The crazy month of June

It's the last day of June and it has kind of been a crazy month now that I'm thinking back on it.

Here's THE GOOD:

First of all, I started that blog with my sisters: Notes She Wrote which has been so much fun for us!

 I also started getting into photography this month which has also been so soo much fun!

I met up with some old friends from Germany! Holly and Jason Peregoy and their two boys. They came to Texas and we got to get together for breakfast at IHOP one morning!

Playgroup. There's a million little babies at church and we're all able to get together on Wednesdays. Cole loves kids. It so adorable :)

We started Cole on solids. He hates it. But we started finally. So that's a good thing. And he started saying "mama" and "tata."  So cute :) Videos to come :)

AND he is 6 months old now. Wow!

Going to the pool with friends!! It's sooo hott here. And Cole falls asleep every time!

And here's THE BAD:

We've had a few mishaps this month when it comes to the laundry: 

We put Steve's cell phone through the wash. But we both got cool new phones as a result of it, so was it really a bad thing? ;)

We also put a ink pen through the wash with our clothes AND it got dried with the clothes in the dryer too. And this was definitely a BAD thing. We have a heap of clothes now with ink stains that won't come out because of the heat from the dryer. I just don't even know how the pen got in there! :(

This is kind of gross, but I guess Cole spit up on one of his outfits and I didn't wash it soon enough and it left these disgusting moldy stains not only on the outfit but on anything that was touching it in the laundry bin!!! I thought doing laundry 3 times a week was enough. But I guess not! It's like I have to wash it immediately otherwise it will stain! geez. I've ruined of good chunk of our clothes in just this month!

That lizard in our light. I mean seriously, how random is that?

Steve sprained his ankle the other day. You'll never guess how.....It happened when he was trying to shoot a basket. But not only that, he tried shooting from the........wait for it............ slackline. I told him he's crazy. He's been hobbling around and I don't even feel bad for him. Ok, that's a lie. I totally feel bad for him and I told him he has to get it checked out at the clinic before we leave for Arkansas! Tomorrow!

But that isn't even the worst of it. The worst of all our mishaps this month is by far the one where Steve lost his wedding band in the pool last Friday while playing volleyball. :( I could've cried. It was such a perfect ring and it looked so good on him! We searched and searched, recruited our friends who helped us search and even said several prayers to help us find it. But we never did. I guess a miracle can still happen but I'm already planning on getting him a new one for our anniversary. I mean, he can't go around without a wedding band on, you know?

All these crazy things make me feel like we're a clumsy little family. But at least we're a cute little clumsy family ;)

If I die young

This is my new favorite song! I found it on a blog today. I don't know how I've never heard it!

The music video is super cute. And I LOVE her voice!

5 years since my Abitur

This summer marks FIVE YEARS since I graduated with my Abitur from German school!!!

I just can't even believe it! It doesn't seem like that long ago but 5 years is a long time. And when I think about all that's happened since then, well, I guess it does feel like 5 years ago after all. When I think about my life then and my life now, it feels like I've lived 2 different lives. Have you ever felt like that?

I never thought that I would miss German school, but I actually kind of do. Or maybe it's that I just miss Germany and my family in general. I haven't been back in over 2 years now! I need to do something about this. Yeah, that's probably it. I definitely do not miss German school work. ha!

Back in the summer of 2006, the World Cup was going on. And the German soccer team was doing pretty well. We were all so proud of the team and we all wanted them to win. That's why the two boys in the front (Benny and Florian) are holding up a German flag that says "Weltmeister" across it. I remember how people would gather together in the city square and watch the games together on a HUGE screen. I've never been all that much into sports, but I really enjoyed getting together with friends and doing this. I wanted Germany to win so bad; not because I really cared that much about soccer but because I felt like if they won it would somehow make the year that I graduated more meaningful. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it sounded cool to say I graduated from German school the year that the German team won the World Cup. Haha. Or maybe that's just lame. Anyway, the final game came down to Germany and Italy. If I remember correctly it went into over time with each team having zero goals. And then in overtime Italy scored. And Germany lost. Sad. :(

I graduated from German school the year that Germany barely lost to Italy.

Yeah it just doesn't sound as cool. Oh well.

It's so funny looking at this picture. It's so 2006. I don't know how else to put it. Do you know what I mean?

ps, can you spot me in the picture?!? :)

An Evening in the Park

With Lindsey and her baby Max.

Aren't they so cute? Max is one of the chillest, happiest little babies ever! 

It was so fun taking their picture! :)

And did you see what my sisters and I posted on our Notes She Wrote blog this week?

Marie looks ADORABLE painting the walls of her house.

I look like a Claire's employee (according to Emma) wearing all of my accessories!

Emma looks HOTT with her ballerina bun.

And Lissie's got skills when it comes to braiding!

A Salamander on our Ceiling.

So, there I was in the kitchen making apple crisp and Bekah was keeping me company sitting on the bar stool. Then she looked up at the covering of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling and says :

"Wow, that outline looks so much like a lizard!" 

Well, it WAS a lizard! An itty bitty one! And I have no idea how it got in there. I hope you enjoy this video of us getting it out and of screams from me and Bekah. Heehee.

It's definitely not a salamander. That's just what Steve referred to it as later in the evening! haha!

Copycat

The other night we were sitting at the table at dinner and Cole was sitting in his bouncer on the floor when Steve looked down and said "I think he's copying us." Cole was opening and closing his mouth, like he was imitating the way we were chewing. I didn't really think he was imitating us but I looked down at him and started opening and closing my mouth to see if he would do it back. And sure enough he did!! It was so cute!!

Here's a video of him doing it. It's kind of long and you can't hear him because he's not making any noise, he's just opening and closing his mouth. 

Steve's a good daddy

Yesterday when I came home, I saw through the window as I walked up to the door that Steve was dancing around the living room trying to keep Cole content while Cole looked up at him from his bouncer! It was a cute sight to see!

I'm glad that we got to celebrate his first Father's Day today. We didn't do too much; we just went to church and then relaxed at home and skyped with our families. For dessert tonight I made lemon bars but since I didn't have eggs, I substituted with flax!!! It was an experiment, really, but they turned out perfect! So if anyone was wondering, yes, flax will work as a substitute for eggs in lemon bars. In fact, I'm so pleased with how well they turned out,  I'm almost certain it will work as a substitute for scrambled eggs, too. ;) 

This father's day I'm grateful for my loving husband and for the wonderful father that he is! Cole and I really lucked out :) We love you :)

I'm also grateful for my own dad! He's always been so sweet and kind and loving. He always wants what's best for his kids and he's so willing to sacrifice for them. Thank you, dad, for the wonderful trip to Seattle! That meant a lot to all of us! I love you!!

My favorite models

My favorite models. And oh yeah, my only models so far.

They're great models though, hu?!

We had Bekah, Jordan and Ryleigh over for dinner a couple days ago and then afterwards us girls ran out to test out this spot before it got too dark while the boys stayed home and studied!

I love these orange flowers! I'm so glad that they haven't died yet!

Cole's first words!!!

Well, more like his first sounds.

But still!! It's so cute! Somehow "mama" became the sound he makes when he's frustrated. 

Whatever, I'll take it. :)

Why not give it a go?

(This is a picture heavy post)

Here are pictures from my first photo shoot ever!!!

I got to take Bekah and Jordan's picture a few days ago and their niece, Ryleigh, is in town visiting them so I got to take her picture too! Thanks guys for letting me practice on you!!

I think it's probably obvious, but ever since getting Marie's old camera, I've been really wanting to develop the skill of photography! I know there are soooooo many photographers out there and it's kind of intimidating to even try. But after thinking about it for a while, I thought, why not? Why not give it a go?

But I need to practice!! So please, anyone who feels up for it, I would LOVE to take your picture!! If you live around here, just let me know if you'd let me practice on you. I would seriously love it.

So, why not give it a go? :)

Traveling with a baby

Did I ever tell you about them time I flew to Seattle to visit my sisters? Oh yeah, I think I have, like a million times.
But I don't think I told you about my journey of a flight getting there! Well, let me sum it up for you. It was awful.

My flight was supposed to leave at 12:15 PM. But right around that time there were terrible thunder storms in Dallas so it was delayed. Which meant I was going to miss my connecting flight in Las Vegas.
So, they rerouted me and put me on a flight to San Antonio where I would catch a flight directly to Seattle.
But the flight to San Antonio was late too. I got off the plane in San Antonio only to find out that my connecting flight had taken off only 5 minutes earlier. It was so depressing. I was in tears as I stood there at the gate counter with Cole in my left arm, my bags in my right. (My stroller that I'd gate check was no where to be found since it was supposed to be checked all the way through to Seattle.) The Southwest worker told me that the soonest flight she could get me on was in a couple hours. But the flight was to Houston, where I would get on another flight to Phoenix and THEN it would go to Seattle, scheduled to arrive at 11:40 AM their time, (That's 1:40 AM Dallas time) when I was supposed to be getting there at 6 PM Seattle time.

Obviously I made it to Seattle, but traveling with a baby is not easy!! There were many times I wished that Steve were traveling with me because it would have made things so much easier! For example, if he could have been the one sitting next to me while I nursed Cole on the plane, and not some random person, I would have been able to spread out a little more.
Oh the things people don't know about traveling with a baby. I would think this a lot. Before boarding each plane, I would have to know which side I needed to nurse Cole on so that I could make sure that that side was facing the window. Ok, I need to get a window seat on the right side of the plane this time. And  then I would hope that I wouldn't have to nurse him on the other side for the rest of the flight.
Or what about changing your baby's diaper in those teeeeny tiny bathrooms?! You moms can sympathize with me! It's nearly impossible. But I did it. Not without Cole peeing all over the place though. I think of all the other babies before him who have peed all over the same place and it's seriously a disgusting thought!!
And what about the looks you get from other passengers when your baby is being fussy?! I found myself rehearsing in my head what I would say to them if they ever put into words what their faces were saying. "You have NO idea what we've been through today so please don't give me your judging looks!" They had no idea that Cole hadn't slept barely at all that day. How could he sitting on my lap in those tiny seats? They had no idea that we had been traveling all.day.long. And that the majority of the traveling was just flying around the state of TEXAS!

Although it was not a fun flight/s, and some people didn't have very friendly faces, I thought I should mention that honestly, quite a few of the people I encountered were actually very nice to us.
I sat next to a retired midwife on one flight, and a sweet grandma on another. Both helped me to nurse and didn't mind that Cole was kicking their legs while he did. The midwife told me I was a good mom and the grandma would kiss Cole on his head :) On my last flight, I sat next to an Asian man who didn't say a word to me the whole time until we landed, when he told me in his broken English: "Such a good little boy." (The last flight was the one where I finally got Cole to fall asleep...)
The Southwest worker who rerouted my flight out of San Antonio was very sympathetic and came out from behind her counter to tell me the bad news as I tried to sniff my tears away. She didn't mind when Cole started pulling on her hair but she stroked his arm and was very sweet to him.
Another gate worker went out of his way to find my stroller for me. Thank goodness it wasn't lost!
There were a handful of people who helped me with my luggage while I pushed the stroller, who would collapse my stroller for me to put it through security or who would give up their seat for me to sit down at a crowded gate.

So, although it was a pretty miserable and tiring little adventure getting up to Seattle, I am very thankful for the good people out there who were kind and sympathetic to a young mom and her baby, someone they didn't even know.

It makes me feel like the world really ain't so bad after all :)

ps, you should check out Emma's Ice Cream Cake recipe on our blog. It's just about the yummiest, easiest recipe ever. One that I got to enjoy with my sisters while I was with them in Seattle :)

Four Sisters {Endless Possibilities}

So guess what! My sisters and I started a blog together called...

Notes She Wrote

And I'm so super excited about it!

Marie posts on Mondays

I post on Tuesdays

Emma posts on Wednesdays

Lissie posts on Thursdays

And on Fridays, we'll all take turns doing a vlog!! 

In fact this Friday it's my turn to do a vlog. It's my first vlog ever and I'm showing you some of my yoga moves. For real. :) You'll want to stay tuned for that ;)

I know I talk about my sisters a lot on my blog and this will be a way for you to get to know them even better!

Yesterday Marie posted some tips for posing for the camera.

And today I posted some thrifting tips!

I think we have some pretty good advice so I think you should check out our blog!!!

Pretty Miss Emma

Oh, and pretty Miss Ash too!! Of course :)

I took these pictures of Emma and her sister in law Ashley while in Seattle.

What do you think?!

I love the dandelions!

Emma posted a super sweet post about me the other day and I thought I'd do something similar about her!

I love Emma because:

*She is a natural mom. When Annabelle came she seemed to know exactly what to do! I was impressed!

*She's always so thoughtful with her gifts. And just good at giving gifts in general. To everyone. 

*She's gorgeous. Seriously. I'm so glad we're identical twins ;)

*She's EVERYONE's best friend. Just ask her about high school ;)

*She's so helpful when she comes to visit. Cook all my meals?! Yes please!

*She's sweet. She seriously wants the best for everyone.

I love you Emma dear!

Sucking his toes :)

Watch my baby suck his toes :)

And sorry, I have no idea how to rotate the video!




Within the past couple weeks he learned how to do that.

He also learned how to

*blow spit bubbles
*use his voice (he's gotten SOO loud!)
*copy me (He saw me drinking out of a water bottle and after I emptied it, I gave it to him and he tried drinking from it himself!!)

He's getting soooo big!

My little cowboy

He was born in Texas, after all. 

I don't know if you can tell, but his little outfit says "cowboy" on it and the little feet look like cowboy boots!! You just can't really tell in this picture. I was so excited he finally got to wear this outfit because it was cold enough in Seattle!! Oh well if it was only one time; I got a picture so that's all that matters :)

Just so everyone knows, if your baby can't sit up yet, just stick him in a basket with a pillow behind him. Problem solved.

An Angel from Heaven

Little Miss Annabelle.

Doesn't she look precious?! She looks like she's floating on little clouds in heaven!! We just need little wings to top it all off ;)

While in Seattle, we did a LOT of photo shoots, like I mentioned. Marie has all this fancy equipment and I was able to be in the background so that I could get my own shots! It's crazy how out of the million pictures you take, only like a handful turn out. I guess I should just take more pictures! I don't really have a problem with that. :)

Anyway, you can expect to see more of my outtakes in future posts!

You guessed it!

More flowers!!!!!!!

This time with Nicole and adorable baby Jett!

Look at that smile :) 

Before I could fly out to Seattle to see my sisters, I had to get Cole's birth certificate so that he could come on the plane with me. So, I drove out to where Nicole lives because that's where Cole was born and where I had to get the birth certificate. After I got it, we met up at a little park nearby. It just so happened that there was a field of flowers in the park and Nicole let me test out the camera on her and Jett! Thanks guys!!!