After months of being loose...

Levi finally lost his front tooth! :)

New...

New Game:: Some friends let us borrow 'Ticket to Ride Europe' and the boys have fallen in love with it.

New Tulips::  Because life is too short to not enjoy fresh flowers :)

New Recipe:: For Scones made for the "Royal Wedding Partay"

(Our team got together to celebrate the new marriage of Prince William and Catherine.  It was so fun watching the days events and eating cucumber sandwiches and scones with lemon curd, while sipping Mimosa's...we also watched the TV closely to see if we could find Sonja, who just happened to plan a trip to London while the Royal wedding was happening)

New Baby:: Our neighbor just had a new baby...isn't he so sweet :)

Hohe Wand Wiese

Today we went on the sommerrodelbahn in the Hohe Wand Wiese with the Giles Family. It was a blast!
(a little scary for me...but fun none the less)  It is basically a toboggan on a track that can go up to 25 mph.  Thankfully there is one lever that you push to go fast or pull back to slow down.

Here are Brad and Levi getting buckled in...

Here are Luke and Abby "flying" down the hill...

and after a run with Daddy, Levi was ready to go all by himself!

We have really enjoyed getting to know the Gileses. They have been a real source of encouragement to us, fun playmates for the kiddos and they always bring lots of folk to church with them! :)  In just a few short weeks, they will return to North Carolina~ but we are confident that we will keep in touch and that they will come back to visit!

Luke's first communion!

Brad here, making a rare contribution on Stacey's awesome blog. :)   Over the past few months I have had the privilege of leading Luke through a study of the Westminster Confession of Faith and a seminar on the Lord's Supper.  Far more exciting than that is to hear of Luke's faith in Christ and witness it grow.  So Maundy Thursday was a special night for our family and our church.   It was New City Wien's first communion service, and Luke's first communion ever.   Would you join me in praying for Luke to continue to grow into a young man of God?

The rest of Spring Break...

Flowers given to us by our neighbors :)

It is hard to believe that last year we were in Florida for our Spring Break...soaking in the sun and precious moments with our moms.

Here is a bit of what we did the rest of this break...

:: We hung out at the Donaupark with friends

:: Grilled burgers for the first time this season on the terrace

and enjoyed some mojitos made with mint leftover from last season

:: met a mini-Milka

:: enjoyed the fantastic Spring weather

:: dyed Easter eggs

(Thanks for the goodies Mrs. Kimball)

:: watched a few sunsets

and tomorrow we will celebrate our Risen Lord!

If you are in the area, come worship with us at 10:30.

FROHE OSTERN!

Mrs. Field's Cookie Recipe...

Some of you asked for the oatmeal chocolate chip pecan cookies (also called Mrs. Field's cookies) I made yesterday...so here you go!
Enjoy :)

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups of flour
2 1/2 cups oatmeal (ground in the food processor)
1/2 cup pecans (also ground in the food processor)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 package of chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes
This recipe is from my friend Sharbelle.

We love Hallstatt...

When we moved to Austria in 2007,  we were instructed by our boss to take a vacation just a few weeks after we had arrived.  It was the last thing I wanted to do, when there was so much to do to get us settled.
He knew what was best for us though, and we made some great memories on that trip and then we went back the next year with our moms.

It should have been no surprise then, when we asked our kiddos where they wanted to go for an overnight trip during their Spring Break... a unanimous "Hallstatt"!

So beautiful, so fun and so relaxing! :)

Abby loves crafting...

How cute are these little guys...

and this sweet little lamb...

All of them made out of marzipan, by our Abby girl.  Last week, a friend of her teacher came and taught the class how to make these.  It took about 6 hours!  (ugh, I wouldn't have the patience to do this)

She also made this key holder in art class.  I love the tulip that she put near the cross...

We miss her...

As we are walking out the door, Luke asks for a Werther candy.  Levi starts taunting him, saying that the schoko bon bons are better. Luke quickly fires back, "I don't care, Werther's are what Neena used to give me.

Funny what triggers a memory.
It's true. Neena would keep a jar of Werther's and the kiddos were free to help themselves. He misses her.

For Levi, when he sees the book, "Hand, Hand, Finger Thumb", he remembers how he would crawl into Neena's lap and she would read it to him in her sweet animated tone. Levi misses Neena.

Abby looks at pictures and is reminded of Neena's awesome cake decorating skills.  She misses her too.

Whenever we return from a trip is when I feel the ache.  We would always call Neena to tell her we had returned safely and then we would proceed to tell her all the details of our time away.   I miss her.

For Brad, I am sure it is the million little things that remind him of the fact that his mom is gone.  No cards with his name in bubble letters on the front, no one calling to wish him a happy "half" birthday and no Peeps for Easter.  He misses her very much.

 Of course these are all superficial things, but they trigger our memories that there there are no more candy jars filled with Werther's, no more opportunities to hear her read to the kiddos, no birthday cakes to be baked and no longer any phone conversations to be had.  

We all miss her...

A week ago...

I took the kiddos and a few of their friends to the park...

I love these girls...

and I love this little girl too...

Spring has finally arrived...

 and everywhere you look, flowers are blooming

the ducks are wanting to be fed...

and so are the pigeons...

Get outside and enjoy your weekend!
And if you are in Vienna- on Sunday go cheer on those folks running in the Vienna City Marathon! :)

Pity Party is over...

While in bed these past few days, I sort of had a pity party and lots of time to browse the web...here is a bit of what I did

Listened:: to several episodes of This American Life

Watched:: Food Revolution with Jamie Oliver
( I had heard a lot of things about this...but watching it was a bit shocking!) 

Wished:: I was back on vacation in Naples

Craved:: Sausage Pancakes 
(how ironic after watching Food Revolution!)

Snuggled:: a lot with Milka Pooch

Ordered:: delicious Chinese food from New Point Restaurant


Found::  some new dessert recipes

was Inspired:: by this photo wall

and this made me smile :)

Thankfully,  I am on the mend now with the help of antibiotics, lots of rest and prayers from good buddies.  Thank you all for your sweet comments, phone calls and help!

Frauen Frühstück + Easter Markets

Last Saturday, we had our first Frauen Frühstück (women's breakfast) at NCW.  It was a wonderful morning of feasting and fellowshipping...

then we took off for the Easter Markets...

we found eggs galore and even a few chickens!

Wanting...

I am sick.
Have been since Saturday.
Flat out in bed sick. 
We have one roll of toilet paper left, moldy bread and dirty laundry that is spilling out of the bathroom/laundry room.
I want my mom.
I want a Dr. that speaks English, has hours that are convenient and can write me a script for this nasty sinus infection.
I want to be able to keep my tears from falling when I walk downstairs after everyone has left and see that Levi has left his snack for school on the counter.
I want to feel like our little world is not falling apart when I am stuck in bed sick.
I want to be kind to my husband, who is doing all he can to keep our little world from falling apart
I am wanting to not be sick anymore
I am wanting and needing your prayers

Good as it looks...

We are having friends over tonight for dessert.  I splurged on a cake from a bakery that recently opened on our street.  I really hope this tastes as good as it looks! :)

Team Retreat...

This past weekend, we headed out to Baden for our first team retreat!
Here's a recap of the weekend--
There was time for stepping back to see the big picture, the vision God has called us to.
There were tears as we recounted the struggles we all have faced just to get here.  
There was gratitude as we recounted the joys.
There was bonding over meals and free times. 
There was time for analyzing our strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.
There was a bit of brainstorming about future ministry,
and there were times of laughter. 

We are still a young team planting a young church, and this was just 
a little, yet important step.   Please continue to pray for grace and 
unity for the many more steps to come.

Full Bloom...