Toby's First Haircut!

Before

After

The evidence

I gave Toby his first haircut today. I can't believe he's 13 months old and just getting his first haircut--Thomas had had at least half a dozen haircuts by the time he was 13 months old! But, Thomas has straight hair and was born with a mullet--a mullet that just kept returning so I couldn't help myself! Toby has curly hair. Not super curly, but there are definite curls at least for now. Today, those curls were tamed a little. Mainly, I cleaned up around his ears and neckline, by cutting off about an inch and a half, and evened up the top because the very front of his hair has been slower to grow in. In typical baby style, he didn't much like having to sit still and really, really wanted to touch my sharp shears. So, I got exactly three minutes to do what I could!

Early Mornings with Toby

For the past three mornings, Toby has decided to wake up at 6:00-6:15 and stay up! Not that he's been hard to take care of, I take him downstairs, shut the door to the living quarters and we hang out. (Trying to keep the noise level down for Daddy to get a few more minutes of sleep but more importantly, to keep Thomas snoozing away!) Which means he plays and I get my internet fix! However, I would much prefer to be sleeping...I prefer to sleep until 7:30 at least! But, not today...

Until later,

Emily

Spellcheck is Back!

I know I am not the only Blogger who has been missing the spellcheck, so I wanted to let you know that it's back! Seriously, what took them so long?

Until later,

Emily

Tagless!

It seems that the 2008 thing to do is to "Tag" and be "Tagged". I am getting tagged all of the time...which is nice because that means people are thinking of me. However, while I loved the "Getting to Know You Surveys" that were very popular in 2006 and 2007, there is something that I do not generally like about Tags. I know, I know it doesn't make a lot of sense! I like reading your tags but I am not likely to respond if I am tagged. So now you know!

Until later,

Emily

Random Thought Thursday...

How Smart is YOUR Right Foot?

Just try this. It is from an orthopedic surgeon............ This will boggle your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but you can't. It's preprogrammed in your brain!

1. While sitting where you are at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction!

I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so. Send it to your buddies to frustrate them too.

Four Weeks and Counting!

My parents will be here for a six-day visit in exactly four weeks from today! We are so excited AND at the same time hoping that we can get our house in better order. I have been working on Thomas' room five minutes here and five minutes there, since that is where my mom and dad will sleep. I find it hard to spend much time at all upstairs except when it's time to sleep. Of course, I know what my mom will say, "Don't overdo it, we don't care" and my dad really won't care OR notice...but when guests come to stay it's only natural to at least want things to look better than usual. And, right now, things are worse than usual!

Here's to hoping that we can all get healthy (we've been dealing with colds for almost two weeks now), stay healthy, the boys can be manageable and I can use my time wisely and not over-commit elsewhere. James' work schedule is in "high gear" right now...so we can only hope it doesn't get any busier for him. Hope...and pray!

Until later,

Emily

What's Old is New Again!

This afternoon, I brought out a box of toys that I had put away that contains toys for 1-2 year olds. Toby has been thoroughly entertained...as has Thomas! Despite the gray skies, wind and pouring rain it has been a lovely day (as long as I don't look in the living and dining room and realize the mess that the two have made). Meanwhile, I've been playing Betty Crocker/Martha Stewart in the kitchen preparing a lovely dinner "just because". But back to the toys...I think I'm going to take that same box and fill it full of toys that haven't been played with for a quite some time and put them away for a while!

Until later,

Emily

Toby's First Word(s)

Toby says his first word(s): all done, but he says, "all-duh". It's so cute!

Until later,

Emily

P.S. Yesterday it was warm and sunny and in the 60's. Today it is back to gray, raining and cold, but it was nice while it lasted!

The Molly Patch

Thursday evening, I received a shipment of eight absolutely fun and fabulous custom-ordered placemats from "The Molly Patch".

The Molly Patch is actually a company owned and operated by one of my good friends in Frederick, MD, Jana Kigin.

I have always been a table cloth kind of gal...never really used placemats and certainly never had more than four matching ones, but as Toby has been growing up, it was evident that the use of tablecloths in our home was going to be put on hold for while. So, I started to look for cute placemats but was disappointed by my findings.

That's when I contacted Jana to see if she made them. Turned out that she does and that I could even choose my own fabrics (thanks to the internet). So, I chose three fabrics that struck my fancy and then Jana did all the hard work! I love them!

To see more fantastic products from the Molly Patch or to contact Jana for more info, please visit this website: http://www.mollypatch.com/

Until later,

Emily

Random Thought Thursday...

This morning, I was attending a birthday party with Thomas when the subject of Toby's Robeez came up. Everyone collectively loves them, whether or not they have had a child wear them... Anyway, one of the other moms pronounced their name differently than I have been doing, so I came home and checked the Robeez.com website to find out once and for all how to say the word "Robeez".

And this is what the website said:

It's pronounced Rob, as in Robert, the name of the founder's son; and Eez, as in ease.

I was wrong, the other mom was right!

Until later,

Emily

P.S. Toby has two pairs of Robeez, a brown pair trimmed in turquoise and this pair.

A Whole New Level

Since we arrived home last night, Toby has found a whole new level in our home. Things that have been in their places for months have been pulled down or torn apart and he does this with much speed, skill and coordination, too! And, oftentimes, with his well-known wild animal sound! And, so, like it or not, our home will be adjusted once more and more things will go UP, UP, UP! He really is a "Crazy Baby"!

Until later,

Emily

P.S. We weren't fast enough--for months and months we have left our laptop on top of one of our end tables in our living room. As long as we have closed it up, he has not bothered it. Until tonight, when we heard a loud crash on the tile floor...yep, he threw down the laptop. Fortunately, it seems to be working fine but the crash broke the teeth off that locked down the computer.

James heard the crash (I was in the basement, he was upstairs with Thomas and Toby was on the middle floor) and asked what it was...I was almost certain I knew what it was but was hoping he had found something else. Nope, I was right. I carried Toby upstairs to face his father. Actually, I held Toby up to James and said, "Now, how much do you love your second son?" and then I told him what he had done. Naughty, naughty little baby!

Until later,

Emily

President's Day Weekend Trip to Rothenburg, Germany

We had originally hoped to go on a four-day trip to London. However, because James found out he would have to go into work on the 15th, even though he had the day off approved, we scratched that idea and decided to stay somewhere local. The trip was really spur-of-the-moment, we didn't book our hotel until Friday night and didn't pack until Saturday morning. The drive didn't end up being as long as we assumed, it only took about two hours to drive it.

Rothenburg is probably the most popular city located along the "Romantic Road", although I know when I think back to this trip I will not think of it as romantic, or anything close! Rothenburg is a city with a wall built all around it and only one road that takes you into the city and out. It was neat to walk around and it was not at all crowded. It was MUCH colder than we had hoped and the first night in our hotel room, the heaters couldn't heat the room warm enough so we were uncomfortable (the owner gave us a space-heater for the second night after we told him that we had been cold). Unfortunately, Toby has a cold and he was up both nights.

Our hotel was a small hotel, (I would consider it more like a Bed & Breakfast in the States) but that's the way all the hotels are in Rothenburg. We got a traditional German breakfast served to us both mornings, which consisted of a variety of rolls, cheeses, meats, eggs cooked-to-order, our choice of hot chocolate, tea or coffee, cereal and fruit. It seemed like more of a lunch to us, because of the lack of something sweet, but it was tasty! For more about our hotel, see the post below this one!

Our kids were really good considering the fact that Toby doesn't feel well and that Thomas did a lot of walking the past two days. They both had a little breakdown Sunday afternoon, so we went back to the hotel for little naps while James went back out and visited a museum. I had to remind James that they are kids, they will act like kids, not adults! They both took power naps and their mood changed (for the good) considerably!

There was also shopping. It occurred to me that since we have moved here, James has not only encouraged me to shop but he has expected it. So, every where we go, I come home with a souvenier. Rothenberg has two big Kathe Wolfhart stores which have mostly Christmas things, nutcrackers, smokers, all kinds of ornaments and such but they also have a small assortment of other things. In 2007, Kathe Wolfhart came out with some cute seasonal smokers that are shaped like eggs, I came home with a chick cracking out of an egg (for Easter) and a birdhouse smoker. I also bought a pair of cute bunnies that I kind of assume were made in China (they don't have the Kathe Wolfhart sticker on the bottom and cost a lot less) but they are cute all the same!

It was a fun time and nice to get away and feel like we actually got out and did something! Of course, now we're back at home and we have that "I need a vacation after our vacation feeling". The house looks like it's been turned upside down. There are so many bags to be unpacked and laundry to be done. At least I have nothing planned tomorrow.

Until later,

Emily

Our Hotel

Here are some pictures of our hotel, the Kreuzerhof Hotel Garni. Ammenities were minimal, but just enough.

We were glad that we figured out before we booked our room that a "double" room really meant enough room for two people i.e. one double bed, not the two double beds that we are used to. We booked a triple room which had a double bed and a single and then we requested the "baby cot". Our double bed was actually two single mattresses put on a double bedframe. We brought along our pack-n-play because we really had no idea what the baby cot was going to be. Once we saw it, we just left the pack-n-play in the car!

Until later,

Emily

Our Holiday Tradition

And so I began my morning with a picture of Thomas in pajamas and the day is wrapping up with another picture of Thomas in pajamas--different pajamas, though, he did get dressed today!

I tried all week to make a batch of sugar cookies but never got to them. I made huge chocolate chip cookies baked in a heart pan and a pretty pink cake instead, and I even wondered if maybe we would just skip Valentine's sugar cookies this year until last night when Thomas asked me when we would be making our "heart cookies with the yummy pink frosting and the sprinkles on top". Of course, I had to make them. So, after dinner but before Toby was put down for the night, we cut them out and baked them. As they cooled, Toby went off to bed and Thomas had to agree to get in his pajamas. I frosted them and gave all sprinkling duties to Thomas who was very good at his job. He put the sprinkles on faster then I could frost the cookies!

There will probably be one more batch of sugar cookies made over the next 4 or 5 weeks. With Easter in March this year, I'll have to decide on St. Patrick's Day cookies or Easter cookies...I'm not doing both! Then, I will most likely put away the rolling pin until October again!

Until later,

Emily

"I Picked Them Out Myself!"

This morning, I received my first official present ever from Thomas. James took him shopping on Saturday and he picked out something that was from he and Toby. Here are some pictures of my beautiful earrings from Thomas (and Toby). Thomas was so excited, he came bee-bopping into my bedroom right after 7:00, with his present in hand. He was so proud of himself:


Thomas: "Mom, Do you like them?"

Emily: "Yes, I love them!"

Thomas: "I knew you would like them because you really like cats."

Emily: "You're right!"

Thomas: "Put them in your ears."

(I put them in)

Thomas: "Oh, Mom, those look nice!"


Happy Valentines Day!

Emily

PLEASE DON'T LEAVE!!

You have the right page! I just decided it was time to change my background template.

Until later,

Emily

Thoughtful Thomas

Today, Thomas had his preschool Valentine's party because he doesn't attend preschool on Thursdays. The mom's/parent's were invited to the classroom the last 45 minutes of school today to help out with the party. They had made "Friendship Soup" where each child brought in a vegetable and then they prepared their vegetable (Thomas brought a green pepper)and then the cook actually whisked it away and cooked it in the kitchen...but the children did all the prep work. The soup was kind of a chicken noodle soup...anyway, they had Friendship Soup and cupcakes. Well, there probably wasn't much of a chance that Thomas would have ever tried that soup, but especially when it was sitting side by side two cupcakes, there was no chance at all. I couldn't even talk him into eating a carrot. So he dug into his cupcakes as I was busy trying to keep Toby from getting into everything. Thomas quickly ate the first cupcake but before he bit into the second cake, he called out to me:

Thomas: "Mom?"

Emily: "Yes, Thomas."

Thomas: "Can you get a knife to cut this cupcake in half and then you can share it with me, since I know you like cupcakes?"

(I know, isn't he cute?)

Between that and the moment in the car on Sunday the kid is really scoring big points with me this week!

Until later,

Emily

Oh the Memories!

Are gone...

As in the memories captured on my memory stick for my new camera! Luckily, I only had a weeks worth of pictures but I took a lot on Saturday, and there were some good ones and then in a matter of a second, they were gone and the memory stick was all together broken. I bought a new one yesterday and the camera seems to be fine. I was glad that I was only replacing a 2 GB memory stick rather than, say a 10 GB memory stick, but since I've only had the camera and the memory stick since Christmas, I still don't feel that I got my $35 worth (for the stick). Now, I'm nervous that I bought a camera that ruins the memory sticks...only time will tell, I guess.

Until later,

Emily

Moms Can Do It!

I received this in an email yesterday:

The Mom Test

I was out walking with my 4 year old daughter. She picked up something off
the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I took the item away from her
and I asked her not to do that. 'Why?' my daughter asked. 'Because it's been on the ground, you don't know where it's been,it's dirty, and probably has germs' I replied. At this point, my daughter looked at me with total admiration and asked, 'Momma, how do you know all this stuff, you are so smart.' I was thinking quickly. 'All moms know this stuff. It's on the Mom Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Mom.' We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information. 'OH...I get it!' she beamed, 'So if you don't pass the test you have to be the dad. ''Exactly' I replied back with a big smile on my face.

Yesterday afternoon, as we were driving home from church, Thomas, in a way, supported this very idea. James and I were talking about how this week, in my ward, on Wednesday morning, we are having some sort of a cake decorating/buttercream frosting demo but we have to bring our own small 8" round because the girl teaching wants us to have hands-on experience, not just watch. James asked how I was going to be able to do that with Toby (it's at someone's house who doesn't have a little one that can't do stairs--so I have to keep my eye on him at all times or hold him), and before I could even answer that I would have to do the best I could and more than likely wouldn't get that much hands-on experience, Thomas piped in and said, "Mom can do it, she can do lots of things all at the same time!" At that exact moment, I looked back at Thomas and while he was talking to his dad, he was looking at me with the proudest look upon his face! Thanks, Thomas!

Until later,

Emily

He's In!

We received a letter in our mailbox today (our actual home mailbox, we receive 99% of our mail at our APO box), and it went it little something like this:

"Dear Mr and Mrs Snow,

On behalf of Frankfurt International School (FIS), it is my pleasure to invite Thomas to join our International School Wiesbaden (ISW) campus community for the 2008-2009 academic year."

He will begin the Primary class (Kindergarten) on August 21st!

Until later,

Emily

Worrying Over Nothing...

Sheila from EDIS came over this afternoon to observe Toby. She was a very nice woman. We ended up going over the survey and she obviously asked me a lot of questions about Toby. After adjusting the survey and adjusting his real age she determined that there really isn't anything to worry about. (Really? :) ) The only thing she said we could, as parents, "work on" with him is giving him some social settings like giving him the opportunity to give us his foot to put his shoes on or put two objects in front of him and ask him to hand us one of them. Things that I admitted that we really haven't done a lot of. She also commented that she thought if they would have given me more time to answer the survey in the first place, that I probably would have answered differently and there wouldn't have been all the "red flags" that caused so much concern. At the end of the appointment, which was about 30 minutes long, she said she'd like to follow-up in two months and at that point "we can see where to take this, which I don't think will be that far."

Until later,

Emily

Growing Like a Weed!

Thomas is going through another growth spurt! Honestly, right now, I feel like I can't keep the boy dressed! All of the sudden, he is complaining about his pants being too tight around the waist. There goes three pairs of jeans... He has already outgrown the church cords that he got for Christmas. He has quite a few sweatpants that are right on the verge of being "floods" and now, this morning, he is complaining about his one-piece pajamas "bugging him". I checked that out, and sure enough, the pajamas are really tight on his shoulders. Oldnavy.com, I'll be calling you soon!

Until later,

Emily

Rain, Rain Go Away...

It is raining yet again. No wonder it already looks like Spring-- if you only focus on the ground (the trees are still bare). The fields are already green and growing. But, the sky continues day in and day out to be gray and it rains and rains. It is really sad when it's not even 1 PM yet and you have every overhead light and lamp on in your house and it's still not light enough! I asked James why it is people stay here? It must be because they know nothing else or because their family is here because it is sucking the life out of me... We have met many Americans who came here long ago and have now lived here longer than they ever lived in the US. I don't get it. That will NOT be us! However, I am anxiously awaiting Spring in Germany which I hear is beautiful and last year, April was the hottest month of the year. Granted, I will then be complaining about the heat and the lack of air conditioning. Luckily, I bought a used AC unit from a couple in our ward that are moving back to the States in June. And, we hope to find another used one or we may have to buy a brand new one. I think if we have one on each floor that we use, along with lots of fans, we will be OK. Well, and this year, me and the kids will be spending about two months in the States, so I really shouldn't worry too much.

Until later,

Emily

We ALL Make Mistakes...

Last week, James and I both made pretty bad mistakes. The kind where you wish you could go back in time, change just a few minutes, and everything would be OK, kind of thing.

My mistake actually happened a couple of weeks ago, but came to head last Tuesday when I received a phone call from "Sheila at the Educational Development Intervention department" on the base. Apparently, the long survey that I had to fill out on Toby at his one-year well-baby visit got sent on to these guys. According to Sheila, after looking over Toby's survey, he appears to be "behind". I tried to explain to her that maybe if I was given more than five minutes to fill it out and had time to think about how I was answering, perhaps he wouldn't appear to be "behind". I also asked her if anyone bothered noting that he was born six weeks prematurely and that it might not be uncommon for him to miss the mark on those milestones just a bit... (the answer was no). The phone call lasted all of 7 or 8 minutes and my emotions went from shocked, to mad, to thinking, "well, if he is behind, I guess it will be better to catch it now", to "sure, come over, spend an afternoon with us, and he'll show you that he is NOT behind! I'm sure when it's all said and done, she is going to have to say that something is wrong with him. Fine, she can say that he should be talking by now. I know that lots of 1-year olds say a few words....I'm not worried about it though. Thomas was a slow talker, he was slow even at two, but by the time he was two and a half, he had caught up with his peers. Perhaps I would be worried if he was a "quiet" child, but he's not. He spends his days roaring and growling at the world...Toby is anything but quiet!

Naturally, since last Tuesday, James and I have been watching Toby like a hawk. But, we have concluded that he is just fine. He is curious, into everything, always on the go, "talkative" little boy who spends half of his playtime trying to do the things that Thomas does and then the other half playing on his own! It's pretty cute to watch him play ball by himself (which, of course, makes you drop what you're doing and play with him for a few minutes)! So, I think it all boils down to a big mistake on my part: not taking the survey seriously and not taking an adequate amount of time to fill it out. In my defense, I have filled things out like this for Thomas back in Maryland, always feeling like they were a waste of time, because then the doctor would ask you half the questions again verbally and never even glance at your survey. I should have asked to bring it back in a day or two or made other arrangements. Instead, Sheila is coming to visit us this Thursday at 1 PM! Believe me, I'll keep you posted! Oh, and any other surveys I have to fill out, I will certainly take seriously!

Onto James' big mistake. You know, James is a smart guy. He knows all kinds things about history, politics, finance, etc--things that I do not know a lot about...but every once in a while, I am reminded that James (bless his heart) does not have an abundant amount of "common sense". Unfortunately, I was reminded of this on Saturday morning when he came upstairs and said, "Emily, I think I have some really bad news" (you know that can never be good). He continued to tell me, that he had been downstairs, in the basement, plugging in our old desktop computer, that we haven't used since we moved here, to start working on our 2007 taxes (which should prove to be a HUGE pain in the neck this year!) and when he simply plugged it in, and it made this zzzzz-zap sound. I asked him if he checked to see if it was dual-voltage (yes) then I asked him if it had a switch on the back (yes), well, did you switch it? (no....) His reply was that everything else he has plugged in that was dual voltage didn't have the switch and at this point, I'm thinking, "but, yes, but this is our computer, the thing that has lots and lots of files and records that we may possibly need and certainly want someday, but you just went ahead and plugged it in without much thought at all, didn't you". So, the old computer is fried...James has bought a portable floppy drive something-another in attempt to retrieve the old files...particulary the old tax files. The only thing I had on there that I would consider at all "valuable" were digital pictures which I have a back-up CD for. Don't even get me started on the fact that James "isn't positive that I made copies "...

Until later,

Emily

Helau!

It is the season of Fasching here in Germany, or it can be referred to as Karneval. It's very similar to Mardi Gras.

For history and a lot more detail, please visit:

http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/la/lote/german/links/topics/karneval.htm

Tomorrow, it is called Rosenmontag (Rose Monday). This is the craziest day of them all. I doubt that we will participate in much of this, but I have a bag of candy in my car because I've been warned that older kids/teenagers like to play street games where they won't let you pass unless you give them candy.

We've actually been warned to stay away from the utter craziness of Fasching even though one of the huge celebrations will be going on not too far from us in Mainz.

To see what I'm talking about, visit: http://www.mardigraschicago.com/Mainztrip.htm

However, yesterday, we drove there and celebrated the "Kinderfasching" which was the celebration for kids. They had food, carnival rides and a huge parade with 4,000 children participating. Throughout the parade, the participants would shout "Helau" to the crowd, and we would shout "Helau" back to them. Adults and children were dressed up, some in elaborate costumes, others in crazy hats and scarves and then boring people like us. Next year, we will be dressing up! It was a lot of fun. That statement just doesn't do it justice. Both our kids seemed to enjoy themselves, we were there for almost four hours! And, I will say this: yesterday was the most fun I've had in Germany! I actually enjoyed it more than the Christmas markets!

I am posting a few pictures. Unfortunately, my new camera is/was having some problems yesterday, so I got a lot of "file errors" and am not able to retrieve a lot of my pictures from yesterday. I have reformatted my memory stick, and hopefully that will do the trick.

Until later,

Emily