It is a LONG ONE!!!
Ok all- this will be a LONG post- so beware!! I was looking at our Christmas cards and thought- maybe I should be a highlight "reel" of 2009. A lot has happened and I wanted to cover it cause a lot will also occur here in 2010~*To start- my cousin Rita came to visit us for 3 weeks the end of Jan/begin of Feb. We used her visit as an excuse to do a little touring ourselves. So... of we went. We had a blast for a few days in southern Germany at Edelweiss Resort in Garmisch. We toured the Gorge and had some yummy pizza. We also went into Austria to the Swarvoski Crystal Factory in Innsbruck.
*After going to Neuschweinstein Castle in Germany, we ventured into Austria to the castle ruins in Fussen. Rita and I think we almost died on that difficult hike but Lee & Hais cruised right up!
*The four of us went up the Zugspitz, the highest mountain in Germany. Beautiful (and freakin freezing!)
We rounded out our tour- by stopping in Munich for a few days. Did Dachua Concentration Camp and also the famous Hofbrau Haus....
*In March, Hais godparents came to Germany! We have been stationed with them continuously since March 2003! They have literally known Hailee her entire life (well at least 6 1/2 yrs of her 7 yrs of life!). The entire time the farthest we have lived from one another is now here in Germany- and we are like 20 minutes apart! But the guys are still in the same company- and as of now are roommates in Iraq.. to be covered later...
Hailee and I made a trip home to California in March. We spent 2 weeks there. Spent a good deal of time with one of our FAVORITE families ever- the Freehills!
Got back from California and got a visit from Aunt Shannon. She stayed with us for 2 weeks and we loved it!
*After going to Neuschweinstein Castle in Germany, we ventured into Austria to the castle ruins in Fussen. Rita and I think we almost died on that difficult hike but Lee & Hais cruised right up!
*The four of us went up the Zugspitz, the highest mountain in Germany. Beautiful (and freakin freezing!)
We rounded out our tour- by stopping in Munich for a few days. Did Dachua Concentration Camp and also the famous Hofbrau Haus....
*In March, Hais godparents came to Germany! We have been stationed with them continuously since March 2003! They have literally known Hailee her entire life (well at least 6 1/2 yrs of her 7 yrs of life!). The entire time the farthest we have lived from one another is now here in Germany- and we are like 20 minutes apart! But the guys are still in the same company- and as of now are roommates in Iraq.. to be covered later...
Hailee and I made a trip home to California in March. We spent 2 weeks there. Spent a good deal of time with one of our FAVORITE families ever- the Freehills!
Got back from California and got a visit from Aunt Shannon. She stayed with us for 2 weeks and we loved it!
*No picture for it right now- but in early May- Brenna went to the annual AWAG conference in Garmisch. Had a good time with good friends for 4 days. (Also came home with a kick butt German bike worth like $450 for free- which as I think of it- should probably be utilized more)
*Memorial Day weekend took us to Lloret de Mar/Barcelona Spain with the Rodriguez famiyl. Had a blast and must say Barcelona was my favorite part of the trip. Swam in the ocean, tried some paella and got the kiddos tattoos (ok- henna ones- but still)
Spent the fourth of July as a family- with part of the Rod family (Jay was deployed already)- at Garmisch. Great fireworks, stuff for the kiddos to do and relaxation!
*July brought the inlaws to visit. See our travels below! Did not include them all but have an amazing amount of photos like this (with beer in hand- in several different countries:)
*First big adventure with the inlaws- ITALY!
*Memorial Day weekend took us to Lloret de Mar/Barcelona Spain with the Rodriguez famiyl. Had a blast and must say Barcelona was my favorite part of the trip. Swam in the ocean, tried some paella and got the kiddos tattoos (ok- henna ones- but still)
Spent the fourth of July as a family- with part of the Rod family (Jay was deployed already)- at Garmisch. Great fireworks, stuff for the kiddos to do and relaxation!
*July brought the inlaws to visit. See our travels below! Did not include them all but have an amazing amount of photos like this (with beer in hand- in several different countries:)
*First big adventure with the inlaws- ITALY!Went to Pisa and Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre was by far the most amazing trip we have done since living in Europe. Absolutely loved it- which is amazing since it was an all day sweaty hike. But the views and atmosphere was stunning!!!! Also visited Volterra- which was a neat ancient city. I guess it's biggest claim to fame at the moment is that it is where the second part of the Twilight series supposedly takes place- have not read the books myself- so not so much a big deal to me personally!
*A brief stop in Switzerland illustrated why it will have to be a must see before we leave Europe.
* A last minute trip before the inlaws departed- to Dresden Germany (best surprise city so far) and into Poland! Found my polish pottery design (and bought lots of it!) and had some wonderful Polish food! Great trip since it is where Ed's family is from- he still has a brother living in Poland.
*Biggest HIGHLIGHT of 2009---- We are pregnant! Found out while we were traveling with the inlaws. I did not tell anyone- not even Lee. It was really early still and wanted to wait until we were another week or so along and I had one more visit to the Dr.
*At the end of July- I turned 30!!! Actually did not know I was pregnant at this point. This picture should have been earlier in the slideshow- somewhere between Poland and the Carter pic! I found out about the baby while driving back to Germany from Poland- if you follow along...
*A brief stop in Switzerland illustrated why it will have to be a must see before we leave Europe.
* A last minute trip before the inlaws departed- to Dresden Germany (best surprise city so far) and into Poland! Found my polish pottery design (and bought lots of it!) and had some wonderful Polish food! Great trip since it is where Ed's family is from- he still has a brother living in Poland.
*Biggest HIGHLIGHT of 2009---- We are pregnant! Found out while we were traveling with the inlaws. I did not tell anyone- not even Lee. It was really early still and wanted to wait until we were another week or so along and I had one more visit to the Dr.
*It would be another 4 months til we found out Lee finally got that little boy he was waiting for!
PS- Glad I did not participate in the beers/wine on our trip through Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Poland and Germany! Even though I did consume alot of cappachinos in our hotel in Italy (they were Amazing!)
*At the end of July- I turned 30!!! Actually did not know I was pregnant at this point. This picture should have been earlier in the slideshow- somewhere between Poland and the Carter pic! I found out about the baby while driving back to Germany from Poland- if you follow along...
So...anyways, here is the pic from my birthday party. Kim planned it and I had a fabulous night. The four girls consumed a good deal of wine but in my glass- apfelsaft (apple juice).
In August- Hailee became a bike rider! Woohoo! She also entered 1st grade! She is in Mrs Gunns 1st/2nd grade class- which was a good surprise- cause she is in class with Lillianna. Thought that would never happen cause Lillianna is a grade ahead!
*October brought us to NC to see the inlaws and spend some time with family before Lee left. This pic is from a great Renaissance Fair we went to in Charlotte- so much fun!
*We also swung through Columbia SC to see the fabulous Campagnas!
*The highlight of that trip- was a 5 day cruise we took to the Bahamas. Hai had always wanted to do one (since Lee and I took a cruise right before his last deployment). So we went as a family. Got to swim with dolphins and play at sea for a few extra days cause of bad weather at one of our port of calls.
* Not really a highlight- but we said goodbye to Lee in early November. He was off to Iraq. I guess it is a highlight cause the faster he left- the faster the year started (gotta find a silver lining somewhere!). He is roommates with Ryan- which makes us feel better since this is their second deployment in a row together.
* Hard to say goodbye this time but also neat- cause when we see him next- on R n R- there will be an additional Kokoszka for him to meet!
*Hais turned 7 this year. November 28th! We celebrated with a trip to the Mannheim Christmas Market with the Chandlers, Rodriguez's and Angie!!
Our final adventure for the year was a trip home for Christmas to California.
In August- Hailee became a bike rider! Woohoo! She also entered 1st grade! She is in Mrs Gunns 1st/2nd grade class- which was a good surprise- cause she is in class with Lillianna. Thought that would never happen cause Lillianna is a grade ahead!
*October brought us to NC to see the inlaws and spend some time with family before Lee left. This pic is from a great Renaissance Fair we went to in Charlotte- so much fun!
*We also swung through Columbia SC to see the fabulous Campagnas!
*The highlight of that trip- was a 5 day cruise we took to the Bahamas. Hai had always wanted to do one (since Lee and I took a cruise right before his last deployment). So we went as a family. Got to swim with dolphins and play at sea for a few extra days cause of bad weather at one of our port of calls.
* Not really a highlight- but we said goodbye to Lee in early November. He was off to Iraq. I guess it is a highlight cause the faster he left- the faster the year started (gotta find a silver lining somewhere!). He is roommates with Ryan- which makes us feel better since this is their second deployment in a row together.
* Hard to say goodbye this time but also neat- cause when we see him next- on R n R- there will be an additional Kokoszka for him to meet!
*Hais turned 7 this year. November 28th! We celebrated with a trip to the Mannheim Christmas Market with the Chandlers, Rodriguez's and Angie!!
Our final adventure for the year was a trip home for Christmas to California.
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