Tuesday, December 30, 2008

We're having a.......




That's right we are expanding the majority around here. Long live the estrogen!!!! Poor Jake is utterly outnumbered. He doesn't seem to mind too much, though. Now, he'll have two little princesses that adore him. We haven't totally settled on a name yet, but I think we are close, maybe. I'm planning on making everything for the nursery, as far as bedding and all that. We didn't ship any baby stuff with us, so we get to start all over with this one. Today, Abby and I made a trip to Ikea to look at furniture for the room. Let's just say I'm really missing all the hand me downs, consignment and garage sales in the US right about now. All in all, it is getting pretty exciting around here, though.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Cravings


I've managed to block out most cravings I've had this pregnancy, save one. Most of the things I would love to get my hands on are not available here in Vienna i.e Taco Bell, Fig Newtons, any number of other restaurant offerings. I tried to gorge myself as much as possible on these things when we were in the States recently. One thing I can't seem to get out of my head is breakfast sausage. Now, I wasn't a big sausage eater before, but for some reason it has become like some sort of obsession. And guess what? I can't get it here!!! Nope, no sausage. I can get any kind of wurst on the planet practically, but no breakfast sausage. I've tried making some from scratch with limited success and was about to give up on the idea of having any again until we go on furlough. But the thought would not leave my head and so after Christmas I'm going to try a couple of new recipes and use a different cut of meat. I'll have to work on asking the butcher to grind up a shoulder roast in German. Wish me luck.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

US Tour '08

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting a few pics from our US trip. As many of you know the main point of the trip was for me to finally meet the half brother I recently learned about. Of course, it was great to be back home and see lots of family and eat American food, but it was so exciting to meet Andy. Here are some pics from the Kansas leg of the trip.


 

The cousins.
 

Family pic. A long time comin'.
 

Gotta love Taco Bell.
 
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Funny faces with Uncle Andy.

My mom, sister, me and the kiddos.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Home again

We made it home to Vienna on Thursday morning and all fell right into bed since none of slept on any of the flights back. We are still in the midst of jetlag, but I think we will recover soon. We had such a great trip, the highlight of which was meeting my half brother for the very first time. I wasn't sure what to expect, but am so thankful for the opportunity. We got to spend about 2 half days with Andy. He was also able to meet some more of the family, which everyone really enjoyed. We all wish we could have known about him sooner. I'm looking forward to staying in touch with him and seeing him again in the future.
We also had a great time in Colorado with Jake's family. We even had snow, twice. Jake and Abby were especially excited about this since they got to go sledding. Mama stayed inside fighting a cold/cough and trying to stay warm. It really was a fantastic trip, though short. We only had two weeks in the States, but are looking forward to furlough next summer with the new baby. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow and give a few more details, for now, I'm falling asleep at the keyboard.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Last day

Today is our last day in the States for awhile. We have had such a great time visiting family, meeting new family members and eating lots of yummy food. We fly back to Vienna in the morning to return to our normal lives. I'll post pictures and details when we get home, since I didn't bring my cable to connect my camera to the computer.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Catching Up, Part 3 of 3

As I mentioned earlier, Halloween is still catching on in Vienna. However, we just happened to know about 50 college students who love it. The OC students threw a party for our kiddos. It was so fun and all the kids had a great time. Two days later the Rushers also had their annual Halloween party for the team. This has become a much anticipated event for all of us. The kids got to watch the Charlie Brown Halloween movie, do crafts and do a bit of trick or treating. The adults enjoyed some yummy fall food and a game of Yatzee. Fun times for all. I would like to go on record as saying I had no say in Abby's costume for the Rusher's party.

Catching Up Part 2 of 3

Halloween has only recently gained any popularity in Vienna, and is really not very kid friendly. However, there is a Pumpkin Festival which is really family oriented. We made the drive this year and had tons of fun. There was a parade, lots of yummy food and Abby had fun riding the rides. This will definelty become a tradition for us as a family. I think next year we will try to make it a little earlier in the day, though. Once the sun went down, it got cold pretty fast.

 

 

 

 
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Finally, Some Catching Up, Part 1 of 3

In mid-October were blessed to have 2 great families from MRCC visit us here in Vienna. We were so happy to see the Jones and Wilguess families again, and to be able to share with them a little bit of our lives here in Vienna. While, I think this could be classified as an "official" site visit, we had so much fun hanging out, talking, laughing and catching up that is hardly seemed official. They are a great reminder of all of those back home who are praying and thinking about us. I wouldn't be completely honest if I didn't say we also loved the goodies they brought us as well.

 

Abby enjoying her first ever fruit roll up. I know she is totally deprived.

 

More fruit roll up and no that is not a cigarette in Victoria's mouth. Its a lollipop.

 

Landon, Victoria and Abby. How is it even possible the Wilguess kids are so grown up?

 
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Abby and Stephan playing a game at the restaurant.


Man, we love this family.


Me, Carla and Alisha.


Sweet hugs with Stephan.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Food for Thought

Here are a few verses that have been on my mind lately. Take from them what you will.

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform out lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorius body." Phil 3:30-21

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the power of God, which transcends all understand, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." John 14:1

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:17-19.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Where does the time go?

Man, am I behind on blogging or what? Well, we've had lots going on the last few weeks and hopefully I'll get all that up here soon. The biggest news is Abby turned 5!!!!!! How can this even be possible? Again, pics coming soon. In other news, I'm now in my 13th week and starting to feel much better. I've had it pretty good compared to some, but am so glad to not be nauseous all the time and have a little more energy. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday and will try to post a more detailed update then.

Friday, October 10, 2008

September and October

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting what we've been up to. September was a great month for many reasons--Jake's parents coming to visit, finding out we were pregnant and my birthday. We had such a great time with Jake's parents here. We took them around Vienna and they even struck out on their own a couple of times. They were here last December, but the weather was so cold we really didn't get to go out too much. We made up for that this time. They got to stay for over 2 weeks this time, and it was great having them here. Jake had a men's retreat in Germany the last week in September and I was supposed to have a women's retreat right after that, but my back went it out and I spent most of the week in bed. Following that week our friends Clint and April came for a visit. Jake and Clint were roommates and OC and now Clint and April are missionaries in Chemnitz, Germany. Let me just say they have one of the top 5 cutest babies ever, Heidi. They actually just left on Wednesday and we are already gearing up for the next round of visitors. Next week we'll have 2 families from Memorial Road here in Vienna. Neither family is staying with us, though we will be spending time with each of them. I realize this a pretty quick summary, but it hits the high points. Here are some pics of the last month and a half.


Monday, October 6, 2008

Notice Anything New?

Take a look around and see if you can find something new on the blog.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Updates and pictures coming soon

Sorry, for the long absence. Jake's parents just left on Tuesday after a long visit. It was so great to have them here again. I'll be posting pics of our time together and a few other bits of excitement soon.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

First Day of Kindergarten '08

Well, school has begun again here in Vienna. A day parents have waited all summer for, I'm sure. I wasn't waiting so anxiously, though. You see, as I mentioned previously, Abby started at a new kindergarten this year. Over the past year and a few months many things have had to be learned, many, many things. Upon arrival in Vienna it seemed as if almost nothing was the same. At least as far as, procedure was concerned. There were many tears and frustrations in those first few months, but now, most things seem rather normal. And since most things seemed normal, I wasn't anxious to start learning again. Don't get me wrong, there were many very valid reasons to change Abby's kindergarten, but none of them were making much sense to me in the days leading up to yesterday. You see, I had kindergarten figured out. I knew how it all worked at her old school--who the teachers were, how the day went, in short, what to expect. But now, we would be starting all over again. It should be noted here, that only the mother had these concerns, father and daughter exhibited no signs of worry.
So, yesterday morning we woke up bright and early for the big day. Abby had her usual breakfast and we only had a minor confrontation about wardrobe. Off we went to start this new adventure. Once at kindergarten, Abby acted as if she had been doing this all for a long time. I was relieved at the friendliness of her teachers, the classroom is great and we even met some English speaking parents who were beginning at the school for the first time as well. We hung out for about and hour and a half and then went home. Let me tell you, Abby was not excited about only getting to stay for a short time. We assured her the next day would be longer, though. So, all in all, it was a great day. I have been praying about this for a long time and God has surely answered my prayers. Here are some pics from the big day.





Friday, August 29, 2008

Art Day

Today, we went to the Hensals for a little bit of art fun. We are going to start doing a Bible hour for the kids soon, so we were working on a mats for the kids to sit on. The kids all had a grand time and were all good, too.


 

 

 

 
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Sunday, August 17, 2008

Check It Out

I've decided to try and do a separate blog for some of my more creative efforts. Head on over and check it out. It is a little sparse now, but hopefully will fill up soon.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Zoo

One of our favorite things to do when we still lived in Oklahoma was to go to the zoo. It was pretty close to our house and we had a season pass. Abby and I loved going with friends for play dates or by ourselves for a Mommy and Abby day. Vienna has a great zoo, too. I've heard it described as a modern zoo in an imperial setting. I think that is a great description. There are several great new animal places, like the new elephant house which Abby loves, but you can't forget where you are by looking around you. Here are a few pictures from a recent family trip day.











Monday, August 11, 2008

Road Warrior

Today, our child finally joined the ranks of children with a bicycle. That's right folks we just got our kid a bike. We had talked about getting her one in the States, but decided not to for two reasons basically 1)she was borderline ready for one before we left 2) we would just have to ship it and we weren't sure about storage. So, today we headed off to the bike store and Abby picked one out she liked. In Europe, many children start riding a bike with out pedals, its called a laufrad. See Ira and Kari's blog for description. Well, Abby was dead set against a bike with pedals, and told us she would not be using them. Well, it took only a few minutes before she got the hang of it. She looks so cute riding around with her helmet and everything.

In other news, you may have noticed a new look to the blog. Don't feel hurt if you don't see your name in the "Blogs We Read" section. I'm working on getting everyone up there. You have to understand how little patience I have for this tech stuff, so it might take a bit. In the mean time, Summer, if you see like 50 hits a day on your blog from Vienna, don't worry I'm not stalking you. I'm just going to your blog to get everyone I want on mine. I'm sure there's an easier way, but this is what is working for me.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Busy Summer So Far Part 1

Like everyone else, I'm sure, our summer is just flying by. We've had no shortage of things to do and people visiting. Here is a brief summary with pictures of all we have been up to.

We began the summer with quick trip to Croatia to get our passports stamped. Going down was no problem, but coming back we got stuck in the line to cross the border. We sat in this traffic for over an hour. Good times!!!





I made jam with my neighbor again. Apricot this time and it is sooooo good.



Jake and I went on a bowling date. It had been a long time since we'd bowled, but we had fun all the same. Here is the one pic I got from the night.



Eight students from the OC Vienna Studies Program stayed after the rest of the group left to do mission work. We and 3 other families hosted them in our homes during their 1 week stay. Our family hosted 2 girls. It was so fun being around college kids again. It reminded us of our own glory days. Abby got totally spoiled with the constant attention and play companions who of course played whatever she wanted.



Before they left the team had a BBQ for all the students. It was a nice lazy evening sitting around eating, talking and playing games.