Gigi Dottie!

 I couldn't wait to see Gigi Dottie. Ben's Dad's Mom... who is 96 I might add. She was so excited to meet Ethan (the only Shaub boy (at this point) to carry on the Shaub name) and meet Emalina who is her namesake (Emalina's middle name Dorothy). Grammy Shaub is such an amazing woman. At 96 she was lifting Emalina and Ethan up on her lap and so vibrant with life. She still lives on her own in a little house, cooks for herself, does crossword puzzles and is prayerfully active in all of her 13 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren lives. I am so thankful that my children will have the memory of their Gigi Dottie. 

Pictures outside Gigi Dottie's on a beautiful day.

 Clearly George from next door knows how to take a picture...

 he thought the one on the right was better :)

Sure are some nice trees behind us!

Grammy just loved seeing Ethan... This was her first time meeting him and she was so delighted. It was cute, because she kept on saying "He looks so much like a Shauby". 

Liz and Grammy Shaub!

Burg Berwartstein

Liz and I happened on one of my new favorite castle... Burg Berwartstein located near Dahn, Germany just over an hour from here. 

It is one of the only inhabitable castles in Western Germany and its beautiful! There is a tour through parts of the castle, but Liz and I decided to skip it with all the kids and explore around the castle instead (to save for another KIDLESS date). There was the cutest little quaint chapel (pictured below) attached to the castle. It is easy to let your mind try and think what it was like back in the day when people actually sat in those church pews on Sunday's... I just wanted to get my hands on one of those church benches. lol.

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

We are so fortunate to live in such close proximity to other countries in Europe. It only took us an hour and a half to drive to this beautiful city. I can't wait to go back there in the summer and explore more of its culture, sights, architecture, people and yes of course... food! We had a few stops in mind when we looked up the sights prior to going... but the day was a little cool (and Liz and I weren't dressed very warm) and well... with kids, I guess one has to improvise and be flexible. We walked through old Luxembourg, visited the castle, saw some churches, went to the caverns carved out of rock that were apart of an old fort and ate the best cheese fondue I've ever had! Between Liz and I, we pretty much finished the whole fondue, It was pretty much divine! Lol! Luxembourg is definitely one of those places we could go back a few times and never see it all. 

I adored the architecture, the cobble stone streets and the fact that people spoke french! And I can't wait to get one of those giant sized meringues next time! Love how everything I do is centered around food! lol!