Update...

Milka is feeling much more peppy today...

While Levi preferred to stay in his pajamas all day...

Let's hope he feels better after 24 hours too :)

Pathetic Pooch...

No, Milka does NOT have the "swine flu", but she instead is recovering from getting spayed yesterday.

She looks pretty pathetic in this protective head-gear doesn't she?

Some of the reasons we like weekends...

cinnamon rolls

hammock time

breakfast with new friends

a good cup o' jo

finding lilacs

building pyramids

celebrating birthdays

The Real Deal...

This afternoon, we went to check out the Stadtfest-Wien. There were all sorts of fun things for kiddos to do...but as you can see from the photos above, we took full advantage of the free "real deal" facepainters!

How to eat a Swiss Cake Roll...and unwrap a smile

No, they don't sell Little Debbie's in Austria. This was a special treat, sent with love from the Glam Grams. For some reason, all of the chocolate coating stuck to the wrapper... maybe because it had to travel all the way here from Florida? Who knows... that didn't stop Levi from enjoying all of it's delicious-ness.

Somewhere in the process he lost his shirt, which was probably just as well...as he intently took to the task of licking the wrapper clean...

Here he is actually inspecting the wrapper and has discovered that there is just a bit more...

And sure enough...he persevered and got EVERY. LAST. BIT OF CHOCOLATE.

Oh, how I love this chocolate eating boy and his yummy eye lashes!

The view from here...

I love the view from our terrace. The city of Vienna laid out before us. We are enjoying the terrace even more now that it is Spring and it has been de-pooped ;). Yep, you read that right. You see, Milka had the run of the terrace all winter, but now we are claiming it back and making it even better than before.
Here is the new brick path that Brad and the kiddos created...and painstakingly carried up every last brick...now we wait for the grass seed to sprout
This is the sweet tea that we sip as we enjoy our view and wait for our plants to grow...
This is the canopy that shades our table from the scalding sun...
These are the strawberry plants that we hope will produce a hefty crop...
And this is the rocking chair that we rock our cares away in... or our dog, both are acceptable in this household

Trying to say "yes" more...

to making slushies...

to Old Maid games...


to ping pong matches on the kitchen table...


and to picnics in the park with friends...


Because they are growing up way too fast...

Beginnings...with more details to follow later

We have had the most fantastic weather the past few weeks, and it has been perfect for sprucing up our terrace! Roses and herbs have been planted and a new brick walking path has been put in place...more photos to follow later


This morning, Brad and Jeff will sign a contract on a storefront...It is in a great location and has space enough for worship and offices. Lots of details have fallen into place and we have no doubt of God's providence...stay tuned for pictures and updates on this space

And please pray for baby Stellan. Lots of you who read my blog, are already following his, but just in case you don't know his story, check it out HERE and pray for his surgery that will be taking place tomorrow... pray that the outcome will provide new beginnings for this little guy and his family

For one week...

For one week a year all of these cousins are the same age!

Last week they all were 10

(as Micheal had his birthday last Saturday)...

but today Ben forges ahead and turns the BIG 11!

Love and miss you guys!

Friday Favorites-Märchenpark

Yes, I know it has been awhile since a Friday Favorite post...but life has been pretty busy here lately, with guests from the States, preparing for our first worship service and having all 3 kiddos home for Spring Break...I have fallen behind on a few things...including blogging.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful the past few weeks...and we have been taking full advantage of being outdoors a lot!

One day over break we went to Märchenpark, with our friends, the Bailey's. It is an amusement park about 45 minutes outside of Vienna and just the right size...not too big and not too small, full of rides that everyone could enjoy! Here are more photos...

We have ourselves a toddler...

Our sweet Milka Pooch is now 7 months old...which means she's entered the "toddler phase"
and has her nose into everything...literally!


She finally has figured out how to fully use her legs and has found them quite useful...especially when the dishwasher is open...only with dirty dishes of course!

Here she is pouting, as she sits by the door and waits for the kiddos to come home from school...
Brad and I are no longer "good enough" :)

And here she is getting a bath from Luke, after she decided to eat a glow stick and then throw up on herself... oh, the joys of toddlerhood

And like any good toddler...she "crashes" hard at the end of the day! We love our Milka pooch-even if she does keep us on our toes!

Christ is Risen!

Thank you for all who prayed for our Easter worship service.

We were greatly encouraged by those who came, for those who helped out, and to be able to worship our risen Lord and lead others to Him, as well.   

Click HERE to see photos.

Christ is Risen!

Rise up and pray for us!

(click on photo to enlarge invite)

As you remember the death of Christ on this Good Friday and look forward to celebrating His resurrection this Sunday, please remember to pray for us in Vienna.

This Sunday we will be holding an Easter worship service at 4pm. We have invited many of our friends and acquaintances here to the service, and of course we don't know what to expect! Please pray for many to come, for the message to bring hope and healing to those present, and for this Sunday to be a good foundation on which to build.

We've also made an offer to rent a facility for worship, Bible studies, events, hanging out, and office space. The facility is in an ideal location with a great layout and the right cost, but there are some things holding up the offer. Please pray for God to take away the road blocks.

Lastly, with help from our friend Herbert and our sister church in Western Austria, we've turned in our Non-Profit Organization application. We need to start this NPO in order to begin the church, rent a place, etc. Again, the application is on hold until we make some minor changes to the statutes (which we're doing right now). Please pray that it will get approved--and fast!

Thanks to all of you for partnering with us in prayer!

New...

I have a new shade of "dark chocolate" or "black" as the kiddos say, to cover the gray

We have new covers for our pillows thanks to Alisha

Abby is on a new mission...to learn sign language. This all started when we read a book about Helen Keller

New brilliant shades of yellow are popping up all over...I think Spring is finally here!

And with the new season finally here, bring on the ice cream!!!

P.S. We're also getting a new addition to our team :)