A new stroller...

So, I've been on the hunt for a new stroller since before Jeffers was born. European strollers are AWESOME! There's just no other way to describe them. They're built to last and they are made for walking over cobblestone paths. A friend gave us her old jogging stroller and it has shocks, tires and inner tubes. That's meant for some serious cobblestones!

When we switched out his carseat we had to finally get a new stroller (we've used a great one that the car seat just clipped into and it's worked great). So I started seriously looking. A couple of my friends in the ward have bought the Peg Perego stroller (one got the matching carseat which is amazing! We'll be getting it for our next kiddo. Should there be a next kiddo.) I love it already and we just picked it up yesterday!

The other great thing about living here in Europe is we can get European strollers (in this case Italian) for European prices, which even with the less than great exchange rate makes it way less than the American price for it!

Another Step to the German Proficiency Badge

SSG Heck and I returned to the Bundeswhor post to participate in several more events in our quest to earn the German Proficiency Badge. Today we threw the shotput, and the iron brick; jumped the running long jump, and ran both the 1,000 and 3,000 meter run events. All we have left to do is pick a date to comlete our timed swim.

It is fun adventures like this that make it worth it to be in Germany.

Two More Classes Done

This is a photo of me turning in my last assignment for my last two classes. In the last nine weeks I have earned another six semester hours. I am slowing inching my way toward my degree, but each set of nine weeks goes by very quickly. Since the classes are starting to become more intense and time consuming I have decided to cut it down to one class at a time. I want to do more at home than homework. Thanks Uncle Sam for paying for college.

Dressing for the Cold

It is starting to get pretty cold now. No snow has fallen, but you definitley will not want to leave the house without a good coat on. Tricia and I have taken our summer clothes to the basement and exchanged them for the winter items waiting for us since last year. This is great weather for hot cocoa and a heavy blanket for the bed. The only thing we are missing is a fireplace.

Roll over, Roll over!

I was at my friend's yesterday (she's teaching me to paper piece)

and we had finished and were having lunch and Jeffrey was on the floor on his back playing. I was tickling him and he was giggling and being very cute! I stopped and he kicked his legs up and rolled over onto his stomach, it was so funny. We both squealed and then he was very proud of himself. He did it again this morning on the bed, so I don't think it was too much of an accident. Thankfully he wasn't on the couch or something. I guess he's not safe there anymore.

When Quincy (my nephew) was born I remember my brother and sister-in-law said that it seems like when you have a baby you don't seem to exist anymore, everyone will come up and talk to the baby and practically ignore you. I totally thought they were exaggerating or just being funny, but I know that feeling now! It's really funny, some people will come and talk to Jeffrey and hardly once look at me or talk to me.

Jeffery Playing

I placed a high definition 8mm tape in my camcorder and found that I had much greater recording results with it than the old tapes I had been using before. I also used Microsoft Movie Maker to edit my video and found it very easy. I am finally getting the performance out of my Sony Hanycam that I had hoped for when I first purchased it several years ago.

October!

I've updated my jewelry website with a few new things! If you haven't finished your Christmas shopping and you haven't found that perfect gift! Look Here! Or if you'd just like to get yourself a Happy Octoberday Present, I can help you out!

Tomorrow Jeffrey will be 5 months old! I can't believe how fast he's growing. At church we like to play the compare the babies heights game (there are several right around his same age). Jeffrey is definately a tall kid, but what can we expect when he's got two giant parents?

Ruck March

SSG Heck and I have been working together towards earning the German Proficiency badge. The events include a ruck march, shot put, running long jump, swimming and running events. Yesterday we completed our first event the ruck march.

In the afternoon we met with our contacts at the Germany post with our ruck sacks. With a map in hand we set out as a pair on our 30 kilometer journey with the timer counting down from five hours. By the time we arrived at the half way point and enjoyed a one minute break with a glass of orange juice and an apple only two hours had gone by, but our feet were beginning to hurt. The 15 kilometer return to the start point was terrible. My feet hurt so much I had to constantly tell myself to ignore the pain and move out. I would have preferred to take up a light jog to ensure that I returned in time, but my feet would not allow jogging to be an option. On our way out we had been keeping careful track of our pace count, steps per minute and kilometers to go. On the way back we were so worn out that neither of us could work out the math to figure out how fast we needed to travel so we were left with just moving as quickly as possible.

I crossed the finish line with an easy 17 minutes to spare. SSG Heck and I ached so much that we could barely get in and out of his truck to get home. As soon as I arrived home and made it up to the third floor I had Tricia help me get my boots off and took a nice hot bath.

I suspect in about two days I will really feel the effects of the ruck march on my body.

Four Day Weekend

Jeffrey is so funny at mealtimes. Mostly in the morning when he's so happy and in a good mood. He likes to grab his toes and eat his fingers in between bites of cereal. He looks very jealously at our plates at dinner time, like he just can't wait to get his fingers into all of that mess!
We went to Regensburg to the IKEA today on Cory's last day off before the cycles begins again tomorrow. It was a little bit chilly today so we had to get Jeffrey's jacket and hat out. It's funny to see how much the Germans bundle up their children. Jeffers looks like he's dressed for the beach according to their standards.
We watched conference the last two nights at home too. It was nice to be able to watch from home and not have to drive to the stake center an hour away. We dragged the couch in front of the computer so we could sit comfortably as we listened and watched the talks.
All in all it's be a wonderful and relaxing four days off!

Steak on a Stone

Many of our friends in Germany have enjoyed a restaurant and reccomended to us a night out eating meat served on a very hot stone. The meat is brought out to you raw on a stone so hot that it sizzles as you cut off a thin slice to cook and then dip in sauces.

This was our first night out without Jeffery. Maratee Andrus volunteered to take him for the evening while we went out. Just as we pulled up into the restaurant parking lot Tricia pulled out her jacket from the back seat and a spit rag fell out of her pocket. She immediatley exclaimed, "Oh, Jeffery would have loved this place." We had an enjoyable meal together but did not delay long in going to the Andrus home to retrieve our son.

Jeffery and His Toy

Grandpa MacNeil sent Jeffery this toy which he has come to play with more and more. It is nice to lay out a blanket on the floor and put him down with it for a while.

Changing Weather

It is raining much more often now and the early morning temperatures are much cooler. I used to ride my bike to work in the morning with plenty of sun light and return home in the light of day, but now it is dark when I leave and getting darker as I return. Soon winter will be upon us.

Fall

The trees are changing to the most beautiful shades of orange and yellow. I do love fall in Germany. I love spring and summer too, but right now I love fall the most. The weather is perfect. We're going this weekend for pictures at a castle that someone in our ward recommended, I'm hoping they turn out good. We'll see, I'd like to get my hair cut before then, but it will be the first time I've had someone else (besides my mom) cut my hair.

Cory has a 4 day weekend because the cycle ends this weekend. It'll be nice to have him around for a few days. We're planning to finish a million errands and chores that we haven't been able to do before, but we're also planning to go on our first date (without Jeffers) this weekend. Big step right?

Speaking of Jeffers, he's really enjoying his cereal now. I changed to giving it to him in the morning when he's less cranky and he loves it. He keeps opening his mouth for more. After he eats, I put him in his swing while I eat and get dressed for the day, he'll sometimes fall asleep in the swing and yesterday was just too funny so I had to get a picture.

I'm also amazed at technology...(I love technology, but not as much as you you see, but I still love technology, always and forever)...we were on messenger a few days ago and my mom was on there so I talked to her for a minute and then we put Jeffers on the webcam and his sugar grandma and everyone else at the house at the time was able to see him playing and having fun. I played the donut song video for him and they watched his reactions to it (he grins and gets excited). So anytime anyone wants to see little Jeffrey, find us on msn messenger.

He giggles more now, I had to hide the camera though because he gets all shy and self-conscious when it's around. ;)

Enjoy the squeal, it's his new favorite trick.

The Compy...

So we felt like the cat for a few months while we tried to fix the compy. But, knock on wood, it's been working for a little while now. We just have to send all the parts and pieces back to Dell now.

I went to my stamping club today. I'm not an expert or even very good, but I have fun and I get to spend time with some of the ladies in the ward and area and it's nice. Some of you may be recieving the fruits of my labors some day!

Podcasts...

By the way, our videos are a Podcast! If you are familiar with iTunes and use it, you can subscribe to us by entering * http://themacneilfamily.blogspot.com/rss.xml * into your subscriptions. If you aren't, you can still see them here on our blog forever and ever. :)

4 months old and a few other things...

Jeffrey went for his well baby visit today. He weighs 15 lbs. 13 ozs. and is 26 in. tall. He's doing well or ahead on all of his developmental milestones, which is always comforting and reassuring for a mom to hear. (They always know their child is the smartest, they just want validation.) We finally have a good provider to see at the clinic. A new pediatrician came in during the summer and should be here the rest of our time in Germany so he can be followed by the same person.

He did NOT like his shots though. That is always the hardest thing for me, to see my sweet baby, who was a part of me and is like an extension of me scream and just look at me as if to say "Why does it hurt so much?" I wanted daddy to come and do the shots, but his schedule was too crazy and he couldn't get away.

We tried a little watered down cereal this week. Jeffrey didn't mind it, but he didn't quite get the concept. I think we'll wait a few more weeks before we try again. It was pretty funny to watch him though.

Jeffrey wore his Trogdor shirt the other day too. It's from our favorite website...homestar runner. It says "Trogdor, the burninator"

Leaders Reaction Course

I took these photos while at the Leader Reaction Course with my students.

Retreat of the Color

I took several of my students that volunteered to retreat the flag at the end of the work day to the JMTC Headquarters with me. They had been practicing on their own for seven days to ensure that all would go well.

Sunny Sunday!

It was a beautiful Sunday today. We were able to all attend church together which is a rare but welcome opportunity! I'm in the primary (2nd councilor) and we have redone almost the entire thing, new teachers, combining classes and making our new arrangement work. Today was actually the most reverent Sunday we've had in a while. I think the children are finally getting comfortable with their new teachers and adjusting to having their dads deployed (most of them are).

Jeffrey gets very excited at bath time now. He likes to play in the water, but I think he likes spending time with his daddy more!

On Friday Cory's class was in charge of the flag retreat at the headquarters building. He asked if Jeffrey and I wanted to come and watch. We've seen it several times and there are plenty of times I'll be driving home when I have to stop the car and get out to wait for them, but it was nice to watch the whole thing from beginning to end. It was a nice reminder of the respect our military has for the flag. I'm sure Cory will post a few pictures later, he was snapping them off a quickly as he could.

By the way, if someone was really interested in the clover jewelry set, I didn't get your name, so you'll have to send me that. :)

Updates...

I added a few new items and updated lots of pictures on my website. Let me know if there's anything you'd like. :)

http://triciajewelry.googlepages.com/home

Jeffrey is so cute!

Jeffrey this week has started grabbing his toes when I change his diaper. He does it the most in the morning when we first get up. He's also becoming more and more funny about cameras, he will laugh and giggle right up until we turn the camera on. He's such a silly kid!!

I was tagged...

My husband...

What is his name? Cory
How long have you been together? 3 years
How long did you date? How many dates? Um like 3, but we were engaged for almost a year while he was in Iraq.
How old is he? 27
Who eats more? Cory, though when I was preggers, I packed it away!
Who said I love you first? Cory, he called from school in Korea to make sure I knew.
Who is taller? Cory (thank heavens!)
Who sings better? Cory sings louder...
Who is smarter? I think Cory is smart...I don't know though.
Whose temper is worse? We both can loose it on occasion.
Who does the laundry? I do, but Cory's very good to start loads (just not finish).
Who does the dishes? We both do, but I wash the bottles.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Cory
Who pays the bills? I do.
Who mows the lawn? Well, it's supposed to rotate through the apartments in the building, but it usually ends up being Cory.
Who cooks dinner? I do.
Who drives when you are together? Cory will usually drive, but on long trips we take turns.
Who is more stubborn? I'm going to say me.
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Cory usually does. (I'm never wrong right? Hehe!)
Whose parents do you see the most? Hard to say, we've seen my mom the most recently.
Who kissed who first? Cory kissed me.
Who asked who out? Cory asked me out...dropped me off two hours later...left for Korea for a year...came back and asked me out again. I of course patiently waited and kept telling Paige I wanted to marry that boy (even if he couldn't make up his mind).
Who proposed? Cory, but he didn't ask in a direct way, he said "What do you think you'd say if I were to ask you to marry me?"
Who is more sensitive? Me.
Who has more friends? I think we're about equal. He has more work friends and I have more church friends, sometimes they overlap.
Who has more siblings? Me.
Who wears the pants in the family? I wear pants, but Cory is the head of our household. (I'm just the neck!)

I would tag peeps, but none of you have blogs...if I could I would tag the Twins' Mommy!

Schutzensnur

I was invited to go with several other cadre from the NCO Academy to spend three days with the German bundeswehr training and socializing with them. We arrived at their post in the evening time and got to know them initially with cake and coffee. We went to a bar that night where we stayed out until 0100 talking, laughing and having a great time with each other. The next morning we went to the shooting range where we spend twelve hours shooting their weapons.

After having fired the needed interations for the Schutzensnur we used the rest of the ammunition with some fun training. I put 500 rounds down range myself with the pistols. This is a video of me shooting two pistols Laura Croft style.

I got to know Albus and Vinkovic the most as we spoke with each other for several hours during our dinner after the range where the Bundeswehr provided us with a fantastic barbeque.

Another Day...

It's definitely fall now, the leaves are turning and even starting to fall in the church parking lot. Cory is in the field the next three days with the Germans for some shooting. So we're just having more Momma and Jeffers time.

I started back to teaching this week. It was fun, I have an easier schedule (half the number of classes as before) and the same number of students, even though several had left over the summer. I think since there are lots of new families and the those with a deployed solider receive discounted tuition, I may have lots of new students this year.

Jeffrey has been very vocal recently. He loves to talk and he still does a good impression of a shark (Shark! Ow! Right Elena?) when he decides to eat something. I think his top two teeth may be in the works but still a ways away from making an appearance. They seem to be more painful than the bottom ones. We ordered his halloween costume this week. I'm not going to say what he'll be, but he'll be super cute!!

Two AAM

My awards for competing in past board caught up to me this week. I will have to add these to Army Achievement Medals to my permanent records.

The Doughnut Song

Jeffrey loves it when we sing to him. It can even stop him from crying sometimes.

Microsoft Photo Story 3

Microsoft Windows has a great program called Photo Story 3 that I just discovered for making photo slide shows. The link will take you to the Microsoft Download site where you can get the program for free. I have tried it out and found it extremely easy to use.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx

Jeffers' new Grill

We were just going about our normal routine today having a morning bottle when Jeffers starting gnawing on my finger! Yowsa! It was sharp! I looked in his little mouth and saw two TINY teeth poking through the gums. I squealed and told Cory to come look. We had an "Awwwwww" parent moment and Jeffrey thought it was hilarious to have all the attention. We couldn't get a picture because he isn't so cooperative and you'd probably just see his scared face, but the two bottom teeth are coming in.

This explains all the drooling and ralphing I guess. He really wasn't very fussy, he was more fussy a few months ago when we were trying to find the right formula for him. Maybe he has his momma's high tolerance for pain. Who knows, but my little baby is growing up.

The weather seems to have turned cool. I guess summer left overnight. Which was timed well with the first day of DoDD schools. Next week I go back to teaching Irish dance. I'm looking forward to it.

I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend!

A Peanut Sat On the Railroad Track

This is one of Jeffrey's favorite songs. I think that he loves the actions that go with the words.

Asleep at the Store

After a ride to the Rose Barracks Commisary in Vilseck Jeffrey fell asleep in his stroller in the store. Sometimes sleeping babies are the best babies.

My break from work has given me a chance to spend some quality time with Jeffrey. We are half way through our Harry Potter book.