Normandy {Part I}: Lodging!

I'm going to a series of posts on our trip to Normandy for two main reasons...I have too many photos that I want to share and I'm way too tired to do one huge post on it right now.  I just don't have the energy.  Could it be because I spent the entire day at work and then, against my better judgment, decided to try out a Zumba class tonight?  Most definitely.

Anyway, I didn't do much of the planning for this trip.  Our friends, the Finch Family, did most of the leg-work.  Just so you know...the Finches followed us to Germany from El Paso, only they're stationed in Northern Germany, about four hours from us.  They, and some friends of theirs (the Donofrios), met up with us at the Charles de Gaulle airport in dirty Paris and we rode in our rental van about three hours to Normandy, where they had us all set up in this manor/bed & breakfast owned by a lovely couple, Keith & Penny.  The place is called the White Cross Manor.  Now, I had to borrow these pictures of the manor from the Vacation Rentals by Owner website.  But check out our digs!

This is the main house, built in 1875. It was refurbished a few years ago, but still maintains the charm of a typical French country home. It is situated in St. Jores, the area where the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions landed on D-Day in 1944 (so the place had historical and personal significance to me, Malu, and the other two paratroopers in the group). The main house has a lovely garden with a fish pond, a sunroom where we enjoyed breakfast every morning, as well as a bird house near the sunroom and two adorable little Yorkies that kept the kids entertained (both the Finches and the Donofrios have each have daughters--three girls total!). As if that wasn't enough...Keith & Penny have chickens that laid organic eggs while we were there. A wonderful learning experience for the little girls, even Sina, who can now say rooster! Don't you just love all of the ivy?

The house also has a separate Gite cottage (pronounced "jeet" with the "j" sounding like the "zs" as in Zsa Zsa Gabor) with a loft, where Sina, Malu and I slept. On the main floor of the cottage was a kitchenette, some couches, a dining area as well as a furnace (which came in handy since the weather was much colder than we'd anticipated).

A fabulous breakfast was provided by Keith & Penny every morning.  They called it continental breakfast, but feast was more like it.  I swear, we ate like kings and queens each morning!  I'll talk more about that tomorrow.  In the evenings, we'd grill out in front of the gite, have a few drinks and talk until we had to put the kiddos to sleep. 

Basically, we were out in farm country and seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  Just green pastures, cows, horses, sheep and goats everywhere--an utterly beautiful setting and a stark contrast to Paris.  Spread out around the area were other farm houses, manors and chateaus--things we'd only read about and/or seen in movies.  We were just so thrilled to be there!

I realize I'm all over the place with this post, so thanks for bearing with me.  But I'm tired and have to prepare for another early morning.

Stay tuned you guys!  I have much more to share with you!

Happy Memorial Day!

We returned a few hours ago from our trip to Normandy.  What a fantastic way to celebrate Memorial Day.  I'll save the details of this trip for posts throughout the week.  For now, I'll leave you with a breath-taking photo I took at the National American Cemetery in Normandy that honors those who fell in Europe during World War II.

We were truly honored to be there.  There aren't enough words to express the gratitude we felt for those whose graves we stood upon; those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our freedom.

Today, we honor them and all of our brothers and sisters in arms who also paid the ultimate price; as well as those who have served and continue to serve our great country on the homefront and abroad.



I took this picture at the Normandy American National Cemetery.  The cemetery overlooks both the English Channel and Omaha Beach, one of the landing beaches of the infamous D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.  A huge celebration to commemorate D-Day will be held next weekend.

And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave,
for glory lights the soldier's tomb,
and beauty weeps the brave.
~Joseph Drake~


Happy Memorial Day!



Toys!

In the last four or five days, Sina has received two packages from one of my closest friends, Vickie.  Talk about being loved and talk about toys galore.  Sina was just beyond excited.  She sat next to me in awe as I opened each toy.

Let's see....she got a Leap Frog My Pal stuffed animal (apparently, you can program it to spell your name), a Teach Me Baby learning kit (that has books, puzzles, flash cards, puppets and blocks!), a Glo-Worm (that she is clutching ever so tightly right now as she sleeps) and a cool bib.

She also got...the Juppy--a portable baby walker that helps your little one learn how to walk without putting strain on your back!  This thing is way cool.  We love it.  We actually had Sina walking around in it while we were at the flea market this past weekend.  All the mommies around us were asking where we got it from.  It was a hit!  Sina loves it.  After her first few times in it, she got the hang of it and, after realizing she was walking somewhat on her own, stomped her feet repeatedly in excitement.  Big smiles all around.  We caught a video of her first time testing it out in our house.



Fun times!  Thanks to Vickie for thinking of us and for being so generous!

Well, the next time you guys hear from me, I'll probably be blogging from Normandy.  I have to use tomorrow evening to start packing for it and I desperately need to get caught up with some reading.  I hardly have any time to read these days and when I do, I find myself falling asleep within minutes.  I've been trying to read Water for Elephants for three weeks now!  No bueno.

Anyhoo...it's hump day tomorrow and almost the last day of this short week!  Can't wait!

P.S.  Before I go, let me throw this out there.....Dragonfly Designs is doing a giveaway on her blog!  Heather is giving away a $25 credit to her Etsy shop!  So hurry on over there and enter.  Or better yet, don't...I haven't one a giveaway in a long time!

Miss Cranky Pants

Sina took four steps on her own this afternoon--that's double the amount of steps she took last week!  Immediately after that, we tried to get her to do it again, only on camera so that we could post it for her grandparents to see on video.  Umm....it didn't work out so well.  Instead of capturing a video clip of her taking a few steps, we got one of her chewing us out--or at least that's what it sounded like.  A chewing out (after getting momentarily distracted by a water bottle) and a plea for us to stop.



So of course we stopped.  But boy, is she adorable when she complains!

Wow...this weekend seemed to fly by.  It was a pretty good one.  Yesterday, I made almost $100 at the flea market.  I took a lot of our junk out there to sell.  It was held right outside our PX.  The event started at 10:00 and one German lady decided that she wanted to clean me out and buy all the good jewelry I had.  By 10:30, I was left with only a few good pieces and still managed to get rid of some other stuff like name-brand shoes and jeans that I hardly wore, and some dresses, shirts and other stuff.  I was told by a few ladies that I had the best prices out there which made me feel really good.  I mean, when I go to a flea market (which I love to do), I usually don't expect to see anything oer $5, you know, unless there's a good piece of furniture out there.  I sold most jewelry pieces at $1.00 and earrings at $.50.  I don't think I sold anything for more than $3.  I went browsing around at other booths (and there were many; about 60) and I saw things like wicker baskets priced at $10.  Even some of the furniture out there was priced at $80.  For real?

Anyway, the weather was perfect--sunny and warm--right until we closed shop.  Then the clouds rolled in.  But Malu had set up the nice canopy tent that I bought the day before and we enjoyed being out there and visited with some friends who stopped by.  We rested for the rest of the afternoon, then went into town for some dinner.

And today was just church, lounging around, and watching movies at home.  There were scattered showers today anyway.

Can't believe it's a new week already.  Good news is it's a short one which means we need to get crackin' and packin' for our trip to Normandy this weekend!

Anyways...happy Sunday you guys.  And have a blessed week!

Friday Photo Flashback

I can't remember the last time I linked up with Alicia for Friday's Photo Flashback!  I just haven't had any old photos to scan.  This photo was actually scanned and posted to Facebook by my friend Melody (who is at the far right).  I just had to post it.  I can't believe how young we all looked.  And that was back in....early 2004, I believe.  Or maybe it was late 2003.

We were stationed at Fort Bragg at the time and were young lieutenants!  My other best friend, Chrissy, is in the center.  She'll be visiting us in September.

On Facebook, I remarked on how I didn't have to edit this photo much on picnik...no blemish-fix, brightening, nothing.  And proof that, at one time, I had perfectly clear skin!

So that was then.....and this is now...

Well, this was taken almost a year ago...Memorial Day Weekend 2010 in El Paso.  I think I was almost 30 weeks pregnant.  Okay, I didn't touch-up this picture other than to give it a frame, but man, I'm still surprised at how young we looked back in 2003/2004!

Now, Melody is out of the Army, but is the National Guard and works in Washington, D.C.  Chrissy is a senior Captain doing the Army's Training with Industry Program back in her home state.  She'll be returning to her normal Army duties in a few months.

Anyway, there's still time to link up for Friday Photo Flashback and if you don't want to scan a photo, at least take a look at Alicia's blog...it's pretty fantastic :)

Happy Friday Ya'll!

Bathtime!

Don't feel much like making a long post today, so I'm gonna leave you guys with a video clip of Sina taking a bath.  She just loves her baths.  And we love giving them to her! 

When I got home from work today (at almost 7:00 pm), I heard the two of them in the bathroom, so I went in to surprise them.  I love how she gets so excited to see mommy come home!

Tomorrow's Friday folks! 

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Ghetto

I've been looking for some kind of crafty project to get started on.  Something for the house.  At the same time, I've been looking for a desk for Malu.  We have an armoire-type desk already, but he doesn't like it. It's more my style.  He wants something simple, no drawers or file cabinets necessary, and something that gives him a lot of leg space.  Well, yesterday I saw the perfect table outside our thrift store.  It looked like this:

It was actually a small dining table that was the perfect size for a desk.  I really wanted it.  The thing was, at the time, the thrift store was closed.  The table was sitting outside the store with all the other donated items.  Most of the time that I see stuff I want outside the store, the store is always closed.  And I make it a point to get there the next day right when it opens, even if it's during work, to see if I can buy it.  But every time I do this, someone's already taken the piece I want sometime during the day or overnight.  And that's what happened to me again today.  I was ticked off.  I mean, I already made up my mind to paint that sucker red and to find coordinating accessories as well as a nice chair to go with it.  Fan-freakin'-tastic.

This is just straigt GHETTO with a capital "G".  There is a sign in the donation area that says that taking from that area constitutes theft because once it's left there, it's considered thrift store property.  I always respect that no matter how many items catch my eye (and let me tell you, this thrift store really gets good stuff!) because sheesh, stealing is a crime (I'd rather die than sacrifice my career over used goods) and it's just common decency people!

So there went both the desk I wanted for Malu and as well my crafty project.  The upside is that there is a huge flea market on post this weekend (and I've signed up for a booth!), so maybe I can find something there.  And, once I got over the table being taken outside the store and from me, I thought that maybe a family that truly needed a dining room table got it and are putting it to good use.  I hope that is truly the case.

In other news, this week is really flying by and I'm so thankful for it.  There's tons going on, and I'm not talking just at work...

• Malu is busy with school and his new unit in addition to being a super dad to Sina!  He's acing all of his classes and instantly became an asset to his unit over the weekend.  He even aced his PT test (he always does that anyway).  Sina and I are so proud!
• We have to get our stuff ready to sell for this weekend's flea market. 
• Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend and we'll be spending it with friends in Normandy!
• We have to pack for that trip. 
• His unit's dining out is on 4 June.  He has to get some dress blues.  It'll be our first one together.  I get to wear a dress!  
• I need to find a dress.  And stat.
• The Stuttgart Army Ball is on 11 June.  I have to fix my dress blues.
• We have to find babysitters for both events.  If not, we can't go!
• We still have some cleaning and organizing to do in the house.
• Sina's birthday is coming up in August.  Trying to figure out what to do with that.
• I have to find tickets for my parents to fly out for Sina's birthday.
• We have to get our dog, Lucy out here too.

AND...

In the midst of this chaos, Sina took 1.5 steps unassisted last night.  When she did, she looked up at Malu and I, smiled that big, gummy, adorable smile of hers and clapped vigorously.  She knew she did something fantastic!  We're so proud of her.  We almost have a walker on our hands!

And that's it for now you guys!  Until next time...Happy Wednesday...and ciao!



Grafenwoehr

[source]

Okay, let me just take a moment to orient you guys to Germany.  I had to take a moment to do it myself.  It's always good to know exactly where you're going when you're headed someplace new.  On this map are all of the Army installations in Germany.   Germany is made up of sixteen states.  We live in the state of Baden Wurttemberg, the third largest state.  Stuttgart is its capital. Grafenwoehr (just FYI...when you type out the "o" with two dots over it, you type "oe" because we don't have the "o" with dots on our U.S. keyboards) is in the state of Bavaria, which is the largest state.  It's capital is Munich.  So, a three-hour drive heading northeast took us from one state to another and it was quite scenic.  I've never seen so much green in my life.  It was beautiful.

Remember the other day when I said that friends had told me that there is nothing to do in Grafenwoehr and I set out to prove them wrong?  Well, I couldn't.  There ain't crap to do in Grafenwoehr.  Yes, I said ain't and crap (sorry mom and dad).  At least on the post, there wasn't much to do.  I didn't see much going on in town either.  If you really want something to do around Grafenwoehr, you have to drive (i.e. an hour away, is Nurnberg).  So I guess it was really my fault because I let Malu take the car with him to his unit.  To be honest, I didn't really feel like doing anything other than relax and spend time with Sina.  So that's exactly what I did and I enjoyed it, really. 

We hung around the PX...a lot.  It was a pretty nice one with a good selection of merchandise and food.  Imagine my delight when I saw that not only did they have a Starbucks, but a Taco Bell as well. Yup, I had both.  The place was buzzing with activity because an aviation brigade had just redeployed.  It was actually kind of chaotic.  On Saturday, I met up with an old friend of mine from college who is stationed at Vilseck, which is about 30 minutes away from Grafenwoehr.  We ate lunch and chit-chatted a good while.  Fun times!

Anyway, Grafenwoehr has a rich history.  I found a quick wrap-up on this website.   It's got two landmarks--a water tower (which is still functional)

and an adjacent Forsthaus (that belonged to the Chief Forester way back when).

Both were built in 1910--a little over 100 years ago!

The romantic Swiss style of both buildings is echoed throughout the entire post.

Um...and that was pretty much it.  On Saturday afternoon, Sina and I thought we'd wander into town.  A big city like Stuttgart at least has stores open in town as well as a farmer's market on Saturdays.  Didn't see anything open outside the gate.  Nada. Zilch.  That's small German town life for ya.  We quickly walked back into post, went to our room, cuddled up, and watched movies on TV.  I can't complain.  I definitely got a lot of naptime in!

The best part was just being close to Malu.  He would meet up with us for lunch and Sina would go crazy at the first sight of him.  I mean she'd straight-up just scream and clap her hands until she was finally in his arms.  This was a picture of the two of them in front of the PX.  Not sure what was going on with her hair, but I still think it's a cute picture.

Well, it was nice to get out of town even for a little bit even if the place lacked adventure. I mean, we were together and that's all that mattered!

I can't believe that Memorial Day weekend is upon us.  Normandy in less than two weeks!

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

Happy Sunday!

It's actually early Monday morning here, but since it's still Sunday back in the States, I thought I'd brighten for some of our friends and loved ones by leaving some cute pics of Sina.  Yes....again!

It's very hard to get pictures of Sina sitting still these days.  I think the one of her flapping her arms is cool.  I swear, she's a little bird.  The last photo was taken by Malu as I was walking into the house after a long day at work. 



Now who wouldn't want to come home to that?

And notice the top tooth coming out!

We returned from Grafenwoehr a few hours.  The ride back was sooooo much better (we actually knew where we were going this time) and I thank God for bringing us home safely.  That was the longest we'd been on the autobahn and these German drivers are crazy.  Well, not crazy, just FAST.  I'm just happy we're home.  I'll tell you guys more about Grafenwoehr tomorrow.

Happy Sunday and have a blessed week!

Knocked Out!

This is Malu's first drill weekend in Grafenwoehr, which is almost three hours from Stuttgart.  Malu told us about a week ago that he wanted us to go with him.  By Wednesday, I pretty much figured that it wasn't a good idea for us to go because, at the time, we were being told there wasn't any room at lodging on post and really...what were we going to do with him gone at training?  At that point, I started making weekend plans with friends in Stuttgart and was in the mindset to fly solo with Sina for the weekend.  Well, by late Friday afternoon when I returned home from work, Malu was excited to tell me that he'd gotten us a room at lodging.  So we hurriedly packed our stuff and made the seemingly long trip over here (and didn't get here until after 0300 this morning!). I guess he just didn't want to be without his girls this weekend!

Anyway, right now Sina and I are hanging out in the hotel room while Malu's working for a good part of the day.   She and I are waiting to link up with some friends of mine for lunch, but I'm afraid I couldn't keep her awake!

Right at the edge of the bed.  Too cute.

In a little bit, we're going to see what Grafenwoehr has to offer.  Before I came out here, people would say there is absolutely nothing to do out here, mostly because the place is a training center for the Army and most of the people I'd spoken to cringed at the mentioning of Grafenwoehr because of the many weeks spent training out here.  We discovered on the way in that the place looks like fun.  Although it was dark out, it seemed to be a nice little town with quaint little shops and restaurants. I LOVE little towns!    And apparently this post has a killer PX too.  I'll take some pics for you guys and I'll post them later!

And I'll admit, even though Malu's away playing Soldier today...we're just glad that he's not too far away and that he'll be coming home to hang out with us tonight!

Ciao!

P.S.  I think Sina was shocked to see her daddy in his uniform today.  She gave him this dazed and confused look as if to ask, "Daddy, why are you wearing mommy's work clothes?"  I thought it was funny.

~9 Months~

Our baby girl turned 9 months almost a week ago!  I wanted to wait until she had her 9-month check up before making this post. The last time we got any stats on this little lady was three months ago.  Here's what we're lookin' at these days:

Weight:  19.09 lbs = 49%

Length: 27.76 = 49%

Head Circumference: 17.5 in = 61%

I still can't believe she's a quarter of a year old.  And I thought she was moving at lightning speed last month...man, this girl is FAST.  I mean, it's exhausting to keep an eye on her because, in the blink of an eye, she will have moved from one spot to the other and most of the time, she's getting into something she's not supposed to or doing something gross, like, on many an occasion, licking something straight off the floor (i.e. a crumb, carpet fuzzies, or straight-up dirt).  Yuck.  I used to freak out over this, but just gave up.  

 The good doctor tells us that her motor skills are quite good for her age.  She can move from the sitting position to a standing position and hold it for quite some time before she falls on her butt.  And she prefers to stand rather than sit, even when placed in her crib.  She kneels and gets up from that position with ease and can take steps when supported.  I tell you though, I feel like she is days away from taking her first few steps on her own.  She can grab objects and move them from one hand to another without any problems.  And she's very strong...very rarely is anything she does, whether it's touching your face or taking hold of something is gentle (i.e. earrings or hair).  I think it's something she gets from her daddy, whom she just LOVES to wrestle with.  Really.

Today, I just noticed that one of her top two teeth is actually visible. I can only recall her fussing about the pain a few days ago, so she's been dealing with it quite well.  The new teeth enable her to eat her stage 3 baby foods and some table foods (i.e. bread, crackers, chunky mashed potatoes) a lot easier.  She's not a picky eater....AT ALL.  She loves everything--even the peas that she hated when she first started baby food.  She eats two big meals daily--in the mornings she has oatmeal or cereal with fruit and then in the evenings she has either beef/turkey/chicken with vegetables and some fruit.  She continues to have quite the hearty appetite!  I'm surprised she is still under 20 pounds.

She's been going to daycare more regularly so that Malu can get some schoolwork done during the day.  Dropping her off the first two or three times was rough as she'd cry the whole time.  I actually dropped her off myself one morning and as I tried to hand her to the caregiver, she'd cling to me and climb up to my shoulders.  Now, it's not so bad as she's getting used to seeing the staff on an almost-regular basis. 

She's got a great personality and is, for the most part, bubbly and happy-go-lucky.  Most of the time, she'll let people come up to her, hold her and play with her.  Sometimes, however, one person will get her at the wrong time and she'll just freak out and start screaming and/or crying.  And she is loud.  Very loud.  Not just when she's crying, but just when she talks (or babbles) to herself.  Even the ladies and daycare told Malu that she's loud.  I have no idea where she gets that from :) But the other day, the one person that had her in a frenzy was her doctor.  All was well until she whipped out her stethoscope.  She screamed bloody murder until she was all done.  And she didn't even get shots that day!  Oy vey.

She loves to read and many times, she'll be over at one of two baskets in the house, sifting through her book collection.  She loves to play with her Playskool blocks and some plastic Easter eggs that my boss' wife gave her (simple pleasures) and has a few favorite stuffed animals that she gives kisses to all the time.  We also have her watching videos on how to sign.  I believe she even knows how to sign for milk, as she'll open and close her hands right around the times that she usually gets her bottle.  Malu thinks it's just coincidence, I think not!

Just some other random stuff:  she's still in size 3 diapers and wears clothes sizes 9 to 12 months, although she still fits some 6 month clothing.  And when she's really excited or really teed off, she kicks her feet (like my brother used to do when he was young).  We're lucky because she sleeps all through the night, sometimes getting between 7-10 hours in; and she's been sleeping on her stomach a lot lately.  She still loves her bath times and I have to fight with her to keep her seated in her little tub.  However, she still hates to be laid on her changing table, whether it be to get dressed or have her diaper changed. AND, I have to use the kids' hair detangler spray to deal with her unruly, still very curly hair.

Sina,

I want you stop growing too quickly.  You're truly breaking mommy's and daddy's hearts, but it's okay.  We are having so much fun and we love you through and through!  Looks like we need to start planning your 1st birthday party...and quick!                                

Muttertag und Fruhlingfest

Warning:  This post is photo heavy!  View at your own risk!

Muttertag und Fruhlingfest...that's German for Mother's Day and Spring Festival, and that's what went down this weekend!  What a special weekend it was for me as a first time mom!  Malu will say that the entire week was a celebration for me because we ended up going out to eat almost every night.  I think was truly because we didn't have any food in the house and neither of us felt like or had time to go grocery shopping (it was a busy school/work week for us).  So nice try, babe.  Either way, it was kinda nice (and we're not doing it this week!).  On Saturday evening, however, he took me on our usual walk into town for dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant.  Not only was it the start of Mother's Day weekend, we were also celebrating the fact that Sina turned 9 months old the day prior!

Beef with broccoli & fried rice.  My favorites!

My sweet girl

We finished the evening at home with this fantastic recipe for No-Fried Fried Ice Cream--a recipe that I found after Cinco de Mayo and is absolute heaven-in-a-bowl.

I'll be posting the recipe on my cooking blog soon!  We then cuddled up on the couch and started watching the Lawrence of Arabia DVD that I borrowed from the library (hey! I'm catching up on old flicks!).  That didn't last too long...I fell asleep.  I was exhausted!  It was still a lovely evening. 

On Sunday morning, Malu and I shared a good laugh when he presented me with a card that he'd printed out here at home.  Remember how I said it had been a very busy week for the both of us?  Well, I don't think he ever got around to getting me an actual card.  I also don't think he realized it until Saturday evening.  Not only that, the gift that he ordered me didn't get here on time. So, this piece of paper had a very sweet message as well as a picture of the sewing machine that will be arriving in the mail here soon. 

I've been wanting a sewing machine for quite some time, so I'm as thrilled as can be (and I can't wait to learn how to use it!).  So even though the paper card thing was kind of ghetto...it was sweet.  After all, it's the thought that counts, right?  Thanks babe!  Oh, and forgive the early morning hairdos in this photo!

That day, Malu took Sina and I to the Spring Festival in Bad Cannstatt, which was about a 20-25 minute drive.  It was a gorgeous day and we just had to be out in it.  For some reason, I was expecting this festival to be out in the countryside, with green grass to sit out on and shady trees to lay out under.  Ummmm....nope.  It was just your typical carnival in the middle of this town. And instead of grass or trees, they have huge beer tents and beer gardens (biergarten) throughout the fairgrounds.  Darn it.

We decided to walk around for a little bit...and of course, to try as much fair food as our bellies could handle. Since we were there earlier in the day, it wasn't too crowded, which was nice.  The party-goers usually don't arrive until afternoon/evening, although some people were out there getting their "drink on" pretty early.  Also, it was nice to see a bunch of people sporting their dirndl and lederhosen (traditional Bavarian garb).  I was almost tempted to buy both Malu and I are own outfits just to fit in!

Anyway, here are some of my favorite pics...enjoy!

At the entrance to the festival

There were huge beer tents (some that were invitation-only) and small biergartens like this one that we had lunch at.

We enjoyed a meal of dampknudel with sauerkraut and 1/2 meter-long feuerwurst (like bratwurst).

Don't worry mom...Sina didn't really eat this, but she sure as heck wanted to!

Another view of the ferris wheel.

I wanted Malu to try out his first real crepe.  See all those Nutella jars?  We had that and fresh strawberries in ours. Yum!

And what's a fair without balloons?  At this point, Sina was still waking up from her nap (before I took those pictures that I posted yesterday).

We decided that carnivals aren't as much fun when you have a little baby.  Or maybe it's that way when you don't have some other people with you to hold on to the baby while you go on the cool rides or into the beer tents to throw back a mug or two.

Still, I wouldn't have changed that day for anything in the world.  I had my two main squeezes with me and that's all that mattered.  I'm so thankful to the both of them for making me feel so special this weekend!

If you made it to the end of this post...I applaud you!  I'm exhausted just from uploading all of these pictures!

Hope everyone's having a great week so far!

Our Fair Lady

I'm experiencing computer problems at the moment (for some reason, my laptop isn't connecting to the internet), so I'm "borrowing" a few minutes off my husband's computer.  Thank goodness he's so amenable to my blogging needs!

I can't sit here forever and blog about how great this Mother's Day weekend was.  I'll save that for another day (hopefully tomorrow).  However, I did want to share some cute pics of our little girl at the fruehlingfest, or Spring Festival, in Cannstatt Wasen, Stuttgart.  The event was just one big carnival/fair and we enjoyed it as well as the perfect weather.

~Happy~

~Happier~

~Happiest~

Oh, how we love her!

Until next time....Happy Monday!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Mother's Day weekend so far!  I posted this on my Facebook page after stealing it from someone else's.  It rings so true and speaks exactly of my mother, who means the absolute world to me.

A Mother's Love...

Can understand our tears,

Can soothe our disappoints,

Calm all of our fears.

A Mother's Love...

Can share the joy we feel when something we've dreamed about quite suddenly is real.

A Mother's Faith...

Can help us on life's way,

Inspire in us the confidence we need from day to day.

For a Mother's Heart, a Mother's Faith, and a Mother's steadfast Love were fashioned by the Angels,

And sent from God above.

Thanks mom....for showing me this kind of love in great abundance and for allowing me to pass it on to my daughter, who has completely turned my life upside-down and inside-out with mind-boggling happiness.  Becoming a mom has changed me, in every way.  Of the many roles I have assumed in my life, this is the only one that has brought me true fulfillment beyond all imagination and I look forward to the many more years to come.

I also pass these sentiments on to both of my Grandmothers--Ines and Rosa--who are both still going strong at 80+ years.  Both are bold, beautiful and awe-inspiring women...women of God.  I wish them many more years in their lives.

And I know that my husband joins me in recognizing both his mother, Fuamoli, and most especially his Grandma Lema, who made him the respectable man he is today.

We love all of you and honor you today.

Have a blessed weekend!

The picture above was taken in April 2010 at my baby shower in Colorado Springs and is one of my favorite photos of my mom and I. I was five months pregnant at the time.  My, how time has flown!

Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

I found this picture on Erin's blog, Every Branch.  Isn't it lovely?  Happy Military Spouse's Day to all the fabulous military spouses out there.  We all know that behind every servicemember--be it Soldier, Airman, Sailor, or Marine--is one heck of a significant other, whose unwavering support and unconditional love we could not be without.  Pat yourselves on the back today!

I'm gonna pat my husband on the back because he's one heck of a super-stud military spouse,  a far-out awesome dad, and my biggest fan.  I would not be able to do what I do everyday if it weren't for his love, constant guidance and encouragement.

And if it's okay, I'm going to pat myself on the back because I know I'm one heck of a military spouse myself :)

This day is doubly special because our baby girl is exactly 9 months old today...

...but I'll save her monthly update for another post, maybe on Monday after she's had her 9 month check-up.  And by the way, Malu said he was trying to do the front "poof" hairstyle that his sister, Lulu, sports.  Nice try, babe.  Nice try.  The outfit is so cute though, no?

Happy Friday you guys!  Weekend....woo hoo!!!

Cinco de Mayo!

We had potluck at work today to celebrate el Cinco de Mayo.  Actually, I think it was more of a reason to get together for a big feast than it was to celebrate the actually holiday.  We love to do that here.  You guys, it was a HUGE, stinkin' potluck.  I mean, it was the bomb diggity.  We had more food than we knew what to do with.  There were salsas, 7-layer Mexican dips, tortilla soups, tortilla chips, enchiladas....just food....everywhere.  It was insane.  But DELICIOUS!

I made these bad boys and they were soooooooo gooooooood, I felt like I really had to share them with you guys.

Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream

Ay, ay, ay!

Guys, these were TO DIE FOR.

I mean really.

The recipe is posted on my cooking blog, so check it out.

And lucky me...I've got some leftover frosting in a big bowl in my fridge.  I might just have to make some chocolate cupcakes tomorrow!

How did you spend your Cinco de Mayo?

Chocolate Giveaway Winner!

Hey guys!  Thanks to all those who entered my giveaway.  I can't tell you how thrilled I am at the response I received.  Behold...the power of CHOCOLATE!!!

picture courtesy of coupondad.net

I am pleased to announce (after fiddling with random.org for forever) that the winner of this giveaway is:

Melissa

of

Together We Have It All

And I can't think of a better winner, really.  Melissa is the reason I started blogging in the first place.  We go way back, you see.  As in high school.  Not only is she gorgeous with a beautiful family, she has a photography business that is blooming!  She does fabulous work, so go and check her blog out, or, if you live anywhere near North Carolina, have her do a nice photo shoot for ya!

Melissa...the chocolates are on the way this week!

Thanks again to all who entered.  I'll definitely be going more giveaways in the future.  I'll be in Germany for a while, so I'll definitely be making more runs to the chocolate factory!

{05.01.11}

May 1, 2011...another date in U.S. history that will live in infamy. I was at work this morning, around 0645, when I finally connected to the outside world via the internet to find out that Osama Bin Laden had been found, killed and buried at sea.

I don't usually relish the thought of someone being killed, but I must admit that I did exhale a ginormous sigh of relief when it all settled in. Now I didn't go buck-wild crazy with excitement as I saw many do on the news in front of the White House and on ground zero in New York City. Instead, I thought of all the men and women that lost their lives during the attacks orchestrated by Osama Bin Laden on 9/11. I thought of all the servicemen and women who lost their lives in defense of our freedom, as well as those who served overseas and continue to serve today and are in harm's way.



photo courtesy of flickr.com

I wish I could say this war is over, but it's not.  Unfortunately, Osama Bin Laden is just one in an extremely long line of terrorists trying to bring our Nation down.  We've merely scratched the surface.  So we must be vigilant--more now than ever before.  However, let this victory be a message to our enemies that as a Nation under God, we Americans are an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

I am definitely proud to be a part of that force. I'm proud to be an American.

Go USA!

Don't forget....today is the last day to enter my Ritter Sport Chocolate Giveaway!  Winner will be announced tomorrow!