A very long, very perfect vacation.

I think after a 6 week seperation....a 2 and a half week vacation together as a family has been just what we needed.  It has been so wonderful.  SO wonderful.  We spent the first 4 days camping in the German, Bavarian Alps (amazing), the next week at a cabin near Pisa, Italy and the next week at Aviano Airforce base (where Matt had a masters class every night), near Venice,  and spent our days at the beach.  We're leaving in the morning to head back to Germany...and I'm kind of dreading going back to real life.  It's been THAT good.  Here are a few pics from Eibsee Lake in the alps where we spent Chase's 4th birthday.  It was a good....good day.

We rented a peddle boat for the day that had a slide on it and peddled ouselves around the Lake.  It was so much fun.

Matt even found something right up his alley....a rope swing with a 30 foot drop to the water below.  He was in man heaven.  And the German kids watching him were in kid heaven as the heckled him to death.  He was a happy man.

30 Weeks Prego....

Who KNOWS how big this bellie could get by 40 weeks. 

We have spent the last 2 weeks in Italy.

Still here.

I love Cannoli.

And Gelato.

And getting to be together as a family 24/7.

CIAO!

What's in a name??

The name battle of what this little girl planning to join us in a few months is to be called has commenced.  It's been kind of ugly.  With lots of looking up the meaning of the names and laughing at eachother because we don't our child to be given a name that means "bland".  Etc.  The battle has also included lots of "I have a friend whose dog has that name" and "If you want to her name her Berlin, we may as well make her middle name Frankfurt".  It's been an ongoing fight.  Here's my problem...I feel weird naming this baby anything that a friend has named their child.  You know what I mean?  And every name we both like....I think of a friend who either has that name, a child with that name, or a dog with that name.  UGH.  Making me crazy.  What's your opinion on giving your child a name that someone you know has already used???