One day we went to this adorable greenhouse and decor shop--it had a petting zoo and playground out back! how cute is that??
I loved it when we found fun outings that could involve my grandma and her wheelchair :)
Playing in the kids corner at the store :)
After the flower shop, we walked around in Buhl--and stopped for lunch at this cafe near some fountains. My mom had a totally nostalgic breakdown when she snapped the following picture of her kids and grandkids. She spent a lot of her own childhood near these fountains (...and I believe, got her first kiss here? Did I remember that right mom? If not, sorry:) )
On our second Sunday in Germany, after church we spent the afternoon in the mountains of the Black Forest, at the "Mummel See". We went with some great old friends from Virginia, who are now living in Frankfurt. We hiked around the lake, and looked at a little store full of Coo Coo clocks.
After being in the mountains, we went to Baden Baden, and spent a couple hours walking around the town, enjoying the scenery with our friends. It's known as the more upscale, ritzy area. It really was beautiful--I loved seeing all these old familiar places again :)
(Fun Fact: I was born at a hospital in that town!)
Mia's first taste of gelato!! I found a flavor that was dairy free for her! She LOVED it. which actually surprised me--before this trip, Mia didn't have much of a sweet tooth.. I think she found it in Germany though ;)
Jake, Sawyer, and Leslie Shield's son, Andrew
The next few pictures are just from some of the quieter days.
On one of the last few days, we made another trip into town for a little ice cream and shopping--Mia stripped down and jumped in the little manmade stream. She kills me in this picture!!
One night we were really missing the United States--we thought the kids might like eating a more American dinner for a change... so to Burger King we went! lol
One very rainy day, we went to an indoor playground with my cousin and her kids.
Mia enjoying some alone time before church one sunday morning :) I'm obsessed with her little feet!!!!
Lovin' on Omi and her pearls :)
So I have like a million pictures from this vacation, but somehow failed to get a decent one together with my Aunt Gabi and her two daughters. We really spent the most days with them, so it's crazy we never got a good picture!!! My cousin Annika lives right near my grandma, and has 3 little kids. Her son is Jake's age, and also loves cars. Their house was pretty much a kiddie wonderland!!
Towards the end of our trip, my mom, Jess, and I decided that it would be worth it the spend one more day at Europa Park with the kids. They hadn't stopped talking about the place since that first time! The weather was perfect that day--mid 80's.
They had some vintage rides near the entrance--if I remember right they were from the late 1800's!!
Once again, we lucked out and it wasn't crowded at all. Hardly any lines!!!
We had lunch on a big sweeping lawn full of soft cushy poofs.
Choo Choo!!!
Nap Time!! (Thank heavens she is so light) ;)
They had these little "streams" everywhere. Such a dream for the kiddos!
Taking a breather on this romantic little pier. Where is my husband? I need to come here with him!!!
The boys got their own water canons to shoot from on this boat ride :)
We were so excited that it was warm enough to do some water stuff on this second park day!
The water was nice and refreshing!
Earlier that day, we had debated getting the boys these cute little shields and swords at a shop in Fairy Tale land. That evening, we realized that the park was closing in 10 minutes, and we were no where near that store. I don't know how we got their before it closed (actually, I do--we ran.. till we were sweating haha) But it was totally worth it, seeing the joy on their faces!! It was the icing on top of a truly fantastic day!!!
We got the girls their very own "frog princes"
my sleepy little princess :)
On our last day in Germany, we spent the afternoon at the lake near my Grandma's house. (I actually came their once the week before, but Jessica and my mom missed that time because it was on a "flu day") The lake was so beautiful and relaxing, and there was a water slide, and a playground nearby. So the kids were in total heaven.
I could feel a bittersweet tension in the air all day--through it all, I experienced so many emotions: Sad to be saying goodbye, excited to get back to my moms house, completely nervous about the flight. Somehow, the trip was ending--we'd survived the craziness with the kids, and made some very special memories. Jake learned a thing or two about his German heritage, and he got to know a lot of people that I really love. I'm so glad that my family in Germany was able to meet my sweet kids, and that we were able to reconnect.
That night we got together for one last dinner with some of the family.
On the days leading up to the flight, Jake did NOT cope well with the idea of leaving. In fact, the day before we left, he pretty much cried off and on all day--and completely fell to pieces when he saw me packing (2 weeks before, when we arrived, it took me a full hour to get him to come out of the car and meet everyone.. but he got used to being there, and was so sad to leave!) He really loved my grandma by the end, and the idea of saying bye seemed to break his heart.
The morning of the flight, I had to wake him up at 6:45. (I never totally switched my kids schedules, so they had been going to bed around 10 and sleeping in the mornings til at least 10:30.. so 6:45 was super early) I calmly told him that we would be leaving soon. I was mentally preparing for a total meltdown, so his reaction completely shocked me.
Jake looked up at me, and with eyes that were brimming with tears, he shakily asked if he could go see "Tic-Toc Omi" (thats what all the grandkids call her.. long story) and eat breakfast with her.
I knew that if I started crying, it would make him fall totally apart, so I put on a big fake smile and walked him next door to my Omi's kitchen. He then quietly sat down with her, and they ate some cake with hot chocolate together.
It's hard to explain how tender that moment was. Even now, more than 3 months later, I'm getting choked up thinking about it. Watching my little boy dealing with his little boy grief in such a positive and brave way was incredibly touching. I know it meant a lot to my grandma. I don't know if I'll get another chance to see her in this life or not--but if that was the last time together, Jake made our goodbye pretty unforgettable.
After lots of tear filled goodbyes, we loaded up the cars and headed to the airport.
