Rheinwelle Regionalbad

My water babies! We went swimming at an indoor water park in Ingelheim during the weekend and had a great time. We LOVE the water!

Cambria's Birthday Party

On Thursday, we had a little birthday party for our little one year old. Wow, her first year just FLEW right by! We had a few friends from church come over to help her celebrate the right way, with balloons, birthday cake, and presents. I tied about 20 balloons to the back of Cambria's highchair and decorated her seat so festive. I stayed up super late the night before making a happy birthday sign at a friends house that was so so cute, I don't ever want to take it down! I really wanted to make her first birthday a special one, and without a doubt it was a big success! Thanks everyone for helping make this day a memorable one for my little Cam Cam. She felt so loved!!


The success of the party didn't exactly start until after we sang "Happy Birthday" though. To my surprise Cambria wasn't very happy about all of the balloons I tied to the back of her chair. During the song, I ended up holding her while she watched with a smile as everyone's eyes were on her and then Addison helped us blow out the big candle. He is a sweet big brother. But, Cambria didn't dig into her cake until the next morning for breakfast...and she loved it! She was too worried about those balloons at the party.


So, we all sat down to open presents. It was so adorable to watch her reaction to her gifts. I think her favorite was the glow worm. As soon as we got it out of the box, she grabbed and pressed it to her mouth and said, "Muah!" It was SO stinkin' cute. She also got a tea set, clothes, a baby doll, a radio, princess books and plastic ware, and a step stool. She was spoiled with love!


One birthday tradition that we started with Addison is to give everyone a helium balloon and make a wish, then let it float away into the sky. So, we all made a special wish for the birthday girl, and all the balloons floated off! The kids sure did have a lot of fun with this! They wanted to make more wishes and let more balloons go. As the balloons floated away Addison said, "BYE! See ya later!" Ahh, I love that boy!!


The kids had a great time jumping on the trampoline and running around in the back yard.




It was a great night! Happy birthday my little princess! We love you!

EFMB Graduation

Adam was away from the family for nearly two and a half weeks in Grafenwoer earning his Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB)!! While he was out in the field, he took several performance tests as well as a written test to prove that he could earn it. The average pass rate for this badge is about 15%, which makes the EFMB one of the most difficult and prestigious Army skill badges to earn.

It was hard at home without him, but totally worth it because of his hard work out there. He did an awesome job and now proudly wears his badge on his uniform! We are all so very proud of our soldier! Congratulations Captain Davies!

Cake Smash Photo Shoot with Cambria

Since Cambria is turing one very soon, my friend asked if she could take a few shots of Cambria for a cake smash photo shoot. Of course, I couldn't say no to that. So, I made a cake, and we headed over to the studio. My baby is such a girly girl! She didn't know what to do with that cake, and we all know that she definitely didn't want to dig in and get messy, especially with all the attention on her. Here are a few pictures of my beautiful girl from the studio.

Paris, France

During the four day weekend in July, NaNa and Grandpa Owl were visiting us so we decided to take a trip to Paris. We left the kids behind with an awesome nanny. I felt 100% comfortable leaving them with her because I knew she would give them all the love they needed while we were gone. They had so much fun while we were away, in fact, I don't even think the kids knew we even walked out the door.

When we arrived in Paris, we went straight to the hotel to check in, drop off our bags, and park the car in the garage for the weekend. We stayed in a TWO-star hotel. Two star!!! That will never happen again, ever. We thought we found a great deal online, only to find out that we were right next to Gar du Nord, a main train station with a bunch of weirdos lingering around. Money talks, especially in Paris. Apparently we should have spent more. Since our visit didn't revolve around the hotel, we accepted our accommodations and set out to some wonderful sites in the city.

So, here we go...

#1- Montmartre- This was just a 10 minute walk up from our hotel. I love this area in Paris, very artsy and just a fun place to be. We also went to the Basilique du Sacre Coer. It was beautiful inside and out!




#2- Moulin Rouge- Voulez vous!! We tried to get in, but tickets were outrageous, and booked for two weeks straight. So, there was no way. I'm sure we didn't miss much, but it would have been cool to say we went. A picture outside is just as good, right?



#3- Arc de Triumph- We rode on the Metro here and took some quick pictures, but didn't stay long because they were doing a memorial service and it was all roped off. And we were okay with that because we actually climbed the stairs to the top last October. So, we saw from afar and moved on.



#4- Champs Elysees- We walked the strip and stopped for a fabulous meal at Cafe George V. We sat outside, enjoyed the weather, our company and the food. I had the most delicious dinner, beef bourguignon. We even ate escargot as an appetizer. Only in Paris would I have ever tried this! It wasn't so bad. As Julia Child would say, "Bon Appetite!"




#5- Seine Cruise- we took a cruise along the Seine River right at sunset, so it was absolutely amazing to see the city go to sleep. We saw so much of Paris on this ride, and took in so much info, it was totally worth it. And, as the clock hit 11:00 the Eiffel Tower began dancing with lights. BEAUTIFUL!




#6- Sainte Chapelle- This cathedral is covered with vibrant stain-glass windows where each panel tells a biblical story. It's very quaint and hidden between buildings.




#7- Notre Dame- We came here on a Sunday, which was an excellent time to visit a church! We were there for part of the Mass. We sat and listened for a while, but didn't get much out of it since it was all in french. But as we toured all the way around, we heard the choir and congregation sing beautiful music. The organ was amazing and rattled right through my body! I LOVED it!




#8- Louvre- We just stood outside and took pics here. It was the first Sunday of the month, and that meant all museums were FREE, well, most of them...so the line to get in the Louvre was L.O.N.G. really long. So, we opted out, while Yvonne and Al waited in line to see the famous Mona Lisa. Instead, Adam and I took the Metro to Le Cordon Bleu (a cooking institute)...which was closed. It was a bummer, but neat to just walk by and peek in the windows.



#9- Eiffel Tower tickets to the top!- I can't believe how high we actually were. We could see for miles and miles. I bet we could even see all the way back to our house in Wiesbaden!





#10- Rue Cler- a famous street filled with local farmer's market vendors and excellent restaurants. We ate our last dinner here...and saw the LDS missionaries!





That's then end of our trip.

Did I tell you that I love this man? I do! And he's the best thing that's ever happend to me!

MSC Conference in Garmisch

We spent a week in Garmisch, at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. Adam was attending a MSC conference, and the rest of us just tagged along for the ride. We brought our bikes, and the bike trailer for the kids so we could ride around town, but for the most part the weather wasn't in our favor. As soon as the clouds broke, we took off on our bikes to a beautiful waterfall not too far from the lodge. It was amazing and just plain fun to get out with the family!



Then we took a family hike through the Partnachklamm Gorge. It was so fun, and something that we've never done all these times we've been to Garmisch.

Euro Disney- Paris 2011

Addison went to Euro Disney when he was teeny tiny, so we wanted to make sure to take him back again before we move back to the states. We picked a weekend in June and set out on our adventure. We had a fun time, and were able to still do a lot of the rides despite how small our little ones are. Of course I sat out on a few of them with Cambria though. Amongst all the rides, buzz light year laser blast was by far Addison's favorite. And to top it off Addison met the REAL Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story!

Addison even got his own laser gun to take home.

We stood in line to meet Buzz, and Addison was so excited. He kept saying "hi-ya!" which is something that Buzz says in the movies, it was super cute! But, when it came time to meet Buzz and shake his hand, Addison became very timid and shy. So, I had to jump in and help him out a little. I think he was star-struck!

It was a fun weekend that we will always remember!

9 day cruise through the Baltics

Day 1- Copenhagen, Denmark
Many pedestrian thoroughfares are lined with Renaissance palaces, picture-perfect parks historic merchant houses, and charming canals and waterways.
We found the original Cristus statue in a local church, saw crowds of Justin Beber fans, and even stayed in the same hotel as the famous boxer, Evander Holyfield. We made it to the LDS temple too.




Day 2- Warnemuende, Germany
Warnemuende is a sea resort and northmost district of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, situated on the Baltic Sea in the northeast of Germany at the estuary of the river Warnow. Being a centre of maritime traffic, the district of Warnemuende comprises numerous navigational aids, the oldest is the lighthouse, which is currently still in use. Because of the low current and good sailing conditions, Warnemuende is one of the best sailing grounds in Germany. We spent our day relaxing on the beach, and walking along the coast of the beautiful resort town.



Day 3- at Sea



Day 4- Tallinn, Estonia
Founded in 1154, Estonia's capital is one of the oldest cities on the Baltic Sea and remains largely unchanged. We explored Upper Town, Lower Town Holy Ghost Church and numerous medieval merchants' homes.





Day 5&6- St. Petersburg, Russia
Built on a grand scale like the visions of its founder, Peter the Great, St. Petersburg has regained much of the sophistication it earned and then lost during its many transformations. The strong European influences of this once imperial capital are simply fascinating.
We rode the subway, visited the Church of our Savior on Spilt Blood, toured the Hermitage, and topped it off with a bus tour of the entire city.





Day 7- Helsinki, Finland
Finland's capital is a blend of classical and modern architecture with Russian and Swedish influences. We shopped Market Square, visited Senate Square and Temppeliaukio Church, carved from solid granite. We also had the chance to ride the train 20 minutes north to the Helsinki LDS Temple.




Day 8- Stockholm, Sweden
Laced by an ingenious network of waterways and bridges strung between a freshwater lake and the sea, Stockholm was easily seen on foot, after we took the tender boat to land, the rode a 40 minute train to the city. Its gabled old townhouses peer over cobblestone streets, while its magnificent 17th-century palace sits watching over the harbor. Our favorite places in Stockholm was Gamla Stan, the Royal Palace, and the Nobel Peace Museum.





Day 9- at Sea



Day 10- Copenhagen, Denmark
We made it back, just in time to hop in a taxi to the airport. We had a wonderful trip and will always have great memories of our first cruise.