The City of Love

Seth and I left early, early one morning and took the train to Paris to stay for a two days and a night. It was heavenly. Traveling without a child is much, much, much easier and I highly recommend cramming in a bunch of travel before having a kiddo. Not that traveling with kids is really hard, per se, it's just a million times easier without. AND when it's just you and your husband, you can take a nap on the Place de Voge. In the middle of the day. In the sun. Together. Like I said, heavenly.

We rented bikes which I loved until we were on small streets with lots of cars and lots of people. But most of the time I loved it. We didn't take many pictures because we were really just enjoying taking our time seeing the city again, enjoying being together, and only worrying about ourselves.

First Things First

In case anyone is wondering, Seth graduated from medical school. We didn't attend the actual graduation because of our whereabouts and sadly, nobody including ourselves, remembered the event until two days had passed. I made an impromptu diploma with scrap paper and markers. Seth wants everyone to know that they don't need to call him Dr. Herway. He wants to keep things cazsh so friends and family can just call him Dr. Seth. 

Did you know that Seth hasn't attended any of his graduations since high school? That's three graduations. I admit, graduations are booooring, but it makes things a little anticlimactic don'cha think? Right now it feels just like, "Woopee. Glad that's over" when we really should be CELEBRATING! Seth doesn't really see a whole lotta point to celebrating til after residency because what he becomes next is basically an indentured servant.

I think we should celebrate because Seth actually worked quite hard these past four years. For the record, Seth has been able to do a really great job at balancing his real life (me, The Boy, fun stuff) and school. Many a folk have asked if it's been hard these last four years but it hasn't been at all. I like to attribute it to the fact that Seth has his priorities well in check and doesn't care if he's at the top of his class if it means sacrificing other things that are more important to him. I like that about him. I think he'll always be like that because the guy already wants to retire and likes/looks forward to down time more than anyone I know. So to celebrate, I think we should do Seth's favorite and thing and have some down time. Oh yeah, that's what we've been doing this whole month.

Keukenhof

When I was younger I never understood why when we drove around neighborhoods my mom would comment on the pretty yards and flowers. I thought she was nuts. I thought that when I got old I would never care about something as boring as flowers. Well here I am, caring, A LOT, about flowers. We went to Keukenhof last week, it's a flower garden/museum type thing. We drove to Holland to see the tulip fields but most had been cut down already so we went here. They even had a petting zoo for Bumski, baby pony, baby sheep, and even guinea pigs! 

Normandy

We went with Seth's parents to Normandy this past week/weekend. BEAUTIFUL countryside. I feel like France has gotten a bad wrap, Freedom Fries? Really? I for one, LOVE France. I LOVE it. And I haven't met a rude French person yet either. Maybe that's because I'm always with someone who knows at least a little French to get by though.

Our first night was in a town called Etratat and we stayed here:

Charming huh? Seth's mom did a fabulous job at picking places to stay this trip. She always does, but this time she really outdid herself! And then we saw these views while we were there:

And Taft took a ride on the suitcase

                         

This picture is for my dad, the World War II buff. A German pill box.

                        

Later this day we drove to Mont Saint Michel

                        

Then we drove to a town near the famous World War II sites, Utah Beach, Point du Hoc, and Omaha Beach. And stayed here: 

                             

                              

This plaque was at Utah Beach. All these places hit closer to home now that my brother is serving in the Navy. We watched a very moving movie at the Normandy Cemetary and Omaha Beach Memorial. Since the war was so long ago and the survivors now would be so old, I just seem to forget how young they were when the fought. They were just boys. At the end of the movie the narrator says," these young men didn't realize that the freedom of the world, the ENTIRE world, lay on their shoulders, their very young shoulders." I thought about my brother the entire time and I pray with all my might we don't have another war on the level of World War II. In the Normandy Cemetary 9,000 American soliders are buried, and 41 sets of brothers. I was so saddened at the thought of a mother losing mulitple sons in the war. 

The rest of the pictures are mostly for my dad. He'll make it there someday, but for now he'll have to live vicariously through blog pictures:

The church at Sainte-Mere-Eglise where the paratrooper hung for the whole battle

Point du Hoc

Point du Hoc

Remaining gun battery at Point du Hoc

A gun still in its original position

German Battery

Remnants of the Temporary Harbor at Arromanches (Mulberry B)

The location where the first allied troop sightings on D-day were reported to Berlin

Utah Beach

More Pictures from Staci D Photography

Bruxelles

We made it to Belgium but due to jet lag, a teething jet lagged baby, and not the best weather, we haven't done too much to report. Seth's friend Rubin and his wife, Janelle, are visiting Rubin's parents in Amsterdam so they headed to Brussels for the day. This is Seth being the tour guide. 

We also went to Leuven with the McDougals so they could experience the famous Herway-fave restaurant, Domus. 

This is the forest behind Seth's parents' home. It's beautiful! 

We're headed to Normandy for the rest of the weekend and weekend tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post when we get back.


p.s. I forgot. Taft, Seth, and I went to The Netherlands yesterday to see the tulip fields. Pictures will come later.

Spokane

Seth and I took a quick trip to Spokane to secure housing for the next year. It came down to two apartments.

The Obvious One:
-washer and dryer
-ac
-2 bathrooms (I've really wanted this since living with a boy)
-dishwasher
-no parking
-it's ugly

The One I Actually Chose:
-no washer or dryer
-no ac
-only 1 bathroom
-no dishwasher
-it's charming and cute and will be more fun to decorate

What? I'm insane? I know. Who needs a dishwasher when they have a 1910 apartment that has character? One other major pro is that it's so close to the hospital that I won't even have to call Seth when I need him to come home. All he'll have to do is look out the window and I'll make S.O.S signals with our kitchen light. It's literally steps from the hospital which will be so nice to actually see my husband during his intern year.

We really liked Spokane and think we're really going to like living there for the next bit. It's smaller than SLC, but has the same kind of feel. The neighborhood area we'll be in reminds me of the Avenues with fewer crack houses. The weekend we were there Spokane had a huge 10k event called Bloomsday. They got a turnout of 50,000 people for a 10K!

We stayed with someone Seth knows and they were awesome and super hospitable. The last night we stayed at a B&B outside of town a ways. The owner was probably the least friendly, least hospitable person we've met in a while but he made really good french toast with crunched up Cinnamon Toast Crunch on top.

Our room. Fancy 'eh? Seth HAS to sleep with a fan or else he thinks he hears weird noises all night long. He requested a fan from the unfriendly owner and had the guy rummaging through closets until he found a fan. Then the fan didn't work.

My mom and dad watched Taft all weekend while we were gone. You get  A LOT done when you don't have kids with you. I forgot!

Tafterella

We decided it was time this kid started earning his keep around here. I was cleaning for my mom the other day and he grabbed a paper towel and started helping out. Ever since then each time he's had a paper towel, toilet paper, or cloth, he'll start wiping the couches, floors, and walls.




p.s. sorry my voice is so annoying

Second First REAL Haircut

Looking back at the pictures of Taft with long hair I feel bad that we didn't cut it sooner. I love the look of long hair on little boys but Taft's hair is just not that kind of hair. Seth ended up cutting Taft's hair this time. I had some serious doubts but he actually did a really great job! My mom was very wise and gave Taft not one, but two suckers to keep him distracted. It worked very well.

That end song is basically Taft's theme song. My dad has been singing it to him for quite a while now and Taft now expects it at least once a day.


                          

One Year Old (2 months late)

"Mom, this says that now that I'm one you aren't allowed to make me take these pictures with my monkey and a sign anymore. We're done."

None of these turned out that great, but as you can see this is a kid on the move. 

I took these pictures when Taft was actually one year old, but my camera cord is packed away. Luckily my MIL has the same one so you all are going to get blog post overload.

At one year (and a couple of months) Taft:
-Has 8 teeth almost 10
-Likes goldfish, animal crackers, pb&j, most all fruit, peas, green beans, broccoli, string cheese
-Still drink bottles before bed and nap (don't yell at me, I'm breaking him from it next month) but otherwise drinks from sippy cups
-Takes one nap and usually sleeps from 8 to 7.
-Loves his grandparents
-Seems to already be taking a special interest in the older women (teenagers on up)
-Loves dogs
-First word: "daahg"
-Loves toy cars and makes a killer motor sound
-Walks
-Still strongly dislikes getting dressed/undressed/diaper changed
-Likes to clean anything with a paper towel or toilet paper
-Pretends to wash his hair whenever he gets a hold of shampoo, lotion, or anything resembling a shampoo bottle
-Still loves Monkeyfriend
-Still uses a binky to sleep and sometimes calm down and sometimes just as a noise plug

Guten Tag

This is Taft getting in touch with his German ancestry. Both Bluth and Herway are German so we found it appropriate to dress our child as a German for a day or "Deutsch Kind fur einen Tag". 

We do have German ancestry but my mom actually dressed my younger brother in these lederhosen over 20 years ago and has saved them until now. One of my BFFs and former USU roommmate, Staci took Taft's one-year pictures last week and posted a sneak peak on her blog. I can't wait to see the others! 

Note: I made the shirt Taft is wearing. Booya. Although it looks like a girl shirt (per Seth) I was going for vintage boy shirt. It is too small and was not fun at all to put on or take off, but it served it's purpose of making the outfit seem authentic. 

Wouldn't you totally buy a bratwurst and sauerkraut from this kid?

Auf Wiedersehen

I Need To Make This

I think I need to up my craftiness skills and make this. I actually doesn't even look THAT hard. 

Found it here.

A Little Easter

This was taken the week before Easter when we were at church. This cutie patootie in the dress is just a couple months older than Taft. Her name is Afton. Obviously, if they were a celebrity couple their name would be Tafton.

p.s. yes Taft's hands really are that huge and yes, his head is in the 90th percentile. But isn't he just the studliest one year old you've ever laid eyes on?

p.p.s. the camera cord is packed away in storage somewhere. it's really a shame because we have video of T-man walking a bit and getting a haircut by Dad that are a must see. Maybe come June I'll have them on here.

Sunday Best

This is Taft pre-church: seersucker suit, including jacket, tie, combed hair.

This is Taft post-church: suit jacket off, tie off, top button undone, messy hair, women's sunglasses.

(No Taft is not in a car seat and yes the car is moving. Don't report me to the authorities. The church is within walking distance, we were just too late to walk. I swear.)