Lokodi Family

Gabe Turns Six

2014-03-01T17:27:00.004-08:00

Gabe and Eva decided to dress up as pirates in the morning of Gabe's birthday. We were lucky to have them home. They didn't have school due to a teacher work day. I love when my kids are off from school. We had a busy day planned. First on the agenda was to open up presents from Oma and Opa. Gabe was so excited about that race car track.

Second on the agenda was to change clothes. As cute as the pirates were, I wasn't taking them in public like that. ;) I took the kids to this really cool place in Manhattan, KS called the Flint Hills Discovery Center. We went with a few of our new friends on the street. Of course, I forgot to bring the camera.

That evening, Hans and I took the kids bowling. We invited our next door neighbors to join us since Gabe is buddies with their little boy Hayden.

This is silly Hayden. Cecily copies everything he does. Sometimes that can lead to problems...This kid is busy! She thinks he's pretty funny and they have a great time playing together. You just have to watch them like a hawk!

Happy 6th birthday to Gabriel. We are so happy you joined our family. You have been so much fun and it just keeps getting better and better. You are growing into such a fine young man. I love how sweet you are. You are always giving me compliments. You're good for my ego. ;) All your school teachers love you! You are a wonderful example to other kids. You are so good at building things. One thing I absolutely love about you is your ability to clean your room and do it quickly. I love how you can fold your own clothes. I love how well you help take care of your baby sister. You are such a responsible little boy and I can't wait to continue to see you grow and develop into an amazing man. Mom and Dad love you so much little man!

Florida

2013-10-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

Hans and I took a much needed vacation without the kids. We were able to head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for five days. The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

These are a few pictures from the Intercoastal Waterway. The homes here were out of this world. They each had their own private docks for their massive yachts too. What a site to see.

We headed down through Miami on our way to the Florida Keys. We took the long, scenic route along highway 1 and A1A. Miami is very busy.

Above: these were just some of the many, many condos that dot the whole coast of Miami beach.

When we reached Key Largo, we took a glass bottom boat ride to see all the cool fish. Florida is home to the world's third largest coral reef. While at the reef, we saw a few baracuta, sea turtle, and even a shark. It was pretty impressive and a good way to see fish without having to snorkle or scuba dive (which I will never have a desire to do).

The last full day of our trip was mostly spent down in the Everglades National Forest. We were able to take a great airboat ride. We saw lots of alligators along the way as well as some pretty cool looking birds.

The Everglades is sometimes called the river of glass. It was easy to see why when we were on that airboat. It was such a beautiful place.

Hans and I were able to hold a three year old alligator. I was really proud of myself. Reptiles usually freak me out.

After the boat ride, we took a senic loop drive through more of the everglades. This picture above is just some of the beauty we saw. Of course, the nasty snake in the road didn't make me feel that great. We were on that road for about an hour and a half and I only remember passing two other vehicles the entire time. It was definitely isolated. Once we got back on the main road, we realized we were really close to the opposite side of Florida so we decided to keep going all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. We ended up on Marco Island (just south of Naples). We ended that afternoon swimming in the Gulf. Of course, it wouldn't be the Gulf without running into some sting ray. I was swimming some laps when all the sudden, I looked down and saw a few sting ray circling around me. NOT A FUN SIGHT! Needless to say, I don't think I've ever swam so fast in my life.

On our last night, we took a little stroll around Fort Lauderdale again. The Hilton in the background was our hotel. It was right on the Marina.

Visit from Family!

2013-06-30T17:18:00.002-07:00

We just came off of a great high. We had Jason, Michelle, Alyssa and Scott come for a visit. We were also lucky enough to have Sage Teichert come as well. They all got here on Thursday night and left today (Sunday). I of course forgot to take pictures with my camera but luckily Michelle was smart enough to take some from hers. We had such a fun filled weekend. I wish every weekend was like this. I really appreciate everyone coming out.

The last time I saw Sage was in college. I still haven't met his wife but hope to soon. It was great catching up on old times. I even discovered he does the dishes. :)

On Friday Sage had some people to visit (he served his mission here). Hans had to work for a little bit, so Jason's family came with the kids and I to Worlds of Fun. Wow! What a great day that was. I did feel a bit sorry for Gabe because he was too short to ride most of the big rides. Eva was just big enough. I was so proud to call her my daughter that day (and every day). She wasn't scared at all to ride the big roller coasters. She loved them. Definitely my child! Gabe was really bummed he could ride the coasters with us so Jason took him and Scott to the water park while Michelle, Eva, Alyssa and I rode the coasters to our hearts content. After the great day, we hung out and relaxed by the pool in the backyard. We roasted hotdogs and marshmellows over the firepit with Sage and Hans too. It was just nice to kick back and have a great visit.

On Saturday we took everyone to Fort Leavenworth for a quick visit. After that we hung out at the house and got ready for our race. It was a glow run so it didn't start until 9:15pm. This was my very first race and I have to say, what a perfect race for the first time. It was only 5K so I was able to run the entire way without stopping (even if it was really slow). There were 11,000 people running so it was really crowded, but super fun too. So many people were decked out in all kinds of glow in the dark things. I would loved to do another one of these races. Michelle and Alyssa were kind enough to stay back with me and run at my pace. It was fun to watch Michelle pick up all the glow sticks that would fall on the ground from other people as they were running. By the end of the race, she had about 100 glow sticks she was running with. Crazy lady! That's why I love her to pieces.

I just want to say thank you to Jason and his family for coming out for such a fun time. Next time, Hans and I will have to come do a race up in your neck of the woods. Thank you to Sage also for coming for a visit. He's so much like his dad it cracks me up. I sure love him!

Here's the link to Michelle's pictures of the trip:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/michelle.l.clark.94/media_set?set=a.10151532872170852.1073741839.655155851&type=1

Lindsey

2013-06-15T08:35:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to both Papa Doc and Opa Joe! We've made some great memories. Above is a nice video conveying the spirit of Father's Day, below photo is from our pre-Christmas 2012 visit and bottom is from Lindsey's visit to UT for Gillian's wedding. Looking forward to many more memories to come.

Love,
Hans and Lindsey
Eva & Gabe
Cecily

Here's an update with pics

2013-06-10T13:12:00.001-07:00

Here's a link to pictures we've taken over the last month. I will try and update more often. Let me know if this link works.
https://plus.google.com/photos/106423386814720883019/albums/5887943223949941137#photos/106423386814720883019/albums/5887943223949941137

Lindsey

A much needed update

2013-01-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

Our whole world has changed since our last post. Life has run away with us. My head starts to spin just thinking about what has happened in the last three months. Here is a list of just a few things:

-Around the first week of November we received orders to Fort Leavenworth, KS with a fly out date of 4 December. As soon as we got orders, we were able to schedule our household goods to be packed and shipped off.

-Nov. 14th and 15th our movers were packing most of our things. We have pretty much been living out of suitcases ever since.

-Nov. 21 we shipped one car off

-We hosted Thanksgiving at our house (even though we had temporary government furniture and not many dishes) with three other families.

-Hans and I got the flu on Thanksgiving night and ended up getting everyone who came to our house sick too. No, it was not food poisoning. :) It was such a bad night that it is worth mentioning.

-The last week of Nov was a blur. We were cleaning the apartment and our other vehicle. In order to ship your car, it has to be completely spotless in order for it to pass customs. When I say spotless, it has to pretty much look brand new right off the lot.

Nov. 30th we shipped off our second car and had our final out appointment from our apartment. Thankfully we passed both inspections. Then, off to the hotel we went.

That last weekend of Nov./first of Dec. was very sad because we had to say goodbye to some amazing people. We were so grateful for the help we received from people watching our kids so we could clean, to giving us a ride where we needed to be.

Dec. 4th we flew to Baltimore and rented a car to drive up to Hans' parents house in Philadelphia. We spent a few days with them and were able o have an early Christmas with them.

Dec. 9th we drove back down to Baltimore to catch a flight to Kansas. We stayed at one of my best friends houses who also lives in KC area. She was kind enough to offer her home to us.

Dec. 10th we went house hunting while my friend watched the kids. We found a house on the first day and put an offer down the next. It was accepted and we started the process of getting an inspector out and such.

Dec. 11-12th we got cell phones since our German ones didn't work in the states. We ran errands and spent time with our friends.

Dec. 13th we drove (with our rental car from KS) to Colorado Springs to stay with my sister for a few days.

Dec. 15th we headed out to Utah for the Christmas season.

Between the 15th to the 1st of Jan., we were in Utah visiting family and friends and had a great time. However, there was some stress involved. The kids were sick and things weren't going well with the inspection of the house we wanted to buy. We ended up paying for specialist to come out and inspect the EIFS on the outside of the house. After much thought and prayer, we decided to back out of the deal. However, this all took quite awhile to get all the inspections and things done. So by they time we found out all this, it was already Jan. 4th.

Jan. 1st we drove back to Colorado Springs to spend more time with my sister's family.

Jan. 6th, we finally arrived back in Kansas City.

Jan. 7th, we went house hunting all day with the kids and our realtor. We saw five homes and we loved two of them. We narrowed them down and have decided to put an offer on one in the morning. This house had a cute little dog and my kids keep saying the want the house with the dog. I think they think he comes with the house. :) We keep telling them if we get the house, the dog won't be there. Hopefully they will understand. :) Another interesting little fact is that this house is right next door to the one we backed out of. Kind of funny huh? Let's hope the neighbors don't discover who we are and if they do, let's hope they find a buyer for their home soon. :)

So, what does this mean you ask? We will be living in a small hotel room for at least another month until we can close on this home. Please pray for my sanity and my kids lives...

here are a few pics of our trip taken from our Surface tablet. the kids slept some of the way making it more enjoyable.

we visited Boulder and Denver - sitting on a swinging bench on Arapahoe avenue outside the naropa university campus.

A melting creek running down the mountain in Boulder.

I'm looking at it this way...it gives us more time together as a family. We have missed having daddy around after his last job was so busy, so this is a good chance to spend more time with him. We are very excited to be in Kansas City. It looks like a great city with lots to offer. New experiences are always good. I will miss Germany so much and the wonderful friends we made there, but they will always be my friends, no matter where I go. And, we will get to make new ones here. So, here's to an exciting and new year!!! Wish us luck!

Happy Halloween!

2012-10-31T14:00:00.002-07:00

Of course, Gabe was Batman. What else would he have been? :)

And then there's our little chicken...

Cecily was really into it. She loved running around like crazy. In fact, she was sort of like a chicken with her head cut off. hee hee hee (I know, I'm so funny right?). We finally had to just keep her in her chicken coop (aka stroller) because we couldn't keep up with her.

Eva made up her own costume. She wouldn't be anything I suggested. They weren't girlie enough suggestions apparently. So, she was a "ballerina butterfly". You can't see her full costume because of the coat, but it turned out pretty cute.

What really made the night was the incredible moon! It was a full moon that started out burnt orange/yellow. It was absolutely incredible. It was awesome since it was on Halloween. I wish I could have gotten a better picture of it, but this will have to do.

I hope you all had a great and safe Halloween. Ours was really nice and relaxing this year.

Murder Mystery

2012-10-20T12:57:00.003-07:00

My friend Christy and I decided to throw a murder mystery night. We held it at my home. There were enough couples to have three different games going on at once. It was so much fun! Christy decorated my place. She's got such a great eye for things. One of the games was a western theme so we decided to go with that for the party decor.

I loved her idea of using mason jars to drink the lemonade out of.

The first group, The Johnsons, Kruegers, Gentrys and the Holdaways (who had to leave as soon as the game was over because of the babysitter so we didn't get them in the picture).

The second group was the Hancocks, Parkers, Jones, and Boyers.

Our group was the Pethels, Bouknights, Foulks, and us of course.

All the ladies (except Courtney Holdaway)

All the men

This will be my last big party at my house before we have to move. I have lots of mixed emotions about moving, and after such a fun night, it's really going to be hard to leave. We have such amazing friends here. We have truly been blessed to know some incredible people. There are many others whom I love and adore that I would have loved to have come to the party. These are just a handful of some of the most amazing people in this Wiesbaden community.

Thank you to all the couples that could make it. We hope you had a wonderful time. You all did such an amazing job on your costumes too. :)

Happy 1st Birthday Cecily

2012-10-02T01:03:00.000-07:00

So, we didn't really do anything major for Cecily's birthday. We only do big birthday parties every 4 years for the kids. So, this was simple. Eva had dance class last night so I wasn't going to really have time to make a nice dinner for Ceci's birthday. So, we decided to have dinner at the bowling alley. I did find time to make a cake and I brought that with us.

We had the Bouknight family meet us there since they had dance late too and it was also Michael's birthday. Here are the two birthday kids. :)

As we were headed up to the bowling alley, we ran into our friends the Haurands, so we told them to come eat up at the bowling alley with us. They are about ready to have their third baby. In fact, Emily (the mom) is due on Eva's birthday, which is this Saturday.

Cecily was a little stinker pretty much the entire night. She really took advantage of the fact that it was her birthday and she could "cry if she wanted to". She is getting her eighth tooth right now, so she's pretty miserable. At least I'm going to blame it on her tooth coming in. It makes me have something to blame her crying on. :)

One thing she did like was the cake.

Cecily came into this world a very large girl. Starting at 10 pounds 5 oz and almost 23 inches long, she just continues to grow. She's 24 pounds now and I'm not sure how tall she is. She just keeps growing out of all her clothes really fast. She cries a lot and is very, very busy. However, she is very funny too. She likes to make people laugh. She gets really goofy at night. She does everything quickly. She started walking at 9 months and hasn't stopped moving since. She's curious. She has to carry something in both of her hands while she walks. She LOVES being outside and is really good about being lugged around everywhere we go. She's a very social baby. She loves the Krueger family! Every single one of them, including the pets. She has eight teeth now. She will eat just about anything. She's got a little too much attitude already. She hates being told "no". She loves going swimming. She's really good about falling asleep on the go and being transfered into her bed when we get home. I love that about her! Her best buddy is Hailey Bouknight. She gets really excited when she sees her. We are very lucky to have this sassy little girl in our family. I think she'll fit right in with Eva as she gets older. I'm grateful to have the chance to raise her in this life and the life after. I feel blessed to be her mother as well as Eva and Gabe's. I sure love my kids.

September Happenings

2012-09-18T00:50:00.001-07:00

No, I didn't just accidentally get a picture with Gabe blinking. He is sleeping! We have been so busy ever since school started that poor Gabe is just worn out (mommy too). He had fallen asleep in the car and it took quite a long time to get him to get out. He's way too heavy for me to pick him up so I kept trying to wake him up so he could come lay down inside. I then left the car to lay the baby down. After noticing that Gabe was still not in the house, I went out to check on his progress of getting out of the car. This is what I found at the bottom of our stairs. :)

The other weekend, we took advantage of the nice weather and had a BBQ at my friend's place. This family is amazing! We do everything with them. They have two little girls, their oldest is in Eva's kindergarten class. There youngest is Hailey. She's 16 months old. Cecily and Hailey are six months apart. It's kind of funny because Hailey is so tiny and Ceci is so huge. There's such a contrast between the two. These two girls are inseparable though. I've never seen babies interact with each other as much as these two do.

The three amigos! They get a little crazy when they're all together, but they sure do love each other. Jenny (the mom) and I are always saying that Michaela and Gabe are going to get married one day. However, she always says Gabe has to convert to Catholicism, but it's really got to be the other way around. :) Michaela will make a great Mormon. :)

Cecily loves Michaela!

The small family on one side, the large on the other. :)

Cecily and I have become buddies while Gabe is in German Kindergarten in the mornings and Eva is in full day kindergarten. Honestly though, I think Cecily gets really bored with me. She's kind of a nightmare at home. If we go somewhere or are outside, she's a doll, but the second I make her come inside, this is what I get...

The many sides of Cecily...

She's getting four teeth all at the same time right now so she has a perpetual runny nose. Not to mention she's quite a bear too. Can't wait for this phase to be over with. I am enjoying her funny little personality though.

Switzerland

2012-09-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

We're back and it looks like we missed a lot while we were gone. We were only gone four nights and it turns out a nephew was born and another nephew got his mission call. Congrats to all our loved ones! We are so excited for you.

Hans and I had the chance to sneak away for a long weekend without the kids, thanks to some great friends. Here's the link to the pictures if you want to see them. Let me know if you can't view them.

https://plus.google.com/photos/106423386814720883019/albums/5784032284331638593

Lindsey

The 4th of July!

2012-07-05T05:11:00.001-07:00

We started our morning with a pancake breakfast at the church.

Cecily is in LOVE with Mark Krueger. I really can't explain it. I think Mark and Kat are both baby whisperers.

After the breakfast, we headed over to base for the festivities. First things first, face painting! If you do get there early and do that first, you'll be standing in line for two hours.

Eva cowboy-upping. :) She wasn't too bad either. She even did one hand for most of it.

Then there's Gabe...with is game face on. That boy is crazy.

Of course, mommy had to give it a try. They didn't even buck her off. They just stopped the bull eventually and she hopped off.

Then on the the gladiator station. Brother and sister going at it.

Mom and dad took a whack or two at each other too. :)

The bumper cars were probably our favorite. I think we rode them about 10 times.

These two girls who are riding with our kids are from our ward. They were super sweet with Eva and Gabe.

Hans cooling off in the shade while Ceci attacks him.

Cecily enjoying her freedom from the stroller.

We have some really good friends we hung out with. The Bouknight family is amazing. They have two little girls. Their oldest, Michaela is probably going to marry Gabe. :) She's got such a spunky little attitude. Gabe always tells her she's beautiful and then she says "thanks Gabe" then kisses him on the cheek. He gets bright red. It's the funniest thing to watch. Jenny (the mom) is such a sweetheart.

This is Michaela next to Gabe. It's not a very good picture of the two of them, but they had a blast with Michael (the dad) on the bumper car ride. Michaela is telling her dad to "get 'um Dad".

Random

2012-06-01T14:07:00.002-07:00

I found this picture of a German landscape at a local Flea Market last weekend. I was extremely pleased with the deal I got and I think it looks beautiful on my wall. It will always remind me of Germany, long after we have moved away.

On another note, Cecily turned 8 months today. On her 8th month birthday, she learned how to crawl. :) She's still not very good at it, but that will come. I'm one of those weird parents that are actually happy and relieved when my kids start to become mobile. All my kids have been really heavy babies (as seen in the picture:) ), so holding them hurts too much. When they can move on their own, they become much happier babies. It may make my job harder having to watch what they're doing and where they're going 24/7, but at least I won't be in pain as much from holding them.

"What? You lookin' at me?"

She's getting tired, but still manages to give me a smile.

Cecily finally got her first two teeth about a month ago. Eva and Gabriel both got teeth really early, so this has been a little different this time around. I have been blaming her poor behavior on teething ever since she was born, even though it took her seven months to finally get them. :) She is getting over another double ear infection right now. She also has a bad case of allergies. So, considering she's not feeling great, she has been a pretty good girl the last couple days.

A few weeks ago, Eva had her Ballet recital. She was so excited to perform on stage. She has been taking dance since last fall and LOVES it! The teacher says she's a natural. Wherever we end up moving, I'll have to find her another dance studio because this is something she truly enjoys.

Her friend Michaela (on the left) is also taking swimming lessons with Eva and Gabe and the three of them are like the three amigos. I adore their family and have really enjoyed getting to know her mom, Jenny. The little girl in the middle is also named Ava Marie, just spelled with an A instead of an E. All three of these girls will be going to kindergarten together in the fall.

Last but not least, Hans and I attended a military ball in Heidelberg, Germany two weeks ago. Balls aren't really my favorite things to go to because they tend to be boring and stuffy, but at least it was a night out without kids and I didn't have spit up on me for once. Thanks to my wonderful neighbor Khadisha for watching the kids for us and doing my hair and make-up. I have the best neighbors in the world!

Okay, try this.

2012-04-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

Let me know if this link works for the pictures. I made the album public and now it's unlocked, so it should work.

https://plus.google.com/photos/106423386814720883019/albums/5736798774716867345#photos/106423386814720883019/albums/5736798774716867345

Cruise pics

2012-04-29T13:56:00.001-07:00

https://plus.google.com/photos/106423386814720883019/albums/5736798774716867345#photos/106423386814720883019/albums/5736798774716867345

We just got back from a week cruise in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea. If you want to see pics, check out the link.

Lindsey

Happy Easter!

2012-04-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

We took these pictures after church yesterday. It was a little chilly, but it sure was a beautiful day.

We had a great Easter egg hunt and dinner with friends and family. We live in the perfect spot to host a party. Most of the buildings around us are all empty and we're pretty much the only family here with kids, so we didn't have to worry about any neighbor kids trying to steal all the eggs before we had a chance to get to them.

All the kids lined up ready for the hunt! We had Renee and her family over as well as the Krueger family, the Haurand Family, and the Botill family. We also had a friend Melissa and her two kids come for a little while. It was a great time.

Run Eva, Run!

The kids with their findings.

Above is Kat and Mark. They're always a great addition to any party. :) Below is Mark holding their cute baby Cole (whom you can't see in the picture unfortunately. He's sooo dang cute) and Renee. Renee brought all the desserts and holy cow! She sure put a lot of work into it. I wish I had a picture of everything she did.

Above is Blake and Diane Botill. Blake's sister is in my mom and dad's ward in Elk Ridge. It sure is a small world. Below is Emily and her two children. Her hubby has been out of town for quite a few weeks for work. He'll be home in a week or so. He was missed, but we are grateful we got to have the rest of their family over. Her little boy's name is Hans (pretty cool right?).

This is Joe and Kadence (Mark and Kat's two youngest kids). My kids are in love with them.

Our (quick) Stateside Trip

2012-03-15T14:44:00.001-07:00

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!

2012-02-21T08:41:00.002-08:00

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?

2012-01-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-03T06:14:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-10-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

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.

Cecily's first bath

2011-10-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Cecily loves the bath. Her cord fell off after only 4 days, so we've been having fun giving her baths.

I absolutely love the expression on her face here. She looks so annoyed to be having her picture taken. We discovered after her first bath that she's just way too big to be giving her a bath in the sink. She barely fit in there. :)

I had to throw in these last two pics. I love having our little family complete. Eva and Gabe love their baby sister to pieces!

Happy birthday to one adorable 5 year old.

2011-10-06T03:58:00.000-07:00

Eva was one happy camper this morning. She even told us last night that she couldn't wait to go to bed so she could wake up and it would be her birthday. :) She loved the gifts from Oma and Opa this morning. They were every 5 year old girl's dream...sparkles and color!

This is Gabe's begging face. He wanted to open up some of the gifts. Eva was kind enough to let him help her. How could you resist that face anyway?

This was the first pose Eva gave me when I took the camera out. This girl is hilarious. This is one of the outfits from Oma and Opa. We let her wear it to German kindergarten this morning.

She's saying she's Five today!

Gabe's almost as tall as she is. He's been a trooper lately. It's been kind of hard on him lately with a new baby to get used to and then Eva's birthday. He's going to need a special day with just mommy soon.

I found Eva daydreaming before we left for school this morning. She's already looking so grown-up.

When she got home from school, this is what she found. We've been meaning to get her a bike for so long and never have until now. She was so excited. The school made her this crown too. It's has been a very good day for her. Sometimes it makes me wish I was five again.