Gourmet Wine Hike

Last weekend we took a little drive along the Rhein River to a small village, Oppenheim, about 30 minutes away. They were advertising for a "Gourmet" Wine Hike. We weren't sure what it entailed, but it sounded like something to check out! Oppenheim is this really cute and charming town that has Thousands of acres of vineyards, and sits right along the river. The hike was set up into 10 different stations that walk through the vineyards. Each station had a featured winery that you could buy a glass or tasting of wine, also had a certain type of food that was being sold, and some even an activity for the kids. The hike would have taken us ALL day with the kids, so we decided just to walk to the first three.  The first stop was absolutely incredible! It was set in Castle Ruins that overlooked the entire town. I'm sure the ruins had been around for hundreds of years. They had picnic tables set up so we enjoyed a small feast and the spectacular views! 

This is inside one of the castle windows, gives you an idea of the view:

The third stop had a bouncy house for the kiddos. Luke didn't participate, but Addy had a blast:

Berlin

We just spent a FABULOUS 4 day weekend in Berlin! We had such an amazing trip and really really enjoyed spending time with our friends, The Jamieson's. Will, Julie, Jett, and Gunnar were such fantastic hosts and we can't wait to meet up with them again soon. The adults had so much fun catching up and staying up WAY too late every night (like 2am). We're still recovering. The kids had a blast hanging out with Jett and Gunnar-- Addy was very sad to leave. We also explored the city and enjoyed some of the sites. Berlin was very interesting in that just the layout and architecture of the city was different then what we are used to seeing. Parts of it are very modern (built in the last 10-15 years) and other parts were very sterile and run down (original Soviet buildings), and than other parts were typical German architecture. On the first day Will and Julie gave us a driving overview of the city. We stopped to see the Brandenburg Gate, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. We also enjoyed a nice dinner out with the 4 of us (kids stayed home with a sitter). Jeff and I also spent a few hours out on Saturday without the kids. We were able to visit Checkpoint Charlie, parts of the Wall, and enjoy a nice lunch. We also had a great Easter (post below). We had such a great time that we hope to visit the Jamieson's at their next assignment in Africa!

Brandenburg Gate:

The kiddos at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe:

Luke walking through the Memorial, a better view of the layout here:

Jeff in front of Checkpoint Charlie

The Berlin Wall:

We took this after our dinner out the first night. The Berlin Cathedral looked beautiful at night! Picture doesn't do it justice:

Just another fun slumber party over the weekend:

Easter in Berlin

We had such a wonderful Easter this year. It was so nice to spend it with friends! It was very relaxing and the kids had a blast. We woke up to a nice dusting of snow (White Easter is definitely a first for us!). The kids were very excited to open their baskets and had a great time finding eggs all over the yard. We hung out and ate way too much chocolate, enjoyed a nice morning at the park, and then a fantastic turkey dinner. Us adults also stayed up late playing games while the kiddos were tucked in for an early night.

The Easter Bunny delivered! So glad he knew to come visit us in Berlin ;)

Addy and the boys after their egg hunt-- we had more than enough for everyone!

The light dusting of snow has almost melted in this picture:

Even Luke loved looking for eggs:

DELICIOUS dinner! Glad I was able to capture (almost) everyone:

Look who chowed down on the turkey leg:

Easter Playdate

3rd Annual Easter Playdate. I was trying to skip it this year, but I have a 4 year old who remembers everything and cherishes any moment that involves a party and sugar. She asked me when we were having it-- so I couldn't get away without it! It ended up working out nicely. We invited 4 friends and luckily for Luke 2 of them have brothers his age. A total of five 4-5 year olds, and 3 almost 2 year olds. Pretty low key! Luke was adorable, he absolutely loved the Easter egg hunt! We let the little guys get a "head start" and he ended up with the most eggs.

Here's the yummy treats. The little bunny sandwiches are covered in this picture, but the kids actually had a nutritious lunch before they indulged in cookies and dessert dirt.

Luke and Grady finding their eggs:

Eating lunch. The weather was nice too, all in all a great day!