Das Spinnennetz

PUBLIC APOLOGY

2010-08-17T09:52:00.001-07:00

Dear God,

this is my public apology! I am truely sorry that I am so ungrateful and jealous all the time. I am going to be better now. I am thankful that I can be a member of the TRUE church of Jesus Christ and that I am able to live the gospel. I know through the atonement, I can TURN AROUND and repent.

I am thankful for so many things. Countless blessing have you given to me and my family. You are truely fair and just.

As a token of my appreciation of your LOVE and your blessings, the kids and I made you a BLESSING DOOR in our house.

I love you! THANK YOU that I can be ME (the whole package...)

Caro

2010-02-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

2010-02-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

outside

2009-08-30T01:48:00.000-07:00

Annabelle is a Kindergartenkind

2009-08-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

the first pictures are taken when we had breakfst before i got her ready for kindergarten. it was like a complete make over! we are so proud of our little princess!

2009-08-30T01:41:00.000-07:00

random tim

2009-08-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

At eva's parent's house

2009-08-30T01:38:00.000-07:00

2009-08-30T01:36:00.000-07:00

Tim's birthday

2009-08-30T01:33:00.000-07:00

2009-08-30T01:30:00.000-07:00

2009-08-30T01:28:00.000-07:00

A day in bingen

2009-08-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Timothy

2009-07-25T23:23:00.001-07:00

Our Baby Boy is 1!

2009-06-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

2009-06-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Updates

2009-05-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still here!

I know it has been a while, but we had a few things happen in our family that made blogging seem like the last thing on our minds. I know, sometimes I would use blogging as a tool to get over issues in my life, but this time I just wanted to crawl into bed and cry.

Mike had had a serious car accident back in February and has been on sick leave since then. He is scheduled to start rehab next week and we are very hopeful that he will fully recover. I am not going to go into details here, since this blog is not private. We are so so thankful that nothing more serious has happened and that we are able to struggle through this TOGETHER. Even if things are going to be harder and more difficult, even if we just have to have faith. I have learned so much in the past two months and I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn from the Savior and to feel so close to him. Thank you to my family, mother-in-law, and my close friends (you know who you are) for praying for us and for reading e-mails with random thoughts and for talking to me when I needed a friend.

Thank you for all the support and your patience with me!

Timmy is on solids...

2009-02-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

Annabelle has a litte kitchen that came with plastic food. Since her toys are always spread all over the house, Timmy will put them in his mouth. Too cute...

MY PAST IS CATCHING UP WITH ME!

2009-02-02T03:45:00.000-08:00

The year I gratuated from school (2000), my sister and I had the "honor" of being the wine queen and the wine princess for teh county, represnting our city, Hackenheim. Since my sister is older, she was the queen and I was the princess. Normally, you have to prove your knowledge about wine and it is a big contest, but the year my sister and I were "chosen", nobody was willing to do it, so we did. It was kind of silly to me, but it is actually this big thing here in the area. Most of the time, the girls that apply are the daughters of the local wine manufactures and it is good advertisement for their business.

The weekend of the wine fest, we got this big glass that my sister is holding in the picture and we got it filled for FREE. We got these cards and people asked us to sign them and have their picture taken with us. Little girls actually colored pictures of us and wanted to be like us! On the last day of the wine fest, we got to be in the parade and we were in a horse carrige and waved to people. We also had a fan that came to our house and wanted to meet us. We also all over the local newspaper. When I was a little girl, it was always my dream to be a wine princess and I was proud that I achieved that goal.

Anyhow, as you know I put all this behind me when I was baptized in 2002 but I always thought it was a funny little thing I did. My old co-workers would tease me that they would mention that I was a wine princess if I was ever to speak at General Conference.

So the other day I got the mail and there was a letter of the mayor of the county. My first thought: "What did i do?" In the letter he explained that they are planning a reunion of all the wine queens and princesses of the last 30 years and they want me to be in the parade this summer. (funny side note: they also asked to wear the same dress we wore then (I am not going to say that I don't have the dress anymore, that I would probably not fit in it anymore if I did have it, and if I did fit, I would not wear it for obvious reasons)). I was kind of honored to be asked to be in the parade and my family is way excited abouted this, but I am kind of thinking "is it okay to be a mormon wine princess?" I would just walk in the parade (which is on a Sunday) and go home afterwards.

I would so love to do it, to be honest, but I am worried about the example I will be setting for my children. Well, while I am debating this, please fell free to leave a comment. I would love to hear your opinion, BE HONEST!

Mike just called and dedicated this song to me. I am not sure what to think yet...

2009-01-31T04:19:00.000-08:00

(turn on the player at the bottom of the page)

Kelly Clarkson - “My Life Would Suck Without You” Lyrics

Guess this means you’re sorry
You’re standing at my door
Guess this means you take back
What you said before
Like how much you wanted
Anyone but me
Said you’d never come back
But here you are again
Cuz we belong together now
Forever united here somehow
You got a piece of me
And honestly
My life would suck without you
Maybe I was stupid for telling you goodbye
Maybe I was wrong for tryin’ to pick a fight
I know that I’ve got issues
But you’re pretty messed up too
Anyway, I found out I’m nothing without you
Cuz we belong together now
Forever united here somehow
You got a piece of me
And honestly
My life would suck without you
Being with you is so dysfunctional
I really shouldn’t miss you, but I can’t let go
Oh yeah
Cuz we belong together now
Forever united here somehow
You got a piece of me
And honestly
My life would suck without you

CRY ME A RIVER

2009-01-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

In order to learn how to deal with my anger, I am trying something new tonight and I am going to blog about the things that upset me. Enjoy:

- Dishes: We do not have a dish washer so I am ALWAYS and ALWAYS doing dishes. When I think I am done, the next meal has to be cooked and new dishes have to be used. Miek does the dishes when he can (or when he is not in a group or on a raid, or working, or studying....) but I just hate dirty dishes. Hate is a strong word, I am aware.

- Laundry: Same as above, even worse. With the kids growing so fast I also have to constantly clear out old cloths that are to small and then try to find a corner in my tiny tiny home to store them. Well, my parents ALLOWED me to store some in my old bed room.

- RAIDS: Mike found this new guild and now he raids 4 nights a week.

- Diapers and trash in general: In Germany you have different bins and you have to sort your trash: One is for diapers and other unrecyclable things, One for plastic, one for paper and cartboard boxes, one for food left overs. Batteries and Glas you can't even throw away you ghave to find special containers in your city that you can only use at certain times of the day. We also have to pay for these tiny trash bins outside and they get pickes up every three weeks and are TINY. Last week the diapers got picked up and over half the diapers where frozen to the bin so hear I am a week later with no room in my bin. Don't ask me what I am going to do about it, I DON'T know.

- Vacuuming: With Timmy crawling, I am so worried that he might pick up stuff that his sister carries around the house all day. Consequently I am vacuuming every day twice.

- Cleaning up toys: As I said my apartment is tiny, we have a millian toys, you know Annabelle is 2, do I have to say more?

- Meals: I have such a hard time planning meals. I never have anything at home. I never have any ideas. I never find anything healthy. I only think about cooking when I am hungry and then I just need something fast!

- Being sick: I guess I now know the reason behind this post.

- Little messes here and there, all over that I am organizing five time a day.

-Missing my friends in Utah.

Wow, I feel much better.

HEALTHY FOOD

2009-01-12T12:33:00.000-08:00

In my family, my mom has diabetes and my grandfather died at a age 55 from an heart attack. Mike's grandfather and dad both have or had heart problems and have had open heart surgeries. Considering all this, I started thinking that I really need to cook better for my family. I have had a hard time for a long time to find my cooking skills and I think I am doing okay now. I think my biggest issue is time management. Most of the time I am just cooking thinks that will be fast and easy and most of the time that means unhealthy.

I am calling on you, my dear friends and readers, to help me to become a better cook. If you have any recipes, advice, ideas, please let me know. Maybe you could e-mail me or comment the 101 of choosing healthy food or tell me where to find such info.

Thank you.

New Year's resolutions

2009-01-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

1- I want to lose weight. I know, who doesn't? Well I had a baby last year and the year before that I was nursing Annabelle and the year before that I had a baby. You get my point. I have not had the chance to really work on my body and those of you that knew me before Dec 2005, know that I used to be in better shape. I don't mind being bigger right now, but this is just now who I am.

2- I want to become a better person I was reading some older notes I took and I was also thinking about the time when I joined the church. Imagine that, I have not been to the Temple AT ALL in 2008. How sad, I back when I lived in KY, I made it a point to go at least once a month. I used to take notes of my Temple experiences in my journal and I have notes, every months. I also want to be nicer. It is so easy to get carried away in this EVIL world. I want to start with simple things. I want to be nice to everybody and remember that we don't see what people aim for, just where the end up.

3- I need to work on my marriage I love my husband so much and I know he loves me, but we are not always the happy couple you read about on this blog. (I can be as brave as Naomi...) The other day my brother told me that I am the most difficult person he knows, but that I have the biggest heart. (he was trying to make me a compliment)Mike agreed and I think I agree too. So: Mike, I love you and I will try with all of my big heart to be less difficult and to support you more.

4- I want to break up with Doctor Mc. Dreamy I started to watch this show Grey's Anatomy and I really liked it at first. Now. 4 seasons later, I hate the show but I just can't give it up. It is so much about sex and other relationship issues and I disagree with all of the displayed moral standards. Wish me luck...

This one is really hard for me and somewhat embarrassing: I want to give up Q-Tips: Yes, I somewhat developed an addiction to Q-Tips and I really have to give it up. If you want to know more details, e-mail me.

6- I want to make sure that I am known for who I really am Okay, call me crazy (you would not be the first to...) but the other day I was thinking about what would happen if I died. I realized that if Mike would be to upset to speak at my funeral and we had to choose someone else, I don't think anybody here in Germany could do the job. (So Naomi and Cherish, be prepared...) Seriously and honestly, I am going through a weird phase right now. I am making new friend here that are not members of the church and some, or most, of them have never heard about the church. Don't get me wrong, I am the first one to jump up and to defend my believes and I would never do anything crazy to compromise my standards, but I also want to fit in. There I said it. It was so easy in the US to still have non-member friends, because people usually respect your believes (plus they usually have some themselves). Here in Germany, people sometimes don't get it. I am not talking about my close friends and family, even though I wonder sometimes...) So what do you do when you are checking you phone between meetings on Sunday and you have the following text: "Hi, we are at the Weihnachtsmarkt and we are having lots of fun (code for "we are so drunk") why don't you come on down?" or if somebody that you would like to be friends with because your kids get along and she is a nice person is excited to have you try her cake that had coffee and alcohol in it. Anyway, this should have been its own post, but I want to STAND A LITTLE TALLER I guess, and I should.

I will try to keep you guys posted on how things are going...

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

2009-01-01T09:25:00.000-08:00

2008was a wonderful year for our family. In January, we started to renovate our house and Mike proved himself to be a great and handy worker. We started by creating a bed room for Annabelle, moved on to redoing the living room and eventually even added a brand new kitchen. Mike planned, picked out, and assembeled the kitchen all by himself. In February, we found out that the feet we were adding to our house, were those of a little BOY! In March, Annabelle started Nursery in our Ward and we are still trying to get her to stay in class. In April, we visited my sister in France and later in the month we flew to UTAH to visit our family and friends. We had a really good time seeing everybody and enjoyed spending time with Mike's sister Michelle and her son Ben from South Carolina. Michelle was pregnant too and we even had the SAME due date. In May we learned, once again, what living without Airconditioning means. (We suffered all summer long...) In June, Carolin went on maternity leave, after working for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, for over 3 years. She has benn staying home with the children since then. We also finished all the projects we started in the beginning of the year. In July, after great anticipation and PAIN, we welcomed our son Timothy Michael to this world. Michael also started working for the Military on Wiesbaden Army Base. In August, Grandma Spinden came to visit. We had so much fun together showing her the country and teaching her about Parking Garage Policies. Annbelle turned 2 in September and we threw her a big party. Timothy was also blessed and Grandma Spinden had to go back to Utah. In October, Mike turned 29 and we celebrated 6 year of happily ever after! In November, Sony released a new expansion on Everquest and Carolin and Mike actually enjoy playing together now (when they find the time...). In December, we realized how fast the time had flown by and reflected on the year. We celebrated Christmas with Carolin's family and enjoyed family time. We celebrated Carolin's 26th birthday on the 27th and spend New Years Eve at home watching movies.

We feel very blessed and could feel the Lord's hand in our lives on a daily basis. We are thankful for our family in Utah, France, Germany, and South Carolina and are lucky to have so many true friends.

Happy Birthday to ME!!! (belated)

2008-12-31T08:50:00.000-08:00

My birthday was on the 27th and I turned 26! Mike had hidden some earrings in my bed the night before and I thought it was a really cute idea. In the morning I made Annabelle sing Happy Birthday to me and we went out to lunch with my family. My sister from France was in town and we all went to a Chinese buffet. Later that day, my friend Eva came over and we had cake and dinner. We wanted to go to a movie, but instead my sister and her boyfriend came over and they convinced me to go out. Mike stayed home with the kids and we went to a small Bar. It was really smokey, but we had a good time. I felt really weird being there but we actually talked about the gospel and I convinced my sister and her boyfriend to go to church with me the next day. So it was a good trade off.

My parents got me new PJs, my sister got me some herbal tea and really cute tea cups, Eva got me picture frames and a new pan, and I got myself a hairstyling set. Yes, I get myself presents.

2008-12-31T08:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from my birthday. As you can see Annabelle still refuses to get in a picture with Tim. Oh well. I like the picture of my sister and me and I finally have a picture of my parents.

TOYS

2008-12-31T08:12:00.000-08:00

Annabelle got a new bed and a new pillow/ stuffed animal.

She also got this wooden trainset with wooden blogs and buildings.

Mike got her this toy you can look into and see all kinds of wild animals.

More Toys

2008-12-31T08:11:00.000-08:00

Annabelle got this wooden aquarium with magnet fish and little poles from my friend Eva.

Timothy got this baby gym from us. We had actually given it to him a little bit before Christmas because he is a REALLY active baby.

This is a little house with shapes and keys.

AND MORE

2008-12-31T08:10:00.000-08:00

This is the inside view of the little house.

These are Tim's new toys.

And here we got some Christmas DVDs and a Benjamin Bluemchen CD with English and German Songs (I actually got the CD for my birthday).

I got a new purse from Mike. I did not know that I was getting anything because we ordered the Canon Rebel for me, but Mike gave me the purse on Christmas Eve. He told me it was my only present, but it was filled with 10 pairs of socks. I told Mike when we were dating, that when I become a Rock Star one day, I would wear new socks every day and throw them away at the end of the day. I thought it was so cute of him to remember. I also love the purse! (It is a designer purse from S. Oliver and I would have never bought one for myself.)

and even more

2008-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Timothy got this crawling Pooh, but Annabelle thinks it is hers.

Annabelle and Mike got cute Tiger and Dog slippers.

Mike got some headphones. He also got some clothing, CD, and some other things he bought for himself.

Annabelle also got a really cute toy kitchen, two my little pony, a little people bus, and a Winnie the Pooh Wooden puzzle. Timothy also got some new outfits.

Christmas

2008-12-31T07:24:00.001-08:00

Here is how we celebrated Christmas

On the 24th we went to a "cold dinner" at my grandmother's house at 4 PM. Mike took this picture of us sitting at the table. Annabelle's hair was not all dry yet, so I had to leave the curlers in. To Mike this is the gross part of Christmas because they serve all kind of discusting meat. You can kind of see the MET in front of my dad. It is raw ground pork that is served on bread with onions. Of course there was Blutwurst and Schwartenmagen as well. After that we unwrapped some gifts.

Here is Annabelle unwraping some gifts.

And Timothy with his new toy

2008-12-31T07:20:00.000-08:00

Then we went to my parent's house at 8PM for a big turkey dinner and more presents. I pepared the turkey this year. I found a really great recipe online. It was really hard for me to handle the uncooked turkey, but it gave me a Grey's Anatomy experience and I am thankful for that.

2008-12-31T07:19:00.000-08:00

And on the 25th, we had opened presents in the morning. Here is a picture of our living room after Santa came. If you look close, you can see little reindeer handprint ornaments that I made with the kids. I got the idea from my friend Becky and I love them.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T08:58:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with my family and a great day so far just with the four of us. We spoiled the kids and each other with gifts and we have been eating (and still are) yummy food.

We hope everyone has a merry little Christmas!

New Camera

2008-11-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

SO, I told Mike I would like a new camera for Chrsitmas and my birthday.

I am looking at buying the Cannon G 10, but I am still not sure.

If you don't mind, please comment on what camera you use or which camera you would recommend.

Here is what I want from a camera:

I want it to focus fast. You know, Annabelle is always on the run and I have a million pictures of her from her side or behind because my camera is not fast enough (shutterspeed?)

I want to colors to come out nicely. The Nikon Coolpix I have now, just does not do a great job at that.

I think I want a Cannon. My fisrt one was a Cannon and I loved it. (I even think I would like it better now than my Nikon)

I am willing to pay up to $500

I want the pictures to look as good or close to as they do when you go to a professional photographer.

I need the camera to take great pictures outside and inside and in the dark, or when it is getting dark. In Germany it is almost always somewhat dark during the winter.

I want it to make me look skinnier and beautiful.

I also don't want to have to edit the red eyes on every single picture I take.

Ok, if you have any what camera I should get, or if you just want to share something you like about yours, let me know.

Thank you,

Carolin

What we are thankful for this year

2008-11-28T16:05:00.001-08:00

I don't want anybody to get upset if your picture isn't shown here. We simply have too many friends and family members and I did not have pictures of all of you (also sorry if I stole a picture from your blog).

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Signing Time

2008-11-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, we are HUGH fans of Signing Time. I was introduced to Signing time by Marc (friend and former co-worker), but I was not really sure about it. When we were in UT last summer, my sister-in-law watched a Signing Time DVD with her son (2) and Annabelle sat next to him and immediatly started to sign "bird". Since then we have watched Signing Time a lot and Annabelle knows a ton of signs. We are already teaching Annabelle two languages (English and German) and since I am the German speaking parent, I have always tried to use the signs when I spoke in English to her. Signing has also really helped when Annabelle threw or throws fits and is too upset to listen or speak. (When I sign, for example, "play" to her, she will stop crying.) Annabelle's favorite Signing Time video is "Caterpillar Dreams". Rachel was nominated for an Emmy for that song.

Here is the reason for my post:

I was so sad today, when I read Rachel's (THE Singing Time Lady's) blog.

It seems like Signing Time will no longer be broadcasted on Public Television. I so want to help them, I even wrote an email to Adam Sandler.

Please read the blog and please HELP.

Thank you,

Carolin

St. Martin

2008-11-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

Today, the 11th of November is St. Martin, a German catholic holiday. The kids meet at the church in the evening and walk around the town with their laterns, honoring St. Martin. St. Martin seemed to have been on a horse, riding by a poor man on a cold night. He took his sword and cut his expensive cloak and gave half of it to the poor man. Thus, he is a catholic saint!
At the end of the parade, each child gets a "Weckmann", a sweet roll in the shape of a man. I think this is my favorite German tradition.

Timmy, all bundled up

Every year a kid gets to play the role of St. Martin and lead the parade.

Annabelle and her lantern, in the back you can see other kids.

Annabelle and Tim

6 Random Things

2008-10-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

The Rules:1. Link to the person who tagged you (Cherish).2. Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading).3. Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.Here we go with the random things:

1. Sometimes I can't stand it when my toes touch. 2. Since we live in this tiny apartment, I am always going crazy over the smallest messes. I just can't live when stuff is laying around 3. Ten years ago, I would have bet anything that I would be a famous person at this point. I thought I had it all figured out. Well, it is all my parent's fault. The did not let me apply for to an acting school. (lol) 4. I love to go shopping and to spend a ton of money, only to return everything the next day. Not that I plan it that way, I really don't. 5. I would like to write a book or a CD with songs I have written. 6. I am seriously thinking about becoming an US citizen....

I am tagging Naomi and Nadine

Potty Training

2008-10-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

So we are in the process of potty training Annabelle. For a while she had been going to the potty frequently, fought us on changing her, and wanted her diaper off as soon as it was wet. We waited until now, because I wanted her to get used to Timothy a little more. We started last Monday. Mike bought some training diaper pants and printed out a chart from the internet (http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/toilettrainingcharts.htm):

To make sure that Annabelle understood what this was about, I printed out a picture that shows her on the potty. Everytime she went to the potty we gave her a sticker. (I also gave her a small sticker when she tried, but did not actually pee.) We also made up a song "Peepee in the potty" and danced. That made her really excited. The first day she went a lot, the second day she did not go as much. On some days she did tell me that she had to go, but we were out. I tried putting her on the real toilet, but she could not go.

But now, after a week, she tells me when she has to go and is so happy when she actually goes. She says "Nell, peepee potty. " (nell= schnell= fast) She is really proud to wear the training pants and calls them "Pam pam pants." When I now show her a regular diaper, she says "Mimmy."
Since we are at my mom's house a lot, my mom got a potty too and she actually went #2 in it.

We are so proud of you Annabelle!

6 Year Anniversary

2008-10-20T09:26:00.001-07:00

Mike and I have been married for 6!!! years and we celebrated our anniversary on Saturday.

We went out for dinner and saw a movie. We were so worried that Mike would not be able to get the movie, so we picked something easy WALL-E. I promised him that would translate for him, but anyone who has seen the show, knows that we would have understood, if it would have been in Russian. It was so fun to go on a date. I really enjoyed being without the kids for a few hours.

His birthday is the day before our anniversary, and for part of his birthday and anniversary present, I signed up to play Everquest with him. So, here is what we look like in the game:

Happy Birthday MIKEY

2008-10-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Mike celebrated his birthday last Friday! I know this post is a little late, but I still wanted to list all the reasons why we love him so much!

1. He is funny and always makes us laugh.
2. He lets me stay home with the kids and goes out and works and to school.
3. He always has advice for any situation or any problem.
4. He taught me about a WHOLE NEW WORLD!
5. He always understands what I am or the kids are feeling.
6. He is a monkey.
7. He rubs my back EVERY night.
8. He is an awesome cook.
9. He is so American. I love it.
10. He taught me so much about music.
11. I love when he sings or plays the piano for us.
12. He always protects us.
13. He is so silly.
14. I can almost always convince him to spend money on something I like.
15. He wears weird socks.
16. He is so patient with me and the kids.
17. He moved to Germany for me.
18. He waited 1 year for me, before I broke up with my boyfriend.
19. He knows so much about almost everything.
20. When I upset or sad, his arms is where I want to be.
21. He is a great kisser, ....
22. He can take really great pictures.
23. He can do any household task.
24. He loves yummy food, just like me.
25. There is no favor I could ask of him, that he would turn down.
26. He has a really good heart and loves to help.
27. He is my personal psychiatrist.
28. He loves me and the kids.
29. He is always trying to be a better person, husband, and father...

We love you so much!

A'belle and Mimmy

2008-10-08T04:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of A'belle and Mimmy.

This one was taken at the hospital when Timmy was 4 hours old and Annabelle met him for the first time. It was so spiritual. We all had tears in our eyes. Annabelle climbed up on my bed right away and said" Baby, Hug, and pointed to his heart and said Heart, her way of saying I love you. It was so cute. Unfortunately, the picture is very fuzzy.

This one was taken when Timmy was almost two weeks old. Annabelle took the Boppy pillow and I just put Timmy on it. She tickeled his feet first and checked him out for a while. Then she cuddled him. Too cute.

This was taken at my mom's house. Timmy was sleeping on the couch and Annabelle wanted to lay next to him.

One morning Annabelle fell asleep in our bed and I put a sleepy Timmy next to her.

2008-10-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Annabelle loves her little stroller and wanted Timmy to "BUM BUM" in it. Her way of saying sit. (We call her behind bum, so whenever she says "BUM BUM" she wants us to sit)

This stroller was given to my dad for free from a friend that had twins. I love it. I have been walking with the kids every other day for several hours. I love going out in the fall.

Annabelle is already reading to Timmy. I put Timmy next to her and she showed him pictures and told him what she saw in the picture.

Note: Before you think I am crazy, most of these pictures were taken when an adult was sitting right next to the kids.

Picassa 3

2008-09-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Naomi, I downloaded Picassa 3 and I absolutely love it!!! See the collage I created for my header!
Now that picture editing is so easy, I will post more pictures of our little family more frequently.

P.S. I also found this great blog: http://tricks-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/. I was finally able to edit my background!

Annabelle's 2nd Birthday

2008-09-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Annabelle's 2nd birthday on Saturday, September 13th. I had invited so many people and almost everybody showed up. We had the party at my parent's house and it was still tight quarters. After most the kids had already arrived, we brought Annabelle over. She was so surprised to see all these kid's at Oma's house. She just stood there for a few minutes and starred at them. She had so much fun. Here are a few pictures. Maybe I will post some more later.
PS: Do I have to mention that I can not believe that she is already two? Time is flying by when you are having fun I guess. We love you so much, Belly!

Timothy's blessing

2008-09-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, September 7th 2008, Mike blessed Timothy in Sacrament Meeting. It was so spiritual. A lot of my non-member friends and family members were there and st the end of the testemonies, they all had tears in their eyes. Afterwards they had so many questions about the meeting, the hymns, the blessing, and the gospel. It was really fun. Good job Timmy, already spreading the gospel!

More pictures

2008-09-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

The other day we took some pictures of Belle and Tim. The ones of Annabelle are extremly cute (of course I am going to think that of my daughter).
Here are a few:

2008-09-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

I love this picture. It just shows little A'belle's personality.

more pictures

2008-09-11T12:21:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple more pictures. It was so hard to get Annabelle to even hold still. It was still very emotional for her to have this little boy around. So the kids look kind of funny. I like the pictures of Annabelle, they show her personality. Sadly, she did not want to have her picture taken with Timothy.

2008-09-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Timmy

2008-08-12T08:18:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of Timothy that was taken in the hospital. Isn't he so so cute?

Life has been really busy. Mike started working, Annabelle stopped taking naps. I am trying to hang in there and I am so grateful to have my mom next door. My house is such a mess and I am so lucky if I get a shower. I love being with the kids though. Annabelle is so awesome (until she gets tired) and she is helping so much. She will help pick out clothes for Timmy, she helps me bath him, she can even put on a diaper. We have lots of fun watching TV and Signing Time. She loves to color and to dance and be silly.

I love my kids...

Timothy Michael Spinden

2008-07-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Timothy Michael Spinden is here!

Memory Time

2008-07-17T14:23:00.001-07:00

share your memories
this is a fun thing my friend Naomi posted on her blog, and i decided to keep it going, so please read on and follow the instructions. it'll be fun!

FIRST: leave as a comment on my blog a memory you and i (or mike, or annabelle, or all of us) had together, no matter what the memory is.

THEN: re-post these intructions on your blog and see how many people will leave a memory about you.it'll be cool and fun to see the responses.if you leave a memory about me on my blog, i'll assume you're playing the game and i'll come to your blog and leave one about you. if you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, i'll leave my memory of you in my comments.i can hardly wait to hear from you!!!!

A day in the life...

2008-07-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed reading on my friend's Cherish's blog about her day. She started writing about her complete day to give people an idea about her life. Since today was a especially weird day, I decided to use today as my "blog day". So, here I go:

6:30 AM Yes, I am up! I had a doctor appointment early so I needed to get ready. Showered, got dressed. Made breakfast(Texas Toast) for Mike and me, ended up giving my share to my grandma, since the smell made me sick. Got Annabelle ready to go see my mom.

8:00 AM Left for the appointment; Stopped to get gas for 70.00 Euro and listed to the gas station owner talk about his gas price conspiracy. Talked with Mike about utility bills in the waiting room; peed in a cup; got blood taken from my finger; read some articles with Mike in the Ensign while waiting.

9:00 AM Finally got hooked up to listen to the baby's heartbeat for 20 minutes. Saw the doctor for 10 minutes and somewhat fought with her. I can not believe they let people go 10 days past their due date if they don't go into labor. Hopefully I won't have to deal with that. Found out that my cervix is dialated. HURRAY!

10:00 AM stopped at the County Clerk's Office to see what we needed to do get a birth certificate, once the baby is born. Found out that our American marriage has not yet been accepted by the German government and that I am still listed as Carolin Schrick. This is weird because my German ID and passport, both list me as a Spinden. So we will have to go back tomorrow and file some paperwork for 50.00 Euro.

10:30 AM Confused about all the information I got; waited in the car while Mike got some ice cream at the store. Thinking about Timmy...

10:45 AM Picked up Annabelle from my mom's. Found out that I had grown 2 cm in the last couple of months. I am not sure how this happened, but I did noticed latley that I felt taller than usually. I am not kidding! Took my mom to a store downtown. This was actually funny: While Annabelle and I waited in the car, a lady left the store and got in the car next to us. I noticed that she looked a little bit like my mom and as I was thinking about nothing, Annbelle screaming and crying for Oma. I could not calm her, especially when the lady took of. Belle was so sure that Oma had left us.

11:00 AM Went to a another store. My mom bought us Bratwuerste and we went to the car. When I backed out of the parking lot, I heard a BANG! Yes, I had hit another car. I felt so sick and my belly started hurting, that I didn't even want to get out of the car. I eventually did get out and said: "Hello, I am sorry!" to the lady from the car I had hit. Fortunately, nothing had happened. No scratches or anything. We still exchanged phone numbers and talked to a guy who had seen the accident. I was so thankful that Heavenly Father protected us.

12:00 PM Finally got back to my mom's. Felt too sick to eat. Eventually left and walked home to take a nap.

16:00 PM Woke up from a really uncomfortable nap. Mike was asleep. My mom had brought Belle over in the meantime and she was still naping as well. Got on the computer, trying to find news about my new niece. Took a bath because I was hurting so much and hoping that the pain was some sign that this baby would come soon. Called my mom, who brought me some soup. sat in the kitchen with my mom and grandma and ate soup and talked about labor and birth.

17:00 PM Mike and Annabelle woke up. Hung out in the bed room for some time. Watched Annbelle dance to the music from the radio.

18:00 PM Got really restless and left the house with Belle in the stroller. Sat outside, wrapped in a blanket and watched birds pick cherries from the tree. Walked over to my mom's, left after ten minutes.

18:30 PM Started a movie "The Jane Austin book club", stopped in the middle to make Spaghetti, ate while finishing the movie. Had an emotional break down because I misunderstood something my mom said, while I was cooking. Made chocolate pudding. Wondering if I will still be pregnant by Christmas.

20:30 PM Tried to convince Annabelle to help me clean up her toys; gave her bath while Mike returned the movies; tried calling my sister; put Annabelle to bed.

21:30 PM Had an emotional break down, because I could not find a pen and I wanted to write something down. Thank goodness, Mike found one!

22:00 PM went to the cellar for a little bit. This has become my favorite place latley. I just hung out and did nothing. I love the smell of the fresh laundry.

22:30 PM Finished cleaning up. Started blogging about my day.

I hope you enjoyed this and that it was somewhat entertaining...

2008-07-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy Update

2008-07-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

On wednesday we went to the doctor and were told that my amniotic fluid is low. They were thinking about inducing me, but my cervix is still closed all the way and I guess they don't like inducing people in Germany anyway. In the hospital they did a test to see how the baby acts under labor pain and I was somewhat induced, but the baby did fine. Miek and I were hoping that the test would start the whole birth process, but it didn't :(! I spent a night in the hospital and now I have to see the doctor every other day. I also have to rest, which really bugs me. I was still planning on painting my bed room and getting the kitchen finished. I was also hoping to get in some quality time with Annabelle, but I guess playing inside is all I have to over at this time.

I know it is less than two weeks left, but I am so done with this pregnancy at this point. I hurt, I am swollen, I am fat, I am so annoyed by everyone, I have no patience, I fight with everybody that crosses my way... . I just wish somebody could make all of this stop. Is there really a life were I don't feel tired after waking up in the morning, were I don't have to constantly keep an eye out for a bathroom, a life were I am not as irritated and emotional ALL the time. Will my old shoes and clothes really fit again one day? Will I ever have the energy to deal with everyday problems again, without considering to run away and to start a new life?

Ok, I know all of this sounds really terrible, but I just wanted to share the wonderful experience of pregnancy. I really feel bad for Mike and Annabelle, since they have to spend the most time with me.

I am just hoping to survive the next couple of weeks and that there is a better life out there for me.

BTW, the baby is now 3500 gr (7.7 lbs)and still growing. I really need to post a picture of my belly...

Circus

2008-06-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I love elephants and I love going to the zoo. The other day I heard that a big circus was coming to town, but when I checked tickets, they were way to much. The next morning, Annabelle was up when I was getting ready for work and she brought me the newspaper and kept saying "Ant" for elephant. There was an advertising for the circus with a picture of an elephant. When I looked at the advertisement, there was a number to call to win tickets. And guess what..., yes I won tickets to the circus. We were so excited. I actually called the number from work and when I won I just yelled and jumped up and down. People thought I won a car or a house. I never won anything before, but this was worth waiting for.

The show was three hours long, but Annabelle did well. She loved the lights and the animals. They even had a baby lion there and a ton of big lions and tigers. We had an awesome evening and a ton of fun.

Here is the link for the circus, for anybody interested: http://www.circus-krone.de/de/index.html

PIANO

2008-06-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

A while ago, we bought a piano for Mike. It is not very pretty looking, but we got a great deal on it. One thing I did not realize before, was the beautiful sound it would make. I love listening to Mike play. Annabelle loves it too and she will even take him by the hand and lead him to the piano. I love it when Annabelle dances or sings to the music. (The baby in my belly will dance as well)

One thing I enjoy most is that Mike plays a lot of church hymns. They remind me of who I am and make me feel better.

The other day we had the windows open when Mike was playing and people outside would actually clap for him. I was so proud.

When we were renovating the living room, I hated having such a big mess around. Mike sat in the middle of the construction and just play. It made the apartment look and feel much nicer and beautiful.

I just wanted to share how much I love the music in our lives and being married to a musician. Thank you Mike!

I have been tagged

2008-03-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

I've been "Tagged" by Cherish!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B. Each player answers the question about themselves.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. What was I doing ten years ago? I was an outsider at school, going out a lot with friends and doing stuff I wish I hadn't.

2. Five things on my to-do list today: I just finished my list. I just cooked a huge Easter dinner for my family and did laundry.

3. What snacks do I enjoy? Anything chocolate, ice-cream and chips

4. What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire? Pay off debts, buy houses for family and friends, have a own TV show. (Buy SONY and discontinue their online gaming chains)

5. Three bad habits: Getting overwhelmed by silly things, worrying too much, getting upset too much

6. Five Places where I lived: Germany, Kentucky, Bountiful, UT, Roy UT, Germany

7. Five jobs I have had: Lots of retail jobs (shoes, construction material, electronics, nanny, security, local unit support analyst, financial clerk for emerging countries in Europe.

8. Five things people don't know about me:
a: I secretly wish I was American
b: I wanted to once quit my job and run away to become an actress
c: I still think I can be a rock star or actress
d: I wish I could have a date with Timberland (to talk him into making me a rock star)
e: I wish I was rich and could stay home with my children

Tagging: Naomi, Becky, Amy

BABY BOY ON THE WAY!!!

2008-03-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

That's right, we are going to have a baby boy! We are excited, even though we are a little clueless about names. If you have any suggestions, please comment away!

When I get my scanner running, I will post some ultra sound pictures.

I love meat

2008-03-12T02:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, many of you know that I have been a vegetarian since I was 12 (shut up Cherish, I was pregnant...)

So, I am officially outing myself now as a meat eater. I even bought raw meat at the store, grilled it up myself and ate it from my own plate. I can't believe you guys have not been telling me what I was missing out on. So next time we are in the states, I expect an invitation from you for dinner to try your favourite meat.

Thank you!!!

Boy or Girl ????

2008-03-12T01:54:00.001-07:00

On friday we are finding out if we are having a boy or a girl. We are so excited and are just dying to find out. It would be fun to have a boy, but it would also be nice to have a girl, since the kids will be so close in age. Mike's sister Michelle, who is expecting a baby on the same due date as we are, just found out she is having a girl. She had a boy 2 months before Annabelle was born. I think this is so cool to be pregnant with my hubby's sister again. We will find out on Friday what Heavenly Father is sending us this time.

I can't believe that I am already half done. We just had our Bergfest (mountain fest) last week when I was in the hospital. So just so you know, I did not give up blogging, i was sick.

HELP ME!!

2008-02-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

I hope somebody can help me. I keep getting comments posted on my blog that have a link. One link I clicked on, kept downloading something and I hard a time stopping it. Then I kept getting warnings that there is spyware on my computer. The other one I clicked on was filtered by my computer by my computer for sexual content and thank goodness did not open.

I hope one of you guys know what I can do about this.

Thank you!

Beautiful Girl

2008-02-10T01:14:00.000-08:00

Since I got my new camera I started to try to take better pictures of Annabelle. Here are two pictures that I recently took of her that are my favorites:

Fasenacht

2008-02-10T01:06:00.000-08:00

For all of you that know this German tradition, I decided to post a picture of our Annabelephant!(I made up the word all by myself!!!) My friends and family know why I choose this costume...

There was a parade in Hackenheim and we were waiting in the cold for the parade to start. Annabelle stood in the middle of the street and danced to the music she could here and people were clapping and laughing. It was so entertaining. She loves to dance so much. She will go to the bedroom and turn the alarm on so she can stand in front of it and dance. In the car she will nod her head to the beat of the radio. I love it. She is a musician, just like her daddy.

New Hair Cut

2008-02-04T01:19:00.001-08:00

I took my mom to get a hair cut and I got so bored waiting that I started to think about getting a new look. The place wasn't very busy so the hair stylist started talking to me and I decided to go for it. I felt so weird because I looked so different than before, but I like it.

Baby at work

2008-02-03T02:07:00.000-08:00

Since Mike has been so busy with school and I have been so busy with work and everything else, we decided it would only be fair to have Annabelle renovate her room-to-be! Here is a picture of her putting on the wall paper! Oh, this reminds me, PLEASE HELP us to decide on a color for her room. Since we do not know yet of we will have another boy or girl, we are so confused about the color. I was thinking pink and blue, but Mike wants like beige or white!

Please comment on your opinion. Thank you!

P.S.: The carpet will defenitely go! We already bought a greyish-black one for her bed room

Mommy's little helper

2008-02-01T04:40:00.000-08:00

One day I was making cup cakes and Annablle was helping me. She has been trying to help me with all kinds of stuff in the kitchen and I always try to find a way to get her involved. (Even though I have to clean up twice as much)

I caught this picure of her after she sneaked some dough (bad baby!)and after I put a paper liner on her head because she thought it was a hat.

She is so funny, just like her daddy...!

2008-01-16T00:45:00.000-08:00

christmas

2008-01-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years to everybody!

Look who came by our house!

Annabelle with some gifts

Our little family

The morning when my sister left. It was still early and so cold that everything was icy. This is not snow, it is ice!

A picture of Annabelle when my brother was setting of bottle rockets.

Picasa 2

2007-12-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let you guys know that I have found this free and awesome picture editing software online. Picasa 2 is pretty simple, yet you can do a lot with your pictures. My co-worker recommended it and after trying many others I must say I like this one the best.

One nice thing is that it has a "blog this" button and it will just upload the pictures to my blog. I love it!

Annabelle

2007-12-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

Annabelle has been growing up so much and I know that I have not been so good about putting up pictures. To be honest, my job and renovating our place has been keeping me so busy. Mike has started school through an online schhol and is hoping to finish his degree in criminal justice. Maybe we will return to Utah one day and he will attend the BYU law school. We will see what the future holds for us. I am sure proud of him for doing what he is doing. He is the best daddy any baby could hope for. I love my little family and even though live is tough (what it will probably always be)I am trying to enjoy every day.

Here are some recent pictures of our family.

Happy Holidays,

Carolin

Pictures

2007-12-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

New winter hat!

Can you find the one that isn't a stuffed animal?

A different side of hers.

Birthday Party

2007-09-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Annabelle's 1st birthday on September 13th:

Oma made a heart shaped birthday-cake for Annabelle's special day:

Disney Princesses was the theme:

Presents:

2007-09-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

One little candle for a big girl:

Smashing the cake:

She loved licking the plate:

Yup, she loved it:

2007-09-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Fun Fun Fun...

Driving Lessons

2007-08-03T00:03:00.001-07:00

Pictures from Germany

2007-08-02T23:30:00.003-07:00

My friend Eva took mz camera to England, but I promise to update even more when she gets back!

Annabelle is Walking

2007-08-02T23:28:00.000-07:00

Annabelle started walking. She can even walk about three meters all by herself. We are so proud! Pictures will follow..

Random Pictures from Easter

2007-08-02T23:20:00.000-07:00

I thought these pictures were too cute not to publish. I know it is way past Easter, but I am trying to catch up...!

2007-08-02T23:16:00.001-07:00

Germany

2007-05-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

We finally arrived here! We are still sad about leaving our family in Utah and our friends (and all the stuff we gave away) behind but we are enjoying our time in Bad Kreuznach. We went to the English Speaking Ward in Wiesbaden on Sunday. We met a lady who drives 70 kilometers every Sunday to come to church. We went to the immirgration place this morning and they actually asked us what religion we are. They noted it (Mitglieder der Kirche Jesu Christi der Heiligen der letzten Tage) in our file as "other". I forgot how small the fridges are in Germany and how expensive everything is here. The cars are extremly tiny and gas cost about 2 € a liter (4 liter=1 gallon) We don't have an internet (I had to black-mail my brother to get on his computer for a few) connection yet but we hope to get one once we find out if I get the job in Bad Homburg for the church.
So all is well so far.

Carolin and company

MAMA

2007-04-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, but Annabelle looked me in the eyes this morning, smiled and said: "MAMA".

(I am not going to mention that she has been saying dadadadada for a while, or am I?)

2007-04-24T06:55:00.000-07:00

HELLO,

It is so much harder than we thought to say goodbye. Annabelle will miss her grandpa Gerry and her grandma Kay so much. She had such a blast with them on Sunday.

Kay, can't you hear her say "Come with me to Germany!", at least come to visit soon.

BTW, this is Annabelle in her Blessing dress and coat!

Love,

Annabelle and Co.

It is getting close...

2007-04-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Only one more months before we will move to Germany. I think the hardest thing is to leave behind family and friends and all the memories we have made here.

If you guys need anything from our apartment - stop by and pick it up. If you don't it will go to the DI.

Annabelle started crawling today!
She is almost 28 inches and weight 16 something ounces.

Love,

Carolin

Welcome

2007-03-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

I finally got this to work! This is specifically for all my American Family and Friends.

I will use this as Baby Annabelle continues to grow and age to keep everybody updated.