Moving Day & a Birthday-

As the band is getting ready to relocate, we have settled into a new house- off post. This is our first time living off post and it was quite an experience. Here are a few things we encountered:

• We were without Internet for about a month. This made things really difficult.
• The movers couldn't fit our queen sized bed up the stairs.  They got creative and ended up disassembling the banister. 
• Meters for utilities are read once a yr.  We are paying an average of whatever the people who used to live here.  We will either get a credit or a bill at the end of the year!
• The local Kindergartens are not accepting military families since they are full and we have the option to go on-post. 

I was surprised with how long it  took us to unpack and get settled in at work.  I guess moving with two children is more difficult than with one.  I couldn't hardly get anything done during the day.  And with the commute and some big projects going on at work, Ben couldn't be much help.   Finally, after a few long weekends and several trips to Ikea, we got it all sorted out.  We reside in the town of Enkenbach-Alsenborn (I think on the Alsenborn side) and are enjoying it a lot.  Out town has a great pizza and ice cream shop, 4 grocery stores, and a swimming pool.  Best of all, it is just 5 km from Sembach, the post where Ben will start working in September.

In between all the moving, unpacking, organizing, and cleaning we celebrated Natalie's 3rd bday party.  She has a thing for pigs so we threw a pig party- Olivia the pig that is!  Lots of her little friends met us at the bowling alley where we ate pizza, cake, bowled, and painted piggy banks.  It was a lot of fun!  We are so blessed with such good friends, and to those who live too far away, we did miss you!

On the Hunt

There has been lots of hunting going on around here.  Of course, Easter egg hunting, but we have also been house hunting.
We celebrated Easter with friends from church.  After a cookout, we had an egg hunt going up a hill into the woods, leading to a small church.  Despite the weather forecast of rain, we had a slightly chilly, but sunny day.  All the kids filled their baskets with more candy than they needed, then we had a confetti egg fight.  Everyone had a great time.

The girls ready to leave for church

Natalie had so much fun finding the eggs

Avree just wanted to play with them

House hunting has been consuming a lot of our time lately.  For those of you that do not already know, due to future plans to close down the post in Heidelberg, the band is relocating to Sembach.  Sembach is a little less than an hour away, and is located in the area of Ramstein Air Force Base.  This will be a big change for us because we will be living off-post.  We have to find a house on the German economy that fits our needs.  This is a bit of a challenge because they do things way different than us.  The bedrooms are smaller, no closets, little if any yard, and they usually take their kitchens with them when they move.  After a week of stress and searching, we found one that is going to work for us.  Our new home is located in Enkenbach-Alsenborn.  It is just over 2,000 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, small fenced yard, and best of all, just 5 minutes from Ben's work. There will be some challenges (small kitchen and lack of storage) but nothing that a little IKEA can't fix ;)  We will be moved by May 1st.

The new house

Please pray for our family as we get ready to move once again, and go through this process of transition.  Thank you. 

Take care & God Bless,
Staci

"Kölle Alaaf!"

       

You might have clicked on this link merely to figure out what the title of my blog says.  Kölle Alaaf, Cologne above all, is a popular phrase heard throughout the city during the season of Carnival.  Carnival is a week-long street festival which takes place between Fat Thursday and ends on Ash Wednesday. The highlight of the carnival is Rose Monday.

     We have been anticipating a trip to Cologne, one of the oldest and the fourth largest city in Germany, and thought what better time than during Carnival.  It was a two hour drive for us.  We took off on Saturday and landed a room at a hotel just outside of the city.

     It just so happened that the small town that we stayed in was having its parade that day.  As we unpacked the car and settled in, we watched masked people of all ages making their way down to the town's main drag.  After a brief rest, we bundled up and headed out to the festivities.  The parade lasted two and a half hours.  We collected an entire plastic sack full of candy bars, gummies, fruit chews, flowers, stuffed animals, and other goodies.

     The following morning, we headed downtown Cologne to see its famous cathedral.  It was magnificent.  I wish I could have taken you there, because pictures just do not do it justice!  Upon leaving the cathedral, crowds were gathering for yet another parade.  Knowing that most places would be closed on Sunday, we cut out to join in.  This parade also lasted two and a half hours.   It consisted of school groups, community groups, and bands.  This was the most fun one to me because each group had a theme and all members were dressed the same.  Some of the groups promoted energy conservation, local landmarks, or current events. With another bagful of candy and goodies in hand, we were ready to call it a day!

     We rose early the next morning, got dressed, ate breakfast, and headed downtown to find parking.  It was Rosenmontag, and that meant the biggest parade yet!  The carnival parade in Cologne is one of the largest street festivals in all of Germany.  The parade was 7 km long and lasted for 5 hours.  Lots more candy, costumes, and floats.  Many of the floats were from local businesses such as banks and universities.  The businesses or groups would have several floats guides by huge horses and the floats were very decorated, some featuring political satire, others covered in fresh flowers.  Often the floats were followed by a train which housed their candy, since the parade lasted for so long.  About halfway through we began to get ready to leave, but one quick look around reminded us we were there until the end.  There were so many people around, it was impossible to get through the crowd, especially with a double stroller!  About that time both girls fell asleep, so Ben and I munched on chocolate bars and gummy bears and watched the rest of the  parade.

We had a lot of fun- it was really neat to celebrate in the German traditions, and we were really excited about all the confectionery we accumulated (although we had no idea what to do with it all)!  More than anything, we were all ready to be home!!!

We will have to go back some time to see more of the beautiful city.

Take care & God Bless,
Staci

Our teeny, tiny hotel room

Heading to the first parade

 

Her loot from the 1st parade

One of my favorite costumed groups, pies

I loved all the fresh flowers

What we brought home

10 hours of parading will get you this much!

All Around the World, and Back Again

Finally, the holiday season is behind us.  What a busy time of the year.  We traveled back to Texas just a few days prior to Christmas, and boy what an adventure that was!  A little bit of snow caused us to miss our flight, rerouting us through Chicago for a night.  When we finally got off the plane in Lubbock, TX we didn't know what time it was!

The girls passed out at the hotel on our way to Texas

We spent two weeks with our families there in Texas.  Christmas morning was spent with my family rapidly opening gifts and then racing off to church.  This year was extra special as we woke up to a white Christmas!  We celebrated a few days later at the Hutto household when everyone was able to be together.  It is always a joy to watch the children open their presents.  One of my favorite traditions is Christmas stockings.  That was always the first thing we got to open, and it was so much fun to go through and see the treasure that laid before us! 

It wasn't long before it was time to drop Ben off at the airport to make his way back.  He left on January 4th, and the girls and I stayed a few extra weeks.  We enjoyed our extended stay with family and even caught up with a few old friends.  We made our rounds throughout town stopping by the Credit Union, grocery store, Highland, Administration Building, Reagar Dykes, and church showing the girls off proudly to many of my old acquaintances.  Of course everyone was impressed by their beautiful smiles :)

The Hutto Family

The Duncan Family

I cannot believe it, but we survived the dreaded 9 1/2 hr flight home. We encountered many helpful people along the way which made it possible.  As we turned the corned at the Frankfurt airport, I was ecstatic to see Ben and quickly handed over to him both kids, two suitcases, two diaper bags, the camera bag, my coat, and the stroller, all of which I had been lugging around for far too long!  I breathed a sigh of relief before making my way over to hug him.

And now we are coping with the most fun part of all (note the sarcasm)- jetlag!  I had been warned, but like so many other things in life, you don't fully understand unless you have experienced it.  I had received much advice on how to deal, but with an infant, all the rules go out the window!  Today is the begining of Day 3, 2:24 a.m.  One kid is sound asleep and one fully awake.  Please excuse me if none of this letter makes sense.

Good morning.  Good night.  Good day.

Take care and God Bless,
Staci

Counting Down

Throughout the month of November we have been counting our blessings.  To begin, we attended a church retreat in Rothenberg this month and had such a great time.  It was a lovely city to see!  We bundled the girls up and strolled down the street of the quaint, little town.  We shopped in many Christmas stores and enjoyed a delicious cup of hot apple cider.   I felt like I had walked into a life-size Christmas village.  I think it would be a lovely place to visit when it snows.  To add to the list, we celebrated Thanksgiving by stuffing our faces with food as we sat around the table with about twenty of our friends. Being around such great friends made it not so bad that our family was so far away.  Lastly, our church took a trip to a Christmas tree farm. Although we didn't get a tree for ourselves, we enjoyed the tractor ride out there, and dined at a nearby mill afterward.  We are glad to have been able to see a bit more of Germany, and count these experiences in our blessings!

Today is Dec. 1st.  Ben is with the band in London.  They are playing in the British Military Tournament, which sounds pretty awesome!  On Saturday the queen will be present.  For anyone interested, a brief discription of the tournament can be found at: http://www.britishmilitarytournament.com/.  He sure is enjoying playing, but it has been an adjustment to us all to have him gone so much.  this morning Natalie told me, "Mom, remember dad leaves us?"  We are counting down the days until he gets back (4!).

Decorations are out, tree is up, Christmas is on it's way.  One of my favorite parts of getting ready for Christmas is advent calendars.   I have a really fun advent calendar that is the shape of a house, and when you open each door, a different carol is played.  And of course there is chocolate!  What a great start to the day!  This is how we are counting down the days until Christmas, our first Christmas as a family of four!  It ought to be twice the fun! (24)

We are flying to Texas to spend the holidays.  The girls and I will be staying for a month, and boy we can't wait!  We are so excited to see our family, and for them to meet Miss Avree.  This is the longest that we have been away.  We have a lot of family Christmas traditions and are so glad to be able to be there to be a part of them. (19)
Let the countdown begin!!!

As you and your family begin the preparations of Christmastime, don't forget the reason for the season.
Thank you, God  for the most precious gift of all! (forever)

Excited to be on a trip, cuddled up in bed at the hotel

Rothenberg, Germany

Christmas tree farm, trying to stay warm and not get muddy!

Tis the Season

 Tis the season for holidays.  I wish I could say that things are finally slowing down, but rather they are doing the opposite.  We have now resided in Heidelberg for 6 months, Avree has reached the 2-month mark, and Natalie is officially a 2 1/2 yr old.  Reflecting over the past six months I have realized I have not traveled to as many places as I would have liked, but we have made some really special memories.

Things are quite different with two children.  The only word to describe it that I can come up with is constant.  Some days I am so overwhelmed, have such a headache, suffer from sleep deprivation, and my ears ache from the nonstop talking and the whining.  I feel as though others have no idea what it's like, as if I am the only one that has ever adjusted to life with two kids, and then I look around and realize others have gotten through it; I might too!  Some of my friends have two children even younger than mine, and others have three, even four kids...and they are smiling.  And that is what keeps me going.  To know that soon, hopefully, I will be able to manage two children with a smile on my face.  For now, I am just trying to keep up with what I did with the keys, snacks, change of clothes, and  kids ;)

Ben went to Berlin for 6 days, and I am proud to say we survived.  Us wives left behind  kept busy by attending playdates and taking turns cooking each other dinner.  I have also joined Mothers of PreSchoolers, which meets twice a month, and PWOC, a bible study group for women, that meets each Tuesday.  Both of these "meetings" offers childcare, which provides the girls and I  a much-welcomed break from each other :)  Also, I am meeting and getting to know many fabulous women. 

Halloween was loads of fun.  The kids were crayons- pink and purple.  I was surprised to hear so many people, both young and old, comment on their costumes.  At least four people even had to snap a picture.  To start the day, we went to a pumpkin festival which was held in the castle gardens in Ludwigsburg.  This was a very exciting day for us because we reunited with some friends from Fort Rucker (Natalie's best friend from there) who are now stationed in Grafenwöhr.  Together, we walked through the festival, which was themed this year "Jurassic Park."  We enjoyed a fun day watching the girls play, seeing the different pumpkins on display, and tasting many foods made from pumpkin ( I especially liked the pumpkin soup).  We then headed home for some trunk-or-treating on post. 
To read more about the pumpkin festival, check out the link: 
http://www.stuttgartcitizen.com/article.php?i=17903

With thanksgiving around the corner I am reminded of all the wonderful things which I have to be thankful for.  Friends and family tops my list, and today I am adding naps :)  For Thanksgiving we plan to have a big feast and invite all of the families that will be around.  As this falls right after a PT test I know Ben is looking forward to all the food :)

Tis the season of cool weather, warm clothes, and Christmas markets.  Each city has its own market that offers a wide selection of goodies from a range of vendors and last about a month long.  We hope to hit up a few before heading home for the holidays. Hopefully we can find some goodies to bring home with us.

We have lots on our calendar for the remainder of the year, and can't wait to share with you about more of our adventures.
Until then,
Take care & God Bless!

Better Late Than Never

     Better late than never.  It seems like this was Avree's motto from the beginning, and nothing has changed there.  These days we are late for everything.  We are late to appointments, late getting birthday cards in the mail, and we even took Natalie to a movie 30 minutes late.  But hey, we made it :)

     As I suspected, things with two children are a lot different than with  one.  It takes us so long to get ready, and we have to carry around so much stuff.  Before my mom left, we attempted to go shopping in Ramstein one day.  It went like this:  change diaper, feed baby, drive, change diaper, feed baby, feed us, change diaper, feed baby, shop, change diaper, feed baby, drive home.  We were gone for nine hours, and might have shopped for two.  It was such an exhausting day!  Since then, we have ventured out as little as possible.

     Since Avree has been born, I think we have been to the doctor almost as many times as I have changes her diaper! First, we had a 5-day check-up.  Then, we went back several times to weigh her because someone was concerned that she was losing too much weight.  Next, she came down with thrush (that adds a lot of stress to an already stressful situation!).  After that, we were back because her belly button got infected.  Yesterday, we took her to get an ultrasound done on her hip (everything turned out ok).  Today, we just got back from the doctor's office to get her seen about being congested, and to check up on everything else.  Hopefully we won't go back until it's time for shots.

     While I was pregnant, Natalie went to several of my appointments with me to "check on sister."  She liked seeing her on the screen.  I think it made it more real to her that she actually was going to have a sister.  We would tell her "See sister's head?  See her foot?" etc.  She always told the doctor, "Thanks for checking on sister."  Yesterday while getting the ultrasound done on Avree's hip, Natalie grew concerned.  "Let's just keep her," she told us.  I guess she thought we were there to drop Avree back off!  As we left with everyone we brought, Natalie once again told the doctor, "Thanks for checking on sister."  She is a great big sister.  She runs to check on her when she hears the slightest peep, covers her up with blankets, and supplies her with toys, even when she is asleep.  I hope they are as close to each other as I am with my sisters.

Take care and God bless,
Staci