{ kitty rescue }

i just wanted to share this quick tv package i put together for my journalism class last semester at city college i produced on the cat rescue i volunteer for- not fancy at all (i didn't know i was even going to be on-camera that day!) but animal shelters are completely SLAMMED right now and need volunteers/fosters so if you are an animal lover and can help volunteer, it'll will be a wonderful act of service and will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. contact your local shelter!

{ beffendorf, germany }

wow! it'll almost be a year since our european vacation and realized that i'm only half-way through editing/blogging! i'd like to get a book completed before our baby girl arrives (we have a name picked out! just trying to find the right time to announce it)

one of the main reasons we took a family trip to europe was for the annual "lemperle" family reunion in a quaint little town- beffendorf, germany. my dad's great-great grandfather left here years ago before coming to america (actually a pretty funny story! he was in a duel with a priest over a woman and lost and had to leave town!) this was our first time and looked forward to meeting relatives from around the world. there are way more lemperles then we thought and we spent a few days meeting and learning a little more about our family history!

such an adorable village in the black forest!

hayden & grammy

the reunion weekend was a blast!

tracing family roots...

presentation in german and english!

our hotel- LOVE the german windows and architecture

a war monument with lemperle men who died in combat

i guess wine-making runs in the family! my brother has been studying the art/science of wine the last few years in europe and is getting his masters this fall. (he hopes to open his own vineyard!) it was complete happiness for my dad and brother to visit this restaurant and find there were bottles of "lemperle wein" already in production!

an original lemperle home

doesn't this village look like a fairy-tale? that was exactly how it felt- straight out of hansel and gretel!

ricky being ricky!

off to lake constance!

{ double strollers }

maybe it's because i'm pregnant and cannot make a decision for the life of me, but shopping and choosing the perfect double stroller has been really hard! maybe it's because there isn't a perfect one? we have 100% narrowed out those huge double, side-by-side ones! i feel so bad for other moms when they can't make it through a standard door or down any shopping aisles- no thank you! if you have a double stroller, we would love to hear from you! comments? any one you love or hate would be so helpful! here are the ones we have been checking out-

anything with this many wheels is automatically declined~ plus i would like to be able to still go shopping...

the classic "sit-and-stand"

i like the idea of it but where would hayden nap if we had a long day at disneyland? talk about a neck cramp! not to mention there is no shade covering in the back.

problem solved! 2 seats, shade and drink holders for 2, but would i feel like i'm pushing a limo around?

another one, minus the seat but with shade protection.

first place so far- phil and teds!

we borrowed this from our good friends and took this on a trial run with hayden and his buddy to the zoo and we both agreed that we totally liked it! both ricky and i had the same reaction- well, what about the poor kid in the back? well, to our surprise, the boys were both fighting to sit there! the best part is that it moves smoothly and doesn't get in the way when you're walking. it glides effortlessly and catches a lot of attention actually! the downside is the price- it is pretty pricey and everything comes separately -the drink holder, the organizer, etc. so it can add up pretty quickly...

thoughts? do you prefer the limo? the wide-angle? would love to hear! thanks!