Birthday in Heidelberg

For my birthday this year, we were planning to go to Paris France for the weekend. Besides seeing the amazing Eiffel Tower, we had hoped to also see the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Seine River, Arc de Triomphe and whatever else we could squeeze in on a weekend's time! I don't normally go see something extravagant for my birthday but I do enjoy being outdoors somewhere.  I wasn't going to be silly and refuse to take up the offer to go to Paris. The only kicker was that we waited too long to book the Marriott hotel we were hoping to get that was big enough for our family of 6 and it was gone...just like that! And everything else was just too ridiculously expensive.

{photo used from Marriott website}

I was pretty bummed over it but then I got excited again that we could drive four hours and go to Holland instead and see all the amazing and beautiful tulips at Keukenhof, the Anne Frank museum and the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. But then we quickly found out that the hotels there (and just about anywhere in Europe!) won't allow more than 3 children with 2 adults in 1 room. Okay. Come on! I'm honest about everything but THIS is just not going to fly by me. One more child? It's going to happen next time. Next Spring...we're going! Aren't these tulips amazing?

{photo used from Keukenhof website}

Now I was out of ideas. John knew I was pretty bummed that things weren't going as planned and as I would have hoped for a weekend getaway so he reserved a room for the weekend in Stuttgart - where he was stationed before. There's a nice zoo there from what I hear and a ton of cool parks...I got my hopes up once again. But not for long! Rain was in the whole week and weekend's forecast. And it was cold! So, I opted for us to cancel those plans too and just keep it simple and close to home. The kids would be miserable in the cold and rain anyways and I didn't want to pay for a hotel room just to have us sit inside the entire weekend. I was rather tired of the ups and downs of planning this weekend. I got to the point that I was perfectly okay with staying home. :)

{photo used from the Stuttgart Zoo website}

John asked me if there was another place I wanted to go and see. Maybe a day trip somewhere? I then thought of Heidelberg! I've been wanting to go down to Heidelberg since we stepped foot into Deutschland and it's about an hour south of Frankfurt - definitely fit the day trip criteria! We checked the weather for the day down there: 10% chance for rain. And just like Oregon's weather, that 10% chance gifted us with rain! Thankfully more like a drizzle and not a downpour! But we still made the most of it and had a fun 2 hours there.

Let me first back up to the beginning of the day to an amazing breakfast I was treated to. John made me the most delicious omelet and fixings. I could only eat half of it because it was so filling but it definitely didn't disappoint!

After breakfast, John and the kids made me a cake and then we were off to Heidelberg! I drove so John could get some studying in but I couldn't even begin to wedge our van into the small empty space on the hill so we did a quick switcheroo and then we were there! I really loved all of the brick and the old feel to the city. We walked from the car up this uneven brick street that lead us to the castle. It was anything but an easy walk. With us both pushing strollers, this was a workout in and of itself. 

But once we got up there....WOW! The views are amazing! The castle is located on a great hillside overlooking it all. Despite being in ruins, it was nice walking around it picturing what it looked like before it was destroyed by war and age. Nothing can quite top the feeling of being at one of the highest point in the city overlooking the red roof tops, the rolling river, the unique steps that go from one side of the castle all the way down to the city center, the old stone bridge, the trees in the distance...it really took my breath away! Being outdoors with nature and beauty is one of my favorite feelings in the world! Especially being with the ones I love and cherish the most! Such a reminder that life is precious and how thankful I am that I get to be here at this time in my life, to raise such sweet children and have the most loving man and best friend by my side. To have family and friends that love and know me. I truly am blessed!

Enjoy the photos!

I LOVE my children SO much!

I feel like the luckiest Mom on Earth!

And then we got hungry!!! :) 

Glad I had remembered to shove some Euro into my pocket. These pretzels were SO good!

Goodbye Heidelberg. 

It's time to go home...

But we'll be back!

When we got home, it was cake and open presents time. Back to the cake...they were trying to make me a white cake with mango frosting and strawberries on top. They had to alter their plans due to one of the cakes not cooking right and the mango frosting they made ended up being really runny. So it turned out being a wonderful one layer white cake with lemon and strawberry on top. It was messy but really really tasty!

John and the kids weren't sure what to get me for my birthday this year so with some helpful suggestions of what I'd like...

I got this cute purple Coach purse! Love it!

While those other destinations would have been a blast without a doubt, we'll have a chance to go there another time. But this day ended up being perfect! It was simple and lovely. More so because of who I was with and not where I was at! It was a really fun family outing and I look forward to going back again. Next time though, I'd like to walk down those steps to the city center as well as cross over the bridge and take in the view of the castle from that angle. I can't help but hope it's not raining the next time we go out there either. I love the rain, but not every time. :)

It's Time to Roll!

Look who's sporting new bikes!

They look so happy...

I love it!!!

And Away She Flies...

Jocelyn is READING!!!!

Ever since our kids were born, they have been surrounded by books in our home. 

We feel that it's important for them to love books.

They see their parents read.

And we read to them every single night.

Sometimes more throughout the day if we can.

So the day came a few weeks ago that Jocelyn got really eager to start learning to read.

We got down the Dick and Jane's series of learning to read books off the bookshelf and got right to it!

As she began sounding out the words and her speed started to pick up, you could just see the excitement all over her face. 

Lots of smiles and giggles!

I love snuggling up next to her and listening to her cute little voice making out the words.

Seems like not too long ago she was a little girl sitting on my lap as I read to her and rocked her before placing her down in her crib. 

Oh my, do they grow up fast!

She's now on book 9 of 12 and getting through a book a night instead of a chapter a night. 

We are so proud of her!

And I'm happy to say, she's pretty proud of herself too! :)

Landon's 1 Year Photos

For a while now, I have been taking my children's photos instead of booking a session at the mall. One, I really enjoy photography. And two, I love natural light a whole lot better!

When Landon turned one, the weather here in Frankfurt was GORGEOUS! For weeks on end actually! But with him sick around the time of his birthday, I kept holding off taking his photos until he felt better. Then, what do you know? The weather turned spring-like and stopped acting like summer. As it should I suppose. It's only March! But still! That's the way it goes sometimes. (More like how luck would have it!)

I was persistent though. I just decided to take them indoors if the outdoors wouldn't cooperate. I opened up the window treatments in his room and took some photos at his happy moment time in the morning. After he's fed and before nap time approached. Some were done in his room and some were taken in the hallway. Here's a few that I think turned out pretty well. I think they're cute anyways! :)

Landon's 1st Year Photos:

Back At It Again

Today marks two weeks since I injured my right ankle while running. Apparently I had tied my shoe too tight which resulted in a pulled ligament. Never had an injury while running before. But then again, I've never ran before! I took two weeks off of running to let it heal by slowing down, elevating my leg and icing it when needed. Motrin helped too, but I used it sparingly and mostly the first few days to help with any pain and swelling. Last week, I started up walking again - at the gym as well as around the neighborhood with my friend in the evenings. Not trying to baby it, just playing it smart.

So today it was much too cold out so I ran 2 miles at the gym at a slower pace than I was at previous to the injury - a 10 minute mile. I walked at 4 mph for 5 minutes, ran at 6 mph for 10 minutes, walked at 4 mph for 3 minutes, ran again at 6 mph for another 10 minutes and then cool down for 5 minutes. Did some leg and back and ab exercises and then called it a day! Overall, the run went well. My leg did feel a bit tense though and started to cramp towards the end. I will continue to slowly get back into my normal routine or running as soon as I can but I'm really afraid of re-injuring my ankle. It's hard to balance it all out but my thinking at the moment is to just get out there and do something - no matter what the speed or time may be. 

The week I injured my ankle, I was beginning week 9 of Couch to 5K. The very last week of the training! I was so bummed I wasn't able to finish that last week. Up to that point, I was running 28 minutes (or 2.75 miles) without walking. Now there is only 7 1/2 weeks until the 10K race here in Frankfurt! To say I'm nervous and a little overwhelmed would be an understatement! I really have no goal for this race other than to finish it! With that said though, I would like to finish within an hour's time. But I really just want to cross that finish line and say I've completed my ultimate fitness goal. We will see! First I need to take it week to week so I can eventually go from running 3 miles....to 6 miles!

On March 15th, I ran with John outdoors for the first time. Actually, this was the first time I have ever ran with him. And I knew that my pace was nothing even close to his usual 7 minute mile. I kind of felt like I was doing him no good to run with me but he insisted. He's been so great at helping me and encouraging me to focus and obtain my goals. So we set out for a 2.5 mile run. Aubrey stayed with the kids and while Landon was napping. Up until the halfway mark of our run around a nearby park, I felt great. John was keeping me focused and running at a good pace. More like he ran at my pace. :) It was around the halfway mark though that I started to feel like I wanted to throw up the small snack I had eaten an hour previous to the run. But I pushed through it. I passed a few other runners and he asked if I felt good knowing I had passed someone and I said, "No...I'd like to walk like all the other people walking by us." hahaha I didn't even want to run anymore. Up until now, I have also only ran on a treadmill at no incline. This park had hills everywhere on the path we were on so I was breathing a bit harder and trying to push myself even further. I also didn't have music to listen to (thought it would be rude to do that while running with my husband) and thought that we could talk while we ran. Nope! I couldn't even carry on a mild conversation if I had tried! So all I heard and saw was running. It really was tough! I had nothing to distract me - not even the birds chirping helped. I must say though that the scenery was nice and I really enjoyed being outdoors more than at the gym on the treadmill!

When we got about 2 minutes out from being done, he encouraged me to push myself a bit more and run at a faster pace. As soon as we started crossing the bridge, he said, "Time!" Ugh! I was DONE!!!! And I felt happy and horrible all at the same time! I felt hot and on fire, still felt like throwing up, thrilled that I made it through the run without stopping or walking. The instant I stopped running, I started to cry! I think because it was such an overwhelming experience for me. I found out when we were done that I had ran at a 9:50 pace. 30 seconds per mile faster than I have so far! So now John says that once I start running at a 7-8 minute mile, we can run together more often. Oh boy! Not sure when that'll be!!! :) For meeting my March fitness goals, I got myself a Garmin running watch that will track my runs with distance and time. I love it! This will hopefully encourage me to run outdoors more often.

Some motivational sayings I have found on Pinterest that I have really liked are:

* Have fun when you workout and it won't feel like work!
* Focus on how far you've come not how far you have to go.
* Exercise to be fit, not skinny.
* Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.
* The stronger you are, the better you feel.
* It took more than a day to put it on, it will take more than a day to take it off.
* Just run. "It's very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quite."

and...

Source: saysomethingposters.com via Leslie on Pinterest