Sporting my new haircut at the pool...

More to come with his new "do" as soon as they are downloaded :-)

Smiles from my crib!

Look at me -- I'm standing in my crib! I'm loving the fact that I can now get around -- still the "Army-style" crawl -- but it won't be long before I'm chasing Chance and Lucie all over the house!

JP's first haircut at a Barber Shop...

JP enjoyed being a "big boy" getting his first real hair cut. The barber was very impressed with JP -- no crying and very little squirming -- too cute! He now looks like a little boy -- our baby is growing up!

Bathtime with our Slippery Monkey!

There is no longer "sitting nicely and getting washed" during bathtime. Rather, it is a never-ending quest to get to his rubber ducky! I think we definitely have a water baby on our hands...

Mission Accomplished -- yippee!!!

JP's laughs...

Try not to smile when you watch this...I know, it's tough! JP is such a happy baby -- he's just "buttering us up" for the next one :-)

Getting some lovin' from Chance...

Nothing like a big wet one to wake you up in the morning... JP LOVES the dogs...he can't get enough of them!

Learning to stand...

One of JP's favorite toys -- the remote control!!! It's crazy how many new things he is doing everyday!

JP with his buddies at the Cascade pool...

The pool in Bitburg is so great...they have a whole area dedicated to the little ones (it's indoor, of course!). JP, Wes and Mitchell had so much fun playing and splashing in the water :-)

Giving Daddy kisses...

These are too sweet... JP seems to be growing before my very eyes and one of his favorite things to do lately is give kisses (esp. to Daddy). So, Matt recorded himself reading JP a few books on video before he left which we watch each morning. After "Storytime with Daddy," I freeze the t.v. so that we can give Daddy kisses.




If any of you are putting together a care package for Matt...he would love to have children's books sent to him. The base has a program that will record the soldiers reading books and then will send the book and the DVD to the kids back home -- all for free! Write your name inside the book's cover and then we can always think of you in the years to come when we are still reading the books :-)

JP sporting his first baseball cap...

With the sun actually shining here in Germany, we've had to pull out the baseball caps for our walks with the pups. Too cute!

JP and the boys...

Do you think my little one is suffering from separation anxiety at all??? Let's just say, this is a new phase for him that I am hoping will disappear just as quickly as it came! Such a mean Mommy -- putting him down with all his friends for a picture!!! He's looking up at me like "Why are you standing there clapping when I'm this upset???"


Half the group is here...from left to right -- Jack, Mitchell, JP, Liam, Eli and Wes -- too cute!

Our growing baby boy...

He is definitely starting to look more like a little boy and less like a "baby!" The wet shirt isn't from drool -- his new favorite game is taking a big sip of juice in the sippy cup and then slowly let it dribble out of his mouth...good thing I have the dogs to help me lick everything up after mealtime!!!

Fasching Parade in Orenhofen...

Fasching is the German Mardi Gras -- it is an indescribable event! As a spectator (standing amongst tons of clowns and angels/devils...that seems to be the only costumes Germans like to wear!), you are given every type of alcohol in every form (cans of beer, shots of schnaps, glasses of wine, sprays of some awful substance, etc.) Meanwhile, they are also throwing out candy, toys, books, CDs, etc. to all the kids -- too much fun! You have to see it to believe it!!!

Jana and Lena were the cutest little pirates as they handed out their "loot" during the parade. Oliver is their dad, our good German friend (Berthold and Brigitta's son-in-law) -- he put hours of elbow grease into their float which looked amazing!

JP's favorite -- riding on Daddy's shoulders!

Some bonding time with Daddy before he took off...too cute!



How cute are those buns???

Has anyone seen my Cheerio?

Watching this little one feed himself is just too cute...his latest trick to pick up his food, look me in the eye, and smile as he drops it over the side of the high chair. We've even had to ban the dogs from being in the kitchen during mealtime to avoid the instant gratification of feeding them ;-)

JP's first haircut...

JP seemed intrigued at first, however, that didn't last long. Kusha, our friend, did a great job and even said that we will have a blondie on our hands before we know it :-)