August 26, 2014

Vacation Bliss


Hey from Finland! Right now, we're in vacation bliss and soaking up every second of this family time. When we get back home, I'll have to do large posts about Stockholm and Aland. WiFi is too slow and I am enjoying the break from computers and the such. This place we're in right now is just too perfect. LOVE it here. Finland and Sweden are such wonderful countries and I can't wait to tell you more! Until then, a few photos...



August 20, 2014

Sweden and Finland here we come!

 

I am really giddy right now because tomorrow, we start our summer vacation to Sweden and Finland! Ahh! I just finished wrapping up our itinerary, printing out all our reservations for this and that, and printing out the packing list on an excel sheet.

We decided it was time to hit up a new place for a family vacation, and once we found out about the great bouldering in Aland, we knew this is where we wanted to go. But first, Stockholm for the weekend! Stockholm is just amazing sounding from all the research we've done. We're planning on checking out/packing in as much as we can on Friday and Saturday before we take a ferry to Finland (more specifically, the Aland islands). We've rented an apartment in Stockholm and then a cabin right on a fjord on one of the 6500 islands of Aland through Airbnb. I honestly can't sit still today I'm getting so excited. We're just hoping the weather will improve. Right now, looks like pretty chilly temps and some rain! But we'll see. 

Have any of you been to Stockholm or Aland? Any places you ate or shopped or visited that are a must see? We'd love to hear about them before we go to make sure we check them out. Right now I have a pretty busy itinerary for Stockholm, but we're pretty open ended for our trip to Aland. I'll try to post some about our trip as we travel around and see the sights, so long as we have some wifi available. Until then...


August 18, 2014

She smelled of Sun and Daises

Oh my sweet Lillian. My baby girl is already two and a half, and what a spirited bundle of joy she is. This little girl loves to talk. And talk. And talk. This weekend, we tried to play the quiet game in the car and after my "one, two, three, quiet!", Lily said "one, two, TALK!". Ha! Yeah, she doesn't like the quiet game very much. Lately, when singing, Lily starts with "Do you want to build a snowman? Cooper, mommy, and daddy?" and then she keeps adding any words she knows to the tune. She loves pink and insists on wearing pink or tutus daily. I don't know where she gets the girlishness cause heaven knows it isn't from me.







  
Source
Oh and how I love this quote!She smelled exactly of sun and daises with a hint of river water that day after playing on the Danube shore and running through tall orchard grass. Wish I could bottle her smell up and take it with me to work for instant joy. My sweet little Lily. 

August 14, 2014

the things that matter

 "The human spirit is more powerful than any drug – and that is what needs to be nourished: with work, play, friendship, family. These are the things that matter. This is what we’d forgotten – the simplest things." Robin Williams from The Awakenings.
 

 


 

   


 
 
 
 

These are the things that matter most... Yes, isn't that so true. This day was a family day and a play day. My very favorite. A cruise on the Danube. Lunch together at a monestary beer garden. Rock skipping and rock throwing. Frolocking in the fields picking plums and apples. Splashing in the river. Holding hands. Running, hugging, laughing, and enjoying this sweet life. The simplest things. 

August 8, 2014

Friday I'm in Love


Woohoo! Finally taking the time to post and get rid of that awful picture from last week. We're in full summer mode now that the kids are out of school. Last Friday was their last day and this week the Byrons arrived to entertain Cooper and Lily for three weeks. The sun is shining and the sky is blue so we're heading to the pool when I get off early today, and then hoping to climb and see the zoo or a monastery on the Danube this weekend. 

Grafenwoehr is a small rural town and amazingly enough, we have this awesome Schwimmbad (swimming pool) right here in town that is HUGE. It consists of a very large kids pool complete with a stainless steel bottom and slide and fountains, as well as a huge lap pool complete with diving boards and a twisty slide. All heated, and there are volleyball courts, trampolines, putt putt, swings, ziplines, and sand playgrounds to boot! I sware, if I had the money, I'd start so many of these German "businesses' back home when we return one day. They do it right over here.

How about you all? What are your plans this weekend? 

Some links worth checking out: