The Big Move

Well, friends, it has been almost 4 years here in Deutschland! We have loved our time here, been blessed by God's beauty everywhere, and made a few precious friends. Not to mention getting a new kid (almost two)! We leave here the beginning of June, visit family en route, and arrive to Minnesota about a week after we leave Germany.

Could you please join us in prayer and praise over these matters still "up in the air"?

1. PRAISE! The housing inspector said our house doesn't really need to be that clean because it will not be inhabited for several years. Whew...big relief!
2. Pray that Tom's car will sell, soon! Today, perhaps?
3. Pray that all the details of travel and hotel stay will work out, right now the nearest hotel is booked, so we have to look for alternative ideas and ways to get to the airport.
4. We have a lot of auto-cleaning and packing to do, pray that I will be able to accomplish this and not be too achey and tired! (almost 8 months pregnant is hard enough).
5. PRAISE for friends who have volunteered to babysit for the boys.
6. Pray that my OB doctor will not find any trace of sugar and that my previous diagnosis of "possible gestational diabetes" will become "not at all a possibility!" With God all things are possible!
7. Pray for a comfortable flight and for patience with the boys and each other.
8. PRAISE for new members who've volunteered to be Worship Coordinators at our church - we've been replaced, Yes Lord!!!!
9. Pray for a new job for Tom, and wisdom on how select the best position for his career and for our family.
10. Pray that we can decide upon a suitable, God-honoring name for our new daughter!

If you are in the midwest, perhaps we'll see you soon! I hope so!

The photos are from Marcia & Stefan's wedding we attended a couple weeks ago. It was a great joy for all of us. There are also a few other photos from favorite sites and events of Europe from the last few months.

Wheels, Wheels, Wheels

Since I live with a family of males, we have lots of trucks and cars, we attend vehicle events, they make and copy every vehicle noise possible, and we just cannot get enough wheels (both Dad and boys). They all have that in common. Ever since Nathaniel was verbal he knew the make and model of all the cars of everyone we know. Now he knows even more! He has branched out to know and memorize makes and names of Monster Trucks and Tractors now, too.

So, one afternoon a couple weeks ago, Tom took the boys to a Monster Truck & Stunt Car show that was actually just a mile from our home. They had a blast! They even got to ride in the Monster Truck! If you ever have a chance, ask the boys to describe it. Both Nat & Josiah have great descriptions and noises to tell about their fun experience. They all came home smelling of burnt rubber and exhaust. My precious stinky manly men!

Now this week I took the opportunity to take the little guys to the John Deere Factory Show Room, which is not too far from here. They got to climb all over the tractors, push around the lawn mowers, and play with dozens of pretend John Deere tractors hauling loads of hay and pretend rubber farm animals. We spent several hours in that show room and I really did enjoy being a part of their excitement and seeing such happy faces.






After this baby is born, I finally get to enjoy what little girls like to do! But, maybe our girl will play with trucks and tractors too, because that's about all we've got...

Sardinia, Italy

Last week we had the opportunity to fly to Sardinia for 5 days. Sardinia is an island off the west coast of Italy. It has been inhabited forever, I think. There were pieces and parts of cities, buildings, and graves from the "BC Era" all the way up to its modern union with Italy. It was absolutely rugged and beautiful everywhere. We went with the intention not to plan too much sight-seeing and just hang out together. Since the island is pretty sleepy and God's creation is everywhere, it was easy to enjoy it. We ate clams, prawns, shrimp, and mussels, pizza, and gelato a couple times. We spent a couple days wandering the beaches, even though the water was cold. It was great fun for the boys to run in the shallow water and play with their little trucks and throw rocks and sand in the water. We saw hundreds of flamingos in a lagoon nearby our B&B. We also spent 1 day in the city of Cagliari and saw some first century Roman structures, but most everything in the city was closed until summer tourist season.

Our Bed & Breakfast was cozy and the food was good. Made-to-order coffee beverages were a nice touch, too, and we enjoyed a morning cappuccino each day! There was an open yard and the boys played soccer and ran around, and we enjoyed picnics in the evening in the outdoor kitchen area of the B&B. It was hard for the boys to adjust to sleeping together in the same twin bed, so we were all a little sleep deprived after a couple days. So it was a very good thing we hadn't planned much!

Here's a few photos of our trip to Italy - which may be our last ever....who knows?!

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Signs of Spring

Yeah! Spring is finally here. The sunshine of the last few days has really cheered me. I know the boys are full of energy, too, and glad to play outside with the extended evening hours. The little daffodils and hyacinths in front of my house have just opened in the last week. Then yesterday the tulips popped open, too! I love the bright color! The boys and I have been talking a lot about the symbols, parables, and stories that Jesus used in the bible, including farmers sowing seeds in Matthew 13 and stories about God's care for the "lilies of the field" such as in Matthew 6. The new little life springing from the earth is encouraging to all of us. The teacher in me cannot help but use those moments of beauty to point the boys toward God's beauty!

Also, another strange sign of spring celebrated around here is Fasching (a.k.a. Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras). I asked myself, why in the world are kindergartners celebrating Fasching? What are they giving up? No more beer, Nathaniel, at least not for a few weeks...Oh, well, no matter the reason, they had a fun celebration at his kindergarten. They got to dress up in costumes for a few different days, decorate their classroom with balloons and streamers, eat donuts and cake for those days (sweets are not usually allowed), and they had a half day of school on the 3rd day of celebration. Nathaniel looked adorable in his different costumes we made - fireman, cowboy, and horse. Josiah wanted to wear a costume, too, of course, so he dressed up in his mouse costume for a few days and scurried and squeaked around the house and the yard (he really gets "into" his pretending)! Nathaniel has not stopped wearing the boots and the hat from his cowboy outfit for 2 weeks now. He can even talk with a drawl and has become quite knowledgeable about cows and horses.

A friend of ours came by the house to show the boys (all 3 of them) his new motorcycle. Little Cowboy had to go check it out up close and pretend to ride. So, I've included a couple pictures of our daffodils (if Spring hasn't really sprung by you yet, then you can enjoy these) and the boys on the motorcycle.

Hair Cuts & Other Updates

A couple weeks ago Nathaniel helped to make and create a new recipe for Chili. Daddy & Nat did the cooking for the "Men's Chili Cook-Off" at our church. They won a prize! Nathaniel was so proud of his creation. And it really did taste good. I've included a picture of Nathaniel in his apron cooking and stirring his chili. He also helped me decorate Valentine's cookies and a cake. He's a great kitchen assistant!

Tom gave the boys haircuts this week. Nathaniel looks like a new man without any curls! He wanted to "look like Daddy" and indeed he does. Josiah got the clippers for his haircut, and of course he looks cute, too.






We were bored on Monday, for a moment between afternoon naps and suppertime. I let the boys "decorate" their afternoon snack. Check out their cute little fruit and vegetable creatures!

This week we have another OB appointment. I hope we can find out the gender of this little one, too!

I've been able to lead worship and even teach a time or two in the last couple weeks at our PWOC at our chapel. It has been my joy to do this. God has certainly been making Himself clear in leading me and preparing me for this task. I praise Him! It has been fun, too.

Enjoy the photos.

Quotable

Nathaniel and Josiah have lots to say. Sometimes the noise around here makes me feel crazy and sometimes it makes me laugh. Josiah is especially funny because he is still figuring out grammar. I thought I would share a couple "quotables" that made me laugh.

From Josiah:

"Sometimes I eated fwuzzy things on a big, big stick!" (hmmmm...I really have no idea what he's talking about!)

"Watch Out! I shooted my fork gun, I did shooted you!" (learning to use irregular past tense in English is a bit strange)

"We can't go to the van this morning." (Mom - "Oh really? Why not?") "Because the van is on the roof."

"He spitted the Tanker Twuck out! That was funny!"

"I am not gwown-up. I am not in chawge. When I am big, big I will be in chawge." (he likes to repeat adjectives for emphasis!)

"Baby Kira is a baby. Mrs. Kerah is not a baby. Mrs. Amy is not Mrs. Kerah's Mommy...." (He repeated this about 10 times, while he tried to figure out these mysterious same-sounding names).

"Your skin is nice and pinchy, too." (Does this refer to my wrinkles? What?)

"I falled asweep in my room last night. It was dark and I falled to sweep." (Much better than the previous 3 nights of yelling!)

And he's very sweet some days. He crawls in my lap and holds my face between his chubby little hands and tells me, "I wuv you Mommy, you're pwetty."

The pictures of Josiah were from sledding (he mostly sat at the bottom of the hill and ate snow) and when he was opening and trying on all his new Christmas presents.

Nathaniel is always talking about what he will do when he is big. Here's a few of his recent ideas:

He wants to write a recipe book and run a bakery. He loves to cook and invent. I let him smell and taste all the spices and sometimes he decides how to enhance a meal!

He also wants to be an astronaut.

He would like to be a bible translator and live in the jungle.

He wants to build a Lego room and live in it.

He wants to be a marine-entomologist (that was the exact title he used!) to discover bugs under the sea never found before.

He wants to drive a VW Monster Truck.

He wants to be a teenager (I guess he thinks then he will be done with parental discipline)...

He wants to be God (because he wishes he were perfect)...

In one of the pictures, you can see Nathaniel shaking a jar of cream to make butter. I figured shaking and jumping for 20 minutes would be just his style. Yes, the butter was good and he used lots of energy to make it!

When the snow around here melted he was eager to ride his new big bike - he's doing great! But it snowed again today, so I guess we'll put off riding the bike again for awhile.

They had a small circus with a clown and a magician visit his Kindergarten (the kids acted out being the different animals). The clowns painted the children's faces. He sure looked cute and had such a fun day--the best day at Kindergarten yet!

Ich bin ein Berliner

We had the opportunity to go to Berlin a couple weeks ago. We spent about 3 days in and around the city. We were blessed to meet and to stay with new friends who are missionaries to college and university students in the city. They welcomed us, fed us, and we enjoyed wonderful encouraging conversations getting to know one another and recognizing the work of God in each other's lives.

In case you didn't realize, a Berliner is a jelly-donut but also a way to say you are a citizen of the city of Berlin. So we enjoyed a good little chat about that word while we were there. Nathaniel is always interested in puns and funny words. President Kennedy spoke the famous words "Ich bin ein [I am a] Berliner..." when he visited the city.

While in Berlin, we went for several hours to the Legoland in the newly built Potsdamerplatz. (Nathaniel thought he was in heaven!) We also saw the typical historic tourist sites: remains of the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag building with the grand glass dome, Gendamerplatz, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (this also has a new glass prism-like structure built around the bombed original church), the Brandenburg Gate, and the Rittersport Chocolate factory/museum. Berlin is a well-restored city. What hasn't been restored was torn down and replaced by lots of shiny glass modern architecture. It was uncommonly sunny during the days while we were there. It was hard to imagine that it was ever a cold, grey, communist, war-torn city, as it is so carefully and beautifully built up.

We certainly enjoyed our time in Berlin and the boys have been asking and pretending with various vehicles to drive back to Berlin again!

Christmas come and gone...

Hello Again. Time has quickly passed in the last 6 weeks, though it was calm and uneventful in our home most of Christmastime. It has been snowing a lot. Ever since Thanksgiving we've had a steady trickle of snow every few days. It is pretty and cold. We went sledding 1 time and Nathaniel has also enjoyed the backyard and his toy tractors anew with a slippery layer of snow. Josiah has decided he doesn't like snow pants and most of the time he refuses to go outside unless forced into his cold-weather-wear.

We enjoyed church on Christmas Eve and had a friend over to our home after the service. Esther is from Malaysia and has never celebrated Christmas before! She is a new Christian and she is studying at the university near our church. We enjoyed introducing her to our customs of Christmas. We were checking our Christmas tree and ornaments and enjoying the candle-lit atmosphere in our evening Church service. It was really special to think again and review why we celebrate the way we do, and to share it with someone who has only begun to see and know Christ Jesus. This year I have been doing a lot of pondering about the ways and the reasons we celebrate Christmas. We (our small family unit) are only just beginning to make traditions and we want all that we do to point to Christ, and not to ourselves - the gifts, the food, the pretty tree and ornaments - all are meant to shine the light of His glory!

We spent Christmas day with other doctors and providers from the clinic where Tom works. It was wonderful food, good conversation (a few moments to discuss the peace that only God can bring in uncertain times), Tom lead us in prayer, and the kids were pretty well-behaved all day!

Nathaniel had 1 1/2 weeks off from Kindergarten and Tom had to work every-other-day for the last couple weeks. We enjoyed having Daddy around a lot. I REALLY enjoyed his help with the kids and with the house. Most of you may have heard by now that I am pregnant - due in July again - and I am totally wiped out all the time! Tom is quite a good cook when he has the time to invest in it! We read lots of stories, built lots of vehicles with Duplos and other materials, watched a few family movies, and played games (as best we could with youngsters), and had a few crazy dancing evenings (you should see those boys Polka - very funny!) . The movie Mary Poppins seemed to make a big impact on little Josiah - he has been talking about "Chimedy Sweepers" for the last 5 days. We received quite a few books this year for Christmas - all of us! So we'll just keep on reading!

So, that is the month of December in a nut-shell.

Below is our family's Christmas letter (the first letters spell FROHE WEIHNACHTEN):

France—Tom and Sara celebrated their 10th anniversary in August with a weekend in Paris! F is also for fiercely independent. That is our Nathaniel. He has to figure out the world on his own terms. He has a brilliant memory, but he's so stubborn sometimes!
Relatives – We enjoyed having visitors in our home. It was a wonderful time to explore, talk, pray, and enjoy each other's company. Katzenberger Parents, kids, & spouses in January, Scholtens Parents in March, Tom's cousin Nick in June!
Overseas – Our time in overseas in Germany and on Active Duty will be done this summer, and we plan to move to Minnesota! A job and a place to live are still unknown...
House – We moved out of our apartment into a duplex house in February because Tom was promotable to Major! =) He “pinned on” his new rank in June. We're proud of him!
Extra – We have an extra bed and bedroom and we'd love your company as long as we still live here!
Winter weather – It has been very snowy this winter so far! It is more than usual for this area, but the main roads and Autobahn are well cared for. It is beautiful, but Sara's rides to bring Nathaniel to his German Kindergarten in the bike trailer quickly ceased!
Excited – Sara's brother Mark and his lovely Krystal were married in July. Our boys were very excited to be ring bearers and Tom and Sara were glad to sing! It was a joyful wedding that proclaimed the love of the Savior to all who were there!
International Baptist Church – Grace IBC is our church family here in Germany. We love to learn, fellowship, and sing praises with them. We both lead and plan the music for each Sunday. Sara teaches the teen Sunday school class. We love this group of students, military, and international families who meet each week to lift up the name of the Lord!
Health – Besides a few bouts with a 24 hour stomach bug and the common cold, we've been quite healthy this year, and we are very thankful.
Nathaniel - Our boy who loves to create with Legos, Duplos, Baufix, mud and shovels, anything...he just loves to design and build!
Ages – This summer Nathaniel turned 4 and Josiah turned 2. They celebrated their birthdays while at the Katzenberger's house, and Papa Gene had a big surprise 60th birthday party!
Capetown, South Africa – Our whole family spent 2 weeks in May helping with soup kitchens, teaching Bible school, leading Christian conferences, serving and being blessed by people from this lovely country. (We can't wait to go back!)
Huggy - Our Josiah loves to be held, loved, rubbed, and cuddled. He gives awesome hugs!
Talk – Both of our boys are very verbal. Both boys could speak in full sentences and make loud proclamations by 15 months! There is never a quiet waking moment in our household. They sing, chatter, giggle, tell stories, make up rhymes, squabble, sass, and talk, talk, talk.
Eat – We love German food! Mmm—we'll miss the bread, the cheese, the sausage and the Schnitzel. Now we'll have to learn to make our favorite German meals at home!
New Addition – we're expecting another baby in July!