Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg

On Monday we visited 2 wonderful Christmas Markets.  Our first stop was Stuttgart.  

I swear Camden had a good time on this trip, he just wasn't into pictures all the time!

 Watching the ice skaters (and enjoying some gluhwein)

 An Operation Purple Camp Triple Threat!

(and cute baby Van)

 Entrance to the Christmas market

 Camden and Emma tried some warm Kinderpunch and loved it! :)

 My pretzel for the day!

 Emma, Olive, and Camden taking a pretzel break.

 Look what we found! It was like the mother ship calling us home.  Chris savored his first Frappuccino in 8 months and I was disappointed in my first Carmel Macchiato in 5 months. 

 We drove about 30 minutes north of Stuttgart to the small town of Ludwigsburg.  The market was magical at night time!

We found a delightful restaurant near the market.  Beer and schnitzel-need I say more? 

 After dinner we listened to a brass band play some festive tunes.

 The kids were mesmerized! :)

The end to a fantastic day! 

Bad Wildbad and Baden Baden

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to hit the road.  We had a full day of driving ahead of us through Northern Italy, Switzerland, and then Germany.  

Here is Frosty, our trusty co-captain.  The kids had an "Elf on the Shelf" visit them on Thanksgiving and named him Frosty. He goes to the North Pole every night to report to Santa on their behavior.  The kids were thrilled that he found out where we were each day on our trip. :)

 Driving through beautiful Switzerland.  

We made it over the snowy pass in the Alps without any problems. As we got close to Zurich, our GPS (Olga) sent us on a "shortcut" through downtown.  You can imagine what traffic was like on the Saturday afternoon before Christmas. 

We clocked 11 hours in the car and finally made it to Bad Wildbad.

When Chris was a part of Operation Purple Camp in Washington, he worked with 2 great guys, Josh and Gabe.  Josh and his family now live in England (they visited us in October), while Gabe and his family live in Germany.  We were so lucky to have the opportunity to join the Boisvert and Laramie families at this amazing house: Charlotte's Forsthaus

Sunday morning the kids headed right outside to play in the snow.

 We drove to nearby, Baden Baden.  

Olive and Emma are ready for some fun (Camden not so much).

 Our first steamy cup of Gluhwein - Just the thing to keep you warm and your spirits up!

 A friendly nutcracker...

 The whole gang!

 Buying some sweets...

 A ride on the carousel 

 My goal was to eat on pretzel a day while we were in Germany (my love for soft pretzels goes way back). We found a delicious one in a little bakery downtown.

 Chris and Emma hanging out at the house 

and playing with our new obsession (iPad)

 Guys, scotch, and kids.

 Olive, Emma, Layla, and Camden chowing down on some chicken noodle soup.

Pisa Pitstop

We set out on our vacation right after school on Friday. We had a 6 hour drive to Camp Darby where we had a room for the night. The army base is just a stone's throw away from Pisa.  At 9:00 on a very windy night, you can drive right up to the Leaning Tower! Check out our prime parking spot:

We woke the kids up to walk around a bit and snap some pictures.

 We definitely want to come back to Pisa for a proper visit. :)

Holiday Tree Lighting

Tonight was the Hometown Holiday Celebration on base. Emma has been busy practicing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman for weeks!  She joined the rest of her School Age-Care buddies to perform at the tree lighting event. 

 We could hear her singing her heart out and at the end (like any true performer) she took a grand bow :)

 Camden and Chris counting down for the tree to light up.

We're hoping for some Christmas Eve pictures in front of the tree when we're dressed in our holiday finest.  Stay tuned (and keep your fingers crossed the weather cooperates)

Deck the (Italian) Halls

We set a new record this year (and one I'm not sure I like). This is the latest we've ever decorated for Christmas.  We were a little busy Thanksgiving weekend (enjoying Venice!) and Chris had one doozie of a week last week (TB case at work). 

Sunday after church we decided that we had to commit to a tree.  We looked at the artificial trees and the real trees on base and decided on this Italian beauty: 

Ummm, I don't think we're living in the Evergreen State anymore!

The nice thing is that it fit in the back of our car! :)

Sunday afternoon we unpacked the decorations.  

Emma had to have her traditional picture in her Santa's helper outfit (maybe it will fit one more year for this picture!)

 

Both kids are helpful now unpacking ornaments!  I love it!

 We needed to give our little tree a few days to let its branches fall (they were tied up) so tonight we decorated.  The perfect thing to do on a day when we needed a little cheering up.

Camden had the honor of placing the first ornament...

 "Ouch!  This tree is pokey!"

Who needs a big tree when you can decorate your bookshelves with ornaments?!?

 There it is!  The Kasparek Family's Italian Christmas Tree!

A Tribute to an Incredible Lady

Heaven welcomed another angel with open arms last night.  My beloved Granny passed away.  She celebrated her 90th birthday in March and her health grew worse over the past few months. She left peacefully in her sleep and I'm sure my Grandpa was waiting at Heaven's gates with open arms. They haven't seen each other for 17 years and I am at peace knowing they are together again.
Times like this I wish there weren't so many miles between Italy and Iowa.  I will be there in love in spirit as my family celebrates her life this week.
You will be missed, Granny!
xoxoxoxo

Soccer Finale

Another soccer season is in the book!  Emma and Camden had a wonderful time and have improved so much! Here are a few of the highlights...

Emma warming up.

 The cheering section :)

 Ready to go! 

Nice toothpaste on your uniform :)

 Going for a goal (she scored 4!)

 After the game we had a brunch picnic with the team.

 Emma and her trophy.

Next up: Camden!

 Hmmmm, who's going to get the ball?

 Camden waiting patiently for his award. :)