Switzerland

When we arrived in Germany we lucked out in the fact that Andrew's new squadron was all gone on a TDY in Las Vegas.  So we had the luxury of being about to jet off on our first European adventure to Switzerland.  It was a very tough decision on where to venture off to first. lol   I didn't know how to plan trips in Europe so pretty much we learned as we went.  Our van had not arrived yet and the car we purchased here in Germany was a small Ford station wagon and it did not have a radio so that made for a fun first road trip.   I immediately fell in love with Switzerland.   The mountains are amazing, the chateaus on the mountains are amazing, the people are friendly, and we found out is the most expensive country in Western Europe.  The roads are amazing, yes those are the things that I am fascinated by.  In Switzerland there are tunnels after tunnels when you drive through the country.  Since we did not have a radio the kids made a fun game of singing the word tunnel as a triad every time we went through one and then holding onto the last pitch until we had made our way out of the tunnel.  Elizabeth also made her Pete the Cat into a radio so when you pushed a shoe or paw it would play a certain genre of music. ie Them singing that music.   Road trips have become a big part of our family memories and I love listening to them make up games, tell stories, and hear them sing as we make our way to our next destination.  Of course it always comes with some fighting and tears at times.   On this particular trip we made it to the Matterhorn, rod the steepest cogwheel Train in the world in Lucerne, and we stayed at one of the Girl Scout World Heritage Centers.

Book Fair

Apparently there are book fairs and then there are book fairs.   If you have or have had an elementary age child you know about the book fairs that happen a few times a year. Being military we have so far seen three book fairs at three schools and Liz is only in second grade.   Today Elizabeth came home from school and said, "Mom you should see the book fair at this school it is beautiful, just beautiful!!"   I do agree that this school does a great job and we had a great time at family night picking out a few new books.  I hope that Elizabeth keeps her joy of reading throughout her life and continues seeing books as beautiful things.

Sedona

We spent this past weekend in Sedona and then made our way over to Prescott where Liz and I had a great day with her Girl Scout Troop and Andrew and the little ones explored Prescott.  It was a great weekend.  We all had so much fun playing at Slide Rock, eating an overpriced Mexican meal on the main drag in Sedona, fishing at an overpriced trout farm, and camping under the stars.
Despite the money spent the trip was so worth it and the kids had so much fun and I would do it again hands down.  The scenery is breathtaking and the towns along the way are charming.  And to top it off Rosalyn lost her first tooth!!  Made the trip even more memorable.

Conversations

I love the little conversations that I have with the girls and this particular one I wanted to write down to remember.   The other day we were walking out of the Botanical Garden here in Phoenix and Rosalyn and I were a bit behind.

Out of nowhere she said, "Mom I haven't told any of my friends at the gym about Great Grandma dying.  I don't know why but I didn't want to tell them yet."

Elizabeth is much more emotional when it comes to death mainly because she is older and understands it a bit more.  So this conversation was a little out of the norm for Rosalyn.  She is a little more abrupt about death.  We are very open as a family about life and death and what happens to us all. I try to express to the girls every time we visit great grandparents that it might be the last time we could see them.  Most are in their 90's and being military and moving around and not always being close makes it hard at time, but I want them to enjoy, remember, and cherish the time we do have with them.

Rosalyn continued to share with me that she made a remembrance pile of rocks on the side of our house near the garbage cans so that she can remember Great Grandma.  This little act of remembrance from Rosalyn made me a bit tearful and so grateful for the sweet girls I am blessed with.   And I now know what the little pile of rocks is that I keep finding by the garbage cans and I will no longer put them back into the garden.
 

Night Flying

This week Andrew entered the part of his training where he is learning to fly at night.  And not just flying an airplane but training on all the things that fighter pilots do at night while wearing night vision googles.  I will leave it at that since his job does terrify me a bit.  Thankfully now he is just training and I know that he is loving every minute of it.
   I was lying in bed reading and heard jets like I do many evenings but this is the first time that I know that one of those jets is my husband coming home from his daily mission.  Now that I am used to the constant jet noise I really only notice it in the evening when the house is silent and all my noise makers are in bed.
 As I look out the window at the twinkling stars and a few planets it is amazing to think that Andrew is out there flying at jet speed.  There really is something magical about the night sky.  He is doing what he has wanted to do since he was a little boy when his Grandfather took him up the one and only time in his plane. ( He only took Andrew once because of the fear of being responsible if something happened)  I am so proud of Andrew and all he has accomplished the last 11 years in the military.  He didn't have an easy childhood and didn't have the privileges and opportunities that most of his fellow classmates had that studied at the academy, however through dedication and perseverance he made his dream come true.  So now I look to the stars and pray that he stays safe as I do everyday. I thank God every day for Andrew and for the three beautiful children we have together. I know that his job is dangerous and it honestly scares the hell out of me, but I will stay strong and trust in God that everything is how it should be.

Weekend in Vegas

This last weekend we had the opportunity to visit Uncle Austin and Aunt Michelle in Las Vegas. Since this is one of the only chances we will have for a while to live so close to family we are taking all we can get.  We had the amazing experience to see the Cirque Du Soleil show Zarkana thanks to Austin who works for Zarkana.  He controls the winches and pulleys during the show and maintains them.  The girls absolutely loved the show.  Since Nathan could not attend Rosalyn and I went to the first showing and Elizabeth and Andrew went to the second.  It made for a very long night but it was so worth it.  Rosalyn's favorite part were the clowns and Elizabeth's was the people that rolled around and did tricks in huge metal rings.  All the acts were very impressive like most Cirque shows.   Of course I didn't get any pictures with my sweet Valentines day date but we have the memory.  If I remember I can try to upload a picture from Andrew's phone of him and Elizabeth on their date.

The next day we went to an amazing place in Vegas called the Container Park.  Vegas is not just for adults anymore.  The whole block is made out of shipping containers.  I only took pictures of the play structure in the middle of a big circle of shops and little restaurants that are made out of the same containers.  I am so impressed with what so many cities are doing these days.  This one tops my list of favorites and I think the kids would agree.  They even had a little treasure hunt of little things hidden that the girls loved doing.

At the entrance of the park is giant praying mantis that an aerospace engineer made for his wife for their 15 year wedding anniversary. Every night at 5:00 it is woken up by a drum circle and it shoots fire from its antennas.  Made for a perfect ending to the day at the container park.  The girls had so much fun beating on the drums.  Nathan loved the drums but wasn't so sure on the fire...it was a bit hot.  

Thank you Austin and Michelle for a wonderful weekend.

Sweet Elizabeth

Love my sweet Elizabeth!!