This post is a little late, but when my dad was visiting last week we went to the nearby town of Mainz and just happenned upon one of the most perfect moments.  The Friday Farmers Market was going on, the weather was gorgeous and all the trees around the main cathedral were blooming.  It was just a wonderful Germany moment that further reinforces my opinion that Germany is best in the Springtime!

We hosted Emma's 1st Birthday Party yesterday.  I've had a lot of fun planning it.  She was born on Cinco de Mayo, so we did a fiesta theme (as I suspect we'll do until she starts having an opinion of her own!).  

I was a little obsessed with the cake being perfect.  I tried 3 different white cake recipes before landing on one.  The winner was the Whiteout Cake from the Baked cookbook.  Making layer cakes is a lot of work!  It took my mom and I an entire day to do it and some cupcakes.  Why did it take so long?  Honestly I don't know.  We aren't practiced with it I guess!

Tomorrow will be 1 year exactly.  I can't believe it.  I have been reminiscing this past week on what I was doing 1 year ago.  Emma was 7 days late and I was irrationally impatient about that fact.  I felt like she was never going to come.  Everyone kept reminding me that that wasn't physically possible, but it didn't help at the time.

1 year!  We love our bird.  More pictures to come from her actual birthday tomorrow.

When we were in Kuwait we got lucky and made friends with 3 amazing couples.  We've all scattered since moving away from Kuwait, but we've kept in touch and had an awesome reunion trip in Crete this past week!  

Because we had such a big group, renting a villa was more economical than staying in a hotel.  The Villa was out of this world!  I couldn't believe we got to stay there.  I kept thinking "this is not my life..." :)  The weather wasn't great while we were there, with 35 mph winds and chilly temperatures, but we still enjoyed the views and time with friends.

Miss them already!

Emma and I came back with some serious sinus issues,  she has a double ear infection poor baby!  So we're still not back into the groove of things.  

Emma's 1st birthday is only weeks away!  I can't believe it!  My parents are coming to visit soon.  I'm really looking forward to it.  Their trips will be much different from last year when I was drowning a little bit in new baby chaos.

Happy Spring!

Just some favorite snaps from the past month

A little over a month ago when Jason's dad was in town we did a quick day trip up to Cologne.  Jason and I had been once when we first moved here, so I was looking forward to going again.  Unfortunately the wind that day was bitterly cold and Emma was too much for Emma, so we couldn't wander around as much as I would have liked.  The Dom is always amazing to see.  

We did an overnight trip up to Dusseldorf last night.  Its only two hours away and could have been done in a day, but we treated ourselves and stayed overnight.  Emma had an awful night's sleep (not unusual for her unfortunately), but it was made worse because Jason and I stayed up too late visiting with friends prior to her waking.  Besides the wakeful night, the city was fun!  The river was beautiful and the bar scene was the best I've seen in all of Germany so far!

Its been a while since I've posted.  There just doesn't seem to be time for it most days.  As she gets older though, I find that I have a little more time to myself bit by bit.  

Emma is 10 months old now.  She is walking and eating solids.  She's so expressive and goofy, its fun.  She develops everyday and I feel really lucky that I get to be home with her and see it firsthand.

Its finally starting to warm up here a bit (thank goodness!).  Its been a much colder winter than last year, but you can see signs of spring popping up.  Its tulip season in Holland, which is not too far away, and the tulip display at the grocery is gorgeous.  I plan to keep some in the house until they're out of season!  It makes me happy to see them in the window.

We have recently gotten word that we will be leaving Germany early and heading to New York at the end of the summer!  I'm pretty excited to be back in the States.  There's a lot for us to explore in New England and to have all the conveniences of the US back - not to mention the plane ride to family is much more doable!  

We have some pretty amazing trips coming up this summer, so our remaining time here is sure to be exciting and will probably fly by!  I'll try to be better about posting!  

I got lucky and stumbled upon this online the last morning my husband's family was in town.  We were headed that way anyways, so we decided to check it out.  The monastery has been producing wine in the region for over 800 years.  The grounds were so pretty and I was really impressed with the wine shop.  I think it'd be great in the spring!  

It was 7 euro per person to tour the inside.

After the monastery we headed into Eltville for lunch and to wander.  The restaurant below, Angler 511, I'd really recommend.  Its simple, but the food is good and they have a great drink selection.  The interior is modern, its on the Rhein, good prices, and the bathrooms are clean - what more could you want?  Plus bonus - they had high chairs!

We had a house full of company this year for Christmas and New Years.  It was nice to have our house feel full and busy.  I really enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with my husband's family and especially enjoyed my time with our niece and Emma.  

Emma cleaned up, of course.  She was swimming in toys by the end of the day and so wound up from all the commotion of Christmas that she had a hard time winding down at the end of the day.