Cousin-Time...

These past few days with our niece, Elisabeth have been so much fun already!  Luke, Abby and Levi can't get enough of her...and often even fight over who gets to sleep with, sit by, etc. their cousin! 

Right now they are off swimming with Brad, while I get packed up for Poland.  This is the real reason Elisabeth came...to help watch our kids while we help lead a retreat with the Prague Team.  We'll touch base when we return from another one of our many adventures...

Team Building...

We had a great visit with Dan and Jen!   It was confirmed for both of us that they would be a wonderful addition to our team...now they will join another young woman at A&O in September.

Some of you may be wondering how we keep in touch with our other teammates in the States... lots of e-mails, phone calls and i-chatting! 

Here we are finding out the news that Jeff broke his thumb!

Thankfully he doesn't need surgery! Pray for them as he preaches this Sunday, and then they leave for training next week in Colorado. 
We are excited by how God is growing our team...and we can't wait until they all get here!

Elisabeth made it!

Hooray!  She made it all by herself!  But it sure wore her out...:)

The Penguin Slide...

We woke up to screeching and squealing...come to find out, it was the Penguin Slide!

(I think the pictures speak for themselves)

Friday Favorites-Family Edition

This week flew by.  I actually can't believe it is Friday already.  Here is another addition of random favorites as we live and experience life in Vienna:

Luke's favorite event of the week was attending fussball camp with one of his friends.  Here he is with his uniform on!  He even got a medal for completion of the camp...

This doll carrier was a gift from our neighbors, and Abby has not stopped smiling ever since she got it! It is Abby's new favorite toy, and Kit has gone everywhere we have gone...

Abby has been a great help all week, and even made this typical Austrian cake with our neighbor and friend, Gritt.

It was a wonderful treat that we could share with our guests, the Beilmans. Certainly, another favorite of the week!

When guests come to visit, we often go to this restaurant in Ressel Park, near the Karlskirche.

Our favorite thing to order is the delicious schnitzel. It has great seating outside and a park nearby for when the kids get antsy!

 BUT, by far, everyone's favorite thing this week has been this little guy, Will.  He is an easy-going fellow with extremely kissable cheeks!  He would be a welcomed addition to our team!

I am thankful for...

God's creation

 boys who always seem to find sticks

good friends
chubby hands that hold on tight
our little girl

walks in the woods

flowers picked just for me

a time away from the city

good food

my family

(these photos were all taken this weekend at Hohe Wand, which is about one hour outside of Wien)

Summer Entertainment

It's raining. Which means no park today. Vienna has great parks and usually our afternoons are spent playing at one. Instead, today we are crafting.I practically brought enough supplies to open a craft store-but I am so glad I did, because there are not an abundance of stores like these

Oh how I miss those aisles of colored cotton balls and cheesy seasonal decorations...

ok-back to what is keeping our kiddos entertained this summer...


1. Investing in our friends we made at school this year. Here is Abby at the zoo, walking hand and hand with her buddies..

2. This is Levi's favorite website.

3. Even though our friend/teammate, Jodie pretended she was blind as a result of this show, it hasn't stopped us from watching countless epidodes of Little House on the Prairie.

4. As a family we have started reading "The Star of Kazan" before bed. It is set in Vienna-and
everytime Brad or I read the word "Vienna"-everyone cheers! Yes, it doesn't take much to entertain us :)

5. We do try to provide some structure...with lists that kids have to complete daily (some days we get more done than others)

6. Play-Doh parties with the neighbors...

7. Fussball! Luke heads to camp for a few days next week-but anytime he gets a chance, he is playing. These are his really cool new shoes. (he now wears the same size as me!)

8.Last week we checked this place out. It has the fastest waterslide I have ever been on, and gave the biggest water wedgies ever!

9. Helping in the kitchen... (yes, we tried to make a cherry pie from scratch...way more work than it is worth!)


10. Dressing-up is still fun for even our oldest rugrat...
May they never grow up...

Views from vacation...

Hallstatt is one of those places wherever you look you see beauty...
I loved the view when I looked out of my room window...
Abby loved the view from the diving board...
the steeple that watches over the city...
little legs freshly dipped in the icy cold water...
surrounded by mountains and nestled on a lake...
flowers displayed in many quaint ways...
the billowing clouds reflect in an old barn window...
there are so many ways to enjoy the view...

Prague Interns

Every summer World Harvest sends out interns to many of their teams.  It didn't quite work out for us to have internships this summer, but we still got to have a visit from the Prague interns.  (If you remember, it was the Prague interns from last summer who helped us get some of our Ikea furniture together when we first moved into our flat!)

We had lots of fun showing them the city and giving them our vision for how we would like to see Vienna renewed by the Gospel.  It was also great to be around such an encouraging group who really want to use their gifts for the kingdom.  They also took the time to love on our kids, which means a lot to us!

Fortunately, we will get to see them again in a few weeks in Poland, as we will all be attending a spiritual retreat together. 

Friday Favorites-Donauturm

While the Glam Grams were here, we had a great time seeing more of the sites in the city.  We had told the kids that if they did well on their report cards, that we would take them for dessert in the Donau Turm
The view from this tower is amazing.  Here is Luke trying to find our apartment!
Levi loved pointing at all of the sites too.
Brad, Abby and I all ate kaiserschmarrn, while everyone else had ice cream!  While you are eating, the restaurant turns...so you really get to see everything!
This weekend we will also be out and about the city showing the Prague interns around!  They are just here for the weekend, but we look forward to our time with them.

Have a good weekend everyone!

This one is for you Miss Shannon!

I have very fond memories of eating lots and lots of these little pesto baguettes with my friend Shannon. Full of flavor and crunchiness, and just the right size for popping into your mouth!

Here is what you need:
a baguette
cream cheese
pesto
parmesan cheese
basil for garnish (if you desire)

Cut your baguette into bite sized pieces and spread out on a cookie sheet...bake at 350 for about 7-10 minutes...checking to make sure they don't get too brown.

While your bread is getting crunchy, mix in your food processor the softened cream cheese, a few tablespoons of pesto and about 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Blend until smooth. If you don't happen to have pesto on hand, (which usually I don't) you can improvise with a little italian salad dressing, a few basil leaves and maybe even a little garlic if you are feeling daring. There is no wrong way to create this...so have at it. Enjoy!

Shannon, I hope you are not currently on a strike from carbs...as this post will probably make you want to run to Publix to get a baguette...love and miss you!