Last night the boys decided to do a "puppet show" and did a great job. They went in their room for about five minutes, came up with a story, and some props, and then practiced a couple of times before performing. Good job Steven, Nathan, and Jacob.
(please ignore the wires all over the wall, Steve is getting to it. ;))
Since the camera was out I decided to take a picture of grumpy boy who missed his nap. Earlier Steven somehow broke half of his binky off, but it seems to still be suckable. Enjoy. Oh, and yes he does have a black eye that is healing from Jacob scratching him with a hockey stick right under his eye, and he has a scratch on his head from falling off the lowest bench of the bleachers at Steven's football game Saturday.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Football and Firetrucks
We are really enjoying the fall weather here in Georgia. Not quite cold enough yet for hot chocolate (that is for you Felicity) and it is still humid, but it's not as hot and we can tell the cool weather is coming. Yea!
Through much discussion Steve and I decided to put Steven in football this year. He didn't really want to play at first because he doesn't know much about the sport, but Steve talked him in to playing. We just thought it would be a good way to get him moving, and we wanted to see how he would do. Steven actually loves sports and wants to be a sports guy, he just doesn't have the natural talent and he doesn't seem to have it in him to practice until he gets good. We keep trying with him though. :)
So, last week they started off the football season by having the teams run through the tunnel and then Steven played his first game. It is nice to have him in a sport again even if it does complicate our night life.
Now for Brandon. The poor boy is just bored a lot of times at home unless we are out at stores spending money. I have come up with a couple solutions. Once a week we are going to go to the school and have lunch with one of the boys. We went to eat with Steven today and Brandon loved to be with all the kids. And Steven loved teasing Brandon in front of all his friends.
The other great thing is playgroup has started! Yea! I love playgroup because it does allow Brandon to play and learn things, and it let's me hang out with my dear friends. Last Tuesday we went to the fire station and got to see the fire trucks and see the fire man in his gear. It was lots of fun and Brandon was pretty impressed with it.
Jacob has had great behavior in school this week and so he is the star student of the week. That means he gets to bring home Max the monkey to share the weekend with him. We will take pictures of things we do with Max and then do a little scrapbook page to put in the Max book.
Nathan is doing well also although there is nothing specific about him. His behavior in school is getting better and his grades are always Great, he is a smart boy. Basically he is just loving life.
Through much discussion Steve and I decided to put Steven in football this year. He didn't really want to play at first because he doesn't know much about the sport, but Steve talked him in to playing. We just thought it would be a good way to get him moving, and we wanted to see how he would do. Steven actually loves sports and wants to be a sports guy, he just doesn't have the natural talent and he doesn't seem to have it in him to practice until he gets good. We keep trying with him though. :)
So, last week they started off the football season by having the teams run through the tunnel and then Steven played his first game. It is nice to have him in a sport again even if it does complicate our night life.
Now for Brandon. The poor boy is just bored a lot of times at home unless we are out at stores spending money. I have come up with a couple solutions. Once a week we are going to go to the school and have lunch with one of the boys. We went to eat with Steven today and Brandon loved to be with all the kids. And Steven loved teasing Brandon in front of all his friends.
The other great thing is playgroup has started! Yea! I love playgroup because it does allow Brandon to play and learn things, and it let's me hang out with my dear friends. Last Tuesday we went to the fire station and got to see the fire trucks and see the fire man in his gear. It was lots of fun and Brandon was pretty impressed with it.
Jacob has had great behavior in school this week and so he is the star student of the week. That means he gets to bring home Max the monkey to share the weekend with him. We will take pictures of things we do with Max and then do a little scrapbook page to put in the Max book.
Nathan is doing well also although there is nothing specific about him. His behavior in school is getting better and his grades are always Great, he is a smart boy. Basically he is just loving life.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Our Temple Trip
As an anniversary surprise to Steve, I arranged for us to go to the Columbia, SC temple last Friday night. It is about a three hour drive, and because of that we haven't gone very often. So, this time I arranged for us to go overnight. I had each of the boys stay at a different families house from the ward.'They went from after school on Friday, until Saturday afternoon. It is so wonderful to have a network of friends that you trust to leave your kids with, and who are willing to do it. It also made it a fun weekend for the kids as well as for us.
Of course as with every time we try to go to the temple it seems there is trouble. I spent all week finding people to babysit, booking a hotel, and getting things ready so we could take off on Friday. On Friday morning I checked the temple website to get the address, and happened to see the schedule of closed dates. And lo and behold I see that the temple is closed on Saturday. The very Saturday we were planning on going. So, of course I go into panic mode and do what I can to try and get us there Friday night for the 7pm session. As I am calling people to see if the kids can come a little earlier, two of the four families say they have sick kids in their home. And not just a little sick, but a fever, throwing up, and soar throat sick. But being un-intimidated by germs as I am, I said if they would still take the child, it wouldn't bother me to leave him. They both agreed to still take the child. Whoo hoo!
So, Steve and I are in the car by 4pm and headed to SC on Friday afternoon on Labor Day weekend with no time to spare. Needless to say we did NOT make the 7pm session. We got to the temple at 7:15 and were able to do sealings for about an hour which was absolutely wonderful!
What we found out after it was too late was that there is a short cut to the temple. Steve and I trust our GPS a little too much, and thought that it would take us the best way. Well...it took us fifty miles out of the way to keep us on a freeway. In Georgia, often times the fastest way to go is on the back roads. So, we took the fast way on the way back, and it cuts out between 30 and 45 minutes from the drive. Enough time that we would have made it if we went that way Friday night.
After the temple on Friday, we went out to eat at Outback which was delish. Steve got a fish dish since he is trying to eat healthier, and I got the chocolate cheesecake for dessert since I was out to eat as an anniversary celebration. :) Saturday morning we slept in until 9, then played a game of cities and knights on line which is our favorite thing to do as of late. Then we got up and drove back to the temple for some pictures. Next to the temple is a very nice church bookstore that we browsed at for a while including an outdoor yard sale they happened to be having that day. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful overnighter. Then we drove home the fast way and were home by 2:30.
So, it was an eventful trip, but it all worked out beautifully in the end. The boys all had a great time, and the families said they had no problems with any of them. Brandon wasn't the best sleeper, but they enjoyed him other than that. And miraculously none of us are sick this week even after the exposure we had over the weekend. We do have good strong immune systems though. It must be our lack of using hand sanitizer. haha
Definitely a FABULOUS anniversary get away.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
9th Anniversary
Yesterday (Sept. 1st), Steve and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. I felt a lot of gratitude this anniversary for all the wonderful things that have happened in my life since I married Steve. Many anniversaries just pass by without much thought, but this one was a little different for some reason. I am so happy in my life right now. I love being a Mom of four boys, I love living in GA, and enjoying the people in this area, I love our ward here, and MOST of all I LOVE my husband. He has done so much for my life that I just couldn't have done without him and has helped me to learn and grow in so many ways. Our wedding song lyrics said
You were meant for me, and I was meant for you.
Nature fashioned you and when she was done
You were all those good things rolled in to one.
And I do think we were meant for each other. I know there are other people we could have each married, but we are a great combination. We seem to be moving at the same pace, and that makes living with someone so much easier.
So, for our anniversary Steve took the day off. Yea! for Steve's endless days off. haha We had a nice day, and then for dinner he made his chicken curry which is one of our favorite meals. We then took a break from anniversary stuff so we could go to a student showcase night at the school. (the kids got to show us some of the work they have done so far this year) We walked to the school, and then took a detour on the way home, and walked around our mile long block behind our house.
When we got home Steve gave me beautiful flowers, and a delicious cake. He even bought a number nine candle to celebrate the number of years. We all enjoyed the cake as a family.
The great thing is... the fun is not over! I have planned a surprise for Steve on Friday that is going to be great. It is not elaborate or anything, I just don't manage surprises very often, so I am excited that this might actually stay a surprise until Friday. Cross your fingers for me.
I do LOVE Steve so much and all that he does for our family. I have confidence in him to lead our family down the path we want to take. He is a loving husband, and a wonderful example to our boys on how a husband and father should be. I am so glad we are together forever.
You were meant for me, and I was meant for you.
Nature fashioned you and when she was done
You were all those good things rolled in to one.
And I do think we were meant for each other. I know there are other people we could have each married, but we are a great combination. We seem to be moving at the same pace, and that makes living with someone so much easier.
So, for our anniversary Steve took the day off. Yea! for Steve's endless days off. haha We had a nice day, and then for dinner he made his chicken curry which is one of our favorite meals. We then took a break from anniversary stuff so we could go to a student showcase night at the school. (the kids got to show us some of the work they have done so far this year) We walked to the school, and then took a detour on the way home, and walked around our mile long block behind our house.
When we got home Steve gave me beautiful flowers, and a delicious cake. He even bought a number nine candle to celebrate the number of years. We all enjoyed the cake as a family.
The great thing is... the fun is not over! I have planned a surprise for Steve on Friday that is going to be great. It is not elaborate or anything, I just don't manage surprises very often, so I am excited that this might actually stay a surprise until Friday. Cross your fingers for me.
I do LOVE Steve so much and all that he does for our family. I have confidence in him to lead our family down the path we want to take. He is a loving husband, and a wonderful example to our boys on how a husband and father should be. I am so glad we are together forever.
{bad picture of me. beautiful flowers, and cake}
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Our Week
The boys have been in school Three Weeks already. Can you believe it? We have all adjusted wonderfully, and all three of the boys are enjoying school. I used last week and this week to clean the carpets in my house. (I did one room a day or every other day) And boy do they look good. Now I can check that off my list and move on to one of the other million things I want to do to get organized or to clean. Ahh the life of a mother/homemaker. I do love it!
So, I failed to mention a very exciting event here in our great town of Brooklet. Every year they have a peanut festival which is a very exciting event for such a small town. Apparently Georgia is a huge producer of peanuts, which I must admit I did not know until we moved to Brooklet. So, we went last Saturday morning (the 15th) and enjoyed the parade and then went to the festival for a little bit. We were lucky because that week had been quite hot and Terribly humid so we were happy that it was overcast with no rain during the parade. A nice treat.
{There is a family in our ward who lives on the main street in Brooklet, so some families from the ward meet at their house for the parade.}
{Army guys from Ft. Stewart}
{Take note of what this tractor driver is doing while he is supposed to be posing in a parade. By the way, most of the parade is of people driving tractors. Some of them were very old school too.}
I also mentioned in Brandon's birthday post some of his two year old habits, so I took some pictures of some of them.
{Since he kept climbing out of his bed, we got him a new one. This lady was selling matching beds that were this toddler bed and a twin bed. Now Jacob and Brandon have a whole new bedroom.}
{Setting the table, with all the silverware in the drawer}
{I wasn't sure where Brandon was the other day, and when I went to find him, this is where he was. He had taken off his pants, and diaper and climbed up, but forgot to get rid of the binky. He is NOT potty trained by the way. }
{A couple weeks ago, I went to check on him at night, and I thought his blanket was completely wrapped around his head. Luckily when I came to get it off, it was just lightly placed over his face.}
One thing that we have just started to do this past week is going on a nightly walk. Steve is making a great effort to lose weight, and he has asked us all to walk/jog with him each night to get some excercise. We are all very much enjoying it, and the boys are loving being able to ride their bikes off of our driveway. Right behind our house is a brand new subdivision that is coming along very slowly. As we all know, people just aren't buying houses right now, so it only has three houses in it right now, and it is quite a big circle. We are able to walk around that with no traffic to bother us. It is like having a high school track right in our own back yard.
{Note the outfit. haha, I didn't feel like putting pants on him, and he does have some crazy colored socks.}
{During one of our walks this week Steve decided to roller blade. It just about killed him, but he never fell down, and he roller bladed the whole time. Way to go dear.}
And here is a picture of Steven with his newest hobby to pass the time.
So, I failed to mention a very exciting event here in our great town of Brooklet. Every year they have a peanut festival which is a very exciting event for such a small town. Apparently Georgia is a huge producer of peanuts, which I must admit I did not know until we moved to Brooklet. So, we went last Saturday morning (the 15th) and enjoyed the parade and then went to the festival for a little bit. We were lucky because that week had been quite hot and Terribly humid so we were happy that it was overcast with no rain during the parade. A nice treat.
{There is a family in our ward who lives on the main street in Brooklet, so some families from the ward meet at their house for the parade.}
{Army guys from Ft. Stewart}
{Take note of what this tractor driver is doing while he is supposed to be posing in a parade. By the way, most of the parade is of people driving tractors. Some of them were very old school too.}
I also mentioned in Brandon's birthday post some of his two year old habits, so I took some pictures of some of them.
{Since he kept climbing out of his bed, we got him a new one. This lady was selling matching beds that were this toddler bed and a twin bed. Now Jacob and Brandon have a whole new bedroom.}
{Setting the table, with all the silverware in the drawer}
{I wasn't sure where Brandon was the other day, and when I went to find him, this is where he was. He had taken off his pants, and diaper and climbed up, but forgot to get rid of the binky. He is NOT potty trained by the way. }
{A couple weeks ago, I went to check on him at night, and I thought his blanket was completely wrapped around his head. Luckily when I came to get it off, it was just lightly placed over his face.}
One thing that we have just started to do this past week is going on a nightly walk. Steve is making a great effort to lose weight, and he has asked us all to walk/jog with him each night to get some excercise. We are all very much enjoying it, and the boys are loving being able to ride their bikes off of our driveway. Right behind our house is a brand new subdivision that is coming along very slowly. As we all know, people just aren't buying houses right now, so it only has three houses in it right now, and it is quite a big circle. We are able to walk around that with no traffic to bother us. It is like having a high school track right in our own back yard.
{Note the outfit. haha, I didn't feel like putting pants on him, and he does have some crazy colored socks.}
{During one of our walks this week Steve decided to roller blade. It just about killed him, but he never fell down, and he roller bladed the whole time. Way to go dear.}
And here is a picture of Steven with his newest hobby to pass the time.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Brandon is TWO
Well, Brandon has turned two even though he has been a bit of a terror for a couple of months now. Of course he is still a joy to have in our family, but the boy gets in to everything, sneaks out of the house, crys whenever we are in the car because he is asking me for something and I have no idea what, thinks he is potty trained(which is so not the case) and has learned how to get out of his crib before I was ready for him to.
But I am happy to report, he had a GREAT birthday today. He started it off all wrong by getting out of bed at 4:15am. He came in to my room asking for a binky and after I found one for him, I thought he would just cuddle up and go to sleep with me. That wasn't the case, after telling him to go to sleep 15 times I finally took him back to his bed where he waited another half hour, and then went back to sleep. We did get a nice nap today though.
So, the birthday festivities started this evening after dinner. We had our wonderful neighbors over for cake and ice cream. They have one son who is Nathan's age and he loves to come to our house. They are also members of the church, so we have become great friends.
We sang to Brandon, and then had some chocolate cake with butter cream frosting.
Here is that wonderful smile of his.
Brandon was so embarrased from all the attention. It was so funny.
After cake we went in to the family room to open presents, and Brandon was loving it.
The Nielsens (neighbors) gave Brandon a book and a cool little car
He got a sesame street toy from Grandma and Grandpa Allred that he loves!
And from Mom and Dad he got a hammering toy and a two year old race track.
He also got cards from Grandma Great and the Seraydarians. Thank you all so much for remembering the littlest Hughes boy.
Brandon is such a wonderful boy and I am so happy he is in our family. He is talking more and more and I love to hear how he pronounces his new words. He is having a hard time with all of his brothers in school, and has decided that we need to read books together all day. Which has been kind of hard, since I have decided that I want to clean the carpets in the whole house. :) We will be starting a fun preschool group at the church in a couple of weeks, and we will both really enjoy that.
We are so happy Brandon is part of our family!
But I am happy to report, he had a GREAT birthday today. He started it off all wrong by getting out of bed at 4:15am. He came in to my room asking for a binky and after I found one for him, I thought he would just cuddle up and go to sleep with me. That wasn't the case, after telling him to go to sleep 15 times I finally took him back to his bed where he waited another half hour, and then went back to sleep. We did get a nice nap today though.
So, the birthday festivities started this evening after dinner. We had our wonderful neighbors over for cake and ice cream. They have one son who is Nathan's age and he loves to come to our house. They are also members of the church, so we have become great friends.
We sang to Brandon, and then had some chocolate cake with butter cream frosting.
Here is that wonderful smile of his.
Brandon was so embarrased from all the attention. It was so funny.
After cake we went in to the family room to open presents, and Brandon was loving it.
The Nielsens (neighbors) gave Brandon a book and a cool little car
He got a sesame street toy from Grandma and Grandpa Allred that he loves!
And from Mom and Dad he got a hammering toy and a two year old race track.
He also got cards from Grandma Great and the Seraydarians. Thank you all so much for remembering the littlest Hughes boy.
Brandon is such a wonderful boy and I am so happy he is in our family. He is talking more and more and I love to hear how he pronounces his new words. He is having a hard time with all of his brothers in school, and has decided that we need to read books together all day. Which has been kind of hard, since I have decided that I want to clean the carpets in the whole house. :) We will be starting a fun preschool group at the church in a couple of weeks, and we will both really enjoy that.
We are so happy Brandon is part of our family!
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Back To School!!
The boys went back to school on Monday, and I am thrilled. The school year here is a little different than most of the country, but I love it. They have the full months of June and July for summer, and then during the year they have about 6 week-long breaks. I have really enjoyed it, and it lets you travel when the rest of the country is still at school.
Some of these pictures came out blurry dang it!
(Jacob started kindergarten with a nice juicy cold sore on his lip. Poor kid)
(Nathan started 1st grade without his chipped tooth. We pulled it out the night before. Remember the one he chipped in Germany like 4 years ago? Ya, that is finally gone)
(Steven in 3rd grade, and loving his backpack)
Our summer vacation was tons of fun, and we stayed very busy, so it felt like we got a good break.
Jacob started Kindergarten this year, so now I have three in school and one home!! Can you believe. It is so exciting for me, and I can't wait to see what I can accomplish. Although Monday Brandon and I went to Walmart for school supplies, and Brandon cried the whole hour we were in the store!
The boys all loved their first day of school, and were excited to go back again today. They seem to have wonderful teachers, and we once again want to say, we LOVE Brooklet Elementary.
Other exciting news for me is that I was called as the first counselor in the Young Women's at church. I can't believe I am out of primary and going to be tested in a different area. I am very, very excited, but also pretty nervous. I talked to the YW president yesterday, and she was telling me all of my responsibilities. WOW There is a lot that I am in charge of. And right off the bat I am suppose to be going to an activity Wednesday night, but Steve is working a 3-11pm shift for the next two weeks. So, I asked our college age neighbor if she would sit with the boys for me for a couple hours. She agreed, so it looks like I will be able to go. I am thrilled.
Some of these pictures came out blurry dang it!
(Jacob started kindergarten with a nice juicy cold sore on his lip. Poor kid)
(Nathan started 1st grade without his chipped tooth. We pulled it out the night before. Remember the one he chipped in Germany like 4 years ago? Ya, that is finally gone)
(Steven in 3rd grade, and loving his backpack)
Our summer vacation was tons of fun, and we stayed very busy, so it felt like we got a good break.
Jacob started Kindergarten this year, so now I have three in school and one home!! Can you believe. It is so exciting for me, and I can't wait to see what I can accomplish. Although Monday Brandon and I went to Walmart for school supplies, and Brandon cried the whole hour we were in the store!
The boys all loved their first day of school, and were excited to go back again today. They seem to have wonderful teachers, and we once again want to say, we LOVE Brooklet Elementary.
Other exciting news for me is that I was called as the first counselor in the Young Women's at church. I can't believe I am out of primary and going to be tested in a different area. I am very, very excited, but also pretty nervous. I talked to the YW president yesterday, and she was telling me all of my responsibilities. WOW There is a lot that I am in charge of. And right off the bat I am suppose to be going to an activity Wednesday night, but Steve is working a 3-11pm shift for the next two weeks. So, I asked our college age neighbor if she would sit with the boys for me for a couple hours. She agreed, so it looks like I will be able to go. I am thrilled.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Back to Germany!
So...WAY back in June Steve and I had the amazing opportunity to go back to Germany. We were right back in the same area that we moved from a year ago. Steve was there on a business trip from work, and since I had a young and capable sister at my Mom's house in CA to take care of the kids, we all decided that I should go and join Steve for a week. The main reason I went was because Steve's birthday and Father's Day were on the same day this year, and he was going to be there without his family. Plus, I really wanted to go back. :)
So..... I left the boys with my dear sister Tawna who has babysat my children more than anyone else. I then flew from CA through GA and on to Germany. Quite a long flight, but without kids it is SO EASY! I got to do whatever I wanted (within the confines of my plane seat of course). So, I slept, read a little bit of my book, slept again, ate, watched a movie. I had a very relaxing time. I got to Germany on Wednesday morning where Steve picked me up at the airport. He had the morning off, so the first thing I wanted to do was drive past our old house. Everything looked pretty much the same to me. Then we went to the hotel and took a nap. When Steve went back to work I went over to one of my old favorite grocery stores Toom and looked around for food I had been missing. When Steve got off work we had plans to go to the "Great American Steakhouse" in Frankfurt where they have the best steak I have ever eaten. A couple of Steve's buddies from work were coming with us. Well... when we got to Frankfurt there were road blocks all over the city. We drove around for hours trying to get to the restaurant through tons of traffic, but there was a road block at every turn. We finally saw what the problem was. There was a 5k marathon that was starting at the same time as our reservations. There were over 5000 people running in this marathon. So, they had blocked off the route through the main streets of the city and the restaurant was within that area. We finally ended up at an Irish pub for dinner and we were all pretty frustrated. I was just tired considering I was totally jet lagged. It was interesting though.
The next day (Thursday) I started out my day with the hotel breakfast. I LOVE breakfast in Germany. They serve a roll and lunch meat and cheese , or you can eat it with Nutella. It is so delicious and I was so happy to be eating it again. I made sure I made it to breakfast every day that I was there. After breakfast, I took the street car around Darmstadt for the morning while Steve went to work. Then when he got off we headed up to our old favorite, the Auerbach castle. It was beautiful and delicious and so nice to be there.
On Friday I meet up with a friend of mine Julie, and her kids and we drove up to the Frankfurt temple. We went to the book store and walked around the temple for a little while, and then they went home and I got to go in and do a session. It was so nice to be back there, and to go through the temple. Our temple in Georgia is 3.5 hours away, so it is a lot harder to go. After my session Steve picked me up and we actually got to go eat at our Steak restaurant and it was dang good. It was great to be back there.
On Saturday Steve and I spent the morning at the big flea market they have there in Darmstadt. Then we headed up to Rudesheim which is a little town on the Rhein river where all the cruises start from. We had such a great time there. We went in to every little shop there was and we didn't have to worry about who was staying out with the boys. It was lots of fun. Then we drove down the Rhein all the way to Boppard where we rode a ski lift to the very top of this hill that overlooked the Rhein. It was right where the Rhein curves and makes a U shape. It was really pretty. When we were at the top we ordered some hot chocolate at a little outdoor cafe they had. Then we went down, had some schnitzel for dinner and headed home.
(This is the view from the hot chocolate cafe)
Sunday was Steve's birthday and Father's Day. I gave Steve his cards from the boys and then we went to church. Our old ward meets in a brand new building and it is very nice. It was so nice to see everyone and chat with old friends. Most of the ward that I knew is gone now, but there were some people left. After church we went to the hotel for a nap, and then on to Zadell and Jeremy Carley's house for a game of cities and knights. They made dinner for us and a nice birthday cake for Steve. It was great to visit with them, and we miss having them over all the time.
Then Monday morning I got back on an airplane and headed back to CA. It was a wonderful adventure for Steve and I and we are very much enjoying our childless vacations that we have been taking once a year. Even though I spent lots of time on a plane and then had to get right back on the next day to get the boys and I home from CA, it was an awesome trip. And things went so smoothly I really can't complain. Other than the van battery being dead when we showed up in Savannah at 9:30 Tuesday night tired and cranky. But the policeman there at the airport had it jumped in no time and we were on our way home!
So..... I left the boys with my dear sister Tawna who has babysat my children more than anyone else. I then flew from CA through GA and on to Germany. Quite a long flight, but without kids it is SO EASY! I got to do whatever I wanted (within the confines of my plane seat of course). So, I slept, read a little bit of my book, slept again, ate, watched a movie. I had a very relaxing time. I got to Germany on Wednesday morning where Steve picked me up at the airport. He had the morning off, so the first thing I wanted to do was drive past our old house. Everything looked pretty much the same to me. Then we went to the hotel and took a nap. When Steve went back to work I went over to one of my old favorite grocery stores Toom and looked around for food I had been missing. When Steve got off work we had plans to go to the "Great American Steakhouse" in Frankfurt where they have the best steak I have ever eaten. A couple of Steve's buddies from work were coming with us. Well... when we got to Frankfurt there were road blocks all over the city. We drove around for hours trying to get to the restaurant through tons of traffic, but there was a road block at every turn. We finally saw what the problem was. There was a 5k marathon that was starting at the same time as our reservations. There were over 5000 people running in this marathon. So, they had blocked off the route through the main streets of the city and the restaurant was within that area. We finally ended up at an Irish pub for dinner and we were all pretty frustrated. I was just tired considering I was totally jet lagged. It was interesting though.
The next day (Thursday) I started out my day with the hotel breakfast. I LOVE breakfast in Germany. They serve a roll and lunch meat and cheese , or you can eat it with Nutella. It is so delicious and I was so happy to be eating it again. I made sure I made it to breakfast every day that I was there. After breakfast, I took the street car around Darmstadt for the morning while Steve went to work. Then when he got off we headed up to our old favorite, the Auerbach castle. It was beautiful and delicious and so nice to be there.
On Friday I meet up with a friend of mine Julie, and her kids and we drove up to the Frankfurt temple. We went to the book store and walked around the temple for a little while, and then they went home and I got to go in and do a session. It was so nice to be back there, and to go through the temple. Our temple in Georgia is 3.5 hours away, so it is a lot harder to go. After my session Steve picked me up and we actually got to go eat at our Steak restaurant and it was dang good. It was great to be back there.
On Saturday Steve and I spent the morning at the big flea market they have there in Darmstadt. Then we headed up to Rudesheim which is a little town on the Rhein river where all the cruises start from. We had such a great time there. We went in to every little shop there was and we didn't have to worry about who was staying out with the boys. It was lots of fun. Then we drove down the Rhein all the way to Boppard where we rode a ski lift to the very top of this hill that overlooked the Rhein. It was right where the Rhein curves and makes a U shape. It was really pretty. When we were at the top we ordered some hot chocolate at a little outdoor cafe they had. Then we went down, had some schnitzel for dinner and headed home.
(This is the view from the hot chocolate cafe)
Sunday was Steve's birthday and Father's Day. I gave Steve his cards from the boys and then we went to church. Our old ward meets in a brand new building and it is very nice. It was so nice to see everyone and chat with old friends. Most of the ward that I knew is gone now, but there were some people left. After church we went to the hotel for a nap, and then on to Zadell and Jeremy Carley's house for a game of cities and knights. They made dinner for us and a nice birthday cake for Steve. It was great to visit with them, and we miss having them over all the time.
Then Monday morning I got back on an airplane and headed back to CA. It was a wonderful adventure for Steve and I and we are very much enjoying our childless vacations that we have been taking once a year. Even though I spent lots of time on a plane and then had to get right back on the next day to get the boys and I home from CA, it was an awesome trip. And things went so smoothly I really can't complain. Other than the van battery being dead when we showed up in Savannah at 9:30 Tuesday night tired and cranky. But the policeman there at the airport had it jumped in no time and we were on our way home!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Long awaited California Post
{This is Brandon's designated spot on the airplane.)
I know it has been over a month, but whatever. Whoever said I was on top of things. :)
At the beginning of June the boys and I took a golden opportunity to go to Bakersfield to visit my Mom and Dad and sister Laura and her family. Steve was on a business trip back to our old stomping ground in Griesheim Germany, so I only did what I thought was best for my sanity. And we had an awesome time!!
The flight there was a piece of cake after our treks from Germany. Mom has a big in-ground pool that the boys wanted to be in all the time. Even when they woke up at 5:30am because of jet lag and it was in the 70's, they were begging me to get in the pool. We did end up getting in that first morning at 8:00.
Now, I think this trip will best be described in pictures.
We went to this great place called Murray Farms. I had never heard of it before, but we had a great time. It was really neat. We started out looking at the animals.
Then we headed over to the pool of corn. The kids thought this was a blast and were very entertained.
We also got to go on a tractor ride out into the fields and picked some of the fruit off the trees to snack on. It was delish.
One day we had my Dad's brother Russ and his family over for a pool party. I really enjoyed spending time with them and catching up on their lives.
This is what Brandon does when you tell him to smile. Don't ask me
Very cool pool toy that got used and abused. I am not sure it is functioning anymore.
We also got to be in Bako for the Queen of Bakersfields 20th birthday. That would be Tawna. And because we were there visiting and took her bed, this is where she woke up on the morning of that special day. Sweet thang!
check out those cool lighters.
We also took the kinder bowling one day and had an awesome time. I may have liked it a little more than anyone else since I WON! Woot And whoever's post just mentioned how much more crazy things are when you visit friends with kids (Alicia) wait until you both have four and they are all full of opinions and ideas and NOISE. A lot of interrupted conversations for sure.
A couple of things not photographed. My friend Natalie came over with her kids to swim one afternoon and it was awesome to see her. Laura and I got to go out to eat two times together without kids and I always enjoy her company so much. It was very nice.
Can't leave these out.
Lila Skinner, about the cutest baby I have ever seen in my life!
Big boy Blake, who took this opportunity for a nap.
Here's to wonderful vacations with family
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