Fireworks vs Firecrackers

Chris's View-

So, the kids really gave us a run for our money today!

Fireworks were pretty good last night.  We had rooms overlooking the firework launch site, so we had a great view.  I was shocked that there weren't more people there though.  They had some fireworks that when they went off, it was like a fully automatic machine gun!  They were awesome & the highlight of the show to me.  Only problem I had with the show was their choice of final songs.  Usually, it's some super patriotic... God Bless the USA or something... not here, not at Edelweiss!  What did they choose?  Bridge Over Troubled Waters!  WHAT?!?!?!  Look, I like Simon & Garfunkel as much as the next guy, but come on.  As the finale at an Independence Day firework show?  It was a very choral version too, not even the original!  LOL!  Both kids were falling asleep on us early, and Griffin watched some of the show from the safe, quiet crib in our room.  Little G slept right through it!

It was quite the opposite of sunshine & rainbows for the Solomon's to begin our day today though.  After I got up, I walked down to the buffet place here in the hotel to see if I paid for some buffets, if I could just load up a couple To-Go boxes for the kids and bring them back to the room to eat... yeah, no dice on that one!  So, I had to go back up to the room, get the entire family ready for the day... at 7:30 in the morning, some vacation huh!... to go down to the buffet to get breakfast.  We get the kids seated & me & Gracie go get the first plates for the table.  Usually, it is Griffin who has food issues... today, it was Little G.  I could hear her acting out across the restaurant.  She was LOUD!  When we got the food there, she started eating & quieted down, but she eats A LOT faster than Griffin, and when she is done, all she wants to do is get out of the high chair, so it frustrates her.  Griffin ate a lot for breakfast... made us worry, since he ate a lot for dinner last night, and even on Miralax, he hadn't gone on his own in 3 days.  After we all ate, with Little G fussing at us, we made our way back to the room.

We planned on meeting up with the Copous family to go swimming today.  We got in our swim suits and got ready to leave.  Griffin was tooting all morning, and they were B. A. D.!!!!  Big And Deadly!  They are the worst smelling toots I have ever smelled, and this coming from a guy who has stunk his own self out of an RV!  LOL!  Anyway, it seemed like the girls were all up under our feet.  Everywhere we moved, they were there getting stepped on.  Big G wasn't listening when we talked to her, in fact, doing the exact opposite of what we told her many times.  I finally had to get down on her level so we could look each other in the eye while I told her that it had to stop.  Honestly, I think she & I were just synced on wave lengths today... every move I made, she made the same one.  I noticed this in the elevator after dinner tonight.  I tried to move one way, and she was in front of me with her back to me, so she couldn't have seen me move, but it was like she mirrored me!  Crazy!  Anyway, as soon as we start to leave the room, Griffin wets his diaper... and it's a Little Swimmer, so it all leaked out, into the seat of his stroller... actually THROUGH the seat of his stroller, on to the hallway carpet.  So, after another diaper change, we are finally off.

We met up with the Copous family and headed over to the artillery kaserne that is located near the hotel and hit up Subway for sandwiches.  I also stopped in the commissary and grabbed some water and juice and stuff.  We went to Ebisee, which is a crystal clear lake at the base of the Zugspitz (the highest mountain in Germany).  It was a great time, besides the rocks tearing up my feet.  The water was beautiful and frigid, but your body got used to it real quick.  The kiddos were throwing fits left and right though.  Griffin really didn't like the cold water too much, so Maria sat on the "beach" (can you really call it a beach if it's gravel?) and played with our little man, while I focused mainly on Little G.  Big G played a lot with the Copous kids & Papa Joe.  They even went paddle boating.  After a long day in the sun though, our energy was zapped.

We ate dinner at a Mexican place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen called Sausalitos.  It is great food, but the service tonight was horrible.  It took 15 minutes just to get the high chairs for Little & Middle G's!  Then, Little G was throwing her paci all over the place, and trying to steal Griffin's raisins, and "crashing" her stacking cups (her speech therapist taught her to crash the tower of stacking cups after she builds the tower) so cups were going everywhere.  Finally the food came and we ate.  Little G tried to trade Griffin all of her chicken for his french fries!  It was too cute!  Of course, when she was done, she was ready to get out of there.  As we left, that's when it happened... Griffin's big meals & Miralax finally caught up with him and he destroyed his diaper... and spilled out on to his outfit.  It seems to be every time he goes he messes up his outfit.  We have been using Huggies, so guess it's time to try another brand.  The orphanage used Pampers, so we are wondering if the leg elastic is tighter on Pampers, thus preventing these blow-out situations.  It took every wipey we had to clean our little man up.

Needless to say, the kids have been little firecrackers today... with short fuses & dangerous explosions!  Maria is out getting a coffee to unwind (and apparently is getting her ears pierced by some karaoke singers at Zuggy's Base Camp).  I am sitting in a dark room typing this blog, since the pitch black room is the only way they would lay down & go to sleep.  I am about to go to sleep myself!

See ya'll later!



Maria's View-

Yep, Chris just about said it all! LOL!  Despite the fussiness and the exhaustion, we are having a blast and it's great to be together. 

Today is actually 1 month since Chris busted Griffin out of the orphanage!!  Hard to believe that it's already been a month!  So happy for our little guy!!!

Something so cute that I just have to share-  Every time I take Little G out of her stroller, if I don't immediately start to unbuckle Griffin, she starts signing "All Done"for him, by waving her little hands all over the place and then she starts trying to unbuckle him.  Well, Griffin will start waving his hands around too, copying his little sissy.  She is going to have him signing in no time!

Love and Hugs!!