... going downtown with my mom to the weekly farmers market...
... and picking Ellie up from kindergarten. She was always so thrilled to see her Mimi and Papa!
There was lots of fun hanging out at the house and play time. Papa was a master builder with the blocks!
With the weather so nice and sunny just about every day, my mom and I also spent a lot of time outdoors pulling the weeds around our bushes. I'd like to think Brian enjoys when his mother-in-law comes to town... things get done!
We got the entire bed cleaned out and mulched -- success! We also had a few picnics outside with Ellie running around the yard playing soccer with her Papa.
The last weekend of March we all piled in the car and drove up to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a picturesque walled city and a popular stop along Germany's Romantic Road.
We found a restaurant with an outdoor biergarten. The food was delicious!
Dad got a little silly (notice the empty beer glass). :)
I have heard great things about Rothenburg, but it was even better in person!
Although we didn't go in, we stopped by the Rothenburg Criminal Museum and found these two delinquents in the stocks.
The charge? Too much German beer consumption (is there such a thing?). We also found this little culprit as well.
Her crime? Giving her mother so much grief and then pulling such an adorable face!
The last stop on our trip was to the cuckoo clock store. Having wanted one for years, my mom and dad bit the bullet and ordered a clock and aside from trying to keep Ellie from pulling the chains on all the clocks, she couldn't get enough of the hourly chiming and music coming from all the clocks.
On the way home, this happened.
It's becoming a regular occurrence when we do day trips -- it's the only place she will ever sleep when the sun is still up. We haven't used the stroller since last year's Christmas markets and Ellie is more than happy to walk with us. We've also gotten smart and started traveling with a little potty since Ellie potty trained, knowing that she tends to fall asleep on the ride home after long days with lots of walking. Seems to be working in our favor!
Our last little trip with my parents was taking them to the Wilhelma Zoo here in Stuttgart. We took the train there -- our favorite method of travel in the city.
It was our first time at the zoo, and I foresee us going back in the near future! Our first stop was the greenhouse. Ellie loves plants and flowers so it was right up her alley... maybe.
A older German man commented to us that these barrel cacti are colloquially referred to as the "Mother-in-law's Chair":
The plants and trees were all in bloom! I still can't get over the weather we had during my parents' visit.
I'm just now realizing that I have no pictures of the actual animals from our zoo trip -- this was as close as we got.
Afterwards, we took the train downtown for a walk down Königstrasse for some ice cream and then to to the Schlossplatz to see the fountains back up and running after the winter!
A few family pictures.
Then during our attempt at a family picture, things got real.
Oh, life with a three-year-old (I can't even remember what the issue was).
As we expected, we had a great time hosting my mom and dad in our new home and it's always hard o see them leave. That said, we are eagerly anticipating their next visit -- with a new granddaughter in the house!
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