Life With 3 Boys

We've been strangely busy/tired all week...I think getting used to the pups' schedule threw us off a bit and was especially rough for Eric when he has to already wake up so early for work. When Eric came home Friday, all three of the boys took a long nap on the couch...which was actually a good time for me to pick up the kitchen without worrying if something was being chewed on in the other room, haha.

This picture, below, is of Peach & Rambo when Eric came home from work.  They both were wagging their tales soooooo fast.  They just love him!

Thankfully it's been nice weather so Peach and Rambo can spend lots of time out back. We've been making a habit of letting them run around with us on the field by our house. They absolutely love all the smells and we love it because it wears them out quick!

(It started to rain while we were out....can you tell?)

Saturday morning we took them out in the field for a good run (and potty break) before we headed to the gym and ran a few errands. We came back to play some more and spent the afternoon watching hardcore puppy-wrestling matches throughout the living room. We even took them on a mini-roadtrip since I am "house-sitting" for my friend while her and her husband are away for a year. They seem pretty used to car rides now, which is nice...but do insist on sitting on Eric's lap while I drive. Him and I then went out on a quick "date" in town then came back for brownies and a movie with the boys. We have a little baby gate set up in the kitchen with their beds and toys so they are fine in there while we're out...and we don't feel as guilty since they have each other.

Sunday was pretty much the same: gym, field, wrestling. That evening we decided to take them on a walk by the lakes to give them some exercise and also get them more used to new people/places. They did surprisingly well too! We didn't take the leashes, but they stayed within a few feet of us the whole time, following us and never straying too far behind. I think they were slightly nervous, which actually was a good thing because then they weren't too adventurous. When people tried to pet them (and there were lots who tried) they got so shy that they would just lay down and squeak...it was so cute! Rambo, who is usually a tough guy and doesn't like to cuddle--unlike Peach, who cuddles all the time--got a little freaked out when some bicyclists rode by. He sprinted to Eric and was then held, baby-style, the rest of the walk. It was a big step for him, he won't even lay on my lap on the couch! He must have been pretty freaked out and known that Eric was quite a bit of security. Near the end of our walk it started to rain, so we carried them both all the way back to the car. Very funny and very adorable evening.

(Evidence that Rambo turned into a baby, incase he tries to deny it later.)

It was a fairly mellow weekend, but a good one. We just love our pups so much and they are nonstop entertainment. It's about 9am here and they are both passed out on the floor after hours of wrestling and fighting. I'm setting them up with their vet this week and they'll be groomed pretty soon too. We're anxious to see what they look like under all those curls!!

Slime

Imagine a slug.

Imagine a slug in a dog's mouth.

Imagine being kissed by said dog.

All in all, last night was completely disgusting.  But Peach is now totally cleaned up and back to being our adorable baby.

We are definitely buying slug killer tomorrow though.

Twins

Remember those two little puppies we watched a couple months ago?  Well....now that they are about 9 weeks old, they have a new home.

Our home!!!

We picked them up Saturday morning and are still completely head-over-heels in love.  They haven't had any accidents in the house, and we set up a little fenced-in area in our backyard...which they love!!  It's nice that they have each other because when we DO leave them we feel good knowing they still have a playmate.

So without any further delay...introducing:

Peach and Rambo!
(You can probably guess who named who, right?)

 

 

(Rambo's on the left and Peach is on the right....both looking very guilty.)

They are just the sweetest little pups ever!!  Peach is definitely my baby and a big-time cuddler.  Rambo is super rambunctious and loves fighting Eric, Peach, and myself at all times.  They both are kennel-trained and on their way to be fully house-broken.  They love being outside most of the time but at night we set up their beds and toys in the kitchen with a little baby-gate just in case they have accidents.  

Right now I am watching them have a huge wrestling match out back, they are nonstop entertainment!  Eric and I are trying not to spoil them too much but are definitely planning on having them well-trained.  We took them to Volksfest (a big carnival/fair for the Germans & Americans) and they were treated like celebrities.  Sooo many people (most of which didn't even speak English) ran up to us to shower the puppies in love and kisses.  They behaved really well, letting any and everyone hold them and play with them--even falling asleep in strangers' laps!  Sunday we took them on a walk into town, but ended up carrying them most of the way, and they seemed to really enjoy it.  We want them to be really socialized while they're young so they can join us on our many adventures.

Yup, it's true love.

Birthday Girl

My birthday was officially yesterday, the 19th, but since we had been together pretty much nonstop for 2 weeks I told Eric that I didn't expect some big surprise gift...and that my little souvenirs + trip to Prague were gift enough. On our way home Sunday we had the following conversation:

Eric: Can we go shopping today and I buy you some shoes?
Bridget: That's one of the most romantic things you've ever said!

So I officially counted that as my gift and expected nothing more. But Eric Clark had other plans!! He came home from work yesterday with a card, chocolate cake, a bag of gifts (new purple fleece winter coat--soooo cute, and a white watch that I've been lusting over forever), and a big bouquet of roses. He even picked each stem out himself and arranged them because you have to buy single flowers at the flower shop here! How precious! I was legitimately surprised and felt super-duper spoiled. He treats me a little too good sometimes, I'm a lucky girl!




Last year my birthday also happened to fall on the day of one of my bridal showers--my oh my what can happen in one year!

Also a belated "Happy Birthday!" to my Mom & Grandma (15th & 18th of July)--I missed not spending our b-day month together!!

(Did I mention that this was my FIRST birthday where Eric and I were together, ever!!!  I do NOT miss us being states/countries apart.)

Promoted

In my frenzied past 2 weeks/4 blog posts, I have neglected to announce some fantastic news about my husband.

He is officially Corporal Clark.

And it has a great ring to it!

Couldn't be more proud of my man.

Beautiful Cities Pt 4

This is my last post about Brent & April's visit here, so I'll make the text brief and add lots of photos.

After so many nights in hotels and long days spent walking in the heat...we were all visibly thankful to be back in our home in Eschenbach. Thursday we went to Weiden for a little shopping/gelato/food, but then had a mellow evening back at our place.

Friday we decided to pack a picnic, lots of cold drinks and some chairs, then head to the lake. It was just a 5 minute drive and a perfect way to spend the afternoon. Brent and Eric both wore speedos (very popular here in Germany) and April and I tanned while they both swam and played Frisbee.

We went to Nuremburg for the day on Saturday: lots of window shopping, more gelato, and toured the underground dungeons. We also walked up to the castle for a great view of the city, then saw a movie at a nearby theater (luckily it was in English!).

Sunday we opted for another day spent by the lake, lounging in the sun, and then Brent and April were off to Munich for a few days while Eric and I caught up on sleep and housework back home.

Since they were flying out of Prague on the 19th (a Monday) we decided it would make sense to go back there for the weekend instead of the original plan of someplace further away. We packed a few bags, and once Eric got off work we headed the 2 hours to our favorite place. That night was just a quick dinner at a Mexican restaurant, but we were all so hot and tired that we called it a night early. Saturday we went back to the outdoor market and bought a few more souvenirs, then took the train about 50 minutes outside of Prague to the town of Kutna Hora. There, we saw the famous Bone Church. This was a small cathedral full of the bones of 40,000 people. Creepy to say the least. We ate a quick bite (and more gelato) then head back to Prague. The train ride was pretty nice and we were back in our apartment in time to change and head back out on the town. We bought tickets for the Black Light Theater which was...interesting, but every entertaining. Afterwards we found a Pub near our place and spent the remainder of the night there. The fun thing about this Pub was that each table had it's own keg/tap and a screen that calculated how many liters you had poured. Then, on a large projector screen in the bar, each tables total was displayed in a big competition. The screen also rotated with many other bars against Czech that were also part of the race. It was super fun and a great way to spend our last night together. Before Eric and I left Sunday morning we had breakfast at Kafka's Diner--a place we fell in love with the week before, bought a few more souvenirs, then said our goodbyes! All in all, such an amazing 2 weeks.

The boys showing off their suits.

We also had a good time in Nuremburg, we showed off the sights we knew but also loved seeing the castle and the dungeon tour for the first time.

About a week before Brent and April arrived, we found out Brent couldn't have gluten--which automatically ruled out a lot of the food that we love so much here in Germany. I researched some gluten-free recipes however and had fun making G-free brownies, pastas and burgers. It was sometimes a struggle though finding food he could eat when you can't read menus very well!

Me reading while also trying to give Eric a back rub. Below, April and I enjoying ice cream bars at the lake...we also were in competition to finish our books: we were reading the same one!

All of us out for dinner on our first night back in Prague.

The Bone Church was really interesting, but pretty freaky. It was such a different place to be in, gave me the creeps for sure!

Brent and April on the train ride--we sat next to some pretty entertaining people. Below, us couples outside our apartment in Prague.

This hopefully gives an OK view of the taps that were at our table at the Pub. Seriously such a fun idea for a restaurant.
Wow, seriously can't believe that our vacation is over. It was so much fun and we saw so many incredible things. Thanks Brent & April for coming to see us! We love you and miss you both already!