{ lake constance, meersburg }

wow! these pictures make us want to go back to europe badly!

{ lake constance }

is so gorgeous and is at the northern foot of the alps. it's actually situated in switzerland, germany and austria so it is huge. our neighbors lived on the swiss side and came highly recommended and glad we didn't miss out!

taking the car onto the ferry and headed to meersburg

breathtaking!

my hottie hubby!

can we have this on our house?!

{ meersburg, germany }

a charming medieval city that has 2 castles. one was built in the 7th century!

not 100% sure of the popular witch souvenirs but supposedly it's legend that she comes and sweeps winter away.

best thing about traveling? the cuisine! a nice afternoon lunch on the lake.

stealing grandpa's hat!

"i'm gonna get it!"

"got it!"

"and never gonna get it back!"

{ under construction }

well, not only is baby under construction, but so is our home! we have decided to do a "few" home improvement projects this summer and are hoping to get the best deals and do as many things ourselves. my father is an expert at everything and i am so grateful i married a "handy man" too that can do a variety of things!

on the "honey do" list?

- new wood floors (my dad and ricky already did it themselves!!)

- new carpeting (just installed!)

-recover kitchen table chairs (my mom helped with that!)

- new fencing in backyard (thank you hoa)

- install travertine tile outside

-new plants and landscaping

- new kitchen appliances

- paint/stain kitchen cabinets and buy new hardware

- buy hayden a twin bed and decorate his new room

did i mention we have a baby room to decorate as well?!

that means i am converting my scrapbook/office room to a sweet little girls room (so excited!!) but where the heck am i going to put everything? that will be a summer project in itself.

i wanted to share my inspiration for her room. i debated between the "princess" room with the pink damask wallpaper with the fancy chandelier or a fun shabby chic room with adorable birdies and owls...and that is what we choose! we thought it would be more fun and whimsical for a little girl and we can do the fancy room when she gets older.

the bedding is potterybarn kids (our favorite) and thought it would be cute to get a vinyl tree for the wall...can't wait to see what it looks like!

{ 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!

{ it's a... }

{ girl! }

we are beyond thrilled! hayden said from the very start that he was going to have a baby sister...i think children know more than we do sometimes. i had a feeling it was a girl and we just feel so blessed to have one of each. we went to the same 4d ultrasound place we went to with hayden and found out they could do gender determination as early as 15 weeks- we were all over that! it was the sweetest thing...we watched her (they record it onto a dvd) for about 20 minutes and we are already in love. we saw her drink, hiccup and enjoyed her endless moving and kicking...

here she is!

4D image

little footprint

we are so excited to meet you sweet baby girl!

love,

mommy, daddy & hayden

{15 weeks}

{15 weeks and counting!}

phew, i'm so grateful i have made it thus far and am still hanging in there!

some of you know that my first pregnancy was extremely difficult because of how sick i was. i was sicker than a dog for practically the entire 40 weeks and even throw up after giving birth. it felt like i had the flu 24/7 and was the hardest trial of my life. all the women in my family also suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum, which in latin means extreme, unrelenting nausea/vomiting. even though there isn't a cure, i took every medicine possible and nothing helped. after lot's of blessings, iv's, prayers and taking it day by day, i survived it and was given the most beautiful blessing in the end, our sweet son hayden. it was worth it. i told ricky that i'd be crazy to ever put myself through that again, but knew deep down that the trial and sacrifice was so worth it.

we love the 3 year age difference between our niece and nephew and thought that would work great for our family. we wanted a fall baby and that's what we got! i didn't know what to expect this pregnancy but was prepared for the worst. i researched every hg website, switched doctors, got on my medicine a lot earlier, ordered a new motion sickness bracelet that just got FDA approved, stocked up on saltine crackers, pickles and lemonade and was ready to take this on again. i am so thankful to say this pregnancy so far has been so much better! I'm still not 100%, but I can actually get out of bed, put a smile on my face and accomplish some of my daily tasks...

i am so grateful this pregnancy has been a little easier, or maybe i'm just a little stronger?

baby h! first ultrasound

i can't believe how big my bump already is!!!

hayden loves to touch "mommy's baby" daily and gives lot's of kisses too.

after work, i kick off the heels and slip on the flip-flops! so much better!

thanks mom for taking me maternity shopping today! i got some great things!

we find out if it's a boy or girl this wednesday!!!

any guesses?!