Hitscherhof Fall Festival!

While I have never claimed to be the best seasonal decorator in town, I do very much enjoy the festive fall decor that people set out welcoming my very favorite season! Silly scarecrows, hay bales, corn stalks, red and orange leaves- they all signal the coming of crisp mornings, COLLEGE FOOTBALL, the start of a new school year, beautiful leaves, and so many other things that just make me happy. It was a spectacular time in Dayton, or in the mountains in Colorado if you've had the chance to drive through during the few days when the aspens are at their peak.
The arrival of fall here has been much more quiet. It has certainly started to cool down- today I'm in sweats with a hot drink and Layla is snuggled in long sleeves under a flannel blanket while she naps. The leaves haven't really changed, though, so with the exception of a random yellow tree here and there the area has remained really green. Of course, there is no college football around here (there is no pro either, so I take the good with the bad!) so my Saturday mornings have been lacking the sound of marching bands on ESPN's College Football Game Day and I miss it! There are games on AFN (American Forces Network- a satellite service that provides selective American broadcasts, generally nothing you really want to watch) but they are either tape delayed or on at 2 am. So, it's just been really different!
Given that all of my German neighbors really go all out with gardening and planted flowers- seriously beautiful work- I was looking forward to seeing what stunning displays they would have for fall! It turns out they do... nottttthing. Fail! Tacky yard decoration is apparently a strictly American thing, and they will judge you for keeping up the tradition here so we are advised not to. So, when I heard about a Fall and Pumpkin Festival, I was excited! I mentioned it to my neighbor Jamie who is ready for anything, and we loaded up her van with her 3 kids and Layla and hit the road. Both of our husbands have been working weekends and some evenings lately, so the guys missed out on this fun day.

Hitscherhof is about 45 mins-1 hr away from our village, and they put on this annual event as their big fest. They do a fantastic job of catering to Americans- all advertising, directions, and vendors operated in both German and English- and I think their efforts are fully rewarded by the crowds that flock there. It was clean, well run, ample parking for large American cars, and SO much fun! You can visit the website for the area here. There is a bed and breakfast on the grounds that looks like it would be fun to stay at! There were food vendors selling pumpkin soup, pumpkin wine, waffles, brats, corn on the cob, cakes... and of course the beer and wine trucks! There were also people selling really neat crafts- by far the best display I've seen, including the big Ramstein Bazaar last weekend. Even though this was about one quarter of the size of the bazaar, it was clearly about quality and not quantity here. I'm so happy Jamie was up for a day trip, because I probably would have wimped out and skipped it if it meant going alone. I had a fantastic time, and will definitely put it on the calendar to visit next year! 

 

Layla is in her hoodie and jeans, ready for a fall day!

 Hitscherhof is on the top of a hill with really beautiful views of the valley below. You can also see that it was a spectacular day! Just cool enough for a sweater and boots, but still sunny and dry.

 The event organizers went all out with the pumpkins- there were fun displays like this all over

 Jamie and I toasting with our Riesling! It was only 1.50 Euro per glass, and so delicious.

 The inside of the barn where the food was set up was decorated just as adorably.

 They had pumpkins lining every windowsill in town. It was really cute and a great idea to try out on our own home.

 Jamie and her 3 fantastic kids. They are so well behaved, and just fun to be around! On the drive they had a good time making faces at Layla and then letting me know her every movement so I could know what was going on :)

 Layla's first pumpkin patch! We didn't bring one home, but had fun looking around anyway.

 She wasn't too sure what I was trying to do here, or that she wanted to be a part of it...

After a long day outside with lots of bouncing in her stroller and riding in the car, she was pretty tuckered out. This is how I found her when I went to get her out when we got home- hood covering one eye, socks sort of on, and DONE napping for the day!

Nana's first visit with Layla

It's been a busy month here in Oberstaufenbach! My mother-in-law, Brenda, made the big trip over to meet Layla, and was with us for a week and a half. She was able to be here for a few of Layla's "firsts", and we loved having her stay. The time flew by, and before we knew it, B was taking her back to the airport while I waved a tearful goodbye. It was so nice to have an extra set of hands here to help out, walk Thumper, and of course, hold Layla! I was spoiled- able to take long walks with just B and Thumper, take a few realllllly long showers, and we managed to get a date in there, too while Layla stayed home with Nana! She provided us all with such encouragement, as B and I continue to figure out this "parenting" business. I am so thankful that Brenda was willing and able to come spend time with her youngest grandbaby during her first month of life. While we lived in Dayton, I had become used to frequent visits with her, and I've really missed having that time to catch up and laugh together. She is so easy going- willing to bum around the house with us or to hop in the car and sight see! I am fortunate to have a mother in law who loves freely, criticizes rarely (if ever?), supports our family wholeheartedly in whatever we do, and is truly a friend who I can call and just talk to.  I love her, and already am looking forward to her next visit, whenever that may be!

 Layla, meet Nana!

 CeCe and Jack came by for a visit, too!

 Ready for her passport photo! Layla is 4 weeks old here :)

 Just the girls

 We took Brenda for dinner at our favorite, the Montana. Layla had other plans, though, and we all took turns walking her around the little parking lot while the others ate dinner.

 We hadn't visited the Japanese gardens in Kaiserslautern, yet, so we loaded up the stroller and spent the afternoon enjoying the beautiful landscaping.

I had to wait my turn to take a picture in this particular spot, there was a German couple doing some sort of photo shoot and we seemed to be stuck behind them the whole time. It was a little comical because he seemed SO serious about it, like this was for something big, and she was kiiiiind of a mess. I wish I had sneaked a photo of them!

 Mom and Son!

 Checking out the huge HUGE fish in the koi pond

Nana got to help with Layla's first real bath! I had given her some sponge baths, but this was the first time she sat in her seat in the tub. She seemed to really like it, and cooed at me nonstop once she felt the warm water.

 My tiny dancer :)

 Layla in her bouncer NOT crying (she is still not so sure about it, but getting more tolerant!) and sporting her CU booties. GO BUFFS!

 Matching lavender ladies!

At the top of Burg Lichtenberg! B and Brenda spent a rainy afternoon walking around the castle ruins, and finished with a delicious dessert at the castle restaurant. We already have a different castle trip planned for Brenda's next visit to Germany

 Love this picture! Nana had just finished getting Layla ready for their first visit to Trier!

 Trier! CeCe and Jack met us there and we all had a wonderful lunch at an outdoor cafe. We sat in the shade and enjoyed delicious fresh bread with cheese, potatoes, and good company. It was such a nice day!

Family picture!

My Mom visits Oberstaufenbach

As you probably already know, my mom was able to spend 2 weeks here with us around the time Layla was born. When she first said she was going to come out, I was of course excited to have her here, but I don't think I fully appreciated what it would take for her to get here. Somewhere about a week before she was scheduled to arrive, I realized how much she was going to have to go through to get here. Her travel plans would include almost 24 hours in airports before landing in Frankfurt and then catching a shuttle bus almost 2 hours to my little village of Oberstaufenbach. You might be wondering why we didn't go pick her up- at the time I was 9 months+ pregnant and she didn't want to risk that I would go into labor some time during her traveling and then nobody would be at the airport to pick her up. For anybody looking for a shuttle from Frankfurt to Ramstein, Alex Shuttle was great! Anyway, my mom did it all with a smile, never complained once, and negotiated Frankfurt International Airport like a pro. I was impressed! Not that I didn't think she could do it, but I sure would not have been quite as sunny and upbeat after getting off a shuttle after all of that! She's wonderful.

 

 We were able to spend the remainder of her travel day and the whole next day just hanging out around our home and running some errands. Somehow, Layla had perfect timing, and my mom got to be Layla's very first visitor! 

 

Hanging out in my hospital room. My mom would stay with me all day, and then B stayed the nights. It was such a help to have someone with me at all times, especially since there is no nursery and the restrooms were down the hall. If she hadn't been there and I had to use the rest room, I would have had to bring my newborn to the community bathroom with me. NOT where I wanted to take my new baby!

 

Here we are, ready to go home from the hospital! At first, when my mom asked if I needed her to come when Layla was born, I thought I could handle it with no problem. I told her that if she wanted to come, she should come, but if things were too busy with the start of the school year and my sister's upcoming wedding, then I understood that, too. I could never have imagined how much help she would be, and how greatly I would need her! She made delicious dinners and cleaned up after, kept the laundry up for me, took care of my Thumper (I was so stressed about how she would fare in the days right after Layla was born), took care of ME, and was an amazing Gram to Layla. She would take Layla in the evening, during her fussiest time, and quietly talk to her, wrap her in a blanket, and they would have this quiet conversation until Layla was calm and back to her easy going self. It was lovely, and I miss it so much. 

 A nice picture my mom took after dinner at our favorite restaurant. The four of us spent the evening sitting outside on the patio, enjoying delicious pizza and German beer as the sun set. After dinner, B and Layla got in the truck while my mom and I wandered down the street for awhile so she could see how quiet the evenings really are in little German villages.

 

On Layla's 1 week birthday, we went to a fest in Otterberg!

 Our entertainment: a German band playing Sweet Caroline and the soundtrack to Mamma Mia

 Keeping cool with a Coca Cola!

My beautiful mother! We really had so much fun. 

 All beers in Germany are served in glasses, no matter if you're in a bar or at a street fair! No cans or bottles here! You pay a glass deposit, and when you are ready to leave you turn the glass back in to get your money reimbursed.

 

My mom and I visited a church flea market at the fest. There was this little jar.... I'm not sure what it said, but I don't THINK it was what it looks like it says...

 

We got to celebrate my mom's birthday with her! It was such a treat to be able to spend the day with her. We had a great lunch at Macaroni Grill, then walked around the base Mall. I cried through a lot of it, because I knew her trip was coming to an end!

 A view of Oberstaufenbach from the trail behind our house that my mom and I would walk with Layla and Thumper every night.

 Our last full day was spent getting lunch at the local "fast food" type German place we like, and then walking around Burg Lichtenberg castle. It's in our county seat in Kusel, which is about a 25 minute drive from our home. I had visited this castle with a spouses group when we first arrived, and was happy to take B and my mom back with me! It's really a beautiful place, and I was so thankful that it was a relatively cool day that we could really enjoy.

   

 

Just happy to be walking the castle and talking.  

 The next morning, we took the drive to Frankfurt to drop my mom back at the airport. I cried a good portion of the way there (I know, I know, I am not a crier, but I really could not help myself) and I cried I think the whole way home, except for when we stopped so I could change and feed Layla and I had to pull it together to take care of her. Having my mom here was like parenting with training wheels- I knew she was there when I really didn't know what I was doing (hello, cleaning the umbilical site!) and kept encouraging me that I was doing well. One night, I had started to slice a jalapeno for salsa without really thinking, and when I realized what I was doing I was SO mad at myself (for those who don't use jalapeno, the spicy oils stay on your hands LONG after slicing and this particular pepper had some good heat to it). How could I do something so silly that could hurt that delicate baby skin?? I furiously scrubbed my hands with lemon juice and then rubbing alcohol and then Dawn dish soap before testing my hands by touching the inside of my nose and then my eyes (I was able to get them neutralized) and I was still smacking my forehead when my mom told me that beating myself up over this wasn't going to do me or Layla any good, so learn my lesson and move on. Small little words of wisdom from my mother like that over the first few days kept me sane.
Now that my mom has made it safely back to Colorado, I have been able to sort through all of the different reasons I was so upset by her leaving. It wasn't just her not being here every day to spend time with and help out(though that was a big part of it). I had looked forward to her visit since she booked the tickets, and now it was over. She was gone and I was still HERE, and there was nothing she nor I could do about that. The depth of my misery about living in Germany only deepened with the arrival of Layla (something I wasn't fully prepared for) and watching my mom go back to the US reminded me that I will be here for 3 years, and I really need to get used to it. But the biggest thing that broke my heart, was realizing how much bigger Layla will be the next time my mom sees her, and the first time my dad is able to meet her. This is a part of being a military family that I do not love. I am aware it comes with the territory, and we are actually very lucky to live in an age of video chat, international phone plans, and internet phones with texting, but it's just not the same. It makes me feel so guilty to keep my parents first grandchild and my sisters first niece so far from them. All I can do is plan a trip home as soon as we can get Layla's passport, and hope to visit as frequently as international travel with an infant is possible. My mother in law is visiting us currently, and I'm already trying to steel myself for these same feelings when she leaves as I'm sure I'll experience many of them again.
I'm so thankful for such a wonderful, meaningful visit with my mom. We managed to make the most of each day here, and I have been left with memories that I'll keep always.