Christmas 2010

Enjoying fondue on Christmas eve.

Helping Stephen open Christmas gifts.

Hannah helping Stephen fix her new rocking horse.

The boys opening their gifts from Mama and Papa.  Joel got a crane and Micah a dump truck.

Playing with their new gifts from Oma and Opa King.

We got together with our Bible study group on New Year’s Eve.

It’s beginning to look alot like Christmas!

Hannah was very fascinated by the Christmas tree lights.

Posing for a picture after the tree is decorated.

We visited the Gotha Weinachtsmarkt (although very small!)

We also visited the Weinachtsmarkt in Erfurt – much bigger, with the beautiful church in the background.

Looking out on the parking area from the upstairs window: first on November 29 and then on Christmas day.

Having fun making Christmas cookies.  We had special nativity cookie cutters this year.  Hannah was on a sugar high!

Odds and Ends from December

During the first two weeks of December I had to have vein surgery on both legs.  That meant Stephen had the kids by himself both times for the better part of a day.  While I was having the second surgery, Stephen took the kids to a indoor play park.  They had so much fun – unfortunately there isn’t space for all the pictures!

On a few occasions we have found Joel like this in the morning.  I guess he was bored going to sleep?!

Stephen enjoying sweet nighttime snuggles with his girl.

Hannah’s new funny face.

Just Love Those Kids!

And, various pictures of kids from November.  We are having so much fun with them (most of the time ;)! ) and they have a lot of fun with each other.

Trying to get a good picture of all three at the same time!

I don’t know what they would do without each other.

The boys have found a new way to amuse Hannah – push her around in any empty box.

Daddy loves his little girl; and he is well on his way to spoiling her!

And the many sweet faces of Hannah.

I love the space I have in the new kitchen.  Hannah loves to sit up on the counter and help me “cook, cook!”

October Pictures

Here are just a few pictures from one of our trips up to Camp Impact.

The boys were thrilled to have SO MUCH dirt to dig in with Evan.

Of course, they also love to ride with Uncle Kevin on the tractor.

Hannah just loves the fresh air and a swing all to herself.

Stephen got to help Kevin a little by digging up some stumps.

More Pictures from Playmobil Land

Here are some more pictures from our visit to Playmobil Land.

The boys loved the new dinosaur exhibit.

Even Hannah had her share of fun.

Once again, we were thankful the weather was just warm enough for the kids to really enjoy the outdoor water and sand activities!

And as if all the outdoor things weren’t enough, they all enjoyed several hours indoors with all the Playmobil figures.

Hannah was totally worn out by lunch time.

Visit from the Grandparents

A few weeks after we moved my parents came for a two week visit. The plan was that they would help us get some of the “moving in” projects done. Well, truthfully, we didn’t get many projects done, but we had a wonderful time being together. My mom spent hours every day reading books to the boys (which allowed me to get some things done!) and we also took a few short trips with them – one afternoon to Erfurt and then two days at Playmobil Land.

A side view of the beautiful Krämerbrücke in Erfurt – the only inhabited bridge north of the Alps.

Joel couldn’t resist stopping to give Hannah a kiss.

One of many beautiful buildings we saw in Erfurt.

We stopped and had Kaffee & Kuchen in the afternoon, where my mom & dad tried several different things from the bakery.

A really neat swing type thing at a nearby playground.

Now some pictures from the trip to Playmobil Land.  Since we had gone last year, the boys knew what to expect, & had been talking about all that they were going to do for weeks ahead of time.

Joel can never get enough of dump trucks and “worker men” jobs!

Memaw & Pepaw both walked up one of the narrow bridges onto the pirate ship. The boys were thrilled!

Finally – We’re moving!

After several years of waiting, and much praying and seeking the Lord’s will, we finally moved to a new place of ministry in August of 2010.  Here are just a very few pictures from the moving process.

Hannah just loved climbing into the kitchen cabinets as we took them down, and then put them back up in the new house.

Hannah also loved all the “discoveries” as we unpacked boxes.  Here she is enjoying figuring out the microwave while it was down on the floor.                                                              

Soon (hopefully) I will post some pictures of the inside of our new house.  But for now, here are some pictures of Stephen installing the kitchen.  Most often here, a house/apartment is completely empty except for bathroom sinks, toilets, and bathtubs.  We were able to use most of the cabinets from the old kitchen, add a few more, and change the arrangement to fit in the new kitchen.  To save money, Stephen did it ALL himself.  It took him the better part of a week, but it was worth it!  Here are some of the cabinets put together but the top ones are not hung yet.

Stephen working on cutting the countertop for the stove, and working on the upper cabinets.

Of course, moving involves a lot of boxes!  Stephen used one unpacked box to make a little house for the kids.

Joel’s 4th Birthday

Here are a few pictures from Joel’s 4th birthday (August 18th).  We celebrated a few days late because Stephen was at camp in Spain.  But I also wanted to do it before our move (which btw was just 3 days later!).  So, you can see in the background the last remnants of our packing.  The cake is supposed to look like a dump truck – though it didn’t turn out quite as well as I would have liked.

Summer Catch-up

I am way behind in posting pictures of what has been happening around here for the last few months.  But before I post some pictures from our important activities, I wanted to post various odd pictures from the past summer.

First, Hannah standing up and getting close to walking.

Hannah opening up a few late birthday presents.

Fun times playing outside.

Supporting Germany during the World Cup.

Such a little sweetie!                                   

And then finally – we had a family picture taken in June.  Micah is 5, Joel is not yet 4, and Hannah had just turned 1 year old.