First Post in Awhile

I haven't had much time to post now that we are home. It is so wonderful, I can't even tell you. I have grown a deep appreciation for Sam Walton. No more homemade diapers from me! Haha!

We went to Nashville over Memorial Day weekend to visit Brendan's grandmother. It was a wonderful visit! We even went to a basketball tournament at Vanderbilt, which was so bizarre! I don't think I've been to that part of Nashville since we left. It was so long ago, yet it seems like yesterday! I really liked Nashville and I hate that we had to leave. Though, I must say, Charlotte was a fabulous experience.

Isaac is starting to get used to his new cousin! He is so gentle with him and gives him little baby kisses on his forehead. It is sooo sweet! Nathan loves to pat Isaac, and he is really patient with him. It warms my heart!

We're Home!!!!

We made it! We took the 9 1/2 hour flight from Frankfurt to Charlotte and then the hour flight from Charlotte to Atlanta on Friday. It actually went very smoothly! We were worried, not only because we had an 8 month old with us, but we also had a thousand bags we had to lug through the airport. Brendan's teammate helped us get the bags to the first counter in Germany and then a very nice lady in the Charlotte airport helped us get our bags to the second check-in there. She was a LIFESAVER!

Nathan was absolutely perfect through the whole flight. He took his naps right on cue and never cried! It was so funny because Brendan would walk up and down the aisles with him and he would get so excited whenever he saw people. He would start swinging his arms and legs! Everyone he walked by would "dab him up", as Brendan would say. It was pretty darn cute!

We were exhausted by the time we reached Atlanta, but we perked right up when we saw Brendan's parents and brothers (they picked us up in the Suburban...we had to have a big car to get all of our junk in it). They were so excited to see Nathan!

On Saturday night, Brendan's grandmother hosted a "Welcome Home" party for us. We had a BALL!! We had BBQ from Sticky Fingers (YUM!) and everybody played football and Croquet. They even had the house decorated with American colors and balloons!! It was perfect. We are so lucky to have such great families.

WE ARE SO GLAD TO BE HOME!!!!!!!

Tschüs, Deutschland!

Well, today is our last day in Germany. I kind of have mixed emotions about it, actually. I am so ready to be home, but this experience has been nothing short of wonderful! One of the countries on my list to visit was Germany and I actually got to experience living here. It's so different than visiting because you get to experience the real culture and not just the touristy stuff. Even going to the grocery store is fun, I think!

We have gotten to see so many places and things that I don't know if we would have seen otherwise. I know we probably would never have gone to Prague, but now I have been twice! And I have gotten to touch the Berlin Wall, see the Brandenburg gate and all of the other cool stuff in Berlin. I've also been to Buchenwald Concentration Camp more than once. I've gotten to see pieces of history that I would never have seen otherwise. I mean, you drive down the Autobahn and see castles! You just can't do that in America (nor can you go 100 mph on the interstate - haha).

I also am thrilled to be able to tell Nathan all of the cool things he has gotten to see (even though he won't remember them). I hope that he thinks its pretty neat when he is older. I sure have taken a lot of pictures! Now I just need to get them printed and into an album.

We've met a lot of friendly people and they have welcomed us with open arms. It has made living in a foreign country so much more fun!

I don't know where we will end up next season, but if it is half as fun as this year has been, I know it will be wonderful.

Houston, We've Got a Rocker

Lordy, I'm going to have a crawler soon! Look at what a big boy he is!

A Redneck Diaper

It is amazing how resourceful a parent can be in a pinch. On Saturday, I realized we were going to need to get diapers on Monday. I had two diapers left on Monday morning, so my estimations were right. I sent Brendan to the store to pick up a pack (he couldn't go on Sunday because everything is closed on Sundays). Well, Brendan came home with a very worried expression on his face. Everything was still closed!! Apparently, Monday was Man Day in Germany, which is a work holiday here.

So, this is when it gets interesting. We pulled out a burp cloth, a maxi pad, some tape and pre-wrap. It actually worked for awhile! Sadly, after Nathan woke up from his nap he was soaked, but by then I found two Size 2 diapers that I had left over (keep in mind, Nathan is a Size 4 now). I put him in those and they actually worked!! It was interesting, to say the least!

My First Mother's Day

Well, today is my first Mother's Day! I feel so blessed to have been given this gift of motherhood.

My greatest fear when Brendan and I were trying to start our family was that, for some reason, it wouldn't work for us. My heart has ached to be a mother since I was a little girl. I always knew that I wouldn't be complete without having children. When Nathan came into our lives, I knew my world would never be the same. I love my son in a way that can't be put into words. I realize now what my parents went through when raising me. You hurt when they hurt and you feel like you've accomplished something when they are triumphant (in Nathan's case, this means rolling over and trying to crawl!). I've only been a mother for 7 months, and I have experienced so many different emotions, that I can't imagine what it will be like in 1 year, or 10 years or 20.

I also never knew the feeling of having to let your child be upset about something when it is for the best. It breaks my heart to even take away the remote control when he wants it!! Or when I had to get him out of the habit (that I created) of being held all of the time!

There isn't a better feeling in the world then when Nathan looks up at me with a sparkle of love in his eyes. It makes me so grateful to be a mom!

And Happy Mother's Day our moms! We love you!

The Homestretch

Well, we fly on Friday! We are so excited and ready to head home. Brendan has his final game today and then we will spend the week packing and organizing. I am just hoping we can get everything home! Brendan's teammate, Lavelle, is on our flight from Frankfurt to Charlotte. We said that as soon as we get off the plane, we are going to the Chilis in the Charlotte airport before we have to get on our connecting flights. Haha! That is very exciting!

Nathan is working very hard on being mobile. He can scoot backwards, which has resulted in him under the couch a lot. He's so goofy! He popped up on all fours for the first time yesterday. Brendan and I got so excited, we screamed. Of course, we scared him half to death, but that's what parents do, right? We have to be careful, too, because whenever we say, "yay," he gets scared and cries! It's actually pretty cute! I have a feeling we will have a crawler, soon! Watch out, Dalton!

Oh, and Brendan is having a basketball camp this summer. We finally have the dates set! Here is the website if you are interested in looking at it:

http://www.plavichbasketball.com/

It will be at the First Presbyterian Church in Dalton at the end of July.

Well, That Was Interesting...

So, Brendan decided that, with two weeks left, it was now or never in regards to learning how to drive a stick-shift. He took me to a parking lot a few months ago and I practiced starting and stopping, gear shifts, etc. but never got on the actual road.

Well, today, we decided to try it again. Nathan fell asleep on our way to the parking lot of Brendan's gym, so he missed some interesting stuff, let me tell ya! I practiced starting and stopping again and then Brendan said it...time to get on the real road. AHHHHH!!!

I did pretty good until I had to stop for pedestrians...I didn't hit anyone, thank goodness, but when I tried to start again, somehow I ended up in 3rd gear and panicked. I threw my hands in the air and looked at Brendan and said, "Do something!!!" He laughed at me and waved his hand at the people behind me and moved me into 1st...wow, I'm a dork!! The thing about it is that in Germany, when you are learning to drive, your car is clearly marked, "Fahrschule". These poor people had no clue what was coming at them in the form of a blue Kia.

Anyhow, I was doing ok again until it came time to park...keep in mind, I have a hard enough time parking Jason's automatic Mini Coop as it is....well, I got it in ok, but I had to sllloowwwlllyyy inch it closer to the fence. Well, the parking spot is kind of on a hill and I had that sucker bucking like a Bronco. Needless to say, Nathan's nap was over, I cried, Brendan laughed at me, and that was the end of our driving lesson.

May Day and a Schnoze Honker

Today is May Day in Germany, which is a national holiday here. Everything is closed and from what I can tell, they treat it kind of like Memorial Day. Everyone was cooking out! It made me miss home! :) Not too much longer, now!

And I thought I would tell you about the latest Nathan development. Apparently, my nose is a soothing thing, haha! Check out the latest pictures! And the last one is when Nathan realized his Daddy was taking pictures...turkey! :)