Bosbessen

It's blueberry season! Chris is out of town for a few weeks. Whenever this happens, I try to find other women whose husbands are also gone, so that we can get out of the house and commiserate. I found such a friend, and we set out to the blueberry patch this morning with a two-year-old, one-year-old, and two-month old. Brave? Yes!

I was not prepared for the level of organization that this operation entailed. The blueberry patch was actually quite lovely, and packed with cars when we showed up. It was in a town called Koningsbosch, about five minutes from our house on the Dutch side of the border. There were people with buckets milling about, women on walkie talkies and bikes directing people where to pick, and day laborers (people looking for fun like us) picking berries. There was also a very stressed out Dutch woman who didn't think we would be able to pick berries with the little ones. We very relaxedly told her that we would love to find a spot where we could park the strollers on the edge, and pick in that one spot. You would think we were the first people with little ones who had ever tried to pick berries!



But, the ladies there were very accommodating and found us a great location. We parked the kids there, and spent about two hours (!) picking from one bush. The weather was gorgeous - bordering between warm and cool throughout the morning, clouds in the sky threatening to burst but never doing so. By the time we left, I spent six euros on a bucket full of berries and some homemade blueberry juice. I am so excited to get to cook with these berries for the rest of the summer!

World Cup Finals

With our neighbors, the Netherlands, in the World Cup Finals, Chris and I knew we absolutely needed to get to Sittard to watch the game. The Sittard Markt was set up with three big screens and a sea of fans in orange.

The Dutch flag is red, white, and blue, but their spirit is definitely Oranje. The unifying color and resulting pride date back to William I (of Orange) who successfully organized the Dutch to revolt against Spanish rule. This World Cup game against Spain was a true rivalry, and it was exciting to be in the midst of the crowd during the game.



We were disappointed in Spain's win, right along with all of our Dutch neighbors. But, we were honored to share the game with them. It was an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime kind of evening.

Uno, Ein, One!

My sweet Jackson Thomas is one year old today! I can hardly believe it. It seems like only yesterday that I came out of 36 hours of labor to finally have a c-section; that I had to be talked off of a ledge every day because I really did not like nursing; that I had a teeny tiny baby to hold.

I am pleased to say that we actually made it an entire year of nursing! I really think I deserve some kind of prize for that. It really has all flown by, though, and I enjoy my son more and more each day.

During the past year, Jackson has visited eight countries. That is incredible! He is a great traveler - but not a good sleeper. He is so happy and so stubborn at the same time. I know I'm really going to be in for it later on.

Today was a great birthday for all of us. Jackson actually slept through the night. When he woke up, we had a pancake breakfast and opened some presents. We visited the Wildpark in Gangelt (Jackson loves animals and bucket swings which are both at the Wildpark), and we had dinner, cake and more presents!



Although we chose not to have a big birthday party, I still went with a theme for our small family gathering - a barnyard birthday. So, Jackson had a farm decor, farm-themed presents from his parents, and even a tractor cake (made by a friend).

He had a blast for his first birthday, and I am slightly sad knowing that the next year is going to go by just as quickly.

Garmisch

We spent a whirlwind few days in southern Germany, immediately after Chris' parents touched down for a visit. Although I have had some minor complaints about Edelweiss Lodge & Resort in Garmisch, it was the easiest place for us to stay for this visit. So, away we went!

Oh, what a glorious time to be there. I am obsessed with German flowers, and have been since I was a child. The Germans manage to cover the outside of their homes with geraniums, and it is spectacular.



On our first full day in Garmisch, we decided to stay in the local area, which of course, includes the ascent to Zugspitze. You might remember that it didn't go so well for me in October. So, those of us who were too scared to do it this time (me! I mean, Jackson) decided to stay at Eibsee while the others went up the mountain. That's quite OK, though, because we got to hang out here for awhile:



We also visited Mad King Ludwig's castles, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, and ventured into Munich.

It was a great trip. Bavaria is really my favorite part of Germany, which makes my family laugh. When I was a snotty ten-year-old, my father went to Turkey to "fly planes" with his squadron for the summer, while the women and children were left at home. My mother decided to brave a trip with her three children, so she took us to Bavaria. This, apparently, was not to my liking, as I felt that I had wasted a summer going to "Bavaria" (imagine a really, really spoiled bored voice saying that) while other friends would have gone to places like Paris. I didn't feel that it was very fair, and Bavaria was apparently also too bucolic for my taste.

So, there is always a good laugh when I admit that I long for the mountains and beauty (and plain old stereotype) of southern Germany.