Friday, September 28, 2012

Living on a Farm for a Week



never mind the smell. i kinda like it...

We decided it would be fun to live on an animal farm 
for a week while in Germany and so we did! 
The whole family 
(Noah, Max, cousin Lynn, aunt Emily, Oma, Opa, and I) 
took off for a fun trip further south in Germany. 
Allgäu is certainly one of my favorite regions close to home and, 
although I never made it all the way into the Alps, 
it was gorgeous nonetheless. 
I'd live there in a heartbeat! 


The 7 of us had a house to ourselves on the farm
which wasn't fancy but since when is life on a farm fancy?
It had everything we needed, 
and even a TV to watch some of the Euro Cup action at night. 
This was very important. 
I mean, hello, soccer absolutely rules this country!


Every morning we had the chance to fill up our milk bottle with fresh cow milk
Yikes! I hate to admit it but I never even tried it! 
I know it's healthy and good and all but I couldn't get myself to do it. 
Neither did the kids. Noah will only drink almond or soy milk 
and Max does whatever Noah does. 
So no fresh cow milk for us. Lame! 



The kids loved this climbing tree and the sand box behind it. 
Especially when we could cart 
lots of water from the well over to it. 
Green grass and water is something we certainly don't take for granted anymore.
The adults got plenty of time to hang out and talk. 



Noah wasn't as much into the animals because all he 
cares about these days is soccer! 
But Max loved all of them and 
enjoyed visiting them frequently. 





It was fun to rush over to the hen house 
and see if they had laid any eggs we could eat for breakfast. 
Unfortunately, they either weren't super productive 
or we were too slow but the ones we had 
were super yummy! 


The 3 cousins had plenty of time to play, cuddle, have fun, 
and, of course, fight. 


We miss our Lynni and hope she can come visit us sometime! 


In case you are wondering: 
No, we didn't spend an entire week just on the farm. 
We took 'field trips' every day to all kinds of cool places. 
Check out these awesome houses: 


Since there was a big fire pit, 
we had a few BBQs and the popular Stockbrot
Oma made a salty yeast dough, Opa lit a fire, 
and the kids found sticks. 
Then they grab a handful of dough:


Wrap it around their stick: 


And hold it over the fire: 


Ready to eat (unless they are completely burned) 
with whatever else is being served:


Of course there was plenty of swimming
We are talking about a Borst vacation after all...
The day we arrived, we found out where the closest lake was, 
packed our swim stuff, and played in the water as the sun set. 


Then we found out about an awesome swimming pool 
that is right by a lake, so you can choose if you want to
swim/play in pool water or open water. 
I was in heaven! 
I want to go back right now! 


And yet another lake close by:


I kinda like the desert 
but
I really like water and love spending all day every day 
by a big public pool or a gorgeous lake! 

Thank you, Oma and Opa, 
for such a fun trip! 
Great memories we will treasure forever! 









Sunday, September 23, 2012

Buddha Beach and Mud Island



Karl's birthday was on a Sunday this year. 
But with church at 8am there was plenty of time for birthday fun
We had some lunch, packed a few things, and headed down to Sedona


The kids had a blast. Obviously. 


The hike is super kid-friendly
It's less than a mile to Buddha Beach, a great spot by the river, and the trail is very diverse. 
We aren't fond of dragging our kids on long and boring hikes because we want them to love the outdoors as much as we do!
This one keeps them happy and entertained...


... as long as we keep them hydrated...


... but even then we get a grumpy face here and there. 


Noah enjoyed taking pictures of the scenery
Some of them actually turned out rather well: 




Once by the river, the boys immediately found some good mud and went to work:




Max's mud-rock-leaf-pile creation


There really aren't a lot of things that make me happier than watching my kids enjoy nature
I don't mind sitting on uncomfortable rocks for a long time as long as they're having fun! 
I love listening to the river and my view wasn't bad either:


After a while we moved a little ways downstream and found this: 


Mud Island
The boys were in heaven! 





You should've heard this kid scream at the top of his lungs 
when we tried to wash him off. 
But I am pretty sure he thinks it was worth it. 

I guess I didn't get a whole lot of pictures of the birthday boy
I think/hope he had a good time as well! 
In the midst of getting ready for Vegas I was trying hard 
not to act too tired or cranky or hungry. 
I am pretty sure I still failed miserably but at least I was trying! 

I am very grateful for my little family. 
Thank you, Karl! 


PS: Karl took 2nd in the Flagstaff 50k yesterday and I am so proud of him! He wasn't in the best shape considering he had been sick the last 3 weeks but he still pulled off an amazing race! You can read his race report here



Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Beautiful Desert Camping



On our way to Utah in July, we decided to break up the drive and camp somewhere along the way. This always sounds like a great idea until I have to pack camping gear and food on top of everything else. In addition, I am about the least spontaneous person I know, so I make Karl research different options along the way. Just in case. 



This time we lucked out! It was the perfect spot! 
Somewhere after Page and before Kanab, we turned onto a dirt road
and I immediately started throwing a fit because Karl couldn't tell me exactly how far we had to go on that road. I absolutely hate dirt roads. Especially with my nice bike on the back! 
But I hung in there for all of the 2 miles it took to get to a little piece of paradise



It was a little remote camp site that was free and all ours! 
Plenty of exploring right behind us and beautiful sand to play in! 
We definitely haven't done enough family camping this year...



We set up camp, played, ate dinner, and enjoyed each other's company. 
 And I think both Karl and I thought back a few years when we would come down here and go canyoneering. Good times! 
We can't wait for the boys to grow up and go on some bigger adventures together as a family! 


 Everybody slept well despite the thunderstorms rolling through 
and the next morning we woke up to blue sky and warm sun
I love the desert! 



We explored and hiked some more before packing up and heading further north. 
It was definitely worth the extra effort and we might have to come back again soon!