The pictures in my last post are from the last couple of weeks.
We just moved to Schwandorf, Bavaria. Christian is now stationed in Wiesbaden and comes every weekend home. Devin has started "real" school and likes it so far. Shilda has had not such a good start at her new school, but likes it better by the day.

Christian's car just died (it's 19 years old) so he has mine (now his). We are looking to buy a good family car. Any ideas which one? It SUCKS having no car!

In 3 weeks we are going back to Turkey for a week - this time ALL 4 of us! We were trying to go to Egypt, but could not find anything decent anymore. I have been there and didn't think I wanted to go back, but Christian really got excited about Egypt. Maybe next year!

On sunday we went to Marianske Lanzne in the Czech Republik. We are only about 30 minutes from the Czech border here and it was about time for me to show Christian where my family is coming from. Yes, I am over half Bohemian (for the ones who did not know yet)! Unfortunatly, we did not make it to Sokolov where my dad's side of the family is coming from (and some are still there), but we are going back soon. Anyway, we had a great day and I was very surprised how beautiful some towns have become. It used to be only grey and dirty (and most of it still is).

Devin's First Day Of School

Mission work

We really want to do some mission work in the near future. We don't know where or what yet, but know for sure that we should do more for people who are not as fortunate as us.Orphaned/abandoned children are especially in our hearts. Haiti was/is of course always in our heads and hearts, but it might just not be the right time yet for us to go there. There are many other places where we could serve....maybe somewhere in Africa or even closer then that. Basically in our "neighborhood" Czech Republik or Romania.
Through our adoption I "meet" (over the internet) many wonderful people. I became good friends with some of these amazing, selfless people, who very much inspire me. I will keep you updated on our "plans".

Here is a link to Lori's blog. She is an American nurse living with her family in Haiti. (nothing for a weak stomache)http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=haitinurse4life

Medieval Fest

Thoothless Grin
Devin finally lost his first tooth. He has been anticipating this dental misadvanture for some time now; He has been watching his friends' teeth drop like flies around him and finally he is a member of the freak show now too. Unfortunatly, he had it in a box in school (that's where it came out) and some unscrupuless tooth- bandit absconded with it. Probably one of his friends was feeling selfconscius and stuck his precious tooth in one of their gaps. Anyway, he put the police report under his pillow and the tooth fairy must have bought it, as she left him 5 Euros.

At Devin's and Shilda's Kindergarten....

Party time... Shilda's class sang an African Song... matching to their theme.




The new goalie for FC Bayern really earned his Bratwurst today!


Here he is taking a much needed rest

Busy, Busy, Busy
Wow, I haven't written in a LONG time...but we are extremly busy these days.
We will be moving in the next couple of months. Unfortunatly, we still don't know where. We have been waiting for our Military orders since December!!!
Shilda was scheduled to get her adenoids removed and maybe tubes in her hears the beginning of the months. But right before the operation her temperature went up and the doctor sent us home. NO FUN - they had given her meds to calm her down... basically she was totally high and could not walk, hold her head up, was drolling and all that good stuff and instead of calming her down otherwise she was screaming and hitting. And that's how they sent me home. I had to carry her and all our stuff quite far to the car. It was crazy. End of the story, she did not get a fever and was totally fit later in the afternoon. So, now we are scheduled to have the operation late this months.
We will be going to Turkey on monday for one week with my grandparents and mom. We are getting really excited. I will try to post more before we leave.

Shilda and birthmom
Shilda's bio brother with uncle, aunt, bio mom, and bio dad Shilda bio mom
Shilda has been home a year (as of 12 Jan)

When she first came she could hardly walk, didn't know what to do with toys and was generally inactive. Early blood test revealed some major nutritional deficencies, which her doctor said would probably have life long consequenses.
Shilda still has some medical problems, but is such a big girl now. In this year she has gone from size 9-12 months to a size 3T. She grew 16cm and gained 11,5lb. She sings and dances all day, loves dolls with long hair (that she can rip out of their heads with her brush) and pretty clothes, understands English and German (but speaks mostly German), will be swimming in no time, dresses herself and is just a very happy child with lots of friends. She has almost completly caught up with other kids her age and in some ways surpassed them. But this girl has the thickest head of anyone her size and likes to be the boss ;) If things keep going this rate she will be president!
All in all she has fit in our family so perfectly that it's as if she has always been here.

Pics of our Teneriffa Trip

A long time has past since my last post and unfortunatly I am on the run again, but wanted to make a short post so people know we are still alive.
OK, so what's going on here:
Devin just finished his swimming lessons and got his seahorse (a little thing which gets put on his swimming trousers so people can see he can swim). He is so proud! Especially because he was one of the younger ones from the course with 8 kids and 4 of them did not pass.
Shilda is still having lots of fun in school, singing all day long her Christmas songs she learns in school and getting in some trouble lately. 2 days ago, while I was taking a shower she took out her cocoa butter and oil products for her hair and went in her room and did every Barbie's and Doll's hair!!! While I was putting make-up on I even thought to myself that something smells so good....
YEAH, and what I saw is beyond my wildest dreams and just to hard to even discribe. So, I will leave it at that and everyone's imagination can go free....
But it's all cleaned up now, all the doll's and barbie's got a bath, Shilda had a GOOD time and mommy almost a heart attack!

Next wednesday I am going with the two angels to Teneriffa (a little Spanish Island off of the coast of West Afrika) for a week. We are very excited and can't wait... Unfortunatly, Christian is not going. I have been begging him for years to go on trips (and sometimes he will), but wasn't too lucky. He did go twice to Spain and once to Austria and many places in Germany with us and always seemed to have fun, but it always takes a lot of talking him in before hand. So, once again we agreed I would take the kids myself and went ahead and booked it. After we read some about Teneriffa (Vulcano Island, all the climat zones, so many things to do and really beautiful) he got really interessted and says he wishes he could go now too. AAAHH Even thou he has over 60 days of leave saved up, he can not take them before Christmas and I can't change our tickets to another date. Aergerlich! Same thing happend when I went to Gran Canaria with Devin last year. Maybe he will remember next time...

Those are pictures from our walk this afternoon. We went to church this morning, out for lunch and then out to "play". At least that's what Devin called our 2,5 hour walk.

Dustin's visit
Christian's brother Dustin visited us for a few days and just left today. We haven't seen him for 5 years and were just sooo glad he finally made it over here. We had a great time with him and can't wait for his next visit!

Ok, these are pics of my grandmother, mother and sister - my travel gang!

Vacation Time
Not yet, but soon! My grandmother, mother, sister with her two boys and me with my kids are going on vacation. We have been wanting to do that for a long time now, but never had the perfect excuse to go without our husbands. But do we really need an excuse?? My sister is turning 30 this year, my mom 50 and my grandmother 70 next year, so this is the perfect time to do that. We want to make it as easy as possible for all of us, so we are taking "all inclusive" (with a 10, 5, 3 and 2 year old it's a MUST) and going to a country where the flight does not take any longer than 4 hours. We are thinking about Greece, Spain, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia. I am sure we will have LOTS of fun wherever we go.
The week is planned for February, as my mom and grandmother are going already on a couple of trips the next few months. They (grandfather, grandmother, stepfather and mother) are leaving for Sicily on Satarday for 10 days. Then my stepfather and mother go back to Italy to visit their friends in October (they will help harvest olives and make oil - just for fun) and then my grandfather and grandmother are going with friends to Turkey for 2 weeks in November. AND then Christmas they are spending in Italy too. So, now you know about their busy lives, too ;0
Anyway, me and the kids can't wait....and I am sure Christian either (all that time to himself and not having to clean up after himself for a week).

Our dogs!
We have two dogs, Mara and Maxi.


Mara is a German Shepherd Mix and about 8 years old. We have had her for 5 years now and absolutely love her. I have been taking her to dog school for all these years, so she listens very well to me and knows all the commands. She loves everyone and everything; people, other dogs, cats (she has raised little kittens before), rabbits and even Devin's rat. Just know everyone comes back "showered", as she LOVES to lick!


Well, and then there is Maxi!
She is a different Story. Maxi is about 6 years old and we have had her for about 4,5 of them.
She is a souvenir from Spain. Yes, Christian has still not forgiven me and is very hesitant to go back on a South European vacation with me; the streets are paved with stray animals and I get in my Mother Teresa mood. So, here is how Maxi entered our lives: we went to a pound in Mallorca and I saw this little dog with lots of big dogs around looking very scared. I sent Christian there to check on it and he came back telling me that the dog tried to bite him. I did not believe him, that this innocent little thing would hurt a fly. To make a long story short, we came back to Germany with 2 dogs and 11 cats. Good homes were found quickly for all of them, except Maxi. And that's the day our lifes changed dramatically. She thinks she is the biggest and most dangerous dog around (keep in mind she is only 6 pounds). She barks all the time, runs away whenever she can (she even jumps over our fence) and has nipped at people before. She is a pain...Christian even claims that he can't stand her, but has been known to secretly let her sleep in bed with him whenever I take the kids and Mara to visit my family.
Well, Devin really loves her and she is still a cutie. And besides, every family has to have that one person...