Fun Summer!

Since J is deployed for the whole summer and more (hopefully he will be back by Thanksgiving), I 'hired' my sister to come stay.  By hired, I mean that I purchased her international plane tickets.  So far I have really appreciated all the help.  I am able to shower, mow the lawn, weed my garden, talk on the phone, cook dinner, etc. without worrying about a 3-year-old or the baby.  It has also been really nice to have someone around to talk to during the day and especially once the kids are in bed.

We have big plans this summer.  Since Nicole does not have her passport yet, we can't leave Germany, but we have found plenty to do in and out of the house:
Homemade everything!  So far we have made: bagels, cheese (mozzarella and ricotta), granola, jam, and yogurt, and are looking for new ideas.
Picnics at various parks and playgrounds.  We really liked the dinosaur park, but it was a little pricey
Going for walks around the village, to the little store, with the dogs.
Fitness!  Since we both enjoy food too much, we have started Insanity.  Week 2, going well.
We purchased a pool pass, which both girls enjoy.
Gardening and strawberry picking.  I am quite proud of my garden and check on it every day.  I am hoping to harvest something soon (probably peas!)  Today we picked 10 lbs of strawberries and enjoyed eating them (some covered in chocolate) and making jam.
Travel.  Heidelburg, Rudesheim, Berlin, and Garmisch are on our list to see.  Possibly Italy, Spain and France as well if we get the passport soon.

Baby update: Nicole is growing rapidly and learning new things every day.  She smiles a lot and can roll over (she now sleeps on her stomach, by choice) and is on a pretty good schedule.  She sleeps well at night, which allows me to sleep (but I spend too much time on facebook!).  She hates her carseat though, which has been very frustrating.  I purchased the most expensive, most highly recommended infant carseat and had quite the hassle getting it shipped to me (and it only arrived 2 days before Nicole).