Rothenberg ob der Tauber

We went to this enchanting city again with the Connelly's last weekend and we loved it. One of my favorite parts was staying at a little B&B named Haus-Karin. When we called Karin from Heidelberg at 7:30 to let her know we were on our way she was relieved and said, "I was so preoccupied." (hence the comment on the previous post about Karin waiting for us in Rothenberg) How great is that? What hotel would be "preoccupied" if you hadn't arrived by a certain time? Annoyed maybe, but preoccupation leaves you with a sense of caring. The B&B was just perfect. It was a 5 minute walk from the medieval city walls and had all the comforts of home. Karen herself was a hoot. We truly enjoyed talking with her and she made us feel so welcome during our visit. The breakfast was divine (here I go with food again). Really though it was amazing. She promised a "royal breakfast" and she was true to her word! Even Mike commented that it was the best breakfast he's had in all of Europe. We especially loved the strawberries and pound cake. The salami was also excellent. To top it all off, while staying in the Haus-Karin we experienced a miracle... Jay slept until 10:30! No joke! He woke up at his normal time (6 am) but when we put him in bed with us he went back to sleep and slept until we were way past eating breakfast ourselves and done getting ready. In fact we had to wake him up. Wow! Honestly that has never happened before. It was so nice to sleep in :)

We had a fun time visiting the city itself as well. We did have rain to deal with but we were prepared with plenty of umbrellas, jackets, hoods and the "bubble" for Jay. Our first stop was a cute little decoration store that Jill found on one of the cobblestone streets. She probably could have spent several hours there but kindly she looked quickly and found two pieces that she couldn't live without. I especially like the large iron book holder complete with hanging metal balls to press down open pages - how does it look at home Jill? Send me a pic and we'll put it on the blog. She also found a cool looking hook for the cabin kitchen. (side note: after spending a week with the Connelly's we are SOOOOOOO excited to see/hang out in/play at/explore/enjoy the cabin!!!!!!!!!!!!) After the shopping spree we made it to the town square - just in time to miss the small reenactment of the famous "master draught" performed by mechanical figurines which come out of two windows in the town Councilors' Tavern. If you don't remember the strange story... when General Tilly came to Rothenburg in his rage to take Europe for the Catholics he was given a taste of Rothenburg's wine and liked it so much that he offered to spare the town if someone could drink an entire tankard of ail in one draught. And ex-town major rose to the challenge and saved the city from destruction. Legend claims the man slept for 3 days and then lived another 30 years to the ripe age of 85. As the guide book says, it's a nice story.

We went on to climb the town tower and then peaked the horribly over-priced Christmas store. This actually ended up being fun because it looked like Santa's workshop times 20. We weren't supposed to take pictures but I found out after the fact so...
We saw the famous church in town then walked around the city wall and finally stopped to have lunch. Overall we had a great time in Rothenburg, rain and all.

Hanging With a Toddler

As Jay and I took a walk to the farm the other day I started singing "Stick Shifts and Safety Belts" by Cake. As I sang these new lyrics slowly formed in my mind (by the way, one of Jay's nick-names is "Roo")...


Fish sticks and sippy cups
Throwing rocks and feeding the ducks
Jumping in a puddle or two
Getting dirty with my Roo

Hugs and kisses all day long
Singing the eieio song
Clapping hands and stomping feet
Hanging with a toddler can't be beat

Swinging in the park on mommy's lap
Rolling balls and taking a nap
Sipping soda through a straw
Mooing with cows and shaking a paw

Hugs and kisses all day long
Singing the eieio song
Clapping hands and stomping feet
Hanging with a toddler can't be beat

Walking up and down the street
Takes an hour to go 10 feet
Pointing at birds flying by
Petting kitty cats saying bye bye

Hugs and kisses all day long
Singing the eieio song
Clapping hands and stomping feet
Hanging with a toddler can't be beat

There is sunshine in my soul today

It has been SO beautiful here the past few days!!! The sun has been shining, the flowers blooming, the birds singing... just perfect. Germany is such a beautiful place. I love the little town we live in. It's somewhere I could spend the rest of my life (if it were in the States and closer to family). It's small, surrounded by nature, has a local bakery, a dairy farm that sells ice cream and a park. What more could you ask for?
On Sunday Mike, Jay and I took a walk over to the little pond in town. It was lovely. We saw the ducks and Jay spent a good half hour throwing things in the water. Have I mentioned how beautiful it is? I love hanging out outside with my family on sunny days. There's nothing better.
Yesterday Jay and I took a walk up to the dairy farm. For some reason it was one of those experiences I'll never forget. Nothing huge happened but all the little moments added up to create a wonderful memory. Here are some of the things I enjoyed:

Carrying Jay up the street to the farm.
Pointing at birds singing in the trees.
Jay holding my finger as we walked up the gravel driveway.
Eating two vanilla ice cream cones because Jay was too excited about his surroundings to eat anything.
Watching Jay slowly edge his way up to see the calves.
Seeing Jay run away when they got too close.
Letting Jay peak around my legs to get another glimpse.
Hearing Jay moo for the first time.
Helping Jay climb up a "steep" hill.
Chasing Jay around the yard.
Letting Jay drag me down the road by holding my finger.
Hearing Jay "talk" to the birds.
Singing Old McDonald and hearing Jay sing, "eieio."
Seeing Jay's excitement when the doggy walked by.
Splashing in puddles.
Throwing rocks in the puddles.
Hearing Jay say "wuff wuff" when the doggy walked by.
Watching Jay finally get the courage to pet our neighbors kitty cat.
Seeing Jay's thrilled face when the cat jumped up onto a high fence.
Holding Jay when the cars went by and hearing no complaint.
Hearing Jay say "bye bye" to the cars, scooters, bicyclists, dogs, kids, cats etc.
Taking 1 hour to walk 100 feet.
Spending an afternoon with my best little friend.

Heildelburg

Heidelberg is one of my favorite places we've seen so far. Of course I may have been swayed by the beautiful sun that shone down on us while we were there (if you've never lived in a rainy place you may not understand this sentiment). We had our trusty guide book to take us around the city so after a quick lunch we set off. We saw the University of Heidelberg first. It is the oldest University in Germany, founded in 1386. The inventor of the bicycle (yea!) went to UH as well as the two chemists who discovered nicotine (boo!). While checking out the University buildings we learned an interesting story about the rowdy students who went to UH 100 years ago. A Student Prison was kept in which academic miscreants were locked up for anywhere from one to four weeks at a time for committing a variety of crimes (drunken unrulyness, disturbing the peace, setting the townspeople's pigs free etc.). The idea backfired on the University staff though because it became a mark of honor to serve time in the prison. Students would leave their legacy on the prison walls through the medium of graffiti which can still be seen today. I love the stories that go along with each place we visit.


After seeing the University we went on to St. Jacobs, a Jesuit church. The inside was gorgeous. Everything was bright and cheery (a bit unusual for European churches). A cute old man was even playing the organ when we entered.We then made our way over to the famous Heidelberg Castle. It is incredible! We took a little train up the mountain so we didn't have to push Jay's stroller up the steep slope. Jay about had a heart attack when he saw the train heading down the mountain for us. We were enclosed in a tunnel and he kept clawing his way from person to person in an attempt to make it as far from the train as possible. Poor little guy. At least he was okay once we were on the train. Up at the castle we were greeted with beautiful views of the city.
The castle itself is only partially intact (it was hit by lightening in 1764!) but I loved seeing the blue sky through the broken windows. Jay enjoyed running through the park and finding small rocks to throw, as usual. We also found a fountain where we gave him several 1 euro cent pieces to make wishes on. He was thrilled! We toured through an Alchemist museum which was quite interesting and very well presented. They even had a small Alchemist play area for children.
Jay was in Heaven - so many little fake fruits and veggies to roll around and measuring devices to topple over. That about ended our day in Heidelberg. We hurried off to make it to Rothenburg ob der Tauber where Karin waited in the B&B we had booked.

Jay was pretty tired he wouldn't let us lay him back!

Family in Germany

We are having such a great time with Mama Jill, Papa Lynn and Megan visiting us here in Germany. The day they flew in we whisked them off to explore Weissbaden to keep them on their feet until bedtime, an attempt to ward off jet-lag. We had a great German lunch complete with schnitzel and potatoes. We also saw a farmer's market full of delicious looking fruits and vegetables, the hot spring pouring out of the fake volcano, and the huge casino that looks similar to a 15th century palace. Before we left we wandered around the beautiful park in town where we fed the ducks, ran through the grass and smelled the fragrant flowers. Overall a great time.

I love this picture that Megan took of Mike and I.

On the hour drive back home we all fell asleep, save Mike who was driving, and felt refreshed enough to walk up to the dairy farm by our house to get ice cream. Who can resist a dinner of fresh ice cream? Jay enjoyed the freedom of having his own cone which of course ended up all over him. All in a days work. As we ate our ice cream we strolled down the country road and enjoyed the incredible views that are God's creations.
The next day was Sunday so we went to church. It was our last Sunday of two-hour church since the chapel is about completed. It was fun introducing the fam to some of our friends here in Germany. After church Jill helped me make my special lasagna. Along with it we had homemade rolls and fried zucchini. It was very tasty. On Monday we met Mike for lunch at an Indian restaurant nearby the base. I love Indian food! The garlic nan was especially good. While Mike worked we shopped for groceries and other trinkets. At home we went for another walk and watched a sweet old movie called Bullitt. According to Lynn it has the first ever car chase to be seen in a movie. Pretty coolwas another relaxing day here at home. We met Mike for lunch again, Italian pizza this time, then we drove Megan to the library so she could check out The Grapes of Wrath for a school assignment. More walks at home, more ice cream in the afternoon, a family dinner and the movie Return with Honor. It was okay, not our favorite.
Wednesday we had a fun-filled day up in Trier. Upon coming into the city we saw the Mormon missionaries! They were standing right next to the Porta Nigra, our first tourist destination. Since the person they were to meet never showed up we decided to take them along with us for lunch. They showed us a fun little place that served brats and the like. mmm... I love brats! We then found some ice cream in homemade waffle cones that we couldn't resist. It was fun talking with the missionaries about the work and their experiences over here in Europe. One missionary was actually German and he was the fifth generation German member of the Church. Pretty awesome! Growing up he lived in the town next to Elder Uchtdorf. They were both very nice young men. After lunch we parted ways with the missionaries and went on to see the Catholic Cathedral where they claim to house the tunic of Christ (see previous post on Trier for more info). We then walked to a Protestant Church although it hasn't always been Protestant. The structure itself at one time served as the throne room in the Palace of Roman Emperor Constantine.
It's original construction took place in 310 AD. Amazing. I really enjoyed seeing a poster on the wall depicting what it looked like during Constantine's time.
Jill pointed out that there are no women in the picture. Reminds me again how grateful I am to be living in a time of more equal opportunity. Attached to Constantine's old throne room is a pink Baroque Electoral Palace. This was referred to as Barbi's dream-house in my previous post. It now serves as a government building. The gardens surrounding the pink building were very pretty and included some gorgeous magnolia trees. We then walked on to see the ancient Roman baths. Seeing them for a second time made them no less awe-inspiring. It's just so amazing to see something still standing that is so very old. Jill loved this part of our tour the most. She was enthralled by the giant arches and grandeous design. After seeing the baths we went and found the home Karl Marx grew up in. He was actually born in Trier and lived his whole youth there. It's crazy to think that Karl Marx also saw and probably was inside of Constantine's throne room and the Roman baths. History mixed with history mixed with history. Europe certainly is an intriguing place. That pretty much ended out tour of Trier. Such a fun city and it was nice to see it without the rain this time. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed ourselves.
Jay has truly loved hanging out with his family. They have been so good him! He has been eating yummy treats like ice cream, playing outside in puddles, throwing rocks, looking out the window at birds and deer and spinning tops on the floor (among other things). He's been tickled, hugged, kissed and loved to his hearts delight. What a lucky little boy!

Wearing grandma's curlers.

Laughing in the car? He must be happy!

Crawling on the grocery carts.

Yummy!

When we were at Jay's 18 month appointment a few days ago the doctor asked me whether or not Jay could feed himself with a spoon. I had to laugh because technically yes he can get a spoon into his mouth (which is what they wanted to know) but if he can actually feed himself is a whole different question. It's not easy to scoop with a spoon! But he's beginning to improve and I now have a video to showcase his new skills.

My favorite is Jay's condition after he's done eating his yogurt...
By the way, Jay and I have been listening to a new CD lately that Mama Jill gave us for Christmas. It's so great that I thought I'd share the information with you. It's called Stories of Jesus and was written and produced by Jill and Lynn's good friends Roger and Melanie Hoffman. It's such a sweet CD. All the songs are sung by children and they are beautiful.
I especially enjoy the Sheep Song when the little girl says, "Silly." SOOO cute! Anyway, if you're looking for a great children's CD this one is wonderful. As I listened to Elder Russell M. Nelson's talk from General Conference I was reminded of my great duty as a parent to teach my child the gospel. I especially love the scripture he spoke of from Deuteronomy 6:7 saying, "Thou shalt teach diligently thy children and shall talk of God's words when though sittest in thine house, and when though walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." These are words I needed to hear because I too often I assume that Jay is so little that he still doesn't understand gospel concepts but hello he is at the perfect age to hear about the gospel. He's inquisitive, receptive and just came straight from God. Could there be a better candidate? So anyway, listening to this CD with him is just one way for he and I both to be reminded of the Savior throughout our day and to introduce Jay to important gospel concepts.
Okay side note... as I was writing about the sheep song it started playing and Jay ran into me carrying his Little People sheep and then he said, "baaaaa." What a silly boy :) Yesterday I was making the little sheep dance while the song was on so I guess he remembered. What was I saying about little kids being receptive? yeah...

Some Notes From a Conference Talk I loved

The Lord has commanded us to teach the gospel to our children. Moses spoke of this. Deut. 6: 7. In our day the Lord has added, bring up your children in light and truth. It is the parents responsibility to teach their children. In this day of rampant immorality and addictive pornography parents have a sacred responsibility to teach their children the importance of God in their lives. Those evils so highly destructive of divine potential are to be strictly shunned by children of God.

How can we best teach our children? D&C 121: 41-43

If your child is going the wrong way ask yourself, "What can I say or do to persuade him or her to choose a better way?"

1. When giving necessary correction do it quietly, privately, lovingly and not publicly.
2. If rebuke is required show an increase in love promptly so that seeds of resentment may not remain. 3. To be persuasive your love must be sincere and your teaching based on divine doctrine and correct principles.
4. Do not try to control your children. Instead listen to them, help them to learn the gospel, inspire them and lead them toward eternal life.
5. You are God's agents in the care of children He has entrusted to you. Let His divine influence remain in your hearts as you teach and persuade.

11 Countries in 18 Months

Jay actually turned 18 months two weeks ago but I wanted to wait to do his 18 month post until I had all of his statistics. Today we went to the doctor and found out that he is now 2 feet 7.5 inches tall and weighs 24.25 pounds. His head is 18.8 inches round. What a big boy! He didn't enjoy getting his shots but he was okay after a few minutes. Happily the doctor said he is healthy and progressing perfectly. Yeah Jay!
As always, Jay brings unmeasurable joy to our lives every day. What a blessing it is to be parents. We love our little man so very, very, very much. It is hard to imagine the love that our Heavenly Father has for us but now that we are parents we can start to begin to maybe fathom a tiny bit of what he feels for us. Our hearts belong to our baby Jay and they always will.

LOVE this photo of Jay taken by my friend Jessie Price.

Mike and I recently counted up the number of countries Jay has been to in his short life and the number currently stands at 11 (soon to be 13 when we head up to Belgium and Holland at the end of the month). Here they are in order...

1. United States of America - home sweet home and the Country we love most above all others.



2. Spain - Our second home, our second language, our second love.


3. Gibraltar - Gotta love the incredible views and of course, the monkeys.


4. Italy - LOVE the history, the people, the gelato.


5. Greece - Oh, beautiful Greece, how Jay loved the water there.


6. Croatia - The beauty, the beaches, the Kuna!


7. Switzerland - Breathtaking views and great friends.


8. Germany - Our third home, wonderful people and a plethora of neat places to visit.


9. Luxembourg - Pristine cities, incredible pastries.


10. Austria - The Alps!


11. France - Paris is a must see city for any toddler ;)


We know Jay likely won't remember any of his early travels but he sure has been a trooper as mom and dad have dragged him from place to place. We love our little boy and hope he always has a desire to explore his world as we do.