2010

What if every neighbor you had owned a fireworks stand and believed in full contact battle?

What if you had the tallest tree in the neighborhood?

Here’s 3min of our 60+min adhoc neighborhood display.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Tschuss 2009! - Was is los 2010?

Saint Nicholas

My goodness time flies. It is hard to believe we have been in Germany 8 months now and that Daniel is 4 months old. In another 4 months Joseph will be 3!

Between Rome and now we celebrated St. Nicholas Day. This is a bit of a German tradition that I am considering adopting. It’s celebrated on December 6th, which is the feast day of St. Nicholas of Bari, who was a generous bishop in 200-300 A.D. He was known for leaving gifts of gold to the needy. In Germany, on the eve of December 5th, German children place their shoes close to the fireplace and leave cookies and treats out for St. Nicholas, in the hopes that he will leave them gifts. Some household receives simple gifts and notes for the children to let them know if they are on the good or bad list. Other households celebrate by finding all of their Christmas gift on the morning of the 6th. This year we celebrated St. Nicholas Day and found all of our gifts early. This was useful, as we will be traveling over Christmas. I have now come to find that this also helps to give a full day, which is dedicated to toys and gift giving, that doesn’t take away from the advent season or the message and intent of Christmas morning.

Life for us is very good. We are busy, like anyone, and we struggle with managing our time and staying in touch with those who are dear to us. For every great memory we make, we are reminded of how much we miss home and our friends and family.
Last month we were blessed with a new niece. Delaney Catherine was born to Mike’s brother and wife and will be baptized this month. Our thoughts will be with her over this holy season. Welcome Delaney!

Daniel:
Now 4 months old and eating like a champ. I have started him on baby food. So far he likes variety. If he has one thing one day he does not want it the next, but if you skip a day he will eat it like it is new and yummy. Daniel continues to be our happy baby. If he is awake he is smiling and laughing and playing. I believe he will be a talker like his older brother. He is a babbler. For St Nicholas Day he received an Exersaucer. Joseph broke the one he had and Joseph loved it so much we got one for Daniel. He is still a bit small for it, but I’m looking forward to him growing into it.

Joseph:
All I can say is THANK YOU DONNA PRIESTER! Thank you for the gift of knowledge via the book, “Love and Logic.” I feel like I am able to manage and communicate effectively with my strong willed and energetic two-year old!!! Is every day perfect? No. Are my days less stressful? Yes. I highly recommend this book to anyone with children.

For St Nicholas Day Joseph received the entire island of Sordor. A Thomas the Tank Engine Table. A picture is worth a thousand words… 12 hours of continuous play time is the mark of a well chosen toy and a gift in itself. His little hands have been busy all day!

Mike and I:
Mike’s work became very busy in November. He has been just as busy since getting home from Rome. He’s still jogging every day and has no complaints. He continues to work on his Master’s degree and in RCIA at church. His input for the blog this month is: ‘Life is Good on Settlement Street’ (our street).
I have also started to run again. It is slow but sure, but I’m getting back into it. I have learned about the rain in Germany. I’m thinking I will have to take up a treadmill at the base gym if this is going to be a constant thing over the winter. I’m looking forward to spring. My German? Still not good…I try, but I still feel like I just can’t get it. Mike is much better at it than me.
We are still meeting new people and making new friends. It is nice to know wherever you are in the world there are always new and different people to share your life with. We are glad to have this opportunity and meet those we have met (I feel like I should sing a girl scout song here…make new friends but keep the old…). We wish you all a Merry Christmas, both far and near.

For Christmas we are going to take a road trip. With the weather still in the 50’s, it seems the right thing to do. We plan to visit several small villages along the Rhien River and visit the cathedral in Koln. From there we will stop by the Netherlands and on our way to Belgium. We will spend Christmas week in Brugge and New Years week in Ypres, which is also close to England via the tunnel. Stay tuned, as I’m sure we will have to plenty to say.

Our Christmas thoughts are with all of our family and all of our friends.

Our Christmas wish is that sincere kindness be given along with each gift and that good desires go with every greeting.

As a family, we treasure the gift of peace.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant” Lk 1:46

Merry Christmas Everyone!
We miss home.

Saint Nicholas Pictures:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=828802330803%3A1446950964&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_button

Rome

What can you say about Rome without writing a book? Amazing sites, fun and loving people and culture, mind blowing art, history beyond comprehension, yummy food, and constant crazy traffic.
We went to Rome with another family we have met here in Germany. We all rented a common apartment together. The Rodriguez family has seven children. Two are grown and in the US and the other five are in Europe with them. They always seem to be there to help when needed. I never had to ask, they were just there... It was a blessing in a blessing and a treat for Mike and I. We even had a night to ourselves where we got to walk Rome. And see the sites. We have met so many wonderful new friends here, we are thankful for friendship this year.

Where to start? We flew on Ryan Air (Ryanair.com). Cheap and on time. I highly recommend them if you plan to tour Europe and want to go to places a bit further than you want to drive. There are some tricks to flying with them, but that is a different blog entry in itself. We had a great experience. We were on time, the flight was short, and Mike arranged for a van to pick us up and drop us off. From leaving the house we were on break with no clear plan other than to relax and regroup.

Our first day in Rome was like all others, calm. We settled and unpacked and had nap time. After we walked to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. The weather was beautiful and such a welcome change from the gray and damp of Germany’s late autumn. The Basilica was nothing short of inspirational. Only 3 blocks from our apartment, the Vatican became our main hangout. With naptime dominating the middle of our day, we found it best to stick close and see what we could – when we could. I don’t think there was a day that didn’t start and end with prayers there.
THE POPE-RALLY
On Wednesday, we attended an audience with Pope Benedict. I thought it was going to be the Pope coming out and speaking to us in different languages. I figured I would hear 15 minutes of English and then 2 hours of other languages I couldn’t understand. Boy was I wrong. It was actually quite a hoot! It reminded me of a giant pep-rally…I call it the “Pope-rally” now.
Groups of people on pilgrimage from all over the word gathered in the auditorium to cheer, sing, laugh, and wait. There were over 9000 people attending on the day we visited. On the stage are Cardinal-Bishops from each country that is represented in the crowd. When the Pope arrives, he greets everyone and addresses the crowd in Latin. Then, one at a time, a Cardinal stands and introduces his countrymen. The Pope greets them in their language (fluently), reminisces something about that country or city, and then re-reads his address to them in their language. Many of the crowds first serenade or cheer him or even play instruments. There was a German band from the Pope’s home of Bavaria, which played the most amazing music for him – the crowd went wild with cheer when they finished. It was loud and awesome.

OK. So, you walk into the auditorium and get your seat and wait. As you wait other audience members practice their greetings. There were choirs singing, people playing their instruments, and groups of young people practicing soccer-chant-type greetings. It’s all in different languages, completely uncoordinated, and everyone waits their own turn to practice in silence. They all practiced for when the Pope would arrive. When each practiced, the whole crowd listened quietly and applauded at the end – then another would sing or play. The excitement in the room was great and the practice ‘concerts’ were amazing.

To add to all of this you have my husband Mike. Oh, do I love Mike!
At about 30min before the Pope was to come out, everyone finally settled down. All you could just hear was the buzz of a crowd of people talking. We sat in the section that was predominantly from U.S.A. We had wonderful people behind us from Texas, as well as, Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia, Virginia, Washington, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Mike quickly identified a choir from Washington, PA (Pittsburgh) sitting 3 or 4 rows back. So Mike stood on his chair and yelled to them “Go Steelers!!!” This got the Choir cheering and several ‘Terrible Towels” were produced and spun in the air…NO JOKE! Mike went nuts yelling “Go Steelers” with them and “Beat Ravens”. A small group from China, which was far in front of us, were representing themselves with yellow silk scarves. They thought the Steelers towels were a cheer for them. This got them going in full glory and yellow scarves were everywhere. Then, a group further back assumed the Chinese group were also Steelers fans and raised an American and Texas flag and began cheering and chanting “Dallas!” NO JOKE! Seeing the U.S. flag got the opposite side of the auditorium going with flags from all over the word. It was nothing short of an international ‘WAVE’. I sat back and laughed. Mike just stood and watched with a look of mischievous pride that only he (and his son) could wear. It was FUN! It was Cheerful. It was Marvelous and such a great way to spend Thanks Giving. Turkey Day at the Pope Rally!

The Pope talked about the trinity and the relationship between faith and reason. He pointed out that when anyone works toward theological virtues that person also gains stability and maturity along the way. “How much would the world change if in families, in parishes and in any community, relationships were modeled on the three divine Persons, who not only live with each other, but for and through one another.” -Benedict XVI

9000 people in total silence was something to see. Joseph being near perfect, sitting and playing quietly, for 4 hours was really something to see, but I think I was most impressed with the Pope’s ability to speak so many languages, so well.

What else to squeeze in? The food was out of this world. So was the wine and Chocolate. Italian woman L O V E babies!!!! I had to add 30min to our schedule if I walked anywhere because we were stopped so often. THEY LOVE BABIES. It’s amazing. It was odd at first, but later I came to like it. Everyone is so busy and moving so fast, but there was always time to stop and enjoy the gift and miracle of life. There is wisdom in that. I also liked that they are very family oriented, like Germany. There were a couple of times Mike would leave to go get something and Joseph would take the opportunity to give me a hard time while I was dealing with Daniel. A man would come up and shake his finger at Joseph and tell him to behave. Joseph straightened up. I would say, ‘grazie’ and he would smile and be on his way. It was nice to have spontaneous help.

The Sistine Chapel. Joseph sat on Mike’s shoulders and we walked through the rooms and took in as much as we could. Old writing and the art is amazing – statues or paintings. When we got the room of creation Mike took Joseph out to play Choo-choos while I spent a few minutes looking at the amazing pictures (Mike has been to Rome before). What I walked away with was that you could learn something from every painting. I was drawn to the paintings of religious leaders (Moses, John the Baptist, Jesus, etc.) speaking to the crowds. Each painting showed the little children playing on the ground while the adults listened and learned from these leaders. I loved this. I do not believe in ‘quite rooms’ in churches (this is just me). ’Let the children come.’ Seeing this in the paintings at the Sistine Chapel reinforced this for me and gave me peace as we teach Joseph and Daniel.

There is also St Peter’s Basilica. You walk in and feel peace. Joseph walks in and sees a guy driving a floor washer and starts instantly seeing train tracks. A couple interesting points I learned while I listened in on a tour.
- Te court yard used to nothing but fields and later be a place for chariot races
- A piece of the cross Jesus was crucified on is in the cross in St Peter’s square.
- The church is build on the apostle Peter’s tomb
- The statues are bigger the father up they are to make the church look smaller than it is and provide symmetry to all the statues.
- The letters around the church are 6 feet high. I could go on and on and on.

We also walked to Trivia fountain and past a few piazzas along the way. We never made it to the Spanish Steps, but Mike did introduce me to the chestnut street vendors (something he always mentions about Rome and roasts at home each year). Mike and I had a date night and went to the Coliseum and the Pantheon. We had a glass of wine outside the Pantheon and people watched and laughed hard.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was turkey, meatballs, cannelloni, gnocchi, spinach, eggplant, pizza, wine, and gelato. A little of everything…YUMMY!!!
That’s Rome in a nutshell.

Rome Pictures (There are a few more pictures our friends took for us in Rome. When we get these I will be sure to post them):
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=318988230803%3A2033154836&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_button

October to Rome

When we last left off Dana was coming to visit. That seems like forever ago. While Dana was here we took a spontaneous trip to Triburg. It was a vacation in a vacation for Dana! We went to the Open Air and Space Museum. AWESOME!!! Not only did Aunt Dana try to get her nephew drunk on fermented apple cider, but she also realized everyone was cleaning their own glass and putting it back for others to use. It was efficient, but she didn’t want to drink the NON-fermented apple cider after Mike pointed that out to her.

Joseph was on another planet with all the animals, tractors, space to run, things to touch, and one on one time with Aunt Dana. He even got to look at a cow up close and MOOOOO at them! This was a complete working farm. They grown their hay to feed the animals and they even grew their own “hemp.”

We had a nice night in a hotel. We ordered in room service and then Dana and I went out on a stroll and got desert. Then we stayed up (some later than others) and chatted and watch some German TV. It was fun. The next morning we went to get our cuckoo clock. We got a really nice clock and we enjoy watching it at the top of the hour.

For my birthday Mike gave me the gift of freedom!!!!!!!!! He babysat both boys and Dana and I went and picked up some cake at a bakery for my birthday. For those of you that don’t know, I’m a huge cake fan. So, we got the cake and then we decided to walk around and explore a bit of Landstuhl. They have some really nice shops. I have become a reoccurring customer to some of those shops we visited that day.
At the end of Dana’s visit JJ came out and met her here before they left for Paris. It was nice to see one of my brothers and show him a bit of Europe. JJ got here at 9am and we took him out for a day in European/US history.

After they left, we also took our normal birthday hike and walked all the way to Landstuhl. It was wonderful. Then, Mike and I and the boys went to Fulda for the day to visit the Cathedral and Children’s museum. Then we celebrated All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day at a home-school group party. Joseph went as St. Joseph and Daniel went as St. Daniel (complete with a small animal outfit that had lions on it).

Daniel:
Daniel at 3 months weighed 5.4 Kilograms (11lbs 14oz) Can he grow any faster??? This boy is growing at warp speed. It is going by so fast. He is a good eater and a good sleeper and a bad pooper. Poor boy just needs help getting it out.

He is trying to roll over. Even though he has done this a few times he is not coordinated to just do it all the time. So, we continue to practice.
Daniel has started to baby babble, smile, and giggle. He especially likes to watch Joseph play and it seems like he is trying to talk to him. Joseph enjoys it and Joseph can keep Daniel content for a very long time. It is nice to see how much they enjoy each other. Daniel has also discovered that his hands are attached to him. He is not a pacifier lover, so any moment he can get his hands in his mouth there they go. He also enjoys rattles or toys he can grab onto. I usually have to help him grab his toys. It is just fun for him to know that he is moving the toys or that he is making a noise with the toys.
Daniel has started to schedule himself a bit. We know he likes to take a nap at 8. Now how long he naps is up to him. Sometimes it is 30 minutes and sometimes it is 2 hours. He also likes to take another nap around 2. With Joseph napping at 11, or so, this means I really look forward to bedtime!!!

Joseph:
As Daniel is growing in size, Joseph is growing in knowledge. The things that come out of his mouth amaze us. He is starting to talk in full sentences and full thoughts. He is starting to express himself about how he feels. Heck, the other week he cried tears of joy because ‘hephalump’ was reunited with his mommy on Winnie the Pooh. His new thing is the sun and the moon and noticing they are day and night. The sun paints the clouds in the morning and he says goodnight to “Luna” at night. It gets dark very early here now, so when we get home from mass or Mike’s Church Group, he thinks the Moon waits for us over our house and tell it ‘we home now Luna!’ Germany and the entire world are truly his to name and explain. It’s a wonderful time and a great age.

He is still a wonderful big brother, but the other night he told Daniel he was not allowed to touch his trains because only big boys can play with them and he is a baby. So, I grabbed a train and gave it to Daniel to play with. Joseph didn’t care he just deemed it “the baby train” and said all the others were big boy trains. Whatever works as long as there is sharing.
The biggest news for Joseph is he is now POTTY TRAINED!!! YEAH!!! We are still working on poop in the potty. He’s pretty freaked out by it. But, he even stays dry at naptime. Nighttime he is still wet, so he continues to wear a diaper at night. So, there is still some training, but he is on his way. I thought this would make my life easier with only having to change one diaper during the day. Now we are running to the potty every 30mins ;). And, in public if they don’t have a handicap stall available it is hard for myself, Daniel and Joseph to all fit in one stall.
Joseph will no longer allow me to take his picture. I have to sneak them or catch him off guard. When he is in the mood he will let me to take, “movies” of him with our camcorder.

Mike and I:
I’m still enjoying my time here. The past couple of Saturdays Mike has stayed here during nap times and I have gone into Landstuhl for some more exploring and visiting some shops I’m come to enjoy. It is a nice break for me to be able to walk at my own pace, not lug anything around, and not have to think about anything other than what I want to think about. It’s nice. I like Landstuhl. It is not too big, like Kaiserslautern, and it is not too small, like Ramstein.

We took Joseph back to Yabadoo. Mike and I tag team Daniel and Joseph so we get some good play time with both boys. I took Joseph on the trampolines. They have six trampolines lined up next to each other. I was doing tricks for Joseph and he was trying to copy me. I ended up impressing Mike with my moves. I grew up with a trampoline so I have a few tricks up my sleeve. No JJ and Peter we did not play the superman game.
We have a German restaurant we like called “Am Silbersee” (at Silver Lake). Mike ordered a combination plate that had stuffed pig stomach and a liver dumpling. I figured I wasn’t adventurous to order it, but I reminded myself that I need to continue try and experience all new things while I am here. So I at least try a bite, and then I wished I had ordered it. It was super yummy!!!
Mike’s work is hit or miss. He has really busy days and really slow days. Lately it has been busier than normal, but we are looking forward to some family time and R&R in Rome.

October pictures:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=441178030803%3A37195695&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_button

November Pictures:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=375971130803%3A480210278&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_button

Pictures

It has taken me some time, but I've finally uploaded all the photos from July to August. There are over 200 pictures in this album. I will start the next set of pictures soon. Daniel is almost 3 months and I'm sure it is time for some updated pictures.

July-August
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=742625258703%3A2028304889

FIFTY FEET IN FRONT OF US ALL ALONG THE WAY!

WOW!

It is hard to believe it has been nearly 3 months since our last blog post! Then again, consider that we have now been in Germany for 6 months and I wonder where the time has gone.

DANIEL JOHN

Our family grew by one very pleasant and perfect little boy on August 8th at 6:45am. Yep, Daniel was born on Daddy’s birthday :). Anyone who knows how quiet Mike likes to keep his B-day will find this humorous. Even more funny is that we learned I was pregnant with Joseph on Mike’s B-day 3 years ago. His birthday seems to be quite a significant day.

Having a baby in Germany was totally different than anything we expected. Mike and I did a huge amount of research ahead of time, but still were surprised by the several, little differences. Going into it, we had strong faith and were comforted knowing we were in the best hospital in the area and had been able to get the best doctor.

Since Germany is a social society their healthcare is free. We have private insurance so we are treated a bit different. They know our insurance will pay for things their system won’t pay for. For example, because of our insurance, only top doctors were able to give me care. There was a doctor their with me all night, but my doctor had to be consulted before anything was done. An anesthesiologist went over the epidural paperwork with me, but the chief of staff actually gave me the epidural. Even to the point my bed was a better bed. My bed would move in all directions with a remote. My roommate was on German healthcare and her bed had to be manually moved up and down.
Another difference is they believe in being homeopathic. I had been taking acupuncture when I was pregnant (not sure that really worked) and they did a lot of aromatherapy while I was in labor. For me, aromatherapy worked amazingly. Also while you are laboring they let you walk around wherever you want. We went on short hikes in the woods and we even walked into a church where nuns were singing hymns and saying prayers (in German). It was nice to be able to go outside as the hospital was no air-conditioned but in certain areas in the hospital. They also give you this very comfortable band to put around your belly while they are monitoring you. In the US they put a very uncomfortable Velcro strap. This band was elastic like an ace bandage, but also soft cotton like. I kept it! Plus, I got to stay comfortable in my own clothes while I was up and about. I didn’t even change out of my clothes and into a gown until I got my epidural at 1AM.
When Daniel was born there were only 3 people in the room, my doctor, the mid-wife (nurse), and Mike. They put Daniel right on my chest and that is where he stayed for about an hour, until I/Mike were done holding him. Mike was taking pictures after the birth and the doctor took the camera and started taking pictures for us. We thought this was funny and odd, but enjoyed having time to bond while she took the pictures. And of course then we saw the pictures and laughed and deleted 90 percent of them.
When they started measuring and weighing Daniel they came in with a cup of tea. I had a cup of tea and relaxed in my bed while they checked Daniel out right in front of me with Daddy there. It was sooo nice. I missed all this with Joseph. Once they were done Daniel was given right back to me to hold and feed.
Although it was very different, Daniel’s birth was hands-down as pleasant and peaceful as a birth could be. Mike and I both felt a peace that is hard to explain. The staff never took Daniel from my side and I held him for hours. Daniel and I even spent the night together. He is as beautiful as Joseph is and as different from Joseph as he could be. He is a great eater, sleeper, and very calm and quiet. He has grown so much this month it is unreal.

Mike and I have had a constant parade of visitors and help since 29 July. Some think we are crazy for booking two months of company around Daniel’s birth, but we have loved it. Delicious food, laughs, conversation, and memories have dotted the calendar for the past 55 days and my sister in-law will be the cake’s frosting when she arrives next week. We can’t wait.

Mike’s parents and my Mom came for the birth of Daniel, and he was kind enough to wait until everyone was here. After the grandparents left, my friend Jeanette and her son, Laith, and Mike’s good friend John and his family came for Daniels baptism.

Daniel was baptized on the 8th of September and became a U.S. citizen on the 9th – Mike like’s to say we had our priorities right on the order of events. The picture of Daniel raising his right hand at the consulate is real and was totally out of nowhere – we laughed very hard for a long time.

The time I spent with Jeanette will be in my heart forever. It was truly a special time for us to sit and be mothers together. We have been friends for almost 20 years. Who would have ever think we would be in Germany with our children? It was just fun to walk to the bakery and chit chat and watch our kids. For Mike, getting to beat around Germany on motorcycles with his riding buddy still has him grinning from ear to ear.

We also got a surprise visit from Mike’s cousin Jimmy. He and his girlfriend have been planning a trip to her native Germany for some time – as luck would have it, the trip landed them 20min down the road. ‘Luck’ like this used to amaze me about Mike, but I’ve come to see it is the norm for his life. It was great seeing them and we had a blast visiting.

Joseph has been a total delight!
He is every bit the sensitive and well-mannered gentleman his Daddy is. He gives both Mike and I a run for our money when it comes to energy levels though!!! I asked God for energetic children and so far he has answered my prayer. I’m thinking I should have been more specific on the energy level when asking God for energetic children. I think I will be asking for more energy for myself these days!

Joseph has been a HUGE helper; he loves his brother Daniel and shows no jealousy at all. He takes his big brother role very seriously and is very attentive.

The only thing we worried about was how Joseph was going to react to Daniel. Because of this Mike and I always made sure we referred to Daniel and Joseph HIS brother for several weeks before the 8th. We also helped Joseph pick out a special gift for him and made sure that Joseph brought Daniel home alone, just the two of them. We have also made holding Daniel special for brothers. Other children can look at Daniel, but Joseph is the only child allowed to hold Daniel. So far this has worked.

Joseph has been learning by leaps and bounds. He has made several new friends here and his vocabulary and imagination have been remarkable. For the past week he has invented a new game each day for us to play. Most of them involve Daddy pretending to be Joseph and then Joseph pretending to be a cowboy, a farmer, a cow, a firetruck-man, a doggy, or a kitty. Today his backpack became his dog, which we dragged to Mass today because it was on a leash. And legos are wheels for just about everything.
Here he is feeding Daniel and driving a castle…. err… school bus.

He is still learning to share and to lower his enthusiasm a few notches when needed, but we couldn’t be happier. It has been a delight to have two. I love being a family of four.

Catch up:

The friends and support we have experienced here have been unbelievable and humbling. Countless offers of meals and childcare are almost too many to field and one restaurateur we’ve become friends with has either refused to let us pay for anything since Daniel, or sends us home with bottles of Lambrusco on each visit. The generosity, love, and support we are experiencing has been unreal. Like Mike said, God’s angels have been 50ft in front of us this entire journey.

With all this company and commotion, Mike and I are still finding time to get out and about. Just before Daniel was born we broke our car in on a spontaneous trip to Florenville, Belgium where we visited the monastery at the Orval Abbey. This trip also started Mike on his collection of authentic Trappist monastery beers (there are 7 still made). Later, Mike and a friend ran to St. Vith, Belgium where they collected 5 more Trappist monastery beers. He will have the 7th when we go to Bruge Belgium in October with friends.
In July, we also had a lot of fun driving up the Rhein River from Bingen to Koblenz – we stopped in St. Goar for ice cream and had such a great time we plan to go back soon.

Yesterday was the beginning of Oktober Fest, so we drove to the village of Mehring in the Mosel river valley. From there we head along the mosel briefly and went to Burg (castle) Eltz. There are other trips to zoo’s parks, and playgrounds that have been fun but my fingers are beginning to cramp.

Mike is doing great. Work is very busy and it seems as though it will stay that way for the next 24months – or however long we choose to stay. He has restarted his graduate degree and also decided become an RCIA sponsor again, this time at our Church here in Ramstein. He also did the unthinkable and caved into his brother, a few friends, and myself and joined Facebook (I KNOW!!!). What’s more, he is probably one of FB’s most active members! Look us both up there some time for the day-to-day updates in Germany!

As for me, I’m doing great! I love having two boys. I thought it would be a very hard transition, but it has been a natural and low stress progression. Although, it is a bit more constant than I thought it would be, it is just contentment around our house. Daniel is a very good baby, so this makes it easier. Even though it has only been a month and a half it seems like Daniel was always meant to be. He just fits perfectly into the picture. Joseph is so much fun for me. I love teaching him new things. He is a sponge and soaking it all up and I get to show and name the world for him.
I am meeting new people and getting out and about. I went on a shopping trip while Jeanette was here. Mike kept Joseph and I took Daniel. I’ve never been a big shopper, but now I know why people like to window shop. When you have a two year old you look in a store window. If there are breakables in there you just keep walking! It was nice to be able to walk into those stores and take my time looking at things.
While Mike is in school I am going to start upping my German knowledge. My goal would be to conversationally (or better) speak German before I get home. I usually try around the village, but it is very simple, and I mean very simple, words. I would like to start saying full sentences. I’ll let you know how I progress.

I’m hoping to make the blog a habit again. We have pictures to upload, but there are soooo many to upload since July. I will post the link on here this week and resend the email and let you know. The pictures will have more details to what we have been doing day to day. Miss you all. Send emails and let us know what you are up to as well.
P.S. I know we have lost touch with some of our family and friends. We feel the absence of you too. Please know we have just been very busy and our old habits of communicating will be back to normal in no time!

Pictures:

To come when uploaded...