A Day in Bernkastel-Kues

We spent the day in Bernkastel-Kues.  A little place just over an hour north of our house.  It was a day of cute half-timbered houses, calm rivers, and a castle.  Also, a bit of rain and even a peek of the sun. 

Standing at the waters edge looking at the castle on the hill.

Davis and the creepy head fountain.

Walking down this tiny, crowded street when a car just decided to drive.  It was barely wide enough for people.  Somehow the car managed to squeeze through.  Typical.

Lots of narrow streets with grape vines hanging about.  The region is known for their wine.

More grape vines.  They will look really neat when the grapes are fully ripe and hanging off.

Opa and Oma

Mein Mann

Anya trying to catch falling bubbles in her mouth.

In front of the bakery.

My boys.

Walking up to the Berg Landshut next to field after field of grape vines.

Noah and Jag catching snails (Schnecke).  These are the kind that the French eat.  Gross!  They are huge.

Got to love the "survival of the fittest" European mentality.
 Here boys sit in the open window.  Don't fall, it is a really long way down.

Looking at the Mosel river.

Jag's Baptism-It should have happened in Normandy

Jag was baptized on Sunday, June 10, 2012. 

 He was excited and nervous.  He is such a sweet kid who really wants to and tries to always do good.  He has read all of the scriptures (the children's version) many, many times and he really knows them.

We will be traveling to Normandy, France on the 18th and thought that it would be awesome to baptize him in the English Channel off of Utah beach.  Memorable.  People baptized in the Mediterranean Sea when we lived in Turkey, so really, should be possible.  You will notice from the following pictures that we are not in France.  Unfortunately, the higher ups did not see the vision, possibility, and spirit of what we were wanting to do.  So Jag was baptized at our church house in ICE COLD (no heat to it what-so-ever) water...all I could say was, "The English Channel would have been warmer."

We were very happy that grandma and grandpa Fawcett happened to plan their vacation at just the right time.  They helped to make it a memorable (in a different, non-Normandy) day.  Four other families stayed after church to support Jag on his special day as well.  It was a great day for him.

Jag is watching the treats quickly disappearing and wanting to get to the table.
 Noah...who really knows who he is making faces at.

Deutsch Dienstag-rain barrels

It rains a lot.  The Germans, in my area, collect the rainwater into rain barrels via the rain gutter.  They then use the water to water their plants on that one day that it doesn't rain.

The rain pipes, that come down from the rain gutters, have a special flip down part to direct the water into the rain barrel when down and then flip up, when you have enough water.
 It has been pouring for days, I'm pretty sure that everyone's barrel is full.

That's My Girl

"Cookies" by Anya Fawcett

  She draws cookies on every piece of paper she finds.

Waiting for Visitors

The guest rooms are ready.  The trips are planned.  Our first visitors will arrive today.  Welcome summertime!

*These rooms sit empty, so start planning your trips.

Another Scout

I have 6 more years of Cub Scouts and 13 more years in the scouting program...it seems like forever.  I hate pack meetings. 

I've been to good pack meetings and bad pack meetings.  So sad to say we are in a phase of bad right now.  I'd better be careful what I say, Karma may just put me in charge sometime during the next decade that I have to sit at those rotten things.  Actually Karma would be giving me cub master in like 14 years when I am totally free if pack meetings.

But, HEY, isn't this the cutest new scout around?! 

He is so happy to be 8 and to be in the scouting program. 

At least if I have to go to pack meeting I get to sit with my Jag.  I love this kid!

LOL

Deutsch Dienstag-Convenient smokes

Yep, you can buy cigarettes in the store or you can just go to your neighbors house and buy them from the machine on his house.  I don't understand the need for the convenience of putting a cigarette machine on a random house in the village, but hey, what do I know?  I'm not a smoker.

Saarburg Sommerrodelbahn

First of all, this blog post title is a perfect example of one reason why learning German is difficult for me.  Sommerrodelbahn is actually 3 words, but if they go together they just stick them together...it is like summertoboggantrack...see? Much easier to just stick them together. Ugh. My poor head has enough problems learning a foreign language without squishingthewordstogether.

Saarburg is only about an hour from our house and a cute, fun, little town.  We grabbed some friends, a picnic, and the sunshine and spent Memorial Day there.  We will definately be going back!



At the begining of the ride.  For only 16 euro we were all able to go down 3 times each.  Not a bad deal.

Christian is smiling after his first run, but Davis wasn't.  Jag had to ride with Davis and they were going S-L-O-W.  I was yelling 3 cars back, with Anya on my lap, "Get moving, I'm going to smash you." 

You sit on the car and then you are "pulled" to the top of the hill before you are able to control your speed.  This time Jag was with Darin and Davis is alone. 

Christian and Noah rode together, behind me.

Ready to ride again.  
They had a point in the ride that would flash your speed.  We were trying to get as high/fast as possible.  We were averaging about 33-37km, that is faster than you can go down the road in front of my house.

Waiting in line with our friends.

It was also a German holiday, so the line really picked up after our first 2 times down.
Darin and some Barneys.

CHRISTIAN! 
 He and Noah managed to clock in a speed of 43km right before they flipped the car.  He is smiling in the picture, but wasn't smiling just before.  Burns on his wrist, arm, elbow, knees, and a big burn and bruise on one calf.
He must be like my mom.  I don't think that she has ever gone down the Alpine slide without flipping her car.  That is what we get for deciding to up our fun and race down the slide.

Noah ended up with a bump on his head and a scratch down his cheek.  I was 3 cars back when I came upon the scene.  Noah was out of the car crying and refusing to get back in.  I was trying to stop the people behind me.  Multiple children were crying.  Both Anya and Gianna (same age) got hit in the mouth with the speed stick when we were trying to stop.  Good thing we'd planned on it being our last ride anyway.  They both said that they'd do it again, but I don't think that Noah would go with Christian.  Christian said that Noah was actually driving and didn't stop.  We wish that we could have seen what really went on, but it was Christian who gave himself a 20% chance of NOT getting hurt just an hour before.

Took the "skyride" down the mountain.  Beautiful views of the area.

Lunching by the river Saar.

Little waterfall with working water wheels.

Every good outing ends with Eis!  I insist and Darin goes along with it. 
 It was a great day!

Another Birthday at our House

Our last birthday!  It feels like I've been doing this for like 5 kids or something.  Davis turned 13 on Sunday.  I can't believe that I really have a teenager.  I think that this transition is harder on me than having my baby turn 2. 

Davis is a wonderful kid.  He truely is.  I am so happy with the kid he has become, let's hope I feel this way when he is leaving the teen years.

With Anya's birthday so recent, she thinks all gifts are still for her.  Davis let her open his gifts.

Darin's gift to Davis was Rotkohl, or Roadkill as the kids call it.  .

One good thing about Davis getting older is that he would prefer a lemon cheesecake instead of some time-consuming "theme" cake.

The birthday boy.  How handsome.

This is so that we can always remember his height in relation to me.  I'm glad that he is still one of the smaller kids his age.

13!  That is a lot of candles (Noah quickly blew them out before we were able to sing.).