Venice

Our final day in Italy we spent in Venice. The goal was to ride a gondola! The weather was a little chilly, but not too bad. We drove to Venice, and then wandered around looking for St. Mark's Square. We found it, and then found a gondola. We didn't know if they would even take us out, because the sea was really choppy, but they took us. We got in. I was a little nervous because we kept tipping from side to side, but once we got into the canals it was ok. We rode around on the tourist route, and our gondolier even sang to us! When we got back to the sea it was a little rocky again (I was hanging on for dear life, hoping we wouldn't tip) After that we went to Hard Rock Cafe, again. We walked around some more, did a little shopping and then headed back to our motel.

Rome

We headed over to Rome to spend Thanksgiving. My cousin Rachel joined us there. We arrived Thanksgiving Day and went for dinner that night. Jamie told the people that owned the resteraunt to "make us happy" I'm not completely sure if we were happy, but they sure were when we paid our bill. After we ate we walked back to our apartment, and had dessert at the Gelataria acroos the street.

The next day we got up and went to the Vatican. We wanted to see the Sistine Chapel (which we did, after walking through A LOT of the Vatican) The guard there kept saying, "SHHHH! NO PHOTOS" in a really nasally voice. He was actually louder than all the people that were in there. After that we took the subway to see some Baths--we didn't get to see them because they were under construction. So, then we went to the Spanish Steps. After that we called it a night, and headed home. We took the two hour route from the subway, instead of the ten minute one...and stopped at the Gelataria.

On our final day in Rome we went to the Coloseum. First though, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe. I like going to the Hard Rock in Europe because the bathrooms are always clean and the toliets have seats. After being in Europe for a few years, those are really important to me. After lunch we went to the Colloseum, then saw the Palantine Hill (ruins). After that we walked through the Jewish Ghetto (that is not a ghetto anymore, but it used to be a flooded area that they forced the Jews to live in) all the way to the Pantheon. And then we walked the ten minutes home....that changed to ten more minutes every ten minutes. Confused yet?

Italy!

We went to Italy for several days this past month. Since we went and saw so much, I will do several posts.

Our first stop was the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We went and pretended to hold it up, and walked around Pisa some. We also had pizza in Pisa for lunch. After lunch we headed over to the medieval walled city of Lucca. We did some walking (on top of the wall) and just checking out the town.

The second day we went to Cinque de Terre, or The Five Villages. We hiked the paths between some of the villages, and rode the train the rest of them. There were gorgeous views of the ocean, and yummy Italian gelato!

The third day we went to Florence. The sole purpose of that trip was to see Michealangelo's David. We accomplished that, but unfortunately photos are not allowed in the museum. We also had lunch there and walked through the outdoor markets.

Party Party!

We celebrated A.J.'s birthday last weekend. He FINALLY had a birthday party that was more than just us. We invited a lot of friends over. We had around 30 people over. A.J. had a BLAST! He loved his Transformer cake, and opening presents. In fact, the next day he asked if we could have another birthday party next week. I said no, we only have birthday parties once a year. He said it doesn't have to be a birthday party-just a PRESENT party. I still said no-so let's not let him in on the idea of an unbirthday party.

Happy Birthday A.J.!!!

A.J. turned 6 this past week. We will be having a party for him later this month. I made cupcakes for his kindergarten class, and he FINALLY got the talking Optimus Prime he has been wanting!

A.J.'s First Day of Kindergarten

Awww....it went so fast. My baby is in kindergarten now! Today when I took A.J. to school he gave me a big wave and a big smile and walked in without a backward glance! When I picked him up I asked him how school went and he gave me a two thumbs up.

Labor Day Weekend

This past weekend we did a little trip to the Netherlands. We live pretty close-it's about a 4 1/2 drive to the town we like to stay in. On Sunday we headed over to Amsterdam. It's a beautiful city, pretty much built in circles around the canals. While we were there we went to the red light district (it was noon when we went-I'm pretty sure it's a completely different atmosphere at night than during the day) The kids were so enthralled with the swans in the canal that they completely missed the prostitutes in the windows. (Thank God!) We went on a boat ride around Amsterdam, too. The last thing we did was visit the Anne Frank House. Another sobering moment, a reminder of the atrocities that happened here. It was incredible to see the tiny space where the Frank family and another family hid.

On Monday we went to Kinderdijk on our way home. It's a cute little village of windmills. There are 19 windmills, and they have one that is working. When you go inside of it they show how the Dutch lived in their windmills. The rooms were so tiny-maybe my apartment isn't so bad after all...the kids had a blast climbing all the way to the top of the windmill, on the narrow steep steps. I wouldn't have wanted to go down them in the dark!

Kaitlin's First Day of School

How is it possible that my little girl is in 4th grade already????

Luxembourg and Bastogne

Last weekend we took a little drive through Luxembourg and Belgium. We visited the American Military Cemetery in Luxembourg. It is very sobering walking through and seeing all the white crosses. Especially when you think about how young most of the men were, and the fact that they gave their lives that others would have freedom. After that we drove to Bastogne, where the Battle of the Bulge was fought. The story of the battle was engraved on the walls of the memorial. It was a fascinating battle. The countryside of Belgium reminded me of the Midwest, too. Most of the time when you're driving through European villages they are just so cute and old fashioned. In Belgium I felt like I was back home in Iowa there for a little bit.

Summer is almost over...

and I haven't been posting updates. My mom and Aunt Marian were here at the beginning of the summer. Mom came before school let out, and Marian came at the end of the summer. We did A LOT of running and sightseeing while they were here. We went to Paris of the 4th of July and did a few day trips in between. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed having company:)

Jamie had surgery last week to repair the damage to the nerves in his arm. He is on leave until next week. We go back on Tuesday for a follow up.

We probably won't have any exciting trips or pictures for the rest of the summer. Our excitement now consists of going to the Macaroni Grill (just opened last month!) and Chili's, and I know that's just not too exciting for those of you that live near yummy restaurants. But for us....ahhhh it is a treat to go there!

Graduation Day

It's finally happened. After years of hoping and praying A.J. has finally graduated PRE-SCHOOL! Ha ha! Yesterday was A.J.'s preschool graduation. His school went all out. They had an outer space theme, complete with planets and a rocket ship. They sang a song about blasting off to kindergarten, and were given diplomas. It was absolutely fantastic! We really enjoyed the whole program, and I only cried a little (at graduation anyway)

Opening Night!

Last night was the opening night for Kaitlin's current play, Our Town. Once again, the cast did amazing (especially Kaitlin, although I am a little biased) We're not allowed to video (copy write laws) or take pictures (theater rules) but I did get a photo of Kaitlin after the show with her flowers. Here she is:

So, I've been slacking...

I have a good reason (other than that I am a huge procrastinator!) We have been so busy, with soccer, theater, and just life!

Anyway, two weeks ago we had beautiful weather, and no extra activities so we did a little sightseeing over the weekend. On Saturday we headed over to Cologne. We went to the cathedral there, and the chocolate factory.

Then on Sunday we headed over to Ronnenburg Castle for a Medieval Festival. The kids were able to bake bread over an open fire, and watch some knights sword fighting, and even saw a peacock!

Dreamland Everlasting: "Be careful what you wish for"

Kaitlin has been involved in SKIES (School of Knowledge, Inspiration, Exploration, and Skill) theater classes here at Wiesbaden since last summer. This last session, the kids actually wrote and then performed a play. They performed it on Sat. April, 25, and did a FANTASTIC job! We were impressed at the ideas they took and made a play out of. There are three sisters, Katrina, Kaitlin, and Christina. Kaitlin doesn't believe in dreamland, and that night the good fairy comes in to send all the girls to Dreamland, but gets into a fight with the witch. The fairy manages to send Kaitlin and Christina to Dreamland, but the witch sends Katrina to the Land of Nightmares. It is up to the other two girls to rescue her, with the help of a necklace given to them by the queen of Dreamland. The girls rescue their sister, and then wake up and think it's all a dream, except Christina still has the necklace (which their mother thinks makes her feel like a queen while wearing it) And then, their babysitter shows up, and she looks just like the witch from the Land of Nightmares, and the girls run away screaming-and that is how it ends. It was really entertaining and fun to watch.

It's Soccer Time!

A.J. chose to play soccer this spring. He is having a lot of fun doing it, and is actually pretty good. His first game was Friday night. The kids did a fantastic job, and the parents had a good time reminding them which way to go, and to stay on the field.

Happy Easter!

Here in Germany we have had fantastic weather this week! In the upper 60's, lower 70's. Remember how cold it was last year, Krista? Here are a few pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits.

Today Kaitlin was really proud of herself-in her Sunday School class her teacher asked her to tell back what she had just said-as far as Jesus being in the tomb. Kaitlin proceeded to tell her the entire Easter story. Her teacher was impressed with her, too, because her favorite part was when Mary went to tell the disciples that Jesus wasn't there anymore, not just ending the story when Mary discovered the tomb was empty. A.J.'s comment on Sunday School-we learned about Jesus again.

Trier

On Friday we headed to Trier. Trier is one of the oldest, if not the oldest cities in Germany. It is built on the ruins of what the Roman's built. The original gate, called the Porta Nigra is still there. It is called the Porta Nigra (or the black gate) because as time passed the stones turned black (even before there was smog-imagine!) There are also ruins of an Imperial Bath house, and amphitheater. Then, there are the palaces-such as the Electoral Palace, and the churches that the Germans built. It was a nice place to visit. It is laid out so that everything is walking distance-however, the amphitheater is a LONG walk from the hauptmarkt-just in case you were wondering. The kids' favorite part of the day was playing at the bath house. The tunnels are still there, so they ran around in the tunnels, pretending to be adventurers. It's also a neat place to hide and scare the people you are with...not that Jamie and I did that to the kids...or the kids to us.

The pictures: upper left, the Porta Nigra. The kids at the bath house, the kids and I in front of St. Peter's Fountain, Jamie and the kids in front of part of the original wall the Romans built. A.J. is sitting up in a window of the wall.

The Easter Market

Today we headed downtown to check out the Easter Market (or Ostermarkt) I had so many people tell me last year about the Easter Market. They raved about the shopping-especially the hand painted eggs. Unfortunately, last year by the time I found out about them, they were all over. We found out yesterday that the markets for our town (and pretty much our entire area) were this weekend, with today being the last day. We headed down, and it was amazing! There were all kinds of little booths set up-there was a whole side of the market devoted to fabric. Then, the next section was cars. Jamie took the time to sit in a brand new BMW (as opposed to his 20 year old one) that is worth close to $100,000! I can't imagine spending that much on a car! By the way, he said it was INCREDIBLY comfortable. Then, we headed to the part I liked...all the little vendor shops. It was crazy busy, as you'll be able to see in the pictures. There was also a marching band that just randomly marched around playing. I also was able to find some of the beautiful eggs. Check them out!

The Wedding

I know, I know. I'm late on this. But, here are some pictures of Krista's wedding. We were able to go back to the States for almost two weeks, and had a wonderful time while we were there!

We might not...

On Thursday Jamie and I took A.J. and my niece Alandria to lunch. We were sitting at Carlos O'Kelly's and one of them (I can't remember which one) said, "We might not always be family" and the other one said, "Yeah, we might not always be family" then the first one said, "But we'll always be friends" and the second one agreed. They have been so cute, playing together since we arrived, and so funny!

Fasching!

Fasching is celebrated in Germany, starting Nov. 11. The celebration is suspended during the Christmas season, but it begins again after the New Year. The major part of "carnival" begins the week before Lent. It is a time of celebrating, before the fasting for Lent begins. Most towns and villages have parades and parties. Today we went to the parade in Mainz Kastel-it is one of the milder parades (we were told it would be rated PG compared to many of the other parades) The participants of the parade call out "Helau!" and the children call it back to have candy and toys thrown at them. The Army also has a float in this parade-you will see it in the pictures. Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Happy Birthday Jamie! Today was a training holiday, so Jamie even had the day off to relax. We went to dinner, and then to the Valentine Dance at Kaitlin's school. Although, we think that it should have been called the Valentine's Track Meet, with the way the kids were running around. Afterwards, we came home and enjoyed some cake and ice cream. I made him a Valentine's Funfetti cake. I used my Pampered Chef rice cooker that I make the molten chocolate cake in. It turned out cute...but just a little bit of advice. We ate it hot, and the candles MELTED in it. (Yes, Jamie you were partially right) It was pretty funny, Jamie came out and wanted to know what was up with the candles, because they were falling over. I pulled them out, and there was wax in the cake, and the wicks were about all that were left, lol. We put the long side of the wicks up, and I wondered if the cake was going to catch fire. I had only put four on, because I was afraid if I put as many as his age it would take the whole house up:)

Happy Birthday Baby-I LOVE YOU!

Just The Two of Us

There isn't much to say about this photo. We had a Military Police Dining Out to go to. It was a formal event-an excuse to get all dressed up:) It was more of a celebration than anything, that our MP's returned from Iraq without any casualties. And that is a HUGE thing to celebrate. I just wanted to share a picture of us--and Jamie in his mess dress uniform. We also received the monogrammed wine glasses that are given at every MP event. The monogramming is the same picture as the one on the program. Underneath the picture it says OIF 07-09, Iron MP.

Happy New Year!

This year for New Year's we decided to do the same old same old. HA! We headed to Paris for a few days. We took a bus trip, and left Monday night around 11:30 p.m. We drove all night and arrived in Paris Tuesday morning. We had breakfast, and then about an hour to clean up and we headed out for the day. First we went to Notre Dame. It was absolutely beautiful. Then we drove up to an area where you could take pictures of the Eiffel Tower. That evening we had an authentic French dinner. New Year's Eve day we headed out and went to Versailles, and then the Louvre. That evening we had another traditional French dinner and then went to the Champs Elysee for New Year's Eve. The bus picked us back up around 12:45 a.m. Then, on New Year's Day we went up into the Eiffel Tower and took a boat tour of the Seine River.

On New Year's Eve when the year changed over to 2009 the Eiffel Tower lit up like it was sparkling, and there were some fireworks. It was really cool.

The pictures are Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and the Louvre. I don't have pictures of New Year's Eve, or up in the Eiffel Tower because my camera battery died on New Year's Eve Day. I had taken a transformer for my hair dryer, curling iron, and camera battery, but the transformer blew on the first day...(you read that right, I really had no way of fixing my hair the whole time! Lucky Jamie, he has such a low maintenance wife, lol) We found a place that had a disposable camera, but I still have to get the film developed...going back to the good old days:) Hopefully, they turned out nice, and I will post them later.