The Great Baby Food Boycott & Update!

A few weeks ago, right after we moved here, Lexie decided she is done with baby food. She will only eat it now if it's mixed with oatmeal or rice cereal. I've never had a baby begin eating table food so early....I'm amazed by all she can eat, especially considering she only has her two bottom teeth, and honestly, they're not even all the way in. But the girl eats anything and everything you give her....she never ceases to amaze me. She loves bread, especially soft rolls and croissants. She also loves peas, rice, diced carrots, mashed potatoes, and diced fruit. We also cut up whatever meat we're having into tiny pieces (or shred it) and she just gobbles up whatever we put on her tray.

Last night we went to the Volksfest on base, the first one we've been to since arriving. I had forgotten about all the yummy food at those things! We ate Nutella and banana crepes, and the kids ate these mini donuts sprinkled with cinnamon sugar...even Lexie loved them! Aiden and Julia rode some rides, and I took Julia in the funhouse, which was more scary for her than fun. It was very dark!

We have done quite a bit of local travel since arriving, visiting both the towns of Nuremberg and Regensburg. They are both about an hour away. In Regensburg, we visited St. Peter's Cathedral, which is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen! We visited the downtown of both places and have enjoyed local food like brats, doners (think gyros), and the BEST pretzels.

I've been planting flowers around the house....I do not have much of a green thumb, but I'm learning as I go! I've visited the local store Obi, which is like Home Depot, and bought flowers and planters, soil and fertilizer. We are also trying to get our grass in better shape. It was very dry when we arrived....since the neighborhood is so new, there is no shade. We've been fertilizing and bought a sprinkler to try to make it pretty and green. I also planted some herbs....chives, basil and oregano. They are doing very well.

Today we went to the town of Weiden, about a 15 minute drive, and I had a happy reunion with some of my favorite shops I used to frequent in Mannheim: H & M, Xanaka, Orsay, C & A, and the New Yorker. The only "American" names I saw were Espirit and a Paul Mitchell Salon! I found a nice little coffee shop and there were tons of outdoor cafes and eis cafes. (Eis-ice cream) Ice cream is a big deal here. We frequently eat ice cream in the town of Eschenbach, only a few miles from home. They serve the ice cream in cones or cups, with these tiny little plastic spoons that are a genius invention for children. They also serve the ice cream with a round piece of ice cream cone in it that you use to dip and eat. YUM! The kids are hooked, as are we. Even Lexie gets excited and kicks her legs when she sees the little cup of ice cream.

Julia has made some nice friends around the neighborhood that are her same age, and I'm getting to know their moms. We're very happy on our little street! We bought a Isuzu Rodeo (black) from someone in Wally's battalion, and it's a bit cramped with 3 carseats across the back seat, but it will be more than sufficient until our van arrives later this month. It's a bit of a struggle to share the car since we are not within walking distance of much, but Wally usually comes home at lunch and we take him back to work, leaving us with the car for the afternoon.

I will add some pictures to this post later....right now, I have to head up to the PX because we're low on diapers. One downside....almost everything on base closes at 8pm! German stores close even earlier!

** I had to delete this slideshow because it was messing up the blog! Sorry! :(