Hammer Time!

Our good friends, Noa and Julie came to visit us the beginning of August. It was such a special trip and we are so thankful that they were able to come to our part of the world. We were able to see and do many things while they were here, but most of all just enjoyed each other's company.

Since they are expecting their first baby in November it was so much fun to see Julie with her growing tummy. It was amazing how much she grew just in the two weeks they were here!

I didn't get many pictures of the trip that we took to Spangdalem with the Yost's for Tom's baseball tournament. It was so great having the six of us together again...re-living the Okinawa days! If there would be a way for a Navy doc to make it here we would be in heaven!

Jason and I have already started to plan our trip to Washington State next summer to visit them and "Sally."

Jackson and Noa

Julie holding up the size that her baby was at the time. According to the baby books the baby was the size of a cauliflower.
The boys went to and FCK game in Kaiserslautern. That is something that Noa really wanted to do when he was here.
The six of us went to a sushi restaurant in Saarbrucken for our 8 year anniversary. Thanks to my parents who keep our kids and the Green's kids.
I just love her. ;-)
Grace's turn on Noa's shoulders.
My mom and dad in Trier.
Daddy Don having fun with Grace.
This was the best shot out of 4.
My two favorite boys in the world.


Lunch in Heidelberg.
No, this is not wine. The waitress brought Grace apple juice in a wine glass. She loved it...
as you can tell.
Jackson loves to eat lemons.
Julie modeling her unique skirt she bought in Heidelberg.

Love...
Okinawa crew back together again in Germany. Crazy how things all come back around.

We ate at a fantastic place near the LaGraves place. Cherished memories...
Saying our goodbyes to the Hammers. Very sad, but even more thankful for our time with them.

First Day of School

Hard to believe, but it's that time of year.

My kiddos started school! Grace is going to the same place that I teach preschool at, Faith Baptist. In all the hoopla of me getting my classroom and students for the first day, I failed to get any pictures of her first day of preschool. I did get this...and promise to post more of her class and teacher this week. She loves it so far and has so much fun in Mrs. Stuffy's class!

Here is my boy on his first day of kindergarten. He couldn't wait for this day to arrive! The way it's done here is the kindergarten classes have a staggered start. Half of the class goes on Tuesday, the other half on Wednesday (the Tuesday group stays home) and the whole class goes together on Thursday. That way it's not too overwhelming for the kids (and teachers ;-) on the first day. His teacher's name is Mrs. Bryant. She seems very sweet. After a few people found out that that is his teacher, they could be happier. We have been told she is excellent with the kids and teaches them in a calm, loving environment. I am so thankful for that!
Had to get a picture with Gaga and Daddy Don before his big day.
Grace was set on wearing her backpack just like Jackson.
Can you tell he is excited?!


Mr. Independent
They all met in the cafeteria the first morning and walked together with the parents.
Jackson and Mrs. Bryant


Sitting in his square ready for the day to begin.

Saying our goodbyes. I wasn't sad...just excited and nervous for his first day.
Gaga and Grace baked him a cake for his first day. It made it feel that more special to him. I asked him what he liked about his first day and he said, "playing on the playground." Then I asked him what he didn't like about the day and he said, "nothing!" I can pretty much say it was a success. He can't wait to go to school. I only hope that he is always this excited about going!

Grace's Make-Up

For fun we bought Grace a make up kit for her to play with. One night at dinner she had so much fun doing her make up. This girl is too much!

Lego Land, Deutschland

We took an overnight trip with the Green's to Lego Land. The kids were so excited they could hardly contain themselves!

When woke up Tuesday morning and drove straight to the park. The weather was a little iffy, but being in Germany we just thought we would tough out the rainy weather. Thankfully it cleared up and ended up being quite hot (well low 80's...that's hot for us) which made it a perfect park day.

It was amazing to see all the things they made out of legos! (The pictures of the sights below are all made out of legos.) The kids really enjoyed the rides. I was concerned that Grace wouldn't have much to do in her age group, but they really accomodate the rides for the little ones. Jackson rode his first roller coaster with me which he chose to sit right in front. He wasn't a big fan of it, but was a good sport about the whole thing. He went on a different one with Jason that wasn't as big and liked that one better.

After 7 + hours at the park we left when it closed and headed out to dinner. We ate at a Greek restaurant that ended up being the best food we have had in a long time!

The next day we drove to Ulm to see the gothic cathedral. Unfortunately the pictures didn't turn out good because I had my small camera. It was a beautiful cathedral with such ornate designs.

We will definitely go back to Lego Land. The kids and adults had a great time!

Neuschwanstein Castle
Jackson trying to get the sword out of the stone.

This is Jackson's first roller coaster. I loved it!

On the roller coaster before we took off. I was trying to get Jackson to look at the camera, but I think he was just nervous.
Mason, Willow and Jackson
This is the roller coaster that Jackson loved. Just his style.
This dragon sprayed water from his nostrils to cool off anyone who got in it's path.
Jason's "nutritious" snack break.

Beer...ice cream...and pommes frites (french fries)
I love this shot of AJ. He loves Darth Vader.
One of the Grace friendly rides. She loved being able to row the boat herself.
The Munich soccer team stadium...all made out of legos. Amazing!
This was neat to see because we had just been to Venice. They made it look so realistic.

The kids went on this one a couple of times. They would have water fights with the people on the sidewalk and other boats. They were soaked when the got off.
The park had a special exhibit with Star Wars. This one took 143 hours to complete.
Remember this scene from the movie? There was also a button to push that made the aliens play their instruments on the stage. The detail in this was so amazing to see.

It's Catch Up Time!

Whew! Where did the month of August go?

We were super busy this month with visitors and enjoying our summer vacation that I didn't take the time to blog. But now it's time to catch up...

Our friends the Green's who we knew when we lived in Okinawa moved here because Shawn got a job transfer to a school in the area. We were so excited when they found out he got the job!

They ended up living with us for a couple of weeks to save some money while they look for a place to live. It was fun having them here. We have a whole furnished basement that is perfect for them to have their own living space.

During the summer months there is a field not far from us where anyone can cut fresh flowers and put money in a honesty box. I love it! We went to the field and cut gladiolas and sunflowers that were just beautiful.

Here is the price list for what type of flower you cut.

The kids with their flowers.
Love all the different colors of the gladiolas!

We walked to the bakery for breakfast earlier that morning. It's one of our favorite weekend things to do.