Fun with Family

We've had a busy week! Kurt's Grandma and 2 Aunts came to visit. We had a great time introducing them to Emma and showing them around. They are so thoughtful and did tons for us around the house and with Emma which gave us a little bit of time to relax.

They arrived on Thursday and we had a pretty low key day. We just relaxed, snuggled with Emma, and had dinner at our little Italian restaurant for dinner.

On Friday, Kurt took everyone to Heidelberg for the day. They had fun touring the castle and having lunch.

On Saturday morning, we packed up 2 cars and headed to Luzern, Switzerland for the weekend. We were so proud of ourselves that we had 5 adults and a baby packed, dressed, and were on the road before 9am! Emma was great in the car. We had a couple stops along the way for feeding and diaper changes, but were doing great...until we were about 2km from the Swiss border and traffic basically came to a standstill. It took us 2 hours to go 2km! Needless to say, Kurt and I were VERY cranky. The traffic continued past the border and we ended up driving through Basel where we saw that the highway was down to 1 lane because of construction. By the time we reached our hotel, we had been on the road for 9.5 hours! That evening, Grandma and Aunt Kim and Aunt Lisa went off for dinner and exploring on their own and Kurt, Emma and I headed off by ourselves.

Emma was not looking forward to more time in her car seat which was completely understandable. We tried to see if she could ride in the stroller without her baby carrier, but she's still to tiny. We did end up making her more comfortable by taking the newborn headrest out of her carseat. She was MUCH happier! After taking some pictures in the old town, we had dinner at Taube. We were able to sit outside, relax with a glass of beer and wine, and dine on alpine macaroni and rosti. It was a great way to decompress after our long drive! On Sunday, the 6 of us went on a self-guided walking tour of Luzern. Afterward, Kurt and I relaxed by the water with coffee while our family went on a train tour of the city. We all met up again for lunch, did some souvenir shopping, and saw Luzern's lion monument before heading home. Luckily, the trip home only took 4.5 hours. (We were MUCH happier!)

On Monday, we had a slower paced day. We walked around Wiesbaden, saw some sights and did some shopping...hey that's what happens when 5 ladies go out together! =)

Tuesday, Kurt took everyone to Rudesheim for the day. They all enjoyed schnitzels and took a gondola ride up over the vineyards to the Niederwalddenkmal monument. In the evening, we went to Real to pick up some yummy treats for them to take home.

Wednesday, we went on a Rhine river cruise from Bacharach to St. Goar. Emma and I intended to tour the Rheinfells castle ruins with them, but didn't plan well enough. The grounds were too rough for me to push the stroller...even without her in it. I had her in the carrier, but it was still too rough for the stoller. In the States, there probably would have been someplace to put her stroller, not here though. Next time, I think I'll bring a bike lock so that I can lock the stroller to a bike rack or somewhere. *lessons learned* It was a beautiful day though, and we enjoyed just sitting and looking out over the river. After wandering through the castle, we went back down to St. Goar and had lunch at a bakery. We shopped for a bit then had dessert and coffee at another bakery before catching a boat back to Bacharach. That evening, we cooked dinner, packed, and played with Emma.

Grandma, Aunt Lisa, and Aunt Kim headed home on Thursday morning. It was great having you all here! Wish you could have stayed longer! We hope you enjoyed your trip! We know Emma enjoyed all the attention you gave her!