Fairyland

For the past seven years, I have heard over and over again how amazing Germany is. My husband lived there from the time he was 8 to the time he was 16 and talks about it all the time. During our daily conversations, it's not uncommon for him (or his brother) to interject a statement about Germany. I often get to hear exaggerated creative comments such as...

• "The trains in Germany are NEVER late. You could set your watch by them."
• "Oh Biltmore Estate is nothing, you should see the castles in Germany"
• "Wow. I can't wait to go back to Germany so that I can eat their bread. It's the best bread I have ever had in my entire life"
• "Even the cows in Germany are better. I mean look at how pretty those spots are. You don't see spots on cows like that in the United States..."

My sister-in-law and I heard so much praise for Germany that we decided the entire country needed a special code name in order to describe it obviously magical qualities. We soon dubbed it "Fairyland" and have been teasing our husbands about it ever since.

For the past five years, the Wells family has been trying to plan a big trip to Fairyland, but have never been able to coordinate a good time in our schedules. About a year ago (long before we had a clue we would be moving to Boston) we decided the magical date would be June of 2011.

It was a huge undertaking to plan such a long European vacation before our big move...but we gladly accepted the challenge and had a fabulous time. I hope to be able to write more about our adventures soon - but I will start with a few highlights to summarize the trip.

First of all, I will say that Germany really is a gorgeous country. I can see why my husband and brother-in-law talk about it so much and I hope we are able to go back one day.

however

It really turned out to be a lot more "normal" than I had imagined (although I have to admit, the cows were gorgeous). And I will have to say, even in Fairyland...

Husbands still have allergies...

Babies still don't like taking baths...

I was still dead tired...

and Addison was still teething.

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Can Babies Teeth for 11 Months?

Addison is teething.

Right?

That's been the common question around our house for almost eleven months now. I mean, what else could explain the high pitched squeals and screams that often make your brain hurt?

When Addison would fuss as a newborn, the common advice was that it was nothing more than the cries of a newborn and nothing to be concerned with. When she grew to be four months old and the fussing did not stop, everyone was confident that "she must be teething".

But she has no teeth.

Is it possible for a baby to act like they are teething but never actually get any teeth? Addison is eleven months old now and I continue to believe that the fussiness will stop just as soon as she gets that tooth she has been working on.

Is that just my imagination? Josh has started to call it Addison's fake tooth and I am starting to feel like the boy who cried wolf in that fable I was taught years ago.

This was Addison when she was fake teething around Christmastime. Even though she must not have been teething back then, I am pretty certain she is really teething this time. Maybe.

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Thank God for the Little Dove Chocolates...

Last week I did one of the dumbest things I have ever done.

Ok maybe that's a little exaggeration...but after reading this – you too will admit I did a pretty stupid thing. And it’s ok to say that too. I already know “I am a good mom” and “moms do plenty of stupid things” so it will not hurt my feelings when you laugh and just say “Really? What was she thinking”?

As I said in my last post, we have been super busy trying to get things done for the move. We have been rearranging furniture, sorting through items, and getting ready for some home improvement projects. One of the first things we had to accomplish was to find a renter for our house. We posted an ad on Craigslist, held our breath, and hoped we would get some responses. Well much to our surprise we had several people write us within 24 hours wanting to see the house right away. Although this was super exciting news, it also put a lot of pressure on us to finish things fast so we could get the house cleaned and ready to be shown.

On Thursday I was especially out of sorts. The cleaners were supposed to arrive in the afternoon and I had to do dishes, put away toys, and hide the laundry. Addison was being pretty fussy and I knew I was going to have to find something to do so we could stay out of the cleaner's way.

We left the house in a hurry and headed towards the neighborhood park. Addison was crying her brains out and I was running out of ideas as to what could be the cause. When we arrived, I took a deep breath to relax and realized I had left something very important at the house.

Chocolate.

On a day like today, why was the chocolate at the house?

I wasn't sure what to do. We were finally out the door and Addison was much calmer now that we were playing in the swing.  Was it worth it? Should I put her back in the car seat just to go get my chocolates?

Yes.
I had to go back.

[It was the Extra Creamy Dove Milk Chocolates. You know, the kind with the sweet messages about life and love printed inside each wrapper? Who can resist?]

Fortunately, the cleaners weren't there yet and I knew it would only take a minute to grab the chocolates. I felt a little silly making such a big deal over chocolate, but this was a really hard day...and this was some really good chocolate.

As I was jumping out of the car, I noticed the keys in my hand. Addison LOVES to play with keys. What better way for me to buy a minute or two than to let her play with them while I was gone? I opened her door and tossed them in. She was thrilled.

I was in the house about 2 minutes when I heard it. The sound was familiar, but not one that registered with me right away.

I soon froze. I knew that sound all too well. It was the sound of the car being locked with the keyless remote. I couldn’t have been that big of an idiot, right?

I ran outside to find Addison happily playing with the keys in her mouth. She was chewing on them and had pressed her lips on the lock button. Of course she had.

I didn't panic right away. Actually, I started to laugh at the wacky situation and knew it was no big deal since I had a second set of keys in the house. Or at least I thought I did. For some reason a spare key was no where to be found. My nervous laughter quickly turned to tears. Lots of tears.

Addison didn't think it was funny anymore either. She was stuck and I wasn't sure how long she would be in there (car off...windows rolled up...hot afternoon).

So there she was inside the car with the keys while I was outside with my chocolates. There was no option left but to call roadside assistance so they could come break into the car.

By the time our adventure was over Addison had only been in the car 30 minutes. Although she was screaming bloody murder by the time it was all over, she really was a trooper through it all. I can't wait to tell her the story of the time I left her in the car with the keys...so that I could get my chocolates. 

You gotta love the "silky smooth promises" when your baby is locked in the car...

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Busy Busy Busy

Things have been incredibly intense lately! This past weekend we teamed up with Caleb and Jamie (Josh's brother and wife) to hold a yard sale. It was tons of fun. I loved going through all of my closets and choosing which things we could do without. It is amazing how easily things get cluttered up (I'm still wondering why I had over 15 flower vases).

We also have shown the home to several people and have found a renter for our house. The deposit has been made to the moving company and we are sorting which things are going into the storage unit and what items will be with us in the apartment.

It is all so exciting, chaotic, and FUN! I have lots of stories to tell...

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My Boston Marathon

Writing about the "City on a Hill" brought back memories of adventures in the city last month:

When we were in Boston for Josh's interviews, we happened to be there at the same time as the traditional Boston Marathon. Everyone in Boston considers this to be the "best day of the year" and the city was alive with enthusiasm. Marathon Monday is held annually and it is treated like a holiday. Spring has finally arrived in frigid New England and most Bostonians take the day off.

Over 20,000 people register for this event!

So when Marathon Monday 2011 rolled around, me and mom wanted to check it all out. We had to make a quick stop by Whole Foods before we headed to the Boston Commons to see if we could witness any of the crazies in action.

The short path between Whole Foods and the Boston Commons is through the lovely Beacon Hill neighborhood. I thought this would be a fantastic stroll since the neighborhood is famous for being quaint and full of history. I felt like I was living a dream - walking from my favorite shopping place to a beautiful park in the middle of a historic city. How fun.

Well it wasn't fun. Not really. The neighborhood is named "Beacon Hill" for a reason. The street we decided to take was called "Joy Street" (ironically) and it was a steep uphill climb almost the entire way. Sure there were adorable brownstones with picturesque window boxes, but there were also narrow paths, bumpy brick side walks, and... steep hills to climb.

An online gallery with beautiful Beacon Hill photography
http://www.pbase.com/dellybean/beacon_hill

Joy Street

A similar street in the neighborhood

So I attempted to push Addison's stroller up Joy Street wondering if I would die of exhaustion before I made it to the end. I ended up stopping to take several breaks since I was so out of breath and found myself remembering the gym membership I pay for but never use. Meanwhile, marathon runners were cruising around me - draped in their mylar blankets with huge smiles on their faces. I considered turning to one of the smiley runners and asking them if they would mind taking a turn with the stroller so we could make it the last two-tenths of a mile to the Commons.

Marathon runners in their space blankets.

Although I am sure they would have obliged, I decided to keep quiet and kept going on my own. The Commons were beautiful and it was great to see so many people who could now proudly put the "26.2" bumper sticker on their car. It was extra cool to think that maybe next year we would be living in Boston during this exciting event. I will have to start looking now for a place to sit so we can cheer on the runners in April of 2012.

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The Climb...

I've been wanting to write to explain how I decided on a name for this blog . It was important to me that I come up with something personal and meaningful - especially since this experience is such a huge change for us. Plus, who wants a boring name for a blog? Isn't what you decide to name your blog one of the most important decisions you will ever make? That's a lot of pressure.


Since I also wanted something creative,  I thought I would try to play off a nickname of Boston. I have heard of Boston referred to as "Beantown" so I spent some time trying to think of things that could work with that: "Beantown Baby?" "Going to Beantown?" "Beantown...something..." When none of those ideas were working, I decided to do some research on other nicknames for Boston (and yes, when I say research, I mean "googling" it - but calling it "research" makes it sound so much more important).


I soon learned that the nickname "City on a Hill" is also used for Boston. Although this nickname is probably the least popular and least used of them all, it is the one with the most historical significance.  Boston was called the City on a Hill by John Winthrop, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. When he journeyed to Massachusetts in 1630, he challenged the Puritans to "choose life" and to stay strong in their commitment to the Lord. He reminded them that the eyes of the world would be watching. 


"For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world."


(excerpt from http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/sacred/charity.html)


This part of Boston's history really spoke to me and I knew this was the nickname I wanted to use. I then discovered that two presidents have made John Winthrop's "City on a Hill" sermon famous: JFK and Reagan. These just happen to be my two favorite presidents to study and I was incredibly impressed with the irony.

What Boston may have looked like in 1630
Trimount in 1630. By S.L. Gerry, James Burt, 1836

So we are going to journey up to the City on a Hill. It will be challenging we know, but we are super excited about this calling and look forward to all the adventures along the way. Maybe when Addison is older, we will be able to tell her crazy stories about the time we climbed to Boston (uphill...both ways...in the snow).

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Throw Me in That Briar Patch....

We are super excited to learn that Digital Lumens has officially announced their expansion into Europe! The company continues to grow at a tremendously fast pace and it is incredible to watch the process unfold. This will mean quite a bit of international travel for Josh...and I just might be forced to join him every once in a while.

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/digital-lumens-to-sell-intelligent-lighting-system-in-europe-1510440.htm

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