Our Scout's Adventures

Benjamin started Scouts this year as a Tiger Cub. He has been enjoying many outings and events as a scout here.


Don took both the boys on a historical Battle of Bastone hike. I don't think they enjoyed the hike and walking too much but they sounded thrilled about the parade that followed.


And Benjamin ended up on the front cover of our local weekly paper here called The Herald Post. He was thrilled about that! Yep, that's our lil man in the bright blue sweatshirt and blue and orange hat. You can read the entire story at: http://www.bw.eur.army.mil/news/HPpdf/2011/Dec_15_2011.pdf


We also participated in the Peace Light Ceremony that was held at the chapel on post. 


What is the Peace Light? 


Each year, a child from Upper Austria fetches the light from the grotto in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. The light is carried in two blast proof miners lamps on an Austrian Airlines jet from Tel Aviv Israel to Vienna  Austria from where it is distributed at a Service of Dedication to delegations from across Europe who take it back, with a message of Peace, to their own countries. Austrian Airlines then flies the miners lamps containing the Peace Light from Bethlehem to New York City. 


Scouts from our area are chosen as well to attend the Peace Light Ceremony in Vienna Austria and bring back the Peace Light to our community. So, we went with a candle in hand and as we left the chapel the flame went out. :(


Oh well, it was a neat ceremony even though I probably was the only one who understood what was going on (Don was traveling that week so he couldn't attend). 


When our candle went out Benjamin said... "We can relight it at home." hmmm. It was a very windy night and the chances of us making it home with it lit were not too good anyway. 

December was a  busy time for us to say the least! And the scouting events were no exception. At their December Pack Meeting we gathered for a pot luck with a visit from a special guest... SANTA! There was a lot of excitement that night. All the scouts received their Pinewood Derby Kits from Santa and then the siblings had a chance to meet and greet Santa too. Grace was so excited! And sat very happily on Santa's lap. With much contrast from last year, Grace was a huge fan of the jolly bearded man this year. Phew! 

December: The Hunt

It's been forever since I posted so I thought I'd go back and look through some of our somewhat recent happenings and some favorite memories and photos. So, way back in December we went to a Christmas tree farm here in Heidelberg to find our perfect tree for the season. The kids all had a good time running around the trees and exploring the tree farm.

They loved finding lose branches on the ground and entertained themselves with their stick collections and making them into reindeer antlers. 

We found a great tree that the kids helped decorate more than any previous year! It's so awesome how they get into the spirit of Christmas and everything is so magical.

I have tons of more pictures from the Christmas season as we enjoyed our last Christmas in Europe... I hope to most more soon... we shall see! 

There is a 7 Year Old in the House!

As of September 28, we have a 7 year old in our house! It's amazing to think we've had this amazing little man living in our midst for 7 years already! It seems like only yesterday that we were discovering all the joys and challenges of becoming new parents. Phew! We've survived 7 years now!

Well, this year Benjamin decided that he wanted to have a Thor and Captain America themed birthday party. Much like his daddy, he loves his super heros! 

We rented an inflatable bouncy slide and we were fortunate to have unseasonably warm and sunny weather on the first Saturday in October! We celebrated with a few neighbor families as well as a few classmates. Overall, a perfect turnout to help celebrate his big day. 

The kids all received super hero masks as they arrived then had a blast on the inflatable slide, played a few games and decorated little pumpkins. Then we enjoyed some sandwiches, snacks and cake. Before we knew it the party was wrapping up and Benjamin was giving out his party favors and saying farewell to his guests. 

We are so proud of Benjamin and the amazing guy that he is. He loves to sing, laugh, build with Legos,  and race his neighbor friend to the bus stop every morning to be first on the bus. He plays soccer, is discovering what being a Boy Scout is all about, and continually amazes us with new facts he learns and is continually discovering things in our world to be fascinated by.

It's been a great journey parenting Benjamin and we are so thankful that God blessed us with him.

The Chapmans in Paris

Recently, some friends of ours contacted us to let us know they were headed to Paris and to see if we could meet up with them somewhere. We had yet to take the kids to Paris and although we wanted to this past summer the opportunity wasn't there once Don had to go to the states for over a month during the summer. 

So we had a nice weekend in Paris over Columbus Day weekend! We took the train Saturday afternoon and didn't get to Paris until almost dinnertime. So, we checked into our hotel and met our friends near the Eiffle Tower. We enjoyed dinner with our friends (some former neighbors from Ashburn who were in Paris for a week) and then headed back to the hotel. 

On Sunday we got an early start and boarded the train to head outside of Paris over to Disneyland Paris. It was pouring rain when we got off the train. 

But we were all still happy to be at Disneyland. There are two Disney parks there. One is based on the Magic Kingdom in Florida and the other is Disney Studios. We chose to go to Magic Kingdom for the day. So, our first stop was to purchase some rain ponchos for those of us that weren't quite equipped for the rain for the day. Then we went on the Buzz Lightyear ride which all the kids LOVED! Then we headed for It's a Small World, the Tea Cups and then lunch. 

After lunch it wasn't raining so much. Thank goodness!!!! So, the rest of our day was a bit more enjoyable. There were character shows outside with Halloween themes and we enjoyed some more rides, shows and food! The boys even got to meet Darth Vader at the Star Tours ride. Overall, a fantastic day despite the rain.

Then we headed back to the train (there is a train station that goes right to the Disney parks!). It was already dark out and the kids were tired out (except for Grace who had napped in her stroller earlier in the day). Both Benjamin and Samuel fell asleep hard. The train ride was about 45 minutes and then we had to switch trains in Paris. The boys were tired, crabby and disoriented. We all just wanted to be back at the hotel. But luckily our hotel was very close to the train station... literally across the street. So, it wasn't so bad.

On Monday, we aimed for another early start but everyone was still pretty tired from Disneyland. We made it to the Eiffle Tower around 10 a.m. and met up with our friends again. We got in line for the elevators and took the elevator to the 2nd floor and enjoyed some views then continued on to the top floors. It was rather cool and windy up top with some very high (airplane like) views of Paris. The kids really enjoyed it.

After spending time in the Eiffle Tower we walked across the street and picked up some crepes (yum!) and sandwiches from one of the stands. We visited with our friends some more over lunch then headed back to our hotel to pick up bags then back to the train. 

The kids all slept pretty hard on the train ride home so I guess that's a sign that we had a good trip! They were all tuckered out.  

Our Soccer Star

Love this picture of Samuel (#9 Green).
I don't recall him catching that kind of air so
I'm glad I have the picture to prove it!

Last night was the kick off of Samuel's fall soccer season. This is his second season playing and he has a lot of fun. However, some of these pictures are a bit deceiving as he looks like he's really into the game... that's what I love about the pics! But  Samuel really enjoys dancing around and acting silly just as much as the other 4 and 5 year olds out there on the field... sometimes, I think he enjoys acting silly more than the other kids. That's our Samuel!

Samuel and his good buddy running with the ball.

At his level there do not have goalies guarding the net... however, 

Samuel seemed to make it his mission last night to guard 

the net, swing from the goal posts, conk his head on the goal posts, etc. 

Samuel and his AMAZING hair running in an animated fashion across the field.

"Hi Mom! I know you're taking my picture!"

Gracie on the Mend

This week we had the opportunity to attend a MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) play date at a local pool. It was the first time the kids and I had ventured to the pool so I was a bit nervous with 3 kids near water but it ended up being a fantastic time! They had a great kiddy area and a pool that all the kids were able to stand and swim in.

As soon as we got into the car leaving the pool, Grace was sleeping and shortly after that Samuel was asleep as well! A successful play date in my book!

Once we got home, Samuel woke up and Grace continued to nap for quite awhile. When she woke up I was surprised to find out she was burning up with a fever. After several doses of Motrin and a rough night's sleep we were off to the Acute Care Clinic to see what was going on with our sweet little girl.

As I suspected, Grace had double ear infections so we left with more Tylenol and an antibiotic. When we got home she fell asleep at the table... as in, sitting at her chair with head on the table... sound asleep.

After a few doses of antibiotics she seems to be on the mend today! Phew! She slept until nearly 10 a.m. and woke up all smiles! I snapped a few pics of her being her happy charming self this morning. Enjoy!

Just a Few Photos

It's been forever since I posted so I thought I'd at least take a minute to post some pics. We've had a fun-filled busy summer and have lots more to share... in another blog post soon!