New Year Memories

We started 2024 with a bang!! In our bed asleep :')

Berlin is known for some pretty crazy fireworks and it was really cool to see them... on my friend's phone a few days later haha. Since our apartment is tucked away in our courtyard, we didn't see or hear many fireworks. Maybe this December 31 we'll watch them with the rest of our fellow Berliners.

I'm so grateful for good friends who keep in touch! I met Nate and Tess the first time I went over to Justin's apartment when we were dating. We played Scum and some other card games that night. It was so fun to see Justin in that element and begin to meet his friends.

Nate said they were going to be in Europe for the New Year and wanted to make a stop in Berlin. We loved having them and showing them some of our favorite parts of this corner of Europe. & it was nice to have some extra hands to love on Logan. (& Tess brought me the yummiest Bath & Body candle!!)

One of our favorite Christmas markets was still open for a few more days. We headed that way where we met up with another one of our favorite couples...

Tender bedtime moment.

Justin's agent Ross, and his fiancé Rebecca, happened to be in Berlin the exact same days! I hadn't seen Rebecca since we were in Chicago summer of '22. It was so fun to catch up with them and introduce them to Logan.

Baby UGG's from Priority, our agency.

Our mailman brought us a note about a package to be picked up at the post office. When I picked it up, the return address was from Santaquin!

A couple of weeks earlier, we were FaceTiming my family and Justin jokingly remarked whoever sent Logan his first package would become the favorite aunt/uncle.

We opened up the small box to reveal a handwritten note from Andrew with one of his stuffed animals. His new tiger has a permanent spot in his crib & Andrew has been promoted to favorite uncle.

We HAD to take them out for Spaghetti Eis at our favorite gelato place. Justin's known for rating food and desserts. Our first time here, he gave our spaghetti eis a 9.5 then quickly commented, "Actually, what's holding me back from a 10? That was amazing!"

Logan's first time on public transportation!

Endorphin rush: Buying organizers for around the house. Those tiny packets are Baking Soda and Baking Powder. TINY. Portion sizes are something we're still adjusting to.

I went back to my first basketball game since October, this time with Alba's newest fan. I was worried about going back but Logan did soooo well. He slept through the whole thing and I thought that would be the new normal! The following games went differently and we spent most of them in the VIP room in his stroller. :')

Always a treat when Justin gets to come grocery shopping with me! That's something we've loved doing since we were dating.

& a bonus when you find a cute little orchid for five euros and it's still thriving two months later!!

Getting Logan's birth certificate took us almost three months. We had all of our documents submitted to the hospital but ran into problems with Justin's birth certificate and our marriage certificate. After many emails, Google Translate, and prayers, we FINALLY got Logan's birth certificate and could move on to applying for his passport.

My favorite document on our list was his passport photo. I wanted to time it right so he would be wide awake. I fed him, put him in his stroller, and we walked down to a little photo studio. I wish someone would've been there recording the process.

I knelt down in front of the photo stool and propped Logan up on it. While holding his wobbly body in place, the nice photographer, Iris, was talking to him in German trying to get his attention.

It worked and now we have one of our favorite pictures of our favorite boy. Iris didn’t understand that I needed a U.S. passport-size photo and made a bigger print first. Lucky us! It’s wedged in the corner of one of our frames hanging in our living room.

The day before Justin’s family came into town, Wally and I got to go to a baptism for a mother and daughter from Ukraine in our ward. I love chatting with her & got to show her Logan’s new photo.

Walli gave a nice talk at the baptism and I got to play the piano.

The church building is close to my doctor and pediatrician in Zehlendorf. It's old and beautiful! I love the exterior look.

Lots of good things and people to be grateful for! Time really is flying.