Fall Harvest

Fall Harvest

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The Largest Crystal and Our Bushes: Enjoying God's Creation

Mining Crystals

The nights have been getting colder and colder, and this morning it was -8°C out when we got up. By late morning Donovan had sighted the Little Tykes castle and mote on the deck and went out to "mine crystals", as he explained to me. It didn't take long before Danielle went out (and she was soon back for a coat) and then Danika joined them after Helene left. Dustin missed out on this adventure, because he has been enjoying the last two days with his best friend and cousin, Edwin. (P.S. When Dustin got home a little while ago, he told me that they were busy breaking ice at Matthia's house, too, especially the large water bowls for the dogs.:) )

Down-sized for a week!

At shortly after 6 am Bradley and the 6 oldest kids left to start the trip south to Switzerland. The house seems empty now, but we have been enjoying the change of pace. The kids have helped with meals. They love fixing scrambled eggs and sausages. Helene spent two days with us and the girls loved the coloring and "blowing" they got to do together.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas Day

Last night the kids were in our bedroom playing a new game. It was one in the morning, and I was so tired. I just lay down on the bed fully dressed and let them continue playing. Since we had unwrapped our gifts on Christmas Eve we were able to sleep in Christmas morning. When I awoke a little after 7 AM the kids were gone. So was Krischa. She was having her quiet time with the Lord. We had Aunt Hoeppi as our guest for dinner and the afternoon. By the way, what is the largest turkey you have ever seen? I saw one for sale at the store the other day. It was 37 pounds and cost about 130 dollars. I would have gotten it, but we didn't have a blue enamel roasting pan that size, let alone an oven it would fit into. (I jest.) Now we have two days (Dec. 25-26) on which the stores are closed and outside work is frowned upon. Tomorrow seven of the twelve of us leave for the annual ski camp.

Christmas Eve

We followed the German tradition and opened our gifts Christmas Eve. The "blow pens" were the main attraction at one point. Doreen is enjoying having her sister Danae at home for a few weeks. Danielle hasn't sucked her finger for a week. We've changed her glove a few times, but we have yet to find out what she will do once the glove is off.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

The days immediately preceeding Christmas

Brad here: The days since Sunday have been very full. Monday: returning props and costumes, car repairs, shopping, and a small birthday party for Krischa. Tuesday: a move, disassembling the stage and putting the church back in order, more shopping, a Bible study, and a Christmas "Sing" that went until almost midnight. Wednesday: preparation for the Christmas message, final shopping - "Do we have something for each of the 10?" - and then the Christmas Eve service. Things have been wild around here, but also enjoyable!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Our Little Birthday Party

This evening we had a family party. The kids had baked a cake, we had left-over cookies the girls had baked on Saturday, and then I was given some very nice gifts! Thanks to everyone for their Birthday Wishes!

Monday, December 22, 2008

100% Participation

Brad here: Yesterday the people of our church did a fine job of putting on a nativity play. All of the children and young people in our church, right down to 2-year-old Joel, had costumes and played a part, whether speaking or as a walk-on. The Lord brought together so many factors to grant us success; it would take too long to list them all: costumes, props, scenery, etc. Krischa on her birthday directed the play. We put off her celebration until today, since there just wasn't time to fit it in. We were thankful that so many guests showed up, so that the play could be performed before a full house.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Going and Coming!

The trip to Berlin went well, and Richard was in plenty of time for his flight. The college kids, however, were not allowed to board their third plane, because the airline hadn't printed out paper tickets for them for the last stretch in Germany. The arrival committee went bowling while they waited for word from Frankfurt. The travelers were able to call us with their new arrival time, and the group moved over to pick them up. It was a happy "welcome back". Poor Richard! He could have authored an almanac in the time it took him to get home. He left Friday, but didn't arrive until Monday!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Last Day of School

Today the kids were happy to be having their last day of school before Christmas break. Mr. Rich is going home for this vacation time, so he brought his students gifts today already. Donovan received a nice box with science experiments (which he was investigating right away), Danika's gift was a wooden dolphin-shaped treasure chest that is a puzzle, too, and Dustin was excited about his "Deutschland" scarf! Thank you, Mr. Rich! The days will fly by on both sides of the "pond".