October in a nutshell

David, David, David. There is going to be a lot about David in this post, so be prepared.

This month, David seemed to grow so much. He still doesn't walk, but he can reach the kitchen table when he stands, and he LOVES pulling things off of the table and flinging them on the floor. We have to be very careful with what we leave near the edge:

 

As an FRG project, we filled goodie bags with Halloween candy and sent them to soldiers in Afghanistan. I have such a fantastic FRG. Don't they look fun?

This time of year, there are sunflowers everywhere. I had to stop and take a picture of this field because I loved seeing the sunflowers mixed with the beautiful wild flowers. I love Bavaria!

David has discovered the kitchen cabinets. All of my kids have made this discovery at about this age. It's so fun to watch. Not so fun to clean up after he removes everything from the shelves, though:

David has formed a very strong attachment to my good friend Pam. Every time he sees Pam, he fights to get to her. If I'm holding him, he reaches for her. If Pam doesn't pick him up or play with him, he cries like it's the end of the world. I think he's pretty smart. Pam is so much fun!

At a pot-luck dinner for FRG, Joey and Bailey were able to try on a long brunette wig. You tell me. Does it work for either of them?

Joey turned nine this month. I already posted her birthday party here. But on her actual birthday, we still sang and had a little treat. Happy birthday Joey!

Today I spent the afternoon filing and shredding documents. I left the room for maybe twenty seconds, and this is what I found when I came back:

We decorated pumpkins for Family Night

A spoiled almost nine-year-old.

Tonight I had a houseful of squealing, giggling girls. And I survived!

Joey had a party in honor of her birthday, which actually takes place in four days. She invited girls that live in our neighborhood, and they had a P.J. Party. All the girls showed up in their pajamas, and they watched a movie, received manicures and pedicures, and ate pizza and cake and popcorn. Thank goodness Aisling was here. She did most of the manicures and pedicures. Thanks Aisling!

Joey also received presents. The biggest and best present was from her dad. Erick (the big pushover that he is) got Joey an ipod nano. Granted, it was a used ipod and an older model. So it wasn't quite as expensive at is may seem. But nonetheless, My daughter is thrilled, excited, and dancing for joy. She is also spoiled. Take a look:

"All horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl."

I currently have two happy little girls who are developing a love of horses.

I could do post after post of the many ways the military has blessed our lives. Today, I'm going to share one. There is a program in the Army called SKIES Unlimited. Through this program, I can sign my kids up for classes relating to many different interests. This fall my girls have decided to learn English-style horseback riding.

I would never have thought to enroll them in a horseback riding class. But with special military benefits that are available to my family, I am able to afford this chance of a lifetime for my girls. They are in heaven.

Here is Joey riding Gina:

The girls have class every Tuesday for one hour. There are only three kids in the class, and Joey and Bailey are two of them. They get a lot of one on one time with a fantastic instructor. He has expressed surprise at how good the girls ride with no previous training.

The girls are also learning to saddle and care for the horses, although they have a lot of help because my girls are so small.

This is Bailey riding Bonny:

The instructor sometimes has the girls hold their arms out while the horses walk or hold their hands on their hips while the horses trot. They are gaining strength and control in their legs. Both girls were pretty sore after their first two lessons.

This last summer, long before we decided to join this class, Bailey went book shopping with Grandma B and purchased a book about English-style horseback riding. I thought it was a silly book that had no real use or purpose...

I guess I was wrong. Good choice Bailey!

This is just one more item to add to my list of "Why I love my life." I have happy children that are gaining wonderful experiences and talents:

An explosive weekend

I have posted on the private blog: http://erickinthearmy.blogspot.com/

The Bend

In Aisling's book, "1,000 places to See Before You Die," the author describes an area in Hungary where the wide Danube river "twists through a narrow valley that many consider the loveliest stretch of its entire 1,890-mile course from the Black Forest to the Black Sea."

With a description like that, I wasn't going to miss it.

We drove along the river and were delighted when we came upon a castle. You know how I love castles. So we stopped to take a look around:

This is Visegrad Castle. It was the home of King Charles I of Hungary and the royal seat of Hungary in 1325:

It sits on a hilltop right above the Danube river:

The inside was simple and fun:

But the views from the top were fantastic:

I loved visiting Hungary. The Hungarian people are kind. The buildings and sites are beautiful. I felt safe. There is so much interesting history. I'm so thankful that I was able to go. I'm still living a dream. It just keeps getting better.

I have a question for you.  Where shall I go next?

Budapest, Hungary - From the river

I took way too many pictures on day two of our trip, so I decided to give our boat ride it's own post.

We arrived a bit early for the tour, so that gave the kids some time to get dirty in the sand:

The weather was chilly, so I kept David close. Together, we stayed nice and toasty:

Here on the left, you can see Buda Castle:

The kids loved the sunshine. It had been overcast and gray all morning:

Our little family in front of the Parliament building:

A few of my fellow boat cruisers. We huddled together to keep warm:

The Chain Bridge:

Budapest, Hungary - Day 2

My favorite photo of the day, the Parliament building:

On day two, we began by hopping back on the bus and heading for Castle Hill. Aisling has a book entitled "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," and this book lists Castle Hill as one of it's 1,000. So she was excited to check it off her list of sites to see in Europe.

The view from Castle Hill was even better than yesterday's view. Take a look:

In the foreground, you can see the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, which was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Budapest. In the background is St. Stephen's Basilica:

This is Prince Eugene of Savoy, a successful military commander from the 1600's:

This is TJ, a young boy from the 21st century. He is trying to avoid a sweet Japanese tourist that wants a picture with him and his blond hair and blue eyes:

This is Oaklee, who was much more accommodating. She allowed the tourists to take pictures of her, and she even smiled for the camera (I love this guy's crazy eyes): 

By watching Oaklee, TJ gained some courage and eventually agreed to pose for the camera...with Oaklee. The two American kids were the hit of the day:

Finally we decided to do a big group shot with all of the cute Japanese tourists. I love how one girl is holding up Bailey's blond braids. So funny!

This is Matthias Church (also known as the Church of Our Lady):

It has an interesting history that dates back to the Turkish occupation. Turkey occupied this area for a century and a half. During that time, this church became the city's main mosque. The Muslims whitewashed over the ornate paintings and stripped out all of the furnishings.

In 1686 during the siege of Buda (to kick out the Turks), a canon knocked over a wall of this church and revealed a Madonna statue that had been hidden within the wall. As the statue appeared before the praying Muslims, their morale was destroyed. The city fell back into the hands of the Hungarians that very day.





This is a statue of Stephen I of Hungary. The walls surrounding him continue around the area and are called the Fisherman's Bastion:

Here are the kids with the Fisherman's Bastion behind:

It gets it's name from a group of fisherman who were responsible for defending this portion of the city walls during the Middle Ages. The wall has seven towers, which represent the seven tribes that settled this region in 896.

I love the architecture and the views:

TJ is protecting the wall with his "gun." He wouldn't let any bad guys get through:

The Chain Bridge up close:

See the bird up on the hill to the left? That is a Turul, which is a mythical bird. It is a messenger that perches on top of the Tree of Life. The Turul represents God's will and power. It is a symbol of power, strength, and nobility. The bird is seen as the ancestor of Attila the Hun and is often depicted carrying a flaming sword and a crown. Apparently, Attila the Hun is traditionally thought of as the first King of Hungary.





 The kids continued to attack every male statue they could reach:

This is right in front of the Parliament building. I love the flowers. Do you see the homeless man sleeping on the beautifully manicured lawn?

The Parliament building up close:

A little insanity in front of Parliament:

Aisling found a good Hungarian man to bring home. Unfortunately, he couldn't fit in the car:

Time to head back to the hotel:

St. Stephen's Basilica at night:

Joey had that camera out all day. She actually got some really good photos: