We miss you Oma and Opa

Oma and Opa left this past week. They got here to Germany 3 days before Julian was born and were able to help out while I was in the hospital and then recovering from c-section #2. We miss all the good talks we had in the evenings after all the boys were in bed. We miss Oma's great cooking. We miss Opa's laugh. They were such a pleasure to have in our home and we are so grateful they took the time to come all the way over here to visit us.

We love you Oma and Opa, come back soon!

Oma on a walk with the boys

Oma and Opa took the boys to this amazing rock labyrinth while Hyrum and I were in Austria together

Enjoying the beautiful weather

We LOVE you Oma and Opa

Oma really loved holding Julian and I really loved getting a break:)

I love my family

I have done and seen so much since my last post that I have been putting off blogging because it seemed like such a chore! So, I decided to just make a "happy blog" and write about how much I love my family and post some fun pictures of all of us enjoying being together.

Hyrum is the best husband and father and such a great help to me. I love him so much. He always does the bedtime routine with the boys and that is a huge help because it allows me to get a few things done in the evening that I otherwise wouldn't have time to do. He has always supported me in my goals and encourages me when I feel like a failure at being a mother. I couldn't ask for more:)

Townsend is a real sweetie. He loves to take care of Emerson and always makes sure that Emerson is happy. What a great big brother he is. He has a great sense of humor and is really good at making us laugh. Just this morning the boys were getting all their instruments together to have a concert and when they were all set up Townsend said, "OK Emerson, let's rock-n-roll!"

Emerson is a joker. He loves to make people laugh. He also thinks about things and asks really great questions sometimes. Tonight I told him a story about a beehive that was built inside of a hole in a tree and after I was done he said, "Mom what about the owls, won't they get stung?" I guess he figured only owls live in holes in the trees and he was concerned that perhaps maybe the owls weren't aware that other animals like to live in trees too. He wants to be a space scientist when he grows up and the other night he told Hyrum that he had to read 7 pages each night from his space book so he can become an "expert" on space.

Julian is a real joy. He sleeps well, he eats well, he is playing and smiling more each day. There is something magic about your little baby when he looks up at you and smiles. It's like he is saying, "I love you mom, thanks for taking care of me." It melts my heart!!

Sorry for the cheesy post but this is my blog and I'll do what I want with it:)

My family

My two little crazies

My angel boy

I love this photo because it looks like Julian is saying, "oh well, I guess it's time to cut my fingernails again, I guess I'll just sit here until she's done."

You gotta love that smile

Hyrum is such a great dad!!

Austria Anyone?

My sister Paige has her birthday the day after mine so this year we decided to take a birthday trip together. Hyrum's parents watched the twins for us so all we had was baby Julian to take care of. It turns out he is a very good traveler. He nurses pretty much anywhere, on park benches, in museums, in the car, on top of mountains...he's pretty easy going as long as he gets his food:)

We headed down to Austria for a few days in Salzburg and then over to Hallstatt. Salzburg was beautiful. I had been there once before but only for a few hours so it was great to spend two whole days wandering around the city. There are so many cathedrals to visit, it seems like there is a new one to explore around every turn. We happened to be there for Palm Sunday and it was a real treat to be able to sit in a cathedral for Mass. They had a choir and some very good soloists performing as well as the organ playing for a good part of the Mass. We also got to see the procession of people heading to Mass. Everyone was dressed in their very best Austrian outfits. It was so cute to see the children dressed in their Austrian clothes. Everyone had a Easter palm that they carried with them in the procession and there was even a band that was all dressed up and marching with the procession. The cathedral bells were ringing all morning and it was such a unique experience. We just don't have things like that in the US.

Hallstatt was wonderful and relaxing after being in the city for a few days. Our little guest house was right on the lake and we had a balcony that overlooked the lake. It is still pretty quiet here because the tourists don't come until May or June so Hallstatt was fun just to walk around and enjoy the beautiful scenery. All of the houses are built on a pretty steep hillside because Hallstatt is nestled between the lake and the mountains. I highly recommend this little gem of a town if anyone is headed to Austria.

Oma and Opa were so nice to watch the boys for us and we really loved the freedom of being able to walk around without two five year olds complaining about being tired. It was a real treat for Hyrum and I and we really appreciate being spoiled so much by his parents!

It was so wonderful to drive into Austria and see the mountains. There are a lot of hills around where we live but no real mountains.

The largest cathedral in Salzburg and the one we went to on Palm Sunday for Mass

"The hills are alive, with the sound of music..."


Hyrum being silly in Salzburg


Paige being silly in Salzburg (don't worry it was just a yummy Austrian soda called Almduddler)
Of course we had to visit some Sound of Music sights. Behind us is the house they used for the backyard shots in the movie. It was a beautiful day so we walked all around this lake and enjoyed the birds singing and the wondeful sunshine.


It was so fun to walk around the narrow streets in the old town of Salzburg

Salzburg

The ferry boat on the lake in Hallstatt. That is the town of Hallstatt behind us.

Paige enjoying the view from our balcony in Hallstatt

My very good traveller. Julian was just an angel the whole trip!

Sunny Days

We have had amazing weather lately. I hate to jinx it and say that Spring may have officially sprung around here, but it sure feels that way. We have eaten dinner outside on the front porch 4 times in the last 2 weeks! Opa put up a swing in the yard on one of the apple trees for the boys to play on. And, just today Opa and Hyrum made us a fire pit so we could roast marshmallows on warm summer nights. It is wonderful to send the boys outside to play and they love to run around, dig in the dirt, ride their scooters, drive their dirt trucks all over...and basically get filthy dirty having a great time. I LOVE it!!!

Enjoying dinner in the sun

Townsend decorating a tree outside for Easter. It is a German tradition to hang eggs on your trees during the Easter season. It makes all the yards around here look so festive, so we decided to join in the fun.

Opa giving the boys a push on their new swing

Townsend helping Opa saw some wood for the swing

Our new fire pit, complete with stone benches