Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Bippty Boppty Boo!

Meet Vanessa!! She is the newest member of our family, kind of. She is the blonde with the scary eyes and red lips! We all adore Vanessa she is the best neighbor and babysitter anyone could ask for. She asked if she could take the girls "trick or treating." She babysits for us regularly and comes over and plays with the girls. Today Keanna said that she is going to miss Vanessa when we move back to Oregon. It was great Keanna went to trick or treating with Vanessa and came home with a bucket of German candy!!! Justin and I of course will benefit.





Keanna is our beautiful Cinderella. As she presented herself to Daddy she held herself with such dignity and poise. She just knew that she was the most beautiful girl in the room.

Ward Trunk or Treat


On Tuesday night we went to the ward trunk or treat. Keanna and Mommy were cowgirls. Ayla was suppose to be a ladybug was screamed as I tried to put on her costume. I figured she was cute enough as herself. Justin was of course Zorro.

Monday, October 29, 2007

My cute kids




i can't believe how grown up my kids are. They are so fun and have the cutest little personalities. Keanna is liking school and come home singing German songs and saying "Danke shin" Ayla is starting to talk. However, she doesn't really open her mouth when she talks so everything sounds really muffled.


Saturday, October 27, 2007

Halloween Party!


My Zorro!

Justin actually didn't wan't to kiss me with these lips!!! Can you believe that




Justin and I went to an Adult Halloween Party last night. I think this might have been one of my favorite costumes. How often do you get to plaster black makeup all over your face. Keanna asked me if I were going out of the house looking like this, she said I looked scary and I should dress up as a princess.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Happy Birthday Keanna!!!!

Strike a pose, vogue!




Keanna REALLY wanted a horse this year for her birthday. Keanna loves horses! She and Ayla crawl around the house saying "Neigh, neigh." Fortunately, for Keanna her father shares this same passion for horses. He has entertained the thought of buying a horse here and renting a slot in a stable. My only concern is the expense in transporting a live horse from Germany to the states. Justin hasn't quite figured out all the details in having a horse in Germany, so a horse party will have to do.







We had a small party with a couple friends, a horse cake, ice cream, presents and pin the tail on the horse. We are so happy Keanna was born into our family 4 years ago!









Birthday Memories

2 of our good friends just had babies!!!!!
Ruth Faith was born Monday October 22 2007
Tessa Rae was born Tuesday October 23 2007

Our little Keanna's birthday is October 24th 2003!

As I have heard their stories and seen pictures I again realize birth is such a miracle and an amazing time. It's been fun to remember the day Keanna was born.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Orange Living Room


I have had a few requests for pictures of the orange living room. Okay here it is. We are still moving in, so it doesn't look quite so put together, but I guess its a working progress. Any suggestions, besides coordinating couches? I think I might switch everything around, I don't quite like the way everything is currently organized.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

I got tagged

Well I was tagged and I guess that means that I am supppose to write 6 facts about myself. A lofty request. However, for those of you whom I have tagged sorry. The rules are as follows if you have been tagged then you write 6 facts about yourself and then tag 6 other people. A fun way to get to know people, happy tagging :)

1. I am the 4th child out of 5. My Dad remarried when I was about 19 to a woman who had six children. If you look at all 11 of those children I have 2 brothers named Matt and 2 brothers named Andrew. At family events its important to say Matt H or Matt B or Andrew H or Andrew B. It can get a little tricky.

2. Justin and I no longer watch movies. For the last 2 years we have been watching television series Alias and 24. Justin and I joke that I have a crush on Jack Bauer and Justin has a crush on Sydney. I guess we like the action packed shows.

3. I got my bachelors degree in Family and Human Development. However, during my undergraduate experience I worked at a bank. I soon realized I enjoy numbers, interest rates and money markets. I often wonder if I should go back to school to get an accounting degree. Its so tricky when you go to school so young to know what you really want to do.

4. I dream about having a really put together house. You know like the houses that all of you live in. Recently, I thought I would make a big interior design leap and paint our living room orange!!! I really like it. However, sometimes I wonder if my subconscious wished I lived in the 70's because the color scheme has orange and green!! I am just hoping that history really does repeat itself and the 70's come back.

5. My father is allergic to just about everything. As a young child he would say that dust made his nose tickle. I always rolled my eyes and thought he was delusional. However, recently my allergies have been getting really bad. I went to the allergist and I too am allergic to dust. I too can feel the dust tickle the insides of my nose. I too tell Justin to stop moving the blankets so much because it puts dust in the air. I thought this would never happen to me, but it has!!!!

6. I am terrified of spiders. We had a spider in our room the other day, Justin killed it. I am still nervous to go into that corner where I last saw it. Although, I know Justin killed the spider. Somehow I feel that its family is still lurking around and they are just waiting for the perfect opportunity to seek revenge on me.

I did it! I thought of 6 facts about myself. I look forward to reading about those whom I tag.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Skipping Rocks


There are numerous lessons in life that a child must learn, and, certainly, we as parents prefer that some of those lessons be learned from us and not from teachers, friends, or peers in the locker-room. Perhaps no responsibility bears more weight on the shoulders of a father than that of properly teaching their young and innocent child to skip a rock. While spending the weekend in the German Alps, I realized that Keanna was getting old enough and soon she would be asking questions. After spotting a perfect river, I decided it was time for Pops to step up to the plate and have "the talk".

It all begins with finding the right rock--thin, but not too light and skinny. But there is much more, such as finding the proper body of water with its associated flow and current.

Then extend the arm.


Point the opposite elbow towards the intended direction of skipping.



Then just let it fly and start counting.

I'll be honest, "the talk" went pretty well, yet we have a lot to work on still. But as a conscientous father, I continue to look for those precious teaching moments where more of life's valuable lessons can be taught.

Neuschwanstein Castle































On our trip to the Alps we also went to Neuschwanstein Castle. It was incredibly beautiful. This is the castle they base the Disney Castles after. For copyright purposes we could not take pictures of the inside. However, in the above web link there are some pictures of the inside. Or just Google the castle name.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Hotel Hirth

Hotel Hirth what a great place. You would think that we would have already had enough hotel stays for one year!
It seemed to be a very European Room. Our beds were just one solid Mattress with one thin sheet over them. We each had our own twin down comforter and down pillow. Again, Ayla slept in the the bathroom :) On a clear day you can see the Alps in the background. Our view was incredible. We
went for a walk on the trails behind the fields and saw horses. Our kids were ecstatic to see a horse.

Trip to Garmisch

Hello Beautiful!
Last weekend we took a trip to Garmisch to see the Alps. Justin was feeling sad that he missed the beloved dear hunt. I decided he needed to get out and see that the Mountains in Eastern Oregon weren't the only beautiful Mountains in the world. We loved walking around and just
taking in all the beauty.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

GREEN

You are a very calm and contemplative person. Others are drawn to your peaceful, nurturing nature.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!


Okay so I am doing free advertising. However, I did think this was intresting, I don't know if its accurate I have viewed myself as out of control and Not Calm (maybe thats because I am a Mom). anyhow I thought this was fun

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Keanna's 2nd day of school



The kindergarten is the building to the left




Well today was Keanna's 2nd day of German Kindergarten (i.e preschool). Getting dressed in the morning is quite difficult for Keanna she doesn't like jeans. Apparently, they "itch" her. After a morning of coaxing I finally convinced her that it was a good idea to wear jeans to school, she would be able to go on an ice cream date with Daddy later. We made it to school with only a few tears and headed up to her classroom. In German culture they have house shoes and Garden shoes (outdoor shoes). The children walk to school and then change into house shoes once they get to school. This cultural difference is very difficult for Keanna to grasp. Both mornings we have had a huge fit and she pronounces that her house shoes "are ugly with her pants." Who knew that clothing was such a big deal before turning 4. The teacher was kind enough to let her wear socks instead. Lets hope these clothes issues fade off before we reach the teen years, YIKES!

Monday, October 1, 2007

Memorable Toilets


Above is the toilet that is installed in our house. This wins as the most memorable toilet because you remember EACH time you do your business. As one thinks of the human anatomy and then looks at the shape of this toilet you might realize that things don't "flush down so easy." I won't go into further detail for you who may have a weak stomach.

Another memorable toilet was found at the Kristal Inn. We wondered if the toilet was some version of a bidea. We quickly learned that after using the toilet, it was important to shut the lid, BEFORE FLUSHING. Otherwise, you would get a nice spray.

Our Picnic




After shopping in Auerbach we decided to find a nice rural park and have a picnic. This was Keanna reward for "obeying Mom and Dad" as we walked aimlessly through the stores. We were looking for shelving or something to put in our bathroom. Where do these Europeans store basic essentials like deodorant and hairspray.