Don't Cry For Me, Argentina

Or any other country, for that matter...  Because even though I've had to go sans hubby for almost a month, Liam and I have been doing just fine.  We've thrown ourselves into this fabulous Deutschland and made some great memories, which I'll share with all of you!

1.  Playtime:  As you already know, we ventured down to Nürnberg for some time in Tucherland, and we've frequented our local Bamberg favorite -- Frankyland -- several afternoons during Zeke's time away.

2.  Athletic Prowess:  (No surprise here), I decided to satisfy the Crazy in me and take Liam on a SNOWSHOE HIKE.  We joined some other Army folks, drove 45 minutes east to the Bavarian portion of the Fichtelgebirge mountain.  The area is amazing; it extends to the border of the Czech Republic and is as treacherous and beautiful as the Bavarian Alps we encountered during Weihnachten.  Right in this moment, I realize that we trekked the highest mountain in the range -- the Schneeberg.  I remember seeing a sign for it.  We hit the summit of Rudolfstein about one-third of the way into our journey, which is at 850m above sea level, so it's likely Liam and I have some bragging rights about reaching the summit of the Schneeberg, at 1,050m above sea level.  Woo!

Oh, by the way:  Liam wasn't actually hiking in snowshoes.  I wore him in my homemade Moby wrap the whole time.  And he was a perfect companion!  We pointed out familiar objects, talked about the snow, shouted out colors worn by members in our group, and he even snuggled in for a nap for much of the journey.  He got upset only when I stopped for too long -- he would yell, "BUS! BUS!" commanding me to return him to our ride, or, "Walking, walking," like a motivational chant.  I guess he had the right to be upset when we stopped:  The snow was falling at 2" per hour and the winds were gusting in excess of 25mph.

Yes, it was crazy difficult to hike in snowshoes straight up a mountain with a 25-lb, 3-foot-tall toddler wrapped to me, but It Was Awesome.  Definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Crazy rock formation typical for Rudolfstein

Winter Wonderland

I took this picture thinking we were reaching our hike's highest point...

But after that, we still had to cross OVER this fallen tree...

Continue upward....

And further upward for another almost-kilometer until we reached our zenith (and, of course, had to walk back down)

3.  Par-tays:  I had a great birthday!  Even if it was here in a new land, without my dear, sweet hubby by my side.  On Sunday, my kind and generous friend Audra opened her home to me, Liam, and a couple of other families and friends for a little party.  We had pizza, a fabulous lemon cake, and a nice, relaxing afternoon.  There were 7 kids running around and entertaining each other, which was like icing on the lemon cake.

He figured out how to use these party favors on his first try!

With his favorite new girlfriend Eva (if she robs Liam's cradle 20 years from now, I'd be okay with that)

PARTAY!

Good times, good times.  And guess what?  Zeke just got home early, so I'm going to go enjoy both my boys.  Tschuß!!