Just Because...

...you have a runny nose, and a red horn on your head from bumping your brother

doesn't make you ANY less beautiful to Papi and I!

p.s.  Romy can now say a few words fairly clearly, "Mama, Papa, tschuess (bye)

however, her first enunciated word: eis

**it means ice cream in German, and she says it (SCREAMS it!) while standing in front of the freezer! 

Pantone Playhouse

Growing up was fun at my house because we always had colorful, artsy things to play with thanks to my Dad's occupation as a Graphic Artist.  

Back in the days before computers, "graphic artists" had to do everything by hand.  Layering colors one by one; taking colors away, one by one.  Manipulating a picture was more of a talent back then.  Nowadays everyone has Photoshop and can remove a pimple at the click of a mouse!  

However, pre-computer era "graphic artists" weren't always called that, they had a different occupational name that was more appropriate to what they were doing with the colors: layering and removing.  

I remember the first time I told my friend's parents what my Dad did, they looked at me so wide-eyed and then laughed their asses off!!  Picture it.  1980's, me - probably my hair in a side ponytail (killin' it, per usual!), and then the question from them: "So, what does your Dad do?" Me, "My Dad is a Stripper".  MMMhhhhmmm, that's what it was called, folks.  STRIPPING!!!!  

Hilarious true story, Deia...do you remember?  That was you I'm talking about!!  

East LA Bob's Big Boy, after church.  Those were the days...

So I went off topic a bit, but what I was getting at were all the cool things around the house we had.  One of them was this Pantone Color Book below.  If you can't already read, it was my Dad's.  And now it's mine.  :)  

It was so cool to play with and see all the beautiful colors!  What went together, what absolutely did NOT.  Colors are great for children's imaginations!  So I thought to make something that could combine beautiful colors, and learning what goes together, and doesn't.  

Of course I wasn't ABOUT to ruin my Pantone book, so I took some paint chips from the local Hardware Store - it would've been better (easier) had they been with the full 4 color scheme, but this was all I had so I had to improvise.  I took 2 from each color family.  Bought some wooden clothes pins for 2.50 Euro, and dedicated some of my precious time to this project!

I laminated the "color family's" together so that I could have the 4 different shade perspective for one "board".  Oh, you don't have your own lamination machine??  Well, neither do I!  That's what I work for, to use their office supplies.  :)  Laminating probably isn't totally necessary, but I do think it punches up the color a bit, and (hopefully) will let this "game" last a little longer than if it WASN'T laminated!

 I measured and cut out the laminated "boards", and then cut little strips from each of the 4 color wheels and glued them onto the clothespins.  Voila!  Now, it's a matching game that they just "pin" the correct color onto the "board".  It's also great for practicing with perspective, matching, and dexterity in the young-ins!

All it cost me was 2.50 Euros, however I hope it saves me countless hours (eh, minutes??) while we're on the plane flying over to see all of you!!  That's right, I made this (and will only give it to Emma when we're on board) for the plane ride!!  October 18-November 1st Emma, Henry and I will be in L.A. and Phoenix - so mark your calendars everyone, we're doing Hollywood!!

**not really Hollywood, it's kinda a dump!  :)  bwahhhhh

Deep Thought of the Day

**You could probably insert Jack Handy's theme song here, and it would be more than appropriate.

I sure hope the 3 homeless people that we encountered today on our family bike ride were smoking marijuana and not crack cocaine from that pipe.

France 2012

Our French countryside vacation got a jumpstart when Henry developed a case of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease.

I know, right??  This kid gets it all!  If you've got a disease...send it my way because he's always lookin' to catch it!

Henry got shipped to France a week early to hang with the G's because this nice, poxed disease is contagious as a mo' fo'!  And we NEVER need any extra help with needing extra WORK!!

So here are some random pics so you can see how we enjoyed ourselves a la Maison Spoerhase

Beauty School Dropout

She doesn't quite have "the knack" of doing her own hair down, just yet -- although I'm trying to remain positive for the future... 


And most of the time I want to take some tweezers (or a weedwhacker) to those earthworms that rest above her eyes, thanks Spoerhase DNA...


But this is my darling, baby girl.  Just how I always see her in my head when she's not in front of my eyes.  


Big eyes, always a smile, and mischief starring me straight in the face!

Love this kid.

Hello Andes Mint Ice Cream

*insert Jerry McGuire line here:  "You had me at, Hello!"  

Yes, I'm corny, but I'm also dark chocolatey and minty to boot!

You should all know by now that my lovely husband, to whom I just celebrated my 5th Wedding Anniversiary with and received a stunning vintage, diamond ring from, gave me an ice cream machine for my birthday a few years ago.  I had been at him forever that I wanted to make ice cream, hmmm, actually it was always after we summered in France (don't hate!) and I ate the deliciously delicate Rose Ice Cream for sale in their local parlor.

No, I have never made the Rose Ice Cream - too hard to find Rose oil!!

But I have made *knockoff* Andes Mint Chocolate Ice Cream, and it was DELISH!

WHAT?  Pictures, you say?  Yeah right...I should've grabbed my phone, but I just wasn't fast enough before it was all gone.

It was THAT good.

Try some and find out!

Easy Peasy Ice Cream Recipe for any base of Flavor:

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
250 ml Milk - yes, I'm metric now.  Get over it.

That's it!!  I ended up just crushing up some knockoff Andes Mints and added them when the machine had finished churning and let it set up and then immediately gobbled up.

It was delicious, and I highly recommend trying it!

Oh, what's that?  My cooking skillz ain't enough??
Well thencheck out my beautiful, talented, crack-a-knee hilarious bestie, Lara on her blog: Love, Cook, Eat & Repeat for some extra special recipes that are sure to make you reschedule your day to cook!

Can we praise & encourage our kids TOO much?

Emma is a genius!  She is so smart, and so talented, and so beautiful, and so damn kind-hearted I can almost weep sometimes when I watch her.  Is she MORE talented, and MORE beautiful and MORE kind-hearted than other kids - say YOURS??  I don't know.  

But in my eyes, yes - and I tell her everyday, and every time I see her doing something that personifies one of these traits.  

But I got to thinking, can it ever be too much praise that you're bestowing upon your little darling?  I mean, yes -- she did dance a good routine to Bootylicious, and yes -- she did brush her brother's hair very nicely, but does she really need so much stroking from me on doing these things?  Will it really help her in the future??

Here in Germany,  children are not praised for the little (sometimes trivial) things that we often praise our children for.  The idea is that not everything they do - even the GOOD THINGS they do - should be worthy of a barrage of compliments from the Parents.  This theory is carried out in the schools as well.  It saves the true praise and compliment for a completed action that is done through repeated learning.  Ex., setting the table alone without being asked (for a child a bit older), or watering the plants correctly (for a child a bit younger).

My Dad taught me early on about life:  

"The only thing that's guaranteed are death & taxes"

and

"Be nice to your family.  

There are enough people in the world who are ready & willing to be mean to you"

Did I misunderstand?  Do the Germans have it right - take a look at their placement in Child Development & Education Statistics in the world overview- they're doing something right!

I assumed that I should instill greatness in my children's actions no matter how big or small - but in the end is it a false sense of accomplishment when I tell them, "Hooray!  You ate dinner and didn't bother your brother & sister once!".  I know that mentioning & praising the milestones in smaller children are different than in older ones.  The first time she brushes her teeth alone, and sets the table, and doesn't pick up her sister every damn minute for more than 20 ARE milestones that we want to celebrate.

But what about after that?

I don't see me changing my mind fully about giving praise to them.  Perhaps it is because I'm still hearing my Dad's voice in my head reminding me about the people in the world firing up their engines to be mean to my children - who, by the way I will KILL if I ever see it -thankyouverymuch.  I want them to be prepared and strong and ready to deflect any of the negativity that comes their way, but I also don't want it to be some false shield that they're wearing and find out all too late that the "skills" I praised them on are no good to them now.

Ugh.  Is this really parenthood?  

And to answer the question all parents ask: Yes, Mom & Dad, it is a hard job...

Emma Rey Red Feather

Here is the poster we made for her "Pin the Tail on" game...

Easy way to personalize the party theme, too!

Emma's 3rd Birthday Party

My little baby turned 3!  

Emma is cray cray right now about all things Indian.  Native, that is!  She adores this cartoon called, Yakari, here in Germany so we just HAD to have a  "Yakari Birthday Party" - as she called it.  Mama called it, get all the Native American themed shit you can find and pass it off as Yakari party.  Meh, I suppose her way sounded better...

I started by giving Emme her own "indian name":  Emma Rey Red Feather

2 cakes!  And yes, both had Gummi Bears!

 The kids had a great time.  We did warrior face paint, and I pre-cut construction paper so they could each make their own head dresses adorned with feathers and crayons, Emma's of course was made by Mama!!

My friend, Sandra and her baby Jonas.
No, I didn't have a 4th, that's Merla!

Oma & Opa holding down the fort at the Kiddie Table

 Hajo & Dolly came down to help us out with the last week of a FOUR WEEK PROCESS of integrating the twins into their Daycare program.  You start with only an hour and a half, and work your way S.L.O.W.L.Y up to the whole day at the end of the 4 weeks.  Bwahhhh.  Do we do that, too??

Enthusiastic Emma with one of her presents

We played: Pin the Feather on Emma Rey Red Feather!

 With help from my Dad, I made Emma her own "pin the tail on" game poster.  Her little face with the coolest, biggest headdress we could find!  The kids had to pin a feather onto the feathers on the poster to win the prize.  We even had some of the adults try too, including myself, and out of all of us, Anton (pic above) was the best!!

Here's the poster I made for the game

Christian attempting to steal the spotlight

My Pied Piper british friend taking the kids
on a Magic Picnic Blanket ride!

Everyone had a great time, the weather was awesome.  Which was surprising because the days leading up to, and the very next day after were HORRIBLE.

Happy Birthday, Emma!!!

Henry's in the Hospital

The title pretty much says it all.  

The night of Emma's birthday party was horrible for Henry.  

Coughing, screaming, crying, stretching like he was in pain.  All of this isn't so unusual for us, but by 2 a.m. we knew it was more than the usual.  By 5 a.m. he  had been admitted to the local hospital with a heart rate of over 200, and breathing 4 times as fast as he should.  His poor little chest was puffing so fast, it just broke my heart.  He was white as a ghost and pissed (also due to lack of sleep FROM this horrible night).  He was immediately placed on oxygen because he wasn't receiving enough, and an IV of antibiotics and cortisone to open his lungs.  This was the beginning of a new kind of horrible experience for us.

And you would have NEVER guessed it by looking at the birthday party photos the day before.  

At least SOMEONE loved my bluebird costume!!

Since 5 weeks old Henry has had a wet cough.  We took him to Doctor(s), and even to the hospital once before, and they all just told me he's a "happy wheezer".  My pediatrician said the words, "It's his "thing"."  Um, mucus in throat is his thing??  And he was always a horrible sleeper, see ALL previous posts to attest this!  He would cough himself awake, and then begin this horrible cycle of trying to fall back asleep, only to cough himself awake again, only to aggravate his mood and repeat the cycle.  Awful.

I started doing research a few months ago because I just never believed this whole "happy wheezer" thing, and he just didn't seem healthy to me.  One thing here about socialized medicine that sucks is that the Doctor's have no fear of repercussions against their poor diagnoses.  So they pacify your complaints as if you just picked some random disease in the medical journal to claim your child has it.  On top of which, most of this is done in German!!  My German now is pretty proficient, on things which I speak of everyday, medical terms are not one of them.  So I often ask the Doctor's to speak in English but they have the same problem, except reverse the language...so I'm stuck in German speaking about what my son could possibly have.

Bringing it back to the hospital visit.  He stayed for 6 days.  4 of which he was on oxygen the entire time, all of which he received cortisone and antibiotics for the pneumonia he was later diagnosed with.  We had to do breathing treatments with him 4 times a day, and that was.a.fight.  He fights with the same power from the first second, to the last.

Of course one of us always had to be with him there, and I had just started back to work (so not really the time to take off - of course I could have, but was trying to make it all work), we have 2 other kids, and my husband works, oh, and NO FAMILY TO HELP US.  It was awful.  It's also just plain ol' awful being in a hospital with other sick kids.

And they attempted yet again to tell me that he was just a "happy wheezer", and pacify my complaints as I read the internet too often.  I got into it with one of the student doctors - because of COURSE this was a teaching hospital - of course in German, because we all know everyone learns "cut downs" first in a language!  haha.

At this point I had done plenty of my own research, I was/am convinced Henry has Asthma.  He has about 7 signs of the 9 listed signs on American Asthma Association's website.  Not that that should be convincing, but I live with him EVERY DAY.  These "signs" are a way of life for us, however that means nothing to Doctor's who go to school to tell me: "I don't know what he has".  Um, ok thanks.

Another problem is that Doctor's don't like to diagnose Asthma in babies so small.  Really, until 4 years old they're scarce to make that diagnoses in any child.  However, that doesn't mean that's NOT what he has, just because they're unwilling to make the actual diagnoses!!!

This last Doctor told me, "well, if he shows chronic infections, that could mean he has Asthma".  I countered, "how many chronic infections?", she," 4 or more in a year".  me,"um, he has Pneumonia NOW, and I told you he had Bronchitis 2 times in Winter.  THAT'S 3!!!!!  Do you mean because he's missing ONE MORE CHRONIC INFECTION HE DOESN'T HAVE ASTHMA????".  her, "hmmm, good point".  Kill.me.now.  - no, wait, I.AM.GONNA.KILL.U.NOW.

So, he came home after 6 days with no medicine because he's a "happy wheezer" and I'm a crazy Mama.  3 days later he was admitted back to the hospital, the only thing that saved us was the fact he didn't need oxygen.  He didn't have to stay long.

I called Henry's Doctor, took off my earrings, rolled up my sleeves, and prepared for a fight.  I wanted him to have this breathing machine that he used in the Hospital - it was the only thing that I felt really helped him.  My previous attempts to get this machine had been met with a firm NO.  I wasn't taking no this time.

I won't bore you with the details, or of how I asked to see his Medical License.  :)  Needless to say, I got the machine.  And the treatment for Asthma that goes into the machine.  He has really flourished, and although his breathing problems haven't gone away totally.  The nights are much better.  He can typically sleep through the nights now (last night wasn't so, and he had a fever this morning), but we are seeing some progress and that's what counts.

I feel like from beginning April until literally, right now has been a blur.  Starting work again, doing the "transitional time" with the babies to slowly integrate them into the daycare (one month long!), 2 separate birthday parties, 3 people visiting us, Henry's hospital visit, existing with the 2 girls.

I just don't know how much more we can take.  I truly thought when they got into the daycare, things would settle down.  My head is spinning everyday, all day.  Christian's too.  He's such a champ.  We don't have time to cry, or to enjoy the kids, we just have to keep moving all the time - or I feel like we will collapse and not get up.

I wish I had time to cry now, but I have 2 hours before I work and they need to be spent cleaning.
ugh.

1 Year Old...We Made It!

Of course this is coming to you a bit late, but it was truly hectic around here lately with the Birthday Party, Easter with guests, Christian's Aunt visiting from Texas.

My babies aren't babies anymore (well, according to Dr. Spock, Dr. Sears, and any other prominent Child Development Doctor!) They are ONE YEAR OLD!!

We celebrated on their birthday, April 7th, here at home with a select few of people who had done small and big things for us during the most difficult year of our lives. I said that I was happy to be out of that year, happy to still be married, and happy to still overall be HAPPY. Times were rough, self-esteem was for the birds, it was survival in the most basic mode...but we survived.

There are pics from the party, but I'm deciding to post these. I have these from all my kids now to celebrate THEIR accomplishments and personalities at their one year anniversary.

Enjoy meeting Henry & Romy!

Karneval!

While we don't have Halloween here in Germany, we do have a time for the kids to dress up - and eat sweet things!

Karneval, or "Fasching" as it's known here in Germany follows the same Carnival dates as in Rio, or Mardi Gras in Louisianna. February 20-22. (Yes, this post is late, I know already!)

Street parades, candy thrown from floats, kids (and adults) dressed up in costume - although it's a pleasant break from seeing all the adults in "sexy nurse" or "sexy firewoman", or "sexy everything"! Also being thrown from the floats are tiny bottles of Schnapps! Fun for all! The last Fasching's Parade I went to had paper mache of Obama & Merkel duking it out! Hilarious!

They celebrate it at the pre-schools here with the kids dressing up and doing fun foods for the day.

So, with all my free time I have I wanted to make Emma her own costume. I found a beautiful one here from Prudent Baby that looked amazingly fun for my little girl.

So off I went - with all my free time (can you hear me choking those words out?)...

And the result was...hmmm, I think the pictures say it better than me:

I definitely faced some resistance putting it initially on her,

but I thought, "Oh, she'll see the other kids in costumes and BECOME ok with it".

STILL hoping for the reluctance to leave us...

Emma's best friend, Lili trying also to convince her of the fun to be had in costume!

Thanks, Ladybug Lili!

"I don't care what you say, this SUCKS!"

My kid? Um, yeah.

She desperately was trying to pull off/rip off anything she could. The white bird front part got pushed up over her belly in her attack of resistance.

Lesson #1 Learned: I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it.

Thank you, Bill Cosby...truer words have never been spoken.

Lesson #2 Learned: Buying off the rack never hurt NOBODY.

Hello sexy bird costume next year...

In a horrible p.s. to this, all the Teachers told me what a great "penguin" she was!

Really??

Cleaning House

I flew into Las Vegas to essentially go to my Mom's funeral, and clear her entire presence from her apartment. Cleaning the house forever of someone you love is a very unpleasant thing to do.

What do you save? What do you throw away? What do you save that will sit like a lump of coal in your heart AND your garage? What will you throw away that you will hate yourself for later?

I took some things; some things I took and left with my brother out of the pure reason that I couldn't take them NOW, and other things, we left & gave away. I'm happy with most of the decisions we made in that week. I still miss some of the things we gave away, and some of the things that sit in my brothers garage. But every time I come home I take a few things with me, and that makes her all the more close to me in my new home.

Some of the things I did find (and subsequently take) were greeting cards. She had a whole box filled with them, probably about 40. My Mom was pretty great about sending hand-written cards. Perhaps because you couldn't talk back to a greeting card! She was a beautiful writer.

Some were just beautiful photographs of nature, animals. Some were hand painted flowers, others were eco-friendly sustainable wood cards! She had a HUGE variety. Others I found, were obviously for my brother and his new nuclear family-to-be (Amaya hadn't graced us yet!). Some just said, "Happy Birthday", others were funny cards about men & women (we all know whose side my Mom was on, right??!!)

At first, I took the cards specifically for the reason that Sam could still get his cards from Mom for these specified reasons (Christmas, the birth of Miss Amaya), via the "Hotline to Heaven". Later, I found myself looking at what I perceived to be cards meant for me. I wanted to share a few of them here so you could see the complexities, compassion, and determination to make things right my Mom had.

How to please a woman?

Love her, die for her, take her to dinner, miss the football for her, buy her jewelry, be interested in what she has to say...

How to please a man?

Show up naked, bring beer

(Picture of a sad bird with head fallen between shoulders) I'm sorry.

(inside) You're always right and I'm always wrong. You're the best and I'm the worst. You're great at everything and I suck at everything. Are you happy now?

(Letterpress stationary with a beautiful flower scene & a skunk).

(inside) I stink. I'm sorry.

(person holding a red rose) I'm trying.

(inside) And you know how trying I can be!

I don't exercise.

If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.

(beautiful bronze falling leaves) My friend is one who takes me for what I am.

(2 Antelopes with horns locked) I hate it when we lock horns.

(Hand drawn pictures of all four seasons)

(inside) I can't believe it's been so long since we talked.

Metallic celestial sun

(inside) You're the light of my life

There are a ton of just blank cards with beautiful pictures on them. I have used MANY of the cards...most of them have been PERFECT for the situation I gave them out in. Even a card for dealing with the grief of a lost, loved one. Which I gave to my friend who lost her baby. Actually, that's why I was looking through my Mom's cards today was because it was the 2 year date of when she lost Luis.

And you know what?

I found the perfect card.

Video Updates Part Zwei

...and just because Emma likes to ALWAYS remind me that SHE walked first...here's a recap of Emma's first steps.

Hopefully, I can someday add a video of Romy walking...until then, here's my little miss beauty:

Video Update

As promised, video of Henry walking...he gets a little too excited at the end!

We've got a walker!

I'm shocked because I really thought Romy would walk first, and Henry would talk first...but to my amazement Henry started walking at 10 months 13 days. Pretty exact to Emma's first steps, too!

Of course I'm late in posting this (big shocker, eh?), and I'm not able to post the proper video, but I just wanted to share the news.

Romy still doesn't even stand alone really, and is perfectly content being carried around in someone's arms or crawling and inching along the walls to her final destination.

I can't believe they will be one year old soon. I would love to say the time flew...

Twins Suck

Did you know that?

Did you know that twins means TWO BABIES at all times?

I bet you thought you knew that...but you never actually had two babies around you ALL THE TIME WITHOUT EVER HAVING A BREAK, so you didn't really know that two was really two.

I'm so tired. I'm tired of these babies that give me no relief. They wear me out everyday. I'm living in Groundhog Day hell. They are the shittiest sleepers and, oh, did I mention they're two? So when you have one shitty sleeper, they usually very nicely wake the other shitty sleeper up too.

I wake up everyday, after waking up 5 times a night for Henry, and wish I could run away with my life. Really, I do. I check out ticket prices to LA, and think...hmmm, should I take Emma with me? Yes. Should I take Christian with me? No, someone has to look after the babies! SEE, I'm not all bad! I care about their welfare!

I'm so damn tired. I don't have time for anything. I would LOVE to go to the bathroom without four hands trying to beat down the door if I DARED to close it. Or to hang my wet laundry (yup, I said that - welcome to Europe, the 3rd world country), without having babies rip down everything that I just hung up. Maddening.

I'm away from all my friends, I'm away from my family. Can you imagine NEVER getting a break from your kid(s)? I mean like seriously, who lives like that?

Emma is adorable with them, my only saving grace. And how she earned her ticket with me on the plane to LA in my daydream runaway. But to forget who you are as a person is a horribly, rotten thing to happen. I'm no longer Jenn. I'm Emma Rey's mama, or the twins' mama. I'm not really Christian's wife - except for occasionally, but most people know me by the other descriptions.

My pity party is not over. It won't be over until these bastards are sleeping good, less cranky, and HE stops screeching in my ear the whole damn day! Do I just have loser twins that are loud - I mean LOUD, and shitty sleepers? I see my friend's baby, Livia, and she is always - ALWAYS so quiet, with this perfect little smirk on her face like she's thinking, "hmmm, I'm glad I'm here and not there (pointing her cute little finger into my stroller!".

Hmmpf.

out.

Die Emma war hier

All in all it was a WONDERFUL visit. Family, friends, and shopping!!!

Of course, it was all too short, too. Family, friends, and shopping :(

It was a strange, and nice feeling being with her in a place that I know and love so well. Not that she could really comprehend such a concept, but having her in LA, going to places I also love going was a really great feeling for me.

I was able to see a few of you over the holidays, but a bunch of you were sick or away over Thanksgiving. It was awesome to catch up with the ones I could, and if I missed you, well, I really MISS you, still. *sniff sniff*

Emma did fabulous, and had a bit of a difficult time adjusting back to Frankfurt time, but missed her brother & sister and was THRILLED to be back in Papi's arms!

"Emma was here".

Disneyland!

Hey Everyone,

I'm still catching you up on our US visit, then I'll catch you up on all things Frankfurt 2012.

We were lucky enough to get to go to Disneyland with my Brother, his wife, and my niece while we were out in LA. Sam's neighbors (Husband & Wife) both work for Disney and scored us some free passes so we could enjoy the sun Disney style.

THANK GOD, too. Because I was getting so desperate to take her to someplace like this, I was ALMOST going to take her to Disneyland in Paris - PUKE!!! Who wants their first trip to Disneyland to be in French. Peeeeee Ewwwww! That's French for, "No Thank You".

I thought that because we went on "Black Friday" that Disneyland would be relatively uncrowded...big mistake, HUGE, big. Lines were 50 minutes deep - for the kiddie ones, too! :(

Let's ride the tram.....wheeeeeee!

Nobody forget we parked in Eyore, or was it Mickey, oh hell.

At first she patiently waited for the rides.

Later, she was like a wild, rabid dog trying to bend through the bars.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

You gotta love "It's a small world".

Seriously, you gotta.

If you don't you're like a Communist or something.

Seriously.

Loves these pics.

M-I-C, See you real soon!

K-E-Y, WHY? Because we love you.

M-O-U-S-E

Zooperific!

I love the Zoo! Always have.

I still remember going to the LA Zoo and getting small animals made out of plastic from a vending machine that MADE it while you waited! It was the coolest thing. Does anyone else remember that machine??

So, of course another stop in our What to Do in Phoenix search was the Phoenix Zoo, which was actually voted one of the Top 5 Zoo's for Kids in the Nation! I would say it definitely lived up to that title.

Note to self: MORE globe, LESS asphalt.

mkthanks.

Look Ma, MONKEYS!

So Emma decided to pick her own outfit that day and WOULD NOT change for anything. I saw my Dad kinda sit back and watch me when I was ineffectively coaxing her out of her chosen ensemble. He was enjoying every minute of this whole "Parenthood" thing. And in the end, he said, "I think she looks beautiful".

Um, okay. I think you can give fashion advice when you learn there are other shirts besides Tommy Bahama shirts out there.

Giraffes!!

Hungry Giraffes!!

Sidenote: the woman here in the picture heard me speaking some German to Emma and we later learned her daughter lives in a town not far from us. We had a nice conversation, and it was actually nice to find a use for my German outside of Germany.

We had a great time, and made some great memories with my Dad! Another spot that comes highly recommended by the Spoerhase Five - although it was only two of us, and I'm not technically a "Spoerhase". Does that make it any less of a recommendation?? :)

Kids Museum

The Phoenix Kids Museum was great! I had read about things to do with Kids before we left, and that was top of the list - now I see why.

There were so many things to look at, play with, and listen to there that we could've spent all day there! Of course the Emma was a hot, crying mess when I had to CARRY her out of there.

This will definitely be on the list of things to do the next time we're there...or you're there!

You can read more about it here, but it comes highly recommended by the Spoerhase Five.

She was fascinated by these little air pocket thingies (technical name??)

They had a 3 story high "climbing tree" made out of all recycled parts.

You could actually get into this suspended flying tub, super cool!

Ahhh, happiness.

Ain't she purdy??

Drive thru Car Wash

(on tricycles).

I was kinda sad my legs were sooo long. -that's the only time I can say that! :)

16 hours, from door to door

That's right.

16 hours from door to door. Frankfurt to Phoenix, AZ - where my Dad is living

Emma did great! She didn't sleep too much, but when we were getting off the plane I had so many people (I never even saw sitting near us!) come up to me and say how delightful she was.

Delightful? My Emma? Whythankyouverymuch!

One thing is for sure, this kid loves to fly...looks like we're in for an expensive few years. :)

We may be coming from the cold of Frankfurt.

But we come prepared for sun.

Of course Opa (Grandpa) Randy was thrilled to death with her.

She can do no wrong by him -

she starts a fire, he says, "look how evenly that fire's burning!"

So we enjoyed our first few days being lazy and going on carousel's and riding elephants.

I mean, what else does Phoenix have to offer??!

I'm not dead...I just feel like it

Sorry for the lack of posts for the past few months. There's a slew of explanations but I will try to post about most of them, and keep my whining minimal. :P