Tennessee Valley Hiking with "Carlie-Boy"

Today Mia and I met up with Mimi and "Carlie" and hiked the beautiful Tennesse Valley. Well, I am not really sure you would call what we did a hike - more like a leisurely stroll at the pace of Mia and Charlie. This meant, stopping for bugs, leaves and even poop piles that were found all over the trail. In the hour that we "hiked" we also had to make numerous snack stops so the little ones could share their apricots, grapes and strawberries.

Below are a few of my favorite pictures of the two little "buddies".

Fairyland

Some of you may be wondering "What in the !@#%& is Fairyland?". Well, to answer your question it is a 10-acre "amusement park" centered around fairytale themes and is a place that Mia and I have now been twice. She LOVES it and its the perfect place for kids her age. They have carousels, train rides, mazes, a ferris wheel, petting zoo, various playgrounds centered around different themes and they even have a puppet theatre (which of course Mia did not have the patience for)!

Last Friday, Mia and I joined our friends Sheila and Connor for our second trip to Fairyland. The kids had a blast and we hope did not pick up Swine Flu or any other bugs in the process. Below are some pictures from their adventures in Fairyland.

Mia riding the "HOSEY" on the carousel!

Connor and Mia trying to break into the home of the Seven Dwarves (Above)

Buddies strolling the lanes of Fairyland (Below)

Mia & Connor riding the Train

Connor is NOT wanting to ride the Ferris Wheel! So, Mia ends up riding it alone!

Busy Times!

Its been a while since I last posted (and it seems I have been starting a lot of my posts this way), but I do promise to get better and at least post once a week about the adventures in our little world.

The past few weeks have been busy ones and even included a 10-day trip to Germany where we held a memorial for both my mother, who passed away on July 8th and her father (my grandfather) who passed away less than three weeks later on July 30th. It was an emotional trip, but at the same time it was good to see friends and family and celebrate their lives in such a way. Mia was a trooper on the trip - adjusted quickly to the time difference, sat still at almost every meal (which we ate out) and was super flexible about where she took her naps (in the car, on the plane, at my grandmothers, at a friends). She also enjoyed her daily morning walk around the quarter with Boba (my dad) to buy fresh bread, cold cuts (a typical german breakfast food) and of course KOKLATE (chocolate)!

Though I did not take too many pictures on my camera (I left that to my brother), below are a few of my favorites!

Mia and her cousin Sophie hanging out at dinner.

Mia loves blowing out the candles at restaurants.

Mia walking in Maastricht (a beautiful town in the Netherlands) with

my grandmother, her great-grandmother.

Eating dinner at my families bar in Cologne.

Fall is here...

Fall is here and that means a visit to the Pumpkin Patch! Yesterday, Mia and I joined Mimi and Charlie for some fall festivities at the Nicasio Pumpkin Patch - the kids had a blast! Pictures below as proof!