Greatest Baby Gift Ever!

Aaron's amazing sister, Elise, MADE this diaper bag, wipes case and blanket for us, and we just received them in the mail. Wow! It makes me want to learn more sewing. Thank you, Elise, for the beautiful gifts! I love them.

Rothenburg

On Memorial Day we went to Rothenburg, Germany with some friends for a day trip. It is a beautiful medieval city. I definitely want to go back sometime.

(L) Jack and Max had a good time together. (R) When we're out, this is our (Aaron's and my) favorite thing to eat for lunch: fresh sandwiches from the local bakery. They're good, inexpensive, and easy to find since there are bakeries in every town in Germany.

(L) We went to the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum (i.e. the torture museum). (R) My friend tells me this is THE spot to take pictures in town. Here's us at the corner.

The scenery was beautiful!

Finally let loose from the strollers -- these two just kept running back and forth, so glad to have their freedom!

The view from the look-out tower on the city wall. Yes, I climbed all the way up there 35 weeks pregnant. It's always worth it to see a good look-out.

(L) Me on the city wall. (R) It was the hottest day we've had since being in Germany! Jack is not sunburned, just flushed from all that running in the heat. We all came home and took cold showers.

Too Big Yet?

I played in church today, 35 weeks pregnant. I've done this before; I played in stake conference at about this stage when I was pregnant with Jack. It's a bit of a different experience having my belly vibrating with every note. I'm playing again here on June 6, three weeks before the due date. Hopefully I can still fit behind it at that point! I'm barely fitting now. It's really good to be playing again though.

Mini Baby Shower

Aaron's co-workers surprised us with a few gifts for the new baby. I thought that was SO nice! It seems that 2nd babies tend to get neglected, especially when they're the same gender as the first. Thank you!!

My Brother in Afghanistan

Here is a picture of Dallon's platoon (arrow points to him). Wow, huh? This is the only photo we have of him over there so far. He is doing well. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Monday Outing

For two nights we had a friend come stay with us, a lady that worked with me at the law firm in DC. She was passing through Germany. On Monday we went to Frankenstein's Castle, and the weather was beautiful!
Here is Jack at the tower lookout.



The forests on the hill leading up to the castle were so pretty, I had to take pictures. It really reminded me of Maryland. I miss the eastern U.S. so much.



Then we went to the playground.


And unrelated to the outing above, Jack likes to cross his feet while he is sitting in his high chair. I think it's cute.

Zoo

We went to the zoo with our playgroup friends this week. I could not survive here without good friends.


(L) I think this goat may have gotten poked in the eye. (R) This is the strangest looking animal I have ever seen. It hardly looks real.

Jack's Business

Bus went down the stairs today, another door broken off. How much more impact can it take? The matchbox cars seem to hold up on that trip pretty well, aside from chipped paint. But I don't think Bus is quite as strong. It may soon R.I.P.

Jack is in the business of toy vehicle crash testing. Our stairs are the perfect place to do it -- 2 stories to drop with tile at the bottom.

Mothers

Mothers Day has become one of my favorite holidays. How wonderful to have a day to honor motherhood and womanhood. Where would we be without the amazing women in our lives? Thank heavens for good mothers! We love you!

To read a little more about our mothers, see my post from last year, "In Honor of Our Mothers."

Motherhood is the most wonderful and precious experience I have ever had.

We want to wish a special Happy Mothers Day and congratulations to Aaron's sister, Elise, who had her first baby yesterday, a girl named Oakley. (And congrats to her husband, Dave, too.)

Like Father, Like Son

Aaron's parents have told us that Aaron always had a car in hand as a child too. Now we know where Jack gets it from.Aaron, summer 1980; Lakewood, Colorado

(the same age Jack is now)

Holland Trip

We took a nice little weekend trip to the Netherlands with some friends. It was great because we were able to drive there in 4 hours, no airports involved!

Our first stop was a shop that makes cheese and wooden shoes.
(For those of you who like the Shirley Temple movie "Heidi," I couldn't stop thinking of that song, "We'll dance and skip in our little wooden shoes." I see now that it makes sense to have that Dutch sequence in the movie, since the story takes place in Frankfurt.)


Keukenhof
We spent a whole day here and I loved it! I wanted to go back the next day. The hyacinths were my favorite. They smelled SO good!

Soon to be family of 4 with tulip fields in the background.


We took a boat tour of Amsterdam. It's a beautiful city! Also in Amsterdam we saw Anne Frank's house and the Van Gogh museum.


Windmills
(R) The top of the measuring stick is sea level. They use the windmills to pump out water when it floods. The country is very flat, so it's quite windy.


I love this picture of my boys.

I think I'd like to go back next spring.