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Reese's New Gear

Posted by Meredith Rae Friday, November 13, 2009 comments (1)

The landscape and climate of Germany is a bit different than Charleston. That being said, our move has called for some more baby gear! I know, I too wondered how on Earth we could possibly need MORE baby accessories but we found ourselves in need of two very neat and important items.

First, we had to get a warm cover for Reese's stroller. She really seems stunned in the cold and while I appreciate that it makes her a very well behaved child, I really would like for her to keep all of her fingers and toes and not lose them to the German winter! So, we invested in this really neat fleece lined cover for our Bugaboo. It's got thick soft fleece on the inside and it snuggles around her perfectly. She really seems to love it and goes to sleep pretty quickly when we are on our walks and she is all bundled up!

The other piece of gear is the Deuter Child Carrier. It is a German product and like most things German, it is stylish, sleek, and well designed. It's a backpack made to carry little ones when exploring the trails, castles, or any other terrain that the stroller cannot endure. We are so excited about it and are going to try it out on Monday or Tuesday. There is a 6 km trail near our house so we're going to try and navigate our way around it with Reese comfortably in tow! There's even enough room for drinks and snacks...and diapers--the most important baby accessory of all!!

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Following in the Footsteps of the King!

Posted by Meredith Rae Saturday, November 7, 2009 comments (1)

The one and only Elvis Presley was stationed in Germany from 1958 to 1960. He served his country in the US Army during WWII and while here, he lived in Bad Nauheim--a town only an hour and half from us. When we heard Kelly Smith was visiting, we knew we had to make a day trip to this town. It did not disappoint. This was by far one of my favorite days since arriving in Germany.

Our first site was the hotel where Elvis first stayed upon his arrival. It's a beautiful old building and is also the site of an Elvis Presley monument and makeshift memorial. We took lots of photos with the monument and then took a stroll through Elvis Presley Platz which was gorgeous. Full of big beautiful trees and colorful fall foliage.

Our next stop was the bridge on which Elvis was once pictured. It's the bridge over the River Usa. We all tried to pose in the same way that Elvis had. This was also called Elvis Presley Blvd. It was a tremendous spot--very peaceful and Kelly was sure to drag her feet over all the stones very slowly so as to soak in as much Elvis as possible!

We then went to the house where Elvis moved to after leaving the hotel. This house was important because this is where Elvis first met Priscilla! He also had a recording studio in the house and recorded Wooden Heart, It's Now or Never, and Big Hunk O' Love!

After all this touring we decided to stop at the Cafe Bienenkorb, which means Cafe Beehive! This was one of Elvis's favorite spots in town and they still make the chocolate cake that they gave to Elvis as a surprise on his 25th birthday! We had some coffee and a slice of the cake and it was magnificent! We all enjoyed it and it gave us energy to finish touring around town.

Our last stop was the Castle Gateway where Elvis posed for the cover of the Big Hunk O' Love album.

It was a picturesque town and so neat to see all of the Elvis related sites! Definitely a memorable day and we all had a great time!

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Frenchy French French!

Posted by Meredith Rae comments (0)

Kelly Smith is in town so we have been having a BIG weekend! We started on Thursday when she arrived. We stayed around town and did some exploring. We also rested up so we could have plenty of energy for our day trips. We did go on base so Kelly could get a taste of America. More specifically, a taste of Taco Bell! Apparently they don't have those in Scotland and she was VERY excited to find that there was one on base!

On Friday, we went to Veuve Clicquot in Reims France! Veuve Clicquot has long been one of mine and Kelly's favorite champagnes and when we learned it was only 3 hours away, we decided to make a day of it. Reese and Troy were kind enough to accompany us and it was a wonderful day.

We had lunch in Reims at a delicious restaurant. Troy had steak and Kelly and I had mussels and french fries--one of my all time favorite meals! It was SO GOOD!

Next it was on to the winery. Reims is the heart of the Champagne region of France. They have tremendous underground limestone caves that serve as the perfect place to age the Champagne. They were amazing and beautiful. We learned a lot about the winery and its history. Apparently Veuve means widow in French so the wine is named after the Widow Clicquot Ponsardin (Clicquot being her married name and Ponsardin her maiden name)! She ran the successful champagne house after her husband died at 30 years of age. She was a strong woman with great values that carry on to her champagne house to this day!

It was a beautiful sunshiny day and we had a wonderful time. We did get a little lost on the way home and France has some very expensive toll roads but it was all worth the trip!

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A Mind of Her Own!

Posted by Meredith Rae Friday, October 30, 2009 comments (4)

Reese is getting so big and with each passing day, a little more of her personality starts to shine through.

She is a happy girl and loves to go and go and go and is always up for some fun! She barely naps during the day and is hesitant to go to sleep at night. She is quite afraid she will miss a party or something interesting.

She's very vocal, whether it's singing with me in the car or squealing with enthusiasm throughout the commissary. We started Kindermusik classes this week and she had a big time. She played with other babies, sang, and danced.

She laughs a lot these days and her laugh is so funny it makes me laugh. Which then makes her laugh even more. The only thing she loves more than laughing seems to be making other people laugh.

She likes to wave now and I'm pretty sure she can say Hi when doing it.

Although she is quite comedic she is also stubborn and likes to do what she likes to do. If I tell her to not do something, she usually stops what she is doing, looks at me and smiles, and then continues on her merry way to continue what it was she was doing before I so rudely interrupted!

She really does like to explore everything and hardly ever sits still. She has quite the personality already and it is so fun to get to see it develop each day. I said in the beginning I wanted her to be spunky and sassy but I'm not sure I knew exactly what I was asking for!

Hanging out with her puppy pals

Hanging out with Mom

Refusing to cover up on the walk and refusing to wear socks... one off...

one to go...

Success!

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Roman Holiday!

Posted by Meredith Rae Saturday, October 24, 2009 comments (4)

Porta Nigra in Trier

OK, so we didn't actually make it to Italy but we did go to Trier Germany today. Trier is the oldest city in Germany and was once part of the Roman Empire. It was established around 16 BC and was the home to Constantine I. There were lots of very cool and very old Roman sites.

We started at the Porta Nigra, or Black Gate. It used to be the main gate into the city and stands as the largest Roman gate north of the Alps. We had to take turns touring it because there were 3 flights of very narrow stairs and we could not take the baby stroller. It was so funny though, when I went up, I looked down from the 2nd floor and Reese had a crowd of people gathered around her talking to her and laughing at her. She always draws a crowd! I asked Troy what they said and he said he had absolutely no idea. He just smiled and nodded. Thank goodness I am learning German because currently Troy and I do a lot of smiling and nodding when people speak to us and it's very likely we're getting called Assholes!

From the gate we went to the old Roman baths. They were so elaborate! Apparently it used to be a huge social spot where people gathered to catch up on gossip, take some baths, go to restaurants, etc.

We also went to the amphitheater which was clearly used for some battles against some gladiators or lions or both. there was this whole big cavernous creepy place underground and you could really imagine some gladiators down there waiting for a battle while they heard the cheering crowds above.

Overall it was a very interesting trip and was like a little piece of Rome only an hour away from us.

Roman Baths

Reese drawing a crowd

Reese eating some snacks

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A Whole New Level

Posted by Meredith Rae Thursday, October 22, 2009 comments (3)

Two very important things have been going on in the Barber house over the last few months.

First, we have been trying very hard to get Reese to sleep in her crib through the night. She did this before the move but after several weeks of no crib and several months without her crib, she was no longer sleeping more than a few hours at a time and she always ended up in bed with us. Needless to say this was getting a little old so we were really hoping things would change soon and working hard to get her to stay in her crib through the night.

The second big thing we've been working is getting her to say Mama. Ok, so that was just me working on it. Troy usually roots for Dada. Everyday I encourage her to learn her name and to learn my name. I say MaMa about 15 times a day if not more. She has mastered BaBa (which sounds very similar to our last name so we think that is what she is saying!) but she has never uttered a MaMa.

So you can imagine my complete happiness and satisfaction this morning when I went to get my baby out of her crib at 7AM. She slept in there from 7PM to 7AM and I didn't think I could get much happier until I saw her sitting up in her crib with her hands outstretched for me and in a very sweet voice she clearly said "MaMa".

With those two accomplishments my little baby has moved on to a whole new level of development and I, somehow, have moved to a whole new level of love for my little girl. I didn't think was possible but she continues to amaze me every day! I may not hear her say it again for days, weeks, or months, but it was certainly worth the wait!

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Bauernmarkt!

Posted by Meredith Rae Sunday, October 18, 2009 comments (2)

One of my favorite things about living in Charleston was the Farmer's Market. It was always fun to get up early on Saturday, get coffee, and go roam about the market downtown. Lots of fruits, vegetables, snacks, art, jewelry, etc. Needless to say I was very pleased when I discovered there are several farmer's markets (Bauernmarkts) close by our new home. These don't occur every weekend like the Charleston market but they seem to be pretty frequent.

Reese and I got up two Sundays ago and attended the Ramstein Meisenbach market. It was very nice--lots of animals to see and goods to purchase. We found some great lamb, potatoes, and eggs. All were delicious.

Today, we went to the market in Trippstadt. I'm pretty sure we were the only Americans there and although our German skills are lacking, we did manage to purchase some sparkling wine, herb encrusted goat cheese, award winning salami, and some spinach and cheese tortellini. It seems as if knowing the products are local, really does make them better. We did steer clear of the horse meat they were selling there. I'm not quite ready for that adventure!

I didn't take any pics at the markets but I'm including some of the house and of Little Bit.