Olivia

Olivia Angelina Domm was born on Wednesday November 4th at 6:15am, and weighed approximately 7 lbs. 14 oz.(there is a story-ask me if you're interested). After a swift delivery (two pushes) this fuzzy little one joined our family.

Grandma and Grandpa Domm were here for the week and we couldn't feel more blessed. We were so happy to have them here, as they were a tremendous help with Tristan.

It was wonderful to have Chuck and Joanne here when Olivia was born, for Tristan was 6 months old when they saw him for the first time.

Tristan's curiosity has only been peaked with the arrival of Olivia. We've found that at least one of us has to play defense on him while she's in the room.

We're Still Alive!

It's been almost three months since our last posting and I'm sure some of you out there have wondered if we've dropped off the face of the earth. Well, here we are-still on the earth, just on the other side. Since our last posting we were able to fit in one last vacation (to the beautiful Italian island of Sardegna), move from Germany to Dayton, and visit family in NY. In addition to this, we have been readying our new home (at lightning speed I might add), and getting ready for our new sweet little girl (who is due in two days). To say the least, we have been busy. Unfortunately, because of being so busy I have neglected to take many pictures in the last few months, but here's what we have taken. When we do get more we'll pass them along your way.

Sardegna

For our last vacation I wanted to just relax and be bums on the beach. So...we found a little resort on the island of Sardegna and did something different-pretty much nothing. On this trip we didn't do a lot of sight seeing or marching miles across a big city, no this time we tried our hand at playing at the beach and just enjoying the balmy weather.

This was the view out of our room.


After a busy day at the beach Tristan enjoyed running around in the buff.

We did go into town a couple of days, and as usual Tristan slept great in his pack.

For those of you who have traveled to mainland Italy, Sardegna feels and looks very different. The architecture and landscape reflect the heat that is so common here. The buildings are bleached white from the sun (and I'm sure built with rocks from the nearby cliffs) and hillsides are filled with hardy vegetation and olive trees for as far as you can see.

A day didn't go by that we didn't have gelato. Here in the intense heat it was a necessity instead of a luxury.

I had to put this picture in here for all of you to enjoy. Here you can see the Italians working out in the Mediterranean. I wasn't motivated enough to join in (besides my bathing suit was already stretched to the max in my oh so huge pregnant state-I didn't want to push it).

One day we took a cruise around a portion of the western coast and visited some amazing caves called the The Grotto Nettuno (the pictures didn't turn out). I thought the boat ride was just as nice as getting out and exploring.

Here you can see Tristan trying to figure out the beach umbrella. Tristan had more fun playing with the umbrellas, going up and down stairs, and checking out huge insects than actually playing in the sand.

Back in Germany

We couldn't have made it those last couple of weeks without out the help of good friends. As our home was empty we were able to borrow bedding, air mattresses, pack and plays, and toys for Tristan. Here you can see the little guy reading while wearing our neighbor's helmet (with the arrival of the 18 month mark Tristan has become attached to an array of interesting things-here you can see his somewhat odd attachment to this bike helmet).

While Tristan was low on toys those last couple of weeks it didn't take much to entertain him-just as long as there was a car close by.

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to blog and I want our friends in Germany to know that it's no reflection of my feelings for them. I have such affection for the friends we were able to make there and feel blessed that we were able to live in that beautiful country and make such wonderful friends. They truly enriched our time and became our second family.

The States

After much anxiety over traveling to the States (traveling from Frankfurt to NY involved over 20 hours of travel), my prayers were answered as Tristan was an absolutely fabulous traveler. That day couldn't have been possible without our new portable DVD player (thank you to everyone who told us to buy one) and the largest assortment of treats known to man (fruit snacks in the shape of tractors have proven to be worth gold).

As we stayed with my family in NY for the first month, I was spoiled by all of their support and help with Tristan. I will be forever grateful for my mom helping with Tristan as I was extremely pregnant and extremely exhausted-while he was adjusting to the time change while getting four teeth in and having a cold. Thanks again Mom!

Tristan with Grandma on the Eastview carousel.

Tristan with his Aunt Laura at the Domm Cottage.

I know this picture is dark, but I had to put it in there. Tristan really wanted to wear his Halloween costume (somehow the pants came off), and obviously felt parched. I couldn't resist taking a picture. Seeing Tristan in his tiger suit brings an instant smile to my face (just as him in his monkey suit last year brightened my day).



Here's the little guy playing with his bus on the kitchen counter. Tristan was a real champ as our new home was pretty close to empty for two weeks.

Those last few pictures were taken by Paul on a nearby hike last week.

Lastly, before I end this mammoth posting I want to let you know that once again we've been blessed with a great home, great ward and our household goods have come in time for us to set up house before our new arrival (Before Tristan and now our little girl -our things have come 10 days before my due date). Paul has definatey been the mvp of our family-and the worlds most amazing husband as he has painted rooms, and hung up numerous pictures and paintings with no complaints. What would a crazy hormonal pregnant woman do without their extremely sane husband?! Well, now that our home is ready and we've become established here in Dayton all there is to do is wait-and that's what we'll be doing until the arrival of our new little girl. Hopefully we'll be posting again in a few days-wish us luck!

The Black Forest and Bacharach

Over the past month my sister Laura was able to visit us and during her stay we were able to visit numerous beautiful spots. One of my favorites was the Black Forest. As we drove through this scenic region we saw rolling hills, dense forests, and beautiful large German homes with architecture unique to that region.



At the beginning of the day we had some rain but that didn't stop Tristan from enjoying himself.




As we drove down I got this sweet shot of Tristan cuddling next to Laura.

Here we are at the Trieberg Falls in the Black Forest.


It was pretty much impossible to get a good family picture here because Tristan was so preoccupied with the gorgeous falls.

Here you can see Tristan in awe of the falls. If I had included video of this moment you would hear him saying "wow!".



The little guy stretching his legs before our long drive home.

Another favorite spot I was able to share with Laura was the charming little town of Bacharach. This picturesque little spot is nestled in between fragrant vineyards and the calm shores of the Rhine River.

Usually we share our gelato with Tristan (and he screams for more as we are trying to get a lick in), so this day I thought "what the hey-just get him his own!" so this was Tristan's very first gelato (of his own). After giving him his own I don't think I can go back to sharing one with him.






The Germans do an absolutely fabulous job of adorning their homes and places of business with beautiful flowers. Where ever you turn you see flower boxes with robust arrangements and flowers billowing out of windows and door ways.



Before leaving this quaint little town we stopped to play at the park.


Laura was the best aunt, as she played with Tristan until he was too exhausted to laugh and squeal anymore.


These next few pictures are from our day trip to Trier. These pictures (above and below) are of us at the Roman baths.





I had to include these two pictures as they bare record of something fabulous that has recently happened...Tristan has overcome his fear of the vacuum cleaner! Yes, that's right as Tristan has turned 18 months he is finally old enough to go into nursery (happy day), his vocabulary has really begun to take off, and I can now vacuum without him clinging to me, as if I was facing a wild animal. Now that he's 18 months, instead of being scared of the vacuum he's intrigued by its motor and all of its moving parts.



This picture I had to take as the little guy looks like some sort of monster. I had given him a plum and he went to town with it. When finished with the plum it was in his hair, his ears, on his neck, up his nose and everywhere inbetween.

Lastly, here's a couple of pictures of Tristan getting his hair cut. Paul and I were both surprised at how well behaved he was in the barbers chair and so after our first experience (this is Tristans second time-the first I didn't remember to bring the camera) I vowed to never have Paul touch his hair again (if you recall having Paul cut/butcher his hair in the spring was slightly traumatic-Tristan does not look good with a buzz cut!)

Lovin Life in London

Over the fourth of July we spent a week in London and had such an enjoyable time. We not only had beautiful weather but were able to have my sister Laura with us, which was an added bonus.

Here we are in front of the London Tower.



Laura was such a huge help as she carried Tristan a good portion of the time.



Here we are in front of Saint Paul's Cathedral.




We had such uncharacteristically beautiful weather (for London), that unfortunately all of our pictures involve Paul squinting. Here we are in front of Buckingham Palace waiting for the changing of the guard.



Big Ben looking through the lovely Holland Park.


We naively thought getting to Buckingham Palace 45 minutes prior to the changing of the guard would suffice. To our surprise the grounds were filled with hundreds of people who must have been waiting for hours in order to get the perfect seat. So...to say the least there were lots of people and it was difficult to see all of the ceremony (because they do it behind the palace gates where no one is allowed in). Despite not seeing everything in its fullness, we enjoyed all of the pomp and circumstance (which there was plenty of-the ceremony lasted over an hour).



London was filled with several lovely parks where we enjoyed lunches on the grass as well as the occasional break from sight seeing (our feet were begging for a break by the end of the day).


Here we are in front of the very impressive Westminster Abby. Despite the outside looking very ordinary, the inside was the most amazing collection of tombs and memorials to famous Kings, Queens, Poets and notable British socialites. It really was very impressive and definitely worth seeing.


One afternoon Laura and I enjoyed perusing through the amazing British Museum.

I was amazed at the amount of Egyptian, Babylonian, and Greek (just to name a few) artifacts that this amazing museum had in its possession. It even made me a little sad to see all of these precious items so far from their homes. After all wouldn't it be more impressive to see all of these Sphinxs in Egypt or to see the Parthenon in its entirety in Athens? I sure thought so (I kept thinking about how disappointing it must be to go to some of these historic places and to find very little left because everything had been taken to the British Museum). Despite my sadness I did enjoy this incredible Museum.

Here Paul is in front of Center Court at Wimbledon (one of the most premiere Tennis venues in the world). After being in London for days and feeling as though we had seen and done all that we had intended to, we thought we'd try our hand at getting into Wimbledon. This afternoon proved to be particularly exciting as we were able to get in on the day the men were playing in the semi-finals.

Here Paul is eating strawberries and cream...

and I'm enjoying a scone with clotted cream (after all the hype I was definitely NOT disappointed-it was oh so yummy!) and strawberry jam.

This day really was so much fun. Not only did we enjoy delicious food, beautiful weather and a world class competition-but Tristan and I were interviewed by the BBC (what a hoot that was-too bad I didn't know anyone watching) as well as us being able to do a little celebrity sighting (sitting next to us in the cafe where we were eating was none other than British actor Clive Owen).

Our last day in London we took the train to Cambridge. Here's a picture that I had to include, as I had never seen cricket played. Here's a whole team playing in their traditional white uniforms.

Cambridge was such a charming little town and perfect for a relaxing day to just take in the sights. After enjoying fish and chips at a local pub we made our way to the 800 year old campus (where greats such as Sir Isaac Newton and Lord Kelvin attended).

Through out the town you can see tourists being guided around the charming water ways by youth (I wondered if these were students trying to earn some extra income during the summer) by punting -or maneuvering these British gondolas.

Cambridge was quaint and fortunately for us not overrun by street performers. This talented (and very flexible ) man was the only performer I saw. Paul and I agreed that he was probably the most talented performer we had seen in all of our travels, as he played with proficiency from inside this trash can.














Our relaxing day in Cambridge was the perfect end to our time in London. I was so glad we were able to go and so glad we could share this experience with my sister Laura.

Since getting back from London, Laura has continued to spoil me as she helps with Tristan and gives me a welcome break from the monotony of daily life. We have been able to do several day trips (Hardenburg Castle, Heidelberg and its castle, Burg Eltz) and have a handful of trips planned for the future. It really is nice being able to have her here, and wish we were here long enough to host more of our loved ones.

Nothing nicer than Normandy

Here's a few pictures from a recent trip we took to Normandy (I'm a little behind on the posts, but I'm working on getting caught up). Paul and I had both wanted to visit the D-day beaches and thought no better time than right after the most recent anniversary (June 6th). We got there late enough to miss the crowds, but early enough to get wonderful weather.

On the way to Normandy we took the scenic route (rural Normandy) instead of going through Paris, and boy was I glad. Not only did we avoid crazy traffic, but we were able to drive through quaint French towns with beautiful chateaus and wild flowers growing alongside grazing horses.

After the most beautiful drive through the northern countryside we stopped for an afternoon in the coastal town of Etretat. This town is located on the Alabaster Coast and known for its beautiful beach with rock formations that resemble wading elephants. I have to say that this little town was my favorite part of Normandy.

This town had a breathtaking coast and a little town that reminded me somewhat of Cape Cod. Etretat is definitely worth the trip (it's about 1.5 hours from Bayoux and the D-day beaches).

The following Pictures are of Omaha Beach and the American Military Cemetery there.

Here Paul and Tristan take a walk on the beach (this day there was a very low tide).

As this beautiful cemetery overlooks the historic beach a sense of reverence is almost tangible there.

Saint Mere Eglise, the rally point for numerous allied paratroopers celebrates the arrival of their liberators (65 years ago) with an annual parade and numerous shops filled with British, U.S. and Canadian flags and memorabilia. If you look closely, they still have a parachute hanging on the town cathedral where an American airborne soldier landed so many years ago.

Bayeux is a sleepy city filled with quiet streets and picturesque livestock.

Throughout Normandy we were surprised to see American flags flying alongside the French. In a Bayeux grocery store a large banner hung and said "Welcome to our liberators!". I was so surprised that after 65 years their expression of gratitude seamed just as strong as ever.

As I said previously, Bayeux seamed quiet and almost sleepy. As we walked some of the streets they reminded me of the oh so charming movie "Chocolate".

Here's a few pictures to show you what life's been like here at home in Germany. Tristan has a sweet tooth as you can see here. Any chance he can get, Tristan will try to get the syrup from the fridge and sneak a sip.

This is how I found him (below) after returning from the kitchen. He obviously was done with lunch, and wanted no more of his high chair.

This is his "This bib is strangling me!" look.

Here you can see the happy guy in one of his favorite places-the office.

Tristan giggles with delight as he practically runs up the stairs to get to the computer.

Summer means strawberry picking for us, and here's a few pictures of our latest experience here in Germany.

Tristan enjoyed being able to eat as many strawberries as he could get his little patties on, and I enjoyed how happy he was. What a fun day for all of us!

Tristan made a friend with a sweet local girl (take notice of her particularly nice clothing-we of course wore our grubbiest clothes for picking this juicy fruit but the Germans wore nice clothing and picked somewhat cautiously).

Here's Tristan playing dress up with Pauls clothes.

Windmills, Clogs and Canals

After who knows how long, here's the second part of our Holland trip. I just thought I'd share with you some of my favorite pictures of this beautiful land.

This country oozed rural tranquility as sheep, ponies, and goats roamed alongside the dikes.



How could we resist posing inside these enormous clogs at the clog factory in Zaanse Schans.



At the end of this day, Tristan's exhaustion and irritability could only be cured by a strawberry milk shake (which was previously Pauls until he gave the little guy a sip...).






A cheese shop in Zaanse Schans that featured dozens of delicious types of Dutch cheese. After much deliberating we went home with two varieties that we enjoyed for days and days.

Amsterdam

We so enjoyed this relaxing city as we took a boat through the canals and walked the cozy little streets. Amsterdam is a city filled with more canals than Venice and more cyclists than the Tour de France.








Boat houses fill the canals and are common places to not only live on weekends but serve as permanent residences for numerous 'Nederlanders'.









Anne Frank's house.




Windmills, windmills and more windmills. The town of Kinderdyke was quaint and know for just that -picturesque windmills.




These last pictures of Holland are from Kuekenhoff's petting zoo. After hours of walking around and enjoying the flowers Tristan was more than thrilled to get out of the pack and play with the animals.


This Flintstone type car was oddly placed in the middle of the petting zoo, but Tristan couldn't have been more happy.



You can see from my face that this emu (I think that's what this animal is) just nipped me.



Tristan's favorite animal was by far this little sheep. He couldn't help but climb into its little manger and sit in the hay with him.

Lately Tristan has found every possible spot to find climb into and sit in. After fears of him braking the end tables we finally found a chair just his size.


Tristan just like his dad is a huge fan of meat. More often that not we wonder if Tristan is eating enough, because of most of his meal ends up on the floor. This particular day though, that was not the case. We had barbequed pork ribs and he couldn't get enough.

After putting away an amazing amount of ribs the little guy was feeling fat and happy. I have to say that after reviewing these pictures, I'm wondering what happened to his bib and why he reminds me so much of a crazy old man (you know the ones that roam their home in a wife beater all day) at only a 16 months.

Lastly, we do have some news that we're very excited about. After a recent ultrasound we found out that the newest baby Domm will be....a girl!

Holland

I know it's been a while since posting, and I know I said I'd do better-and I haven't I'm sorry. My excuse: We found out we could be coming back to the states much quicker than anticipated and so I've been house hunting. If you're interested, I'll give you more details to follow. For now I'll tell you a little more about our oh so fabulous and relaxing vacation to Holland.

Holland was probably the most relaxing vacation we'd been on thus far. I was surprised by the beautiful countrysides, picturesque ponies (grazing just a stones throw from fields of flowers ) and kindness of the locals (upon almost hitting a woman and her child -on their bike, she smiled, laughed and then waved very kindly to Paul and I). To say the least this was a wonderful vacation. This first installment (yes there's more) covers the beautiful flowers of Keukenhoff. Keukenhoff (for those of you out there who haven't heard of it) is the most spectacular collection of tulips and others seasonal beauties in an 80 acre park. For those of you who love flowers, make this trip a priority-you must go in your lifetime. After going you'll know why Holland is the flower capital of the world!

Paul being sassy in the park.

The day was filled with beautiful flowers and delicious food. Paul and I enjoyed Benelux waffles more than once that day (and yes we've renamed the famously delicious Belgian waffle-since you can get the warm sugary dessert in almost all of the Benelux region). This time we enjoyed it with fresh cream and strawberries-ooh delicious!

Tristan rode in style in his brand new Deuter pack. He loved riding in it almost all day long and then was so comfortable that he slept in it afterwards.

Another sassy picture of Paul and Tristan (even though you can't see his face, I'm sure he's being just as sassy)

Paul and Tristan enjoying some yummy french fries (sans the fatty yet hugely popular mayonnaise).

How could you not smell the flowers? With thousands- no millions of flowers there the place smelled amazing. Paul was sure to smell more than a few varieties.

Being in Dutch country I couldn't leave without a picture of me wearing a huge pair of clogs.

More Benelux waffles (this time covered in deep dark rich chocolate)-oh so delicious!

I hope you enjoyed the flowers and if you're interested in more Holland, stay tuned for more. About our recent news: Paul got accepted into the Solar Space Science/applied physics masters program at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio. He was accepted into the program starting October (tentatively). We are still awaiting details but as of now we should be in the states by this fall.