Another big box...

Here are the things that came in a box from Greg's side of the family (Poppy & Nana, Aunt Dawn, Grandpa D & Grandma D):
Each of the boys got a full set of "Cars" movie cars ("Light-min A-queen", according to both boys), a bunch of monster trucks, granola bars, an outfit for Lavella, etc.
Greg blew up some of the baloons included in the box into....um, interesting shapes.

Just one more picture...
It's all about the boots.

Thank you!!

Birthday boy!

Yesterday, Elijah turned 2. I would have blogged on the day, but I decided that he'd rather have his mommy all to himself rather than hanging out on the computer. (Blogging really takes a heck of a lot of time, when it comes down to it!)

Anyway, we had a nice day with some of the boys favorite activities: stamping and coloring with my art supplies (they get to use their own any day, but mine are only for special occasions where I'm willing to directly supervise and prevent destruction of my stuff), some new videos from the library, boxed macaroni & cheese for dinner cooked by Daddy (score for me -- I didn't have to cook; score for Elijah -- he could eat his favorite food), ice cream after dinner at the Eis shop nearby, and an elastic bedtime (they finally got in bed a little after 9 instead of the usual 8. I mean, you don't turn 2 every day now, do you?)

All in all, I think that he had a pretty fun day. We didn't buy him any gifts; we haven't bought either of the boys Christmas or birthday gifts yet since extended family showers them so heavily with things, and also because when they're this young, they don't expect it.

I had promised a while ago of pictures of the boys opening a huge box from Aunt Terry and Grandma Annette. In the meantime, yet another box came for Elijah (apparently the first box was for Lavella's birth, with extras for the boys -- the second box was just for Elijah's birthday!)

Here's the first one:

They were super excited, as always. "A box! For us!! Let's open it right now!"

I made sure they'd had breakfast first, because I had a feeling there would be candy...

Sure enough, there was some, but thankfully not too much. The boys were especially thrilled about the honey wheat pretzels and the play-dough eggs. The play-dough has kept them happy on more than one occasion since. There were also two DVD's, which have been greatly enjoyed (I especially like the Veggie Tales one, "Moe and the Big Exit". Very cute!)

Behind them you can see a brand new swing for Lavella. She loves it, and has taken several naps in there already. She's not so good with the naps, so anything that helps her sleep is wonderful to have around. This particular swing is especially cool, because it's portable and I can just bring it wherever I'm going to be in the house. I can carry it with one hand, which is key when the other arm is holding a fussy baby.

Not pictured is a beautiful Ralph Lauren crochet/cotton little one piece outfit for Lavella. She's nearly big enough to wear it, and as soon as I put it on her for the first time I'll be sure to take a picture.

The second box had a huge model of Lightening McQueen from the Cars movie (a current favorite around here since Christmas). Andrew was very sad that there wasn't one for him too, but Elijah was completely delighted, and pushed the noisy buttons all day. Aunt Terry told my dad that she'd sent Elijah something that he would love, and that I might really dislike. I'm sure this was said with much evil laughing. You're right Aunt Terry, Elijah does love it.
He wouldn't turn around for the picture, because he was guarding it from Andrew, who was creeping towards him, ready for the attack. You can see him looking at a Cars movie coloring book, which was also included in the gift. I've scanned in a bunch of the pages so that the boys can share them and re-use it. (Cheap, or thrifty?)

Elijah and Lavella have also recently received generous checks from Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Bob. Thank you to both of you as well! Elijah will be buying some molded plastic dinosaurs with his money; we'll go out shopping next week, and I'll make sure he knows who supplied the funds.

Another large box arrived this week from Greg's family, which will be blogged as soon as we get some pics.

We also have some pictures of last night and today, because we've been out at the beer festival, but I'll post those later. Have a great weekend everyone!

Greg's Update....

I know that some of you have been concerned that, amidst the busyness of my current job, and the flurry of activity surrounding the new baby, I’ve been unable to keep up with the ever evolving music scene. Well dear friends, let me set your minds at ease and give you a quick update on Greg’s recent musical ventures.

Although somewhat difficult at first, I have, with relative ease, tapped into the local music scene, and have attended two great shows in the past couple of months.

In February I went to Trier (about 45 minutes from our town) to see Origin, Misery Index, and Necrophagist play. Unfortunately the band I was really there to see (Necrophagist) had to cancel, but such is life, I guess, in the underground music scene. The venue was a bit small, but I was able to get some pretty good pictures, and the bands were great.

In April I went to Saarbrucken (about 40 minutes away) to see the Mad Caddies. I hadn’t seen them play since 1998, when one of my college roommates and I saw them in Raleigh, NC. Anyway, I’d never been to Saarbrucken before, but it was very easy to find, and it actually turned out to be a pretty hip town. They have a lot of really nice restaurants, a college, museums, and a great live venue called The Garage, where I saw the Caddies play. The venue was quite large, and afforded plenty of room to move around a get some really great pictures. The band was amazing, as usual (one of my favorite live bands), and they even put their new record up for sale four days early since it was the kick-off of the tour.

In a few weeks I’m going to Trier again to see Leng Tch’e, who I’ve never gotten to see live before.

Also, for those who care, here are the top 15 albums on my iPod playlist.

Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster – II
Phenomenal dirty, hard-southern rock. I’ve always loved this particular style, and these boys pull it off like a swift baseball bat to the face. This one definitely has to be played at full volume with all the windows down.
Over The Rhine – Live From Nowhere, Vol. II
OTR’s annual Live… series just gets better every single year. I still can’t believe these guys aren’t huge.
Leng Tch’e – Merasmus
Very well done and very heavy death-grind. Slightly less grind and a little more death than their previous efforts, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that whatsoever.
Zikrayat – Live At Lotus
This Brooklyn-based ensemble plays a wide variety of Arabic music styles. Previously available only as Podcast excerpts, their songs are now finally available on plastic. The recording quality is quite good, despite it being live, and all of the different instruments are exhibited quite well.
Virgin Black – Requiem – Mezzo Forte
The middle album of their very ambitious, three-part Requiem… series. Beautifully performed gothic-classical, featuring the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and guest guitarist, Mark Kelson (The Eternal).
Lovedrug – Everything Starts Where It Ends
Finally (!), the long awaited follow-up to Pretend You’re Alive, and it has definitely been worth the wait.
Mad Caddies – Keep It Going
I think this is like their sixth album or something, and it just might be their best ever. These guys are just a lot of fun. They remind me of many of my friends from growing up.
Belle And Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
Jack Black mocked these guys in High Fidelity but I really like them. This record is a bit more consistent than Dear Catastrophe Waitress and, for some reason, I like Stuart’s voice better on this one.
Sixteen Horsepower – Folklore
Definitely one of my favorite bands of all time. A sound like none other.
Seckou Keita – Afro-Mandinka Soul
Seckou is, in my opinion, the best Kora player in the world. And not only is he a master of the Kora, but also an excellent percussionist of many traditional African drums.
The Innocence Mission – We Walked In Song
Although I have been a very devoted Innocence Mission fan for many years, I still like Birds Of My Neighborhood and Befriended the best. Not that this record is bad whatsoever, I just really like some of the older ones better.
mewithoutYou – Brother, Sister
This was my record-of-the-year for 2006. If you haven’t picked this one up yet, well what’s wrong with you!!!
The Cassettes – ‘Neath The Pale Moon
I originally got into these guys because Shelby Cinca, formerly of Frodus and Decahdron fronts the band. Very unique sound, including a theremin, played by a master theremin player, who’s been playing for over 20 years. He also makes them and sells them on the band’s website for a mere $250.00!
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Baby 81
Another stylistic change on BRMC’s fourth album. Rock and roll how it should be played.
The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
This album is automatically my favorite of all Arcade Fire albums simply because they included little flipbooks with the CD. Who can resist trying little flipbooks?


Book Recommendations:



They Like Jesus But Not The Church, by Dan Kimball
Faith and I are both raving fans of this book. A lot of the discussion therein has confirmed many of the frustrations I’ve been voicing for a long time, and it’s good to know that I’m not the only one. Dan includes real interviews from many of his friends, some of whom have either left organized church groups or who aren’t a part of any church, and he gets their opinions and perspectives. Actually I find myself a lot like many of the ‘they’ who are featured in this book. Faith and I give this one our highest recommendation.

Preaching Re-Imagined, by Doug Pagitt
A follow-up to his book Church Re-Imagined, Doug presents a very well thought out, and very well written, objective look at what the act of preaching has become in many churches. He argues that preaching has essentially become glorified speech making, or ‘speaching’, as he calls it. Doug presents the fact that this speaching act has developed, within many churchgoers, the expectancy to just sit, week-in and week-out, being ‘speached’ to, with no real depth being rooted in their lives. His solution is a term he has coined, ‘progressional dialogue’, one in which the body of believers are actively involved in the message, not just a one-person-show being presented every week. I think if more Christians put some of these ideas into practice, the church as a whole would truly become the active, missional, body that everyone seems to talk a lot about, but never really sees the full fruit of. Faith and I also give this book our highest recommendation.

G'night, sweets

Today we went to the story hour at the library on post for the first time. I was hoping that the boys and I might find some friends. There was one other mother there, with her little girl. My boys were so incredibly shy and reticent to even look at anyone, that the other mother and I never even spoke to each other. Andrew just stood outside the door of the room for the first 20 minutes, and then lay on the floor with his hat over his face for the rest of the time. Even peanut butter cookies and strawberry Fig Newtons weren't doing it for him. My goodness.

The two ladies directing the story time ended it by having the children re-pot these flowers, which was so sweet. Elijah finally decided to help shovel some of the dirt in, but Andrew crouched behind my chair. As soon as everyone left, the boys tongues were suddenly loosed again, and it was all questions, all the time (back to normal).

We checked out some videos and I got the first Harry Potter book on audio. I've been wanting to read them to see what all the fuss is about for a while now. Jom told me that they were very well written and enjoyable. I knit and spin so much though that I don't make the time to read all that often, so I have really enjoyed getting into audio books recently. I'll keep you all posted on what I think of this one.

After that, we went to the post office, picked up some things at the commissary, stopped by Greg's work to have lunch with him, then back to the commissary for stuff we forgot the first time around. We got back home at 3, and Elijah was totally exhausted, but thankfully he went down well for his nap (even though I may have given him a little bit of chocolate...)

Here's two videos for you. The first, Elijah says what I say to him when I put him down to sleep ("G'night, sweets"), and in the second, Lavella smiles (she really does at the end), and Elijah is drinking a bottle. They were recorded yesterday.

(Notice that Lavella's little head is still bobbing around, even though Elijah is "putting her to bed")


(They're all lined up for assembly-line diaper changing)

Under-age drinking and other fun things

Mom, I finally planted my herbs on Sunday!

Parsley, Rosemary, Oregano, Basil, Mint

I've been watering them every day, and they're actually still alive. We've been enjoying fresh herbs with most of the dishes that I've made in the past few days. (For those who haven't been here yet, the photo was taken out in the wintergarden, which is a "room" of sorts just off the kitchen. It's separated by big glass doors and windows from the kitchen, and the roof is sliced off, so that when you're in there, you're actually outside. Sort of like a porch, but not.)

Anyway, I'm terribly proud of myself.

At Ramstine the other day, I saw this next to the yogurt.
Yes, it's refrigerated Belgian Chocolates. There were about 10 truffles in there, individually wrapped. I've become terribly picky about chocolate, and am not easily impressed. This looked like a total gimmik, but it piqued my interest, so I sprung for it. Oh my gosh. I wish that I could send each of you, my readers, a can of this. Or 10. It's so good. Unfortunately, it has to stay chilled...

On Saturday, we went to this food tasting at a local gourmet food botique. Here is what we came home with:
From left: Saffron, French Sea Salt (harvested from the surface of the ocean, supposed to be the purest form possible. Not to be cooked with, but instead sprinkled over a finished dish. Very good!), Waldmeister liquer (literally translated, "Master of the forest", but is actually what we call "Sweet Woodruff" in the US), Quitten Liquer (quince), Olive/sun-dried tomato tapenade, sweet German musterd.

When we got home, all of the boys took shots of the Waldmeister.
The Germans are crazy about this flavor. They drink the liquer straight, throw a shot of it into a pint of beer, every Eis shop makes this flavor of ice cream, they also make a flavored syrup that can be served over ice cream, stirred into drinks. The children's playground has a Waldmeister slushy. It is seriously everywhere. The flavor is reminiscent of vanilla, almonds, amaretto, marzipan, freshly mown hay. I've heard that people even use the fresh herb on poultry.

Two days ago I wanted to bake beer bread, so the boys and I went out in search of a bottle.

The lady at the store also encouraged me to buy this "cola + beer". I tried it when I got home, and thought it was quite bad. Andrew, on the other hand, thought differently.
He was only allowed to drink a few sips, but he loved every one of them

This is a video that I took of Lavella yesterday:



You might have to hit play a few times -- it was acting strangely for me, although Aunt Terry tested it and said it was fine for her.

Speaking of Aunt Terry, we just got a huge box in the mail from her yesterday. I've got some cute pictures, which I'll put in the next post.

Today

Greg is back to work, and instead of telling you about this hectic thing or that insane moment, let's just look at some cute pictures.

Yesterday, Elijah was running around like this:
(Note the too small sunglasses, too big slippers, dirty face, worn-out jeans, monster truck video in the background)

And then some Lavella "action shots" (borrowing that phrase from my mom), taken today:



On days like today, I need to remember that someday the two small fellows won't need to be commanded to eat every bite of dinner, that the tiny princess won't need to eat every two hours and be held almost every moment between, that my life won't always revolve around baby/toddler nap schedules and food needs. And I'll miss it. I just need to remember that.

A Darling Visit...

Okay, so I guess that's an extremely cheesy title, but it's nearly my bed time and I can't think of anything more clever right now.

Anyway, for the past couple of weeks, my parents have been staying with us, in Kusel. Because of our unfortunately short time together, we immediately jumped into showing them all of the attractions surrounding our little area of the world. First we went out to dinner at Toucy, the French restaurant just down the street from our house (above).

Then we did a short Volks-March in Ramstein (near Ramstein Air Force Base)....

Many walks to the playground....

...and the market....

...our local pool....

...one of many fountains....

...the Wildpark at Potzberg, about 15 minutes from our house....

....Sternenland, the indoor playground in Idar-Oberstein (45 minutes from our house)....


...the Church in The Rock (a church literally built into the side of a rock) in Idar-Oberstein....


...and the looong climb up the adjoining trail to a castle that overlooks the entire city of Idar-Oberstein.

We all definitely had a killer time hanging out together. It's always great to have family around to experience fun stuff together. Thanks Dad and Mom for all of your help entertaining the boys, for helping Faith with Lavella, and for arranging your schedules (and finances) to be able to come. It really was great having you as our guests.

I'd also like to extend the invite to any extended family who's interested in traveling to Europe. We have a large place, andvery much enjoy entertaining guests, so please let us know if you'd like to come.

I don't have time for a "real" post, so click here for some cute pics of Lavella.

Oh for the love of sleep

So sorry for the terrible lapse in posting.

I've been staring into a face that looks like this much of the time:
And she likes to sleep with someone like this:
It's not that I'm spoiling her (well, not much). The truth of the matter is that she's got tummy issues that cause her to wake up from napping over and over screaming in pain, and there's no way I'm going to let her cry herself to sleep in that state. (For those who gasp at the thought of letting a baby "cry it out", well, that's a post for another date, so you can hold your gasp until then.)

When I burp her, she has these huge, man-like belches, and seems terribly relieved. But she needs to burp ALL THE TIME. Aunt Terry is going to say that she takes after Grandpa Sam. I hope that she takes after that side of the family, but for goodness sake, not with the belching!! Poor babe. I don't know if it's something I'm eating or what, but I'm getting so exhausted.

Last night was the first time she let me sleep 4 hours in a row, and she did it twice in that one night. I felt wonderful this morning!

I know all of that was terribly exciting news, so let's move on.

Pete and Jill (Greg's parants, AKA Poppy and Nanna) are here with us for a visit, and today we went on post so that they could check out where Greg works, and also I had a few packages to mail (Chase and Amanda, Jessica S., expect something in a week or so).
I know that there have been pictures taken of this visit, but I'm just too tired to go find them at the moment. I think that Greg uploaded them to somewhere that I don't normally put pictures, and it would take too much effort to locate them.

That's all for now, folks. Sleep is calling.

Gifted!

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the Name That Baby contest! You can hop on over to my blog to see the results, if you wish. (Chase, candy will be arriving in a week or so.)

This week, I've gotten some incredibly generous things in the mail.

For my birthday, Pete and Jill (AKA Poppy and Nana), sent me some maple syrup, maple candy and maple cream (doesn't contain cream, it's just pure maple sap that's been boiled down to be thick and creamy ). The maple products are from the farm down the road from them, run by cousins at Dewy Meadows. Normally, being a New Jersey Girl, I don't sing the praises of Pennsylvania. I have to tell you though, Dewy Meadows maple products, tasted alongside those of other farms, are the absolute best I've ever had. If you don't live close, they do mail orders, and it's totally worth the effort!

Also for my birthday, Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Bob send me a card with "the usual" tucked inside. Always much appreciated! Thank you so much. It always makes me feel so special that Aunt Mary Ann and Aunt Terry remember my birthday each year, even though I'm an "old" kid now.

Yesterday, yet another card (and gift) came from A. Mary Ann and U. Bob -- this one for Lavella. She sends baby kisses your way.

This package came from Sarah D., and I have to say, the words on the pink shirt brought tears to my eyes:

(You can click for bigger, as always)

The shirt reads "worth the wait", and every time I look at Lavella, that's exactly what I think. I was worried about how I would handle being the mom of a little girl, but as it turns out, she's a perfect fit for our family. Born late after a very emotionally challenging (although healthy) pregnancy, she was certainly worth the wait.

Thank you Sarah!

So sorry that there's no baby pics today. I promise to do better in the future. =)

Must go start dinner. I haven't cooked in quite a while, but I think I still know my way around the kitchen...