Snow Bunnies

Let me tell ya, it's been one cold winter this year here in Europe. Translation: lots of snow. Rather than dwell on how much we would rather be in the land of sun and palm trees, we've been making the most of this winter wonderland. Alright, maybe we have been doing a little bit of daydreaming of our upcoming assignment in sunny San Antonio but that hasn't stopped us from enjoying ourselves here in our waning days in Germany.

Last weekend we headed back down to the AFRC resort in Garmish Partenkirchen, Bavaria. On the way down I found out that Jen had never been sledding before. Who hasn't been sledding? Poor deprived child. We changed that really quick as soon as we made our way into town. Take a look at some of our snapshots from this picture perfect day:

Again Daddy! Again!

Jen modelling her new spunky hair on our balcony

Took the gondola to the top of the mountain and were rewarded with postcard-like views

Hiking up to King Ludwig's Linderhof Palace

A little boy who looks exactly like my cousin Michael says, "Our Milk Makes Bavaria Strong"

Return of the Jedi; Julia's First Princess Ball

The rest of the clan is back in town and we've been making the most of the winter weather by spending lots of time together. Jen, Julia and Luke are still recovering from their long transatlantic trip from California so we've opted to stay local for a few weeks. Here's what we've been up to:

Our son, Luke "Skywalker" Baldwin, marked his 1 year birthday with a return to the hospital where he was born. Take a look:

January 2009: Can't you see the excitement in his sweet face?

January 2008: Will someone wake this kid up?

Here he is a few hours before...much more awake (and messy)

With Luke's birthday in the rear view mirror, attention returned to Julia. She and I attended our very first father-daughter dance together last night. It was a princess theme so naturally Julia was thrilled (girl walked away with no less than 4 tiaras!). Good times. Here are some random pix:

A little less than six months to go on our three year euro vacation. Time is flying by and there's still lots of travel left to do. Bavaria and Ireland are next up followed by springtime tulips in Holland. I'll keep you posted!