Check it out!

Check out this attached website to view the home page of a cool documentary that my brother wrote and directed. It will be making it's world premiere at Biola University next Friday. If you are in the area I suggest that you go and see it. Believe me, you won't be disappointed.
http://www.dualrevelation.com/

Jeff in Action

Here is a photo of Jeff addressing the entire student body and parents during the opening ceremony. He gave the charge to the Seniors informing them to be "examples" to the entire student body. Today, he plans to drive over to the elementary campus and greet the students there passing out a small treat of candy also never hurts.

First day of School

This morning our house was full of excitment as we all rushed around getting ready for the first day of classes here at Black Forest Academy. Jacob was going to his first day of middle school and Anna was happy to have the elementary school all to herself. Here are the token first day of school pictures.

Cool Jacob ready for sixth grade.

Anna sweetly poses for the camera ready for fourth grade.

Sarah wanted a picture taken with her back pack too.

Here are all four kids from oldest to youngest. Two of them get to stay home with me during the day.

I was able to get a picture of the kids with the school Principal, (Dad) Mr. Benjamin, just before everyone went to their assigned seats for the opening ceremony of School. We are off and running for the 2008-2009 school year!

Stau

Yesterday, we decided to take one last familyday before school begin for us here on Tuesday. Jeff suggested it since he was going to have a busy week with giving welcoming speeches and starting the school year off for the parents and students. He wanted something to take his mind off what was about to come. So yesterday, we told the kids that we were going to spend the day at their favorite amusement park- Europa Park. Anna had been asking to go there since before we left the states. The weather was going to be perfect low 70's with sunshine. So we all got an early start to have a fun day at Europa Park. With only 20 minutes from the park on the Auto bahn we got into some slow traffic and even stopped. Well, we found ourselves in a stau (traffic jam). Everything stopped and then we saw the emergencies vehicles speed past us. We knew that it was a bad accident. We ended up sitting on the autobahn for almost two hours! Believe it or not, this was the first major stau our family has been in since arriving in Germany eight years ago. We were caught between two exits and just sat and waited with the other unlucky motorist on a Sunday morning. This was our view for the wait.

I've always wanted a family picture along a guardrail on the German Autobahn I finally got my wish.

During our almost two hour wait, we endured two couples who spent their time by doing some serious PDA for everyone else. I'm glad that Jacob brought along our portable DVD player so the kids were distracted.

Sarah wanted her picture taken in the middle of the autobahn so I did. It was a festive time with many languages spoken around us German, Italian, French etc. In the spirit of the olympics I asked Jeff if we should start chanting USA, USA. He didn't think that was funny.

Once we finally got moving again. We decided that going to the park wouldn't work out. For the price of admission, there wasn't enough time to feel like we would get our money worth. So we ended up heading to another place that the kids like to go to from time to time called Kinder galaxie. It all worked out and they had a fun time.

Night Rituals

There are many of you out there that have your own night ritual. You do the same routine just before you go to bed in order to have a good night's sleep. It looks like Joshua at his young age has his own night ritual that I hope will change soon. Every night when I put him to bed usually between 8 and 8:30. He will sleep soundly in his crib until about midnight. Then he will just wake up either because he can't find his pacifier or because he has rolled over on his back. I stumble in the dark and plop the binky in his mouth get him settled feel for wetness. Then rub his back for a bit. He will pretend to be asleep but as soon as my hand leaves his back his head pops up and he begins to scream. I try once more this time a bit longer, same results. So I pick him up and quickly move him to the "isolation room". This is where his porta crib is. I close the rolladen (blinds) lay him down and walk out of the room. Absolute silence from him for the rest of the night! Not one peep out of him at all. I don't get it? I would think he would prefer his nice soft crib to that flimsy mat on his porta crib. But every night we go through this and every night he falls right to sleep and is a happy guy. Some night ritual ! I return to bed only to toss and turn for and hour before I get back to sleep. I wouldn't mind if he changes his night ritual a bit more from here on out.

Summer Memories

Well, I finally got around to downloading my pictures from this summer. Here is just a sample of what we were able to do this summer which by now feels so long ago. Today we had a high of 62 degrees with rain! Here is a taste of what our summer was like. Great memories with family and friends enjoy.

Cousins on the Oregon Coast

Anna enjoying getting to know her cousins from Michigan

Sarah and cousin Evie playing

Eager cake decorators ready for work!

The tribe of Benjamin showing off our t-shirts.

Matching dresses that my sister-in-law made for all the girls-very cute.

We enjoyed a weekend away to San Francisco with our friends Will and Joanne.

Joshua posing for his first formal picture in my parents back yard. I think he is a natural.

Jeff was in his childhood friend Erik's wedding just before we returned to Germany.

We Home !

Four kids, ten pieces of luggage, twenty hours of travel time and it is offical, we are home again in Germany. We are all dealing alot with Jet lag. I have already emptied out three of the ten suitcases. Through my jet lag fog I have managed to buy groceries today with all foor kids in toe and I have started back cooking again although it is nothing fancy. My brain still works as I was able to carry on a conversation with my landlord today in German. I found out that we have a persitant mole in our yard and they are trying to kill it with a sonic sound device thing. Our next door neighbor came over and planted a sunflower and it is huge now and very pretty. He also planted tomatoes and pumpkins. We have a real nice garden and didn't have to do any of the work! What a blessing to have such a nice neighbor to take care of our garden while we are gone. Tomorrow the opening ceremonies of the olympics come on here at 1 p.m. so I will be enjoying that while the kids are all snoozing for their afternoon naps. Yep it is good to be back in our own home but we are sad to be so far from family.
Jeff is now preparing for the new school year. Two weeks before the students and parents arrive it has offically become crunch time for him. If I am up again around 3 am, then I will try to down load my pictures of our summer.