Shaha Shenanigans

To my dear five readers, if it seems as though we fell of the face of the earth, we didn't. Just off the face of Germany.

We have been stateside for the past month! Phew, what a trip!

We just got back into town last week.

Do we look hip or what? We just need fanny packs to complete the ensemble

The trip presented a bit of a logistical ~~nightmare~~, interesting challenge. In a nutshell, the five of us flew to Orlando, spent a week with the amazing Shahas, after which Ben flew back to Stuttgart to work, while I, with the three kids, flew on to Utah to visit the amazing Blackburns. Two weeks later Ben joined us in Utah to celebrate Thanksgiving, and then we all flew back together to Germany.

We need to get our frequent flyer miles submitted STAT!

(That's the new cool way to say ASAP, so I'm told.)

So, when we first moved to Germany I promised myself we wouldn't return to the states as a family until our assignment was over. That's how grueling the plane ride/jet lag is with kiddos. Every time we have crossed the Atlantic with kids (we've now done it five times), they have fallen ill… colds, fevers, ear infections, etc. But, it seems as though a cloud of amnesia settles in after a few months… erasing all those painful memories… kind of like after going through labor. And, come on, who can turn down an invitation to Disney? And Thanksgiving dinner Blackburn style (always culinary perfection)?

So, after almost two years here in Germany we made the trip back to the states as a family. This was James' first time ever! I love this photo I caught when we landed in Atlanta.. his first glimpse of the USA.

The 10 hr. 45 min. plane ride from Stuttgart to Atlanta wasn't nearly as bad as I had been dreading. It helped that we left first thing in the morning… the time of day wasn't throwing anybody off. And what really helps is the free and wide selection of movies, tv shows, and games they offer. Oh, and they were constantly bringing us yummy food. It was actually pretty fun. The kids were well fed and entertained… I watched Maleficent the whole way through. And, the best part, the kids didn't get sick!

Now, the plane rides from Orlando to SLC, and SLC back to Stuttgart were entirely different experiences... which I will share at some point when I can reflect upon them without twitching.

Let's concentrate on happy thoughts for now, shall we?

Ice cold Cherry coke at the Atlanta airport. Oh, the things I miss!

Let's talk about the Shaha reunion instead. Orlando is sunny and warm and everything dreamy. It has a Target. Dreamy in my book. Pat and Nancy and their five children and spouses and grandchildren all stayed in a large house they rented for the week. With the help of a military discount, we got four day hopper passes to all the Disney parks. Disney is a bit of a racket... since we've poured the equivalence of a college education into purchasing every Disney toy, movie, book, pajama set, etc… it seemed only fitting we patronize their parks too. This was all Pat and Nancy's brainchild and generous gift to us. It was so magical for the kids to be with their cousins. They hadn't seen them in almost two years!!

Sunshine? We must have left Germany :) Caroline, Natalie, Emily, Oakley.

In fact, our first day at Disney World we were all picnicking at Tom Sawyer's Island. I was sitting next to Nancy who was going on and on about what a PERFECT picnic spot this was… quiet and shaded… the kids running about… exploring Tom Sawyer's cave. We were munching on peanut m&ms, could life get any better? In fact, Nancy was so carried away in the moment she told me quite tenderly that there was nothing in the world she'd rather be doing than spending time with her family at this spot at this time.

Family bliss

Well, of course, there must have been an element of ominous foreshadowing in her words… because just a few moments later, Gwandpa came running up the steps holding up his arm covered in blood! Like, lots of gory, icky blood… so much that it was actually dripping from his arm (gross, I know… but you have to understand the gravity of the situation). Pat had somehow taken a NASTY fall on a flight of stairs down to Tom Sawyer's cave where he had gone exploring at the invitation of his sweet little granddaughters.

Katie, who is a competent nurse, sprung into action and started ordering everybody around. She got the Colonel on his back, feet and arm elevated… wrapped the nasty wound with a DIAPER, and sent her brothers to call for paramedics. Katie and Dave kept talking to him even though he was in a state of shock. He had a deep and nasty gash in the palm of his hand and down the side of his arm.

Finally the paramedics came and they bandaged him up, diaper and all! They put him on a stretcher and carried him all the way out of the park. As you can imagine, there were a lot of curious bystanders watching this spectacle. Nancy said he tried to make light of the situation by yelling out, "You have to have a special ticket to go on this ride!" And, "It's not as bad as it looks!"

After spending several hours in the ER, Pat and Nancy returned to the house that night… with staples all the way up his arm and in his palm. Ouch!! Luckily no surgery required. If nothing else, it makes for a great family memory?! Well, a family memory at the least. Our condolences, Pat.

And now for the happier moments… the Disney parade:

And several pics from our four days at the parks:

We had a VERY rigorous schedule

The kids loved to sing Disney songs at the top of their lungs on the way to the park. It was cute for the first couple minutes.

Jack got DRENCHED on the river raft ride. The only way he would sport his girl cousin's shirt was inside out and being told that was a ghost on the front of it.

Completing their Wilderness Adventure packets.

Why so serious Emily? I thought this was the HAPPIEST place on earth!

Waiting for her Sofia the First nail polish to dry. It's a rough life.

David and Joe with one of their own

Back at the ranch, Ben and Wendy's b-day bash:

Ben turned 40!!!

Don't ask:

If I look distraught, it's because I am:

Frosting sugar cookies, a cousin tradition

Dr. Dave doing a follow-up

Uncle Steve manning the breakfast grill

So, thanks Pat, Nancy, and Joe and Bethany (who did a ton of the work as well) for an amazing reunion!! And sorry for the killer blog post, once again :/

"Flighty" is the perfect description for this boy. I'm constantly chasing after him.

Happy Halloween everyone! More like, happy that it's over!

The girls have been looking forward to Halloween literally for weeks.

It's mostly my fault since I gave them their Halloween pajamas back in September. Big mistake. Since then Halloween is all they've been thinking about.

Of course, there was little discussion as to who they would be.

I admit I'm a bit weary of the whole princess bit… hopefully next year we can branch out.

But, Elsa and Anna it was. I thought it would be super cute for James to be Olaf… but by the time I went to order a costume online, Amazon could not deliver on time. I checked the German Amazon site and we're talking 130+ euro for an Olaf costume.

I despaired as feelings of woeful inadequacy swept over me.

Isn't every good mother supposed to be able to MAKE their children's Halloween costumes?

Isn't' that what Halloween is all about… mothers making homemade costumes for their kids?

I was lamenting these thoughts to my visiting teachers to which one of them enthusiastically/sarcastically agreed. "Oh yes! That's what Halloween is ALL about." "Yes, I would feel inadequate if I were you too." My friend Shannon was a bit more helpful. She said she would "advise" me on my Olaf project. She's a whiz at sewing and all things crafty.

So, to the craft store I went. I purchased felt, batting, elastic, pipe cleaners, etc. I envisioned my project going something like this:

I just love this scene in Sleeping Beauty…Flora and I have about the same skill level when it comes to sewing.

Luckily my friend Shannon more than "advised" me.

After the kids were down for the night she brought her sewing machine over and went to work. I did lots of importance stuff like cut out the felt. And glue on the buttons.

She even let me use her machine!!

So, now that I have made my child's Halloween costume I feel complete as a mother ;)

All that work and worry for this:

Yeah, James wasn't too thrilled. But let's cut him a break… the poor guy has a double ear infection.

Caroline looking very regal

We had a potluck with the neighbors from our building… it was so much fun! The kids were WIRED and they chased each other around all night. (Don't mind the unidentified grim reaper about to slice off Caroline's ear.)

The next day was our ward trunk-or-treat, but that's when I said, "It's time to pull the plug on Halloween." No more partying for me. The last thing my kids needed was more candy and the last thing I wanted to do was make one more dish for some festivity.

Instead we took the high road… literally! haha. We drove the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse! Yes, that's one word. It means the Black Forest high road. It's the B500 that goes from Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt in the northern Black Forest. The weather couldn't have been better and the drive offered amazing views... it reminded us of the Smokey Mountains.

What's going on with my hair? I don't know.

We stopped at the Mummelsee… supposedly a lake. Actually, it was more like a pond. And it was VERY crowded.

Here's a fun fact. Germany is roughly the size of Montana. Montana's population is just over 1 million yet Germany's population is over 80 million. Sooo… it seems like whenever we want to "get away" we never really can. There are crowds everywhere. I don't see why people are so worried about the population declining. Trust me, it's not a problem.