How big is Luke?

Sooooooooooooooooooooo BIG!! Luke is growing like a weed! Every time I look at him, I swear, he is bigger! He is rocking on all fours and is ready to take off any minute! Time flies by, too fast, sometimes :o)

Fun! Fun! Fun!

We have been having so much fun this past week with Grammy and Papa. Michael is away in NJ for a few weeks playing G.I. Joe. We are keeping busy with lots of crafts, choo-choos, and lots of fun in the snow. This morning Papa made Jack a snow fort!

Jack LOVES this train table that Santa brought to Wellsville. He could spend hours here everyday :o)

Jack is really into sticker books these days. He made this creation all by himself! Luke didn't seem to mind at all :o)

Grammy and Papa are getting some good snuggle time before bed.

Jack is enjoying a yummy ice cream cone.... Grammy is spoiling him rotten :o)

We were blowing our construction paper snowflakes around. We made them yesterday and then hung them from the ceiling. Luke laughs hysterically whenever we blow them around.... not sure why it tickles him so much, but it's adorable! He has the cutest little chuckle.

Grammy and Papa's

We are having a great time at Grammy and Papa's. Jack is LOVING the snow. He is a pro at sledding and was out shoveling the snow this morning.

Auf Wiedersehen!

As our time in Germany comes to it's end, we are so grateful to have had such a wonderful opportunity to experience this beautiful culture. This has been an experience that we know we will look back on as one of the best times in our lives. During the past two years we have been to Paris twice, Rothenburg, Berlin, Munich, Austria, Garmisch, Koln, Dusseldorf, Burg Eltz, Heidelberg, Trier, Bernkastel-Kues, Switzerland, Sicily, Florence, Tuscany, Rome, Venice, Fatima, Algarve, Spain, Portugal, London, Dublin, Western Ireland, kissed the Blarney Stone, Mosel Valley, Champagne region, Normandy, Luxembourg, Brugge, Brussells, Amsterdam, Den Haage, Leiden, Bitburg, Santander, Oostende, Belgium, Bastogne, Rhine River, Dover, Calais, Cambridge, Wicklow Mountains, Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Volgelweh, Aviano, Ramstein, Worms, Speyer, Bad Durkeim, Witlich, etc.......We have been to Pig festivals, medievel festivals, Beer bread and cheese festivals, and countless wine, beer, sausage, and Christmas festivals......oh and we had a couple of kids. What a time, we are very lucky. Next Stop, the USA.

Pretty Portugal

Portugal was a blast! The weather was beautiful and sunny almost every day. A few days it was actually warm enough to sit in the sun in just a t-shirt!!! It's easy to forget how much you love the sun when you've been living in Germany. We saw some of the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen and just enjoyed being together.

Here is Michael giving Jack a tennis lesson. Jack really had a great time... but mostly just chased the ball around.

Playing tennis is hard work.... time for a break.

It was finally time to cut Jack's unruly hair. He almost made it through to the end, but was persistent about getting out of the chair.... even though she wasn't quite finished yet. We don't have a picture, but his hair is really short now. She even spiked it and put gel in it... he looked like a little European kid.

We found this great park overlooking the ocean. It was great to see Michael and Jack having so much fun together. Jack loved the see-saws and the swings.

Jack enjoyed climbing up on the sand dunes.

Michael took these amazing picutres. Everywhere we stopped had views like this..... looks like a postcard, doesn't it?

Jack loved the beach!!! He couldn't get enough of the waves and loved jumping in them, over them, and splashing in them. Can't wait for those warm SC beaches this summer!

Here is Jack at the park again.... loving the swings.

loving the see-saw...

Luke and Daddy are getting a little sun in our backyard.

I am such a happy boy!

We went to Fatima when we arrived in Portugal. It was a long drive, but worth it. It was beautiful and very moving.

Ahhhhhhh..... (sigh of relief- not screaming here)

Auf Wiedersehen! The movers are done! Talk about German efficiency- it took two people a day and a half (well, there were four today- but only for a half day) to pack and load our entire house! It took our movers in San Antonio three days- and there were four people. We brought our entire house to Germany.... and here we've added two people and enough toys to start our own daycare facility! Michael took Jack to the office this morning so they missed most of the fun.

Now on to the next task.... packing for BEAUTIFUL and WARM (and by warm I mean the low sixties :o) PORTUGAL!!!! Man am I going to miss living in Europe! Dum Dums are now on reserve for the flight tomorrow am- is 6:50 am too early for candy???

Happy Packing!

The movers are here now... and I am beside myself at how well Jack is coping. A little Thomas the Train and Bob the Builder and he's as happy as a clam. I was dreading this day.... thought it would be a nightmare! But, Luke (aka- the best baby EVER) has slept all morning long. The movers have boxed up everything in the guest room and Jack's room... and by the way Jack is now napping in his room while they pack the rest of the house. We couldn't have even planned for things to go this well (thanks everyone for the prayers!!).

It is currently 1:00 pm and the movers have been here since 9 am. We have a day and a half to go............ no worries, we have a whole bag of Dum Dum suckers on reserve :o)