Derek turned 17 on Sunday

We enjoyed "raclette" for dinner on Sunday, and later in the afternoon the Matthia family joined us for coffee, cake and fellowship. How thankful we are for our oldest son.

Greenville Glimpse: Rounding the bend

"Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised." After sleeping, resting and drinking lots of fluids for most of the 6 days Danae was on "cuts," the Lord helped her to start back to classes yesterday morning with her hardest day of the week: six hours in a row, no lunch hour. She is still coughing, but had a check-up this afternoon. The pictures were taken this week-end. Friday she sat up to do some sketching, and the next two days she was able to do some reading. Grandpa M. got her roses, and Dalene brought the balloon from her roommate when she went off campus Friday night. The Get-Well balloon was attached to a bag of goodies.

On the Mend

We thank the Lord for helping us on to the road of recovery. We have seen much improvement in the last week. The pictures above were taken when four of the family went to the doctor due to very persistent coughs. The inhaler (which was boiled and dried between patients) and other medicines were part of our prescriptions. Derek continues to enjoy the beautiful grand we were given, and Donovan was practicing his reading with Daddy in that last shot. (Yes, Bradley has a pair of reading glasses, which make a big difference!)

Our Sick Girl Across the Sea

Dalene took this picture of Danae when she checked into Barge on Sunday. She got out Monday, but was feeling so poorly that she took cuts to her grandparents' house (Matthia) that evening. Today they took her to the doctor, who diagnosed pneumonia, and told her to take cuts through Sunday. Normally the Dr. said she would prescribe 2 weeks for recuperation, but since she is a student she said she would check her again next Tuesday. She is supposed to sleep, drink a lot and take her meds. We are praying for the Lord to give her a speedy recovery. Obviously this is a difficult beginning to the semester. Right now she is very weak, tired, and sore from all the coughing.

Coughing Up A Storm

No pictures from the home front. :) We are all at some stage of sickness. Everyone is coughing, some have fever, three men have strep (Bradley and the big boys). We are praying that this week we'll turn the bend :) This has been very unusual for us!

Greenville Glimpses: Lovable Cherubs

Dalene shared some pictures from work during the last days. Both girls were asked to work in the 0-6 month department this semester. The older kids were part of a supper responsibility. What a blessing, when you love your little charges like the girls do theirs.

Back to BJ

Kevin and Carol drove Erik and the girls up to the Hamburg Airport early yesterday morning. They had gotten their seats the day before, online. Thankfully, Danae was able to sleep some. They enjoyed a nice lay-over with their Pilot-Uncle Kirk. Newark is one of his airline's hubs. In the mean time the girls had a good night of rest (though Danae is still having a bad sore throat and cough) and are busy organizing for school tomorrow, looking for books, and, in Dalene's case, also working.

The Trip Home

The week was over before we knew it. On Wednesday morning it was time to pack up the vehicles, and clean the house before heading out. Danielle, Dustin and Doreen had gotten sick the day before (fevers), it hit Derek and Bradley that morning. Our trip home took us 12 hours, with a relatively short stop in Tübingen to change around some luggage and passengers. What a long day! We thank the Lord for safety, though. Since returning home, everyone has gotten sick, except Dalene. Bradley got strep on top of it all. The rest of us have/had fevers and bad coughs. Danae went back sick and is still having a very bad throat and cough. I can't remember a time when so many of us were sick at the same time, and where the sickness lasted this long. Unfortunately it has spread to the Matthia household as well. We covet your prayers.

Skiing with Papa

Bradley took Danika and Donovan on the front of his skis for a few meters. They loved it.

Our Mountaintop Date

Bradley treated us to two Swiss refreshments on our last afternoon. We sat outside on the balcony overlooking the ski area below.

The Last Days

The innertubes were lots of fun, and in the afternoon we were all happy to see Derek up close before he headed down the mountain again.

Perfect Conditions

Last year the kids were skiing/boarding mostly on ice and artificial snow. This year every day was beautiful! What a special blessing! (Derek, Devon, "Going Down", Danae and a girl at camp, Dalene and Doreen)

Sundown

Doreen and her little camp friend, Denise, built another snowman together. The skies are constantly amazing! The kids enjoyed their time outside until the last minute, and Dustin and Dalene then played a game before supper was called.

Late Afternoon

Bradley and Dalene came down off the mountain early to have some play time with the younger kids. Danika, Donovan and Danielle had fun showing the snow men they had built, Dalene had a great view from above, the boys enjoyed a snowball fight with Daddy and some fun romping.

Afternoon pick-up

In the early afternoon I walked up towards the bus stop to pick up Dustin and Doreen who were coming back down from skiing. It was a steep path. :) One of the camp buses ended up bringing us back down which we appreciated greatly. :)