More Belgium

Brugges is definitely a place I'd like to see again--the brick houses with quaint little stairstep roofs, the canals, the cobblestone streets, the lace, the tapestry, the chocolate--need I say more? We explored the town on foot and then took a break on a boat ride along the canals. Garrett and Grandpa got up early and stayed out late to get the perfect shots. Grandma and I slipped away from our boys for a covert chocolate fix--too bad the chocolate tasted so good that we forgot to get rid of the evidence. We were also told we had to try the Belgian waffles (thanks for the tip Paul)--which were fantastic, but a darn good thing they don't come with the nutritional information or I think we might have talked ourselves out of it.
We might have felt sorry to leave if we weren't heading to Etretat, France....

My favorite memories of Brugges, Belgium

On the 26th of July we traveled to Brugges. The most memorable event involved Grandpa trying to get Joseph in just the right spot for a picture, knocking his glasses off, and Grandpa swimming in the Canals of Brugges, in the hopes of retrieving said glasses. After nearly an hour of combing the silty canal bottoms we finally made Grandpa get out of the frigid waters and a kind elderly Belgium couple loaned Grandpa some dry clothes to make it back to the hotel. Grandpa felt like such a, in his own words, "Schmuck" for the accident, but couldn't help have his spirits lifted when Joseph sang him a song he made up entitled "Grandpa is my friend!" the entire way back to the hotel. Joseph spent the rest of our weeklong trip in cross-eyed, near blindness, but he continued to sing Grandpa's praises. Joe couldn't be happier that he had to get new glasses because his new pair is red, his favorite color. However, if anyone finds Joe's old glasses in the Canals of Brugges, I'll give you a dollar. We love you Grandpa, thanks for the memories!

Mason's Baptism

Mason was baptized on Saturday, July 25th, the day that Grandpa Bohman flew in to Stuttgart from Utah. Things just didn't go right from the word go--to make a long story short, the font had only an inch or two of water in it when it was time for the Baptism program to start and many of the key players were M.I.A. Usually, it doesn't take much to send me over the edge, but I just felt a really peaceful feeling and knew that Mason would get baptized that day and the rest of it was just fluff and didn't matter. Garrett and Bishop Jones took Mason back by the font to measure his feet and see if the water was deep enough to completely immerse Mason. Garrett, who was cool as a cucumber, said he was prepared to just lay him all the way down in the water, to make sure he got completely dipped. Mason was pretty nervous that it was going to be too shallow, but Grandma Bohman did a great talk about baptism that let the water rise just enough to make it perfect. Despite everything, Mason's baptism was a great experience for all of us. After the baptism, we waited and waited for Garrett and Mason to come out. Finally the Bishop signaled me to go check on them. I asked Garrett what was taking so long and he said he'd been waiting for Mason to come out and had finally gone back to the dressing room again to discover that Mason had decided to take a nice, long hot shower in there! The Bishop told me later, he thinks it's the first time that shower has ever been used. Afterwards, My dad spoke about confirmation and listening to the Spirit and how that is one of the special characteristics of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson that he uses to help other people. Then, the Bishop talked. He said that at Mason's interview for baptism, he had asked Mason what Mason's favorite primary song was. Mason immediately started singing and sang the entire song of "Shepherd's Lullaby" (a Christmas song). We love you Mason! Ever since Sam and Jacob turned 8, you have been waiting to be old enough to be baptized and worked to understand what that means. We are so proud of you!

A Short Jaunt to Switzerland

Garrett and I spent a few days away from the kids and work and went to, where else, Switzerland. The first picture is in Luzern--beautiful there. The Lion sculpture was carved out of the rock and reminded me of Aslan. It wouldn't be a Wood trip if we didn't spend atleast one night sleeping in the car, and we kept with tradition. The next morning we took a tram to Oeschinensee and then hiked to the top of Blümlisalp, which I have been told by expert opinion, is a dang far long. It was beautiful, complete with Swiss cows and cowbells, mountain goats, and old people atleast 30 years older than we are that left us in the dust. It looked like the geriatric hospital was having a field trip and they were all wasting us. It didn't help that I was unprepared, as usual, and had only brought 2 power bars and a package of mentos for an all day hike. By the time we reached the top our joints were killing us, but it was a gorgeous view. There was a restaurant right on the top of the mountain that is restocked by helicopter daily. We were so famished we spent about twenty dollars on 2 small cheese and pickle sandwiches and a bottle of apple juice, but it tasted delicious! The hike back down was really rough because Garrett's knees nearly gave out (his dad just had double knee surgery--something for him to look forward to in a few years), he was sunburned really badly and his allergies kicked in, full force. Little old grandmas were hiking down the mountain faster than we were. We almost hadn't bought the tram ticket round-trip, but were so grateful that we did as we hobbled towards it only 2 or 3 minutes before it shut down for the day. Hallelujah, we made it!

Grandma is Here! or Here Comes Santa Claus

My mom flew in to Stuttgart on July 19th, Sunday morning, and the kids were so excited they had a hard time sleeping the entire week before. We were so excited to see my mom. She is so wonderful. If we had stayed in our house the entire time she would have been as happy as can be, just to be with us. Her only request on coming here was that she could see a concentration camp. Don't worry, I've harrassed her plenty about the psychological implications of someone who only wants to see concentration camps when coming to Europe. Luckily, she sat by a psychologist on the plane and got to work a few of these issues out, free of charge I might add. Grandma stuffed her suitcase with surprises for all of us and it felt like Christmas. One of our favorites was the gum she brought. When Grandma used to visit in Iowa the first thing my kids would ask as she got off the plane was "Do you have any gum?" Apparently they've led a deprived childhood. The pictures here show some wood puzzles my mom bought for each of the boys to put together. Each piece edge was numbered up to about a kabillion, there was one small picture with numbers showing how each piece interlocked. We spent a few futile hours attempting to piece the puzzles together and finally came up with a better idea. The second picture is us burning the puzzles to make s'mores--a much more satisfying project. After a mere 24 hours in Europe, Garrett and I abandoned my mom with 4 kids and took off to Switzerland. Thanks mom!

First Things First--Happy B-day Mason!

Yes, I know you've all been on pins and needles for the past few months, waiting for my next blog and it's finally arrived. Mason had his birthday on July 13th, his very first one he had to be in school (German school got out on July 30th). If you think his cake looks disgusting, you're right. He wanted space legos fighting on the top and 1 chocolate, 1 ice cream and 1 strawberry layer with chocolate bars cut up on the top. I decided to add the strawberries, which actually made it taste worse. Mason made bank in the Bionicle department for his birthday. Sam gave Mason a turtle he had sewn in school and a Twix candybar (I'm so jealous--I think the turtle is adorable.) and Jacob bought him 2 lego sets--what good buddies.

Now I'm going to gush about Mason, so if you're not a grandma you can skip to the next post. When Mason was born I was so excited because I got to hold him. Sam and Jacob were immediately whisked away and I didn't get to see them again until the next day and holding them was also restricted. It was so wonderful to have a baby that I could hold and cuddle and I wasn't afraid to break. He's always been very easy going and my little social child. From the time he was a Sunbeam, he knew everyone's names in primary and would say "hi" to each person, by name, as they entered the primary room. Now in German school, he has made many friends because he's so good at reaching out to other people. When we lived in Logan his best friend was our neighbor Bob; they shared a special connection. Mason has also made good friends of our German neighbors here--Rose and Klaus, Oma and Opa. He has worked hard to learn German and does very well. Sometimes I wonder if Sam, Jacob and Mason were really supposed to be triplets because Mason is determined to do everything that his big brothers do. I decided to start my boys with piano when they turned 8, but Mason was begging to take lessons and I knew he was ready, so I started him when he was barely 7 and he is doing really well. Sometimes I forget Mason isn't as old as his twin brothers and I expect the same things from him, but he is determined he can do whatever they can. One of my favorite things about Mason is his loving heart. I can count of multiple hugs from him throughout the day and he will look up at me with his twinkley eyes and big smile and say "I love you mom. You are so beautiful". When music is playing he'll come up to me and ask me to dance in the kitchen. We make a great dance couple--Mason says we're like Hagrid and Madame Maxine, a truly stunning couple! We are so blessed to have Mason in our family. We love you Mason!

Just Another Day--Banantarific!

Tonight was a slow Friday night at the Wood house. We started out with a gig that our band, "The Oneders" played.

I had to take this picture of Mason in his Hawkeye sweatshirt before it magically disappears. He's worn it nearly every day for an entire year and it shows--the cuffs are frayed, the yellow is perma-dirty, two bleached streaks run over the pocket; between that and his patched jeans and holey socks (where do all the holes come from?), he is looking like the poster child for some sort of relief organization. Look how tall he is getting. He looks alot like his Grandpa Bohman, to me. We're so excited that they are going to come visit us for Mason's baptism in less than one month! Can we fast forward up to then? This is Joe with his characteristic photo"smile". He is sporting his monkey jammies which he wears day or night. If he finds out we're going to be home for a few hours, he considers it worth his time to put on his monkey jammies or Superman jammies, complete with cape.

Jacob made dessert for us tonight, his own creation entitled "Bananta." If, by some unforeseen miracle, others out there acquire a taste for Bananta, Jacob made it first and we'll sue you for the rights. The recipe is:
6 or 7 cups of vanilla icecream

1 1/2 cups orange Fanta soda

1 chocolate bar, diced in small pieces

1 banana

*secret ingredient

blend above ingredients and eat. I haven't "acquired" a taste for bananta yet, but I don't like mushrooms either. Periodically I try mushrooms because they seem like such a fancy, distinguished food, but, alas, they taste nasty. The secret ingredient for this batch of bananta was 2 very, very old once hard but now soft with age, butterscotch candies. Jacob loves adding secret ingredients. I really have to be careful if I'm not watching when I'm cooking because Jacob will climb up into my spice cupboard and start adding whatever strikes his fancy with some disastrous results. Jacob is my experimental cook. Mason is my little chef--he loves to cook with me and does really well.

The other day I was walking Joseph to school and we saw a European Marten. It casually walked across the street and up into the forest behind our house. Joe and I both thought about Gwin in "Inkheart".

If you look closely at the picture of Sam, he is using a fork attachment on his pocketknife to eat his eggs. These days this newly acquired pocketknife with spoon and fork attachments accompanies Sam to every meal--I can't complain since he washes it everytime.

A few nights ago Jacob got out of bed to discuss a pressing question he couldn't get off his mind: "If dad was twice the size he is now, would it be far if he threw a boulder, like Fezzik in the Princess Bride, an eighth of a football field?" Who can sleep with important thoughts like that buzzing around in your head? I think Jacob should write story problems for math books when he grows up.

Whenever we get a chance we eat outside--fancy meals, like koolaid and hot dogs.

I just re-read what I wrote. What a bunch of random thoughts, one banantarific day.

Happy Father's Day!

Yesterday, Garrett returned from his one week "patient safety" conference in Virginia and we're so glad! Jacob said "I forgot how funny dad was until he got back. He's really funny." Apparently it had been a long humorless week with mom. Yesterday Sam asked what language they speak in Virginia--it made perfect sense when you live here in Stuttgart and are a few hours away from a completely different language in nearly every direction. We played Monopoly today, which truly showed Garrett's love for his kids. He hates Monopoly with a passion and he bought the game as well as some other fun American toys for the kids while he was in Virginia and actually played the game with them--to the very end--4 hours later. Of course, he won. I had the kids answer some questions all about dad that I thought the grandmas would love, so if you're not a grandma, you might get bored with this next part.

You make a great dad because:

Sam--because you earn money for the family and you take us mountain climbing so we can take pictures.

Jacob--because you take us camping, you take us to take pictures, you take us to the movies, and you give us chocolate cake (i.e. Bill Cosby)

Mason--because you buy us cool rocks and knights on vacation and you let us stay up until midnight when we go camping sometimes.

Joseph--because you tickle me

My favorite thing to do with dad is...

Sam--go camping

Jacob--go to the movies

Mason--go camping and to the movies

Joseph--play Candyland

Dad's favorite food is...

Sam--chocolate fondue

Jacob--tacos

Mason--supreme pizza, no anchovies

Joseph--hamburgers

If dad could go anywhere in the world it would be...

Sam--Switzerland

Jacob--England

Mason--hiking

Joseph--taco bell

Dad's favorite movie to watch with me is...

Sam, Jacob, Mason--Lord of the Rings

Joseph--Star Wars

Dad's favorite color is...

Sam and Jacob--red

Mason--green

Joseph--black

Dad says I'm really good at:

Sam--building with legos

Jacob--being creative

Mason--playing basketball and drawing

Joseph--watching Star Wars

Dad's favorite time of the year is...

Sam and Jacob--his birthday, because at Christmas he has to buy stuff for other people, but on his birthday he just gets stuff and on Father's day he doesn't get as much stuff.

Mason--Christmas, because it's a time of the year where everyone gets along

Joseph--Father's day because we give him presents and stuff like that

Dad's favorite vacation was:

Sam--going to Italy with just mom

Jacob--going to France and taking pictures of "that" bridge (when we asked Jacob which bridge it was he said, "You know, the one with water running under it." We asked him to give some more details because we were still confused and he said "It was also the one with cars driving over the top of it."--clear as mud!)

Mason--Six Flags (he really digs Wonder Woman)

Joseph--Germany

When I grow up I want to beat dad at...

Sam--chess

Jacob--community service (yes, he really said that!) and lifting weights

Mason--bowling

Joseph--Guitar Hero

I love dad because...

Sam--he helps us with our German and takes us hiking and he decided to go to the Father and Son campout instead of camping in Switzerland

Jacob--he tells us good jokes, he cares for us, he takes us to the movies and takes us hiking

Mason--he takes us to places to take pictures and he does what's best for us

Joseph--he's a good Candyland player and he took us to France

One Great Day

I was lucky enough to get to go to the Frankfurt temple today. Our young men and women attended this afternoon and the adults did an earlier session. Garrett was on call, so he couldn't go, instead he stayed home with our boys and 2 extras that we have on loan right now. I can't say how much I appreciated him watching 6 boys all day so I could go. It's been over a year since I've been able to go and I can't express the feeling of peace and comfort I felt as I sat down. My friend Leah and I were rushed, of course, to make it on time and a kind older man temple worker said as we entered, "We were waiting for you". As we hurried to get to the first room he said "It's o.k. , we've got all the time in the world." and gave us a big smile. I hope that's the kind of person that I turn out to be like when I grow up. I knew I needed the spiritual recharge, but I was overwhelmed by the feelings of just being there. Thanks for the great day, Leah. What a blessing to have a temple two and a half hours away and a husband who will help me get there!

You're in the Army Now...or What the Government is Doing with Your Tax Dollars...

Have you heard that song "Woah, you're in the army, now!"? We seem to hear it all the time here, in Germany. Being in the army we get to view, firsthand the actual usage of your tax dollars, which is particularly troublesome at times. Garrett brought a microwave to work to use in his office for lunch. The first time he pressed start it flipped the breaker in his office (or should I say the closet which he shares with two other dentists). Now, normal people would just go down and flip the switch, however, when you're in the army, you, as a dentist, are not qualified to deal with the delicate technical issues of breaker switches. Therefore, Heidelberg, the dental military headquarters in Germany, was called and informed of the situation. A technical wizard from Heidelberg (a base an hour and a half away) was informed that the electricity had been compromised in his office. The said technical wizard was given leave to drive from Heidelberg and stay over night (how can one be expected to drive the three hour round trip to Stuttgart and back and flip a switch in one day?), receive additional "away from home" pay and finally restore power to a dark and microwaveless office. "Woah, we're in the army, now."

Memorial Day Camping...in Provence, France!

We wouldn't be real Americans if we didn't go camping for Memorial Day Weekend, even if we did drive to France to do it! This was our first trip to France and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. For years I've heard about the rude French and how they hate Americans, but the people were kind and the the landscape reminded me alot of Utah--a perfect combination. Our time at the campground proved once again that boys are content with rocks and sticks. Joe and Mason played with wooden "light sabers" and Sam and Jacob played a game of baseball. Everywhere we looked we saw beautiful bridges and aquaducts, like the one Garrett and the boys are standing in front of. We went swimming at a lake, hiked and swam in waterfalls, swam at the campground pool and played fussball with a new French friend.

We were a little disappointed to find that the famous fields of lavendar hadn't bloomed yet, but the red poppies were absolutely gorgeous. It reminded us of a more well kept Italy--quite the Mediterranean feel. We read that the French spend more of their income on food than anything else and I can't say we blame them, after trying some delicious French pastries. Each of us thought our own pastry was the best (Of course,mine actually was the best!).

What Wood family trip would be complete without a short trip to Switzerland on the way home? In Switzerland we did some hiking and enjoyed the fairy tale scenery. Garrett is wondering how he can get a permanent job in Switzerland. It's definitely our favorite place to be in Europe.

Chim-Chiminey-Chim-Chim

Yesterday the chimney sweeps came to clean our chimney and I had to take a picture of their outfits. It must have been 80 degrees here and they still wore the traditional chimney sweep outfits--all black with a heavy black, gold buttoned jacket and top hat. If you see them in town the guy is twisting the chimney cleaner-thing (resting on his right shoulder) around and around--it must be like twirling the umbrellas in Seinfeld to drum up business.

Happy Mother's Day

For Mother's Day I bought my mom and mother-in-law the latest book from "The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series. I know, I know, we're in Germany and I send a book from Amazon.com--how lame, but all three of us truly love this series. I highly recommend these books. Some of my favorite people have told me that they "couldn't get into it" or that it "was boring" which illustrated personal character flaws that I am working on forgiving. I love you guys, but are you kidding, these are incredibly insightful, clever, humorous and morally sound literature which give us insight into the heart of Botswana and its people. Let's not be so shallow, shall we? Anywho, imagine my delight when I received a package for mother's day from my mother (she always gives us, her children, presents for mother's day. Isn't she cool?) which contained the entire series, including this most recent addition. Between the Lindt chocolates in my room that are screaming to be eaten and my new book, I might not sleep tonight!

So I just realized that I didn't tell you a whole lot about my whole little family and what they did for me for mother's day. This was the first year that each of my boys did something for me for mother's day. I got a card (which I couldn't read--it was all in German) from Mason and a card from Jacob. Jacob also made me a weaving project at school. It was done on nails on a wooden board with string which he has since "borrowed" back to use as a trampoline for his lego guys and Sam made me a heart ashtray, and Joseph has been picking me flowers all week and telling me happy mother's day. Garrett and I made homemade Greek pizza for dinner and listened to Elvis songs. I love cooking with Garrett because he likes to experiment with whatever spices he can find in the cupboards-- I'm much less exciting. It was a great day!