Our (quick) Stateside Trip

 We had one week of leave at the end of Feb. so we decided to Space A it to the states.  We arrived at BWI on the evening of the 28th of Feb. and flew back out that following Tuesday March 6th.  It's a pretty quick trip to make when you are talking about adjusting to the time difference, long flight, and three little kids.  However, I have never been so proud of my kids.  They were all such great little travelers.  They were nearly perfect on both flights.  It was definitely a proud mommy moment.  Our first stop was Dave's house.  It was so great to see them.  I'm only sad we didn't get much time with them.  We are all officially in love with baby Ansleigh.  She is the cutest thing ever...

 Uncle Dave with Cecily.  Doesn't she look pleasant?  Dave and Tana were so sweet to take us to Cafe Rio.  That was my one request.  I have missed that place soooo much.  They can't do mexican food in Germany.  They can't even come close to it.  They also took us to a mall.  Boy, I forgot how much I missed shopping until I walked into that mall.  The options were amazing (in fact, almost a little too overwhelming when you've gotten used to no options).

 Since we were flying on Gabe's birthday, Tana was so sweet to pick up some yummy cupcakes.  Obviously Gabe still doesn't know how to eat without making a huge mess.

 The many looks of Ansleigh...

 Can you say cute, cute, cute!?

 Okay, so Ansleigh wasn't so sure about these strange kids always wanting to hold her and touch her.  Eva and Gabe kept trying to pick her up.  It was kind of cute.

 It sure was good to catch up with my brother.  I haven't really gotten to know Tana either, so it was nice to spend time with her.  All I have to say is, Dave is one lucky guy.  She's pretty dang amazing.

 Up the 95, and through the suburbs to Grandmother's house we go...  Oma and Opa bought a home about a year ago.  They moved out of their place in Northeast Philly, and moved up to Bucks County into a nice home in the quiet town of Warminster.  It was so nice to have the kids spend time with the grandparents.  Oma is such an amazing cook.  She even taught me how to cook a traditional dish she made when Hans was growing up.  She baked this cake for Gabe's birthday.  Let me just say, this kid sure was lucky this year.  He had an early birthday party before we left, we had cupcakes with Dave and Tana, then had a birthday celebration at the grandparents house.  He was kind of getting confused as to when his actual birthday was. :)

 Cecily and Oma were best of friends.  Opa could do no wrong in Eva and Gabe's eyes.  They always think he's just the funniest guy in the world.  He's so good with them.

Over all, the trip was a success.  However, we had a few hic-ups.  As soon as we landed in BWI, we got on the shuttle bus to go get our rental car and Gabe decided to get sick.  He threw up right on the bus.  Then he threw up again in the rental car and then again when we got out to Dave's house.  That same night, Eva decided to get sick.  She threw up and had diarrhea at the same time.  After that, they were both completely fine and slept all through the night.  The next day they were back to normal.  So, that was on a Tuesday.  Then, Friday night Eva got sick and threw up and had diarrhea at the same time again.  Then the next day she was back to normal.  The Saturday night, Gabe woke up around 10:30 and was feeling sick.  He had a pretty high fever and he acted like he was going to throw up, but never did.  However, that next morning he still had a really high fever and now his ear started to drain.  So, I ended up having to take him to the ER on Sunday because I knew he had an ear infection.  We were getting on a plane two days later, so I was a little worried.  Sure enough, the doctor said he had double ear infections and the one ear was so bad he might burst his ear drum.  So, we got medicine in him right away and he improved very quickly.  In spite of all this, both kids were in such great moods the entire trip.  They were such troopers.

Anyway, we left the grandparents' house on Monday afternoon and headed to our friends house, the Terhune family.  The Terhune's used to live in Germany and we became very close family friends.  They now live only an hour from BWI, so we stayed with them on Monday evening and spent the next morning with them before we had to head to the airport.  It was so great to see them.  The kids always love spending time with the Terhune kids.

I just wish we had more time to spend with everyone.  There were people I would have loved to see on our trip but we just didn't have the time.  It won't be too long before we head back to the states to live, so hopefully we'll find the time to see everyone next time.

It's Party Time!

 Picture alert!  We've got lots of pictures for you this time.  Gabe had his very first birthday party ever.  He will be turning 4 on the 28th of Feb. We decided to give him a birthday party early since we're going to try and fly to the states on his birthday for a quick little vacation.  In our family, we will only be doing big birthday parties every 4 years.  So, that means on their 4th birthday, 8th, 12th, and 16th.  In my own personal opinion, I think parents go way over board every year for birthday parties.  So, I'm not doing that.  Every four years, I can justify having a big one.  On the other years, we'll have a family party at home.

 So this year we invited eight of Gabe's good friends to join us at an indoor play place called Tobolino's.  All of the kids families stayed as well, so we all had a great time talking and playing.  It was President's Day so the guys had work off too.

 This place was a great location for a birthday party.  They had a huge indoor sand area on one side of the building.  This cute little boy is our neighbor Jaylen.  We are so blessed to have amazing neighbors.  Jaylen is four as well.  In the background is Marky (Kat and Mark Krueger's oldest son).

 Some friends of mine, Marnie Parker and Kathleen Krueger.  The baby belongs to Marnie. :)

 Mark Krueger enjoying a little baby time with Cecily.  Ceci loves him!

 This place was fun for the adults too.  Hans trying to show off his dunking skills.

 Some of the adults at the party.  In the background you can see the trampolines.  I mastered the front flip by the time we left.  I love these trampolines.  Seriously, this place is so fun for all ages.  I burned a ton of calories that day. :)

 Gabe showing you how old he's turning.

 Some of his friends enjoying the yummy pizza and juice.

 Our cousins, Haley and Derek Davis.

 Mark and Renee enjoying a good laugh with a friend, Brian Pethel.  Brian's family went with us on our Disney cruise.  His little boy Spencer was there having a great time.

 Daddy was daring and let Gabe help him cut the awesome Spiderman cake.

 This is our neighbor Jaylen again.  His daddy, Andre, just got back from a deployment on Friday.  We're glad he's back, but no one as happy as Jaylen.  He wouldn't leave Andre's side the entire time.   I think he was scared he would leave him again.

 Joe was enjoying watching Gabe open presents.  Joe is Kat and Mark's youngest child.

 Me and my girls!

 If you look closely, we had a little family picture at the top (minus Cecily).  That thing is HARD to get to the top of.  Gabe and Eva look like Spiderman climbing that thing.  It took Hans and I both quite a few times of trying (and failing) before we were able to get to the top.

 Getting ready to go outside to watch Gabe ride his new bike.  I love her tongue in this picture.  She's getting so big.

 Off to the races we go!  I sure love my little man.  He's such a good boy.  I love that he has outgrown his terrible baby/toddler phase.  He's such a funny kid now with a great personality.  I love you Gabe!

Why is there a trailer on our blog page?

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

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

 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

 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!

 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.