AAAH A new year! A new year with new goals and new stuff and things!
I made a goal this year to post every Sunday on this blog...and then promptly forgot. oops.
I'm posting today, though! It won't be much of a post. I just realized I didn't post 3 days ago when I was supposed to, so I felt OBLIGATED to post something. I don't feel like posting what I had planned for last Sunday because that will take a while and this is totally a whim.
This January is pretty mild so far. I'm not complaining, mind you! No snow, not too cold...a little grey, of course, but if it wasn't I'd be worried. January is the month of nothing for us, I think. We have no plans to do anything and I intend to keep it that way. Story time every Thursday and church every Sunday is enough this month.
I've decided to open up a private youtube account for family videos (mostly of Sasha) - Grandparents will probably be the target audience, but anyone who follows this blog is welcome to it as well. That's on my to-do list for this week, so hopefully when I post on Sunday, I'll have a video for you to watch, too! Of course, that brings my total number of youtube channels up to 3...which may be a bit excessive. We'll see how it goes!
In other news, I've made an insane list of goals and resolutions for not only myself but the entire Brant clan! I should just pick one thing at a time for us to work on, but that's just not how my brain works! Our big family goals for this year:
-FHE every week no matter what!
-Visit the temple once a month (even if only one of us can go)
-Eat our meals together as a family at the table
-Go to bed on time (all 3 of us are terrible at this)
mmmm that's pretty much it. I'm sure I'll add to that list. I like to have so many goals that I feel overwhelmed and give up after just a week or two...at least it SEEMS like that's what I like because that's what I always do!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Weekend in Berlin!
This past weekend, we went to Berlin. We're counting it as our first trip there, even though we'd been there before. Of course, that was in 2010 on our way to Poland and was for less than 24 hours.
In any case, it was Sasha's absolute first time!
We left for Berlin around 9:30 AM on Friday the 9th of November. The drive was pretty uneventful. It took us about 7 hours to get to our apartment in the West of Berlin. The apartment was great! It was cheap, had a full kitchen, balcony, and a separate bedroom for Sasha. The only thing that wasn't so great about it was the distance to the city center...which we demonstrated after we had dinner the first night. We decided to walk to the Brandenburg Gate, just for kicks. That turned out to be more of an adventure than we planned on. It took almost 2 hours to walk there. Needless to say, we took the train back.
The next day, we spent the morning at the zoo. Sasha went between being scared of the animals to being completely enthralled by them. My personal favorite exhibit was the nocturnal animal room under the cat house! They had Aardvarks!! I don't think I'd ever actually seen one before. It was awesome. I was really impressed with the Berlin zoo. It was huge and had tons of different species and a huge playground and I loved it. We spent 3 hours there and I really wish that we could have stayed longer.
After the zoo, we went to the Brandenburg Gate to meet up for a free walking tour. The tour was supposed to be 3 hours long, but we ducked out early because it started raining on us. The part of the tour we went on was great and informative, but we didn't have our umbrellas, so it just wasn't meant to be. Later that night we went to a grocery store and stocked up on some more food...and that's about it.
On Sunday, we tried to go to church, but the trains just weren't being our friends and when it became apparent that we were not going to make it in time for sacrament, we decided to just go to the city center again. We hung around and ate lunch on a bench, until around noon when we had reservations to go up in the Reichstag. I kind of forgot the Reichstag is a government building, so I was caught off guard when we had to go through an airport-style security check point. At least we didn't have any knives or whatever in our backpack! The dome on top of the Reichstag is so cool! The view was great and the dome was beautiful and there was a free audio guide, too! It was great! We stayed up there for about an hour.
The Brants at the Reichstag!
After that, we wandered over to the East Side gallery and walked he whole length of the wall. Then we went over to the Wall memorial. The sun set around 4:30 PM, so we didn't have a lot of daylight hours. By the time we got to the Wall memorial walk, it was dusk. By the time we finished, it was pitch black. We still had a great time and I learned a lot. I remember learning about the Wall in school, but that was about it. The Soviets were crazy talk!
The next morning, we were on the road by 9 AM. We had another uneventful, easy drive home and the rest is history! I wish we could have stayed in Berlin for a whole week. There was so much more I wanted to do! At least we did all of the major stuff. And who knows? Maybe we'll go back again!
Brants in Berlin!
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Blog Shall Rise Again!
Well, that was quite a gap in posting. I won't bother backtracking. I'm sure we did lots of terribly interesting things since March, but you're just going to have to deal with not knowing what any of it was! HA!
Last Wednesday was HALLOWEEN!! I really love Halloween, though not so much here in Germany. I haven't even bothered to wear a costume for the past 2 years. Those who know me well will know how strange that is. Getting fabric here just isn't as fun: at the German stores, it's really expensive, and on line, I can't see it in person before I buy it! I've been buying fabric on every trip back to the states that we make, but I just wasn't thinking about Halloween in July. I'll try to plan ahead next year, though.
Our ward had a trunk or treat ON Halloween, which I thought was a little odd. They also decided to cancel the chili cook off aspect of the activity and JUST do trunk-or-treating. That's fine for the kids, but it took a lot of the fun out of it for me. There really wasn't any time to socialize and it ended up feeling more like a primary activity than a ward activity.
Sasha dressed up in the dinosaur costume that his Grandma Brant got him. He LOVES it!! He wore it most of the day because we also went to Halloween story time at the library. He kept getting down on his hands and knees and roaring. It was cracking me up. The costume is so adorable, too! I love the tail! Sasha was a little shy at the beginning of the night when the kids were doing a costume parade. He just wouldn't join in! But as soon as the trunk or treating started, all reserves were lost. Candy was to be had and the only way to have it was to walk up to strangers in vans. Now if that's not creepy, I don't know what is!
Last Wednesday was HALLOWEEN!! I really love Halloween, though not so much here in Germany. I haven't even bothered to wear a costume for the past 2 years. Those who know me well will know how strange that is. Getting fabric here just isn't as fun: at the German stores, it's really expensive, and on line, I can't see it in person before I buy it! I've been buying fabric on every trip back to the states that we make, but I just wasn't thinking about Halloween in July. I'll try to plan ahead next year, though.
Our ward had a trunk or treat ON Halloween, which I thought was a little odd. They also decided to cancel the chili cook off aspect of the activity and JUST do trunk-or-treating. That's fine for the kids, but it took a lot of the fun out of it for me. There really wasn't any time to socialize and it ended up feeling more like a primary activity than a ward activity.
Sasha dressed up in the dinosaur costume that his Grandma Brant got him. He LOVES it!! He wore it most of the day because we also went to Halloween story time at the library. He kept getting down on his hands and knees and roaring. It was cracking me up. The costume is so adorable, too! I love the tail! Sasha was a little shy at the beginning of the night when the kids were doing a costume parade. He just wouldn't join in! But as soon as the trunk or treating started, all reserves were lost. Candy was to be had and the only way to have it was to walk up to strangers in vans. Now if that's not creepy, I don't know what is!
Check out that smile! He's cute and he knows it!
That's it for this update! I'm going to try to put myself on a schedule to post at least every Monday! So...see you soon?
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Spring Bucket List!
I keep seeing people make bucket lists for different things (Christmas, Spring, etc.) and since I just LOVE to make lists, I thought I'd make one for us, too!
Poor Sasha is going crazy with all of this bitter cold weather! I call this our "Bring Out The Sun, Already" Spring bucket list:
1. Make Easter baskets
2. Color Easter eggs
3. Plant flowers and vegetables in garden
4. Fly a kite
5. Go see the tulips in Holland
6. Go on a picnic
7. Go to the zoo
8. Make cookies as a family
9. Make cotton ball art
10. Make clay and build sculptures
That's all I have so far. I'm counting spring until the end of May, and when June starts, we'll have to have a SUMMER bucket list (which I already have a ton of ideas for). I'll probably add more things to this list before the end of May, too.
And now it's about time to Skype with the fam back in the states!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Mediterranean Cruise January 2012
So the time has finally come to type up a report of our cruise. I'll start where I left off back on January 19. We were in Bavaria, at a military resort called Edelweiss. We stayed there from January 19-21. Regan went snowboarding on the 20th, and I stayed at the resort with Sasha.
This is how I found Sasha the morning of the 20th. Looks comfy!
Sasha went swimming for the first time ever at the resort pool! He LOVED the water, but hated his life jacket haha.
On January 21, we drove from Bavaria, over the alps, to Italy. The drive, according to Google Maps should take about 5 hours. It took us closer to 9. There was a TON of snow coming down, so traffic was slow and backed up in places. The trees looked so lovely, though!
Winter wonderland! Not so good for driving, though.
Here is a video of our drive:
We spent the next few days staying with our friends, the Lazenby family, in Italy. They live about an hour away from Venice, which is where our ship was leaving from. On Monday January 23, we hopped a train to Venice and got on board the MSC Magnifica! The first day was spent eating, going through safety drills, and getting used to being on a ship.
Me and Sasha all ready for the big safety drill!
Here's a video of our 1st day on the ship:
The Brant family in a rickshaw!
After our tour, we still had free time, so we walked around for a while and tried to find souvenirs. I used my amazing Hello Kitty powers to find a little Sanrio shop! I got an ice cube tray and a hair clip. We also walked along the shore line for a while and it was really beautiful. We had the best weather of the whole cruise in Bari.
Here is a video of our 2nd day on the cruise:
On January 25, we had a lovely day at sea! It was a pretty lazy day with lots of naps and eating, but I explored the ship and found lots of new places! It was also the Gala night, so there was a fancy dinner and show, and everyone was dressed in ball gowns! It made me wish that I had a gown.
The Brants on Gala night!
Here is a video of our 3rd day on the ship:
On January 26, we made port in Rhodes, Greece. We had arranged for a private tour which took us all over the island. My favorite part of the tour was visiting a small town called Lindos! It was very well preserved and exactly what I pictured a small town in Greece to look like.
Here is a video of our 7th day on the cruise:
Here is a video of our 8th day of the cruise:
Me and Sasha on the acropolis of Lindos!
Here is a video of our 4th day on the cruise:
On January 27, we made port in Haifa, Israel. We had booked a private tour with our friends, the Lazenby family, and had a little mini-bus and tour guide to take us through the holy land! We visited Galilee and the Sea of Galilee, but not much else. Sadly, daylight was not in our favor and neither was time.
Sasha and me on the tour bus in Israel.
I love this picture of us on a boat on the Sea of Galilee! So funny!
Here's a video of our 5th day on the cruise:
On January 28, we woke up in our hotel in Jerusalem early so that we could fit in a whole day of sight seeing! We saw a LOT that day. We were able to see the Garden of Gethsemane, The Garden Tomb, The Wailing Wall, and the old section of Jerusalem. We had an AMAZING lunch of traditional Israeli food. So good. It was an awesome day and an unforgettable experience! I wish we could go back and spend a few weeks there.
The Brants in Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock behind us.
Sasha moving a mini-version of the stone in front of the tomb! Strong boy!
Here is a video of our 6th day on the cruise:
On January 29, we didn't do much of anything. It was an at sea day and we were all pretty tired from our whirlwind trip through the Holy Land. Lots of naps were had, lots of food was eaten, and lots of nothing was done.
Here is a video of our 7th day on the cruise:
On January 30, we made port in Athens, Greece! The sky was clear, but it was SO cold that day. I was freezing (and I HATE freezing). We were able to see some really cool sights, but our tour guide, George, was a little weird and didn't seem like he was used to giving tours. Instead of just taking us around, he kept saying "It's up to you." as if we knew where everything was and where to go next! But we still had fun (making fun of George).
Sasha and Me on the acropolis in Athens, Greece!
On January 31st, we had another at sea day. Our friend watched Sasha during his nap for us so that Regan and I could go on a little date. We went to the Tiger Lounge and had some (non-alcoholic) drinks! It was really nice to relax together.
mmm those drinks were good!
Here's a video of our 9th day on the cruise:
On February 1, we made it back to Venice and said goodbye to the MSC Magnifica!! We left the ship in the morning and were back to the Lazenby's house by early afternoon.
Papa and Sasha saying goodbye to the ship!
Here is a video of our 10th, and last, day on the cruise
And so it ends! It was such an amazing trip! I absolutely LOVED the cruise! I hope that we can go on many more.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Slow Cooker Sunday, Valentine's Day, and Fasching!!
Hello Hello! Time to play a little catch up! Let's start with Valentine's Day. The day before, Sasha and I were as sneaky as possible and snuck into Regan's office after he'd left for the day (we were lucky someone else was still there to let us in) and decorated his cube with balloons, candy, pictures of us, and streamers! I thought I really got him good.
Here's one of the pics we put up in his cube!
He called me the next morning right after getting to work and told me how surprised he was! He actually woke me up when he called because I wasn't going to get up until 8 when Sasha gets up. After we got off the phone, I decided to just get up and go downstairs and what should I find? A surprise of my own!
Flowers and candy! So sweet!
Sasha wearing his awesome V-day crown (made with only a little help from Mama)
Next up, let's talk about Fasching! Fasching is carnival time in Germany. We've never really done anything to celebrate, even though it's a pretty big deal in our area. This year, Regan happened to be off of work on the same day that Mainz was having their big Fasching celebration. We decided to make the drive (it only takes about 45 min) and check it out. Our friends the Ta's came with us and our goal was to get there around 11 when the big parade started!
There were MANY of these scary guys in the parade!
For Fasching, you're supposed to dress up in a costume like at Halloween, but we didn't. I'd say over 90% of the people there were dressed up, though.
I wore my Hello Kitty headband for a costume!
The parade was advertised as being kid friendly, which it pretty much was. The problem was when you stepped away from the parade! It was just a drunken mess! There were people puking every 20 feet or so, and I don't even want to think about how much public urination I witnessed! As we walked down the street, we had to dodge "pee streams" flowing down from the side of buildings when men had been relieving themselves all day. It was also VERY crowded. We ended up staying for about 2 hours and most of that time was spent watching the parade, thank goodness. It was pretty much agreed by all parties that the Mainz Fasching parade was a one time thing. We won't be going back next year. It was yucky.
For slow cooker Sunday, I made Polish Sausage Stew from my Fix it and Forget it cookbook! I picked it with Regan in mind.
It's not much to look at, but holy crap it was good.
Recipe:
1 can cream of celery soup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
27 oz. sauerkraut, drained
14 oz. Polish sausage, cut into bite sized pieces and browned
4 medium potatoes, cubed
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup shredded Jack cheese
Combine soup, sugar, and sauerkraut. Stir in browned sausage, cubed potatoes, and chopped onions. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. Stir in cheese just before serving.
YUM!
This was REALLY good. Everyone loved it and it made enough that we got to have it for lunch for a couple of days. WHEN I make it again, I will double the sausage. 1 pack just wasn't enough!
Sasha enjoying his stew!
Last Friday, we had a speech therapist come out to the house and evaluate Sasha. It was a wonderful visit! She was really sweet and she pointed out some things that no other doctor has (and considering how many we've seen in the 6 months since we brought Sasha home, that's saying something). She wants to do a second evaluation and bring another doctor with her. She said that Sasha tested really high on pretty much everything except speech and fine motor skills, so she doesn't know if we'll make it into the free early intervention program, but she's hopeful that because of his history, we'll be able to sneak in. I really hope so because I would love to work with her more! I already learned so much from her after just one visit. In any case, I'm very hopeful that Sasha will be able to catch up now and that makes me super happy!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Slow Cooker Sunday: African Chicken Treat
So, we're back from the cruise! We've been back for over a week, but we've been SICK! I'm still sick but I can't keep using it as a reason to get nothing done. Last Sunday, I got up late and layed around sick all day so I didn't make anything for dinner (we probably ate bread and butter or something lame), but this week I was feeling marginally better...so slow cooker Sunday returned! I made African Chicken Treat:
I got the recipe from my Fix it and Forget it cookbook, and of course, I changed it a lot. Here's the recipe I used:
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 ribs celery, sliced
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup extra crunch peanut butter
cracked seasoned black pepper
Combine the first 4 ingredients in the crock pot. Spread peanut butter on both sides of each piece of chicken and sprinkle with pepper. Place in crock pot on top of vegetables. Cook on low for 6 hours. I served it with rice.
Sasha enjoying the idea of dinner before he actually ate any of it.
I know it sounds weird with the peanut butter and all, but it was actually really good. It had a good strong flavor! Sasha didn't really like it, though. But I'm not sure if he didn't like it because of the chicken - he really doesn't like chicken very much, usually. In any case, Regan and I both really liked it so I'm sure I'll make it again sometime.
In other news, on Saturday we had our 6 month post-adoption meeting with a social worker. She came, toured the house, asked us questions for about 2 hours, and that was that. It actually went really well, despite the fact that I had NO voice at all. The lady (whose name was Jessica, just like me) was really nice and positive. Anyway, it went well - no problems. We get to keep Sasha. yay!
I want to make a post about the cruise, but not today. I'm feeling somewhat better, but not better enough to type up that mess~ Later
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