Played hookie with the kids for the 1st time...will I be getting grounded by my parents? We went to the Esslinging Christmas Market and Medevil Festival. GREAT time! Started this morning by closing Amelia's fingers in the car window....yikes. This weekend to include Winterfest on base; American Girl Party at my house tonight; Waterpark tomorrow for a birthday party; and Winnie has a swim meet on Sunday. Christmas Rush??!!

Jack's 6th birthday today!!!! We got up and had waffles with syrup and powdered sugar. And then I sent him to school.:) His infatuation with Star Wars will increase after his presents tonight. It will be years before he can handle the movie so for now the actions figures and books are a thrill. I believe the Millinium Falcon and the X-wing Starfighter ship will be landing at our house this evening. He may self-implode with excitement.

It is only4 days until Jackson turns 6!!!! Where did my little Smithfield Ham go? He's gone to bigger things I'm afraid. He just did his 1st palm strike and broke a board in Tae-kwan-do. Not sure how I feel about that yet...but it does allow him to play Star-Wars jetti mind games that he can't in school:)

Six year old party this weekend...we are showing Night at the Museaum at the Base Theatre. 15 six year olds screaming at the T-Rex in the movie theatre should be worth the price of admission!!! Pictures to follow.

We leave a week from Weds. for Saltzburg Austria for our Thanksgiving weekend. The setting for the "Sound of Music"...we will be watching on the way down. A 3 hour trip with lots of "Do-A-Dear...a female dear..."

Athens Vacation

Our latest European adventure was to Greece. Corey ran the Classic Athens Marathon on Sunday, 8 November, and we stayed an additional couple of days to sight see. We stayed in a less than clean apartment in the heart of Athens. Fortunately, the Starbucks right across the street from our flat helped compensate Holly for the spartan accommodations. Highlights were a climb to the top of the Acropolis and a boat trip to the Greek island Egina. Austria and Italy are next for Thanksgiving break!

Winnie Grace has a confirmed case of H1N1. She is not allowed to go back to school for 5 days after test results (got them on Weds.) We are going a little stir crazy!!! Corey leaves for Washington, DC this weekend....my prayer is that this flu doesn't show itself again. He returns on the Nov. 3rd and we leave for Greece and the Athens Marathon on Nov 4th.

Home with Winnie Grace today. She has all the symptoms of the swine flu...headache, fever, sore throat. Frost this am on the ground...we have heard to be prepared for a long and cold winter! Back to Lysoling the bathroom.

For all of you new at Blogging...if you double click on the Berlin picture slideshow...it will expand and you can see the picures better. Lov--your technologically crippled blog manager:).

Winnie Grace is down with a fever, headache and sore throat. I am home for the day. More time to post pictures I guess. This weekend we were supposed to be off to Kaiserslauten for a swim meet...we will see.

Berlin--Columbus Day Weekend

I posted a slide show of our trip to Berlin last weekend below...I am still new at this...hopefully I will get better. Maybe video to come!!

The end of a busy weekend but we stayed in Stuttgart doing Brownie camp-in, swim practice, soccer games, and birthday parties. I, Holly, was part of the camp-in and I am tired!!

Winnie just went down with Flu-like symptoms. H1N1 is in the apt building...I hope it hasn's come here. Lysol and I have a date tonight.

Kids at Awana tonight. Corey and I still need to find a fellowship group but it will come with time.

Off to cleaning.

July 27 2009---Still on our way

Corey is safely in Germany with the dog Mack. Holly and the kids are to drive from Indiana to DC on Friday and catch a 6pm flight on Saturday. We still have no car or home. There does seem to be some options on the horizon...we keep you posted. Just spend the last 2 weeks at family reunions and at Piatt Lake Michigan with sister in law Jen and her 2 children, Addie and Abe. Great memories...bad weather!!!