Friday marked ONE WEEK before the end of the school year for miss maddie and it also happened to be the school's field day. All the students spent the entire day out on the school field playing games and competing. Maddie was sososososososo excited about it she talked nonstop about field day for the entire week prior. We preplanned her outfit and her hair and how we would put her water bottle in the freezer. She spent hours describing the games she knew they would be playing as well as the ones she hoped they would be playing.
I had never seen a child quite so thrilled about spending a day running around like a maniac in the hot 90 degree sun.
And then it was Friday.
Bella and I went to visit her field day activities after we went for our run. Bella was so thrilled to see her sister she just ran as fast as she could to her...
They were doing tricycle races on the tennis courts.
When Maddie saw Bella she was so excited...and so were all her friends. The girls couldn't keep their hands off her...giving her kisses and hugs and playing with her...
Maddie was having so much fun. She came to give me a big hug and I had to stop her before she squished her new little friend...it was a little ladybug that seemed to be taking a ride on Maddie's shirt.
Unfortunately, we showed up right before lunch so some of Maddie's friends piled in for a field day photo and then they took off for lunch
So Bella and I headed home to have some lunch too... and a big nap... and a big slurp of water.
I am running. I know. So not like me. But, my main goal while John is gone is to drop some weight. I figure that with him away I have some extra time built in to focus on just me...and I better use it to the best of my ability.
So, I got up on Monday and put Bella in the stroller and ran.
And it was HARD.
I ran up a hill...I only ran for about 15 minutes...and then I let Bella out of the stroller and we walked back down the hill - stopping at the playpark - and finally getting back home 2 hours later.
Then on Tuesday I did it again...and today, Wednesday, I did it again.
And it is still HARD.
Right now I am a pitiful sight. I am a terrible runner. I should probably be embarrassed as all these trim military men come breezing by me, but I just really don't care. I figure that they should be patting me on the back as they lap me 700 times because I'm out there instead of doing what I really want which is to be in my PJs still wallowing on the couch watching Oprah.
Actually, there have been quite a few thumbs up. Military peeps are so supportive when it comes to physical fitness. And every time I get one it makes me jog just a little farther the next time. So, when you pass one of those sad looking overweight joggers (yeah...that would be me.) ...give them a thumbs up because you never know..that may be exactly what they need to spur them to get out there the next day and go again.
I tried and tried to come up with a witty title...but the reality is that there is no witty titles for sending your main squeeze off to a war zone for a year.
John departed at the end of last week. I realized the time was finally here on Tuesday. That was a sad sad day. I think I cried about 20 of the 24 hours that day. Over everything...about everything... and then on Wednesday I thought I had dried myself out...what a surprise when it started all over again...apparently the off switch on my eyeblobs is broken...because while the tears are fewer and farther between its amazing how the littlest thing will set me off yet again.
Like Bella running from her room in the morning and looking for him shouting, Daddy! Hi Daddy! Dadddeeeeeeee!
Or Maddie's sweet drawing and note she brought home that first day, "Don't cry mom...he's only gone for a year."
Or folding up those last few clothing items of his that I finished washing this weekend and putting them away in his very empty side of the closet...
Gaaaaaahhhhhh....where is that off switch again?
Thursday morning he walked out the door at 4:30AM and left me in a puddle on the floor. I must have been emoting because Bella woke up at 5AM and had to snuggle with me... Ok...I actually appreciated those snuggles...and I promise I didn't pinch her or anything to make it happen.
He was in transit Thursday, Friday and Saturday and I just received a short text message saying he's arrived in Afghanistan... His first impression? It smells like a sewer and he is really missing home right now.
Home misses you too, Babe.
Deployed. From this word you can also spell deep, loped, ploy, doy, peed... All words I think we can either eliminate from our vocab or find a replacement for...I'm voting the word deployed off the island.
Bella is in love with two things (other than her mama and daddy...lol ) Puppies...which I regularly blog about and kitty kitty meows. In fact - if she is ever in the midst of a temper tantrum try singing "How much is that puppy in the window..." Yes, I know the actual tune is doggy, but she likes puppy... and in the middle of her tears and sobs she'll manage to let out a "bark bark" at the appropriate time. Plus, we've added a second verse about how much is that KITTY in the window...the one with the fluffy white tail. And yes, she knows to meooooooow at just the right time.
Anywho...Bella has spent lots of time with puppies, but kitty cats tend to be smarter than puppies. When they see a toddler racing at them shouting meow meow they run..whereas a puppy who sees a toddler running toward them shouting bark bark bark tends to get excited and sticks around to be assaulted with lots of petting and eye jabs and tail pulling.
While in Garmisch we dined one day at a little restaurant that just happened to be entertaining a kitty cat. And Bella got her first taste in loving on a kitty - including a bite on her hand...
The story (sortof...)
I think I hear a kitty cat...thats what I said...I know your making noises just to mess with my head
You can stalk me all you want, but I'm not your prey...cause you always seem to find me first, but not today
Hey little meow meow what is with all the fight
little bitty kitty wanna bite bite bite
Hey little meow meow what is with all the fight
little bitty kitty wanna bite bite bite
Thanks and props for some of the song from the YouTube favorite - The Mean Kitty Song. Yes...its a white boy rapping about kitty cats.
We, however traveled from Garmish a WHOLE HOUR....to see the REAL THING.
Schloss Neuschwanstein
When we arrived it was so incredibly crowded...I guess its one of those tourist hotspots here in Germany. I hadn't seen such crowds since I tried to get on the MAX train during the Blazer game in Portland!
Regardless - we stood in line for 30 minutes to get tickets when we heard someone exiting say, "Oh, well, we go into the castle at 5PM." EEEEEEEEK. It was only 11AM. John and I gave that "look"...you know, the one where we both agree that a 6+ hour wait to see the inside of a castle was not going to happen... We decided instead to just go and tour the grounds instead. So, we checked out the hill we were about to climb and decided...
It was time to experience our first horse-drawn carriage. It was really fun and totally worth the 40 minute wait to get on the carriage. Especially because we got to sit right up in the front so the girls could watch the horses. Then half way up the horses...well, they got gassy. Our driver in his broken english described it as a "symphony." HA HA HA...And it wasn't just one - it was BOTH horses. Maddie couldn't stop giggling and Bella had this look on her face.
The castle was simply beautiful...and we didn't feel too badly about not going in. Especially when we found out later that visitors only got to tour about 4-5 rooms and that was it. I was really glad we didn't wait 6 hours for that.
From the carriage dropoff you walked up another 1/4 mile and rounded a corner to see this...
To get into the castle courtyard you turn to the left and are greeted by yet another tower
The gates to the courtyard cross over a shallow moat. You can see how crowded it was that day...
As you pass through the gates you are greeted by the main castle structure.
From up on that wall (in the above photo) you see the opposite side of the castle gates...
And the stairs leading to the towers...we were bummed those were off limits.
And, of course - the token "get your face in the photo so you can say you were there" picture.
The German Alps...so nearly identical to the Swiss Alps...or the Austrian Alps...or the Italian Alps...
But we didn't spend a weekend at those alps...we stayed a weekend at the German alps...in Garmisch, Germany.
The mornings always had a hazy mist all around the mountains and you could never see the tops of them, but by mid-morning when we had the girls outside playing the sun would burn off the clouds and haze and we'd stand in awe at the majestic view...
And then the last day on the morning we woke up we were greeted with a beautiful sight...
No haze....no mist...I think it was telling us to stay and play for longer.
Sadly we packed up our belongings and headed home - waving goodbye to the Zugspitz (Germany's tallest peak)...its that snow covered pointy mountain there...
This year Memorial Day means something just a little different. I've always thanked the veterans and thought about the sacrifices they make for me, my family and my country...but this year I'm so close to sending my own husband off to Afghanistan that the sacrifices these soldiers make suddenly feels so much more poignant than it ever has before.
We're having people over today and I'll be snapping pictures all day long, but just to start off our Memorial Day I hope you enjoy this oldie and goodie from Miss Madmad. (She was 5)
In our recent weekend trip to Garmisch we found a park near the place we were staying that had some wonderful fun play structures for the girls. One in particular had John and I doubled over laughing. And thus we present...
Well, the month of May marked Isabella's 18 month birthday. I can hardly believe it...I look at her and try and remember what it was like to hold her in one arm while vacuuming with the other...she was sooo tiny. I remember her being swallowed up in those 3 month clothes in her tiny little body...those pitiful sad little wails in her tiny baby voice...those little hands and feet that were so uncoordinated...and her little face practicing new looks and smiles.
She's so adventurous now. Her first steps were so magnificent, but now she RUNS! She climbs and is almost to the point of jumping. She's a little daredevil and makes John and I jump and run to her when we see her teetering on the edge of what could be a terrible fall, but boy does she get MAD when we try and save her. She's all about doing it herself.
She loves to go on the swings and the slide...she's almost go the knack of climbing ladders. She loves bathtubs, but has decided getting her hair wet is NOT fun. She also loves a shower and likes to stand in it and play in the water.
She's finally got some molars in and is now exploring the world of harder food...carrots, celery, chips, apples. They don't have to be close to mush anymore and she has turned into a world class grazer. Her nickname Munchie suits her very well.
She says quite a few words now - book, nighty night, all done, please, thank you, I love you, etc. She practices new words, but is still a little belligerent if you ask her to say something - forget it...boy does she have her mama's stubborn side. Aiya!
Her hair is getting so long and its retained that beautiful curl. She's wearing size 12-18 month clothes and a size 5/6 shoe. She loves to brush her teeth - we've totally weaned her off a bottle of milk at bedtime and now she goes to bed with warm water to drink so that her teeth stay healthy.
Her 18 month doctor's appointment gave us these stats:
She is now 23 pounds 9 ounces.(about the 25th percentile)
She is 32.25 inches tall. (about the 50th percentile)
Her head is 47 cm around. (about the 50th percentile)
Vilseck, Germany's 2SCR Regimental Run...kind of a pre-sendoff show of support for our soldiers leaving soon for Afghanistan.
Good morning!
May 13th found us on the sidewalk in front of our library waving flags and cheering on about 3000 running soldiers as they yelled their cadence and ran past.
It was pretty dang cool to see so many soldiers and to see so many people cheering them on...
Maddie even got shown on AFN Europe's news broadcast...she's just waving a flag, but she thinks she's famous now that she's been on TV. (The story starts about 8 minutes in...) American Forces Network Europe Home Article Display (DD)
Our own soldier was out there cheering them on with us...poor guy was sad he missed out on those 5 miles of sweating with 3000 other guys. HA!
The Larson Family as of this month has become DEBT FREE! Woooooooooohhoooooooooo! I paid off the last of the big spender bills we had accumulated jointly and separately and now we are just staring at that checkbook in shock at how far we've come... So yeah...debt free...Well, other than that particularly large mortgage on our house in Oregon, but that one's acceptable. I wasn't sure I would ever say it and I must tell you that I am so proud of John and yes...so proud of me for working so hard to make this goal.
...also known as isn't it time to be done with this travel log already? Phew...life is so crazy right now I am just trying to keep my head above water. Thats why at 12:30PM when I SHOULD be sleeping I am up with energy and needing to finish this post.
So...
From Mesa back to Sierra Vista.
While you wouldn't think there was much to say, our 3 hour trip turned into a 5.5 hour trip when we spent 2.5 hours on 1-10 in a lineup of stopped traffic that must have been miles long. Bella napped through part of it then woke up. She and I ended up taking a walk up 1-10...(Now how many people can say that?) and she was the hit of the day. We were offered so many cookie/candy/drink treats from people who just oohed and aahed over her. We turned around after about 3/4 mile when Bella found a "puppy..." (Actually a dead coyote on the side of the road that she nearly petted before I caught her...aiya!)
Don't you love her nap hair?
The never ending traffic lineup...
We feasted on a chinese buffet that night...not the Number 1 Chinese Buffet (in honor of grandpa Butler who loved that restaurant and lauded it as the best in Ontario Oregon...well, I think it was a tie between that and Kentucky Fried Chicken for him...) Regardless...Bella was a total camera HAM.
And she had her first soft-serve icecream.
And thats about all I'll say about that...
Now, from Tucson back to Oregon.
(I'll bypass the story of the nightmare plane trip that was delayed a total of 9 hours getting us into Salt Lake at 2AM and back to the airport at 6AM.)
And last, but not least...to keep this short and sweet I created a slideshow of all the pictures from those last few days...featuring almost everyone from the Larson side of this family. We sure do love and miss them...
But first - a short video of Bella on the slide...
And now...the photo slideshow...
And finally - our trip home...and this is the part where I said it "ended with barf..."
We are in the Portland airport and Bella was running ahead of the stroller when she suddenly stopped and turned and we just didn't catch her in time. BASH...she cracked her eyebrow into the stroller causing a little split and immediate swelling and bruising. She was such a sad little thing. That was the beginning...
When we got on the plane I was carrying on two bags and walking Bella in front of me. A very large man saw us trying to get past and leaned from the center aisle into the seats, but didn't actually get out of our way...as we stepped past him, he stepped backward and landed his big foot right on Bella's barefoot toes. She hollered and I had to actually push his leg off of her foot before he knew he was standing on her.
With those two major ouchies...poor Bella was in bad shape... I got her set up in her seat with some warm milk and she calmed down...until an hour into the flight when she proceeded to vomit all over everything.
That was when I also noticed she had a fever.
I got her all calmed down and went to the restroom. When I returned I sat down in my seat and heard a RIIIIIIIIIIP. The earphones that someone before me had used while sitting in the seat had broken off and they had left the metal prong sticking out. I hadn't noticed it before, but when sitting down this time it managed to snag my pants and ripped a huge hole which essentially showed the world my bum cheek...
We finally land the plane in Amsterdam and as we are getting ready to deboard, Bella gets knocked in the eyebrow again and she let out a howl that I immediately knew was going to end in vomit. Sure enough...she cried herself sick and this time it was EVERYWHERE. All the people in the plane were moving out of the way...it was in the aisle, on the seats, on our bags, on her, on me, on the seat in front of us... It was amazing that her little belly had so much in it to regurgitate into this last and final farewell...
And the grand finale of this nightmare trip home was when we finally got off the plane and I buckled her into her stroller and promptly pinched her little leg in the buckle and caused a blood blister.
That was it for me. It was all I could do to not just break down and lay on the floor and cry my eyes out.
Lets just say that 4 hours later when we walked into our house there was never in the history of the universe someone so glad to be home as I was that day.
I'M DONE!!!!!!!
PS...I'm making a mid-year resolution to blog more frequently instead of these massive travel logs. Phew!
