Celebrating in Heaven...

On the 15th, Neena would have celebrated her 70th birthday.  Fortunately, as a family we celebrated a few weeks ago when she was still able to. 

This morning her battle with cancer ended and now she is celebrating in Heaven.

For those who are in the area, here are the funeral arrangements:
  Friday evening, September 10, 6-8pm   Visitation
  Saturday morning, September 11, 10:30am  Funeral

Both the visitation and the funeral will be held at--
  St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
  500 North Park Road
  Hollywood, FL 33021
  church phone #954.989.2655

Thank you all for your love and prayers,
Brad, for the family

From Vienna with love...

Yesterday we received a package in the mail from our teammate Lindsay, and our friend Whitney.  It was filled with goodies from Austria and notes of encouragement!  The kiddos were so excited, and can't wait to pack some of the treats in their lunches on Tuesday so they can show their friends here.

I also got a special treat...my comfy, over-sized sweatshirt that I have had since I was pregnant with Luke! Anyone who comes over to our house after 7pm, knows that this is usually what I have on! Everyone in our family makes fun of me when I wear it, but I love it!  I think the girls knew I needed a little taste of home :)  How sweet and thoughtful!

We are settling into a routine now, but the gravity of Neena's cancer still lingers like a heavy, dark cloud.  She grows weaker by the day, but continues to amaze us with her sweet spirit.

The stress has been tangibly felt...with tempers that have been short with one another, kiddos that are sometimes in tears after saying goodnight, and Brad even found himself in the ER earlier this week, struggling with chest pain.  Nothing serious was found, and now he is taking medicine for acid reflux, most likely brought on by...you guessed it...stress.  Often we find ourselves emotionally drained and physically tired as we watch Neena suffer.  Still, we are grateful for the ways we can serve her and spend time with our extended family.

So that is the latest on us.  We are waiting, trusting and hoping in Him to get us all through this trying time...

and a little love from Vienna doesn't hurt either :)

Friday Family Night

THIS totally inspired me...

Normally on Friday nights, we watch a movie and eat pizza together.

This week we kicked it up a notch! We added rainbow-colored silly string, rainbow-marshmallow treats, rainbow-plates, homemade ice cream with rainbow M&M's (are you noticing a theme yet?) and "Dorothy" made a surprise visit!

nice tube socks Dorothy!

Have a great weekend!  Find something to celebrate :)

Go Sharks!!!

Guess who's playing football?

We almost forgot...

In Austria when kids start 1st grade, they get a Schultuete.  The day before Levi started school here, he asked if he was still going to get one.  We couldn't believe he remembered...but we were thankful that he reminded us!  When we picked him up we presented him with a homemade one filled with lots of goodies!

We are so proud of our little first grader!

Benefits of 2 Worlds...

     Yesterday we sent out an e-mail describing our decision to stay in Florida until January, and the challenges that come with that decision.  We received so many encouraging e-mails and messages letting us know that you are thinking about us and praying for us.  Thank you.  It does mean a lot.

One friend who had lived overseas for a long time, wrote about some of the benefits that she has seen in her sons as a result of experiencing life in 2 worlds...

Here is some of what she wrote:
*They have friends from all over the world and know how to make new ones.
* They know the Rock who provides what they need even though everything else around them changes.
* They have a strong family support because we have had to grow closer through these changes.
* They have become prayer warriors because God is the only One who knows what will happen next.

Lately, I have been so consumed by the challenges of living between 2 worlds that I have neglected to think about the potential benefits.  It was a good reminder to me!

First day of school...

After much prayer and counsel, we have decided that it is best for our family to remain in the States until January.  As a result of that decision, we enrolled our kiddos back in the school that they attended before we left for Austria.  Last week was actually their first day.  Everybody is adjusting to the "American" way of doing things, but not without a bit of frustration and tears.  We understand that this is a big transition once again, and we are trying to be patient and provide all the stability and encouragement that we can.  We know that this is where we need to be right now, but please pray for us, as we still are struggling on many levels..

"When I was a kid"...

The kiddos have loved hearing stories at night about when Memoo (my mom) was a kid... and tonight she brought a childhood memory to life::
blowing bubbles with old empty spools

Here Memoo updates her bubble-blowing experience by bringing out a pool "noodle"

Oh the fun you can have when you are staying with your Grandma! :)

One good thing about a herniated disk...

is that your Dr. will write you an order for one of these fancy carts at Disney, and you don't have to wait in line for the rides...

Before and After...

Curves and bumps ahead...

Since returning back to the States just a few short weeks ago, I would have anticipated some curves and bumps in the journey...
what I was not expecting were the sharp and sudden turns, that often make us feel as though we are completely lost.

I am speaking figuratively from an emotional standpoint, and literally from a physical standpoint when it comes to Neena's health.  I am sure anyone who has watched someone suffer with cancer can understand. 

This afternoon she was admitted once again to the hospital for the potential placement of a drain, which will hopefully remove some of the infection from her abdomen.  Her spirits are good, and we anticipate just a short stay~ but anytime spent in the hospital is never fun.

Overall, our family is holding up quite well and we have appreciated all of the prayers, e-mails, meals and babysitting.  We feel very loved, but I will admit that Brad and I often lay awake at night with thoughts of what tomorrow holds,  swimming around in our heads.  It seems like every decision we have to make right now is a BIG decision with consequences not only affecting us.

So if you think of us, please pray for the new bumps that are bound to come on this journey and that God would grant us wisdom to navigate the curves ahead...

Random Fun things to do in America...

Here are some random things we have been up to in America...

:: Luke attended a week of fishing camp with his cousin, Mikey and he won the award of catching the most unique fish!

:: We ate Dairy Bell ice cream for dinner last night

::  the kiddos started a space-themed VBS today... can you believe how cool this robot is?

:: and tonight Memoo put the kiddos to work rolling pennies for her!  Who knew rolling pennies could be so much fun? 

:: and a few of us in this family might just be watching the season finale of the Bachelorette
(I warned you that this was random) :)

Neena is back home...

Thankfully, Neena is back home and doing MUCH better.  Here is a picture of Abby and Elisabeth making her a "Welcome Home" banner!

Latest on Neena...

Many of you have asked how Neena is doing~ so I thought I would do a quick update.  Yesterday, she was admitted to the hospital with an infection that needed to be treated with strong antibiotics.  She is feeling much better today and is getting as much rest as one can get in a hospital...Ha! Ha!

We hope to have her back home later in the week :)  

Naples...

Before my mom started back to work again, we thought we would take a quick overnight trip to Naples.  We left Ft. Lauderdale right when tropical storm Bonnie decided to hit land, but we were determined to not let it ruin our fun.

It rained the entire drive to Naples, but once we arrived, the rain let up long enough for us to hit the beach and look for shells.  When the rain started in again, we headed to the movie theater to watch
Toy Story 3 (which is a great movie!)

When we came out of the movie, the skies had cleared and we headed back to the beach for more shell collecting and playing in the sand!

The next morning, the weather was gorgeous and the kiddos were in the pool by 8:30! Unfortunately, we had to check out by 12~ but we played on the beach until it was time to pack up the car again!

For lunch, we stopped at Tin City.

It was a very short trip, but it was really fun for me to spend some alone time with my mom and the kiddos, while Brad got to spend some alone time with Neena!

To see more photos, go HERE

Sun-kissed kiddos...

These are a few of our favorite foods...

When we come back to the States, you can bet that we catch up on some of our favorite foods! 

:: Our kiddos love IHOP!  Pancakes, pancakes and pancakes...need I say more?

:: Brad and I miss Cuban food from Las Vegas

:: We all love a good donut from Dandee Donuts

:: and a family fun restaurant with really good seafood is the Rustic Inn