More Christmas Pictures

If you want to see the rest our our Christmas pictures, click here. I tried to put it in the same post as the video below, but it kept messing up!

Daniel's Favorite Part of Christmas

Christmas 12-24-08
Originally uploaded by mkrich

Daniel's favorite part of unwrapping Christmas gifts was playing with the wrapping paper. I think he almost liked the paper more than his actual toys!

Daniel's First Christmas

We had a great time on Daniel's first Christmas. Hope you enjoy some photos from our special day! Merry Christmas to all!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Stuttgart Christmas Market

This past weekend, we visited Allan in Stuttgart and went to the Stuttgart Christmas market. Pretty much all the bigger cities and towns (and some small towns) have a Christmas market sometime between the end of November leading right up until Christmas. There are many stands set up with crafts, gifts, food and drinks. We didn't spend too much time there because it was really crowded through most of the stands and we had Daniel in his stroller, so it was hard to get around. I just took a couple of pictures (click here). Here is a pic of the giant Christmas tree there.

And here is one showing one of the booths. They were all decorated similiarly, but this one was just really pretty.

We are getting pretty excited about Daniel's first Christmas! We have tons and tons of presents under the tree and can't wait for him to begin ripping the paper off of them!

Mouse Cookie 12-15-08

Mouse Cookie 12-15-08
Originally uploaded by mkrich

Here is a cute mouse cookie I made today for a meeting I went to. Well - I made more than one, but I only took a picture of one. It is a chocolate-covered cherry for the body/tail, a Hershey kiss for the head, almond slivers for the ears and decorating gel for the eyes. You just put it on half an Oreo and there it is!

Cute Daniel Stuff

Daniel 12-15-08
Originally uploaded by mkrich

I have been working with Daniel on reaching for his toys. I stack the cups just out of reach and he goes after them. Here he is trying to get the cups and just as he falls over - there go the cups! He will be crawling before we know it and I will be wondering why I was in such a hurry to help him along!

More Cute Daniel Stuff

Sorry there are two posts for today. I spent a long time trying to get all this in one post and it kept closing Interne Explorer on me. I guess it just didn't want to put a video AND two pictures into one post. So here is the second post with the other pics I wanted to show y'all.

Another cute thing Daniel did today was to stuff his toy monkey into the Shape Shorter cube. I just thought it was cute and funny and took a picture of it.

Lastly, I finally got a picture of Daniel's two front teeth. All I want for Christmas is a picture of Daniel's two front teeth - and I got it! Yeah!

Holiday Greetings on TV

Back in August (?) we recorded a Holiday Greeting courtesy of the Hometown News Service. Our greeting is airing this week on DFW Fox (Channel 4 I believe). For those of you who missed it on TV or don't live in the DFW area, you can access our greeting online! Just click here to access our greeting.

Daniel "Standing"

I thought it would be a good idea to see if Daniel wanted to stand against this ottoman. He loved it and just kept hitting his hands on the top of it. I don't know why I didn't get a video of this - it is too cute!

Daniel Visits Santa Claus

Daniel got to see Santa Claus and get his picture taken with Santa three times today!! This morning we had Cookies with Claus with our squadron. Then at lunchtime, we went to the Wing Christmas Party and saw another Santa! In the afternoon, we went to the Airman & Family Readiness Center and had more Cookies and saw ANOTHER SANTA!!! So I got lots of good pictures of Daniel with Santa for his first Christmas. Click here for more pictures.

LRS Cookies with Claus

The LRS spouses group hosted a Cookies With Santa gathering. The kids wrote letters to Santa, colored Christmas pictures and decorated sugar cookies. Everyone got to sit on Santa's lap (OK - not everyone!) and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Santa even helped color pictures and decorate cookies! Everyone had a great time! This picture is the cookie I decorated (with Daniel's help of course). Click here for all the pictures!

Daniel is Eight Months Old!

I can't believe how fast Daniel is growing up! He is eight months old today. I took some photos for his 8-month birthday. He thought it was a good idea to try to eat his hat instead of wearing it for the pictures. Click here for the pictures!

Daniel in the Snow

Today I took a bunch of pictures of Daniel in the snow. There was so much I was afraid that if I set him down in it, he would sink in and disappear! So I had to pat down an area to put him on for the pictures. Click here for all the pictures of Daniel in the snow.

Cadence in the Snow

Cadence in the Snow 12-3-08
Originally uploaded by mkrich

Here is a cute video of Cadence playing in the snow. She really seemed to enjoyed bounding through it, even though it is up to her belly!

Snow!!!

We have had our first "real" snow of the year - and it has been a big one. It has pretty much been snowing or snowy here since about November 21. I thought we got quite a bit that time, but then it just keeps coming! I keep shoveling snow and it keeps falling. In our front yard, the snow covers the whole yard, flower beds (over the tops of the bushes) and over the retaining wall. It is a lot of snow! Click here for all the pictures of the snow.

Daniel - Tooth Number Two!

Daniel got his 2nd tooth (front bottom left) on Sunday, November 30. He was a little fussy on Thanksgiving Day and went to bed early. Then all day Friday he didn't feel well, ran a slight fever and slept almost all day. Saturday he felt much better and the tooth finally popped through the surface of his gums on Sunday morning. I tried to get a picture of it, but he isn't cooperating. I will post one if I ever get it!

Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with some friends and our German neighbors this year. We all ate too much and then made ourselves sick playing Hula Hoop on the Wii Fit! Sorry - I didn't get any photos of Thanksgiving. Daniel went to bed early and so I never took any pictures. He missed out on his special Thanksgiving dinner - Turkey dinner baby food. Yum!

Big Boy Bathtub!

Daniel had his first bath in the big boy bathtub today. He was starting to try to hang over the edges of his baby bathtub, so I thought it was time to make the switch! He really loves bathtime and playing with his bath toys - especially his orange fishy.

Switzerland

This week we went to Switzerland for one night. We did a mini whirlwind tour! First we went to Zurich - mainly to go to Hooters of Zurich for lunch. Unfortunately they were not open!! But at least we got to go to Zurich Harley-Davidson!! That was the part of the trip for Allan. Then we drove down to Interlaken, where we were staying the night. On the way we drove through Lucernce. Lucerne is really pretty and I would have liked to walk around there a bit, but the weather was cold and rainy, so we decided not to get Daniel out in it. We stayed at a nice resort hotel a little outside of Interlaken. We had a great view of the mountains out of our hotel balcony window. When we checked into the hotel, they gave Daniel a cute teddy bear. It was really nice! That night for dinner, we went to Hooters of Interlaken (yeah for Allan!). It was Daniel's first time at Hooters. In the morning, we got some great photos off our balcony before heading out. We took a cable car lift up one of the mountains in the area and got some great views and shots of the Alps from up there. Then, we headed to Bern, the capital of Switzerland, where we just walked around a bit, did some shopping and saw the city mascots, the bears. After Bern, we drove back to Stuttgart. It was a quick but fun trip and I really want to go back to the Alps now!! Click here for all our pictures!

St. Martin's Day

This year we went with our German neighbors to the St. Martin's Day parade and bonfire in our village. All the children carry lanterns and follow St. Martin on his horse through the village up to a bonfire. Then everyone goes to the community center and St. Martin hands out bread and chocolate to the children. It was a great time! Click here for the pictures.

LRS Thanksgiving

Melissa and Daniel went to the Thanksgiving lunch for Allan's work. We had a pretty nice spread and the spouses decorated the tables. They also had a pie in the face auction. Enjoy the pictures!

First Tooth

Daniel has been working hard at teething for quite a while now and it has finally paid off! His first tooth broke through the surface of his gums today. He keeps running his tongue over it - a new sensation! Here is the picture I got. It isn't great, but it was not easy to open his mouth, get the tongue out of the way AND take the picture all at the same time. You can just see the tip of the tooth poking through his gums.

Happy Halloween!

Daniel dressed up as a penguin for his first Halloween. He is SO cute! Earlier this week we went to the spouses social for Allan's work. Daniel wore his pumpkin bib and then put on his penguin costume for pictures! On Halloween I got pictures of Daniel in his pumpkin bib. But then he went to sleep for a nap and never wanted to get back up to wear his costume. So I had to get his Halloween pictures on November 1. I got pictures of him in his cute penguin costume and his bee outfit. Click here to see the pictures!

In Bruges (It's In Belgium)

This week we visited Bruges, Belgium for a couple of days. Bruges is a lovely city! Bruges was a very important and wealthy trading city during the Middle Ages, with its heyday in the 15th century. After that time, the town fell into decline for centuries. This contributes to the charm of the city today, since there was little to no change during all that time. There was simply no money to tear down and reconstruct. So we now have a beautifully preserved medieval town. We strolled around, took a canal boat cruise and did some shopping.

Daniel also went "swimming" for the first time in our hotel pool. We figured that since there was a heated indoor pool there, we should use the swim diapers that I bought earlier in the year. At first, he wasn't quite sure about the water. But after a few minutes he played, splashed and enjoyed it.

We had a great trip and hope you enjoy our pictures! Click here for the pictures.

Daniel Eats a Cookie

Today Daniel ate his first baby cookie. He loved it. He could hold it in his mouth, gum on it and make a big mess! Mom loved it too. She got to eat her own lunch! Click here to check out the cute video.

Black Forest Day Trip

While visiting Allan in Stuttgart, we went on a little daytrip through the Black Forest to Freiburg, Germany and Triberg, Germany. It was a yucky, rainy, cold day - but we made the best of it! In Freiburg we just strolled around, had a tasty lunch and saw the Cathedral. It was closed for Mass, so we just looked at the exterior. Then we travelled to Triberg, where we saw the highest waterfall in Germany and then had some dessert before heading back to Stuttgart. Click here to enjoy the pictures!

Fall Foliage

Daniel and I took a nice walk today around our village and got some shots of the fall foliage. There are a lot of pine trees in the area around our house, so there isn't as much change in the tree colors as in some other places nearby, but I thought it was pretty anyway. Click here to see the pictures!

Daniel - Six Month Checkup

Daniel had his six month check-up at the doctor today. He is 16 lb 4 oz. and 26 1/4 inches long. So he is still small, but growing steadily! Everything was great - he is a healthy boy! Our next scheduled checkup will be at one year.

The doctor also said I could start giving Daniel Cheerios to eat and for him to work on picking up small objects. So later in the day I gave Daniel some Cheerios. He could pick them up off his tray, but then they were in his little fist and he couldn't figure out how to get them in his mouth. So Mom helped him out and put one in his mouth. He didn't seem to know what to do with it at first, but he gummed it until it went away!

Cannstatter Volksfest

While visiting Allan in Stuttgart, we went to the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart, Germany. This is basically their Oktoberfest and is a huge festival with several huge beer tents, carnival rides and games, plenty of food stands and vendor stands. We had a great time. Click here to see the pictures!

Daniel's First Time in a Swing!

Today Daniel and I travelled to Stuttgart, Germany to visit Allan. While we were waiting for him to get off work, we took a walk down to the nearby park and Daniel got to ride on the swing! It was almost too big for him, but I put his blanket behind him to wedge him in. He seemed to enjoy it and I got a few pictures and a little video. Click here for the video.

Daniel - September Pictures

This was a big month for Daniel! He sat on his own, rolled over from tummy to back, ate vegetables and fruits, got a new bouncy toy, and played peek-a-boo with Mommy! Click here to view the pictures and videos from this month!

I'm an Aunt!

I'm so happy to announce that I am now an Aunt (and Allan an Uncle and Daniel a Cousin)!

Introducing Kenneth Aidan Wilson

Born September 26, 2008 9:26 AM

9 lb. 1 oz.

18 3/4 inches

Proud Parents: Rachel Carter & Allan Wilson

Daniel Eats Carrots!

Daniel had his first carrots today. At first he seemed to be enjoying them. After a few minutes, he started making really funny faces after each bite, but he kept opening his mouth so he must have liked it OK. Click here to watch the video footage of Daniel's First Carrots.

Pampered Chef Party

I had a Pampered Chef party today. We had a nice turnout and had a lot of fun. There was lots of great food and my consultant, Emily, cooked us up a delicious trifle for dessert.Here is a shot of the food table. It looked so good I had to take a picture!

Allan "Deployed"

Allan left for his "deployment" today. He will be in Stuttgart, Germany for the next six months. It is so much better than Iraq or Afghanistan again! We will even be able to go visit him and he might be able to travel home a little bit too. Stuttgart is about 3 1/2 hours from where we live. Can't wait to visit him!

Daniel Rolls Over!

Today Daniel rolled over from his tummy to his back - in both directions! He did it first for Dad, while Mom wasn't in the room. Then we got out the video camera and a few minutes later, he did it again! Here is a link to the video.

Daniel Sits On His Own!

Today Daniel sat on his own! We grabbed the video camera as soon as we saw that he was doing it. Click here to see the video footage!

Daniel - August Pictures

I have posted updated pictures of Daniel from August 2008. He is still growing like a weed - seems to be almost ready to move up one clothes size again! This month we went to several festivals, took our trip to Ireland and starting eating "solid" food (rice cereal is all so far!). Click here to see all the Daniel pictures from August. Enjoy!

Manderscheid Burgenfest

Today we went to the Manderscheid Burgenfest, a medieval festival held annually in Manderscheid, a nearby town. The festival takes place in the ruins of one of the two ruined castles. They have a medieval market in the castle grounds and a tournament on the adjacent field. It was pretty neat and we had a good time. Click here to see our photos! Enjoy the pictures!

Daniel's First "Solid" Food

Daniel had his first "solid" food today. He had rice cereal and he loved it! Mom and Dad both fed him a little bit of food and we all made one big mess! Click here to see the video of Daniel's first "grown-up" meal!

Ireland Trip

Today we got back from our trip to Ireland. We went for five days and had a great time! We flew into Dublin and stayed there for two days, then rented a car and did some sightseeing along the southern and southwestern parts of the country. It was Daniel's first place trip and he did pretty well. We got to see lots of neat places. Ireland is a beautiful country in a very rugged way. Hope you enjoy our pictures! Click here for the pictures.

Wittlich Pig Festival

Today we went to the Wittlich Pig Festival (Säubrenner). It's based on a local legend that years ago when the village was still surrounded by walls with heavy gates to keep invaders out, the village came under attack by the Huns. One of the guardsmen lost the pin that held the gate closed, so he replaced it with a carrot (!?). That night, a pig came by and ate the carrot. The door then was open and the Huns entered and raped and pillaged. The townspeople were so angry...at the pigs, not the guy who secured their lives with a carrot...that they rounded them up and burned them. The Pig fest has been held every year in retribution to the pig that caused the town's destruction. Click here to view the pictures from the Festival.

Four Month Checkup

Daniel had his four month checkup today. He is 14 lb. 4 oz. and 25 inches long. The doctor said he is staying around the 50th percentile for both of those, so he is growing well! He got more shots today and was a little unhappy about that, but he is doing fine now. We got some information about solid feeding from the doctor, so we may be adding rice cereal to Daniel's diet soon! Sounds like fun - messy, but fun!

Eifel Gala

Allan and I went to the Eifel Gala, a black tie dinner hosted by his squadron. They had dancing and a silent auction for some great gift baskets. We had a nice time and "won" the movie night basket - yeah! Here is a picture of us at the event.

Daniel is Four Months Old Today!

Today Daniel is four months old! He is really growing and learning so fast! He has started enjoying time on his tummy more (or hating it less!) and trying to get those arms out in front of him to push up with. On his tummy, he pulls his legs up under him (like in a crawling position), but doesn't have the front part up yet. He is also trying to turn over - maybe he will do it soon - and is talking to us more and more. He is a pretty happy baby and laughs a lot. We are all getting more sleep around here as he is sleeping through the night pretty well. We go to the doctor next week, so I will have an update then on his weight & height, but I estimated him the other day at around 14 pounds. Hope everyone enjoys the pictures from Daniel's fourth month!

Aachen, Germany

Today Daniel and I went with our friend Kacie to Aachen, Germany. We visited the Cathedral (Dom) and the Rathaus (City Hall) and just browsed around the town. The Cathedral and Rathaus are built on the old site of Charlemagne's palace (from around 800 AD). The original octagonal center part of the Cathedral is from Charlamagne's palace and was the palace church. The Cathedral is the oldest Cathedral in northern Europe and was used for the coronations of the Holy Roman Emperors for years. Charlemagne is buried in the Cathedral as well. It was really a neat Cathedral to see, because it was so much different than the others I've been in. The ceilings were covered with intricate mosaic tilework that was just beautiful. Hope everyone enjoys the pictures!

Last Visitors are gone...

The last of our visitors for the summer left this week. After Cousin Terri left, Aunt Jennifer's friend Jesse came to spend the rest of Jennifer's visit with us. We did some more sightseeing and they enjoyed some time in Paris. We went to Daniel's first fireworks show on the base for July 4th. We have had a great time with all our visitors and hope you have enjoyed the pictures from our adventures! Here is the link for the pictures from the last leg of our visits. Enjoy!

Updated Month Three Pictures!!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I added more photos to Daniel's three month album. Enjoy!

Mimi & Grandpop Rich Visited

Daniel's Mimi & Grandpop Rich visited after Grandma & Grandpa Carter went home. We had a great visit and saw lots of neat stuff. We also took a little trip to Amsterdam. Here are the pictures from their visit.

Daniel is Three Months Old!

So I am a little late with this posting, but Daniel was three months old this past weekend. He is smiling a lot now and really figuring out how his hands work. He loves to get them into his mouth! Here is the link to the pictures from his third month, which he mainly spent sightseeing and travelling with visitors! Here is the link to the pictures!

Grandparents Carter Visited

We have been REALLY busy since mid-May, having lots of visitors and doing lots of touring. I am just getting around to posting the pictures from our visits. Here is the link for the pictures from our time with Grandma & Grandpa Carter. Enjoy!

Daniel's First Shots

Today Daniel had his first shots. He did very well. The nurse was pretty much done with the shots before Daniel even figured out what had happened! He cried only a little bit and was a little sleepy and fussy for one day. After that he was fine! At his doctor appointment he weighed 11 lb. 6 oz. and was 23 1/4 in. long. He is a growing boy!!

Daniel is Two Months Old!

Today is Daniel's two month birthday! We have had a busy month. Daniel got visited by his Grandma & Grandpa Carter. We did lots of touring and traveling. Daniel is the best traveling baby! Click here to see our month two pictures! Enjoy!

Daniel is One Month Old!

Today is Daniel's one month birthday! I can't believe he is already one month old. It seems like just yesterday he was born. He is growing up too fast already! He is already holding up his head really well. When lying on his tummy, he can lift up and flip his head from side to side. He is getting better control of his hands too. The other day, he held onto a toy for the first time! Here is a link to the pictures from Daniel's first month of life.

Daniel's Two Week Birthday!

Today is Daniel's two week birthday! The last two weeks have gone by amazingly fast - Mom is already sad at how fast he will be growing up! Things have been going well and we have had lots of firsts - first doctor's appointment, first bath, first stroller ride, first (and second and third, etc) times to pee/poop on Mom and Dad right when the diaper comes off. Mom and Dad have learned to put the diapers on quicker and tighter! And today Daniel's umbilical cord fell off. I have posted a few pictures from the first couple of weeks. There aren't too many (sorry!) or much variety. Daniel doesn't do much yet except eat, sleep and poop. We'll get more pictures soon!

Little Guy Comes Home!

We brought Daniel home from the hospital Wednesday, April 9, 2008. Here are some pictures of him in his coming home outfit, in the car seat/carrier for the first time, and in the car for the ride home. Allan had bought a cute onesie that says "New" and we wanted to bring him home in it, but since it was cold we had to put a warmed outfit over it. So he has two coming home outfits. Enjoy the pics!

Hospital Pictures

We stayed in the hospital for a few days after Daniel's birth. He stayed with me in my room (rooming in). It was tiring, but nice to have the time to get used to him while there was lots of help around. The nursing staff at the hospital was really helpful and nice. Here are some pictures we took at the hospital. Some of them are blurry because I turned off the flash - Daniel didn't like it! Enjoy!

Welcome Baby Daniel!

Daniel Slade Rich was born today, April 5, 2008, at 10:03 PM in Bitburg, Germany. He weighs 7 lb. 1 oz. and is 20.5 inches long. He is a long, skinny thing - and super adorable!!

I ended up going into labor in the wee hours of Saturday morning. We arrived at the hospital around 5:00 AM the morning of the 5th. So we didn't have to be induced - yeah!! My labor progressed pretty slowly and Allan and I spent lots of time walking up and down the hospital hallway. Now I know what those rails along the hospital hallways are for!! Around 3:00 PM I got an epidural (drugs rock!) and was able to get a little sleep. At that point I had been up since around midnight Friday night. After I received the epidural, my labor slowed down and they gave me Pictocin to help it along. Around 9:00 PM or so, the staff was concerned because baby's heartrate was dropping when I had contractions (I was hooked up to fetal monitoring). They did a test where they took a small sample of blood from the top of the baby's head for testing. When the doctor went to get the sample, she said "He's coming!" They did the test and everything was OK, so labor continued. I was really worried that something would be wrong and I would end up getting a C-section after being in labor so long! At that point, they said we could begin pushing whenever I felt the urge. A little bit later I was ready and Baby Daniel was born shortly after at 10:03 PM. Dad cut the umbilical cord and they gave Daniel to me to hold and cuddle. He is beautiful!

We hope you enjoy the first pictures of Baby Daniel as much as we enjoyed seeing and holding him for the first time! Click here for the pictures!