3rd time is a charm....

Today was the day- three years ago a beautiful princess was born. She didn't have any hair nor could she eat solid food but it was love at first sight for all of those who saw her.

After time, she learned how to walk and talk and demand. She grew some hair and and attitude- and today you no longer see a princess... but a little diva queen. Here's the story of her third birthday...

W. awoke this morning only to rushed off to kindergarten in a new skirt and her 'fancy' sandals. When we arrived, every one knew it was her Geburtstag (birthday) and a special birthday hat was made for her. Several songs were sung in her honor and birthday cupcakes were shared all around. She was in the spotlight and loving it. The whole class was invited to play out of doors for 45 minutes; sand digging was commenced as well as teeter tottering and running at top speed screaming. Fun for all...

Lunchtime provided a quick snack followed by visiting and presents from friends- and then this thread was continued after siesta. We spent the afternoon planting seeds in the garden, digging the dirt and reading books.

After a super quick dinner we rushed off to the ice cream parlor to meet some friends and enjoy some treats. Again it was play, play, play then bite of melty ice cream then play some more. By the time the diva queen was taken to the tub for her daily bath, she was brown from head to toe- but how else would you want to end your 3rd birthday day?

Thank you to all that sent packages and phoned- W. had a wonderful day because of you!

Here's the link for todays photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=saraharcher7&target=ALBUM&id=5324990081469186257&authkey=Gv1sRgCLLf8afJ2_fXXw&feat=email

Mosel Valley

Last Easter we took a little trip to the Rhine Valley to see the infamous vineyards and view the considerable amount of castles left in ruin and restore by the locals. THIS year for Easter we visited the Rhine’s little sister the Mosel.
Being granted time for good behavior J. and I were able to take a trip alone for the first time in over three years. This being the case, we were able to stop at any place we fancied, and stay out as late as we wished.
First stop: Deutsche Eck (German Corner) a place in Germany where the Rhine River meets the Mosel; located in Koblenz it is considered the “Alamo” of Germany. Wilhelm I united Germany, and this is a monument to him and of what he accomplished. Not only is this a historic site, but it’s also home to a beer garden or two… lunch in Koblenz was very good!
Recommended by our favorite guide book author Rick Steves’, Burg Eltz is one of the most beautifully preserved castles in Germany today. Untouched by war due to careful planning and smart marriages, Burg Eltz was never attacked and so it remains in excellent condition. Located a few miles off the Mosel, Burg Eltz (Stream Castle) is still owned by the Eltz family. Tours are given in both German and English, so it is a very worthwhile castle to visit… if you’re in the area. http://www.destination360.com/europe/germany/burg-eltz-castle.php
For the evening we found accommodations in the town of Beilstein at Hotel Haus Lipmann: http://www.hotel-haus-lipmann.com/ Our room overlooked the Mosel and to the left and right we could see as far as the scenery would allow. The Mosel is also known for its capacity to produce wines, and being that we were settled for the night, it was time to sample! Most German wine is not expensive, which is good when there are several varieties to choose from. Our hotel was accompanied by their own restaurant and meals were of the traditional German fare. The breakfast that was included the next morning and taken in the knights’ hall did nothing but leave us with views of outstanding service and hospitality as a reward for our stay.
The next morning we headed off to Cochem; a town whose foremost sight is the large Reichsburg castle. Originally built in the 11th century, it was later destroyed by Napoleons’ army. The castle then was rebuilt in the romantic style and furnished in the 19th century. The town of Cochem has a wonderful green way along the river that locals and tourists both indulge in. The town has many cobbled streets and narrow passageways that entice shoppers to peek into the shops that inhabit them. This is a very child- friendly town and with parks on every corner and ice cream on every street, we almost regretted that we were alone…

Keukenhof Gardens

Holland is a beautiful country- not only are the Dutch known for their wooden shoes, excellent cheese and windmills, but they are famous for their flowers. Being the curious sort that we are, we needed to find out for ourselves what the big deal was about over some tulips….
Situated near Lisse, Netherlands is one of the largest flower parks in the world- Keukenhof Park. Tulips of every shape and size make their début here, and I can see why. In one of the largest and most beautifully manicured gardens I have ever been in, there is a feast for the senses. Not only are there tulips around every bend, but all sorts of daffodils and hyacinths are there to please the eyes as well as the nose. If there’s a beautiful flowering tree or shrub that also smells nice, it’s there too. Thousands of varieties of flowers are planted on the grounds; with thousands more in the many ‘greenhouse’ park buildings.
Being a gardener myself, I am sometimes critical of others gardens. I was awed at this one- maybe it was because we lucked out and the crowds were minimalized, or maybe I had a slight case of spring fever and this trip quenched it, but what ever the reason, I was totally impressed. We did visit a bit prematurely- arriving at the end of March when not all of the flowers have made their way out of the soil makes for a less colorful park, but no less inspiring.
The best time to visit the park is mid-April, however the park is open from mid March though the end of April. There’s a terrific website if you’re interested in seeing more of the park and gardens: http://www.keukenhof.com/
Enjoying such lovely day away from home warranted us a night at a hotel- and for this night we chose to stay in Den Haag which was a short 30 minute drive away. Known as the city of peace and justice, you may have heard of it hosting famous war crime trials. The city its self is located on the Dutch seashore and is home to Queen Beatirx of the Netherlands. The next morning we were able to walk around a bit, see The Peace Palace, and experience why we’d like to come back and lounge on the beach one sunny afternoon. Den Haag is an interesting city (third largest in NL) and it’s worth stopping in and taking a look around.
Finally, we’re on our way home, and we see a sign for the town of Gouda… who amongst you can resist the call of cheese? Not a one of us, so a slight detour was executed and lunch was to be had where some of the most delicious cheese in the world is made. Not all the luck was with us though… being Sunday and also being we are in a part of the world where days off are considered not to be messed with, there was no cheese to be bought… unless you wanted it on your sandwich. So we settled. Cheese on our meal it was to be, and tasty drinks all around. We were disappointed we weren’t able to bring home cheese from Gouda, but we were entertained by the tourists and locals enjoying their Sunday out. Here’s a little more about Gouda: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouda

26 week 4 day ultrasound pic

Here's a little picture from our routine doctor's visit today; everything looks as it should!

It's a BOY!

We've known for a few weeks now that a baby brother is on his way- but it's taken me a little while to accept that this is for real. Well, the picture from the ultrasound is pretty clear that he is a he and I wanted to share some pictures! Baby boy is healthy and growing well- he's at 27 weeks gestation today, and we expect to meet him around the beginning of July!

If you're wondering, we're registered at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/baby/3UFOPYBZB9IP

http://www.cottonbabies.com/6095.php

http://www.target.com/registry/baby/1QON5VQ85BE3M3D view of his face

No, that's not the unbilical cord...

Oregon

So, it’s been a while. We’ve been out and about, and I’ve left you in the dark- no posts, no emails, nothing. It’s like a relationship that’s gone sour, but I’m here to do my best to make it sweet again.
It’s been over a year since W. and I have seen the US, and we were feeling a little homesick, and a little lonely for the company of our family. Lufthansa had a pretty good deal on tickets from Frankfurt to Portland, so we took them up on their offer, and headed out west- 13 hours west, to visit Oregon.
W. did wonderful on the plane. She is still two- and only had a slight bruise from bouncing off the seat onto her head, but we made the trip will little incidence. We were greeted with a warm welcome by Nana and Papa at the airport and whisked off back to my childhood home. For two weeks we were able to relax in the company of friends and family. We visited the Salem carousel, ate at Taco Bell and took the dogs to the park. W. and I had a great time- especially when shopping and W. had Nana wrapped around her finger. Can you believe that W. has a new spring wardrobe from the three shopping outings she took with her grandma?!
W. and I also had a visit to the hair stylist. Now that she’s almost 3 we decided that it was finally time for her first hair cut. (She now finally has some hair to cut!) She did wonderful- she was told that she was the princess, and she loved the pampering. After the cut was finished, she wanted another! I too had a hair change- I’ve wanted to donate my hair for a long time to Locks of Love, http://www.locksoflove.org/ : and my hair was crazy long- so I did it! W. and I are both very happy with our new appearances.
We also needed to visit family in Idaho, so we hopped on another plane and were able to sojourn at Great-grandma Noni’s in Twin Falls for a few days before heading out to Homedale to see our friend Helen. In all, we were in Idaho for a week- rode horses, saw lots of cows and I reconsidered my retirement choices. I forgot how cold the desert can be!
Back to Oregon for 10 more days to catch up on zoo life in Portland, check out all the restaurants that we missed the first time, and fill our bags with ‘American’ things before heading back home. We had a wonderful time in the states, and we really enjoyed being able to spend so much time with our friends and family. It was very difficult to have been gone from Daddy for a month, but we were fortunate to have good long distance and SKYPE.
Since we’ve been back, we’ve been trying to get back into our routine, and settle in for the little BOY who is to be joining our family in July. Now that things are settled here, expect to see more travel posts!

Prague and a spot of Nuremberg

Happy New Year! So I'm a few weeks late putting this post out, but lately I've been having a hard time concentrating on even brushing my teeth, so a vacation post was way over my head. I think I can do it now.... so again, Happy New Year!

For the past few New Years celebrations, it's been the same for us. We're usually too tired to stay up until midnight let alone go anywhere. Last year we were rocked out of our bed by the Germans bringing in 2008. This year we decided to change our ways. J. has a college mountain climbing buddy that has recently relocated to Europe from the US. A bonus for us is that this buddy has family in some cool places, and we were welcome to join them. For New Years, Prague was the destination.

I am a little timid about traveling in the car for any kind of distance with an almost 3 year old. It's not fun. However with the help of Disney and the Golden Arches, our trip on the road wasn't bad at all. For 8 hours of driving, there were few tears, and the only complaints were from me to pull over to use the facilities. I didn't think we could make the journey in one go to Prague so we booked a night in the historic city of Nuremberg. We were comfortably situated with in the old city walls and our hotel was extremely nice for what we are used to.

Nuremburg has a rich and colorful history dating beyond the 11th century. It was interesting for us to be able to walk in the old city walls and see what life is like today and try to sympathize with the city's past. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg Arriving on the 28th, we were a few days too late to catch the Christmas markets, but we were able to see where they were and what they might have been offering for future trips. Nuremburg was a nice little stop on our way to the Czech Republic.

Arriving at our destination, I was surprised that we were in a post Soviet controlled area. The little village on the edge of Prague could have been any little suburb in the US. Minus the tiny little cars and road signs that made no sense to me. I was expecting all buildings to look like Moscow apartments and for there to be little difference between houses. Lucky for us, this was not the case. We were invited into a spacious family home that was warmly filled with another couple and their child, and our friends. There was room for us all to have our own little space, and plenty if room for W. to play and explore with her new found Czech friend.

The first full day we were in the Czech Republic, we were taken by our hosts to a glass factory in a nearby town. We were able to watch the men make the glass articles that this area is well known for. Next we were taken to another small town where the children were able to stretch their legs and breathe the cold winter air. For lunch it was a treat. A neat little restaurant tucked into a town that we'd never heard of, and we had the area to our selves. We dined on local foods and beverages and were able to relax. Best of all, having a host that has a child with the same age as yours, nap times are always figured in. Perfect! That evening we were taken to down town Prague to see some city life.

Downtown Prague is beautiful. The Velvet revolution happened here, many great rulers have called the city home, and it has some of the most impressive sites in Europe; the caste and the Charles Bridge are a couple of examples. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague It is a must see for anyone wanting to spend some time Europe. On another day we were able to walk around the castle grounds, stroll through the city and sample the local foods. Lucky for us the Christmas markets were still up and running and were kept satisfied with hot wine (and chocolate) and lots of tasty treats- my favorite being a dough that was wrapped around a hot iron to cook it, then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar... yum!

I enjoyed every bit of visiting Prague- the people are very friendly with most speaking English, and there are so many interesting things to see. I would bring more clothes next time I go though- that is one cold place!

Here's a link to our pictures:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=c41lnrbo.bxqb9q5w&x=0&y=fbq8ng&localeid=en_US