Oktoberfest für Kinder

 We gave our little ones the chance to have their own fest themed party in a secret little garden behind a half-timbered house. The attire of choice was lederhosen, Brecken looking out of sorts with his bright red converse sneakers, a fashion faux pas I'm quite sure. They sat at the table chugging down sparkling apple juice out of miniature mugs and carrying on a conversation like two old men over a good drink. 

Lots of Three P's Lately

I'm sure you're wondering, just what are the three P's? If you aren't into bathroom talk, then I suggest you x out and save yourself another minute of reading about pee, poop, and the royal potty. Over the last few months B had been showing interest in using the potty. We encouraged him to use it at his leisure but I was not prepared to train an 18 month old on all that jazz, seriously. Diapers are easy, way too easy, especially while traveling. I had visions of potty training Nahla as a puppy and remember how downright awful that was. Not comparing my child to a dog or anything, but toddlers can be quite stubborn.

Obviously, I'm no expert. I was totally clueless in this and overwhelmed after reading so many strategies on how to properly train your child. I gathered advice from friends who have been there, done that, jumped on amazon to buy books for me and him and potty seats and a travel potty and made a special trip to the store for reward snacks, yummy beverages, boxer briefs.. blah blah blah. Nothing like gathering up all your ammunition to get ready for battle.

Day 1: World's greatest family bonding activity: wiping up pee off the floor more times than one can count. No son, you cannot stand there and pee yourself while playing with trains. The Elmo potty dvd  is on repeat for hours which leads to your husband walking around humming the potty song. Totally exhausted by bedtime, let's open a bottle of valpolicella.

Day 2: Off to a better start than day 1. "Let mommy and daddy know when you have to pee pee, okay!?, this phrase, every 5 minutes, for real. Poop in the pants which results in a bath mid day. Elmo still on the tv. Multiple successful trips to the potty = a treat each time, sugar high anyone? 20 minutes of playtime outside, praying we make it home dry. Jumping around like crazy people clapping, cheering, and dancing with positive praise for our little dude. Day 2 completed and we ask each other if the last day of training is going to be a hit out of the park or a huge relapse.

Day 3: No accidents. Woke up dry from a 2 hour nap. We. Are. Shocked. Big boy undies forever!

Day 4: Is it safe to leave the house now? Wait, no one told us that our child will still desire to poop in his pants every day, but that pee skill is legit.

Present day (3 weeks later): Leaving the house on a daily basis for a few hours at a time with no accidents.. yet. Still laughing at the fact that every family member is amped up to hear about B's potty progress. Never imagined we would become so comfortable with cheering about pee and poop, #parentlife.


Supplies

Baby Bjorn Potty Seat
Infantino Travel Potty
Tidy Tots Disposable Liners
Potty Book for Boys
Oh Crap Potty Training Book // Toilet Training in Less Than a Day // 3 Day Potty Training *Mainly followed 3 day potty training method but took points of information from the other books and added to the training.
Elmo Potty DVD

A little bit from December

Has December really come and gone? There's so much excitement, prepping, and anticipation around Christmas and then wham, it's over. I'm so eager to get the decorations out and the tree set up and as soon as Christmas is over, I'm like, let's get rid of the tree, I can't stand it in my house any longer. It had been five years since I spent Christmas with my Mom. Gosh, just the thought of her and I sipping coffee together and watching B open presents Christmas morning made me SO HAPPY.

I miss her. Some days I think about what life would be like if we lived in the same town. Well, maybe not that close, but, a short drive away. We could meet for lunch on a whim, she could have her grandson over for sleepovers, and my husband and I could go on a date night here and there, because, grandmas always want to babysit, right? Those thoughts often run through my mind but they will never be our reality. And truth be known, we are all pretty darn happy with how our lives currently are, but it's nice to have those sentimental thoughts every now and then.

Alex and I took a mini vacation to Innsbruck, Austria and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany while the little guy stayed back with "Gaga" and "Mo". My mom got a great laugh from the list I printed for her on how to care for Brecken. I'll confess, I have control freak tendencies at times. It had been over a year since Alex and I had an overnight without B and it was so nice to be "off duty" for those 36 hours. We came home to a child who didn't acknowledge our arrival, a clean house, and dinner in the oven. At that, we both agreed we need to hire an au pair if my Mom isn't willing to live in our attic. ;)

This week the house felt empty with our guests back in Florida and Daddy back to work. Brecken has been running around yelling "Gaga, Mo, Daddy!" .. Sorry buddy, it's just Mom here and no one is going to save you from your nap. 

Itinerary 2 days and 1 night 

• Day 1
• Depart Stuttgart and Drive to Innsbruck (3 hours and 30 minutes) 
• Christmas Market in the Altstadt 
• Roam around the city
• Lunch in Innsbruck 
• Drive from Innsbruck to Garmisch (1 hour) 
• Check-in at hotel 
• Walk the streets of Garmisch
• Christmas Market in Garmisch 
• Dinner at a restaurant downtown
• Day 2
• Morning swim at the hotel pool
• Breakfast at the hotel 
• Check-out and travel day

Nahla and Skylar Move Overseas

“Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” -John Grogan 

My mother-in-law is a strong woman who challenges herself daily and is always up for an adventure. When we approached her with the question of whether or not she would be interested in taking in the dogs until we got settled in Germany, she let us know within 24 hours that she had thought about it and couldn't say no. As a woman of the road, she housed Skylar and Nahla along with her own black lab in her RV. Those three dogs were her companions and made the journey across the U.S. with her. We knew it was a lot to ask of her to take care of our girls, but she did it without complaint and put her all into making sure they were given the best life she could possibly give them. While she visited us, the dogs followed her to bed each and every night and remained by her side. That right there showed us the bond they all formed in half a year and the loyalty they felt towards her. Thank you, Amy, for loving our dogs as much as we do and giving them plenteous exercise and affection. 

Those six months eased our transition from Colorado to Germany and gave us the freedom to come and go as we pleased without having to think twice about arranging care or checking our watches to rush home and let them out. It also gave us an extremely clean house, one free of the dog hair that never seems to disappear no matter how often we run the vacuum.. To the golden doodle owner, you made the right decision. What that time apart didn't give us was the sense of calmness that a good dog can bring to a home. We missed their gentle spirits that lend so much love and happiness and their eager hello as they greet us at the front door with kisses and wagging tails. Brecken says, "puppies!" every morning as he wakes up, beaming from ear to ear as he stands in his crib waiting for them to make their appearance. They have completed our family again and although the work load has increased and flexibility decreased, we made a commitment to them as puppies and we wouldn't dare turn our backs on their loyal souls now. 

Below are a few pictures from their first trip to Strasbourg, France. They were so well behaved and even laid under an outdoor cafe table as we indulged in fried camembert. I also added a few recent pictures of Breck and his puppies, living the good life together.

Itinerary 1 Day trip to Strasbourg 

• Day 1
• Drive from Stuttgart to Strasbourg, France (1 hour and 40 minutes) 
• Lunch at Brasserie Au Canon
• Notre Dame Cathedral 
• Carousel 
• Roam the city
• Buy a baguette and macaroons
• Drive from Strasbourg to winery 30 miles outside of the city 
• Stock up on inexpensive wine!
• Depart for home