Spring Break!

Spring Break officially marked the first week of my third trimester! Wahoo! As my belly gets bigger, I'm getting more and more uncomfortable, so we decided to stay close to home. We headed to Krk, an island that's about a two-hour drive from Zagreb.

The weather wasn't quite what we hoped for. It was way too chilly to lay out on the beach, but we did a lot of chatting in cafes, strolling along the beach with Xena, lounging, and reading. Krk is the largest Croatian island and we were able to visit many towns during our 4 day stay - Risika (where we stayed), Vrbnik, Malinska, Stara Baska, Basko, and Krk Town. We first visited Krk last July with our friends Dave and Johanna. We were able to go back to a couple of special spots we found then - namely, a great little restaurant in Vrbnik called Nada. I highly recommend it.

Risika!

This is near Punat. 

She's just too cute for her own good!

Basko

She still tries to sit in my lap like a little pup - definitely doesn't know her size. 

Krk Town

It was such a restful weekend. Just what we needed to get us through the last stretch of school - only 8 weeks. We also treated ourselves to a day at the spa. :)

Sending lots of love to our friends and family from home! Although we are staying busy and enjoying life, we miss you guys!
XOXO
the Stormies

A supremely overdue update

Well, I only left you hanging for five months! I guess I have a pretty good excuse, though. I'm pregnant! And those first four months were a doozy! And the one after that was just sheer procrastination. :) For those of you who don't know, I'm due on July 10th, so the baby will be born in Zagreb and we are staying for one more year. Then, we're coming home. No, really this time!

I'll try to make this short and sweet. We've taken some trips. Shocking, I know! Here's a few pictures to go along with each adventure.

2nd Anniversary trip to Istria's wine and truffle country

I found out I was pregnant 3 days later. :)

A proud papa! The framed paper is the blood work, showing I'm pregnant. I had two negative home pregnancy tests, but had a feeling. He thought I was going to get the blood test on Friday, but I went on Wednesday. I found out on Wednesday at lunch and it was so hard NOT to tell him at school - his classroom is directly next door to me! But I wanted to make it special. :)

Thanksgiving Break - Budapest
It was nice to take a second Turkey Day trip with the same crew from last year. :) Budapest was beautiful and the cold winds helped calm my overeager gag reflex.

We took a dinner cruise on the Danube on our last night. 

Cuckoo Clock Extravaganza - Black Forest, Germany
I got the idea for this trip when I saw a cuckoo clock at Oktoberfest. Thankfully, my wonderful husband was game. We flew to Frankfurt, then drove down to Freiburg. On the way back, we went through Strasbourg, France (where my ancestors were from).

The largest cuckoo clock IN THE WORLD!

Freiburg's Christmas Market. Potato pancake with apple sauce and a glass of mulled wine. He's a happy man!

Michael and Luann, can you find your cuckoo clock?

Black forest cherry cake WHILST in the black forest!?!?! These are the things dream are made of!

Strasbourg Christmas Market

Barcelona
In Europe, not only do they have a winter and spring break, but they also have a ski break! No complaints here. I couldn't ski this year, so we decided to head to Barcelona!

We stayed just off La Rambla

Columbus monument

Casa Batllo

Gothic Quarter

Churros and hot chocolate (Suiz). 

The happy meal says "killing America one happy meal at a time."

Parc de la Ciutadella

Sagrada Familia

to Montserrat

We had a lovely hike at the top, but had to cut it short because it started hailing on us! 

Magic Fountain of Montjuic.

We got to see a music and light show at night. We found a park bench, snuggled up, and had a very nice time. 

Park Guell

Palau de la Musica Catalana. We went to a classical guitar concert on our last night. It was beautiful and the baby kicked the whole time! 

And last, but certainly not least, introducing baby Samuel! At our last appointment (almost a month ago) he was almost 2 pounds and his sweet little cheeks are getting chubbier and more pinchable at every visit. He also looks more like his Daddy every time we see him.