Trier

I must be crazy. I took my three kids "sight seeing", with William in a stroller and Ethan and Ava 'free'. (Well, don't worry, I'm not crazy- to be more accurate my kids were driving me crazy).

I am SO done with Jason not being here. All three kids have been unhappy, not sleeping or eating very well, fighting, whining, having tantrums, the normal stuff that goes along with toddlerhood or having a daddy deployed... so what did I do? I buckled each one in a car seat, turned on a movie, and drove to Trier. 45 minutes later we were there.

Trier is the oldest city in Germany, so there is much to see there. I was not planning on sight seeing; my goal was to get some quiet, or better yet, get my kids to nap. No such luck. Yes, I was blessed with children that have loads of energy and Ethan and Ava never take a nap. When I drove by the Porta Nigra ("Black Gate", 2nd century Roman city gate), I decided to park and at least walk around and let the kids get some energy out.

The day was so beautiful and warm. We listened to a Catholic choir in the street, walked the shops, and bought some candy. Ethan and Ava chased pigeons in opposite directions up and down the cobblestone. They kept yelling "Gotcha", and loved seeing them fly away. Too bad I didn't have my camera, everyone around was laughing at them. (Or laughing at me chasing after them while pushing William in the stroller) FYI- Children aren't as popular or adored here in Germany as was the case in Turkey. For Germans, it's normal to have several dogs, but heaven forbid you have more than one or two children. It was time to go. They never did fall asleep on the way home, but it was worth the trip. I can't wait to actually see everything with Jason later!

I Love My Soldier

Loving a Soldier isn't
always what they say.
And loving him
is a high price to pay.
Its mostly loving
with nothing to hold.
Its being young
yet feeling so old.
Remember he's thinking
of you everyday.
He's sad and lonely
from being away.
So love him, miss him,
And know he's saying,
"I just want to hold her..."
And always be proud
to love your Soldier!

Mischief Makers: Makeup and Mudding

Ava got into my makeup while I was changing William and in 5 minutes her face and body were covered with Lancome foundation, various shades of MAC eyeshadow, and pink lipstick. I had to throw away 5 tubes of lipstick! I found the tips smeared all over the rug and double sinks, and shimmery handprints on the granite floor and tiled wall. Following her trail of colors, it appeared as though she tried to wash her hands. The bar of soap didn't do the job, so she must have grabbed my hair stylizer that has a pump. I guess it looked like handsoap?!? That stuff is sticky and kinda like pomade, so it really set in the colors! I don't know how she got into that much trouble in 5 minutes!

Later, Ethan decided 3 of my potted flowers on the patio would be fun to dump out for his trucks to go mudding. William joined in on the fun., and had his first little sampling of soil. Ick! Have you ever heard the saying, "A boy is Truth with dirt on its face"?

For those of you wondering: I really do watch my kids, I promise! And they did their "time" in time-out and sort of helped clean up. What a crazy, messy day!

Bubbles and Chalk

Ethan's birthday

We were so happy Jason was able to webcam with us for Ethan's 4th birthday. Ethan could hardly contain his excitement over his cake when he saw a big number 4 and M&M's on it. He has certainly been a great big brother to William and Ava, and a good helper while daddy has been deployed.