Lokodi Family

Why is there a trailer on our blog page?

2012-01-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

If I were poor I wouldn't mind
A trailer house, minimalist in kind

For just us two
the one on this page
would certainly do

rolling across the american road
every day would bring a new abode

and it would be much fun to watch
the different colors of the season's touch

or see the clouds in the sky
like memories of times gone by

Divine Intervention

2012-01-03T06:14:00.000-08:00

Was it a coincidence? I think not. The other night, Hans and I put the kids to bed at 8pm as usual. Every night after we put them to bed, we go relax and do whatever. We usually never check back on them until we are ready to go to bed at around 11pm. However, for some reason, that night, Hans decided to go check to see if the kids had fallen to sleep yet. He first checked on Gabe, and sure enough, he was fast asleep. Then, it was Eva's turn. He looked in her room and saw her moving. He asked "Eva, are you still awake?" She looked at him with watering eyes and her mouth open. She was chocking. Hans immediately pulled her out of bed and gave her the Heimlich. She eventually threw up what she was chocking on. It turns out that new CTR ring can be a chocking hazard for five year olds.

I have to say how grateful I am for divine intervention. This could have turned out to be a very bad situation. It scares me to think what could have been if Hans wasn't at the right place at the right time. I know this was Heavenly Father's hand prompting Hans to check on the kids. Even if Hans may not have felt a strong, direct feeling to go check on the kids, it was still something that made him get up and look to see if the kids were sleeping. I'm also grateful I have a husband who knows what to do in that kind of situation. That he didn't hesitate and that he had the skills to save her from chocking. I am so blessed to have a wonderful, happy, healthy little family. Life is precious and we should cherish every minute we have with our children.

Lindsey

Some random things

2011-12-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

Cecily had her two month check up yesterday. She's doing great! The doc says she's nice and big. She's in the 97% for weight and 100% for height. Of course, I'm sure it helps starting out large. :) She's a good/happy baby for the most part. She still doesn't sleep very well at night though. It's been quite hard trying to keep her awake during the day because I'm always on the go and every time I get in the car, she falls asleep. She'll also stay asleep as I transfer her to the stroller. She can sleep through any noise. It's good and bad at the same time. Trying to keep her awake during the day has proven to be harder than I expected.

On another note, it was Hans' 31st birthday on the 3rd of Dec. We had a nice evening. We got a babysitter and Hans and I went out to a great Greek restaurant. We had cake in the afternoon so we could celebrate with the kids. This German cake is fantastic! It's a chocolate/raspberry cake with cream filling.

The kids all got shots yesterday. I had a very proud moment. Cecily had to get three shots and the other two kids got their flu shots (better late than never right?). Gabe and Eva didn't make one peep. They didn't complain or fuss at all! The nurse was floored at how tough they were. The baby only let out one little yelp and then she stopped too. At the end of it, the nurse asked what was wrong with my kids. She wanted to know why they didn't cry and Gabe just looked up at her and said "my daddy teaches us to be brave". I thought that was so adorable! Very proud mommy moment.

I just posted a video and pictures of Eva's dance class on Facebook. Today was the first day parents were allowed to attend the class. She's been taking ballet since September and she really loves it. If you want to see those pictures and video, go check out my facebook profile. I don't want to repost them here because it took too long.

Blessing Day

2011-11-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

We blessed the baby in church today. Hans gave a very beautiful blessing. It's always so touching to see the Priesthood in action. The things that were said in the blessing were very special and different than the other two kids' blessings.

I actually enjoy getting the kids ready for church on Sundays. It's the one day they actually look clean and put together. :) Normally I let them have a little more independence and give them more choices. Sundays however, are my days. I think they clean up pretty nice, don't you? Of course, I'm definitely bias.

This was the same dress that Eva was blessed in. Aunt Jen sent this to us. Thanks Jen!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! We had our ward Trunk-or-Treat party on Saturday. We all had a great time. Cecily wore the same ladybug outfit that Eva wore when she was just a month old. I posted the picture of Eva in the costume and Cecily so you can see the similarities between the two of them. The picture of Eva isn't very good, but they sure do look a lot alike. Eva's picture is at the bottom.

This was taken today before heading off to church. Cecily at 4 weeks old. It looks like she'll end up with blue eyes!

I love how Ceci is looking at Eva. Cracks me up. Of course, Eva just had to come be in the picture. She's such a cheezer. Today was the primary program in sacrament meeting. That's always my favorite Sunday. Eva did awesome! She had her part completely memorized. She quoted D&C 1:38. I'm so proud of her!

Eva, Halloween 2006.

Cecily's first bath

2011-10-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Cecily loves the bath. Her cord fell off after only 4 days, so we've been having fun giving her baths.

I absolutely love the expression on her face here. She looks so annoyed to be having her picture taken. We discovered after her first bath that she's just way too big to be giving her a bath in the sink. She barely fit in there. :)

I had to throw in these last two pics. I love having our little family complete. Eva and Gabe love their baby sister to pieces!

Happy birthday to one adorable 5 year old.

2011-10-06T03:58:00.000-07:00

Eva was one happy camper this morning. She even told us last night that she couldn't wait to go to bed so she could wake up and it would be her birthday. :) She loved the gifts from Oma and Opa this morning. They were every 5 year old girl's dream...sparkles and color!

This is Gabe's begging face. He wanted to open up some of the gifts. Eva was kind enough to let him help her. How could you resist that face anyway?

This was the first pose Eva gave me when I took the camera out. This girl is hilarious. This is one of the outfits from Oma and Opa. We let her wear it to German kindergarten this morning.

She's saying she's Five today!

Gabe's almost as tall as she is. He's been a trooper lately. It's been kind of hard on him lately with a new baby to get used to and then Eva's birthday. He's going to need a special day with just mommy soon.

I found Eva daydreaming before we left for school this morning. She's already looking so grown-up.

When she got home from school, this is what she found. We've been meaning to get her a bike for so long and never have until now. She was so excited. The school made her this crown too. It's has been a very good day for her. Sometimes it makes me wish I was five again.

She has arrived!

2011-10-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

Our Cecily has arrived and has completely captured our hearts. She arrived on Oct. 1, 2011 at 12:35 pm. My water broke at 7am and she was born 5 and a half hours later. Much shorter than the other two! She weighed in at 10 pounds 5 oz and 22 1/2 inches long. I have to admit I totally didn't expect her to weigh that much, but at least it makes perfect sense why for the last two or three weeks of pregnancy I would get at least two comments a day asking if I was having twins. :)

Pushing was quite difficult with her. Her shoulder got stuck and she just wasn't wanting to help in the process of coming. They had to have one lady push down from the top of my belly and another pulling the baby out. Her shoulder came out a little sore, but the doctor says it will be just fine. She wasn't breathing when she arrived, so they had to immediately cut the cord and rush her out of the room. It scared me a bit because I didn't hear her crying and I didn't know what was going on. They didn't communicate what the issue was because they were in such a hurry. However, shortly after, they got her breathing and I heard a nice healthy scream from the other room. She was pretty purple when I was first able to see her but her color as greatly improved and she's got a nice healthy glow. She looks exactly like Eva did when she was born, just a bit chubbier. :)

How do you like the big flowers on the top of Eva's head? She's got quite a sense of style huh? :)

On another note, Jess and Jen arrived on Friday and then had to leave on Monday. So, I got to spend at least all of Friday with them (even if they were totally jet lagged) and half of Monday before dropping them off at a hotel to catch a really early flight the next day. I was released from the hospital on Monday around noon. After we got home, we all had lunch together (thanks to Renee for providing it) and then headed down to the Mosel River. I had never really driven down there. I was definitely pleasantly surprised. We'll have to do that again. Jen suggested this because she used to live in that area for about a year when she was 14. We spent the afternoon and evening down there and then dropped them off at a hotel near the Hahn airport. Gabe has a huge crush on Jen. He even played with her hair. He would also follow Jess around like he was some kind of super hero or something.

Ok, I completely looked hammered, but I did just have a baby two days ago. I guess make-up would have helped but that would mean I would have had to try. :) In the picture below, Gabe looks like he's wearing a skirt, when in fact, it's one of Jen's shirts. Along the drive, both Eva and Gabe needed to use the bathroom so we pulled over on the side of a small little road. As soon as Gabe got out, he announced he had to poop and didn't bother waiting for help. He just did it right there, forgetting to bend his bottom back. Yep, the poop got all over his shorts and underwear. It would have been stressful if it hadn't have been hilarious. Jen, the genius that she is, used a shirt of her own (because I never carry extra clothes for him any more) and Gabe's belt from his pants to make some kind of coverage for his bare bottom. It turned out great!

It was so wonderful to see Jess and Jen. We just wish they could have stayed longer. Have a great rest of your trip guys and now it's time for me to take it easy and just relax...with three kids in tow.

Random happenings in August/Sept.

2011-09-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

The USO sponsored a special Sesame Street program for the children of the military. It was a free event and there were free give-aways. I thought the kids would really enjoy it, but they didn't seem to care one way or the other. They were too busy playing with the free toys to really pay attention much to the program. However, they were good and enjoyed being there. Below is my amazing neighbor Jazmine. She is 12 and the most amazing girl ever. Eva worships the ground she walks on. Every night that Eva says her prayers, they consist mostly of Jazmine and her family. Gabe is in love with her too. We are very lucky to have such a great family living next to us.

These next pictures were from the summerfest that the kids German Kindergarten puts on every year. Gabe just started going to the german kindergarten (equivalent to an American preschool) in August and seems to like it. He's in the Penguin class and Eva is in the Panda Bear class. Each class had a special song they sang. It was pretty dang cute! Gabe didn't sing. He just stood there poking the kid next to him with his paper beak, but at least he was having a good time right? :) Eva sang her little heart out.

I forgot to grab Eva's sunglasses, so she had to borrow mine...just a little too big huh?

After the program of songs, the kids were free to run around outside while parents socialized. They had a special slide set up.

This is just a random picture of my very random girl. She's quite the fashion diva. She was having a "swimming suit parade". She put a little train whistle into a purse, carried a flag around and wore her panda bear ears around the house while marching. My kids sure keep me entertained.

Does it even matter?

2011-08-24T00:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, if you're German, don't take offense by this. It's a generalization...

Why oh why do German's feel it their duty to try and "teach" me how to parent? Especially those who don't even have kids of their own? And over the most insignificant things too? I dropped Eva off to school today. Almost every day, Eva wears her pink cowgirl boots to school. She loves them. I love them. She plays outside our house with them every day too. Even in the dead heat of summer, she'll wear them. She never complains of how hot her feet get, and seems to not be bothered by it, so I don't care if she wears them. Why would I fight her on this? It doesn't bother me, doesn't bother her, so why disrupt something good right?

Well, one of her teachers at school started getting after Eva this morning for wearing her boots again. Then she turns to me and informs me that all of Eva's teachers (3 of them) told her she was not allowed to wear those boots outside anymore because they are too hot. She was upset with Eva because she apparently didn't listen to them and wore them anyway. However, they never informed me that she couldn't wear them. I asked if Eva had been complaining of her feet being hot outside and her teacher said no, but they all thought it was best for her not to wear them. I told her it didn't bother me if she wore them outside and if Eva wasn't complaining about them, it was fine. She then proceeded to give me a lecture on the fact that apparently Eva is the boss in my house. She said Eva was just playing a game with me and showing me who's boss by not listening to me as to what shoes to wear. I told her I never said she couldn't wear the shoes because I don't care if she wears them. I also said if I told Eva not to wear them, she wouldn't. However, the teacher just continued to "give me pointers" on how to show Eva I was in control and not her and that she can't wear the boots.

It really gets under my skin when someone else feels it's their duty to teach me how to parent my child. It especially bugs me when it's coming from someone who doesn't have kids of their own. And, why does it seem so much more annoying coming from a German? Maybe because they are the only ones that seem to feel it their duty to correct any kind of behavior that's not up to their standards. Aka...remember the German woman who threw piping hot fries at Eva's face when she was three years old? Or the German doctor who screamed at Gabriel on the top of his lungs because Gabe was trying to reach for another gummy bear, even though he didn't touch anything!?

Okay, now I'm just ranting and raving. Let's just blame it on the pregnancy and being overly hot with no A/C right now. I promise I really do like it here and I've met some really awesome Germans along the way. This is just a stereotype.

Lindsey

Family

2011-08-06T03:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't get as many pictures as I thought, but what I did get, I'll treasure. I don't know where Gillian was in this first picture. I think she actually hadn't showed up yet. But look how pretty all my sisters are.

I'm so glad Jason and Michelle decided to bring some of their kids. I haven't seen Alysa since she was about three years old. I have also discovered that I totally love Jared. How could someone who belongs to Jason be so cool? :)

My three favorite boys in the whole wide world...with the exception of Gabriel of course. :) Adrianne and Mike have done such an amazing job raising three very incredible kids.

Ella is such a beautiful, sweet little girl. She sure is growing up fast. Eva saw this picture and said that Ella is prettier than she is, which says a lot since Eva thinks very highly of herself. :)

"what you lookin' at? You got a problem?" I have nothing to say except that I am totally in love with this ball of fire!

Aren't my brothers so cute?

Here we are all together, which never happens since we all live so far apart. I just wish it was under better circumstances. We all came together for the funeral of sweet baby Laila Richards. She is the daughter of my sister Adrianne. Laila was three months old when she passed away in her sleep. It was a very emotional week full of tears, hugs, and lots of love. I am so amazing at the outpour of love Adrianne and Mike have been shown. And by people they don't even know well. I hope they will continue to feel the arms of the Savior around them during these next hard, long months, years, ahead without their beautiful little girl. They are a very strong family and have set an amazing example to me of how to have a Christ centered home. I love you both and your three amazing boys. You will always be in my thoughts and prayers. I love you all.

The 4th of July!

2011-07-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Gabe being crazy in his chicken suit. Just havin' some fun at home with the kids.

Can you tell how small that dance suit is? She loves to dance, even though she kind of looks like Elaine on Seinfeld when she's dancing. :)

Here are some pictures of our 4th of July celebration here on base. The kids love getting their face painted.

Eva was a fairy and Gabe was, of course, Batman.

Loving the pony rides.

This guy was such an amazing look-a-like. It was almost creepy how good he was. We had a great time on the 4th. Well, the actual celebration was on Friday the 1st. So, we got to enjoy the celebrations on Friday, then had the whole weekend to play as a family. Hans had Monday and Tuesday off work. We went to a BBQ on the 4th and had a great time. Today we spent the whole day at the swimming pool. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend.

Our trip to Hungary and Romania

2011-06-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to our pictures from Budapest and Timisoara. We have lots of captions with the pics, so enjoy. We hope you like them. We had a great time!
https://picasaweb.google.com/roberrabbit/BudapestHungaryAndTimisoaraRomania?authkey=Gv1sRgCIyOz-65ltm-_AE&feat=directlink

Lindsey

Berg Eppstein

2011-06-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Over the Memorial Day weekend, the kids and Hans and I went to a castle about 30 minutes from our home. I've been there many times before, but it's always nice to revisit and let the kids explore. We had a great day on Saturday. We even picked up some really delicious cherries from a local vendor on the side of the road. They were almost all gone by the time we got back.

Having fun in front of one of the doors of the castle.

These roses smelled soooo good!

Canary Island pictures

2011-05-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the link to our pictures from the Canary Islands. I put them on a Picasa Web album. Let me know if this works or not.

https://picasaweb.google.com/roberrabbit/CanaryIslands?authkey=Gv1sRgCJjrya6VrpfvTQ&feat=directlink

Lindsey

Alert: We have a code Pink!

2011-05-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

Easter

2011-04-27T00:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on Easter weekend. Saturday, we traveled down to Landstuhle to visit the Terhune family. We had the men go up to the castle on the hill and hide some eggs. Then we took the kids up about 1/2 hour later and let them run loose. We had so many eggs! It was the perfect place to have an easter egg hunt, in the courtyard of a castle.

If you look closer, you will see some of the eggs the men "hid" on this fountain.

Eva sure got some loot. I think she went a little crazy.

These two kids are Eva and Gabe's best buddies. Evan and Sierra Terhune. We were so sad when they had to move an hour away last year. At least they didn't move all the way back to the states.

We also had a few other families come join us. These were just some of the kids.

The courtyard of the castle.

The Terhune family. Lisa is expecting her fifth child any day now. Her due date is May 3rd.

On another note, at the beginning of the year, our Relief Society gave us the challenge to read the entire book of mormon by Easter Sunday. I'm proud to say, Hans and I finished! Hans decided he wanted to do the challenge with me. It was a great experience for us. We have never done that as a couple before. I think we're going to start on the D&C now.

It was a busy Easter Sunday for me. I am the ward choir director, so I had to direct a song we've been working on. I was also asked to sing a solo during Sacrament meeting as well. So, I chose to sing "Come Unto Him". I love that song. It's just a soft, but powerful piece. The only thing I didn't expect was that the entire stake presidency was there because they released our bishop and put in a new one. And of course, I also think there were more people in Sacrament meeting then I've ever seen there before. Then, I also had to give the Relief Society lesson. I got to teach on the conference talk given by Pres. Uchdorf called "Waiting on the Road to Damascus". If you haven't had a chance to listen to that talk yet, I would strongly encourage you to. It was such a beautiful message.

I felt very close to the spirit on Sunday and I'm so grateful for all the opportunities I had that day to talk of Christ. On the drive to church, Eva asked me to tell her the story of Easter. Explaining the true meaning of easter in simple terms to a four year old makes you really ponder on the simple fact that Christ really does live again and we have the opportunity to see him as well as the people we love after this life. How grateful I am for that chance to put my arms around my Savior and thank him personally for his ultimate sacrifice on my behalf.

Lindsey
P.S. We are leaving tomorrow for the Canary Islands, so Adrianne, I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday and if you have your baby while I'm gone, good luck and I'll pray for you and your baby's good health!

Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands (Holland)

2011-04-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'd like to say this was the best trip ever, but I'd be lying. We had decided to try and do this in one day. Normally, it's a four hour drive from Wiesbaden to the Keukenhof. However, we weren't very bright. We decided to go on the day they were having the flower parade, which is the largest parade in the world. I know...stupid huh? We thought it would be cool to see the parade. Well, never again! We left the house at 6am. It took us six hours just to get there and seven and a half hours to get home. So, our little day trip turned into a really long day. However, we had a nice time being together as a family.

I really wish I would have gotten a ton more pictures because this place was truly amazing. I didn't take more pictures though because I felt unsafe. It was so crowded that I worried so much about the kids. The second I would take my eyes off the kids, I would panic trying to find them again. I have never been anywhere so crowded in my life. So, pictures took a back road to my kids safety. :)

The dog in this picture is a friend's. I like to think of her as half ours. We get to keep her every time this family goes out of town. This is the best behaved dog ever. Normally, I'm not a small dog lover. However, coco is just so sweet. My kids love her!

We didn't get to see the parade because it was so crowded that we were standing too far back. I think by a certain point, we all got hungry and tired anyway. The drive home was nice (even though it was seven and a half hours) just to have quiet time with the hubby. The kids fell asleep and we were able to have adult conversation. There's something to be said about being stuck in traffic forever. It was a very beautiful place and I'm glad we did it. We have been to Holland five times now, but never made it to the gardens until now. If we ever do it again, it will definitely not be on the same day as the parade and we won't do it as a day trip. Lessons learned from the Lokodi family. :)

Gabe, Gabe, Gabe

2011-04-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

This kid is so dang cute sometimes. He sure knows how to melt a girl's heart. The other day, we were standing in line to get some food and a woman behind us kept commenting on how cute Gabe was. When her heard her, he looked straight at her and gave her the "lady killer" look. I think she just about died laughing. That kid knows how to throw on some charm. :)

On another note, Gabe is really into all things boy. He loves making guns. For his birthday, we bought him a bat cave that you have to assemble yourself. Well, he never uses it for that. He just takes the pieces and creates all different kinds of guns. I don't know how he has figured this out, but it never ceases to amazing at the different guns he comes up with. Maybe I should be worried, but I can't help but be in awe instead. Enjoy the samplings.

Love affair

2011-04-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

I love what the host says at the end of her singing. "Sometimes you can add all the dancers, laser, light shows, and special technics you want, but if you've got a voice like that, all you need is a piano". I find this woman's voice mesmerizing. I love that low register of hers. It's husky and pure sexy! I would love to see her in concert.

Vacation time!!

2011-03-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

About every few months, I start getting the itch again to travel. I'm just going to blame that deep, dark passion on being in Europe (although, I think I came out of the womb with the feeling of wanting to see the world). The trick is, slowly start gnawing on your husband until you've planted it in his brain that he needs a vacation and that it's his idea. :) Then, you make all the plans. That's how I show control. hee hee hee.

Well, it's worked! We just booked our trip to...THE CANARY ISLANDS!! Okay, I hope you all don't feel like I'm bragging, because we really do this on a very cheap budget. In fact, I take pride in how cheaply we can go see/do things. It's turned into a sort of talent for me. We have a family here in our ward that we've made friends with. Our kids LOVE each other. They play very well and they are all learning German because their kids go to German schools as well. This family is very laid back and just fun to be around. So, we all decided it would be fun to go together. That way, it would actually be cheaper for us all. We have rented a villa to share and split the cost in half. Here's the link to the villa we'll be staying in: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p800967?cid=E_hrownerinquiry_DB_O_20110307_propID_link_LPROP_1

There's also a really cheap discount airline here in Europe called Ryanair. The prices are amazing and we've used them many times before. It's a little annoying flying with them simply because it's like herding cattle just getting onto the plane (there's no assigned seating) and Europeans generally don't stand in a line in a polite way. However, it's totally worth the cheap airfare.

So far, our round trip tickets for our entire family came to a grand total of 320 Euro which is about $440, and that's with all our tickets and baggage check in. Not too shabby huh? The villa is only 600 euro for the entire week, and after dividing it between the two families, we only have to pay 300 euro which is $414. Not to mention all the money we will save by being able to cook our meals at the villa. It has a fully stocked kitchen, so we won't have to eat out unless we want to spend the money. I'm super excited. We don't even have to rent a car because we can just walk into town and the beach. The public buses are really great down there too from what I've heard.

We will be heading to the island of Fuerteventura. I'm pretty excited, if you can't tell. I am in a huge need to just do nothing for a while. We'll will be there at the end of April, for one week. Hooray! Until then, I'll be dreaming of nice, white sandy beaches and warm weather...

Happy 3rd Birthday Gabe!

2011-02-28T04:25:00.000-08:00

As Gabe was making this pose, he said "Batman to the rescue!" He's a huge Batman fan.

Gabe and Eva have been playing basketball with the local military base. It's been fun watching them. Gabe is weirdly good with a ball. He is the youngest on the team, but he has some serious skills. Eva's not too bad either. She make three baskets that night.

Gabe at 7 weeks old.

On the road to teenagehood

2011-02-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the conversations I've had with Eva lately:

Mom: Eva, please pick up all the stuffed animals you dumped all over the floor.
Eva: You have to help me mom.
Mom: No, you threw them all over yourself, you pick them up yourself. I'll help you move the bins back to the toy room once you pick them up.
(About twenty minutes later and not one animal is picked up yet)
Eva: mom, I'm not picking up one single toy until you come and help me now!
Mom: Eva, you have two choices: 1. pick them up now and then go play or 2. go to your room and sit in time out, then still have to pick up the animals by yourself after you sit in your room.
Eva: Fine, I'll go to my room.
(she eventually picked them up after spending about twenty minutes in her room not seeming to care one single bit)

Another conversation with Eva:
Mom: Eva, it's too early to be awake. Please go play quietly in your room and don't wake Gabe up.
Eva: No
Mom: Eva, you can either go back to bed and sleep, or quietly play in your room. You chose.
Eva: Fine! (with a foot stomp)
(then she proceeds to pass her bedroom and head to the living room)
Mom: Eva, where do you think you're going?
Eva: To play in the living room.
Mom: That was not one of your choices.
Eva: So...
Mom: Get to your room now!
Eva: (eye roll and a sigh) Fine.

One more conversation with my wonderful daughter:
Eva started talking back to me about something. She was arguing "her case". She just kept arguing and arguing.
Mom: Eva if you don't stop talking back to me, I'll flick you in the mouth.
Eva: No you won't. I'll flick myself in the mouth.
(Then of course, Eva starts to flick herself over and over in the mouth)
What do you do after that? (besides trying not to show her that you're laughing)

It sure is a good thing she's cute, otherwise she'd be lucky to still be alive.

One of those nights

2011-01-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep. My brain just won't shut off. I don't feel like myself. In fact, I haven't felt like myself in a while. I'm in a funk. Every time I think of all the responsibilities I have (which really aren't that many), I just shut down and stop doing anything and everything. Then the list of tasks just gets longer and harder and I want to kick myself for shutting down. I am the Family Readiness Group Leader for my husband's unit. This is the most frustrating thing ever. I want to just quit but for some reason, I feel I need to keep doing it for fear it might reflect poorly on Hans. Of course, he says it won't, but I keep worrying about it. After the big christmas party I was in charge of putting together, I had a nice break from even thinking about the FRG. However, it's come time to face it again. There will be meetings, fundraisers, events, and more meetings coming up in the near future. I suppose if I didn't have two young children and a life, I could handle it. Another problem is having to deal with the military. Don't get me wrong, I love being a wife of a soldier and I appreciate the military very much. However, I don't always appreciate all the people in the military. You get all kinds of people to deal with. It actually makes me appreciate my husband for being sane. I think this has proven to be the hardest task for me...dealing with certain people through my volunteer position. Yeah, that's right, it's a volunteer position but yet it's so stressful I feel like poking my eyes out every time I think about dealing with it. There's my reason one for not being able to sleep these days.

On top of the stresses of FRG, I'm trying to lose weight. This has always seemed to be a losing battle with me. I'll be good for awhile, I might even lose up to thirty pounds, but I always gain it back. I exercise all the time, I just don't watch what I eat. I don't like the feeling of having to deprive myself of good food. I live to over indulge I suppose. I eat too much. That's my problem. Portion control. You would think that since I can identify my problem, I'd be able to fix it. Well, I can't seem to master my will power. I have done really well for the last two weeks. In fact, I lost 12 pounds within those two weeks. But, I've hit a plateau and I just want to make sure not to give up. Whenever there is stress in my life, I tend to find food as a comfort. This FRG stuff is proven to be a real test for me not to give into my habit of grabbing for food during stress. I would like to devote all my energy into regaining a healthy lifestyle, but with everything else going on, it's hard to focus just on that. I can't seem to find a balance in life.

When two of my dearest friends moved away from here, it was really difficult. Things still haven't been the same. I need someone I can call every day in the morning just to say hello. Even if we weren't hanging out that day, I would still talk to both of them on the phone at least once a day. They felt and still feel like sisters to me. They are there for me no matter what. I really wish they were here right about now to encourage me or at least be the sound of reason when I go through these torrents of self-pitty.

Well, I suppose tomorrow is another day. I did find out some great news today. My brother Jess and his wife will be coming out in October. Yeah! That should be fun. Ok, enough of my drama. I hope you all have a better week than me.

Lindsey

Out of the mouth of Babes

2011-01-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

Hans asked Gabe to say the family prayer tonight. This is what Gabe said in his prayer:

"Heavenly Father, thank you for batman smells, Robin laid an egg, Bat mobile lost its wheel, and Joker got away. Amen."

So, Hans asked him to say another besides just that. This is how his next prayer went:

"Heavenly Father, thank you that we could watch Batman and Robin again and again and again. Amen"

I guess it was my mistake in finding the old school Batman videos at the library the other day. We've been letting Eva and Gabe watch the episodes and I have to admit, it's been kind of a nice weekend because they have left us alone for the most part. We did take advantage of the nice weather on Saturday, but after we came back inside, that's all they wanted to do. Who am I to stop a love affair? :)

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm a little slow at getting my Christmas post up. It's been one of those lazy couple of weeks where you just can't seem to find the energy to do anything, including post on the blog. Not to mention my hubby got my season six of Grey's Anatomy so that was pretty much all I did for the week after Christmas. :) Anyway, you are probably wondering why Eva is in a swimming suit on Christmas morning. I am wondering that myself. She's a weird one sometimes. We didn't want the kids to come out and see the tree until we were all ready. So, while I was getting dressed, Eva decided she wanted to have a "swimming party". She LOVES wearing her suit. Maybe it makes her feel like it's summer. :) I should give it a try sometime. These winters last too long.

Gabe decided to wear the top of his halloween costume, which is of Peter Pan. He left the bottoms off of course, but at least he has underwear on. Those two kids are a really odd pair.

Christmas was really nice. We went over to my cousin Renee's house for Christmas Eve dinner as well as lunch on Christmas day. After that, we headed down to my friend Lisa's house for Christmas dinner and to have a family sleepover. It was nice to be around close friends. Christmas is hard when you're clear across an ocean from your family, but when you have friends that feel as close as family, it helps.

New Years Eve was also a nice night. We headed to our friend's house the Thorne's. There were a few other families there. I love games, so it's always nice when you get together with friends for games. They had a really cool dance game on their Xbox connect (I'm not sure if that's what it's called. It's the one without a remote. It just picks up your movements with a sensor). I didn't realize I was such a good dancer. :)

New Years day was very quite and relaxing. We hung out at home all day and in the evening headed over to another friend's house the Davies' to play games again. All and all, it was a wonderful couple of weeks. Nice and relaxing. It's always good to get back to normal though. Hans started back to full days of work today, Eva will be going back to German Kindergarten tomorrow, and Gabe will have preschool in the morning. I'm kind of relieved to get back to some kind of routine.

I have decided to set a few goals for this year. One of them is to be more spiritual. I have decided to take the challenge of reading the Book of Mormon from front to back by Easter. I think that will be a nice way to jump start some spirituality in my life. Wish me luck!

Lindsey

The end is near!

2010-12-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm so grateful this week is finally over. Here are a few pictures of the happenings this week. I had my very first piano/vocal recital at my home with my six students. I haven't wanted to take more students on because of time constraints, but I love the six I have. They are all so wonderful. The girl in the green dress is actually a voice student of mine. They all did a wonderful job on their pieces and I was proud of each of them.

On Friday, Hans' unit had their company party. I was in charge, so needless to say, I'm so relieved it's over. It was a lot of work. We started planning at the end of October. For a while, that was all I could think about. Too much stress! I guess the stress paid off though because it was a great party. Everything went really well and we had a great attendance. I arranged for the Col. and a few others to sing a few Christmas songs.

Today church was canceled due to snow. I've lived here for six years and this is the first time this has happened. It's been snowing all day. Hans and I decided to bundle up the kids and take them out. We all had a wonderful time. I felt like a little kid again. I haven't played in the snow for quite some time. The kids loved it!

Hans and the kids busy making a snowman. Eva said they named it "frosty". How original huh? :)

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2010-12-15T10:35:00.000-08:00

At our annual Ward Christmas party, Santa Claus came to visit. My kids are past the stage where Santa scares them. They are right at that fun age where Santa is amazing! They love the whole idea of Santa and the elves at the North Pole.

This is Eva telling Santa her LONG list of things she'd like for Christmas. Gabe is easy...he just wants Batman.

Well, I've tried to really embrace the Christmas season this year and I have to say, I have fallen short. I still don't like this holiday. Of course I love the idea of Christmas (Christ's birth and celebration of his life) but I really struggle with the stress that accompanies the holiday. People tell me they don't do tons of gifts or they really try and scale back to really "focus" on the "true" meaning of Christmas. That's a bunch of crap! What they mean is, they will say that and do the opposite. There's too much pressure involved in getting people the perfect gift. Not to mention trying to get a gift for someone that says all they want is cash. ;) It makes you feel selfish for wanting a gift when they say not to get them one. I guess I look at it this way: I don't usually go out and buy myself things that I really want throughout the year, so I look at Christmas as being the time to get things that you want, not need. I'm not talking about going overboard, but it should be okay to get a few things you want. Does this make any sense or does it just sound like I'm selfish?

Not only is there pressure in gift giving, but this time of year is insanely busy. I can't really focus on the meaning of Christmas when I'm too busy to hear myself think. This should be a time of giving and service, and I'm too busy I can't really give the service that I would like to. When does the stress end? I haven't even had time to start shopping for the kids and hubby. At least we mailed off all the gifts to the states in November. If I would have waited until December, it still wouldn't be done. Okay, that's enough ranting and raving on my part. I just want December to be over!!!

Lindsey

Just call me Jail Bird

2010-12-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

Well, mom officially has two children who have been arrested. Lucky me huh? What a horrible, horrible month I've had. Yesterday the military police (MP's) were doing random searches on cars. They pulled me over and checked my tires, car, and license to make sure everything was in compliance. Well, my European drivers license was expired. I knew it was but someone told me it was still good up until a year after the expiration date. I don't know why I was stupid enough to believe that person, but I trusted them that they knew what they were talking about since they are in the military and have some authority of sorts. Anyway, the officer asked if I knew it was expired and I said yes, but it should still be good up until a year after the date. It's been expired since March (ok, I know I should have just gotten it renewed, I was busy and just forgot to get it done and thought I still had time). He then proceeded to make me wait, with my son in the car, while he called the station.
On a side note, a couple months ago I was involved in a little fender bender. When the MP arrived at the accident, I told him my license was expired and I asked if it was still good for up to a year after the date of expiration. He told me yes, and that I was still fine. I didn't get in trouble at all for it. Anyway, back to yesterday. The MP came back to the car and asked me to step out of my vehicle. He then proceeded to tell me I was under arrest and since I had my son with me, he wasn't going to put me in handcuffs. He did however, say they called another cop car to come that had a car seat in the back. We had to wait for it to show up so Gabe and I could be arrested and taken to the station.

I tried to explain to him my situation...that I really did think it was still good for a year after and that an MP a few months ago told me it was still good, he threatened me that if I didn't calm down, he was going to call child protective services and they would come get my son, then they would handcuff me and put me in the back of the car. Mind you, I wasn't yelling at him at all, I was just simply expressing my frustration and why I thought this was wrong. What he should have done was given me to the end of the day to get my temporary license and come into the station as soon as I got it. Instead, the cop car showed up, the MP took all my possessions, including my purse, phone, and everything out of my pockets, then took me into the station. At this point, I'm so fuming, he's lucky I didn't punch him in the face.

After waiting for a few hours, I had to write a report and he asked me some questions. Then, he wouldn't let me just walk out on my own, he called my husband's company commander to come personally escort me out. When she showed up, they counseled her to take me straight over and get my temporary license, which of course we did. At this point, I was so extremely mortified I didn't know what to say. I'm the unit's Family Readiness Group Leader, so this is looking really bad for me. She had to take me to get my license, and since it took so long at the station, she then had to drive me to go pick up my daughter from German kindergarten, then take me to go get my car. Keep in mind that my husband was getting on a plane to head to Kosovo at the exact same time I was getting arrested. However, even if he was around, they still wouldn't have released me to his custody, they still would have called the commander.

Anyway, then this morning, I was driving up to the commissary on base, following all the road rules, and this same exact MP started following me. He didn't turn on his lights, he just followed me clear until I stopped and got out of my car. He then came over and said he wanted to talk to me. I told him I wasn't breaking any laws and I didn't know why he was following me. He said he wanted to see my new license. This made me really irate. It took every ounce of self control to not yell at this man. I did say I thought this was way out of line and extremely insulting. As if being arrested yesterday wasn't enough, you then question whether I actually did it. You put me in possession of my husband's commander and instructed her to take me directly over to get one. This was just enough. I asked him where I could file a complaint. He told me I could fill out a comment card, and I told him I had already done that yesterday, but apparently that wasn't enough. I showed him my license and walked off. After I was done shopping at the commissary, I came back to my car and he had given me a ticket. The ticket was because apparently my license plates were switched. The front one needed to be on the back and the back needed to be on the front. I didn't even know there was a difference between the two. Now he was harassing me. He was just picking on me. If he was going to give me a ticket for that, he should have done so yesterday when he was checking out my car.

I went directly to the station and asked to speak to his commander. Of course, he wasn't in but they said they would get me someone to speak to. They sent out a guy who was only a few ranks above the MP, who was also an MP. These guys stick together. This guy had no authority. I expressed my concerned to him and of course he completely stuck up for this guy. Now, to this particular man's defense, the MP was following the book and I understand that. I also understand I was in the wrong for not getting it renewed right on time. But it just seemed a little over the top to me. I have a valid stateside driver's license and under the circumstances of being misinformed by an MP a few months ago, he should have given me till the end of the day to get it done. I asked this man to please check to see who the officer was that attended my accident because I was almost 100% positive it was this same exact MP and the guy said he was sure it wasn't but he would go and check for me. When he came back, sure enough, it was the same exact MP that came to my accident who told me my license was still good up to a year after the expiration date and who didn't give me a ticket for it, as was the same guy who arrested me yesterday!! And you know what's going to happen?...NOTHING. MP's stick up for other MP's. If I would have been properly informed by him at the time of my accident, this wouldn't have happened.

If I was a drinker, I would be drinking something very stiff right now. Normally I could just shake this off, but this was just the straw that broke the camel's back for me. This has been the most stressful month of my life. Can I just stay in my house and never leave?

Lindsey

He's 30!

2010-12-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

Well, he made it to 30 and he looks just like he did when he was 20...hot! :) Hans loves German cakes so this is one I got from a local store. It's a cherry and chocolate cake. It was heaven!

On another note, this week was an Out and About Discovery Group outing (it's a group my friend Christy and I started back at the beginning of summer). We decided to brave the cold and head to Mainz for their annual christmas market. It was freezing, but fun. There was a ton of food and lots of fun shopping to be had by all. Here's the gang that decided to come.

Just one of the vendors at the market.

Our quick trip to the states

2010-10-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Dave and Tana to arrive in Baltimore. This is the American Visionary Art museum and one of the coolest places ever. This is the place Dave has his new, sleek photo booth set up. They will be having it there for 11 months. I was glad I was able to see it. It's pretty awesome. We were able to finally meet Tana after being married to Dave for what? 2 years right? That's pathetic, but at least we could see her, even though she was pretty much in labor when we saw her. She was such a good sport and I have to say...Dave is a lucky man. She's pretty awesome. We hope we can see them again soon. We ended up not being able to see the new baby and I was pretty bumbed about that. Hopefully it won't take two more years.

Inner Harbor of Baltimore. Very clean and lots of fun!

On Friday we were able to visit Oma and Opa Ehrmann (Lokodi). We had a little birthday celebration there. Oma made this yummy cake as well as a TON of german cookies from scratch. She's such an amazing cook. Chelsey and Jake came along for the ride and it was nice to have them there.

Hans and I left on Saturday morning (hence the pajamas. Sorry chelsey, it's the only picture I got). It was way too short a visit to her house. We had a good time just hanging out and talking. Sarah was such a great big cousin to Eva and Gabriel. We left the kids with them for a few days while Hans and I drove my friend's car out to Missouri for them. We only had a little bit of time before Hans had to go to work, otherwise we would have tried to drive up to Iowa and visit my brother Jason and his wife Michelle. We just couldn't squeeze everything in that we wanted to. We'll have to try it again maybe in 2012 and make sure to get to Janson's house. Hans still hasn't met Michelle or their kids.

We drove as far as Dayton on Saturday and stayed the night at Adrianne's house. We had never met their kids yet...I know, it's quite sad really. I have to say, it was worth the wait though. I have totally fallin head over heals for all those cute little boys. They have such sweet personalities. They each contribute something different and special. I forgot to get a picture with Adrianne. :( We had a short, but fun visit with them as well. We headed out eary Sunday morning to finish the drive to Missouri.

Along the way, we couldn't help but laugh when we saw this on I-70. Welcome back to America right?... We arrived to Kansas City on Sunday night. We spent Monday with Brandee and her family then flew back to Baltimore on Tuesday morning. We had Hans' parents bring the kids from Chelsey's to Baltimore for us. We had to catch a Space Available military flight back to Germany that night. It was a fast and furious trip, but we're glad we did it. I had a good time visiting with part of our family and only wish it could have been longer and that we could have seen everyone. It made me miss them so much more. It's nice to spend time with them as grown adults with kids of their own. They're my friends, not just my sisters and brothers. Thank you to everyone who helped us along the way. Mike's mom Carol Richard came and picked us up at the airport at 1am when we arrived and let us stay at her home. Then she drove us around to get my friend's car at the port the next day. She was such a HUGE help to us and I really appriciate her kindess. She truely is a sweet spirit and I would love to spend more time getting to know her. Mike, you are a very lucky guy to have such a kind and loving mother. My kids call her Grandma Carol. :) Thank you to everyone for taking time out of they days to visit us, or allow us to crash at your home with such short notice. Thank you to Chelsey and her family for watching our two crazy kids, even when Gabe got sick and Chelsey had to take him to the urgent care for us. That meant alot! We love you all and hope we can do it again soon.

Lindsey

Too busy to think

2010-10-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted. I seem to be too busy these days. Between the kids, soccer, piano lessons, the out and about group my friend and I started, the choir I'm in and Hans' work stuff, life is pretty crazy (not to mention girls night outs. :) ). A few days before we headed off to the states, Christy and I headed up another ladies Out and About Discovery group. We went to my favorite restaurant, which is a greek one downtown Wiesbaden. We had a great turn out. I think there were 14 of us. I love being able to show ladies new places to discover in Germany. I know I've said this before, but I really feel very blessed to have such an amazing group of ladies in my ward. I have really loved getting to know each of them.

This is the waiter I get every time I'm there. He always remember everyone that comes in. He love the Americans and speaks great english. This has been a family run business for a very long time. He's one of the grandsons of this family. Notice all the individual checks for each lady in the group?

A couple nights after my O&A group, Hans and I had a work function to go to. This was the enormous cheese burger we got to share. Suprisingly, it tasted pretty good too. We were eating the leftovers for days.

The next night, we went down to Kaiserslautern to celebrate Eva's birthday with the Terhunes. They used to live up here, but about a month ago, Chris was reassigned an hour south of us. We have been very sad not to have them so close. We went swimming at a really cool german pool then went and had dinner and afterward, had cake and ice cream.

On the actual day of Eva's birthday (October 6th), we were heading to the states for a quick trip. So, we had her open her birthday gifts on our bed in the morning before getting ready to go. Gabe was really upset because he didn't have a present to open. I guess Eva must have felt sorry for him because she eventually let him open one after crying for a bit.

Happy 4th Birthday Eva. We love you and are very blessed to have you as part of our family.

We LOVE Disney Cruise Line.

2010-09-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

We're back! We had a wonderful time on our cruise. I've come away really loving Disney. It's going to be hard to cruise with anyone else after that experience. We all had such a great time. The weather was on our side too. It didn't rain once! Now I've got to get to the gym and work off the 10 extra pounds I just put on from all the amazing food on board. Check out our pictures from the trip. Hope you enjoy them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/roberrabbit/0140?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHX3auE6ahM#

Lindsey

Our trip to Garmisch thru pictures. Enjoy.

2010-08-17T00:20:00.000-07:00

We hope you enjoy some of the photos we took on our long weekend in Garmisch. The army was sponsoring a marriage retreat for 102nd Batallion this weekend and we had the opportunity of attending. It was a great time to spend with the family. I've been down there 8 times now and I never get tired of it. It makes me appriciate God's amazing ablility to create such a specatular world. This place takes your breath away with it's beauty.

This two pictures were taken from the balcony of our hotel room.

We rented a row boat for an hour on Lake Eibsee. The kids loved it!

It got a little cold at the end.

This is the lobby of the hotel.

Last winter, Hans and I came down by ourselves and skied here. This is one of the lifts we took. It looks completely different in the summer time. :)

Just one of the beautiful gardens in the area. The people here really take care of their land.

Cutest Kid Contest

2010-08-09T03:15:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. I just entered Eva and Gabe in a cutest kid contest. I could use all your votes. If I win, I get a free photo session with this photographer and a free print. What you have to do is go onto this link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=159118&id=112247258819248#!/pages/Wiesbaden-Germany/Holly-Nichole-Photography/112247258819248 and "like" it. Then you find the picture of Eva and the picture of Gabe and just type in the word "vote" in the comments. You can also just look on my profile on Facebook and vote for them. Thank you all!

Lindsey

A tearful goodbye

2010-08-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

Why do I have to be left behind? I would much rather be the one leaving. Being part of the military has is ups and downs. One of the ups is you tend to make friends faster and feel more connected to the friends you have. At least in my case. I have made some really amazing friends here in Germany. We all seem to cling on to eachother and support and love one another so much. Two of my very best friends are moving and leaving me behind. Lisa is to my left and Brandee is to my right in this picture. Brandee is leaving tomorrow morning. Her husband is getting out of the military and they will be settling down in Missouri. I have become extremely close to her. She has helped me through a great deal in the four or five years we've been friends. She is one of those people who would do anything for you. She is a GREAT listener. She doesn't try and "fix" your issues, she listens and lets you just vent. She never judges me and seems to love me unconditionally. She and our other friend Alisha Johnson are always there for me. We used to be a lot like the three amigos. I waited every morning for a phone call from Alisha to tell me what we were doing for the day. Alisha moved away last year but I still try and talk to her on the phone at least once a week. It should be more though. When some friends move away, you know you will eventually lose contact with them just because of distance and time. However, there are just some people you know that just won't happen with. Alisha, Brandee and Lisa are some of those people. They are truely friends for life. I thank my Heavenly Father for putting these women in my life and at such a time in my life when I really needed them most. I know he had a hand in bringing us together. I love them all with all my heart. I will miss you Brandee, but I know this isn't goodbye. This is just a "see you later".

I love her family too. She's got some of the most amazing children in the whole world. She and Logan are wonderful parents and have done a great job raising five very polite, beautiful children. I love you kids!

Lisa's family is moving next month. Thankfully they are only moving about an hour drive south of here. They will be in K-town for another year, then headed back to the states. Lisa, that drive will be made many times in the next year! I'll be needing my Lisa fix on a regular basis. You are the salt of the earth and the most amazing person. You truely are an inspiration to me. Thank you for your generous heart and warm smile. I love you so much! My kids are going to miss you guys so much too. I will be bribing my kids with visits to see you if they are good. :)

Anyone who has friends like these, are truely blessed and I hope you remember not to take them for granted. Make sure you give them a hug this week and tell them thank you for their friendship and love. So, this isn't goodbye, this is "see you later".

Out & About Discovery Group

2010-08-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

This is kind of a random post, but I thought I'd share a little of what's going on in my life. Last weekend, we took care of four other children while their parents went to London. We had them from friday til monday night. Two of those kids are my kids best friends. This little boy is Evan. He's four months younger than Gabe. His older sister Sierra, is Eva's best buddy.

I've started teaching piano lessons to two new girls. They are identical twins. We are actually doing a trade. I will teach them for free in exchanges for them to help me out around the house or with the kids. They are 11 years old. This is Xoe. Gabe LOVES her! Both my kids love these girls like crazy. Eva follows them around like a lost puppy. Xoe even got Gabe to take a nap on her while watching TV. He doesn't even do that for me.

My friend Christy (Xoe and Xanthe's mom) and I started a new group for relief society. It's called the Out and About Discovery Group. The purpose is for women in our ward to learn about the different treasures of Germany. Over the last few months we've done quite a few things. We went to an outdoor swimming pool, an indoor swimming pool, a thermalbad, a german restaurant, we toured the cities of Wiesbaden, Mainz, and Eltville. This month, we started it out with a tour of the castle "Burg Eltz". I've been there one other time with Bill and Diane Knox when they came to visit me. Last time I was there, there wasn't any scaffolding, but it's still amazing huh? We had a good turnout. It was a beautiful day for touring the grounds too.

This is the group that came out. We're actually missing a few people in this picture. I'm really glad Christy and I started this group. It keeps us busy and it gives us a wonderful opportunity to get to know sisters that we normally wouldn't. I think it's really making the women in the ward feel fellowshipped. It helps to eliminate the feeling of clicks or hard feelings toward one another. I have really come to love every one of these women in the ward. They each contribute something special or unique to the group. It's interesting to see the different dynamics that each different activity has. We get different ladies coming each time. It gives all of them an opportunity to get to know one another. Thank you ladies of the Wiesbaden Military Ward! You all are wonderful women and are great examples to me!

Let's get this party started!

2010-07-17T02:24:00.000-07:00

This little guy is gettin' potty trained (whether he likes it or not!). I had to take a picture of Gabe in these little boy briefs. He looks so dang cute! He went pee in the big pottie this morning. This isn't the first time he's done it. There was a week back a couple months ago that he went pee quite a few times and poop once in the toilet. However, since then, he hasn't shown any interest. Well, I've decided it's time to do it. Let's just bite the bullet and get it over with. I have very selfish reasons for doing this however. Not that I want to save money on diapers, not that I hate changing them (which I do of course), not that it would just be so much easier, but because....

We are going on a DISNEY CRUISE! We have decided to celebrate Hans' accomplishment of finishing his MBA by taking a cruise. Believe it or not, one of the best deals we got was a disney cruise (which is usually the most expensive cruiseline to take). The reason we feel so strongly that we need to potty train Gabe is because the kids club on ship is for ages 3 and up. The only way they will take Gabe in the kids club being under three is if he's potty trained, if they have enough available slots, and if they see that he can be a little independant (which he is, let me tell you!!). The kids club is free of charge and they do amazing activities with the little ones. It will also give Hans and I time away from them so we can actually have a vacation too. :) (that's the real reason we want them in there) The last cruise we took, Eva loved the club so much that she cried every time we came to pick her up. Let me tell you, I sure didn't feel the love comin' from her. It was the first thing she wanted to do when she woke up. That was with Norwiegen cruiseline. NCL takes 2 and up, which is the only cruiseline that excepts kids that young. Disney is supposed to be the best of the best for kids. I'm so excited to share this experience with my kids. They are really getting into all the disney movies lately.

Here's the itinerary of where we're going:
http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=11911&disp=103

We've already been to Barcelona, Rome, and Malta, but we loved them so much, we have no problem going back. Besides, Rome really required a whole week just to see everything. We only spend a day there last time. Who wants to come with us? We'd love to have another family come play on the cruise with us.

Nature induced mayhem/human induced mayhem

2010-07-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we had quite the storm last night. It made me feel like we were back in Indiana watching a tornado. I even went outside and just enjoyed the rain (which is a first in like a month here) in the middle of lightning and thunder. I loved it! However, it did some damage. Lightning struck our building and burnt a fuse. It also broke one of our windows. This tree is just ouside out appartment. Notice how close it was to this car.

Can you see how the window is only attached by the hindge?

On another note: I, Lindsey Clark Lokodi sewed for the first time since eighth grade. The only other time I've been on a sewing machine was in school. I had to sew an apron. My friend came over the other day and brought everything I needed to make this curtain for my kitchen. She even provided the fabric. She showed me what to do and I DID IT! I can't believe it. My kitchen colors are blue and yellow, so it worked out really well. I was pretty proud of myself. It took forever, but I survived. I'm nowhere near being as domestic as my sisters (and I'm not trying to be because that's just not my thing) but at least I did something productive. :)

Floh Markt in Deutschland!

2010-07-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my flea market finds. I've discovered a love of flea markets. You can talk your way down to a cheaper price and I love that! You also find one of a kind things and treasures you just won't find in the states. They have flea markets every saturday and different locations throughout the community. I paid 2 euro for the big one and 1 euro for the other two.

All the vases found in this hutch were found at different flea markets. They were all made in West Germany. I love the uniqueness to them. After adding all these up, I ended up only paying 3 euro for seven vases. Great deal huh?

This is a really cute umbrella holder. Now I just have to find some cute antique umbrellas to go in it. :) I got this for 6 euro.

I love this picture. This is not a copy/print. It's an original. The frame is great. I actually took the painting and hung it without the frame, just straight canvas on the wall. I'm going to use the wood frame for a different picture I have laying around. I paid 10 Euro for this painting, and I thought it was a great deal!

I decided to decorate the guest bedroom in a nautical theme because I loved this boat and I got it for only 5 euro. It's a lot bigger than the picture shows.

This is a ceramic clock that matches perfect in my kitchen. This was 50 cent euro.

Eva got lucky! This is now her bike. I just went and bought training wheels for it. I hope they work. I love the retro look to it. The bell works and everything! I paid 10 euro for it.

Eva's German Kindergarten

2010-07-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, while I was off to Poland shopping for pottery, I left Hans with the kids. This is the first time I've ever left the kids and hubby and had a trip with just girls. I left friday night and came back late saturday. Eva had a special event at her german kindergarten (ages 3-5 is considered kindergarten) on that saturday that Hans took the kids to. This is Eva's teacher Alex painting her face.

Gabe had a good time playing soccer with some kids.

These are some of the kids in Eva's class. She is the only American and english speaking child in there. Her teacher doesn't speak English either so it makes for an iteresting experience for me sometimes. I understand most things though. Eva is doing well in school and learning German quickly. Her teacher says she will respond back in German now. She used to hate going, but she never gives me a hard time about it anymore. She's made friends and seems to enjoy herself.

A little of this, a little of that.

2010-06-16T03:37:00.000-07:00

Eva finished her first season of T-Ball over the weekend. She was the youngest player and the only girl. I was really proud of her. Most of the time she enjoyed it. She didn't like outfielding that much because there was one boy in particular that would run and get the ball no matter where it was hit. He got to it before anyone else ever had the chance to get the ball. So, Eva threw some pretty big fits when that happened. She hits the ball really well and has a great arm on her though. They had a party at the end of the season with trophies and pizza. We loved our coach too! He was so great with the kids and it was a volunteer position.

Coach Reeves presenting Eva with her trophie.

In other news...Gabe is a wierdo! A couple mornings ago Hans and I looked in the kids room and this is what we found. For some crazy reason, Gabe had somehow gotten under the fitted sheet that night and fallen asleep. This is how we found him, and still sleeping. Eva and Gabe LOVE to sleep together. Gabe does have his own bed, but he always ends up in Eva's bed before falling asleep. I think it's actually really cute. He brings his pillow over and he sleeps at the foot of the bed, while Eva's at the head. There are times when I wonder if they even love each other and then there are these moments when I know they do. They love bedtime. I hear them talking to one another every night. I love those moments.

Do you see the lump? Eva's legs are the pick blob and Gabe is under the fitted sheet.

Part 2

2010-05-30T23:49:00.000-07:00

This castle was in a little town off the main road. We just started driving off the beaten path and this is what we found. What a pleasant surprise huh?
Eva posing on the castle grounds.

My handsom boys.

This is one of the views from the castle.

Our day out in the Taunus mountains Part 1

2010-05-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

We took a nice walk along a random trail today. We drove about 45 minutes outside Wiesbaden and just stopped at different places that looked interesting. It was a beautiful day.

This picture speaks volumes of both the kids personalities.

This was taken the other day during Eva's T-ball practice. Gabe always throws a huge fit if he doesn't get a turn to batt too. He's actually really good for such a little guy. Have any of you seen space balls? Does Big Helmet ring a bell when you see him with that hat?

Eva sportin' some serious attitude.

Just a random picture of the kids. I think they're pretty dang cute, but I'm a little partial. :)

Finally! The Ireland pictures

2010-05-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, the long awaited pictures are here. I have been wanting to post my Ireland trip pictures on the web but haven't been able to. We (and by we, I mean Hans) left the camera in the rental car in Ireland. We called around everywhere trying to figure out where the camera was. I called Hertz and they told me it wasn't there. A few days later, I was still tough out of luck and very discouraged. I was so desperate at that point that I got on my knees and just begged Heavenly Father to help me locate my camera. It was quite a pathetic prayer actually. I was pretty much grovaling to him and insisting that he help me locate it. Well, he definately answered my prayer. No longer than an hour later, I got an email from Hertz saying they were sorry for the confusion, but they did have it. The man that cleaned the car out was off work the day I called and he forgot to mention to them that he had found the camera and put it in the safe-keep locker. They told me they would go ahead and UPS it to me! I was so shocked and grateful. My camera arrived safe and sound on Tuesday. :)) Hip Hip Hooray for Hertz rental car!!!

This is just one of the many blessings we recieved while in Ireland. Most of you know, but the landlady that owned the cottage we were staying in didn't charge us for the entire extra week we were there. She said she didn't want to take advantage of stranded travelers. I couldn't believe the kindness of this woman. There were many instances where other travelers were stranded, or ripped off for extending their rental cars, hotel rooms, flights, etc. The hertz car rental took off the outrageous drop off fee that was over $300 because we had to drop it off at a different location to catch a ferry. Not everyone was treated so kindly. We ended up only having to pay a total of around $230 for the entire two weeks we rented the car. There are other things like this that happened too.

This just really makes me realize that God is definately aware of our needs and difficulties. He took care of us and we were blessed beyond belief. I feel very blessed to be given the opportunity to travel and see the world. It has become a great passion in my life. Through these experiences, I get to see how lucky and blessed I truely am. I am so grateful to be an American and enjoy the freedoms I have. I'm especially grateful to have the gospel in my life. It fills that ever present void that seems to be in many lives around me. I'm so overjoyed to have something to shout about and something to stand up for. I'm grateful to be around so many different kinds of people who give a different perspective on life and make my testimony that much greater.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. It wasn't very green yet in Ireland. They were having lots of fires so the mountains were quite brown. With that being said, it is still the most beautiful place in the world. The pictures don't do it justice at all. I am kind of disappointed in how some of them turned out. I have to get better at the whole picture taking thing. I sure enjoy it though. Here's the link. Let me know if it works:

http://picasaweb.google.com/roberrabbit/0124

Lindsey

Happy Mother's Day Lindsey Surprise!

2010-05-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

In honor of mother's day, here are some slightly crass Irish-inspired words.

There once was a mother named Lindsey
Whose quest it was to be fit-ly
Her husband thought she’s a hot mother
And frequently wanted to love her
That’s why all their beds became flimsy

There once was a lover from Philly
Who eloped for the name of Lokodi
She bore him six kids
A dear mother she is
But the kids she often smacks silly

There once was a daughter of a farmer
Blond hair and big chest a real charmer
She caught a man’s heart
Who would frequently fart
So after her mother she called him bumclapper

There once was woman of charm
Who handsome men liked to have on their arm
So when she eloped
With a dumb german bloke
Her parents suffered quite an alarm

There once was dark haired gypsy
Who had a penchant for getting tipsy
but he soon sobered up
and turned round his luck
with a wife so righteously sexy

;)

the weary travelers have returned

2010-04-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well, after 46 straight hours of traveling, we finally made it back on German soil. We left our Irish cottage at 7am on Friday morning and arrived at home this morning at 5am. However, we did have to go back to France today and return the rental car so if I add that time in, it was 51 hours of travel.

The earliest we could get a flight out of Ireland was this coming Monday so we didn't want to chance it. The volcano was still irrupting and the wind could have changed directions again. That would be gambling and we had already been doing that for a week with the airlines. The earliest ferry we could get was Friday. We drove from Killorglin (on the ring of Kerry, which is on the southwest coastline) to Wexford (which is on the southeast coastline) to drop off our rental car. Then, we caught a taxi from there to Rosslare to catch the ferry headed to Cherbourg France. The ferry left at 9:30pm on Friday and arrived in Cherbourg at 4:30pm on Saturday. We then took a bus to the rental car place in Cherbourg. We got in our rental car at 5:30 and headed to Caen for some dinner and free WiFi. After full bellies, we headed on right thru the heart of Paris at night. I love the eifel tower at night! It was a bumber we couldn't stop and take advantage of being in Paris. We had a schedule to keep. We crossed over the boarder into German and headed to the Hahn airport to get our cars out of long term parking. We then had another hour just to get home. We were able to sleep from 5:30am this morning to 9am.

We went and picked up the kids this morning at my friend Brandee's house. It was a great reunion. I sure missed them. Eva told me we have to move back to South Carolina so the volcano doesn't get us. I thought that was pretty cute. Gabe was a little shy at first, but quickly got over that. It has been a great day with them even though we had to drive 2 1/2 hours each way to Strasbourg, France to drop off the rental car. If we didn't drop it off back in France, they were going to charge us a $600 drop off fee. Talk about taking advantage of stranded passangers! So, we picked the closest Hertz rental car just over the french/german boarder.

I've got more to come later. I will post about our great time in Ireland, but that will have to do for now. Glad to be back.

Lindsey

Happening in Germany

2010-03-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here are the happenings with us lately: We bought this car on thursday. We don't get it until sometime next week because we're waiting on the title, but I'm excited. We got a great deal on it. It's got seven seats and is fully loaded. It will be nice to be able to finally have enough room to give people rides. All the seats fold down too so we can haul stuff if needed. The only problem is, it's a monster of a car. German roads and parking lots aren't made for large cars. This should be interesting. I'm a pretty confident driver, but this is going to be a challenge.

Eva has her own sense of style. She puts on the funkiest outfits. She is really a lot of fun. She's got a definate attitude problem, but we're working on that. :) She's speaking German more and more these days. I'm very proud of her. She likes her little german kindergarten. She's making friends there. She and Gabe are also starting to play together more. That has been fun watching them interact more. They love playing with their velcro ball and paddles. Do you all remember those? Where you have to pull the ball off the velcro paddle? The love them! Gabe has quite the arm. He's going to be my money ticket in the future. :) Gabe got tubes in his on thursday and is doing great. We're really hoping his attitude changes with it. :)

Hans and I are getting ready for our week long trip to Ireland without the kids. This is a much needed break for Hans. He's been working so hard lately. He will be done with his MBA in September. His brigade is also moving up to Wiesbaden this summer. Well, until later...

birthday celebration/major windstorm

2010-03-05T00:09:00.000-08:00

This picture speaks volumes of Gabe's personality....

"What? I'm not doing anything." He kept sneeking the little candy letters off the cake. I didn't think anyone would actually like those nasty things, but apparently he did.

He was totally fasinated with the candles. After a couple of trys, he even blew them out on his own.

"What? You want a piece of me?"

I made his favorite meal, enchiladas.

During the birthday celebration, we had a huge windstorm. I took some pictures of what it did just outside our appartment. We didn't even get hit the hardest. Our friends had lots of things break and blow away including trampolines, sheds, doors broken off, etc. It was pretty awesome. However, word of advice...don't wear flowing skirts to church on days of a windstorm. Very embarassing!

I bought a new bedset at the linen store here on base. I got the entire bed set, pillows included for $69. I was very proud of myself. It's really wrinkled, but that can be fixed. I was just too lazy to iron it at the time.

Naughty and Nice

2010-02-24T04:14:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how quickly little girls can go from nice to naughty. This is Sierra, Eva's best friend. They have a love/hate relationship. They are two of the most strong willed little girls ever.

Kids, kids, and more kids

2010-02-16T01:13:00.000-08:00

We've had a pretty busy couple of weeks here. Currently, we are staying with my friend Brandee's kids. Brandee and her husband went on a cruise for 12 days, so we are watching their five kids and dog. Before you think me a saint, don't. We have alterior motives. :) They will be watching our kids for 7 days in April while Hans and I go to Ireland. I figure it's a fair trade because my two kids are equivilant to their five and their horrid dog. :) We've actually had a pretty fun time with them (except for the middle of the nights and early, early mornings). The kids had school off on friday and monday, so we had some fun activities planned. We had a big party at my house to celebrate Valentine's day. That was on Saturday. We had 19 children and only seven adults there. My friend Lisa was also watching another family's four kids. She brought her four kids and the four they were watching over the weekend. My cousin Renee came with her two kids, and our other friends Suzanne and Roger came with their two kids. Every year we have a tradition to let the kids decorate sugar cookies with frosting and tons of candy. After the candy fest, we all went to the movie Astro boy (very dumb, don't waste your time or money). On Monday, I took the all seven kids with me to Ramba Zamba and had a blast. It's an indoor play area that's even fun for adults. The trampolines are a total blast. The big jungle gym is tall enough for me to stand straight up in.

Where's Gabe?
Eva LOVED this slide. I went on it quite a few times myself. She started getting more daring each time, wanting to go down backwards and head first.

This is Caleb in the air. He's one of the kids I'm watching. It's super fun to jump real high off the top and bounce off at the end.

Gabe couldn't get enough of the ball pen.

Eva carried this balloon around everywhere. She and I loved the trampolines the best.

At my house in Mainz-Kastel with the girls. This was at our Valentine's party. Suzanne is to my left and Lisa and Renee are to my right. These three girls are the ones that ran the Frankfurt Marothon together. They call themselves the running G-ma's (running grandmas because they want to be running even when they're grandmas).

Renee's adorable boy Derek.

These are the cookies Courtney made. She's the only girl in the family of five kids I'm watching. She's a great help.

Way too many boys!!

This is Wyatt and Gabe (wyatt is the youngest of the five). They have a love/hate relationship. Well, mostly a hate relationship. They have their love moments, but they're few and far between. They were due two days apart, but Wyatt was five weeks early, so now they are one month apart. These two are quite the handful sometimes. They fight over toys like crazy! They also both love to hit each other. Wyatt may look sweet, adorable and small (which he most of the time is) but he can hold his own with my little monster!

Here's my little monster. This is his "I'm going to go crazy on you any second now" face. When you see this face, run!

This is my adorable friend Kara. She gave me this camera that I'm using. I broke my other camera right after our trip to Scotland (one of the reasons why I haven't posted much). She just gave it to me. She wouldn't let me pay her either. This camera is a Sony Cyber-shot 7.2 mega pixels with a huge zoom. She's such a doll. I really apriciate it. Another reason she's the bomb-diggity...she went to BYU on a full ride golf scholorship. I can't wait until this summer. I'm making her give me golfing lessons! Love you Kara!

The Biggest Loser

2010-01-18T02:01:00.000-08:00

They've been having this Biggest Loser compitition for 10 weeks at our gym here in Wiesbaden. At the beginning of the compition, they had a weigh-in and recorded our inches and body fat percentage. It was over this last Saturday. They had a few different prizes. They had a team prize and an individual prize. In order to be the winning team, you had to have the most points. You accumulated points like this:
1 point for every hour spent in the gym
1 point for every pound lost
1 1/2 points for every percentage of body fat lost
1 point for every group exercise class attended (example: zumba, muscle failure, spin, etc.)

Every Monday, you had to weigh in and test your body fat then it was recorded. They didn't record your inches lost until the very end of the compition. They also kept track of your gym hours and such. Everything was tallied up at the end and combined with your other teammates. I had three other girls on my team. We'd also have challenges every Wed. We wouldn't get points for those challenges, it would just be for bragging rights and a prize. Our team won most of those competitions. We won some free personal training sessions and free 30 minute massages.

The winner of the individual prize won by having the overall most weight lost, not points accumulated or body fat, but simply weight loss.

My team won!! We won by a landslide. We each got a $300 gift certificate and t-shirt. We all worked very hard. As far as the individual winner...I lost by 0.7 pounds. The overall winner lost 21.9 pounds. I lost a total of 21.2 pounds. Let me just tell you how annoyed I was. I'm proud of the girl that won and I'm proud of myself for working so hard and losing that weight, but to come that close and not win...that's just annoying! Oh well. They're having another biggest loser competition in March. Maybe next time, I'll win. I still have 20 more pounds to lose, so this would be good. However, this competition has been extremely good for me. I have become a little addicted to exercising. I can finally say I enjoy working out. I have also learned the right way to eat. I'm am working hard to keep portions low and not over-indulge. I am looking forward to having a healthy, happy future.

Lindsey

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T05:08:00.000-08:00

Well, we have almost made it thru the holiday season. I however, have still not finished shopping and it's 2:15 in the afternoon on the 23rd. Nothing like waiting till last minute right? I must be my mother's daughter. :)

Here are some things that have been going on with us recently:

1. We had a big leak in our radiator two nights ago. I turned it on in the afternoon then left the house. We didn't get home that night until around 9pm. We discovered the leak after noticing that our huge rug in the living room was totally soaked. So, at 9:30 at night, a guy had to come fix the radiator. It was completely broken so he just took the whole thing off and we're still waiting for a new one. As far as the rug goes, we had to move everything out of that room, including the rug and try and dry the floor. We are still dealing with a very wet rug two days later. It is way too big to move it far. We are trying to dry it, but it's just not working. It has now started to smell the entire house up.

2. I've been living at the gym recently. My gym is having a biggest loser compitition. They started in November and it goes until mid January. I'm on a team with three other girls. We are totally killing the compition. I've lost 17 pounds so far and hope to lose a lot more. I've started running a lot more lately. I spend two hours at the gym almost every day. I've discovered that it's almost an addiction. I have to exercise. I think it's the only thing that makes me sane. My cousin Renee is trying to convince me that I can run the half marathon in Paris in March. Call me crazy, but I'm actually considering it. There's a ten K in January and if I can run that, I'm going to keep training and try the 1/2 marathon. Renee is my trainer. :) Every day she tells me how far I need to run for that day. Monday I ran 4 miles, yesterday 2 and today 3. I have really big blisters on the bottom of my feet. That's a good sign right? :)

3. Hans is staying extremely busy with work and school. He just finished his finals for this semester so we are looking forward to having a quite, enjoyable time together as a family. It's must needed. We miss him around. We can't wait till his unit moves up here to Wiesbaden so he doesn't have to commute so far every day.

4. Eva is attending German Kindergarten every morning from 8:30 to 12:00. She seems to like it most days. Her teacher told me today that Eva is picking up on the language very quickly and she's now responding back in German to the kids and teachers. This has been a very good thing for her. As she gets older, she's easier and funner to have around. She's got quite the personality.

5. Gabe is very jelous that Eva gets to go to school and he doesn't. All the kids in Eva's school know his name though. He bolts straight for her classroom as soon as we walk into the school. He loves going to the gym with me every morning. He's my little buddy. However, if there are days when I don't have time to play basketball with him, he screams and throws the biggest fits. He LOVES basketball. He's even trying to dribble the ball now, which is a pretty advanced thing for his age. He might be getting tubes in his ears in Feb. The doctor wants to re-evalute him on the 1st of Feb., then go from there. I'm hoping it happens because he's having a little bit of a speech problem. He has also had nine ear infections in one year. Poor kid.

Ok, I think that was random enough for one day. Sorry it's so scattered. I feel like a chicken with my head cut off these days. I hope you all have a very merry christmas and happy new year. We love you all!

Lindsey

Scotland

2009-12-11T07:07:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone. We finally got the pictures from Scotland uploaded to our computer. If you'd like to check them out, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/roberrabbit/Scotland#. Let me know if this works. I hope you enjoy them.

Lindsey

One more year of fun!

2009-12-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to you (cha, cha, cha). Happy Birthday to you (cha cha cha). Happy Birthday dear Hansie poo. Happy birthday to you. And yes...he does live in a zoo. And sometimes he smells like a monkey, but he never looks like one. :)

I love you Hans. I hope you enjoy your remaining year in the twenties. The kids and I are so grateful for all the hard work and sacrifices you have made for our family. We love you so much.

We are alive.

2009-11-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are alive, just in case some of you were wondering. We are still in the hotel. I know, you are all thinking what!!?? Well, if you're not, I sure am. I'm so sick of being in this dang hotel I could just throw up. When we first got here, they told us we'd only be in here for about two to three weeks. We are going on 30 days now. Yesterday we were told we could move into an apartment in Mainz-Kastel this friday. We scheduled the transportation people to come deliver all our household goods on Friday, since they showed up on Monday. Well, I got a call today informing me that the apartment isn't done yet and we won't get in until the 12th, which is next Thursday. I feel like crying! This whole housing situation has been extremely frustrating. People in the housing department don't know what they are talking about. You get totally different information from everyone you talk to in there. They aren't communicating with maintanance or with eachother. After this is all done, I will be filing a complaint!

I haven't been able to get to a computer very often since we don't get any wireless connection in our room. We have a huge tree in front of the window blocking any service. We do have cell phones those. We also bought an additional car since Hans has to travel an hour each way to work. We bought an old BMW that I drive around and Hans takes the corolla to and from work. Hans has stayed very busy. He has started another semester of his masters program. He does online courses. He gets home around 7 or 7:15pm and then does homework til bedtime. We will be glad when he's done. This is going to be very good for him to have his MBA. The kids and I spend our days playing with friends and finding anything and everything to do just to get us out of our hotel room. We've had lots of friends have us over for dinner so we don't have to eat frozen burritos or cup of noodles every night (we have a mini fridge and a microwave in our room).

It's absolutely gorgeous here right now. The leaves are all so many different colors. I love germany in the fall. It lasts forever. I'm just so happy to be back. The ward here has changed a ton, but it's still great. I however am not happy at all about my calling. Maybe I shouldn't say that, but I'm just trying to be honest. :) I was called to be in the nursery. I really don't think they should stick women down there when both their kids are still in nursery. There are 29 kids in there and 24 of them are active. The other woman down there happens to be one of my best friends though. She was stuck down there even though her husband is deployed and she has five kids of her own. So, she's never getting a break from kids.

Ok, this post has been extremely negative. I'm sorry. I really am happy to be back. I can't wait to get into an apartment and start a schedule of some sorts. We are planning a few trips for the near future and we're really looking forward to the amazing christmas markets. We're having fun hanging out with our cousin Renee and her family. She and my friend Lisa just ran the Frankfurt Marathon. I'm so proud of her. Renee ran a half marathon a few weeks before the full marathon and was 1st out of all the women. She's my inspiration. I'm so proud to call her my cousin. :)

Well, that's what's going on in our lives right now. Hope all is well with everyone else. Talk to you all soon. We can't call the states on our cell phones, that's why no one ever gets calls from us. We will be getting a home phone with international calling as soon as we get into a place. Until then, I'll be periodically checking email, blog, and facebook. Love you all.

Lindsey

So long, farwell, Auf Wiedersehen

2009-09-24T05:07:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come. We are headed back to Wiesbaden Germany. I feel like this has just been a very long extended summer vacation and a very stressful one at that. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy South Carolina. I had some very good experiences here and met some really great people. What I mean by stressful is having to move overseas twice in the space of six months. However, I still feel very lucky to be given the chance to live in Germany so the aweful moves are totally worth it. Hans was also very busy with school here so we didn't see him much for a couple of months. At least he wasn't deployed though.

Anyway, here are some things I will miss about America:
Target
TJ Max
24 hour Walmarts
24 hour gas stations
Stores that stay open past 8pm
paying for my gas at the pump and not having to drag both my kids in just to pay.
Things that are cheap!
Options, aka being given more than one or two choices in clothes, brands at the grocery store etc
THE SUN!!!
Bigger parking spots
Not having to pay for shipping
Customer service (I don't think the German language has a word for customer service)
Politeness

Ok, there's my ode to America. Thank you for your convienence and kindness. It's been a good ride these six months. Europe awaits me. I'm so excited to have more time to experience other countries and cultures. My goal is to take full advantage of traveling and experiencing life. I'm so grateful for this change. I consider myself a very lucky person to be given the opportunites in life to meet amazing people from all over the world. I sincerely wish and pray that my friends and family will be able to come visit me while I'm out there. I love visitors! My door will always be open. I will miss you all. Don't forget about me. :) See you in three or more years.

Lindsey

Cold season

2009-09-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

I'm really not looking forward to this cold season. Gabe woke up this morning with a really nasty cold. We were at the breakfast table and he sneezed. There were boogers dripping down his entire face and before I could reach him to wipe it off, he spread it all over his face and hair. Then right before we left to drop Hans off to work, I came downstairs and noticed Gabe had a huge glob of booger above his eye and some dripping down his chin. I wanted to puke! Then once again, while I was driving back home, he sneezed again and wiped it all over his face and hair. This was all within one hour. It's going to be a long and very discusting day.

My friend Leah told me they already have 10 reports of H1N1 in her kids elementary school and they've only been going for two weeks. Wow! What a way to start the school year. I'm grateful my kids aren't in school yet.

Utah Trip Pics

2009-08-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

All my brothers and sisters finally together for the first time in six years. It makes for a very loud and crazy house.

These pictures are totally not in order, but here they are. Gabe and Eva both loved the pigeons. Grandpa was so sweet to take them to Utah Lake with him to let the birds go. Thanks dad!

At the reception, Gabe was totally in love with this baby. He followed her around all night and kissed her.

At the reception.

At the temple waiting for the bride.

Aren't they a pretty couple?

Uncle Dave and Gabe strikin' a pose.

Uncle Dave teasing Gabe and him lovin' every minute of it.

Talk about your stinky eye face...

At the rehearsal dinner. I think I have some of the cutiest nieces and nephews.

I love Ella's eyes. They are so unique.

Ammon was getting ready to wipe off my kiss. How rude! I have good germs Ammon. :)

The bride and groom to be.

Jason, Jake, Chelsey, Brent, and Adam just chillin at the party.

"I uh mess"

2009-07-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

The other day, I had put Gabe down for a nap and turned on a kid show for Eva so I could have a shower by myself for once. After I got done getting dressed, I came down to check on Eva. This is how I found her.

My first instinct was to kill her. I wanted to scream so bad but as soon as I opened my mouth to yell at her she just smiled really big and said "I uh mess" and gave me another smile with a cute laugh. She was so proud of herself. So, instead of screaming, I had to run out of the room so she wouldn't see me laugh my head off. Of course, the funnies wore off as soon as I had to clean her up. This nestle chocolate mix was completely full when she got it down from the pantry and when I grabbed it from her, it was completely empty.

The problem was this: I didn't have time to be cleaning this all up. I had to take the kids to the doctor and I was going to be late already. So, I picked her up very carefully so the powder wouldn't get all over the carpet (even though it was already all over) and I made her stand on the deck outside. I then turned on the hose and sprayed her down. I had to leave the mess on the floor and couch for when I got home. What a crazy child I have.

Visit from Oma and Opa

2009-07-20T05:28:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Erhmann (Lokodi) came to visit us during the fourth of July weekend. We enjoyed having them over and the kids loved playing with them. We went to the Zoo and the beach in Charleston. Oma and Opa brought the kids some new chairs. Eva is having a great time trying on their shoes while sitting in her new chair.

We went to the harley davidson store in Charleston. The A/C felt real good in there after spending an entire morning out in the heat and humidity.

At the zoo.

Mom and son.

My wonderful trip to Florida

2009-06-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

There are certain people in this world that you meet and become instant and eternal friends with and this is one of them. This is Brandee. She and Alisha Johnson were two of my very dearest friends in Germany. Brandee has been in Florida visiting her mom for a couple of weeks. I was able to drive down with my two kids to stay with them for one of those weeks. We had such a great time. It would have been even better without the kids, but you gotta do what you gotta do right? :) It was fun to see her kids again. I taught her three oldest kids piano lessons when I was in Germany so I got to know them quite well.

This is Josh, her oldest. I love this picture because he is almost 12 years old and so he never wants to smile for anything or anyone. Well, if you look at him, he's trying so hard not to smile and he just can't help cracking a little one for me. He's such a great kid. He's a lot of help to his mom and I genuinely love this boy.

Brandee's mom lives in a retirement community outside of Tampa. She's got a crazy neighbor who feeds all the birds and pretty much any other kind of animal that wonders about (including this really huge raccoon). This is in Brandee's mom's backyard. She has a pond with alligators and lots of turtles. It was pretty cool. I felt like I was living in a wild jungle.

One day we went on an airboat ride. I would like to say it was awesome, but it just wasn't. It was 105 degrees and you could cut the humidity with a knife. My kids were really miserable and I was very cranky. By the end of the boat ride, I was tempted to throw them both in with the alligators!

These two pictures of the alligator were in the pond in Melissa's (Brandee's mom's name) back yard. Pretty cool huh? I felt like he was staring at me. Kind of creapy.

One of the days we were there, we went to Anna Maria island to the beach on the golf coast. It was absolutely beautiful. The water was terquoise (spelling?). The sand was very white and soft. The water was so clear you could see everything on the bottom and the waves were great for body serfing. We had so much fun.

On the last day we were there, we went to a cool science museum. There were lots of fun things for the kids to do. They had a wheel chair with a ramp and a gate. You had to sit in the chair and try and wheel yourself up the ramp and thru the gate. It was really hard and it puts things into perspective how hard people in wheelchairs really have it. Eva however, thought it was pretty fun.

They had a bed of nails for you to lay on. When you lay flat, you have to press this button and the actual nails come up and you are lifted up entirely by the nails. It was pretty cool. I even did it. Eva wanted to try. Am I a bad mother for letting my child lay on a bed of nails? She didn't have a problem with it.

The dinosour got hungry and ate Gabe.

This was my favorite part. Caleb, Brandee's third child, did the velcro wall. He was totally stuck and couldn't get down himself so the guy had to come and pull him off. We were all laughing so hard we had tears running down our faces. I wanted to try but I was too big. Not fair!

This is a wind tunnel. When you close the door on it, there are a few fans that start blowing and go all the way to 80 mph. It's supposed to simulate a hurricane. It was pretty embarrasing for me. As you see, the doors are see-thru. There were a ton of people waiting their turn to go in so everyone just stands around and watches everyone else in the tunnel. Well, I didn't notice that my shirt had blown completely down. The top of my shirt had gone way below my chest. I was horrified. Brandee started cracking up and told me to look. I then had to hold my shirt from the bottom and the top so it wouldn't blow up or down. We were both laughing. When I got out, some lady said, "don't worry, I'm sure no one noticed". She said this as she was laughing. Pretty embarrassing, but too funny.

Happy Father's Day to Joe

2009-06-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to recognize Joe Ehrmann today. He came along and made my mother happy. He has always been a great example of warmness and calmness in the home, never quick to anger, and good hearted at the core. He has eagerly reached out to my wife, children and I as a father. The only negative thing I can say about him is: what took him so long? Happy Father's Day Joe!

Hans, Lindsey + kids

Fun at the beach with the Pughs

2009-06-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Jake's pants refused to stay up but it sure made for a cute picture.

Wow! Who's that hot model on that rock? Oh wait, isn't that Chelsey Pugh? Man, she sure looks hot.

Look at the pink skin! Can you say ouch? I love this shot of all the boys though. We had a great time having the Pughs at our home. Thank you for coming and sharing your time with us. We hope you had a great time too. I loved getting to know little Jakie. Eva has been asking for him all day today.

Kids will be kids

2009-05-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it rained really hard the other day. Our back yard gets puddles from up the hill. It's quite frustrating to me, but my kids apparently love it. Eva and Gabe both went outside the other morning and had a great time. Eva started taking off all her clothes (which is what she's best at). I told her she had to keep at least her panties on and she said, "ok mommy". Then I let them both go out in the backyard and get dirty. It didn't take long for me to look outside and see that Eva was completely naked. I guess she decided to wash her panties in the puddle.

I think this is my favorite picture of Gabe. He picked up Eva's underware and started swinging it around his head. The water from the panties was flying everywhere.

I had to put this picture on here because it reminded me of a similar picture of me as a child. I have a picture of my brother David and I standing side by side in little white buckets filled with water. I was in a swimming suit and he was only in a diaper. I love that picture because it brings back wonderful memories of my childhood. We always played outside and didn't need the top of the line blow up swimming pools to have a good time. My mom let us get dirty and just be kids.

As much as Eva loves to be naked, she will also dress up and put on everything she's got. She is wearing shorts, a tank top, a too-too skirt, a white slip, a hat and a bandana all at the same time. I love that she can be so tomboyish one minute and a complete pre-madona the next.

Our fun day in Charleston...where the sun kills your skin!

2009-05-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Pay attention to what Hans is doing...reading a text book for school. Crazy, dedicated man. He was supposed to be watching the kids...

Gabe was having such a great time. He kept putting his entire face in the water.

My two hotties.

Eva is our sand girl. She loves the beach!

After a long day at the beach. Ever since that day (which was on tuesday) my skin has been killing me. I got the worst sunburn. It is now becoming very itchy. Hopefully in the very near future, I will finally grow up and learn my lesson. Lesson number 1: APPLY SUNCREEN TO SKIN

The long awaited post

2009-05-22T05:41:00.000-07:00

We had some friends over for dinner the other day. While we were talking and not paying attention, this is what happened. Somehow, Eva snuck the sour cream out of the fridge and decided to share with Gabe. The two of them were found in the living room chowin' down. My kids have got to be the weirdest kids ever. Who eats sour cream plain? Sick!

This is our family. We bought the armoire off of craigs list for $325. It's sold wood and extremely heavy. I really like it. The TV is in there and the doors slide open and back.

This is our formal living room. I'm not done with this room. We need some curtains and a few other things, but I'm making progress. I need Chelsey to hurry up and get here so she can help me do some finishing touches.

The outside of the house isn't much to look at...especially with the garbage in the front. I had houses with the garage in the front, but that's how they all are here unless you are willing to spend in the upper 300,000's or more.

Hans is in the process of putting a fence in our backyard. After that we have to work on getting some grass in. No one out here has good grass. It's all very sandy and lots of red ants. I do love having a deck. Too bad we don't have a matching patio set, but I'm not spending that much money on one right now. They are crazy expensive!

I love my table. I need two more chairs for it, but I'm very happy with it. It takes up too much room in that kitchen, but it works. I'm grateful for all my cuboard space. We also have a half bathroom on the wall to the right of the table. On the right side of the fridge, we have a pantry and a closet. The garage is also to the right. I don't have pictures of the upstairs yet because I'm not done up there. I'm a slacker.

Our happenings in South Carolina

2009-05-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

We went to the Zoo here in Columbia and were pleasantly surprised. It was a great zoo. It was a fun place and the kids had a blast.

One night we walked along Lake Murray. It's a huge lake with beautiful homes along parts of it.

Last weekend, we went to a fair here in Northeast Columbia. They had a petting zoo and lots of fun festivities. The kids loved to pet the animals.

Gabriel trying to climb into the cage with the lama (at least I think that's a lama). He has no fear with any kind of animal. Neither does Eva for that matter.

Eva was smart. I didn't pay for the food you can feed the animals so she would just pick up all the ones that the other kids would drop on the ground and feed the animals with that.

We made it to the United States...kicking and screaming on my part

2009-03-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I haven't been that happy about the fact that we had to move back to the states. It's been very difficult for me to except. Hans and I are in Philadelphia visiting his parents for a few days before we head to South Carolina. We attended the local ward here today. I found myself being very judgemental and almost snobby. I had to take a step back and re-evaluate why I was being that way about this ward we were just visiting. I was compairing it to my ward in Wiesbaden and that's just not fair to any ward, because there's no way I will ever be in a ward like that again. I know that sounds very negative/pesimistic but it's true.

However, I have decided instead of feeling sorry for myself, I should try very hard to look for the positive in this situation. So, here's a list of things I'm thankful for in my new situation of life:

(not in any particular order)
1. being given the opportunity to even go to germany in the first place was pretty amazing.
2. Wendy's frosties again
3. bigger parking spots
4. 24 hour convienence stores
5. no more old ladies telling me my child must be cold because he doesn't have any socks or shoes on (even though it may be 70 degrees outside, it's still cold for the german babies apparently)
6. target
7. being able to find a place that gives affordable pedicures
8. spending more time with my husband and getting to know him all over again
9. getting to see my sisters this summer! hooray
10. having an actual summer with warm weather so I can take the kids swimming all the time...even if I have to do it without all my girlfriends this summer. :( (sorry, I had to slip that sad thought in there)

So, maybe I'm on the road to recovery. I feel a little broken, but I'll mend and heal. I will always have a special place in my heart for my wonderful friends in Wiesbaden, but I know the Lord will continue to bring me amazing people to touch my life wherever I go.

Lindsey

Paris: Day 3

2009-03-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

On the third day, we drove a half hour out of the city to Versailles. This was the most massive, amazing place ever. This is the front entranceway. Notice the gold on the gate.

These are just some of the rooms in the main palace. There are many different wings. King Louis XIII was the first to live here. It went thru many different royal families. And, each time, it seemed to grow larger. The most famous resident of the the palace was probably Marie Antoinette.

Check out this huge globe. How'd you like this in your study/office?

We spent most of the day touring the grounds and still only covered about 1/4 of it. It is so massive, the pictures don't do it justice.

If you look at the picture above closely, you can see part of the main palace. There are other palaces on the grounds, like Marie Antoinette's private little palace, the one below. This is where she spent most of her days. They say she didn't like the proper ways of the Versailles, so her husband had this palace built for her where she could retreat and not be so formal.

Marie had lots of little cottages build on the grounds. She had a whole working farm with all kinds of animals. This was my favorite part of the property. They still have animals there today. The cottages are so quaint.

Paris: day 2

2009-03-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

We started our day at the Louvre. We were both still recovering from the flu the day/night before, but I was insistant upon seeing Paris. We ended up walking around for 13 hours this day. I was so exhausted by the end of the day, I was almost in tears. But, it was totally worth it!

After the Louvre, we walked over to Sainte Chapelle and the Notre Dame, which are both on an island in the middle of the Seine River. This was the view along the way.

Notice the Eifel Tower in the background.

The Notre Dame.

Who's the hottie?

After the Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle, we headed over to the pantheon and saw the tomb of Victor Hugo and other famous authors. We then headed over to the Eifel Tower. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

After the Eifel Tower, we went to an architecture museum then up to the Sacre Coure. I didn't get great pictures of that because my camera was being weird. After the Sacre Coure, I had to of course see the famous Moulin Rouge. In this picture I'm standing on an air vent. The coat doesn't give the effect of Marilyn Monroe, but oh well, I tried. Word of advice, if you ever go to Paris, avoid the street that Moulin Rouge is on...definately the redlight district. :)

Paris...the first day

2009-03-23T10:34:00.001-07:00

The first day of our trip was rough. Hans and I both got the flu. We forged thru it though. However, we didn't see as much as we wanted to on that first day because we were both so sick. We did manage to see the Arch d'Triomph and the Musee de Orsay, which is the above picture. This museum has a ton of impressionistic paintings. I would have enjoyed it much more if I could have walked without feeling like I was going to throw up.

This is at the Arch d'Triomph. I'm not sure what kind of memorial it was, but it was pretty cool.

Hans not feeling well and taking a break on the arch.

We walked along the Champs-Elysees to get to the Arch. It was pretty cool. Lots of high end shops. Too rich for my blood.

The 3 stages after dying or the hill that overlooks the luminous city

2009-03-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

First stage is the darkest. It is a pet cemetery in thick black woods, filled with shadowy objects, foggy, wood sheds on every side. They look like goblins houses. Venial sins are buried here. Spirits live in tiny huts, visit travelers here. They appear out of the fog, carrying blades. They ambush, they cannot hurt though. They seek your soul as a companion in there empty misery. They only wield fear. They may have been good people once. Might still be. They have not reached the first resurrection.
Further up the hill, the shady woods end and beads of dew twinkle on long leaves of green grass in the moonlight. Here the first glimpses of the luminous city can be seen. It is an empty elevation. Lonely benches scatter the hillside. There are no ghosts here yet - only the desire of spirits to relive the sentimental moments of their lives past. An old spirit couple wishes to sit holding hands on the bench and watch the city. Only it is night, cold empty and the city far away. Here loneliness forces the traveler to confront past decisions and forsaken opportunities. A hint of a future opportunity arises out of the darkness with the luminous city further arising in the background landscape.
The lonely spirit hill fades quickly and the traveler arrives in a ghost town – a city abandoned. A cruel joke: a city of darkness. The land levels off, and the luminous city is no longer in view. Where is my opportunity, the traveler laments. As the neighborhoods reveal their walls and windows scattered lights are on in some homes. Rolladens are up allowing the traveler to peer into the intimate area of the residents’ lives. What do they do those hours by the dinner table, the fireplace, hearth? An old bearded man, is he an immortal, is in a motion of either sitting down or standing, inbetween chair and table, frozen in this glimpse. Bald spot, white beard, glasses drooping on the nose like an old drunk bird about to fall off its perch. Suspenders and flannel shirt. The spirit of walt Whitman? No Heidi’s grandfather, wise man. Lives alone on the dark hill. Where is the luminous city? There are only dark empty buildings here now.

we did the right thing, why should we be punished?

2009-03-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Here is an excerpt from yesterday's Buffett interview:
BECKY: You mentioned before when we were talking about the mortgage plan that it may help some people that it shouldn't.
BUFFETT: Of course.
BECKY: But that's something we need to suck up and understand at this point. But it does lead to other people who have questions about whether they're being penalized for doing the right thing. In fact, Bob and Lani in Rapid City, South Dakota, write in. They say, "We are conservative South Dakotans. We are now saving more, but the government wants us to spend more. Are you `short' or `long' on our strategy to `pay all your personal bills promptly and always live within your means'?"
BUFFETT: Well, I've always followed that myself, so I'm with them 100 percent on that. But in terms of 100 percent, I mean, you don't want to get behind the eight ball. I mean, if you are, you've got to work your way out, but it's always better. You know, Ben Franklin wrote that, you know, hundreds of years ago, the--you know, earn a dollar, spend 99 cents, result happiness, you know. Earn 99 cents, spend a dollar, result misery. And--but in terms of the inequities, if I were a--had been a client of Bernie Madoff's and fortunately I never heard of him, but let's say I was a client of Bernie Madoff's. I'm in the middle of Lake Michigan with him. We're in a boat together. Bernie's at the other end. I've just lost all my net worth. I see this hole spring up at his end of the boat. Am I supposed to cheer? No. I mean, in the end, you know, I want to save Bernie, too. I mean, not because I really want to save him, but I--you know, there is no way to divorce myself from what's happening on the other end of the boat. And this thing is covering--going to cover the whole boat. There's no question about it. So the people who havebehaved well are going to find themselves taking care, to some extent, of the people who didn't behave well.

From an individual perspective I think it is correct to get mad and judge the unfairness for what it is. At the same time, I can see the necessity of bail outs based on the reasoning described in the interview (http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/CNBC/Sections/News_And_Analysis/_Blogs/Warren_Buffett_Watch/_DAILY%20POSTS/Documents/Ask%20Warren%20-%20Complete%20Transcript%20-%202009-03-09.pdf)

Basically, at the government and industry leader level, it is time to clean up the mess and get the economy functioning smoothly again, even at the expense of printing more dollars by selling more debt. I can see why Buffett is reserving judgement and thinking about it as not a bunch of individuals with problems, but as a complex system of organizations that intertwine and whose problems affect the entire system population. But there is indeed a role to play for advocacy of living within your means, not just at indivuals, but businesses and of course government officials.

But as I look into my doomsday crystal ball...let's say I have done the conservative thing so much that I have planned for the absolute worst: I have a year's supply of food in the shed, ammo, fuel, you name it... the majority of people have run on unbridled greed and have not so planned. The worst does indeed happen, even the gov is unable to help (think katrina but 10x worse). After a few months, angry hungry, crazed mobs roam the streets looking for clean drinking water. Do I really expect to be able to hoard my stash to my family alone? All moral qualms aside, I fully expect to be robbed even beaten or murdered for my food and water.

Unfortunately the fear and greed cycles are things we have not and probably will never evolve out of and they are not just individual issues, they are systemic and cause systemic affects and thus require systemic intervention. Fortunately or unfortunately, I don't think we will achieve the economic vision of the conservative party: where government is virtually non existent when it comes to the economy, individuals and businesses thrive and fail unbridled, and money is tied to a standard of gold or some other commodity. I think businesses are far too big, and interrelated, especially finance. You could blame globalism, for making the world economies so interconnected. Despite all the problems, I think this is the best course and we would be worse off otherwise. Free enterprise still exists and I don't think we'll lose that. I can't envision the united states voting away its freedom in favor of dictatorship at least not in my lifetime. I think economic bitterness can lead to such things as protectionism and eventually socialist dictators. That's why the role of educating what sound financial behavior is is so important and essentially futile as greed is inherently part of man's nature such as good and evil. Just as their will never be world peace as long as we have our freedom, so their will never be smooth markets without bubbles and panics. (i am speaking secularly and don't mean to infringe on any visions of the millenium/zion) I just dont think I will be alive to see man shed these flaws.

Thank you

2009-03-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you grandma and grandpa Lokodi/Ehrmann. We received your box of clothes for the kids. Eva loved her dresses. I put her in this pink one with the sweater for church on sunday. She looked so cute, if I say so myself.

I guess I should give a little update on our life right now. We are in the process of moving. Life has been bitter sweet these days. I'm finding it very difficult to get used to the idea that we won't be living here anymore. I was able to give one last lesson in Relief Society yesterday. I really enjoyed doing it. At the end of the lesson I bore my testimony and I cried like a baby because the idea of not being able to be in that ward anymore makes me very sad. I have never been in a ward where I have felt so excepted and loved for just being me. I am not the easiest person to get along with. I'm very blunt and oppinionated. However, the women of this ward just seemed to put their arms around me and love me unconditionally. We are a very tight knit family. I had both my babies in this ward. When Gabe was born, Hans was in Iraq and I was so frightened. The ladies here took care of me. I survived thanks to them. Every woman in this ward has touched me in some way or another. I love this gospel and I love the people in it. This church has a way of shaping people into such christ-like beings who genuinely care for one another. I just happen to think my ward here is more loving and christ-like than anywhere else. We have learned to stick together and look after eachother. I just want the women of my ward to know how much I love and appriciate them. I wish and hope that I have been able to touch their lives at least half as much as they have mine. I will be ever grateful for their love and friendship. I thank my heavenly father every day for the wonderful opportunity I have had to be loved in such a way as this. Thank you Wiesbaden Military Ward!

We will be packing up the last of our belongings on the 25th and then heading for Philly on the 28th. We will be visiting Hans' parents for a little bit before heading to our new home in South Carolina. I know I will miss Germany so very much, but am looking forward to a nice warm summer and hopefully being blessed in our new ward. It's always exciting to meet new people. We will be close to my Aunt Elizabeth. I am looking forward to getting to know her better. Here we come South Carolina! On to the new adventures of life.

Lindsey

Gabe's 1st Birthday

2009-03-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

Saturday was Gabriel's 1st birthday. We didn't do anything big. Just a fun family day together. This is the first birthday that Hans has been able to be here for for either of the kids. It was nice to have him home for this. Gabe had a pretty good day even though he's teething like crazy.

I know the cake is really pathetic, but we don't have many dishes left in our house because our household goods were shipped already. So, I didn't have the right kind of stuff to make a cool cake. However, even if I did have all my stuff, it probably wouldn't have looked much better to tell the truth.

Eva had fun licking the spatula before the cake. She's also trying to blow out Gabe's candle for him. Isn't she such a big helper? (my eyes are now rolling)

After the yummy cake.

Sensei and Grasshopper: Buffett's and Lampert's view on bail-outs

2009-03-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

Over the past week 2 shareholder letters were released. Berkshire Hathaway's by Warren Buffett and Sears' by Edward Lampert. Buffett's status has already been sealed in the records as the best investor of all time and his letters are read for his insights on Berkshire, business in general, macro-economic conditions, political commentary, witticisms on life etc. He is now 78 years old, still runs Berkshire Hathaway, entertains business schools who make field trips to visit him, has arranged for the majority of his wealth to be donated to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Charity, has supported the democratic ticket, and advocates for fairness of economic opportunity on tax issues such as estate tax, capital gains tax, and payroll tax.
Edward Lampert is a 46 yr old hedgefund manager who posted 18 years of extreme outperformance and formed Sears Holdings (inlcuding Sears and Kmart) when Kmart was on the verge of bankruptcy. The way he runs Sears indicates it could be the next Berkshire. In stark contrast to Buffett, Lampert is very reclusive partially due to the fact he was once kidnapped for ransom.

Below are some general commentary from both on the government's response to the economic crisis.

Buffett: "...Fear led to business contraction, and that in turn led to even greater fear.
This debilitating spiral has spurred our government to take massive action. In poker terms, the Treasury and the Fed have gone “all in.” Economic medicine that was previously meted out by the cupful has recently been dispensed by the barrel. These once-unthinkable dosages will almost certainly bring on unwelcome aftereffects. Their precise nature is anyone’s guess, though one likely consequence is an onslaught of inflation. Moreover, major industries have become dependent on Federal assistance, and they will be followed by cities and states bearing mind-boggling requests. Weaning these entities from the public teat will be a political challenge. They won’t leave willingly.
Whatever the downsides may be, strong and immediate action by government was essential last year if the financial system was to avoid a total breakdown. Had that occurred, the consequences for every area of our economy would have been cataclysmic. Like it or not, the inhabitants of Wall Street, Main Street and the various Side Streets of America were all in the same boat.
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Amid this bad news, however, never forget that our country has faced far worse travails in the past....Though the path has not been smooth, our economic system has worked extraordinarily well over time. It has unleashed human potential as no other system has, and it will continue to do so. America’s best days lie ahead."

Lampert: "[Explains the inconsistencies and unintended negative consequences of government intervention beginning with Fannie and Freddie]...The two most important books that any student of current events should be reading in this environment are both by Friedrich Hayek, the esteemed Austrian economist. Based on events he witnessed beginning in the early part of the 20th century, Hayek wrote The Road to Serfdom as a warning to England and the United States against the damaging impact of socialist policies and The Fatal Conceit as a warning against heavy intervention in markets and society at large. Despite the almost universal belief today that more, but better, regulation is needed and that the role of the state needs to be not just temporarily larger, but permanently larger, Hayek’s writings and logic should give everybody pause as to the consequences of these actions.
As a country, we need to rebuild confidence and trust and to understand what happened. Whether by business or by government, the misdiagnosis of situations leads to poor prescriptions for rehabilitation and recovery. When the misdiagnosis is done at the federal government level and involves large parts of a national economy, the consequences can be swift and significant. The unintended consequences are often swifter and even more significant. As the leaders in our nation continue to evaluate and evolve the policies and rules of the game, we would all be wise to heed the cautions raised by Friedrich Hayek. I appreciate that the free market can be a difficult master and that there is an important role for government and regulators, but I hope that as we move forward the rules of the game and the methodology for changing those rules will be more consistent and fair than they have been over the past year. Those who desire to protect civil liberties in times of war appreciate the importance of laws protecting individuals and institutions. In times of economic and financial distress we need to be similarly vigilant in protecting economic and contract rights so that we can continue to have a system that functions properly. Attempts to threaten or eliminate those rights will chase away the capital and investment that our country needs to restore prosperity and to thrive in the future."

Lindsey (haha just kidding, she was standing 0ver me) - Hans

What kind of Poet Shall Be?

2009-02-27T11:11:00.000-08:00

A Neal Cassady, who prefers to throw his energies at life and only writes during the small pauses between experience. A poet whose main job is to experience life and further its vision. His material shall only come from real life. He would not develop worlds of fantasy, as this would take away from his living. He would speak like Whitman and Buddhists. No rules but sharp everyday language. Even business language, yea even the tactical warrior's language. It shall not be stories, mere moments. A collection of shards of glass, that together amount to a broken kind of beauty. Sometimes there will be seasons where he is unproductive, where the clouds interfere with his divine reception, and all that echoes through his empty mind and soul is the wind. He would be at times a mischief maker, not of any substance that could stand up firm against judgement. Like Russell Edson, he'd get kicks from throwing bricks into people's window of reality. Sometimes he'd be more subtle and place something onerous at the door and giggle in the bushes. A mystic child becomes a holy goof, a holy goof becomes an eccentric saint. But he can be deathly serious too. So enthralled by zeal for that unreachable, that heaven, that place that lies beyond the veil and casts its shadow and escapes its laughters into our prison world. He'd nurse a habit: a yearning to keep apace with life and youth and the vigor of mind's vision, constantly on his knees pleading for dreams and signs, he cannot focus for the length of a whole life's story, a novel is always out of reach, and undesirable. Though he occasionally reads novels so powerful they amount to a beating, he is also familiar with haikus that are as efficient as a fatal stab. Though he is sympathetic to a mother's lullabye, he is in awe of Jesus' three charged words "Lazarus come forth" and if the poet can only three words speak, that are half as charged with the Eternal charge as these, his mission would be complete. The real fruit of his art is his life. The writing is only refuse. Eiffer und abfall nur eiffer und abfall.

the pump

2009-02-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

For the past 3 days and for the first time in a long time I have run similar to the running I did in cross country practice in high school. And if you have any doubts of a runner's high, I definitely felt it. Not quite the same as a body building rush but watch Arnold talk about the pump: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMjG2s6UOaw lol :)
Anyway when I got back into what felt like a steaming living room from the cold air outside and my lungs still heaving, I felt somehow connected to every living being and every living being that ever walked the surface of the earth. I felt the opposition in all things, I felt fragile and sturdy at the same time, eternal and mortal, capable of anything and vulnerable, I felt young and old, I felt alive in my children. Eva was sprinting back and forth on the couch, and she was so rosy cheeked I felt content to die and live vicariously in her inherited spirit. Then I layed on my back and watched my household, the earth, and everything in it go on, and all so beautiful.

Hans

Why is the richest man in favor of the "Death tax?

2009-02-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLD0p1QpcI8

It is always thought-provoking to listen to Buffett. Here he is giving recommendations on the Estate tax or "death" tax. You will see his views on this tax, they do fit in with his overall views on the tax structure which do lean in favor of low earners. It is refreshing to hear developed ideas, based on reality, practical observation, and interaction in the business world, that scratch below the initial contact level of persuasion we were used to hearing during the campaign. No wonder he does not want to be a politician, he has way too much common sense.

Hans

Update from the busy week

2009-02-22T11:40:00.000-08:00

We had a snow storm last monday so we took the kids out for some fun. We were watching our friends kids for five days, so we all bundled up and enjoyed the great outdoors. Gabe was having a great time in the snow.

I had already finished bathing Gabe. I stuck a diaper on him and let him run around for a while. I kept Eva in the tub longer because she loves playing in it. I went to find Gabe about five minutes after I let him loose and found him back in the bathroom with Eva. She was putting bubbles all over his face and body. They both thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

These two pictures were of Friday night. We had the huge 1st Armored Division military ball. It was in the Kurhaus in downtown Wiesbaden (a gorgeous building). It was fun to get all dressed up and feel like a woman, not a mommy for once. I was looking foward to going thru the whole night without being barfed on, spilled on, peed on, etc. but it was unsuccessful. Some idiot was dancing with a glass of wine and spilled it all down my dress. I was pretty upset. I went thru the rest of the night smelling like alcohol. Besides that, it was a pretty good night.

Last night, some of my girlfriends and I got together and went out to dinner. We had a great time. I'm sure going to miss this bunch of ladies. I love the women in my ward! It will be a very sad day when I leave. I am trying to get as many girl's night outs as possible before I leave. I don't think Hans appriciates it too much, but he's been such a great sport and watches the kids for me. He knows how much these ladies have meant to me. I have had such a wonderful time getting to know my cousin Renee (the woman next to me in the picture) as adults. We have had so much fun. She is one of my dearest friends. I love you Renee!!

thoughts on The Christmas Sweater

2009-02-15T03:32:00.000-08:00

Lindsey and I both finished the Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck this week. We both found similarities other than that we both grew up relatively poor. For me, the biggest similarity was the idea of multi-generational sacrifice by divine influence: in the book, the death of certain characters (I dont want to give too much away for those who will read it, so I wont name names) was seemingly a part of the trials given to this young man in order for him to recognize God's love for him and his huge role in changing his perspective to one that is accepting of God's love. For me, my grandparents and great grandmother came to the US at old age, forsaking the option of going to Germany. Although their basic physical needs were provided for in the US after my grandfather could not work anymore, they were deprived of a very real need: friendship and community. They were very much psychologically isolated in the US because of their inability to master English and integrate into the culture/community. It is safe to say their lives were a sacrifice for their daughter and mostly for me. I also had/have a guilt because of this, for not making their lives better, both because I couldn't do much, and because I wouldn't. Like Eddie, I spent a long time in the cornfield - the first 20 years of my life actually. I see the meeting of my wife as a defining moment or culmination in a multi-generational series of inspired events. This was my first taste of why and where the long time in the "cornfield" was leading me to. In order to recognize and appreciate the sunshine, I had to endure a long time in the storm. I have run the "what if" scenarios, what if we had the restored gospel earlier in my life, what a different life it would have been... but it could not have been any other way, and the way it was was the absolute best way (yes I am an LDS version of Candide) because as Eddie discovered in the book, although he didn't cause the trials, he was responsible for getting through them. in other words, what happened was cruel, but God cannot be blamed just because we describe him as all-powerful. In the reality of our existence here, he does not act all-powerfuly all the time. In this mortal stage, he purposefully gave us agency, and if he were to swoop in and make everything better, the agency and plan of salvation would be destroyed. So as Candide would say, it is indeed all for the best, as long as I claim the divine potential in the opportunity God set up for me. If I had rejected my wife and/or the restored gospel, the suffering of my grandparents and great grandmother would have been in vain. And surely I would have been held accountable for this eternal blunder. By making the right choice I have also been able to "fix" things in a way, or at least lessen my guilt by offering my great grandmother and grandparents the blessings of eternal families by doing their temple ordinances. Although I have not clearly received a yes or no answer of acceptance from all parties beyond the vail, I did receive some warm feelings of inspiration from beyond the vail, both in dreams and daytime reflections.

Another obvious sacrifice was that of my own mother, who like Eddie's mom was a single parent. The 18 years of sacrifice for me also would have been in vain had I not made the right choice. She obviously made the right choice by longsuffering for 18 years (that is enduring to the end by any measure) and is only now later in life receiving the blessings she deserves by finally having a happy marriage.

I will let Lindsey post her insights of the book when she gets the time.

Hans

An update of our week

2009-02-13T11:01:00.000-08:00

I have been laughing all day over this one. We are watching our friends kids for the weekend. Their oldest girl, Camorah, came into my room and said "Miss Lindsey, Gabriel is in the toilet." I told her to just close the lid and he'll get out. Gabe has a bad habit of putting his hands in the toilet. Well, she said "no, he's in the toilet." I didn't quite understand her so I went and took a look myself. This is how we found him. He was perfectly content just sittin' in the toilet. The picture below is hilarious to me. It looks like he's a grown man doing some serious thinking while using the pot. Apparently, before Camorah came to me, she went to Hans and told him and he said the same thing to her..."just close the lid and he'll get out". Neither of us expected this. I have no idea on earth how he got himself in there. Notice how far the stool is from the actual toilet. He climbs on everything. The horrible part of all this is that there was urine in the toilet. Eva apparently forgot to flush. I had just gotten Gabe dressed for the day and everything. So, he got another bath and another clean outfit put on after this experience.

Hans and I just got back from Garmisch, Germany. It's in southern Germany very close to the Austria boarder. In fact, we go thru Austria to get there. It was a marriage retreat put on by the army. It was completely free for us. We left the kids with a friend of ours and took off on Monday morning. We got back yesterday evening. We decided to go skiing in the Alps while we were there. I have only been skiing one other day in my entire life and that was in the poconos, so I don't know if you can count that. Anyway, the day we went, it was snowing like crazy. The snow was very powdery. Hans gave me a few lessons on the beginner slope. They didn't have bunny hills. So, after a few very very hard falls, I got the hang of it. I even went on an intermediate slope quite a few times and didn't fall at all. I have potential! These two pictures were of the beginner slopes. What was frustrating to me was that when I got brave enough to go on the intermediate slope, some little three year old boy was passing me up like it was no big deal. These german kids are crazy. Hans went on the black diamond and he said there were a group of little kids about five or six doing jumps. Isn't that crazy? Hans is a great skier. We had a blast but I am now having a hard time moving any of my muscles. It's a great work-out.

This is of the Neuswanstein castle. We hicked up there one day. I have been there many times, but I'm still in awe everytime I see the place.

Operation: Ear tubes in, adnoids out

2009-02-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

Our day began early, we checked in at the hospital at 0730. Before the sedative, Eva was very anxious and grumpy, not wanting to wear her gown and eager to throw fits. The following pictures show what transpired after she was given a sedative.

It's starting to kick in: mommy I feel funny.

Maybe I'll try on that headgear and moonboots.

After the operation, which was fairly quick, she cried and her nasal passages were very congested. The nurse said all the children cry after surgery. But on the way home Gabe decided to lighten the mood with a little trick called: watch me try and shove my foot in my mouth. (no edits, Gabe performs all his own stunts)

Later that afternoon the doctor called to see how she was doing. This was a rare and very nice gesture which Lindsey especially appreciated after receiving less than hospitable service during previous hospital visits. Eva has to go back in tomorrow morning as a final check up.

wrestling and fine art

2009-02-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

This is a fun activity, all I have to do is lay down on the rug and they attack.

We left Gabe unnoticed for a little and were surprised when he got into the kitchen cabinet and decided to arrange the dishes into what looks like the beginning of a polynomial graph.

Handsom dude!

2009-01-21T02:17:00.000-08:00

They call these glasses BCG's (birth control glasses). They are the ones the military issue out for free. Aren't they hideous!!!

I thought dad would think this picture is funny. I have one of me with speghetti all over my face just like this when I was about the same age.

"Dude, check out my new hair-do. I'm the man huh?"

Ok, I know this is so pathetic, but I just have to post these pictures of Gabriel. I couldn't decide which one to post, so I'm posting all of them. He's so dang cute. He is at that age where he smiles for the camera. The second I pull it out, he's giving me a huge grin. He got his first hair cut on Sunday. Daddy took the clippers to it. He looks much older now I think.

Part 7: Barcelona

2009-01-18T14:43:00.001-08:00

Barcelona is full of amazing architecture. Most of the work done is here is by the architect Guadi. He was so amazing. We went to this public park that has his work all over it. His house is in the middle of the park. The big cathedral here is still not complete and they started it in the 1800's. It's so ornate.

This is the main entrance to the park. Eva slept almost the entire time we were there.

This was Guadi's house and is now a museum of some of his work.

Part 6 and 1/2: Malta

2009-01-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

I thought this was the cutiest bike rack ever.

Notice how clean this street is. All of the streets here were that clean. This was in the city of Mdina.

Their buses look like they are from the 60's.

All their buildings in Mdina have red accents. I love it! The roof of the dome is an example of it.

Part 6: Malta

2009-01-18T14:14:00.001-08:00

We loved Malta! The weather was beautiful, the people were friendly, and the scenery was amazing. I would love to spend more time here. We hired a taxi to take us around for four hours and tour the countryside.

Part 5: Egypt

2009-01-18T14:01:00.001-08:00

The kids were really bad this day. It was a long day. We had to take a bus 3 hours from Alexandria to Cairo and then back again. We also went to the egyptian museum in Cairo, but weren't allowed to take pictures. That was completely amazing! It was wonderful to see the pyramids. It was very dirty and the toilets freaked me out. I don't really have the desire to go again. It was a great experience being able to see the pyramids, but other than that, Egypt wasn't much but desert and dirt.

Part 4: Izmir, Turkey

2009-01-18T13:40:00.000-08:00

We didn't do the typical tourist thing here in Izmir. We walked thru the real streets of this city to experience life of turkish people. It was very interesting and a wonderful day. The people of turkey are so wonderful and kind. We had some great experiences with some of the local people. We walked everywhere that day.

It was extremely dirty and the buildings were run down. I thought this was picture was interesting though. There was a tree and green shrubs growing amidst the rubble.

There are wild animals everywhere here. I saw so many stray cats and dogs. I thought this was funny though. I've never seen cats and chickens dwelling together like this.

These little girls are so beautiful. They were playing with some jewlery. I went closer and got a close-up picture of them and they thought it was so cool to see their picture on the digital screen. Their moms came out and smiled and were so nice. They didn't speak English, but they were still very sweet and friendly.

Part 3 and 1/2: Athens, Greece

2009-01-18T13:30:00.001-08:00

This was the theatre next to the acropolis. We loved being in Athens. It was such an amazing city. Every inch of land was used in some way or another. It was so beautiful, dirty, but beautiful.

You all are probably thinking why I took this picture of the tree, but I thought it was beautiful with the pigeons in it and the background. This tree just stuck out to me with the background.

most of the trees in this picture are olive trees.

Part 3: Athens, Greece

2009-01-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

This picture is of the olympic stadium in Athens. The benches are all made out of marble.

Part 2 and 1/2: Tip of Italy and Cicily

2009-01-18T13:00:00.000-08:00

After we left Rome, we traveled thru the strait between the tip of Italy and the island of Cicily. It was amazing because the tip of Italy we getting a really bad storm but Cicily was really nice and sunny. The two pieces of land are extremely close to each other. It was a narrow strait so it was cool to see that once side had a storm and the other didn't. The first two pictures here are of Cicily and the last two of the tip of Italy.

Part 2: Rome, Italy

2009-01-18T12:44:00.001-08:00

Here we are at the spanish steps in Rome. It was really crowded that day because it was a catholic holiday. The cistine chapel was closed because of the holiday and the trains weren't running as frequently. We were really rushed because of the train schedule. We wish we could have spent more time there, but we did see some really amazing things.

This is the trevee fountain. This was amazing.

Here we are at the pantheon. We got there at 1:30 in the afternoon only to find out it closed at 1 because of the holiday, so we weren't able to go inside and see the whole in the dome. That was a bummer. There were lots of crazy things going on around this square though. Lots of fun.

The coloseum was the first thing we saw and the surrounding areas. This was pretty amazing.

Cruise Pictures: Part 1-Ship

2009-01-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

The swimming pools were heated but the water was salty so we only got in once with the kids. The hot tubs weren't salty though and were really nice.

This next picture was taken in Barcelona. If you look out to the sea, you'll see two large cruise ships at port. Ours is the one on the right.

This is in our room. We were lucky to have a nice large window to look out at the waves. The kids loved jumping from the ledge onto the bed.

This is Hans and Gabe standing outside in front of the ship. Look at the mass of this thing!

Well, we're back from our wonderful cruise. We took a 12 day cruise on the Mediterranean. I will be posting pictures of our trip in different parts. Part one is of the cruise ship. Then other parts will be of our different ports. We left and ended in Barcelona. I will post Barcelona pictures last because we spent an extra day there when we got off the cruise ship. Here are some pictures of the ship.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Gabe didn't seem to really care about opening things. He was pretty tame in the morning (which is actually a first for him).

Eva refused to open any gifts until she had ridden her new bike from santa. She had to ride it all over the house. She loves her bike!

Gabe just chillin' and getting ready to go open gifts.

We had our friend take a picture of us the night before at her house. We went over there for dinner. We had a great christmas and now we are just trying to ween Eva off of chocolate and candy. This should be fun...

Ward Christmas Party! Crazy, wild times.

2008-12-21T06:50:00.000-08:00

Santa came for a visit at our ward christmas party last weekend. Eva was dreamily gazing at him after he gave her candy. She's the one in the middle with her butt sticking out. She stood like that looking at santa for quite some time. It was so cute.

Gabe on the other hand, was busy downing the drink in daddy's cup. He let both his hands free and just used his teeth to hold the cup. I thought it was so hilarious.

Bringing in the Christmas season with a bang!

2008-12-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

Last saturday, a couple of my friends and I, drug our kids out in the cold to the christmas market they have downtown in Wiesbaden. We had a ball. Eva was eating a sour gummy strip and loving it. Gabe just looked bored. We rode on a huge farris wheel and I freaked out. It was taller than the one at lagoon and it scared the crap out of me. Eva was loving it as well as all the other million kids we piled in there.

We've even had a few snow storms. Eva licked the snow off my car, but I didn't get a picture of it. I was too busy laughing.

Ok, I was pretty dang proud of my ginger bread house. My friend Alisha made the actual house and I just decorated it. I'm still proud of it. I was able to get some candy on it before Eva ate everything else. She didn't seem to want to help me decorate it because she was too occupied eating the plethera of candy on the table.

This is what a real gingerbread house looks like! This is actually real too. It was downtown at the christmas market. Pretty awesome if you ask me. However, it makes mine look pretty dang pathetic.

Our fun thanksgiving

2008-12-02T23:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my friends that were able to come to my house for thanksgiving. From left to right: Elaina Bishop, Lisa Terhune, and Erica Lott (the volleyball player from BYU). We had four adults and 11 children. My other friend Sarah was going to come over too, but she got the flu and was throwing up, so we just had her two girls over. It was such a nice thanksgiving.

I made the best turkey I've ever eaten in my life. It was so tender it just melted off the bone. We had my neighbor come over and carve it because none of us knew how and we had no men here to help out. I forgot to take a picture of the turkey before it was cut, but here's what it looked like after. Lisa made the rolls and they were just like mom's. They were fabulous. I made the turkey, two pies, stuffing from scratch, which I've never done before, and mashed potatoes with stuff in them. They were really good.