On the Go!

Silas learned how to crawl this week. He is now ON THE GO! And with that also comes GETTING INTO EVERYTHING! He is no longer content to sit and play - now he's exploring and going and reaching and getting into places he can't get back out of! It is neat to see him in this stage now too. From Monday to Friday it was amazing how he progressed. He started out with each movement being slow and choppy and then all of a sudden it "clicked" and he figured out how to move his arms and legs together and now he's on the go and he's only going to get faster! Its truely amazing to see him learn and improve right before my eyes.

(note: I tried uploading video for the first time - however there was an error....so I'll try again here - otherwise just know he's crawling - and hopefully soon enough you'll be able to see him as well.)

Skiing

On Saturday, March 22, Jeremy took Shane skiing in the Black Forest. This past week we had colder temps and therefore the Black Forest (higher elevations) once again were getting snow.

They almost didn't make it there due to the road conditions calling for chains on tires! But they obviously did - a picture of the ski resort -how quaint!

This was Shane's first time skiing. Going up on the lift. Okay Shane - are you ready???

Shane looking good......here he goes!

Oh - not so good at this moment! But he looks happier here! They had a wonderful time - and beautiful snowfall the entire time they were there.

HAPPY EASTER!

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good-bye!

We had a wonderful visit with my brother Kyle....one last picture as we sent him off at the Frankfurt airport.

The Lighter Side

My brother Kyle definately brought a bit of comedy to our adventures....here are a few moments from the past week....
Doing flashcards in the van on our way to Switzerland....we ended up in a STAU - and Kyle held up flashcards to the other cars around us....eins und drei ist vier!

Not all of Europe is stroller friendly!
Shaylee - I don't think you can sit on that fence!

There are AUSFAHRT signs all over Germany. Fahren is the verb for "to drive" and so an Ausfahrt is an exit. Ausfahrt freihalten basically means to keep the exit clear...or don't block the exit! Kyle got such a kick out of these signs! Germans will often say "Gute Fahrt" when people are leaving to go somewhere (if they are driving). It basically means - have a good drive!

Imperial Cathedrals

While Kyle was here we visited the 3 Imperial Cathedrals located along the Rhine River.
Speyer - we went to Sunday night when it was POURING rain...no pictures
Worms - we went to Friday afternoon. It was pouring rain on our drive there - but upon our arrival the rain stopped and we actually even saw the sun! This happened several times this week. I think God was watching over us - and gave us good weather when we needed it! As we were walking toward the Cathedral in Worms Shaylee says "Hey, we've been here before." Totally true - we came here last fall....I was impressed she remembered! Worms is also where Martin Luther made his last stand...thus the picture.

Mainz - We stopped here on the way to bring Kyle to the airport, since Mainz isn't too far from Frankfurt. We hadn't been here yet - and really like the square this Cathedral is on...maybe partly due to it wasn't very busy and that gave the kids plenty of room to run around. We also found a Pizza Hut - so had some supper.....crazy to be eating American Pizza while looking on at a Cathedral! I guess that's Europe for you.

Dachau

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial is just outside Munich. We took time to stop and reflect on Germany's past and the horrors of what took place here.

Enter through the iron gate - Arbeit Macht Frei - "Work Makes You Free"

More on Munich

Since Jer is a proud owner of a BMW - we had to make a stop at the BMW museum and manufacturing plant in Munich. Shane enjoyed looking at the cars - it must be a guy thing!


The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) with its twin domes is 500 years old and the symbol of the city. Much of the church was destroyed in WWII....however the towers survived and the rest has been wonderfully restored. I am so amazed at the ability the builders had to reconstruct these buildings/churches to their former glory.

Jer and Kyle climbed the steps of St. Peter's Church to get great views of Munich. Some of the pictures were taken from up there. While they were up in the church - I was down by the entrance buying postcards with the kids - and Shaylee needed to use the bathroom....but no where to go - so she went in her pants! Oh the other joys of Munich! Fortunately I had an extra set of pants and undies in the backpack (due to a similar previous experience) and we found good ole Starbucks and used the restroom there to change her.


The New Town Hall which is located on the Marienplatz (Mary's Square) named for the statue of Mary (seen in the middle picture). The Glockenspiel (which plays at noon) located in the tower of The New Town Hall. We just made it to the square in time, and it was neat to watch the figures dance as the bells chimed. The last picture is of The Old Town Hall, which is also located on the square.

Munich

From Salzburg we drove to Munich - and spent the night at a lovely hotel. We asked the kids what their favorite thing was about our entire trip - and they all said "the hotel." I think its more due to just getting to sleep in a different bed... It was wonderful to relax and enjoy a meal....then crawl into our beds - we were tired after being awake since 2am! I think us grown ups enjoyed the hotel too!

Wednesday morning we walked to Schloss Nymphenburg - which was right by our hotel. The schloss has amazing swans in the gardens! They were putting on a show for us! Check out the 4 coming in for a landing....I think they were racing!!


Bretzels and Bier - That's what Munich is all about!

Now these are some BIG Bretzels!

We stopped at the Hofbrauhaus (world's most famous beer hall) for lunch -Jer and Kyle enjoying their LITER of authentic Bavarian Bier! Kimber opted for a smaller portion.

Snow in Salzburg

We've been very busy the past couple of days. Since my brother Kyle is here visiting we decided to do some traveling. On Tuesday (March 18) morning (very early - 2:30am) we got up and headed to Salzburg, Austria. On the way we drove through an all out SNOW STORM! Jeremy of course enjoyed every minute of that - but I wasn't too fond of it...driving in snow that is.

Arrival in Salzburg - the snow was VERY beautiful as we walked the streets of Salzburg early in the morning.

In front of a water fountain....Mozart's birthplace....walking down the street...see the church in the background....all amidst the falling snow!

Walking through the cemetary that inspired scenes in "The Sound of Music".

We were quite chilled after walking through the city in the snow - so we stopped at a very kid friendly place - Mc Donald's - for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. According to Rick Steves' travel book - he would avoid Mc D's at all cost - but when you travel with 4 kids- you do what you have to do! Mc D's put us all in a better (warmer) mood - and we continued on our walking tour of the city - stopping in at "Collins Hute" where Jer and Kyle made purchases!

Yummy McD's! Collins Hutte - Jer and Kyle - sporting their new hats!

What is this I see - THE SUN SHINING!!!!!! Perfect timing -now up to the castle we go for amazing views of Salzburg and the Austrian Alps!

The sun is out - and we enjoyed an absolutely gorgeous day in Salzburg (even if it was a bit chilly).

The Hohensalzburg Fortress - - The Van Essen family - with the Von Trapp Mansion in the background - and walking along - this is what we typically look like touring Europe!

A few more pictures - Salzburg is the home to "The Sound of Music" - A Marionette Exhibit - and Mozart! I think we took it all in - now its time to head to Munich!