A Christmas Surprise!

One of the joys of living outside the United States is the fact that things people take for granted there become special treasures.  It is amazing how special it makes you feel when people send you a big box of those sorts of things--especially the junk food.  We got a special box of treasures from Poplar Grove Baptist again this year.  If we work at it, we should have stuff to last us well into the new year!  (And it will provide us overweight adults with practice in resisting temptation!)

Fall Photos

We took some pictures of the kids beside this beautiful aspen tree. The fall colors here were just gorgeous.

Jonah is 13 now and about to outgrow his mother, which isn't much of a feat since I am only 5'3". We are hoping he will take his growth spurt soon.

Ashlyn is 11 almost 12 and has begun to exhibit teen tendencies. Oh boy!

Caedon is 9 and is my first child to actually not need slim fit jeans. The whole milk we bought to fatten up the kids is working on Caedon at least!

Logan is 6 and just begun school. He has learned just enough now to start trying to read everything. Now we are in trouble!

We are enjoying our time here in Graz and will be sad to have to leave, but we are also looking forward to going "home" to Dresden.

Our House/Zuhause- first floor/Erdgeschoss

Here are pics from the first floor. You enter at the side of the house into a large entryway.

To the right is the kitchen and straight ahead is our bedroom:

From our bedroom you enter into a bathroom and the WC.

Then beside the stairs into the living room and dining room:

Here is the outside from the street.

Our House/Zuhause

Because several of the big kids' friends have asked for pictures of our house, I have put them on here so they can see them. I am starting with the 2nd floor or the kids' floor.

the view from the top of the stairs:

Jonah's room is the first room on the left at the top of the stairs.

The boys' room is next. In between the boys' and Ashlyn's rooms and the Hobby room is a bathroom and a toilet or WC (water closet).

The hobby room is next:

Ashlyn's room is at the back. You have to walk through the hobby room to get to her room. She has a full length balcony outside her room looking toward the street.

A Quick trip to Italy

We decided to help fill the days till school started by taking a couple short trips. Just 4 hours west is the Dolomite chain of the Italian Alps and to the east is Budapest, Hungary. So we drove to Italy, leaving early in the morning and spent the day enjoying the mountains. Here are a few pictures, be in awe of the beauty...

On the way...

In the heart of the Dolomites

Cortina d' Ampezzo

Toward the end of the trip

The end...

Caedon's Birthday

Caedon had his birthday back in August, but with all we have had going on these past few weeks, I am just now getting the pics up here.

We celebrated with a Batman party a few weeks early when the Chumbley's (our friends from Prague) came down to visit. We also invited the Caldwell's, our new friends in Graz.

We grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and after used the hot coals to roast some marshmallows for S'mores!