EUROPE 2014

When we were newlyweds, we planned to go to Europe for our 1st anniversary.  By the time we celebrated 1 year, I was 36 weeks pregnant.  So that got shelved.  And ever since then the timing was never right, until [cue heavenly choir] nowwwww!


Medium-length story short, we found really great deals on airfare to Copenhagen for this month.  Michelle and Mark agreed to come watch the kids.  We bought the tickets and tried to convince ourselves we were really going!


We got back last Saturday. It was obviously so much fun.  We had about 3.5 days in Copenhagen and 2.5 in Amsterdam. 


Before I go upload a billion pictures, I would like to pay tribute to one of my favorite parts of this whole trip that had little-to-nothing to do with the museums, castles and general exoticness that one travels to Europe to focus on:


We got there Monday late afternoon, partied a bit, and then went back to our hotel where we crashed.  Alas, I woke up at 3am and did not get back to sleep.  Stupid jetlag.  Once I gave up on sleeping, I pulled out the jug of Coke Lite we'd bought at a 7-11 the night before, I put in my ear buds, and turned on Taken on the iPad (that movie seemed most appropriate.  Also did you know the streaming content on Netflix varies from country to country, and there is way more stuff in Europe?).  Jeff woke up and said, "This is like heaven for you, huh."  Yes, yes it was.


More later!

More about the little boys we have

The other day Jude said out of nowhere, "My brother is very special."
He snuck into the office today and when I summoned him back he strutted into the room with his shoulders back and said with a sigh, "I was just working a little bit."  I love this age of confident willingness to chip in and help!
He has been taking the lead on park trips.  Several times this week we'd all be in the family room/kitchen area hanging out, minding our business, and then he would suddenly say (loudly), "HEY!  You guys ready to go to the park??" 
Graham was trying to get at a toy Jude was holding and he goes, "No, Gammy!  Time out!"  Pfffft! 
He has started to roar like lions, bears, dinosaurs, tigers, etc. just because he feels like it. 
He adorably mispronounces:

• foonie for smoothie
• oatman for oatmeal
• vroom for motorcycle -- he refuses to even try to say the word! :)
• lolo for loader truck
• payground for playground
• paygoop for playgroup
• curr for color
• free for three
• cruck for truck
• That's all I can think of for now............................

Jude does not want me out of his sight lately unless he has something more exciting on the horizon, like his weekly playgroup.  He didn't even want me to go upstairs to tell Jeff that dinner was ready yesterday.  I'll enjoy it; he's been so grown up lately, I know all his squishy smallness will be gone in a flash.


Graham has taken to balls like I've never seen before in a buck so young.  Of course I'm hopelessly biased, but he is so coordinated with throwing and stopping balls, I'm pretty sure he's uncommonly gifted. If you put a ball in front of him he'll lift it way up over his head, and chuck it.  Then he shrieks with glee and chases it, and it starts all over again.  If the ball is rolling by a few feet away, he'll lean over at just the right moment to stop it with his pudgy hand. Sometimes we will sit several feet away from it and pass or roll it back and forth.  Graham loves this so much he now throws lots of things.  Like he'll take a sip of milk, then chuck the cup. :)


He's also my little shadow, loves to yell "DAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!", and pulled out a chunk of my hair the other day.  He loves to put his hand on my mouth because he knows I'll kiss it. 


I love these phases they're in.