the Leeflangs

The Happiest Place on Earth

2012-01-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

Both Steve and Emi celebrated their birthdays a week apart from eachother, so we decided to celebrate in Disneyland... and we had the greatest time EVER. Last time we went to "Disneyland," it was in Paris, and it was HORRIBLE because we went during the craziest busiest time of year, it was hot, and we just didn't plan well enough.

So, we decided that if we were going to do it again, it was going to be planned out- and we were going during the low season. It completely paid off. I seriously want to go back... it was so.much.fun.

This is what saved us- the "unofficial guide" to disneyland. We followed it to the sentence, and it was right every time. We never waited more than 15 minutes to get on a ride (except some in California Adventure that just don't have fast passes and are crazy crowded).

This is us waiting in line. At first, I was getting nervous because we didn't get in the "magical hour" where some people get in 1 hour before us, but it worked out perfectly... because magical hour people get into the futureland part, not the rest of the park... which let us be the first to Adventureland etc... we WALKED right on to splash mountain, pirates of the carribean, the haunted mansion. It was amazing. Even Maddie rode splash mountain!!

Emi and I waited after Winnie the Pooh (her favorite ride)...

A very happy girl.

The walk out of splash mountain. It was scary for sure- but she rode it twice!!

While Maddie/Steve went to Indiana Jones, Emi and I wandered around...

Sang? Goofed around...

Saw an awesome pirate show...

Loved this guy.

Watched people ride Jungle Cruise.

And then LUNCH! I've never seen them eat such big corn dogs in my life.

The were super hungry and super happy.

Off to the jungle cruise...

Our operator was so sarcastic, but made it hilarious...

Took the train to ToonTown. I think this is Goofy's house?

Hanging out.

They have some fun playhouses here. (But, everything considering, toontown isn't my super favorite for some reason.)

Off to Autopia. Maddie loved this- she loves everything driving.

We caught a little bit of the Jedi Training Academy- the cutest thing- these kids were awesome. Since my kids don't really watch Star Wars yet, they didn't really get it, but this is the best idea.

We then watched Captain EO- Hilarious and a classic. Maddie rode Space Mountain with me!!! It was awesome :) And, then the parade. Disney really knows how to do parades- it was amazing. Emi said "that was really good."

I wish I could say the kids passed out- but no! I passed out- and Steve took Maddie swimming when we got back to our hotel? This girl has energy :)

The next day we hit Fantasyland- which is one of my favorites. Here they are holding the feathers that make you fly before riding Dumbo.

My cuties.

The canal boats.

Emi loved the train.

Well, maybe not in this picture- but she really loved it.

Off to Tom Sawyer's island... super fun to let off some steam after we hit Big Thunder Railroad- which Maddie also rode twice!!

Love the performers everywhere we went.

These guys tossed Emi/Maddie bead necklaces.

Since we rode every ride at Disneyland (except Nemo), we decided to get some strollers and head into California Adventure. Saw these guys on our way out.

Ha! Emi didn't want to ride with Steve on this one... oh well.

We hit the "key to do" rides here, and it was amazing. First, we saw the "Bugs Life" show, which was seriously awesome... the special effects freaked me out (I won't spoil).

Then, we headed to Aladin- which was Broadway material- we were very very impressed. If you ever go- go to this. Don't miss it.

We didn't think the singers voices were real- but yes, they were. They were so.good. The kids LOVED this- especially the Geni who's jokes were hilarious.

Just some toys...

We loved the idea of this... but it was going to take too long before our dinner at Ariel's grotto. We bought a dinner package so we could get better seats for the night performance of World of Color. It was actually really good- and every restaurant is so accomodating to gluten allergies! They even brought me gluten free bread. Heaven.

These guys were awesome.

Emi having a good time with her piece of gum (which she can't figure out yet- only chews and then swallows.)

Maddie loves these swings.

And I love this girl!

The world of Color show was awesome- of course out of control throw in the kitchen sing disney show. For some reason, I missed the simple Bellagio performance... it was just too much.

After the show, we rode Ariel's underwater ride, and did the Grizzly water rafting ride (kind of a mistake because Maddie and I got soaked) which made us very cold, but it was the end of an amazing trip.

We bought some disney shirts, some disney lolipops, and hit the hot tub at our hotel. We seriously did not want to go home.

When can we go back???

Feliz Ano Nuevo!!! In backwards order!

2012-01-02T06:41:00.001-08:00

I downloaded my pics backwards! Yikes- Oh- well :) Here it is in backwards order! At the end of the night, we headed over to a friends party which was over the top competition! The entire night we competed head on for the title of Mr and Mrs Universe. Usually, we are totally up for competition, but since we have been a little bit busy- we didn't get ourselves together. Wha Wha Wha. This ended us in LAST place! Whoo hoo!!!

The manly men.

The only reason this is year, is because I like my hair. I know, I'm so vain, but at least honest:)

It was a SUPER fun party--thanks for the invite!!

Earlier that evening, we cranked up the Wii (my Christmas present to Steve), with some Michael Jackson. This is our favorite game by a long shot. We had our good friend Chris over... and this was the funniest site I've ever seen. They were seriously rock'n it!

Steve made a food bananza (details coming), and Emi loved the chocolate mousse. Emi does not normally have a sweet tooth (I know, amazing), but she swallowed this up in about .5 seconds!! So cute.

Happy New Year!!! (New Zealand time?! hee hee)

I love this pic!

Whoo hoo!!

For the festivities, we curled our hair and...

Painted our toe nails :)

And Steve cooked and cooked and cooked. It was super delicious- surf and turf style. It was glutony at it's best that's for sure. Lamb, crab, filet minon, scallops, chocolate moose, ceviche, shrimp... what's next gold covered salad? Ah, I ate too much!

Bad pic, but the cook at his best.

New Years Eve was rock'n at our house!! Ok, you got me. As were channel flipping, we found this totally ridiculous show called "Dance Party," airing live New Years Eve dances through the ages. It started in the early 1980s, and I just couldn't believe it was real. These people were CRAZY! (or embarrasing?) The mullets, the suspenders, the bloomers. Oh my gosh. What will they think of us in 2050?

Earlier on in the day, I went on a small spa retreat with my great friend Holly- we got mani/pedis and then sat in a hot tub, and got massages. It was so relaxing... I would love to do that more often that's for sure.

A FABULOUS NEW YEARS EVE!!!

The who? The what? The zoo!

2012-01-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

Steve worked on and off the week between Christmas and New Years, so one of the days we decided to head to San Francisco to see the zoo! It was awesome and the kids both loved it. I need to get a pass to this place.

We love giraffes. They just don't even seem real sometimes- especially on this overcast/mysterious day.

I'm not really sure why this is worthy of putting here- but there was a disaster/sustainability exhibit and I liked these water jugs and how they connected all of the spouts to one pipe-- the just collect rain water too. I need this for my food storage.

Emilie found a little elephant friend.

Every winter, we get ants in our kitchen. Where do they come from? Agh! We need this guy :) We also love ant eaters... not sure if they are super cuddly- but, they are so cool.

Sorry Maddie- bad picture- but we caught it right before we got on the little train.

I think Maddie's favorite part of the day was brushing the goat's hair. These guys were awesome- they didn't move one bit, and weren't dying for food (Happy Hollow!). Made me want to live on a farm, well, only if we had farm hands. ha!

Not so sure about this... those horns ARE kind of big!

Showing off her feathers.

Pretty proud of herself!

We also love spiders... well at a distance.

I thought this was a llama, but it is an alpaca. He gave me a stare down.

In Grizzly country.

Even though these guys are super ferocious, they are so so cute.

Speaking of so so cute!

And, the not so cute... if you ever want to GROSS me out completely, and hear me start screaming at the top of my lungs. Show me a cockroach. Yes, I hate them. HATE them. Here, this cockroach has it's own house? Disgusting.

Far.

Near!

Although she has gotten better- Emi is super timid on rides. But, she ended up liking it- and jumped around like a rabbit for the rest of the day :) (It kills me that my pics aren't the best... but the cell phone is just so super convenient, and not so much with my clunky 3000 pound camera.)

A Christmas/Hanukkah train? Ok!

We had a GREAT time today! I love these girls!! We ended the trip with some cotton candy, and then went home and made calzones. Was a fabulous day.

A beautifully lazy Christmas...except for the cooking

2011-12-27T21:03:00.001-08:00

The build up to Christmas is always a lot of work... the planning, the buying, the wrapping, the decorating... my kitchen was so disorganized, that we devoted an entire morning to cleaning/organizing all of the drawers. These little helpers were the best- especially with the candy. After Halloween/Easter/Valentines Day- we always have a lot of candy leftovers- so I tuck it away in the top shelf where no one can reach (except for Steve of course). It was such a mess up there, but we got it all together and used it to decorate gingerbread houses! It was perfection :)

Every Christmas until this year, we have traveled. It has been great, and we love to visit family, but it was also nice to not worry about planes/weather/stress and just relax at home and be in our pj's all day. It was a perfectly lazy Christmas.... well, maybe not that lazy because of the cooking involved:

Christmas for me was often traveling to Mexico City with my parents to visit my grandparents/uncles and aunts/cousins. If you've ever been there for a long time, you know the food is amazing. I don't know what they do to it- but it just tastes different. My memories of Christmas and New Years included so much GOOD FOOD, I was definitely spoiled.

My family knew how to cook- and food from all over the world. Yum.

Since our girls are getting older and are starting to remember traditions, we spent some time thinking about what type of traditions we want to start and keep in our family. We decided that we would cook our favorite Mexican dishes sprinkled with other things to start the memories with our kids.

So... I had to start with tamales. Making tamales is no small task, and I was extremely nervous about it. After 10 u-tube videos, and asking tons of people, I decided on a recipe, went to Chavez (local Latin American market), and started step by step :)

The smells in the kitchen from the roasted peppers were so YUMMY! Not to mention, the smell of Mexican cinnamon simmering in the holiday "ponche."

The greatest helper in her pjs!

With the tamale husks soaking up water.

We also made our gingerbread from scratch this year- gluten free. Turned out pretty well! Good thing I have a lifetime to perfect it though :)

Rolling out the gingerbread.

No time to brush our hair!

Since I'm kind of a mut of cultures, we also had a lot of french influence during the holidays. Buche de Noel's are my favorite!! We decided to make this too- which I was also super nervous about- but it was delicious! And, naturally gluten free!

My favorite memory with Buche de Noel's was wishing my piece had the little baby (a little baby is hidden in the cake, and the lucky one to get the piece with the baby gets a prize)!

This year, none of us got it! It landed out of the piece when I cut it on the platter!! AH! (Cute Emilie still thought I got it since I was doing the cutting).

This is my little buche de noel.

I tried to find a different sort of salad to make- and came across this super delicious recipe with kale, mango, pumpkin seeds, and a simple olive oil/honey/lemon vinaigrette. It was surprisingly really good- I mean, I didn't think kale could be that good!

After a couple of hours of love, the tamales were done!!! AH! And, they actually were really good! Bring it on bobby flay! Let's have a tamale throw down...

Steve made posole...

For Christmas Eve dinner, we dressed up, and ate our feast and collapsed on our front chairs in front of the fire and read the Nativity story and sang Christmas songs. Maddie played Mary, Steve was Joseph, Emi was baby Jesus, and I was the Angel/Shephards/Wise Men.

By this time, it was 9 and we scurried M and E to bed before Santa came!!!

Steve has great memories of waking up with blocks made by his dad and teddy bears made by his mom. So, he decided to make a teepee-- Restoration Hardware had a great Christmas cover on their baby catalog with a teepee and Christmas lights-- so we kind of copied the idea, and it was super cute! We positioned the teepee by the Christmas tree with all of the presents.

Christmas morning was a whirlwind, but there were some great moments : 1) Emilie finding her Hello Kitty in her stocking, 2) Maddie finding her snow white dress, 3) Steve opening his Wii (that really wasn't a surprise because he saw it in our Amazon account... wah wah wah.

A also made gluten free Cinnamon rolls that were delicious to me!!! (maybe not to the rest of the world... I forget how good food can be sometimes with the gluten)

The rest of the day was pure laziness, an hour at church, but just lounging around and playing games for hours.

Isn't that how Christmas should be?

Pipe smoking santa

2011-12-20T15:10:00.001-08:00

Before I forget... Maddie asked me a couple of days ago...

"Mom, does Santa smoke?"

I immediately almost said "no, of course not." But, wait... he does!

I didn't really know how to wiggle out of this one. Luckily, she moved on to something else!

Let's start with Halloween :)

2011-12-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

My photos uploaded in such a crazy way, and I can't put them in order! So, this is going to be the messiest post, but at least it's a post :)

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and we had a great time this year! We threw a party for my kids friends (had awesome crafts, decorated cookies, danced, had a pinata and steve had glow in the dark bubbles in the garage). It was awesome.

Speaking of awesome, we made Maddie's SheRa costume and Emilie's costume as a ghost:

Super cute kids if I don't say so myself :)

Flash forward tons of weeks- this is the worst picture EVER, but I helped design the kids room for a Creche exhibit in our neighborhood- and I think it turned out awesome! We strung lights, then sheers, and made these stars :) It was a lot of work, but it's always worth it.

We also had Maddie's birthday party- her 5th! I can't believe it! We decorated aprons, made pizzas from scratch, decorated cupcakes and had a magic show. Maddie had a great time and so did we (after the clean up!)

This recipe was awesome.

I ordered everything off of amazon- love love amazon.

The cute aprons and stencils we decorated with.

Most of all the cute party goers :) We had a lot of fun!

And, here is the great lead in to Thanksgiving! My dad came out and it was a perfect weekend! We had dinner, relaxed at the house on Thursday, and then on Friday... went to a Christmas Tree Farm and then the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, went swimming on Saturday and played at the park... and relaxed on Sunday. It was a great weekend.

At the Ritz...

This Christmas tree farm has THE coolest swings- how can you beat a tire swing hanging from the tallest eucalyptus tree? So awesome- would love to have some in my backyard someday!

Hanging out on the hammock at the farm..

Thanksgiving day...

At the beach...

NOT THANKSGIVING! For Halloween, we hosted a little dinner with "scary" food- here are some bones!

Some ghosts...

Eyeball salad.

Delicious teeth.

Super cute orange pumpkins with fruit salad. Yum!

Worms in dirt...

It was a super scary and delicious night!

One of my favorite parties was this one- we come and have a pumpkin decorating contest and then arm wrestle? Yes- that's right. It is super fun... and I always feel like a super weak lamo when I feel just how "strong" everyone is! Ah!

Last but not least, Steve's mom came to visit- and we had a great time. We visited a farm/pumpkin patch place on the way to the coast. My kids always have a great time here.

These sneaky goats kept on eating emilies clothes.

The sheriff.

The cowgirl.

The outlaw.

Great times :)

Somewhere in between this, we bought a trampoline. It has been super fun, but it was a BEAST to assemble. I did it all myself, and it took all afternoon- the directions were the worst. But, Maddie was the best little cheerleader-- Mom, just keep on focusing. You can do it. Well, who can say no to that?
This is also the worst pic ever... but we threw a shower for a friend of ours, and it was a lot of fun- the food was delicious, the people were great to talk to :) Not many more people having their firsts...does that mean I'm old?

Now my pledge: I will post at least once every two weeks. This is getting pathetic. I know.

Apple picking

2011-10-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Ever since the second I watched Anne of Green Gables, I have totally romanticized the idea of picking apples. In those long dresses, with your hair up, climbing ladders and putting perfect apples in your wicker baskets while you talk to some cute boy. I mean, what little girl wouldn't love this fantasy?

A friend of mine put together an awesome list of stuff to do around the area in October, and one of the events was apple picking. Oh yes- I was not going to skip this year without doing that...so this Saturday, we drove the family to pick some apples and it was awesome.

$35 dollars later, we have bowls and bowls of apples, we had apple pie tonight, and now I'm scratching my head thinking about what I'm going to do with the rest of them. But- they are DANG good. And, it was a great Saturday morning activity.

Here are some pics of the day:

A whole bunch of Firsts....

2011-10-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of "firsts" around our house in the past month or so, it is overwhelming. Of course, all good things, so we have lots and lots to be greatful for. And, no one has been left out- so here's the low down:

First and most importantly (hee hee), Maddie got her first pedicure a couple of weeks ago with one of her best friends, and she had a blast. I mean, who wouldn't? They were so cute to watch- especially because the could both sit in a chair. Very cute. This place rocks! Only $18 bucks for a pedicure?! And, it is still going strong (almost 3 weeks later).

Picking out their colors!

This girl is a treat to be with- she has been a superstar kid lately. She started spanish preschool (yes, all in Spanish), which I'm sure has been a hard adjustment, but she is being a champ :) Hopefully she'll be teaching me how to conjugate my verb tenses soon!

What a goof.

She is obsessed with taking pictures of me with my cell phone. This is the best one- even though extremely embarassing. I love how I have a zit right there for all to see. Aren't I too old for acne??? Really?

Ok- drumroll please.

Presenting : Emilie, the champion potty trainee ! I started potty training her a couple of weeks ago, and this is how it went:

Monday: "Emilie, we're going to go in the potty from now on ok?" "Ok mom."

(A couple of accidents)

Tuesday: Went to the bathroom every time.

Wednesday: Went to the bathroom every time.

Thurs: See above.

Fri: See above.

Sat: Etc

WOWZERS! This kid is AMAZING. I am not going to lie- this was a gift straight from above. She has been a CHAMP! If only everything could be as smooth as this :)

AND we finally moved this little one to her big girl bed- no more crib. She was so happy, she couldn't stop bouncing off the bed- so now they are in bunkbeds, Emi on the bottom and Maddie on top.

I miss my babies- now they are past that stage that we can never go back to (tears...), but you can only cherish the moments that you have- so I try to concentrate on that. They are one of the biggest blessings in my life.

Our garden gearing up for the winter harvest. We have always been big on gardening, but haven't tried to do a full winter garden. This year, we are going to attempt the "winter vegetables," lots of salads, broccoli, herbs, chives, carrots... we are super excited. But- where are the tomatoes? They were SOOOO good this year, we are going to miss them. Steve reminded me today that we probably only have 40 more summers left. Can this be true? Holy cow. Puts things in perspective.

The first Gluten Free Foccacia Steve has made. Delicious.

I signed these girls up for tap/ballet for the first time, and it has been a hit. They both love it, and it has been really cool to see them in a class that I can see... I am dying to see their performance/moves at the end of the year.

A cute photo I had to sneak in... running through the sprinkers. Yes, it is still HOT here.

Now for Steve's HUGE first. Steve has been working out of our garage since we moved into this house. It has been amazing- to see him build medical devices out of our garage? I just can't believe it sometimes. But, the day has come- when they are expanding!! They can't do everything they need to to do here anymore (hire people, have clients etc), so they moved to a great space in Mountain View. (more pics to follow). They demolished the warehouse, have spent hours building, designing the space (chose awesome colors for the paint, redid the floors, are making a loft, conference rooms)... it has been amazing.

I will miss Steve not being home, but it isn't that far- and I am so proud of him.

And, then there is me. To make a long story short, I decided to go back to work part time. The position is the best there could ever be- 7-1 M, W and F. So, I never miss Maddie when she is in school, and Emilie is with the best nanny you have ever met for 12 hours a week (seriously, this woman is the cream of the crop). I've been lucky enough to go back to a lawfirm that I worked at before... and I have truly enjoyed it. The work has been great- super interesting, and it's just the perfect amount of time for me. Of course, it has been an adjustment, but so far, it has been more than great, and I am super greatful for their flexibility. And, I appreciate every minute (most every minute) with my kids and am so excited to be with them when I am :) For me, it has been a perfect balance.

And so it goes... lots of great firsts.

Now on to October where I hope and need to post more :)

The tale of a cell phone

2011-08-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

When I didn't have my camera this year, I started taking photos with my cell phone. These are definitely not the greatest pixel count, but they are my favorite memories... This is a serious dump of photos!

Emi loves loves to put on wings and runs around the house saying "fly fly fly!"

We went to Palo Alto last Christmas and had hot chocolate, enjoyed the "snow," and made crafts! Supa fun :)

A picture probably taken during Maddie's swimming lesson- this little Emi has been so patient waiting by the pool. Soon, it will be her turn :)

We went ice skating last Christmas when Steve's sister in law was in town... what was I thinking taking two kids ice skating by myself?

Waiting at Macy's in SF for a table at the Cheesecake Factory

Ice Skating with Aunt Liz.

We went to Vegas with my Dad... and I LOVED the Wynn. In between filling our tummies with food, we watched this awesome a'cappella group from Africa.

View from Cheescake in SF.

Photos taken by Maddie in the car :)

What is this? Dunno.

Love these lips and cheeks.

My cute little car seat rider.

A photo taken by Maddie of all our Christmas cards last year.

Some love.

Lots of great days at the park.

This kid loves the monkey bars- and she rocks at it!

A trip to the museum in Sausolito. Love love this place.

Painting...

Crafting...

What a view. This is why I live here. It really is the best. This was in January!

An airplane ride somewhere. Not sure where?

Good times at our favorite playground.

Maddie loves a good roller coaster- and this one she road by herself!

I stole (I know, I'm bad) these flowers from the side of the freeway!!! And, yes, I was caught. By a police officer. "What are you doing?" "Uhhhhhhhh. Picking flowers." "Oh, ok. Well, that's ok, but you can't park on the side of the freeway." "Ok. Thanks officer."
Can you believe I turned around and did it again 5 minutes later? I am SOOOO bad.

My darlings.

I LOOOOOVE these pics.

Maddie loves playing in this "jungle." This kid has one of the best imaginations I've met. I hope I don't squash it.

Can I freeze her? I don't want her to grow up.

Ah! A pic of the pacifier that is finally gone at our house!

She loves back packs and calls them "backies."

Very cute.

How did they take this at church?

These pics are super cute of them getting their haircut, but it was followed by lots of crying and WAY to much hair cut off.... never. going.there.again.

Rollercoaster with Grandma.

A last photo of Maddie with her preschool teacher. She was the best!!!

We got great america passes this year, and we tried to get a lot of uses out of it.

Summer fun!

Waiting in line...

Maddie's super favorite ride of all!

Cool. Way. Cool.

We love Devilla! Our swim teacher for the summer- oh, how we wish she could teach our kids all year round!

Cupcakes at Kara's cupcakes. Yum.

Beer in Germany. No- just kidding.

Germany food. Yes, I can't eat sausages anymore. Really- it is too much for me now.

Waiting in lots of train depots all over Germany with my bestest friends.

The usual train set up.

Raining in Berlin.

A really long and cold night in Zurich.

Unless I'm a zillionaire, I will never live in Switzerland. This was $45. Yes. CRAZY.

I am going gray. And no one believes me, but Maddie took a picture, and you can see it here. SEE?????? Oh well. Dying it must be.

It rained like I have never seen it in Utah while we were there last month.

Gorgeous flowers at Thanksgiving Point.

A pic of the family while we walked around the most AMAZING lake!

Maddie and Gabbie- bestest cousins.

Self Portrait.
Usually this little one is terrified of anything dressed up, but she did it! She gave him a HUG! YAY!

I took the girls to the beach last week and it was so nice to get away. This sand is amazing, if only Half Moon Bay could get rid of all that fog!

Lots of blue skies.
My life.
She decided at one point that she couldn't get any sand on her. Oh! Kind of hard to do that on the beach :)

Best Friends.

Steve and I celebrated our 12 ANNIVERSARY last week! We went on two back to back dates over the weekend that were awesome! The first night we went to dinner and a movie and the second night we went to Great America! It was super super fun.
Waiting in line like a couple of 18 years olds :)
We stayed at the park until it closed.

Not sure why this is the last photo, but seagulls are FEROCIOUS on the beach. They would not leave us alone :) I guess it had something to do with Maddie feeding them Ritz crackers?

Great memories. Thanks cell phone.

The Lake of Bear

2011-08-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

Deep in the rocks of Northern Utah lies the famous Bear Lake which has brought many great memories to Steve. (hee hee) I'm afraid I never spent many summers here, but I was along for the ride. It was fun to see him enjoy himself so much, and actually be bored for a couple of hours (which never happens).

The fun cousins who basically swam 7 hours a day. Camping is great- we need to do this more.

Smilie here had a great time splashing the day away. We found little frogs, tadpoles, roasted marshmellows, went to Rasberry Days, drank tons of Capri Suns... what more can you ask for?

Love them!

Bless Steve's Dad's soul- he rented Ski Jets while we were there, and it was awesome. The entire family took 15 minutes turns, which was a blast. I'm more of a go fast and jump the waves, and Steve is more of a turner and jump his own wake driver.

Splash'n back and forth!

Steve was so excited for this trip, he bought a little boat, water toys, sand toys, goggles, every type of treat you can find on the isles of Walmart, Rootbeer... it was some serious motivation :)

These two were basically in this position the entire trip!

This little guy is Maddie's other cousin who, by the way, is the nicest 1st grader I've ever met. He is so funny and I loved to hang out with him during the trip. My favorite conversation went like this... "So, how did you sleep last night?" "Oh, really good." "Well, I mean, maybe... well, I woke up a lot and I was really cold."

Hee hee. Yes, I was cold too. I should have brought more blankets! Ah!

The second night we were there, there was a 1) rainstorm, 2) lightning storm, 3) windstorm followed by Steve's snoring. Oh.... I was tired.

One of the other highlights was meeting our new Nephews (held by Uncle B and B)!!! They were so adorable... and I kept on thinking about how much work Twins would be. You guys are doing great!
And, of course, lots of great moments with Grandma and Grandpa. Emilie still says "Papa Sue," which has to be heard in real life to get how cute it is.

All in all, it was a great trip- and we can't wait to come back next year!

Just 12 hours later...

2011-08-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

Two months ago, Steve decided he wanted to take a trip to Utah and relive some childhood memories at Bear Lake. So, we jumped in the van, albeit reluctantly because I HATE DRIVING 12 HOURS, and I'm so glad we did it. We had a fabulous time :)

The first couple of days we stayed in Salt Lake and spent some time with my dad. Our first afternoon out we went to Red Butte Gardens. We always love going there because I grew up close by and have so many great memories walking around, and not to mention that we also had our ring ceremony there! They have really expanded the grounds- it is gorgeous!!

Some of my favorite people.

Some family action brought to you by a camera balancing on my backpack on top of a stroller. Agh- I'm glad it didn't tumble.

The kids always love visiting these enormous lizards- they are pretty lifelike.

My cold blooded friend!

A couple of days later we decided to visit Thanksgiving point- an area attraction that has a dinosaur museum, a farm, gardens etc. It was the first time we've been there, and we thought we would drop by on "Two buck Tuesday," where all the entrances are only two bucks. OH- What a mistake. Talk about Crowded. Never again will I go on "Two Buck Tuesday!" It was crazy. I don't think I've ever seen so many kids in my life. But, we pushed our way through the stampedes and saw some cool dinosaurs. We saw the IMAX T Rex movie- which scared Maddie out of of her pants, and then headed over to the gardens which I would highly recommend!

Oh-and we saw ASHLEY!!! We miss you!

My dad got the girls some frogs which they loved playing with in the water. Emi named this little guy "Scoobie."

This picture doesn't do the place justice. If you ever have a chance to visit, bring a picnic. You'll love it.

The other Leeflangs

2011-08-08T22:25:00.001-07:00

Once in a blue moon, our family visits us in lone California! Whoo hoo! This time it was Steve's brother and sister in law and kids- it was so great to have them here. They have the cutest little girls that are exactly the age of our girls, so it is perfect for all of us.

The first day we went to the beach and the second day we headed south to Gilroy Gardens. Usually Gilroy Gardens is a huge hit, but because the kids stayed up really late playing with each other, they were kind of walking zombies. Ah! Oh well, I just couldn't make them go to bed early- they were having too much fun. Plus, aren't the best memories when you were at your friends/families house having a sleep over? Good times.

These little cousins hit the tea cups first, and loved every minute of it. Emi tried to get on, but got super scared, so we stopped the ride. Emi! What happened to my thrill seeker?

"Mom, can I ride by myself?" "Yes, Mad." "Mom, can I ride by myself?" "Yes, Mad." "Mom, can I ride by myself?" "Yes, Maddie!!!" Yes- she was excited to ride this by herself, and who can blame her? I still remember the moment when I got to ride these little cars in Lagoon (a theme park by my house).

It wasn't super hot, but these snow cones looked delicious and seriously tempting. Both Maddie and her cousin got to order by themselves which was really funny!!

I think we rode about everything in the park except for 3 rides, which made it a full day! We got there before the gates opened, and left not one minute before it closed. I've never been there that long, and the kids were exhausted- but we didn't regret one thing! These pictures of Maddie and her cousin are my favorite series for the day because they just feel like a fun young summer.

So fun to be young and carefree :)

Love this girl.

A Garden Party

2011-08-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

A few days back off the plane, I helped plan a "Garden Party" for the ladies in our church. We plan this event every year to thank everyone for what they do, and let them know that we love them. I think it was gorgeous- but it was a lot of work, especially because I was still recovering from jet lag etc. I don't usually post about parties, but I need to post about this one, because we spent some many hours on this baby!!

We decided to go "country garden" theme, with quiches, muffins, salads, lemonade. It was a very cute idea that I will definitely repeat someday.

The dessert table was CRAZY- of course everything homemade. Our fearless leader is a killer baker, so she slaved away making all of this heaven. Maybe next year we will order a pizza and ice cream bars?

A pic of the main food table- it was really fun to decorate.

The trick about these events is trying do things on a budget... and when I say budget, I mean "how can we do this and not spend any money?" Ha! I used vases that we bought many years ago, and begged our neighbor to use her beautiful hydrangeas, and supplemented with stuff in our yard. For $0.00, I think we did pretty well :)

I also thought the cut out napkins into hearts was a cute and very cheap idea on the tables!

After 5 million hours, the event was a success!!! Horrah!! I basically passed out for the next 24 hours.

Our overgrown garden

2011-08-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

When we got back from Germany, we were happy to see that our yard/garden was well taken care of :) In fact, it was too well taken care of, that our Zucchini were bigger than Emilie! Yikes. Note to self: never let your zucchini's get this big because the outside skin tastes like bark. Yuck.

Anyway, our tomatoes were still not getting super ripe- which is kind of weird, but maybe because it's been a mild summer. Global warming? Who knows! But, we definitely got RATS. Yes, big fat RATS who are eating every ripe tomato that approaches redness, and I am going to start the extermination process very very soon involving rat poisoning, peanut butter and a long pipe.

Swimming and biking

2011-07-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

This picture doesn't do our bike ride justice, but it was the only picture I took today because we really relaxed our pants off. After breakfast, we jumped on the trampoline, and rented some bikes to get over to a swimming pool and some water slides. The ride there was gorgeous, and the swimming pools were refreshing and perfect for the kids. After 5 hours, we came back home, swam in the pond, and crashed in the hotel room while Steve went to get pizza and salad.

A perfect last day.

Tomorrow we'll be leaving Bad Reichenhall on the train to Zurich to stay the night before we head to New York and then home. Booooooo!!!!

A beautiful paradise

2011-07-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

Somewhere nestled in the mountains of Southeastern Germany lies Bad Reichenhall, a little town devoted to water healing and ski enthusiasts in the winter. For us, it was everything that we needed to relax and get ready for heading home.

This place is gorgeous and I can't rave enough about our hotel which overlooked a little pond which the girls loved.

And, all of the things that they had to keep our kids happy- especially this trampoline, which they couldn't get enough of. I seriously want one of these for our backyard- but not sure we have enough space!

In the morning, we were greeted by a wonderful outdoor breakfast (tons of cherries!!). I think I ate three bowls of yogurt with cherries/raspberries- yum.

This little swing was perfect too- with cows in the distance... could you get anymore idyllic?

This was the hotel.

And the view of the little pond from our balcony that woke us up each morning.

A walk to the lake.

Our balcony was in the middle and sooooo relaxing to sit on at night and in the morning.

Steve jumping right in! This little pond was perfect for swimming- it seriously was warmer than some of the pools we swam in.

My two little fishes.

And the cute little boat we sat in on and off for 3 days.

Put on your sunglasses, folks, yes, I am florescent white.

We took a tram to the top top of the mountain.

I'm not usually that afraid of heights, but for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about these cables snapping! It kept on going higher and higher and higher.

And higher!!

We were so high- we arrived in the clouds!

These were right below us- which seems really crazy, because I've only seen these types of clouds from the airplane! We were really really high!

Emi wanted to ride the ski chairs!

After we rode the tram, we headed home for some more swimming and a lakeside picnic dinner. So relaxing. I could sit on those chairs for days.

When Steve saw some fish, he immediately jumped up and asked the hotel owner if there were any fishing poles... and started to train Maddie.

Super happy.

All throughout Germany, we saw these grill sets they sell in the grocery stores, and wanted a chance to use them. Finally we seized the moment! We bought "American marshmallows" and went to town.

LOVED this boat.

He caught some fish!!!

One of my favorite pictures for the trip!

Or maybe this one?

Emi turned into quite a little jumper!!! Whoo hooo!!!

Some trampoline love.

A view of the mountain we climbed (not with our feet, sadly, but with the tram!).

A very very relaxing day in bad r. We don't want to leave.

A Travel Day

2011-07-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up in Prague and ended our day in Bad Reichenhall with 8 hours of train travel inbetween. On one hand, traveling on trains is super nice because you can just check out, relax and someday you'll get there. But, on the other hand, some of the trains aren't that fast (ours), so it stops a lot, or sometimes the air conditioning can break (ours), or teenagers can decide to turn your train car into a discoteque (ours)... hee hee.

For the first hour, the train seemed like it was going to be awesome, but as the air conditioning stopped, it got mighty warm, and not so awesome. Emilie and I walked to the other trains and tried to stay in the restaurant car as long as we could. For some reason, it was only our car that didn't have it!!

Half way inbetween, some teenagers hopped on and for the most part were pretty quiet (they were passed out with hangovers?), but then we heard "It'ssss aaaa Paaaaarrrrttttttyyyy," for 6 hours every 20 minutes. Let's say we were about to throw them off the train after the 50th time we heard it. Ah!

But, we did eventually get here, and it was worth it. We had dinner and walked home in a thunderstorm which was so refreshing. This part of Germany is beautiful and our hotel is perfect for the kids and for us (who have needed some time in the country before we head home.)

Can you see Prague in 1 day?

2011-07-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Probably not- but we didn't have a choice! We only planned for 1 1/2 days in Prague, so we had to book ourselves around to the key sites :) It is a beautiful city!!!

After our 2 hour train ride from Dresden, we got into the train station crazy zoo... and I was so so happy to see our hotel come and pick us up. They helped us with our luggage, put it into their mini vans, and we got to sit in a car (which we haven't done in a long time). Oh, the pleasures of life. Love them.

Our first introduction to Prague was this "dancing" house which was super interesting. I want to read more about the history of this building.

And then of course, the gorgeous bridges :)

After our hotel staff gave us a warm welcome (I'm going to highly recommend them on trip advisor-they seriously went out of their way), we walked down to one of the islands which is designated pretty much to an entire playground. The kids loved it.

We decided to walk across the most famous bridge, which was PACKED with tourists, but still fun. When we got to the other side though, it was a little too much of cheap plastic stuff, so we tried to get off the common path... had ice cream, and then headed home to get some rest before the next day.

Bright and early, we took a little train to the base of a tram that takes you up the mountain and drops you off at a gorgeous park overlooking the city. Luckily, there were also horses there, so Maddie was super supa excited!

I need to buy one of these for her.

The sign for the tram we took up.

In the park they have an observation tower, that looks like a mini eiffel tower...

Beautiful rose gardens..

We took the steps up the tower and were rewarded by this!! What a great view of the castle!!

And city.

When we got down, we let the kids play a bit after they worked so hard climbing those steps. I love it when people put parks everywhere. It is sooo helpful.

We then took a hike through the park down to the castle (which was my favorite memory for the day). It was so beautiful to walk through the orchards, looking at prague below you- I wish I could do it again and again. The only minus was that Emi decided that she didn't want to have anything to do with stairs- which was a huge bummer because there were tons of stairs. Needless to say, it was a lot of waiting, and a lot of crying until she finally settled down and ate this peach :)

Once we walked through the park, we entered the enormous castle gates, and started to walk through all of the buildings and streets...

The main gates to the older part of the castle.

I love these emblems- I've never seen anything like them in REAL life- only in movies or described in books. It was super cool.

Check out these amazing books?! Not fake.

This is a dome in one of the basilicas.

The main gorgeous cathedral.

And when I say gorgeous- I mean gorgeous stain glass windows. They almost didn't seem like they should be in the church...

In the old castle, there is a street where the artist Kafka used to live? Kind of strange, but was fun to go in an out of the little houses which have been converted to little stores/recreations of what it may have looked like back then/museums with artillery of the period.

When we finished the castle grounds, we stopped at a very old winery and had ice cream, and Steve tried the traditional Czech bread- which was basically cinnamon, sugar, goodness.

These are the old stairs leading out and into the castle walls.

I looked down at my little companion, and said "Are you ready for the stairs now?" And she says, "Mama... lots of stairs!" But- with an adorable smile on her face.

Cute cute cute.

After all this walking, we were sticky and very hot. This drinking fountain was everything that we wanted. They got a kick out of it.

From this side, we walked over the bridge to the old Jewish sector- but we then remembered that it was SATURDAY! Urgh. Of course everything was closed. Oh, well. We did get to peek into the old Jewish cemetery.

A view of one of the towers in the main square. I love the roof!

The old astronomical clock- very very neat.

There were tons of weddings going on, and of course rose pedals everywhere.

A quick shot of a kiss!
And a SUPA cool car. I would love to ride in one of these.

We did a lot more walking and walking, which was getting a little exhausting especially when I saw all of these bikers. Pushing umbrella strollers on cobblestones was starting to get to me.

But- we pressed on, because all we thought about was getting to the paddle boats on the river. And, we made it! It wasn't a moment too soon because I was sweating like crazy.

A happy girl right after eating an icy.

Another one.

After the paddleboats, we decided to head back up to catch some dinner by the river.

Our view crossing the old bridge. So cool, right?

While we re-entered the other side of the city, these horn players gave all the tourists a free concert. It was very nice.

Lots of neat puppets.

The restaurant we ended up choosing was so relaxing- right on the river, and we immediately ordered cold drinks and relaxed our pants off. It was a perfect dinner to the end of a very long but amazing day.

Of course we couldn't NOT stop at the park right next to us, and the girls were in the best of moods. Emi sang and sang on this little swing. We couldn't get her off of it.

And this was our Prague in 1 day! I already miss it.

Trains, towers, fancy cars and of course WATER!

2011-07-11T14:20:00.001-07:00

Dresden has a HUGE park, which also happens to have a train in it that takes you around, so the family was up for that. I read in a tour book that kids get to drive it around, but then we found out that "teenagers" are the conductors, so that's what they meant when they said "kids" drive it around. Bummer for us, but it was still fun!

This park was packed with kids...

Then we decided to head back to the center and tour the "Frauenkirche" or main church. The picture of this church after the bombings is extremely sad- there is only one wall left standing and everything else in ruins. But- there is the church again... beautiful.

And, of course carriages outside of it, but this time double decker!!

And, Martin Luther :)

The place is stunning inside, but also packed with tourists, so we spent 1 minute inside and then decided to climb the tower to the top to get a view of the entire city.

The walk up is the nicest walk I've had up a church because there are no stairs- it's just a ramp on the outside with great views of the dome, and then a couple of steps to the top top.

When we reached the top, the views were stunning.

Wouldn't mind this being my downtown :)

Emilie taking a walk on the wild side- I couldn't get her off this ledge... she just kept on walking around and around, even though it was a little freaky.

After the tower, we sat down for pizza (me, a salad- and yes, I am still gluten free. It has been hard, though. Food allergies are the worst on vacation.) German kids must have been on camp in Dresden because they were flooding the city.

"To your health!"

As a game during lunch, the girls decided to watch all of the carriages go by... Emi was super cute. "Mama! Lots of horsies!" or "Mama, more horsies!!"

At 3, we booked it over to the Volkswagon factory for a super cool tour of how they make cars...

I guess they make most of them in Asia, but they make a certain type in Dresden- 54 a day. And- these cars are pretty expensive- 101,000 Euro each. Ouch.

But, they were really nice! You can drive automatic and stick- whatever suits you. Super nice interiors. Ah- the smell of leather was dreamy.

After the factory, we walked across the river to see if there were any restaurants... but ran into this fountain instead... so off the clothes went, and they had a blast!

Supa big diaper!!! YEAH!

The three girls loving this fountain (Yes, I wish I could strip down like this too. It was a hot day).

After a couple of weeks in Germany, all any of us wanted was sushi- so that's where we went- and it was really good, but not as good as dessert. I ordered a chocolate/vanilla/strawberry dessert- and it was SOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOD. There was 1 scoop of vanilla, and the rest of it was 3 cups of strawberries and then chocolate fudge. I am going to make this again when I get home. I wish I could have one RIGHT NOW!

Dresden in all her glory

2011-07-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

This morning we woke up, packed, cleaned and got on a train to Dresden! The train from Berlin to Dresden takes 2 hours, so it was relaxing just to sit down, get off the train and see a new place! Our hotel was 2 hours away from the "Zwinger Palace," so we decided to walk there after cooling off from all the sweat we had from pushing the luggage and kids around :)

We stopped by the lake/moat outside the palace to see the ducks.

The crowned gate that we entered into...

This poor city has gone through a lot- almost 95% of it was destroyed during bombings in WWII, so this palace and other buildings are slowly being rebuilt to their previous beauty. It is going to take a long time... but they are doing a great job!

This palace holds many art collections, and we decided to tour one- which had some beautiful paintings, and the art gods were on our side, because the girls decided to take a nap in their strollers while we went through the gallery. Whoo hoo!!

After the beautiful art, we sat down and had some milk shakes while the girls ran their hearts out in the couryard. It was just too picturesque--- seriously. Why don't we build this stuff anymore??

There were a lot of beautiful boats on the river, and the girls really really really wanted to ride them, but it was getting a bit late, and we hadn't eaten dinner... soo dinner won out :)

One of the streets that has most of the restaurants in town. We couldn't decide where to go, but finally decided on tapas- which was sooo yummy. Melon with prosciutto was my favorite.

The street from street view... with Steve/Chris/Audrey on the right!

Horses with carriages are everywhere, and did definitely attract lots of attention from our girls and were seriously thinking about getting one, but they are MUCHO euros, so we decided to pass...

We decided to take a family photo and Maddie decided to become Muslim? I'm not sure what was going on here, but she didn't want to take off this purple scarf, so we decided to let her keep it !!

Our angels.

A Dresden angel.

Gorgeous, right?

The beautiful sun setting.

And the moon coming out...

We hit our pillows hard.

All things Berlin

2011-07-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

I am embarrassed to write this, but I didn't really know the history of Berlin until we came here- blame it on my horrible history teachers!! I have REALLY enjoyed the history side of the trip, and would love to take a European History course when I get back. Seeing cities with your own eyes is the way to go ;)

Most of the "famous" things about Berlin, have been torn down (for good reason)... so when you come to see the "berlin wall," there really isn't a wall anymore, other than what is called the "East Side Gallery," where they have let artists show their stuff.

There were some kids who were taking their photos jumping, so we thought we'd copy!! I wanted to take a pic of all the fam, but the kids were grumpy!!!

grumpy.

We waited for 2 hours to climb the TV tower, but it was well worth the spectacular view of the city.

I love this shot of the tower's shadow on "Alexander platz."

Steve ordered the girls two popsicles.

They can now both say "to your health" when they give toasts. It is pretty cute!

Street performers are the best wherever we go, especially this little puppet.

I really loved this church and it's art- it isn't the usual macabre scenes, but really refreshing and beautiful.

I love love Mary in this scene- she is so beautiful.

Perfect. Just probably how it was :)

The girls and I climbed the steps, while Steve enjoyed the cool pews.

A great view of the plaza below.

Someone made a heart for us in the grass!!

My hoofs in all their glory!

Maddie loves grass- and screams for it everywhere we go... poor kid! Probably means some time away from the "schedule" and just a break.

After a quick bite to eat, we played in the fountains before Emi hit her head when she slipped :(

We stopped at this fountain we've passed 5 times, but this time it was more relaxing :)

For some reason, there are little bunny rabbits jumping around in this park?? Is that weird or what? Very very cute for us!!

Here's to a rain free Berlin!!! Yea!!

(insert) Sunday

2011-07-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post about what we did on Sunday- which wasn't much! We woke up earlier than we usually have been and trekked the city to church (which we missed 30 minutes of!), so we stayed for Sunday school which was REALLY good. They had a lesson in English, and we started out introducing the class. People were from India, USA, England... it was neat to see so many different people.
Anyway- on our way back from church, we walked through the biggest park in Berlin, took some pics and headed home for lunch, a nap, and then some playing at the playground.
It was a nice a chill day :)

One of my favorite days in Berlin

2011-07-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

It is still raining here, and it is a super downer. Yuck! We must have hit the rainstorm of the century, so I am a bit excited to get out of here, but also, trying to take advantage of what we can do.

Today we decided to enter this children's shoe store that we pass every day to get on the metro, and maybe we shouldn't have, because we dropped so much money on shoes for our kids. I just couldn't help myself- they were so cute.

She had the cutest shop, with such a great selection of shoes from all over Europe- I wonder if I can order some of these from the states?

We then headed over to Potsdamer Place- which is a new downtown created by some star architects. I really liked the feel of it... especially the Sony section.

There are a group of skyskrapers in a circle, with a fountain in the middle, and a canopy covering the center.

This is the canopy...

I couldn't stand far back enough to take a picture of all the buildings and the center! Agh.

Another attempt to get it all.

Emi was starting to get in a stinker mood, until we got to this fountain. I love fountains :) Every kid loves them, and they are a nice place to sit and relax.

We then decided to go to Lego Land which was the first ever built, and is completely underground. The kids had sooo much fun- it was a little crowded, but they had a great time. Maddie was so excited, she couldn't stop jumping up and down.

Suprisingly, my kids wanted to build with these large legos more than anything- more than the rides, or movies. It was really surprising- maybe they are just missing their toys from home?

Our favorite part of the museum was the 3D movie, where we had glasses on, and when water spilled, water spilled all over you. And, when it snowed, they had bubbles falling on you... the kids LOVED it. Even though it was completely in German, and I didn't understand 1 word, Emi said "More!!!"

We started getting a little stomach sick, so decided to head to a salad place- and it was really yummy. I am starting to miss the food of home for some reason this trip. And- maybe Paris- but, I just love Paris. I shouldn't compare, but it's in my memory for some reason since we were there last year.

Tomorrow is our last day in Berlin, so I am crossing my fingers that it's sunny!!!

Rainy Rainy Days

2011-07-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we have attracted buckets of rain. Nonstop buckets. It has made it a challenge, but we decided to head out anyway (I'm so glad that I decided to not do my hair in the morning, because it was constantly wet!) and visit the Pergamonmuseum.

A beautiful fountain on the way.

This isn't it (hee hee), but is on the way to it. Berlin has a museum island which has... museums! Brilliant :)

The walk to it... we cross this little bridge and then you are to it's front steps.

Wet, wet and more wet waiting in line.

I think this may be one of the most impressive museums I've been to in terms of recreating altars/friezes- holy cow. This is the Pergamon altar- thought to have been built in the 2nd century BC in Asia Minor (Roman). It is enormous, and incredibly beautiful- they believe the friezes were painted.

A recreation of the right side of the altar.

Greek ruins with very impressive columns- they were enormous.

I loved how they manage this museum- everyone gets a set of headphones, in your own language, and off you go. Maddie and Emi got a kick out of this.

A beautiful mosiac found in a private residence (!) for their dining room. Would like that!!

This is the Market Gate from Miletus erected in 120 AD and is enormous (52 ft). Archeologists believe it to be a gate that opened onto a southern market in Roman town.

This is the Ishar Gate and was the eigth gate to the inner city of Babylon (constructed around 575 BC by King Nebuchadnezzzar II). It was dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar and it is gorgeous- it was made with blue glazed tiles and has alternatin grows of dragons and lions. They believe deities were paraded through the gate and down the processional way each year during the New Year's celebration.

A little babylonian.

For the rest of the day... it was cold and rainy. The girls weren't so happy :( But, we got some lunch and then headed home to our warm home. YAY!!

No more pork please

2011-07-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

My first two days in Berlin, I didn't take any pictures because Maddie, Emi and I took it pretty easy in the apartment, played at the parks, got used to the metro/trains, went to the mall and played with toys. This is my favorite part of vacationing. No "to do's," just wandering and having fun together. These girls are my best friends :) I loved ordering them pizza and watch them eat it, bouncing with them on the trampoline, drinking hot chocolate together, riding the "choo choos..."

Yesterday, though, we took many pictures and started the official start of our Berlin tour :)

Since I've never been to Berlin, I didn't know what to expect- but it is a really pretty city, known for it's amazing food from everywhere. It has more Michelin restaurants than I've ever seen. These are some sights we saw during our walk downtown:

There is a pretty yummy ice cream place right by our apartment that just opened up a few weeks ago. My favorite flavor is Pear- yummmm.

Not the most flattering picture :)

We took the metro downtown and started walking towards the Jewish quarter to see a little candy factory. But- on the way we saw sushi, and unanimously decided to eat here (I cannot eat pork/sausages anymore. I'm sorry to say- but we had sausage and/or any pork product for the 1st week of our trip, and I think if I see another sausage, I'm going to head for the bathroom!! Sushi was a great break!)

So good and not pork!!

We found the little candy factory...

The cute molds...

The cute candy eaters...

They liked the mint flavor the best.

All that candy got us very tired, so we headed for a park for a break.

Unfortunately, Steve brought Maddie a blanket (which was nice), but when you only bring 1 of something for 2 little girls, there is big trouble in your future :) SO, we had some big fighting over this pink blanket, and here is the sad Maddie and the happy Emilie.

A goof.

After the walk, we piled onto a river boat and checked out the city via water. It was so comfortable, I was about to fall asleep- instead Maddie did!!

Emi was a very happy clam on the boat- especially when we ordered "KIBA," a cherry/bannana drink.

Pretending to be like me. hee hee.

It was super cold today- so the girls draded this blanket back and forth...

This is the Brandenburg gate...where many tens of thousands celebrated when the cold war ended.

It's kind of funny to be in front of the gates, because there are so many random people you can take your picture with which kind of make no sense? We chose the Berlin Bear.

War heros.

Darth Vader?

A Native American Indian Chief? Whaa??

After the gate, we walked and walked... this is a view of TV tower that has a revolving cafe at the top. (I think we'll try to hit this tomorrow)

Does this picture look fake? I took it, but now that I'm looking at it, it looks like a fake picture in a video game or architectural drawing... weird!

A "Moby Dick" boat.

One of the coolest train stations that was nice when the rain poured.

Ok- so they love sausages here. And- especially Currywurst- which is a sausage with curry sauce. I haven't tried it yet, but Steve said it's pretty yummy. Unfortunately, I'm still on my pork hiatus.

Dinner was yummy at this Mexican joint- salsa, guacamole, is a nice break from the pork. Can you tell I've had enough?? ha!

Switzerland/France/Germany/Switzerland/France/Germany... ugh!

2011-07-02T09:55:00.001-07:00

Castle Colberg was a great stay... a nice experience to stay in a castle, but I would say 1 day was enough because there wasn't much to do there. We walked around the grounds (they had roaming deer)... and played on the playground and started to head south.

This girlie really loves these teeter totters!

And always lov'n the swings.

We had a 4 hour drive from our castel to Basel (on the lowest border of Germany), so we decided to divide it in half and stop in Baden Baden (a spa town). Unfortunately, we didn't soak in any spas, but it was 100 degrees, so parked it on the grass and had a little picnic, and then walked around for a bit.

When we got into Basel, we were SO excited to see a little pool. Even though it was 100 degrees, though, it was supa cold, so Emi and I just watched Maddie swim a couple of laps.

These two are the best of friends- and have been angels for this trip. Every moment or pause of our walking, they stop and play, giggle, hold hands, dance. It has been a pleasure to travel with them.

This hotel was very cute- and had a great courtyard in the middle. I love this yellow/white theme.

Starting early in the morning I was on my own with the kids for the day, so I decided we should go to the zoo. I didn't have a map, but I saved some images on my ipad... and crossed my fingers.

I started out great, then got off the freeway and started driving though Switzerland (Basel is right on the border of Switzerland,Germany and France), and then got LOST. Ugh. Driving in foreign countries really stinks... I was about to turn around, but then I said a prayer, and I saw a street that headed me in the right direction. We finally made it to the zoo!

Out of all the animals, Maddie loved the ponies the best, and wanted to ride them. But sadly, they were just for petting.

Emi's favorite were the goats that kept on licking her hands, and then she would come over and say "Mama!!" It was very cute.

Can't resist this smile.

Their favorite friends.

It was kind of funny walking around because some kids were speaking French, others German, I was very confused. What was I supposed to speak? I guess this is pretty common here because technically the city is in three countries.

The zoo also had a little aquarium.

We liked this little guy... he walked so slow, I wish I had a video camera. Maddie kept on asking me when he was going to change colors.

I love giraffes- they are so beautiful and curious. We watched them for a while they lowered their heads down to see if we had any food for them.

On our way home I got MAJORLY lost- I drove in and out of country borders and was asked a million times if I was driving my own car, and where I was going. Ugh. Yuck. I drove the driveways west/north/east... all I wanted to do was get home! After 90 minutes or so, I finally got home, just in time to get back in the car and get on a plane to fly to Berlin.

Flying is so cheap in Germany- it was only $100 to fly from the south to Berlin for our family- which is pretty awesome! It was a quick 1 hour, and we took the train into Berlin and our apartment for the next week.

More Rothenburg and a castle!!

2011-06-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

(We are now in Berlin, but our internet connection has been the pits, so I haven't been able to blog!!! So, here we go!!)

This is our second day in Rothenburg! We decided to walk outside of the outside walls ...

If I were an enemy, I would really have a hard time climbing these walls. Yikes.

Gorgeous houses outside the city- could definitely live here for a couple of days, months, years?

After our long walk, we came back to the center and heard "When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way?" from West Side Story?? There was a visiting high school band from Kansas, and they were really good.

Funny combination- Rothernburg/West Side Story/Kansas/Germans...

Maddie's favorite were the dancers.

Our cuties.

Totally enchanted.

I think I blogged about climbing this tower- this is a picture of it- doesn't seem high, but it is about 6 inches wide up there all the way around, and every time we talk about climbing a tower the immediate response is "NO!!!!"

There has been some TASTY ice cream along the way.

THE SUN IS OUT! It was overcast/rainy 99 percent of the time, and SO nice when we felt the rays!

Our last walk outside of Rothenburg.... we will miss it :)

We then took a quick 45 minute drive to Castle Colmberg which was converted to a hotel.

It was a welcomed sight when we saw it on our drive in.

The remaining wall (much smaller than Rothenburg).

The countryside is really beautiful here- it kind of reminded us of Italy in some places.

Our window from the outside...

and from the inside...

They have a beautiful courtyard outside where we ate dinner, and a playground right beside us- it gave us a nice break for us to eat dinner while they were happy playing.

The playground.

I'm going to blog about this later- but I bought these play puzzle things for kids while traveling, and I give them 6 stars! They have saved us on the plane, trains, restaurants. They are the best.

Steve had an out of body experience with this dessert - says it was his favorite of all time- Rasberries/rhubard stew with poppyseed ice cream. I agree with him- it was pretty yummy.

LOVING the teeter totter.

The light at the castle before the sun went down was beautiful, so we took some family photos...

The sun setting over germany. Gute Nacht!

Rothenburg

2011-06-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when I was showing Maddie some pictures of our trip, and she wanted to know why our whole family wasn't all together in the pics... so here was my attempt before the day started :)

After our romantic road drive, we couldn't find our hotel in the coun outside of Rothenburg, so we found a hotel inside the fortress city- which was probably better anyway, because this city has so much to see! We woke up pretty late (930) and then headed for the sites! Here is our first stop to the outside walls.

A view of a really cute house and its coat of arms (!?)

Maddie walking through the passageways on top of the city walls...

One of the entrances to the city.

We walked to the main plaza and climbed up the tower and I barely took this photo. I was so scared! Even though it wasn't that high, the walkway was incredibly narrow. Yikes.

The view of the city from the tower...so awesome :)

A view of the city wall-at one point in the city's history, it was so dirty/smelly, only the rich could get out and live outside of it in the countryside. It is so the opposite today!

The Christmas Museum boasts to be the largest in Germany... it was amazing, but a major tourist trap I'm sure. We had to buy ornaments. Couldn't stop ourselves, but I'm thinking we probably could have bought them somewhere else for cheaper!

Of course, everywhere you look is stunning. I love the doors here.

Waiting before we got tickets to a museum...

This museum (can't think of the name right now!) had pretty cool artifacts, and I love looking at the drawings of what they might have worn.

Another pic for Maddie!

A really neat sculpture in one of the protestant churches depicting the boat to judgment day...

For some reason, I really liked this because the two angels on the right represent faith and hope and the other two angels on the left represent doubt and dispair, which is so true.

For lunch, we walked into this hotel/restaurant by chance, and it was AMAZING. The back had a room completely surrounded in glass, and we could have sat there for hours.

YUmmy.

The girls LOVED playing in the garden where a fortress used to be.

Really pretty grounds.

Another view of the city from the gardens.

A view of this funny looking house- why is it built on this tower??

Playing hide and go seek.

A great reaction when I found them!

See the face? They used to pour hot liquid out of it on their enemies!

On to the famous criminal museum.

A quick shot of our hotel!

They had some live criminals- but they seemed happy?!

Boy- this time was rough. They had all sorts of devices to humiliate people, this one for talking too much, or spreading rumors.

This one for seeing too much and acting like a pig...

This one "bossy" women, or women that were quareling too much...

Just can't imagine.

And my personal favorite- the chastity belt. Sure- I've heard the word, but seriously, this is so wrong on so many levels. Men would put them on their wives while they went away from home for long trips, or women would put them on if they were traveling by themselves. Seriously.messed.up.

Bakers would be forced into this cage if their bread was too light and then dunked into the river for who knows how long?! Oh my. Also very disturbing.

There were many more cruesome devices that I'm sure you can imagine... very cool museum. One of a kind.

We then ate another great dinner (but, I think we are pretty much done with sausages,potatoes and more pork. I think we are craving Mexican or something.) and headed to the "Night Watchmans" tour, which was very hilarious and entertaining. The only bad thing was that it was so popular and crowded, we couldn't hear every word, but still glad we went.

Tomorrow more of Rothenburg and a night in a castle :)

Water baths, old inventions and GPS!!

2011-06-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up a little earlier than the fam, and tied up my running shoes and hit the dirt. This place is a runners/bikers paradise. OM gosh. I simply can't describe the beauty of this place when you are by yourself in the middle of green grass, majestic mountains, the castles, the sound of the cow bells... it really was a moment I wish I could hold on to forever. If I was in better shape, I probably could have run for 3 hours- but I'm not, and it was getting super cold, so I started to head back.

Before we headed out of Fussen, we hit some thermal pools- which was supa supa relaxing. I could have taken pics, but I was too busy sitting my fanny down in warm water with my eyes closed. They have about 7 pools on the bottom floor with varying degrees of warmness, and salt content (you can basically float in one!), and the second floor is a sort of Turkish bath (very nude- so we stayed to the first floor :) )

We then hit the "romantic road." Which is plenty romantic- but with two kids in the back, my mind was contantly thinking "how much longer?!" I would have liked it a bit more if I was driving in a camero, and the kids were in an RV behind us! Is that too much to ask ? Ha!

Very pretty towns on the way, and towers at every turn.

So, to make a long story short, I was looking and looking for stuff for kids to do on the drive, and came across a woman who recommended a puppet theatre/museum on the way. We got lost trying to find it (which I will get to in a second), and the museum probably wasn't worth the stop given that we don't speak German (the show must have been cute if we did- so we skipped the show, and just saw the museum). Anyway- the silver lining was this courtyard in back and a super cool musuem...

This is how the ladies curled their hair way back when? wowzers- a heat wire for each piece.

A hair dryer! (Or an alien torture device!)

A braider that weaves ropes... this is especially important for us because Steve "invented" something very similar to this for medical devices... so it was so funny that we saw this! We have something so so similar to this contraption in our garage :)

A plate that they would use to make books... this is so neat to see- especially in our day of computers.

A little girl in a park. hee hee.

Another little girl in a park!

**This was a semi stressful day for me- because we didn't get GPS when we rented the car (which was the 100th thing on my list to do before we left, but I just ran out of steam). Anyway- we also didn't have a map. What were we thinking? Well, I thought I could easily unlock my phone, get a new sim card, get a plan and we should be off with google maps. Well- not so easy for a number of reasons, and I am hoping that tomorrow we will be set. But if not, I may just throw in the towel, and throw my phone in the garbage, and buy a map :)

It is incredible how dependant I have become to my phone! Good and bad thing, right?

Fairytale Land

2011-06-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

We are doing the romantic road backwards, and are starting in Fussen, so of course we had to visit the famous Neuschwanstein castle!! I feel like it might be old hat to many people, but for us, it was a hit, and so gorgeous. I wish they turned this place into a hotel... I think they would get some good $$$!! When we woke up this morning, the forecast was rain all day (which I guess is pretty typical around here with these mountains.) It was a perfectly perfect romantic backdrop to this amazing place.

As you walk up to the castle, you can choose to walk 30 minutes uphill or take a carriage, and Maddie was beside herself when she heard the word carriage, so it was a no brainer. These are the little ones as we are waiting for the next carriage...

Our two studs!! Man, these guys are strong!!

When you get up to the castle, you can take a path to Mary's bridge which has the best views of the castle, so of course we opted for that. The landscape is gorgeous

A view of the other castle as we are walking to Mary's bridge. I can't believe this place exists!!

Two happy hikers..

Well, one of them wasn't so happy, so she got a lift.

This place is right out of a storybook. Unfortunately, they dont' let you take pictures inside, but the tour is pretty quick since only 1/3 of the castle was completed. But, the rooms that were completed were definitely castle material- paintings of Wagner's operas on every square inch of the walls, woodwork to die for...

A Pic taken from Mary's bridge and Emilie saying "CHEEEEESE."

I'm not super afraid of heights, but when this bridge was PACKED with tourists, I definitely was thinking if those boards were going to snap!

Here's a view of the bridge over a gorgeous waterfall taken from the castle...

Now, on to the tour!!

I wish they would let you walk around the castle a little bit more, but... we did get to see these paintings on the exterior. It would have been pretty neat to live during this time (that is, if you were super rich, right?)

After the castle, we ate lunch at Hotel Muller (in the center of the little town at the base of the castle), drove home and took a nap. And, when I say nap, Steve and I crashed while the girls opened the suitcases, took out the clothes, got in my makeup and smeared it all over the beds, took all of the towels in the bathroom and played with them on the wet balcony... OH!!!! That nap was maybe not worth it :)

When we woke up, it was time for dinner (my favorite time of the day!!), so we headed to this pizza place which was voted the "best" in Fussen. I'm always skeptical when they vote things "the best," but it was really good- and steve loved his food.

I love the color combinations/designs of the facades of the houses and stores. I love this yellow/blue/black/grey theme. I'm going to copy this somehow someday... maybe the girls room?

Happy as a clam.

An even happier clam... steak with some amazing gorgonzola sauce...

By now, it was 9:30? It is still light, and the kids were full of energy, so we walked a little bit more, and headed back to the car (it was Freezing!!)

This place is simply gorgeous. A view crossing the bridge to our car.

A last goodbye to the multicolor houses... I wish we could do this back at home. Urban sprawl just isn't the same!

The first day always hurts

2011-06-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

What seems like this morning, but was now 2 days ago, we left for our trip to Germany!! It is 1:47 in the morning right now and I can't go to sleep (obviously because it's 4 in the afternoon my time). Ah! For some reason, it seemed easier last year, but who knows.

So, I'm here to post of our first hours here! Um, this is going to be hard to admit, because I have always been a French girl. Love France, love the food, love the country... everything about it. But, I have to say that in only a few short hours, Germany is pretty darn amazing.

But, before I go into that, I need to recap the flight with 2 kids- which was a breeze for some reason. And, this is why:

1. Steve and I traded off- (3 of our seats were together) and one was away. At first, I was jumping up and down shouting that we needed to be all 4 together, but it was the best thing ever!! I took the first leg with the kids, and then Steve would take the second. So- it gave each of us some time to sleep, get away and breathe. It was awesome.

2. Food. I brought around 25 packages of this...and the kids inhaled them and didn't get messy.

I would recommend this to anyone who has kids... the best invention ever. And, then the usual subjects (goldfish, gummy rabbits, crackers, lollipops, granola bars).

Sure came in handy with our flight from SFO-NYC, because they charged for snacks! Can you believe this? If you want a little bag of pretzels, you've got to pay for it... crazy.

2. The right toys, from order of importance:

playdough (my kids love this stuff and it can always entertain for huge chunks of time, markers/crayons/coloring book, beads and string (to make necklaces), stickers for emilie to put all over her tray and then take them off and put them on again for hours, the ipad with tons of apps, tape and scissors, puzzles, and of course a movie (but, they probably only watched 2 hours out of 12, which is pretty amazing, right?

3. Some serious heavenly grace. They were so good, really happy, never cried. A huge blessing.

Now on to Germany:

I was too tired to lug out my cluncky camera, so this is the best I could come up with right now to describe what we saw for 3 hours as we drove from Zurich to Fussen. GORGEOUS. Green hills, the cutest/most fairytale towns you've ever seen, cows with bells frolicking in the grass, happy farmers whistling in the breeze, glass top lakes with people relaxing on the shores, Steve and kept on saying every 4 minutes (this place is sooo pretty)...

and then maddie threw up, and threw up and threw up,

but, it was still beautiful!! hee hee.

After our long drive, we finally arrived in a small town just outside of Fussen (right beneath the Neuschwanstein castle.) We did not plan this- but our balcony looks right at the castle! (ok, behind a tree, but still cool!!)

We're staying at Hotel Waldmann- a small family run hotel that is perfect for the kids (trampoline, swings, places to run... and so close to "Sleeping Beauty's castle.")

We were so tired, so we slept for a while, and then scraped our bodies out of our beds to get dinner and ended up at the best place in Fussen. I can't remember what the place is right now- I'll ask Steve, but, we put on bibs, ate duck, lamb, sausage, roasted potatoes, green beans and sauerkraut... it was a gluten free FEAST. I was loving every lick of my fingers.

The people are so friendly, I can't say enough, and even though I feel bad that I don't know one word of German, everyone speaks English and goes out of their way to help. ..

Steve is trying to put Emilie to sleep in the other room right now (she is having a hard time adjusting to the time), I'm sitting here very very awake, and Maddie is sleeping like a champ! I'm going to try and channel her sleeping bug...

Very Behind

2011-06-15T15:01:00.001-07:00

I am so behind in posting, I don't really know where to start. So, I've got to start somewhere !!

Sometime in the last couple of months(!) we went to Tahoe with some friends, and we had a great time sledding, swimming, eating, sledding. It was a pretty short trip, but so much fun. Here are some pics of the kids and the group at the end.

Hot tub lov'n.

Emilie didn't dare get in...

Natural born sledder!

And relaxer!

I think Emi was done after this one...

Our fun group! I love these guys!!

Steve and Emilie's Birthdays!

2011-01-29T21:51:00.000-08:00

January is a big birthday month for us... Steve's and Emilie's are a week apart at the end of the month! Unfortunately, Steve was in Berlin for a week including his birthday- so we couldn't celebrate with him on the actual day. But- don't be sorry for him- because he went sledding in the Alps with his best friend and toured around Switzerland... yes, I'm very jealous :)

The next week was Emi's birthday- and she turned the GRAND 2! It's very trite, but I can't believe time goes so fast. She is blossoming into THE cutest little girl. Her happy personality and cheerfulness around the house is contagious. Of course she still is a little shy, hates big groups, and won't let anyone take care of her... but she's getting better :) Little steps.

This week we threw her a little party with a small number of friends (scared of big groups)... we had a friend give a music class where we danced and sang. Although it took a couple of minutes, the kids definitly got into it. We had some playdough, chalk, swings in the backyard. It was very chill, but I think Emi really liked it.

Music class...

These two love eachother. (most of the time)

Balloons.

Playdough.

Thanks for taking this Steve!

My favorite picture.

Or maybe this one!

We dropped balloons down on the count of three... it was a little slow, but the kids seemed to really like it!

I totally forgot to practice with Emi to blow candles out, but she really blew them out by herself!!!

I asked her what types of cupcakes she wanted, and she said "ducky." So that's what she got! Yum!

Loves slides!

Loves her sister.

And did I mention slides?

The final shot of the party goers!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMI! We love you!

Christmas!!!

2011-01-03T21:23:00.001-08:00

For Christmas break, we decided to drive through Las Vegas on our way to SLC to visit family. My dad drove down to Vegas and met us... and we stayed for 5 days!!! As a caveat, I thought I would SWEAR on my grave that I would HATE Las Vegas for all of the obvious reasons, but I have to tell you, I actually really liked it!

I didn't take any photos while we were there and left it up to my dad (so I'll post them later), but we had a great time. We stayed at the Mandalay Bay for 2 nights and the Venitian for 3 nights (we extended our stay because we enjoyed it so much). The highlights included the 9 buffets we ate at!! (no exaggeration!), swimming outside in the 80 degree pools, the spas, the shows, the shopping!! Is is quite a destination.

We really loved the fountains in front of the Bellagio. I think it was Maddie's favorite thing. I kind of have to agree with her- pretty stunning and nothing like it.

After 5 days of pure glutony... we headed to SLC for Christmas and Steve's little brother's WEDDING! The last of his siblings to get married. It is crazy how time flies... I met his little brother when he was 13! Here are some highlights:

The kids LOVED the snow this trip. Of course, we had to make a snowman!

A picture of Steve's little brother who was coming and going during our trip to get ready for the wedding... cute, right?

Enjoying the snow...

Arms of course.

Proud of their masterpiece.

We went to downtown SLC, which is decked out in Christmas lights...

Really different shot of the temple downtown, but gorgeous.

Group shot of the cold family and Steve's other brother and wife! Yay!

Delirious from the cold.

Last year my mom gave the girls a sled, so this sled has a lot of sentimental value. We hit a little hill and Maddie had a blast... of course Emi was skeptical!

Not sure of the whole thing.

A few shots of the MANY runs:

Very Happy but COLD!

My dad and the girls.

We love these rosy cheeks!

Before the wedding, all of the guys went out for a "bachelor" party. I say that in quotes, because for them bachelor party = eating lots of red meat, drinking lots of soda, and going down in the basement and unloading all of the advice they could give in 1 hour!!! Poor Pieter!! hee hee.

The beautiful couple!

They had the wedding at a lodge in the snowy canyons...it was beautiful! Here is a quick shot of Maddie and her cousins waiting while the decorating was going on.

Steve's sister has such a great talent with her flower business. I love this bouquet.

Well, you wouldn't believe it if I told you, but the couple decided to go skiing before the reception. Yes, crazy. But, very awesome. I was really worried that she would rip her dress, but it didn't, and I'm sure her wedding pictures are amazing.

Awesome, no?

Off they go...

Down the mountain...

Steve's sister and husband... and Pieter's wife's aunt!

Maddie and her gorgeous cousin!

Dancing until she literally dropped.

Here's to another great Christmas!

Yellow Leaves

2011-01-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

Sometime before it turned grey and brown, there were these yellow trees on our street that were drop dead amazing. Every day there were people stopping and taking pictures of the leaves, of their kids in the leaves, of their dogs in the leaves... you get the point. SO, I had to capture these leaves too. I wish they could be there all year- but I guess we wouldn't appreciate it, right??

Here are some shots of us enjoying the leaves (BTW- These photos are NOT photoshopped). This is the real color of these leaves!!

Also... I guess I should take this space to immortalize how Emily is growing up! Before these last two months, she was very clingy and we were waiting for the days when she would talk! Well, these days have come :) She has transformed into a little girl, saying "Hi" to everyone she sees and her vocabulary has BOOMED! Her favorite words so far- BABY, sticky, mommy and daddy, broke, up, more, bike, shoes, "where did it go," MINE, light (which also means pen?), and awake. She is adorable. We love you EMI!

The little version of The Nutcracker

2011-01-03T21:08:00.000-08:00

One of the bonuses of having a girl, is taking them to girly things. And, I mean everything wonderful by saying girly. I have been waiting for the year where I could take Maddie to the Nutcracker- and this was it!! One of her best friends had the great idea of taking the three girls together- and I jumped on the opportunity. We didn't go to THE Nutcracker- but to the Zeum Museum (SF Children's Museum) version- and it was the perfect length. I think aside from the 50 million questions all of them asked throughout the show, it was a hit for all of them.

Afterwards, we rode the carousel of course- Maddie's favorite memory of the night:

Gorgeous.

Gorgeous.

Gorgeous?? hee hee.

All the moms and girls :)

And just the moms... who I think had more fun than the girls!