Hold Them Tight

I can not tell you that I had dry eyes during this music video that I came across on another blog. I would be lying if I did. I needed this though. Another reminder to hold my kids more. To laugh and have fun with them more frequently. To take in their sweet uniqueness. To hug them tighter and shower them more often with my motherly love. To appreciate each moment I have with them. To really listen to them when they're talking. (sometimes it's easy to get caught up in multitasking!) To spend more one-on-one time with each. To enjoy the little things and not just the big events. Better yet, to recognize the little things. Because they all matter! To wrap up each memory we make and hold it tight. Each one of my children is such a special gift to me and I hope they can see and feel every day just how much they are loved and cherished! They are my joy! xo

Flying By

{On our drive to Wurzburg}

It dawned on me the other day how fast this past year has flown by so quickly; we're almost at our year mark living here in Germany and I'm becoming a little sad. Moving here, I cried when we left family and friends and the known as we went into the unknown. Slowly, day by day, things got better. I was very homesick but not because it's horrible here! It's quite the opposite actually! But it still isn't home so of course family and friends were (and are) missed. But as John and I were driving to Wurzburg on Sunday for Mother's Day, we were discussing how it has felt like we've only blinked and an almost year has flashed before us. How our 2 years left here is going to go by just as fast, especially while we try to cram in as much as we can see and do before we have to move back to the States. And I think talking about it all, made me sad! Just as I cried when moving here, I know without a doubt that I will cry when we move back home. Germany is a beautiful country; I'm enjoying taking it all in and seeing as much as I can. Knowing that this is a once in a lifetime experience makes it all the more reason to appreciate this opportunity! If I don't happen to see anymore than we already have, I won't be too heartbroken though; I have seen more than I ever thought or dreamed that I would!

{On our drive to Wurzburg}

In other news, I am just one busy mama around here with my four young-ins. I love being the mother to my little ones - they make me laugh, they make me cry, they make me want to pull my hair out, they make me happy. But most importantly, they make me proud to be their mother and I would never want it any other way! I'll take the good and the bad if only I can see their smiles, hold their hands, watch them peacefully sleep, hear them as they learn to read, see them enjoy the food I make them...the list goes on! It's all worth it to me.

Lately, we are busy....

*getting ready for our summer plans

*spring cleaning and organizing

*meal planning

*with a sometimes cranky and demanding baby

*running and walking 20-25 miles a week. Frankfurt 10K is in less than 3 weeks!!!!

*packing and planning for our trip this next week to Garmisch - relaxation HERE WE COME!

*reading lots and lots of books - everyone has one they are reading. John: The Crisis of Islam, Leslie: The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks (my favorite author, however, not my favorite read!), Aubrey: Catching Fire (book #2 from Hunger Games series), Jocelyn: The Princess and the Frog, Andrew: Curious George, Landon: Blue Hat Green Hat - okay, so we're reading to the boys but didn't want to leave them out! :)

*catching up on laundry (it never ends!)

*craving to get the grill out and bbq!

*going to the playground just about any chance we get

*on the last days of the school year...we have a count down!! Aubrey: 19 days, Jocelyn: 14 days

*starting new chore lists - we'll see if this one will work better! one can only hope!

*at work! Well, for John that is! Lots of late night hours at the office

*enjoying a break in-between semesters (again, this is for John! But it's enjoyed by all that he's not wrapped up in studies at the moment!)

*catching up on blogging

*watching a little one toddle all around the house getting into everything! - and loving it

*wishing we could ditch our home in Virginia (yeah, we'll be wishing that one for a long time to come!)

*enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather

*dreaming about John + I's vacation to Greece! THIS is getting me through the difficult and long days. Even though I'm nervous leaving my two little boys for a week who are still attached to their mama (the girls I know will be okay)....I'm super ready for some time off!
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Be prepared to see a lot more older posts in the coming weeks. I'm trying to catch up on events I do not want to forget. Like our trip to Oregon last summer, family vacation to Virginia Beach, our time with friends before moving to Germany, our Christmas with my brother and his family. You know...a long time ago stuff! :)

Exciting Things Ahead...

We have some very exciting trips and events coming up! We have soooo much to see too! Another two years here doesn't seem very long and I have a hunch that it's going to fly by faster than we'd like or expect it to so we are having fun squeezing in as much as we humanly can - with an appropriate amount of down time throughout of course. I am beyond ready for summer break to be here so we can have some fun! :) And in some ways, I feel that this summer is jammed packed with so much excitement, that summer seems over before it has even begun! It'll be fun though and I'm pretty certain we'll be plenty busy making a lot of fun memories!

{Andrew - Spring 2012}

In May, John and the other guys from his region are going to be away for a few days exploring Belleau Wood in France. He'll enjoy it, I'm sure! Someday, I look forward to us taking the kids to see this before we move. Such a neat memorial of fallen Marines. I'll be playing single mother for these few days, but nothing I haven't ever had to do before. I'm glad he has this opportunity to go. We'll be busy filling our time with a movie nights and games on the Wii and trips to the park. Maybe even some bike rides around the neighborhood.

Later this month, we'll be attending a week long trip with John and his region to Garmisch. If you go to THIS website for Edelweiss, you'll see a video at the bottom that shows the lodge and area. While he attends meetings during the day, I'll be entertaining the kids at the pool, exploring the area and local town and hiking around the Alps. We love nature so I have a feeling this is going to be fun! I'll probably hear a lot of complaining about a lot of walking around but I can deal with that! :) We went here for a few days back in October for our Anniversary so I'm super thrilled to be going back to spend some time outdoors with the wonderful spring weather! We have family events to look forward to in the evenings. We also extended our stay through the weekend after John is done with his meetings. We haven't mapped out what we're going to do yet but I think we are going to try to see some local things like the Salt Mines and Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Salzburg.

In June, the 3rd to be exact, John and I are running in the Frankfurt 10K. I'm pretty excited and nervous. Just a few more weeks of training! :)

After the kids get out of school, we are going down to Slovenia for about a week to visit with some friends of ours we met a few months ago. John met him from work and his family came and stayed with us one night while in route back to the States. They have three very cute kids. It's going to be a blast and I can not wait!! (I also get a new running buddy for a week and some girl time! :))

In July, Aubrey will be going to Young Women (church) camp for 4 days. We don't know the details yet, but she's very much looking forwarded to her first year at camp! Most of the girls from our Stake are German speaking but most also know English so I'm sure Aubrey will have a great time. I KNOW she will!! And if it gives her the chance to learn some German, even better!

One of my best friends, Sabine, that I met while living in Virginia, is from Germany and is flying out here to visit her family. LUCKY US!!!! :) I can't wait to see her again! It will mark one year since I last saw her! How much I miss my Virginina friends and wish to see them all again! Hopefully one day! (It goes without saying, I miss my Oregon friends and family too!)

It's not yet confirmed, but another one of my best friends, Ally, might be coming out here with her husband to visit. I haven't seen her since Aubrey was ONE and since the time we were all living in Pensacola, Florida. Whenever they make it out this way, it will be a great and long overdue reunion!! :)

Ah! August! A month I've been waiting impatiently for! :) We are flying out our family friend, Megan (who happens to also be the daughter of another one of my best friends) to come stay with the kids while John and I finally have the chance to go on our own vacation...alone...to GREECE!!!!! A WHOLE WEEK! It's a dream come true and still seems so unreal to me. It probably won't feel real until we get there! As I've mentioned before, it's part of my reward to keeping my 6 month long commitment to exercise. But it's also because John and I never went on a honeymoon or have even gone on a trip alone together, for that matter. Can you believe that!?!? Quite frankly, we desperately need the break! With me home taking care of our children and in between John's full-to-the-brim job all the while taking his Masters...the vacation is not only long overdue but highly welcomed for the both of us! Megan will also be staying for another week so we can all spend some time together and show her around Germany and whatever else our hearts and time desires to go see! We are really looking forward to having her here and are so grateful for her! She's one of the few people we trust watching our precious little ones!

August also welcomes the beginning of another school year. One which Aubrey AND Jocelyn will be enjoying. It probably won't take long going into June before we, as parents, are anticipating this moment. But maybe not! I have a feeling that NONE of us are going to be bored this summer! :)

Hello, Sunshine!

{Field in Wiesbaden - April 2012}

I love starting my day off by getting all the way ready before the kids open their eyes...a cool breeze coming through the windows....and a beautiful sunshiney day! I may still be tired - which may or may not be because I stayed up later than I wanted with a good book in hand. But it's one of the little things I've been focusing on lately. I feel that, for the longest time, I blog about the BIG things that go on in our lives - and not the little things which I think are just as equally important! I feel that there is just not enough time in a day to document everything the kids do or all of the many thoughts that run through my head as I'm multitasking this or that. I try to live in the moment the best I can! To enjoy life with John and the kids. But sometimes I feel frustrated that the little moments rush by and I'm afraid that I'm going to forget them. I try with all my might to take a mental photo (or in many cases, an actual one), to take in the moment and all it's senses. But then I feel that the memory gets lost and caught up in day to day life. I don't want to forget my five toothed one year old and the sounds he makes, watching him walk across the floor with more steps with each passing day - to see him scrunch up his nose and smile at me with his big bluish gray eyes. How vibrant the fields are with the yellow wildflowers right now while driving on the autobahn. How they remind me of sunshine and the few seconds of happiness it brings me while tuning out the screaming or crying that's going on behind me in the back seats. The sound of the wind coming through the cracked window while I drive on a nice day or watching the curtains in the house sway when the wind rushes in. Helping one child read a story while one yells that they need assistance in the bathroom. Hearing Andrew make gun noises just about every second of the day (pew, pew, pew!) - a true boy, right? Stopping one fire while another one breaks loose not even a second later. Getting Landon away (and sometimes out) of the garbage can. Enlisting the kids in help with the housework...I put on some music and they dance and clean. Catching a beautiful sunset out the kitchen window as I clean up before calling it a day. I swear I feel like a ping pong ball on most days! Sneaking in loads of laundry or doing the dishes while I have a baby sleeping. Life just seems to get so busy but I'm grateful that I notice these little and big experiences! For the moments that help me slow down and remember what's most important: happy children, and not a clean home!

It's Time to Roll!

Look who's sporting new bikes!

They look so happy...

I love it!!!

Look Who Hopped By To See Us

The Easter Bunny!!!!

 First up was Landon. His first picture, and encounter for that matter, with the Easter bunny. It wasn't a fun experience for him as you can probably gather but that's how it goes sometimes. The very instant I placed him into the Easter bunny's arms, the screaming and crying began!! Oh well. I still thought it was cute! :)

Then these two jumped into the picture to get a moment to hang out with the Easter bunny as well. I love this picture of them! They were all smiles - a good example to their baby brother of how it's supposed to roll. Hahaha just kidding. Him crying is totally what I expected. Landon has recently started the fear of strangers and separation anxiety of not being in his mama's arms - or presence for that matter. Aubrey decided to skip out on this picture. Not that I can blame her! You know, getting older does that to you. But for Christmas? They all get a photo with Santa! He's our guy and she knows if you don't believe in Santa, he doesn't bring you goodies. :)

This year seems to be flying by on the seat of it's pants...I can't believe only a week until Easter!

Santa

12*17*2011

Our first Christmas in Frankfurt and who do we find?? Santa Clause!! :) The kids were so happy that he took some time out of his busy schedule to come see them. It was the morning of Andrew's birthday party. And while I don't make it a habit to do Christmas things on his special day, they had fun and couldn't bear the thought that he was all the way in Germany and missed him! 

So Andrew talked to Santa about what he wished for. I asked him afterwards what he told Santa he wanted for Christmas and he told me it was a secret between just him and Santa! Ha! Guess we'll have to see if "Santa" can guess! ;) I'm sure legos and cars are at the top of his list!

 

After sitting with Santa and getting a picture with him, they hopped down and each got a candycane and a yo-yo or a toy equivalent to one. They were feeling super special!

 This also happened to be Landon's first appearance with Santa. I didn't really get a formal one with just him like I have with the others in previous years but they hit it off just fine. In all honestly, at nine months old, I don't even think he noticed! Sitting on Aubrey's lap helped I'm sure. They became fast friends. Didn't even shed a tear! :)

Between a church Christmas party, Santa visiting, music going, baking cookies and hanging out in the freezing temps...we are getting into the holiday spirit around here.

 And this year, we'll be having my brother and his family here from England to enjoy the Christmas festivities with us. For sure a Christmas to remember! 

Christmas Time is Here!

{Christmas Cards 2011}

I wish my brain wasn't always mush!

I find that my creative energy comes mid day - when I'm still running around getting things done at the homefront and keeping a baby clean, fed and entertained while big brother snoozes for his nap. Oh how I can't wait until they are both on the same nap schedule! :)

Until then, it's go, go, go!!!

(And I feel like a walking zombie!)

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE being busy caring for my children. They are most definitely busy bodies and most days they make me want to pull my hair out but they are the love of my life and I am so grateful for them and all their cuteness! I just feel the need to write things down to preserve memories and I honestly don't have as much time to do it as I used to. But I will find a way! Sleep just seems to be more necessary in this time of my life. Especially with a husband who's about to start his Master's Degree!

On a happy note...it's starting to feel and look like Christmas here. More so if it will snow in the next couple of days like it's predicting it will. I can't wait! Winter here started a few weeks back with darkness starting around 4pm. Not one of my most favorite traits of winter, that's for sure! I miss the sunlight!! And we had heavy fog for days. Now it's just cold, windy and rainy. Days aren't any warmer than the 30's and 40's. I left my kids in the care of a friend for a bit today to run through the hurricane like weather, which was pushing it's way towards us from France, to get some packages mailed off to family and friends in the States. And oh how I'm missing them all! I am getting a bit homesick again. Skype, how I love you so! It truly has been a great thing for us to see and talk to people from afar!

I am so relieved that all the Christmas cards have been written and presents have been shipped. I was losing a lot of sleep (and so was John as he and I stayed up until 1am last night) trying to get so much done in the past few weeks in between tending to a sick Jocelyn, an on-the-go Landon, a potty training Andrew and a homework busy bee Aubrey. NOW I feel I can enjoy the holidays. Thankfully the kids stuff has been bought and made for a while now and all is done except wrapping. I leave that for last minute. Got to keep up with tradition on most things! ;) Who knows...I might surprise myself and get it done earlier but I'm not banking on it.

We have so many wonderful and busy things to look forward in the next 9 days - by the time Christmas arrives! Especially with my brother and his family coming out for a week to spend Christmas with us. The tree is up, Christmas break starts NOW and 4 more days until they arrive! Woo hoo!

And off I go to catch this little guy! Heaven help me...Landon learned to do this amazing trick as well as pull himself to stand along furniture just a few days ago. He's NINE months! We're smelling TROUBLE now! None of our other kids did it this early. I'm sure he's got the notion to stay up to speed with his brother and sisters. Boy do we have our hands busy! Gates are going up pronto!

My Children

Blogging about our adventures, happy moments, new memories and everyday life is becoming too far and few between. It's either I sleep or blog. Sleeping usually wins! :/ My kids keep me BUSY!

So I thought it would be good to do a quick update on how my children are doing. I only have a little window of time. I suppose I don't really need makeup on today :) ....

AUBREY...
is my tender child. Such a sweet and caring girl she is! And just turned 12 last month! And mood swings galore! Wow are we in for a ride! I really can't believe how grown up she's becoming! Oh my oh my does she love having her own room again! For a few months before we moved from Virginia, both her and Jocelyn had to share rooms when Landon was born and it wasn't an overly joyous experience for either one of them. But...they survived! :) She's doing really well in school. Pulling straight A's as always! Even placed into 7th grade math. It was a hard start going into middle school though - often times sitting alone at lunch. Which made my heart just break to hear! Meeting new friends seemed like a crazy challenge and had a big adjustment to waking up super early to catch a 7am school bus. She is taking band this year instead of choir like she did in elementary school. And so far, she's loving it! She was placed with a flute and after a few weeks of it sounding like scratchy nails on a chalk board, it's sounding really good. :) Her first practice performance was last Thursday and the band as a whole has come along way and still has quite a ways to go but I'm so excited for her and can't wait to attend more concerts. :) Because we moved here too late, we were unable to get her into Fall soccer so we're awaiting for some Spring soccer to happen. In the mean time, she's busy with homework, having fun helping to cook and bake, piano and flute practice (she's currently practicing the piano on her own as her wonderful teacher is way back in Virginia!), getting to know other girls at school and church, reading, drawing, playing games on her iPod, going into the Young Women's program at church and attending their activities and having fun with her brothers and sister. She is SUCH a good big sister too. They just LOVE her! She's even had one trial run babysitting for about 15 minutes as John and I ran down the street to grab some dinner. We're starting out small - and one day it will be great for her to watch them when I have to do quick errands. She just lost her first molar. And last Friday was her first time going to a school dance. As it was a dance to celebrate Halloween, we dropped her off dressed as Heromine and she had a fun two hours dancing with her friends and eating pizza and cotton candy. As always, she's growing up so fast! I remember going to my first middle school dance, which seems like was just yesterday! She's still missing quite a few of her friends back in Virginia & Oregon but they've become fast pen pals! :)

JOCELYN...
is my difficult child and my dear sweet 5 year old! There's usually one from the bunch that requires a LOT more work and she is it! Oh how I love her so but madly wish she was in preschool this year! How odd to go from last year with preschool 3 days a week to NOTHING this year! According to the school system, she's not in the bracket to need it and John's rank is too high for her to qualify. We were all set to go in Virginia for this year to be Kindergarten. Preregistered and all! But because her birthday falls a few weeks past the September 1st deadline, she's waiting until next Fall to start. She's keeping her Mama plenty busy here at home! Let me tell you! Haha! Always demanding my attention and getting into mischief. She's a good girl though and I'm amazed at how much she has grown in the past year - both physically and emotionally. She's a tiny little thing so she looks to be much smaller than most of her peers but she's plenty smart to make up the difference. ALWAYS keeping me and John on our toes. Her personality is a mix of sweet and high strung, fun and demanding, goofy and sassy, loving and a pain in the butt! Seriously! She's such a sweetheart though despite the challenges. Just wish she wasn't so mean to Andrew. She obviously loves him but she's bossy to him all day long and we're working on not bitting and hitting. *sigh* She LOVES her big sis and younger brothers and is such a huge help while Aubrey is at school. She loves to draw and color. Reading and writing and gearing herself up for the coming year of Kindergarten has been her most favorite thing to do. And making us all hand drawn pictures. I just love how she'll make us all notes and sign it, "Jocelyn 5." :) Just a few months ago, she signed it, "Jocelyn 4." She really cracks me up on a daily basis! She loves getting her nails painted, wearing her tutu around the house, watching movies, playing games on ds and board games, playing hide and seek, jumping in puddles, twirling around in circles, picking flowers, singing, playing legos, dolls, puzzles and dress up. While I'm looking forward to her being in school next year NOW, I'm really going to be sad seeing her go THEN! So I'm trying to enjoy each day with her. While her brothers nap, she and I usually have our time together which has been really nice. She too is looking forward to Spring soccer - which will be her first season playing yet.

ANDREW...
is my sensitive child. He will be turning 3 in December. He continually cracks me up! He always makes me smile about something! And even when he's in trouble for doing something he shouldn't, it's hard not to just snuggle and smile with him anyways (and usually it melts me over and he's out of trouble quicker than he was in it)! Just like Jocelyn, he says some pretty funny things like he'll call, "Oh Tooooootles!" when he needs help with something (it's off Mickey Mouse) and he hums and makes up songs like, "I want to go back to our other home (repeat over and over again)! He takes one good nap a day - for a few hours after lunch time. And we are in the beginning stages of potty training. So proud of him! I can't believe how big he's getting. I want my kids to stay little forever! LOL He is a true little mama's boy and loves to be my little helper. Whether it's wanting to dust, help sort the laundry or make meals in the kitchen. Speaking of which, he LOVES to help me cook! He drags the stool over to the counter and jumps up to see what he can do to help. So cute he is! He stays busy playing with bouncy balls, helping Daddy build things and being able to use his tools (tape measure and hammer is his favorite!), coloring, playing with flash lights, hiding in the house, running around, climbing on everything, reading stories, saying his prayers, brushing his teeth, playing legos and trains and cars, going outside and playing at the playground, watching shows like Mickey Mouse Club or Thomas the Train, and putting on his shoes (and clothes) by himself. Lately, he's been giving his Mommy and Daddy mini heart attacks by disappearing at least a dozen times since we've moved here. Runs out of the grocery store with us running after him, reappears into Aubrey's school gymnasium after her band performance in someone ELSE'S arms and crying and one time, he ran away from both John and I and the local security guard ran around with me to help me find him...he was found a few seconds later back inside our van getting into some licorice. Agh! I swore up and down that I'd never get one of those kid leashes but they're seriously looking like a good idea right about now! Wow...how scary it is to lose your child for a moment! Bedtime is pretty frustrating right now. Constantly coming back downstairs instead of being in bed and wanting his door open and the hall light on AT ALL TIMES. Back and forth we go every single night. And often times, we find him asleep in our bed. Getting a good night's rest hasn't happened, well, since we moved here! We finally got a night light which we thought would be a HUGE success. Needless to say, it hasn't been. Guess it isn't going to be an instant fix. :/ But that's okay - we're working on it. I think a lot of it has to do with him greatly missing our home back in Virginia! (And Jocelyn teasing him that there's a monster in his closet! Lovely, huh!) We're trying to find him some new friends here still. Not such an easy thing....much like it has been for Jocelyn. But we're finding fun things to do in the meantime. :)

LANDON...
is my calm child. He's now 7 months old - in a week he'll be turning 8 months. Weighs a little over 20 lbs - which puts him in around the 50th percentile for his age. I don't know how else to say it but we lucked out! He just has the cutest little personality! He's SO good and laid back and I just love how snuggly he is. He's been sleeping through the night since he was 3 months old and takes 2-3 naps a day. He can literally sleep just about anywhere. The carseat, stroller, highchair, baby bjorn, bed. And boy does this kid LOVE to eat! Wow!! Never leaves a scrap of food left. For sure not a picky eater! It could be warm or cold and he wouldn't care! The kids all love him so much! They're either holding him, playing near him, tugging on him or begging for us to let them hold him...it's very cute to see how much they adore their little brother! He of course gets cranky when overhandled but he's patient with them. He still shows no sign of teeth. Has been sitting on his own really well for about 2 months now, rolling all over the place for about just as long and for the past month or so, he has been slowly working towards crawling. It's more of a "push off the feet and plunge forward" kind of move. It's pretty funny to watch. He's getting around very fast these days which means more baby gates are needing to be put up! Whether he knows what he's saying or not, he has been babbling the sound "mama-mama-mama" lately and it is just so darn cute! I love it! :) He's got the cutest smile (and usually drooling everywhere!), hair is starting to fill in on his head more, he sucks on anything he can get his hands on, loves to listen to music, have stories read to, play with his toys, loves being rocked, going on the swings at the park, Daddy throwing him in the air, playing peek a boo, and going on walks. He really loves water so bath time is always a hit. Can't wait to watch him as he grows! I just love all of my children SO much! 

Frankfurt Zoo

Our first time at the local zoo! We ventured out with our friends - who also happen to be our neighbors - and hopped on the train to see some animals. It turned out being a beautiful day too - 80 degrees and well worth 20 euros, no crowds and some fun family time! This zoo actually sits in the heart of the city and has an older feel to it, much like the DC zoo does. After seeing most of the animals, we took a lunch break and saw a few more before taking the train back home. We all had a great time! Instead of naming all that we saw, I'll just give you some pictures to look at that I took from our trip. It was hard seeing some of the animals - hence limited to no pictures. Some reasoning behind that is because a certain curious baby liked to pull and suck on my camera strap while I was clicking away. Hahaha. Silly boy! :) I think I still managed to take a few good ones. Okay.

Ready.

Set.

GO! :)