The Mountains so High...the Valleys so Low

Over Memorial Weekend, Tom had a couple of days off from work. We took the opportunity to go on a camping trip to Switzerland. This area of Switzerland is only about 4 hours from our home. The campground was situated in a valley between numerous Alpine peaks and flowing with waterfalls. What a lovely site and sound to be greeted by each morning we were there!

Nathaniel learned new words and new meanings to songs we've been singing about God creating the mountains and valleys and stars. We could all see and acknowledge God's great "handiwork" as the little song goes.

...My God is so BIG, so STRONG, and so MIGHTY, there's nothing my God cannot do....the mountains so high, the valleys so low, the stars are His handiwork, too...My God is so BIG, so STRONG, and so MIGHTY, there's nothing my God cannot do!

Enjoy our photos from this Swiss Alps trip. Maybe this series of photos will convince one of you all to come visit and we'll head down there again!

Spring has Sprung

It has been SO beautiful here the last few weeks. The temperature is in the 60s (sometimes even 70s) each day. It has been quite sunny, with a few passing clouds and evening rains. There is playground in back of our apartment which was renovated and reopened just about a month ago. Nathaniel loves the playground! He asks to go outside to the playground just about everyday. We usually oblige and enjoy the time outdoors with him. Playing outside and coordinating all the muscles to climb ladders, cross bridges, and bravely go down slides really tires him out and he sleeps well at night!

We've also had a chance to go to various parks around our area. We enjoy playgrounds all over the place. We especially love Luisen Park...if you are ever near this area of Germany, we highly recommend a visit there! Nat loves to see the ducks, geese, storks (he looks for big nests), and other little wildlife. He is fascinated by bugs. We cannot walk anywhere without crouching down to see if there any bugs to check out up-close. Last summer he was terrified of animals and even bugs, but he's just so curious these days that it overrides his fear of unknown creatures. I included a couple of pictures of us enjoying the outdoors together as a family.

By the way, Nat recently graduated from a crib (after he hopped out) to a twin bed. The top mattress is on the floor to prevent any big crashes in the night. We told he him he must ask for permission to come out of his bed when he's done sleeping. Sometimes I peak through the keyhole to see that he is sitting on the floor next to his bed (not really doing anything troublesome). When I begin to open the door, he quickly jumps back in bed and looks at me with a clever grin (as if I never knew he'd been out of his bed)! Funny lad....

Mini Van

Well, friends, we'd like to announce a new member of our family. She does not yet have a name, so we're open for suggestions. We believe all vehicles must certainly have a name. She's a Dodge Grand Caravan. She'll be arriving on a boat from the USA sometime in the next few weeks. She's fits our needs (and upcoming needs) very well. We didn't expect to become a mini-van family so soon, but for various reasons this seemed to be good time. Of course, we have a new baby on the way, but also the price was right, and there are new laws in our area restricting older vehicles from driving in the cities for environmental reasons, so we need a newer vehicle to even to drive around locally. The color is a nice looking bright blue. Even Tom is excited about this new set of wheels! He thought you all should know the news, too.

Holland Weekend

A few weeks ago we had an opportunity to go to the Netherlands . We saw the cities of Amsterdam and Haarlem and enjoyed the history and architecture. We took a canal tour and did lots of walking, too. The weather was kind of an odd mix of rain, sun, clouds, and hail alternating throughout our weekend there. We also visited the flower fields in the surrounding countryside. I LOVED the bright colorful fields. Maybe when I grow up, I'll be a tulip farmer...God has created such a bright array of colors and textures in nature. How cool!

On the Pot

A couple weeks ago we bought a little potty for Nat. For a couple months, he's been informing us about when he's peeing or pooping in his diaper and soon after that he requests a"diaper change..." So, we thought maybe it was time for potty training. But we are totally inexperienced with this process! How do you go from an awareness of the diaper status to a desire to sit on that little pot? Any experienced Mamas and Papas please respond!

Anyhow, he was worried at first about his skin touching the potty and would only sit on it fully clothed. Now he's less worried and we try to practice on it everyday 1 or 2 times. Last week he actually peed in the little potty! Now he sits there in the buff (so cute) and stares down into the potty waiting for something to happen. He doesn't seem to remember the same stuff that goes on in the diaper could happen in the potty.

But we aren't too worried. He's still just a little guy. And he looks so precious there on his potty....thinking and contemplating and hoping. Check out these pictures!

Pretending

Nathaniel has a growing imagination these days. He remembers most everything we see, read, or discuss (except this one particular direction: "don't touch those buttons..."). Sometimes he reenacts animals or people from a story or situation we've recently encountered. Here's a few photos of our funny little boy pretending to be Baby Moses, a turtle, and to drive Daddy's VW. Enjoy!

Ladies' Retreat

This past weekend I was away at retreat for the women of our church (and other IBC churches). It was so precious to have this time away to reflect and worship. I am so thankful that Tom is more than capable to care for Nathaniel for a couple days so I could get away!

I ask that you would pray for the ladies who attended, especially from our church. There is so much to do and to pray for in the coming months of transition at our church! It is easy to become discouraged when the work is so great and the workers so few. But, this retreat was such a nice refreshment for my spirit and body! I am trying to get my head around all the details I learned this weekend from the word of God, and how God wants me to use this for His kingdom and His good pleasure.

I definitely felt an urge within my soul to know more confidently the doctrines which I claim to believe. As it says in 1 Pet. 3:15-16 ...But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience.... The more I read, the more certain I am that God is sovereign over all my days, all my choices, the faith and even the desire to turn to Him are according to His sovereign will. What a gift. What a privilege to be a part of God's plan! I must know this more fully and explain myself more clearly.

I pray that I will live each day a little more joyfully (how about a smile on my face?!). I hope to serve my family and my church with pure motives (for Christ, in love, not out of obligation). I want God's wisdom to teach my sons to be leaders and to have the knowledge of God's word hidden in their hearts. I pray that Tom and I will both desire to pray more and seek God's word more - alone and together. How does the time just slip away each day?

Well, that's all for now. If you read this, please pray for our family and our church today!

The Blessing

A few days ago we were riding in the car and I sneezed. From the backseat I heard a sweet little voice saying to me..."Bless you, Mommy."

Oh, indeed it is a blessing to teach and love him every day. What a precious privilege to be a Mommy!

Bella Italia

Castles, Old Cities, and a Cathedral

The first week with the Katz family was spent viewing nearby castles, little old cities, and a huge cathedral. This is all within a couple hours of our home! The weather was cooperative and springy. We hiked up and down many hills to take fun photos. When anyone of us grew weary of the ups and downs of castle viewing, there was always a little buddy Nathaniel who was content to stay down from the turrets and high plateaus as long as there was puddles or rocks to play with. Of course, we took a few little breaks to enjoy coffee and pastries, which no journey around Germany is complete without!

The pictures I have included are from the castles Burg Rheinstein and Burg Katz along the Rhine River, the old city and Cathedral of Speyer, and enjoying a big hearty meal of pork schnitzel in Eppelheim. We enjoyed those schnitzels as leftovers for several meals!

A Quick Update

We have not updated this site in so very long, but there is a good reason for it! We have been having too much fun to sit in front of a computer and wait for pictures to upload.

Recently "Gramma" & "Papa" Katz came to visit from Minnesota. Nathaniel was in love with them and wanted to sit on their laps, read with them, and hold their hands while we were out walking and seeing tourist sites. He is sad that they're gone, but he's sleeping a lot these days since they left. We were all tired out after so many fun adventures! I will soon put many more photos of our journeys to see castles and our trip to Italy, but not yet today.

We also found out that we are expecting another boy! We are excited that Nathaniel will have a little brother to play with. The baby is very healthy according to the OB doctor. He is quite a mover and a shaker, too!

Nat has been changing so much lately. His hair is growing long and curly. It is adorable. His feet are growing out of all his old shoes! He likes to chant little phrases and walk a long as though he's singing or reciting a rhyme. His favorites are "up, down, up, down" and "silly boys, silly boys." He is speaking in 3-4 word phrases a lot lately, but he usually skips the connecting prepositions in his sentences. He says phrases like: "people big bus" and "tractor go fast!" Yesterday he looked at the box of cereal on the table at breakfast and pointed at the letter W and told me it was a "dubbo." Indeed it was! He also pointed to another word on the box said "Nathaniel" - I guess he thought that is what it said.

Best of all, today he said "I love you Mommy..." It was unmistakable! I cried =) What a blessing to be his mother. His heart is so teachable and his joy so real.

I've included a couple pictures of Nat enjoying himself, as he usually does. There will be many more later, so stay tuned.

Dubbo-Bees and other fine German Automobiles

The other morning at breakfast Nathaniel exclaimed, "Dadddy cup, dubbo-bee!" about Tom's Volkswagen coffee mug. When we went outside to play later that afternoon he noticed Daddy's "Dubbo-bee" car in the parking lot. He knows his automobiles, that little guy. Next thing ya know he'll be naming makes and models of various German cars on the Autobahn. He'll teach his mom a thing or two then!

On a Side Note...

I (Sara) am feeling much better now in my second trimester or pregnancy. Also, we got permission to move to a larger apartment (right across the hall) before the baby is born. We have been very busy this week painting the new apartment, moving stuff little by little, and cleaning up the one we are living in. That is why blog pictures have not been a top priority. But, today I just wanted a little break from that kind of work and I really wanted to share these Austria pictures, too.

The House of God...a.k.a. The Alps

The Alps are indeed a most beautiful place to wander. It reminds me of this song by Rich Mullins "The Color Green." Here's an excerpt from that song to make your mind wonder and consider how great it is to see His creation and be able to walk in the very house of GOD!

.....And the moon is a sliver of silver
Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop
And every house must have it's builder
And I awoke in the house of God
Where the windows are mornings and evenings
Stretched from the sun
Across the sky north to south
And on my way to early meeting
I heard the rocks crying out
I heard the rocks crying out
Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land...

And so, here are more photos from our trip to Austria about 3 weeks ago. On our trip we enjoyed the mountains and the snow immensely.

We took a horse drawn carriage ride, went sledding multiple times, and enjoyed local food and fun. Nathaniel thought the Austrian snow was particularly yummy, but he had mixed feelings about sledding. He liked it for about 5 minutes at a time, then he wanted to get off the sled and do his own thing. That's just not possible when you are on a 14 kilometer sled run, you've "got to keep on keepin' on"! So he cried on the ride, but the views were spectacular and I'm sure he's forgotten all about his tears by now...It was just so beautiful I cannot say it enough. God is an awesome creator!!

Enjoy Austria!

"Gahbjj!!"

Yay--Christmas in January! A great, big box finally arrived from our family in Lincoln Park! Nat loves his new "gahbjj" truck! We don't think he's used the word garbage so many times in one day before (although he is particularly interested in "gahbjj"). We're so glad it was not lost in the mail; Nat played with it all afternoon. Thanks ABCD!! Love ya!

FYI: Parcel Post takes a very loooong time to get here. :)

Austrian Excitement

Last week, we spent four wonderful days in Austria. We went with our small Christian group that meets for prayer and bible study weekly. Our days were mainly spent adventuring the snowy Alps and enjoying time playing games and chatting with friends. We stayed in Schloss Mittersill (Schloss means castle). The castle was built in the 1500s! Schloss Mittersill is a Christian ministry which provides long or short term lodging, breakfast, dinner, mentoring and fellowship, all in the refreshing mountains in a beautiful old castle. Here's the link should YOU ever want to visit this awesome place, too! I will add more pictures of our Austrian adventure as I get the time, but below is a slide show of the castle to whet your appetite for more photos to come!

Our Castle Accommodations

Funny Moments

Nathaniel is constantly coming up with new words and ideas. My favorite last week was when he thought Daddy was home and I was just "fooling" about his being gone. He went into the bedroom and said "DADDY!" in a loud voice and looked under the covers to see if he was still there, sleeping in. Bummer, he was not. I explained to him that Daddy had to go to work. He was disappointed, but in true toddler style he got over his disappointment in about 30 seconds.

Another funny favorite moment is when he put his bears and various stuffed animals to bed. He said to me "shhhh" and put his finger to his lips. Then he whispered a sequence of bedtime instructions: "bed....cobbers (covers)....bahs (bears)....shhhh." He put all his stuffed animals (there are many) onto the twin bed in his room and pulled the blankets up over them.

He always likes to sleep with at least 1 or more of his animals (see picture). We try to keep this simple so we don't have to search the world wide for any particular animal. He is so sweet and affectionate to these little stuffed animals! He kisses and hugs them every time he gets up from sleeping and says "bye" or "ciao" or "tschüss." I think his bears are trilingual.

11 Weeks Now

We have begun telling our joyful news - we are expecting another baby! This little one will be due in early August, which means I am currently 11 weeks pregnant.

Yesterday I had my first OB appointment. We were able to hear the our baby's rapid little heart beating! I was so excited, relieved, joyful....happy! It was so awesome to have Tom (and even Nathaniel) right by my side as we heard these first sounds of new life. Tom missed all of these steps along the way during my pregnancy with Nat, so we are both excited to experience all of this together. At my appointment yesterday I also learned that the nearby military hospital is beginning the closing down process, therefore I will now see a German doctor and midwife. I am excited to experience a little different approach to pregnancy care, labor, and delivery. I have heard there are several reputable OB practices in the area, and they speak English, too, so I have no concerns about that.

Alongside this Blog post I have included a couple ultrasounds taken of 11 week old babies. This pictures are not actually of our baby, but I included them to show you all what an awesome creation of life God has already begun. Babies of this age already have a heart, brain, spinal cord, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, arms, legs, fingers, toes, finger and toe nails, and even taste buds! Babies are a one of the most precious examples to me of God's great care to the details of our lives....starting from the very beginning.

Please pray for our new baby, my health and nausea, and our family as we begin to prepare ourselves for this big change.