The things I forgot to blog from 2011

So amidst the husband deploying over and over again, many friends and family coming to visit, and going through a pregnancy/childbirth/newbaby, there are a few things I didn't blog from 2011 that I have wanted to.  So this here is a catch up blog of things that made me extremely happy in 2011.  We'll start off by finishing blogging about Lara and Steve's trip out to visit us....

I'm pretty sure I left off at Lake Bled in Slovenia.  Here's a pic of Matt and I by the lake. 

(disclamer:  I AM pregnant in all these pictures....so please excuse the fatness)

So Matt carried me up all 99 of these stairs (because it's a tradition) and this is him being suuuuper funny about it.

The church in the middle of Lake Bled.  It's super awesome.

Lake bled day was a mega ultra rainy day.  Didn't stop us, because we had big A umbrellas.

Check out this pizza....so wrong, yet so right.

So after Lake Bled we drove to Hallstatt Austria.  It's this really neat little town built right up out of the lake and up the side of a mountain.  And this happens to be a room in that town full of bones. Why not, right?

And THIS is the prettiest skull in the room. 

And this is Hallstatt.  Breathtaking.

I love this picture of Lara and Steve, you guys should frame it.

On our drive from Hallstatt to Salzburg we stopped and did a little alpine sliding.  We will never be too old for an alpine slide.

Ok, so when we got to Salzburg we went to a Rick Steve's recommended restaurant and our minds were blown.  So were our taste buds.  This was THE.BEST.MEAL.EVER.  No joke.  I plan on going back to Salzburg before we leave here JUST so I can eat there again.

You know what this is don't you?  I know, you're getting as giddy as I am just looking at it.  It's the gazebo from The Sound of Music and my sister Lara and I MAY just be throwing our arms back and saying "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" In this picture.  You know you would do the same thing and pretend that you were just kissed by Rolph after singing a duet and running in circles around on the benches.  You know you would.

I have no words for this.

Or this.

However I have MANY words for this.  They start with HAHAHAHA.

Sorry Lara, but I saw this picture and I started crylaughing here to myself.  This is Lara riding a cannon.  You know you would too.

Lara and Steve above Salzburg.  I really love this place....

On our drive back from Salzburg to our house we stopped in Stuttgart at the Porche factory to take a tour.  It was pretty neat...and the boys were in their happy place.

THEN, after a good night sleep Matt went back to work and Chase and I went with Lara and Steve to Brugges.  I don't remember a lot about this day, what does stand out though was Chase being a BEAST.  I think he was punishing me for leaving him for a 10 day road trip.  He was so bad that I nearly lost all control and strangeled him. 

But Brugges is nice.  :)

Heard of Belgian lace?  Well this is how they make it.

Ok, moving on.  A few weeks after Lara and Steve left my friend Megan came out to visit me.  Her and I bought tickets to Greece and went on a girl trip.  It was so fun to hang out with her and check out neat beaches.  We even took a day trip over to Turkey which was interesting (I would NEVER drive there).  I think even being a passenger in a taxi there is taking your life into your own hand.  haha.

Here's a pic from Bodrum, Turkey.   Pretty huh?

Laying out in Turkey, with my big preggo belly sticking up in the air, listening to my ipod.  Happiness.

We also took a day trip to another island in Greece (I can't remember the name of it) and went exploring.  Look how pretty this town is.

And we may have randomly come across some old ruins.

Then we came home and went to PARIS.  Such a fun city.

You KNOW I made her pose for this.  haha.  Worth it. Love this picture.

AND we went to Versailles.  And posed for these kinds of pictures.

And I made Megan take a million jumping pictures.

And sit in laps of statue men and pretend to be engaged in conversation.  I really loved having Megan come out to play.  She even had the honor of witnessing me puke on the side of the road from car sickness.  Now THAT'S special.

Another couple of months after Megan left, my BFF Kelly King DeVillers came.  I felt bad for Kelly...because I was literally DAYS away from having a baby and could barely waddle.  She was so patient though, bless her heart. We went and spent a nice, chill day in Monschau, Germany.

With Kelly being such a little person, and me being a few days away from giving birth and at my LARGEST....I felt like beast next to her.  haha.

Enjoying a little hot chocolate and apfel strudel.  YUM.

What's a trip to Germany without a weinerschintzel?

At the dome in Cologne.

Like I said...days away from delivering.  Just look away.

Sorry Kelly, but I just love this picture of you.  This is on a boat canal tour through amsterdam.

And here's little miss Hallie kicking up her heels on the boat tour.

YIKES I feel better.  Had those pictures looming over me for months and months. 

A hat.

I know, I know, your ovaries start twitching just LOOKING at this picture.  I'm obsessed.  Matt asked me the other day how long I wanted to wait to have #4.  This question kind of took me back because, well, um, I just had #3.  I told him I'd want to start trying when Paige turns 1.  He looked kind of surprised and replied, "You want to wait that long?" 
So yes, Paige has had that big of an impact on us.  She has made us excited for MORE!  :)  Who would have thought?  And Paige wearing this hat makes me want lots lots more.  You can find Chantilly Hats on facebook (Sara, do you have an etsy shop?).  Sara makes lots of blow your mind amazing hats and sells them.  Check it out.

Procreating is what I do best.

My wonderous sister Alicia took these pictures of Paige for me in her blessing dress.  When I saw them I melted over the deliciousness of this perfect little squishy baby.  OH I love her.  I really can't get enough.  Maybe it's because I have older kids now and realize how short this baby time really is, or maybe it's because she's the best baby ever to have existed (seriously), but I am just eating up every second of my time with this baby girl.

Christmas Vacation

If you recognize some of the pictures on this blog post because it came from your facebook page...SORRY! :)  I went on a picture stealing rampage because we didn't use our camera NEARLY enough while were in America.  Lets get started, shall we?

We had Christmas at Mimi's house with all of my siblings except for Lara and Rebecca.  Lara CLAIMED she couldn't come because she had newborn baby girl twins in the NICU (I think she just wasn't trying hard enough).  Rebecca CLAIMED her hubby had to work...Whatever Rebecca.  Choose your husband over me??  Psht. 

Ok, so I was bummed that Lara and Becca and their families couldn't be there.  But we did get to spend the week before Christmas with Rebecca, Alex, and Ben.  We also got to see Lara and her fam the week after Christmas.

Anyways,

Owen, Hallie, Chase, and Olivia got to open presents together on Christmas morning and they were 4 happy, spoiled children. 

Matt and Hallie went out to try the new (bigger) bike Hallie got for Christmas.  Isn't it the cutest bike you've ever seen?  She rode it like a pro.

Her puppy went along for the ride.

While Hallie rode, Chase tested out his light sabre. 

The day after Christmas 9 of us loaded up into my parents 12 passenger van and drove up to Utah.  My parents and 4 of my younger siblings (David, Mary, Elizabeth, and Michael) went to stay with Lara and help out while Lara and Steve spent their time at the NICU with their new babies Samantha and Sophia.  It worked out perfectly so we could hitch a ride to go and spend a week with Matt's family.  The day we got there we had a one day late Christmas with the Horrocks family...this is what the scene looked like (above).  Happy, good times.

Of course I couldn't wait to get to the hospital and get my hands on these sweet new babies.  They were born 5 1/2 weeks early and were each 5 pounds.  They are so so perfect and made me feel like Paige was a blimp.  haha. 

I would tell you if this is Samantha or Sophia if I knew....but I don't.  We'll call her Samphia.

The girls got to come home a few days before we left to go back to Cali.  Hallie was in twinpreemiebabygirl HEAVEN. 

We spent one night walking around temple square to see the Christmas light with both of our families.  It was nice to get to be with Matt's family and my Family all at once. 

Proof I was there.  All I can tell you is this:  3 months post partum body=me deleting almost all pictures of myself in a crying angry tantrum.

David was good enough to carry my kids around on his shoulders when the whining about walking got to be too much to handle.  They love seeing the world from 8 feet high.

Matt's sister Jess, her hubby Scott, and their son Broadie.  My kids LOVED getting to spend 7 straight days with their cousin Broadie.  He is so good to them.

Matt's brother Zach and his wife Laura.

I love the Salt Lake Temple....it's so beautiful.

My pretty sisters Elizabeth and Mary and my adorable nephews Max and Jackson.

This is the only thing Hallie cared about doing for our whole vacation...riding Matt's sisters horse, Buster.  She was in horsie heaven.

Chase loved it too.

This is Chase's special face. haha. 

Check out Hallie's kicks.  Kadi bought her these authentic cowgirl boots, she loves loves them.

Matt decided to make Chase into a man take him pheasant hunting.  At one point during the hunt, Chase had a melt down and cried "I'm being attacked by NATURE!"  haha.  Poor boy.

However they did come home with all these birds (which were cooked up for dinner...tastes like chicken).

The hunting party.

Here is Matt's Grandma Dona chatting away with Paige. 

We love Grandma Dona.

And we love Grandma Pat too! 

Since we were in Utah with my family and Matt's family we decided it would be a good time to bless Paige and be able to have the most family members there possible.  It was such a nice evening.  My Mom made this blessing dress, and it is GORGEOUS.  She made a matching blanket too.  I love them so so much.

The baby in the dress is also pretty gorgeous.  She makes me so happy.

My sister in law Alicia took some better pictures of Paige in the blessing dress that I'm dying to see. (hint hint alicia.  haha.)

My husband the lumberjack.  Whenever he doesn't have to work he grows out his beard, just because he CAN.

Somehow Matt's sister Kadi managed to avoid my camera lens the whole time we were in Utah... So I stole this off her facebook page.

After a fun, busy week in Utah we headed back to Cali for a few days before making the trek back to Germany.  It was 80 degrees.  Yup, that right, 80.  We went to the beach.  Matt's went surfing.  I was in my happy place.  This is my Mom with little miss Paige.

I stole these pics from my brothers instagram photos.  I love them.

Hottie hubby.

Now all we have to figure out is how to wake up the kids so they will eat their dinner.  This is what jet lags looks like on a 4 and 6 year old....and it isn't pretty.