Eight Months!

Eight months old! I can't believe it. I decided to wake up early, and head to a nearby park to get some pictures before the weather gets too cold. Apparently Eli did not share my eagerness for fall photos - because he was in a terrible mood.

These ore the only little smiles I got out of him ...

I love the eyebrows in this one ...

Attempting to eat an acorn ...

This one is saying, 'please, for the love of God ... no more pictures ... "

... and now he's just pissed ...

... still pissed, but slightly entertained by the fountain ...

I love this little park, so maybe Vic and I can try again this weekend ...

In other news ... have I mentioned that we're excited about moving?? I had a job interview last week, and on my way out of town - I stopped by our new house! Speaking of the job interview ... I was just formally offered the position!!! This job is at the elementary school, right down the street from Vic's company, and the daycare where Eli will go ... it's perfect!

Anyway, this is a better picture of the front side of the house ... it looks a little creepy with all of the German shutters down though ...

A view from our backyard of the trail that runs through the neighbor hood ...

Our very own little tree!!

The is the side of the house ... leading back to the garage. The little door on the garage leads to a storage unit ... we have tons of storage. Did I also mention that we have extra bedrooms? Visitors ... hello?! Buy your tickets now.

This is the view driving out of our neighborhood! That's a mountain in the distance ... or at least a very large hill ... and it's beautiful. I wish everyone could see the view out of our current neighborhood ... and you would probably share my extreme excitement ...

Eli has been rather difficult the past week. He doesn't want to play in his jumper anymore ... the only thing that makes him happy is to sit, pantless, among all of his toys, and watch Baby Einstein. In order for me to get anything done around the house ... I have to set-up an elaborate system of pillows and barriers ... which he seems to escape every time ...

We traded in the baby bath for this bog-boy bath seat, and he loves it!!

It's going to be a crazy month for us! As soon as Vic gets back from the field, he will start the process of getting us out of Schweinfurt. The movers come on October 11, and we're hoping to say farewell to this place on the following day!! We can't wait!!

Mistaken Identity and Sausage Confusion ...

Vic and I try to get off-post as much as we can. We have had many amazing experiences, a few bad ones ... and a lot of confusion along the way. Lately though, we have had many Germans come up to us, and strike up full-on conversations. Sometimes we can quickly interject, and let them know that we only speak English ... but sometimes they are so deep into conversation that we have no choice but to ride it out. It's always a little awkward afterwards, when they pause for our reply and we say, "English??" Some repeat their whole speech in English; while some just walk away. This happened to us several times at the soccer game this weekend. The thing that gets me is that Vic is very non-German looking, and sometimes they are talking directly to him ... and with such an American presence in the town - it's very odd that this keeps happening to us. Each time it happens we spend several minutes talking about what we think they were trying to tell us. Something about Eli? We're doing something wrong? They want to know where we buy our shoes? They hate Americans? Either way ... one of us should probably take some German lessons.

Our favorite activity is quickly drawing to a close. I think we'll only have the chance to go to one more soccer game before we move to Grafenwoehr in October. We're sad about this, but we'll be much closer to Munich and Nuremberg, so we'll have the opportunity to go to some professional league games (I think that's what they are called ... I'm still learning about this soccer business).

Anyway, one of the things I love the most about going to the soccer games here is the stadium, and its rich history. It was built in 1943 by Willy Sachs who was the owner of the local ball bearings industry, and also a Major in the SS - he served underneath Heinrich Himmler. Anyway, they used the stadium for huge Nazi rallies, and it remains virtually unchanged today, except for minor upgrades.

This is the entrance to the stadium ... note the Nazi-era Eagle on top of the pylon. Side note on the eagle statues (I'm full of history lessons today) ... when the eagle's head is facing the right; it is a national symbol ... when it's facing to the left; it was used as a Nazi symbol. A lot of the eagles remain on and around post ... but, thankfully, they all have the oak leaves surrounding a swastika removed.

This is the stadium during a Nazi rally ... it looks the same now, except they added chairs.

It's very crazy to me to be living around so much history, and also that we can go enjoy a soccer game in a beautiful venue where only 70 years ago so much hate took place. I was just looking through old pictures of Schweinfurt, and I found one of Hitler giving a speech on a very statue where I have sat and ate a bratwurst. Crazy.

Anyway, the history lesson is over.

This was one of the more crowded games we have been to, although you can't tell from the photo. We usually try to hang back, and avoid the rowdy crowd. The field is surround by these stone steps, and you pay a much cheaper price for tickets if you choose to sit here.

He loves being outside! Unfortunately, this mood didn't last, and he threw a screaming fit until he passed out for his afternoon nap.

The stroller tray doubles as a teething device ...

My favorite and the only type of sausage I will eat, but I'm so confused by sausage lingo. This is a bratwurst at the soccer game, but every town/restaurant has a different name for different things, and I can never order this correctly anywhere else.

I think this is a currywurst? There are some really scary sausages out there. Vic is usually game to try anything, but I'm too chicken, and will only eat my bratwurst ... or whatever it's called ...

Vic is gone for a couple weeks. It's just a training ... nothing serious, and nothing involving the craziness going on. He only had a 24-hour notice, so packing was a bit of a nightmare. You can tell I was a HUGE help in the process. In case you're wondering ... this thing is ridiculously heavy, and claustrophobia-inducing. I think I'll pass on joining the Army.

I've been telling Vic for weeks that I want to invest in a baby backpack carrier. I shopped around and they are horribly expensive, plus Vic is terrified of getting his neck puked on - so we passed on the idea. Anyway,  I found a woman on a Facebook Yardsale page who was selling this gem for $7!!! This will be great for castle tours where they don't allow strollers, and hiking! Eli loved it, and it is surprisingly comfortable. I also scored a really nice free lawn mower (for our new yard!!!) this week ... the only thing I love more than a good deal, is a free deal!

I had a job interview last week that went amazingly well ... the principal ended up being from Chalmers, Indiana, a huge Purdue fan, and graduated from Frontier (where my parents went), so needless to say - we had plenty to talk about. I also have an interview tomorrow ... so keep your fingers crossed! 

New House!

 Our new little house! It is about five minutes from post, and pretty much a straight shot to Vic's Company building. We couldn't have asked for a better lot; it's right on the corner, and only in the view of one neighbor. Along with three bedrooms, and 2.5 bathrooms ... we also have a fully finished basement, fenced in yard, and a full garage.

This is the front ... leading into the gated yard. You can also get to the yard through the living room. The dogs are going to be in heaven. The shutters that you see to the left of the door are German 'rolladen' shutters. They are on every window, and you can raise or lower them from the inside. They are amazing if you want to  spend all day relaxing in bed ... or if you're a vampire.

The guest bathroom as soon as you walk in to the house. Vic and I won't know what to do with all this bathroom space! Side note ... German toilets are so funny looking ...

This is the spiral staircase that goes from the second floor - all the way to the basement. I give myself a week before I fall down the entire flight. Baby gates are a must when Eli starts to crawl.

Big kitchen; which opens to a full sized dining room ...

My VERY OWN washer and dryer!! After sharing with six other families ... this may be my favorite part of the whole house! There is another room in the basement (equal size as the laundry room), which Vic will be turning into his man cave. There is also another smaller room, which will house the dog's cage ... and all of their furriness.

HUGE living room (this is only half) ... which opens to the patio area ...

Upstairs bathroom ... double sinks, jacuzzi tub, stand-up shower ... this bathroom is as big as our living room in Schweinfurt ...

Master bathroom ...

Oddly-shaped master bedroom ... but we will make it work. Vic is pointing out how we can mount a flat screen tv to the wall. Great.

Eli's room, and the spare bedroom/office are also on the top floor. Eli's room is enormous compared to what he's dealing with in Schweinfurt ... I can't wait to set it up!

This is the view from our front door ... that is a walking/bike path that goes throughout the town ... and beyond. This is a huge difference from our current view ... which is directly into the Logan's living room. Not that I mind spying on our closest friends day and night, but I prefer the German wilderness. Speaking of the Logan's ... they are right up the street from us! Still close enough to borrow a cup of sugar ... or ketchup (which I actually did the other day ... thanks Kim).

Another view from the front door ...

I can't wait to get pictures once all of our stuff is moved in ... I feel like these pictures don't do justice for the amazing-ness of this house! Our maybe it's just amazing to us because we have been living in the projects for the past six months?? Either way ... we are so excited to move!!

New Hobbies ...

So ... I've been baking. This may scare those who have seen me in the kitchen, but I must say ... I'm doing quite well for myself.

Vic has been on a desperate search for homemade apple pie ... which doesn't exist in Germany. Since I'm not ready to try my hand at a real apple pie - I found a recipe for low-fat apple fritter muffins - with a very fattening glaze ... so I gave it a shot. I spent a good hour chopping apples and hand-mixing all the ingredients - and they turned out delicious. This is the first thing I have ever made from scratch!!

My second attempt was low-fat, no sugar, no oil banana bread. Sounds horrible, right?? Wrong. Best banana bread. Ever. My neighbor even said it was better than her grandma's.

My third attempt didn't fare so well in the looks department. I found a recipe that seemed to be similar to my Mimi Sue's famous coffee cake. Now, if you have ever had the pleasure of trying Mimi Sue's coffee cake - you know it does NOT look like the picture below. On the bright side, it was still pretty good ...

This past weekend I had the sudden urge to participate in the 9/11 5k that was organized by the post. I made mention to Vic the night before, but I think he thought I was joking. I asked the Logan's if they could watch Eli, and, to Vic's surprise, I woke him up bright and early to run it with me! We did pretty well ... Vic probably could have done much better, but he didn't leave me in the dust. We had fun though, so I think we'll participate in more of these ...

This is a view from the course we ran ... it's easier to run when you have scenery like this!

After our run, we thought we would treat ourselves to a nice dinner on Saturday night. We tried a new Greek place called Delphi ... which almost felt like we were cheating on our favorite spot - The Stables.

The new place tried to win us over with free shots of ouzo, but it didn't work for me (although I still drank the free booze). The food was ok ... but we'll stick with The Stables for our Greek food fix.

This is Eli's puppy dog face when we're eating food in front of him ... I can't wait until he's ready for solids.

The boys after dinner ...

Eli is really on the move. He refuses to crawl, but he can make his way anywhere with a combination of scoots, twists, and rolls. He prefers to gravitate towards the non-kid friendly regions of the living room - which has led us to barricading him on the rug with pillows. Here he escaped, and decided to watch Baby Einstein from underneath the entertainment center.

Aunt Vanessa and Nana Jen both sent some fresh new burp cloths! Finally I don't have to be embarrassed that he's toting around dingy looking rags. Thank you Titi Vanessa and Nana Jen!

We're trying to ween him off the bottle ... so far, not so good. I have tried three types of sippy cups, and he's just not having it. He'll drink water from them, but refuses to drink formula. Hopefully he'll come around in the next few weeks!

Aunt Kelly sent us a Toys 'R Us gift card when Eli was born, and we ordered several toys for when he got a little older. We got this one out of storage for him earlier this week, and he loves it! It makes horribly annoying sounds ... but he thinks it hilarious. Thank you (Great) Aunt Kelly!!!

This is just a quick video of Eli eating. He gets SO excited!! This is towards the end, so he is kind of spitting stuff back out ... but he gets that excited with every bite ... especially if applesauce is involved ...

Trouble on the Train ...

Last Friday we had our friend Jennifer watch Eli for the night, so we could go to dinner a grab a couple of drinks. We had a great time, but a couple drinks turned into half a dozen ... and I wasn't feeling so hot the next morning. We had originally planned to take the train into Munich, and make our way to the Dachau concentration camp ... but after our night, we settled on a quick trip to the city of Coburg.
When we left for the train station; I was feeling pretty good, and excited for a new city adventure. Once we got on the train I had the strong urge to puke or faint ... or both. I think it was a mix of a hangover, motion sickness, and a crowded train. Now, I have fainted a couple times in the past year ... aside from just sucking in general, it's also horribly embarrassing. I just kept thinking about fainting on the train, and being taken away by a German ambulance, and winding up in a German hospital. Side note on German hospitals ... they are big fans of the extended stay. Case in point - my five day hospital stay after a complication free labor. Anyway, I knew I couldn't make it to Coburg, so I asked Vic if we could get off at the next stop. We didn't know what the next stop was, but I was hoping if I could get some fresh air and a drink ... I would be fine. The stop happened to be Bamberg ... a pretty big town. Vic ran off to grab me a drink and a pretzel, while I laid, half-dead, on a train bench ... most likely looking like a homeless woman. Vic definitely saved the day, and was very helpful during my hour of need.
Once I got my life together, we checked the schedule for the next train to Coburg - which, of course, wasn't for another hour and a half. At that point, we decided to take the easy way out, and explore Bamberg for the day. We had already visited the city once, but there were several things we didn't get to see.

St. Martin church ... the picture doesn't do justice - it was beautiful!

Outside of St. Martin ...

Eli was really excited about Bamberg. During our last visit we used the baby harness instead of a stroller. I couldn't remember why ... until we hit the cobblestone. We have a great stroller, but it doesn't do cobblestone well ...

We saw these in a store front window. Funny.

The rose garden at the palace. We had visited this during the winter ... and it looks like a completely different place once the flowers bloomed!

The one thing we didn't do last time was St. Michael's Church. It was a little hike to get there, but well worth it. The outside is enormous, but I was a little disappointed with the inside ... it wasn't my favorite church.

Again, I know very little about religion and/or churches ... but this is a chair towards the front of the church. The detail was amazing. I don't know who gets to sit there, but they're probably pretty important.

St. Michael and the devil, maybe?? Again ... I really should have paid attention and/or attended that religion class in college.

Really creepy statue ...

Tombs of bishops from the 1400's ...

View of Bamberg from behind the church ...

The courtyard area was really pretty ...

Vineyards ...

Looking back at the church ... it is massive ...

Feeling MUCH better at this point ...

Love this picture of Vic ...

Rather than walk all the way around the church to get back to where we started ... we decided to take this shortcut ... with the stroller.

This is a cute little restaurant in the city center ...

Down for the count. Please notice the outfit change ... the cobblestone shook him up a little too much after lunch.

Not counting the minor road bump in the beginning, it was a pretty successful day. We ate a lot of good food, and managed to take home a couple cool souvenirs.

I don't know why this picture is so small, but I thought it was cute. He loves playing with Vic's Army gear.

On Sunday we went to a restaurant called the Schiesshaus (translation: Shooting House, because it is out by the firing range), and they have the biggest portions of any restaurant I have ever visited. This is a schnitzel (with a couple bites taken out of it), and Vic and I could barely finish this together. To give you an idea of the size ... that's a cafeteria sized tray that it's laying on! It is also insanely cheap - which automatically makes it my new favorite restaurant.

Little piggies that greet you in the bier garden at Schiesshaus ...

This is Eli's new antic of the week. When he is being rocked to sleep during the day, he has to have his eyes covered. Apparently it is too bright in his room. Such a diva ... he needs a little baby sleep mask.

It's going to get pretty busy around here for us. We are driving to Graf on Thursday to sign for our new HOUSE!! I brown-nosed a little bit, and I got in good with the lady who assigns houses. She assured me we won't be in stairwell apartments again, which means we will have our own backyard and washer and dryer - among many other upgrades! A bigger place also means a guest bedroom for more visitors!!! Have I mentioned that we need more visitors??
After we sign for housing, we'll have to repaint our apartment here in Schweinfurt, and start to pack things up. Vic will begin out-processing in a couple weeks, and we should be ready to move by the beginning of October. I'll post some pictures of the new place next week!!