Two Thankful Weeks

Thanksgiving came early for us this year . .. thanks to the arrival of Marie, Will, Bella, Liam and Juliette to our home for two VERY SHORT weeks! On the day of their arrival, Bella amazed us all by not going to bed until 11:00 p.m. that evening (not even jet lag could slow her down!), Liam entertained us at EVERY meal, and Juliette was the sweetest, smiliest baby to ever come for a visit!

We spent our days with an occasional walk plus professional photo shoots (Thanks Marie!) with visits to Bruchsal, Angelbachtal and the local fields and vineyards. Marie also learned a few more sewing tips as we worked together on Juliette's Christmas stocking and a dress for Bella. We had an enchilada night and music jam with the Crandall Family, and an early Thanksgiving dinner with the Kloses, Roses and Pattersons. Of course, there were a few shopping trips squeezed in as well - the Hauptstrasse in Heidelberg and the new Frankfurt mall. Marie was intent on her Christmas list and left a tempting pile of presents on the bench upstairs before she headed off to the airport this morning. Such an organized and thoughtful girl!

It really was a grand two weeks and we all can't wait until we're all together again. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

A Rock Star, an Indian, a Mad Professor and . . . Elvis, Again!

Halloween brought some interesting characters to our house. I learned a long time ago that if the kids know that "I'm not buying any costumes" then they tend to get very creative just in time for the fall festival, trunk or treating, and the Halloween dance.

Here are Bryant, Lissie and Christian right after we got home from the ward party:


(The Rock Star, the Indian and the Mad Professor)

Bryant and Lissie made the guitar out of cardboard; Lissie made her own Indian costume; and Christian was definitely on his own for this one!

Christian changed up his costume for the stake Halloween dance a few days later . . . he went as Elvis, but we forgot to take a picture :( I hope someone out there took one at the dance. Then I can add it to this post :)

But here he is in elementary school dressed up as Elvis, again! (This time it was for Fasching.)



Christian is definitely the coolest kid in the class!

Homecoming Dance

Christian decided to take Lissie to the HHS Homecoming Dance last weekend. So we shortened one of Emily's former prom dresses, then added a silver bow and made a mad shopping dash downtown to find silver shoes for Lissie. Christian looked simply dapper with his matching silver tie. Their plan was to salsa, cha-cha and swing dance the night away . . . but they ended up coming home early :( The music and setting just weren't right, and they would have felt too conspicuous. When they came home and walked through the door, Lissie exclaimed . . . "The best part of Homecoming was COMING HOME!" Oh well, at least they looked stunning together.

The Changing of the Seasons

To all of my multitudinous blog followers -- for some reason I'm still stuck at the end of summer. The storks started disappearing sometime in September, the leaves started changing colors soon thereafter, and this week we had frost in the morning as we stepped outside on our way to seminary -- I am nonetheless still in denial. Obviously, I am a step behind the changing of the seasons. But, of course, that also explains why I am behind in my "monthly" blog posts. That and the fact that all of the pictures I want to post are on other computers which are almost always occupied by "other people" (aka C, L & B). Now I have decided that I should do blog posts without the accompanying photos -- aka "Fotos to Follow!" Maybe.

Anyway, here is what I might have written about in September and October:

1. Brace Yourselves for the Unexpected -- You guessed it -- Bryant AND Lissie both need braces . . . Bryant is completely missing a permanent tooth, and Lissie has a permanent tooth that wants to permanently stay up in her gums! And seriously, their teeth DO NOT look crooked! So now we are thinking of creative ways to pay for the unexpected.

2. Paris Here We Come! -- Actually, we backed out of this Paris trip. There was simply too much unrest (strikes/terrorist threats) in the "City of Love" this week and we decided not to be stupid about it. Lissie and I went to the movie and had a limited shopping spree as consolation. Yes, we love each other!

3. A Two Bathroom Home and Family -- Well, we got the upstairs bathroom tiled, but we are still waiting (and waiting) to have the sink and faucets, etc. installed. It's nonfunctional (which is better than dysfunctional) and gorgeous!

FOTOS TO FOLLOW . . . Maybe!

Gifts of Love

Some of you know I have been working on a couple of big projects this year -- A quilt for Lauren and Steve and a crocheted coverlet for Emily and Jake.

Both projects took so much longer for me to complete than I originally expected (when will I EVER learn?), but I am finally done and they turned out beautifully. I just wish I could have been present when the surprise packages recently arrived in the mail. I even had to be satisfied with a delayed telephone response since they arrived in the evening which was the middle of the night for me -- but the girls and I still had some delightful conversations the next day.

Here is my first ever "real quilt" complete with an attachment of handmade lace (I made the lace for Lauren several years ago) . . .



And I chose this beautiful crocheted daisy pattern because it reminded me of Emily . . .



So . . . I think I am done creating heirloom wedding gifts for a while. And 401 daisy squares later, I cannot possibly crochet again for a VERY LONG time! Good thing Lissie has determined that she someday wants a QUILT as her wedding gift. Just give me about TEN years, okay Lissie?

As Summer Comes to Close . . .

We have had such a memorable summer -- A trip to Italy and Bavaria with the Clark family, World Cup soccer, summer jobs, girl's camp, scout camp, and EFY in Nottingham, England. And this past Monday Christian left for Berchtesgaden for a week with the young men of our stake at Camp Helaman (a missionary preparation and adventure camp).

Here is a quick recap of the kids' fun EFY experience: 15 hour bus rides, ferry rides across the English Channel and a glimpse of the White Cliffs of Dover, a taste of British food (granola bars and Goldfish to stave off the near starvation), late nights and early mornings, wonderful new friends, British accents and idioms, scripture and gospel study classes, winning the dance competition (Bryant and Lissie placed first and Christian and Stephani Ray second), performing I'm a Believer in the variety show, dances, game night, morningsides and devotionals. And finally . . . having to say "cheers" until next time.

Here is a YouTube link to their enthusiastic variety show performance (just copy and paste if it doesn't connect):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9IwHJVlTbw


It was such a wonderful blessing for our kids to have had this experience. Thank you Kaiserslautern Military Stake and the Area Presidency for making it all possible!

In the next the couple of weeks we will be back into our school and seminary schedules along with soccer, ballet and ballroom dance.

SO LONG . . . Summer of 2010!

I'm a Believer

In preparation for their EFY experience, the kids put together a band number to audition for the variety show. I've posted a YouTube link to their practice run of I'm a Believer by The Monkees. Lissie plays the tambourine and sings, Christian accompanies on the guitar, and Bryant is on the keyboard.
Br. Togisala (our dream band coach) is in the background on the drums.

Here is the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9y8vAagSbQ

So, from the #1 fan of CeLeBration! . . . Good Luck CL&B at the audition!

I'M A BELIEVER!