Christmas

Here are some pictures of our Christmas. It was a nice relaxing day and we were all glad to take a break from the big move. We were babysitting an English Bulldog named Buttons. Tommy really loved having him around. They were inseparable the whole time he was here. It gave me the idea that maybe I should buy a pet for Tommy, but decided a new baby was an even better gift for him. So we're going to wait on the pet. I barely remembered to take pictures. We went and had dinner with some friends and their kids, and when we came home and got ready for bed I remembered I hadn't taken any pictures!

Our landlord who lives below us came up and gave that teddy bear to Tommy. She made it herself!

We didn't need any mistletoe!

Look how big I've gotten! The pregnancy seems more real now. I'm due June 27th, but hopefully this little guy or girl decides to come a bit sooner.

Christmas shopping and a medieval festival!

Today we finally finished up with our Christmas shopping. It was so much fun! Downtown was packed with people and new shops that open up just for Christmas. Candy, German chocolate, fresh crepes, homemade gifts, and music!

Here's Tommy intently watching New Moon at the theater with us. He sure likes his popcorn!

Here we are!

Tommy getting ready to go. He likes showers better than baths.

We fear he's not really shy.

Here's Tommy playing with his new toy. Isn't it cute?

We're pretty sure this guy was drunk. He saw me taking a picture and hurried in front of the camera. I was trying to take a picture of their 10 person "beer bike". Everyone sat around the table peddling and drinking beer. It was quite a sight!

Here we are at the only Mexican restaurant we've been able to find in Germany. It's pretty good, but we both agree that Mexican food in AZ is a little bit better.

I didn't know Justin was taking my picture. :) Chips and guacamole!

Here's Tommy on the Christmas merry go round. This was the best picture we took because it was hard catching Tommy while it was moving. He had fun waving to us and blowing us kisses as he passed.

It was a fun day, but by the time we got home Tommy was exhausted. We stopped by 3 different chocolate & candy shops to get all the best chocolate to send home to our families. Their truffles are incredible. One is made out of pop rocks and it's fun to bite into it and feel it popping in your mouth.

Downtown Bamberg is so much fun. There's usually always all kinds of different people performing something cool and unusual. Today we saw a man who stood so still he looked just like a statue. He had cool makeup and he really didn't look real. You give him money and he'll move and it was so awesome. I wish I had gotten a picture. We went to a medieval festival but couldn't get many good pictures because it got so dark. At the end of the day we caught New Moon at the theater on base. Before the movie started they played the national anthem and everyone stood with their hand on their heart. It's the simple things like that that make us proud of our country.

Enjoy the pictures!

Some pictures!

Just goofing around with Tommy today. :)

This is one of his favorite stuffed animals.

Tommy has my lip gloss on his mouth, as you can see he has his fair share of kisses.

H1N1 flu, be careful!

Just days after my last blog post stating I'm fine and Tommy is fine, here I am landed in the hospital with "swine flu". Since I'm left with quite a bit of time on my hands, I thought I would go through my experience so far and also give you the info. I've gotten from my doctor about how NOT to get it. Trust me, you don't want to get it!

When I first heard about this flu I never thought I would get it. I never get sick. I want all of you to know that you most certainly can get it, and quite easily as it's passed from person to person with ease. All you need to do to get it is be in the same room with someone as they sneeze or cough, or touch something an infected person has touched and then transfer it through eating or even blowing your nose!

Swine flu can last a MONTH. Typically it lasts about 7 days for your average joe, but if your immune system is down for any reason, or if you're pregnant (yipee for me!) it can last much longer. You can have it for a good week and not know it, but that's a good amount of time for the virus to grow and mature and then WHAM! You wake up with the full blown symptoms. You won't even know what hit you.

The best way to stay flu free is to wash your hands as frequently as possible. Don't eat, drink, rub your face or eyes unless you've washed your hands. If someone sneezes, cover your nose and mouth and get out of the room. Of course, if someone you live with gets it, my serious advice is to stay out of the house until that person is most definitely well. You will get it, no question! Justin has coughed on all surfaces in our house, and no matter how clean I tried to keep everything, Tommy and I still have gotten it. Tommy's symptoms arrived today. Luckily kids have gotten over it much faster than adults and he is still his playful self. He is running a fever, which is sometimes the first symptom. For me, it was a cough.

Please pray for my family! Justin still has it and Tommy is just starting it, my poor baby. And be careful! It can't spread anymore if we are all aware of how to stay clear of it!

Sickness has hit our house!

Where do I begin! Our little family has been plagued by illness for about the last month. Started out as a small cold for all of us. First Tommy, then Justin, and finally me. Tommy got over it in about two days, and it didn't really seem to bother him. Justin got it pretty bad, and actually got sent home from work for two days. His cough has been lingering for the past couple weeks and now the full symptoms have returned with a vengeance.

Here he is in our bedroom, trying to sleep it off. Luckily he got another 3 days off this week to start feeling better. You can hate me for this picture later, Justin. :)

Tommy has managed to stay healthy through all of this, and I have only the normal pregnancy sickness. I threw up for the first time last night, so I can see the fun is just beginning! I live on animal crackers, watered down juice, and the occasional bowl of cereal. The upside to all of this is that our food bill has gone down some. No one but Tommy feels up to eating these past few days. I just try to remind myself that getting sick every now and then is healthy, and things can only get better once you're past the worst of it.

I have to admit the hardest part of all this is trying to figure out whose water bottle belongs to whom, since I don't want this spreading around. I found a sharpie fixes that problem beautifully.

Tommy turns two, new baby, oh my!

So Tommy is officially living through the terrible twos! He turned two October 2nd, at 11:30am to be precise. The party was fun, it was Horton Hears A Who themed. The cake was ordered from the German bakery by our house and it ended up being pink. We ordered it to be raspberry filled and we didn't realize that meant the frosting would be raspberry too. Oops! But it was delicious! I would love to post pictures from his party, but they are too big and won't upload onto blogspot. However, they are all on facebook. Make sure to check them out if you haven't already!

Here is Tommy, he's helping daddy in the kitchen.

Also, I'm pregnant! Justin and I found out about a week ago. We were both very surprised. Yes, I was crying in this picture. We are both very excited and grateful to have another baby on the way. We're hoping for a girl but would be happy with either. The due date is June 27th.

We have a lot to look forward to! Can't wait to share it with all of you here on our blog!

Carving Pumpkins!

Today Justin, Tommy and I carved our first pumpkin together. It was much easier than I thought it would be. I've never carved a pumpkin before and I thought it would be harder to cut through the pumpkin than it was. It only took us about 45 minutes for two pumpkins! Here are some fun pictures we took.

Here is Justin's pumpkin

This one is mine

Justin finishing his up

It was so fun to get the insides out!

Our neighbor's black cat Merlin came by, it was perfect timing!

I love this picture!

Tommy taking a break, cheez its are his favorite.

He is such a sweetheart!