Karlsruhe, Germany

On Saturday we went to Karlsruhe, Germany (which is about 35 minutes from us). We stopped by the Karlsruhe Schloss (palace) and viewed the museum. We then took the journey up tower just to get our fill of steps in. After visiting the Palace we walked a few blocks away to a mall in downtown Karlsruhe. They have a Starbucks ~ AWESOME. We also found a plain white hat for Kora that will go with any of her outfits and keep the sun out of her eyes. Karlsruhe also has a zoo and a city park.

Kora Lily & Daddy outside of the Palace

The View from the top of the Tower

Daddy and Kora Lily at the top of the tower.

Of course ... we can't forget all the steps to the top of the tower

More steps to the top.

Daddy and Kora Lily coming down from the tower.

Happy 30th Birthday Amanda

Friday night Sam, Kora Lily and I went to Dustin & Amanda's House to celebrate Amanda's 30th birthday. Dustin & Amanda are also from Wooster, Ohio and will be in Germany for a couple of years. There little girl Brenna loved showing Kora Lily all of her toys. It was so cute how she told Kora that is was ok...and not to cry.

Amanda & the cake that Brenna decorated.

Brenna holding Kora's hand. (I know Kora looks like a deer in the headlights ...but i thought is was so cute how they were holding hands)
Happy 30th Birthday Amanda!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today Sam turns 32! He is very excited to be getting older today!... lol. Kora and I are so lucky and THANKFUL to have such a great husband and father in our lives. He has been such a great dad to Kora... She knows the second that he comes home from work and walks in the door. She is all GIGGLES and talks like crazy to him. Last night she was trying to tell him Happy Birthday... watch below and tell me what you think.

HOT...Memorial Day

Today it was 96* in our house. It felt like a hot summer day in Ohio. We were not supposed to get rain until Tuesday night but it rained on Monday night and cooled things down. We don't know where this HOT May day came from. But we are thankful for the cool weather again.

Memorial Day - We want to thank daddy, papa and all the other men and women how have served our country. To allow all the FREEDOMS we enjoy today.

Kora enjoyed the HOT weather.... she has been pulling out her binky one too many times... so I have decided to start placing this blue ring in her hand... and she loves it! Today Karen, Kora and I went grocery shopping to Real (just like a walmart). Got home just in time for my German class and then Kora went down for a long afternoon nap. :o)

She is getting so big... and SPOILED!

Schutterzell - Sunday

Sunday we attend the Schutterzell - German Church

This is the church that we plan on attending on Sunday's. Church services start at 2pm. It is about a 35 minute drive from our home here in Germany. They have about 8 Women, 6 Men and 5 Kids. Kora made her entrance in church with a big CRY! So they all knew that the new people had arrived! We felt very welcome and can't wait to get to know them better. Most of them can speak English. One of the Ladies had family in Mansfield... but I could not understand what she was trying to tell me. I felt horrible. We had a nice invitation back to one of there homes... but after our traveling weekend... Kora needed a break... (or maybe mommy did). So we went home and called it a day.

Saturday - Day 3 - Eindhoven & Brussels, Belgium

Saturday we started our day out by looking for the third Bridge that was located in Eindhoven. The picture of this bridge.... well we have none... because we never found the bridge! We searched all over Eindhoven for one hour.... and we never found the bridge :o( So off we headed to Brussels, Belgium where we enjoyed walking all the little streets, eating fish, walking the Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert and of course stopping by the famous little chocolate shops.

Sam in front of the Saints Michael and Gudule Cathedral

Neuhaus - Chocolate Shop

Local Chocolate since 1857 -

(They claim to be the inventor of filled chocolate)

Sam, Kora & I in front of the Town Hall (at the main square)

Kora & I walking the streets in Brussels

One of the Candy Shops

Sam Driving back to Germany.

We drove thru the small country of Luxembourg on our way home.

Ooopppss... we missed the famous Statue of the Mannekenpis

Overall we had a great weekend and the weather was wonderful, cool and windy.

Friday - Day 2 - Amsterdam & Bridge Hunt

On Friday we got up and headed to Amsterdam for a drive by of Anne Franks - hide out. Then we were on a mission to find the Three Bridges - from World War 11 - Market Garden.

Anne Franks House - Amsterdam

The Drive - on a hunt to find three Bridges
HISTORY - of MARKET GARDEN

(in case you don't know... because I did not)
The commander was General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in the invasion of Europe during World War II. The operation was an airborne attack deep in the enemy's rear areas to be launched in mid-September 1944 in conjunction with a ground attack by the British Second Army. The two attacks were known collectively as Operation MARKET-GARDEN. The airborne attack was designed to lay a carpet of airborne troops along a narrow corridor extending approximately eighty miles into Holland from Eindhoven northward to Arnhem. The airborne troops were to secure bridges across a number of canals as well as across three major water barriers-the Maas, the Waal (the main downstream branch of the Rhine), and the Neder Rijn (Lower Rhine) Rivers. Through this corridor were to pass British ground troops in a push beyond Arnhem to the IJsselmeer (Zuider Zee). The principal objective of the operation was to get Allied troops across the Rhine. Three main advantages were expected to accrue: cutting the land exit of those Germans remaining in western Holland; outflanking the enemy's frontier defenses, the West Wall or Siegfried Line; and positioning British ground forces for a subsequent drive into Germany along the North German plain.

Oosterbeek CWGC Cemetery - just outside of Arnhem
(one of the landing zones for the airborne troops)
Sam doesn't like how they had to bury American troops in foreign land.
He is very thankful that fallen soldiers today get taken back to America.


Arnhem Bridge - very easy to find
This was the third Bridge that the American's had to take control of. This was our first bridge (we went backwards... thru the bridges)
Nijmegen Bridge - (well... we think..)
If you look thru the bars on this picture... this might actually be Nijmegen Bridge.. Ooopps.. still researching! But this was the second bridge that the American Troops had to hold.

National Liberation Museum - Groesbeek (oh no.. we got there after 5pm and it was closed...) But we were able to walk around outside and get some pictures.

We then headed to our Hotel out in the middle of NO WHERE.
It was very nice, beautiful country side and a peaceful stay.

Willibrordhaeghe Hotel - DeurneWe had a very long day... driving around to all the little stops...
and of course getting lost along the way... the GPS didn't have a very good day finding the satellite... which left us lost... a couple of times... ok ... many of times.
But we just laughed and had fun... driving all around... and really enjoyed the views.

But by the time we found our hotel... we were tired and didn't want to go out for dinner. So we made reservation at the hotel restaurant. Well we get down there to find... a 5 star restaurant without a single kid... it was so quite in the restaurant you could hear a pin drop. We sat down... Kora took one look around...and let out the biggest scream of her life. She really wanted everyone to know that she was at the restaurant. Well... off we went to our room... to order room service. As soon as we put her in her crib... she was the happiest little girl ever. The only problem was.... when I order my dinner... I forgot that in Europe.. they tend to give you the WHOLE fish... (so my nice husband.. de-boned and de-headed my supper)

Thank you hunny!

Keukenhof & Haarlem, Netherlands

Our first VACATION since the move.

Thursday we left for a three day vacation to Netherlands and Belguim. It was a German holiday... Sam had off ... so off we went! We started our little trip on Thursday morning (7am) and got to our first destination at 2p. Which I thought was pretty good with all the stops we had to make along the way with Kora! We went to the "MOST BEAUTIFUL SPRING GARDEN" show in the World at Keunkenhof, Holland. Most American tourists have flocked to visit Europe for decades, under the motto "If you haven't seen Keukenhof, you haven't seen Holland" So we decided to check it out! It was a beautiful garden.... but we got here about 1 week to late...most of the flowers were done.

Family photo at Keukenhof Park

(thanks to the stroller for taking this picture)

Kora was not to sure about all the flowers - she wanted to sleep!!!

Again - Kora not wanting her pictures taken.

Flowers at Keukenhof

Flowers at Keukenhof

Windmill at Keukenhof
This was my... "who would have thought picture!"

Straw bails were the hot seats at this park.

They even put backs on the bails so that you could sit up.

We spent the night in the town of Haarlem, (just outside of Amsterdam). We eat dinner around the Market Square in Haarlem and stayed at the Carlton Square. After dinner we walked around the town and enjoyed the towns best Ice-Cream stand - Garrone. (YUM)
The Grote Kerk - (great church in Haarlem) at the Market Square.

oh- no.. we forgot to try the Famous Poffertjes (little sugar donuts)

Oh-n0 ... we forgot to stop by the little town of Zaandijk for Kora's little wooden shoes.

Over all this day was good.. we had perfect weather, Kora did pretty good and we had a good relaxing drive. (we didn't know how the traffic would be with the Holiday) It would be like traveling on Memorial Day Weekend.. or July 4th Weekend.

WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT!....

Yes ... This is a historic (hilarious) day in my life. Who would have ever thought!... that I (JOY) would be hanging our undergarments on the line to dry. I know this post is a bit personal.... but who would have ever thought. I know that some people like to hang dry their laundry on the line to dry ... (as my sister would say).. she likes the extra crunch... but NOT ME... I never even thought of hanging my regular laundry on a line to dry... let alone my undergarments....
Who would have ever thought..lol

The drying Rack - (Don't worry I didn't take any close up pictures)

Scott & Vickie

Friday, May 15th we were invited to a Greek Restaurant "Meteora" to say Goodbye to an American family who is returning to Ohio. Scott, Vickie, Christopher, Curtis & Chandra have lived in Germany for 3 years & 3 months. Vickie took me shopping last week and has been so helpful with grocery tips! Chandra loves to hold Kora... and Kora loves to be held! We wish they wouldn't be leaving so soon....but we wish them the best as they head home.

Vickie & Scott

Sam's dinner - (Very good)

My Calamari (Even better)

Strasbourg - France

Today we decided to drive to Strasbourg, France which is about 35 minutes southwest from us. We stopped at a CORA (which is like the size of 3 super wal-marts) in France to get some baby items and at an IKEA. We got Kora a new "Tubby" and a little changing table. We then went to the Cathedral downtown Strasbourg and had lunch outside at the plaza. After touring the cathedral we decided to climb 328 steps to the top of the cathedral to see the whole city. Talk about a work out! It was a beautiful view once we got to the top. We then shopped (window shopped) around all the little shops and then came back home.

Clock in Strasbourg Cathedral ~ at the top.

Sam, Kora and I ~ in front Strasbourg Cathedral

(officially the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg)

Sam, Kora & I ~ after 328 STEPS!

The top of the Cathedral looking over the city.

(my hand did not get out of the picture in time..

as I was pulling Kora's binky out of her mouth)

Kora and I on our way to the top of the Cathedral
(We love our little baby carrier and special thanks to Noah

for taking all the picture of us.)

International "Stammtisch"

We had an International Stammtisch at castle "Burgruine Altwindeck"

where we went on a guided tour of the castle and was able to meet some other American families. We ate flammkuchen (kinda like flat pizza in the US - but instead of red sauce it is cream cheese and sour cream sauce) at"Pferdestall" which was the best thing I have had since being in Germany. The LUK International HR department set this up for all the visitors/families that are in Germany.

Sam, Kora and I on our walk to the top of the castle.

The International Families and the LUK HR International Staff

Kora and Mommy Kora and Daddy
It was a hazzy day, but this was the views from the top of the castle.

Watch ME gRoW!

Watch ME gRoW! - 1st month in Germany

Every month Mommy is going to take my picture on this chair

... so that you all can see how much I grow!

Kora Lily - 11 weeks

Kora Lily - 11 weeks

~ Kora life ~

1 wk to 5 wk - Eat, sleep, eat, sleep, eat, sleep!

6 wks. - holding head up

7 wks - smiling and pout face

8 wks - sleeping 8 hours at night

9 wks - loves the ABC song

10 wks - first Airplane ride

11 wks - giggles and coo's