets ready, helped us dye our eggs, and in addition to having an egg hunt at church, we'd have one at home where she'd hide plastic eggs with candy and/or money in it.  As we grew older, she'd have some really cool gift or would take us out to eat.  And she always had cards sent out to family on time.  She just always had it together.

Man, I really need to get myself in gear.  I'm not sure why I'm really taking this so personally.  I think it's the perfectionist in me coming out and the realization that I need to slow down and focus on what's more important in my life.  I also think I just need to make an effort to become better organized. And finally, I think I need to take it easy on myself.  I mean, I've only been a mom for about 8 months now and things are still new to me.  Things just aren't going to be perfect all the time, right?  So there....thanks for letting me rant for a little bit.

Despite the mishap this morning, we did manage to have a decent time.  Part of the Easter festivities for the kids included a cook-out by the USO, where we enjoyed some barbecue, as well as a pony rides, face-painting, and a kid-themed flea market, where we scored on a couple of good books for Sina.  The weather was perfect today, so we walked all around the post and even got some grocery shopping done.  I'm pretty sure Sina had a great time because she wouldn't fall asleep the entire time we were out because there was so much to see.  It wasn't until we got home that she and I zonked out for a good three hours for a nap.  Now that was perfect!

We're excited about the Easter service at church tomorrow and for the fellowship we will enjoy in the evening when we have dinner with friends.  Most importantly, we rejoice and are thankful for the gift of forgiveness and for the One who came into the world to die so that we may have it and be saved.  May God bless all of you this Easter and always!  And to our families and friends back home...we truly are missing you right now!

Waldenbuch Easter Market

Malu started school a few weeks ago and since then, he's been hittin' the books pretty hard.  However, since he has to watch Sina during the day, it doesn't leave much time for him to focus on his schoolwork.  So, he has no choice but to stay up into the wee hours of the morning (good thing he's a night owl; nocturnal, my mom says) to study or do his homework.  I can only imagine what his schedule will be like once he starts going to drill again or when/if he starts working full time again. Sooooo....since we usually spend Saturday doing something fun as a familly, I agreed to give him all of Sunday alone so that he can work with no distractions.

Hence, the visit to the town of Waldenbuch (I think it's pronounced "Valdenbush", but I like to call it Waldenbooks, as in the bookstore.  Do those even exist anymore?) for their Easter Market.  Just Sina and I--a perfect mommy-and-me day.  Oh, the weather was just so gorgeous.  Waldenbuch is not very far from Patch Barracks.  It took me less than half and hour to get there.  And the drive was awesome....beautiful.  It's out in farm country, so it was a vast expanse of green grass and wildflowers (some places where you could go and pick your own flowers and pay via the "honor system"), laden with biking and hiking trails.  Everyone was out and about. 

It's a small town and the market was right in the middle of it, near the Schloss (church) Waldenbuch.

Side view of the Schloss Waldenbuch

The front of the church....It was really beautiful that day.  Not a cloud in the sky!

  I had a terrible time finding parking...as I said, the town is small, and the roads are narrow and the place all the good spots were taken.  I almost gave up.  Finally, I just decided to park our huge Jeep Commander on a sidewalk somewhere.  I'm surprised I didn't get ticketed. 

But it was a small affair....vendors selling crafts (especially Easter eggs and ornaments) and food (you could smell waffle cones being made--for gelato) and some other displays.

You can find beautifully dyed/decorated eggs just about anywhere in Germany right now.  They hang them as ornaments and I am determined to collect enough to do my own Easter tree next year. 

Walking away from the church and just shopping around.

A traditional German building...this is actually a cafe and bakery.  I didn't get anything, but people were outside eating black forest cake and other confectionaries.  Yum!

Waldenbuch is also home to the Ritter Sport Chocolate Factory.  Malu, Sina and I had visited the place when we first got here and since I was in the area, why not stop by and stock up on more chocolate?  So I splurged...and I'll be giving some away on here sometime soon!  In the vicinity of the chocolate factory was a small flea market where I was able to buy some Easter ornaments on the cheap. 

I was bummed that Malu wasn't with us.  He would have enjoyed it, but he also got tons of work done at home that day.  Next year, we're definitely going to another town for Easter market--and we'll drag Malu out with us! 

It's been such a busy week so far and thank goodness it's just about halfway done! I can't wait for the weekend already!

Vaihinger Fruhling

Gosh, we had such beautiful weather in Stuttgart this weekend.  Not as warm as last weekend because there was a bit of a breeze, but it was still nice enough to NOT want to stay in the house.  Since my NCO, SGT Sunga, had never walked downtown before, Malu, Sina and I invited them to go with us. She brought her daughter and mother with her and the whole lot of us just took a nice, relaxing stroll into Vaihingen (the town right outside the gate). 

Just so you guys know, next weekend Stuttgart's annual spring festival (also called Fruehlingsfest) is kicking off.  Basically, it's a three-week celebration period to welcome the coming of spring.  I've been told from people at work that it's "not quite Mardi Gras, but it gets pretty crazy downtown, especially at night".  Well, we're not planning on going out there at night, but I heard it's great family fun during the daytime and we surely intend to check it out.  In addition to this, lots of the smaller towns like to hold their own versions of fruehlingsfest.  The one held in Vaihingen was nice and quaint.  Aside from the usual farmer's market that takes place all morning in downtown square, they had some vendors selling crafts, used books and other stuff.

Of course, I couldn't leave without buying some produce.  White asparagus is apparently all the rave in this part of Germany.  For some reason, I can't bring myself to buy it.  I always go with the intention of buying some then end up getting green asparagus.  Don't quite know how to explain that.

I also got a bunch of these strawberries, which were the reddest, shiniest that I've ever seen....and the sweetest I've ever tasted.  No wonder they were hella expensive.

Here are Sina and Daddy enjoying some time out in the sun.

There's that serious mug again.  She must be people-watching!

Aren't these flowers the prettiest?  I buy fresh flowers pretty much every weekend now.

Vendors sell brotchen and bratwurst, it seems, at all hours.  It's even eaten for breakfast here!  I don't know why I'm so surprised.  It's like us having our Sausage McMuffins in the morning back home.  Anyway...

Like I said...flowers everywhere.  I especially like how they grow on the walls.  I took these on the walk back home. 

And that was just Saturday morning.  Later on that day, we ventured off to Sindelfingen (another town nearby) and visited Ikea.  It was my first time.  I'll have to save that story for tomorrow.  I'll also save the post on how I spent today at an Easter market in Waldenbuch because it's late and I have to get up early for work! 

Speaking of work....ugh....it's going to be crazy busy, I can feel it.

Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying the last of the weekend!  And our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those in the Southeast (especially our friends in the Carolinas) who were affected by the tornadoes.

Thursday Five

Today, I'm downgrading from last week's Thursday Ten to Thursday Five.  And Thursday Five is an actual blog link-up that I haven't participated in in a long time.  And...if you wanna link up, head on over to Nicole's blog, Flip Flops and Combat Boots.  She's totally fab and the link-up is simple.  Post 5 things about the week that made you feel

Happy

Giddy

Excited

Thrilled

or

Fantabulous!

So here goes!

{One} My boss had to go on emergency leave unexpectedly over last weekend.  A friend (who is also our secretary) volunteered to split dog-walking duties for their two dogs--McCoy and Griffey--whom Malu and I have watched before.  To thank us for it...she surprised me with a bouquet of flowers at work this morning.  Aren't they beautiful?

I brought them home on my lunch break and immediately put them in one of the Longaberger baskets I've had for years (that I never really use) and hung them up in the kitchen.  Since it's so easy to get flowers here in town (and for really cheap), I figure I'll keep that basket full all year round.  What a beautiful bouquet to brighten up the house!

{Two} Speaking of dogs...we're watching our neighbor's shitszu, Kirby James.  He is the third dog-sitting job we've had since we moved here.  Malu and I are beginning to think we should start a business!  Ha ha...but we really do enjoy it.  But once Lucy gets here, not sure we're gonna keep it up. I think we're just suffering from Lucy withdrawals.  Here's the little guy.  He's been so good.  His parents come back on Sunday.

{Three} We've booked our flights to Normany for the Memorial Day weekend!  Our friends, the Finch family, were stationed with us in El Paso.  They just recently moved to Germany.  I keep forgetting where they live.  I think it's Hohenfels.  Anyway, we're getting together with some friends of theirs and we're going to stay at this chateau in Normandy.  How appropriate is it that this Memorial Day, we'll be honoring those who gave their lives in defense of our Freedom on D-Day during World War II--right where it happened?  We're so excited!

{Four}  During the work week, I don't get to see Sina before I leave in the mornings.  Sometimes I go home for lunch and sometimes she'll be in the middle of her nap.  So when I get home at night, sometimes it's the first time she's seen me all day.  Anyway, when I walk through the door and we make eye contact, she smiles really big and either laughs or screams with excitement.  Then, she'll crawl like the wind toward me.  I don't think this will ever get old to me.  It's pure joy.  Anyway today, she looked different!

She had pigtails!  One up front and two at the back.  Courtesy of daddy!  Good job Malu :)

{Five} Malu got an A on a final earlier this week.  I swear, he is putting 110% into his schoolwork without letting it interfere with his time with Sina.  He'll also be starting duty with his new unit soon.  I am soooo super proud of him.  He has another test tomorrow, so keep him in your prayers!

What a week.  It was totally busy at the office.  I'm sooooooo ready for the weekend!

Have a happy Friday everyone!

Update:  after posting this and then reading posts made by other bloggers who did Thursday Five, I realized I did the post the old way...instead of using this week's words in the posts.  My bad!

Wilhema Zoo

We could not have asked for more perfect weather this weekend.  What's nice is that it was a long weekend (three-day) and the weather remained gorgeous the whole time.  On Saturday, we wanted to be out in the sun and take Sina someplace fun.  Well, the Wilhema Zoo and Botanical Gardens really hit the mark, and I have to admit that I was really the one who'd been itching to go to this place. 

The Wilhema is exactly what I said it is...it's a huge botanical garden and zoo spread across a vast expanse of land that once belonged to King Wilhelm I and, after his death, became the private gardens of the royal family.  Today, the Wilhema is the only zoo and botanical garden in Germany.  There are two parts to the park.  The lower part is the older part and the original Wilhema grounds.  It consists primarily of the original greenhouses and Moorish-style buildings.  The lower part also has an aquarium and some animal houses (for apes and monkeys). The upper part, is the newer part that has been built upon for many years and houses the bigger animals like elephants, bears, and tigers.  These parts were added piece by piece and upward into the Rosenstein hills--so the more animals we wanted to see, the more hiking we had to do.  It was quite a workout.

Anyway, I took tons of pictures that day.  I'm only going to post my faves...which means, I'll still post quite a few.

Sina was all ready to go that morning.  She even wore her "zoo" gear.  Her shirt said, "I'm new here!"

She could barely contain her excitement and her curiosity had her peeking out of her stroller a good while until we eventually ended up carrying her pretty must the entire time.  She wanted to see it all!

 

Flowers were in bloom everywhere.  Of course we had to take a few pictures.  And look at this happy baby...and her prince!

More pictures of the lower part of Wilhema.  The aquarium, where Sina was in awe the most.  She just loved seeing and trying to touch all the fish.  It was the most adorable thing to see.  Here are also pics of one of many beautiful greenhouses and historic buildings.

Here fishy, fishy.

Lovely greenhouse.  I think this one had a butterfly exhibit inside.  It's also attached to the Moorish Villa (living quarters).

This is the Moorish Banquet Hall that was originally used for royal festivities, balls and such.

Here is one taken from the upper part, which is uphill, hence the beautiful view of the city.  There's even an outdoor cafe for enjoying the view.

How about this bear exhibit?

Here are other favorites from the day.

My, what big teeth you have.  That head is bigger than her entire body!

My favorite picture. Daddy showing Sina the monkeys!

The happy family.

Bringing all the animals (that we've been showing Sina via books and videos) to life!  Elephants, oh my!

I'll be posting the rest of the photos on Facebook, but I will share one more.  Evidence that it was a successful day...

...one very exhausted little girl.

Again, a great weekend and I'm already looking forward to this weekend.  Nothing special planned yet, but it's been a crazy week already!

Take care everyone!

P.S.  One more thing...isn't it great that the hat she wore that day actually fits?  I bought it a few months ago on sale for a little over $1.00 at Baby Gap.  Take a look at what she looked like the first time she wore it....at two months old!!!